“We?”
Nicole nodded. “If you think Beck and I would miss it, you’re crazy.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
MUCH TO OUR RELIEF, Beck wasted no time returning.
Faye and Nicole slept all the way back to Peacock Flats. Not me. Adrenaline burned through my body like high-octane fuel. In a scant forty-eight hours, I’d be facing the biggest challenge of my life. I squirmed in the backseat of the Jeep, trying not to wake my mother as I ticked off a mental to-do list.
My fidgeting attracted Beck’s attention. “We could drive there,” he said. “It’s only a little over a thousand miles.”
“Yeah, but do you really want to listen to Nicole bitch and moan all the way to the Devils Tower?”
“We’ll leave her home. Problem solved.”
Nicole stirred in her seat. “Screw you, Beck. I’m going and that’s that.”
“Me too,” Faye murmured.
Oh great. This was turning into a road trip.
“Not a good idea,” I told my mother. “Remember the first order of business for the Trimarks is to kill you, Mike and me. Why should we make it easy for them?”
Faye patted my hand. “No worries. You’re going to keep that from happening.”
I stifled a groan. I was glad my mother had confidence in me, but what if I failed? I had the moonstone. I didn’t have Sammie. With great effort, I shook off my fears. I couldn’t afford to think about failure.
It was almost midnight when we got back to Peacock Flats.
Faye wanted to catch a couple hours of sleep before her morning shift at the diner. Nicole was equally wiped out. After dropping them off, Beck and I headed for Vista Valley Regional Medical Center. Mike had left our names with the grumpy security guard. He picked up the phone and reluctantly waved us through.
We stepped out of the elevator and came face-to-face with my old friend, Nurse Haugen, impressive in her white, starched uniform. She crossed her arms and scanned my body from top to bottom. “You again?”
“Yep, it’s me,” I said, “You’re working the night shift now? Don’t you ever go home?”
She shrugged. “It’s temporary.”
She led us to Dennis’s room, which, coincidentally, was two doors down from Junior. Maybe they’d rename this section of the hospital, The Friends of Allie Emerson wing. After threatening us with unspeakable horrors, including both death and dismemberment if we dared to wake her patient, Nurse Haugen swished away.
Minding her orders, we tiptoed up to the bed. Dennis was on his back, snoring lightly. Both arms were bandaged, and he was hooked to an IV. Mike was snoozing in a chair next to the bed and roused at our approach. I mimicked zipping my lips and pointed to the hall. Yeah, Nurse Haugen was that scary.
Once outside the room, Mike said, “Dennis lost a lot of blood. They’ve given him a transfusion, but plan to keep him for a few days.”
We filled him in on the message Trent had scratched into the snow as he lay dying.
Mike swallowed hard and swiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. When he was able to speak, he said, “He came through for us. I’ll be sure to let Dennis know.”
I checked to make sure Nurse Haugen wasn’t lurking nearby. “I’m going to check on Junior before we leave.”
Mike said, “We need to make travel plans.”
We? Slack jawed, I stared at Mike.
“I know I haven’t been much of a father to you, but you’re my kid and I’m going with you. End of story.”
I wasn’t sure what to say, so I just nodded. My little contingent of Trimark fighters was growing by the minute.
As Beck and Mike headed for the cafeteria and coffee, I sneaked into Junior’s room. The TV was on, the volume turned down. Junior was asleep, curled up on his right side and facing the door. At least that’s what I thought. I looked down at him, considered dropping a kiss on his forehead, but I didn’t want to wake him. When I turned to leave, his arm snaked out, hooked me around the waist and yanked. I squeaked in surprise as I ended up on the hospital bed, spooning with him.
I felt the rumble of his laughter against my back. “Thought I was asleep, didn’t you?”
I shifted on the bed until we were face-to-face. Our noses touched. “Looks like you’re feeling better.”
Junior stroked my cheek with his index finger. I shivered at his touch. “Yeah,” he said. “I’m better. I want outta this place, but they won’t let me go because of the concussion.”
I heard footsteps in the hall and stiffened, ready to bolt out of Junior’s bed.
“Don’t worry. We’ve got twenty minutes before Nurse Haugen drops in to wake me up and ask if I’m having trouble sleeping.”
Still panicky, I said, “Are you sure?”
“Relax, Emerson. Tell me what’s happening in your world.”
It took most of the twenty minutes to fill him in on my trip to Boundless and Lake Simcoe. Okay, confession time. We used up some of that time making out. Even lying in a hospital bed with cuts, bruises, a ruptured spleen and a concussion, Junior was hard to resist.
With five minutes left on the clock, I kissed him goodbye and headed for the door.
“Emerson,” he called softly.
I paused, one hand on the doorknob.
“I’m gonna charter a plane for you guys,” he said. “I’ll call you tomorrow with the details.”
Stunned, I just stared at him.
“Well, say something.”
Finally, I found my voice. “No way, Junior. That would cost a fortune.”
He sat up in bed. His don’t-mess-with-Junior glare was barely visible in the ambient light. “Try and stop me.”
“We’ll talk tomorrow.”
“Damn right, we will. I’ll let you know the pick-up time.”
I blew him a kiss and slipped out the door.
THE NEXT MORNING, Monday, the phone woke me at 10:25. Groggy with sleep, I leaped from my couch bed, grabbed the phone, dropped it on the floor and then answered it upside down. When I heard the faint squawk of a man’s voice, but couldn’t make out the words, I realized what happened and turned it right side up.
“Sorry,” I mumbled. “Who is it?”
“It’s Andy. I’m calling about your mom.”
My exhausted mind didn’t compute about. “She’s not here, Andy. She’s at work.”
“I know,” Andy said. “I’m calling about her. She’s had an accident.”
My heart slammed in my chest. Had a frustrated Revelle done something awful to Faye? No way! She’d have shot him through the heart. “What happened?”
Andy drew a shaky breath. “She broke her left arm.”
Visions of Revelle still danced in my head. “How?”
“She fell while carrying a heavy tray. We’re at Regional now. She wanted me to let you know she’s okay.”
I had a sudden visual of Faye parked in the room between Dennis and Junior. “Does she have to stay in the hospital?”
“No, we’re in the ER. I’ll be bringing her home soon.”
I’d barely hung up the phone when Junior called. “Seven a.m. tomorrow. Vista Valley airport. Look for WB Epic Air Service.”
“Okay,” I said. “Epic sounds big. 747s can’t land at Vista Valley.”
“Not that kind of epic,” Junior said. “Two P’s. E-P-P-I-C.”
“Weird,” I said.
“Not really. That’s their name. Epp. Get it? Eppic?”
“Yeah, I get it. What’s the WB?”
“First names. Wayne’s the pilot. Beverly’s his wife, sort of a co-pilot/stewardess combination.”
“Okaaaay,” I said. “Have you flown with Eppic Air?”
“No,” Junior said. “But they come highly recommended.”
“Who?”
“They flew my mother back from Mexico and she said they were fine.”
“Your mother recommended them?” Yeah, I sounded like an ungrateful ass, but we were talking about the woman who used to hate my guts.
I sighed. “Seven a.m.,” I repeated. “We’ll be there. Thanks, Junior.”
“No problem,” he said. “And keep me posted. Borrow the demon kid’s cell phone.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’ll do that.”
After I clicked off, I toyed with the idea of returning to my bed. My pink comforter and fluffy pillow were calling to me, big-time. Instead, I tidied up the place. Faye and Andy would be home soon, and I had a ton of stuff to do before tomorrow morning. I was up to my elbows in dirty dishes and sudsy water when the phone rang again.
“Allie?”
The voice was familiar.
“Yes,” I said, cautiously.
“It’s Anna Starr.”
I pursed my lips in disgust. Anna’s Trimark mother was nothing if not persistent. Be nice, Allie. It’s not Anna’s fault.
“Yes,” I said again. Maybe if I stuck to one-syllable words, she’d give up.
“I know you don’t trust me, and I don’t blame you,” she said. “You don’t have to say anything. Just listen.”
Sounded good to me. “Okay.”
“After you guys came to California, my mom sent me away to boarding school. I’m on the East Coast, as far away from the West Coast as she could send me.” She paused for a moment. I could hear her breathing into the phone.
“And?” I prompted.
“Last week, I went into a little shop where they had antique jewelry. I saw a necklace that reminded me of you. The old lady who owns the shop put it around my neck. When I tried to pay her, she wouldn’t let me. She gave it to me, Allie. Nobody does that. I think you’re supposed to have it.”
She now had my full interest. Was there another moonstone floating around somewhere? “What does it look like?”
“Stars,” she said. “It’s a pendant with a night sky.”
“And a moon?”
“No moon. Just a bunch of stars.”
“Why do you think I’m supposed to have it?”
“I don’t know. I can’t explain it. It’s just a feeling.”
Was Anna’s mother behind this call? Pulling her strings like a puppet? There was no way I could tell.
“So, give me your address,” she said “and I’ll send it to you.”
Alarm bells dinged. Visions of booby-trapped mail danced through my head. Yes, I still had major trust issues with my twin. Even so, if the Trimarks were behind her offer, their timing was way off.
“I appreciate it, Anna, but I’ve gotta go. I just found out Faye broke her arm and she’s on her way home. How about you call me next week and we’ll work out the details.”
“Allie, don’t hang up!” Her voice was shrill with urgency.
I couldn’t deal with it right now.
“Bye, Anna Starr,” I murmured and clicked off. A couple of minutes later, it hit me. I’d called her Anna Starr instead of Anne Marie.
Chapter Twenty-Four
ELEVEN P.M. Faye snored lightly, deep in a Vicodin-induced slumber. My fully loaded backpack rested next to the door, my clothes spread across the chair for easy access in the morning. My couch bed was made up, but there wasn’t a smidgen of sleep in my body.
I slipped out the door and crossed to the gnarled old apple tree next to the trailer, my favorite spot to ponder life’s little mysteries. In my case, life’s humongous mysteries. Like, out of all the teenage girls in the world, why was I born with this stupid star on my hand? A stupid star that came with a butt load of baggage? Earlier today, I’d visited Kizzy and asked her the same question I’d been asking over and over for the last two years. “Why me?”
Her response was always the same. Each time, she’d take both my hands in hers and stare deeply into my eyes. “Because, Alfrieda, things happen for a reason, exactly as they are supposed to. You are the girl whose palm bears the mark of the star. Like it or not, you are the Keeper of the Light. It is your destiny.”
This time, though, she’d varied the routine a little. She’d pulled me in for a hug and whispered, “You, my dear, are more than ready to meet the challenge. Never doubt it.”
Now, I sat with my back against the apple tree and watched a teacup moon rise above the orchard. A gentle breeze stirred the branches, and a moving shadow fell across the moon’s surface. Beck, in professor mode, had informed me the moon was waning, not waxing. Apparently a waxing moon grows larger each night until it becomes full. A waning moon does the opposite. So, on the night of the summer solstice, the moon would be even tinier.
A shiver scampered up my spine as I pictured a dark, looming tower of rock barely visible under a narrow sliver of moonlight as I desperately searched for the elusive portal. Then, throw in a bunch of dark fae whose major goal was to wipe me out, along with my friends and family.
Stop it, Allie! You can’t afford to think like that.
“Little miss?” The words spoken in a deep resonate voice came from the shadows next to the trailer.
I leaped up, my heart hammering against my ribcage, and whacked my head on a low-hanging branch. Unable to focus on anything but the pain, I danced around, rubbing my fingers across the rising goose egg. “Ow! Ow! Damn, that hurts!”
Only one person in the mortal or faery world calls me “little miss.” Therefore, when the pain subsided, I knew exactly who was creeping out of the shadows.
Scary faery Teagan, looking amused, walked toward me, his wicked sharp teeth bared in a frightful smile. “Many pardons, little miss. I did not anticipate my presence would cause you to injure yourself.”
“Oh, silly me,” I said, my voice shrill with outrage. “Why would I possibly be scared when a pointy-toothed faery pops out of the shadows in the middle of the night?”
Teagan’s grin grew wider. “You are famous throughout Boundless for your sarcastic wit. I assume this is an example.”
I sighed and lifted my hands in surrender. “Okay, lay it on me. What do you want?”
“Your uncle requires your presence.”
I frowned at him. “My uncle? As in Brian Cassidy?”
“How many uncles do you have?” Teagan tucked his long white-blond hair behind one ear and winked. “See, I can use sarcastic wit as well.”
“But I just saw him yesterday, in Boundless.”
“Your yesterday is not our yesterday,” Teagan said. “Please accompany me to the car.”
He waved a hand toward a familiar black SUV idling next to the trailer. My mouth fell open. It wasn’t there when I’d stepped outside earlier, and I surely would have noticed if a car had driven in. Guess I shouldn’t be surprised when it comes down to faery biz.
I followed Teagan to the car. He opened the back door, and I peeked in.
Brian Cassidy peered back at me. Worry lines creased his forehead. He snapped his fingers and pointed at the seat. “Don’t just stand there like an idiot, get in. I need to see your father before tomorrow night.”
Like an idiot? I stood stock still, glaring down at him. “Sorry, this idiot is going to bed. I’ve got a big day tomorrow.” I spun around and stomped toward the trailer.
“Avalon, wait,” Cassidy called. “I apologize for my rudeness. It’s just that I’m worried about Luminata. I didn’t want to leave her in Boundless, but it’s much too dangerous to bring her to the mortal world in her condition.”
I froze and turned back slowly, not sure I heard him correctly. Or, if I had, did it mean what I thought it meant? “What condition is that?”
A smug smile spread across Cassidy’s face. “The baby, of course. You of all people should know that.”
I climbed into the car, staring at my uncle in disbelief. “But that can’t be. It was only yesterday that I . . .”
Brian Cassidy repeated Teagan’s words, “Your yesterday is not our yesterday. Our daughter will be born soon.”
Whoa! I gave myself an imaginary high five. I’d done it. I’d cast a successful love spell. Luminata would have her little princess, T
urzahBelle would be a grandmother, and I was off the hook, faery-wise.
I grinned and offered him my hand to shake. “Congratulations, Uncle Brian.”
Teagan slipped into the driver’s seat.
After Cassidy released my hand, I said, “Why do you need to see my dad?”
“I have something for him. Something both of you will need the night of the summer solstice. We, Teagan and I, have lost track of your father’s whereabouts, which is why you must guide us there.”
I asked them to wait while I scribbled a note to Faye and left it on her bedside table. As we backed down the driveway, I said, “He’s staying at the Holiday Inn in Vista Valley, room 202. But he’s probably sound asleep.”
“Then we’ll wake him,” Cassidy said, staring straight ahead.
Clearly, he wasn’t in the mood for chitchat. We rode in silence until I pointed out the exit to Mike’s motel. A few minutes later, Teagan pulled into the parking lot.
Being naturally nosey, I couldn’t resist asking, “So, what is this thing you’re giving to Mike?”
“Never mind.” He stepped out of the car and strode toward the entry to the motel.
Miffed, I trailed behind and muttered, “Now that’s harsh. You wouldn’t even know where to find Mike if not for me.”
He flapped a hand at me like I was an annoying bug. I was getting pretty sick of Uncle Brian. The night clerk barely glanced up from his computer as we walked through the lobby, up a flight of stairs and down the silent hall to room 202. I tapped timidly at the door. No response. Cassidy nudged me aside and doubled up his fist. Bang, bang, bang!
“Geez, dial it back a notch. It’s midnight,” I murmured, half expecting an angry mob to pour into the hall looking for someone to blame for the commotion.
Cassidy took my arm and pulled me in front of the door. “Your father will look through the peephole. Since he and I have never met, he’ll be more likely to let us in if he sees your face.”
Then, he slid back against the wall, out of view.
I planted my face in front of the peephole as ordered and heard Mike fumbling with the locks.
The door opened a crack, and Mike peeked out, his eyes wide with alarm. “What’s wrong? Has something happened?”
Midnight Moon (The Unbidden Magic Series) Page 14