9
“Oh! I’m sor—” Issy raised her eyes slowly, her gaze traveling over his muscular chest, up his long, tanned throat, to meet Dex Nolan’s curious hazel eyes. Although, in the sunlight, she could definitely see more moss green than gold in their depths.
Wait. What?
The last thing she should be thinking about right now was the color of this man’s eyes.
He was the enemy, after all. The rumors about the FBPI and their shady interrogation tactics, not to mention the horror stories of what happened to paranormals once they disappeared inside the FBPI’s Area 59 prison, were the stuff of scary legend.
She swallowed hard and squared her shoulders. “What are you doing here?”
“Pretty sure that’s my line,” he said, his deep voice skimming over her like a cool stream in the afternoon heat. At five-seven, Issy wasn’t used to having to tip her head back to look at most people, but Dex Nolan was just tall, darn him. He gazed down at her, one side of his full lips quirked into a sarcastic grin. “I’m waiting.”
Part of her wanted to tell him he could continue waiting until the stars burned away. The other part of her, traitor that it was, wanted to cuddle up against his side and nuzzle his strong jaw, now covered by a hint of dark stubble. This close, he smelled of soap and fresh air and a hint of manly sweat.
Annoyed, she took a step back and glanced down at Bella, who was currently wrapping herself around the irritating man’s legs like a brazen hussy. The hilt of Gray’s knife rested heavy against her waist where she’d tucked it into the back pocket of her shorts, weighing her down like an anchor. At least she’d had the sense to cover it with her tank top so it wouldn’t be out there for the world to see. “I was just walking my dog.”
“Woof!” Bella barked, as if in agreement.
“Huh.” He stared down at her precious little ball of orange-and-white fluff and raised a brow. “Is that what you call it?”
“Bella’s a Pomeranian,” Issy said, snapping her fingers to try and get the dog away from Dex’s hiking boot, which she’d presently chosen to drape herself over, tummy up and available for rubs. Issy sensed her little doggy mind was filled with overwhelming thoughts of bliss and tranquility regarding Dex, along with a whole lot of starstruck infatuation. Issy managed to refrain from rolling her eyes, barely. So much for animal loyalty. Never mind if her canine familiar’s emotions mirrored her own more closely than Issy wanted to admit. “They’re a toy breed.”
“Well,” Dex said, crouching to comply with Bella’s shameless whines for attention. “She is cute. Aren’t you sweet, girl? Huh? Who’s a cutie? You are! Yes, you are.”
Issy couldn’t help but smile at the change in the tough FBPI detective’s demeanor. There was something about petting an animal that turned everyone into a baby-talking idiot. “She’s usually not this friendly with strangers. She must like you.”
“Yeah?” Dex looked up at her, and Issy’s heart somersaulted. “I seem to have a way with women.”
I bet you do. Issy shook her head to clear it then checked her watch. She really should get back to the shop. Her assistant would be leaving in about an hour, and Issy had a new shipment of cat litter being delivered later that she needed to make room for in the stock room. She snapped her fingers and started walking back in the direction where she’d parked Brown Betty. “C’mon, Bella. Let’s go.”
Her little dog rolled over and leapt to her tiny paws, dancing around in circles excitedly before racing after Issy. Bella loved riding in the car almost as much as she loved tummy rubs.
“Wait!” Dex called from behind her. “You still haven’t told me what you’re doing skulking around a crime scene.”
Issy halted and took a deep, steadying breath before facing Dex again. It was wrong, really, for a man to be that appealing and be so off limits. “It’s not really a crime scene.”
“No.” He walked over to join her. “But it is a little suspicious, don’t you think? You hanging around the house of a recent homicide victim. Especially with you being there at the scene of the murder and all.”
“We’ve been over this already,” she said, continuing on her way, with him trailing along beside her and Bella yipping at her heels. “I had nothing to do with Louella Drummond’s death.” The knife tapped against her spine with each step, compelling her to add, “Neither did Gray.”
Their footfalls on the crackling underbrush melded with the sounds of birdsong and frogs croaking from the stream in the distance. It would’ve all been beautiful and peaceful, except for the tiny fact that this guy thought she’d killed someone.
They stopped in a small clearing, and Issy faced him once more. “And you never did answer my question.”
“What question’s that?”
“What you’re doing here lurking around in the woods?” The weird tug of awareness she always felt between them curled tighter around her, urging her closer to him. Issy held her ground and crossed her arms. Stupid tug. “This isn’t exactly your jurisdiction, is it?”
“It is now.” His warm gaze flickered to her lips before meeting her eyes again. He frowned, as if he was resisting this connection between them as well. “Since I’m lead investigator on this case.”
Issy’s breath caught. “Wait. You’re lead investigator? I thought your creepy buddy Stan was in charge of the murder.”
“We’re sharing responsibilities on this one.”
“I see.” Honestly, she didn’t see at all. Owen seemed to have been doing just fine on his own with Louella’s homicide. Why did the FBPI have to come in and take over and get all nosy into everyone’s affairs? And why did they have to send this man, who looked like a Greek god and made her feel all dreamy inside? It was enough to make a witch yearn for the Salem trials again. But Issy wasn’t one to run and hide when the going got tough. She was made of sterner stuff. All the Quinns were. Bravely, she held out her wrists, one strawberry-blond brow cocked at Dex. “So are you going to arrest me or what?”
He took a step closer to her, and for a brief terrifying moment, she wondered if he actually would take her into custody, or kiss her, or both. But he just stopped about a foot away and crossed his arms over his beefy chest, his expression contemplative. “I can’t figure you out, Issy Quinn.”
She let her arms fall back to her sides. “What’s to figure out?”
“You’re so protective of this town and its people, so protective of your family and your pets, yet you surrender yourself without a second thought.”
His perceptiveness made her chest pinch with the truth of it. “Silver Hollow is my home. I love it here, and I’d do anything to protect it.” She rubbed her arms and shrugged. “Don’t you feel that way about where you’re from?”
“No, not really. It isn’t nearly as spectacular as all this.” He gestured to the breathtaking nature around them. Of course he would be a nature lover too. The guy was practically custom-ordered just for her.
Except for the fact that he worked for the paranormal community’s greatest nemesis and he lived half a continent away and he kept squinting toward her back pocket as if he just knew she had Gray’s stupid athame hidden there. And, of course, there were her powers—and his lack of abilities. Human and paranormal matings rarely, if ever, worked, simply because the parties were too different. She shuffled her feet and did her best to ignore the telltale accusing poke of the knife’s hilt against her back. “Right. Well, I really have to get back to my shop now. Nice talking with you. I’ll let you get back to your investigation now.”
She turned on her heel and snapped her fingers for Bella to follow, sending up a silent prayer to the goddess that he’d take the hint and not follow her again.
Dex followed. Even though he knew he shouldn’t. Even though her body language clearly told him to stay away. Even though she was one of the top suspects in this whole topsy-turvy debacle of a case.
He caught up to her then kept pace at her side as they walked up the big hill behind Louella’s house. He
ignored her little dog trying to gnaw at the laces of his hiking boots while he walked. “How long have you had your pet shop?”
“Is this part of your investigation?” she asked, giving him some serious side-eye.
“No. Just making small talk.” Dex wasn’t sure why, but there was something about her—with her huge sea-green eyes and soft, innocent face—that made him want to be near her, to protect her. Not to mention the fact that he’d spotted that knife in her pocket a ways back and wanted to see if she’d mention it to him. The outline of it was clear through her thin cotton tank top, but it was kind of cute the way she thought he wouldn’t notice.
He stumbled, scowled. Since when was a suspect concealing evidence cute?
“Watch your step there, Detective,” Issy said over her shoulder, her tone snarky.
“Answer my question,” he said, stepping over an old dead log then scooping up her tiny dog and carrying it under his arm, football-style. Poor little thing was probably exhausted by now with those impossibly small paws and skinny legs flying to keep up with them. The dog licked his hand and snuggled against him, content. “How long has Enchanted Pets been around? And why’d you pick that name?”
“My store’s been open for years. And I picked the name because I liked it.” She gave him a small, polite smile. “How about you, Detective Nolan? How’d a nice guy like you end up in a terrible place like the FBI?”
He chuckled. “Who says I’m nice?”
She glanced over at him, and he grinned.
“Okay. I try to be a nice guy whenever I can. And please, call me Dex.”
Issy regarded him with cool appraisal for a moment then gave a slight nod.
“Silver Hollow’s a strange place, I have to admit.”
“Why’s that?” Her expression shifted quickly from stoic to alarmed, her pretty green eyes nearly glowing from within, and not for the first time, Dex got the weird notion that maybe Stan’s insane tales were right. Maybe there was a bit of witchcraft hidden in this mysterious woman. She’d sure as heck bewitched him, it seemed.
“Well, most folks I know are happy to have law enforcement get involved. They appreciate the sense of order and peace that occurs when a higher authority is around, especially during, say, a murder.”
“And that’s not the vibe you get from Silver Hollow, huh?” Her voice was a bit breathless from the climb.
“Nope.” He shook his head, shoving a low-hanging branch from their path so she could pass through without getting scratched. “I mean, everyone is friendly enough on the surface, but they close up like clams the minute we start asking any probing questions.”
“What kind of probing questions?” Issy looked at Bella and smiled before blinking up at him again. Man, she was pretty. Pretty enough to make him all tongue tied and twisted and trip over his own feet, if he wasn’t careful. “You like animals, huh?”
“I do. Grew up on farm, so I spent a lot of time around them as a kid.” He adjusted Bella’s slight weight under his arm then climbed over another log. “And as far as probing questions, just the usual. Where were you at the time of the murder? How well do you know the suspect? Do you have anything incriminating you’d like to share with us that might help us solve this case?”
Issy stopped fast, and Dex had to dig in his heels to keep from running right over the top of her. He shifted his gaze from her back pocket to her face, but not fast enough, if her dark frown was any indication. She reached over and took her dog from him then stepped back. “I’m going now, Detective Nolan. My truck is parked right over that next hill. No need for you to tag along any farther. Good day.”
Well, then.
He watched her walk away, feeling bemused, then he turned in time to see Stan’s huge Crown Vic chug around the corner and pull into Louella’s driveway right next to Owen's police car.
Stan got out of the big old boat of a vehicle, looking gray and undertaker-ish and creepy, just as Issy had described. He might be Dex’s partner on this case, but the two of them were worlds apart when it came to their views—especially about paranormals. Dex was, after all, only here because of what had happened on that last kidnapping case, and Stan… Well, Stan seemed to have made it his personal vendetta to capture as many of these so-called paranormals as possible and make their lives a living hell.
The thought of him doing such a thing to sweet, kind, pretty, innocent-looking Issy Quinn made his skin crawl and his gut knot with tension. That same odd protectiveness he’d felt around her earlier returned with a vengeance, and he vowed to himself not to let another innocent life be lost, not let the real bad guy go free, like what had happened in that kidnapping. Not following his instincts, his gut, had cost him everything.
“Nolan?” Stan squinted, looking through the trees at him way up at the crest of the hill. “You just gonna stand out here all day? We’ve got a house to search and evidence to collect. The locals have already been in there for at least ten minutes.”
Dex started down the hill, images of that knife in Issy’s back pocket swirling in his mind. She wasn’t the weapons type, at least from what he’d seen, which meant it most likely came from the victim’s home. But why would she take it, and whom did it really belong to?
Either way, he knew one thing for certain.
He wasn’t going to let Issy Quinn suffer for a murder she didn’t commit.
10
Issy tossed and turned most of that night, unable to sleep for worrying about why her cousin’s knife had been hidden in Louella Drummond’s desk and picturing the temptation of Dex Nolan in the woods. She ended up getting out of bed before dawn, showering and dressing, then sitting out on the small deck overlooking the lake while the sun rose, sipping herbal tea and idly stroking Bella’s silky orange fur.
Finally, when it was time for the shops to open, she gathered her things for the day then bundled herself and Bella into Brown Betty and headed into town. Confrontations weren’t exactly her forte, but she needed answers, and the only way she was going to get them was to talk with Gray.
She parked her truck in her usual spot in front of Enchanted Pets and let Bella out to potty then walked across the small town square to Shear Magic. The lights were on and glowing merrily through the front windows on this overcast day, as if mocking the seriousness of the conversation she and her cousin were about to have.
“Hello?” she said, pushing inside the shop. A string of silver bells jangled above the door, but no one greeted her. That was weird. Gray was always at his shop early, and Issy knew that old Ms. Weber would be coming in for her weekly blue tint any minute. Issy closed the door behind her and reached down to pat Bella on the head. From one corner, Gray’s familiar, Cosmo, squawked loudly.
“Welcome to Shear Magic,” he said in his birdie singsong tone. “Welcome to Shear Magic. Bwaaakkkkk!”
Bella yipped and ran over to stand near the large bird’s perch, watching the cockatoo prance and weave with rapt fascination.
At last, Gray poked his head out of the back of the store, his black hair uncharacteristically disheveled and his aqua eyes wary. “Oh, it’s you.”
Issy raised a brow at him. “You were expecting someone else?”
“No.” He walked out into the room, wiping his hands on a towel. “I’m just a little out of sorts this morning.”
“I can see that.” She set her small bag on the counter then crossed her arms and gave him a once-over. Gray was the resident stud in Silver Hollow, all solid muscle and six-feet-plus of gorgeous. Today, though, there were shadows under his dazzling blue eyes and a tightness at the corners of his mouth. For a man who prided himself on his charm and ability to make women swoon over his abilities to make them look younger and thinner with just a twitch of scissors, it was a startling change. The unease that was planted in Issy’s gut at Louella’s the day before took root and sprouted slithering tentacles inside her. She tried to play it off with concern. “Anything I can help with?”
Gray sighed and tossed the towel aside
, frowning. “I’ve just got a lot on my mind.”
“Like what happened to Louella Drummond?”
“Among other things,” he said, not quite meeting her eyes.
“What exactly was going on between the two of you?”
“Nothing.” He walked over to his cutting station and started organizing his brushes and curling irons. “Like I said, she took photos of me, and I wanted them back. That’s it.”
“Yeah?” Hands trembling slightly, Issy reached into her bag and pulled out Gray’s athame. “What about this, then?”
Her cousin looked up then, his expression shifting from shock to dread to stoic in the span of a few seconds. None of those emotions made Issy feel better about her discovery. “Where did you find that? I’ve been looking for it since the night of my ritual.”
“It was in Louella’s house. In her private desk drawer, to be more precise.”
“What were you doing in her house?”
“Why was your knife in her house?”
Gray cursed under his breath and turned away, running a hand through his hair and making it even messier. “I don't know. After she snapped the photo, I gave chase, as I said, but when I got back to my circle, the knife was gone. That’s all I know.”
Issy exhaled slowly and handed him the knife. Her intuition told her more had happened that night than Gray was telling her, but she couldn’t understand why he would keep it from her if he’d done nothing wrong. The Quinn cousins had never kept secrets before. “Are you sure there wasn’t more going on with you and Louella? You can tell me, Gray. No judgment here. Promise.”
“What?” He set the athame aside then faced her again, his nose scrunched. “No. I barely knew her, I swear. It’s just…”
“Just what?”
“I can’t imagine why she’d take my knife and keep it.”
“I can’t either.” Issy bent to pick up Bella, who had returned to her side and was now whining for attention. “She would’ve had to be awfully quick to grab your knife and run away before you could grab her, and she never seemed all that fit to me. Was there anyone else there that night?”
A Spell Of Trouble (Silver Hollow Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series Book 1) Page 6