by Zoe Arden
"How did you learn about it?" I asked.
"Cards. He was rather fond of cards. You can imagine why. Knowing everyone's hand gives you a wonderful advantage. Too bad he had a little too much to drink one night after winning big. Everyone else had gone home, and it was just the two of us. Normally, he lost a few hands just for good measure, so no one would catch on, but this night he'd gone all out, winning everything. He was saving up to expand the bar, you see, and was rather impatient about it."
Frank paused a moment as a sound came from outside the warehouse. We both listened, but it was gone as quickly as it had come.
"One of Mack's curses was that the necklace made him a little full of himself as well as impatient. He started boasting about what a great card player he was and let slip that he had a secret lucky charm. I kept at him until he told me what his lucky charm was. If he hadn't been drinking so much, he probably wouldn't have told me. But he did. Then he gave me a little demonstration, telling me what I was thinking as I was thinking it."
"And you decided you had to get it," I said.
"I wouldn't waste its powers like he was. I'd use it to make some real money."
"How?" I asked.
"People love secrets. If you find out what those secrets are—especially the secrets of those in power—well, their power becomes your power. You see?"
My jaw dropped open.
"You mean, you were going to blackmail people?"
"Still am," he said, correcting me.
"You said Mack started working for COMHA; that means he was trying to use it for good."
Frank shrugged. "Dean wants that necklace for himself just as much as I do. So what if Mack was trying to do something good with it? If Dean ever gets his hands on it himself, he'll do the same thing I'll do with it. Use it for his own dirty purposes, except that he'd never have the guts to admit what he was doing. I do."
"Oh, my roses, if Dean knew..." I looked at him. "Then Colt knew, too, didn't he?"
"About the necklace? He's known all along what it was and what it did." Now she's getting it. About time.
I wanted to be angry at Colt, even though I knew that wasn't fair. He'd never lied to me about keeping secrets. I knew he had them; I just didn't like them.
When I looked up again, I saw a dagger in Frank's hand.
"How do you make them disappear?" I asked.
He smiled. "Not them, it. The same dagger that killed Mack. I cast it with a disappearing-reappearing boomerang spell."
Trixie had been right.
"This is your last chance, Ava. Give me the necklace, or die like Mack."
He held the dagger up, and I closed my eyes, concentrating on his thoughts so I'd know when to duck. Someone else's thoughts interrupted my own.
Ava, stay where you are. Don't move. If you can hear me, don't move.
I gasped. That wasn't Mack's voice in my head. It was Dean's.
* * *
CHAPTER
THIRTY-NINE
.
.
.
* * *
* * *
.
I looked wildly around, knowing that Dean must be here. I couldn't have read his thoughts otherwise.
Frank was looking at me suspiciously. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," I told him. "I was just wondering how you thought you were going to get away with this?"
"Once I have that necklace, it will be easy."
"How did you ever get the best of Mack, anyway? If he never took this necklace off, how did you manage to sneak up on him and kill him? It couldn't have been easy." I was trying to stall for time. If Dean was here, he must've had a plan. Dean never went anywhere without a plan.
"It was easier than you'd think," Frank said. "After years of wearing that necklace, Mack hated the thing. He stopped wearing it."
My eyes bugged out of my head.
"He stopped wearing it?" I asked.
Frank nodded. "He told me once that it had ruined his life. Taken away the only woman he'd ever loved and caused him nothing but problems. I think that was why he went to Dean with it when he did. He wasn't prepared to give it up, oh no, he wouldn't go that far, but he was prepared to find a new use for it. Something good. Something to make up for all the bad he'd done because of it."
I didn't say it out loud, but I admired Mack all the more for Frank's story. It took a big man to admit when he'd made a mistake. Some men never admitted to their mistakes. I knew how addicting this necklace could be having worn it for less than a day. It must have physically hurt Mack to stop wearing it after so long.
"Dean Lampton's been after that necklace since Mack's body turned up," Frank said.
My spine began to tingle. "What does he plan to do with it if he gets it?"
"Same thing as me. Make money. Gain secrets." He shrugged. "That's how government works."
"The only thing I want," said Dean, stepping out from behind a large box, "is to see you in prison for the rest of your life."
Frank smiled. "Look who's decided to join us. Glad you could make it." He looked at me. "Will your boyfriend be joining us as well?"
"Colt's my fiancé, not my boyfriend," I said.
I looked around, wondering what had happened to Colt anyway. He must have lost track of me. Too bad this necklace didn't let me send messages as well as receive them. Then I could have just told him where I was.
There was a loud click and I looked over to see Dean holding a gun. Frank laughed. "What are you planning to do with that? Shoot me?" He shot me a look. "Or is it Ava that you want to shoot? That's the only way you're going to get that necklace, you know."
Dean's expression wasn't exactly comforting. I could see in his eyes that he wanted the necklace. Bad. Frank wasn't lying about that. If I could just get into Dean's thoughts, then I'd know how far he was willing to go to get it.
I broke into Dean's head, and the first thought that came to me was not in words but an image. It was Mack's dead body as it lay in the morgue.
Suddenly, I wanted nothing to do with this necklace. I grabbed the chain and yanked it so hard that it broke. I heard both Frank and Dean gasp. I shoved the necklace into my pocket, not yet prepared to toss it aside, but not wanting it next to my bare skin anymore. I wished there was a lake that I could throw it in and realized that the ocean was right outside these doors. That was even better than the lake.
If I could get outside, I could get rid of it. Until then, I wouldn't let it go. Not with the greedy looks that both Dean and Frank were giving me right now. I didn't think that Dean meant to kill me, but with a look like that, there was no taking chances.
"Hand it over," Frank said.
"No," I told him.
"Ava, don't toy with me. That necklace belongs to me. I'm the only one who appreciates it for what it is. I'm the only one who recognizes its power. I'm the only one who can do any real good with it."
Dean laughed. "By good, you mean sell it to the vampire rebels? The goblins? The werewolves? You want to trade it to our enemies? Give it to a human? Exactly what do you intend to do with it?"
"Keep it," Frank replied. "I don't need to learn everyone's secrets, just a select few. I think I'll start with you. "He cocked his head to the side." Once I know what's going on in that head of yours, Dean, I don't think you'll ever mess with me again. In fact, I think you'll pay me to leave you alone."
Dean held his gun high, aiming it at Frank. Frank held his dagger high, aiming it at Dean.
Somewhere inside the warehouse, there was a loud noise that sounded like a door banging open but which was probably just a group of kids outside playing around with a football or something. The noise must have set Dean and Frank off, though, because suddenly the dagger was flying through the air toward Dean's head. Dean's gun went off, but I heard it miss and hit one of the boxes to Frank's left.
I ducked and ran. I had no intention of getting shot, or stabbed. There was a box just up ahead that was even taller than I was. I got behind it and peeke
d out just long enough to see Dean get stabbed. The dagger went into his shoulder and he fell to the ground and didn't move again. Frank turned toward me, and I got back behind the box.
"Ava..." he said. "It's your turn."
* * *
CHAPTER
FORTY
.
.
.
* * *
* * *
.
I could feel my heart beating fast inside my chest. It felt like it was sprinting in some sort of relay race, though who or what I was racing against I couldn't say. I urged it to calm down but it refused to listen.
"Ava..." Frank said again. "It's not too late. Throw me the necklace, and I'll go away."
He'd seen me. He knew precisely where I was hiding. There wasn't much I could do. I wished that I'd remembered to bring my wand with me, but I'd left it at the bakery. I wondered if Gill had ever called Eleanor. For all I knew, my aunts and dad were out looking for me right now. They might even be on their way over here, though how they'd know to come here I couldn't say.
The necklace was burning a hole in my pocket, or at least that's what it felt like. I chanced a look down and it looked like the fabric of my jeans was still intact, but beneath that, my skin was on fire. It was almost as if the necklace had a mind of its own. I could feel it calling to me, almost hear its voice in my head.
Put me on. Wear me. I only want to help.
"Ava..." Frank said again, but I ignored him.
Where the heck had this necklace come from in the first place? Mac had written that he'd found it while out walking one day, but found it where? Who had dropped it? Who'd owned it before him?
The more I kept this necklace close to me, the more I was convinced that it was dark magic. Only dark magic could get into your head like this, could affect your emotions like this.
"Ava..." Frank continued, repeating my name like he thought if he just taunted me enough, I might give him what he wanted.
I peeked around the corner again and saw Dean still lying on the floor. He wasn't moving, though it didn't seem like the dagger had hit him anywhere vital. I supposed if the dagger was magic, though, it might act differently than a normal one. Maybe it could kill with one blow anywhere to your body, even something simple like your toe.
I shuddered at the thought, remembering how close it come to hitting me on various occasions. If it had stabbed any part of me, would I be dead now? Was Dean dead, or was he just comatose? I shot another quick look at him and saw that the dagger had disappeared. It was actually a pretty neat little charm, albeit a deadly one.
I felt a tug in my pocket and looked down. It was like the necklace was trying to escape. I clamped my hand over it, wondering how to quiet it down. Was there any other way to still it other than putting it on?
"If you don't give me the necklace, I won't just stop with you," he finally said, still walking toward the box where I was hidden. Even though I was certain he knew where I was, I felt more protected back here than if I'd been on the other side of this box.
"I'll kill your aunts," Frank continued, "and then your father and Colt. I'll kill that friend of yours, too. Lucy. If you still won't give it to me, I'll kill her sister, her parents, anyone you've ever known or cared about."
I took a deep breath. I'd been looking for this guy since he killed Mack. It was time I faced him.
I stepped out from behind my box and pulled the necklace from my pocket. "Is this what you want?" His eyes took on a feverish look. "Then put the dagger down."
He did as I told him. "Now kick it away from you." He hesitated, then did as I said. I was surprised how well this was working. I only wished I had a fully formed plan rather than half an idea. "Now... turn around."
He eyed me skeptically. "What for?"
"Because I said so."
A smile spread across his face. "Sure, I'll turn around. Once you give me the necklace."
I looked around, searching the area for something I could use to tie him up with. Even if I got him to turn around, it would do no good if I couldn't prevent him from getting away. But despite all the boxes, I could find nothing else that might help me. No string, no ropes, not even a rubber band.
Frank started laughing. That easygoing laugh of his, as if I'd just told him a terrific joke. It was all the creepier because of how laid back it seemed.
"You know, if you hadn't interfered and stopped Natalie from choking on that bear claw that day in Coffee Cove, this all might have ended with her. I thought she had the necklace. I was so sure of it until you opened your mouth and said that Mack had met with you."
My jaw dropped open. "How did... you mean, she was right? Choking on that bear claw was no accident?"
"Of course not," he said. "It was a little spell I learned some time ago. I thought she was wearing the necklace, or if not wearing it, at least had it on her somewhere. I'd already searched her house, you see, so I knew it wasn't there. The only place left that I could think of was on her."
Wow, if I got out of this, I owed Natalie an apology.
I hit my head with the palm of my hand. "You were there that day. I remember now. She even ran up to you and accused you of trying to kill her. You stuttered over your words and I felt bad for you."
He smiled.
"I'm a wonderful actor when I need to be. If you two hadn't stepped away from your table, I wouldn't have been able to hear you tell her that you'd met with Mack as well. That's when I knew. If she didn't have it, you must. I'm so pleased that I was right."
"You'll never get away with this," I said as he held his hand out to his side and muttered an incantation I didn't understand.
The dagger disappeared from its spot on the floor and reappeared in his hand. It really was a neat little trick, even if it was a monster performing it.
"Last chance," he said.
I looked at the necklace dangling from my fingertips. I let out a long, heavy sigh and balled the necklace up into the palm of my hand. I took a step closer.
"Careful," he said. "Move slowly."
I nodded and took another step. And then another. And another. I was no more than three feet away from him.
"Now hand it to me," he said and held out his hand.
I hesitated, then took one final step toward him. At the same time, I brought my arm back, gathering my strength and my energy. I'd never been much at softball growing up, but I threw that necklace as hard as I could, willing it to go far and stay hidden.
Frank erupted in a loud roar and lunged at me with his dagger. I screamed and jumped back. The dagger just missed my arm. I screamed again as Frank turned around, getting ready to take another shot at me.
Colt suddenly appeared. He ran between us, pushing Frank away from me. The dagger missed me by an inch and sliced Colt's forearm instead. He let out a grunt and I screamed. My eyes fell on the gun still laying by Dean's unconscious body. He must have been hurt worse than I'd realized because he was still laying there.
I ran for the gun and snatched it up off the ground. I'd fired guns before, but that didn't mean I was good at it. I ran back to where Colt and Frank were tangled up together, fighting each other like a couple of wrestlers.
Colt had managed to get the upper hand, at least for now. He had a good grip on the hand Frank was using to hold his dagger, though I noticed his grip was slowly slipping. I held the gun out in front of me, ready to take a shot as soon as an opening presented itself. I was terrified of hitting Colt instead of Frank, and so when the chance I needed came, I hesitated.
"Crud," I muttered to myself. A voice beside me startled me out of my trance.
"Let me," said Dean, reaching for his gun.
I looked at him, surprised that he was suddenly standing. He looked like he was in pain but far from dead. I looked back at Colt and Frank. They were twirling around together, caught in a violent dance that neither could extricate themselves from without getting killed. If I shot now, I'd be sure to hit the wrong person.
I handed
Dean the gun, certain that he was a much better shot than me. He took it and stepped a couple of feet closer, aimed, and waited. Frank kicked Colt in the knees and sent him to the ground. I wondered where Colt's gun was; maybe he'd lost it in the chase over here.
Colt was lying on his back, Frank standing over him. He lifted the dagger over his head.
"No!" I shouted. Frank didn't even blink. He brought the dagger down. Dean fired.
I held my breath as Frank dropped to the ground on top of Colt. Colt shoved him off and stood up, unscathed. The dagger hadn't touched him, Dean had shot just in time.
"Oh, my roses," I said, running to him and throwing my arms around him. I kissed him several times until I heard Dean clear his throat behind me. Only then did I let Colt go, though I made sure to keep a firm hold on his hand.
"Next time you go chasing after a killer," he said, "wait for me."
"Promise," I said and this time, he kissed me.
* * *
CHAPTER
FORTY-ONE
.
.
.
* * *
* * *
.
Two hours later, the warehouse was crawling with COMHA agents and medics. Dean and Colt had been patched up and both were fine. Dean's injury was a bit more serious and the medics had urged him to go to the hospital, but he refused to leave until everything had been taken care of.
Sheriff Knoxx and his deputies were here, too, but Dean kept trying to get rid of them. An all-out battle had ensued between Dean and the sheriff.
"This warehouse is on Heavenly Haven, in Sweetland Cove; that makes it my territory, not yours," Sheriff Knoxx shouted.