“Getting in kind of late. Did you go out with Cassie after work?”
“No.” I twisted the end of my ponytail. “Listen, I already know that you’re not going to like what comes next.”
Adam groaned. “You’re killing me, gorgeous.”
“Just come downstairs. Lacey and Evangeline are already waiting with Nick. He’s going to stay with us for a few days. Until we can get this sorted out.”
“Again?”
He stood from his desk chair and followed me down to the kitchen, where he glanced at Nick from the corner of his eye and took a seat at the opposite end of the table.
My head ping-ponged between the two of them and I eventually decided to remain standing as I quickly recapped the conversation with Marco.
“I think that whoever Sasha was working with is out there. He shot Grady, the werewolf who was trying to look out for Nick.”
“Because he thought it was me,” Nick added, his eyes fixed on the grains in the table.
I stepped closer and placed a hand on his shoulder. As my fingers rested on his broad shoulder, Adam’s eyes whipped to my hand and then just as quickly, across the room. It was a flicker so fast I nearly missed it, but the hint of jealousy unleashed a ripped of heat through my veins. Stubbornly, I stayed glued in place, my hand still on Nick’s shoulder, daring Adam to meet my eyes.
“It’s not your fault, Nick,” Evangeline said, her softness returning. I knew I could expect a lecture about my recklessness later. Sometimes, life at the manor was like having three overprotective mothers at all time. Between Posy, Adam, and Evangeline, I was swamped. Lacey was the only one who managed cool detachment, but that was kind of her claim to fame.
“Thanks, Evie,” Nick replied, still not looking up from the table. “It’s hard not to feel like it is, though.”
“There was nothing you could have done to prevent it,” I added.
“All right, all right,” Lacey interjected. “Enough. What’s been done is done. What’s our next move?”
Her usage of our surprised me, but then I remembered she was still angling to get a custom potion out of the deal. “We need to figure out who this mysterious partner is. Or was. Either way, Sasha is in prison, they’re not. At least, as far as we know.”
“What about your SPA agent?” Evangeline asked. “Can’t she help? Maybe put us in touch with some resources?”
I shook my head. “I doubt it. Agent Bramble will want some kind of proof. As of right now, we have nothing but theories. Even the police are grasping at straws. They don’t know the victim’s name. I told Marco he should go ID the body. Or at least call in an anonymous tip so that it can be released to the family for burial.”
“What do they have?”
I shrugged. “Not much, from what I saw. The pictures of the scene, of course. And then, the bullets—” I stopped.
“What?” Lacey asked.
“They were silver!”
She frowned. “Real silver?”
I nodded. “They looked it, anyway, and Marco referred to it as one. They were in a bag, so it’s not like I could pick them up to check, you know.”
“All right,” she growled.
“Silver bullets would explain why he changed back before he died,” Adam said, his tone even and cool.
He didn’t look at me.
Lacey nodded. “He’s right. If he was post-change and shot or killed in some other way, he would have remained a wolf and we probably wouldn’t be having this conversation. The police would have chalked it up to someone protecting their land from a rogue wolf and been done with it.” She tapped a finger against her ruby red lips. “The silver would have forced him back to his human form. Was that intentional? Or just old-school vampire?”
“Intentional? Meaning the shooter wanted him to be found as a human?”
She shrugged. “Maybe. Though, I don’t know why. It is interesting though.”
We all ruminated for a moment.
“How do the scavenger hunt clues factor into this?” Evangeline asked, breaking the silence. “If it’s the wolves this vamp is after, why would they bother leaving clues around town that lead some random person into the woods?”
I nodded. “Good question.”
Lacey scoffed. “Isn’t it obvious? They’ve gotta eat something while they’re out there.”
Evangeline gasped.
My stomach did another nauseating flip when I realized she was right. “If this vamp’s been hanging around town, they’ve no doubt seen the clues. Maybe they decided it would be an easy way to get someone alone.”
“Self-delivering blood bag,” Lacey said.
Nick looked green as he scooted his chair a few inches farther away from her.
She sighed. “I didn’t say I condoned it.”
A chill crept up my spine, slow motion seizing every muscle. “If there’s a vamp behind this, we can’t have Chief Lincoln and his team combing the woods. It’s not safe!”
Lacey inclined her head. “A vamp could plow through the entire BHPD faster than Adam goes through the popcorn during the opening credits of a movie.”
I gasped.
“It was a joke,” Lacey groaned.
“No, no. It’s not that. I just remembered something the chief told me.” All three faces swiveled toward me. “He’s having a deputy patrolling by the cabin at night.”
Adam swore.
“We’ve got to go into the woods.”
Nick paled. “Something tells me this is going to be nothing like the musical.”
“Good,” Adam quipped, jumping up from his seat. “Then I have a chance at staying awake through the whole thing.”
Chapter 16
“So far, nothing from Flurry,” Evangeline reported when we all met on the back porch a handful of minutes later. She’d sent him out ahead of us. If anything happened, he would have flown back to warn us.
She cast a glanced out over the backyard. The stars weren’t visible through the thick cloak of clouds hanging low over the forest. “He’s been circling the cabin but I haven’t felt anything from him.”
“I called Chief Lincoln,” Nick said. “I framed it like I was offering to help with the search and he told me he’s got it covered. He said there are two officers on patrol tonight. One at the beginning of the hiking path that leads to the cabin, the other outside the cabin itself. Other than that, he didn’t have much to add.”
Lacey was dressed in the same outfit she’d worn on our last excursion, though with less preening this time. “We need to break into pairs. It’s easier to hide and it’s a lot quieter too,” she added, giving me and Nick a sharp look. “We’re hunting a dangerous vamp. It’s not the time to give history lessons to baby wolves.”
My lips twisted to bottle up a nasty retort.
Adam took my hand. “Holly and I are a team.”
Evangeline nodded and smiled at Nick. “Guess that means you’re stuck with me.”
He nodded. “Hey, I’ve seen you in action. I trust you.”
Beaming, she looped her arm through his.
“I’ll go ahead,” Lacey replied with an approving nod. “I’m faster, quieter, and can circle back to warn you if there’s danger.”
No one argued with her.
“Adam and I will circle up and around, we’ll approach from the north. You two, take the south. Lacey, you do … well, whatever.”
As if she needed permission.
“And of course, if Flurry finds anything, send up sparks or something.”
Evangeline held up a finger. “I’ll do you one better!” She slipped a bangle from the stack on her slim wrist and handed it to me. “I charmed it this afternoon. It will glow if there’s danger. I’m wearing a matching one.” She shook her wrist and quirked her lips. “Although, now I can’t remember which one it is. It’s one of these silver ones. Yours was the rose gold.”
“I was wondering why you were wearing bangles over your falconry gloves,” I replied, my lips twitching. Evangeline wa
s always accessorized, but that was overkill even for her.
She murmured a spell. Nothing happened. She tried the next bangle. “Stars!” she hissed. “Which one is it?”
I bit back an offer to help, even as my patience wore thinner. Eventually, one lit up with a pulsing emerald green light. “Aha. There we go. Okay, so that’s the spell!”
Holding the bangle she’d given me, I fed it magic and repeated the spell. The bangle glowed on her wrist, this time a pale pink.
“I guess I should have just had you do that in the first place,” she said with a sheepish smile.
“It’s like finding a lost cell phone,” Nick added.
“You’re right! I’ll remember that for next time.” Evangeline nodded. “Okay, so we can use these to communicate.”
“Only use it if there’s danger,” Adam instructed, considering the bangles. “If one of us sees the signal, we retreat and meet here.”
Evangeline and Nick nodded in unison.
“We all set?” I asked, glancing around the circle. The four of us were sadly lacking the kick-butt spy getup that Lacey had on, but had all cobbled together our black clothing to pair with hiking boots or, in Nick’s case, a pair of sneakers. Evangeline looked slightly more intimidating with her elbow-length leather gloves. But the superfluous bangles over the tanned leather killed some of the effect.
“One more question,” Evangeline said, her voice a notch lower. “What do we do if we find this vampire?”
It was a question we’d all conveniently ignored and once it was voiced, we all shifted around, looking uncomfortable. Lacey was the only one ready with an answer. “We’ll have to end them.”
We all rounded on her. “What?” I barked, hoping I’d heard her wrong.
“The SPA isn’t going to be able to do much good. Besides that, if you tell them what happened, you’ll be risking Nick’s life. If they find out he’s a … well, whatever he is, they’ll keep him locked up somewhere until they can figure out what to do with him.”
I blinked. It was exactly what I’d said to Adam the night of the full moon.
“The Vampire Council probably wouldn’t do much more than give them a slap on the wrist. Hunting wolves isn’t their concern.”
Nick shuffled his feet.
“It’s not pretty,” Lacey snapped, looking at him. “But you need to know what you’re up against. As much as the haven wants to paint things with rainbows and sunshine, it’s not. We’re supernatural beings. Our kinds have always been at war. Just because we now have a space to live and work together doesn’t mean everyone wants to join in. There are pockets of vamps—and wolves—who want nothing more than to go back to the old ways. That’s the entire reason the Vampire Council even continues to exist.”
“And what am I supposed to do?” Nick exploded, rising up to the balls of his feet with the exertion.
Lacey coolly blinked. “Exactly what I said. Find this vampire and end them. It’s the only way.”
“All right, Lacey, we get it,” Adam said with a dramatic sigh. “You put on the leather and you’re some kind of vampy Laura Croft, ready to kick some butt. That’s all fine and good, but we can’t go out killing vamps.”
She tossed her platinum hair. “Fine. Do it your way. Turn them over to the SPA, but don’t come crying to me when they break out of their holding cell and come looking for you and all you can do is lie awake at night and hope that Holly’s magic is strong enough to keep you safe.”
Without waiting, she strode off for the trees.
“Her funeral,” Adam growled.
I frowned at him. “Adam.”
“What? You expect me to chase after her?”
“No. Well, maybe. I don’t know.” I raked my fingers through my ponytail.
“If you won’t, I will,” Nick said, jogging down the porch. “I’m not letting one more innocent person get hurt on my account.”
Adam rolled his eyes and a flash of anger surged through me. I glared at him and then started off after Nick.
“Nick!” I hissed. “Going off alone and getting yourself killed isn’t going to help anything. All right?”
He stopped walking but didn’t look at me. “Then what am I supposed to do? Tell me, Holls, cause I’m lost here.”
“We have to go,” I said, calling over my shoulder to Evangeline and Adam. “Let’s stick to the original plan. Lacey and Flurry are already out there.”
Adam muttered something to Evangeline, but it didn’t carry. She frowned and started forward, fidgeting with her long gloves as she took the stairs, one step behind Adam.
We entered the forest in a group, planning to split off when we got closer to the cabin. No one spoke as we walked, the only sound the crunching of sticks and occasional stumbling feet. I kept an orb of light between me and Adam. Evangeline guided Nick with a stream of light from the tip of her wand. Both would be snuffed when we got closer.
A pit formed in the bottom of my stomach, growing larger with every passing minute. I couldn’t imagine that there would still be someone at the cabin. Surely, whoever had wielded that shotgun would have cleared out of town. It was what I wanted to believe. But something else nagged even deeper. The theory that Sasha had some unnamed partner lurking through the woods was both far-fetched and incredibly convincing all at the same time.
If some local had been the one out shooting, the gossip mill would have already found them out. As it was, everyone in town seemed to have an alibi, at least according to Chief Lincoln and the Lucky Ladies brigade. The only thing that made sense was that the shooter had rented out the cabin. The only thing left to determine was whether the shooting had been a mistake or a homicide. I replayed the events of that night over and over and couldn’t come to terms with the idea that it had been someone trying to scare away a coyote or wolf. One shot, maybe two, would have been all that was needed. Why would they have kept shooting, especially after hitting their target?
Tangled in my worrisome thoughts, I missed a step and tripped over a section of unearthed tree roots. With a sharp exhale, I pitched forward. My arms flailed, bracing for the fall, only to be caught by Adam at the last second. He held my waist as I found new purchase. “You okay?”
I nodded. “Thanks.”
I caught him wince as he released me. He reached up and touched the place on his chest where the bullet grazed him. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. It’s healing, but still a little sore sometimes.”
A shudder rippled through me, the waves of terror clinging to me after it faded.
He glanced at me and flashed a half-cocked grin. “I’m fine, gorgeous. I promise. With all that potion you’ve had me smearing on it, I probably won’t even get a scar out of the whole thing.”
“I just realized something,” I told him. “Whoever was shooting that night knew they hit you. I heard you get hit and I was even farther away.”
The sound haunted me every time I closed my eyes.
“Okay?” He tilted his head as we continued walking.
“Well, it blows up the theory that this was someone who got spooked by some noises in the woods at night. If a wild animal shows up on someone’s property, they could shoot a gun like that to scare it off, right? Maybe they would even try to hit it, if they thought it was a threat.”
“Sure.”
“But that’s the thing.” I shook my head. “They did hit you. Then I counted two more shots!”
“That’s because they weren’t aiming for me, Holly. They wanted that wolf.”
“Marco was right,” I whispered.
Adam sighed. “It would seem that way. The wolf I saw must have been this Grady fellow.”
“But the killer thought it was Nick. They weren’t expecting any other wolves.”
He didn’t reply, but the air felt thicker, heavier as we walked on.
We had our answer. The killer was indeed after Nick. By now, they would know they had gotten the wrong wolf. The only question remaining was whether or not the
y would bother waiting until the next full moon to find the right one.
Flurry’s piercing cry echoed through the thick night and my heart rocketed straight to my throat. We all froze in place for a moment, staring up at the sky. I whipped around to look at Evangeline. The light from her wand bounced off the angles of her face and reflected off the pair of gold earrings she wore, giving her the eerie look of a gaunt voodoo priestess. Her eyes slid closed and for a moment the woods went still. When they flew open again, Flurry screeched.
“This way!” Evangeline barked, breaking into a sprint.
We all chased after her and when we broke into a small clearing, Flurry swooped down and landed silently on Evangeline’s gloved arm. Just like Boots, he couldn’t speak to us, but Evangeline closed her eyes again, somehow understanding him all the same.
“Lacey,” she said, her eyes going wide again. “She was here. There was a fight.”
I swirled around, flashing the orb of light in a slow circle.
“Look!” I said, pointing at the ground. Trenches were carved out of the brush and debris that lined the forest floor. A chunk of bark was missing from a nearby tree. Then, my heart stopped for a full beat. A knife stuck out of the pine tree beside it.
Adam yanked the knife from the trunk and held it up. “It’s one of Lacey’s.”
My stomach rolled and twisted. I swallowed hard and glanced sideways at Nick. He looked as sick as I felt.
“We have to find her.”
Wordless, I nodded and we fanned out from the spot, keeping three feet apart as we all combed through for any evidence that would show us where she’d gone. As far as I could see, there wasn’t any blood. I took comfort in that, but the fact remained: Lacey was gone.
Chapter 17
Flurry was the first one to move. He launched off Evangeline’s arm and took to the sky again. For a moment, I lost sight of him before he dipped back beneath the treetops. “Follow him!” Evangeline said. “He knows where she is.”
We all hurried forward, following Evangeline more than Flurry, as she was locked in on his flight.
Lucky Witch: A Beechwood Harbor Magic Mystery (Beechwood Harbor Magic Mysteries Book 5) Page 13
