“Why didn’t you tell me you thought this might happen?” she spat out, her eyes blazing with anger.
“Honestly? I didn’t want you to worry about it.”
“I get that, but why did you make me feel like I was crazy for thinking something was up with Caroline?”
William shrugged. “I guess I was sticking with my plan. You are too emotional when it comes to your sister, Jill; we need to be detached right now. It’s the only way to keep her safe.”
Jilly put her face in her hands, tears spilling out of them. “I’m so scared for her, Will.”
“I know, honey. We all are, but she’ll be okay.”
“You can’t know that,” Jilly shot back.
“No, but I can believe that it will happen,” he said as he pulled her close to him. “Come on, get in bed. You need to sleep.” Jilly wanted to protest, but she was so tired; so she let him tuck her in. He climbed in beside her and they were both asleep in minutes.
Hannah was alone. She was in a dark forest and she could hear someone behind her in the trees. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she ran through the fog. She could hear the snapping of twigs and the crunching of leaves behind her. They were catching up. She willed her legs to go faster; finally, she saw a light in the trees ahead. She ran straight for it. It was Caroline and she was holding a flashlight.
“Hannah? Are you okay?” she asked, concerned.
“Someone’s behind me! We need to get out of here!” She ran straight into Caroline’s arms.
“It’s okay, sweetie. I’ll keep you safe,” Caroline said in soothing tones. The footsteps were getting closer. Each twig snapping sounded like a gunshot in the silent night air. Finally, they slowed and Hannah buried her face in Caroline’s chest.
“Don’t be afraid, Hannah,” Caroline said as pried Hannah’s fingers from her arms. Hannah turned around to see a man she didn’t know walking toward them. She turned back to Caroline.
“My friend Patrick has been so longing to meet you,” she said as she shoved Hannah toward him. His arms went around her and Hannah screamed. Someone was shaking her. She opened her eyes and saw Jilly standing over her bed.
“You were screaming in your sleep,” Jilly said as she sat beside Hannah on the bed.
“I had a bad dream. I was in a dark forest, and Caroline was there. Patrick was there, too. She wouldn’t help me. She let him take me.”
Jilly wiped away Hannah’s tears. “It was just a dream, honey. It’s okay now.”
“It felt so real. I was so scared!”
“I know the feeling,” Jilly said as she tucked Hannah back in. “Do you think you can sleep?” Hannah nodded, her eyes already drooping. “I’m right across the hall if you need me,” Jilly said as she brushed her lips over Hannah’s cheek.
“Mmhhmm,” Hannah said sleepily. Jilly closed the door behind her and walked back across to William’s room. He was still sleeping. She climbed into bed next to him and went back to sleep.
Breakfast went by quickly the next morning. Everyone had things they needed to do. Jilly and Caroline needed to go into work; so they ate quickly and ran back upstairs to get ready. William and Nikolai were huddled together in the corner, discussing their plans for the day. Katya and Hannah were at the kitchen counter looking through bridal magazines, picking out things for Jilly to look at. By 9:30, almost everyone was gone. Only Hannah and Katya remained at the house. A few of Nikolai’s men could be seen patrolling in the woods out back.
“Do you think your friend can help me?” Hannah asked Katya when they were alone.
“I hope he can. He’s an expert when it comes to the Shadow realm. Not a lot is known about it. Alex is the only person who has ever been to the Shadow realm and lived to tell the tale. He was taken from his home by a wraith five years ago, but he fought his way back. He’s been doing research and trying to stop the wraiths ever since. He’s a good friend and I know he’ll do everything he can to help you.”
Hannah smiled at Katya’s words. “Thank you. You don’t know what it means to me to be with all of you. It has been so hard by myself.”
“I’m so sorry about your parents and about how you’ve had to live since then. William is one of the kindest people I know; and although I’ve only just met Jilly a few months ago, I already can tell she’s got a heart just like his. I couldn’t ask for better guardians for you than them. This past week has been crazy for everyone. I hope for all of our sakes that we can get this situation cleared up quickly.” Hannah nodded, and they went back to the magazines.
William and Nikolai were driving toward the bunker where Sabine was. “We may need to move her after today,” William said.
“You won’t think that after you see where she is,” Nikolai said. A few minutes later, they pulled up to a gate. Nikolai rolled his window down and said something in Russian to the guard. With a loud screeching noise, the gate began to roll open on small metal wheels. They drove through slowly, and Nikolai pulled up in front of a large building.
“I thought you said she was underground?” William said.
“She is. The bunker is about a quarter mile from here, but we have to go on foot.” They both jumped out of the car and Nikolai led them through the dense trees until they reached a small hatch in the ground. He bent down and rapped on the window. There was a series of loud clicks and the door swung open. William half expected it to be a holdout from the cold war, but it was all modern inside. There were computers lining one of the walls in the first room and modern furniture lining the other. They continued walking another quarter mile, down a long hallway lined with doors.
“She’s further in. We didn’t want to have her too close to the surface,” Nikolai said.
William noticed that the hallway began to slowly slant downward; they were walking further into the earth. After another ten minutes or so, they came to a door at the end guarded by two men. When they saw Nikolai, they stood aside and he went in first, followed by William. William thought Sabine would be behind the door, but they entered into what looked like a living room.
“She’s in one of the rooms off this one,” Nikolai said, when he read William’s expression. They continued on and went through one of the side doors.
Sabine was sitting on a small bed against the wall. She looked up from her book when they came in and smiled sweetly when she saw William. “Ma petite cherie, you’ve come at last. I’ve been so bored with only this Russian fool to keep me company.” Her words were dripping with sugary sweetness. William pulled up a chair and sat across from Sabine. Nikolai stood behind him against the wall.
“We need to talk, Sabine,” William said. “What does my brother want with Hannah?”
Sabine smiled wickedly. “Well, it seems that I have something that you want, doesn’t it? What will you give me if I tell you?”
William’s expression turned stony. “I don’t need this information. I’m just curious. You have nothing to hold over me.”
Her smile faltered for a moment. “You of all people should know that Patrick never tells anyone what’s in his head. I was just doing what I was told. He said he wanted the witch’s sister and the girl.”
“What were those plans we found in your office?” Nikolai asked.
Sabine smiled again, a wicked glint in her eye. “That, my dear, is not for you to know.” William began to speak. “I won’t tell you either, darling, so don’t bother.”
“Call off your shadow wraiths,” William said bluntly. “She’s just a girl. How could you be so cruel?” His tone was icy.
“It was not I who called them, William. So alas, it is not I who can call them off.”
“Who called them?” William demanded.
“That, I do not know,” she said. Her eyes told them she spoke the truth. The questioning continued like that for another hour. The men didn’t get many answers. They left feeling dejected and began the long walk back to the car.
Jilly was on edge the whole day. Caroline acted completely normal, but
Jilly kept expecting her to do something crazy. The day seemed to creep by at a snail’s pace; Jilly must have checked her watch a million times. Finally, blessedly, it was time for them to go.
“Hey Jill, can you drop me off somewhere on the way home?” Caroline asked.
The hair on the back of Jilly’s neck was standing on end. “Give me a sec, Car, I need to grab something in my office before we go. I’ll meet you in the car,” Jilly said with a falsely bright voice. As soon as Caroline was out the back door, Jilly punched in William’s number on her phone.
“Hey, so Caroline wants me to drop her off somewhere on the way home. What should I do?” she said as soon as he picked up.
“Hang on, let me talk to Nik.” She heard him saying something to Nik in the background. “Ok, drop her off where she wants; Nik’s got someone coming to meet you at the shop in ten minutes. Stall her until he gets there. He will text you when he pulls up out back. You won’t see him, but he’ll follow you.”
“Okay, but for the record, this sucks. And I don’t feel good about it,” Jilly said.
“None of us do. See you in a bit. Nik and I should be home a little after you. Kat’s going to leave to pick up Alex when you get home. She didn’t want to leave Hannah by herself.”
“Okay, I’ll see you soon. I love you.”
“Love you, too.”
They both hung up. Jilly got up and stuck her head out the back door. “I forgot I have to do something really quick. It’ll be like ten minutes.”
Caroline nodded and got out of the car. “Okay, I’ll wait inside then.”
Jilly went about doing some paperwork for about ten minutes and then told Caroline they could leave. “Okay, so where am I dropping you off?”
“What? Oh, the mall. You know, why don’t we just go home first and I’ll grab my car. I don’t know how long I’ll be and I don’t want to bug anyone for a ride home.”
“You sure? It’s not a big deal for us to pick you up.”
“Yeah, I’d rather just have my car.”
The girls drove home in silence. Jilly was too nervous to try and make small talk.
Caroline jumped out of the car as soon as they pulled into the driveway and raced over to her car. “Okay, Jill, I’ll be back sometime tonight. Bye.”
Jilly waved and finished getting her things out of the car. She walked slowly up the steps to the door, feeling a sense of dread coiling itself like a snake in her stomach. Katya and Hannah were watching TV when she came inside. They both turned when she came in.
“Where’s Caroline?” Katya asked.
“I don’t know. She took her car as soon as we got home. She said she was going to the mall, but who knows? Nik’s got someone following her.” She set her stuff down on the small bench by the door. “The guys should be home soon, too. Will said they’d be back right after me. You need to go pick up Alex, right?”
Katya nodded. “I’m going to go right now, actually. His flight lands in an hour. He got a hotel, but should he just stay here?”
“Why not? We have the room and I’m sure you wouldn’t bring a weirdo into my house.” Katya smiled and ran upstairs to grab her coat and purse.
Jilly sat next to Hannah. “How was your day?”
“It was nice. Katya and I just sort of hung out all day.”
Jilly’s phone rang in her purse and she got up to answer it. “Are you home, yet?” Emily said as soon as she picked up.
Jilly laughed. “Yeah, we just got in yesterday. I was at the shop all day or I would have stopped by.”
“You sound weird. Is everything okay?” Emily asked with concern in her voice.
“Yeah, I’m just tired. It’s been a long week.”
Emily wasn’t buying it. “What’s going on, Jill?”
“Nothing, Em, I’m seriously just tired. Look, I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?” She hung up before Emily could protest.
“I’m going to shower and change,” she told Hannah and went up to her room. She was thinking about Caroline as she walked through her door and suddenly she was not in her room anymore. She felt the familiar pulling sensation and she was transported a heavily wooded area. She looked around for a bit, trying to get her bearings. Jilly walked for a few minutes and saw smoke coming up from the trees, so she quickened her pace and found a small cabin nestled into the trees. She cautiously walked up to one of the windows and peeked in.
She saw Caroline and Patrick sitting around the table talking and Drew was on the couch. Caroline was smiling at something Patrick said and she touched his hand in a familiar way that made Jilly’s stomach turn. Drew brought over a map and they all huddled over it as he pointed something out to them. Jilly wanted to go and grab Caroline, but she knew it would be a mistake. After watching them for five minutes or so, she decided to try and get back home. She walked for ten minutes back into the woods to ensure she would have the privacy she needed to try and get home. It took her about thirty minutes to get it right, and finally she was back in her room.
William was sitting on her bed when she arrived. “See anything good?” he asked dryly.
“I didn’t mean to go. I’m sorry,” she said as she sat next to him.
“I know you didn’t. I was just worried. Nik’s man called and said you were there and he was watching you, so I wasn’t too worried.”
“I was watching them; she acts like she loves him, Will. She laughs with him and touches him. It’s all so weird. That can’t be just his mind control, can it?”
“It probably is, Jill; he’s very good at what he does. We’ll sort it out; don’t worry too much about it. I’ll let you change. Dinner should be ready soon. Oh, and Emily and Adam are here. She says they’re staying for dinner.”
Jilly groaned and put her face into her pillow. “Go ahead and send her up.”
William laughed. “You’re in for it now,” he said as he left.
Jilly was just pulling on her shirt when Emily burst through the door, looking like a woman on a mission.
“What makes you think you can lie to me, Jillian?” Emily asked accusingly.
“It was a white lie, Em. I don’t want to drag you into everything that’s going on.”
“I’m officially dragging myself into this, so spill it.” Jilly spent the next twenty or so minutes filling Emily in on everything that had happened.
“So Caroline’s with him now?” Emily asked once Jilly had finished.
“Yeah, she’s with him and that Drew guy. I’m trying not to be too upset. Will says they’re watching out for her, but it’s still scary.
“There’s nothing more you can do, right?” Emily asked
Jilly knew what she was trying to do and she smiled. “No, it’s just a watch and see kind of situation.”
Emily nodded. “Good, then you can stop stressing out about it. Now, I’m starving. Let’s go eat before I pass out.”
Jilly laughed and they went down to the kitchen.
The table was loaded with food. Someone had ordered pizza and Emily had brought a few frozen lasagnas. William was just slicing the garlic bread and finishing up the salad when they filed in. When everyone was seated, the food began its rotation around the table until they were all served. Jilly watched the door during dinner, hoping that Caroline would come home; but she never did. Jilly and Emily offered to do the dishes and everyone else went out to the living room.
“I thought Caroline would be home by now,” Jilly said
“I had hoped she would be too, honey; but we have to trust that Will knows what he’s doing with this. My first instinct is to go charging out there guns blazing, but that wouldn’t help anything.”
“What if she doesn’t come back?” Jilly whispered, afraid that if she spoke it too loudly, it would come true.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. What we know now is that she seems to be safe with him. If he had wanted to hurt her, he would have done it already,” Emily said as she gave Jilly’s hand a squeeze. “Okay, now tell me about Hannah. I
haven’t really gotten a chance to talk to her, yet.”
A smile spread across Jilly’s face and it was like turning on a light in a dark room. “She’s so strong, Em, stronger than me for sure. She’s been through so much, but she’s willing to trust us. I’ve loved her since I saw her picture in the stack from Sabine’s hideout. She’s a remarkable young girl. I’m so happy she’s with us.”
Emily smiled. “Jill, you sound so maternal.”
“I feel maternal toward her. I just want to shield her from everything bad in the world,” Jilly said with a smile.
As they were drying off the plates and putting them away, Caroline came through the back door.
“Hey, Em!” she said exuberantly. “How are you? Did you bring the baby?”
Emily looked at Jilly. “Hey, Caroline, I’m doing well. Camille’s with Adam and everyone else in the living room.”
“Did I miss dinner? I must have lost track of time.”
“There’s a plate in the oven for you,” Jilly said to her sister.
“Okay, I’m going to change clothes and I’ll be down.” With a quick wave, she was up the stairs to her room.
“She seems totally normal,” Emily said in wonder.
“I know. Most of the time she is, but something is totally going on with her.”
“Weird,” Emily said.
“You’re telling me. Okay, let’s go out with the others.” When they got into the living room, Katya and Alex were just coming through the front door. Alex was a lot taller than Jill had expected, well over six feet. He had a friendly look about him, though; his hair was long and blonde, and his brown eyes were warm and inviting.
Nikolai jumped up from his seat to embrace Alex. “It’s good to see you, man,” he said.
Alex smiled. “You, too, my friend.” Katya introduced Alex to everyone. He turned to Jilly. “Thank you so much for welcoming me into your home,” he said warmly.
Jilly smiled. “Of course. Any friend of Nik and Kat’s is always welcome.”
“I think we’ll get down to business in the morning, if that’s ok? I’ve had a long flight and I’m tired.”
Chasing the Witch (Boston Witches) Page 13
