by Vella Day
He stopped about a quarter of a mile from Ernst’s house and cut his lights. “Let me know if you have any trouble, okay?”
He’d only drilled it into her a hundred times. Unless Ernst could sense her presence and then attacked, she didn’t see any reason for this to end badly. The worst thing would be if they went to all this trouble and she didn’t find anything.
“Yes, I’m ready,” she said, fingering her good luck necklace from Shamus. Surely, nothing would happen to her if she wore this. She didn’t expect to shift, so the necklace would be safe.
Ainsley slipped out of the front seat and Kip emerged from the back. His job was to use his electrical skills to disrupt power to the house. She’d suggested they merely cut the wire—assuming they had access to it—but Jackson said Ernst would know someone had sabotaged the place if they did. They didn’t need him knowing someone had broken in. He’d alter his plans for stealing the sardonyx for sure if he suspected someone was onto him.
Jackson rolled down the passenger side window and leaned across the seat. “Good luck.”
She nodded and headed off with Kip Landon. Not only could he disrupt the power using his magic, he could pick a lock. Both of those traits would come in rather handy. While the moon provided some light, as did the rather dim lamp next to the door, Ainsley was lucky she had excellent vision. Maybe that was why Kip followed closely behind her.
When they reached the front of the house, Kip motioned she step back. Having no idea what to expect, she did as he asked.
With anticipation, she watched as he raised his arm. Out of nowhere, a huge bolt of electricity shot from his palm and she jumped. Holy hell. That was the coolest thing she’d ever seen. Instantly, the door light extinguished. He did it! She held her breath, half expecting John Ernst to come running down the stairs to see what happened to his power. No electricity meant no heat. Eventually, when he became chilled, he’d investigate. Time was ticking.
Now came for the picking of the lock. She whipped out the flashlight with the red filter on it that Jackson had given her. It would hopefully allow Kip to see. He took out his lock picks and went to work. Seconds later, the tumblers clicked.
“All yours,” he said. “And good luck.”
She hoped Ernst didn’t have one of those chains across the inside of his door. While she could have had Kip bust it open, it would make way too much noise. Inhaling the cold winter air, she depressed the lever and pushed the door inward. It moved.
Yes! Step one complete. “I’m in.”
Kip tapped her on the shoulder then motioned he was taking off. She nodded. Jackson had suggested that as soon as she was inside she become invisible in case Ernst snuck up on her. While she believed she could hear him coming, especially with his limp, she didn’t want to take any chances. Invisibility, here I come.
Not wasting any time, she stepped toward his office. Being invisible didn’t mean she was silent, which was why she’d worn rubber-soled shoes. The office door sat open. Darn. Not wanting Ernst to suspect something was going on in there, she would have to leave things exactly as she found them.
Even though the power was off, and the laptop was plugged in, it could still work on battery power. She lifted the lid and smiled as the screen shot to life, displaying his home screen. Thank goodness, he hadn’t shut down completely or else she would have had to get past his password.
As she sat in his chair, she was disappointed that her heart was racing. She’d always prided herself on keeping cool. Maybe the cleansing had messed with her more than she’d realized.
Calm down. I can do this.
Unfortunately, Ainsley had no idea what she was looking for, so she studied his computer, searching for anything that would clue her into what his red-dot map might mean. She was the one who suggested the map might indicate the location of sardonyx buried in the town long before the buildings had been built, so she put the word map in the search function.
As she waited for the computer to locate anything with that word, she glanced up at the entrance, fearing Ernst would hear her fingers hit the keys and wake up. Hell, he might wake up anyway when the heater didn’t click on, notice his clock was off, and come downstairs. His father, however, didn’t pose a threat at all.
Bingo. Two documents with the word map showed up. The first one was the one she’d already copied. Crap. The second one was titled, “Silver Lake 1905.”
Not taking the time to study it, she pulled out her cell phone and snapped a picture. As she closed the computer window, footsteps sounded on the stairs. Shit. Shit. Shit.
Just as she lowered the lid, her arm reappeared. What the hell? She looked down at her lap. Oh, no, she was no longer invisible.
Her heartbeat increased as she fought to stay invisible. Footsteps neared.
“He’s coming!” she telepathed.
Ainsley had to get out of there or else hide.
“Get out of there now,” Jackson commanded.
Ten feet away. Now five. She didn’t have time to explain why she couldn’t just walk out. Ainsley pushed back the chair and made a dash toward the closet on the far wall. The damn louvered door squeaked when she pulled it open. Crap. Just as she ducked inside and closed it, Ernst entered the office.
Flick, flick.
He tried to turn on the lights, but without electricity, nothing worked. Heavy steps moved toward the desk. “What the fuck?”
Had she left the laptop in a different position? Or hadn’t she pushed back his chair? Blood pounded in her ears. Even with her excellent vision, she couldn’t tell if she’d been able to disappear again. Why hadn’t she practiced more?
Because I’m arrogant and think I’m invincible.
It was her stupid Changeling mentality showing up again. Damn. Think about Jackson. His face came to mind and her blood pressure dropped. The closet door opened and her heart nearly stopped.
*
“Ainsley’s in trouble,” Jackson said to the other men. “Her fear is attacking my body.”
“Ainsley, are you okay?”
When she didn’t answer, a piece of him died. He’d never been so upset in his life. Jackson’s own heart was beating in unison with hers, and his gut was churning wildly. It was almost as if he was in that house and Ernst was about to find him.
Kalan and Dalton both had their hands on their weapons. “Give us the word and we’ll go in with you.”
“Talk to me, baby.”
Kip was huddled next to them, ready to charge too. While he couldn’t shift, Kip could take down Ernst with one blast. The problem would be with the cleanup. Jackson knew first hand how hard it was to make a Changeling disappear. If Ernst was as powerful as James implied, there would be an out and out war if any harm came to him. Council members were revered.
“I’m good. I’ll be right out.”
Jackson let out a breath. “She’s coming out.” The men nodded. “In case Ernst figures out she’s there, let’s move closer.”
The four of them jumped back into their cars. Wanting to time his arrival to when Ainsley exited the front of the house, he drove slowly. “Where are you?”
“In the living room. I can see your lights moving up the road. Okay, I’m opening the front door.”
He wouldn’t relax until she was in the car. Jackson stopped about fifty feet from Ernst’s house and cut the lights, but kept the engine running. “I’m parked to the left of the drive.”
He strained to catch sight of some movement, but saw nothing. It was only when the passenger door opened and the overhead light clicked on that he knew Ainsley was there. A second after she slammed the door shut, she materialized.
“That was close,” she said. Trembling, she sent off mixed vibes of elation and fear. “Can we leave now, please?”
Damn. He’d been too focused on checking her out instead of taking off. “You don’t have to ask twice.”
“Wait,” Kip said. “Let me turn his lights back on. Ernst will think it’s the power company’s fault for the
blackout if his service is restored. He won’t think it’s sabotage.”
“Good thinking, but hurry.”
They didn’t need Ernst to look out the window and see both of their cars, so he motioned for his brother to back up. Once out of sight of the house, Kip slipped out of the truck and rushed up the front yard. A bright light flashed a few seconds later, followed by faint rays of light skipping across the lawn. Kip came barreling around the corner and jumped in. “Go.”
With his headlights off, Jackson sped away. Not until he was out of sight did he flip them on. When he was half way down the mountain and was certain they hadn’t been followed, he glanced over at Ainsley. Her anxiety level had tapered off, but she was definitely rattled. “Are you sure Ernst didn’t see you?”
“I’m sure.”
He believed her. “Good. I know it’s late or rather still very early, but would you mind if we stopped at the office? It’ll be easier for you to debrief us when everything’s fresh in your mind. I’ve got some good coffee I can brew.”
She glanced over at him. “You sure know how to sweet talk a girl.”
Jackson chuckled, totally relieved that his mate was safe.
It was after four a.m. before everyone was seated in the conference room with coffee all around. “Tell us what happened,” Jackson said, thankful Connor didn’t seem intent on leading the discussion.
She gave them a brief rundown of what occurred at the house and then fished out her cell phone. “I took a picture of another map I think you might find interesting. I didn’t have time to study it though.” She told them how she’d started to materialize.
Jackson grabbed her hand. “What do you mean, you started to materialize?”
“Just what it sounds like. My ability to remain invisible kind of failed me.” Ainsley let her voice trail off, but he had no doubt everyone heard. “To be honest, I have never tried to remain in that state for any length of time before tonight. I’ll need to practice if I have to do something like this again.”
There wouldn’t be a next time, but they’d have that discussion in private. He knew he’d get some push back. “Go on.”
“Something must have alerted Mr. Ernst—whether it was the lack of electricity, the fact the heater had stopped working, or perhaps my tapping of the keys. Who knows? But he came downstairs. I was closing the computer top when I noticed my arm appeared visible, and then the rest of me showed up. All I could do was hide in the closet.”
Ainsley had come within seconds of being caught. He had to make sure she understood how dangerous these assignments could be. His protective nature took over, and his intention of delaying the discussion flew out the proverbial window. “This needs to be your last assignment.”
“She did fine,” Connor tossed in. “With a little practice, she’ll be good to go.”
All Jackson could do was glare at him. He refused to argue with his boss now. They were all tired, and he might say something he’d regret later. Jackson then returned his attention to Ainsley. “How did you get away if he could see you?”
“When Ernst opened the closet doors and looked in, I’d managed to cloak myself again. I think I just needed to recharge. With the door open, I stepped out. I guess he was satisfied no one had broken into his house because he then returned to his computer. I thought he’d search more because I didn’t have time to push his chair in or return the computer to its original position. As soon as I could, I slipped out of the office and out the front door. I’m hoping he didn’t hear me open and then close the latch.” She fingered her necklace, acting as if it had protected her.
“Hopefully.” Ainsley had kept a cool head under dire circumstances, and Jackson was proud of her, but that didn’t mean he’d let her take on something like this again. He swiped her cell phone, and when he spotted the map, excitement charged through him. “This looks exactly like what we need. How about we head out to the overhead projector? It’ll be easier if I put it on the big screen.”
With coffee cups in hand, the six of them moved to the front of the large room. In no time, Jackson had both maps displayed on the screen side by side. He stepped up to the front to get a better view.
“What are we looking at?” Dalton asked.
“Sorry.” Kalan’s partner, Detective Dalton Garner, probably hadn’t been brought up to speed. Jackson walked back to his computer and opened another tab to display the original treasure map. “While I can’t be certain, I believe that something important is buried right about here.” He swirled his mouse where the well was supposed to be located. “Trust me, I’ve done a lot of research.”
“What do you think is down there? Gold?”
“Something more precious—at least to the Changelings: sardonyx.” Dalton hadn’t been in Silver Lake very long, but he and Kalan had dealt with the bastards enough to know what they were capable of, especially after they got ahold of the stone the last time.
“We can’t let them get their mitts on any of that,” Kip chimed in.
It was his twin who’d had his magic stolen by those mutated freaks. Jackson’s anger subsided when he remembered not all Changelings were bad—at least those who were only part Changeling.
“I can see why you’re so interested,” Dalton said as he studied both images.
“Give me a sec.” Jackson superimposed Ernst’s original map with the red dots on top of the new map of the town that dated back to 1905. “I’ll be damned.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
‡
Jackson was really excited as he pointed to the red dots. “Back in the olden days, no buildings existed where these dots are currently located.”
“Meaning?” Dalton asked.
“It’s possible Silver Lake once had a sardonyx mine, which might be why the Changelings settled in this town. I’m thinking—or rather Ainsley suggested—that some non-Changeling shifters mined the stone, and when the Changelings tried to steal it, they had to hide it. The local shifters might have been aware back then that the Changelings used the sardonyx to rob Wendayans of their powers.” He waved a hand. “That’s all speculation. Bottom line is the miners could have buried their findings all over town. These red dots might represent the other locations. As I’ve said, it’s just a theory.”
Connor whistled. “From here on out, we need to operate on the assumption the Changelings want whatever is down there. On the way back here, I got to thinking that we should make it look like we’re digging a small retention pond where the well is located instead of just drilling in one spot. It will attract less attention.”
“Sounds good. I contacted Wayne, and he’s starting tomorrow,” Jackson said. “I don’t think he’ll have a problem digging in a larger area.”
Connor slapped his thighs and stood. “It’s almost daylight, so let’s all get some shuteye. Thanks everyone for your help.” He looked over at Ainsley. “Especially you, Miss Invisibility. You were very impressive.”
“Thank you.”
Jackson shut down his computer as the rest stood. Kalan, Kip, and Dalton shook her hand, telling her what a great job she did. Ainsley smiled, and even blushed once, but he could sense she was running on fumes. It was time to go home.
*
Because it was almost five in the morning when they returned, Jackson suggested that Ainsley sleep in, but his little overachiever said she was going to work at her regular hour. His mate reminded him of himself in so many ways; she was as dedicated and ambitious as he was.
Right now, she seemed to be in some kind of fugue state. She barely spoke on the way home, and when he asked if she wanted a coffee, she shook her head and went straight to bed. He needed a shower, but by the time he finished washing up, his mate was sound asleep.
Her exhaustive state might be why he wasn’t sure he could believe her when she’d told him that Dalton Garner was a tiger shifter. That was crazy. The only shifters he’d ever run into were either bears or wolves, though he admitted tigers existed—just not in Tennessee. Sure, she said o
ne of her talents was being able to tell what kind of shifter someone was, but he figured she’d missed the boat with this one. Perhaps Kalan could shed some light on it since they were partners.
Jackson set his alarm for eight so he could get up early and fix Ainsley a nice breakfast before work. Food perked up any shifter. After a quick two-hour snooze, he rose and made her a meal. He then went in to wake her. To his surprise, Ainsley didn’t grumble at being roused. Still in a zombie-like state, she dressed and came out to the table. He thought she’d want to discuss what happened at the Ernst residence, but she remained silent, eating her food as if on automatic pilot. He understood she was still processing the near disaster earlier this morning.
“How about tonight we watch a movie? Your choice,” he said.
Finally, a smile appeared. “I’d love that. Thank you.”
Jackson kissed her goodbye. “Text me when you arrive at the clinic.” In her state, she might become distracted and run off the road, and he wanted to make sure she arrived safely. Or send me a message with your mind, he telepathed.
“I’m fine.” She ran a hand down his chest, and his body exploded with need. Fortunately, he succeeded in talking down his randy bear.
“I know you are, but send a message anyway.” He kissed her forehead because he didn’t trust himself to do more. “Have a good day.”
He debated following her, but that would only lead to an argument about him being overly protective.
Once Ainsley left, he cleaned up, dressed, and then headed to the Donaldson property to make sure Wayne understood exactly where he was to dig. At least Jackson didn’t have to hide what might be hidden below. Being a shifter, Wayne would understand.
When Jackson arrived, to his surprise Connor and Kalan were at the site. “Hey, what are you two doing here?”
“I don’t trust Ernst,” his brother said. “If one of his Clan spots you digging, he might report back to the Council. Ernst is probably just biding his time before he tries to steal it.”
