“No, I’m head of security,” Jack gritted out. “That means I’m in charge of your safety. I can’t be in charge of your safety if you’re crawling around the woods in the middle of the night.”
Something occurred to me. “How did you even know we were gone?”
Jack balked, taken aback by the question. “It’s my job to know.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“Help me get Millie in the truck,” Bernard ordered Trevor. “Stay away from that argument, son. It’s never wise to get between two bulls when they’re about to knock horns.”
Trevor didn’t look convinced. “I … he won’t hurt her, will he?”
“He won’t hurt her physically,” Bernard confirmed. “I have a feeling both of them will have bruised egos before this is done.”
“Just take Millie back to The Overlook,” Jack barked, retrieving a set of keys from his pocket and tossing them in Bernard’s direction. “I’ll drive the other vehicle back.”
Bernard had no problem picking the keys out of the air even as he supported Millie’s weight with his other arm. “No problem. Don’t call her any names you can’t take back. I’ve noticed you’re not good with the apologies. Women like a man who can apologize.”
“Thanks for the tip,” Jack said dryly, shaking his head before flicking his eyes to me. “What were you thinking sneaking out of the inn in the middle of the night?”
“It wasn’t even ten o’clock,” I argued, my temper returning with a vengeance. “That’s hardly the middle of the night. The local news doesn’t start until eleven, for crying out loud.”
I could practically hear Jack’s temper sizzling as he glared at me. “Do you think you’re funny?”
“Funnier than you. That’s not really saying much, though, is it?”
Jack scowled. “You could’ve gotten yourself into a ton of trouble. You realize that, right?”
“How? Do you really think I was in danger of something terrible happening while with a bunch of kids drinking on a golf course? I wasn’t even drinking. Someone had to be the designated driver. I watched Millie drink and I asked a few questions.”
“So … um … I should probably be going.” Trevor hovered a few feet away, gripping his hands together as he cast a longing look in the direction of the golf course. I could hear his friends whooping it up. “It was nice meeting you, Charlie. I enjoyed talking to you and everything.” He flashed a warm smile and held my gaze for a bit longer than necessary. “If you need anything else, you know where to find me.”
Trevor’s good manners did nothing to improve Jack’s mood. “Thanks so much for your help,” he muttered, scorching Trevor with a dark look. “I don’t know what we would’ve done without you.” Jack strode toward me with purpose, grabbing my shoulder and directing me toward the vehicle Millie and I brought to the party. “Get in. We’ll finish this discussion on the way back to the inn.”
That didn’t sound like any fun at all. “I have the keys. I’m driving.”
“No, you’re not.”
“I haven’t been drinking,” I argued.
“I don’t care.” Jack slipped his hand in my pocket, causing me to squirm as my stomach warmed. I instinctively jerked away, glaring.
“Don’t get fresh.”
“When I get fresh, you’ll know it.” Jack jerked open the passenger-side door. “Get in.”
“Don’t tell me what to do.” I was tired and ready for bed, but obeying Jack wasn’t on my to-do list, so I made a big show of searching the ground next to the vehicle instead of getting inside.
“What are you doing?” Jack gritted out, his patience clearly fraying.
“I’m looking for a stick.”
“Why?”
“Millie said I have issues with sticks and I think she might be right,” I answered primly. “I need a stick so I have something to hit you with during the drive.”
Jack was quiet. Finally I had no choice but to look in his direction. I was almost convinced he’d left, abandoning me to find my own way back to The Overlook. Instead he leaned against the front of the vehicle, arms crossed across his chest, staring at me.
“What?”
“Get in, Charlie,” Jack ordered, keeping his voice low and even. I was almost positive the corners of his mouth twitched, but his expression turned serious too quickly for me to be absolutely sure. “I think we need to have a long discussion about the chain of command.”
I huffed out a frustrated sigh, abandoned my stick search and headed for the open door. “I think we do, too, because you’re not the boss of me.”
“You’re wrong.”
“We’ll see.”
“We definitely will.”
I KEPT MY lower lip jutted out, my arms crossed over my chest and my eyes focused on the windshield as Jack drove toward Hemlock Cove. I could almost feel the anger seeping from him, but I chose not to comment on it. I was determined to make him come to me, which, given his hostility, only made things worse.
“Why did you sneak out of the inn in the middle of the night?” Jack finally broke the silence with a near growl.
“It wasn’t the middle of the night.”
“You know what I mean.”
“No, Jack, I’m not sure what you mean.” I kept my voice light because I knew it would irritate him. “I’m a lowly female who needs protection. You might need to use shorter words to explain things to me.”
“That’s not what I said,” Jack barked, rolling his eyes as he dragged a hand through his hair. “You’re purposely trying to drive me crazy. You think I don’t know what you’re doing, but I do.”
“I’m not trying to do anything to you,” I countered. “We went to the resort because Millie found out that the younger workers were having a party. We thought they might have some information for us.”
“So this was Millie’s idea?”
“I … no.” I had no intention of putting this on Millie. I agreed to go with her, after all. It wasn’t her fault, and I wasn’t big on blaming others for my actions. “It was my idea.”
“Really?” Jack arched a challenging eyebrow. “It was your idea to go to a party you didn’t know existed?”
“How do you know that I wasn’t the one invited to the party?” Now I was challenging him simply because I could. His short fuse proved that I could manipulate his attention in certain directions if the situation warranted.
“Because you were with me all afternoon while we were at the resort, and Millie was the one who took off on her own,” Jack replied matter of factly. “I also happen to know that you were exhausted and ready to go to bed when you left the library earlier tonight. I saw you. You couldn’t stop yawning.”
“Watch me a lot, do you?” It was meant to be a derisive comment, but Jack nodded, catching me off guard.
“I have been watching you because it’s your first investigation, and it’s my job to keep you safe,” Jack offered. “You had a long day. I was sure you were going upstairs and retiring right away. I knew Millie was going to cause trouble, but I thought she would be hanging around with Tillie. I had no idea she planned to steal one of the rental vehicles – vehicles she has no business driving, mind you – until I saw her lift Chris’ keys before announcing she was going to bed.”
“You saw her steal the keys?” I wasn’t sure what to make of that. “Why didn’t you say something before she left the property?”
“I wanted to see what she would do,” Jack answered honestly. “I lost sight of her for a few minutes, so I waited in the parking lot. Imagine my surprise when she left with you.”
“I … this is my fault.” I felt suddenly desperate. “If someone is going to get in trouble, it should be me.”
“No one is going to get in trouble, because Chris isn’t going to find out about it,” Jack countered. “As for the rest, Millie can’t be fired. She knows too many family secrets. Even though she’s divorced from Myron, the entire family is still fond of her. She could burn down the entire l
ab and be safe.”
That made me feel marginally better. “I … that’s a relief.”
“You’re another story,” Jack plowed forward. “I’m sure they explained that you’re on probation for ninety days, right?”
I wordlessly nodded, my heart sinking.
“You can’t steal rental vehicles when you’re on probation,” Jack barked. “That’s not how things are done around here.”
“I … well … .” I broke off, swallowing hard. “We were only asking some questions. I thought you might be interested in the answers. I didn’t think we were doing anything wrong.”
“I don’t believe that for a second.” Jack’s expression softened as he ran his tongue over his lips. “Charlie, I know Millie bullied you into going and you went because you have a natural curiosity.You were loyal enough not to let Millie tackle this part of the investigation on her own. It’s a nice sentiment, but you need to understand that Millie always leaps and never looks.”
“I didn’t think there would be any harm in it.” That was true, right? I honestly couldn’t recall any longer.
“I don’t think you believe that. And I’m not here to suck all of the fun out of this,” Jack countered. “I know you don’t believe it, but it’s true. Just … you should’ve gotten me. I would’ve gone with you.”
I couldn’t help but be suspicious, and I made my feelings known as Jack pulled into a parking spot in front of The Overlook. “You’re only angry you were left out of the fun. Admit it.”
Jack snorted. “Whatever.” He hopped out of the vehicle and moved toward the sidewalk that led to the inn’s main door. Bernard was already out of the Tahoe and supporting Millie’s weight as he led her toward The Overlook.
I considered pressing Jack on the issue of his anger, convinced his nose was really out of joint because we didn’t include him. I didn’t get the chance. He extended an arm in front of me to still my movement and tilted his head to the side. “Do you hear that?” His voice was barely a whisper.
I didn’t hear anything but my own inner voice telling me that Jack was purposely trying to be a pain in the butt. “Don’t change the subject,” I chided. “I … .”
Jack clamped his hand over my mouth and pressed his eyes shut for a moment, ultimately changing course when his senses tripped over something I couldn’t see or hear.
“What are you doing?” I hissed, shoving his hand from my mouth.
“Something is going on back there,” Jack whispered, pointing toward a spot on the other side of the greenhouse I’d noted when we first arrived. “There are people outside.”
“What are they doing?”
Jack shrugged. “I have no idea. You’re convinced the Winchesters are up to something, right?”
My previous indifference evaporated. “Yes.”
“Let’s see what that noise is.”
I kept close enough to Jack that I could touch him if things went bad, but remained quiet as I followed him. It took him a few minutes to pick his way through the area, finally stopping and staring when we reached a small clearing halfway up the bluff behind the inn.
A bonfire roared in the center of the circle. My mouth dropped open when I saw the dancing women. There were four of them … and they were naked. “Is that … ?”
“Winnie, Marnie, Twila and Tillie.” Jack hissed. “I guess Millie isn’t the only one who thought it was a good night to drink. They look as if they’ve been through at least four bottles of wine, if the empties scattered on the ground are to be believed.”
“What are they doing?”
“They appear to be dancing.” Jack was grim. “I’ll never be able to unsee this. I didn’t even know boobs could spin that way.”
I couldn’t help but be amused, opening my mouth to tease him when a hint of movement caught my attention on the far side of the clearing. Landon, a disgusted look on his face, stumbled closer to the women, Bay at his side.
“Oh, good grief,” Landon complained. “You couldn’t wait until the monster hunters were gone to do this?”
Winnie energetically waved and continued to dance. “It’s the vernal equinox,” she argued. “We can’t delay it. It doesn’t matter who is staying at the inn.”
“Yes,” Twila laughed. “We … must … dance!” She jiggled her butt for emphasis.
I exchanged a quick look with Jack to see if I could grasp what he was thinking. His face remained impassive.
“They already think we’re weird,” Bay offered. “If they see this … .”
“Who cares what they think?” Tillie called out. “I certainly don’t.”
“You don’t care what anyone thinks,” Landon said, moving closer to the blanket spread on the grass. “Did you drink all of the wine? If I’m going to watch this, I’ll need wine.”
“There’s more in the basket.” Twila flapped her arm as she pranced and pointed. “You should hurry up and drink so you can catch up. You live on the property now, too, Landon. You need to dance.”
Landon shot a worried look in Bay’s direction. “Is that true?”
“I should mess with you, but it’s not true.” Bay giggled. “They have a bet to see when you finally get drunk enough to dance with them under the full moon.”
“Oh.” Landon’s face was impassive. “That’s never going to happen.”
“Oh, it’s going to happen,” Tillie said. “I’m definitely going to live to see that.”
“Whatever.” Landon shook his head as he pulled a cork. “Who wants to drink with me?”
Bay raised her hand.
“I know you do.” Landon kissed the tip of her nose, making my heart hurt because the smile he flashed at her was so earnest. “So … bottoms up?”
Bay slid a glance in the direction of her mother and aunts. “That’s probably the wrong term around this group.”
Landon chuckled. “Cheers?”
Bay smiled. “Drink up, witches,” she corrected, giggling.
“Drink up it is.” Landon took a huge mouthful of wine and risked a glance at the gyrating older women. “We might need a few more bottles of this if I’m going to survive the horror.”
“You and me both.”
Thirteen
We watched a long time. Probably longer than we should have. It was too fascinating to turn away from. Jack secreted us behind a group of trees and we hunkered down, fascinated despite the chill in the air as the women did their own thing and ignored the outside world.
Mostly it was just dancing. Bay and Landon didn’t join in, instead resting on the blanket spread across the far side of the clearing and whispering to one another. After almost an hour Landon staggered to his feet, tossed Bay over his shoulder and announced they were going to bed. It was clear what he had in mind. The others merely waved and continued their twirling.
Eventually my legs cramped and Jack prodded me away. We made the walk back to The Overlook mostly in silence, only risking talking once we were inside.
“What do you make of that?” he asked finally, breathless.
“They like to drink and dance.”
Jack made an exaggerated face. “But … Landon was out there with them. He didn’t seem to care at all.”
“Why should he? This obviously isn’t the first time they’ve done it.”
“No, but that’s his future mother-in-law,” Jack argued. “Why would he want to see her naked?”
He had a point. Still … . “He never looked at Winnie,” I said after a moment’s contemplation. “He stayed focused on Bay the entire time. I mean ... well … he knew they were dancing, but he remained focused on Bay while they were out there.”
“He’s always focused on Bay,” Jack noted. “He barely looks at anyone else.”
“He loves her.”
“It’s not just that,” Jack countered. “It’s as if he’s waiting for something bad to happen to her. He’s determined to protect her at all costs.”
I noticed that, too. “Well, she is a reporter who happens to own the n
ewspaper where she works,” I offered. “Maybe she gets into trouble from time to time.”
“She’s a reporter for a weekly in a town that’s all about festivals,” Jack argued. “I wouldn’t think that would put her in harm’s way very often. Landon tries to keep her as close as possible whenever he can.”
“I think it’s kind of sweet that he loves her that much.”
“I think it’s weird.”
I made a face. “Because you can’t imagine loving someone that much?”
Jack shook his head. “Because he seems to be waiting for something terrible to descend on this family. It’s almost as if he knows that danger is coming, and when it arrives, it will be coming for Bay. Why do you think he believes that?”
“I think some people want to protect the people they love at all costs.” My mind briefly traveled to my parents and the way they cautioned me about keeping my abilities hidden. “Maybe Landon knows something we don’t. Have you ever considered that?”
Jack held his hands palms up. “That’s exactly what I’m worried about. What do you think he knows?”
I had no idea, but I was determined to find out. “I need some sleep. I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”
“You’ll definitely see me in the morning.” Jack shuffled down the hallway, heading for his room. He paused with his hand on the doorknob. “You don’t have to worry about getting in trouble. Even if Chris finds out, you’ll be fine. Millie will tell him the truth and, like I said, she’s allowed to do whatever she wants.”
“Yeah? Thanks.” I flashed a small smile. “I probably shouldn’t have gone with her. It seemed like a good idea at the time, though.”
“The dumbest ideas always do.” This time Jack’s grin was legitimate. “Get some sleep. I have a feeling it’s going to be an interesting morning.”
He wasn’t the only one.
I WOKE EARLY and showered, taking the extra time to blow dry my long hair and apply the bare minimum of makeup. I hadn’t imbibed the night before, so I didn’t have a hangover, but I was under the impression that the same couldn’t be said for the rest of the house.
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