by Rose Pressey
“What are you doing?” I asked. “Are you out at a hot club?”
“I was just calling to check on you, Cece. Are you doing okay?”
It was really sweet of him to call.
“I’m okay,” I said as I sat on the bed and got under the covers.
“So what are you doing right now?” he asked.
I twirled my hair around my index finger as I stared up at the ceiling. “I just took a shower and I guess I’ll go to bed now.”
“Really?” Derek said.
My insides tingled at his sexy voice.
“Do you need any company tonight?” His voice lowered with a sensual huskiness.
I didn’t know what to say. I kind of panicked.
“No, I think I’m good. I’m just going to go bed, so I’ll see you in the morning.” I hung up quickly.
I didn’t know why I’d hung up so quickly. Like I said, I guessed I’d panicked.
I’d just settled down when something sounded like it came from outside by the window. I turned off the light. I didn’t want anyone to be able to see inside. Then I hurried over to take a peek out the door. I didn’t see anything, but I thought I heard the noise again. Was someone out there trying to get in the window? I went over to the back door and opened it up to take a peek. A rustling noise came from somewhere nearby. I thought maybe somebody was running away. I looked around the backyard, but no one was in sight.
I knew that I’d heard something and I had a feeling it was whoever had broken into my house. But who had broken in? How would I find out? I contemplated not staying there tonight. I supposed I could go to Derek’s house, but that would probably be a bad idea. So I finally went to bed with the gun right beside me on the nightstand, just in case somebody broke in again.
***
The next morning, the sun splashed across my face. I sat up in bed, startled that I’d actually fallen asleep. My plan had been to stay awake all night in case the person returned. I looked around the room. At least nothing was out of place. The gun was still beside the bed. The house was quiet. I slipped out of bed and over to the window. Of course no one was there, but maybe they had dropped something while they were out there last night. Not only had the person broken into my house, they were probably the same person who had tried to run me off the road.
I peered out the window. No one was there, as I’d suspected. After slipping on my sneakers I stepped out into the back yard. A chill came over me when I thought about someone standing outside my window. I looked down on the ground by the window. Nothing seemed out of place. I stood out there for a few more seconds and then went back inside. I’d just closed the door when a noise came from the front of the house. It sounded as if it had come from the front door. I grabbed the gun from the night stand and then hurried to the front door.
Maybe my reaction was too harsh. I couldn’t keep being paranoid like this. What if someone was really there though?
I peeked out the peephole. No one was there. If one of the neighbors saw me come out my front door with a gun they’d probably freak out. I slowly cracked the door open. No one was around. However, a package sat on the ground in front of my door. It was kind of early to get a delivery. I held the gun behind my back and reached down to pick up the package with my other hand. It was a small brown box addressed to me, so I knew they had the right address.
There was no return address though, which I found odd. I took the package inside. Of course I was curious—I had to know what was inside. If it was something bad then I would definitely regret my decision to open the box. That didn’t stop me from doing so though.
I placed the box on the table and grabbed a knife. I cut the tape sealing the box shut, and then I pried the top of the box apart. Packing paper was the first thing I saw. I gently pulled the paper out. Inside was a clear bottle.
It looked like the other spices I used for my spells. I pulled out the box and studied it. There was a note inside the box, so I pulled it out. I opened the card.
For your spells.
The words were typed onto the card. There was no signature. Someone had obviously forgotten to add their name to this gift. Only a few people knew about my witchcraft. It had to be one of the other witches from my coven. I would have to give them a call and find out who sent it and why. But for right now I had to get ready for work.
Chapter 22
Derek and I were driving down the Strip. I stopped at a red light when my phone rang. I looked at the screen.
“It’s a call from Chuck,” I said.
“Answer it,” Derek said.
I answered right away. “Hey, I was wondering if you could meet me at the casino,” Chuck said.
“When did you have in mind?”
“Right away. It’s kind of important.”
It was important to meet me at the casino? He could easily come to the office if he needed to talk to me about the case. Nevertheless, I agreed to go over there since we were close by anyway.
“We can be there in five minutes,” I said.
“I’ll see you then,” Chuck said.
“We’re going to the casino,” I said, making the next left.
“Chuck wants to meet us?”
“What do you think he wants to talk about?” I asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe he wants tips on blackjack,” Derek said.
“Well, he should ask someone else other than me, that’s for sure. Possibly you though.”
We pulled up in front of the casino and a valet parked the car. I was in a hurry to find out what Chuck wanted. We stepped into the casino. The loud noise of slots, talking, and music was putting me on sensory overload.
“Was he supposed to meet us up here by the door?” I asked.
“You’re the one who talked to him. I guess that’s what he told you,” Derek said.
I tapped my foot against the floor impatiently. It was so crowded in there I wasn’t sure if we would be able to spot him right away.
“Where could he be right now?”
“Maybe he just stepped away for a minute,” Derek said.
“I’ll give him a little bit before we forget and leave.”
“You’re freaking out a little,” Derek said.
“I’m not freaking out,” I said. “I’m perfectly calm.” Though I was fidgeting.
We didn’t see Chuck, but there were two men seriously watching us. When we made eye contact, the men made a dash around a group of people to get to us.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking these guys want us. I’m sure they’re the same ones from the café.”
“And it doesn’t look like for friendly chitchat either,” Derek said, grabbing my hand. “Come on, we have to get out of here.”
The two muscular guys looked like they wanted to snap us in two. Derek was right, we had to get out now. Derek and I ran through the crowd, weaving around people. A few people yelled out for us to slow down. I knew security would catch up to us soon.
Who were these guys? Were we being kicked out of the casino again? It wasn’t the first time and it probably wouldn’t be the last either. I didn’t even do anything wrong and I still got kicked out of these places. That couldn’t be the case this time though since I’d seen them at the café too.
Regardless, maybe it was a sign that I shouldn’t come back. I always found my way back to the casinos. Whether it was the Marilyn Monroe thing or finding criminals, I was always here. Derek and I ran toward the front entrance.
“We won’t have time to get the car,” Derek said. “We’ll have to keep running.”
This wasn’t a good thing because I wasn’t exactly a good runner. I was slow with my short legs. I tried as hard as I could, it just never worked out. I glanced back to the crowd and saw the guys still chasing us. The good thing was it looked like they weren’t that great at running either. They were trying to get through the crowd, but a lot of people were blocking them. They were yelling at them too. By the looks of things, I didn’t think they worked he
re. They would have had someone else at the door waiting to stop us. At least that was what I figured, but maybe I was wrong.
Nevertheless, it was scary having these men running after us. When they got a hold of us I was scared for what might happen. Maybe they were the ones who had broken into my place.
“Are you sure there’s no time for the car?” I asked as we got outside.
“We’d have to wait for the valet,” Derek said. “That’s not a good idea, right?”
“No, I guess not,” I said.
We ran through the front entrance and out onto the sidewalk. As we were racing down the sidewalk, people watched us. They shouldn’t be too surprised though. I mean, after all, this was Vegas. Just because there was a guy and a girl running with two other big guys chasing them, that didn’t mean anything, right? I didn’t want to look over my shoulder either because I knew that would slow me down. Derek was practically dragging me as it was. But he hadn’t left me and for that I was thankful.
“Are they still back there?” I asked.
Derek looked over his shoulder as we ran. “Yes, they’re still back there. I think we’re going to have to hide in order to get away from them. Good news though, it does look as if they’re starting to tire. That’s a plus for us.”
“Yes, well, I’m starting to tire as well. I was never good at long-distance running.”
“You were never good at short-distance running either,” Derek said.
We came up to the area with lots of shops and restaurants. Crowds of people wandered down all the sidewalks and in and out of the businesses. Palm trees and other lush landscaping decorated the middle. The cobblestone street made it even harder to run. This was a mixture of tropical and old world charm.
“What about this place?” I asked as we ran toward one of the shops.
“That’s the first store. It’ll be the one they look in first. Let’s go in the second one.”
We ran to the door and rushed inside. There were a couple customers who looked at us as if we were there to attack them. The place was full of bric-a-brac. The kind that could easily be broken—delicate china, glasses, and collectible figurines.
“It’s okay,” Derek said, holding his hands up. “We were just in a hurry to get here.”
People stared at us like we were crazy.
“Just don’t break anything,” I whispered.
Derek and I headed over against the far wall so that we could still see out the window. I didn’t think anyone could see in the shop with the darker-tinted windows. Just then, the guys walked by the window.
“There they are,” I whispered, as if the guys outside could hear us in the shop.
I just hoped that they kept on walking. So far they hadn’t even looked our way. If they came in here I didn’t know what we would do. Derek and I held our breath as the men walked past the shop.
I released a deep breath and said, “I think we’re safe now.”
“I wouldn’t say that just yet,” Derek said.
“Who are they?” I asked.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Derek said.
“Have you ever seen them before?”
“I’ve never seen them before, have you?”
“No, never seen them a day my life.”
“We should hang out here for a little while longer, just to make sure they’re really gone,” Derek said. “They could be looking for us for quite a while, thinking we’re hiding in one of the shops.”
“What do you think you’re doing?” a tall blonde woman asked.
She stomped over to us. Her face was red and her eyes narrowed. She placed her hands on her hips. Her nametag read, ‘Haley, manager.’
“We were just looking around, ma’am,” Derek said.
“No, you weren’t. You’re up to something no good. I’ll bet you’re here to steal. Both of you just get out of here right now.” She gestured.
“We really weren’t trying to steal,” I said, trying to convince the woman to let us stay.
I didn’t want to go back out there just yet.
“I don’t want to hear any of it. I’m calling the police if you don’t get out of here.” She shooed us toward the door.
We had no choice but to leave now. Derek and I were practically pushed out the door. Once we got out onto the sidewalk again, we looked to the left and to the right. Thank goodness I didn’t see the guys, but they could pop out at any moment.
“Maybe they’re in one of the stores looking for us.”
“Come on, we’ll go back and head for the car. That’s about the only thing we can do right now,” Derek said.
“I know one thing I want to do,” I said as we hurried along the sidewalk back to the casino.
“What’s that?” Derek asked.
“I want to give Chuck a call and find out what the heck is going on.”
As we walked along, I dialed the number. He answered right away.
“Cece, I can’t find you,” he said.
“Yeah, that’s because a couple of big guys chased us away. Are they with you?” I asked.
“Really? No, I don’t know them. Do you still see them?”
“No, I don’t, and I’m sorry that we can’t come back in there right now.”
“Oh, you’re still here?”
“Actually, no, I had to leave.”
“I apologize for missing you, but I still do want to talk,” Chuck said.
“Not right now,” I said.
I was a bit angry. It was almost as if this guy had lured us to the casino on purpose so that the guys could chase us.
“Why don’t you just tell me over the phone,” I said.
“Oh, no, this is something I really need to talk about in person.”
“Then I guess you’ll have to come by my office,” I said.
I was losing my patience with this guy.
“I do apologize again,” he said. “I’ll call you soon so that I can get over there.”
Now I was even more suspicious of him. What was so important and why didn’t he come to talk to me right away?
“What did he say?” Derek asked when I hung up the phone.
We continued our walk on the sidewalk. I looked back but didn’t see the guys anywhere. Thank goodness. At least now I didn’t have to run to keep a good pace with Derek.
“He said that the guys weren’t with him, but he won’t tell me why he needed to talk to us. I think it’s suspicious. He is weird.”
“I agree, Cece,” Derek said.
That was kind of odd because most of the time Derek liked to think the opposite of me on purpose.
Finally, we reached the casino again. The valet approached us. He looked at us, confused.
“Is everything okay?” he asked with a frown.
I guessed he’d seen us run out of the building.
“Yes, we were just running late for a meeting, so we decided to take a nice brisk run.”
Derek looked at me as if to say, Really, Cece?
“I do have a quick question for you though,” I said.
“What’s that?” the guy asked.
“The two big guys who were chasing us down the sidewalk…”
“The ones who had the meeting with you?” He smiled.
Derek bit back laughter.
“Yes, those guys. Do they work here at the casino?”
“I’ve never seen them here before,” he said.
I’d figured as much.
“Thanks,” I said.
Derek handed him our ticket.
“I’ll get your car for you,” the valet said and walked away.
“That was really smooth, Cece,” Derek said.
“Oh, yeah? You think you can do better, Derek North?”
“No, I don’t think I can do better at all.”
Derek gave me that serious look, but I never knew what his feelings were when he did things like that. I was anxious waiting for the valet to return. Finally, a couple minutes later, the he brought our car around.
Derek and I hopped in and immediately took off. We were just a short distance away from the casino when I happened to glance in the rearview mirror and see the car behind us. I knew it was the two guys who had chased us. Whether or not they knew we were in this car I didn’t know, but I had to get away from them quickly.
“Don’t look now, but those two guys are in the car behind us,” I said.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. What’s their problem? There’s one way to get rid of them. We’ll drive to the police station,” Derek said.
“Good idea,” I said.
Derek headed that way. There was one small flaw in our plan. The men followed us to the police station. Like Derek, I’d thought they would turn around when they saw the police station. Luckily, Derek got a parking spot upfront. We hopped out and raced inside before the guys even got their car parked. We ran over to the desk.
The police officer said, “What’s the rush?”
“There are men are chasing us,” I said breathlessly.
He looked around. “Are they invisible?”
“They were outside, but we ran in here.” I motioned.
He should have known that much. Did he think I was talking about a ghost following us?
“I’m not sure what I can do about that,” the officer said.
“Well, can’t you find out why they’re doing it?”
“Can you point them out to me?” he asked.
“Sure, they’re right outside,” I said.
The police officer reluctantly came around the desk and followed me to the door. Of course now they were gone.
Chapter 23
I was sitting at my desk having a slight panic attack. I was contemplating what my next move should be and it was definitely causing stress. I decided to check Snapchat just one more time. I was becoming obsessed with this lately. Regina hadn’t answered my calls or called me back, so I was wondering what had happened.
When I checked my phone, sure enough, Regina’s little icon popped up. I grew excited as I waited for it to load, and then I pressed it again so I could see what she was up to this time. Fingers crossed that I would know her location.
When I looked at her video, I realized she was getting a tattoo somewhere in town. I took a screenshot, although that was risky. She might know that I’d done that, but I had to blow up the photo to see what was written on the wall behind her. If I could read it then I might know where she was located. Sure enough, after doing all that, I saw the name of the place on the wall.
