by Rachel Dylan
A shiver shot down her back. Looking into Layton’s eyes, and holding onto his hands, she felt like he was telling her the truth. Did that mean that that Abe was lying to her? “Why would he lie to me about this?”
“That’s what you need to figure out. My advice is to act like you don’t believe me. Keep him around and determine what he’s up to. He has to have some sort of angle.”
Her gut tightened as she started to play our various scenarios in her mind. “You’re right.”
He smiled. “I don’t hear you utter those words often.”
“I wish you weren’t, but I guess he did seem too good to be true.” She’d been a fool, but she refused to let Abe get the best of her.
“Buck up, my dear. Go get a drink and bid on some items. That man will be sorry he ever messed with you. I speak from experience.” He patted her shoulder and then walked off.
The anger flooded through her as the sense of betrayal kicked in. She’d get her revenge, if that were the case. First, she’d have to figure out what Abe was doing. For now, she had to be convincing to him that she didn’t believe Layton and that Abe was still good with her.
She turned around and saw he was standing by the bar with a glass of what was presumably soda. As she started to replay their entire set of interactions, many questions popped through her mind. She made her way back over to him.
“Are you okay?” he asked her.
“Yes. I am so sorry about that. Layton is crazy. He’s letting his jealously cloud his judgment. I must apologize for his comments about your beliefs. That was completely weird and inappropriate.”
“Yeah, I wasn’t sure where he was going with that. So I thought it best to just stay quiet.”
She held his hand in hers, but she still couldn’t sense what Layton was saying about him.
“Are you sure you’re all right? You look a little flushed. He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“No, no. Nothing like that. He has a way of getting under my skin.” She needed to play cool.
He squeezed her hand. “Don’t let him ruin our night.”
“Definitely not.” She forced a smile. But then she no longer had to force it as she saw Stacey walking toward the bar area. “You’ll excuse me for a moment, Abe. I need to speak to someone.”
“Of course. I’m going to browse the auction items.”
She quickly walked over to Stacey. “Stacey, your dress is gorgeous.”
Stacey made eye contact, but she could sense her hesitancy. “Thank you. Yours is fabulous, too.”
“This is your first charity gala?”
“Yes. But definitely not my last.”
“Have you given any more thought to my offer?”
“Actually, I have, and while I greatly appreciate it, I can’t be disloyal to Layton and Morena. Not after all they’ve done for me. That just wouldn’t be right.”
This girl was so naïve. It was time to up the stakes. She reached out and grabbed onto her arm, holding on tightly.
Stacey’s eyes widened. “What’re you doing?”
“You feel that?”
Stacey jerked away from her. “What’re you doing to me?”
“Trying to show you how powerful you could be.” She’d pushed some of her spiritual energy onto Stacey and shown her what it was like to use that power to inflict pain. “You don’t realize what you’re missing out on. I could show you so much. Expose you to skills and practices that Layton is not equipped to provide you.”
“I don’t know how else to tell you no.”
“You’ll eventually come around. I just hope for your sake that it’s not too late.”
Chapter Ten
Stacey watched as Nina Marie walked away. What had this woman done to her? Her arm ached from Nina Marie’s touch. Was this some type of witchcraft? She needed to find Morena and get her help—fast. Why wouldn’t Nina Marie leave her alone?
Quickly, she made her way through the party looking for Morena. When she found her standing talking to Layton and a man she didn’t recognize, she let out a sigh of relief. They’d protect her from Nina Marie.
“Hello,” she said to the group.
They all greeted her warmly, including Layton who had a slew of compliments.
“Stacey, I’d like to introduce you to the newest member of the Optimism non-profit board. This is Deputy Assistant District Attorney Tony Sampson.”
She shook his hand and smiled. He was probably around six feet tall with short blond hair and green eyes. Although most men seemed to look handsome in tuxes, she couldn’t help but think he was good looking. That only distracted her for a brief moment from her immediate problem. But she didn’t want to be rude. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Tony. I think you’ll love working with Optimism.”
“Thank you, Stacey. It’s already been a great experience, and I’m just getting started.”
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but Layton, could I steal you for a brief word?”
“Of course. We’ll be right back,” he said to Tony and Morena. Layton took her by the arm and led her down a long hallway. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
“It’s Nina Marie. She put her hands on me tonight, and it scared me to death. The pain I felt was indescribable.”
“Are you all right?” He swept her up into his arms into a tight hug.
She couldn’t help it as tears filled her eyes. “Layton, she wants me to work with her. She said that you couldn’t teach me everything she can, and when I told her that I didn’t want to be disloyal to you, she hurt me.”
Layton sighed and then pulled back from the hug. “First, thank you for your loyalty. It will be rewarded—have no doubt about that.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“I’ll speak to Nina Marie, but you should see this as a huge compliment. She recognizes how special you are, and she wants you for herself and Astral Tech.”
“She has a strange way of showing it. My arm is still aching.”
“She was trying to demonstrate her power. Trying to show you the things you could do if you let her be your teacher.”
She shook her head. “Layton, I don’t want to hurt people like that.”
He ran his hand down her cheek. “You’re so innocent, Stace, and I can appreciate that, but at some point you’ll realize just how dangerous this fight is that we’re in, and unfortunately, sometimes using force is necessary. As much as I hate to say this, maybe Nina Marie is right.”
“What?”
“You could probably benefit greatly from her teaching.”
“You want me to work with her?”
“Not work for Astral Tech, but accept her training. Because you want to know something?”
“Tell me.”
“I think we can use this as an opportunity to take Nina Marie down once and for all.”
“I’m so confused.” She didn’t understand how Layton’s thought process worked.
“Because once she tutors you, then you will eventually become stronger than her. Then between you and me, we can vanquish her once and for all.”
She sucked in a breath.
“Don’t be afraid. This is all part of the plan.”
“I am scared, but I’ve learned to trust you. You haven’t led me astray yet, and you’ve always been there for me. So if you think I need to do this, then so be it.”
“Go back to her. Tell her you’ve changed your mind. Let her think I’m not involved. It will be much better that way. You’ll get the benefit of all she knows. Then you and I will bide our time until you’re strong enough.”
“Thank you, Layton. For everything.”
“And one word of advice. I saw the way you were looking at Tony. He’s not worthy of you, and he already has the hots for Morena. So best to stay away, okay?”
Was she that transparent? She had to work on that. “Thanks for letting me know. I have bigger issues to deal with than men at this point.”
“Agreed. Now go and find Nina Marie and put our plan
into motion.”
Layton left her reeling from his comments, but she had to put on her big-girl heels and deal with this head-on. He’d never failed her before, and he had so much more experience in all of this than she did. And if he were right, then maybe she could become more powerful than she ever imagined. It could change her life forever. Wouldn’t that be worth the risk?
Now she’d have to go seek out Nina Marie and tell her that she’d had a change of heart.
She winded her way through the large crowds. The atmosphere was festive, especially as the night wore on and the guests were having more than enough champagne to make their bidding process a success.
Finally, after searching for what seemed like forever, she spotted Nina Marie across the room locked into what appeared to be a deep conversation with a tall, dark, and handsome man.
She touched the crystal that hung around her neck, the lapis lazuli, and decided that now would be the time to start trying to test out its powers—and her powers with it. She grabbed onto the crystal and said a few incantations she had prepared. But instead of targeting Nina Marie, which would be an utterly useless endeavor at this point in her spiritual ability, she turned her attention to the mystery man with her.
She watched with glee and awe as he took a step back from Nina Marie, who then reached out. As she approached, she could start to hear their conversation.
“I don’t know what happened. I just had a wave of dizziness hit me,” he said.
She chanted a few more words before making her entrance. Nina Marie didn’t even notice her because she was so focused on her male friend.
“Hi,” Stacey said.
Nina Marie looked at her and then back at her guest. “Hi, Stacey. Just give me a second.”
“Sure,” she said.
“Abe, maybe you should go sit down on one of those couches. I’ll get you some ginger ale and be over in a moment.”
“That sounds like a good idea. Sorry to be rude.” He tilted his head toward her and then walked away to the lounge area.
“Sorry about that. Walk with me, Stacey, while I get Abe something to drink.”
“Ginger ale won’t help him,” she said. She’d decided she needed to let Nina Marie know that if she was going to do this, she was going to take it seriously. Nina Marie probably wasn’t going to be happy with her tactics, but she had to prove a point, and he was just stuck in the crosshairs.
“What do you mean?”
“I did that to him.”
“Whatever for?”
“I wanted to let you know that I changed my mind about working with you. You were right, and I was letting my emotions get in the way of my long-term goals.”
“That’s great news, but why attack my date?”
“I was actually just trying out a new spell and working with crystals. I’m sorry about that, but the good news is it seemed to really work.”
Nina Marie ordered a ginger ale, and they started walking back to the lounge area. “I have a question for you.”
“Sure,” she said.
“We’re going to go take him this drink. I’d like you to talk to him for a minute and let me know what your read is on him.”
“In what sense?”
Nina Marie leaned down. “His religious inclinations,” she said softly.
“I assumed if he was with you that he was an Astral Tech member.”
“No. I’ve recently started seeing him, but I have some conflicting information about his true allegiance. This will be a perfect first test for you. On the spot, no preparation, just pure instinct. And obviously you can’t come right out and ask him about it.”
Her pulse thumped quickly as she prepared for the challenge. She could do this.
They found Abe sitting on one of the plush navy couches in the lounge area.
“Here you go. Drink this,” Nina Marie said. “It should help settle you.”
“Thanks.” He took the drink from her hand. “I’m feeling much better now though.”
“Then let me formally introduce you to my friend Stacey Malone, and Stacey this is Abe Smith.”
She took the opportunity to really take a good look at him as she offered a friendly smile and gentle handshake. “So nice to meet you, Abe. Glad you’re feeling better. There are a lot of people in there.” She let her hand linger in his as long as she possibly could without it turning awkward. She’d learned a lot about reading people’s energy. Now it was time to see if she could put that into practice.
“Yeah, very crowded,” he said.
“This is really a big deal. Nina Marie told me there would be a lot of people, but this even exceeded my expectations.”
“Layton goes all out for this event,” Nina Marie said.
She studied him carefully. She estimated him to be in his thirties or forties. He wasn’t the type of guy she would normally be attracted to, but she could see that he could have appeal to Nina Marie. But that was beyond the scope of her assignment. She needed to keep him talking because the more he talked, the better she could read him. “Do you work with Nina Marie?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
“No.” He smiled over at Nina Marie. “I work in construction. I literally ran into Nina Marie at the mall the other day. We hit it off, and I was happy when she invited me tonight.”
Something was off with him. It didn’t take a clairvoyant to know that. “You don’t exactly look like the shopping type.”
He laughed loudly. “I’m not at all. I had to buy a gift for my niece’s third birthday. Is it that apparent that I’d rather poke my eye out than go shopping?”
Everyone laughed at that statement. This guy was smooth. Too smooth. Too prepared with stories. At least in her opinion, but she’d been put on alert, so maybe she was just being paranoid.
“You guys chat for a moment. I have to say hello to someone that caught my eye before they leave,” Nina Marie said.
Nina Marie was giving her a chance to evaluate him one on one, which was good.
“So what do you do?” Abe asked her.
“I’m currently in college and interning at Optimism.”
“You work with Layton?”
“Yes, I do. Do you know him?”
“I just met him tonight for the first time. Although I must admit, I’m not sure I’ve sorted out all the differing players and politics. Two competitors that seem to be on friendly terms.” He shrugged. “It’s all beyond me. I’m not a CEO nor do I want to be one.”
“I’d love to be CEO one day, but I know I have years ahead of me to get that experience. I have to ask you something, though, since you’re new to all of this. Are you into the New Age way of life?” That was an innocent enough question given the context of their conversation.
“Honestly, I’m not familiar with it. Nina Marie has been giving me some information on it. At this point in life, I’m not the religious type.”
“But you were at some point?”
He nodded. “I grew up in a religious family but once I became an adult, that all wore off. Too much hypocrisy.”
“Just like Pastor Dan.”
“You know him?”
“Yes. I used to go to Windy Ridge Community Church.”
“Wow. Do you think he’s guilty?”
“It’s a hot topic amongst this crowd tonight, for sure. I have to say I was a bit surprised given what I knew about him, but I’ve come to realize that most people have secrets.” As soon as she’d said the words, she hoped she hadn’t pushed it too far.
But he seemed relaxed. “Exactly. The world only sees what we put out there, and there are plenty of people walking around this earth wearing masks.”
“You’re getting all philosophical on me.” She smiled. Yeah, it seemed like he was hiding something, but she didn’t get a strong believer vibe from him. Nina Marie would be happy with her findings.
“Ah, looks like you’re saved by Nina Marie’s return.”
Nina Marie walked back over to them. “What did I miss?”
/>
“We were just getting to know each other,” Abe said. “On that note, you ladies please excuse me for a minute to get some more ginger ale. It seems to be helping me a lot.”
“So what did you think?” Nina Marie asked.
“I think he’s holding back. That he’s hiding something. Some angle he’s working, but I didn’t get a Christian vibe from him at all—not in his words or his energy. Who is telling you otherwise?”
“I didn’t want to taint your approach so I didn’t tell you before, but it’s Layton.”
“What?” Her heart sank. “And he’s sure?”
“Yes. But I wanted a second opinion.”
“What do you think?”
“I think I’m too close to be objective, and for that matter, maybe he worked his gentlemanly charm on you, too.”
She shook her head. “I really don’t think so. I’m not saying he is embracing our beliefs either, but he wasn’t exactly quoting the Bible at me.”
“That’s my concern. What if this is all a subterfuge of some sort.”
“But to what end?” She couldn’t figure out how to put this all together.
“Whatever he’s doing, I intend to figure it out. If it turns out that he is up to something, he’s going to regret the day he decided to take me on.”
**
Grant awoke in the middle of the night gasping for air. Where was he? What was happening? He tried to take a few deep breaths, but he couldn’t get enough air. It felt like there was a huge weight pushing down on his chest.
Fear struck him as he started to wonder whether he’d be able to catch his breath. Was he having a panic attack? He tried to move, to get up out of the bed, but he couldn’t move. This had to be a nightmare. He’d wake up any minute and think how crazy this was.
After another minute of struggling to breathe, it hit him that this was no dream. This was real life. The room felt incredibly cool but his body was on fire. A trickle of sweat dripped down the side of his face.
Could he be facing a spiritual attack right now?
He’d heard Olivia tell stories of how she faced spiritual warfare as a child, that dark forces came at her during the night, but he never thought that something like that could happen to him. Unlike Olivia, he wasn’t prepared. He didn’t have the experience and foundation to fight like she did.
