by T. M. Cromer
She left the men gawking in her wake.
GiGi’s heart was practically pounding out of her chest as she exited the dining hall. There was little doubt Ryker would go off on his own and come crawling back for forgiveness. It was his M.O. But she meant what she said. If her husband couldn’t see they worked better as a team, if he insisted on the lone-wolf routine, they had no future.
She understood the stakes were higher than they’d ever been, but she had plenty to contribute, whether he chose to see it or not. Shoving aside the kernel of hurt trying to pop into a bigger feeling of betrayal, she walked the gardens at the back of her brother’s estate.
“Men always think women are weak, don’t they?”
The soft voice jerked her out of her musings. GiGi spun to face the garden’s other visitor. The woman elegantly shifted from her reclining position on a two-person lounger. Her long, toned legs unfolded as she stood. Topping GiGi’s height by a good six inches, the sultry redhead seemed to tower over her, helped along by the four-inch stilettos she wore.
“Hello, Mackenzie.”
“Hello, GiGi.”
The two women embraced.
“How do you know I’m upset by a man?”
A thumb gesture over Mackenzie’s shoulder directed GiGi’s eyes to the small compact mirror on a glass table.
“Spying. How positively sneaky of you!” GiGi laughed.
“You taught me well.”
“I’m glad to see my life lessons were effective.”
Mackenzie’s smile was enough to equal the sun in its brilliance. “Without a doubt. And they’ve seen me through some trying times. I can never repay you.”
“Tell me, dear. What do you think of the delicious Sebastian Drake?” GiGi teased. “I mean, you do realize my brother has it in mind to match the two of you?”
“The man is positively yummy, but I’ll make both Alastair and Sebastian believe I’m indifferent.” With an elegant shrug typical of a Thorne, Mackenzie picked up her compact and slipped it into her purse. “It will gain me the upper hand.”
“That’s my girl,” GiGi cheered. She checked her watch. “I have about twenty-five more minutes to kill before Ryker tries to convince me to reconsider my stance. Tell me all about what’s happening in your world.”
The women conjured wine and strolled the grounds. Her cousin was a great distraction from the thoughts wresting around GiGi’s brain. Or at least she believed it was so until Mackenzie nudged her, and GiGi realized she hadn’t responded.
“I’m sorry. I’m poor company at best.”
“You have a lot on your mind. It’s understandable.” Taking her arm, Mackenzie guided her to a stone bench. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“The idea of being left behind yet again…” GiGi shrugged and sipped her drink, trying to form the words.
“I only want to keep you safe, sweetheart.” Ryker’s gravelly voice came from behind them.
Mackenzie patted her wrist and rose. “I’ll leave you to work this out.”
Ryker took her cousin’s place on the bench. He shifted sideways, bending one knee and hooking a foot behind his other leg as he silently studied GiGi.
She looked anywhere but at him. She knew what she’d see—the standard adoration peppered with frustration and a beseeching expression. Afraid she’d give in, she sipped her wine and avoided his searching gaze.
“Are you not going to give me the courtesy of looking at me?” Irritation laced his tone.
“I can’t,” she confessed on a whisper. “If I do, I take the risk of caving to your demands, and I want our marriage built on more than that, Ryker.”
“I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you.”
“And I’d never forgive you if you went off and got yourself killed.”
He gave a short, hard laugh. “Such faith in my abilities.”
Finally, she faced him. “I do have faith in your abilities. I also know Beecham is out for blood and willing to use black magic to do it. We’ve lost a lot to him, Ryker. But we’re stronger together, whether you choose to believe it or not. Look what we did to take down Delphine when she attacked our family.”
His eyes skimmed over her face and settled on her lips. He groaned and kissed her lightly. “Fine. You go with me.”
Had she heard right? “What did you say?”
“You heard me.” His lips curled in a wry half-smile.
Unable to resist the urge to tease him, she said, “The only way you can make this moment better is if you say ‘GiGi, you were right and I was wrong.’”
He barked out a laugh and pressed his forehead to hers.
“Come on, Ryker. You have it in you.”
“GiGi, you were right and I was wrong,” he said on a chuckle.
“You do realize this means you’re stuck with me forever. Leaving me here to traipse about the world would have given you your freedom.”
“I don’t consider being tied to you for the remainder of my life any type of punishment. In fact, it’s a reward of the highest magnitude.”
“Oh damn, babe. You say the sweetest things.” She swiped at a renegade tear.
“It’s all in an effort to get laid by my wife.”
She climbed onto his lap, straddling him and cupping his head between her palms. “Oh, you’ll definitely get laid with that silver tongue.” She captured his mouth and savored the feelings the brush of his tongue against hers brought. When Ryker gripped her hips and deepened the kiss, GiGi felt as if he truly had come home for good. In her heart, she sensed everything would be okay. The Goddess couldn’t be so cruel as to allow another separation between them.
Ryker drew back and smoothed her hair behind her shoulders. “We should go back inside and see if anyone has come up with a way to best Beecham.”
“Thank you,” she said softly.
“I just hope I don’t regret it. Like I said, if anything happened to you…” He shook his head as if he couldn’t bear to voice his concerns again.
“It won’t.”
“You can’t know that, GiGi, and I don’t have a great track record with my loved ones surviving my enemies.”
Seeing Ryker’s side of the situation wasn’t difficult. Yet there were no guarantees. All she knew was that if Harold Beecham succeeded in laying the blame of Georgie Sipanil’s death at Ryker’s door, she’d lose him to the Council’s standard punishment of death. And if she didn’t do all she could to prevent that from happening, she’d never be whole again. She’d be a broken shell of who she had originally been.
“Have faith, my love. I do,” she assured him. She only wished she could convince herself as easily as she seemed to convince Ryker.
15
Ryker was still doubting his sanity as they rejoined the group in the dining room.
“We may have figured out a plan,” Alastair told him as soon as he sat down.
“I’m waiting with bated breath.”
His friend shot him a dry look and refrained from a sarcastic comment. “Spring called and said she found a spell in the Carlyle grimoire. It will take blood magic, but she thinks it might do the trick to recall Trina for a tribunal. As far as Georgie, there’s no way to bring her back.”
Nash leaned forward, a deep frown playing between his brows. He met Ryker’s eyes across the distance of the table. Blood magic meant extracting it from one or both of them since they shared a high concentration of her DNA.
“She stated it would take three sources,” Alastair continued, expression grim.
“What does that mean?” Ryker didn’t mind letting blood to bring his sister’s murderer to justice.
“You and Nash are related to Trina, but as far as I know, there are no others.”
“I could try to round up a distant relation,” Nash offered.
Alastair shook his head. “Too diluted. It needs to be an immediate connection like a parent, sibling, or child.” His phone buzzed on the table in front of him. “Excuse me.”
He st
epped from the room, and the remaining occupants sat in silence, each still at a loss as to how to proceed.
“How much blood do you suppose you would need?” Sebastian Drake asked.
Ryker twisted to see him. “Why?”
“I had the idea we might obtain her blood-stained clothing from the evidence locker at the Council Center. Perhaps we could find a magical means to separate the blood from the material.”
He nodded slowly. Drake’s idea had merit. After Trina’s body was found, the Witches’ Council swept in and confiscated anything related to her murder. As far as Ryker knew, they still held all the items in a cold-case storeroom. “It’s worth a try. But I can’t stroll in to retrieve it, and Nash’s on suspension, pending my arrest.”
“I have no such restrictions.” Sebastian grinned. In that wicked smile, Ryker saw how he, himself, must’ve been in his youth—carefree and craving excitement. No wonder GiGi had found the young Brit attractive.
“I don’t need to caution you about getting caught, Drake. If Beecham suspects you’re involved with us for even one minute, he could target both you and your sister.”
“I know.” Drake’s face lost his devil-may-care expression, and he sat straighter. “But it goes against my nature to allow that evil wanker to continue in this vein. If I can help prevent another untimely death, I most assuredly will.”
“Well, all that’s left to figure out is how to prove your innocence regarding Georgie,” GiGi said. “You were with me practically every minute of the last two days.” She addressed her next questions to Sebastian. “Do you have a time of death? And will the Council take my word for an alibi?”
“The crime was within the last forty-eight hours. As far as an alibi, I don’t know. It’s worth a try. But we would have to find out who on the Council isn’t in Beecham’s pocket or under his thumb. I have the feeling his reach is longer than any of us expect.”
Ryker nodded. “I agree. How else did he command the army to attack our home?”
Knox, having remained quiet for the entire meeting, chose that moment to speak. “Do you have video footage from your security cameras? If the date can be verified, you may be able to provide a digital backup to second your alibi.”
“As far as I know, they never breached our panic room. I can take a trip back and see what I can dig up.”
“Not you,” Sebastian said. “They’re likely lying in wait for you to return.”
Ryker cast GiGi a conspiratorial look.
Sebastian glanced between them. “What am I missing?”
“Let’s just say we won’t walk through the front door,” GiGi told him.
“It’s risky for either of you to return,” Nash cut in. He looked at Knox, who nodded in return. “Knox and I will head over. Tell us everything you can about how to get through your system.”
Ryker gave the two men a rundown of the security and the tunnel’s location.
“You should know, even with all this evidence to the contrary, the doctored video in the Council’s possession is damning. It shows you entered Georgie’s compound and exited again during the time of the murder. Your fingerprints were found on multiple surfaces,” Sebastian warned.
“You’d think that damned council would know I’m a much better agent than that. All the years I’ve worked for them without ever getting caught or leaving a trace, and they think I’d be this sloppy?” Ryker rose to pace off his anger. “Not to mention I visited Georgie often. It stands to reason my fingerprints would be inside her house.”
GiGi joined him, stopping his continuous movement. Placing her palm on his chest, she turned confident, trusting eyes up to him. “It’s going to be all right, Ryker. Once we prove Harold Beecham killed Trina, the Council will be more open to listen in regards to Georgie. And if they aren’t, they’ll have the entire Thorne and Carlyle clan to deal with. Not to mention your cousins. I doubt any of the remaining Gillespie clan would allow this injustice. That is a helluva lot of unrest in the magical community for the Council to handle.”
He nibbled the delicate skin of her wrist. “Thank you, sweetheart,” he said softly. Her faith in him was humbling, considering all he’d put her through in the past. “I needed to hear that right now.”
Her blossoming smile warmed his heart and gave him hope. His GiGi would decimate the entire Council if she had to. He grinned his response. They were on the same page in this. He’d destroy anyone who tried to frame her or hurt her in any way.
She slid into his embrace. He couldn’t resist the urge to check Sebastian’s reaction over GiGi’s head. Drake’s expression held a wistfulness that was almost painful to witness. The other man gave him a nod as if to say he understood the way of it.
Ryker’s gaze traveled to Mackenzie, who sat as if pleased with their affection. He shot her a wink. He hadn’t failed to see her interest in Drake when she thought no one was paying attention.
Finally, he settled his attention on Nash, who sat fidgeting with his phone. “Is it going to be too painful for you to call your mother forward?”
Seemingly surprised by the question, Nash rose and walked to where Ryker still held GiGi. “Do we have a choice, Uncle? There is no hard proof other than my mother.” He kissed GiGi’s smooth cheek. “I’m going to the standing stones after your place to consult with the Goddess. With any luck, she’ll be forthcoming with information or, at the very least, look favorably on what we intend to do.”
“Good plan,” Ryker agreed. “Thank you.”
“I’m only doing it in part for you. The bigger reason is justice for my mother.”
“Understood.”
“Tell the sperm donor where we’ve gone and to buzz me if he needs me.”
Nash teleported away with barely a disturbance in the air. Knox was close on his heels.
“Our nephew is gifted,” GiGi said softly. “I’m just sorry he’s had such a tough life until now. It makes him harder than most.”
“He’s got a good heart.”
“He does.”
* * *
Spring arrived shortly after the men left. In her arms, she cradled a small box. Setting it on the table, she nodded a greeting to Mackenzie. “Welcome to the madness, cousin.” She turned her curious jade eyes on Sebastian Drake. As with all the other women who happened upon him, GiGi noticed Spring was helpless not to undress him with her eyes. The man was insanely good looking, and the kilt he wore stirred women’s fantasies.
Sebastian lifted Spring’s hand to brush a kiss upon her knuckles.
“You should know she’s living with Knox. That’s a tree I wouldn’t piss on. The man has the power of a God,” Ryker informed him, much to both GiGi’s and Spring’s amusement.
“Duly noted,” Sebastian replied smoothly.
Mackenzie sauntered around the table and stopped in front of Spring. “Family rumor has it you lost your memory, little cousin. Have you fully recovered?”
A slight grimace passed over Spring’s features. “For all intents and purposes, yes. I remember we met when I was a young teen.”
“Yes, you were eager for me to meet Knox. I must say, he’s filled out quite nicely. You make a stunning couple.” Mackenzie hugged her. “I’m happy for you.”
Spring graced her with a beatific smile. “He’s amazing, and he loves me. Can you believe it?”
“What’s not to love?” GiGi quipped. Her niece was beauty personified. “What do you have for us, darling girl?”
The intelligent light in Spring’s green eyes flared brighter. “I found a spell that could work in conjunction with one I remember from the Book of Thoth.” She faced Ryker. “As you know, the aim was only to bring Trina to a tribunal. We never had the option to pull Georgie with her because the lack of relatives necessary for blood magic.” She dug into the box and removed a rolled-up piece of parchment. “Another concern I have is the amount of time Trina has been in the Otherworld. It might be tricky to bring her to this plane, and if she does, she could have amnesia about the incident.”
She held up a hand to stem off his objection. “But, what if we brought the Council to her? Her memories should still exist or be easy to recall with the help of Isis.”
“The last time we used a forbidden spell to revive Rorie, we fell out of favor,” GiGi reminded her.
“Yes. However, we will only steal a portion of a Thoth spell for this, and we’ll ask permission first. Uncle Alastair is still her favorite. I’m sure she would help him.”
Ryker tugged a lock of her coppery tresses. “I love your optimism.” He squinted slightly at Sebastian in contemplation. “Do you think it’s possible to round up all the Council members under the pretext of an emergency meeting?”
Sebastian nodded slowly. “It’s possible. First, let me see if I can manage to smuggle out any evidence they currently have for Trina. If so, we’ll take the next step in your plan.”
“I appreciate anything you are willing to do, Drake.”
“Call me Baz. All my friends do.”
“Baz it is.” Ryker shook his hand. “I’m honored to be considered your friend.”
It thrilled GiGi to see the two of them working together. While she found much to admire about Sebastian, her heart belonged to Ryker, and she didn’t care who knew it. Her fervent hope was that these two get along so they could remove the threat of Harold Beecham.
“I think you should bring Arabella here, Baz,” GiGi told him. “If Harold suspects for one second you might be playing him false, he’ll do what he can to hurt you. She’ll be safe here under Alastair’s protection.”
A deep frown marred the perfection of his face. “I can’t say she’ll willingly come, but I can try.”
“She enjoyed Rorie’s company when we visited you a few weeks back. I’m sure she won’t mind a couple of days until we can clear this up.”
“A couple of days?” Ryker snorted. “You are being overly optimistic, sweetheart.”