A high-pitched squeal of pain was followed by a curse. “Damn you.” Vivian rushed in front of him again and she swung her open palm like she was playing tennis and slapped him across the face, slamming his head sideways with the force of the blow. His cheek and jaw were lit by a different fire, then became numb. She grabbed his hair, and stuck her face close to his, her features twisted with rage, her skin red with it. Or was it the power she’d been frying him with? “How did you do that?”
“Go to hell.” His words were less slurred this time, his vision clearer, although his cheek might be swelling already.
How long would it be before Edgar noticed he had been gone too long and started calling around? Would he know enough to call the library and ask Miranda where he was?
Damn, why did he always hold things so close to the vest? He was in love with Miranda Templeton, and the only people who knew were her sister and one friend. Why hadn’t he crowed about it, so when he went missing they’d be out hunting for him?
Vivian picked up the Beretta she’d used to get him here and shoved it under his jaw. The sight at the end of the barrel dug into his skin. “You can’t redirect a bullet, can you?”
He met the woman’s gaze and tried not to think about what it would be like for the piece of metal to travel through his skull and take the top of his head off. “I love them both, and I’m not going to give you anything that will hurt them.”
For the first time, Caleb was able to open his eyes wide enough to notice movement to the right when a man jumped down from his seat on the countertop next to the sink. “Leave him alone, Suz. You know enough to torment them both without having him say the words. You’ve dug up enough dirt to scorch them out of existence. Go ahead and kill him and be done with it?”
“No, not yet. I want to wait until they’re both here, so Juliet can see what it’s like to be responsible for her sister’s pain.”
Both the twins knew what it was to face pain and guilt. Everyone who lived knew something about it. Would these two have any concept of it, though? They were like simple children playing a vicious game.
“When the time is right, I’ll send the shadows to harvest their emotions.” Vivian said.
“Why? Because you can’t feel anything yourself?” Caleb asked.
“Bastard. I feel plenty. I loved, Tanner. We were supposed to be together forever. I knew it the moment I met him. He looked at me and I just knew. But everyone got in the way. That bitch he was dating, his brother. Then Juliet Templeton got in the way. He was just too attractive to women. They all wanted him.”
“And then you killed him.”
“I didn’t kill him. Juliet Templeton did.”
He knew better than to antagonize her, but if he could plant a seed of doubt in her mind… “No, the men you hired to kill Juliet killed him. Accept it. His death is on you.”
Vivian suddenly grew completely calm and her eyes went flat, predatory. “And so will yours be.”
Chapter 27
Miranda pushed the button on her cell phone one more time. She’d called Caleb three times. He hadn’t picked up. Oh, he was probably just busy. He had his hands in an engine and couldn’t reach his phone. The reassurances didn’t calm her.
Something was wrong. She felt it. She dragged out the phone book from beneath a metal file holder and looked up the garage number. On the sixth ring a male voice answered, “Faulkner’s Garage, Edgar speaking.”
Anxiety sent a shiver of nervous tension through her, leaving her hands and feet cold. Juliet stood tense at her side. “Hello Edgar, this is Miranda Templeton, I’ve been calling Mr. Faulkner for the last twenty minutes, and I know he must be busy, but I really need to speak to him.”
“He isn’t here, Ms. Templeton. He left an hour ago to drop a customer off at work and hasn’t come back.”
Miranda’s heart drummed against her throat and she began to shake. “What did this customer look like, Edgar?”
“I don’t know. I had my head buried in an engine, but her car is still here.”
Her. It was a woman. The realization offered her no comfort. “I know you’re probably not supposed to give out information, and I understand that, but it’s very important… What kind of car is it?”
“A blue Chevy Malibu.”
Miranda pressed her fingertips to her lips even as she murmured, “Please no, please no.” She forced air into her lungs. “Is the name on the work ticket Vivian Ward?”
“I’ll have to check.” The sound of plastic rattling was followed by, “Yes, that’s the name.”
Fear swamped her and she couldn’t breathe.
“Is something wrong, Ms. Templeton?”
“There may be. I’ll send someone down there to talk to you.”
The receiver clattered against the base as she hung up, her legs weak she lowered herself into the desk chair. “Please call Chase, Juls. Vivian has Caleb.” Though her voice remained calm, it shook. She swallowed back a scream of denial. Was he already dead?
Please. Vivian couldn’t take him from her. He was everything. Love, trust, everything, and she wouldn’t survive losing him. She wouldn’t want to.
Juliet rested a hand on her shoulder as she dialed the number. “You need to send someone down to Caleb’s garage. Vivian’s car is there. We believe she’s taken Caleb.”
Tears streamed down Miranda’s face. An hour. Why hadn’t Chase worked faster? If they’d known who Suzette Chalmers was earlier, Caleb would have been prepared.
What was that woman doing to him? Was she hurting him? Miranda couldn’t bear even to think it.
The sound of hurried footsteps out in the commons area preceded Chase and the older detective they’d met after their attack. When they walked in, Chase’s grim expression scared her even more. Garr closed the door and stood in front of it on guard.
“I’ve sent a unit to the garage with Underwood. They’ll conduct a thorough search of the car and interview the men working there before taking it in. In the meantime, is there any way you can track Caleb’s whereabouts? To get the phone company to access the GPS on his phone will take hours.”
Juliet shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“Miranda, is there anything you can think of?”
She had to pull herself together. Caleb needed her. She dried her face with her hands and dried them on her slacks. “Edgar said he was giving her a ride to work. Caleb only has two vehicles, his motorcycle and his truck. It’s a Ford. You can put that out so officers can be out looking.”
Hollis Garr nodded. “I’m on it.”
“Anything else you can do?”
“I don’t know.” She fought back a fresh wave of tears. “We need to call Aubrey and ask her. She may have some ideas.” She reached for her cell phone, then hesitated. If they dragged Aubrey back into this situation, it might put her in danger. But she didn’t know what else to do. She moved to hit Aubrey’s number on the screen and the phone rang. It was Caleb’s number.
Relief nearly crushed her. “Caleb?”
“No, but I’m certain you know my voice,” Vivian said from the other end of the line.
“Don’t hurt him, Vivian. He has nothing to do with what you feel is between us.”
Chase and Garr froze.
“Too late. You weren’t here for me to take my frustration out on. Do you know how irritating your perfect princess routine is, Miranda?”
A fuzzy, disconnected feeling swept over her, and she fought it off. If she’d hurt Caleb… “Do you know how irritating your pushy broad routine is, Vivian? Let me speak to Caleb.”
“In good time. Is your sister around? I’d like to speak to her.”
Miranda motioned to Juliet. “I’m putting you on speaker phone.”
“Go ahead. I’m sure Juliet’s pet police officer is there listening.” Her voice filled the room. “You know it isn’t to our advantage to conduct business in front of the general public. It only gets the regular humans stirred up. In fact, the two of you broke the rules when you brought i
n Detective Robinson. I’m not interested in confusing the situation any more than it already is. So we’ll play it straight.”
“After last night’s little Mexican standoff, I thought a duel might work out better for all of us. You and Miranda against me and my brother. Winner gets to claim Caleb Faulkner and do with him as they see fit. I already have something in mind I’m sure he’ll enjoy much more than he did being with you, Miranda.”
Miranda slumped against the desk as some of her anxiety eased. Caleb was still alive. Thank you, Goddess.
Juliet’s eyes already burning with rage, and power settled on her face, Miranda nodded. “You’re on, Vivian. Where do we meet, and when?”
“Where everybody meets in this two-bit Podunk town. The library. After closing, of course. I’ll leave it up to you two to get rid of the security guards—unless you want them to get hurt. Be sure to leave Detective Robinson and his sidekick at home. I know all about Detective Garr’s extra activities. He doesn’t want to be a part of this unless he’s ready to die.”
“Put Caleb on, Vivian,” Miranda said when it seemed she might hang up.
“Mandy?” Her heart leapt in relief and joy at the sound his voice. He sounded tired.
“I love you, Caleb. We’ll be together soon.”
“First thing, we’ll go out for a burger and fries like yesterday.”
“Whatever you want. Are you okay?”
“See you tonight at the library,” Vivian’s voice came across the phone, then nothing.
“What did he mean about the burger and fries yesterday?” Chase asked.
“He brought burgers to the house yesterday for lunch.” Juliet answered.
Miranda gasped and glanced at her, a small ray of hope blooming. “They’re at my house. Caleb changed the locks, and he still has the keys.”
* * *
Juliet stared at the random destruction wreaked throughout her sister’s home. A deep, powerful rage built to add to the concern for Caleb clutching at her stomach.
Miranda was hanging on by her fingernails. She’d finally found a man she trusted and was building something special with him, and his kidnapping had devastated her. Her home being trashed added to her stress. She wandered around the kitchen like a lost soul, picking up broken dishes and placing them in a plastic bucket.
Chase looked like he could bite a bullet in two like a pistachio and spit the casing out for the shell. “We can write up a report, Miranda.”
“And what? Fine them for vandalism?” Her laugh held a bitter hardness. “Forget it. These are just things. If they hurt Caleb, though, they’d better find a center-of-the-earth-deep hole to hide in.” She threw the pieces of a small pottery bowl in the bucket.
“I’ll empty that in your trash out back, Miranda,” Hollis Garr said. “It’s all right if I call you Miranda, isn’t it?”
“Sure.”
“They didn’t find my gun, which is a good thing,” Juliet said.
“Gun?” Chase’s brows rose.
“It’s a Sig, and yes, I have a permit to carry.” She shot him as deep a frown as he was giving her, and grabbed Miranda’s arm before she bent to pick up another sliver of glass from the floor. “Come back into the bedroom with me for a minute.”
She pulled Miranda down the hall and into the bedroom. Vivian and Justine hadn’t had time to trash this room or the guest room, only the kitchen and the living room. The soft peach comforter still covered the bed, smooth and perfectly aligned. Everything seemed in place.
The best way to distract her sister was to jump into planning how they meant to break Vivian and Justin. And they would have to be broken, their magic destroyed, in order for justice to be done. “You can’t allow your anger to rule you when we go into the library tonight, Miranda.”
“I know.” The panic she’d suppressed bubbled up like lava. “He sounded okay didn’t he? A little worn but he sounded normal.”
To cover her own shaky composure, Juliet wrapped her arms around her sister and held on tight. “He sounded tough. And he knew what he was doing when he mentioned the burgers.”
“You don’t think they punished him for it, do you?”
Yeah, she did, but nothing on earth would get her to say so. “He’s going to get through this, and the two of you will be fine.”
When Miranda’s arms tightened and she buried her face against her shoulder she was reminded of how often she’d done the same years ago. Her sister felt guilty for not being able to protect her. But in truth, Juliet felt just as guilty for dumping that burden on her. “When I went with Chase to see Father Clarence, he said we would need to band together to face this. I didn’t think he knew what he was talking about, but I believe he was right.”
Miranda pulled back to reach for a tissue from a box on the nightstand.
Juliet looked around the room. “How do you sleep in here? I’d be afraid I’d wrinkle the sheets.”
Miranda laughed, though her eyes and nose were red. “And I’d be afraid I was sharing the bed with a litter of mice in yours. Do you ever make it?”
Juliet grinned. “Not if I can help it.” She sat down on the area rug next to the bed in a lotus position and Miranda joined her.
Then Juliet’s face turned serious. In order to survive, they had to set aside the sackfuls of negative emotions they’d both lugged around for so long. “No more guilt for anything that happened, Miranda. You read the same passages about the shadows as I did. They’ll be waiting to extract any negative emotion from us any way they can, and that’s what increases their power.”
“I know.”
She leaned forward and grasped Miranda’s hands. “No more. We’ve paid for everything, and then some. Justice has been served.”
“I agree.”
Juliet studied her. “You’re saying it, but do you really believe it?”
Miranda’s face was earnest. “Yes, I do. But you have to promise me something. Whatever happens tonight, you won’t feel guilty. Vivian and her brother won’t hold back, and they won’t have any compunction about harming or killing us. We may have to use lethal force. If it comes to that, we leave it behind after it’s over.”
An it harm none, do what ye will was more than a belief. It was etched into their souls. To go beyond it would be a terrible thing to live with. Miranda knew that better than she. “I agree.”
“I think a little meditation is exactly what I need. Then we’ll do the bonding spell and return to the library to prepare.”
Juliet nodded, then straightened into her lotus position and closed her eyes. They would do binding spells to limit the power of the creatures, but there was no guarantee they would work. Vivian would write more and renew their power. And then there were the spiders and several other nasty surprises mentioned in the book. But for now they would let it all go and prepare themselves for battle.
Chapter 28
Chase had never felt more useless. He was supposed to be the one to capture and put away the bad guys. The Chalmers had committed a crime and left behind proof guaranteed to put them in prison, and he couldn’t arrest them. They probably wouldn’t be around to serve a day in jail, and there wasn’t a prison built that could hold them. They were responsible for five deaths. They deserved life behind bars.
The alternative Juliet and Miranda had come up with was just and damn clever—if they could pull it off.
From his position on the second floor, he watched Miranda work behind the checkout desk as though it were any other night. He’d been amazed at her composure when she and Juliet had emerged from her bedroom. Even if she had glanced at the clock a hundred times in the last hour, she was still holding it together.
Juliet and Hollis Garr exited the second floor elevator and sauntered over to stand with him at the railing. “How did it go?”
“They’re taking a long, restful nap in the lounge downstairs,” Hollis said.
“How can you be sure they’ll stay asleep?”
Juliet glanced up from under her brows. �
��Even if they don’t, they’re locked in and won’t get out until Hollis releases them.” Her mouth tightened and a line appeared between her eyebrows as she eyed the clock.
Chase rested a hand against the small of her back to comfort her and felt the revolver tucked into the waistband of her jeans. Dammit, there was just something hot about a woman who could both shoot a gun and zap someone with magic. When this was over, he was going to find out what it was like to spend some time with her without having psychotic killers trying to take her out before he could.
He grimaced at his own cop humor. It didn’t keep the tightness of concern from cramping his stomach. This had to be Juliet and Miranda’s show, and he didn’t like it one bit. His every protective instinct was screaming there had to be something he could do.
The midnight chime sounded and students wandered by, heading for the stairs. Needing something to do, he backed away from the railing. “I’ll go up on the third floor and check to make sure everyone is out.”
“Be watchful. There’s a chance she left some surprises behind we didn’t find,” Hollis cautioned.
“I’ll go with you. I need to keep moving.” She shot Hollis a look and he nodded.
He’d noticed how the two of them had fallen into partner stance as soon as they reached the library.
Juliet fell into step with him as they climbed the stairs to the third floor.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yes. I’m more concerned for Miranda than myself. If they’ve hurt Caleb, or worse, she won’t be able to hold it together, and the emotion spell we’ve done might not be able to buffer everything.”
He realized what a responsibility both women carried to harbor so much power and yet force themselves to use it sparingly or not at all. If they turned it on the Chalmers in rage, the entire plan would come apart at the seams.
They reached the landing on the third floor. When she started to go one way and he the other, he turned and walked beside her. He wasn’t leaving her alone for a moment. These might be their last moments together. “How do you feel?”
Deep Within The Shadows (The Superstition Series Book 1) Page 21
