by Black, Tasha
Zara looked at him, her eyes hot with rage.
“Of course it’s true, you idiot,” she spat. “That spoiled brat was about to force us out. Leave us with nothing, after all your hard work. The park should have gone to you. Everyone knows that. But you didn’t have the balls to fight for it. Well, guess what - I did. Just like I always have. I knew Harold believed in all that voodoo mumbo jumbo. I had it all planned perfectly.”
“How could you?” Bill looked dumbfounded, but his expression was changing from thunderstruck to furious as they watched.
“I did it for you,” she purred. “For us.”
He turned away from her.
“Zara Monroe, you are under arrest for the murder of Joshua Monroe,” Glenn said quietly, slipping the cuffs around her wrists as she looked after her husband.
Glenn began to walk her out of the room, reading her Miranda rights as they went.
Grace stole a glance backward when they reached the threshold.
Bill Monroe was putting an arm around his brother’s shoulder. Both men were stooped with grief.
Chapter 9
Ainsley pulled the car up at her house on Princeton and turned off the radio.
“Sheesh,” Jenny said from the passenger seat.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, it’s just - I haven’t parallel parked since Driver’s Ed,” Jenny giggled. “You slid in there like a stunt driver.”
Ainsley laughed. It had been a fun night.
Jenny was comfortable with their differences. And she was pretty damned good at pregnant yoga for a first timer.
Ainsley was grateful. If not for Jenny appearing in her new gear the moment Ennis left, she would not have been able to get through the evening under the weight of the councilman’s choice.
The irony was not lost on her.
She’d spent the previous summer trying her hardest to get out of Tarker’s Hollow.
And now she just wanted to stay more than anything in world.
And the questions swirled, the most important one banging in her head like a gong.
Will I be allowed to keep the baby with me, or will she be sent back to Erik?
“So,” Jenny said, breaking Ainsley’s loop of worry, “I brought what you asked me to bring.”
Ainsley glanced over.
The other woman was digging in her purse.
Oh, right. Something personal of Megan’s.
In the fallout of Ennis’s announcement, she’d forgotten that she planned to do something a little more drastic for the search effort tonight.
Jenny pulled out a clear freezer bag full of stuff and grinned, her blue eyes sparkling.
“Okay, put it away until we get in,” Ainsley smiled back.
They both groaned as they hauled themselves out of Ainsley’s dad’s old Volvo station wagon.
“Man, it just gets harder, doesn’t it?” Jenny asked.
Ainsley nodded.
“I wouldn’t trade you though, baby,” Jenny crooned to her round belly. “Don’t get me wrong.”
Ainsley smiled at the sight. Jenny’s situation certainly put Ainsley’s in perspective. That much was for sure. Though Ainsley might have to go away for a while, at least she hadn’t lost Erik in that mine.
Yet Jenny managed to be resilient. She would be a great mom. She was already finding ways to stay positive in spite of having lost so much.
Ainsley tried to take a cue from her. No matter how much Ainsley might be tempted to fight the Federation’s decision, it would be madness to do so. The Federation was too big and they were so small. She and Erik had a good life, and they were very lucky. She couldn’t throw that away, or put the family’s safety in jeopardy.
Besides, at the rate things were going, whatever was in the woods might kill the whole town before they found it, and then she wouldn’t have to worry about her new gig with the Federation.
They went inside, and Ainsley shut the door behind them, reaching up to lock the deadbolt, something she rarely did.
“So, um, what are we doing?” Jenny seemed genuinely curious rather than suspicious.
“Do you want tea first?” Ainsley asked.
“No,” Jenny shook her blonde hair over a shoulder, “I don’t think so.”
“We’re going to do some magic,” Ainsley said, watching the other woman’s face carefully for a reaction.
Wolves hated magic. It had always been the way.
“Will it get Megan back?” Jenny asked.
“I hope it will tell us where to find her,” Ainsley ventured. “No promises, though.”
She wished for Grace again. Grace was so much better at this delicate kind of magic. At every kind of magic, really.
Ainsley felt a surge of pride at the thought of her friend’s talents, followed by another pang of loss. She hoped Grace’s magic would be enough to bring her friends home safe again.
“I’m in,” Jenny said simply.
“There’s a big room on the third floor that’s mostly empty,” Ainsley said. “Let’s go up there.”
They ascended the narrow staircase, turned and went up the next one.
The third floor had been Ainsley’s mother’s project room. There had often been quilts or photo albums, or stuff from the plant sale laid out up here when it wasn’t acting as the guest suite for visiting professors.
Now, with nothing but an area rug and a couple of dressers, it just seemed empty.
Ainsley lowered herself carefully to the floor and Jenny joined her.
“Is this, like, a séance?” Jenny whispered.
“No,” Ainsley said immediately. She’d been part of a séance with Grace and her grandmother and there was no way she was going to try something like that on her own, no matter how strong her magic was getting. “This is just a simple spell for finding lost things. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Jenny dutifully dug in her bag again and fished out the ziplock.
Ainsley opened it and spread the contents out on the rug between them to look over.
It was strange to see the simple evidence of what had been important to the missing woman: a dead mobile phone, a few pieces of costume jewelry, a dog-eared copy of Twilight, a single glove, and a picture of Megan with Jenny - both of them so young, arms wrapped around each other.
Jenny straightened the photo with her index finger and bit her lip.
In the photo, Megan was wearing one of the necklaces that was on the floor now - a small, jeweled butterfly on a thin silver chain.
Ainsley lifted the necklace, watched the jewels wink in the last rays of dusk that filtered through the curtains.
“That was her favorite,” Jenny said. “Her grandmother gave it to her. She wore it all the time.”
“Good,” Ainsley said, “that’s just right. Hold out your hand, please.”
Jenny obeyed and Ainsley placed the butterfly carefully in Jenny’s hand and closed her fingers around it.
“Concentrate on Megan,” Ainsley told her. “Hold an image of her in your mind. Try to envision every detail of her face.”
Jenny closed her eyes.
Ainsley gave her a few moments to relax into her memory.
Then she reached out, and passed her hands over Jenny’s a few times, focusing her energy and trying to remember everything Grace had taught her about finding lost things.
She had managed to use a similar spell effectively in practice, locating simple objects. But a person was another story. Especially if someone, or something, didn’t want that person to be found.
When she felt ready, she stopped the hand movements and uncurled Jenny’s fingers.
Jenny opened her eyes.
But Ainsley did not acknowledge her. Instead she leaned in close.
“Find her,” she whispered.
She felt a shiver of something move through her, stronger than the other times she’d tried this spell.
The room was silent.
The dust motes seemed to slow in their dreamy descent.
> Nothing.
Then the butterfly began to tremble, its encrusted jewels shimmering.
It righted itself in Jenny’s palm and began to flap its silvery wings.
Jenny gasped as it lifted off her hand, trailing the thin silver chain behind it.
Ainsley caught the chain and managed to prevent the creature from flying away. The small insect tugged against the leash, pulling steadfastly toward the door.
“Wow,” Jenny breathed.
Ainsley tried to look unsurprised, though her heart was about to beat out of her chest with excitement.
“Let’s find your friend,” she said.
Jenny scrambled ahead of her to open the door.
Ainsley followed the butterfly’s lead, down both sets of stairs and out onto the front porch.
Please, hold on, she prayed silently to the magic that was giving the thing life. Please I need to find them.
She was heading down the path to the sidewalk, Jenny at her heels, when she nearly collided with Ennis and Erik, who were on their way in.
“Ainsley,” Erik said. “We really need to talk.”
“It can wait,” she told him over her shoulder. “We’ve got work to do, come on.”
The butterfly tugged her toward the backyard, and she moved with it.
She heard footsteps behind her and snuck a glance back to see both Erik and Ennis following curiously right behind Jenny.
“What’s going on?” Ennis asked in a voice that said he was truly fascinated.
“We’re not sure,” Jenny told him.
The butterfly tugged more insistently and Ainsley allowed it to lead them through the back gate and into the darkening woods.
Chapter 10
Javier crossed the street toward the little downtown of Fletcher’s Cove with Cressida by his side.
They weren’t holding hands, but they were connected somehow anyway, like a taut string was extending from him to her.
He had always felt drawn to her, but this was different - a tenuous connection was budding between them, a sense that maybe she needed him too. It made it easier to tell her the truth about leaving Fletcher’s Cove, though he hadn’t even told Ainsley Connor.
“Briggs was closed-minded,” he said. “Very old-fashioned about keeping the pack to itself, and not meddling in anything, just minding that portal.”
“So you were bored?”
He thought about that.
“No, not necessarily bored. It was more like I had no future here. Briggs wanted us all to stay under the radar, but I couldn’t imagine myself sweeping the boardwalk for the rest of my life, and waiting for something to happen to the portal.”
“So why didn’t you challenge him?” Cressida asked.
“The pack had been thinking like Briggs for too long,” Javier explained. “I wasn’t going to risk my life to challenge him for control of a dead-end pack.”
“So he pretty much hates you then?”
“I didn’t exactly leave on bad terms,” Javier replied. “But there’s definitely some, uh, unresolved tension between us. Which means this conversation is going to be tricky. The last thing we want is to bust in and start making demands. Briggs is too proud, and I’m already on his shit-list.”
“Let me talk to him,” Cressida offered.
“Are you sure?” Javier didn’t like to question her skills, but subtlety wasn’t exactly Cressida’s strong suit.
“Yeah.” She nodded with a little smile. “Grace and I have been at this for a while now. I’m starting to get the hang of the whole diplomacy thing.”
They reached Castaways, the town’s hole-in-the-wall bar. Briggs would be in the back room with his crew.
“You ready?” Javier asked Cressida, knowing the answer.
“Oh yeah,” she grinned.
Sure enough, the bartender pointed him back.
They stepped into the private room.
Briggs was sitting on a beat up leather chair, a glass of whiskey on the table beside him.
There were two others wolves in the room as well.
Audrey, an ever-frowning girl with way too many piercings, leaned against the wall.
Jayce, an all-American looking blond guy wearing a lifeguard t-shirt sat at the table opposite Briggs.
Audrey could be gloomy, but mostly alright in Javier’s book.
But Jayce was about as much of a dick as you would expect from someone named Jayce.
Javier took a deep breath.
“Where’s the portal, Briggs?” Cressida asked, slamming the door shut behind her with a quick flick of a cowboy boot.
So much for diplomacy.
“Maybe you should be a little more respectful when addressing your superiors,” Briggs said in the lazy tone meant to demonstrate his power. “Or is your alpha really too weak to command respect?”
Javier’s wolf bristled at the insult to his new alpha, but kept himself in check. He knew it was Briggs’s way of blustering. They would get more info out of him if they didn’t rise to the bait.
Unfortunately, no one had told Cressida that.
“So far I haven’t seen much to make me feel like you’re very superior,” she observed coolly. “And if you breathe one more disrespectful word about Ainsley Connor, it will be the last thing that passes through your lips without a straw.”
Shit.
Jayce stood up fast enough to send his chair skidding backwards, a growl rising from his chest.
Audrey’s eyes flashed gold.
Javier tensed, his wolf ready to defend his mate.
“Slow down, Baywatch,” Cressida snapped at Jayce without breaking eye contact with Briggs. “You and Daddy Issues here are way out of your league.”
Javier’s skin began to tingle as he prepared to shift.
He was pretty sure he and Cress could take the two younger wolves, but Briggs was alpha for a reason. And he had a mean streak. He wouldn’t go easy on them.
Another familiar feeling came bubbling up in Javier’s chest, and it had nothing to do with shifting.
Here he was, facing down his old alpha in the back of a seedy bar, on another pack’s turf, probably about to take the ass-kicking of a lifetime because of his mate’s half-cocked take-no-prisoners attitude.
He had never felt more alive, nor more in love with Cressida than at that very moment.
A few tense heartbeats passed.
Briggs let out a deep, booming laugh.
No shit.
“I do love a woman with spirit,” Briggs chucked. “Jayce, stop standing around like an idiot and get our guests some drinks.”
Javier felt his pulse begin to slow.
Briggs gestured to the table.
“Why don’t you two have a seat, and I can tell you what you need to know. If you’re that determined to get yourselves killed, who am I to try and stop you?”
Episode 6
Chapter 1
Grace walked along the boardwalk with Glenn, watching the seagulls swoop down to search for treasures.
They hadn’t spoken more than a few words since meeting up, which suited her just fine.
The place was more populated now than it was when she and Cressida first arrived. Kissing couples and harried looking parents with kids in flip flops darted on and off the boardwalk and into the sand at intervals.
Memorial Day weekend was only a few days away. Soon the whole town would be crawling with tourists.
It was time to take action.
“I want to thank you,” Glenn said suddenly, “For your help on the case. I couldn’t have gotten to the bottom of it without you. Still not sure I understand the business with Linc, but I’m grateful to know none of the folks from Fletcher’s Cove are responsible.”
“It was my pleasure, Glenn,” she replied sincerely.
He stopped and gave her a crooked smile.
“I almost forgot. I have something for you. A token of gratitude.” He fished something out of his pocket and handed it to her.
“The snake
statue,” she said, cupping the familiar little figure in her hand.
“Well, it’s not evidence anymore,” Glenn said shrugging modestly. His pleasure at having given her something she was excited about was clear on his face.
Grace gazed down at the little snake. She’d mentioned days ago that she was interested in it - especially since it had turned out to be a decoy. Having sensed some magic in the little carving, she was curious about it.
“Thank you so much, Glenn,” she said, tucking the snake carefully in her pocket. “You helped a lot too. Helped me realize some very important things.”
He nodded, waiting for her to continue.
“I won’t be in town after tonight,” she told him.
She could see his disappointment.
“Will I see you again?” His question was simple, not plaintive, an honest question that she could respect. Just like the man who asked it.
“You’re a good man, Glenn,” she said instead of answering. “Come on, let’s go in here.”
He looked up at the storefront for Madame Calypso’s Arcane Emporium in confusion.
“Come on,” Grace repeated, and he followed her inside.
Esmerelda had left the place open for them. Grace locked the door behind them once they were in.
The lights were out and incense was thick in the air. Glenn followed as she led the way through the beaded curtain to the back room, where she and Cressida had met with Esmerelda the first time she’d been here.
True to her word, Esmerelda had set everything up just as Grace had asked.
“Have a seat,” she said, indicating one of the stools at the velvet draped table.
He gave her a strange look and she gestured to the stool again.
He pulled it up to the table and sat.
Grace seated herself opposite him and extended her arms across the table.
He took her hands in his, looking back at her expectantly.
“I’m sorry I can’t be what you’re looking for,” she told him simply. “But I can help you.”
“I don’t understand,” he said. “Help me with what?”
But Grace was already reaching past herself, her consciousness folding in like origami and rippling out again like the tide, opening a door in its wake.