“Is this what he wants me to be?” she mumbled.
A knock at her door pulled Starla away from those thoughts. She went to the hotel room door and looked out the peephole. It was Kane.
She opened the door, and he stood there with a pizza and a six-pack of beer. Orion was dressed in a pair of baggy sweatpants and a tight, black t-shirt that showed off the abs he’d obtained from working in a physical job.
“I thought you deserved a reward for all of your hard work. You didn’t have to help me the way you have for the past couple of days, but you’ve really stepped up. If I had any kind of budget, I’d make you a deputy,” he said with a smile. “So, you wanna kick back with me for a few hours before we start it all over again at sunrise?”
Starla felt the wind go out of her sails. Kane was there offering her exactly what she wanted, and she was going to have to turn him down.
“I can’t,” she said regretfully, but Kane’s eyes were already on the dress and shoes laid out on the bed.
“I understand,” he said.
“I already told Holden I would meet him for dinner,” she said. “Where did you get a pizza?”
“That little place down by the Lobster Hut, they didn’t get much flooding, and the owner got his kitchen up and running. All of his frozen ingredients were still good, so he’s been handing out pizza to all the people who have been displaced by the storm. I bought one from him because I thought it was the nice thing to do, and he threw in a six-pack.”
“I would, but…”
“It’s okay,” Kane said and nodded toward the dress on the bed. “It’s hard to compete with something like that.”
“It’s not that, Kane. I just already told him I would meet him.”
“I like that about you, Starla. You’re going to go meet him because you said you would, even though I know you’d rather dig into this pizza and beer with me. If you didn’t keep your word, you wouldn’t be the person I like so much.”
How could he say the exact right thing that also made it impossible for her to do what she wanted? Kane gave her a quick peck on the cheek and then turned and left without another word. That was just like him. He didn’t pressure or fuss, and he wasn’t about to put her in a position where she had to explain herself again.
Starla took a shower and did the best she could with her hair. She didn’t have any makeup, but it wouldn’t have mattered if she did. Her enthusiasm for the date with Holden had fallen off a cliff when she’d seen the pizza and beer.
That wasn’t true. Her enthusiasm for the date had died off when she saw the dress. Still, she’d said she would go, and Starla felt obligated to at least try the dress.
She put it on, and immediately hated it. The lining was itchy, and when she looked in the mirror, Starla didn’t recognize herself. The thoughts she hadn’t wanted to think began to creep back in. She wasn’t what Holden wanted. He had some sort of idea of what she was and that was what he liked. But Holden’s idea of what Starla was couldn’t have been farther from reality.
The shoes sucked too. She’d worn more than her fair share of high-heeled boots, but the strappy little high heels cut into her feet.
Starla reminded herself that she could do it. She was once a powerful witch, and she could make it through dinner in a pair of uncomfortable shoes. Perhaps when they were done eating, she could see if Kane still had a beer for her.
She took one last look in the mirror and stifled a cringe. Once she was on the elevator, Starla pushed the button for the top floor. Holden was staying in the penthouse while his house was repaired.
Of course he was.
The temptation to push the button for the seventh floor and go straight to Kane’s room was real. He’d been right, though. She was a woman of her word, and what would Kane think if she just showed up at his door.
No. She’d have dinner with Holden and then go meet Kane. The elevator shooting up to the top floor made her stomach do a somersault.
The door opened and Starla stepped out into an opulent waiting area. The penthouse suite was the only room on the floor. Her heels clicked on the marble as she made her way to the door. It opened before she could knock.
“How did you know I was here?” Starla was a bit stunned.
“Oh, haha. There’s a security camera out there,” Holden said and pointed at the little black camera in the corner above the door. I can watch whoever is out here on the monitor.
Starla picked up a scent she recognized from inside the suite. It was grilled steak, and it made her stomach rumble. “I thought you said we were having what they were serving downstairs,” she said with one eyebrow cocked.
“I wanted to surprise you. I thought in the midst of all of this chaos, you’d like a little touch of luxury,” Holden said and stepped back from the door so Starla could come inside.
She stepped inside, and when Holden closed the door, Starla felt like a trapped animal. The room felt much smaller than it was, and the air felt thick. It was as if it was hard for her to draw breath into her lungs. Every molecule of her body screamed at her that she was in the wrong place.
“This isn’t me,” Starla said. “I’m not going to sit up here in this fancy dress and eat steak while people are suffering. I’m sorry, Holden. This isn’t going to work.”
She turned on the balls of her feet and marched out the door before Holden could argue. Starla took the elevator back downstairs and let herself into her room. She stripped off the dress and horrid shoes. After throwing on her jeans and a cleanish t-shirt, she made her way to Kane’s room.
To Starla’s relief, she had to knock on the door. Kane was staying in a regular room, so there weren’t any marble floors or personal security cameras.
“That was faster than I expected,” Kane said when he opened the door, but a huge smile spread across his rugged face.
“Don’t be a jerk about it.”
“Your jeans are muddy,” he said.
“It’s all I have. I’m sorry,” she said and blushed.
“I have an extra pair of sweatpants. They aren’t fancy, but they’re clean.”
“That’s fancy enough for me,” Starla said with a smile, and when she stepped into Kane’s room, she felt like she could breathe.
Chapter Ten
The next day, Starla had to come back to her room in the early afternoon. A shipment of clothing had arrived, and with it were some cases of wax. Juniper and the other witches of Stone Church had come through, and it made Starla feel happy.
She stacked the cases against the wall of her hotel room. While she was placing the last box, there was a knock at the door. Starla went to open it, but when she looked out of the peephole, no one was there.
Starla thought that perhaps someone had knocked on the wrong door and moved on. It didn’t make much sense because it was mere seconds between when she heard the knock and when she looked through the peephole.
Another knock.
She rushed to the door, thinking that someone was playing a prank, and it made her furious. It was wrong to play jokes on people when circumstances were so dire.
When Starla opened the door, Louisa stood there. It was obvious that she’d been crying, and Starla told her to come inside.
“Did you knock a couple of minutes ago?” Starla asked.
“No, I just got here. Why?”
“Oh, someone knocked on the door a minute or so before you got here.”
“I didn’t see anyone in the hallway, and the elevator was empty except for me too,” Louisa said.
“Probably just someone who wanted the neighbor,” Starla said, but something struck her.
What if she’d had a premonition? Back in Stone Church, her broom would always fall over before someone would knock on her door. She didn’t have a broom in the hotel room, so maybe the universe found another way to tell her she had a visitor. That would mean that more of her magic had come back, but Starla didn’t have time to think about it just then. She had to find out why Louisa had come to vi
sit her.
“Louisa, tell me what’s going on. Why are you crying?”
“It’s killing me that I can’t work. The hotel is full of people, but Mr. Grey won’t let me clean rooms. I’m getting further behind with my bills while everything is a mess. Even when things are better on Clownfish Cay, I’ll still be in bigger trouble.”
“I know,” Starla said.
“I’ve heard that you’ve been asking around about it. People are saying that you don’t believe I’m a thief and that you are trying to get to the bottom of the thefts.”
“That’s true, Louisa. I know you didn’t do it.” Starla realized she did know it wasn’t Louisa. It had just been a hunch before, but at that moment she could feel it down in her gut. Her intuition was definitely back, and it was stronger than ever. “I’m trying to figure out who did, because I need evidence that it was someone else. The storm is making it difficult to investigate, but I’m trying.”
“Thank you,” Louisa said. “Thank you so much. I know you don’t have to do this, and I really appreciate it. I don’t get much help.”
“I do have something you and the kids can do for me today if you’re bored. I can pay you for a day’s work too.”
“Really? What is it?” Louisa asked.
“I need cocktail glasses to make candles in. I know that a lot of the bars and restaurants around here lost a lot of their glassware and will have to order new stock. So I want you to go around and ask them if they have any cocktail glasses that aren’t broken, but that they can’t use anymore,” Starla said. “Here, take this to buy the glasses, and I’ll pay you your wages at the end of the day,” she said and handed Louisa a hundred dollars. “I’ll give you my cell number so you can call me if you need more.”
“You trust me with your money?” Louisa asked.
“Yeah, of course. I told you, Louisa. I know you’re not a thief.”
When Starla left the resort again, she immediately went to Kane. With all the chaos from the storm, worrying about the thefts would be the least of his concerns, but she had to at least ask about the surveillance tapes. He should have heard something back about them from the lab by then.
“Starla, there’s nothing on the video,” Kane said quietly.
“You mean they were blank?”
“I mean, the technician said it was like they were erased. He didn’t know how, though.”
Chapter Eleven
Juniper and Elder Callum Argent showed up on the island just before nightfall. They hadn’t come in on a ship, and Starla quickly found out they were easily able to open a portal to Clownfish Cay. Whatever had strangled out the magic on the island had loosened its hold.
“We need to use magic to help put things back together on this island,” Elder Argent said. “We’re going to perform a ritual that will reveal what is causing the disturbance. I believe we have enough power coursing through this location now to make the spell effective.”
Juniper, Elder Argent, Blossom, and Starla made their way to the stone circle. The ground was still a bit wet, but there wasn’t any more flooding.
The wind picked up as soon as the witches took their places in the circle. It was a howl, and so loud it made Starla a bit nervous. She thought that somehow the storm had come back around to get her, but Starla reminded herself that was impossible.
Elder Argent told the other witches what words to chant. It was a simple spell that took advantage of the circle’s location near all of the elements.
The sound of the wind rose higher and higher until none of the witches could hear each other anymore. It was as if something was trying to stop their progress, but Elder Argent looked pleased.
They chanted for a few more moments, and the winds suddenly died. Starla whipped her head around to see what had happened. It was so quiet that it felt like they’d suddenly been put under glass.
After a full minute of silence, Starla heard splashing coming from the beach. She squinted her eyes and tried to focus on what looked like three women swimming in the ocean.
If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, Starla would have sworn anyone else was crazy because the women had fish tails.
Mermaids.
As the mermaids swam into the shallow water, their tails disappeared. They stood up on slender, human legs, and walked toward the witch circle. Starla was shocked, and she could see by the look on Blossom’s face that she was startled as well.
Elder Argent, on the other hand, looked pleased. He walked out to meet the mermaids, and Juniper joined the other women.
“This is what he suspected,” Juniper said quietly.
“He thought it was frickin’ mermaids?” Blossom blurted.
“That’s what the Grand Coven suspected, but they didn’t want to make a move until they were sure,” Juniper said.
“So, what now?” Starla asked.
“We convince them that we aren’t like the witches that once inhabited this island. We hope that they peacefully undo whatever they’ve done.”
“What if they don’t?” Starla was worried about what the Grand Coven would do if the mermaids didn’t give them what they wanted. They were all good witches, but they could be fierce in the face of adversity.
“Then we’ll have to keep trying to prove that we’re good, but Elder Argent is hoping that isn’t the case. It will take us far longer to colonize that way. If the mermaids allow magic on the island again, we could combine powers. Think of what would be accomplished,” Juniper said.
“We? Are you coming here?” Starla asked hopefully.
“It’s possible. I haven’t heard anything definite yet,” she said with a smile. “And if I do, I’ve been told that we could teleport your house here.”
Starla smiled at the thought. She’d been so upset about leaving her old home, but something inside pulled her thoughts back to her beach house.
“I might let you keep it,” Starla said. “I’m enjoying my new beachy lifestyle. Well, other than the storm.”
“If Elder Argent can work something out with the mermaids, we can have everything back in place by sunrise,” Juniper said. “Except Blossom’s house, of course. I’ve heard she’s waiting for a huge insurance payment. We wouldn’t want to meddle with that.”
“Really?” Blossom asked. “You’ll let my house stay wrecked?”
“Yes,” Juniper said with a chuckle.
“You guys are the best. I’m going to get a fat insurance check, and get my magic back. This is fully awesome,” Blossom said.
“Well, we get to do all of that if the mermaids set the magic free.”
The three witches turned their attention to the mermaids and Elder Argent. They were all nodding their heads yes and smiling. The mermaid in the center, who had shocking red hair and crystalline blue eyes, reached behind her back and produced a nautilus. She handed it to Elder Argent, and suddenly, it felt as though Starla had been hit by a truck.
It was a warm, fuzzy truck, flowing with unimaginable power, but a truck none the less. Bright ribbons of blue, pink, and aqua marine danced around the stone circle, as hundreds of falling stars lit up the night sky.
Elder Argent approached the witches and handed the nautilus to Starla. “I’ll entrust this to you for safekeeping,” he said. “Just let us get the island cleaned up before you use it to set Damek free, alright?”
“You mean this is the nautilus?” Starla asked more to herself than anyone else. She though the artifact stolen from the hotel room was the one she’d been searching for during her investigation.
“It is indeed,” Elder Argent said. “The mermaids have had it for centuries, apparently.”
“And they just gave it back?” Blossom asked skeptically.
“Not really. They gave it to Starla because she proved that she wasn’t like the old witches. The storm was her test.”
“I get the feeling that Damek and the Grand Coven had something to do with the storm as well. Was this all planned? How much did you know about the mermaids before I got h
ere?” Starla asked.
“That information is above your clearance level, young lady.” Elder Argent said good-naturedly, but it was obvious that he would not answer further. Starla could feel it. “Maybe someday. You’ve done good work here. I’ll have my eye on you for sure.”
Chapter Twelve
“Now what?” Blossom asked when Elder Argent and Juniper were gone.
The witches had used a special enchantment to charm the residents of Clownfish Cay into not freaking out over the sudden restoration of their island. They wouldn’t even think about the storm anymore. It would be as if anything having to do with the carnage didn’t exist. The whole thing would be a haze that would make them shrug their shoulders and move on to another topic.
“Well, we’ve still got to solve the thefts and help Louisa.”
“That should be easier now,” Blossom said.
“Yes, I can do a locator spell,” Starla said. “I’m pretty sure I remember how to do that.”
“What do we need?”
“A map of the island and a pendulum should do it,” Starla said. “The crystal on my necklace should work as a pendulum. Where can we get a map of the island?”
“Well, I would have said a gift shop, but because of the storm, I’m not sure that’s going to work,” Blossom said. “Oh, we can just use our phones. We can look one up on the internet.”
“Technology is magic,” Starla said.
Not surprisingly, the spell showed them that the missing items were back at the resort. Since they’d, for the most part, restored the island to its former glory, Starla and Blossom were able to call a cab to take them back to the resort.
Once they were there, Starla waved her hand, and a series of blue glowing stepping stones appeared in front of them. They were there but not really. No one but Starla and Blossom could see them.
“Let’s go,” Starla said to Blossom. “We’ve got a thief to catch.”
Long Islands and Larceny Page 6
