by Bella Falls
“That would be great.” I gave her the phone. “I’m not sure why Dash didn’t tell Max, but I guess it was his choice.”
“My choice to what?” Dash joined us.
“To tell Max more details,” I said. “And don’t get mad at Cameron. She already guessed that we were keeping something back.”
“That’s because I’ve learned all of Dashie’s tells. He hasn’t been able to beat me at poker since he was in middle school.” Cameron pointed a finger in his face, and he batted it away with playful annoyance.
“Remind me again why I asked you to be third for the pack,” he joked. “Because no one would choose such a pain in the butt to have their back.”
She punched his arm. “You know I love you like family. And that’s who you can count on. Speaking of, did you see Davis when you went to visit your other witchy friends?”
“Man, how do you do that?” I asked. “Are you part witch yourself?”
Cameron wiggled her fingers in front of her like she thought she was casting a spell. “Nope. Like I said before, I know this guy. And if he wanted to keep things secret, he’s not going to use one of our own. Plus, those sisters came in handy when we were taking the pack back.”
“Yeah, I asked Georgia to help break down whatever substance Max found in Zachary’s bathroom. It would be great if she told me it was just a bag of baby powder, but I’m guessing it’ll come back as something far more sinister.” Dash reached into his jacket and pulled out the bag.
Cameron took one step back, as if the contents could affect her just by being in its presence. “I don’t want things to go as bad as they did before. Do you really think you can find the source, Charli?”
I yawned before I could answer. Clapping a hand across my mouth, I apologized. “I think so. I can at least do my best.”
“I should take you back to your cabin so you can take a nap,” Dash offered. “I’ve got some pack stuff to take care of, but you don’t have to be present for that.”
A nap sounded fantastic, but a thought took root in my head and sprouted into a worry. “Are we making a mistake not searching for the source of the drugs right now? Is waiting until tomorrow giving that person a chance to continue to deal?” I took out the drawing again and unfolded it. “If the dealer was terrorizing Zach to the point he made this, then maybe you should just give me a big cup of coffee and we should try to find this person right now.”
Dash took the pencil drawing from me and examined it. “Maybe you’re right.”
“I’ll call Mama and ask her to put together a to-go cup of coffee for you at the big house.” Cameron whipped out her phone from her pocket. “I’ll tell her we’ll all take one.”
“You don’t have to go with us,” Dash called after her as she walked toward the front door.
“Try to stop me,” she sang out as she left.
“Stubborn to the bone,” he muttered under his breath. Touching my arm, he looked me deep in the eyes. “You sure you’re up for it?”
I couldn’t tell him yes without it being a partial lie. “I want whoever it was that gave Zach that horrible stuff to be found.”
He squeezed me once and let me go. “Then let’s get to it.” He folded the drawing with great care and handed it back to me.
Dash and I piled into Cameron’s more sensible SUV, and I was appreciative of a more spacious back seat than the Impala would have offered me. We drove down to the big house where Elodie waited for us.
She reached into the car and handed each of us a small, insulated cup. “You have a plan if whatever Charli’s gonna do works?”
“Mooom,” Cameron groaned. “It’s not like we don’t know how to handle ourselves.”
“Cammy, I wouldn’t be asking if this weren’t serious as a heart attack.” Elodie slapped the top of the car and pulled open the back door nearest to her. “Move over,” she chirped at me.
“Aunt Ellie, you are not coming with us,” Dash exclaimed.
I scooted over to give her enough room. She settled herself and crossed her arms. “I’d like to see one of you young’uns stop me. Y’all are going after trouble without a clear plan. You need support.” She grabbed Dash’s headrest and leaned forward. “My hair might be gray, but I ain’t dead yet. Don’t you forget, I could kick your butt all over this place if I so had a mind for it.”
It was official—I loved Elodie. Maybe because she reminded me so much of Nana. The gods help us if those two ever got together to join forces.
Dash grumbled something under his breath that caused Cameron and her mother to chuckle but that my non-shifter ears couldn’t pick up. He withdrew the small bag and handed it to me to use.
“Maybe she should have some gloves on or something,” Cameron suggested.
“No, I need to be touching it to make things work,” I countered. Closing my eyes, I drew in a few deep breaths and called on my magic. “I cast this spell to set things right and catch the culprit without a fight. The one who deals in death must fall and pay for their crimes to one and all.”
Light prickles ran down my arm, and a slight connection faded in and out. It wasn’t strong enough for me to attach to, and like a guttering flame of a candle, it sputtered out.
“Pixie poop,” I exclaimed. “I usually do better if I can hold onto the person who wants to find whatever I’m searching for.”
Dash unbuckled his seat belt and got out of the front passenger’s seat. He opened the door next to Elodie. “Let’s trade places.”
After his aunt swapped with him, he slid into place next to me. “Since I’m the one who really needs to find who’s distributing the poison, maybe if you touch me, it’ll give you what you need.” He held out his hand with his palm facing up.
I hesitated, not sure of the right thing to do. At the same time, I didn’t want to embarrass him in front of his chosen family. Lacing my fingers through his with one hand, I repeated the spell and cast it forth.
The energy that flowed through my body felt much stronger, and I found the connection easier to grab ahold of. “I think we’re good.”
Dash squeezed my hand. “Good job.”
“Don’t jinx it,” I warned. “Right now, all I can tell you is when you go out onto the road, take a left.”
Elodie kept staring at me while her daughter put her SUV into drive. “I’m on it.”
We wound around the curves of the small road until we reached the main part of town again. I continued to concentrate, a few times closing my eyes rather than watching the road from the back seat. The golden thread became thicker and stronger as we took a final turn.
“Wherever we’re going, it should be coming up on your right soon,” I instructed.
“Oh, that’s not good,” Elodie exclaimed.
I blinked my eyes open to find us driving by a business with several garage bay doors open.
“Keep driving,” Dash instructed. He disentangled from my grip and pointed ahead of us. “Go up the hill and turn into the vacant lot at the end.”
Cameron followed his directive until she drove to the spot he wanted and circled the car until we faced in the direction of the building.
She threw her car into park and turned to address Dash. “You don’t think Terry has anything to do with the drugs, do you? He was one of the biggest helps in taking down Kash’s whole operation.”
“I didn’t get to see what type of business it was,” I said.
“It’s a mechanic’s garage,” Elodie explained. “Terry’s the longtime owner. Pretty much everyone in the pack uses him because they know he gets the job done early rather than on time and charges fair prices.”
Dash’s breath came out in uncontrolled pants, and I moved away from the stifling energy rolling off of him.
“Don’t you dare change in here, Alpha,” Cameron warned. “If you’re going to wolf out, do so outside where you won’t rip up my seats.”
“I’m in complete control,” he gritted through his teeth. “It just hit me how awful it is that it�
��s one of our own that has brought drugs back into our territory.”
I reached out to touch Dash’s arm in sympathy, but he pulled away from my touch. His rejection stung more than I expected it to, and out of spite, I aimed my petty hurt feelings in his direction. He winced a little but didn’t say anything else.
Elodie shuffled around in her seat until she faced all of us. “Well, you don’t know squat unless you go in there and confront the man.”
“And at this point, all you know is that the source of the drugs is in the building. I haven’t pinpointed anyone specifically,” I added.
Dash raised one eyebrow at me. “Could you? I mean, if you cast your spell again, could you track down the actual person?”
“Possibly. But I can’t guarantee it,” I clarified. “And I will probably need to hold onto you again.”
“Well, since word’s gotten around that you’re his intended, they probably won’t be too phased to see you holding hands,” Elodie said. “But if anything happens, you’re going to want to get out of the way fast.”
“I’d rather you not have to be there at all,” Dash complained. “But I get why you will be. Aunt Ellie, you were always good at flanking. You and Cameron go around the back side of the building.”
The two of them opened their doors. “Got it,” Cameron confirmed. “You gonna walk back down there?”
“No, Charli’s gonna get in the passenger seat and I’m gonna drive your car into the lot like I’m a customer.” He got out of his side and walked around the back until he yanked open my door. “Since this car won’t get as much attention as mine, we’ll have a better chance at not spooking whoever it is away.”
Cameron stretched her neck from side to side. She pointed at Dash. “Do me a favor and don’t let my car get messed up.”
“If it does, I’ll buy you a new one,” he promised as he slid into the driver’s side.
“In that case, run it through the front door and you can get me a schmancy Range Rover so I can drive in style.” She grinned wide at her own joke and jogged in place. “You ready to go, old woman?”
Her mother snorted. “Try to keep up, child.” The two of them took off at a slow pace.
Dash threw the SUV into drive and slowly crept back down the road. He surprised me by turning left down a lane that went behind the business.
“We’ll make our way back around to the main drag and then turn in. That way, it won’t look suspicious.” It took us only a few minutes, but I felt each second pass with the heavy beats of my heart in my chest.
By the time we pulled into the parking lot, I had to draw on some of Dash’s own energy to bolster my courage.
He threw Cameron’s car into park and looked over at me. “You ready?”
“Let’s go catch a criminal,” I stated with bravado, covering up my uncertainty in being able to help.
“Don’t do that. You know it’s pointless to lie to me,” Dash said. “I can sense your hesitation, and we’re not doing this unless you’re good.”
I swallowed hard and thought about my choices. “No, I can’t walk away from this. Whoever provided the drugs is responsible for Zach’s death. I don’t want them to get away with it.” I grabbed the handle on the car door. “Really, let’s do this.”
He nodded once. “Wait there.” Showing me his Southern gentleman skills again, he got out first and walked around the front to open my door. He offered to help me out.
Knowing that I needed to touch him in order to make the spell work, I ignored the tiny voice in my head full of guilt that I was betraying Mason despite the situation. Underneath my breath, I conjured a very quick spell.
“The guilty one we seek is close, so help me find what we want the most.”
The connection zinged to life stronger than before. “Whoever it is, he or she is definitely inside that building.”
Dash squeezed my fingers tight enough that it almost hurt. After I emitted a light gasp of pain, he apologized and eased up. “Can you tell what part of it?”
I pointed with my free hand into the garage bays. “Somewhere over there. Do you think we can bypass the front desk?”
A balding squat man walked out of the main door, chewing on a cigar stub. “Channing. What can I do for you?”
“Terry,” Dash acknowledged the owner, adding a dip of his head. “I actually stopped by with a question. Was wondering if I could talk to one of your boys about it?” He pointed in the direction of the bays.
“You having trouble with your bike or that fine classic of yours?” The cigar switched from one side of his mouth to the other. “I’ll answer any question you got.”
“That’s kind of you, Ter.” Dash flashed a wide smile. “But I don’t want to take up your time when one of your guys will do. Who’ve you got workin’ today?”
Funny how Dash’s Southern drawl deepened the more he lied. A rogue giggle almost burst out of me due to my buzzing nerves, but I managed to cover it up with a cough.
“This your new girl? I heard tell you were planning to settle down. Would be good for the pack it you mated and started having little pups of your own.” Terry’s stained teeth stood out to me as he grinned. “It’ll boost morale.”
My heart and breathing stopped at the suggestion of having a family with Dash. A little eep escaped me, and Dash nudged me with his hip to distract me from freaking out.
“Oh, I don’t think we’re in any rush, are we, Charli?” he asked.
I shook my head and said no, but no sound came out. It took a second before I tried again. “Nope. No rush. None at all.”
My response caused Terry’s smile to falter. “I know a slew of girls who would fight tooth and claw to take your place.”
Seeing as Dash was the alpha of a wolf pack, I couldn’t tell if the man was joking or making a veiled threat based on reality. Either way, I couldn’t stand in his presence much longer without sassing back, and the golden thread of connection could break at any second.
My companion tugged on my arm. “We’ll go see who’s on duty and let you get back to the office.” Ignoring the owner’s protests, Dash kept moving in the direction of the open bay doors. “Which one should we enter?” he whispered to me.
I followed my magical tracking instincts and pointed at one of the middle ones. “That one.”
It took a little effort to keep up with Dash’s determined long strides until he stopped short, almost causing me to stumble. He lifted his nose in the air and scented it. “Aw, crap. What is he doing here?”
“Who?” I looked for someone to be approaching us but found nobody.
“Max. Why in the world would he be here?” Dash almost pulled out of my grasp, and for a second, the thread that pulled me forward blinked in and out of existence.
“Don’t,” I warned him.
We walked through the open bay and maneuvered around tools and cars up on lifts. I tugged him in the right direction until we stood in front of a young man in greasy overalls and a baseball cap worn backwards talking to Max. I pulled on Dash’s arm and with my eyes, indicated that we’d found our target.
“Silas!” Dash bellowed, his voice echoing off the concrete floor. “I want to talk to you!”
The man’s head jerked in our direction. The second he caught sight of his alpha, he dropped the tool he held in his hand and bolted with inhuman speed out an open garage door on the opposite side of the building.
“He’s going to escape,” I shrieked.
Not knowing what else to do, I dropped my grip on Dash and summoned some basic magic into my hands. Taking my best shot before the guy disappeared, I aimed the hex at him and let loose. It missed, hitting a large metal chest on wheels and making it explode. Tools exploded out of it and scattered with loud clangs.
“What do you think you are doing?” Max demanded, stepping in front of me to keep me from doing anything else. “Who are you to do that here?”
Embarrassed by my failure, I looked to Dash to apologize. His cocky grin caught me off guard.
With a finger, he pointed at where I’d just created a mess.
Silas ran back into the garage. He slipped on one of the tools on the floor, and his legs flew out from underneath him. With a loud thud, he fell on his back, earning a few earnest laughs at his expense. Cameron and Elodie walked in a second later, looking as if they’d just had an invigorating mother-daughter walk together.
Dash strutted over to the fallen young man and grabbed the front of his overalls. He yanked him up onto his feet as if he weighed nothing. His eyes glowed as he snarled at the frightened member of his pack.
“Like I said, Sy. We need to talk.”
Chapter Thirteen
Cameron rolled an office chair into the now empty garage bay. Elodie had chased away all of the mechanics and told Terry to suck rotten eggs when he tried to complain. Max lowered the doors, eliminating all natural light.
Dash threw Silas into the chair, and the disheveled young man tried to scramble out of it. Cameron placed her hand on his chest to keep him there.
“I swear to you, I ain’t done nothin’ wrong,” he complained as he squirmed to sit upright.
“If that were the case, then why did you run?” Cameron asked. “Someone who hasn’t done anything wrong wouldn’t take off the second his alpha tried to talk to him.”
“You can’t hold me here like I’ve done something wrong,” he protested. His eyes flitted around the group, and he lurched forward, trying to escape again.
“Stay put,” Dash commanded in a booming voice. Power crackled around us, and Silas grunted and grimaced.
Elodie settled next to me while we all watched him struggle. “For the love of Pete, Sy, he’s your alpha. Quit being stubborn and just submit.”
Silas gritted his teeth, and his head tilted to the side until he showed Dash his neck. “Alpha,” he rasped.
Dash nodded once, and the magical tension in the air released. “When I ask you questions, I expect you to answer.”
“But I don’t even know why you’re bugging me,” Silas whined. “All I was doin’ was my job.”
Max stepped forward. “We were just talking about ordering some parts for one of my worker’s trucks,” he volunteered.