Rockwell Agency: Boxset

by Dee Bridgnorth

  “Yes and no,” Agnew said. “It’s more that she can do locator spells. They’re difficult, though, and she needs something belonging to the person. My guess is that she went to your house to see for herself if you were dead, and when she realized you weren’t, she took something of yours and located you. All she would have known is a general idea. New Orleans, essentially. Not necessarily where in New Orleans. My grandmother has never been to New Orleans because she thinks it’s the cesspool of humanity. Drinking, and sex, and drugs, and debauchery. She might think that the ocean is more accessible than it really is.”

  Hannah nodded. “I was thinking locator, yes. Which means that she’ll soon check again, and we have to be on our guard. In the meantime, Agnew—I think that you and I should confront Winnifred. I wasn’t sure that was the right way to go at first, but she’s going to keep coming after Liam until we can convince her that he didn’t kill Trinity. We can’t figure out who did kill Trinity in the next few hours, so I think we need to take you to her. Maybe she’ll listen to you, especially if we promise to help track down the real killer.”

  Agnew was silent for a long moment, his jaw working, as he nervously bit at his bottom lip. “My grandmother and I do not have a pleasant relationship. I’m not sure how much help I’m going to be able to be. That being said …I do think that confronting her is the best way.”

  “What about your parents?” Hannah asked. “Would they be any more reasonable and have any influence over your grandmother?”

  “My mother is a frightened shadow of a person,” Agnew said, with no small amount of bitterness. “She married into the family and immediately lost her spine, from what I can tell. She’s entirely under my grandmother’s control. And my father is too mercenary to upset the woman who is largely responsible for his business success. He doesn’t want my grandmother to curse him into poverty, which she could and would do in a heartbeat.”

  Liam snorted a wry laugh. “No kidding. She cursed me into mediocrity, and I haven’t accomplished anything since.”

  Hannah cut her eyes over at him, and his gaze locked with hers. Both immediately started to smile, then quickly hid their smiles, looking away from each other. They were of the same mind—Liam had certainly accomplished several things last night, and if that was him being mediocre than he was going to be exceptionally impressive once they dealt with Winnifred.

  Unaware of the silent communication between Hannah and Liam, Agnew continued. “I don’t think that it would be useful to go to my parents first. I think the best chance of getting Winnifred to listen is to go to her directly.”

  “And I can’t come to this meeting because …?” Liam asked. “I mean, it’s not like she’s going to somehow not realize that I’m not dead again. If I was dead, you wouldn’t be trying to call her off my scent.”

  Hannah pursed her lips, well aware that Liam had a point. She also couldn’t argue that he shouldn’t be in close proximity to Winnifred because Winnifred clearly had the ability to strike from where she was at the time. But she still felt nervous about Liam being in the same room with the woman. “I don’t know if it’s worth the risk.”

  “The first time she approached me, I didn’t even try to convince her of the truth,” Liam said. “I was too shocked, and confused, and dismissive. Now…maybe I could make some headway with her.”

  Reaching back with one hand, Hannah twisted her long hair off her neck and pulled it over one shoulder, toying with the ends, as she often did when she was thinking. “I can’t think of a good reason to tell you no, but I would like to tell you no.”

  “We said,” he said, reaching over and putting a hand on her leg, as she drove. “We’re in this together, right?”

  Hannah nodded, glancing down at his hand, as it rested on her bare skin. His thumb traced lightly over her thigh, and she felt a rush of desire flood her all over again. But they were nearing her house, and she knew that they needed to stay on task.

  When she pulled into her driveway, she quickly got out of the car, hurrying into the house wearing only the t-shirt and boxers that she had borrowed from Agnew. She spun through a shower and changed into her own clothes, brushing her hair and her teeth before slipping on shoes and hurrying back out to the two men who waited in the living room for her. She offered Liam a change of clothes that she had on hand for whenever Ryan, or Quentin, or Barrett might need them. Liam nodded and went to change.

  “Excuse me for a minute,” Hannah said to Agnew, taking her phone and walking out onto her back porch. Her t-shirt and jeans were perfect for the semi-cool, March air, and it felt good to be in her own clothes and clean again. She dialed Barrett’s phone number and paced, waiting for him to pick up.

  When he did pick up, he sounded stressed. “Hello?”

  “Hey, it’s me,” she said, frowning. “Everything okay?”

  “Not exactly. We had a break-in at the agency last night. No evidence of forced entry—makes it look like an inside job or negligence on our part. The safe with money and key documents was open, and everything was gone.”

  Hannah sat down heavily on the deck chair she kept out on her porch. “Oh my God. Barrett—that’s awful.”

  “Yeah,” Barrett said. “We’re dealing with it now. I have no idea what’s going on, Hannah. It’s going to come back on me. It’s going to look like I left everything unsecured.”

  “No,” Hannah said. “It won’t. We won’t let it. You didn’t leave anything unsecured. You always lock everything up, and I’ve seen the safe myself all the time—it’s always, always, always secured.”

  Barrett sighed. “Yeah, well. Try telling that to the Rockwell elders.”

  “Norman will back you up. And your father will, too, even if he isn’t as direct about it.”

  “They’re in a difficult position,” Barrett said. “Anyway, what did you need? Are you okay?”

  “Yes, yes,” Hannah said. “I’m completely fine. I was just calling to update you, but it’s not important. I’ll be fine on my own.”

  “You sure?”

  “Just a run-of-the-mill case. A few curses to sort out.”

  “You wouldn’t have called if it was run-of-the-mill.”

  Hannah wasn’t about to lay bare her concerns, the way she had planned to. She had wanted to talk to Barrett about what she was feeling and give him a heads-up that she had told another person about their secret. She’d wanted to hear him say that she was doing the right thing, going to confront Winnifred. But she wouldn’t add to his responsibilities right now—not for anything. She would be fine on her own.

  “It’s nothing important,” she said. “I’m going to a meeting with a witch. That’s all. Nothing I haven’t done before.”

  “Okay, well you’ve got this,” Barrett said, though he sounded tired and somewhat deflated. “Let me know if you need anything. Just because I’m dealing with this doesn’t mean I’m not available for you.”

  “And just because I’m dealing with this doesn’t mean I’m not available for you, too,” Hannah said. “If you need me, please call me. I’ll back you up a thousand percent. You know I will.”

  “I know,” Barrett said, sounding appreciative but also a little hopeless. “I’m not sure what anyone can do at this point. But I’ll call if I figure it out.”

  Hannah nodded, getting up from the chair again. “Okay. Good luck, Barrett. I’ve never known anyone else as capable as you. I’m not just saying that. You’ll figure this out like you figure everything else out.”

  “Thanks, Hannah.”

  They hung up, and Hannah walked back into the house just as Liam was walking out in fresh clothes. She gave him a brief smile, but it must have been a distracted smile because he frowned at her in response. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing to do with this or us,” she said. “There’s another …case. Sort of a case, anyway. It’s causing my boss and my friend some issues. It’s okay. Let’s focus on what we have ahead of us for right now. Agnew, I’m assuming you know where we can fi
nd your grandmother.”

  Standing up, Agnew gave them a brief nod. “Unfortunately, I do.”

  Chapter 22

  Liam

  Liam reluctantly pulled his gaze away from Hannah, as she walked ahead of him and beside Agnew. They were walking across the parking lot towards the community center that Winnifred would supposedly be in, and he needed to be focused on the task ahead of them. But all he could think about was how beautiful Hannah was, and how perfect their night together had been. He couldn’t stop touching her, kissing her, looking at her, stroking her, talking to her.

  He just couldn’t stop.

  In between rounds of lovemaking, they had talked about everything, and she had told him all about the Rockwell Clan’s history, and what it meant to be a dragon shifter. He’d been fascinated by her words and just by her. By everything. And every time she’d stopped talking, he’d started kissing her.

  He wanted to kiss her again now, but he wasn’t sure how she would take it. Even if they were alone and in private, he wasn’t sure how she would take it.

  They had gotten ready this morning, pulling on clothes hurriedly, and she had kissed him one last time at the door of Agnew’s guest room. She’d said, “I’m always going to remember this night. Thank you.”

  He’d smiled at her, knowing that he would never forget it either. But as she’d walked out of the bedroom, he’d realized that her words sounded like an unspoken goodbye. As though she didn’t think that they would ever have another night like that.

  The thought that she could be satisfied with ending things between them now didn’t sit well with him. For the first time in his life, a woman wanted to end things with him early, and he wasn’t ready for it. He wasn’t ready to walk away from her and know that he would never feel her lips or watch her come apart beneath him again. He needed more of her.

  In fact, it scared him how much he needed more of her. If she didn’t want him anymore, he wasn’t sure how he could deal with that, which meant that he was vulnerable. She had him wrapped around her little finger, and that was not a position that he was used to being in. It wasn’t a position he’d ever wanted to be in, and yet here he was without any choice in the matter.

  Hannah and Agnew stopped walking, both of them turning back to look at him as they neared the front doors of the community center.

  “You’re sure?” Hannah asked. “Last chance to back out. If she’s in here, she’s going to see you, and there’s every chance in the world she’s going to go after you in some way that nobody will be able to detect.”

  It was wildly irresponsible, but Liam nodded all the same. “I’m sure. I want to face her down. I’m not going to let her think I’m afraid of her—no way.”

  Agnew and Hannah exchanged looks, then Agnew pushed the door of the community center open. “We’ll have to sign in. I know it seems strange and out of place, but Grandmother spends a lot of her days here with other people. It keeps her from getting lonely.” He paused, considering. “Or maybe it gives her more people to toy with.”

  “Or decent alibis,” Hannah said.

  They walked in together, and Agnew got them signed in at the visitor’s desk, citing his connection to Winnifred. When the lady working informed them that Winnifred Calhoun was playing cards in the lounge, it suddenly became real to Liam that he was going to face down the woman who had tried to kill him twice. He had no idea what she would do when he walked in, bold as anything. But he was about to find out.

  “I’ll walk in first,” Liam told Hannah, touching her elbow lightly to get her attention. “Let me lead.”

  She looked at him, warily, but she didn’t argue, giving a slight nod of her head, as she glanced through the doors to see a number of older people occupying themselves at game tables set up around the room.

  Liam zeroed in on the woman he recognized from the bar so many weeks ago. Her face was burned into his memory, and he watched her for a moment, looking at the way that she sat sullenly at the table, slapping down card after card, as though she was being forced to play this game with others. Her brow was knit, causing even more wrinkles than he remembered to ripple over her forehead and crease around her eyes. Her cheeks were sagging into heavy folds that framed her thin, pinched lips, and the skin of her neck hung loosely from what might once have been an elegant column.

  Her shawl was wrapped around her slight shoulders, and her stomach protruded as she slouched in her seat. She looked every bit the typical older woman, and it was hard to imagine that she was running some mastermind enterprise and attempting to wreak personal vengeance on her granddaughter’s supposed murderer.

  “Strange that she would be here,” Liam said, almost to himself. “Wouldn’t Trinity’s death change things?”

  “Grandmother is a creature of habit,” Agnew said, his words sounding tight. He didn’t appear to be any more eager to see Winnifred than Liam was. “Go in, before she sees you. You need the advantage of surprise.”

  Liam nodded, then strode into the room far more purposefully than he felt. If he had learned one thing from all of the trials he had been a part of, it was that one had to pretend to know what one was doing and pretend confidence even when one didn’t feel it. If he had showed up at trial, showing his nerves or appearing weak, the other side would have eaten him alive.

  He wasn’t going to give Winnifred the chance to do that.

  “Excuse me,” Liam said, stopping at Winnifred’s side. He had swung around the room, approaching her from the left and slightly from behind, taking her by surprise. “Ms. Winnifred Calhoun. I believe you and I have business to discuss.” He realized that she was sitting in a wheelchair that he doubted very much she actually needed. But he gripped the handles of it all the same. “Your friends will have to excuse you for a few moments.”

  Winnifred was staring up at him, her mouth open. At first she just appeared stunned, but then the moment that she processed what was happening, a hate slid over her face that would have made a lesser man quake in his boots. But Liam was used to feeling hatred from people. He had felt it from the boyfriends of girls who were enamored with him; he had felt it from counsel on the other side; he had felt it from juries, from clients, from judges—he had felt it plenty. And he gave it right back to her, meeting her glare for glare.

  “Unhand me,” Winnifred hissed. “Unhand me or I’ll call down the staff.”

  “Oh, the staff,” Liam said, fluttering a hand sarcastically in front of his face. “Ye gods, whatever will I do in the face of the staff?”

  He didn’t give her time to reply. He jerked her cards out of her hand and threw them on the table before gripping the handles of her chair again and beginning to wheel her towards the door that would lead them outside and into the gardens. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hannah and Agnew follow, out of Winnifred’s line of sight.

  “What is the meaning of this?” Winnifred asked, craning her neck around to look at Liam. “I will not stand for it. I will not have you march in here and make off with me the way you made off with my granddaughter. In fact—.”

  “About to put another curse on me?” Liam asked, as Winnifred narrowed her eyes at him. “How well has that been working out for you so far, Winnie? I’m not dead, now am I?”

  Winnifred’s face flushed with anger. “So, I’ve noticed. And why is that, I wonder? Magic of your own? Did you kill my Trinity with your own powers?”

  “I didn’t kill Trinity at all,” Liam said, stopping them in a private corner of the garden and whirling her chair around, so that he could look down at her. “You need to get that through your head. I didn’t steal from her, and I didn’t kill her. I had nothing against Trinity. I’m working right now to find out who did kill her, and not just because it’ll get you to stop trying to kill me. I’m also doing it for her, because she didn’t deserve to die.”

  “That’s what a murderer would say,” Winnifred spat. “If you think that platitudes will convince me to end my vendetta against you, then—.”

&
nbsp; “Like I said, Winnie,” Liam said, interrupting the woman. “I’m still alive. What you’re doing isn’t working. And I’m going to be straight with you—I’m not the one sitting in a wheelchair in an old folks’ home threatening to call the staff if my every command isn’t obeyed. That’s your pathetic situation. Not mine.”

  Winnifred’s cheeks reddened even darker, and she was practically flooding with anger. “I am not in this home because I need to be, and I am not in this chair because I need to be. You should know that plenty well, given that I had the power to walk right up to you in the bar last month and curse you. Tell me—how has your life been going since then? Have you found out that you are, in fact, a failure?”

  Liam refused to interact with any sort of emotion at all. He turned his hand over, palm up, and curled his fingers towards him, inspecting his nails. “Actually, life has never been better. Other than you trying to kill me.”

  “Liar.”

  “Nope,” Liam said, shaking his head. “There’s this girl. God. This girl. She’s just one long wish list. She checks all the boxes. She brings everything to the table. She’s incredible. And she’s mine.”

  “Is she?” Winnifred asked. “Are you sure her heart belongs to you, or is she going to cast you aside when she’s done with you like the mediocre man you are?”

  That hit a little too close to home for Liam, and his eyes flashed with anger. He bent down, putting his face right beside Winnifred’s. “You’re a mean, manipulative old bat, and I’m not afraid of you, Winnie. Do your worst to me—I’ll pull through it. And in the end, when I find out who really killed Trinity, and he gets away with it because you’re so damn focused on me, you’re going to feel really ridiculous. Now—you and I both know that you don’t need this stupid chair, so why don’t you stand right on up now, walk back in to the game room, and sit down with your friends, and play a nice game of cards? Stop trying to mastermind the world, Winnie. You’re only making a fool of yourself.”

  Before Liam could draw back and straighten again, something tight clamped around his neck. His hands moved to grab at it, but there was nothing there. Even still, something was cutting off the air to his lungs, and his esophagus was crushing under the weight of an invisible force. He gasped, clawing at his neck, sputtering, his face turning red, and the veins in his forehead starting to bulge. Liam started to sink to his knees, despite his efforts to stay in control of his body, and his vision began to blur on the sides, growing darker.