I was running.
My boots slipped on the uneven sidewalk covered in a thin layer of wet snow as I ran down Stardust Drive. The searing pain in my thighs, the cramp in my side, and the reminder that time was running out were all nothing compared to the pain Ruth would suffer if I didn’t do this.
This is not about me, I reminded myself. This is about Ruth.
The sun was right above me, peeking through clouds as it made the day a little warmer. I splashed through a puddle, too anxious to care if my ankles got wet.
Crossing Shifter Lane at a jog, I hit the sidewalk and rushed to the Hollow Cove Security Agency building.
The rattle of a glass door opening was my only warning, and I jerked back just as Marcus came rushing through, nearly smashing the door in my face.
“Tessa,” he called out, looking great in his casual jeans and bomber-style winter jacket over a black T-shirt.
“Hey.” I stepped back, slipped on some wet snow, and caught myself before I went sprawling on the wet sidewalk. Heat rushed to my face as I righted myself. “Hey… you…” I added awkwardly, feeling a sharp pain on the left side of my lower back, knowing I probably twisted something while I attempted to stop my fall. “I was just coming to see you.”
Marcus raised his brows, looking genuinely surprised. “You were?”
“Yes.” I nodded to myself like an idiot. God, why was this so hard? “Um… Hi,” I said, giving him a wave. I waved at him? I was going mad.
“Hi,” answered Marcus with a smile that was damn near hypnotizing.
“That should be illegal,” I blurted, realizing too late that I’d spoken my thoughts out loud.
Marcus frowned. “What should?”
“Mmmm. Nothing.” I was a stammering, blabbering idiot. “Uh—you look great. Really great. Thank you.” Thank you?
Marcus laughed softly. “No, thank you.” He laughed again. The chief thought I was hilarious.
Yup, the jumping of the ley lines was seriously affecting my conversation skills. They were taking a colossal hit.
We stood in an awkward silence for a while, my heart making music in my ears in the swirl of conflicting feelings while my entire body thrummed with heat that had nothing to do with my warm, down jacket.
“Did the book help?” asked Marcus, finally, his tone caring and soft, and I wanted to wrap myself in it.
“Yes,” I said, feeling a little more relaxed that he didn’t look or sound angry. I took that as a good sign. “It’s why I’m here.”
A frown rippled over Marcus’s features. “Is it Gilbert? Does he know? Did he say something to you?”
“No, he doesn’t know about the book. Well, I don’t think he does. Not yet, at least. But I’m here about the names we found,” I said speaking fast. “Estelle Watch and Michael Blackwood. These were the only two names who bought the black belladonna from Gilbert’s store. Ruth’s name’s not even in the book. She didn’t buy any. The Gray Council doesn’t care. They think she could just have easily bought some at another store. But Ruth didn’t. And I know one of these people killed Bernard. I just need the proof to solve my case.”
“Your case?”
I met his gaze. “Long story. But it’s my third witch trial,” I added with a laugh. “It’s absolutely insane. But I have until midnight tonight to solve Ruth’s case.”
Marcus watched me. “Got it.”
I sighed. “So, do you have a list or do you recognize these names?”
“Just a sec.” Marcus pulled out his phone and started scrolling through it. “I can remotely access my computer with my phone. I keep the same records as the town clerk in the system.”
“Gotta love modern technology.” I anxiously held my breath and watched Marcus’s fingers tap his phone while I was tapping with my left foot. “And? Anything? You got something?”
“Well,” said the chief, still staring at his phone. “I can’t find Estelle Watch on the list, but it says here that Michael Blackwood is dead.”
“Dead? When?”
Marcus tapped his finger once on the screen of his phone. “September sixteenth.”
I fixed my eyes on his. “That was before Bernard was found dead.” My blood pressure spiked. “It means Estelle Watch killed Bernard.”
And she was going down…
“Maybe.” Marcus slipped his phone back inside his jacket pocket. “But there’s no record of her here.” He narrowed his eyes in thought.
“What? What is it?”
He looked at me and shook his head. “It’s weird. But that name—Estelle Watch—I know I’ve heard it before. I just can’t remember where.”
I let out a long sigh through my nose. “They say women killers use poison. Right?”
“Sometimes.”
“Estelle came into his store, and when he wasn’t looking, she dumped the black belladonna into the vial that contained Ruth’s gingerweed,” I said, seeing the scene unfold in my mind. “That way, it was hidden. He’d never smell it either, even if he tried, not with the strong ginger scent.”
“It’s a possibility,” said the chief. “But why would she do that?”
Right. “No idea.”
“Before we can make any kind of assumptions…”
“Theories.”
“Theories,” said Marcus with a smile. “We still need to find her. And according to my list, she doesn’t live here in Hollow Cove.”
“Could she be from a neighboring town? Black belladonna isn’t your regular healing herb. It’s dangerous. It isn’t easy to come by. Maybe she drove from out of town?” It was a stretch, but I was desperate, and I was running out of time.
“I’ll have Grace go through the list again. She’s really good at finding people.”
“Bet she’ll love that.” Especially if she knew it was coming from me. I looked over his shoulder at the shadows inside the building. “Speaking of people who despise me... where’s Adira?” I searched for the sexy redheaded vamp, thinking of ways to give her chlamydia or a severe case of acne.
“Gone.”
“Gone like gone for the day to get her back waxed? Or like gone, gone?”
“I made the arrangements to escort Ruth myself tomorrow.” A shadow crossed Marcus’s features. “I thought it would be better for her to be with someone she knows. Someone who cares about her.” His eyes met mine, his jaw clenching. “I know you think I don’t care about Ruth, but I do.”
Ah, hell. I raised my hand. “No—I mean—yes, I know you care.” I was a stammering idiot once again. “What I mean to say is, I know you care. And I’m sorry about what I said. I was rash, impulsive, a total jerk.” There, giant lady balls for an apology. “I was an asshole. You didn’t deserve that. I’m sorry.”
Marcus smiled at me, a smile that was both caring and at the same time a little wicked. That kind of smile would have had me ripping off my clothes in the middle of winter on a sidewalk. It was that dang hot.
“Don’t apologize,” soothed Marcus. “I get it. What’s happening to Ruth is unimaginable. Tempers are flaring. It’s understandable.” His voice was so dreamily and calming, it sent a shiver through me.
Crap. He was soooo nice and he genuinely cared about Ruth. He watched me, his eyes filled with a fervent, unashamed desire. And when they flicked to my lips, a pulse thundered to my core.
Don’t do it, I told myself, straining not to look at his full, kissable lips—
Shit, I did it.
Pulling my eyes away from ground zero, I willed myself to take a step back, but my legs seemed to be cemented to the sidewalk. Oh dear. I could hear my heartbeat in the silence, as the chief kept watching me, unabashed, with a half-smile, clearly enjoying whatever display my face and body were doing at the moment.
He stood there, all hot and sexy as hell, looking at me with those damn pretty gray eyes, that damn sensual body, and those damn illegal lips. I didn’t even realize what I was doing before it was too late, before I felt my feet leave solid ground—
I jumped him.
Not in the exact sense, but I did jump his lips.
Crushing my body against his, I reached out, grabbed the back of his head, and pulled him to me.
Yup, I had some serious lady balls today. Yay balls!
His lips were soft with a moist warmth despite the cold. My breath came and went in a pant and a soft sound of real bliss escaped me. He opened his mouth, and my tongue found the smoothness of his.
He let out a sound, part growl, part moan, adding to my fervor. He wrapped his strong hands around me, pulling me harder into him. I moved my tongue around his, stopping only to nibble at his lips.
Yup, his damn mouth and tongue catapulted me past my sensibilities and into a reckless crazy woman.
I pulled away, shocked at my own impulsiveness. “Oh, my god. I can’t believe I just mouth-raped you,” I said, my lips still throbbing with the warmth of his lips.
Desire flashed in his gray eyes that made me tingle inside. “I’m not. You can mouth-rape me anytime,” he added smugly.
I met his eyes—his faultless gray eyes—studying them with the breathless understanding that I didn’t know what was going to happen between us but praying something would.
But it would have to wait…
“Ruth…” I said, feeling a sudden crushing weight, as an image of my aunt’s gaunt face flickered in my mind’s eye.
Marcus gave a nod of his head. “I know.”
I swallowed hard and took a step back. “I have to go.”
“I know.”
“I have phone calls to make, some social media stalking,” I said and then realized I shouldn’t be saying that to the chief. I also wanted to see if Dolores was back with a plucked owl. Maybe she had the scoop on Estelle Watch or maybe not. “Will you call me if you find out anything about Estelle Watch?”
Marcus’s eyes were bright. “I will.”
I turned around and walked back up Shifter Lane, acutely aware that Marcus was watching me walk away. He was most probably staring at my ass, which would have made me self-conscious on any other day, but today I had lady balls.
And a name. Estelle Watch.
Time to put on my Merlin cap. Time to work my investigative skills like never before.
Because my midnight deadline was coming up fast.