by Jayne Faith
“I’ve heard the same about O’Malley,” I said. “And rumor is he could be a real threat.”
My gaze slid off to the side as I sat there thinking about my encounter with Isaac O’Malley.
“You seem discouraged,” she said quietly, drawing my attention back to the present.
“I am,” I said frankly. “Things aren’t going well on the other side of the hedge. We’re getting evicted and drowning under bills and debt. I don’t know how we’re going to find another place to rent.”
“Oh, dear.” She tilted her head, giving me a look of sympathy. “Is there anything I can do?”
I shook my head, forcing a smile. “I appreciate the offer, but no. We’ll figure it out. We always do.”
Heloise would give me anything she had if she thought it would help, but she’d lived her whole life in Faerie and possessed no Earthly money.
“It just gets old, you know?” I sighed. “The struggle.”
“You’ve carried a heavy burden for a very long time,” she said. “So long, it’s become a way of life.”
I couldn’t argue. I sipped my tea.
“You must begin to break free, Tara.”
“Yeah, I’d like that at some point,” I said faintly.
“No, not at some point. Soon. Now.”
Her voice had sharpened, drawing my gaze.
“You think I should let Mom and Felicity fend for themselves?” I asked, frowning.
“Someday, yes,” she said. “But that’s not what I’m talking about.”
“Shaw?”
She nodded. “You need to find a way to pay the debt and get out. Things are . . . growing more unsettled.”
The pit of my stomach squeezed. “What do you mean?”
She lifted a hand and then let it drop. “I wish I could be more specific, but it’s partly just a feeling in my bones that there’s trouble brewing, and Shaw is involved. I don’t want to see you get pulled into something worse than you’re already dealing with.”
“Do you think the trouble has anything to do with O’Malley?”
“Possibly,” she said. “But like I said, I’m not tuned into things like I was.”
“And I’m guessing you’re not allowed to be.” I peered at her closely, watching for her reaction.
“I’m retired. I’m done with the game,” she said carefully.
Shaw had made her agree to keeping her distance, I was almost sure of it.
“Let’s talk more about how you’re going to get out,” she said, redirecting the conversation.
I pulled my shoulders up, shaking my head helplessly. “I don’t know. The payout for the skull would have gotten me so much closer. But now . . . I don’t know,” I repeated.
“Perhaps you should create a sort of exit plan,” she said, her voice lowered to a near whisper.
I examined her face through narrowed eyes. “Exit plan?”
“If the day should come that Shaw is no longer in power, you’ll want to be sure you’re able to stay out of whatever happens after that.”
“How? By aligning myself with someone else?” I asked.
“Possibly,” she said, the word feeling loaded.
She sipped her tea, her eyes locked on mine. I knew she wanted to say more, but something—and oath, maybe—was preventing her.
But the idea began to take root. The trepidation tightening my insides was turning into something else. Something that made me want to act. To take control, even if it meant punishment later.
It wasn’t just about defiance. The Dullahan skull was incredibly valuable, I already knew that. If I found it, I could use it as leverage. Maybe.
I leveled my chin and lifted my gaze to Heloise’s face.
“You know, I’m suddenly feeling a bit better about things,” I said.
I gave her a cool, conspiratorial smile, which she returned.
“I’m very glad to hear that,” she said.
I rose, put my cup and saucer on the kitchen counter next to the sink, and popped the last bite of biscotti into my mouth.
As Heloise and I embraced near the door, there was no need to say anything except a quick expression of gratitude on my part.
She’d been trying to nudge me to action for a long time, but I hadn’t been willing to take real steps in the direction she was coaxing me.
Something had clicked into place. I was ready.
Chapter 22
I LEFT FAERIE, arriving back on the Earthly side of the hedge with a couple of hours remaining before I had to give up the Land Rover.
I sat in my car, waiting for my phone to power up and download any waiting messages. There was nothing from Mom or Fel. A small part of me had hoped for something from Judah, but he hadn’t called or texted. I pushed my mind past it. I wasn’t waiting around for him.
I started the car but then sat there thinking. I’d decided I wanted to get in touch with O’Malley, but I had no idea where he was.
Bringing up my text app, I paused. Who could I safely ask about O’Malley? Normally, I would have turned to Marty for information about other Fae. But I couldn’t involve him.
I sent a message to Ray Artois. I already knew he and O’Malley were acquainted. I’d ask Ray about O’Malley, but first I’d ask for an oath of secrecy. Ray owed me, plus he was eager for my assistance with his family vengeance campaign, so I was confident he’d comply with my request.
I was itching to start tracking down possible clues about the Dullahan skull, but I couldn’t flit off on my own missions. Not yet. I needed to attend to the house and money crisis.
My initial surge of energy about my decision to contact O’Malley dulled as I steered toward my neighborhood and caught sight of the rental we’d been living in since the twins were babies. I couldn’t help wondering how many more days that house would be our home. It’d felt like such a luxury, moving in there after Mom, Fel, Sasha, Dom, and I had been stuffed into the old two bedroom, one bath duplex. Sure, our current place had become a very full house with four kids and three adults, but it had seemed like a mansion when we’d found it. The memory made me vaguely sad, because back then, I’d naively believed our lives were going to steadily improve from that point on.
When I got inside, Mom and Felicity were standing in the kitchen. My sister was crying, and Mom was tearing up, too. They both turned toward me.
“I went to the landlord to tell him that we’ll have the back rent this afternoon,” Fel said. “He told me it was too late. They threatened to call the cops if I didn’t leave the rental office.”
I shook my head angrily. “The jerk. I’m sorry, Fel. Thank you for trying.”
She let out a sob and covered her face with her hands. “I don’t know what the hell we’re supposed to do.”
I went and gently grasped her wrists, pulling her palms away from her red, tear-streaked cheeks.
“We’re going to start packing,” I said calmly. I moved so I could face Mom, too. “Can the two of you call on all your friends and coven women to help us track down boxes?”
They both nodded.
Mom’s old coven had disbanded years ago when it’d failed financially, but she was still close with many of the former members.
“Good,” I said. “Felicity and I are going to start combing through rental listings and papering the city with our applications.”
“What are we going to tell the kids?” Mom asked, her lips trembling again.
“The truth,” I said bluntly but not unkindly. I turned to my sister. “Get your laptop. I’ll look up houses for rent while you and Mom start texting the box brigade.”
I wasn’t actually worried about box procurement, but I wanted them both to have something to do. Plus, telling their friends about our upcoming move would no doubt bring a wave of support that Fel and Mom both needed.
I took over Fel’s laptop, applying for every rental that had at least three bedrooms and was in the same school zone where we currently lived. If none of those materialized, I’d look in the
outlying areas. But my initial goal was to try to keep the kids in their current schools. After exhausting all the possible house rentals, I moved on to apartment vacancies. A house was preferable, but if we had to, we could squeeze into a three-bed, two-bath unit. Or maybe even rent two separate apartments, though that would require more than one application and probably end up more expensive than renting a single place.
By the time noon rolled around and a knock came at the door, my head was throbbing.
Mom came and got me.
“It’s the buyer for your car,” she said quietly. “He’s waiting on the front porch.”
I nodded. “Okay. I’ll go get the title. Be right back.”
I went up to my room and found the Land Rover’s title in my safe, as well as the extra keys. I tried to focus on how much the chunk of cash from the sale would help our situation. We’d easily be able to offer first and last month’s rent on a new place. Later, we’d worry about our current landlord coming after us for the money we owed. If he tried to sue us, we’d probably be able to work out a payment plan.
Out front I found a man dressed in jeans, expensive hiking shoes, and a light jacket with the logo of a popular outdoor equipment and clothing store on it. He had a navy beanie pulled over his head. A tuft of dark hair showed at the nape of his neck. Just by his clothing, he looked like he was financially well-off. The Land Rover was probably a project car. Maybe a vehicle for his kid. I tried to shove down the resentment that stabbed through my chest.
Earlier, I’d brought the Rover around to the front curb and had paused briefly in my flurry of rental applications to empty the car of all my personal things. The man was surveying the SUV appreciatively. When he turned toward me, I found he was handsome, probably about five years older than me. So the car wouldn’t be for his kid, unless he’d been a teen father. He gave off a supernatural vibe—shifter, most likely wolf.
He stuck out his hand. “Roger Tremelo.”
“Tara Knightley.”
We shook.
“It’s a beauty,” he said, peering again at the Rover. “Looks to be in great shape, just like you said in your ad.”
“Yeah, it’s an awesome car.” I couldn’t keep the wistful note from my voice. “Do you want to check it out before we make the transaction?”
“Nah,” he said confidently. “You seem like a trustworthy type.”
My brows inched up. He didn’t even want to take it for a quick test drive?
“Okay,” I said. “Well, I’ve got the papers here, if you’ve got the cash.”
He pulled a thick stack of bills, folded in half with a rubber band around it, from his jacket pocket.
“Go ahead and count it,” he said.
I took the rubber band off and quickly thumbed through the money, counting out hundreds. It was all there.
“Looks good,” I said.
I signed the title over to him and filled out the change of ownership form he’d brought. I glanced around for the car he’d arrived in.
“How’d you get here?” I asked.
“My friend dropped me off,” he said.
“Oh.” I wasn’t sure what else to say.
The paperwork was done, and the money was tucked into my pants pocket. I handed him all the keys.
“Please take good care of it,” I said, struggling to keep my voice steady as I let myself look at the Rover one last time. “It was my pride and joy for a long time.”
He reached out, placing his hand lightly on my elbow. “I will. I promise you.”
The sincerity of his tone and the slight twinkle in his eye made me pause. Something about our entire interaction felt odd, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.
“Thank you, Tara,” he said.
I couldn’t answer around the lump in my throat, and watching him get into the Rover would have been cruel torture. I went inside, but I couldn’t escape the satisfying rumble of the engine starting and then the fading sound of the car as its new owner drove it away.
I went into the downstairs half-bath, locked the door, and bit the inside of my cheek until I was sure I wasn’t going to cry.
It was just a car, I told myself. Someday, after things had settled, I’d buy another car. Maybe even a better one.
Felicity was standing outside the bathroom, waiting to pounce on me.
“Did the sale go okay?” she asked.
I nodded and pulled the stack of cash out of my pocket.
She touched my face, placing a hand on each of my cheeks.
“I’m so sorry it came to this, Tara,” she whispered. “I’m sorry you had to give up something you love. It isn’t fair.”
Before I could protest, she pulled me into a hug, and for a brief moment, she was every bit the older sister comforting me, her younger half-sister by a decade. I let myself feel the disappointment for a moment. But I wouldn’t let myself tear up.
“A lot of things aren’t fair,” I said quietly after she let me go. “It’s not fair that both you and Mom were left to raise your children without any help. It’s not fair the Cataclysm nearly killed you both. It’s not fair that no matter how hard we try, we can’t seem to get ahead. But you know what? Things are going to get better from now on.”
She gave me a sad smile. “I don’t know where you get that optimism, but I’ll take it. Sometimes, I can’t believe how much you’ve grown up. You always had responsibilities, but . . . When you were a kid, you would have complained about how it wasn’t fair that you had stupid pastel hair, weird gold skin, and ugly pointy ears. I look at you today, and there isn’t a self-centered or self-pitying bone in your body. Your sense of duty and your determination are forces to be reckoned with. You’ve built a quiet but tremendous strength.”
Her compliments nearly undid me. I just nodded. And suddenly I felt a little lighter about giving up the Rover. I’d done it for the right reasons, and nothing could take that away. I squeezed her shoulder and moved past her. I needed to get back to the rental applications.
“Oh, and Tara,” she said.
I turned.
“I wasn’t left to raise my children alone. Mom and I have never been alone because we’ve always had you.”
That was it. I couldn’t take any more. My head down, I went and snatched Fel’s laptop from the kitchen counter and retreated to my bedroom.
I’d intended to keep plugging away at the applications, but I sat on my bed with my head tipped back against the wall, my eyes closed.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw a message from Ray Artois. Just as I’d hoped, he was willing to meet with me.
I texted him back and asked if he could meet me at the doorway under the freeway overpass at seven o’clock that evening. That would give me time to do more applications and help Mom and Fel get through dinner.
Ray replied saying he’d be there.
My exchange with Ray made me think of Judah. I stared at my phone for several seconds. The longer I sat there, the more of my irritation returned. I found Judah’s number and tapped the call button.
“Hi, Tara,” he answered.
“I want to know what the hell was so important you had to slink away hours after promising you’d help me,” I said. “And you couldn’t even be bothered to call me.”
“I understand why you’re mad, but I’m asking you to trust me, Tara. Please,” he said. “I’ll explain everything. I promise.”
I seethed for a few beats, waiting for him to say more.
“So that’s it,” I said after it was obvious he wasn’t offering anything more. “Are you actually planning to come back at all?”
“Yes, I will be back. Nothing will stop me. I swear it.” His voice had deepened, roughened by that growl that still surprised me. I couldn’t explain why, but it calmed me a little.
“Are you okay?” I asked, suddenly wondering if the Fae were giving him more trouble and he just didn’t want to bother me with it.
“I’m fine,” he said. “I’m just taking care
of some urgent business.”
“Any idea when it’ll be wrapped up?”
“Does that mean you’re really okay with me getting involved?” he asked, his voice warm and almost sultry, a complete turn from the ferocity of a moment ago.
“Yes,” I said. “I’m going after the skull, Shaw be damned.”
“Really,” he said, and I could hear the pleased smile in his voice. It sent a little tingle across my shoulders and the back of my neck. “I like the conviction I’m hearing.”
“How are things at home?” he asked.
“A little grim at the moment, but it’ll start looking up.”
“I’ll let you know when I’ll be back. It shouldn’t be long. Hang in there, Tara.”
“Will do,” I said.
“Talk to you soon.”
We disconnected. I stared at my phone again, suddenly wishing the conversation had gone on longer. Feeling a bit better than I had all day, I attacked the rental listings once more.
Around five, I shut off the laptop and went down to help with dinner preparations. Getting caught up in the rhythm of the household and having a meal together was a welcome distraction.
Before I knew it, the time had come to meet Ray at the Faerie doorway.
Chapter 23
I HAD FELICITY give me a ride downtown in the Honda so she and Mom could keep the car in case they needed it.
On the way to the doorway, Fel went all big-sister again.
“Are you meeting with Grant Shaw?” she asked.
I hadn’t told her and Mom about the hunt for the Dullahan skull, how much the reward would mean for paying down my debt, and how Shaw was trying to shut me out of it. They’d never been comfortable with my involvement in Faerie, and to avoid their disapproval and minimize their worrying, I tended to tell them as little as possible.