“I didn’t expect it, either.”
He felt Travis approaching before he heard the police chief’s footsteps. As usual, Travis didn’t seem to be in a hurry. Silas assumed he was heading to his brother’s house, but the chief stopped beside Silas, gave Judge a scratch behind the ears, and then said, “I never took you for a stalker, Hollister.”
“I’m no stalker,” Silas grumbled.
“That’s not what Gabi Lawson says.”
Silas sighed. Gabi hadn’t gone to Cindy’s to say goodbye, she’d gone in to borrow the phone to call the police. On him. “Someone has to keep an eye on her. Her ex-husband is in town, and he’s trouble.”
“The one we were looking for last night and found no trace of.”
“That’s the one.”
“Have you seen this ex?” Travis asked.
“No, but Gabi did, and Jordan saw someone who fits his description.” Silas looked at the chief. “Even your brother told me she needed help.”
Travis shrugged his shoulders. “Luke isn’t always all he’s cracked up to be. You know how it is. Maybe the man Jordan saw revved up Gabi’s imagination and an unfounded fear was enough to set my brother off. Who knows?”
Silas stared at Travis. “You think Gabi’s lying about the man she saw last night?”
“I think maybe she panicked and saw what she wanted to see. It happens. Maybe we have a peeping tom in town who bears a passing resemblance to Gabi’s ex. There are a lot of possible explanations.”
Gabi didn’t want to see her ex-husband, but she feared it so deeply it wasn’t impossible that she’d imagined his face at the window. Was hearing him call out for her any different from a soldier hearing gunfire when there was none?
“Doesn’t matter,” he said. “She’s leaving town.”
“Just as well,” Travis said. “Most Non-Springers don’t stay as long as she did. They find their way in and then, after a while, they get the hell out.” He didn’t walk away, but stood there, looking at his brother’s house. After a long pause he said, “She gave a good haircut.”
Gave. Past tense. As if she’d already gone.
“You gonna arrest me?” Silas asked.
“Still trying to decide.”
They watched the house in silence, and Silas wondered what the hell Gabi and Cindy were talking about for all this time. Maybe Gabi was peeking out the window, waiting for Travis to arrest her stalker and take him away.
A few hours in one of Travis’s cells might be just what he needed. At this point it would be a damned vacation.
Judge had been sulking but obedient, but suddenly the bloodhound was on alert. Like a shot, the dog took off running. Toward the Benedict house, then around the side yard.
Shit. Gabi had gone out the back door and through the overgrown backyard of the house between Cindy’s and her own, doing everything she could to avoid him.
Silas followed Judge, his heart hammering.
She hadn’t imagined anything, he knew it. Blake Pierce was in town. He’d been waiting for her to come home, waiting to catch her alone.
Around the house, through the weedy backyard of the vacant house, to Gabi’s back door.
Judge barked at Mia’s diaper bag, which was on the patio next to Gabi’s purse. Keys dangled in the lock. Silas found Gabi just inside the back door, lying on her kitchen floor in a small pool of blood.
He probably shouldn’t move her, not knowing where the blood came from or how she’d been injured, but he couldn’t help himself. Gently, he rolled her onto her back. Her eyes were closed. The blood poured from a cut at her temple. He went for the closest suitable rag he could find, a clean dishtowel snagged from a nearby drawer.
“Gabi?” he said, putting pressure on the wound and trying to rouse her. “Wake up.” She didn’t, at least, not immediately.
Judge barked, quick, frantic barks that wouldn’t stop. Travis, lagging behind, walked into the kitchen, studied the scene, and then asked, “Where’s the little girl?”
“I don’t know.” Silas looked at Judge, and knew in a matter of seconds that the kid wasn’t in the house.
Finally, Gabi stirred. Her eyes fluttered opened, and for a split second she smiled at him. Then reality came rushing back and she sat up too quickly.
“He took Mia,” she said, tears filling her eyes as she began to shake. “Blake has my daughter!”
Chapter 17
She could still hear her daughter’s scream. More than the pain of being hit on the head, more than the worry that Blake might kill her this time, that sound was what stayed with her.
Her greatest fear had come true. Blake had found her; he’d taken Mia.
How had he come upon her so quickly and quietly? One moment she and Mia had been alone; the next he was there, snatching Mia from her with one hand, swinging a piece of metal pipe at her with the other. He’d drawn that hand back to hit her again — and again and again, she imagined — when a woman’s voice had said,
“They’re coming. We have to go.”
Blake had given in to the impulse to hit her one last time. That had been the blow that knocked her out. She’d gone down listening to her daughter scream.
She tried to explain to Silas exactly what had happened, but her thoughts and her words were jumbled. Oddly enough, he didn’t seem at all surprised to find out that a woman had been with Blake. He’d even mumbled a name.
Jenna.
Silas and Travis made phone calls on their cells. Gabi was so out of it, in such a panic, she barely heard what they had to say. But within minutes, people started showing up. At her front door, at the back. Men and women came on foot and by car. Some of those who showed up were clients, people she knew well. Others were complete strangers.
Cindy was there. Jordan, too.
Silas left the organization of the crowd to Travis, while he bandaged the cut on her head. He kept telling her everything was going to be all right, but she didn’t believe him. He didn’t believe it, either, she could tell.
The bleeding had stopped, but she expected her head would hurt for a while. She didn’t mind the pain. What bothered her most was the way her thoughts were scrambled, the way the voices of those around her were muffled and hard to decipher.
Gabi sat at the kitchen table. A woman she didn’t know was making coffee. Another had brought in a tray of sandwiches as if this was a neighborhood block party, as if Mia wasn’t in the hands of a psycho. Cindy and Jordan fretted, and double-checked Silas’s work.
Silas dropped down to squat before her, so they were face to face. “Cindy and Eve are going to stay with you while we…”
Eve was here? When had she… Yes, there she was, frowning, arms crossed defiantly.
“No,” Gabi said, her voice stronger and steadier than it had been moments before.
“We’ll find Mia, and we’ll bring her home,” Silas said, his voice maddeningly calm. “Judge is the best tracker in the Southeast, and you know he won’t let anything happen to his person.”
“I’m going with you,” Gabi said, standing. It took a small effort to appear relatively calm and steady. She was neither.
“Let me do this,” he said.
Silas, who in all honesty she barely knew, had been better to her than any man she’d ever known. Even now, after she’d done her best to kick him to the curb, he was willing to do anything for her. Yes, he’d lied to her. He hadn’t begun whatever this was with the noblest of intentions. And still, there was something unbreakable between them.
“I’ve been hiding for years,” she said. “Before Mia was born. Before I met Blake. I lived in the shadows, afraid to take a chance, unable to believe in myself. It wasn’t chance that Blake chose me. He saw what I was. Not just quiet, but always afraid. Fear has ruled my entire life, and I won’t allow it to continue. I can’t.”
“You’re hurt.”
“I’ll survive.”
Silas looked like he wanted to argue with her, but he held his tongue.
“She’
s my daughter. I can’t sit here and wring my hands while others go out to rescue her.”
“Gabi…”
She took his face in her hands, pulled him close, and kissed him. It was far from a romantic moment; most of what she felt at the moment was terror. But the kiss shut him up and gave her a moment to think. “I don’t care why you asked me out. I don’t care why you burst into my life like a wrecking ball. I’m glad you’re here, I’m glad we had these days together. But if you go out to find Blake and Mia and leave me here, I’ll head out on my own as soon as you’re gone.”
“If he catches you alone he’ll finish what he started,” Silas whispered.
“Maybe you’d better not let me go alone.”
Gabi wasn’t dead, he knew it. Dammit! He’d let Jenna pull him away before he was done, all because someone was coming. So what? Power was rushing through his veins, his mind was more brilliant than it had ever been, he could do anything. He could take on anyone and everyone.
Jenna didn’t agree. She wanted to hide, to play it safe, to stick to the shadows. That’s what they did as they ran, then walked, through yards and across streets. The shadow seemed to move with them. He wondered if anyone could see them at all. Was that the witch’s doing, or his?
The kid wouldn’t shut up. She screamed, then cried softly, then moaned and hiccupped, and then started screaming again. It wasn’t long before he passed his daughter to Jenna.
That didn’t help matters at all. The scream turned into a screech.
“Can’t you make her shut up?” he snapped.
“She’ll settle down, just give her…”
“Now,” he said, a warning in his voice. They weren’t far from the B&B.
Jenna made a gentle shushing sound and placed two fingers on Mia’s head. Then the kid slept.
Blessed silence.
The past few minutes proved that he was going to need help with the baby. While he looked forward to the day when she was older and they could be partners in crime, getting to that point wouldn’t be easy. He was no nursemaid.
Maybe he shouldn’t have pushed his mother down the stairs. She’d come in handy, right about now.
Inside the B&B, Jenna placed Mia on a sofa in the cozy, dusty parlor. The kid slept on, breathing deeply and steadily.
“After I take care of Gabi, you should come to Florida with me.” Jenna had shown that she could quiet Mia down. She was a woman, so she’d know about diapers and feeding and that kind of thing. She was also a witch who could teach Mia everything she needed to know about who and what she was.
He didn’t expect the blonde to laugh at him. The laughter enraged him; his hands balled into fists that burned.
“I can’t leave,” she said. “That’s not the plan.”
“Plans change. Who will teach Mia about magic? Who will show her what she can do?” He attempted to sound reasonable.
Jenna took a few steps toward him; her smile was wicked and self-satisfied. “You know damn well what I plan to do. Why would you be so foolish as to think…”
He moved quickly, and soon had her throat in one hand. He held her in place, but did not squeeze.
“Change your plans. Stop trying to shut this town down and find a spell that will allow us to take our magic beyond the town limits,” he insisted.
“Impossible.”
“Sounds to me as if what you plan to do on the equinox was once thought impossible.”
“If I open the town instead of closing it down, people will leave. There will be nothing left of Mystic Springs, and eventually that will mean the end of all magic that was born here.”
“You can’t know that.” He squeezed. Jenna lifted her eyebrows in censure and he relaxed his grip.
“On Thursday evening, at the precise moment of the Vernal Equinox, I’m going to cast a spell that will trap us all here. If you want to keep this power you’ve found, you’ll stay. Or you can leave before then and revert back to the little man you’ve always been. There is no other option.”
She was foolish to insult him while he had her life in his hands. Did she think her own magic would save her?
“If you can close the town off from the rest of the world, you can do the opposite. You can open the town up, you can fix it so I can be myself anywhere. Everywhere.”
“That would cause chaos.”
“I like chaos.”
“I’m sure you do.”
Her smile faded. “To be honest, I don’t have the power required to remove the protections that keep the magic of Mystic Springs contained. All I can do is strengthen the shield, take it a step further. Maybe after we’ve had time to heal I can do as you ask.”
“Why wait? You just need a little help.” He stroked one side of her throat with a once-threatening thumb.
“No one can or will help me,” she said, pouting. “Well, no one powerful enough to be of any real help. I’ve been hiding, planning, working on the sly and getting those with lesser magic to play a small role. Non-Springers like your ex-wife make the job infinitely more difficult. That’s why I wanted her out of town.”
He was powerful enough, he knew it, felt it. “If I kill her…”
“No,” she interrupted. “Violence this close to the spell will taint it. It’s not a spell that calls for blood.”
“There must be another way. Surely it would be better to open Mystic Springs than to close it down.” He didn’t want to stay in this little town, and he didn’t want to give up what he’d found. One way or another, he always got what he wanted.
Jenna hesitated. “Some might think so. The results could be devastating, if the spell doesn’t go well.”
He smiled, stroked that thumb again. “Teach me what I need to know.”
Judge led the search party of six down sidewalks, across yards, through hedges and across residential streets. Too often the bloodhound was confused, got turned around, lost the scent. Since Judge never lost the scent he was focused on, he was soon frustrated.
So was Silas.
The obstacle was magical, he was sure of it. Some sort of ongoing interference was the reason no one in town had latched onto Jenna’s spell before now. That was why she’d been able to put her plan into motion with little opposition.
He knew, had known all along. He should’ve told.
After going around in circles for several minutes, Judge led the search party across Main Street, toward The Egg a ways, and then into a quiet neighborhood. They were moving toward the river, and everyone present was well aware of that fact. Gabi started to walk faster, to urge Judge on with encouraging words.
When the dog took a turn that led them all at an angle, Gabi breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn’t the only one.
Judge stopped in the front yard of the Bed and Breakfast Elaine Forrester had once owned. The old woman had been run out of town after her attempt on Marnie’s life last year. No one had cared to take the place over, not with tourism at an all-time low in Mystic Springs.
How many tragedies had been connected to that damn spell? It had started with the old librarian’s murder, last year. Then the excitement with Marnie as others tried to find the spell Alice had discovered. Now this.
Who knew how long it had been going on? Before his time, before his father’s time, how often had Springers made an attempt to change their situation?
Apparently leave well enough alone was not the town motto.
Judge ran toward the front door of the deceptively charming white house. He barked, not once or twice but frantically. Silas tried to call the dog back to his side, but for the first time Judge did not obey. The bloodhound actively fought and defied the order.
The front door opened, and a man stepped onto the porch. Jenna was beside him, Mia in her arms. The child appeared to be half asleep, but she was stirring.
A charging Judge was a fearsome sight, but Blake Pierce just smiled as he lifted one hand in the dog’s direction.
Chapter 18
The world spun beneath Gabi’s feet; t
he weight of the air around her changed, charged, grew heavier.
Mia was alive and seemed to be unhurt. She squirmed in the woman’s arms, turned her head and looked at the crowd gathered before her. She smiled and reached out with chubby baby hands. Her smile faded as she called out a sad and very loud, “Mama.” Gabi ran, even as others tried to call her back. The voices mingled together, some soft, others frantic. She didn’t listen to any of them; she looked her daughter in the eye and ran.
Blake winked at her. He winked, as he pointed at Judge.
Everything Silas had told her about this town and the people in it, about Mia being a Springer, suddenly clicked into place. She couldn’t quite make sense of it all, but somehow she knew that Blake was going to hurt Judge.
The bastard had taken enough from her; he wasn’t going to hurt her child or her dog. “I’m the one you want!” she screamed, doing her best to draw Blake’s attention. “Leave Mia and our dog alone!”
Blake hesitated, looked at her quizzically. Of course he didn’t understand. He didn’t love anyone or anything, and he never had. He would never sacrifice for someone else, not even in the smallest way.
He waved his hand in an almost mindless manner and Judge went down, rolling to the side and across the grass, whimpering but appearing to be unhurt. The focus of Blake’s anger had turned to Gabi, otherwise it might’ve been worse for Judge.
Her ex-husband was like them, he was one of them. Everyone was different in Mystic Springs. What could he do?
She was about to find out. He held out one hand and made a fist. She felt it, as if he’d reached inside her chest, as if he was strangling her from the inside. Gabi held her breath and kept running, but it became more difficult as the seconds ticked past. She stumbled. The world started to go gray at the edges. She was almost there. Mia reached for her mother. Gabi reached out for her daughter with one hand. The world was almost entirely gray.
She’d lost. Her worst fears were coming true.
The birds came out of nowhere, or so it seemed. Blake hadn’t been expecting the attack, so the beak that caught his cheek and drew blood took him by surprise. The hand he’d been threatening Gabi with came up to his damaged cheek, and suddenly she could breathe again. Color returned to the world.
Beauty and the Beastmaster (Mystic Springs Book 3) Page 16
