I was waiting outside when Olivia turned up at seven on the dot and parked her car in Ma’am’s driveway. She hopped out. “Hey, Lily!”
“Hey, yourself. You look gorgeous.”
“Oh, these old clothes?” She flopped her hand down in an “it’s nothing” gesture. But she really did look gorgeous wearing skintight black jeans, tight white T-shirt, and a black quilted jacket. The outfit looked like it had cost a fortune, especially the jacket.
“Ha ha. Very funny. But you really do look good. You’re making it hard for me to find someone. They’ll all be staring at you.” I grinned. I didn’t mind, not really. Well, maybe a little bit. Although, going by who she’d been engaged to, we weren’t attracted to the same kind of look.
“What are you worried about? Red is definitely your colour. I love your shirt. It sets off your blue eyes. They really are stunning.”
I was wearing a decent amount of make-up for a change, and yes, I had tried to play up my eyes with black mascara and eyeliner. My eyes were definitely my best feature, and I needed all the help I could get. There was a reason I was twenty-four and still single, and I was beginning to think it was more than my pickiness. Guys didn’t approach me often, and at nightclubs, I was always the one left standing around minding my friends’ drinks. “Thanks, Liv.” I smiled. “So, where are we going?”
“Napoli E. It’s Italian, in case the name didn’t give it away.” She giggled. “The food is awesome, and it has a rather rustic ambiance. It’s in the village, actually. We could probably walk.” She looked down at my flat boots, and I checked out her footwear—also flat black boots.
“A walk it is. I could use the exercise. I did a lot of sitting today. We had a meeting.” I didn’t want to mention PIB outside where someone could hear, and now that Olivia was training to be a liaison and researcher for the PIB, she knew what I was talking about.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes. Well, no. Mrs Valentine’s missing.” I bit my tongue to stop any lurking tears waiting to embarrass me at the thought of Knight. Tears could be tricky, and they loved to ambush me when I least expected. I knew I needed to toughen up, but it wasn’t easy.
Her mouth opened in an O. “Missing?”
“Yes. But let’s get going, and I’ll fill you in on the way. Maybe not every detail, because you-know-what confidentiality.”
“Not a problem. Let’s go.”
By the time we’d reached the high street, I’d told her everything I could.
“That’s just terrible. Do you think she’s still alive?”
I hadn’t told her about Knight, just in case that was on a need-to-know basis. I could imagine if word got out, and we were the ones to start the information ball rolling, it might compromise the investigation as whoever had killed him would know we knew.
“I don’t know. I hope so, but I have a gut feeling that tells me no.”
Olivia looked over her shoulder and smirked. “We have company.”
“Huh?” I looked back. Skulking on the other side of the road, wearing jeans and nondescript T-shirts, were two hot men, otherwise known as Beren and Agent Crankypants. “Oh, the poor dears. They’ve been stuck with protecting-Lily detail.”
“Do you think they’d like to join us for dinner?” She looked at them again and smiled. Beren replied with a huge grin.
“Could we maybe just ask Beren? Will was crankier than usual this afternoon. Something to do with work.” I still didn’t understand it. What could make him not want to work with Dana that badly?
Olivia gently punched me in the upper arm. “Don’t be mean. We can’t do that.”
“Suit yourself.” I shrugged and tried to not worry. Chances were they’d say no, since they were on duty.
Olivia waved them over. Beren crossed the road, but Will stayed put, his gaze trained on my face. He was staring at me, causing my core temperature to rise. Argh. He probably hated me right now for ruining what could have been a fun Friday night off-duty. But my stupid body didn’t care—it chose to interpret it as the intense stare of an interested man.
Beren reached us. “Good evening, ladies. I understand you’re dining out tonight.”
“Angelica?” I asked.
“But of course.” He smiled.
Oh my God! Olivia had a silly grin. A silly one, not a normal one. One that suggested she might have a thing for Beren. She’d never said anything to me. Maybe she was just enjoying getting back in the game? Beren was a gorgeous man, not to mention really nice and happy. Come to think of it, they’d probably make an awesome couple. Well, there you go. Maybe I should go home and leave them to it? That way, the boys could have a night off. Once I was at Angelica’s, I was safe—she had protection wards and an alarm spell on the house that went off if anyone not previously approved entered. Which was quite clever, since I could inadvertently let in someone dangerous if they were posing as a delivery person, for instance.
“Would you guys like to join us for dinner?” Olivia’s voice had gone quiet, as if she was afraid to speak but the words were happening regardless.
Beren licked his bottom lip. “We’d ordinarily love to, but we’re on duty. Sorry. We do have to keep an eye on you though, and we haven’t eaten, so maybe we’ll grab a table there by ourselves.”
I looked at him like “excuse me,” and my eye twitched. “That’s so stupid. Why wouldn’t you just sit with us?” Not that I really wanted them to because staring across the table at Will all night with his untouchable hotness would be pure torture, but Beren’s suggestion really was ridiculous.
“Because you ladies are far too distracting, and we're working.” He winked, and Olivia blushed. I suppressed a grin, because they were far too cute.
My stomach gurgled. I would have loved to have stayed and chatted—and watched them make sexy eyes at each other—but I needed to eat. “Well, if that’s your final answer, we need to go eat. I'm hungry. Come on, Liv. See you later, B. And thanks again for watching out for me.” I smiled at him and grabbed Olivia’s hand to drag her towards the restaurant just up the laneway.
Beren waved, and Olivia’s resistance soon gave way as she called out, “Bye.” Once she was moving in the right direction, I dropped her hand.
“You’re no fun, Lily.”
“You can hook up with Beren another night, preferably when I’m not there to watch all the googly eyes.” I smirked.
Her mouth dropped open. “I was not making googly eyes.”
“Yeah, you totally were.” I laughed.
“All right. But can you blame me? He’s bloody gorgeous.”
“No, I can’t, and yes, he is. You two would make a really cute couple. You should ask him out.”
“Hmm, maybe I will.” She smiled. “And here we are, oh hungry one.”
The sign for Napoli E hung above the white door of a quaint three-storey orange-brick building, the top storey comprising of dormer windows. Pink and white flowers spilled over planters hanging above each of the white-framed multi-pane ground-floor windows. It was adorable, and I lamented not having my camera with me. I supposed I could have popped it there, but if someone saw, I’d get into a world of trouble with the PIB.
Olivia pushed the door open, and warm, garlic-infused air flowed over us. My mouth watered as I breathed in through my nose, savouring the delicious aroma. My stomach grumbled again.
A short woman with dyed-red hair arranged in a bun intercepted us just inside the door. “Can I help you?”
Olivia smiled. “A table for two, thanks, booked in the name of Olivia.”
The woman went to a nearby table and checked out her booking book. Did it have a technical name? I mean, booking book was awkward, and I was sure people working in restaurants didn’t call it that. Damn it! I had to know.
The woman grabbed two menus. “Please follow me.”
The main restaurant area was full of timber: timber floors, rolled timber panelling a third of the way up the walls, and a similar light-yellowy-orange timber for tables and chairs. Yikes, it was like being in a sauna in the seventies, minus the steam and eucalyptus smell, but the place was over three-quarters full already, so the food must be good.
We took our seats, and she handed us menus.
I couldn’t help myself—I just had to know. “Excuse me?”
She smiled. “Yes?”
“What do you call that book you write down bookings in?”
She blinked, probably wondering why the stupid question, and I didn’t blame her. “That’s the reservations book.”
I blushed. I was so stupid. Of course it was. My brain totally sucked sometimes. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” Her bemused expression did nothing to contain my embarrassment. “Can I get you ladies a drink?”
Ooh, a drink would be nice. I needed to relax after the day I’d had, and I hadn’t had a proper drink since that night at the wine bar with Olivia and her deceased fiancé, Frederick. “Do you have Baileys?”
“We certainly do.”
“Can I grab a double on the rocks?”
She tapped her electronic device with a little pen thing, then looked at Olivia. “And for you?”
“I’ll have a bourbon and Coke, thanks.”
The woman left, and I turned to Olivia, who was seated opposite me on our two-person table. “So, when are you coming to live with us?” I didn’t want to seem too needy, so I left out the fact that because Angelica was always working, I was often by myself. Not that I didn’t like my own space, but even I had my limits and needed company sometimes, especially with the drama factory my life had become since I’d arrived here.
She grinned. “I meant to tell you. I had a chat with my parents, and they’ve agreed I’m doing okay, so they’re fine with me moving, not that it’s that far away from where they are. I’m planning on moving my stuff next weekend.”
I clapped excitedly. “Yay! Well, now we have something to celebrate.” Our drinks arrived, and I held mine up. “To some fun times at Angelica’s.”
“Cheers.” Olivia clinked her glass against mine.
We ordered—me, linguini marinara and Olivia, pizza. Dinner arrived, and we ate, but in the middle of the meal, a sharp pain lanced through my middle. “Ow!” I dropped my fork and pressed my hand against my stomach.
Olivia placed her knife and fork on the table. “Are you okay?”
I stayed still for a moment, to check. “Yeah. I think—” Another spasm of pain mangled my stomach. I clutched my middle and gritted my teeth. Then, through excruciating cramps, the tingle of power on the back of my neck registered.
I tried to breathe through the agony and looked up. Across the room, his face shadowed by a baseball cap, was a beefy, broad-shouldered man. The ambient lighting made it hard to clearly see his features, but he was familiar, and he was staring at me.
He narrowed his eyes and nodded, then brought his finger to his throat and made a cutting motion across his neck. The pain subsided long enough for me to raise my brows. Now I was being threatened with a cliché? If that man wasn’t a witch, I’d laugh, but he was, and he wanted me dead. But why?
Then two things slammed into me at once. The first was another breath-stealing cramp, and the other—well, I knew who he was, and yep, he totally wanted me dead. I’d killed his friend in that car crash in Paris.
He was working for the enemy.
My eyes watered, and I struggled to get the words out. “Olivia, you have to pay the bill and then go and get the guys. I’m being tortured. Tell them I’ll meet them at Angelica’s.”
She wrinkled her brow, maybe wondering if I was joking. Even I knew this was not normal dinner conversation.
“Nope. Not joking. I can’t run, but I’m going to stagger to the bathroom and go home via the toilet. I can’t make a doorway here, and if we leave, that guy will be onto me before the guys can intervene. So I’ll get up first; then you can do what you have to. Oh, and please take my bag. Is that okay?”
She nodded, her eyes huge with concern. “Are you sure you’ll be all right?”
“Yes,” I gritted out while struggling to stand. I supported myself with one hand on the table. The other hand clutched my midsection. I pushed off the table and hurried to the toilets, my steps tiny but speedy. I imagined I looked like a penguin taking a runoff before diving into the water, which was far better than imagining what the hell was happening to my insides. Was it possible for a witch to magic a knife inside a person?
Just as I reached the toilet door, I turned my head. Beefy thug had followed me, which was no surprise. Another few metres, and he’d have me. His gravelly, heavily accented voice cut through my pain. “You killed my brother. Now, I kill you.” As he approached, he raised his fist and jerked it one hundred and eighty degrees, similar to the motion of turning a car key in the ignition sans fingers. My tormented stomach felt as if someone had applied clamps and was twisting my insides together until they were squished pulp. Breath wouldn’t come, and tears tore down my face unbidden.
But as much as my body wanted to, I was not going to fall to my knees and give up. I shoved the door open, fell through into the bathroom, and mumbled the travelling spell whilst picturing the coordinates to Angelica’s reception room. The toilet door slammed closed behind me.
My portal appeared, thank God, because in the state I was in, I could have made a mistake. I stumbled through, narrowly avoiding touching the edges and amputating something. Landing on hands and knees in Angelica’s reception room, I could fully appreciate the prettiness of her circular blue-and-white rug. The pain had retreated to an ache, but whatever he’d done had wrung me dry. I collapsed the rest of the way to the floor and curled into a ball.
The door burst open, then Angelica was on the floor, her hand on my shoulder. “Oh my goodness. Lily, what happened? Are you hurt?”
I relaxed somewhat and gingerly sat up, expecting another shock of agony to rip through me. My face radiated heat, and I lifted a hand to feel my brow. Damp clamminess was the best way to describe how that felt. Ew. The whole experience had been similar to surviving near-fatal gastro. “I’m not sure. That other guy from the van, you know, the ones who were after me, showed up at the restaurant. He did something with magic and tortured me. I don’t know if there’s any damage, but my innards have been through the wringer.”
“Let’s get you moved. I would imagine the boys aren’t too far behind you.” She grabbed my arm and helped me stand.
We headed into the hallway. I was still waddling—penguin steps were all I could manage right now. Just as we reached the living room, footsteps thudded behind us. I hadn’t even made it to the Chesterfields when Beren said, “Lily! Are you all right? Let me have a look.”
I stopped, and he edged around me. Angelica released my arm as Beren grabbed the other one, then placed one palm on my stomach. His brow furrowed, and his gaze intently held mine, worry radiating from him. “Olivia told me what happened. Let me see if he did any damage.”
“We got here as fast as we could.” Olivia stepped around me and stood next to Beren. Her eyes were wide, face pale.
“Thanks, Liv. You did good.” I tried to give her a smile, but it probably came out looking like a grimace.
“Okay, let’s get this done.” Beren shut his eyes. Warmth spread through the ache. A spasm caused me to flinch, but then all the discomfort faded away, leaving me tender but, I assumed, healed.
Beren opened his eyes. “Done. You’ll be fine, but it could have been much worse. It looks like he used his power to squeeze your stomach and intestines. If it had lasted much longer, the lack of blood supply or burst blood vessels could have done some serious damage. And if that had happened, you may not have gotten help in time. Everything was bruised, and there were two small bleeds, but I’ve healed it all.”
I wrapped my arms around him and buried my head in his chest. “Thank you so much, B.” I released him and stepped back.
“Any time.” He grinned.
“Come and sit down, everyone, and I’ll make some tea,” Angelica said from her spot on one of the Chesterfields.
I sat next to her, Beren and Olivia sitting on the other lounge. Someone was noticeably absent. Did he care that little? “Where’s William?” I asked, trying not to sound like it mattered.
His voice came from the hallway, and the rest of him soon followed. “Here I am. Sorry I’m late. I had a criminal to chase. Unfortunately, he got away.” He strode to the Chesterfields and made me scoot over so he could sit next to me. He took my hand and looked into my eyes. “I’m so sorry, Lily.”
The good old butterflies everyone loved took flight in my stomach. Honestly, my stomach had been through enough for one night. “That’s okay. You tried. He’s really pissed at me for killing his brother.”
“Ah, so that’s who he is. But don’t worry, Lily; we’ll catch him.” William squeezed my hand, then didn’t release it. Hmm, interesting and so very nice. His hand was warm and comforting and sent tingles through my body, and as much as I’d tried not to over the last few weeks, I’d daydreamed about holding his hand many times, if not doing a lot more, but it was best not get into that.
William continued. “Beren, did you get his magic signature when you checked out Lily?”
“I had to heal her, Will. That bastard did some damage.” He shook his head, and a muscle in his jaw bulged. “But yes, I got it. When we’ve finished here, we’ll go into the Bureau and check it out, add it to the database if it’s not there.”
Will nodded. “Good. I imagine if he were being paid to kidnap her, whoever hired him wouldn’t be too pleased at his attempt to kill her. I’d say he’s gone rogue.”
I swallowed. Just freaking great. “So, does that mean there’ll be new people sent to snatch me, and I have to worry about this jerk-face?”
“I’m afraid so. Just trust that Beren and I will do everything we can to protect you. But it also means no more going out unless we’ve cleared it first.”
My eyes widened. Nooooo! I already had people following me 24/7—now I was going to be practically housebound again? I pursed my lips, the butterflies in my stomach morphing into stinging wasps that fuelled my anger one tiny jab at a time. I snatched my hand out of William’s.
Angelica placed a gentle hand on my thigh. “I’m sorry, dear, but he’s right. At least until we’ve caught this man. If William hadn’t suggested it, I would have.”
Olivia smiled. “I know this doesn’t solve your problem, Lily, but why don’t I move in tomorrow? That way you’ll have company. Once I’m settled in, we can watch a movie tomorrow night and get takeout.”
I grinned, and just like that, things were so much better. “I’d like that. Thank you, Liv. Are you sure you’re ready?” I knew she’d had a tough time since my brother had killed her thieving, cheating fiancé, and her parents had been the rocks she’d needed them to be. I didn’t want her to do anything before she was ready, and moving out of their house was a big step for her at this point.
“Well, I was going to move next weekend anyway.” She shrugged. “I’m ready. In fact, I’m really looking forward to it.” Her grin said she told the truth.
“Well, that’s settled then.” Angelica smiled and stood. “It’s time for William and Beren to get back to headquarters. Because of what’s transpired tonight, I’ll stay here. I’ve checked all the wards, and the house is secure, but I’ll feel better if I’m here, and I can keep an eye on things.” She turned her gaze on Olivia. “Are you all right to drive home, dear? In fact, I’ll send Beren with you. He can pop into headquarters when you’re home safely.”
Olivia turned to Beren, her smile shy. “Are you sure it’s no trouble?”
He grinned. “Since when is escorting a beautiful woman home trouble?” He winked and held out his arm for her to take.
She laughed and linked her arm through his. “Well, since you put like that, how can I refuse?”
I grinned in spite of all the drama of the past hour. At least one night could have a happy ending for someone, and hey, William had held my hand. I looked at him. “Thanks, Will. Sorry for getting upset. It’s just—”
“Hey, it’s okay. I understand. Just stay safe.” He tapped my nose with a finger. “See you later.” How could such an innocent tap to the nose have my heart racing like that?
He said his goodbyes to everyone else, then popped away. Beren and Olivia left via the front door, both giving me a hug. I stood in the doorway, next to Angelica, and waved as Olivia’s car backed down the driveway. Then I turned and went inside. Angelica shut and locked the door, then followed me to the bottom of the stairs.
“Are you heading to bed, dear?”
“Yeah. I’m exhausted. I’m going to have a shower first though. I feel violated. Even though he didn’t touch me, his magic was inside me.” I shuddered and wished I could open my stomach and wash inside there too.
“If you need to talk, let me know.”
“Thanks. I will.” I made my way up the two flights of stairs, hoping sleep would find me tonight. But after the day I’d had, I highly doubted it. And my doubt was well founded.
Later, tucked up safely in bed, there was no escape. When I closed my eyes, my attacker stared back at me.
And there went sleep, riding into the darkness on horseback, my hopes sitting behind her, arms clinging to her waist, head thrown back in glee. I could hear her laughter from here.
Universe: 5243, Lily: 0.
I was totally out of my league.