“Very good, Hailey. Now direct the flame to the thinner spots, they won’t take as long to heat.” Dak said encouragingly.
She followed his advice and watched as the metal turned a glowing reddish orange. When it was all but melting she stopped the fire and slipped her hand from soft metal.
“Why didn’t it burn me?” she asked as she examined her free wrist.
“I was born from fire. It is in my blood, which is now your blood. Fire can never hurt us, it just makes us stronger. Now hurry up with the other one so we can get back to planning.”
Hailey didn’t have to imagine the Magic School Bus now that she knew where her fire lay. She only had to call upon it and the warmth was traveling up her throat and out past her lips. The metal absorbed the heat and when it was possible, she stretched the cuff enough for her hand to wiggle free.
“Do you need a fire extinguisher yet?” Darby yelled through the door.
She laid the mangled cuffs on the counter and opened the door. Darby and Lia were both armed, one with a fire extinguisher, the other with a bottle of water.
“What good is that supposed to do?” Hailey pointed to the bottle in Lia’s hand.
She shrugged. “It was all we had. All good?”
She nodded. “I’m free and ready to kick some Silas ass.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
“When I said ‘Let’s do this,’ I didn’t mean immediately,” Hailey murmured from the backseat. They were traveling off road about three miles into the forest in a beat up jeep. No one asked Lia where she had gotten the jeep. It was better to just accept it and move on. Darby however, was not appreciative of Lia’s sense of adventure. She clung with white knuckles the “Oh Shit” bar by her head as they bounced over the uneven terrain.
Lia laughed as she swerved to miss a tree. “No time like the present.”
“C-can you please stop this t-thing before you… oomph,” Darby’s head hit the window with a thunk, “before you kill us all?” In the moonlight, Darby’s tanned skin was nearly translucent. She had a healthy mix of fear and fury in her eyes as she glared at Lia.
“Sure, we can walk the rest of the way. Don’t want to bring this too close anyway.” The ride from hell slowed and then stopped.
“We should,” Darby took a deep steadying breath, “we should go over the plan again. How close are we to the perimeter guard?”
“About a half mile west of here,” Lia answered
“Ok, so you two go get the guard while I set up for the spell. You will only have about an hour in the guard’s form before you change back.”
In the motel they had argued over who would take part in the spell. Ultimately it made the most sense for Darby to stay behind at the car; she could have the area prepped in case they needed to do the ritual with the knife quickly. Hailey would be disguised as the guard and she would escort Lia into the compound.
“So we get in, find the knife, and get out. Darby you need to be ready to go. We will most likely need a quick getaway. Is the Coven ready for us?”
“Yes, I prepped the grounds earlier. The Coven leader is happy to assist but I told them to stay away.” Darby shrugged. “I could use the help but didn’t want to drag anyone else into this.”
“Good thinking. Now Hailey,” Lia turned in her seat and smiled, “you ready for this?”
She nodded. Hailey wasn’t worried about getting in and out. It was the ritual that was making her queasy. At some point in the night, Hailey would have to stab herself with the knife they retrieved from Silas. No matter how confident Darby was about keeping her safe, the idea just didn’t sit well.
“You sure you’re ok?” Dak asked. “I can do this first part if you need me to.”
“We talked about this.”
“We talked about what… oh, sorry. Not talking to me.” Lia opened the door and the overhead light came on. “Just come out when you’re ready, okay?” She got out of the jeep. After a quick pitying look from Darby, the doors closed and she was once again in the dark jeep.
“Yes, we did talk about it but I want to talk again. Hailey, I want to help. This is a retrieval operation for me after all. I don’t like sitting back and letting others do my work for me.”
“I get that. Really, I do.” Hailey sighed and picked at the hole in her hoodie sleeve. “I need to do this. To know I can. If I’m already in the thick of it then I won’t have time to think about what comes next.”
“Darby will keep you safe. If I didn’t trust her completely then we wouldn’t be doing it.”
“I know that, but my queasy stomach doesn’t.” It was the same feeling she had when she rode a rollercoaster for the first time, equal parts terror and anticipation with a dash of “I’m going to be sick.”
“More reason to let me help!”
“No.” She steeled herself. Hailey wasn’t running, wasn’t backing down. At one point in her life she would have, but she couldn’t fathom running now. “No,” she said again with a little more conviction. “I need to do this.”
Neither of them said much after that. Hailey wasn’t sure if she should leave the jeep just yet or wait. He seemed to be thinking something over.
“If you insist on doing this yourself then hurry it up. I’m a bit anxious to have a body again.”
“One hunky body coming right up,” she smiled.
“Hunky?” he laughed.
“The hunkiest.”
“Go woman, before your adjectives get even worse.”
Her partners in crime were already preparing. Darby was held up a few yards away muttering Latin. The stress of the night shown in her short hair that was spike up in spots. Hailey had watched the circles under her eyes darken over the past couple weeks and felt responsible for putting them there.
“If you two lovebirds are done then we can get started.” Lia pushed away from the hood of the car where she had been watching. Hailey knew right away that Lia saw the stress in Darby too. They owed her a spa weekend after all this.
They headed west. The night enveloped them instantly, the darkness creeping in from every angle. It was quiet as if it knew something they didn’t. Hailey kept pace with Lia who was all but running. Her blonde hair bobbed back and forth with each footfall. It struck Hailey how graceful Lia was; the way she moved through the trees was fluid and smooth, much like a dancer. Then there was Bigfoot behind her tramping across the earth, stepping on every stick and crunchy leaf in sight. The way Hailey moved was more barbaric than ballerina. It never had bothered her before, she had accepted all her faults early on, but if there was ever a time for her to become more soft-footed, it was now.
Lia stopped and held up a hand. Hailey followed her pointed finger and found a guard. He too was imitating Bigfoot. Obviously not concerned about a breach in the perimeter, the dragon clomped along the path toward them. Hailey backed off and circled around. Lia was going to purposefully get caught and Hailey was going to take him down. They had gone over the plan countless times but as Hailey stared at the back of the man’s head she realized they never discussed how exactly she was going to knock him out. She suddenly wished that she had taken Dak up on his offer to do this part.
“Stop,” the guard’s voice echoed through the silence. “Hands where I can see them.” Lia turned to face the man, her arms slowly rising above her head. “Who are you?”
“You are a poor excuse for a guard if you don’t know.”
Hailey caught her eye took that as the signal.
“State your name.”
As quietly as she could, Hailey moved forward. Fallen leaves crunched under her feet and a twig snapped. The entire forest could probably hear her approaching, everyone but the guard who only had eyes for Lia. She was dodging his questions with the finesse of someone who had been in this position before. Lia was giving her time, but she could tell the muse was all but about to punch him if he asked who she was one more time.
She kicked something round. As she lost her balance a slew of curses poured out her mou
th. Her Uncle Jim would be proud. He taught Hailey everything he knew after retiring from the Navy. She tripped forward landing hard on her hands and knees. The quiet night was now utterly silent.
“Who are you?”
Hailey looked up to the guard who was now pointing his gun at her. He looked like the trigger happy sort with the shaking hands and sweaty brow.
“Hailey! The branch!” Dak yelled.
There was no thought just reaction. Hailey scrambled to her feet, grabbed the branch that had tripped her and swung.
*****
“Is… is he dead?” Hailey was bent over with her hands on her knees, catching her breath. She was on an adrenaline high and felt slightly invincible—if not a little sick.
“No, he’s just concussed.” Lia sounded a little said about that. “Help me get him up.”
They half carried, half drug the guard back to the jeep. The half mile felt like three by the time they got him to their campsite. Only once did he begin to wake, but Lia took the opportunity and punched him back into oblivion.
“Will you two hurry already?” Darby whispered. “And could you be any louder?”
They dropped the guard by the jeep and propped him up by a tree. “It was Eduardo’s fault. He’s heavier than he looks.”
“Eduardo?”
“Unconscious guy,” Hailey pointed to the guard. “We needed to call him something.”
“Why not find his ID and call him by his name?” Darby removed his wallet, phone, and gun, and then handed them to Hailey.
“Looks like I’ll be Justin Kelley for the next hour. I liked Eduardo better.”
“So did I,” Lia chimed in.
“Moving on. Hailey drink this.” Darby poured some liquid into a cup and handed it to her. “Lia, I need this guy to drink some too.” She twisted the cap back on the bottle and tossed it to Lia.
“What is it?”
“No talk, just drink.”
“But-”
“Drink.”
Hailey sniffed the concoction and gagged. “Cheers, Eduardo!” With a little toast Hailey tossed back the drink and began to cough immediately. The drink tasted like curdled chocolate milk with onions and orange juice.
“I remember my first shot,” Lia laughed.
“Shut it.”
“Ladies, poke at each other later. Hailey I need you over here.”
She kneeled in front of the still unconscious guard. Some of the drink had stained his shirt where it dripped from his mouth. She hoped at least a little got down his throat so she didn’t suffer alone.
“I want you to look at him. Do not take your eyes off of him. This is only an illusion, so to us you will look the same but to everyone else you will look like Eduar- I mean Justin.” Hailey and Lia snickered. “Enough.”
“She gets testy when she’s in witch mode,” Lia whispered.
Hailey began to respond but could feel the silently fuming Darby beside her. To keep the peace, Hailey ignored the comment and looked at the guard.
“Give this air a disguise, not viewable by un-want eyes. Cum aer est clara, tuum verum forma apparet.”
Darby placed a hand mirror in her palm. “Ok take a look.”
She raised the mirror and only saw herself. She frowned and pushed the mirror back at Darby. “Didn’t work.”
“What do you mean it didn’t work? Of course it worked. Look again.” But Darby was staring at her trying to see if anything changed.
“Darby, it didn’t work.”
The witch grabbed her hand and wrapped Hailey’s fingers around the handle. “Look. Again.”
Hailey looked from Darby to Lia, and then to Eduardo. She lifted the mirror a second time and saw her own face looking back. Nothing had changed. She still had her unruly hair, and light brown eyes.
“It worked,” Dak told her.
“No, it didn’t. What mirror are you looking at?”
“You are focusing on yourself. Look past that.”
She closed her eyes and took a breath. When she opened them, she didn’t look at herself but just around the edges. When she unfocused her eyes she saw a different face.
“Whoa.” She unfocused again and the form of the guard shone in the mirror. “It worked.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Justin, man you better wake up. Head fire breather is pissed you missed check in again.”
Hailey fumbled with the walkie-talkie feature of Justin-Eduardo’s phone. Her nerves were in hyper drive. “I’m on my way back now. I found someone wandering around. I’m bringing her in for questioning.”
Lia gave her a thumbs up.
She wanted to puke.
“Really?” He sounded impressed. “Dude, that bitch just saved your ass. Captain was ready to barbeque your ugly face. I’m talking hickory smoked, dry rubbed, Kansas City style.”
“Intense.” Hailey had absolutely no idea what he was talking about, but her stomach must have spoken the same language and grumbled in response.
“How long you gonna be? Should I hold off the wolves a little longer so you can uh, privately interview your hostage?”
It took a second his meaning to sink in. However, Lia got it right away and looked outraged and murderous. Hailey had to hold her off before she took the phone and blew their cover. She put a hand over Lia’s mouth. “No time. I’m on my way in now.”
“You ok man? I’ve never known you to turn down some prisoner pussy.”
“Yeah,” she said, a little disgusted with the voice on the other end. ”I’m cool.” When the walkie was off she lifted her hand from Lia’s mouth. “Stop. We can deal with those two fuckers later. Right now we have to focus on getting in and out alive.” Lia grumbled in agreement. “Now turn around so I can put these on.” Hailey fitted Lia with some zip tie handcuffs loose enough for her hands to slide out when necessary.
Over the next hill they found Silas’s vineyard. It was hard to believe someone so vile could live in a place as picturesque as this. The moon reflected off of the still water in a perfect copy only to be broken up by rows of grapevines outlining the valley. Even in the dead of night the colors of fall still shone through. It was such a serene view, calming and peaceful, not at all like the nervous energy that cradled night.
“Nice huh?”
“Yeah, it’s gorgeous,” Hailey sighed.
“Not that. THAT.” Lia nodded in the opposite direction. The area behind the vineyard was nothing less than Spartan, a complete contradiction of the front. The main house was only one floor but spread out in every which way. There was a soft glow emanating from the windows, wrapping around the outside.
The perfectly landscaped lawn suddenly stopped around the back of the property. What could be a guest house looked to be a guard post. Men dressed in the typical bad guy black came and went from the house in droves.
“Hailey, you need to keep moving,” Dak’s voice urged in a whisper through her mind.
“Right. Yeah, let’s go.” They found the road and followed it the rest of the way in. Guards stood at the entry of the compound and waved her through with a nod recognizing Justin-Eduardo’s face.
“Who’s your friend?” the guard asked.
Her voice croaked out a garbled response.
“What?”
“Just like we rehearsed,” Dak reminded her. Hailey coughed and cleared her throat. Take two. “Trespasser. I’m taking her to be questioned.”
Lia struggled against her bindings and cursed the male gender. Her performance was very well played and saved Hailey from the guard questioning further.
“I’ll pass you through. Looks like she’s a handful. Better you than me, man.”
“Thanks.” Lia continued to resist as the guard watched them walk into the big house. When the doors closed Hailey shuddered out a breath. Hadn’t she learned her lesson the first time she broke into one of Silas’s houses? Dropping her hand from Lia’s arm, Hailey wiped her sweaty palms on her pants.
“Need a minute?”
�
�No, let’s just get this over with.”
Dacea was proud of Hailey. She was barely recognizable from the woman he met two months ago. He could feel her heart pounding, her hands shaking, he knew when her voice was going to quiver, but yet she continued to move forward, for him. Her courage undid him.
“What’s wrong? Your whole presence flickered. It’s weird and I don’t like it,” she whispered.
“Nothing. Just things clicking into place.”
“Well stop putting together your mental jigsaw puzzle and tell us where to go.”
They stood at the base of a stairway. The options were up or down. Rich, warm colors traveled up the staircase while white, sterile tile went down. If Lia really were a prisoner then they would go down, but Dacea felt Silas would keep the knife closer to him.
“Up.”
Lia slipped out of her bindings and they travelled up to the main floor. Dacea had been here once before but it was prior to the military base addition outback. Nothing had changed in the main house. It was much less formal than the other houses Silas owned, more lived in.
The living area, kitchen, and dining room were all one big room. The open floor plan paired with the walls of windows made it feel like the inside was an extension of the outside. If he didn’t loathe the man, Dacea might actually admit to liking the house. He didn’t have to look behind him to know a small hallway jutted off the side towards the master bedroom.
Dacea had time to think since their first try at the knife. Silas liked to keep things in unusual places. They weren’t looking for a safe like last time. That had been foolish of him to think he would keep such a thing in a safe. No, Silas was much more devious than that.
“It’s going to be somewhere in plain sight. He wanted to look at it, hold it, whenever the urge hit. This was something of a holy grail to him. It’s the thing that took me out twice and has the power to do it again.”
Lia took the living room while Hailey walked into the kitchen. Everything was opened and searched. Hailey was ruthless in her pursuit. She left a wake of devastation as she moved from one end of the kitchen to the other. Each knife she came across she would scrutinize then was cast aside. None of them contained magic.
The Hailey Holloway Complete Series Page 16