by Jill Sanders
“Yes, and boss of almost two weeks.”
“I thought you were in between jobs?” Ethan asked, not missing a beat.
“I am.” She smiled at him, causing Drew to shift in his seat. Her shoulders straightened.
“I didn’t know you were looking,” Drew said, turning towards her.
“Well, what did you expect? That I would stick around without a real commitment? You do know I was up for head anchor before you came along.” She tilted her head and raised her chin. “I got that far on my own merit because I’m that good at what I do.”
Ethan stood up, then raised his eyebrows. “We were just leaving.” He waited until Drew got the hint to let her out. “I’m sure you’ll have plenty of time to talk to Brea when she wants to set time aside. Maybe you can schedule something.”
Brea hid a smile by shifting out of the booth.
“Leaving so soon?” Clara walked over.
Ethan’s eyes moved to Drew. “Yeah, we have some… research to do, but maybe you can pack up one of those muffins to go?” He nodded to the glass jar by the register.
“I have something even better,” Clara said and disappeared.
Ethan took her hand and they walked up to the cash register together.
“I baked these myself. Cheesecake bites,” Clara whispered. “Been trying to get my boss to sell them here. Let me know what you think.” She handed a covered plate to Brea. “If you like them, next time you’re in, let Bobby know.” She nodded to the older woman standing behind the counter taking someone’s order.
“Thanks, how much do…”
“Remember, it’s on the house.” Clara winked. “Thanks for sticking up for our rights. And next time, duck.”
Ethan chuckled and nodded. “That I can do.”
When they walked out of the diner, she wasn’t surprised when Drew followed them.
“Breanna?” He pulled her to a stop, but a low growl from Ethan made him drop his hand. “Maybe we can meet later?”
She sighed. No matter what she said, she still needed and wanted this job. At least until she could return home and find another one.
“How about meeting around two?” she said, gauging her time.
He nodded. “I’m staying at the hotel off the highway.” She held in a chuckle, knowing that he was probably stuck in the same room she’d been in and that it was far below what he was used to. “Why don’t we meet there?”
“We’ll meet at the library,” she said firmly. “It’s just down the street.” She turned without giving him time to respond and walked away, holding Ethan’s hand in her own.
“You handled that well,” Ethan said, after they were in the car and heading out of town.
“You think?” She sighed and glanced over at him. “The guy’s an ass. Cheated on me every chance he could get.” She no longer felt angry, just frustrated at herself for wasting so much time with the jerk.
“Did you love him?” Ethan asked, causing her to swerve slightly.
“No!” She laughed. “Far from it.”
“Good.” He reached for her hand. “I don’t cheat.”
She smiled. “I figured you weren’t the kind.”
“So, do you want to tell me about your work?”
“Not really.” She glanced at him, then sighed. “I’m doing an article on the cult that attacked your brother and Xtina,” she said, getting into the car. “Drew took over as my boss a few weeks back, fired everyone except a few. He still hasn’t made up his mind about me.”
He reached over and took her hand.
“Do you want me to come with you?” he asked as they drove into the driveway.
“No.” She thought of her project and cringed inwardly. What would Ethan say about her writing a paper to expose his brother’s fiancée as a fraud? “I can handle Drew. Besides, I need to do this.” She parked and turned off the car. “And you need your rest.”
He rolled his eyes, then lowered his voice as his eyes met hers. “I rest better when you’re lying beside me.” He brushed a fingertip down her chin then slowly over her bottom lip.
“I thought—” Suddenly there was a knock on her window, causing her to jump.
Jacob stood outside of her car, frowning down at them.
“Sorry,” he said, opening her door. “I didn’t want to interrupt… anything.” Jacob’s eyes moved to Ethan.
Ethan crawled out of the car, holding the tray of treats. “You aren’t. What’s up?”
“I heard about your fall.” His eyes stuck on Ethan. “You okay?”
“Yeah, sure.” Ethan shut the car door and walked around.
“I…” Jacob took a breath. “I was hoping we could talk.”
She walked over to Ethan and took the container. “I’ll take these inside and get ready for my meeting.” She disappeared quickly, not giving Ethan a chance to back down.
Chapter 11
Ethan watched Brea rush into the house and almost laughed at how fast she’d left him with…his brother.
He started to say, “I need a beer,” but then he remembered his medicine and how early it was. “Let’s go up on the porch.” He nodded to the chairs he and his brother had made last time he’d visited. Even though it was chilly out, the fresh air would do him good.
Jacob was wearing street clothes, which told him that he was off duty. He sat across from him, rubbing his hands on his knees.
“So?” he said after a moment of awkward silence.
“So,” Jacob repeated. “I need your help with something.”
Ethan sighed. What else did he have to do besides sit around and be bored as he healed? “Shoot.”
“It’s about Jess.” Jacob pulled out a piece of paper. “More to the point, her parents.” He handed him the paper. “I would do it myself, but…” He ran his hand through his hair. “If Jess ever found out.”
The look in the man’s eyes told Ethan that the cop was very worried what a hundred-pound woman would do to him if she found out he was looking for her folks.
“My…our brother is better at this sort of thing. He is a PI of sorts.”
“Yeah, but he’s got his hands full at the moment.”
He glanced over what info Jacob had found so far. Which wasn’t a lot. “Why are you so concerned about finding them?”
“Jess doesn’t think they have anything to do with all this, but…” He paused and looked like he wanted to say more, but instead he shrugged.
“Yeah, sure,” he said after a moment. “I’ll see what I can come up with. Have you heard anything more on the group that kidnapped Xtina and shot Mike?”
“The Humanist Society? The one’s that survived that night have been moved to the state facility in Reidsville until their trial.”
“How soon will that be?”
Jacob laughed. “Not soon enough. Their leader, William…”
“Yeah, Mike told me about him.” Ethan sighed, thankful that his brother had taken care of the bastard himself.
“Well, he sure left a mark on this town.” He was pretty sure he saw Jacob shiver. “The people in Hidden Creek have been super vigilant since then. No strangers can drive through town without getting questioned.”
“Gotta love small towns.”
“Actually, we’ve had so many tips, we’ve been crazy busy.”
Ethan folded the paper and put it in his pocket as Brea walked out with some pills and a glass of water.
“Time for these.” She handed another glass to Jacob after making sure he swallowed the two pills. “Sorry, we didn’t have any tea.”
Jacob held up the water and smiled. “Water’s fine.”
“So, how about the Schmitt’s case?” Brea asked as she sat next to him.
Ethan had heard about it, the one thing his parents had mentioned to him.
“What about it?” Jacob asked.
“Any new info on that case?” she asked and Ethan could tell that she was in full reporter mode, something he’d never seen before. If he had to be honest, it w
as turning him on.
“Like I told you at the station, the boyfriend confessed and pointed at the wife, but so far Mrs. Schmitt hasn’t squealed.”
“Is she still claiming Xtina was in on it?”
Ethan sat up a little. He hadn’t heard that part of the story. “What?”
Jacob glanced over at him. “Yeah, she’s claiming it was Xtina’s fault. That she somehow took control of her. Bewitched her.” He rolled his eyes and laughed.
“Seriously?” Ethan leaned forward. “There’s no way that kind of…” He stopped himself as he remembered all the things Brea had admitted to him. Hell, if someone could believe they could teleport, then why not believe a witch could control someone.
“Yeah, right.” Jacob took another sip of his water. “I mean, there’s a lot of crazy shit that’s been going on lately, but that…” He shook his head. “Nope. That’s where I think the line is crossed. Being able to control someone else.”
Ethan laughed, but something deep in his gut twisted. “Listen, I think I’m going to lay down for a while.” He nodded towards his shoulder.
Jacob set his glass down on the end table. “Sure. I heard about what happened with you. We didn’t get a chance to talk much last time, but I wanted to say I appreciate your service.” He reached out for Ethan’s left hand.
When Ethan shook it, a shock traveled up his arm.
Suddenly, he was standing at the base of a silo. Jacob, Mike, Xtina, and Jess were all standing in a circle, and the heavy doors were open as the full moon shone down on them all.
He glanced around, looking for Brea, but she wasn’t there.
Then there was a bright flash, and suddenly, she was there, standing in the middle of the five of them. Her silver eyes went directly to his.
“I love you,” she said. Something told him that it wasn’t the first time she’d said it to him, but it was the most important.
They all lifted their arms as Jess started chanting something in a different language.
Then another woman appeared and Brea stepped towards him. He broke the connection and reached for her, but when he did, she disappeared quickly, fading back into the darkness.
Someone screamed and when he glanced up, a fireball was falling from the sky, directly towards them.
The vision disappeared when Jacob dropped his hand and took a step back.
“Whoa,” Jacob said, shaking his head. “What the hell.”
“Ethan?” Brea reached over and took his arm. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just freaking peachy keen.” He stood up and walked into the house without another word, leaving Jacob and Brea outside.
He hated being weak. Hated that his body couldn’t stay up with his mind. Hated the damn visions that were ruining his life. Hell, he didn’t know what half of them meant.
He’d tried to go without the pills and had ended up face down, so he was trying it with the pills and ended up weak as a baby.
He was getting tired of this shit.
Ethan had laid down on the bed in the other room after Jacob had left. She sat at the kitchen table, getting her files together for her meeting with Drew. She had so many notes on her life, on what was happening to her, that she didn’t know where to begin.
The information she had on Xtina had easily tripled in the past few days. She had files on each of them: Xtina, Mike, Jess, Jacob, and Ethan.
There was so much information she didn’t want Drew to get his hands on, so she dumped those files into a folder on her USB memory stick.
She knew Drew wasn’t going to let up until he had what she had. After all, why would he drive over an hour and stay in a hole-in-a-wall hotel. He was here for more than just the story and that made her skin crawl.
She shut her laptop and tucked the USB drive into the pocket of her bag with her tablet. A movement caught her eye across the room. Thinking it was Ethan, she glanced over and held in a scream.
There, hovering a few feet away, was her aunt. It took a moment for her heart to start beating again. She felt shivers race over her skin.
Then she remembered how Xtina and Mike had told her that they had been seeing Misty and her brain clicked.
“Aunt Misty?” Her aunt turned towards her, her silver eyes meeting her own. “What do you want?” Her aunt turned towards the bedroom and then back towards her. A sad look crossed her eyes before she disappeared.
Brea let out the breath she’d been holding. What the hell was that?
Debating whether to wake Ethan up and tell him what had just happened, she glanced down at her watch and realized she didn’t have time. Grabbing her coat, she hoisted her bag over her shoulder and left. She’d have to tell Ethan about her encounter later.
What did it mean, her aunt showing up again? Did it mean anything? So many questions raced through her mind.
By the time she got to town, she was feeling a little better. She parked in front of the library and gauged she was about five minutes early. She saw Drew standing out front.
She knew his M.O. He’d tried to get her back to his hotel by smooth talking her. That was not going to happen again. Ever.
“Hello, Drew.” She walked past him and towards the front door, but his hand on her arm stopped her.
“Hang on a moment,” Drew said, pulling her close. “Why the rush? I thought maybe we could…”
“Drew,” she warned, leaning closer, “either you come into the library and we have a civil conversation, employee to boss, or I get back in the car and start looking for someone else who’s interested in the story.” She jerked her arm free and walked past him, happy to note that he was close on her heels. She was proud that she’d taken the first step in taking back her future.
That was until she walked into the library and found herself surrounded by over two dozen screaming kids.
“Sorry,” the librarian standing behind the counter said, looking overly apologetic. “It’s the fourth Tuesday in the month.” she said before returning her eyes to the computer screen, like Brea was supposed to know what that meant.
“Maybe we can find a quiet corner?” she suggested, walking towards the back of the library. She did not want to take him to the basement to be alone and was thankful when she found a quiet reading room near the back.
“Brea, this is ridiculous,” Drew said, walking directly to her and taking her shoulders. “Why can’t we talk this out.”
She felt her entire body tense. “What? The fact that you’re holding my career over my head to get me in bed again?”
His eyes narrowed and she realized she’d guessed the game he was playing correctly. She jerked her shoulders free and walked over to sit behind the table.
“Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to go over our choices.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her. “From where I’m standing, I can see only one path.”
“Which would be?” She had a sinking feeling in her gut.
He took his time and walked over to sit across from her, settling in the chair like he had all the time in the world.
“Write this piece and come home. You’ll keep your position”—his eyes ran over her face slowly and she felt a shiver rush through her—“as long as you give me another chance.”
“You’re right, Drew.” She stood up slowly as anger vibrated deep inside her. She swung her bag to her shoulder. “There is only one way for this to work. I write my piece”—she took a step towards the door—“and sell it to the highest bidder.”
She didn’t even get to the door before Drew had her arm, his fingers digging into her flesh above her elbow.
“Easy,” he said softly, his other hand going to her shoulders. “Why all the pent-up anger towards me? I thought we left things at a good place.”
She rolled her eyes, then pushed him back. She was a little surprised when he stepped away easily.
“Is your new boy toy not pleasing you?” he said, crossing his arms over his chest.
“You’re such an ass.�
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“Yeah, so I’ve been told.” He glanced at her bag, then turned towards her again. “Listen, can we start over?” She sighed and nodded. “So, what do you have?”
She thought about her hidden files and decided to stick to her plan of giving him something so he’d leave and get off her back.
She pulled out her tablet and flipped it open, opening the files she’d prepared just for him.
“On Xtina? Not much. Other than she’s…”
“Xtina? You mean, her…” He sat again and pointed to a picture on her screen. “Christina Warren?”
“Yes.” She flipped to her notes. “I’ve been staying at the place across from her and have gotten close to her. But so far, all I’ve learned is that she appears legit.”
“Legit?” He laughed. “Yeah, right.” He leaned back. “What’s gotten into you?” he said after a moment.
“You want what I have or not?” she asked.
“Email it to me.” He reached for her hand, which she moved out of his reach.
“Is that why you drove all the way to Hidden Creek? Why you’re holed up in what has to be the worst hotel imaginable?” She shut her tablet. “For me to email what I have to you?”
He chuckled. “Let’s just say I’m personally invested in this one.”
“Why?” She could tell he was holding something back, but couldn’t see his angle.
When he leaned forward and brushed a finger across her knuckles, she frowned over at him.
“Seriously?” She laughed and gathered her stuff up for the second time. “Don’t you think that ship has sailed?”
“Listen, Brea, I know I’ve made mistakes in the past.”
Her chuckle stopped him. “You call cheating on me several times… a mistake?”
“Yeah.” He smiled slightly, then shifted towards her and his smile fell away. “But in the last few months, I’ve done some personal growing. I realize I was wrong. I’m sorry.”
It was funny, looking into his eyes, she could see that he really meant it.
“Too late,” she said softly. “Listen, there might have been a time…” She shook her head. “Well, no, actually not after I found out. I appreciate your honesty and your apology, but I’m not the kind of woman who can forgive and forget that easily.”