Will wasn’t quite sure how he felt about that.
However, he tried his best to seem confident and relaxed as he went over to her and took her by the hands. “Do I need to do anything?” he asked.
“No,” John said. “Except don’t let go.”
Will was about to reply that of course, he wouldn’t do anything so foolish. But he wasn’t given the chance, since Rosemary’s slender fingers tightened on his and the hotel room vanished around him. In the next moment, before he had time to blink or even process the enormous blinding darkness that had filled the space between one breath and the next, he felt something solid beneath his feet. He looked down and saw the polished oak of his living room floor, saw the edge of the Persian carpet that covered part of the surface.
And then he lifted his head and saw Rosemary staring at him with a sort of tremulous awe.
“I did it,” she whispered. “We’re here.”
Yes, they were. Back in his house, surrounded by the books and the antiques and the other items he’d carefully collected over the years to make this place his home. The relief he felt at standing in his own house disappeared quickly enough, though, because he knew this was only an exercise. They hadn’t come back here to stay. Still….
He went over to her and took her in his arms, held her close. Her heart was beating quickly, whether from excitement or stress or the exertion of what she’d just done, he couldn’t know for sure. He kissed the top of her head and then said, “You are the most amazing woman I’ve ever known.”
She looked up at him, and her blue eyes glinted in a way that made him happy, that told him she had begun to return somewhat to herself. “Well, I’m guessing you haven’t had too many half angels cross your path.”
“No, probably not.”
They kissed again, and then she said, “I wish we could stay here.”
“I know.” His fingers tightened on hers. “But we sort of left your father waiting in our hotel room.”
That reminder actually made her grin. “True. Except after what he’s done, I don’t think being left to cool his heels for a while is that bad a punishment.”
Possibly, she was right, although Will didn’t think they were the ones who should be meting out such punishment. “Well, we also need to plan, so we should probably head back.”
“All right. I don’t like it, but…okay.”
Since they were already holding hands, there wasn’t anything Will needed to do except hold on and try not to wince as the world disappeared around him once again. They reappeared in the prosaic surroundings of their small hotel room; the only thing that seemed to have changed was that John McGuire had sat down once again in one of the chairs by the window.
“Very good,” he said. “Tomorrow night, be ready to get away as soon as you have the hard drive. As a precaution, you should send your luggage back to Will’s house when you leave for the party.”
“I can do that, too?”
“Yes.”
Now Rosemary looked pleased. “No more TSA lines,” she said. “I am totally down with that.” Her expression sobered almost immediately, though, and she went on, “What else do I need to know?”
“Only that you can use your powers to ward yourself and Will,” John replied. “Or rather, think of it as a minor enchantment you can use to wrap around yourself.”
“Like a disguise?” Will asked, and the other man shook his head.
“Not exactly. It’s more that anyone with demonic blood in attendance will simply ignore you, and won’t have any need to notice you or interact with you in any way. Of course, it’s not infallible — you need to do whatever you can to avoid attracting attention. Slip in, blend, mingle…and then get out.”
Arms crossed, Rosemary asked, “If it’s so simple, why don’t you do it? You must be more powerful than I am.”
Her father didn’t even blink. “My task is to observe. I’m already walking the line by giving you this advice. If I were to interfere directly — ” He broke off there, mouth tight, then said, “I’m afraid this is something you’ll have to do on your own.”
Will wanted to ask more questions, but something in John McGuire’s expression told him that answers would not be forthcoming. Instead, he glanced down at Rosemary. “You okay with this?”
“No, but I’m not going to waste time arguing.” She closed her eyes briefly, as if doing her best to inwardly visualize what her father had told her about using her powers to create enough misdirection that the demons wouldn’t even know she was there. “I saw the hard drive in Daniel Lockwood’s office,” she went on. “But what if he’s moved it?”
“He wouldn’t have taken it out of the house,” John replied. “It’s too valuable to him. But locked doors aren’t much of a hindrance to us.”
No, obviously not, what with the way both he and Rosemary were able to transport themselves pretty much anywhere they liked. However….
“What if he put it in a safe?” Will asked.
A lift of the shoulders. “Like I said, locks are really not a problem for us. The most important thing is to avoid detection. If the hard drive really is locked away somewhere, then it might be some time before he even realizes it’s missing.”
That sounded like a best-case scenario, but Will figured they might as well allow themselves to be cautiously optimistic. After all, what was the point in even attempting such a maneuver if you were pretty sure it was doomed to failure from the start?
“Okay,” she said. “Anything else we need to know?”
John shook his head. “Just be careful, and be quick. After that…I suppose it’s up to fate. Best of luck.”
And he disappeared.
Rosemary blinked. “Well…that was abrupt.”
Will had been thinking much the same thing, but he only said, “I suppose he thought he’d done what he needed to, and wanted to give us some time alone. It’s clear he’s focused on making sure we get the hard drive — and don’t get caught.”
She didn’t look terribly convinced by that argument, but she didn’t protest. Instead, she came over to Will and wrapped her arms around him. “All right,” she said. “We’re alone. Now what?”
In answer, he bent and kissed her, tasted her sweetness and felt her lithe, lovely body press up against him. “Oh, I could think of a few things.”
The wicked glint had definitely returned to her big blue eyes. She grinned, and led him over to the bed.
And he proceeded to show her that truly, nothing between them had changed.
Chapter 17
Rosemary set down the straightening iron and eyed herself critically in the mirror. It had been a while since she’d done this to her hair, but all the hours of fighting her unruly mane when she was in high school and still cared about such things must have remained in her muscle memory, because her hair actually looked pretty good, lying shiny and sleek over her shoulders. It also felt longer than normal, the straightening process having added a couple of virtual inches to her chestnut-brown locks.
Between that and the smoky eye makeup — courtesy of a quick run to the local Walgreens earlier in the day, because of course when she was at Nordstrom the day before, she’d completely forgotten about getting any cosmetics to supplement the mascara and lip gloss she’d brought along on this trip — she wouldn’t say she was completely unrecognizable, but even someone who knew her probably would have had to look twice to confirm her identity. She honestly didn’t know whether any of the Greencastle demons would have recognized her on sight even if she was looking like herself. But this disguise, subtle as it was, did make her feel a little bit better about walking into Daniel Lockwood’s house.
She put the cosmetics in her overnight bag and then went out into the main part of the hotel room. Will stood in front of the mirror there, frowning a little as he fussed with his tie. In her opinion, there was nothing for him to be frowning at — he looked damn amazing in that suit. How he’d managed to find one that fit him so well at such short notice, she
had no idea. Maybe God had been smiling down on him…if you believed in that sort of thing.
“You look good,” she said. “Too bad we’re not going out on a hot date.”
His gaze moved from the reflection in the mirror over to where she stood, and she could see the admiration in his eyes. “You look incredible.” A pause, and then he quickly added, “Although I think I like your curly hair better.”
She chuckled. “Is that the truth, or are you just trying to be polite?”
“It’s the truth,” he said, and his eyes met hers in the mirror and held. “You’re perfect just as you are, Rosemary. But I do have to say I like that dress.”
Her fingers brushed against the skirt. She really liked it, too — liked the way it followed the lines of her body without being too clingy, appreciated how its soft gray-blue hue echoed the color of her eyes. No, it wasn’t particularly sexy or revealing, but she should have known that Will was the sort of man who would appreciate its subtle appeal.
“Me, too,” she replied. “And hopefully, I’ll be able to wear it again on a real date. Are you almost ready?” And she glanced at the clock, which told her it was a little after seven. Technically, the fundraising cocktail party had started on the hour, but she knew they definitely didn’t want to be among the first to arrive. No, they should appear in that comfortable zone about twenty minutes or so after the festivities had begun; that way, they had a better chance of blending in with the other couples and groups who’d be showing up at around the same time.
Will gave his tie a final tug and then nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be.” He paused before adding, “I’m still not entirely happy about the car situation.”
Neither was she, but while her newly acquired and ever-growing powers seemed vast to her, they weren’t quite up to the task of snapping her fingers and sending their rental back to where they’d got it in Indianapolis. No, they’d decided about the best they could do was to leave it here at the hotel and then call the local Enterprise office — since there actually was one in Greencastle — after they were safely back in California to have someone come by and collect it. Because they’d already scoped out the neighborhood where Daniel Lockwood’s house was located, Rosemary knew she could have herself and Will appear in the shadow of a big tree located in his right-hand neighbor’s yard.
Speaking of snapping her fingers….
“And you’re packed?” she asked.
He nodded.
Not really a snap of her fingers, but more a mental twist. Just a slight bend of her thoughts toward her overnight bag and Will’s duffle, and they were sent from the hotel room all the way back to California, where they now sat on the floor in his bedroom.
With any luck, the rest of the evening would go as smoothly.
That little detail managed, Rosemary went over to him and entwined his fingers with hers. His skin was warm against her flesh, reassuring her. She knew her own hands must feel like ice, because she was chill with nerves, but there was no backing out now. They had to get that footage away from the Lockwoods.
A slight tightening of her fingers, and the hotel room was replaced by cold night air and the shadow of an oak tree that sheltered them from any unfriendly eyes. Her heel was resting on a tree root, and she stumbled for the barest second before Will’s grip strengthened and he held her in place.
“Are you all right?” he asked in a murmur.
“Fine,” she said, a little annoyed with herself for her clumsiness. “Next time, I’ll do a better job of sticking the dismount.”
He chuckled — but she noticed how he maintained his hold on her hand, how he helped steady her as she walked across the grass of the neighbor’s lawn and to the street. Unlike her own neighborhood back in California, there wasn’t any sidewalk here; the best they could do was make their way along the edge of the street, past the parked cars that had already begun to take up all the available space. In a way, that was good, just because with so many cars already here, probably no one would notice that they hadn’t come in their own vehicle.
Lights gleamed from every window of the Lockwood house, and graceful outdoor candle lamps hanging from wrought-iron hooks illuminated the front walk. Rosemary and Will fell in behind a group of three older couples, obviously good friends, judging by the way they chatted as they headed up the path to the door.
To her relief, the man at the front door was obviously not Daniel Lockwood, nor any of the other Underhill Trust demons. She heard one of the men from the group in front of her and Will call him Thomas, and guessed from a few other things they said that he must be the head librarian here in Greencastle. He didn’t seem surprised to see a couple of complete strangers walk in, only greeted them warmly and thanked them for contributing to the library.
They smiled and said it was their honor, and then they were safely inside. The house seemed huge — she guessed it was nearly twice the size of Michael Covenant’s extremely spacious home — but the ground floor still seemed crowded, with well-dressed people ranging from their thirties all the way up to their seventies or more bustling about, chatting and nibbling hors d’oeuvres and drinking wine or champagne or cocktails.
As soon as she and Will emerged from the shelter of the oak tree in the neighbor’s yard, Rosemary had conjured the enchantment her father had spoken of, the one that would make the two of them unobtrusive, unmemorable. She still hadn’t seen any of the Underhill Trust demons, but she assumed they had to be around somewhere.
Will snagged them a couple of flutes of champagne from a passing waiter’s tray and then murmured as he handed one of them to her, “Any idea where the hard drive is?”
“Mmm,” she replied noncommittally, then took a sip of champagne. Probably water would have been safer, but the champagne would help them to blend in. As she sipped again, she let her thoughts drift, moving to the vision she’d had the day before, of the hard drive sitting in the middle of that huge polished mahogany desk.
This time, though, as the image of the desk and the library which surrounded it swam up in her mind’s eye, she could see that the desk’s surface was completely empty, with even the blotter that had occupied the space now gone.
“Not there,” she said in an undertone, her tone terse. Maybe it had been expecting too much to think that Daniel Lockwood would have left the damn thing out there in plain sight while he hosted an intimate party for two hundred guests, and yet the pang of disappointment that went through her was almost physically painful.
However, Will only nodded, his expression resigned, as if he’d been expecting such a thing. “Do you know where he put it?”
Rosemary wanted to snap that no, of course she didn’t. But she realized that her powers or her sight or whatever she wanted to call those strange abilities must also have been enhanced, and now was the time to make them work for her, rather than believing that they came and went at their own whim without any control on her end.
Another sip of champagne, and she shifted so her back was to most of the people in the crowded living room where they stood. Will seemed to understand what she was doing, because he moved as well, doing his best to block her from any casual passersby. To most people, it would only have looked as though they were sharing an intimate conversation, but of course she knew there was a far greater purpose to what she did now.
Once again, she visualized Daniel Lockwood’s library/office, but only so she could place where it was in the house — at the back, at the end of the hallway that bisected the ground floor. From there, her consciousness moved out — into the living room where they stood now, and into the family room on the other side of the hallway from Lockwood’s office, the enormous dining room, the equally large kitchen and accompanying nook, with a table large enough to accommodate a sit-down Thanksgiving dinner, the powder room and full bath off the family room. In all that space, though, she didn’t get one whiff of the hard drive, which meant it wasn’t down here at all. That made sense, she supposed; the half-demon would want to keep his
treasure far away from the regular humans who were milling about the house, drinking and chatting, never realizing that their host wasn’t exactly what he pretended to be.
All right. If it wasn’t down here somewhere, then the drive would have to be hidden upstairs in one of the bedrooms. If she hadn’t acquired her handy new talent of being able to wish herself wherever she needed to go, Rosemary might have worried about how she was supposed to sneak upstairs, even with as crowded as the house currently was. However, she knew she could simply hide herself in a bathroom and then zap herself up to the hard drive’s hiding place…assuming she was able to track down where Lockwood had hidden the damn thing.
There seemed to be five bedrooms upstairs — four rooms of various sizes and the master suite, which was enormous, with a separate sitting area and a walk-in closet bigger than her living room and a bathroom that could have swallowed all of hers and Will’s room back at the DePauw University Hotel. Briefly, she allowed herself to wonder why someone with only one child would need a house this big, but she realized there was nothing practical about such a place. It existed only for show, to prove to everyone else in this small town how successful its owner was.
Something about the master bedroom was drawing her, though, making her realize that all those other rooms were completely irrelevant. She saw it then — the hard drive sitting in a drawer amongst a collection of leather- and velvet-covered jewelry cases in various shapes and sizes. That vision was followed by a flash of Daniel Lockwood himself putting the drive there, stacking the cases on top of and around it. Most likely, his wife didn’t even know it was there, hiding amongst all the various gifts he’d given her over the years.
“I’ve got it,” she murmured, and Will sent her a relieved smile.
“Where?”
“Upstairs,” she said, still in an undertone. Then she lifted the champagne flute to her lips and took another sip. Speaking more loudly this time, she said, “Darling, could you hold this for me? I need to go to the ladies’ room.”
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