Red-Headed Stepchild

by Jaye Wells

Page 40

 

  “Maybe he just needed to take care of a few things. Have you called Vinca to see if she’s seen him?” Even as I spoke, I remembered the two missed calls from the nymph. Something was up.

  “She hasn’t seen him either,” Clovis said. “I have a bad feeling about this. My spies told me earlier tonight that key members of the Dominae are in town. ”

  My eyes closed as I muttered a curse not fit for respectable company. “I’ll be there in five. ”

  27

  Clovis rose when I entered his office. I threw my purse in the chair and got down to business.

  “Tell me everything you know,” I said.

  Frank stepped forward. He didn’t look at me as he spoke. Obviously, someone was still angry about getting beaten by a girl. “I called Adam just after midnight, asking him to come by to go over the supplies he’d requested for the raid. He said he’d be here around midnight, but never showed. ”

  “Has anyone gone to look for him?”

  Clovis nodded. “We’ve had people scour the area and check out Adam’s hotel room. ”

  “And?” I demanded.

  Frank and Clovis exchanged a look, which made my stomach drop. Clovis reached behind his desk and held up Adam’s backpack. “We found this near the temple. His car was parked a couple of blocks away. ”

  He handed me the pack. My hand shook so bad I almost dropped it.

  “Our guess is he was walking here when someone picked him up. ”

  What he didn’t say was the discarded backpack was a sign that Adam hadn’t gone willingly. I’d never seen him let the bag out of his sight. I opened it and looked inside. Along with his wallet and cell phone were some baggies of herbs along with several vials filled with various liquids and powders. I opened a bag and sniffed. The scent of rosemary tickled my nose. Just last night Adam had taught me about the herb’s antiseptic properties. He made me laugh with a story about how he’d had to bathe in rosemary after he’d accidentally hexed himself as a child.

  Clovis cleared his throat, bringing my attention back to the present. “As I mentioned, one of my informants told me your grandmother has been spotted in the city. I think it’s a fair guess she has him. ”

  I opened my mouth and snapped it shut. I couldn’t tell Clovis I already knew the Dominae were in town because I’d been meeting with them.

  “He also told me that activity around the vineyard has picked up. He believed they’ve been preparing for new arrivals in the lab. ”

  “But why would they take Adam? Do you think they know about the plan?” I asked, playing dumb. Inside I was about to self-combust, but outside I was trying to remain calm.

  “It’s possible they’re suspicious,” Clovis said. “However, I think it’s more likely they wanted Adam’s powerful blood at their disposal. ”

  I stood and gathered Adam’s bag along with my resolve. “We go in tomorrow. ”

  Frank’s eyes widened. “But we’re not ready. ”

  I looked at Clovis for a reaction. He nodded, giving his support of the new plan. To Frank, I said, “We’ve got surprise on our side. Not to mention they have one of our own, so we’ve also got pretty serious motivation to kick some ass. ”

  Frank didn’t look happy, but nodded. “I’ll brief the others. ”

  I turned to Clovis. “We’ll need a secure vehicle and someone who can drive in daylight. ”

  Vinca sat on the couch when I got back the apartment. Her arms wrapped around her as she stood. “Sabina, thank Lilith. Did you get my messages?”

  I realized I’d totally forgotten to listen to her messages in my hurry to find out what Clovis knew. “No, but Clovis filled me in. We think the Dominae snagged Adam and took him to the vineyard. ”

  Her eyes grew large and sparkled with tears. “What are we going to do?”

  “We’re moving up the attack. We go in tomorrow. ” I filled her in on the rest of the plan. “Do you think you can get some of your fae friends together to help? Without Adam’s magic, we’ll need all the help we can get. ” I had hoped to keep Vinca away from the fighting, but I knew now that was impossible. Even if I didn’t need her help, the fierce look on her face told me I’d have a fight on my hands if I wanted to keep her away now. Obviously, she cared about saving Adam as much as I did.

  She nodded and chewed her lip. “I’ll make sure they’re ready. ” She left the room to make the calls. I collapsed on the couch and then stood again. Nervous energy built up in me like a pressure cooker. My fingers itched to fight, but I’d have to wait until tomorrow. With nothing else to do, I grabbed my cell phone and hit the button to listen to voicemail.

  “Sabina, you need to come to the temple. Adam is missing. ” Clovis’ voice was urgent. The automated voice told me the message was sent at a few minutes past twelve. The system beeped and then I heard Vinca’s frantic voice.

  “Sabina, are you with Adam? Call me. ” That message was left at 12:30. The system beeped and Vinca spoke again. “Sabina, something’s wrong. Adam’s missing. He was supposed to meet Frank, but he never showed. Call me back as soon as you get this. ” The time was 12:50.

  I pulled the phone away from my ear and frowned at it. Something about the timing of those messages didn’t add up. I went to Vinca’s bedroom and knocked. She was hanging up the phone when I entered.

  “Okay, we’re all set for tomorrow,” she said. I could hear the stress in her voice, but my questions prevented me from trying to comfort her.

  “What time did Clovis call you looking for Adam?” I asked.

  She frowned and thought for a moment. “It was right at midnight. Why?”

  “I just got a chance to check my voicemails from earlier. Clovis called me to tell me Adam was missing at a few minutes past twelve. ”

  “Okay?” she said, not understanding.

  “Adam dropped me off at just before midnight. Why would Clovis call me so soon after when he was only a few minutes late?” My head ached as I tried to work out the timing of everything.

  “Surely, you don’t think Clovis had something to do with this. ” A frown marred her delicate face. “Do you?”

  I shook my head. “It doesn’t add up. Why would Clovis want to get rid of Adam? He doesn’t have a motive. ”

  She picked up her coat and put it on. “I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding. ”

  Chewing on my bottom lip, I considered the situation from every angle. “Yeah, you’re probably right. It’s just weird. ”

  She came over and put her hands on my shoulders. “Look, it’s been a long night. We’re all worried and stressed. Why don’t you try to get some rest?”

  I nodded absently, my mind still turning things over. “Where are you going?”

  “I need to go meet with the other faeries. We’ve got a few tricks up our sleeves for tomorrow. Those assholes won’t know what hit them. ”

  I tried to smile, but my lips weren’t cooperating. “Okay. Be careful. ”

  “Will do. And listen, don’t worry about Adam. He can take care of himself. Besides, I had a vision earlier. You and Adam standing in a redwood forest. Drums were beating in the background. ”

  “Are redwoods a good sign?”

  “Of course. I grew up in the redwood forest near Crescent City. That can’t be a coincidence. ”

  I nodded, but wasn’t so sure. Vinca’s gift of prophecy hadn’t exactly been impressive thus far.

  “Besides, even without the vision, I’m confident we’ll win,” she continued. “We’re the good guys. ”

  I wished I could feel as confident, but dread pooled in my belly. I wasn’t sure if I knew the difference between the good guys and the bad anymore.

  Vinca flitted out the door with a promise to be back before sunrise, which at that point was only a couple of hours away. To distract myself, I went to the kitchen and grabbed a beer. My bones ached with exhaustion, but I knew sleep wasn’t on the agenda. I h
ad a battle plan to review.

  I took the beer into my room and changed into some comfy sweats. When I dropped my boots by the dresser, a flash of red caught my eye. The grimoire Adam had given me earlier sat next to my cell phone. I picked up the red leather journal and flipped through the pages. For the first time, I noticed Adam had filled several pages in the back with black ink, written in bold, masculine script. As I read the beginner spells he’d written for me, my eyes began to sting. He’d included instructions for summoning a demon.

  I sat on the bed and thought about how much I missed Giguhl. The demon had his drawbacks, but he’d always helped lighten my mood. But he’d only been gone for two days. Two days that taught me how much I needed my friends.

  But now Adam needed me. Those Hekate hooked up to blood-sucking machinery needed me. It felt good to be needed. However, underneath the warm and fuzzies was the leaden weight of regret.

  Tomorrow, I would declare war on everything I once swore to protect.

  28

  I could feel the sun sinking below the horizon as the van sped toward Napa. Frank sat stiffly next to me on the bench. His arm accidentally brushed mine as we went over a bump. He shifted to the right but said nothing. In fact, the only sound inside the van was the rushing air and occasional thump of the tires.

  Vinca sat on the opposite bench. Her eyes met mine through the darkness. She smiled a friendly half-smile, but looked away as if the effort cost her.

  One of the male faeries she’d recruited for the mission sat with her. The other two sat up front, one driving and one riding shotgun. I wondered what species they were because they each stood more than five feet tall. They couldn’t be nymphs because Vinca had informed me that nymphs were always female. They mated with human or mage males. Perhaps these males were the result of those matches. I made a mental note to ask her later.

  Darius, the one I figured for the leader given the other’s obvious deference, had wavy brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. He looked more pirate than faery with his gold hoop earring and stubble. He spoke little, but he seemed watchful, as if gathering information all the time.