I stepped out of the coolness of Devlin’s house and into the swampy heat. It settled over my skin like a wet, warm blanket, digging into my pores. I pushed past its weight, shielding my eyes from the glare of the sun as I descended the stairs and started down the walkway.
Jonah’s gray Chevy truck idled at the curb, and I sent out a silent prayer that he had turned on the air-conditioning.
An ice cream truck turned down the street. Its happy melody filled the neighborhood, luring children toward it. My mouth watered at the thought of an ice-cold big stick—a childhood favorite. Its cool, sticky ice would be a welcomed treat right now, even with my aversion to sugar. Too bad I didn’t have any room left in my stomach. Otherwise, I would have joined all the anxious kids now bouncing up and down in front of the truck’s open window.
Adults stood outside, still wearing their church clothes—although the women had removed their hats and the men were down to just their dress shirts and slacks, talking and laughing. The area had come to life since we’d been inside. I paused midway, staring at the picturesque family neighborhood. It was the first time I had thought about just where Devlin’s operation center resided.
Right in the center of a family-friendly neighborhood.
I was surprised Devlin hadn’t rented a house or apartment in Brunswood. The people in my neck of the island stayed up all night partying—oblivious to the illegal activity going on around them. Making it easy for the team to blend in and hide what has and will transpire while we investigate the blood magick users on the island.
As I stared at the people in the streets and in their yards, I wondered how safe they would feel if they knew about their new neighbors. How a team of vigilantes had set up shop and were staying until they had killed every last blood magick user on the island. Hell, they probably didn’t even know blood magick was being practiced on Tulare in the first place. Everyone was familiar with the other four principles. Not many knew about the fifth.
I opened the truck door and a blast of cool air rushed out, drying the sweat that had accumulated on my skin. After hoisting myself up into the cab, I slid in and relaxed against the cloth seats, thankful he didn’t have leather ones like in Devlin’s SUV.
I turned to Jonah in hopes of asking him a question, but the look on his face screamed loudly that it wasn’t the right time. Deep in concentration, he kept his eyes glued to the windshield as he pulled away from the curb and navigated around the children, still standing in the street, holding their sugary goodness, after the ice cream truck had drove off.
The quickest route to my apartment cut through the center of Perry and what the locals called “The War Zone,” a twelve-block radius with Greenwood Apartments at its epicenter. The very place I had witnessed Frank get killed by his uncle while I lay next to him, high and helpless awaiting my fate.
The team knew about my fear of the neighborhood. They learned about it after Alek and I drove through there over a month ago and, if not for Alek using his mind magick to shut the crowd down, we would have been attacked. So, instead of heading west toward Brunswood, Jonah headed north, taking the border line between Dulean and Pleasanton, a good twenty minutes out of the way.
He drove the streets on autopilot, as if he had driven the same path a thousand times and didn’t need to see the road to know where he was going. I’d done the same a few times in my life. It always freaked me out when I’d left Kara’s house and ended up at my parents without remembering the trip.
I studied his handsome face for a moment. Kara’s crush, or lustful intentions, were understandable. He was a gorgeous man. Chocolate skin so smooth it would make anyone want to run their fingers over it. Or lick it, for those more adventurous and not afraid to put themselves out there. But underneath his handsomeness was a quiet and reserved man. He often took to communicating with meaningful gazes and facial gestures and, on rare occasions, he could go into long soliloquies that kept the listener glued to every word. This might have something to do with the soothing timbre of his voice as well as the knowledge he imparted. It was funny how I’d gotten so used to spotting the subtle twitches and changes in his demeanor that signaled a change in mood. But then again, he broadcast them loudly. They all did.
“What’s on your mind, Nicole?” he asked, patience lining his voice.
“Just wondering.”
Despite having worked with them now for over four weeks, they were still strangers to me. Yes, I had gotten to know them a little, but there were things I knew they were keeping from me. Especially Alek. I’d like to say Rachel was an open book with her need for friendship and her unwavering willingness to defend me when Devlin was in one of his moods, but even she had secrets. And with Devlin, there had to be something buried under that rigid posture. He’d told me his mother had named him Devlin Grey after the famed Dorian Grey because she wanted him to live forever. I still hadn’t asked him for the full story. Maybe I would soon. It might help pull him out of the funk he was currently in.
Of course, I’d have to tell them about my past as well. And I wasn’t ready to do that. So, for now, I would have to remain comfortable with our secrets.
Jonah spared me a brief glance before turning back to the road. I, too, looked out at the houses as we drove at a steady pace. We were close to my parents’ house. A slew of emotions swirled inside of me. I blinked back the tears, swallowed the pain, and turned away from the familiar streets.
I wished things were better between my parents and I. My mother called every day. I’d talked to her only once after I’d healed completely from the attack. Now, I never answered the phone when she called. I couldn’t face the turmoil right now. So many things we needed to say to one another. I’d written them all down in my journal. Anger. Frustration. Shame. And then anger again. They had kept a life-shattering secret from me, and I didn’t think I’d ever get past the betrayal.
When we crossed over into the northern part of Perry, I said, “I’d swear you’ve lived here all your life, the way you drive without really seeing where you’re going.”
He nodded. “One of the first things I do when we arrive at a new place is get to know the area. I don’t like relying on road maps or technology to tell me where I am. Just one of the many lessons the military drilled into me. Always know where the exits are.” He tapped his head. “Tulare is imprinted in my head.”
I’ve lived on Tulare Island for twenty-two years, only leaving the island briefly twice in my life. Once, when I went to stay with the woman I believed was my aunt, and the second time when I’d married an out of work saxophone player I met in New Orleans. We were married for only a month before I found him in bed with another woman. After destroying what little possessions he had, I got our marriage annulled. I still try to pretend it never happened.
There were still areas on the island I needed to look up directions to find. Yet, Jonah had managed to memorize the entire island in a few short weeks. Amazing.
He chuckled. “The only thing that continues to puzzle me is the way the locals keep referring to the different areas as settlements.”
I nodded “According to the map, we’re supposed to be a city in Georgia since the land bridge Coeur d’ Alene is connected to the state. But the locals have maintained the land designations, named after the first six families who settled here. They called the areas settlements back then. And the descriptions stuck.” I laughed. “When I was younger, I didn’t believe it was much of an answer, honestly. I mean, settlement? That didn’t even sound right. I peppered my teacher for most of the class. Until finally, I let it go.”
He laughed. “You let something go?”
I turned back to him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He gave me a half smile. “You’re like a dog with a bone. Relentless questions all the time.” He turned and winked at me. “It’s a good trait to have.”
“Yeah, well, I lost interest.” I pondered what he said for a short while, thinking of my interactions with Devlin.
“Boss Man doesn’t think it’s a good trait.” I sounded petulant. Like a child who needed constant approval and when they didn’t get it, acted out until they were noticed. Was that how I was behaving?
His mood sobered and he shifted in his seat. “Devlin is having a hard time right now. We all are. But him especially.”
“Why?” I asked.
“This is not the type of job we normally take. But after seeing what the Stewarts had done, he couldn’t just walk away.” He turned down the road leading to my apartment. “Now, he has to change tactics. Look for a reason to kill.” He shook his head, his face clouded with sadness. “That’s not an easy thing to do. But blood magick has only one purpose. And if anyone is using it, that means they are killing innocent people. Devlin won’t walk away.”
Jonah pulled into my complex and parked. I thought he was going to just drop me off, but he got out of the truck. After a brief pause, I climbed out as well. He leaned against the passenger side back door and stared up at my building. “Rachel did some research on this place.”
I joined him, leaning against the hot metal surface. The heat was uncomfortable on my back, but I didn’t move. “Yeah. Before Mr. Wan bought it, it was home to a cult.”
“Wasn’t there a mental hospital here before that?”
“Yeah.” I dug in my purse, searching for a cigar I knew wasn’t there. Dammit. “Back then, it was called an asylum, and it was closed down in 1978. The cult started two years later. And five years after that, they stormed the place and found everyone dead except for the leader—Lemuel Oren, who had escaped.”
“Not everyone was dead.”
I jerked my head up and looked over at him. “What? Who told you that?”
He glanced down at me. “Rachel. Five women survived. Gavina was one of them.”
My mouth dropped open as I absorbed what he just said. Gavina was part of that cult too? Could that be why she started one with her husband? “Why didn’t anyone tell me this?”
“Rachel found out this morning. Figured I’d tell you now. She didn’t find much. Just a picture in the paper and a reference to the cult. She wants to dig into it some more. Hunt down the leader, Lemuel Oren, to see if he has a connection to The Oren Group, before we can decide if it’s important.”
Gavina had a connection to my apartment. It didn’t matter if Rachel wanted to dig into it more or not, I just knew it was important. And I should have made the connection with the name Oren the first time Kara told us about The Oren Group. Damn, I was slipping. I pushed off the truck. “If you don’t mind, I seriously need to get out of these clothes. Yes, that sounded wrong.” Jonah laughed. “Come inside so we can talk.”
“Is there something on your mind?” he asked, his tone softening.
“Several somethings. But this heat is too much.”
I wanted to know why Jonah had decided to go undercover at the church. And why he wanted me to work with him in the first place, since I knew this might involve his past, which was a subject he might not feel like going into, it was better if we went inside and got out of this heat. Like he said, I was like a dog with a bone and I couldn’t pepper him with questions while sweat ran into my eyes.
We made our way to the front door. While we walked the short distance, I thought about the heat again. Like the bizarre rain showers a month ago when we were investigating the Stewart family, the lack of rain and sky-rocketing heat was different. True, we lived on an island, so the humidity was normal. Even the rain showers were a part of island life. But the subtle changes in the air had become noticeable enough that more and more people began remarking on it. The constant humidity was beginning to take on a more desert like feel.
Outside the church, I thought maybe it was an accumulation of power. Like it was building to something. But now, I wondered if someone—or something—was playing with a dial that controlled the weather, trying to get it to just the right temperature. Devlin said elemental practitioners couldn’t create the elements, but only used them when using their magick. Able to bend the four main sources of power to their wills. But what if he was wrong and someone could control the weather?
And what happened when they got it exactly right?