“Wait, are you saying this Margo knows where the estate is?” Alarm shot through me.
It was only on a temporary basis. There are barely a handful of people outside of those here now who are allowed to retain that knowledge longer. It is part of the outer ward’s magick.
Rand finally spoke up. “Is there any chance those three could have gotten their memories back somehow? They knew where this place was and were allowed to come and go freely. Could they have made this Margo person a map or even given her the general coordinates somehow?”
Zara was silent. After a moment, I asked softly, “Zara? Are any of those scenarios possibilities?”
She looked up at me, her eyes unsure. I do not know. I never saw any of that in their minds, but it would not be impossible.
“And their memories?”
She flicked her ears. Not without the help of an extremely skilled witch, or at the very least a strong one, to reverse what you did.
That afforded me some relief, at least.
Clyde crossed his heavily muscled arms. “I’ll accompany Tess into town and watch her back. I need to check up on some of the shifters anyway, if she doesn’t mind going with me.”
Sam turned toward him. “I should probably head into the office, so I’ll go with you.” She looked at me. “You haven’t been off these grounds for three weeks. Want to come with us and make a day of it?”
Why not? I would feel better if I were along to shield them, if needed. “Sure. Maybe we’ll have word about the Jeep by that time.”
Rand sat back in his seat. “Guess we’re all going, then. Dutch and Clyde said they could hook me up with their person in town for a few basic things.”
“What sort of basic things?” I’d ordered him clothes, and we had any needed toiletries here. Dutch had outfitted him with things like guns and knives from their own weapons stash.
He gave me one of those slow half-smiles, making my pulse quicken. “Driver’s license and any other necessary forms of I.D. I might need.” He pulled a phone from his pocket. “I’m already set with one of these.”
Where and how had he gotten a phone? Before I could ask, Sam answered. “I ordered it for him.” Addressing him, she said, “Don’t worry about the I.D., Rand, I’ve already taken care of all that—it might even be ready today. You also have a bank account now and are on Roxie’s payroll. Your checks are set up for direct deposit, so you don’t have to do anything. We’ll discuss 401k options and benefits, if they’re needed, later.” She shrugged at my stare. “I figured he’s going to be around for a while and, since he insists on acting as your bodyguard, he might as well get paid for it.” She grinned smugly. “I also gave him back pay for services rendered.”
I didn’t really mind the fact that she’d done all of that. It’s just the way she’d said that last part made it sound . . . more than a little questionable. It took extraordinary effort not to cover my face in embarrassment, even though everyone present except for perhaps Finn knew the nature of my relationship with him. For what it was worth, Rand looked every bit as surprised by Sam’s initiative as I felt.
With a barked laugh, he clapped Clyde on the shoulder. “Guess that means I get to drive.”
The flat look Clyde gave him was enough to pull me from my state of embarrassment. “You don’t have a license yet. I drive.” The last bit was said with a growl.
“Break it up, you two, or I’ll drive,” Dutch said. He shook his head. “They’ve been like competitive children all morning. I’ll see if Gloria either needs anything from the city or wants to go.” He pushed his chair away and stood, giving the two men one last look before heading for the house.
Finn rose into the air, giving me a slight bow. “I’ll go back to the mound and let the queen know what’s going on. The water fae have always been good allies to us, so she will want to lend whatever help she can.” With a wave, he flew toward the treeline in the distance.
“Well, it looks like we’re heading to town.” I stood, lifting Zara into my arms. “Tess, would you let Danai know what’s going on, please?” I didn’t think the healer would want to accompany us, but I still wanted to give her a choice. “The rest of us will meet in, what, twenty minutes out front?” I looked around questioningly.
“That works.” Sam gathered up her notes and followed Tess into the house.
Rand and I were alone.
Ahem.
Rolling my eyes, I set Zara on the pavers that made up the terrace. I’ll keep my shields open.
I would prefer that you keep your shields up, Roxanne. Just check in with me regularly, please. Sebastian is discussing whether he will stay or go with Danai now. She trotted lightly into the house.
Not knowing what to say, I started to follow her. Rand’s voice stopped me. “Are you okay with me going along?”
“Yes, of course I am. Sam may need you for signatures anyway.” Trying to sound indifferent just felt . . . wrong. The gaze he leveled at me told me he knew it, too. “I just need to grab my purse and a few things from inside.”
He raised his brows, but didn’t call me out. “I’m going to go spend a few minutes with Toby, then. I’ll see you out front.”
I didn’t trust my voice, so I nodded and somehow managed to keep my pace even as I escaped to the house.
Chapter 6
The hunt begins
The atmosphere in the Hummer during the trip into town wasn’t exactly awkward, but it was close. Dutch and Clyde were both up front, unusually silent, while the remaining four of us sat in the back—Sam and I on one bench, Tess and Rand facing us from the other. Sebastian decided to stay behind, reluctant to leave either Danai or the kits.
Rather than allowing the silence to stretch, Sam, Tess, and I decided to use the travel time to organize our plans. Sam would spend the rest of the afternoon at the office, working and probably going over everything in more detail with the people she was sending up to Michigan. Rand and I would accompany Tess to Jeremy’s to find out more about Margo. Tess would stay to question Wade and Gretchen. The Draftman brothers would do a brief check on the shifter community, then come back to retrieve Rand and I and take us to Margo’s shop. Everyone would be in protected areas, for the most part, until we went to Margo’s. I would be in the company of Clyde, Dutch, and Rand at that point. The three of them, along with my magick, should be more than enough to handle anything that might happen in the city.
Once we’d dropped Sam off at Lido Law, staying long enough to see her safely inside, we went straight to Jeremy Crow’s Haunted Resort. Twenty minutes later, Tess, Rand, and I stood and watched the Hummer pull away from the resort office.
“Are we ready?” I asked, turning away.
“Are we ever ready for Jeremy Crow?” Rand responded, his voice laced with amusement.
With a rueful laugh I walked through the door Rand held for me. As usual, there was nobody at the front desk, so I called out, “Jeremy? Sorry to just drop in on you like this, but we’re hoping you can help us with something.” When there was no answer, I wondered if I should have called ahead to warn the crow shifter we were coming.
Almost on cue, Suzette’s head popped through the wall that divided the office from the general store. “You again?”
“Hello to you, too, Suzette. Where’s Jeremy? We need to speak with him and it’s rather urgent.”
Her eyes disdainful, she scoffed. “Isn’t it just always, with you? He’s busy.”
I opened my mouth to tell her we didn’t have time for this, when Rand interjected. “Suzette, this is extremely important.” Then gave her a smile charming enough to stop her in her ghostly tracks.
She looked at him, her eyes widening appreciatively. Then she narrowed them. “Hey, don’t I know you? You look kinda familiar.”
Although Tess could neither see nor hear Suzette, she knew I considered Jeremy’s ghostly girlfriend to be downright obnoxious, and only rarely helpful. She exchanged a wide-eyed glance with me over this turn of events. She mouthed, “He c
an see her?” I gave a small lift of my shoulders in response, then turned back to the exchange.
Suzette came fully out of the woodwork, walking through the desk, and sidling up to Rand, her eyes roving over him with blatant interest. He watched her calmly the whole while, his smile never faltering. Did she realize he wasn’t actually a ghost anymore?
“Well, aren’t you just the finest specimen I’ve seen in a long time?” Her voice dropped to what she probably considered a sultry tone, her southern accent exaggerated. I bit my tongue short of telling her she was far too nasally to pull it off and shoved my jealousy down. “What are you doing here with these two old ladies, handsome?” She put a hand out to stroke his arm. Sparks flew and Suzette screamed, yanking her hand back. Faster than she could disappear, Rand grabbed her wrist. I don’t know who was the most surprised when he caught it—Rand, Suzette, or me. Suzette began struggling, but couldn’t escape his hold. After a brief struggle, he grabbed her other wrist. She closed her eyes tightly and just stood there shaking.
“What’s going on?” Tess asked, looking from me to Rand to Rand’s hand. “What was that flash of light?”
Finding my voice, I said, “Suzette was being her usual self and Rand . . . caught her. I don’t think she can go anywhere.”
Suzette’s eyes flew open. “Rand?” She narrowed his eyes at him, recognition finally flaring in them. “That ghost dude that follows you around like a lovesick puppy?” She began struggling again, but he held her easily. “How are you doing this? How are you, no, what are you? Tell me!” Her voice rose to a shriek. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw two more ghosts pop their heads through the wall, gasp, then promptly disappear.
“How about you just tell us where Jeremy is so we can get on with our business?” Rand’s voice was hard now, with no trace of the charm from seconds ago.
Suzette’s string of profanities would have made Tess proud. I almost felt bad she couldn’t hear her. Then I remembered the little gift for Jeremy that I’d tucked into my purse. Digging around, I pulled the jewelry box out. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before we got here, Tess. Quick, put this on.” I handed her the ring.
“Rox, I didn’t realize you felt this way about me. Isn’t this kind of fast? We haven’t even slept together yet.” Despite her joking tone, she took the ring and slipped it on her thumb, since it was sized for a man.
“You, Sam, Annie, and I have shared a bed more than most married couples have, girlie.” I opened my mouth to say more, but Rand chose that moment to clear his throat. I paused and looked over to see both him and Suzette staring at us, their eyebrows raised. Suzette’s mouth hung open a little.
“So, you swing both ways?” Suzette looked at me with a new light in her eyes. Her gaze roamed over me contemplatively. “Huh. I never would have figured you for that, what with you walkin’ around with that big stick up your butt all the time ‘n all. Not that you’re my type or anything, but still.”
Rand shifted slightly and I glanced down. Suzette’s gaze followed mine and she made an appreciative sound. Exasperated, I rolled my eyes. “Really? Get your mind out of the gutter, the both of you. You know what I meant.”
“Hey, Rox,” Tess whispered. I looked over to see her grinning as she held up her hand. “It works. I can hear her!”
Relief flooded me. I’d been working on the ring as an experiment for the last week, but I hadn’t had a chance to test it. Before today’s events, I’d planned on having either Tess or Danai try it on to see if they could hear Jake. Though I’d known Rand could still see and touch Jake, it hadn’t occurred to me that he would be able to see—and touch—other ghosts, as well. I also wasn’t sure if it had anything to do with the magick from the sapphire bracelet or if I was actually getting better at Making, but everything I’d attempted to Make over the past two weeks had come to me much easier.
“Great. Suzette, will you please tell me where Jeremy is? I brought him the ring as a gift, so you won’t have to shout at him to be heard all the time.”
She jutted her jaw out stubbornly for a moment then, with a dramatic sigh, she seemed to deflate. “Fine. He should be back any second now. He had to take care of something at the restaurant, but you know how chatty he can be.”
Rand released her wrists and she practically flew away from him, coming to a stop on the other side of the desk. “I still wanna know what he is. He ain’t no ghost, that’s for damn sure.”
Didn’t we all? I immediately felt guilty over the errant thought.
Five relatively uncomfortable minutes later, Jeremy strolled in. He stopped and gave a rather cawlike exclamation of surprise. “Ms. Roxanne, what you doin’ here at Jeremy’s? Come, come.” Without waiting for an answer, he ushered us into his office. “How you gets here? I don’ sees no car.”
I explained that we’d been dropped off as we sat. And that we needed his help.
“Sher, sher. What can Jeremy do fer you? Any’ting, anyt’ings at all, you just says.” His dark eyes bright, he leaned forward behind his desk. “Who dis wit’ you?” He motioned to Rand.
That’s right. He didn’t know about what had happened to Rand. I hadn’t seen Jeremy since before that day, and even then I’d only spoken to him briefly, mainly to let him know about the attack itself. How much should I tell him about Rand’s . . . situation? If I told him the truth, I could see him begging me to bring Suzette back, too. That thought left a decidedly bad taste in my mouth. She was bad enough as a ghost. Or if any of the resident ghosts found out, there would be no peace for me at all, whenever I had to come to town. I didn’t even know if what had happened could be repeated.
“This is my friend and bodyguard, Rand.”
Jeremy cocked his head curiously, as if rolling the information around in his head. Finally, he nodded. “Yes, is good you no go out wit’out protection, Ms. Roxanne.”
Letting out a slow breath of relief that he hadn’t put two and two together, I forged ahead. “Do you mind if I put up a privacy spell? I’d like as few people to know about this as possible for the moment.” At his nod, I closed my eyes and envisioned a privacy bubble expanding from my center until it encompassed all of us. Almost as an afterthought, I envisioned it keeping nosy ghosts out. When I opened my eyes, I could see the faint shimmer of the bubble around us. Satisfied, I quickly explained about the missing children. To his credit, Jeremy stayed silent, listening intently until I finished.
“Dis bad.” He shook his head, his beak flashing slightly in my Sight. “Der many bad t’ings in dis world, but t’ings dat steal babies is ver’ ver’ bad. How can Jeremy helps?”
Tess sat forward. “We think whoever took them may have found a way to get to them through some of the packages they received, possibly here at the resort. We need access to everything you’ve got regarding who has received what and what company delivered the orders. Any records you’ve got, no matter how unimportant they might seem, could be helpful.”
He nodded, his eyes worried. “No problems. Jeremy keeps good logs o’ ever’ting. Anyt’ing you needs, Jeremy gets.”
Movement from the side of the room caught my eye. It was all I could do not to laugh as Suzette made a dash for Jeremy and bounced off the bubble around us. She began cursing as she kicked the bottom of the bubble. It must have hurt, because she fell back, hopping on one foot, as she spewed more obscenities. Tess’s eyes grew wider than I’d ever seen. When she looked over at me, I could almost see her rolling several phrases she’d never heard before around her mouth. Rand could hear her, but somehow managed to completely ignore the screeching ghost, not so much as glancing her way.
I held out my hand to Tess. “Time to give it up.”
She pouted a little, but took it off slowly. “I totally want one of those rings, Rox.” She dropped it in my hand.
Jeremy watched our exchange. When he saw the ring, his eyes glinted brightly, almost greedily. Crows like shiny things, I knew, and I’d polished the band on this ring until it nearly glowed.
<
br /> I set it on the desk between us and slid it toward him. “This is for you. It will allow you to hear the ghosts in the park more easily. Tess was just . . . testing it out for me.”
He reached for it almost reverently. “Dis for Jeremy?” I nodded. Wincing a little as he slid it on—Suzette’s curses were becoming steadily more creative—I waited for his response. He cocked his head and smiled happily, tears welling in his eyes. “Jeremy hears his Suzette.”
Tess and I exchanged a look, shaking our heads. Already regretting having to do so, I pulled the magick of the privacy bubble back into myself, proud of how smoothly I was able to do so. Suzette lashed out with her fist and fell through, blinking out just before she hit the floor, and there was blessed silence. Managing to keep a straight face, I said, “I’ll continue to try to work on something that will allow you to see as well as hear ghosts, Jeremy. I just thought this might be helpful to you in the meantime.”
He nodded, rubbing the ring with his thumb. “Dis helps. Jeremy t’ought he’d ne’er hears Suzette’s beautiful voice ag’in. T’ank you.”
Yeah. “Would you show Tess where those delivery logs are for the water fae?”
He stood, gesturing to us. “Come, come.” We followed him out the door. He took one wistful look back at the office, probably hoping to hear Suzette again, then began walking toward the restaurant. “De computer in de back of de restaurant, dat one closer to de water. Easier fer de fae der.”
That made sense, especially if most water fae only had limited time on land and wanted to be as inconspicuous as possible. Rand kept a watchful eye out as we walked, looking every bit the part of a bodyguard. He caught me watching him and winked at me. I felt heat bloom in my center and shoved it down. Gods, I missed him.
Slowing his steps enough to allow us to fall behind Tess and Jeremy, he murmured, “Has it only been a few months that we’ve been here?” His voice was soft enough that even the shifters in the area would have been hard pressed to overhear his words.
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