by Alisha Basso
“You can use the phone in the living room,” he said, “I’ll just finish straightening up in here and give you some privacy.”
“Thanks, and afterwards, maybe we can have that long talk? I really need some answers.”
I entered his living room and after a moment I found the phone sitting on a small desk in the corner. The small swivel stool squeaked as I sat and dialed Ann’s number. Crap, I got her voicemail, again. I heaved a sigh of frustration and hung up.
I dialed my boss next. The burly overweight man was in his late fifties. He owned The Edge and occasionally took over if someone was sick.
“Norris,” a gravelly voice said after several rings.
“Mr. Norris? This is Grace. I’m really sorry, but I won’t be coming in tonight.” I held my breath, waiting for the outburst.
“Really?” He was slurring.
Fantastic, I thought.
“You break your leg?” His voice was thick and slow. “If you can still walk, then you best be comin’ in.” He sounded like he’d been drinking for hours. How he ran a business was totally beyond me.
“Sorry Mr. Norris, I can’t. I’ll give Debbie a call and let her know, so, okay, bye!” I knew he was pissed, so I hung up in a hurry. “That went well,” I muttered. I pressed the talk button again to call Debbie. After leaving a message on her cell, I dialed Ann again, with no luck. My worry increased. I put my head in my hands in thought.
Just as I looked up, Lucian came into the room. He was wiping his hands off on a small dish towel.
“You okay?” he asked. “Did you get a hold of your boss?” He walked toward me, a look of concern knitting his brows together.
“I did. He wasn’t too happy. But what I’m worried about is Ann. She didn’t answer her phone, again. I haven’t heard from her in a few days. She always visits the bar. She didn’t come in the day Seth grabbed me. That’s not normal. We usually speak at least a few times a day.”
“When was the last time you spoke to her?” He sat on the sofa across from me. He sounded worried. I thought about that as my head began to pound.
“The last time I saw her? Well, it was the night I met you actually,” I stated brusquely. “In fact, now that I think about it, you were the last person to see her.”
His flinch told me that the hint was not lost on him. But his voice remained concerned. “I did speak to her, but only briefly. She said she was meeting someone at her place. She was in a hurry. She seemed anxious when we spoke. That may be why I got so much out of her. She acted impatient, like she wanted to end our talk as quickly as she could.”
I leaned forward in my chair, pursing my lips in consideration. I raked my eyes over him, giving him an exaggerated once-over. “Lucian,” I said, my tone matter-of-fact, “I really don’t think Ann would have tried to get away from you. If anything, she would have tried to bring you home with her.” I smirked. She really would have. This guy was not someone you threw back. If you were lucky to get a little nibble, you needed to reel in as fast as you could, and Ann was very good at fishing. Poor Jared, he would have been tossed on the back burner for Lucian. I knew she wouldn’t, no couldn’t have passed him up.
“I am not unaware of my appeal to women,” he said, confidently. “I have been sought after and chased by more than I could ever count. But I can assure you, your friend was not interested. Perhaps she met someone even more appealing?”
“Ridiculous! Who could be more…?” I froze mid-sentence. I knew of only one man who could give Lucian the Mega-Stud a run for his money.
Cold sweat covered me.
“Seth!” I closed my eyes. “Seth made a date with her.” I stood, balling my fists. “Don’t you see? He was trying to get to me. It had to be him, that asshole!” I was panting. What had he done with her? “We need to get to her house. Can you drive me?” I didn’t think popping into her living room would be the brightest idea. What if I was wrong and I zapped us into a room full of people? Or worse, zapped us into her bedroom during… Ugh, that wouldn’t be too hard to explain.
“We can leave immediately.”
I ran to the bedroom while Lucian grabbed his jacket. I was pulling my hair free from the braid and brushing my teeth at the same time. I yanked the nightgown over my head and threw it on the end of the bed. I turned to the mirror, and in seconds, I was dressed. I conjured clothes for myself without even thinking. Without a second glance, I grabbed a rubber band and rushed out of the room.
I was pulling my hair up just as Lucian was pulling his jacket on. I walked up behind him. “Ready?”
He jumped about a foot and whirled around. “Damn it, woman, don’t sneak up on people like that!” He stopped, looking puzzled, “You’re ready?” He looked shocked. “You were in there for just a few seconds.”
It was my turn to look shocked. “No kidding? It felt way longer.” A chill raced up my spine. I better learn more control. I was doing magic without even noticing it.
I grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the door. “Let’s move it.”
He grabbed his keys and we were out the front door.
The morning sun was bright; it glinted off the white boulders surrounding his home. His yard was natural. The desert landscape virtually unspoiled.
We walked quickly to his garage. It was separate from the rest of the house and boasted two stories. There was a staircase on the outside that rose to the second floor. I wondered what he used the upper level for.
He walked ahead of me to punch his code into the keypad by the door. I stood off to the side and waited. After only a moment, the large door hummed and slowly rolled up. I heard a few beeps and the sound of an engine purring to life, which made me instantly covetous. My Nova never sounded that good. And no wonder, I sighed, as Lucian pulled a newer looking Range Rover slowly out of his garage. I understood why; the four-wheel-drive was a must out here in the winter. After a moment, the door began its slow descent back down. I walked to the passenger side just as Lucian jumped out again. Running to my side, he pulled the door open and grinned roguishly at me. I just laughed, he was entirely too good to be true. I could definitely get used to his chivalry. It was a nice change from the rude-ass men that seem to dominate the world these days. Women’s lib is great, but so are manners.
The interior of his car was clean and well taken care of. I scanned the CD collection in the console and was surprised to find all of them were audio books. My eyebrows lifted at once. The titles ranged from Steven King and Dean Koontz, to self-help and books on magic and witchcraft. Some titles I couldn’t read; they were in French, Italian and some other foreign language I couldn’t identify. I was totally blown away! He was one smart cookie.
Lucian got in, bringing with him the clean smell of desert and sage. He put the car in gear and we began our journey.
“Do you have any music?” I said, holding up an audio book.
He laughed, reached into his coat pocket and handed me his MP3 player. I smiled. He had to have something worth listening to. I thumbed through the songs; he had a huge collection. “Oh, this is crazy,” I mumbled, overwhelmed. I thumbed it off, opting for silence. My nerves were clouding my thinking. I had been through so much these past few days; I was surprised I could still think at all. I was now an all-powerful Madea, and didn’t have the foggiest idea what that meant. I was leaking magic and didn’t know how to control it, and I was on a vampire’s hit list. Not to mention, my best friend could be in mortal danger, and I had no idea what to do about it.
I had to think, but everything was happening too fast. I just prayed that Ann was okay. I kept picturing Seth charming her, grrr… the pig! Chasing Jared away and promising a night of mind-blowing sex. She would have jumped on that in half a heartbeat. I was so stressed. Please let her be okay.
Even with Lucian sitting right beside me, I was all alone with my thoughts. I wanted to believe that Ann was completely safe, that I was overreacting. But somehow I knew I was grasping at straws. If Lucian knew she was my best friend, Seth
had to know too. Which brought me to another question; who else was giving these men information? I needed some answers. The second I got a chance, I was sitting Lucian down. He had some explaining to do.
After a few miles, my imagination started working overtime. I was picturing the worst and my stomach spun into knots. I wanted to zap myself to her front door, but what if I were wrong? Well, that would be bad. How would someone explain such a crazy entrance? I had to calm down and think of other things.
Lucian turned to me, a frown marring his striking features, “You look green. Do you want me to pull over?”
“No, I’m just concerned is all. Don’t worry, I won’t ruin the upholstery.” I gave him a weak smile and turned to the window as the city slowly came into view.
“Where does she live?” he asked.
I gave him her address and directions to her house in south Reno. The drive I knew would take forever.
ELEVEN
Ann’s English Tudor sat on half an acre of well-manicured lawn. Bypassing the concrete path, I reached her door and rang the bell. Lucian followed at a walk. No one answered so I rang it again without any luck.
“She’s not answering. I’m going around to the side door.” I ran to the door on the outside of the garage and gave it a hard pull. Lucian soon appeared at my side.
“What now?” I asked, more to myself than to him. His face held a strange look. “The ring, Grace; you can use it to get us in.”
“Oh, right.” I felt instantly stupid. I grabbed the knob. Thinking that I wanted it open and tried it again. It opened with ease. Lucian smiled at me, as if I were a dippy child who had finally gotten something right. I glared at him and entered.
The garage smelled awful. And worse, her white Lexus was parked inside. I ran to her car and opened the door. It was pristine. Obviously, the smell wasn’t coming from it.
“It smells like she’s got a dead cat in here,” Lucian’s face contorted.
Our eyes met over the top of her car as the same thought seemed to enter our minds. Slowly, we both turned to look at her trunk. My hands were shaking. Please, please, please, don’t be anything bad! I took a small step, afraid of what was waiting in there. I slowly reached the back of her car. The trunk popped open with a thought, and I let out the breath I’d been holding.
It was empty.
“Nothing,” I said and looked up. He was still standing by the front of the car. I frowned at him.
Before I could speak my mind, he was moving toward the door. “Let’s go inside,” he said, reaching for the handle. It was unlocked and swung open with a push. Instantly, we were smacked in the face by a horrible stench; it was nauseating. Compared to this, the garage was a sweet smelling day at the rib cook-off. I pulled the bottom of my shirt up to cover my nose and quickly ran inside, Lucian hot on my heels.
The first thing I did was go for the front door. I opened it to let the smell out and ran outside for some fresh, clean air. Lucian ran up beside me panting like a collie.
“Are you going back in there?” he asked. He was leaning over, his hands on his knees, until his breathing slowly returned to normal.
I looked at him. “Of course I am! “ I snapped. “You can stay out here if you need to, I won’t judge.” He looked like I’d slapped him, and in a way I had.
“No, I’m coming,” he said with a little too much conviction. He grabbed me by the arm. “Let’s see what’s making that god-awful stench.”
We entered together.
The living room was normal, not a dust bunny in sight. I went to the kitchen and discovered nothing out of place. I passed by the bathroom; the door was open and it didn’t have a tub, so I knew it was clean. I started down the hall, and then stopped in my tracks.
I had a horrifying feeling.
Her bedroom was on the main floor. The large double doors were closed. This was very wrong. Her room was a stunning showplace and she loved to display her great taste in decorating. The only reason the doors would be closed would be if she were on the other side. I hoped with all my heart she wasn’t.
“Her room, Lucian, I think it’s coming from her room.” I pointed down the hall as my heart rate sped up. He paused for a second, maybe he was reluctant to see what awaited us, or perhaps he wanted to stay near the only source of fresh air. I really didn’t care.
I continued on slowly, Lucian only a few steps behind. The hall seemed to grow longer. I knew it was my imagination. I was clenching my fists. I knew something bad was behind her door. The rotten smell was definitely getting stronger.
“Wait,” I said. The feeling was too strong to ignore. “What if someone or something we don’t want to meet is waiting for us? It’s possible, isn’t it?” If I sounded paranoid, he didn’t make me feel stupid about it.
“Shit,” he said, looking around. “What do you suggest?” he asked simply.
Following his lead, I looked around as well. The hall was empty. Nothing I could use as a weapon. I closed my eyes, thinking hard. Then, out of nowhere, a cool weight settled into my hand. With wide eyes, I looked down to see a large crucifix had just appeared. My eyes grew huge. It was surprisingly heavy. It looked like pure silver. The crucified Jesus was molded in great detail along the front. The bottom of the cross was lethal. It was thick like a stake with sides that came to a sharp edge. This was a very deadly crucifix. I held it like a dagger. It made me feel a little better.
“What? Nothing for me?” Lucian looked impressed.
I figured we had the vamps covered with this little devise, not that I thought they could stand being out during the day. However, I’d already proven my ignorance too many times to take chances. Maybe, I thought, we could use some fire power too. I took his hand and in it, I placed a matte-black, scary looking gun. My powers had a mind of their own, because I had no idea what kind of gun it was.
“Perfect,” he said as he inhaled, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
We were ready.
The door was jammed, like something heavy was wedged against the other side. Lucian heaved it open and we both recoiled.
The walls were painted with blood.
Her bed was shredded. The once pristine floral coverlet was now awash in blood and shiny, thicker things. I stepped deeper into the room, shoving at a heavy chair that had been placed close to the door to block it.
I let my eyes take in the scene. They paused on the bed. It didn’t look like there was anyone in it. The picture I was seeing didn’t make any sense, like my mind was trying to dull the horror. Her bed had been shredded, and tossed among the crimson fluff was what appeared to be chunks of meat. It was a gruesome sight and I dropped the dagger. I threw my hand up over my mouth and started to gag. I turned and ran at breakneck speed to the front yard, leaving Lucian in my dust.
I landed on the lawn on all fours; my delicious breakfast quickly reappearing in Ann’s front yard. I heaved and heaved even after my stomach was empty. I was crying and trying to catch my breath, when I noticed a warm hand on my back. Lucian was there. He was holding my ponytail back so it wouldn’t fall into the pool of puke.
I sat back and ran my sleeve over my mouth. “We need to call the police,” I managed to say between sobs. “Ann… where is Ann? That wasn’t her… right? That wasn’t a person, right? ” I wanted him to lie to me. I couldn’t handle this.
“I don’t know, Gracie, honestly, I really don’t think so,” he soothed. “Grace, I think whoever,” I heard him swallow, “did that, must have taken her.” He turned me so that I was fully facing him. “But, there is something you need to know, before you call the cops.” He looked grim. “There is a message on the inside of her door. It’s meant for you.”
I sniffed and looked at him. “What do you mean?” I stood up, my legs shaking.
“I need you to go back in the room Gracie, can you do that?” His voice was gentle, even sympathetic.
My spine stiffened. “Ann had to go through it; the least I can do is face the aftermath.” I squared my should
ers and stomped back inside the house. My throat was burning and the smell made me cough. I entered the room again, turning quickly to look at the door. Lucian was beside me, a look of sadness on his handsome face.
He grabbed the door, pushing it shut to reveal a strange group of odd symbols. They were painted with blood. It had dried to a brownish color and was starting to flake off. I was shocked. I recognized them as the same type of symbols carved into the ring.
“Can you read this?” I asked, disgusted.
“Yes. It’s a door.”
I shot him a wondering look. “I think it’s a door too. In fact, isn’t that what we’ve been calling them for a while, now?”
“Not that kind of door. The message is, it’s a door. I think you were meant to use it to get Ann back. Whoever took her must think you’ll come running.”
“Well, they were right! Now how does it work?” I held my hand up, comparing the symbols on the ring to the ones on the door.
Lucian quickly snatched my hand away. “Don’t do that!” he warned. “If you touch the symbols, you’ll be sucked into the door.”
“For real? Then what the hell are we waiting for?” I screamed into his face. “Let’s go get her! She could be terribly hurt or dying!” I raised my hand again.
Lucian yelled and snatched my wrist in a death grip. “You have no idea what you’d be walking into!” he growled between clenched teeth. “This is a trap Grace. What if they knocked you out just as you stepped through? You’d be helpless if they take the ring! How would you save her then? You are the only one who can control it. If they possess it, they can manipulate you into using it for them. This is just what Seth and his people have planned all along. You’d be playing right into their hands!”
I hadn’t considered that. I was sufficiently cowed.
