I knew exactly what he meant by “I’ve got her” and I was mildly disgusted. Of course, we needed to keep things in check until Galen returned, so I was willing to use whatever tools we had in our arsenal.
“Hello,” Booker purred, stepping in front of me to intercept the angry woman. “You look like a woman who knows how to have a good time. How would you like to get some food with me from one of the trucks?”
Eleanor was obviously taken aback and the look she shot Booker was full of suspicion. “Thanks, but I can feed myself when it’s time.” She furrowed her brow. “Who are you? Where did the sheriff go?”
“Galen is searching for the festival organizers,” I volunteered quickly. “He’s trying to get them out here so they can address your concerns.”
“Why isn’t he addressing them?”
“Because he didn’t set up this festival,” I replied. “He’s not the one who screwed things up.” I felt the need to stand up for my boyfriend even though it might inflame the woman. “He’s not the one who lied to you.”
Eleanor’s eyes narrowed. “Lied about what? Are you suggesting someone lied about this entire festival?”
I sensed danger. Before I could smooth things over Booker stepped in.
“Ma’am, we’re not saying anything of the sort,” he replied. “We’re simply trying to make things better until the festival organizers get here with the things that were promised to you.”
It was impossible to provide the things that were promised to them, so I was incredulous at Booker’s gumption. Still, his words had the desired effect and Eleanor calmed down ... if only marginally.
“I understand that you’re not personally responsible for what’s happening here,” she said, her eyes trained on me. “This isn’t your fault. It’s just ... some of these people spent their life savings on this festival because they were promised certain amenities.”
That sparked something in the back of my mind. “Were you promised things that weren’t in the brochure?”
“Well ... .” Eleanor shifted from one foot to the other, distinctly uncomfortable. “I don’t know that ‘promised’ is the right word,” she said finally. “It’s more that expectations were voiced and verbal agreements were struck.”
That seemed a vague way to describe whatever went down. “We’ll need more information than that,” I pressed. “What verbal agreements?”
“I’m not sure I should share that information with you. You’re not an island official.”
“But I am,” Booker offered calmly. “I’m the head of the tourism board and hospitality services committee. I need to know everything that was agreed upon if I’m to make sure you have the vacation of a lifetime.”
“I ... can you really deliver on what was promised?” Eleanor didn’t look convinced. “You don’t look like an island official.”
“I like to go incognito because that allows me to mingle with the tourists without standing out and making them uncomfortable,” he lied. “I prefer hearing true opinions rather than what people think I want to hear.”
“That’s actually pretty smart.” Eleanor beamed at him and I knew Booker was using his influence to calm her. There was no other explanation. “Well, because you asked so nicely and I truly think you’re trying to help, I’ll tell you. We were promised a group ritual to bolster our power. That’s the only reason some of us came.”
I was baffled. “Bolster your power?” I looked to Lilac for an explanation. “What does that even mean?”
“I think I know.” Lilac was grim. “There are certain pagan rituals that have fallen out of favor that were known to give a large group of people a magical boost if certain things – dark things – were carried out. Last time I checked, those rituals were forbidden on this island.”
“Well, that’s a disappointment.” Eleanor’s scowl returned. “I’m starting to get the feeling that we were lied to about everything. That won’t go over well when everybody finds out.”
I’d pretty much figured that out myself. Still, I was intrigued. “What things are necessary for this big spell?”
“Ritual sacrifices,” Lilac replied, her eyes flashing. “Trust me. There’s a reason these rituals were banned.”
“It’s not as if we were going to sacrifice a person,” Eleanor sniffed. “It’s more like we were going to sacrifice a chicken.”
“Yeah, that’s not allowed either.” Lilac shook her head and turned at the sound of a vehicle door slamming.
I looked in the same direction, my heart giving a little leap when I saw Galen appear out of the encroaching darkness. He was alone, and from the slouch of his shoulders I could tell that his search hadn’t gone well.
“That doesn’t look good.” Lilac made a clucking sound with her tongue.
Galen lifted his eyes, as if sensing me watching, and he offered a wan smile when we locked gazes. He didn’t speak until he was directly on top of us. “We have a problem.”
“Those are words I never like hearing,” Booker supplied. “What’s the problem?”
“I can’t find Alastair.”
“He’s probably hiding from you,” Lilac replied. “I’m guessing he knows you’re ticked and is afraid of what you’ll do to him.”
“That’s one possibility,” he agreed, rubbing the back of his neck and lowering his voice. “The other possibility is that he took the money these people paid for the festival and took off.”
“You mean left the island?” I was dumbfounded. “How would he manage that?”
“The ship that landed today,” Booker replied. “Hundreds of people got off. Once it was cleared and cleaned, people got on to leave. We had a group of tourists who left. I know because I transported quite a few of them to the docks.”
“Alastair could’ve been with the group,” Galen volunteered. “He could’ve had this planned from the start and fled before it hit the fan. I mean ... he would’ve had to give up his station here and everything he’s come to cherish, but it’s possible.”
“He might have even more money than we realized,” I added, explaining about the ritual and magical things promised the guests. “Some of these people paid even more money because of the promise of a magical boost.”
“Well, that’s just great!” Galen’s anger was on full display. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear that. I just ... could this get any worse?” He slapped his hand over his forehead and began to rub. He looked to have a vicious headache brewing.
“What about Calliope?” I asked, grasping at straws. “She’s one of the co-organizers. She should be down here handling this.”
“She’s missing, too,” Galen replied. “She hasn’t checked out of her hotel room, but the staff hasn’t seen her all day. There was a ‘do not disturb’ sign on her door. I went in anyway ... and there was no sign of her.”
“What about her suitcase?” Lilac asked. “Was that still there?”
“Yes.”
“Then she hasn’t left.” I forced myself to remain upbeat. “She’s still here. Maybe she was screwed by Alastair, too, and is figuring it out. She might be afraid.”
“Maybe, but she’s nowhere to be found right now. We have a real problem.” He was grave as he leaned closer so only the three of us could hear him. “Things are going to get rowdy here tonight and these people are already bitter about what’s going down. What do you think is going to happen when alcohol is added to the mix?”
That was a frightening thought. “What do we do?”
“I’m calling in my auxiliary men to patrol the beach tonight and keep things in hand. Other than that, I don’t know what to do. I’m going to have to get a meeting with the DDA tomorrow and let them handle this. I think I’m in over my head.”
I couldn’t help believing the same thing. “What a mess. I’m so sorry this happened to you.”
He slung an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close so he could kiss my temple. “You didn’t do this ... and it is a mess. Ah, well. I can only do what I can do. T
hat means calling for reinforcements. We’ll figure out the rest as we go along.”
11
Eleven
It took Galen two hours to secure the beach. Apparently he had more auxiliary deputies than I realized, because the place was absolutely packed when we left. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t secure an emergency meeting with the DDA and he was grouchy. Still, he picked a small, out-of-the-way restaurant that I’d never been to for dinner and I was looking forward to a bit of quiet.
“Do you really think that Alastair fled the island?” I asked as I broke a breadstick in half and dunked it in marinara sauce. I was starving, to the point I would’ve willingly eaten oysters to take the edge off my hunger.
“I think it’s a possibility.” Galen leaned back in his seat and regarded me with a soft smile. “I’m sorry you got dragged into this. I had every intention of keeping you out of situations like this for the foreseeable future. That didn’t go so well.”
I frowned. “Why do you want to keep me out of situations like this?”
“It’s not your job.”
“And I annoy you when I’m involved?”
He made a face that would’ve been funny under different circumstances. Tonight, though, it proved that we were both feeling out of sorts. “I like it when you’re involved. After what happened with the cupids, though ... .” He didn’t finish the statement, but I knew what he was thinking.
“You were the one who was injured when the cupids came to the island,” I reminded him, frowning at the memory. I’d sat vigil next to him the entire night as he recovered from being attacked. He put up a vicious fight when they took him, but mostly because he was determined to get back to me. In the end, I had to fight them on my own ... until I could get a few of my magically-inclined friends to join in and really put them in their place.
“I’m well aware, but I heal quickly,” he said. “I was fine the next day.”
That wasn’t exactly true. Even weeks later he still needed more sleep than he normally would. “Then why did you make me act as your naughty nurse?”
“That was simply to bolster my spirits.” His lips curved as he pressed his feet on either side of mine. It was a way for us to touch without being ridiculous with our flirting. “I don’t want you worrying about what happened. I’m perfectly fine.”
“And I like to think I handled myself well during that situation.”
“You did.”
“So ... why do you want to cut me out of this one?”
The sigh he let loose was long and drawn out. “You just can’t let it go, can you?”
“I want to know why you don’t want me involved. I’m guessing there’s some sexist reason, but I want to hear it from you.”
He wagged a finger. “I’m not sexist. I’m ... practical. It’s not that I don’t want you involved because you’re a woman. It’s more that I want you safe because you’re my woman.”
My mouth dropped open. “How is that not sexist?”
“Because I love you and it’s impossible to be sexist when you’re protecting the woman you love.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s nonsense.”
“No. It’s a fact ... that I just made up.” He leaned over the table until his face was directly in front of mine. “I’m not going to pretend that I don’t want to keep you safe. That would be a lie, and I have no intention of lying to you.
“That doesn’t mean that I don’t think you’re strong ... and brave ... and capable of taking on the entire world,” he continued. “It simply means that I’m afraid of losing you. I want to keep you with me forever.”
Oh, geez. How was I supposed to be angry when he said stuff like that? I would give it my best shot. “You can’t keep me locked up.” I adopted my most reasonable tone. “I know it’s difficult for you, but we need to come to a happy meeting of the minds here.
“I love you, too, but I know better than to try to get you to give up your job and take on something safe,” I continued. “I’m not saying that getting involved in this stuff will be my job, but I can’t just look away when I see things happening. That’s not who I am.
“I just found out I’m a witch and I have powers. I want to use those powers for good. I don’t think that’s an unreasonable request.”
“It’s not,” he agreed. “I don’t want to change who you are. I was attracted to that spark inside of you from the beginning. I just ... it would gut me if something happened to you. I don’t think I would ever get over it.”
That was a sweet sentiment ... and a load of hogwash. “I could be killed falling down the stairs. I could cut my foot on the beach and get that flesh-eating bacteria thing and die. There’s no way to ensure that I’ll always be safe short of wrapping me in cotton and forcing me to sit on the couch all day while you’re at work.”
“And I’m assuming you’re against that?”
“Pretty much.”
“Well ... then we’re at an impasse. No matter how much you complain, I’ll always want to keep you safe. That’s simply how I’m built.”
I didn’t like the word “impasse.” It made me nervous. “What does that mean?”
As if reading my mind, he grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. “It means that we’re going to have to agree to disagree and occasionally argue. I can’t change the way I feel any more than you can. That doesn’t mean we’ll break up or fall apart. It simply means that, occasionally, we’ll disagree.”
I considered the statement and then smiled. “That’s not so bad. We’re good at bickering, but we’re even better at making up.”
“And that right there is a true story.” He grinned, laced his fingers with mine, and then leaned back as the waitress arrived with an appetizer plate. She was a pretty woman who obviously recognized him, and she gave him a series of smiles as she explained about the appetizers we ordered.
“I think we know how to eat stuffed mushrooms and mozzarella sticks,” I said dryly.
She pretended she didn’t hear me and remained focused on Galen. “Anything else?”
“I’m good,” he replied. “Hadley, do you need another drink?”
Getting drunk sounded like a fine idea, but I knew better than to risk that given everything that was going on. “I’m fine.” I flashed a cheesy smile toward the waitress, who didn’t look as if she liked me one bit, and waited until she was gone to speak. “What is it with you and women? It’s annoying to watch random chicks throw themselves at you every time I turn around.”
“We’ve been over this. I only care about you throwing yourself at me.”
“Oh, this isn’t about you.” We were finally getting to the heart of the matter. It was something I’d realized when I’d watched Booker schmooze Eleanor. “This is about the women. It’s as if they have no self-control or self-respect. It’s a little depressing when you look at it as a statement on the female gender.”
His eyes lit with amusement. “Oh, well, here we go.” He grabbed a mozzarella stick and dipped it in sauce. “Please explain the female gender to me as it relates to this statement.”
He was teasing, but I was raring to go. “Gladly.” I transferred several mushroom caps to my plate. “These women who stare at you in restaurants ... and on the beach ... and whenever we go to the park or a festival are wrapping all their self-worth in what a man can provide them,” I explained. “The most important thing to them is what a man can do to make their lives better. They never worry about making their own lives better.”
Galen furrowed his brow. “That’s a pretty deep thought for what could be some random flirting. You know it’s entirely possible they simply think I’m hot.”
“Maybe. I think you’re hot, so I get it. But I didn’t completely lose my head when we first met simply because you’re hot.”
“That’s true. You played hard to get.”
I snorted. “Oh, I did not. You’re just used to women throwing themselves at your feet and begging you to love them. I was slightly leery because this was a
new world to me and I wasn’t sure I was going to stay. Part of me thought I might try it for six months, hate it, and pick up and leave.”
“I take it you’ve ruled out that possibility.” His grin was wolfish. “Did I have something to do with that?”
“Yeah ... but, most importantly, I had something to do with that.” I lightly tapped my chest. “When I got here, something inside clicked. It was as if I’d always belonged here and the reason I struggled in other places was because they simply couldn’t measure up to this place.
“You’re definitely part of it, but if we’d never hooked up I would still want to call this my home,” I continued. “What I see when these women react to you sometimes — and Booker, too, although I think he helps cause it because he likes being the center of attention — is that these women lose all rational thought and all they think about is how they’re going to get you to notice them.
“Take the waitress.” I daintily cut one of my mushrooms despite the cheese flowing in every direction. “Do you know what she was thinking when she saw you?”
“Yeah. She was thinking that if she flirted with me enough I would leave a big tip.”
“I’m pretty sure she wants a different sort of tip from you, and that if you suggested it she would totally walk off the job for the chance to walk on the beach with you.”
He gaped. “That’s crap. There’s no way.”
“It’s true.”
“Did you read that in her head?”
“No, but I could try doing that if you want.”
“I would prefer you didn’t.” He was thoughtful as he cocked his head and regarded me. “You seem to have given this a lot of thought.”
“I like to think of myself as a student of the human condition. I like to analyze people, figure out their motivations. I was like that long before I found out I was a witch.”
“Well, it’s an interesting hobby.” He rested his fingers on top of mine. “You don’t have to worry about me wanting to walk on the beach with the waitress. You’re the only one I want to walk on the beach with.”
Hex Type Thing Page 10
