by Trudi Jaye
“Zeph. Sam. I need you to take Missy back to the medical center. I’m finished with her for now. And Sam, can you ask Lorenzo to send someone to clean my couches?” Veronica’s voice was soft and pleasant, like she was asking them to make a cup of tea.
Zeph’s hand clenched, but he managed to smile and do as she said. He followed Sam over to Missy, and when the doc gestured at him, he picked her up despite the pain of his back and cradled her in his arms. She was whimpering and her body was shaking. Her eyes were closed, but she whispered, “Zeph,” as he held her, like she could sense him without even seeing him.
He managed to resist replying, or even stroking her hair like he wanted to, and followed Sam out the door.
“She needs to be ready to perform tonight, Sam.” Veronica’s voice followed them through the door. “Make sure she’s ready. You know how.”
Sam’s steps faltered, and then he continued, not looking back to the white office.
As soon as they made it outside, Zeph whispered to Missy, “It’s going to be okay. Don’t worry, Missy. We’ll get you out of this.”
Missy just curled up tighter against him, and a gaping hole formed in Zeph’s chest. He’d stood there and watched while Veronica did this to Missy. Watched her violate her very being and didn’t do anything to stop it. How was she ever going to forgive him for that? He might as well have been the one to do it himself. He strode along behind Sam, silently berating himself. By the time they got to the medical center, he was shaking.
“In here,” said Sam curtly, gesturing toward a room. He stalked off down another hallway.
Sam probably blamed Zeph for letting this happen too.
Zeph followed him into the room and placed Missy gently on the bed. He managed to stroke a shaking hand over her forehead and make soothing noises to her. It was the least he could do given what had happened. When she came back to the world, she probably wouldn’t want him touching her.
Sam returned to the room with some water and a damp facecloth. His face was pale, and he silently handed the items to Zeph. He put the water on the bedside table and used the cloth to wipe at Missy’s face, cooling her down and soothing her.
“Will she be okay?” asked Zeph softly.
“Yes. At least she won’t die. But she’ll be trapped here, doing Veronica’s will until then.” Sam paused. “Like me.”
Zeph swung around to look at him. “Like you? That’s why you’re here? She’s got one of those blocks on you too?”
Sam nodded. “I’ve been here for ten godforsaken years. I thought the only way out was to die, and I was prepared to do it. Then I got my hopes up, thinking if anyone could do it, Missy and Tilly could.” He took a big breath. “And now, because I wasn’t prepared to go up against Veronica, that’s not going to happen. I just stood there and watched her do this to Missy. I’m so sorry, Zeph. You must hate me.”
Zeph blinked, then cracked out a humorless laugh. “I don’t hate you. I was too busy blaming myself.” He shook his head, trying to clear it. “Veronica has us all tied up in royal knots, but we have to find a way to get out. We have to beat her.”
“I don’t know how. Missy was supposed to be the one creating the diversion. She won’t be able to do that now, not with that block inside her.”
“We need to find Tilly, see if she has any ideas.”
Sam nodded. “You’re right.” He paused. “How long do you usually have until you go back under?”
Zeph thought about it. “It’s been getting longer and longer every time I come out. I would have been back under already if this were the first time. Last time it took a good hour or so.”
“Okay, so you’ve been out fifteen minutes so far. Can you go find Tilly for me? It will look less suspicious for you to go to the Big House than me. Get her to come here to see me.”
Zeph glanced at Missy, reluctant to leave her, but he understood the need to talk to Tilly. “She’s in the Big House?”
“Yes. Hurry. We’re running out of time.” Sam shooed him out the door.
“Okay. I’ll be back with her as soon as I can.”
Zeph started running as soon as he stepped onto the footpath despite the agony it caused his back. It was good to feel something, even if it was pain.
It probably looked suspicious, and if Veronica saw him, she’d think it was odd, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He only had limited time out from under the influence, and he was going to find Tilly and get back to Missy in record time.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
“I’ll do whatever it takes,” said Zeph, his eyes blazing.
Missy watched him through half-open eyes as she lay on her bed in the medical center. He looked magnificent, standing there vowing to save them all from Veronica. She gave a small half smile. Even with this burning curse magic pulsing inside her, she could appreciate Zeph’s attributes. Especially when he was himself and not the dopey minion he became whenever he went back under Veronica’s influence.
“I’m sorry, Zeph. You’re just not reliable. I know you’ve been out for an hour, but you could go back under her influence at any moment.” Tilly’s voice was regretful but firm. Beside her, Sam nodded.
“We need someone for the second half of the plan, right? The first half is underway?” asked Zeph.
Tilly nodded. “I turned up the refrigerant in the ice rink, and all the alarms are off. We just need someone to go in and set them on again tonight when the time is right, which won’t take long. It’s the fire alarms that are going to take the most time.”
Missy closed her eyes. She still felt the burning inside her from the block Veronica had forced into her body. It lay like a heavy weight, reminding her she was now a prisoner, unable to rescue her friends and family as she had planned. Tilly was now the only person not directly under Veronica’s influence. The rest of them were trapped, unable to move against her. How were they supposed to escape with all the people who needed their help? Zeph’s Mom, Kitten—who was now back home but had a damn knife wound in her arm—her own mother and father.
“My dad,” said Missy, her voice coming out in a croak. She cleared her throat. “My dad isn’t under the curse magic. Veronica let Mom hurt him too badly. He’ll help, given how much it upset Mom.” He’d agreed to help her when she’d visited him that night.
“Can he be trusted?”
Tilly’s question hurt, but Missy swallowed the desire to defend him blindly and considered her answer. “He’s motivated by helping people. All of the stupid stuff he did at the Carnival was because he thought Lucietta needed his help. He had some misguided sense of responsibility to her. And the sole reason he’s still here is that he has, up until now, believed it was the best place for my mother. But it’s not. He understands that now.”
Missy blinked.
Everything she’d just said was true. Her father wasn’t motivated by evil plans to destroy people. He just wanted to help. It made it easier to think of him as her father again. And if he was involved in the plans, he and her mother might just be able to escape.
She glanced down at her torso. Because she didn’t think she was going to be able to go anywhere with this blazing ball of nastiness inside her. All the planning they were doing was for the others. She knew that. There was no escaping Veronica now that she had her claws so deeply into her. Missy forced down a sob and tried to concentrate.
Tilly was looking at Sam. “At this point, you’re the only one I dare ask to talk to Christoph. You can go visit him on the pretext of checking on him.” She paused and looked at him, considering. “How much can you do without experiencing the pain of Veronica’s block?”
Sam sighed. “Mine was an early one, and she’s never bothered to update it. I can’t leave, because she expressly doesn’t want me to, and I have to follow direct orders she gives me. But otherwise, I have leeway. I’ve never given her trouble before, and I don’t think she expects it from me.”
“Is there anyone else we can trust to help us?” asked Zeph, his gaze
going between Tilly and Sam.
Missy watched him silently. He was still trying to save them all. What he hadn’t realized was by discussing their plans together like this, they were admitting they’d all given up. Veronica could easily get information from herself, Sam, or Zeph if she wanted to, and if their plans were to succeed, Tilly shouldn’t be talking to any of them. But they were beyond desperate. They were just going through the motions, pretending they had a chance of getting out of here.
Moisture pooled at the corners of her eyes, and she wiped it away.
Tilly glanced at Sam and then answered Zeph’s question. “It’s hard to know,” she said. “So many are under Veronica’s influence that they would tell her, even if it’s against their own best interests. Even if they wanted to escape.”
“What about Alphonso?” Missy said, looking at Tilly. “He’s not under.”
“Which is why I don’t know. Why does he stay? What does he get from being here?” Tilly frowned.
Sam took a breath. “I have a theory,” he said, glancing at her.
Missy nodded at Sam when he paused. “Tell us, then.”
“It’s just a feeling I get. Something that’s bugged me for the last few years.”
“Spit it out,” said Zeph impatiently.
“I think he’s staying here for someone else. Not himself. He’s protecting someone. At first, I thought it was Marco, that maybe they’d been good friends before Marco’s accident, perhaps even lovers, and he was staying around to protect him. But recently…”
“Come on. Get on with it,” said Tilly.
“I think he’s staying here for you, Tilly.”
Tilly scrunched up her face. “What are you talking about? You think Alphonso has a thing for me?” Her tone was incredulous.
“I think he might be your father.”
The sudden silence in the room was deafening. Missy looked at Tilly, trying to see similarities to Alphonso’s dark Italian looks in her face. She didn’t have his dark coloring—but she did have some of the same mannerisms. And maybe her eyes…?
“Don’t be ridiculous, Sam. He’s not my father,” said Tilly.
“How do you know? Who is your real father? Do you know?” Sam challenged her.
Tilly shook her head. “I don’t know, and I don’t care. But I know it isn’t Alphonso.”
“How? How do you know?”
“He and my mother hate each other. Always have. They struggle to be in the same room together, let alone have sex. There’s no way.”
“Sometimes when people break up, it’s easier to hate the other person than to try and build a friendship out of it,” mused Sam.
“But why would my mother keep it a secret? What’s the point?”
“I don’t have all the answers, and I’m open to the idea that I might be wrong. But I think there are enough similarities between the two of you—including your blood type, I might add—that I’m saying it here.”
“But what does that change for us? If he is Tilly’s father?” said Zeph impatiently.
“If he’s here for Tilly, then he’ll help us. He isn’t under the influence, and he doesn’t have a block. And for whatever reason, Veronica trusts him.”
“Then we should approach him, see what he says,” said Zeph.
Tilly’s face was pale. “What if you’re right and he is my father? How am I supposed to deal with that?”
“I don’t know. We deal with it after we get out of here, once we know we’re safe. And not a moment before,” said Sam. “C’mon, Tilly. I know you’re strong. We need Alphonso if we’re going to keep our plans in motion. Do you want to be stuck here? Do you want Kitten to be stuck here?”
Tilly shook her head violently, but her lips were pressed tight in a thin white line.
“Then who’s going to approach him?”
“I’ll do it,” whispered Missy. It might not work, but it was a chance for her to get her family out of here. She had to take it.
“Are you sure?” Zeph was immediately at her side. “Maybe you shouldn’t get up.”
Missy lifted her hand and placed it over Zeph’s. “She told Sam I had to be ready to perform tonight, right? Then I have to get up anyway, whatever happens. I might as well use my time doing something useful. I’ll tell him we need to practice, and I’ll ask him while we’re up there.” She tried not to think about how much it was going to hurt getting up out of the bed, let alone up high. She tightened her hand over Zeph’s.
“What if you can’t do it? What if the block won’t let you?” he whispered.
“Then I’ll tell one of you, and someone else can do it.” Missy felt like her heart was breaking. She was trapped here, the sharp claws of Veronica’s magic inserted deep into her soul. She couldn’t even be sure she could help her friends and family escape. She hated Veronica with every inch of her being, but she had to do everything the older woman told her to. She was well and truly stuck inside this deadly cage.
***
Zeph closed the door quietly and took a deep breath. He would get them out of this if it killed him. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Sam leaving through the main door. He was going to talk to Christoph. They’d decided they would ask both men, with the assumption that someone was bound to say no. In a couple long strides, he caught up to the doctor. “Take me with you,” said Zeph, grabbing Sam’s arm.
Sam shook his head. “No. You’re unreliable, just like Tilly said.”
“You’re just as unreliable with that block inside you. I know the plan, so whether she reels me in now or if I’m at Missy’s parents’, I’ll still know the same information.”
“Why are you doing this?” Sam narrowed his eyes at Zeph, as if trying to understand the inner workings of his brain.
“It’s not complicated. I need to be doing something. Sitting around here is killing me.” Zeph gestured around at the medical center, where he seemed to be spending a large proportion of his days recently.
Sam paused for a moment and then sighed. “Okay. C’mon.” He led the way out the door.
Minutes later, they were at Christoph and Barbarina’s house. It looked exactly like his mother’s place. Sam knocked and Barb answered, her smile huge as she saw them.
“Oh, Sam, and you’ve brought Missy’s boyfriend with you. What was your name again, honey? I forget.” She waved them both inside the house.
“My name is Zeph.” Zeph followed her down a short hallway and into the living room.
“Strange. That’s the same name as Abba’s boy.” She stopped and turned back toward Zeph, a tiny frown marring her forehead. “It was so sad when he left. Abba loved that boy.”
Zeph didn’t know what to say and settled in the end for the truth. “I’m the same person. Abba was my father,” he said.
She put one hand to her cheek. “Oh. I’m so sorry about what happened to your father. It was a tragedy. And you’ve already had too many of those in your young life.”
Zeph frowned and would have questioned her further, but Sam interrupted, giving him a glare. “Is Christoph here, Barb? We need to talk to him.”
“He’s resting. But I’m sure he’d want to see you both. I’ll just go get him.” She smiled and wandered away.
“We need to stay focused. Especially if Veronica is going to call you back at any moment,” Sam whispered.
Zeph nodded. Sam was right. But he burned to know more about what Barb had been talking about.
Christoph arrived a few minutes later, and Zeph did a double take. The man was enormous—huge, muscled arms, large barrel chest, and legs like tree trunks. He also had healing scabs on his face, neck, and arms from a multitude of cuts and burns.
He nodded at Sam. “And who’s this?” he said, gesturing toward Zeph. His voice rumbled low and gravelly.
“This is Zeph. He’s… friends with Missy,” said Sam.
“Barb says he’s her boyfriend.”
Zeph cleared his throat. “It’s complicated at the moment. While we’re here.”
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“What’s that supposed to mean?” Christoph’s eyes narrowed down at Zeph. “Sounds like an excuse to me.”
“It means I go back under Veronica’s magic every five minutes, so I can’t be trusted,” said Zeph. His heart pounded in his ears, and he half expected the big man to punch him.
“We’re not here to talk about that, Chris. We need your help.” Sam rushed in to break up the tense silence. “Veronica’s put a block on Missy.”
Christoph’s eyes swung around to Sam. “What? When? Just give me a minute and I’ll go to her.” He turned around, ready to storm back down the hallway, when Sam’s hand on his arm stopped him.
“You can’t do that. Veronica has barred you from seeing her until just before the performance. And she’s real angry at Missy, so she means it this time.”
“Then why are you here?” Christoph’s eyes flashed angrily.
Zeph stepped forward. “We need help, and Missy said you might be the one who could provide it.”
Christoph’s face flashed with pain, and then he nodded, gesturing at the two men to sit on the cream leather sofas in their living area. “Sit. Let’s discuss it.”
Sam sat and then leaned forward. “Missy says you know about the escape plan. Tilly’s back, and between them, they’re making it happen. But with Missy out of action, we don’t have the people to actually do it. We need your help.”
“If it’s the same idea she had before, to do something that will frighten and quite possibly hurt a large number of people—I can’t do it.”
“It’s unlikely it will hurt anyone. And it’s the only way out, Chris,” said Sam. “We need to do something that will shock so many people out from the magic that Veronica will be overwhelmed and we can escape in the confusion.”
“I want to help. I want Missy and Barb out of here. I’ll do what I can to make that happen. But I can’t be part of something that will hurt people.” Tears welled in his eyes. “I’ve done too much of that already.”