by Esme Addison
And that’s when she saw something: a single misplaced book in a perfectly ordered library, hastily flung on top of a row of leather-bound novels. She stood on her toes and stretched her arm as far as it would go, but her fingernails only reached the very corner. She held her breath and took a tentative step onto the bottom shelf. One careless move and the books could come crashing down on her. She paused to test the shelf’s strength, but it held her weight. Pressing her foot down, she launched herself just high enough to swat at the book. It inched forward. Once again, she jumped up. This time, she got it.
She landed on the floor, her fingers trembling as she opened the brown leather book. There was no title on the cover and the pages were yellowed and brittle. Alex turned the cover slowly, her heart thundering in her ears. On the inside front cover in tight scrawl, someone had written, Capt. John Bellamy.
Alex grinned. “Bingo.”
Chapter Fifteen
Alex paused only a moment to thumb through Captain Bellamy’s journal. Her palms were damp and her pulse throbbed in her throat as she hurried away from the bookcase. The journal was too large to slip inside her clutch, but with all the commotion in the hall, she doubted anyone would notice her walking out with an old leather book. She would just tuck it under her arm—
Something kicked Alex’s foot from underneath her, and she tumbled to the stone floor. Her clutch fell beside her, but when she lifted her head, she didn’t see the journal. She crawled on her hands and knees, searching for it. “Oh no, oh no,” she whispered to herself. Cursing her luck, she stood again.
The journal was hovering in midair.
Alex reached for it, but the book flew out of her reach and into the hallway. She peered into the darkness, but couldn’t sense anyone. And then someone stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight. It was Bryn. The journal sank into her waiting hand. “This doesn’t belong to you,” she sneered.
Alex took a moment to straighten her dress and brush herself off after her fall. “It doesn’t belong to you either, Bryn,” she said. “But I don’t need to tell you that.”
“Oh, please.” Bryn rolled her eyes to the heavens as she walked down the steps. She was dressed in a figure-hugging black dress and stiletto heels, but her skin was luminescent in the dim light. “You were about to sneak this out of my house, and you have the nerve to lecture me about stealing.”
“At least I didn’t attack anyone.” She stepped closer and narrowed her eyes. “You hurt Pepper and stole that journal.”
“And scrubbed her phone to delete that video she took.” Bryn shrugged. “So what? Any Magical would have done the same to protect their secrets. Before you get all high and mighty, you might stop and consider that I protected your family’s secrets, too. You’re welcome.” She let go of the journal, and it floated over Alex’s head and back into place on the shelf.
Alex clenched her fists tightly at her side. “Did you kill Randy Bennett, Bryn? Is there something in that journal that would implicate you?”
“Don’t you talk about anything else?”
“Answer my question.”
“I don’t have to.” Bryn’s eyes drilled holes through Alex. “Are you here because you like my brother? Or because you think one of us killed that man?”
Alex had never been a good liar, but she no longer knew how to answer that question. Dylan was handsome, yes. She enjoyed his company and he made her feel an attraction, a visceral magnetism she’d never felt before. That scared her. But what truly terrified her was that Dylan was not just a Wesley, but a potential murderer—and a Magical one at that. How could she be sure anything between them was real? “I—I like Dylan,” she stammered.
Bryn’s lip curled. “Yeah. Now you’re lying to me.” She folded her arms. “I told him you were no good. I warned him about dating a Sobieski. But you know Dylan; he wants to think the best of people. But I was right.”
Now it was Alex’s turn to feel disgust. “We’re not dating. Come on—”
“You’re trying to hurt my family, and I won’t let that happen.” She pointed a long index finger at the center of Alex’s chest. “You’ve been warned.”
Alex stood stunned for a moment, unable to process what had just happened. It was over. She’d failed to recover the journal, and she had failed to learn more about Randy Bennett’s murder. If anything, she’d only put herself on the radar of some very nasty people. Alex pushed past Bryn, leaving her standing in the center of the library. She had to leave.
She moved quickly back toward the hallway, picking up her pace once she reached the darkness. She was not safe here, and every shadow set her nerves on fire. She was running as she rounded the corner and entered the hall.
Several steps in, she saw Dylan. He was talking to a guest. Alex barely glanced in their direction before she took off toward the entrance.
“Alex, wait.” Dylan caught her before she ran past him. “What happened? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Even in the comfort of his strong hands, she was trembling. “It’s nothing,” she said through chattering teeth. “I don’t feel well, that’s all.”
“What’s wrong? Are you sick? What can I do?”
“N-nothing. It’s nothing.” She eased herself out of his grasp. “I’m going to go home and lie down.”
“You’re panicked.” His dark eyes softened. “You can’t drive in this condition. I’ll take you myself—”
“No.” She didn’t mean for the word to come out so sharply. “No, I mean, you have so many guests here. And I’ll be fine, really. I think I ate something that didn’t agree with me, that’s all.”
Dylan sighed. “You won’t let me help you.” He took a step back. “I’ll respect your wishes.”
The genuine sadness on his face turned guilt in her chest. She had used him to try to find Captain Bellamy’s journal. He kept showing kindness, and she kept pushing him aside. “Dylan, I had a nice time tonight. Thank you for inviting me.”
“My pleasure.” His face was inscrutable. “The roads heading out of the Peninsula are narrow and dark. Drive safely, Alex.”
* * *
Alex was relieved to get back into the car and speed away from the Wesley estate. She still had chills on her arms from her confrontation with Bryn.
“Just fantastic, Alex,” she mumbled to herself. “Way to make a bad situation worse.”
As the estate faded from view in the rearview mirror, she breathed easier, but she couldn’t stop thinking about Bryn’s threats.
“It’s nothing,” she told herself. “Bryn is full of hot air. She won’t actually hurt you.” Lidia was a Magical, and so were Minka and Kamila. They would keep Alex safe.
She drove along the Peninsula, down a dark, narrow road that turned sharply at times. She tapped the brakes to round a corner, cursing the lack of streetlamps. This part of town—the Peninsula, a few acres of land that jutted into the ocean—was purposely undeveloped, with a single long road that looped around the area. Here there were only million-dollar oceanfront homes. The rest was protected habitat for the various birds and animals that lived there.
And while the area was beautiful in its unspoiled splendor by day, by night it was downright spooky. The road Alex drove on began to head back to the mainland, a narrow stretch where she could see dark water on either side of her. She gripped the steering wheel and focused on the patch illuminated by her headlights. She didn’t have much farther to go, but she couldn’t get there soon enough.
Just as she began to round another turn, the hair on her neck stood on end. Suddenly, there was a deafening bang and the car jolted to the right. Another bang sent the car violently back to the left. Alex fought to keep the vehicle from crashing straight through the guardrail and into the water, but the steering wheel was nearly useless. She heard the grinding of asphalt. The car shook, lurching from side to side in an uncontrolled skid. She held her breath to keep from screaming as she wrestled with the wheel, jerking it back as the vehicle headed toward sa
nd, beach grass, and then the water. Finally, Alex gained control of her steering wheel, and she pulled to the bank. She put the car in park and sat shaking. Her breath came in sobs. How was she still alive?
She stepped out and immediately saw the cause of the problem: all four of her tires had blown. Even in the darkness, she could make out chunks of rubber scattered on the road. Alex drew a shaky breath, but she couldn’t stop hyperventilating. For the second time, she caught the unique scent of sea salt, ozone, and wet sand in the air—the scent that lingered after lightning struck, mixed with the smells of the beach.
Magic.
This was no accident.
She scrambled back in the car to find her cell phone. Her clumsy fingers tried twice to call Jack, but she was shaking so hard that she kept hitting the wrong buttons. Finally she reached him.
“Jack, I need help. I think someone tried to kill me.” Just saying the words out loud dispelled the shock and sent tears streaming down her cheeks. “Please hurry.”
“I need to know if you’re safe right now. Are you alone?” Jack’s voice was a practiced calm. “I’m on my way, but it’s important for you to get to a safe location.”
“I’m safe,” she said. “I’m on the Peninsula, near the mainland. I’m on the side of the road.”
“Okay, good. I’m leaving now. Tell me what happened.”
She heard a door close and his car engine roar to life. She took a shaky breath. “All four of my tires blew at once. I came from a party at the Wesleys’ house, and—I think someone did something to the car while I was there.”
“I’m going to be there in about five minutes. Do you want to keep talking?”
The sound of his voice was so comforting. “Yes,” she whispered. “Please don’t hang up.”
“I wouldn’t think of it,” Jack said gently.
They didn’t speak much while Jack drove to her location. He asked Alex about her day—other than almost dying—and made small talk about some television show he’d been watching. She didn’t care. The conversation made her feel like she wasn’t sitting alone on a dark stretch of roadway in a busted car.
“Minka’s going to be so angry with me,” she whispered as Jack pulled up in a black Jeep Wrangler.
“Why?” he asked as he stepped out of his SUV and turned on a flashlight. “This wasn’t your fault, and insurance should cover it.”
How could Alex explain that she felt responsible? Her aunt and cousins had told her not to screw up with the Wesleys, and she’d gone ahead and done it anyway. Now someone wanted to scare her—or worse. And so it was all her fault that Minka’s car was a wreck.
“It’s kind of a long story,” she said, finally disconnecting their phone call and stepping out of the car. “I made the wrong person angry.”
Jack frowned as he turned the light toward the bottom of the vehicle. “These tires look like they exploded.” He shone the beam down the road. “There are pieces all over the place.”
The stink of burned rubber was overwhelming the scent of magic that Alex had detected immediately after she pulled over.
“They did explode,” she said. “I couldn’t control the car. I—I thought I was going to die.” She was trying to be strong, but now that Jack was here, she felt safe enough to let go.
“Alex.” He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer. “You’re safe now. If someone is trying to hurt you, I’m going to hunt them down. That’s a promise.”
She felt herself relaxing against his chest. He was right, she was safe now. Jack wasn’t some weird Magical who could make books float or erase her memories. He was blissfully normal. No wonder the Sobieski women had fallen in love with Mundanes. They were a respite from the dangers of the magical world.
Alex eased her arms up around Jack’s torso, like clutching a tree in the tempest. “Thank you, Jack,” she whispered against his chest.
“You’re shaking.” He brought her closer. “I have a blanket in the car. You may be experiencing some shock. I’ll go get it—”
“No. Please, don’t leave me.” She tightened her grip on him. She had always prided herself on being tough and an independent woman, but she just couldn’t be that person right now.
Jack smoothed his hand down her back, and they stood there for a moment. She could hear the steady strum of his heart through his shirt. “I’m going to call someone to tow your car to the shop. I’ll have one of my officers inspect it for signs of tampering.”
“They won’t find anything.”
He pulled back to study her. “Why do you say that?”
Alex released her hold on him and folded her arms across her chest as a cool breeze rushed past. “Nothing. Just a feeling.”
“Do you know who might have done this?”
Alex nodded slowly. “Yes. One of the Wesleys. They murdered Randy Bennett, they attacked Pepper Bellamy, and now they’re trying to kill me.” She shivered as she remembered Dylan’s parting words.
Drive safely, Alex.
Jack shut his eyes briefly. “Pepper is fine. She was checked out at the hospital. The doctor thinks she may have done it for the attention. She’s been referred to outpatient therapy.”
Alex frowned. “An incident where she trashed her house, then locked herself in her trunk?”
He shrugged. “Stranger things have happened. You’d be surprised what people can do under stress.” Curiosity glinted in his eyes. “Why do you keep insisting I investigate the Wesley family?”
“Because their family hates mine. It’s retribution for something that happened a long time ago—” She stopped when she saw the discomfort on Jack’s face. To him, she sounded irrational. “Forget it. I know what you’re going to say. I need to find evidence, right?”
He stepped in front of her so that she couldn’t avoid his gaze. “I want you to leave the evidence-finding to the police, is that clear? If you’re correct and someone tried to hurt you—well, I don’t want it to happen again.”
“But the police aren’t looking in the right place,” she insisted. “You have your suspect already. Case closed.”
“Maybe not.” Jack gestured to the Prius. “If we comb the car and find evidence of a crime, it could lead our investigation in a different direction.”
But Alex already knew that the police wouldn’t find anything on the car, just as they’d come up empty when they’d investigated Pepper’s house. It was too easy to blame the incident on faulty tires. A chill swept down her spine. Her family was all alone in this.
A squad car approached and pulled over to the side of the road. Jack waved to the officer. “Do you need a ride home?” he asked Alex.
She gestured to her car. “Yeah. Kind of.”
“Stupid question,” Jack said with a smile. “Come on. I’ll take you.”
* * *
Alex had never felt so relieved to be home. Athena ran circles around her legs with her ears down, whimpering with happiness. She took a moment to give the sweet dog a hug and a scratch on the belly before she entered the living room. Lidia and Minka were reading, but they closed their books as soon as Alex approached.
“Alex,” her aunt called out. “I’m so glad you’re home. I had a bad feeling.”
Alex unbraided her hair and slipped off her heels. Athena grabbed a shoe and walked over to her bed to sit with it.
“I should’ve listened to you both,” she said, feeling sheepish. “You were right. The Wesleys are nothing but trouble.”
She proceeded to tell them about the evening, about how cold Tegan had been, how Dylan had placed her under some spell, and how Bryn had threatened her. “And then when I was driving home, all four of my tires blew out almost simultaneously. I’m so sorry, Minka,” she added. “I’ll pay to replace them.”
“Don’t worry about that now,” her cousin said. “I’m just glad you’re safe. Thank goodness.”
Alex winced when she looked at Lidia, who had sat quietly during the story. “Ciocia Lidia, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gone
. I understand if you’re mad at me—”
“Mad?” Lidia’s brows rose. “No. I’m not mad. Not at you. But that family has gone too far.” She jumped to her feet, and a light wind swirled in the living room. “I’m going to raise this with the Council.”
This was the second time she’d heard talk of the Council. “What exactly is that?”
“They hear complaints and set standards,” Minka explained. “Like how much black-magic practice is acceptable.”
“We’re permitted to use up to ten percent,” Lidia said. “The Council recognizes that there are times when one needs to protect oneself, and of course when we get angry, it can just happen.” She glanced down guiltily. “But the Wesleys are different. They are notorious for using far too much black magic.”
“Mom is the chair of the local Council chapter,” Minka said, “but Tegan feels entitled to that position. As if they needed any more gasoline on the fire between them.”
Alex thought back to the night Randy Bennett had been murdered, and how Pepper Bellamy had witnessed a heated exchange between Lidia and Tegan. “By any chance, did the Council just meet?”
“Last week,” Lidia replied, and then smiled ironically. “The night Randy died, in fact. Which gives me no alibi at all. What am I supposed to tell those Mundane detectives—that I couldn’t have poisoned Randy because I was leading a meeting of witches?”
Alex groaned. “So that explains why you were so tight-lipped about your alibi.” Sighing, she ran a hand through her hair. “And Tegan was there, too. You were arguing. Pepper followed you and saw actual sparks flying.”
“Tegan is negligent about displaying her magic when she’s angry,” Lidia spat. Then, when she caught Minka’s questioning gaze, she sighed. “And I suppose I can work on that, too.”
“How long did the meeting last that night?” Alex asked.
Lidia thought back. “Later than usual. I’d have to check the minutes for the exact time, but we didn’t adjourn until around two in the morning.”
