by Nancy Glynn
“I know damn well what this pen is.”
“Jack tell you all about it?” The lights went back on, and she tried to get used to the brightness. She glanced at the desk where his paper lay and saw a few odd things. It appeared to be just like the one her grandfather wrote, his wish list. He moved next to it, his hand covering most of the words, but she saw all the greed in ink. Maybe Hunter was right about him.
When he looked back at her, his pupils were dilated, huge black orbs, an evil grin cracking his lips open, and then returned to normal. Sweet, normal Eric with the friendly blue eyes. She stepped back, almost tripping. He folded the paper and put it in his pocket.
“I can easily take that from you Lana, but I won’t since I’m done using it. You should use it yourself.”
“Why would I want to use it?” She tucked the wanted pen away in her purse.
“To make all your dreams come true. To get Hunter to stay forever.”
“And what makes you think he wouldn’t?”
“Because of his family oath, of what happened to Charlotte. Her blood is on your family’s hands. He might want you for a little while, but he’ll eventually have to end it as any honorable family man would.”
“Honorable? I heard what a horrible person Charlotte was. What would he be honoring? Pride? And what about your honor as a friend?”
“What does that mean?” He took a step closer, but she never flinched.
“It’s just a question.”
He glared at her, pupils dilating again.
Diana rushed through the door with a terrified look on her face. “Come quick! It’s Debra!”
They followed her to the meeting room and saw the cluster of fans surrounding the tiny author. “What happened?” she asked, pushing her way through them.
“I’m fine, just some scratches on my back.” She turned for Lana to see, and she let out a little scream. The back of her dress was torn to shreds.
“When did this happen, when the lights went out?”
Debra nodded. “I couldn’t see much, but I felt something breathing on my neck and then a low growl. I tried to run, but it stopped me, clawing at my back. The other girls couldn’t see anything behind me, but they tugged anyway and could feel the resistance. “I just want to get home to my family. Maybe my talking about buried things made someone angry.”
“I’m so sorry. This is my town, and I couldn’t protect you. And I think it goes farther back for you than just talking here today,” Lana added, putting her hand on her shoulder.
“No, it’s not your fault. But you’re probably right. This goes farther back, and I probably brought it with.”
Lana shook her head. “It’s here.”
“You know what it is?”
“I have an idea. You live in Chicago, right?” Lana took a piece of paper out of her purse and wrote her grandfather’s church address down.
“Yes. Why?”
“You’re going to get a chance to meet Father Mark. Go to this church, and he’ll help you. Tell him everything you’ve told us about your past and about today.”
“Thank you. I know this area,” she said, glancing at the address. “I’ve done a few book signings there. I’ll have to do something special for these ladies and gentlemen who came to see me and the other authors.” She threw her purse strap over her shoulder and smiled.
“Don’t worry about them. Take care of yourself and go see him.”
Diana ran back with some peroxide and towels. She sprayed the wounds she could see, patting them with the wet rags as best as she could. “I’m so sorry about this. Please get to a doctor when you can.”
Turning to Diana, she hugged her. “I’ll be fine and don’t feel bad.”
“Everything okay?” Hunter hurried in after getting the lights back on.
She wanted to be receptive to him, but Eric’s words of caution stuck in her brain. What if he really shouldn’t be with her? Was she making him do something he wasn’t supposed to? She gave him a small smile and helped Debra and the other guests to the door, watching them walk down to their cars in the rain. Thunder roared across the sky.
“I’ll walk her to her car,” Hunter said.
Lana nodded. “Good idea. Thanks.”
Watching him help carry her things and get her safe in her minivan, she couldn’t help but ignore Eric’s words. He had other reasons for wanting her to stay clear of Hunter, so he’d say anything. She decided to trust Hunter and see where this led. But for now, she felt a hard pit in her stomach from today’s events.
He smiled, trotting back to her, getting wet. She walked into his bear hug, still shaking from earlier, smelling the musky rain on his clothes. He kissed the top of her head and took her hand, walking next to him up the stairs and back to the room to help Diana clean.
“What the hell happened to her dress?” he asked after they carried the last tray to her SUV, sidestepping puddles. The rain finally stopped. “I didn’t want to ask her.”
“I’ll tell you later.”
“Tonight?” He closed her trunk.
“Can I get a raincheck? I just feel so horrible about today.”
He brought her hand to his lips. “Now I’m worried about you, but I understand.”
“Thanks. I’ll be fine. It’s Debra I’m worried about. I told her to text me when she made it home. She has little ones.”
Nodding, he held her hand and walked her back inside to finish. They walked into a quietness that felt too silent.
“Where is everyone?” she asked and Hunter shrugged, looking around. A loud scream came from the room Eric had been in, and they ran to it to find Diana and Eric.
“Oh, Lana! Eric proposed to me! Look at my ring!” She flashed her three carat diamond ring surrounded by emeralds.
Thrown off but needing to find the right words, she gasped appropriately and hugged her new dear friend. “That’s some fast work, girl, but congrats!”
“I’m too old to wait around. Eric wants to do it at Jack Red’s church.”
Lana looked at him and feigned a smile. “I thought you didn’t really like Jack? Change of heart?”
“Yeah, he’s all right. Been talking with him about some investments. Smart man. Hey, no hug for your uncle?” He held his arms out.
“Of course.” She walked into them, swallowing the bile back down her throat. Whoever this man was, it was not the man she grew up knowing. That damn pen. Tears coated her eyes and she sniffled.
“Tears of happiness?” he asked after pushing her away to look at her.
She nodded. “I just want you to be happy, Eric.” She really meant that and always did. Maybe he would be okay, Diana would be okay, and she was just being paranoid. “When is the big day?” she asked, her voice slightly shaking.
“May Twenty-First, a little over a month away. Can you believe he wants to get married that fast! I have so much to do. I want you to be my Maid of Honor since I don’t have any sisters. Is that okay?”
That number always gave her the shivers. Feeling choked by the endearing request, she nodded. Diana hugged her and jumped up and down. “My sister Emily would have been around your age. You’re the closest thing I have to a sister now, so I’d be honored. And Eric has been part of our family since before I came along, so it feels right. Thank you.”
Hunter shook Eric’s hand and congratulated the couple once again. “I better get going. You leaving now, too?” he asked her, and she nodded and said goodbye to the engaged couple.
“That was strange,” he said, as they left the building and stood outside.
“A little fast, which concerns me. Eric has been acting bizarre the past couple of days.”
“I hope for your sake that he had nothing to do with your parents. He seems like a good guy, so would hate to think that.” He walked her to her car and helped her in. He leaned through the window, and she met him, giving him a soft kiss, so delicate she could hardly feel his lips. “I wish today never happened, but I want you to get some rest. You look
wiped.”
She cupped his face and pulled him in for a deeper kiss, relishing in his smells of spice and mint. “I do, too, but there’ll be other times,” she whispered. “You’re not leaving town or anything, right?” she joked, pulling away.
“Don’t plan to. Goodnight, Lana. Drive carefully.” He stepped back and pounded the top of her car.
She laughed and shook her head.
“What’s so funny?”
“My dad used to do that with my mom when she would have to drive somewhere. He always told her to drive carefully, and then would pound the top of the car with two taps, like that would save her from any catastrophe on the road.”
“They sound adorable. Glad to give you a good memory.”
“Hey, thanks for coming today, anyway. That meant a lot to me. See you later, Hunter.” She returned his wave and drove off. Catching his look of shock that someone was grateful for a deed he had done made it worth saying to him. She giggled to herself and gunned it. Every so often she’d glance at her phone to see if Debra had texted her, but still nothing. She might try to text her when she got home, or even call her just so she’d feel better.
As soon as she pulled through the gates and parked, her phone rang. She prayed it was Debra. “Hello?”
“Hello, is this Lana Stone?” a shaken male voice asked.
“Yes, who’s this?” She froze, feeling completely numb.
“This is Debra Holding’s husband, Steve. She was in a bad accident,” his voice cracked as if he’d been crying.
“Oh, my God. Is she okay?” Her body began to tremble.
“She’s in a coma. What the hell happened at that library? She was only supposed to go and sign some books, talk about her writing, and that’s it! She calls me on the way home to tell me the lights went off and she was attacked by some invisible being, and that her back was all scratched up that the doctors did see.”
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Holding. What can I do? I can come tomorrow—”
“No. I’m sorry, but I don’t want you near her. I’m sure you mean well, but this never would have happened. And who’s Jack?”
“Why?” Her phone shook in her hand.
“That was the last thing my wife said before she completely passed out in the van. She had managed to drive herself to our home and into the driveway. I ran out to her to find her head all bloody and bashed in, but she wanted to get home so she still drove. When I went to unclip her belt to free her, she said Jack did this and then closed her eyes.” He began to sob.
The tears fell. “Again, I’m so sorry.” She hung up not because she wanted to but because she was speaking to an inconsolable husband, and it was all her fault.
She leaned her head back and let out a howl, all the tears she’d been holding in since her parents’ death and now this. Jack Red. Jack Red. Jack Red.
Never did she despise a man as much as she did Jack Red.
After about fifteen minutes, she finally felt a release. She exhaled all the dirt that had been stuck in her heart, but was now filled with mud. She wiped her nose and cleared her throat. “Fine, Jack. You want to play it that way? I’ll play along.”
She straightened her shoulders and got out of the car, walking up the stairs and past James who looked on with worry.
“Madam?”
But she continued up the stairs and to her room. She had a call to make to a Mr. Red.
Chapter 10
The doorbell rang below as she finished getting ready. She looked in the mirror once more and smiled, smoothing out the tight purple dress that pronounced every curve. Her hair was pulled to the side in a swirl of curls. He would be pleased.
She closed the door to her room and slowly walked to the stairs in her black pumps, descending the staircase and hearing music play in the foyer. As she got further down, sliding her hand on the satin banister, her eyes locked with Jack’s dark blue ones.
A man with crazy white hair sat at a grand piano, and a small quartet played in the corner behind the stairs. The haunting melody that began to play as she glided down the remaining stairs caught her attention and sounded like the song Rock Me Amadeus, a very old song from the 1980s.
All she could see from the man playing at the piano was a huge white wig and hands flying in the air as he pounded the keys. She glanced back at Jack who wore a wicked grin and held his hand out for her.
“This is a bit strange, Jack, even for you.”
“Come to me, Lana, and share a dance.” He pulled her into his embrace and positioned his hands appropriately, spinning her around the room. “You look stunning.” His breath was so close to her face, she had to turn away.
“I thought you’d like it. So, you had an offer for me last week?”
He chuckled. “Why the sudden interest?” He rocked her to the funky music, the violins announcing their turn in the haunted song.
“I want you to let Debra go. I know what you’ve done. Let her go.”
“Oh, your new author friend with the big mouth? I like her mouth, so pretty. Known her for quite some time. But she’s in a coma in a hospital, not in my care.” He spun her around, gently grinding his hips against hers, barely touching, just enough to make her feel nauseous.
She shook her head. “That’s a lie. I’ll take you up on your offer if you release her. I’ll run this town with you. Please, Jack.”
“Well, now I’ve upped my ante.” He softly rubbed his nose against her cheek, smelling her.
Her eyes burned with tears, but she forced them away. “What do you want from me?” she stated more than asked.
As he spun her more and more, his fancy footwork forcing her feet to comply, matching his beat, his hot breath in her ear, he answered, “Your soul, of course. A trade for a trade. Worth it?”
The song played again and again, over and over, making her dizzy, the orchestra wild with the energy of the room. “What would you do with my soul?” She stalled, trying to think, her head feeling foggy.
“Oh, the things I could do with you, Lana girl.”
“That you won’t,” she said, dryly.
Servers carried trays of champagne glasses as if they were at a party in the 1920s, rocking to Amadeus. Was she dreaming? If so, this was the most bizarre dream to date. She tried blinking hard, hoping to wake herself up, hoping she’d never met Debra Holding.
“She’s fine, don’t worry so much. A nice break from those rugrats she birthed. I used to enjoy her in her younger years. Those stupid dreams she always complained of to her father that he knew of cracked me up. He was brilliant in playing along, anything to get ahead, eh?”
“I knew it.” She clenched her jaw, swaying against his body. “Client of my money-chasing step-grandfather.”
“Correct. I had to turn those lights off in the library to get her to shut up already. Authors really do like to gab, don’t they? Yes, she has made a nice living off some of those dreams and ghost stories. I don’t know if I could let her go, though. She’d tell too much.”
“Tell what? That there’s actually an evil force among us humans? To be careful of what you say?”
“Something like that.”
“You’ll let her go?”
“If what?” he goaded her.
“You know.”
“No, tell me.”
Spinning more, so dizzy, she grabbed her head and gained control again. “For my soul.” Bile rose in her throat and swallowed it back down. “If you let her go home and forget everything that happened to her. I know you can do that, Jack.”
“Perhaps. But I’ve only had her a short time. Maybe tomorrow.” He grazed his lips against her throat.
“Now. And also let Eric go. I know you have him under your spell.” She looked in his eyes with determination.
“My, you are a smart woman, aren’t you,” he said. “But that deal’s been sealed before today. His wish list is only a mere benefit of that.” His tongue slid out and tasted her neck.
“Tell me.”
“The truth? I
’m not sure you want to hear the truth.”
“Fine, then release him anyway. I don’t care how he got here.”
“Really?” he asked.
She shook her head, closing her eyes to the touch of his wet mouth on her neck. Her breathing picked up pace, her body betraying her yet again.
“You don’t care that he was responsible for—”
“Stop!”
“Tsk, tsk. I thought you were here to avenge their death. Don’t you want that anymore?”
“That’s not why I’m here.”
“No? So, you’re okay with having a man live in your home that basically murdered your parents?”
“I can’t believe Eric would do that.” Her chin quivered, moisture filmed above her lip. She didn’t want to show him weakness. It was the gateway for his power.
He pulled her closer, his hands lower and on her backside, forcing her to feel his excitement for her. His eyes flashed yellow, a growl in his throat. “Oh, but he would. He did,” Jack whispered in a husky voice. “Even good people do bad things sometimes. It was his choice; either they die or you. I knew who he’d choose.” He cupped her jaw and pressed his lips to hers. “Lana.”
The doorbell rang, jolting her out of whatever spell she was under. Pulling away from his disappointed look, she walked to the door. The music instantly stopped. The orchestra vanished. The pianist gone.
“Lana, you’re okay! I’ve been trying to call you and got no answer so I rushed over here. What’s…” and then he saw Jack, looking smug. “Oh, I see you have company. I’ll let you go,” Hunter said, hurt tracing his voice.
“No, wait! This isn’t what it looks like, Hunter!” She chased after him and down the porch steps. “Please!”
“Why are you dressed like that? Looks like a date to me.”
“Listen, Debra’s life’s at stake. Jack is the only one who can…”
“What, save her? Jack Red? I don’t think he’s in the business of saving people, Lana, but good try.” He turned and started for his truck.
“He is if he’s the one who put her life in danger to begin with.”