by J. L. Weil
“Captain and coke,” I said to the bartender, sliding him my fake ID, the one Gavin had gotten me for my tattoo.
Both Jared and Gavin lifted their identical dark brows.
I stared back. “What?”
“I’ll have what she’s having,” Jared said, turning to the dude behind the bar with neon green spiky hair. There were dark shades covering his eyes.
“Coming right up. Anything for you handsome?” the bartender asked, winking at Gavin.
I couldn’t stop the giggle from escaping.
“No, thanks,” Gavin replied. Then he pinned Jared and I with a look, muttering, “Someone has to drive tonight.” He leaned back against the bar, as we waited for our drinks, which arrived alarmingly quick.
I swirled the drink with my straw wondering if there was anything extra added, like some kind of magical juice, if you get my drift. My hands clasped around the iced glass. Bottoms up. I sucked down a huge gulp to both calm my nerves and rid the dryness that had settled in my mouth. The rum burned slightly as it coated my throat.
Gavin slid a hand to the small of my back, the corners of his mouth twitching. “Slow down, hoss. I don’t want to have to carry you out of here.”
I tugged down the hem of my uber short shirt, cursing Sophie under my breath. “One drink isn’t going to send me over the edge. Anyway, aren’t we supposed to be undercover?”
“You—yes. Jared and I have been here before.” His brows were dark straight slashes above his serious eyes. “I am used to a more attack first, ask questions later approach, but with you by my side, I need to be more cautious.”
“You don’t need to change your tactics for me. I can hold my own.”
“If you get hurt…” He glanced away, a muscle ticking in his jaw.
This was a good time to chance to subject. “So what’s the plan?”
He blinked, and I tried not to be swept away by my surroundings, including the guy next to me. “We wait,” he said.
Not precisely the covert operation I’d expected. “I’m going to need another drink,” I muttered.
Gavin’s sharp eyes kept scanning the slew of witches, darting from one end of the room to the other. I couldn’t tear my gaze from him. Under disco lights, in a room filled with ribbons of magic, he never looked more ominous...or hot. Maybe it was the drink or because I loved him, but he I knew he was primed for trouble. “Are we looking for someone?” I asked, biting the end of my straw.
He didn’t say anything for a moment. “Yeah. Our key into the backroom.”
Nothing good ever comes from the backroom of a place like this. “What does he look like?”
“She,” he corrected.
We were looking for a girl. Peachy. I tried to bank the jealousy that crawled inside me. I failed.
“Don’t worry. She’s not my type.” He reached up and smoothed my hair back off my face. “I miss your eyes,” he whispered and kissed the tip of my nose. He tucked me against his side, and his warmth was reassuring, diffusing my momentary lapse in security.
Sipping on my watered down drink, I thought about the dream with Lukas and our dance, which was totally inappropriate considering I was snuggled up to my boyfriend, who was willing to put his life on the line for mine. Immediately I felt guilty and banished all thoughts of Lukas from my mind. I owed Gavin that respect, and I needed to keep a clear head in case things went south.
The waiting was killing me, and the alcohol only helped a little. At any minute I waited for someone to yell, ‘Look. It’s Brianna Rafferty, the energy sucker. Get her.’ And then all Hell would rain down on us.
I was slurping down my second drink when a girl slinked up to Jared. She had silver hair that reached just past her chin in an a-symmetrical bob and a killer body. I was envious. Her grey eyes were framed by bright blue lashes the same shade as her satin dress. Jared grinned down at the girl a few years older than me, flashing his lethal dimples. “Astar. I had just about given up on you tonight.”
She gave him a sultry grin. “And I thought I’d never see you again.”
Jared took a swig of his drink with an air of indifference. “I like to keep things mysterious.”
“I guess there’s more we don’t know about each other.” Her cosmic blue nails tiptoed up his chest.
Jared’s eyes raked over her frame. “Other than our bodies,” he added.
TMI.
I almost vomited in my mouth.
Gavin put his hand at my hip and squeezed, my warning to behave. This must be who we had been waiting for—Jared’s booty call. I didn’t know what game they were up to, but it better pay off. We had risked too much to waste the opportunity at finding out any information. There were people conspiring to kill me.
Watching Jared work his mojo was both nauseating and bewildering, but he got the job done. Go team Jared. I got the feeling he was playing a dangerous game with this Astar. She had a gleam of naughtiness in her smoky eyes.
“You remember my brother.”
She bit her bottom lip. “How could I forget?”
Gavin gave her short nod and went back to ignoring her. His body was rigid beside me. It made me wonder if he wasn’t a fan of Astar.
“This is his girlfriend…” she said glancing at me.
Um, we couldn’t for obvious reason use my real name. I recalled the name on my fake ID that Gavin had given me. “Britney,” I supplied, trying not to cringe.
She dismissed me quickly enough, turning her full attention back to Jared. “How about the four of us go somewhere quieter?”
Finally, we were getting somewhere.
“I thought you’d never ask,” Jared replied in a toe-curling voice. He had a certain flare. I’d give him that.
I stood on legs that felt weak, following Astar to a narrow hallway, past the bathrooms. The farther we went, the softer the music became. Somehow I felt safer in the crowd than I did in this constricted space with only two exit points. Before we slipped behind the door at the end of the hall, I saw a flash of sandy hair and emerald eyes. It was hard to get a clear view, but I paused in the doorway, focusing. Whatever I thought I saw, it wasn’t Lukas.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
“You okay?” Gavin asked from behind me, eyeing me with concern.
If Lukas were here, Gavin would go postal—probably Jared too. I nodded. “Yeah.”
He rested his chin on my shoulder and whispered, “Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Inside the backroom as Gavin had called it was a private VIP room. Crisp white couches lined along the walls, some occupied by what I would classify as less-than-stellar-individuals. A chill shot through me. There were some serious discussions and plotting happening in this room. In the center was a rectangular table with maps laid out on top. These weren’t just any maps. Some of the lines on the paper were glowing, and at closer inspection, I knew that they all led to Holly Ridge—to me.
I swallowed thickly.
Suddenly the room became muffled, my vision became blurring as the reality of where I was hit me. Jared, Gavin, and Astar moved over to a group near the table as I leaned against the wall, trying to steady myself.
Sometime during their conversation Gavin glanced at me. His eyes narrowed.
I gave a feebly smile.
“How do we know we can trust your source?” Gavin asked. I got the impression that he was rushing this along for my sake.
The guy next to Astar with turquoise hair responded. “She took out one of our witches, Lotus, confirming that he gave us the right witch. Lotus was stripped of all her powers.”
I stifled a gasp, trying not to show any emotion. It was hard to take anything from a guy with peacock colored hair seriously, which made it a little easier.
Jared stood straight, with his feet apart and arms crossed like a military lieutenant. “Is he here? We’d like to talk to him. See if we can help.”
Astar nodded. “He might be. He is known to hang out here. His name is Devine. Lukas D
evine.”
Chapter 19
My mouth opened, but I didn’t know what to say. A thousand denials were at the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t voice any of them. She had to be mistaken.
Gavin’s faced turned dark, and he sent me a warning look. Keep quiet.
Suddenly, it felt like a living, breathing monster had moved into the room with us, cramming me into a corner. My stomach seized. The next thing I knew I was gasping for air. Lukas? Lukas? His name echoed over and over in my head. A sense of denial took over and I started shaking my head.
There was no way he would betray me. Lukas was my friend. Christ, he claimed that he cared about me, wanted to be with me. What was all the crap he was vomiting about us being destined for each other?
Was this some kind of sick, twisted attempt to hurt me because I had chosen Gavin?
My mind was whirling, but I still refused to believe that Lukas would stoop that low. He had done some pretty shitty things, like lie to me, but I given him the benefit of the doubt. It had been to protect me. Right?
I wasn’t so sure anymore. And I hated being filled with doubt. It made me weak and venerable, which were two things I couldn’t afford in the witches den.
“I think there’s something wrong with your girl,” Astar commented.
I probably looked like I was having a seizure or something.
In two ground-eating strides, Gavin was in front of me. He grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him “Hey,” he crooned. “I’ve got you.” Wrapping an arm around my waist, he started to lead me toward the door.
Thank God. I couldn’t not stand to be inside the club another nanosecond without feeling like I was suffocating, like I was being pulled by quicksand, drowning.
“What did you slip into her drink?” I heard someone sneer before Gavin got me out of there.
I leaned on his sturdy frame, taking small comfort in his woodsy scent as he moved us through the crowded space. There were bodies everywhere and I couldn’t breathe. What a time and a place to have a freaking panic attack. Timing was never my friend. And then just to drive home just how much my timing sucked…
I saw him. We were about to reach the exit, and I looked back over my shoulder.
“Lukas,” I hissed between gritted teeth. And before anyone could stop me, I was racing across the dance floor, zeroing in on my target. Lukas’s eyes found mine. “What are you doing here?” I demanded, and somehow was able to keep my voice even. Though I already knew, but I wanted to hear him say it—admit what he had done—put a hit out on me.
I expected to see surprise in his eyes, not coolness. “Don’t you look…different.”
Oh snap. I had forgotten about my disguise, but it didn’t seem to matter. He still knew it was me underneath all the gunk. “Don’t dick me around,” I barked, tired of all the lies.
His eyes narrowed. “Have you been drinking?”
How dare he turn this around on me without a single bead of sweat. I was dripping with perspiration. The lights beat down on me like a sauna. “Is it true? Did you—”
A hand closed over my mouth, silencing me from blowing my cover. “Bri, now is not the time,” Gavin hissed in my ear. I could feel the barely restraint anger seething from him in the arms wrapped around me. He wanted to kick Lukas’s ass as much as I did.
Lukas’s lips thinned in a tight line. “You are going to get yourself in serious trouble in here. They don’t take kindly to fighting.”
“I don’t believe it.” But, I was starting to. It was hard to imagine Lukas selling me out. He just wouldn’t.
Yet he didn’t deny or admit that he was involved, and I found his silence maddening. The longer I stared at him, begging him to tell me that they were all wrong, the more heated my blood became. That was it. I reached my boiling point.
The anger I felt just then was chart topper.
I thought about shoving my boot up his ass, but instead I punched him in the gut. It wasn’t a girly kind of hit. I had packed it with magic. The air expelled from Lukas’s lungs in a rush.
Jared laughed to my right. “Damn, girl.”
It felt good to hit Lukas. My lips twitched in a giddy satisfaction as he groaned, which only sweetening the deal, but one taste wasn’t enough to feed my anger or hurt. So I lunged forward. My fingertips tingled with power, except I never made it. I found myself plucked midair, hoisted over Gavin’s shoulder, fireman style.
“I never want to see you again. Ever!” I screamed, pushing the colored hair out of my face so I could sear Lukas with glares of hate. What an asshat. The fact that Lukas sold me out really burned my butt.
Gavin’s dark eyes flashed like blue flames. “I’ll deal with you later,” he growled.
Lukas cocked his head. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Gavin pivoted, weeding his way toward the exit as I tried to wiggle free, but his hold was like vise grips. “I’ll behave. You can let me down, now,” I yelled.
“I kind of like manhandling you,” he said, but put me on my feet.
Any other time, I would have appreciated the way my body glided down his. I guess I could blame Lukas for that as well. The list of crud I could pin on Lukas was getting quite extensive.
I stomped out of the club, dying for a gulp of fresh air without all the smoke, sweat, and magic clogging my senses. Air punched my lungs as I pushed my way out the door, Gavin and Jared right behind me.
Gavin didn’t say anything, just stood beside me, letting me greedily inhale the cool night’s breeze. I was thankful for the quiet, just listening to the bustle of the city streets a block or two away.
It was Jared who finally broke the silence. “This was the first time a girl almost got us kicked out of club, little brother. That makes her practically family now.” He swung an arm around my shoulder.
I think that was Jared’s warped way of saying I passed the Mason initiation.
Now that my lungs could breathe easier and my anger had subsided momentarily, I started to have a whole new onset of problems. My head started to spin in dizzy circles, blurring the city lamplights in a nauseating way. I lost my balance, and if it hadn’t been for Gavin’s ninja reflexes, I would have face planted the ground. “I think I am going to be sick,” I moaned.
Jared took a step back. “Yep. She’s all yours, bro. I’ll drive.”
There wasn’t much talk or goofing-off as we piled into Gavin’s car. He threw the keys to Jared. They both knew that I wasn’t in the mood for bantering, not because my head was throbbing, but because of what I’d learned.
This night had got to shit. I had naïvely thought that after we left the secret society, I would…
God, what had I thought?
Once I’d learned the name of the witch who had given away my identity, then what? Did I plan to storm their house and threaten them or worse? The damage was already done. My name, my face was already circling through the community like wildfire.
It was only a matter of time, and I felt as if my days were numbered.
This had been a wasteful, stupid idea. I accomplished not a darn thing and lost a friend. I couldn’t afford to lose anymore.
Sitting in the backseat, I was feeling like I’d been poisoned, and Jared’s Fast and the Furious driving wasn’t helping. God, did he think he was Dominic Toretto? Newsflash. If we got pulled over, I would definitely be asked to walk a straight line.
Huddled in the backseat, I could do nothing but groan. I didn’t protest when Gavin pulled me against him or when I felt the tremors of magic skip on my skin. “What are you doing?” I barely managed to ask, the sound of my voice croaky.
“Just helping take the edge off. Close your eyes,” he instructed.
With pleasure. When I opened them again, I was entangled by the depths of his sapphire eyes.
He rubbed his cheek against mine, the stubble tingling on my face. “Better?”
Considering the shape I had been in before, the worst of my hangover was gone. “My head still feels like a bowling b
all, but I don’t feel like I am going to yack all over you anymore.”
“Good.” He kissed my forehead.
“I don’t know what I would do without you,” I said, snuggling up against his side.
He sent me a mischievous grin. “I’m pretty damn awesome.”
And just when I didn’t think I had it in me to smile, Gavin proved me wrong.
We were almost home as Jared took the last turn to my street. Home sweet home. The sight of my house and the giant pear tree out front almost sent me to tears. Glancing up at the second-story window of room, I could practically hear my bed screaming my name. All I wanted to do was crawl as quietly and quickly as possible to my bedroom and locked the door. Metaphor for lock out the world while I did some wallowing.
Self-pity. So not cute.
Gavin walked me to the door. “Are you sure you are going to be okay tonight?”
A thrill sparked inside me. It was a miracle I could feel anything at all. I brushed my frazzle hair behind my ear. “Yeah. I just need to be alone.” I sensed a part of him was leery to leave my side, but he respected my request for space, though no too much. He would be at my house at first light regardless that it was a Saturday. I didn’t imagine I would be sleeping in anyway.
“Bri,” he called as my hand reached the doorknob.
I glanced over my shoulder.
“Don’t shed a single tear on him. He doesn’t deserve them.”
I gulped, my throating suddenly closing. All I could do was nod, before I disappeared inside my safe haven. I closed the door silently behind me and tiptoed into the kitchen with only thoughts of my jammies dancing in my head. Then a voice pierced through the darkness, making me jump out of my panties.
“Where have you been?” Aunt Clara demanded. She was sitting on the kitchen table in the dark.
I squealed.
Oh. My. God.
My shoulders sagged. My hand flew over my sputtering heart. “You scared me half to death. I can explain,” I rushed, praying that I hadn’t slurred my words or smelled like a Captain Morgan.