Deep Within The Shadows (The Superstition Series Book 1)

by Teresa Reasor

  Caleb’s throat moved as he swallowed. “It had something to do with your stepfather, didn’t it?”

  Oh, Goddess, he was going to guess what it was. How could he not, with her every emotion clamoring beneath the surface of her skin? She tried to swallow, but her heart had lodged in her throat, making it impossible.

  He urged her against him.

  She shivered as a numbing cold took hold of her, and she burrowed into him, seeking the closeness she had denied herself…and him.

  “I love you, Mandy. Nothing will ever change that.”

  It would. Whatever he thought had happened, nothing could compare with the reality of it. Now that he had connected her behavior to Clay Maddox, it would get stuck in the back of his mind until he began to ask questions. And the Gods help her, she’d answer them.

  His fingers found the back of her neck and he rubbed the taut muscles there until she began to calm. “There were things that happened in Afghanistan I will never be able to talk about to anyone. It’s fine if you can’t talk about things, either. I understand.”

  Tears burned her eyes as relief flooded her. For however long it lasted, she’d take it.

  * * *

  Chase braced a forearm against the window frame and studied the front yard. Scorch marks peppered the grass, reminders of the battle that had raged the night before.

  With the normalcy of drinking coffee and the murmur of quiet conversation coming from the kitchen, what had happened last night seemed distant and dreamlike.

  He took one more swallow of coffee. It was time to get back to the real world and catch who was responsible. There were three men dead, and it had to be connected to the attacks against Miranda and Juliet. He couldn’t use any of the things he’d seen last night as proof, however; he had to build a case using real world facts.

  First he needed to interview Samuel Newton. He’d called earlier and checked with the doctor to make sure Samuel was well enough to be questioned.

  “I’ve pressed your clothes, Chase,” Juliet said from behind him.

  Surprised, he turned to see her dressed in the clothes she’d worn the day before and holding hangers with his trousers and shirt neatly hung on them. His attention shifted to his underwear, T-shirt and socks in her other hand, and he was struck momentarily speechless. “Thanks.” Uncomfortable heat climbed into his face and he went closer to exchange his cup for his clothes. No one had washed his laundry since he left home for college. He always kept a change in the trunk, but battling the spiders to get them had been out of the question at the time.

  “I’d like to go with you to the hospital to visit Samuel.”

  He raised a brow. He should have known there’d be a hitch. “In order for this to remain within official guidelines, I can’t have you with me when I interview him, Juliet.”

  “I can go in and thank him for saving my life. If he hadn’t knocked me free… Maybe I can reassure him how open-minded you are, so he’ll tell you exactly what happened. Otherwise he might not be candid with you.”

  “If I allow you to talk to him, it contaminates his testimony. Any contact the two of you have, and the timing of it, will be the first thing a defense attorney will home in on.”

  “I understand, but he may not be completely truthful if he doesn’t feel you’re open to—the unusual.”

  “After last night, I believe I’ll be open enough.” He offered her a wry half smile.

  “He may have convinced himself he was hallucinating by now.” She shrugged. “Isn’t that what most people do when they can’t explain something away rationally?”

  “Yeah, sometimes.”

  “I’ll go in and see him later to thank him.” She cupped his mug in her hands.

  Could he trust her on her own? When she started to turn back to the kitchen he said, “What plans do you have for today?”

  “I’m going to make the phone calls we talked about and hang with Miranda at the library.”

  “You’re not going to work tonight, are you?”

  Though her voice had improved, it still had a bit of a rasp. Just enough to be sexy as hell. Dammit. The handprint on her was less fiery, and was moving on to purple, green and blue, making more of a statement. “No. I’d like to have this situation resolved before I’m trapped behind the bar surrounded by customers. It would probably be wise to limit public participation if this psycho-bitch attacks again.”

  “You’re very certain it’s a woman.”

  “I don’t usually anger men enough to want to kill me, and Miranda never makes anybody mad. Well she did once, but that was years ago.”

  “Who was it she ticked off?”

  “Your buddy, Brian Underwood.”

  Whoa. He’d suspected something because of Underwood’s behavior at the hospital and the precinct. “He isn’t my buddy. He just happens to work in my department. What did he do?”

  “My mom and stepfather forced us to sign non-disclosure agreements when his father laid a big check on them. We’re not allowed to talk about it.”

  Fuck. A wave of heat hit his face as his anger spiked. “He hurt her?”

  “No.” She remained silent for a beat. “He couldn’t tell us apart back then. He probably still can’t.”

  Double fuck. He’d hurt Juliet instead. Jesus.

  “He hasn’t changed. So watch your back.”

  That was the second time she’d warned him. Underwood had already pulled the bully routine on him to see how far he could push. But he wouldn’t again. He’d trip the lazy son of a bitch up at the first opportunity. He had to take several slow, deep breaths to cool his temper. “Any old boyfriends who might hold a grudge?”

  “No, and certainly none who practiced the Craft. I don’t think Miranda has dated enough to stir up any trouble. You can ask her, though.”

  “Why do you think it’s a woman?”

  “It has to be someone tied to either the library, or the Newtons, or both. About ninety percent of the employees at the library are female. Then there’s the tampon thing. Men seem to have a big ick factor associated with feminine hygiene products.” A brief smile quivered across her mouth and was gone. “I agree with Caleb, a man wouldn’t have thought of hiding anything in one. If she sent Porter and Abbott after me, but Tanner was killed instead, she’d go after Miranda just to hurt me as payback. My sister’s the most important person in my life.”

  It all made sense, but who the hell was it?

  A frown flickered across her features. “But I could be wrong. I saw someone outside the police station yesterday I recognized just before the spider ran past in front of us. It was more from the way he moved than anything. It’s taken me a while to figure out who it was, because he usually wears Goth makeup at work and darkens his hair with gel. It was Justin Chalmers, the bartender who works with me.”

  “So you think he might be involved?”

  “I don’t know. I wouldn’t have thought so. But he’s been pushing pretty hard for a date.”

  “Why didn’t you go out with him?”

  She stared down into the empty mug she held. “He’s not really my type. Pretty boy and used to getting what he wants.” She looked away. “I decided after Tanner’s death that there were some personal things I needed to work on before I would be ready to date anyone else.” She swallowed and glanced up. “I’ve been seeing a psychologist at the college.”

  “Good for you,” he said, and meant it. He’d seen how wounded Juliet was the first time he met her, but she was strong as well. “I’ve had a round or two with one myself.”

  “Was it one of those department required things after something on the job?”

  “Yeah. And at the time I didn’t want to admit I needed it. But I did.”

  “Did it help?”

  There was such hope on her face, he had to swallow before he answered. “Yeah, it did.”

  She shifted from one foot to the other. “Good.” She turned away.

  “I’ll be ready to go to the hospital in ten minutes. Yo
u can ride over with me, and I’ll drop you at the library afterwards.”

  She half raised a hand to her throat when she turned her head, surprise suffusing her lovely face. She studied him for a moment. “Thank you. I’ll be ready.”

  While he stood in the shower, Chase mentally listed all the reasons he needed to keep the hell away from Juliet Templeton. He was just going through a wounded bird phase with her. She was emotionally scarred. But with her strange natural abilities, she was a warrior. He admired the one and wanted to protect the other. He was still heaping on self-recrimination when he came out of the bathroom dressed and ready to go.

  She rose from the couch. The house was silent. “Is everyone already gone?”

  “Yes. Aubrey had to get to work at the Social Security office. And Miranda and Caleb went to the mall to get some things. Neither of us feels comfortable going home just yet, and one outfit apiece isn’t very practical.”

  He swore silently. “I forgot about my car being out of commission.”

  “It’s okay. Caleb called us a cab. The driver can take us to the garage, and we’ll pick up my new ride.”

  “New ride?”

  “I sold my old car and bought a new one. Well, it isn’t new, but it’s new to me.”

  “Are we meeting again tonight, or are we splitting up?”

  “We’re meeting at Caleb’s. If we move around, they might not be able to track us.”

  He was beginning to realize what Abbott and Porter had gone through. No wonder they had looked and acted psychotic. “It might be better if we split up.”

  Juliet bit her lip, her regret palpable. “I wish we’d never involved Aubrey. She wasn’t even on their radar until we led them here.”

  “We’re going to figure out who’s doing this today, and I’m going to bring them in.”

  “There’s nothing to tie them to Tanner’s death or the others. Nothing concrete.”

  She was right. He had to keep moving forward with the cases, and maybe something would slide into place. “We’ll find something. There’s always something to find.” He hoped he was right.

  Chapter 23

  By ten am heat radiated off the parking lot and the air was saturated with an oily scent. The unusual mid-July heat had stirred up the humidity and threatened to parboil them all. Caleb leaned into the trunk to search for scrolled notes or spiders.

  “It’s clear. I put wards on the car before we went into the mall,” Miranda said over his shoulder.

  “I’ll feel better knowing for sure.” He unscrewed the wheel well where the spare was kept, took the hatch off and looked inside. Everything appeared okay. He fastened everything down again and reached for her packages. He had the trunk loaded and looked over his shoulder to see if there was anything else. He caught Miranda eyeing his pants. “What is it?”

  Her smile was slow, and her amber gaze sparkled with amusement. “I’m just checking out your behind.”

  Caleb grinned, then laughed. “How is it?”

  “I like it fine, but I have a preference for your forearms and thighs.”

  Mandy Templeton was checking out his butt. No, she was checking out more than his butt. Wow. It was corny as hell, but that was the only word his brain could come up with at the moment, because all the blood had drained from his head and was heading south.

  Before she could back off again, he slid a hand beneath her hair to cup the back of her head and angled his mouth over hers. He had waited for six months for her. Agonized over why she wouldn’t let him in. Ached to hold her, kiss her, and more, every single day of those six months. When her arms went around him and she nestled in tight, he groaned in pleasure. Her lips parted and his tongue found hers. He lost himself in the eager tangle of their lips and tongues.

  A horn blared close by, startling them both. Caleb reluctantly raised his head but kept an arm around her, pressing her close. The guy responsible was two rows over and had nearly hit a car pulling out.

  Miranda’s smiling, flushed face tilted up at him. “We may have been a distraction.”

  He planted a brief, intense kiss on her lips. “I was a tad distracted myself.” Which had been great, but dangerous. If the bad guys had chosen that moment to unleash the spiders on them, they wouldn’t have reacted in time. He slammed the trunk shut in frustration, guided her toward the passenger side of the car, and opened the door for her.

  After he settled behind the wheel, Miranda touched his arm. “Can we go by your house? I’d like to change before going to work.”

  “Are you sure work is a good idea?” He started the car and backed out of the parking space.

  “I’ll be surrounded by people. I don’t think she wants an audience for these attacks. They’ve only happen when we’re with only one person. Well, until last night.”

  “It was dark, the middle of the night, and the street was empty.” He pulled to a stop at the main entrance of the mall, and waited for the light to change.

  “Maybe after she made the mistake of getting Tanner killed, she’s being cautious, making the spell as person-specific as possible.”

  He turned left onto Cayce Drive. “Wonder why I’m not on her hit list?”

  “We don’t know that you aren’t at this point.”

  As soon as he noticed her distress, Caleb reached for her hand. “There isn’t a force on earth that can make me leave you, Mandy.” He loved her, witchy stuff and all.

  “If something ever happened…”

  “We’ll get through this and move on to better things. You have my six and I have yours.”

  Anxiety edged her smile.

  “Last night, while we were in the circle…when I said my part, I felt this stream of energy pour through me from the three of you. It was the same when we were out in the yard and you were doing your mop-up operation. Did Aubrey do something to make that happen?”

  Miranda gripped his hand tighter. “No. She wouldn’t use you as a conduit without asking your permission.”

  “So, it’s possible to do that?”

  “We focus power through objects when we cleanse the circle and bless the materials we use before a ceremony. And I’ve heard of some witches being able to pull power through animals. But to use a human would be—unthinkable.”

  The idea of them siphoning power through him didn’t sound too bad, as long as it was just them and no one else. It hadn’t hurt. “Then what was happening?”

  She shook her head. “When we get to the house, I’d like to try something with you.”

  He bit his lip to keep from smiling. “Anything you want, darlin’.”

  Miranda’s lips parted, and then she smiled. “I didn’t mean that. But…” Her voice softened, “We can talk about it.”

  Caleb grinned. “Talk about it?”

  “Well, yes. You have to be certain.”

  Another Wow overtook him, and it was damn hard to catch his breath. His cock pressed hard against the unyielding metal zipper of his jeans. “Not a problem.”

  “Even after the witch thing?”

  He grew serious for a moment. “I’m okay with the witch thing. And your reasons for keeping it from me.”

  “I thought I’d left it all behind. I was trying to just be…like everyone else.”

  “Not possible. You’ll never be like anyone else.” He pulled to a stop at a red light and turned to look directly at her, so she’d know he meant what he said. “I love you, Mandy.”

  Her eyes went glassy with tears for a moment before she smiled. “I think you’re just saying that so you can get into my panties.”

  Caleb grinned. “Not just.”

  She laughed.

  He raised their laced hands and rubbed his cheek against the back of her hand.

  Having her so relaxed with him was a powerful turn-on. He’d begun to think it wasn’t going to happen. He released the tight rein he’d held on his feelings for so long. Things were going to be great between them.

  * * *

  Miranda lifted two of the bags fro
m the trunk and preceded Caleb around the back of the house to the back door. He juggled several bags in one hand and tugged his keys free of his front jeans pocket. Unlocking the door, he shoved it open and stood back for her to enter. He laid the bags on the huge island between the kitchen and dining room.

  She looked around the room, obviously surprised by the modern layout. “This is really lovely, Caleb.”

  “I had it remodeled for my grandmother. She’s the one who fed and took care of me most of the time, and she loved to cook. I also promised her I’d modernize the upstairs bathroom as soon as I got home.”

  Miranda remembered she had passed away before he had the chance. Miranda rubbed a hand up and down his back in sympathy.

  His blue eyes looked intense as he turned. “Wait here. I want to check the house out before we get too far inside.”

  She propped the two bags against the others. “I don’t feel any lingering energy signature.”

  “You can do that?”

  “Yes, if anyone has used magic in the house. I don’t feel any.”

  “Good.” His shoulders relaxed. “Would you like to check it out anyway?”

  “Yes.” She held out her hand and Caleb’s enfolded it.

  There were gleaming hardwood floors throughout. They wandered through the dining room and turned left into a spacious living room. The walls were painted a light green, and crown molding graced the length and breadth of both rooms. A wide fireplace covered in travertine tile rose from hearth to ceiling and took up the center of the east wall. A flat-screened television was mounted above the mantle. On either side were built-in bookcases rising even with the mantle. Large windows along the east wall allowed light to stream into the room. A bulky couch, love seat, and a couple of chairs were arranged around a walnut coffee table.

  “I’ve been doing some updates at night.”

  Regret lanced through her. She could have been helping him instead of pushing him away. Offering him solace from his grief, instead of stalling.

  “It’s beautiful.”

  They walked down a hall to look inside the first room on the left, a bedroom. The next was a full bath. Everything was neat as a pin and freshly painted. The small office was the last room on the first floor. Paperwork stacked across the desk gave the impression he was doing some bookkeeping. She looked around with interest. Being with him in his home helped her visualize him as a family man. It gave her a tiny flutter of desire in her stomach to think of him in that way.