Lex shook his head, but Scarlet just nodded.
“I don’t want a dog.”
“Tell my Gram about that.”
“Your Gram and Mr. Jueavas are adorable,” Celia said. “I want to be like them when I’m old.”
Scarlett thought about how Mr. Jueavas still snuck into and out of Gram’s room like they were teenagers, and she shook her head. She wanted to loll in bed with her mate until it was too late and then stagger out for coffee when the need for caffeine outweighed the lure of warm sheets.
“If my dad really does have an alibi,” Scarlett said. “It’ll be Jeb who is the killer or one of the poor fools they stole from.”
Celia glanced up at Gus and edged towards the street. She clearly didn’t want to hear more about the murders, but Gus didn’t even notice. He said, “Do you really think your dad is the killer?”
“He was pretty shady tonight. Shockingly so. I think he honestly thought we’d just let him slide back into our lives, and he's surprised it isn’t working out. Surprised and angry.”
“How’s your mom doing?” The way his gaze settled on hers and the angle of his head and their years of friendship told her he’d figured out that Maye was pregnant.
“She’s…” Scarlett shrugged.
“She’ll be ok,” he said gently. “You want someone to go with you to interview Jeb? That guy is…well…”
Lex looked at Scarlett and Gus said, “I’d feel better if I were there too. I can come by in the morning.”
“Let’s meet here,” Scarlett said to them.
“But…you don’t work for the police department,” Celia said.
“Yeah, Scarlett, you don’t work for the police department.”
“8:00 am? After you drop off Amelie at school?”
Lex nodded once and Gus said, “I’ll be here.”
“Why can you be part of things? I don’t think it’s a good idea. Those people are dangerous, Scarlett. You’re a mom. You need to be careful.”
“Amen,” Lex said.
“Hallelujah,” Gus added.
“I’m coming,” Scarlett stated flatly. She looked at Celia and said, “My dad is involved with this. By extension, my family and my daughters are. Whoever is doing this may just look past him to them. I won’t risk them.”
“But if something happens to you…”
“Harper will raise them to be excellent, excellent criminals. And you two,” Scarlett looked at Lex and Gus, “Are not leaving me behind if you don’t want me to figure it out on my own.”
“Geez, Scarlett,” Gus said.
“We’ll be here,” Lex said. “Now to get Amelie home and to bed. It’s so late. I’m already winning at this parenting thing.”
“You’re here and not on a road trip,” Scarlett told Lex. “So yeah. You are winning the parenting competition. Now go put your daughter to bed, tell her you love her, and ask her about her day again.”
Lex nodded, took a deep breath, and headed into the back of the building.
“Have a good night,” Scarlett told Gus and Celia and went to follow Lex already envisioning her bed.
Gus took her hand though and said, “I’m sorry about your dad.”
Given that he knew all of her worries and wishes about her dad, she knew it was true. Just as she knew his—how hands off and disconnected his parents were. How much he wanted something like Scarlett’s mom and grandmother.
“We can’t all have great parents like yours, Gus,” Celia said brightly.
It was good that Celia probably couldn’t see Scarlett’s face because the shock had to be evident. The way his ears burned red told her that he knew what she was thinking.
“Your mom is so stylish and elegant. And your dad is such a gentlemen.”
“Those are true things,” Scarlett said, so she wouldn’t give Gus’s secret away.
“You must know them well,” Celia said. “Given how close you two were as kids.”
“I have many memories of them,” Scarlett said. Not very many were positive, but that wasn’t what they were talking about, was it? She reached out and squeezed Gus’s arm, suddenly wondering how long he and Celia would last.
Chapter 14
Scarlett left the bakery in Henna’s hands, her daughters in Harper’s—though Harper was only walking the girls to school, and Scarlett walked out of the back of the bakery with a box of pastries and their 3 biggest coffees.
Gus took the coffee and handed them out by scent. His vampire senses could peg things like Scarlett’s pumpkin spice, Lex’s straight black, and Gus’s red velvet mocha.
Gus had brought his land rover, and they took that since otherwise, Scarlett would have ended up sitting where Lex put the people he arrested. The house was one of those turn of the century things where the beauty was in the details. It hadn’t aged well though; the paint was chipping, the trellis hung sideways, and a step was missing on the porch.
“What a dump,” Lex said, slowly turning. There were several rusted cars with weeds growing up around them a few hundred feet from the porch. Several cats could be seen blinking from under the porch, a car, or the tilted balustrade.
“Crime doesn’t pay, boys…” She opened her mind to her nature magic and caught that same block she’d found at Leroy’s house. “Did my mom ever get back to you about the woods at Leroy’s?”
“She sent your Gram over for today,” Lex said. “Why?”
“It’s here too,” Scarlett said. She crossed to the trees, ignoring the twitch of the yellowed curtain in the window. Gus followed Scarlett while Lex headed towards the door. The two men didn’t even talk about it though perhaps Lex gave Gus one of those sideways looks and sent him after. Scarlett wouldn’t be surprised. Had to protect the little lady.
Or something.
She laid her hand on the tree—and she didn’t feel anything. Scarlett gasped. She pressed her magic into the tree and caught only the beat of life. No personality, no awareness. That wasn’t how trees felt. Not even in big cities.
Scarlett reached out for animal life—and again…there was nothing. Nothing but the watching, weighty eyes of the cats.
“This…is weird,” Scarlett said. She pulled out her phone and called Gram, “Hey…”
Scarlett described what she was feeling and Gram said, “It sounds to me like someone is trying to use druid magic but isn’t druid. We renew trees. They’re stronger after us. But…if you’re forcing something and ham-handed. You could damage the spirit of a tree.”
“Gram,” Scarlett said, laying her hand on at least a half-dozen trees. “It’s all of them. A whole little wooded area on this property.”
“That can’t be right,” Gram said. “José and I are almost to Leroy’s property. I’ll take a look and get back to you.”
“Are you hamstrung magically?” Gus asked as they headed back to Lex and the house.
“Um…” Her attention was caught again. If she hadn’t been searching for any tree that was still normal, she wouldn’t have sensed him. She stopped, closing her eyes to focus harder, and said, “I think my dad is here.”
Gus took a deep breath and it was him who was pausing. “I smell blood.”
“Oh sweet heavens,” Scarlett breathed. She took off running, but Gus was far ahead in a few dashes. They found him in a circle with men who Scarlett assumed were Jeb, his sons, and a woman. The woman was wearing a faded housedress, her hair was a matted mess around her face, and she was leaning down in Davis’s face saying something in a low voice.
Davis, Scarlett’s dad, was duct taped to a chair in the center of a burned circle of grass.
“There’s a ring of blood around the burned area,” Gus told Scarlett.
“Those are massive druidic charms,” Scarlett whispered.
“I see you,” Jeb said, looking their way. “Come on out.”
Scarlett stepped forward, but Gus blocked her from their sight. It didn’t do any good. Lex was there too, wearing his own handcuffs, and bleeding from the temple.
>
“Can’t use the tree magic around here, flower girl,” Jeb said to her nastily. “Y’all shouldn’t have come here. Shouldn’t have stuck your noses in.”
“Run, Scarlett,” her dad said through bleeding lips. “Just go.”
“Don’t be stupid, girl,” one of the men said, stepping closer, but Gus stuck his arm out, holding her back, and turning.
“Can’t fight us all, vampire. Druid magic don’t work around here. The warlock’s already down.”
Scarlett reached out to her magic and her friend the east wind. She pressed the magic into Gus and tried to find Lex. His handcuffs blocked his magic from being used—by him. When he felt the touch of her magic, he pressed his energy to her, and they bypassed the cuffs holding him.
Scarlett fed all the magic to Gus—he was their best chance. Him and the east wind.
“Why did you kill Leroy and Peter?” Scarlett asked Jeb. Gus didn’t let her get a good look, but she didn’t need to see Jeb to distract him.
“They helped ole Davis here come back. Helped him hook up with his druid gravy train. After what he did to my sister.”
Scarlett blinked and then said, “I knew my dad had to be the cause.”
“Your dad is poison, girl.”
Scarlett was hardly a girl. She was a mother, business owner, and powerful druid. Being sidelined because she was a woman was really starting to irritate her.
“You ready?” She breathed to Gus. She heard the slap of a fist against flesh and her dad grunt.
“Get away Scarlett. Get out,” her dad yelled. “Get her out of here, Gus.”
Gus tapped his finger against Scarlett once, where he was holding her back, and then he spun, lifted her, and threw her. The east wind caught her, and she slammed into the man holding Lex. She broke an unlock charm on him, and he broke out of his handcuffs.
While they’d been scrambling, Gus had taken out Jeb and his remaining boy. Only the woman was left.
Her raving eyes told Scarlett, the biggest battle was yet to come. Given that she held a curved blade to Davis’s throat, Scarlett froze. The woman’s eyes were on Scarlett. Not on Gus or Lex. Ok, then. They were on the same page.
“I’ll kill your dad,” she said.
“That would be unfortunate,” Scarlett said.
“He’s a bad man,” the woman said. She grunted when Gus tried to sidle forward and pressed harder on the knife.
“Back off, Gus,” Scarlett told him. She looked back at the woman and said, “He is a bad man.”
She blinked, probably shocked by the way Scarlett agreed. But, of course, the woman wasn’t wrong.
“What did he do? Promise to leave my mom for you? Take all your money? Leave you high and dry?”
She shook her head, lip trembling and hissed, “He promised to take me. I cashed out my retirement, so we could go. I quit my job. I…I…” A tear rolled down her face, but her jaw was clenched in the memory of the hurt.
Scarlett looked at her dad, and let all of her disgust show. “You are a sorry piece of flesh.”
“Get away,” he said to her, eyes intent.
“You took her retirement and her employment?”
He nodded and then said again, “Run.”
“What’s your name?” Scarlett asked, sensing Lex sidle towards the woman.
“Helen,” she said. She sniffed and her teeth were clenched.
“Helen,” Scarlett said softly. “He did you wrong. So wrong. But…”
“There are not buts!” Helen shrieked and the knife cut a line across her dad’s throat that was bleeding terrifyingly freely.
“You deserve better. Don’t let him ruin the rest of your life too.” Scarlett’s voice was gentle, and Helen paused.
She examined Scarlett and then said, “I can see you take after your mom.”
Scarlett hoped she’d reached Helen. That somehow, the woman had seen there was more to life than the road she was on currently. But instead, she hissed, “What life?”
Jeb moaned just then and Gus and Lex both turned towards the man as Helen yanked her knife back with the clear intent to plunge it deep. Scarlett lifted her hand and the east wind rushed forward knocking Davis over while Helen was flung back.
“You can’t…” Helen said and shrieked horrifically. “Don’t take my revenge too.”
Scarlett let the wind go and Helen pushed up slowly.
“Why are you helping him? Don’t you hate him?”
“Sometimes,” Scarlett told Helen. “But I’m trying to help you.”
“I don’t need it,” Helen said. Before anyone could move, she stabbed the knife into her own throat.
Scarlett screamed and turned away as Lex rushed forward. There would be nothing that they could do—even magic could only help so much. She didn’t want to see. The sight of her starting to plunge the knife in was more than Scarlett wanted emblazoned on her mind anyway. She needed to avoid the actual sight of the body.
Gus was using the rope to tie up Jeb and his sons.
“This is all your dad’s fault,” Jeb said. “He did this. This was all him.”
“He didn’t kill Leroy and Peter,” Scarlett said gently.
“He shouldn’t have come back,” Jeb snarled. “My sister should have been off limits. This shouldn’t have happened.”
Scarlett wanted to just reach down and slap Jeb. Hurting people—this is what came of being criminals. This is what came of being willing to steal someone blind. Jeb’s problem wasn’t that her dad, Davis, had ruined Helen’s career and broke her heart. Jeb’s problem was that the target had been his sister.
Anyone else? They’d be fine.
She shook her head and crossed to her dad. “You got a knife, Gus?”
He threw it to her, and she cut her dad free. “I told you to run.”
“Mm-hmmm,” she said. She helped him to sit up and then stood up.
“You shouldn’t have let her come,” her dad told Gus and Lex. “You’re totally irresponsible.”
Gus cocked his head and said, “One, you never understood Scarlett. Two, you’re welcome.”
Lex was on the phone and totally ignored Davis as he called for an ambulance and officers.
“It’s good that Lex hired real help,” Scarlett told Gus. “Given that apparently we’ve become more dangerous to live in than Manhattan.”
“This all started with you moving back, you know,” Gus told her.
She paused and then laughed.
“You two haven’t changed,” Davis grumped, “Always made me feel like the third wheel.”
He struggled to his feet and tried to edge Scarlett away from Gus, but she just looked at Davis until he flushed and stopped.
“You know, Scarlett, there isn’t any reason to tell your mom about all this. This was old me. I…I’ve changed.”
Scarlett didn’t say anything. She glanced over at Gus read in his face the same disbelief she felt.
“You know, Dad,” Scarlett said, “I won’t have to. Before we’re even back to town, Mom will know.”
“No,” Davis said.
She didn’t even bother to argue with him. She told Gus, “I need to get away from here before I accidentally see the body clearly.”
He handed her his keys and Scarlett spoke loud enough for Lex to hear that she was leaving. He put the phone down and said, “Are you ok?”
She nodded.
“You saved us. You and Gus and your ability to meld your magic so easily.”
“It ain’t natural,” Davis said under his breath, but they all heard him.
“Your magic helped too,” she said. “The three of us aren’t such a terrible team for catching criminals. We could be like Criminal Minds. Hunting up killers. All clever and…stuff.”
“How many episodes did you watch last night?” Lex asked.
“Too many,” she admitted and then said, “I’m out.”
She drove back to her bakery wondering how long it would take for the news to reach her mom. Scarlett didn’t wan
t to be the one to tell her mom. She parked and walked into the bakery. Maye, Gram, and Henna were sitting at a table together with Henna holding Maye’s hands and Gram petting the puppy who growled at Scarlett as she hung up her jacket.
“I see you survived,” Gram said meanly.
“I did,” Scarlett admitted. She crossed to the espresso machine and made her mom a ginger tea latte, bringing it to her and saying, “I’m sorry.”
“You and Harper were right,” Maye said. “It wasn’t like I didn’t know you were right.”
“I’m still sorry.”
“It’ll be fine,” Maye admitted. “I’m actually…only angry.”
“So much better than being hurt.”
“And you with Lex?”
“Mostly hurt,” Scarlett admitted.
“Time to put on your big girl panties,” Gram said, “Suck it up. And move on.”
Scarlett didn’t say anything. Gram was too mean to reply to, so Scarlett just crossed to her bakery and pushed her energy into making pie after pie.
Chapter 15
Scarlett followed Lex and Amelie into the Oaken family Grove. The little girl was chattering happily about Rebel and Phoebe. Scarlett shook her head. Maeve had announced earlier that day that she’d be going by Rebel from then on. Maye had simply said, “Ok” and then told everyone that she was pregnant.
“I can’t believe your mom is having a baby,” Amelie said, tripping and nearly taking Lex down before he caught both of them.
“I know, right?” There was joy rising in Scarlett as she realized she was going to have a brother or sister.
“Are you going to have more babies?” Amelie asked Scarlett.
Scarlett considered, remembering what her Grandmother once said and admitted, “Yes, I think so.”
“I like babies,” Amelie said.
“Me too,” Scarlett told her.
There was a truth between them that was inevitably true—that Scarlett wanted those babies she felt. Gus would let her have them—and maybe Gus wouldn’t be the man she fell in love with. But Lex should know what he was getting into.
“What do we do now?”
Scarlett had Lex and Amelie sit down, facing each other in the center of the grove. She had them hold hands with their fingers laced.
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