“Why don’t you trust us to get you inside?” her partner had demanded.
“I’m asking for your help. I appreciate your help. But what if they won’t let you in? No, I have to do what I think is right,” I countered.
Neither of them had liked it one bit, but they’d ultimately conceded. Now, as I crept from tree to tree, attempting to stay concealed from the guards and security cameras I knew were all over the grounds, I listened for the crunch of car tires, signaling they’d gotten past the guards and into the compound. What would I do if they didn’t? I didn’t know. What would I do if they did? I’d sort of hoped to make it up to the house and more or less emerge from the trees at the same time they parked. Doubt filled my brain as I stole along, listening. My heart hammered in my ears and my breath seemed abnormally loud, even though I wasn’t doing anything physically challenging.
Let’s hope you didn’t get yourself in over your head, Ellie.
I probably had. I wasn’t sure what I was going to accomplish. I was following instincts, and right now those instincts were saying—
“Miss Ellie?”
A voice spoke from behind me. I shot to my feet, sucking in a scream, and spun. Behind me stood Javier, one of the Costas groundskeepers, whom James had once introduced me to. He was staring at me in confusion, but didn’t appear threatening. Not yet, anyway.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, his voice tinged with a heavy Latino accent.
James’ caution about Javier being a Maricoxi, an incredibly dangerous shifter, poked at my consciousness. I shifted my weight uneasily, trying to hide my fear, since I had no way of knowing whose side he was on, Ciara’s or Sean’s.
“This is going to sound really stupid,” I said, working up a weak smile. “But Carter and I had another fight. I, um, I came back to apologize. Dave let me in. But I was trying to work up the nerve to go talk to him.”
Javier didn’t call me a liar right out, but his head tilted to the side and his dark eyes glittered in the late morning light.
“Dave let you in? Why are you on foot?”
“Oh, I—”
Thankfully, I heard the purr of an engine and the scrape of tires that I’d been longing for. The cops must have been allowed in. I seized on the opportunity, saying, “I wasn’t. Friends drove me. They stayed back to talk to Dave. Dave let me through because of Carter, but he didn’t know them, so he had to get clearance for them.”
It wasn’t much of a lie. Carter had accused me once of being a bad liar, and he was right. I could tell Javier wasn’t entirely convinced, so I plunged on with, “I guess instead of coming to the house, I just—I just got nervous. It’s hard to face up to someone when you’ve made a mistake, you know? I kind of wanted to scope things out before I faced Carter. It sounds stupid, I know.”
It really did sound stupid. I couldn’t believe such a stupid cover story was pouring out of my mouth.
Javier continued to look doubtful. I didn’t blame him one tiny bit. At last, he said, “I’m very sorry, Miss Ellie. Carter is not here right now, as far as I know. In fact, there have been strange stories…”
He stopped. Didn’t explain any further.
I didn’t know whether to be relieved or scared by that. Either Carter hadn’t made it here—not good—or else he had, incognito, and Javier didn’t know about it.
“Uh oh. Well, that throws a monkey wrench in my plans. Do you, uh, think you could take me to the house?”
I didn’t want an escort to the house, but if I acted like I wasn’t afraid of going inside would Javier be less suspicious? Plus, maybe I could meet up with the two police detectives.
There’s safety in numbers…
Javier shrugged one shoulder. “Sure. I could do that.” He held out a hand, indicating the driveway. “Easier to go there than through the bushes, Miss Ellie.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” I giggled like a ditz and stepped away, taking the lead. I heard and felt Javier following me. His presence at my back was like a hot, burning awareness. My spine tingled. I swear I could almost feel his breath on the back of my neck. I wanted to pull up my jacket collar to shield my skin. He hadn’t said or done anything untoward, so why did I feel so menaced?
We passed onto the concrete drive with no further conversation, rounded the bend, and I could see a car in view, parked in front of the house. Only, it wasn’t the vehicle I’d been expecting to see. It wasn’t Detective Tozzi’s car. It was a shiny, navy-blue luxury car of some sort, with gleaming silver trim. The driver, dressed in black, had climbed out and was circling around to the back where he opened the trunk and retrieved something.
My heart sank.
It was a wheelchair.
Ciara Costas had arrived.
Chapter Seventeen
I stopped in my tracks. My heartbeat thundered in my ears and my mouth was dry. Anxious, I pushed loose strands of hair out of my face, trying to think. Did I stroll on up there like nothing was the matter? Did I tell Javier I’d changed my mind and wanted to walk back to the gate? Did I fake a heart attack? Which probably wouldn’t take much faking, considering the panic exploding in my chest. No, that was stupid. Well, what did somebody do in a situation like this?
Most people aren’t stupid enough to get themselves in a situation like this, my mind told me bitterly.
I felt the borrowed cell phone in my back pocket, which I’d muted, buzz. Automatically, I reached my hand into my pocket and pulled it out. A text message flashed on the screen. From Detective Ewing.
They wouldn’t let us through. You’re on your own. Can you sneak back out? If not, be smart. We’ll try to find another way in.
“Something wrong, Miss Ellie?” Javier inquired from behind my shoulder.
I nearly jumped out of my skin, and half-spun to face him, shoving the phone back into place.
“No. Uh huh. Everything’s…everything’s fine.”
He looked me over. “Senora Costas has arrived. I do not see your friends, though.”
“I guess…I guess Dave is still talking to them?”
He stared me down. I pushed my glasses further up the bridge of my nose. Finally, he said, “Maybe.”
I heard the doubt. He wasn’t buying any of this. He didn’t look like he planned to let me go, either. I hadn’t asked, but I didn’t figure there was a point.
“Let’s go,” he said, gesturing with his arm.
I swallowed against the dryness in my throat and turned, willing my feet to move.
“Bad idea, Ellie. Bad idea,” I muttered under my breath.
Both detectives had tried to warn me. What had I really believed I could accomplish here? I hadn’t even known. It was just—every instinct demanded I do what I could to help Carter.
You’re not helpless yet, I reminded myself in an attempt to calm down. You still have your weapons. Nobody knows about them. You still have your phone. This isn’t over yet. Stay calm. Keep a clear head.
The last two things were getting more and more difficult as we approached Mrs. Costas’ driver assisting her into her wheelchair. She smoothed her coat, her slacks, as Darla stepped up behind her to take the handles of the chair.
“Ready to go in?”
“Yes, thank you, Darla,” Mrs. Costas craned her neck to smile over her shoulder at the woman…and that’s when she caught sight of me.
The mask slipped. The mask of cultured, polite society woman. I saw shock and then sheer hatred fill her stunning green eyes.
“Charles,” she said, her voice as cold and piercing as an icicle. “What is she doing here?”
Both of her companions turned, spotted me. Darla, with her perfect, professional makeup, hair, and suit blinked a few times. Charles set down the bags he was carrying.
“What do you want me to do, Mrs. Costas?” he inquired. His tone was casual; his meaning was anything but. If I was allowed inside, if I got to her husband, I had the potential to expose them. They weren’t about to allow that.
“Javier.” Mrs. C
ostas beckoned to the groundskeeper sweetly, regaining her façade like it had never slipped. “Will you bring her here, please?”
I felt Javier’s hand press into the middle of my back. Fight or flight kicked in. Wild scenarios of ducking away and pulling my gun, or ducking away and running flashed through my brain. Instead, I froze.
“Let’s go, Miss Ellie,” Javier urged with a gentle shove.
My feet moved.
Do something, Ellie, my instincts were screaming. Something inside restrained me. I didn’t know if it was fear or wisdom. I didn’t know whether to play my final card—my weapons—just yet, or wait. In the end, I chose waiting. I couldn’t seem to collect myself to do anything else except pace up to Mrs. Costas, Darla, and her driver, who all stood watching me with hard faces and frosty stares.
“Ellie,” Mrs. Costas said, when I stopped in front of her. “You’re alive. You’re alive and back from wherever you went.” She looked me up and down, as if checking for injuries or obvious signs of trauma. Finding none, she went on, “Where’s Carter? Did he survive too? Did he return with you?”
“No.” I shook my head. “He didn’t make it.”
“Then why are you here?” Ciara Costas demanded. “If you’re not here for Carter, you must be coming to warn my husband. Am I correct?”
I tried to say no, but I couldn’t even get the word out. I was definitely a terrible liar. It was a good thing Carter hadn’t risked letting the police interview me all those months ago, taking the drastic step of marrying me instead. I’d never have survived a police interview.
Since I couldn’t speak, I shook my head. That wasn’t enough.
“I see,” Ciara said coldly. Then, “What are we going to do with you?” she asked. She looked over my shoulder at Javier, standing behind me.
“Javier, this young woman is dangerous. Do you understand? She can’t be allowed inside. Do you have some place you can take her?”
Fear seized my chest like a giant fist was squeezing my heart.
“Yes, Senora,” Javier answered. “I can put her somewhere she won’t be found.”
“Excellent. Please make sure she doesn’t get out,” Ciara responded. “Also, make sure she isn’t harmed. Plenty of time for that later. There’s still a chance I might need her.”
My brain didn’t even process Javier’s reply. I felt like the world was spinning circles around me. Like I couldn’t catch my breath or fight past the brain fog.
But I had to. I had to. I’d put myself in this mess. I had to get myself out. Plus, I still didn’t know where the detectives were or where Carter was. At this moment, the lives of all of them could potentially be in my hands. Ciara had warned Javier not to hurt me, so I clung to that as I allowed him to shove me into her car. As Ciara, her personal assistant, and her driver made their way into the mansion, Javier climbed into the driver’s side of the car and took off at a slow pace, circling around behind the mansion. I parted my lips, inhaling several times to fight off the dizziness and clear my brain before speaking.
“Javier,” I said, grateful that I didn’t stutter and my voice didn’t catch. “Javier, this is all a big misunderstanding. I’m not here to hurt anyone or do anything wrong. I just need to talk to Carter.”
“Because of your argument.”
“Yes.”
Javier parked the vehicle and set the parking brake. His face was tight.
“Carter is not here that I know of, and Senora Costas tells me you are dangerous. She wants me to lock you away and keep you safe. You tell me that Senor Carter is here, but you tell Senora Costas he didn’t make it.” He looked over at me, brown eyes probing. “What am I to believe?”
“I—can’t tell you what to do or what to believe,” I answered, clenching my fists to keep them from air-washing themselves in my lap. Or to keep them from going for my gun prematurely. “But I can tell you that Mrs. Costas probably isn’t the person you think she is.”
His posture was attentive. He was listening.
“Go on,” he said.
Internally, I was quarrelling over whether to take the leap and confide what I knew. Would he believe me? If he didn’t, what was the worst he’d do? Lock me up? He was going to do that anyway, per his boss’s orders. That decided me.
“I can’t explain everything,” I said. “There isn’t time. But I can tell you that Mrs. Costas is not loyal to her husband and his beliefs. She’s been colluding with Nosizwe behind his back. They stole the Stones that he had. They kidnapped Carter and me; used me to get to Carter. They wanted his blood to open the Stones.”
No change of expression. If Javier was shocked, he hid it well.
“It did not work,” was all he said.
“It did. Sort of. The Stones came alive and opened a…a…I don’t know what you’d call it. A portal, I guess. I know this sounds like science fiction,” I rushed on, seeing the dubious arch of his thick eyebrow. “But it’s true. Carter and I went through. We came back. Carter came here to tell Mr. Costas what his wife has been up to. I came after him in case—in case he was in danger.”
Javier laughed. I felt my cheeks heat when he chortled, “Carter in danger and needing help from you? You have seen the Talos, yes?”
“Hey, I got him out of a bad scrape once,” I reminded him, piqued. “That time they brought him here wounded. When I first met you, actually.”
That sobered him up a bit. “True.”
His humor died away and he stared out the windshield of the car, contemplative. His gnarled brown fingers drummed on the steering wheel. It was in me to speak up and say more to persuade him. Instead, I sat there quietly, letting him decide for himself, hoping he’d make the right choice.
At last, slowly, he said, “Miss Ellie, you seem like a nice girl. And Carter—I’ve known him since he came here as a boy. But…” Here, he turned to face me. “I do not know you well. I will not hurt you, but I do not know if I should believe you.”
Desperation bloomed in my soul.
“Call James,” I insisted. “He’ll back me up.”
Would he, though? At one point, I’d wondered if James was the traitor in the Costas household. Honestly, I didn’t know that he wasn’t—that he hadn’t been working for Mrs. Costas all along. If he was a traitor, he’d probably verify Mrs. Costas’ orders to detain me. On the other hand, if he wasn’t, he might take my side. And I desperately needed somebody to take my side.
Javier continued to look skeptical. “James is involved too?” He seemed to catch himself, shrug. “Of course he is. He knows everything that happens in this place.” He half-rolled his eyes as if in humor or frustration. Being Mr. Tech Savvy, James probably kept up with all of the goings-on in a way none of us had any idea.
Even so, Javier wasn’t convinced. He released a breath and said, “I am going to follow Mrs. Costas’ orders, for now. I will put you somewhere hidden. You will not be hurt. In fact, this is for your safety as well as theirs.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but as I did there was the boom of a loud explosion from the house. The car, parked close to the home, rocked from the reverberations. I let out a choked scream of surprise. Javier swore, twisting to look over his shoulder. Seizing the distraction, I opened the car door and bolted, running as fast as I could toward the smoldering Costas mansion.
Chapter Eighteen
I heard heavy, pounding footsteps and knew Javier was right behind me. It didn’t matter. I was determined to get to the scene, to check on Carter, no matter the cost. Compounding that need, that drive, was the knowledge that people could be hurt. I had medical training. Maybe I could help.
As I rounded the bend, my frantic run slowed to a walk, which, after a few paces, stopped altogether. Javier’s heavy breathing behind my shoulders said he’d stopped too. Together, we gazed in a mixture of awe and despair at the gaping hole in the front third of the mansion where pristine stone walls used to soar. Black smoke billowed up towards the sky. From inside, I could hear screams and cries, both of alarm
and pain.
“This is not good,” Javier said at my elbow. I half-turned. Beneath his copper skin, his face had gone pale.
“No.” I blew out a breath. “This is really bad. Do you have a phone? Can you call 9-1-1?”
Without answering, he fished in his pocket for a phone. I also drew mine out, making a call to authorities, but to the two police officers with whom I’d ridden here. Detective Ewing answered. I heard the fright in her voice.
“Ellie, what’s happening? They wouldn’t let us through the gate. They were waiting on clearance. We heard the explosion. We can see smoke…”
“I don’t know,” I cut in. “Half the mansion’s blown up. I’m safe. I haven’t made it inside yet, but I’m fixing to go in and see what I can do to help.”
“Ellie, you might consider waiting—”
“I can’t wait. People could die waiting for an ambulance. I have to do something. I just wanted you to know I’m fine and say you better get here as quickly as you can. Something’s obviously gone down. We probably need back up.”
“Right. They’re pretty distracted right now at the guard shack.” A slight pause as if she’d leaned out the window to check. “I think we can get in.”
“Okay, see you in a minute.”
I hung up before she could argue any further, shoved my phone back into my pocket, and raced toward the house. I didn’t know what Javier was doing. He might still be on the phone with 9-1-1.
As I got closer, my heart sank. I couldn’t believe the beauty of the mansion had been instantly demolished like this. What could have caused it?
The front door stood open. People were running back and forth. There was shouting, screaming. Smoke. Despair. I figured if people were on their feet, they weren’t the ones in desperate need of attention, so I shoved past and kept going. It looked like the explosion had possibly occurred on the second floor. The central staircase appeared to be intact, so I raced up it, maneuvering past the people who were trying to come down. I reached the second landing and slowed my pace. Black scorch marks spread across the walls, the ceiling. Walls were caved in. Part of the ceiling was gone. Part had also caved in. My heart sank. Anyone who’d been in this part of the mansion was probably dead.
Repairer of the Breach (Stones of Fire Book 4) Page 12