by Tina Folsom
“For drug possession. Looks like she’s been in trouble with the law a few times.”
“Oh God, we need to help her.”
The pleading tone in Tessa’s voice made Hamish’s heart ache. “We will. Just as soon as we find her.”
She lifted her gaze to him. “I’m so worried about her. She’s out there all alone. Who knows what the demons did to her.”
That reminded him of something. He looked back at Aiden. “About the demons. It wasn’t Zoltan who attacked Tessa and drugged her.”
Aiden frowned. “What? But—”
“Tessa remembered what the demons said. And from what we’ve pieced together, it sounds like Zoltan’s got a turf war on his hands. Apparently, The Great One wasn’t planning on killing Tessa; though I think he was probably responsible for putting that picture in the papers to destroy Tessa’s political career.”
Aiden nodded. “Pearce was telling me that the email came from a Zoel Monnadt, and that it’s an anagram for Demon Zoltan.”
“Right. But the attacks on Tessa’s life, they were perpetuated by a different demon. Somebody who wants to remove Zoltan from his throne.” He was sure about this now. It made sense.
“I wonder whether we could use that information to stir up trouble in the demon world,” Aiden mused. “Having them fight among themselves would take the heat off us for a while.”
“It’s possible,” Hamish said. “Let’s discuss it with the others when they—”
The ringing of Aiden’s cell phone interrupted him. He picked it up from the counter and answered it. “Hey Logan.”
Hamish pointed to the phone. “Put him on speaker.”
Aiden complied. “You’re on speaker. I’m with Hamish. Any news?”
“I’m with Gunn. The guy is so giddy right now, he can barely contain himself. He’s practically celebrating his victory already.”
“Bastard!” Hamish hissed.
“Oh I know,” Logan agreed. “But he did seem a little surprised that Tessa hasn’t made a statement yet. He’s waiting for her to officially withdraw from the mayor’s race. He’s been making phone calls all morning trying to find out where she is. If he’s really the guy helping Zoltan, then wouldn’t he know that Zoltan tried to kill Tessa?”
“He might be creating an alibi for himself,” Aiden said. “And by the way, we just figured out that the demon who tried to kill Tessa wasn’t Zoltan, but a rival. Most likely Zoltan planted the drug story to undermine her campaign, but his rival went a step further. So Gunn probably works for the rival, who’s been trying to kill Tessa all along.”
“What do you want me to do then?” Logan asked.
“Stay on Gunn,” Hamish ordered. “Once the others are back, I’ll send Manus to relieve you. If anybody can lead us to the demons behind this, it’s Gunn. Sooner or later, he’ll be in contact with them.”
“Not if they think that they succeeded and their work is done,” Logan said. “For all they know Tessa is dead.”
Hamish spun his head to Tessa, catching her apprehensive look. “Then we’ll have to make sure the right people know that she’s alive.”
39
Hamish gave her an encouraging look, but Tessa dreaded making the call.
“Do I really need to talk to him? Can’t I just leave a message with his assistant?”
“Gunn needs to hear your voice,” Hamish said. “He needs to know you’re alive. It’ll prompt him to contact the demons, and then we’ll be on them like white on rice.”
They were still assembled around the kitchen island. The witch, who actually seemed like a rather easy-going guy, was stacking the dishes into the dishwasher, while everybody else was looking at Tessa.
“Okay.” She took a deep breath and dialed Gunn’s direct line.
“Yeah?” Gunn’s tight voice bellowed through the line.
“Robert, it’s Tessa.”
Clearly stunned, Gunn blew out a breath. “Tessa.” Then he seemed to catch himself. “So you’re calling to concede, are you?”
“Concede? Dream on.”
He chuckled. “Come on, Tessa, you know you’ve got no chance now. The press is crucifying you, and your prim and proper voters are deserting you by the thousands.”
“They’ll come back once they hear the truth.”
“The truth? Tessa, wake up! You got caught.” He laughed. “Who would have thought that under that holier-than-thou exterior you had a dark side? Not even I could have dreamt that up. Jesus, Tessa, drugs? You? You fooled us all. But thanks anyway. The election is mine now. And not even your crooked little campaign manager can fix this like she fixed everything else.”
“I know what you’re doing! You can’t hide it much longer.”
There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line. “Watch yourself, Tessa. You’re biting off more than you can chew.”
“You fucking little shit!” she cursed, but the phone was slammed on the receiver. The call was disconnected. “Argh! That jerk! He’s gloating!”
She felt Hamish’s hand on her arm. “Let it go, lass, he’s gonna get what’s coming to him very soon. I promise you.”
She sniffled. “Thanks.”
He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You’ve done well. You should talk to Poppy now and have her draft a statement. We can’t afford any more of your voters deserting you.”
She knew that. “What shall I tell her?”
“Have her draft an apology assuring your voters that you’ll be coming out with a full explanation as soon as you’ve cleared up a few things,” he suggested.
“An apology?” She shook her head.
Hamish cupped her shoulders. “I know it feels wrong, but until we’ve found Tiffany it’s the best thing we can do. Have her draft it so it’s as vague as possible, so you don’t actually admit to anything, okay?”
She sighed. “Are you sure?”
“Trust me.”
She did. “Okay. I’ll—”
The door being opened stopped her. Manus marched in, followed by Enya and Pearce.
“Hey guys,” Manus greeted them, before his eyes fell on the witch. “What the—”
“We’ve been through this,” Aiden said. “The witch is no threat.”
“Why does it smell like pancakes in here?” Enya asked.
“I’ll make you some,” Wesley offered immediately. “Anybody else?”
Pearce shrugged. “Sure.”
Manus nodded. “If you’re making some anyway.”
Impatient, Tessa interrupted, “Did you find Tiffany? Where is she? Is she safe?”
A regretful smile passed over Manus’s face. “Sorry, she was at neither of the two addresses we checked. There are no employment records we could find as of yet.” He exchanged a look with Pearce. “Pearce will search for her social security records to see where she worked last. Maybe we can get a lead that way.”
Pearce nodded. “We’ll be canvassing the neighborhood, too. It looks like the address that Enya checked out was her last one. We’ll start there. Maybe somebody saw something.”
Tessa felt a sob work its way up her throat. She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her lips together, trying not to cry. “He killed her, didn’t he? Zoltan killed her.”
Hamish pulled her into his arms. “If Zoltan didn’t try to kill you, he has no reason to kill your sister.” He brushed a hand over her hair. “We won’t give up.”
“Want some help?” Wesley suddenly said.
All heads turned in his direction.
“I mean, you do know that witches can scry for people, right?”
“Scry?” Another word she didn’t understand.
“Yeah, it’s like GPS.”
Tessa looked up at Hamish. “Do you know what he’s talking about?”
To her surprise, Hamish nodded. “Witches have the power to find people as long as they have something to guide them. You know, like a bloodhound with a scent.”
“I need a bit more than a scent,” Wesley am
ended. “I heard you say earlier that it’s your twin you’re looking for?”
Tessa nodded.
“Identical?”
“Yes, why?”
“Identical twins have identical DNA. All I need is a few drops of your blood, and I’ll be able to scry for your sister.”
Hope bloomed in Tessa’s heart. Was this truly possible?
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Aiden suddenly asked, drawing Wesley’s gaze on him. “While you’re in here, you have no power.”
“Ah, I was coming to that.” He grimaced. “It would of course mean you’d have to let me step outside these four walls so I can access my powers.”
“Ah, fuck,” Hamish hissed.
Tessa gripped his biceps. “Please, Hamish, if this is how we can find her, let’s do it.”
“Tessa, once he’s outside, he can use witchcraft against us.”
She shook her head. “But if we wait, it might be too late. What if she’s hurt somewhere? What if she’s dying? I could never forgive myself for not having tried everything to help her. Please, Hamish.” She felt tears shoot into her eyes, and this time she was unable to hold them back. “If you love me, then please do this for me.”
She felt Hamish’s chest rise. He released a heavy sigh, then looked past her. “One false move, witch, and you’ll feel my dagger in your heart.”
“I get it, Stealth Guardian, and the name is still Wesley. Maybe it’s time you used it.” There was a definite smirk accompanying Wesley’s reply. “Pancakes will have to wait.”
Nobody complained.
40
“This had better work,” Hamish grumbled under his breath.
He, Enya, Aiden, and Wesley were standing in an abandoned warehouse. Manus had been dispatched to join Logan in his surveillance of Gunn, while Pearce was staying back at the compound with Leila and Tessa.
Tessa had protested, but it was actually Wesley who’d been able to convince her to stay at the compound. “If you’re with us, all the crystal will do is point to you, not your sister. And I won’t be able to pinpoint her.”
“He’s right, Tessa,” Hamish had confirmed. “You’ll need to remain within the compound, where you’ll be cloaked.”
He kept his eyes locked on Wesley as the witch prepared everything. “The map?”
Aiden handed it to him, and Wesley spread it out on the dusty floor, kneeling beside it. He glanced up. “Baltimore, huh?” Then he wrapped the gauze with which he’d soaked up a few drops of Tessa’s blood around a crystal he’d retrieved from his backpack earlier.
Hamish hadn’t let him take anything else from his bag of tricks, just in case the witch was planning to pull a fast one on them.
“It shouldn’t take long. If she’s alive and anywhere on this map, the crystal will show her location.” Suspended by a string, he held the crystal over the middle of the map and closed his eyes. A second later a soft humming echoed in the empty space.
Hamish exchanged a look with his two colleagues. They were both on high alert just like he. Should Wesley utter a spell directed at them, they would be ready; somehow, though, he was starting to trust that the witch meant them no harm. Witches had always been on the side of the Stealth Guardians. Their goal was the same as that of his own race: to destroy the demons. But just like humans, witches could be influenced by demons, and the fact that Wesley had managed to use one of their portals was nothing if not a little worrisome.
With his eyes still closed, Wesley continued to hum; the crystal on the end of the string starting to move as if drawn by an invisible force. Suddenly the crystal dropped to a spot on the map.
Hamish leaned in. “You sure about this?”
Wesley opened his eyes and nodded. “Why?”
“Because the crystal is pointing at the water.”
Wesley looked at the map. “Next to a pier,” he clarified. “Which means she’s probably on a boat.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“Well, let’s go there and check it out,” Wesley suggested.
Hamish tossed a look to Aiden. “What do you think?”
“We should be prepared in case it’s a trap.”
Wesley jumped up, hands at his hips, frustration rolling off him. “What else do I need to do to prove to you guys that I don’t mean you any harm?”
“I meant a trap by the demons,” Aiden clarified. “If they used Tiffany to stage the drug photo, they might still be watching her in case they need her again. We don’t want to run into their waiting arms.”
“Oh, yeah, right, makes sense,” Wesley said.
Hamish nodded. “Okay, back to the compound. Let’s pull any surveillance footage from the area and call Sean and Jay from their assignments for backup.”
Enya asked, “What about Manus and Logan?”
“They need to stay on Gunn. We can’t afford to miss it, when he contacts the demons,” Hamish said.
Thanks to a nearby portal, they were back at the compound ten minutes later. Tessa was already eagerly waiting in the command center where Pearce was accessing surveillance cameras in the area.
“Do you have a location?” Tessa asked excitedly.
Hamish squeezed her hand. “Yes, we just need to make sure we won’t get ambushed when we go in there and get her out.”
“Oh God, I hope she’s alright. I always wanted a sister. I don’t want to lose her before I have the chance to meet her.”
He locked eyes with her. “I’ll do anything to keep that from happening.”
The ringing of Tessa’s cell phone echoed in the command center. She pulled it from her pocket and looked at the display. “It’s Poppy.”
“Haven’t you spoken to her yet?”
“She didn’t answer her phone when I called. So I left a message.”
“Answer it, and put her on speaker.” He turned to Pearce, motioning him to remain silent.
Tessa pressed the answer button. “Poppy, I was trying to get a hold of you.”
“Tessa.” A sound akin to a sigh came through the phone. “Sorry, but I was in the shower when you called. Are you alright?”
Tessa cast him a quick look. Hamish nodded.
“Yes, I’m fine,” she replied. “But I wanted to speak to you about issuing a statement.”
“Oh, okay. That’s great. I’m glad you’re finally coming around to it. I’ll come by your apartment now and we’ll draft something—”
“I’m not at home. Let’s just do it over the phone—”
“Well, where are you then?”
“I’m at Hamish’s apartment.”
“Give me the address, and I’ll meet you there.”
Hamish instantly shook his head, but Tessa had clearly anticipated his reaction and was already saying, “That won’t be necessary. Just write something along the lines that I’m sorry about what has come to light and that it isn’t what it seems to be. And that I’ll be coming out with a full statement addressing all the concerns raised in the next twenty-four hours. Can you do that please?”
There was a moment’s hesitation on Poppy’s part. “Yes, but what are we gonna do then? What will you tell them in twenty-four hours?”
“I’m working on that. Just trust me. Please. For old times’ sake.”
Poppy sighed. “Fine. But I really think it’s better that we meet and go over all this. This is serious. Have you seen the latest news reports? They’re coming up with all kinds of theories that paint you in a really bad light.”
“I can’t help that. But that’s all I’ve got right now. Please, just issue the statement, and we’ll go from there.”
“Okay, if you say so. I’ll take care of it.”
“Thanks, Poppy.” Tessa disconnected the call. “Phew!”
“Good job on holding her off. This will buy you some time,” Hamish said. Then he turned to Pearce. “Anything?”
Pearce pointed to the monitor in front of him. “It’s a marina. Not a lot of cameras in that area. There’s one at the entrance, b
ut not much else. Everything looks pretty normal; few people working on their boats. Not much to go by. The spot Wesley’s crystal indicated seems to be one of the last three boats on this dock here. The F dock. I’d say check the last three slips.”
“Okay. Any news from Sean and Jay yet?”
Pearce switched over to the second monitor and typed something on his keyboard. A message board came up. “They just checked in. They’ll meet you at the marina.”
“Good. You stay here, watch the women and Wesley. Notify me immediately if Logan or Manus call in with news about Gunn.”
“I’m coming with you,” Tessa said from beside him.
“No, it’s safer for you to stay at the compound. If we encounter demons—”
“Tiffany will be scared. What makes you think she’ll trust you? To her, you won’t look any different than the demons. I need to be there. When she sees me, she’ll trust me.”
“Damn it, Tessa, you’re gonna be in danger.”
She shook her head. “You’re going in cloaked, aren’t you? So you’ll cloak me, too. Even if there are demons, they won’t see me. And I promise that this time I won’t make a peep. They’re not gonna get me.”
Hamish expelled an exasperated breath. He knew her reasoning was correct. Didn’t mean he liked it. But he couldn’t think of any good argument that would make her stay at the compound, particularly since convincing Tiffany to come with them would be easier if her twin sister was there.
“Fine. But you do exactly what I say. One act of disobedience, and I’ll haul your sweet ass back to the compound. Do we understand each other?”
Her eyes lit up. “You won’t even know I’m there.”
“Right!” He remembered saying the same to her when she’d complained about him accompanying her everywhere she went. And he liked it just as little as she had.
41
It was early afternoon by the time they reached the marina. Nervousness had crept into Tessa’s cells during the drive. What if something went wrong? What if the demons were still there, holding Tiffany hostage, and were actually expecting the Stealth Guardians to make a rescue attempt?