“She’s right, Stein. I’ll go with Ms. Venture and get the list and then go up with you to inform them about their mother.”
I couldn’t stop the smirk that landed on my lips. “You think you’re a match for those people?”
“That’s need to know,” he answered.
Chapter 5
I started walking up the beach with Ryder. He was a good-looking man, I’d found that out yesterday, but his condescending attitude needed an adjustment.
“Ever heard the saying you’ll get more flies with honey?”
“Heard it, and I disagree.”
Of course, he would. I was starting to think that this man wouldn’t agree with anything I had to say. “It’s not polite to accuse the locals of murder, so maybe you should learn to keep your thoughts to yourself until you have real evidence.”
He glanced at me. “Like the head of security?”
I gawked. “Watson may be a big guy but he would never hurt a fly. I’ve known him my entire life.”
“Ever heard the saying that looks can be deceiving?” he countered.
“Yeah.” I smiled. “Take you for instance. You look like frosting on blender tines, but in reality, you’re the cold metal underneath.”
“You’re more astute than I gave you credit for.”
Oh no, he hadn’t just said that I looked like a brainless ninny. My blonde hair and flippant attitude might suggest otherwise, but this man didn’t know a thing about me. I could use that.
“How did she die?” I asked.
“That’s classified,” he answered.
The automatic doors opened as we approached, and I bypassed Watson, who was waiting by the check-in desk. I gave him a slow shake of my head to stifle any comment as I headed straight to my office.
Flicking on the light, I slid the sunglasses off my head and tossed them onto my desk, heading straight for the filing cabinet pressed up against the wall. I yanked the drawer open and thumbed through the files by weeks and pulled out the current week with all of my research, and the list of this week’s guests.
“Let me make you a copy,” I said, turning around.
Ryder was lightning fast, pulling a gun and pointing at my body. My feet froze.
“What are you doing? Put that thing away before you scare people.”
“Drop the files, nice and slow, and raise your hands.”
I glanced at the floor. No way was I dropping these files, only for the chief to make me put them back in order. “I’m not dropping the files unless you’re cleaning them up.”
Ryder’s eye twitched, and he motioned me to the desk, where I laid the files down.
“Raise your hands,” he growled.
“Shields, what the hell are you doing?” Chief Stein asked from the doorway.
“Her eyes, sir.”
The chief glanced at me. “What about them?”
“When a witch takes her last breath, her power transfers to the nearest living witch, and considering a witch battle is what killed Halliwell, that means Ms. Venture must have been nearby, if not the perpetrator.”
“Chief, this guy needs some serious meds,” I said, resting my hands on my hips.
“It’s true,” Chief Stein said, stepping around Shields and lowering the man’s weapon from pointing at me. The chief cupped my face and lifted it for a better view. “Tess, what did you do last night?”
“I went home and ate dinner while binge-watching NCIS. I fell asleep on my couch until the phone call this morning.”
“Nothing strange happened?” he asked.
“I had a weird dream.”
“That you killed someone?” Ryder asked.
“No, dipshit.”
Stein snapped his finger for Ryder to keep quiet. “What kind of dream?”
“It was nothing, probably just from too much chocolate cake.”
“Tess. What kind of dream?”
“You won’t believe me.” I sighed.
“Chief, I need to put the cuffs on her before she kills you too.”
“I’m not going to hurt my godfather. Are you insane?”
“Tess.” The chief’s bark of my name was filled with irritation. “Tell me the dream.”
“A silver mist lifted me off the couch before piercing my body, and then I fell back on the couch. I’m telling you it was probably just the wine.”
“This is worse than I thought,” he announced. “Tess, honey, has your dad told you about your mom?”
“She liked to dabble with spells.”
He shook his head. “She did more than dabble, honey. She was powerful, and you must have the same genes. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“You can’t be buying this, Stein,” Ryder growled. “No way has this woman grown up not knowing she can perform magic.”
I narrowed my gaze at Ryder, mentally kicking his ass out of my office and slamming the door behind him in one breath, and in the next, that was exactly what happened.
His body flew backward with hurricane force winds, and the door slammed.
I covered my hand with my mouth and hurried to the door to open it again. Ryder was on the ground, spearing me with an angry look. “I…”
“Yeah, tell us again how you didn’t know and don’t practice witchcraft. Stein, we need to get the binding bracelets on her,” Ryder said, shoving off the floor.
“She doesn’t practice, and she didn’t know,” my father said from down the hall. He gestured back into my office, and they all stepped inside, including my dad.
“It’s true that Margo was a powerful witch, but she bound Tess’s powers before she died. She wanted Tess to grow up and have a normal life.”
“Dad?”
He held up his hand to stay my questions. “Tess never knew because I never told her.”
Chapter 6
I plopped down in my chair. Whatever else my father was saying was drowned out by the ringing in my ears.
“Contessa,” my father said.
I glanced up at him. Anger and hurt filled my veins.
“The bind only works if she’s on the island,” he said, holding my gaze.
“Not anymore,” Ryder said.
“That’s why you canceled all of my vacations?” I searched his eyes for answers as I rose from my seat.
“It was for your own protection.”
My mouth gaped. “How could you not tell me?”
He sighed. “We are not having this conversation now. We have other pressing matters to tend to, like finding out who killed Vinette.”
My brows pulled together. “How did you know who was dead?”
Ryder shifted his confused looked to my father. “How did you know?”
“Because I’m the one who found her on the beach. We took a walk last night to hash out past grievances, but when I left her, she was alive.”
“What time was that?” Stein asked.
“Nine o’clock, and when I went for my morning run, I found her.”
“Dad.” I shook my head. “Tell me you didn’t…”
“I didn’t kill her.” He gawked. “She wanted to discuss an arrangement between you and her son. A future marriage if everything went well.”
I held up my hand. “My what!”
Dad crossed his arms over his chest. “Her son, Peter, is a strong warlock. Vinette knows what you are. She could sense it when she stepped on the island. She was trying to arrange for you to meet Peter. She said it would bridge the gap between our families.”
“And you agreed?” I screamed.
“To a meeting, yes. To a marriage, no. This isn’t the 1800s.” He answered without a flinch. “You’ve been lonely long enough, but I agreed only under the stipulation that you liked him and that you are not leaving the island.”
“I can’t even do this right now,” I said, heading for the door. I yanked it open and turned back to the chief. “The files are on my desk; take whatever the hell you want.”
“Contessa Venture, you can’t walk out. We h
ave things to do,” my dad growled.
“I have things to do that don’t include you.” I tightened my hand on the doorknob. “It’s not safe for me to be here, and you know it. It took one thought to send Investigator Know-It-All out the door. I’m trying hard to block my thoughts on what I want to do to you.”
I glanced at the others. “You know where to find me. I just can’t be here right now.”
“I’ll walk you back,” Ryder said.
I didn’t wait around to see if he followed me, and I ignored the staff watching me leave as I fought the tears forming in my eyes. We were halfway to my house before I spoke.
“Do you know how to get this…whatever it is out of me?” I asked, glancing at him.
“Uh, it’s magic, and half if it is probably yours from what your dad said, but most people would want to keep it. Why are you so determined to give it up?”
I stopped walking and stared up at him. “You of all people should know why. I kicked you out of my office, literally. I can’t control this…thing, and not only that, it’s creepy.”
I shivered and continued to walk.
“You know when the Halliwells realize that you’ve gotten their mother’s abilities that might make you the next target.”
“Just peachy.” I clenched my teeth together and stopped again, resting my hands on my hips. “And explain to me this. If you say a witch killed her, then why didn’t the killer absorb this crud?”
That was what this was, like the crud, uncontrollable coughing and a nose running like a faucet you were unable to turn off. Only my sneezing could do some serious harm.
“The crud must not have deemed the killer worthy.”
“So you’re saying I was an acceptable host and it infected me like I had a bad immune system but good intentions. It attacked me while I slept, for Pete’s sake.”
He studied my face as if searching for clues. “Do you really want to turn it off?”
“I can’t believe you just asked me that. Of course, I do.”
“I may be able to help with that,” he said as we rounded the bend.
“How is that?” I asked, catching up to him. “What is it exactly that you investigate?”
“Magical trails.”
“Is that like pathways in forbidden woods?” Okay, maybe I was right. This man had escaped the loony bin.
He sighed. “Every witch leaves a signature scent or trail if you will when they use their power for bad. My job is to follow the trail and hunt killers.”
I grabbed his arm, stopping him again. At the rate we were moving, I’d never make it to my cabana. “Wait, let me get this straight. You being on the island isn’t a coincidence? You’re here because you followed some magical trail.”
“Yes.”
I smacked his arm. “You knew a killer got off that boat and you didn’t tell anyone. You could have saved that innocent woman’s life.”
“First”—he held up one finger—“assaulting an officer of the Witch Council is against the law. And second”—he added another finger—“I announced my presence to the chief. He knew why I was here.”
Ryder pointed up at the cabanas. “Which one is yours?”
He took a step before I could stop him.
“Perfect.”
“What?” he asked.
I picked up a stick and whizzed it through the air, producing the checkerboard.
“This part of the beach is protected,” I said just as Birdie stepped onto her porch. “The old woman set up an alarm system, and if you don’t want her to know why you’re here, then follow my lead.” I wrapped my arm around his.
He leaned down and whispered, “Why wouldn’t I want her to know?”
“You know how the PTA has phone trees? Well, Birdie created the process.”
I waved at Birdie. “Sorry, Birdie. It’s just me. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“I’ve been up all night, dear,” she said. “Who’s your new friend?”
“This is Ryder. He’s visiting from the mainland.”
“Why have you been up all night?” Ryder asked.
“That’s rude, honey,” I said, leaning into his arm.
His brows dipped as he stared down at me.
“That thunder and lightning sounded like it was hitting on the other side of the bend, so I was scared to sleep in fear that it might strike my house,” she answered.
“I must have slept through it. What time was that?” I asked, squeezing Ryder’s arm.
“Around midnight,” she answered.
“Are you sure?” Ryder asked, earning a pinch of his arm hair this time.
“Of course,” she said. “I looked at the alarm clock.” Birdie glanced to the bend. “Did it do any damage?”
“Nope, not a thing,” I answered, pulling Ryder along with me.
He glanced back over his shoulder. “Did your alarm system go off before it happened?”
“Oh no.” She shook her head. “My alarm never went off.”
“Thanks, Birdie. You can go back to sleep. I promise not to trigger the alarm again.”
“Okay, dear.” She waved her hand. “Have fun, but not too much fun that you wind up pregnant. The sound of babies crying gives me migraines.”
“Lightning and thunder?” I asked stepping up onto my porch.
“That’s the sound of battling magic,” he answered.
My face pinched as I unlocked my door and pushed Ryder through. I sighed, leaning against the door. “You said you can help me?”
He glanced around the room before turning to meet my gaze. “Yes.”
“Perfect.” I breathed my first sigh of relief. “Let me make some coffee, and you can tell me what I need to do. But, let me warn you...I won’t sacrifice any animals. I won’t transfer this curse to anyone, and I draw the line at using my blood.”
A smile lit his face. “Why the blood?”
“It makes me squeamish and sick to my stomach.” I shivered.
“There’s no blood involved,” he reassured me, stepping into the kitchen while I started the coffee pot and grabbed two mugs.
“How are we going to know it’s gone?” I asked.
He turned me and rested his finger at the collar of my shirt and slid it to the side. “Because this will be gone.”
My eyes crossed as I dropped my chin to get a better look. A raised crest stood out on my skin. “What the hell is that?”
I ran from the kitchen into the bathroom to get a better look in the mirror, poking at the infected skin.
“It’s a combination of the Halliwells’ signature crest mixed with your mother’s. Each magical family has one, and now yours is tied.”
I met his gaze in the mirror. “My family doesn’t have a crest.”
“Actually they do,” he said, pulling out his phone and scrolling.
“You won’t get cell service,” I tried to tell him.
“I don’t need cell service. This document is stored on my phone’s internal hard drive. It holds all of the crests. It helps me identify who is who.”
He scrolled some more before turning it to face me. “Your mother, Margo Spade’s line goes back further than the Halliwells and was much stronger too.”
He turned it to show me, and I compared it to the one on my neck. “They aren’t even similar.”
“That’s because your father’s ancestry is much more impressive. He comes from a long line of warlocks. His family goes back even further.”
He started scrolling again as if looking for my dad’s crest.
“Wait,” I said. “Are you telling me that my father can do magic? I thought it was just my mother and that’s why they catered to these weird people.”
Ryder lifted his gaze to mine. “He never told you?”
“I don’t believe you,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Right, because he’s been so honest with you all your life.” He turned the phone around again. I still couldn’t see the resemblance to the raised design on my skin. “
I still don’t see the resemblance.”
“It’s probably hidden beneath all of the Halliwell intricacies, but both your dad and mother can perform magic.”
“That son of a bitch can—”
I didn’t get the last word out before Ryder pressed his lips against mine, catching me off guard. When he broke the kiss, I stared up at him.
“You did that on purpose.”
“I had to stop you, or I’d be arresting you. I can’t have you condemning your father to rot in hell. He just might end up there.”
I slowly shook my head. “Right. Let me make the coffee, and you can tell me how to turn this off before I really cause some trouble.”
Chapter 7
I sipped my coffee while learning more about Ryder’s job and bag of goodies. That bag he’d carried on his shoulder contained more than just toiletries. It appeared that he was ready and willing to apprehend the killer witch he’d been following from the mainland. With all of his cool little gadgets, none intrigued me more than the one he was willing to share and carried on him at all times.
A simple coin with the design of an eye. He tossed it to me, and I twisted it between my fingers, peering at the design and ancient words I couldn’t pronounce.
“That’s a talisman. It’s used as a binder against abilities and a barrier against magical attacks. You need it more than me. I can protect myself from any threats these witches pose. It’s just one of many ways to stop a witch and weaken her. For the ones I capture, I have handcuffs inscribed and enchanted just like the outside of that coin.”
Could it really be as easy as carrying a coin in my pocket the size of a quarter? And could it really lead to helping me get off the island? If I couldn’t hurt anyone, the possibilities of where I could go was endless.
“Can I keep it?” I asked.
“Oh yeah.” He nodded. “I’d prefer you did at least until I left.”
I grinned. After the morning I’d had, the coffee wasn’t enough, but the news was getting better. I grabbed the leftover chocolate cake and two forks from the drawer and handed him one.
Visions and Spells Page 13