by Rose Pressey
How observant of him. “Are you sure you don’t know Mr. Marcos?” I asked.
Noise sounded from behind me. Nicolas stood at the threshold of his room’s door.
“If you’ll excuse me.” Liam stepped over to his room, walked inside and closed the door.
When I turned around, Nicolas had retreated into his room as well. I was left standing in the hallway wondering what had happened to my life. They were giving me a headache.
There was work to be done, so I had to push thoughts of the men out of my mind. I needed food for my guests, although the thought of going to a bakery at this point sounded more and more like a good idea. Annabelle had agreed to drive me for more groceries. I knew she didn’t want to shop for food, but she wanted more information about what was going on at LaVeau Manor. Having someone to confide in would be about the only thing to keep me sane at the moment. I had to tell her about what I’d overheard. She would freak out when she found out.
When I peeked out the front door, Annabelle was sitting in her blue Honda, motioning for me to come out.
“I see that your guests are still here,” she said when I slipped into the car.
“My cooking didn’t scare them away after all,’ I said around a laugh.
As she pulled onto the road, I studied the scenery out the passenger window, trying to figure out the best way to tell her. I tapped my fingers against the leather seat absentmindedly.
“Is something on your mind?” she asked, glancing over.
Finally, I mustered up enough nerve to explain what had happened.
After describing the whole mystifying scene, Annabelle said, “So he just burst in to the store?”
I nodded. “Yeah, it was straight out of a soap opera. I asked them to leave.”
“Your mother must have freaked out.” Annabelle said, steering around a curve.
“Surprisingly, she didn’t say much.” I paused for a moment, measuring my thoughts. “She did mention that there was an odd feeling of magic around.”
“What do you think about that?” Annabelle asked.
“I’m not sure what to think.” Apprehension gnawed at me.
I knew this was the moment when I had to tell Annabelle about what I’d heard. I had to get someone’s opinion.
“There was one thing I didn’t mention.” I tried to keep my tone casual.
“Oh no. Do I need to pull over? How bad is it?” She glanced at me with wide eyes.
“Well, it’s probably nothing.” I waved off her concern.
“Tell me. You’re scaring me.” Her voice raised a level.
“When I listened in on their conversation at breakfast I heard some things,” I said.
Her eyes widened. “Like what?”
“Well, Liam told Nicolas that he couldn’t believe he was there, which was completely odd,” I said.
Annabelle snorted. “Yeah, you could say that.”
“Anyway, then Nicolas said something but it was mostly muffled, probably because he was farthest away from the wall. I only made out two words.” I paused as their conversation replayed in my mind.
“You’re driving me crazy. What were the two words? Please tell me the words weren’t murder and women.” She motioned for me to hurry with one hand while steering with the other.
I chuckled. “No. He said ‘Underworld’ and ‘Mara.’”
“Underworld? What the heck is that? Is that some kind of sex slavery thing?” Annabelle asked.
“What? Come on. They look like perfectly nice gentleman. They couldn’t do that, right?”
She raised an eyebrow. “Anything is possible.”
I snorted. “Anyway, maybe that wasn’t what he said at all. Like I said, it was muffled.”
After a quick trip to the grocery store, we pulled into my driveway and Annabelle cut the engine when we stopped in front of the house. Walls of trees flanked both sides of the property all the way down to the river. Soft moonlight cast an eerie glow over the landscape, making the whole place look like a scene from Dracula. I knew even outside of the place gave Annabelle the creeps. The sensation of being watched was undeniable, so I couldn’t say that I blamed her.
“Do you want to stay with me tonight? We could watch old Cary Grant movies and eat popcorn,” I said with hope in my voice.
“I have a better idea. Why don’t you come back to my place and we’ll watch the movies?” Annabelle said.
I contemplated the thought. “No, I can’t do that. I have guests.”
“You can just let them have the place,” she said as she peered up at the manor.
“Don’t be silly. I can’t do that. Can I? No, no. I can’t.” I waved off the thought. “Listen, I’ll be fine. I promise to call you if anything happens.”
“You’ll call me if you need anything?” she repeated for reassurance.
“I promise,” I said, making an imaginary cross mark over my chest.
The house remained silent when I entered through the front door. I expected guests to make some level of noise. Their silence was odd. But as I stepped across the living room floor, the sound of footsteps creaked the floorboards above my head. At least I knew they were really still in the house.
Once the groceries were put away, I made my way to my room on the second floor. What were the guys doing up there? I’d heard walking around and Liam’s car was in the driveway, so I knew he was there. But I hadn’t seen Nicolas, so I wasn’t sure what he was doing. Liam could have killed him for all I knew.
My bedroom had a large mahogany bed in the middle of the room placed against the far wall. The walls were covered in a cream color. I’d thought of painting the room in a soft yellow or taupe soon. Aunt Maddy had a gorgeous deep purple velvet chaise in one of the other bedrooms, so I’d dragged it across the hall to use in my room. To the left of the door was a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf where I displayed my small collection of witch figurines along with my large book collection. The white down comforter on the bed called my name.
After soaking in the bath, I slipped into my favorite plaid pajamas and fell onto the bed. The cat curled up at the end of the bed and immediately closed his eyes. Apparently he wasn’t worried about my mysterious guests.
I was exhausted from my lack of sleep the night before. My worries would have to wait until tomorrow. Right now I needed to give my mind a break. The house was eerily still and I fell asleep within minutes of my head hitting the pillow. The quiet wouldn’t last for long.
Chapter Eleven
I woke after a few hours to the faint sound of walking around. But this wasn’t coming from either man’s room. It was coming from the attic. I was sure of it. Had the ghost returned or was it a rat? I’d prefer the ghost. Clearly, the cat wasn’t doing his job. Moonlight lit the room with a soft glow. I climbed out of bed, slid into my slippers, and headed toward the attic.
Careful of my footing, I climbed the remaining stairs, then inched across the creaking hardwood floor and down the long dark hallway. When I reached the attic door, I paused. Noise sounded from the other side again. That definitely wasn’t my imagination. Something was making a shuffling sound in there. But what? I had no choice but to open the door and find out. I didn’t even have anything to fend off the rat if it was in fact a wild creature. Where was the cat when I needed him?
I sucked in a deep breath and eased the door open. My eyes hadn’t adjusted to the darkness and I reached out to find the wall to guide me into the room. Why hadn’t I brought a flashlight? Was I really that stupid? I felt my way down the wall until I knew I was in the middle of the room. My eyes still hadn’t totally adjusted to the dark and I thought I heard movement come from the corner of the room.
There was no sense in being up here. I might as well go downstairs and get a flashlight, then come back. What if someone had broken into the house and I was now in the room with them? But why would they be in the attic? There was certainly nothing valuable up there. Other than Aunt Maddy’s old clothes, postcards, and… that was when it hit m
e. The book! What if someone was looking for the book? But no one knew it had been there. Even I hadn’t known until I stumbled upon it.
Just when I’d decided to turn around to leave, someone reached out and grabbed me from behind. I screamed out and fell backward onto the floor.
“Are you all right?” the baritone voice asked.
I recognized Liam’s voice right away.
“Let me help you up. Give me your hand.” He stretched his hand down.
I reached forward and my hand met his. It was strong and smooth and my heart sped up. He pulled me to my feet.
“What are you doing up here?” I whispered.
Liam didn’t answer. I didn’t want Nicholas to hear me and come running, although he’d probably already heard my scream.
“What are you doing up here?” I whispered in a harsh tone again.
He still didn’t answer right way, then finally he said, “I heard something so I thought I’d check it out.”
I supposed that was a plausible explanation, but it was odd for him to be in the attic.
My eyes had adjusted now, allowing me to find my way back to the door. I fumbled for the doorknob, then made my way out into the hallway. Liam followed closely behind me. The soft glow from a nightlight I’d installed in the hallway highlighted Liam’s handsome features. I stared at him, waiting for an explanation—although he’d already offered me one, it wasn’t good enough. I wasn’t ready to accept the story he’d given.
“What kind of noise did you hear?” I asked.
Before he had a chance to answer, a door swung open and heavy footsteps came down the hall. I whipped around to see Nicolas walking toward us.
He frowned. “Is everything okay? I thought I heard a scream.”
I pushed a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “Liam scared me is all.”
Nicolas glared at Liam. When I looked to Liam, he had a cocky grin on his face.
“What is so funny?” I asked.
My patience was fading quickly. They were messing with my beauty sleep and I didn’t appreciate it. Liam shook his head, but didn’t answer. I looked back at Nicolas. This macho crap from them had to end.
“I heard a noise and went to check it out. Apparently Liam had heard it too. He was in the attic looking for the source of the noise,” I said.
“Is that right?” Nicolas glared at Liam.
“I’m just making sure she is safe.” Liam’s voice was courteous but patronizing.
“I suggest that everyone go back to their rooms. We can discuss this in the morning over breakfast.” Maybe I sounded a little bossy, but someone had to take care of this situation.
The men stared at each other. Their eyes spoke volumes. The only problem was I had no idea what they were saying.
Finally, I pointed down the hallway. “Bed now.”
It was like talking to kids. But someone needed to take control of the situation. I pointed down the hall until the grown men finally shuffled toward their rooms. As I watched them walk next to each other, they kept their distance, moving slow and cautious toward their rooms. I was definitely feeling the tension between them, but there was something else. They were fighting like brothers. Not to mention that they looked a lot alike. It was odd. But since they said they didn’t know each other, I had no choice but to shrug off my thoughts.
Another question was unanswered too. Had Liam really heard a noise? Was it the same sound I’d heard or was that Liam that I’d heard? What had been the noise Liam had heard? Perhaps he’d heard the ghost.
I followed them down the hallway until both men disappeared into their rooms, shutting their doors with a bit of force. I hoped that was the last disruption I had for the evening.
With one last glance back, I went back down the flight of stairs to the second floor. Lifting the cat out of my spot, I crawled back into bed and stared at the ceiling for what seemed like forever. My thoughts ran wild in my head. The last twenty-four hours had been a whirlwind. Thoughts of the book popped into my mind. If Liam was looking for it, he could easily find it downstairs. Why would he want that book? Where had the mysterious tome come from and how would I find out?
I finally dozed off and didn’t wake until the morning sun streamed through the window and splashed across my face. When I finally remembered that I had guests, I glanced over at the clock. It was five minutes after eight. I was the worst innkeeper in the history of hospitality.
I jumped up and didn’t even bother to put on my bunny slippers. My feet slipped as I raced down the stairs and I reached out, grabbing the banister to keep from toppling headfirst all the way to the bottom. When I righted myself, I hurried the rest of the way, then raced through the house. Reaching the kitchen door, I stopped short, attempting to catch my breath, but my lack of breath wasn’t just from the running.
Chapter Twelve
Nicolas stood in front of the stove with a spatula in one hand and maple syrup in the other. This was beyond embarrassing. I was forcing my own guests to make their breakfast. I could see my mother shaking her head in my mind.
Nicolas hadn’t noticed me watching him. How he hadn’t heard me run through the house like a crazy woman was beyond me. The smell of cinnamon and syrup whirled through the air. He looked sexy with my polka dot apron tied around his waist. Underneath it he wore jeans and a black T-shirt. The casual look was good on him. But the dress pants and shirt he’d worn last night looked good too. As a matter of fact, I thought he’d look hot in just about anything.
As I was opening my mouth to announce my presence, he must have sensed me and turned around. “I saw your recipe book was open to the French toast. I hope you don’t mind that I started to cook without you.” He pointed at the sizzling pan.
Nicolas eyed me up and down. That was when I realized what I must have looked like. I eased my hand up to my hair and attempted to smooth it down. I probably looked like a peacock. I adjusted my shirt from where it had become twisted while sleeping.
“I’m sorry I overslept. You must think I’m a terrible hostess,” I said.
My stomach fluttered at the sound of his laughter. “It’s okay. You had a late night.”
I stepped into the kitchen and stood beside him. He smelled so good, like fresh soap and maple syrup. My knees went weak standing next to him and I thought that I’d collapse into a pile on the floor any second.
“Please let me finish.” I motioned for him to hand me the spatula.
He hesitated and studied me with his gorgeous blue eyes. Was he pausing because he knew my cooking sucked?
Finally, he handed me the spatula. “I really don’t mind. If you’d like to get dressed, then I can finish.”
Hmm. He had a point. I hadn’t even brushed my teeth or my hair. Did I really want to sit across the breakfast table from this gorgeous man looking like a zombie? He smiled again and held his hand out for the spatula.
“Okay. I’ll just go get dressed. If you’re sure you don’t mind?”
He shook his head. “I’d be honored to make breakfast for you.”
That reminded me. Where was Liam? Was he still asleep? I hated to bring up the subject, but I decided to ask anything.
“Where is Mr. Rankin?” I asked.
Nicolas turned his attention back to the food and scooped the toast from the skillet. “He went out. I don’t know where he went. I didn’t ask.”
Hmm. I guessed that was more of an answer than I’d expected.
“I’ll just go change,” I said, motioning over my shoulder.
He flashed a huge smile. For a split moment, something looked different about his appearance, but I couldn’t place it. Whatever I’d thought I’d seen must have been my imagination because as I searched his features again, nothing seemed different. My mind was playing tricks on me.
I rushed back upstairs and slipped into jeans and my favorite cream-colored sweater. It was tight enough to accentuate my curves but not so tight that it looked as if I was trying to impress Nicolas or Liam. I pulled my hair
back into a ponytail and brushed my teeth.
As I neared my bedroom door, the floorboard in the hallway squeaked. Was it that ghost again? I had to admit I was on edge thinking that there was possibly a ghost in the house. I tried to be tough, but it was a little creepy. Did I dare call Annabelle and tell her what I’d heard? No, it was best if I didn’t tell her. She’d never set foot in the house again. But I had to talk with someone about what was happening.
I eased out the door expecting to see a ghost, but instead came face to face with Liam. He looked dashing in his dark pants and dark blue shirt. His compelling blue eyes, his firm features and the confident set of his shoulders didn’t go unnoticed by me.
“Is everything all right?” I asked.
He looked into my room as I was closing the door. “I just wanted to apologize again for last night.”
“Think nothing of it. It was no big deal, really.” I shrugged dismissively. “Would you like breakfast? We’re having French toast.”
Would he figure out my plan to lure him into more conversation over breakfast?
I wouldn’t dare tell him that Nicolas was preparing the meal. He’d find out soon enough though.
“I could go for French toast. Thanks.” He flashed his perfect smile.
“Great. We can walk down together,” I said breezily. Was my nonchalant act working? Probably not.
“I’d like that.” The smile in his eyes contained a sensuous flame.
His infectious grin had set the tone and I couldn’t help but reciprocate. “So where are you from, Mr. Rankin?”
“Please call me Liam.”
“All right. Where are you from, Liam?”
A melancholy frown flitted across his features. “I’m from New Orleans.”
“And you’re here on business?” I asked.
“Yes, I’m investigating a case. But I’m afraid that I can’t discuss it,” he said.
How did he know I was going to ask what the case was about?
“I understand,” I said as we moved down the steps.
What was so top secret that he couldn’t discuss it?