An embarrassed flush stung my cheeks, and I groped for the all-in-one remote that was wired into the gurney. Finding it lying on the bed by my thigh, I turned on the TV without responding.
The nurse checked and documented my status, making copious notes on the rolling workstations’s laptop in silence. Several minutes later, she padded back out of my cubicle while I kept my eyes glued to the TV.
Your people skills are spectacularly bad, Shadow taunted.
"You're the one who made a damn scene, Shadow," I muttered, my voice barely audible even to my own ears. "You made me look like some kind of crazy liar. Ray probably hates me even more, now, so thanks for that."
I don't even know why you think you need that asshole. You could find Kat on your own if you hadn't rejected everything to do with magic. You claim it's because it almost killed you, but that's a lie, isn't it? You don't fear the magic itself. You're not afraid of magic killing you. You're afraid of your power because you're the dangerous one. You fear the darkness Kris awakened in you. You say his dark magic tainted you, but I was a part of you long before he showed up.
"Shut up," I hissed, wishing for a way to drown out her diatribe.
"This is Channel 2 News, and we're interrupting your regularly scheduled programming with a special live report." I sat up and leaned toward the TV, trying to see through the heinous glare on the screen. "This is Sunny Wells reporting live from outside Bayshore Police Department. I've received a tip that BPD has a suspect in custody for the murders of Felicia Stone and Olivia Masters. I'm here to see if I can speak with anyone at BPD and receive confirmation on that front."
My eyes locked on the screen as a police cruiser pulled up just a few feet away from Sunny. One of the two officers climbed out and Sunny swooped in, jamming her microphone in his face.
"Officer, what can you tell me about the rumors that BPD currently has a murder suspect in custody in connection with the deaths of Felicia Stone and Olivia Masters?"
"It's Detective Stapleton, Miss Wells, and I'm not at liberty to comment at this time." He turned his back on Sunny, strategically blocking the cameraman's view of the back seat of the cruiser.
"Does the person currently in custody in your back seat have any sort of connection to the murders?" Sunny was a vulture on a carcass, and as much as she usually annoyed me, I silently pleaded with the detective to answer her.
The curtain snapped back and my nurse cleared her throat. "You've officially been discharged, Miss Cole." She un-snapped the EKG wires from the leads and took the pulse oximeter off my finger. "Your clothes were kind of a mess. They're in that plastic bag on the counter.” She paused and pointed to a counter that ran along the far wall of the bay. It had a sink on one end, and several canisters of supplies like tongue depressors, alcohol wipes, and such. “There's also a spare set of scrubs on the counter that should fit you. I was guessing at the size, but it's better than going home in ripped, dirty, smoke-infused clothes."
"You didn't have to do that, but thanks. I appreciate it." I darted a glance over her shoulder at the screen and cursed under my breath. The soap opera was back on, and I didn't get to see if Detective Stapleton had answered Sunny at all.
The nurse pointedly ignored my swearing as she pressed a stack of papers into my hand. "Here's your paperwork. I don't want to be rude, but it'd be good if you got dressed and left quickly. We've got a lot of patients who've been waiting for hours to be seen, and a trauma coming in via ambulance."
I eased down off the gurney and nodded, grateful for the splint now supporting my injured ankle. They must have splinted it while I was sedated. Flipping through the paperwork, I noted the core points. Severe sprain, torn cartilage, and smoke inhalation, along with some bruising and abrasions. Hallucinations and what may have been a seizure. I sneered at the underlined note on the bottom. Follow-up neuro and psych evals highly recommended. I shuffled across the cold tile floor as the nurse let herself out and snapped the curtain shut behind her.
Everything was sore, and stiff, and when I bent over to pull the scrub pants on, the room spun. I straightened back up and used the counter to help me balance as I finished getting dressed. I pulled my shoes out of the bag with my clothes and eased them on, and then grabbed the rest of my things and declined the wheelchair they offered me. Choosing to limp my way through the emergency department on my way out was probably prideful, but I made it out to the parking lot under my own power.
I paused, realizing a moment too late that my ride was long gone. I slumped down onto one of the cement benches beside the hospital's entrance and pulled my phone out of the breast pocket on the scrubs. I unlocked it and scowled at my recent calls screen. Most of them were to or from Ray, but there was no way in hell I was going to call him, not with the way he looked at me before leaving me stranded by myself at the hospital. For a second, I thought about calling a cab or downloading one of those apps where people can get a ride in a pinch, but then I remembered that all my credit cards were in my purse, which was still in Ray’s SUV.
I scrolled down until I saw my former mentor Misty's name and tried calling her. The phone rang for what felt like forever, and then went to voicemail. Rather than leaving a message, I hung up and scrolled through my contacts list with an ever-increasing sense of dread. Most of them were useless, numbers for people I'd already burned bridges with. Only one name struck me as a viable option. My gut clenched, writhing with unease as I hit the call button.
I sat on that cold, hard cement bench for a good hour and a half, watching the sun set before Jenea showed up and pulled her beat-up silver hatchback up to the curb in front of me. I winced as I stood up from my spot on the bench and hobbled over to her car.
I forced a weak smile as I tugged the passenger door open. "Thanks for coming to get me."
Jenea shrugged. "It wasn't a huge problem to close up the studio early. I came as quick as I could." The way she pursed her lips and stared straight ahead through narrowed eyes belied her words, but I refrained from pointing that out.
“Where to?” She gave me a hardcore case of side-eye as she shifted her car into drive and pulled out of the hospital parking lot. "I'm surprised you didn't get Ray to give you a ride, since you've been going everywhere together lately. What's up with that?"
“Home, please.” I stared down at my hands for a long moment and picked at a ragged cuticle while I tried to figure out a good way to word what went down without talking about the incident with my magic. I knew that part would make her uncomfortable. “Ray and I had a fundamental difference of opinion about my former connections to the coven, and the fact that I won’t use magic anymore. He demanded to know why, I didn’t feel comfortable discussing it, and things went downhill. There was an…incident, things got out of hand, and he basically called me a liar, then abandoned me.”
She drummed her fingers on her steering wheel for a long moment. "Can I be honest with you, as your friend?"
"Of course," I frowned. Nausea coiled and quivered in the pit of my stomach, and my mouth went dry.
"You didn't really have any right to be mad at Ray, and I really don't get why you keep insisting on picking fights with him. He's a nice guy, and he's put up with a lot out of you since Kat disappeared."
"I don't think you get where I'm coming from at all, and that's not fair!" I said, my voice cracking. "He asked me to take a step back from the investigation. I don't have the time or the patience for that when women are dying and my sister could be next. How could he even be stupid enough to ask me to back off when my sister's life is on the line?"
I crossed my arms and stared out the side window, my eyes burning with tears I was fighting not to let fall.
"I think you're willfully misunderstanding what he asked you to do, Roxy, and I say that with love. I’m sure he’s just trying to protect you from getting hurt any more, and you flipped out and pushed him away again. I'm starting to see a pattern here, and I really don't understand this crazy grudge you have against him."
; "You wouldn't." I snorted and rolled my eyes at her high-and-mighty tone. "You transferred out to a private school before senior year."
Shadow seethed just beneath the surface, waiting for an opportunity to pounce. I did some deep breathing, trying to calm myself down.
"Considering the fact that he was helping you when the cops didn't, I'd think you could let go of shit from seven years ago."
"Considering that you have no idea what actually happened, and I never plan on reliving that shame, I'm going to let that one slide." I glared out the side window and puffed out a frustrated sigh.
"Why don't we change the subject?"
"Great. I'm willing to talk about literally anything but this."
"Okay, so it's pretty obvious that you're incapable of having a romantic relationship at this point in your life, and particularly not with Ray, would you mind if I tried to set him up with somebody?"
"Yes, I mind!" My mouth blurted it before my mind had the chance to register that the whole conversation was basically a trap. Heat flooded my cheeks.
"Aha! I knew it!" Jenea's triumphant squeal was so high-pitched it almost made my eardrums bleed.
"That's not what I meant!" Sweat beaded on my upper lip and I reached up, scrubbing a hand over my face. "I just mean that I'd prefer it if he wasn't distracted by some kind of new romance while we're in the middle of trying to make sure my little sister isn't the next murder victim in town."
"Really?" Jenea's incredulous tone made me grit my teeth, bracing for the wave of self-righteousness I knew was coming. "I'm calling bullshit on that one, Roxy, 'cause it sounds to me like you don't want him, but you don't want anybody else to have him, either. How is that fair? I know plenty of nice girls in my church group who'd really appreciate a fine man like Ray."
"Okay, we need to stop." I gripped the seatbelt and wondered how much worse I could hurt myself if I bailed out of a moving vehicle to avoid wherever Jenea thought our conversation was going.
I can’t sit here and listen to her rambling about Ray’s love life like she knows him, or have her judging my choices, especially not since she’s suddenly a lot more religious than she has been in the past. I need out of this car right this second, I don’t care if I have to walk home.
"What? Stop where? Why?" Jenea took her foot off the gas for a second, her eyes wide and wild.
My mind spiraled and I grappled for some kind of answer that made sense, rather than the cloying, conflicted feelings her line of questioning had induced.
The lights in the parking lot of the strip mall that housed Ray's office highlighted the only vehicle there so late in the evening.
"Ray's SUV!" My exclamation was so loud and abrupt it made both of us jump. "My purse is in Ray's truck. All my things are in there. I can't even get in my house without that bag."
Thankfully, that excuse seemed to make sense to Jenea because she swung her car into the lot and parked in the spot beside Ray's. My hands shook as I unbuckled the seatbelt and clawed my way out of the suddenly claustrophobic vehicle.
"Make it quick, please." The clipped, stilted way Jenea spoke made me feel like it was more of a command than a request. "I do have things to do besides chauffeur you around. I've got to do inventory and get to my evening Bible study group."
My gut squirmed and Shadow tried to fight her way to the surface of my mind once again. I straightened up and took a half-step back from the car, never taking my eyes off her sour, impatient expression.
Don't get back in the car with her. For once, I couldn't agree with Shadow more. I knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that something bad would happen if I left with her, though I couldn't pinpoint which of us my gut feeling was warning me about.
"You can just drop me off here, then." I forced a tight smile and stiff wave. "I'm sure Ray will take me home after we talk." I shut the passenger door and strode toward Ray's office, displaying a confidence I didn't really feel.
Yeah, right. I wasn't sure of any such thing, but anything was better than getting back in the car with her.
Shadow almost boiled to the surface in a hot, panicky flurry. If you trap me in a car with that hoity-toity bitch again, I’m hexing you both into oblivion. I don’t care that she’s supposed to be your friend.
I swallowed despite my painfully dry mouth and rapped on Ray's office door. Second after painful second ticked by with no response, so I knocked again, acutely aware of Jenea's headlights still shining against the storefront.
Finally, the interior door to Ray's office swung open and he strode through the lobby. When he spotted me through the plate glass, his narrowed eyes and tight frown told me I was the last person he wanted to see. A bruise was blooming on his nose from our last encounter, and his damp hair was freshly combed.
He blinked from the other side of the glass for a couple of beats before he blew out a sigh, flipped the deadbolt, and snatched the door open. "What are you doing here, Roxanne?"
"I'm sorry about what happened at the hospital, and I promise I'll explain what happened if you want to know, but now might not be the best time," I babbled in a rush, trying to get the words out before he could slam the door in my face. "You don't actually have to talk to me right now, but can we kind of make it look like you're hearing me out so Jenea will leave? I'll limp the rest of the way home if I have to, but I can't get back in the car with her right now."
Ray's brows pinched together as his sharp gaze moved from me to Jenea's blazing headlights and back. "I know I'm going to regret asking this, but why not?"
"It's more of a gut feeling than anything else, but I'm afraid if I get back in the car with her, what happened at the hospital is going to happen again, only in a moving vehicle."
Ray's lips pressed into a grim line. My palms got sweaty as the seconds stretched on without a word between us. I rubbed my hands against the scrubs, hating that slick, clammy feeling.
Finally, he pushed the door open a little wider and motioned me in. "So, did you tell her you were going to find another way home, or does she think you're coming back to her car?"
"I definitely told her." I shrugged and motioned lamely at her car. "I honestly have no idea why she's still sitting there. Maybe she's waiting for us to head into your office or something?"
Ray wrinkled his nose and continued to stare at Jenea's unmoving car. "That's either really sweet or really weird of her, and I'm not sure which it is."
"Honestly, I'm not sure either, but the end of that car ride was way too strange for me to handle." I shivered and tried to rub away the goosebumps prickling on my arms.
"How so?" He finally pushed away from the lobby door and motioned for me to follow him into his office.
“Where do I even start?” I suppressed an awkward chuckle. “She read me the riot act about my lack of an ability to have a normal relationship, which I guess is a fair assessment. Then she made it weird when she asked if she could set you up with somebody—”
“Hold up.” Ray pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. “This chick, who I’ve said a total of maybe ten words to in the history of ever, did what now?”
“Oh yeah.” I cringed. “She thinks you’d be perfect for one of the girls in her church group.”
Ray visibly squirmed and rubbed the back of his neck. "First of all, it's really weird that she's trying to set me up with people when she doesn't even know me. Second of all, someone should really tell her that churchy girls aren't exactly my type."
"I think Jenea means well. She just doesn't realize that other people aren't as hung up on romance and, apparently, religion as she is." I shrugged, aware that it still didn’t excuse her weird fixation on his dating life.
Ray ran a hand through his hair, making it stick out in all directions. "Well, do me a favor and tell her to kindly leave me out of her matchmaking fantasies from now on."
I nodded, suddenly hyper-aware of the fact that he smelled of fresh shower gel as he opened his office door and motioned me in ahead of him. The scent enveloped me as
I passed him and padded across the threshold. It was borderline intoxicating, somewhere between utterly masculine and hard candy. For a moment, I took complete leave of my senses, and thoughts that involved licking him made my cheeks burn with a hot blush. Finally, my brain caught up with what he'd said and I realized I should probably respond.
"I'll be happy to." I breathed in his scent again and cleared my throat as other parts of my body heated up, matching the flush on my face. I reached up and brushed some of his hair back off his forehead. "I didn't realize you had a shower here at the office."
"I don't." His befuddled frown as he studied me helped snap me back to reality. "I have a gym membership, so I showered there before I came here to bed down for the night."
Guilt slammed into my gut, hard and heavy, as I took in the blanket draped over his desk chair. I wrung my hands and bit my lip. "Wait...you were going to sleep here, in your office chair?"
He shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "Yeah. So?"
I pointed at the desk chair and pursed my lips. " I can't let you do that, Ray. We both know it's my fault your condo was firebombed. Besides, there's no way you can actually get a good night’s sleep in this chair."
Ray shook his head. "I'm not sure I'd say it's your fault."
"Well I would." I crossed my arms. "The men who tried to attack me in your parking lot said they set fire to your apartment to smoke me out. That makes it my fault that you just lost your incredibly nice home, not to mention all your worldly possessions. The least I can do is make sure you have a decent place to sleep until your condo is fixed."
He sat down on the edge of his desk and stared at the floor between us. "It's a tempting offer, Roxy, but I...I'm not so sure it's the best idea after what happened at the hospital."
I sucked in a quick breath and tried to clear away the thick, painful feeling in my throat. My cheeks burned, and I pressed my hands against them in an attempt to cool the raging fire there. "I'm sorry I hurt you and I know how it looked, but it's not what you think, Ray, I swear."
Coven of Lies (The Bayshore Witch Legacy Book 2) Page 2