Chapter Sixteen

David stared at the photo and cursed under his breath. Ashley Storrey, CEO of Cybernet Securities. No denying this woman was the high priestess they’d tangled with, and judging by the last name, she was Heather’s sister.

Heather lied to him.

David shoved the stab of hurt and guilt aside and nodded. “This is her.” He glanced at Kingsley. “How’d you find her?”

“I can’t take the credit this time.” Kingsley shook his head. “Agent Henderson wisely wore a micro body cam. She brought me pictures, and facial recognition software did the rest.”

Even though Agent Henderson had been hesitant to take on this detail, her undercover work was impeccable as usual.

David headed for the door. “Send me the digital file once you complete it. I want to know everything about this woman down to her favorite cereal.”

Once he was alone in his office, he took out his cell and started scrolling through his contacts. When he got to Heather’s name, he set the phone aside. This needed some finesse. Why would Heather be protecting her sister if she was the one attacking Drake?

Hell, Heather had been the one who told him about a coven controlling spirits in the first place.

She must not have known her sister was involved. Did she know now? Maybe she still didn’t believe it. That would explain why she was trying to defend her sibling. The key would be proving to Heather that Ashley was using magic to hurt others.

There was more to it than just the coven.

He had a hunch Ashley must be the head of the Digi Robins thievery ring. On the dark web everyone called the leader of the group Robin, but she wouldn’t use her real name anyway. And if Ashley was also the high priestess of the new coven, then she had the Flying Dutchman’s figurehead. King had traced the relic to the Serpent Society, and their antiquities were not for sale. The figurehead would’ve had to be stolen. Right up the Digi Robins’s alley.

He put his cell back in his pocket. Time to connect the dots. He needed proof tying Ashley not only to the coven, but also to the Digi Robins. Then he could show Heather the truth.

Normally he wouldn’t work so hard to prove a case to anyone other than a judge, but his gut warned him he’d need Heather on his team to bring down her sister. Ashley had an impressive grip on her magic, and with the figurehead in her possession she could torment her enemies and then send her Digi Robins crew to steal their valuables.

And if she did take the figurehead from the Serpents—David rubbed the S-shaped scar over his heart—this could be his chance to smoke out the last of the fanatical order and take them down.

For good.

…

Drake sat in the other room while Heather conducted two mediumship appointments. Hearing her work gave him a glimpse into her world. Her ability to connect with those souls who had crossed over was uncanny, and her gentle spirit shone through as she delivered the messages to her clients with healing and hope.

She amazed him.

He wandered into the kitchen to hunt for a snack when his cell phone buzzed. He took it out of his pocket and raised a brow when Flynn’s name lit up his screen in a text. These days their quartermaster, Colton, called the crew together for meetings. Why would Flynn be making this demand? He was their captain in name only.

All crew will meet me on deck of the Sea Dog tonight at 8 p.m. Urgent.

What the hell did that mean?

Now that Drake had his dagger back, he’d been hoping for a restful night’s sleep; instead it looked like he had a date with Captain Flynn.

He glanced at the door. Fuck. He couldn’t leave Heather alone. He might be safe from the mental attacks for now, but her sister could come for Heather anytime. She still didn’t believe Ashley would hurt her, but Drake had been on the receiving end of her sister’s assaults, and he wasn’t so certain.

Heather came in, her smile easing his worries. “I’m done for the day. Want to play some Skull & Crossbones before dinner?”

Staying in with her sounded like heaven. He wanted to feel her body against his, to hear her laugh and taste her lips. Instead, he held up his phone. “I’d rather spend time with you alone, but Captain Flynn has called an emergency meeting of the crew, so we need to head to River Street.”

Heather tilted her head. “Unless I missed something, I’m not crew.”

“Aye.” He nodded. “But I’m not leaving you here alone. If Flynn has a problem with it, I’ll toss him overboard.”

She came closer, stopping in front of him. “We have to talk about Ashley.”

“All right.” He rolled his shoulder back and pulled the dagger free of his belt. He laid it on the table. “I still can’t figure out how she got this. We must’ve crossed paths. Do you have a picture of her?”

Heather glanced at the fairly blank walls. “Not anything recent.” She focused on him again. “I could show you pictures from her company’s website.” She started for the door and stopped. “Do we have time?”

Drake nodded. “We don’t need to leave for another hour.”

“Perfect. I’ll be right back.” She returned with her laptop and placed it on the kitchen table. She kept her eyes on the keyboard, speaking as she typed. “None of this makes sense. Ashley has a successful business. Why would she risk it all to run the Digi Robins? And if I’m wrong, and she does head up the dark web group, if they really give all the money to help people without insurance pay for medical treatment, then it proves she’s got a good heart. She wouldn’t hurt anyone.” She met his gaze. “She’s dabbled in magic before, but never with a coven. I just can’t believe it’s her.”

She turned the laptop around, and Drake’s blood ran cold. He recognized her face. Those eyes. Gods, he hadn’t thought about her or seen her in at least eight years. He studied Heather’s face, suddenly recognizing the resemblance. With her colorless skin and hair and her bright blue eyes, he’d never connected her with Ashley, but seeing the picture of her sister with Heather, side by side, it was clear they’d been twins. One light, and one dark.

Heather frowned. “Are you all right?”

“No.” He ran a hand down his face and took the chair next to her. “I’ve met her before. Almost ten years ago.” He shook his head slowly. “I wonder when she stole my knife. ”

She scanned his face, questions in her eyes. “How did you know Ashley?”

The suspicion and worry lining her face stabbed his heart. Telling her the truth right now might kill him. Half of him wished the fucking cell phone would ring and interrupt them, and the other half wished he’d never seen the picture on the laptop.

Heather’s words to Agent Bale came back to haunt him.

There are no secrets between us.

Fuck. He took her hand, needing the connection. “Your sister hired me to do some interior work on her office when she first opened in Savannah. I kept the knife in a false bottom in my toolkit.”

Heather’s eyes welled with tears as she understood what this meant. “How could she have done this?”

He hated the deep hurt this was causing her. “You said you weren’t close. Maybe…you don’t know your sister as well as you think.”

Heather sniffed, lifting her chin a notch. “And you do?”

“I’m sorry, love,” he said and continued to hold her hand, letting her work through the emotional storm reflected in her eyes.

After a moment, she took a deep breath. A crease formed on her brow. “That would have been eight years ago. Ashley was only twenty-two. She graduated college, but she hadn’t opened Cybernet Securities yet.”

“The work I completed was in a loft over the candy store on River Street. Her boyfriend had contracted a virus of some kind, but he couldn’t go to the hospital,” he said. “She told me no one should have to watch someone die because they don’t have insurance.”

“Oh my god.” Heather put a hand to her lips. “I remember that. His name was Bryce. She met him in college.” As the second realization dawned in her eyes, his dread swelled. “That’s when she started the Digi Robins.”

“I didn’t ask what kind of business she was starting, but it’s possible.”

Heather’s gaze went distant as silence swelled between them. When she looked at him again, a crease formed between her brows. “I still can’t believe she’d hurt you. Not on purpose.” Heather glanced at the clock. “We can talk about this more on the way. I’ve got to change before we head to the ship.”

She left the kitchen and a moment later her footsteps creaked up the old staircase. He picked up his phone, his thoughts still spinning. When Ashley discovered he couldn’t be killed, would she go after her own sister? Heather wouldn’t believe it, but it didn’t seem farfetched from his point of view.

Ashley knew her sister communicated with the dead. Now that she had possession of the Flying Dutchman’s figurehead, could she send an army of ghosts to torment Heather?

Fuck, he couldn’t just sit by and wait.

And as much as it pained him, Bale was the one with the contacts and the pull. If Department 13 could find the figurehead, Drake and his crew could steal it. If he wanted to save Heather, he had to convince Bale to work with them again.