Claws and Effect

by Amanda Arista

  WHEN WE GOT through with lunch, Myers decided just to hang out at my place until dinner that night. I handed him the remote and told him I would be about an hour. He seemed fine with it and immediately started at the science fiction channel and began flipping from there.

  I went up stairs to shower and change. I pulled out the dress that Devin and I bought and the appropriate underwear. It was amazing how my own awareness of underwear had increased in the past year.

  I flopped down on my bed. Underwear made me think of Chaz. He hadn’t called today. Even if he resented me and hadn’t told me. Even if he was tied to a chair in the basement of a lair, he would have called today of all days.

  I was making excuses.

  With a huge sigh, I pushed myself off the bed and got in the shower. Even if he wasn’t smart enough to call so I could rip him a new one, I had six beautiful men ready to escort me to dinner. Well, six beautiful men, a black dog, and a fairy princess.

  I WALKED DOWN THE stairs, heels in hand, and I thought Myers was going to hurt himself he stared so hard.

  “Calm down there, killer,” I smiled as I went to switch out purses.

  “You look . . .” he stumbled. “Spectacular.”

  “Wow, spectacular. Go me.”

  Myers just gave a half-laugh and looked down at his outfit. “Am I dressed okay? I’ve got a blazer in the car.”

  I tilted my head confused. “Who drives around with a blazer?”

  Myers shrugged. “Have to be prepared to for everything?”

  I pointed to the car. “Go get it.”

  I had a shirt in my closet, something that I had bought Chaz, but he didn’t like. Something about the color. But when Myers put it on, it looked great. The fresh blue color next to his pale skin was amazing.

  “Now you look spectacular too.”

  Myers gave me an award-winning smile and offered his arm to escort me out to the car.

  Chapter Twenty

  JESSA WAVED AT me from the table in the back. Myers followed behind in the crowded restaurant.

  “Happy birthday!” the table yelled as I walked up. Devin, Jessa, Carrie, and Adrianna were already there. It seemed like ages since I’d seen the gang. I finally had a golden moment for the day. I was Violet again.

  I laughed and clapped along with them. “Thank you.”

  Jessa gave me a huge hug. “Happy birthday, darling,” she whispered in my ear.

  “You’re the best,” I whispered back, and I hung on a little longer than I should have.

  “Everything okay?” Jessa whispered in my ear.

  For one brief instant, I let a trickle of the turmoil going on in my head glean across the ties that bound us.

  Jessa jumped back. “Do we need to go to the bathroom?”

  “No, we need to get to the bar.”

  Jessa took my hand and squeezed. “He didn’t call, did he?”

  “Nope.”

  She shook her head. “Something’s wrong, Violet.”

  “Please not tonight, Jessa. I just need to be happy and Chaz-free for three minutes.”

  She licked her perfectly glossed lips and nodded. “Whatever you want, Vi.”

  Her hand slid from mine as she looked over my shoulder at Myers. “Why don’t you head to the bar and get us a round of drinks? You are old enough to drink, right?” Jessa asked.

  I snorted and turned to Myers to see how he was going to defend himself.

  He looked over at me and held in his comment. “One round coming up.”

  I gave him a smile. “Thank you, Myers.”

  TWO DRINKS IN, my boys finally arrived.

  My jaw literally dropped to the table. Tucker was dressed in a sharp black suite with a crisp white shirt. His hair was gelled and combed, and I swore that there was an extra swag in his step. Tyler was, well Tyler. By the time he’d gotten over to the table, I’m sure that three girls already had their numbers on napkins for him, just waiting.

  And Nash, my dearest Nash, had cut his hair. The long stringy blonde was gone and combed into something that might have been called a pompadour fifty years ago. The sweater vest was new too.

  “Happy birthday, Violet,” Tucker greeted with one of the first real smiles I’d might have ever seen on him. It was as handsome as his suite.

  My complete and utter awe, probably greased by the two drinks in less than an hour, broke my borders and I wrapped my warmth around them.

  “Thought we’d spruce up a bit for your big day.” Tyler leaned in and gave me a little kiss on the cheek. Make that five napkins with numbers on it.

  I turned to Nash. “You cut your hair,” I whispered.

  “It was time for a change.”

  I took in one more look at my boys. “Thank you guys for coming. I think I needed you here.”

  “Anytime,” Tucker nodded.

  I turned around and was faced with Jessa.

  My skin chilled and I didn’t know if it was me or her who was suddenly very scared. This was her first encounter with these men since they’d had her strapped to a chair and bleeding.

  I raised an eyebrow as her eyes flashed lavender for a moment, but she nodded. I slid my arm around her waist.

  “Jessa Feychild, I’d like to formally introduce you to Tucker and Tyler Briggs and Nash.”

  “Does he have a last name?” she said sharply.

  I searched through my memory.

  Nash saved me. “Ashmore, Miss Feychild. Nathan Ashmore, but everyone calls me Nash.”

  I stared at Nash. “I’m sorry I didn’t know that.”

  “But what’s in a name,” he winked.

  Had Nash just quoted Shakespeare? I might have adored him a little more in that moment.

  “It’s a pleasure to be introduced to you, Miss Feychild,” Tucker said. “I hope that . . .”

  Jessa dismissed his comment with a waved her hand, like a true princess. “I love Violet. You seem to as well. We’ll start there.”

  I squeezed Jessa’s waist.

  “And you’ve got the next round.”

  Tucker nodded. “Would be an honor.”

  TYLER SITUATED HIMSELF between Carrie and Adrianna, so all I heard from that side of the table was giggling. I was at the other end, nestled between Jessa and Myers.

  I finally got the tenth degree while Devin had Myers’s ear about some musical that was in town.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Jessa hissed, pulling me toward her.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Did you bring a boy to your birthday dinner,” she scowled. It was the first time I had ever seen Jessa with wrinkles. “Is this a date? It certainly looks like a date.”

  I had to follow her glare at Myers to get what she was talking about. “God no, Jess. Myers is just a friend. For Pete’s sake, he’s five years younger than me.”

  “And he’s nerdy and furry. He’s you in boy form. Surely you haven’t missed that.”

  I glanced over at Myers who just smiled back at me.

  I lowered my voice. I wasn’t the only person at this table with super hearing. “He’s just a friend. And I thought we were on the same page about You-Know-Who?”

  Jessa shook her head. “I don’t know, Vi.”

  “Since when did we forgive cheating? You saw the same thing that I did, Jess.”

  She bit her lower lip and her borders clenched like a steel trapped around her.

  Her sudden coldness made me frown. “What aren’t you tell me?”

  “No,” Jessa said definitely. “He is not going to leave you.”

  I glared. “Fact: I saw him half-naked on a couch with someone who wasn’t me. Fact: He hasn’t called me in three weeks. I don’t know what other proof you need.”

  She just kept shaking her head.

  “Then you can date him when he gets back. After I rip his head off.”

  “A year ago, I would have thought you were joking.”

  I sighed. “Unfortunately, I’m all bark.”

  “So if he wal
ked through the door right now, what would you do?”

  My body froze but my heart seemed to get the wrong message and started beating a mile a minute. “Are you serious? Is he here?”

  My eyes scanned the corners of the restaurant, looking in every dark corner and behind every plant.

  Jessa shook her head. “Hypothetically speaking.”

  I licked my lips. I was pretty sure that he wouldn’t be stupid enough to just show up at my birthday party without a very large present. “I’d just want the truth and its going to have to be one hell of a truth. World-altering, paradigm-shifting truth.”

  DINNER WAS WONDERFUL. Full of calories and goodness and went very well with the margarita that I had with it.

  “I think the birthday girl should give a speech,” Tyler said as our table was cleared.

  “Speech!” Carrie and Adrianna said in unison, like Tyler’s chorus.

  I raised an eyebrow and he raised his glass.

  “I’m a writer. Give me a few minutes to prepare something.”

  Myers and Jessa laughed. And seriously, if I had a pen, I would have been scratching down something and then editing, and the completely rewording it until every word was rewritten.

  “Then, I’d like to say something.” Tucker glanced across the table.

  I nodded.

  Tucker didn’t stand, didn’t make a show of it. He cleared his throat and I could hear him perfectly from the other end of the table.

  “I’m not one for big speeches. In fact this might be the first one I’ve ever given. But we’d just like to thank you, Violet, for being there when we needed a . . . friend. And to thank the family that you’ve found in Dallas for being as open to us as well. Happy birthday, Violet.”

  Glasses were raised and everyone called out “Happy birthday, Violet.”

  And for the briefest moment, I was tongue tied and happy and so thankful.

  And then Tyler jumped a little and then reached into his back pocket. Out of my periphery as I clanked glasses with everyone, I watched him frowned and excused himself, his cell phone to his ear as soon as he was away from the table.

  His eyes were dark and his energy grumbled out around him like static as he came back to the table and slid the phone over to Tucker.

  When Tucker looked up at me, I knew. It strummed across the lifeline I held to him. The note hummed through me and made every inch of my skin goosebump. Danger.

  Maintaining some sort of decorum, I turned to Jessa who knew something was off. “Tucker and Tyler and I need to speak privately. Can you hold down the fort?”

  “What is it?” Her eyes were wide as her cold fingers slid over my arm.

  “I don’t know. Give me three minutes.”

  Slowly with a smile to Myers and Devin, I stood up and grabbed my purse.

  “Powdering my nose,” I winked at Devin.

  I’d never made it to the bathroom so quick in my life. Tucker and Tyler followed close behind me. The ladies restroom was full, but not the men’s. We walked in and I bolted the door behind me.

  “What?”

  “I got a text from Cristina.” Tyler activated the screen again and handed the phone over to me.

  “dfghj” it read next to the very pretty very intimate shot of Cristina.

  “What’s wrong with that?”

  “Cristina doesn’t text. Something’s wrong.”

  “Why would you jump to that conclusion?”

  “She said that she’d found something big when I left her. Maybe it was too big for her to handle.” Tyler spoke quickly and a little too loud for the small tile walled space. “I just want permission to go check on her.”

  There was a loud knocking on the door. “Violet? What’s going on?”

  I sighed. Jessa. I unlocked the door and cracked it open. Jessa and Nash were standing there. “That was a quick three minutes.”

  Jessa pushed passed me and Nash followed her with a small apologetic look. I rebolted the door.

  “I need to know what’s going on.” Jessa crossed her arms over her chest, her sparkling purse dangling from her wrist.

  Tyler handed Nash the phone. “Oh,” he said as he studied the phone.

  “It’s gibberish,” I said.

  Nash’s eyes furrowed.

  I turned to Jessa. “Tyler thinks Cristina’s in trouble.”

  Jessa’s eyes surveyed the men’s room like it was the first time she’d ever been in one. “So call her.”

  “She didn’t answer,” Tyler answered quickly.

  Nash broke into the conversation again. “I think she was calling out for Violet.”

  All of us turned toward the bean pole of a man. “What?”

  Nash turned the phone around. “It starts with D and ends in J. Daughter of Jourdaine. That’s what she called you.”

  I had the vision of her hands bound and her thumbs fumbling at the cell phone, unused to texting. I pressed my eyelids tightly together but the vision only got sharper, with the white gag in her mouth as she was surrounded in darkness only lit by the screen.

  Tucker put his hand on my shoulder. “Let’s not jump to conclusions.”

  There was another pounding at the door. “Violet? Jessa?”

  I dropped my head. “Devin not right now,” I called through the door.

  “What’s going on, Violet?” Myers asked.

  I unlocked the door and walked through and pressed my forefinger into Myers’s chest so he wouldn’t get past me.

  “Devin. There’s a hairy something a foot, so I’d like you take Myers and Carrie and Adrianna home and then lock the door but keep your phone on the charger.”

  “Okay.”

  Myers protested. “Take me home? Why? What’s going on?”

  “We don’t know yet, but I need you safe.”

  “No,” Myers pressed back against my finger until my palm was flat against his chest for fear of impaling him. “Give me the choice, Violet.”

  “No, Myers. Go home.”

  “I won’t.”

  There was a solidness in his frame, in the way it ran hot with anticipation and adrenaline, in the way that his heart beat strong under my palm. “Fine. Get in there.”

  Myers almost jumped over me to get in the door like he had just been let into the big boy’s club.

  “Don’t know about that one,” Devin said. “He’s a little too perfect.”

  “You’re perfect,” I said to him, motioning for him to take a step toward me. I dropped my voice and kept it between us. “I made a promise to never bring harm to you. But I might need a . . .”

  “I’m at your service,” he smiled with a small bow. “I’ll keep my phone by my bed if you need anything. I’ll make apologies to the girls and get them home safely.”

  “Like I said. Perfect,” I smiled.

  “Don’t worry about me. Worry about that hunk of burning nerd in there.”

  “Myers?”

  Devin nodded. “I’m serious.”

  “Concern noted. Go.”

  Devin gave me a kiss on the cheek and was gone.

  I took a deep breath. Happy birthday, Violet.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  I PUSHED THROUGH THE men’s room door and Nash closed it behind me.

  “Facts. What can we find out in the least amount of time?” I started as I crossed my arms my hot back pressed against the metal door.

  “I can do a mirror check if we have something of hers.”

  “We’ve got Tyler,” I pointed.

  Jessa motioned that Tyler needed to join her by the mirror. As Jessa was washing it off, Tucker, Nash, and I thought of more ways.

  “We can drive by the shop,” Tucker said. “It’s only a few blocks from the apartment.”

  “Can we trace the phone?” Myers asked.

  I looked over my shoulder.

  He pushed off the wall. “If she had the GPS thing turned on, we might be able to locate the phone if she still has it on her.”

  “How do we do that?” Tucker asked.
/>
  “Aren’t you the cop?”

  Tucker shook his head. “There are still people on the force. If they knew I was sniffing around, it might hurt her.”

  There was a shimmy of magic down my back and I smelled roses. I turned to see Jessa with her hand on Tyler’s shoulder and the other on the mirror. Her lavender eyes were focused on something unseeable to those of us not fairy enough.

  But she was touching him. She was willing to work with him. I might actually get a decent family out of this.

  “Uh, Violet. You might want to see this.”

  I walked over to her. I knew the drill. I put my hand on her bare shoulder and the mirror smoked and I saw what Jessa saw along the Veil through the mirror into Cristina’s shop.

  A tornado had ripped through the place. I wished I was being metaphorical about that. All four walls still stood, out of some miracle of modern construction, but there was a definite path through the rubble and into her reading room.

  I jerked my hand away from Jessa and turned to Tucker. “The three of us will go to the shop. See if we can pick up a trail or something. Jessa, I want you and Nash to see if we can get a locator spell to find her.”

  “Wouldn’t it be nice to have a boyfriend who finds people right about now?” Jessa said.

  “Only if he can still do it headless.” I snapped

  “And me?”

  I licked my lips and turned back to Myers. “I guess two panthers are better than one.”

  I looked around at the stalwart group, but my eyes landed on Tyler. “We will find her and in one piece.”

  His jaw just clenched into something akin to cement.

  The door to the bathroom shook violently. “Hey, I got to piss.”

  “Classy,” Jessa laughed as she straightened her dress in the mirror and pressed her lips together to freshen her lip gloss.

  “Please God, someone shoot me if I ever say ‘Roll out,” I said as I unlocked the door.

  Myers was behind me. “There’s always ‘Yo Joe!’ ”

  The crowd behind us moaned.

  “What about ‘In darkest day, in blackest night,’ ” Tyler suggested. “Always been partial to that one.”

  We all groaned at his suggestion.

  The line of men outside the bathroom got a bit of a tease show as I lead out two six feet tall brothers, a gorgeous brunette, and then two more lanky fellows. Jaws dropped as we paraded out and back to our table. It had been cleared as well as the tab.