Page 56 of Last Resort

She rolled her eyes. “Stop it. I get enough of that from Cole. I think he’d roll me in bubble wrap and lock me in a panic room if he could get away with it. I understand—but it’s infuriating, and a little insulting, too.”

“I think Ben and I have just dealt with really bad people enough times that we don’t want people we care about getting hurt again,” Erik confessed. “We’ve both seen the scum at the bottom of the barrel.”

“Understandable. But overkill. Now…what’s up that you haven’t told me?” She grinned.

Erik filled her in on the poker chips and Monty’s session with Opal’s ghost. He remained vague about the leads Teag was researching due to the questionable legality involved.

“So we were right about there being a connection between that poor woman’s home invasion and the case,” Susan said. “How awful.”

“We can’t get a statement from her unless she wakes up, but I’d bet money Holden Carr was the one who attacked her,” Erik said. “I hope there’s security on her hospital room.”

“I’m sure Cole took care of it,” she replied, and Erik felt certain that she’d be following up with her son as soon as she was out of earshot.

“Um, just so you know…we didn’t tell Chief Hendricks about the poker chips,” Erik warned. “They aren’t part of the Tom Raines murder investigation, and I have a feeling we’re going to need access to them to stop Carr and find the missing money—which we can’t do if they’re in the evidence locker.”

“I agree. It’s on a need-to-know basis and might just muddy the investigation,” Susan said with a conspiratorial wink.

“Exactly.” Erik appreciated Susan’s support.

He checked his phone and found several missed messages from Alessia. He went to refill his coffee and returned the call.

“Are you hurt?” Alessia asked. “I heard about what happened.”

After the anonymity of living in London and Atlanta, the small-town grapevine of Cape May was both a godsend and a surprise.

“Wow—news travels fast. Yes, I’m safe. What’s up?”

Either Alessia took him at his word, or her magic verified his answer because she didn’t press the point. “I just wanted to remind you about the ritual tomorrow night at the old hotel site. I know you’re not a witch, but the energy is strengthened whenever like-minded souls with abilities show up in support.”

“I’ll be there, and I doubt Ben will let me go alone,” Erik replied. “What do we need to bring, or how do you want us to prepare?”

“You won’t actually be doing the ritual, just observing and adding supportive vibes,” Alessia told him. You’ll be relieved to know we aren’t wearing robes or going skyclad.”

“That would be chilly,” Erik agreed.

“The things we suffer for our craft,” she replied with an exaggerated sigh. “Eat enough to have something on your stomach, but not anything heavy in case the energy makes you queasy. Hydrate. Try to be in a positive, receptive mindset and don’t focus on fear or negativity.”

She paused. “Given what happened that last part might be rough for you. It’s okay if you need to cancel.”

“No—I think I’ll be fine. It’s not like it’s the first time I’ve gotten jumped.”

“Wow. I guess that’s a positive way of looking at it,” Alessia responded. “I’ll let you decide that for yourself. We’ll have enough people if you are uncomfortable, but we’d welcome your support if you feel up to it.”

“What else?” Erik’s intuition told him he needed to be at the ritual, regardless of circumstances.

“People may or may not hold hands. They definitely won’t sing Kum-Ba-Yah,” she added in a dry tone. “An elder will speak the binding spell and then lead the group in a chant. We’ll already have sigils marked beforehand, so the active part is pretty quick. Raising the energy is important, and the leader will decide how long the chant goes on and whether to add additional spells depending on how the power feels.”

“And afterward we go somewhere for coffee and cookies?” Erik joked.

“I think you have us confused with the Lutherans,” Alessia snarked.

“Maybe so,” Erik said with a laugh. “I’ll see you there.”

Fortunately, the rest of the day stayed quiet. Susan polished silver in between customers, and Erik worked on the decidedly non-haunted inventory pieces as time permitted. He breathed a sigh of relief when closing time came.

“Guess we got all the excitement over early.” Susan gathered her purse and jacket from behind the counter.

“Excitement is overrated.” Erik put on his jacket to walk Susan to her door. Today, she didn’t try to talk him out of the gesture, seeming to understand that he needed to make sure she was safe after the morning’s danger.

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