by Diane Darcy
William kept pace with them, dodging a row of slot machines and a roulette table, and they quickly reached the lobby.
“Stop!”
Jasmine turned her head, and surprisingly, she did come to a stop as she held Lena in front of her like a shield.
A brunette, tall and beautiful, stood ten feet away, the crowd in the lobby seeming to flow behind her, getting out of her way. “Jasmine, our spells come with a caution. You’re not to use them against one of our own.”
“Esmerelda, I swear, I didn’t!” Jasmine sounded indignant.
“Then why are you holding a witch prisoner?”
Jasmine hesitated and looked down at Lena. She drew in a deep breath through her nose, as if smelling her, which was beyond weird, and then she stuttered. “I … I … she doesn’t smell exactly … .”
“It doesn’t matter what your nose is telling you, Jasmine. Lena is a witch. Not only that, she belongs to The Hemlock Coven.”
Um … she did?
Another woman stepped forward. A voluptuous redhead with an attitude. It was Scarlett from Natural Magic. “You used our spell to spill blood, Jasmine. More importantly, if you kill Lena, the spell will bounce back and kill you.”
“Why won’t anyone listen to me? I didn’t kill anyone!” Jasmine was breathing harshly in Lena’s ear, as Lena clung to her arm to keep herself upright. In a sudden motion, Jasmine threw the knife into a screaming crowd, shoved Lena forward where she fell onto the floor, and ran.
William pulled her into his arms checking her neck, running his big hands from her shoulders to her wrists, rubbing her back, and checking her over for wounds. “Lena,” he rasped. “Ye’re safe, lass. I’ve got ye.”
Lena turned to see men rushing out the front door, disappearing from sight.
“Quinn called ahead. I’ve more men waiting for her outside. They’ll catch her.”
She clung to William’s arm for a long moment, and then turned to see there were now three women standing off to the side, all dressed as witches.
“Cool stockings,” she said, addressing her remarks to the blonde wearing green-and-black striped stockings, and a pouffy miniskirt.
She grinned. “Thanks.”
“So you were saying?” She addressed the brunette. “About the coven?”
“Doonae listen to them, lass.”
The brunette threw William a brief glare. “We were saying that we’ve researched your genealogy, and we share a common grandmother.”
Lena highly doubted that.
The pretty ginger witch winked. “The more the merrier!”
The brunette smiled. “Come to lunch, tomorrow,” she said, coaxingly. “At one o’clock. Bring your female relatives, why don’t you? We’ll have a chat.”
“She willnae be coming!” William protested.
The trio ignored William and looked at her expectantly.
“All right, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
With a growl, William scooped her up in his arms and carried her away.
He crossed the casino and went up the stairs and straight to his office where he very reluctantly set her down. “I’m no’ sure I want ye associating with witches.”
“Why is that?” She crossed the room to look in a mirror on the wall. She checked her throat, ran her fingers across the skin, and breathed out a sigh of relief to see it was undamaged.
He gazed at her, as if uncertain what to say. “Some,” he stressed the word, “are sly, deceptive, and would sell their birthright for a profit.” He paused. “No’ to say they’re all bad. I’m sure there are some very good ones.”
“I guess I’ll find out more about it tomorrow.”
William made a sound of disgust.
She laughed. “Anyway, I don’t think you need to worry about it. I doubt they’ll have me. Not only am I a skeptic, but I’m a human, through and through.”
He looked at her, aghast. “Ye were raised human?”
“I am human.”
“How old are ye?”
“Twenty-five.”
“Twenty-five?” He ran a hand over his mouth looking shocked before he drew in a deep breath. “I can tell ye this. Ye are no’ a human.” He looked disgruntled. “And likely, ye might be a witch.”
“My sister would certainly agree.” The guy just didn’t quit. She was starting to wonder if human was a euphemism for anyone who didn’t work at the hotel. “So, how old are you?”
He shook his head. “Old enough to know better.” William’s phone rang, and he took the call and listened a moment. “We’ll be right in.”
“What is it?”
“They’ve secured Jasmine. She’s in the other room waiting for questioning. I suppose, after all ye’ve been through, ye’ll want to be there for the ending?”
“Of course.”
Taking her hand in his, he led the way once more to the interrogation room.
Chapter 34
Jasmine, shoulders slumped and looking defeated, sat in the lone chair. William pulled two from against the wall and they sat across from her. “Ye were saying? About yer father?”
“Don’t call him that,” Jasmine said, her voice dull.
“I’d like ye to walk me through it again, so I get it right.”
“All right, fine. Biologically, he was my father, though he never wanted anything to do with me, nor did he claim me as his daughter because he thought I was human like my mother.”
She drew in a breath. “I just wanted to confront him, let him know my mother died, and let him see that not only could I change, but I was a success.”
“And the silver knife?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know anything about that.”
“So Georgina didn’t try and blackmail ye by sending ye to an email address?”
“What? Georgina did that? I received an email sending me to another email address with a password. I opened it and it was just some creepy, I know what you did, letter. I figured it was spam and deleted it.” She slammed a fist on the table. “Is that what this is about?”
William stared her down. “Ye bought a spell from the witches.”
“To hide my scent! I didn’t want him to know I was his daughter until I chose to tell him.”
“Did Georgina see ye commit the crime?”
Jasmine put her head in her hands and moaned.
“Nora saw a brunette there and it was likely you.”
She lifted her head again. “No! It wasn’t! She even said it wasn’t me!”
“And ye hated yer father. A good motive there, I imagine.”
“No, no, no!” she suddenly looked at Lena. “Can’t you help me? Read my mind or something? Reason with him?”
Lena instinctively put a hand to her throat, and Jasmine looked defeated.
Lena didn’t even know how to address that. Jasmine’s plea touched her, but they’d interviewed her before and she couldn’t help but remember what a good actress the girl was. She’d pretended to be her own father’s lover, and they’d all believed her.
“I’d say the entire thing was premeditated. Ye taking Lena prisoner only confirms yer guilt. Did ye hire the vampire to attack Lena?”
She swallowed. “No.”
“He was old. What payment did ye offer? Ye’re blood?” William sneered the last word. “Among our kind tis the highest form of shame tae do such, and ye well know it. Tell me where the vampire is, and it will go better for ye.”
Jasmine was sniffling. “What is going to happen to me?”
“As it’s murder, ye’ll have to go before the judge in New York.”
Lena felt sorry for the other girl. She made a mental note to ask William later about how justice worked differently here in the casino.
Jasmine glanced up, looking defeated. “I understand we have a new judge?”
“Aye, the old one was murdered, and a new one has been instated. Perhaps, if ye can get some character references, and mayhap even get the priest to speak on yer behalf as he knew yer mother, the j
udge will be kindhearted. New ones usually are.”
He hesitated a moment. “Except, I did hear she decapitated a vampire on her first day. So tread carefully.”
Jasmine, head down on her arms, started to weep softly.
William called for his men to take her away.
When she was gone, he walked Lena back to his office. She sat down across from him, and already he missed having her in his arms.
“I think I’ll go home now.”
“I’d feel better if ye were close at hand.”
He’d made that perfectly clear, but she shook her head.
He sighed, obviously feeling put upon. “I’ll drive ye.”
Chapter 35
A while later, Lena was walking with William toward the hotel lobby once more.
“I’m just relieved that it’s over,” Lena said.
“I am, as well. But I didnae like that Jasmine wouldnae give up the vampire who tried to kill ye. But I doonae wish ye tae worry, we’ll take Jasmine’s life apart. Her phone, her laptop, and anything else we need to until we find out how she hired him. I’m not going to feel ye’re safe until he’s caught.”
“Thank you. I certainly don’t want to meet up with that guy again, either.” She remembered the man’s sharpened teeth and shuddered.
The black-haired lady she’d seen manning the front desk headed their way and stopped in front of them. “Any chance I can get an introduction?” She indicated Lena with a tilt of her head.
“Of course. Lena, this is Sophia Darrow, she manages the Hemlock, and there is none better. Sophia, this is Lena DeVille. She’s a psychic,” he said, pride and pleasure in his voice.
Lena managed not to roll her eyes. Way to lead with the one thing sure to put others on edge. “It’s nice to meet you, Sophia.”
“You, as well.” The other woman was incredibly beautiful, with pale skin, long, dark hair, and dark eyes that flitted over Lena’s face, leaving her feeling that she didn’t quite measure up.
One look at William assured her he didn’t feel the same.
“Can the decorators clean up the Great Hall now that the investigation is over?” Sophia asked. “We have another wedding, and while we could shuffle them off to the Lord’s Chamber, I preferred the Great Room, as I can get a better price.”
“Yes, go right ahead, there’s no longer any need to keep the room closed.”
“Thank you,” she said, then nodded. “It’s very nice to meet you, Lena.”
“You, as well.”
Sophia walked away, immediately putting the phone to her ear and talking into it.
“The wedding decorations are still up?” Lena asked.
“Yes, I left everything in place until the investigation was concluded.”
“I never really did get to see those plants and flowers,” Lena said, knowing that the truth was, she wasn’t quite as ready to leave as she’d indicated.
William’s face lit with excitement. “We could change that, right now. Would you like to see them?”
“I would.”
As they made their way to the escalators, and then to the mall, William was quick to take her hand as they strolled past the shops.
They finally made it to the Great Hall, and went inside to stand on the red carpet, behind the still set up chairs.
“It looks much better without the dead body,” Lena said.
“On that, I would have to agree.”
Again, she admired the decorations. Everything truly was beautiful. The plants, the flowers, it made her sad that such a gorgeous backdrop was going to waste.
They were only there a few minutes when Nora Harcourt came in with a crew, and looked surprised to see them.
Her eyes flickered, and her smile fell away. “We were just going to clean up. Is that okay?”
Lena was getting used to people flinching in her presence because of her supposed psychic abilities. Ugh. What a curse that would be. Like she wanted to go around reading everyone’s minds all the time.
“You did a great job on the wedding.” Lena indicated the decorations. “It’s really lovely.”
“Thank you, that’s very kind.” Nora looked between William and Lena. “I hope you’ll call me if you need a wedding planned?”
William grinned.
Lena blushed. “Oh, it’s not … I mean… .
When William chuckled, she finally gave up.
Nora started directing her crew to dismantle everything, and Lena continued to admire the decor. The woman really was good at her job. She watched Nora cut away the twine that tied together two shrubs and a flowering plant. Pretty.
In her mind she started to name them. Lily of the Valley. Foxglove. Oleander.
Wait, that couldn’t be right.
She glanced around and noted some of the other varieties of plants. Hemlock, nightshade, black locus.
All very pretty, regardless of the names. But every one of them was poisonous.
Was it a Hemlock Hotel theme type of thing? Maybe.
She turned her attention to the flowers. Yellow carnations meaning rejection or disdain. Orange lilies symbolizing hatred. Snapdragons meaning deception.
Wow. If this had been her wedding, she would never have picked any of these plants.
She remembered Christina saying that she hadn’t picked anything. She’d left it to the professionals. So, Nora had chosen them all.
She turned to look at Nora again only to see the woman staring right at her, knife in hand, as she was poised to cut another piece of twine.
Lena’s mouth parted. Nora seemed to have a green glow about her, outlining her body, and Lena studied it for a moment before realizing Nora was giving her a look of pure hatred.
A chill ran up her spine, and that fast, Lena just knew.
The woman had still hated Creighton Cameron with every fiber of her being. She hadn’t forgiven him for anything.
Nora’s eyes narrowed, her expression turning to one of warning.
“William?”
He looked down, sudden worry in his gaze. “What is it?”
“Jasmine did not kill Creighton Cameron. Nora did.”
“What?” William looked up sharply, and after that, all hell broke loose.
Chapter 36
With a scream of pure rage, Nora raised the knife and tried to attack Lena.
William grabbed her by the wrist, squeezed until she dropped the knife, and then kicked it away.
She fought like a wild thing, but William easily subdued her.
Disbelief roared through him, and he gave the woman a shake. “Get control of yourself! What is going on here?”
“Nora killed Creighton and Georgina,” Lena said.
Nora started to sob as she hung over William’s arm. “I hate you!” She directed the words at Lena, and shot her a look that said she meant it. “You’ve ruined everything! You have no idea what that man did to me. How he made me feel. He deserved everything he got and more.”
“Georgina?”
“She should have minded her own business, and she would have been fine. She saw that the knife was replaced and must have guessed it was me. She tried to blackmail me. What was I supposed to do?”
“She tried to blackmail Jasmine, too, but Jasmine didn’t kill her.”
Nora looked at a loss for a moment. “You mean, she didn’t really know it was me? She was just guessing?”
“Aye. And ye confirmed it in person, nae?”
Nora’s workers were standing around, but looked confused rather than ready to come to her defense.
William called his men to come, then said, “I want to know who the vampire was that attacked Lena.”
Nora didn’t say anything for a moment, and William jostled her. “Fine! I found him working in a bar on Piñon Street.”
“Ye offered to pay him to kill Lena?”
She nodded.
“What did you offer him?”
“A pint of pure djinn blood.”
William whistled. “Where d
id you get that?”
She was hanging limply around William’s arm. She shook her head. “Part of my inheritance. It would’ve been worth it.”
“So there was never a mystery brunette?” William asked.
“No.” Nora admitted, defeated.
“What did Creighton do to you?” Lena asked.
“He left me for a human. Had a child with her. Moved to Venice with her after I gave him everything!”
“I wasn’t good enough to have a child with? He kept telling me I wasn’t his mate. And then he married a human?”
She drew in a breath. “I could barely stomach that, but then to find out he was marrying a second time for money? It just ate at me, then when he was coming to my town to marry? It just burned until I had to do something about it. Like I said, he deserved everything that he got.”
She smiled. “It was easy enough to lure Creighton in here for a bit of fun. He liked the idea of being unfaithful to his bride on the very spot they were to be married.”
Her eyes glinted. “Too bad that he got more than he bargained for.”
William’s men came in the room, and he sighed. He handed Nora over to Caleb. “Nora here, killed Cameron. Lock her up.”
He glanced around at the excess of men filling the room. “And find me that vampire!”
Chapter 37
William finally tucked her into the car to drive her home. Once he was inside and they were on their way, Lena turned toward him. “I hear it’s your birthday next week. Am I invited?”
His men would pay for this when he got back to the hotel. “I’m not sure I want to make a big deal of it. Mayhap the two of us could just go out to dinner?”
“Maybe I could make you dinner.”
The invitation had his heart stuttering in his chest. “Best offer yet! What are ye serving?”
She smiled. “You’ll have to wait and see. And you never did tell me how old you’re going to be.”
And he wasn’t going to. Not with her being so young that he could hardly wrap his head around it. “Guess.”
“Thirty-two.”
“No’ fair! Ye’re a psychic.”