“When will you be back?” asked Kai.
“Sunday night. We have school the next day.”
I got up early the next morning, to catch a flight. I found Kai in the kitchen pouring himself a cup of coffee.
“You sure you have to go?” he asked.
“I’ll be home in a few days.”
He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward him. Apparently, I was pretty convincing last night.
He leaned in for a kiss when the front door slammed. My dad tramped into the room.
“I remember,” he said. He bent over, gasping.
“Remember what?” I asked.
“Ruth. I remember. Kai told me he’d take care of her and he left with her. I remember.”
Kai paled.
Ruth. How could I forget about her? Between Puck’s unexpected arrival and Kai’s surprise return, I had not thought at all about my best friend. Shame washed over me, and I took a hard look at Kai.
“Where’s Ruth?” I asked. I hoped he didn’t have anything to do with her death. Even after everything we went through in the last couple of days, I didn’t think I’d be able to stay here with him if he had contributed to her death.
Kai creased his eyebrows. “Who’s that?”
Before I could answer, my dad continued. “She was the redhead I was supposed to kill. You said you’d take care of it. I remember.” He sat down and wiped his forehead.
“Well?” I pressed.
“Your dad didn’t do anything to her. I faked her death and turned her over to the Guardians.”
Holy cow. She was alive.
“Where is she?”
“No idea. Puck handled all of that.”
“What? Where is he?” I asked, heading to the living room, expecting to find him sleeping.
“He left a couple of hours ago. I’m sorry.”
I slumped on the couch. Not only was Puck the only one who could answer my questions, he also he left without saying goodbye. My heart hurt. Would I be able to make up with him when this was all over? Kai sat next to me.
“Look, let’s just get through this mess and then I’ll help you find your friend. I promise.”
Ginny slept most of the way home, which was odd for her. Even at home, I don’t think she slept more than five or six hours a day. She was always working.
When the plane landed, I shook her awake.
“Will we get to see Alejandro?” I asked.
“Probably. I’ll make some phone calls. I don’t even know where he’s hidden. He was very angry that I wouldn’t hide with him.”
“Will we put him at risk by going to see him?”
“No, he comes out sometimes, during the day. Always heavily guarded though. I’ll be glad when this is all over.”
“Me too. Ginny, I would feel horrible if something happened to you. Maybe you should go into hiding, too.”
She nodded. “I’ve been thinking about it. I’ll see if we can set up a time to see Ale tomorrow. Today, we’ve got some shopping to do.”
I sat in a chair while Rita was fussing with my hair. “It needs more length. We should do some extensions.”
I nodded. Ginny sat in a chair next to me. “Four months ago, you wanted to be a garden, but now you say you need a change. What is it that you are looking for? We need to know, before Rita does anything else.”
“Well I’m going to be helping out Kai quite a bit, and I want to look the part. Right now I look too innocent.”
I was being cryptic for Rita’s sake. But Ginny got the hint. She looked at Rita.
“Go dark, long waves.” Then, to me, “Do you want to add any color?”
“Of course. Purple.”
“Purple it is.”
We left three hours later. My hair was a deep purple on top and black underneath. The whole effect was very cool, but didn’t really feel like me. In the car, Ginny studied me.
“Do you remember when you first came to Vegas and ended up with green hair?”
“Yeah, I loved it.”
“So you did. I know we were being cryptic in the salon, but let’s talk about what you really want. I’m getting the feeling you are going for a sexy destroyer mistress. Right?”
I blushed. “Yeah, I guess.”
“To the mall.”
It always amazes me what a florist can do to a rose. Most enthusiasts will tell you it’s a travesty but I adore their creativity. The other day, I visited a shop and found rainbow colored roses. No way they would ever grow like that in nature, but they are fun all the same.
FIRST, WE STOPED AT GINNY’S OLD BUILDING, a glittering hotel casino right on the strip.
“I thought you moved into Alejandro’s place.”
“I keep it as an office of sorts, but that’s not why we are here.”
A flash of bright pink appeared at my window. I opened the door and threw my arms around Ricki. She’d dyed her hair bright pink and her whole outfit was different shades of the color.
“I missed you so much. How long are you home for?”
“Just a few days. Get in, you’re coming with us.”
She sat in the back and I swiveled around, while Ginny cursed at the traffic on the strip.
“Jason misses you.” I grinned to show her I was teasing.
She took off her bright pink shades and rolled her eyes at me. “He can go to hell, I’m with Romeo now.”
She pulled out a mirror and a tube of bright pink lipstick. She slathered it on her lips and puckered at herself in the mirror. I missed her and her crazy ways. Tiff was nice, but she didn’t have Ricki’s flair.
“What’s with all the pink?”
“It’s a wig. I’m a different color every day.”
I looked at Ginny, who shook her head. “Not my idea.”
I grinned at looked back at Ricki, “Since when did you stop taking the advice of your stylist?”
“Since she’s never freakin’ around. I figure if I screw up badly enough she’ll take pity on me and help.” Ricki put her sunglasses back on and looked out the window. She used to be Ginny’s pet project, but then Ginny married Alejandro and moved to the mountains.
“Ricki, that’s not fair. I’ve been busy. I promised I’d help you after Thanksgiving. I do have clients that actually pay me money. Plus, I had a honeymoon and a niece who is turning my hair gray.”
“Hey, what did I do?”
Ginny shrugged. “I worry about you when I don’t hear from you every day.”
We pulled into the valet parking at Fashion Show. Ginny gave the guy a big tip to keep the car close.
Ginny walked with a purpose, like she always did; Ricki and I were behind her, giggling.
“The pink really is hideous. What were you thinking?”
“That of all the colors in my closet, this one would piss Ginny off the most.”
“I’d say you succeeded. I’m not sure she even wants to be seen with you.”
We followed Ginny into a small shop where every outfit was a different shade of black. A tall woman with very pale skin and bright red lipstick greeted Ginny with a kiss on the cheek.
“Who have you brought me today? Not the one in the pink, I hope.”
Ginny rolled her eyes. “No, not the one in the pink. She’s beyond hope. Meet Naomi, my niece. We are looking for a sexy goth look. Something that will match her hair.” I wasn’t going to fit into Arkansas no matter how hard I tried, so I might as well look more like a Destroyer than a Guardian.
And so began the hours of trying on clothes and shoes. We walked out of the first shop with three corset dresses that were completely and entirely uncomfortable. But cute. By the end, Ginny had spent a lot of money on sexy tops, short shorts, skirts, and every possible pattern of black tights. Some purple and deep blue, too. We also got a lot of silver jewelry. I just hoped I remembered how to put it all together when I got home. Our last stop was the shoe store.
The clerk greeted Ginny like they were old friends. Then she saw Ricki.
“O.M.G. I l
ove the pink. Ginny, that is pure genius,” she squealed.
Before Ginny could respond, Ricki jumped in. “I know, isn’t it? She’s brilliant. I’m a different color every day of the week. You should try it.” I thought Ginny was going to throttle Ricki right then and there.
The girl nodded her head. “I will.” Ginny’s face twisted into a scowl, a rare feat. Her hands were clenched and she practically threw the pair of boots she wanted for me into the clerk’s hands.
“I need these in a size eight.” The clerk smiled and disappeared into a back room. She came back with six different kinds. It didn’t take me long to try them on and pick a couple.
We were only at the store for twenty minutes, but Ginny looked like she was about to explode. As soon as we left the store and were out of earshot of the store clerk, Ginny rounded on Ricki.
“Fine, you win. Saturday, 10:00 a.m. You get exactly four hours to shop as long as you promise not to wear a wig.”
Ricki squealed and threw her arms around Ginny. Ginny grimaced.
A hand touched my shoulder. “How long are you back for?”
I turned and saw Romeo. “Not long. What are you doing here?”
“Retrieving my girlfriend. Though I’m not going anywhere with her looking like that.” Romeo was tall, with movie-star good looks, but I still didn’t like him. He was cocky and arrogant, but a good Guardian. However, his energy felt odd today. Usually, Romeo was all butterscotch and lavender. Today, he smelled of sour grapes. He was anxious.
“Where’s your sidekick?”
“Hayden? He’s with a few of the other guys tonight. I can’t be with him twenty-four-seven. He drives me crazy.” Hayden was Romeo’s recruit.
“Is he worth it?”
Romeo shrugged. “Don’t know. But he’s my best shot at making Major Guardian, so I’ll take it. How are you doing with Kai?”
“How’d you know about that?”
“Ricki.”
“Fine, I suppose. But I miss it here.”
Ricki smiled at Romeo. “Ready to go?”
He nodded. She gave me a tight hug and went off with him. He looked at me one last time and I noticed the whites of his eyes turned red. It reminded of the times when Puck was playing Destroyer. What was Romeo up to?
I played with baby dolls and Barbies until I turned eight. Then my father went crazy, and he threw them all out so that I could focus on church and on helping my mother. Of course, I just turned to my garden. I had a Baby Claire, a beautiful white rose edged with pink, and Baby Love, a pretty, little, yellow rose.
ALEJANDRO HID AT THE GOLDEN NUGGET in downtown, which went against every part of his style.
“Slumming it a little, aren’t you?” asked Ginny.
“I’m not staying here,” said Alejandro, as he looked around at the cheesy hotel room. “But this seemed like a good place to meet. Unexpected.”
Ginny nodded. Her phone rang and she excused herself from the room.
I pounced. “I need to talk to you. Alone.”
Alejandro sighed. “Really? What a surprise.”
“You know something,” I said. He always knew something, and he always seemed to keep it a secret from me.
He frowned. “No, I don’t. But you’ve been with Kai for a couple months now. I expect you’ve seen things that puzzle you, and you’ve never been one to accept things without an explanation. How did you manage to grow up with your mother?”
“I’m compensating for all those years.”
He grinned and held out his arms. I went in for one of his bear hugs and he kissed me on the top of my head. “We’ve missed you. Come on, let’s see what I can tell you.” We went into the living area of the suite and sat across from each other on the gaudy couches.
Ginny came back. “I don’t know how my clients managed without me. Even for three days.” She sat next to Alejandro, leaned back and closed her eyes. I’d never seen her so tired before.
He took her hand. “I want you to stay with me. The situation is getting worse, and I miss you. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you. Your clients will still be there when you get back. I have a name of a young designer who’s looking to break into the business but finds L.A. daunting. He could take over your list while you rest with me, safe.”
Ginny nodded. I expected her to put up a fight. But the air smelled of spearmint and I could hear the faint sounds of Michael Jackson tunes.
“Why don’t you take Julio as a guard and go say goodbye to your clients? Pack some clothes and meet me back here. I need to talk to Naomi. When you get back, we’ll put her on a plane back to Arkansas and then we’ll go.”
She nodded again.
When she left, I frowned at Alejandro. “You influenced her to say yes.”
“Of course I did. I don’t normally use my powers on her. She doesn’t like it, but her safety is in jeopardy. She can’t pull any more stunts to see you. That was reckless.”
“It was good to see her though.”
“Sure it was, but what if she died while there? Would you have ever forgiven yourself?”
I shook my head.
“It wasn’t fair of her to put you in that position. She doesn’t fully understand what we are up against.”
“Neither do I, for that matter.”
He smiled a sad smile. “It is complicated. But she has other reasons for agreeing to go into hiding. I’m surprised she didn’t tell you. Now what questions do you have for me?”
“Tell me what?”
Ginny came rushing back into the room. “Forgot my purse.”
I stood up and grabbed her purse before she could. She took a few steps back. “What’s the matter?” she asked.
“Ginny, what were you supposed to tell me?”
She crossed her arms. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”
I moved toward her. “Alejandro said you had something to tell me. What was it?”
She looked at Alejandro and he looked away.
“You can’t keep any secrets, can you?” She glared at him.
At least he looked sheepish. “I thought you told her.”
Ginny sighed and sat down. “I’m pregnant.”
I gave her a big hug. “That’s fantastic.”
She grimaced. “I guess.”
I frowned, confused. “You don’t want to have a baby?”
She backtracked. “Of course I want to have a baby. I’m beyond thrilled about that. I just don’t want to be pregnant. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find maternity clothes that look good?”
I laughed. “If anyone can do it, it’s you.”
Alejandro chimed in. “The day she found out, she brought home a closetful of maternity clothes. Most of which won’t fit her for at least seven months.”
She stood up. “You two keep poking fun, I’m leaving. See you tonight.” When the door clicked shut, Alejandro looked at me.
“Now, on to business. You had questions.”
“Do you know Ruth?”
“I know a few. Who, exactly, are you referring to?”
“She was my friend in Arkansas. I thought she was dead but Kai said he turned her over to the Guardians for protection. I need to find her.”
Alejandro leaned back and tapped his chin. “I don’t recall. You know it’s rare for someone to seek individual protection. Puck usually deals with that directly. Even if he never met her, he’ll know.”
Dead end again. Now I had to wait six months to a year until I could see Puck again. I looked at the clock; time was wasting.
“I need to show you something.”
I brought out the cutting of the rose with Dwayne in it. “What do you make of this rose?”
Alejandro studied it. “What is this? You’ve done something to it.”
“You know that I can take powers from others, right?”
“Yes.”
“That power doesn’t just go away once I take it. It sits inside me. It makes me think things that I shouldn’t think
and act in ways I never thought I’d act.”
Alejandro didn’t say anything for a minute. “This is new. I had no idea. What does that have to do with the rose?”
“I can’t let it stay within me, the power. This rose has Dwayne in it. Another part of it has a Destroyer that I drained. The roses seem to take their power and it changes the very essence of the rose.”
“What about your mother? Did you put her in another rose?”
“No, I haven’t gotten rid of her yet. That’s a different story altogether.”
He cocked his head. I wondered if Alejandro could help me make sense of it. He was a Guardian, after all. He knew a lot about how the Destroyers worked, but he might not know what I needed to know.
“How is power transferred from one Master Destroyer to the next?” I asked.
“It’s a bit of a mystery. From what I understand, the power is transferred upon death.” That’s what everyone kept telling me.
“But my mother’s not dead.” She was the last Master Destroyer.
“Puck and I discussed this at length. Tell me, do you think the Destroyers are obeying Kai?”
“Not by a long shot.”
“Yet, your mother has no power, so how could she influence them to do anything?”
“Have you seen her?”
“No, but I have people watching over her and reporting to me. She’s sullen and sulky, but doesn’t do much except watch TV and read books. My people have been told to watch for manifestations of power, and haven’t seen any so far.”
“She doesn’t have any power. I have it.”
Alejandro creased his eyebrows together. “What do you mean?”
“I can feel her inside of me. When I get angry or something, I can feel her power influencing me and I can do things I never could before.”
“Like what?”
“Destroyers listen to me when I tell them things.”
Alejandro opened his mouth, shut it, and opened it again. “What do you think that means?”
I leaned back and lied. “I have no idea.” I had an idea, but I didn’t want to voice it out loud.
Alejandro smiled, revealing perfectly straight pearly whites. Then he grabbed my hand and pulled me up. “Come, let’s try something. I want to see this power of yours.”
The Thorn Chronicles-Books 1-4: Kissed, Destroyed, Secrets, and Lies Page 35