Page 65 of Deadly Deception
“And he wasn’t there? Where you expected him?” Boone asked, sounding confused.
“He was, and then others came and removed him from the home. They took a woman also.”
My mouth dropped open. It took me a few moments to form words. “And you just stood there and let them be taken?”
“Why would I interfere?” Aurelia’s eyes slightly widened and for the briefest of moments, she appeared naïvely innocent.
Boone’s arms crossed over his chest and his eyes narrowed. While I didn’t know what to make of Aurelia’s odd little puppy dog eyes, Boone clearly wasn’t buying it. “But you’re here now, letting us know. Why?”
That hint of innocence vanished, replaced by a smirk that barely exposed Aurelia’s white teeth. “I am no longer bored.”
While I incredulously stared at Aurelia, Boone’s arms dropped and his hands fisted at his sides. Boone’s neck and cheeks reddened with his burgeoning anger.
“What in the hell’s going on? And who the fuck is this?” Sherriff Henson’s outraged cry cut through Boone’s rising rage.
“This is Aurelia,” I answered. “As for what’s going on, that’s what we’re going to find out.”
Aurelia’s smirk morphed into a wicked grin. “This is far more entertaining,” Aurelia stated. Hanging my head, I rubbed my temples. So much for getting back to Mississippi anytime soon.
Chapter
Twenty-One
Erasmus
“I want to throttle her,” I seethed.
“I doubt that would be wise,” Franklin answered as we raced along the interstate, our rental SUV bracketed by police cars, their sirens blaring and lights flashing. “It’s a good thing Henson spoke up back there. Aurelia seems to like you…I think. Honestly, it’s difficult to tell. The point is, I don’t believe it’s smart to antagonize her.”
“Of course it’s not. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t need chastising now and again. Gaia, I need Momma here. That woman has a way of making you see when you’ve done wrong.” I ran my hands through my hair, hopelessly tangling them. “Momma would have made Aurelia feel bad about what she’s done. She would have pulled out thedisappointedword.” Memories of hearing that word fall from Momma’s lips made me cringe. It was always the absolute worst. I would have rather been grounded, my phone taken away, or a thousand other punishments than hear that Momma was disappointed in me.
“I doubt that would work as well on Aurelia,” Franklin said.
I huffed. “You never know.” I shook my head while scrunching further into the passenger’s seat. My too large coatwas pushed up to my ears. “Aurelia’s got some morality left. She’s done too many things that point to the fact she can discern between right and wrong.” The list was lengthy. There was also an equally long list peppered with all the times Aurelia had acted questionably.
“So far, no one’s dead.” Franklin gritted his teeth, and I reached across the console and laid my hand on his thigh, squeezing ever so slightly.
“Aurelia said Tompkins is alive,” I reminded Franklin. In fact, Aurelia said she was going back to the house to check on him. Of course, she hadn’t said it exactly like that, but that’s how I chose to take her words.
“Unconscious,” Franklin answered on a grumble. “God only knows what they did to him.”
When questioned, Aurelia had said, whoever had taken Navarre and Tabitha, they’d left Shane Tompkins behind. I wasn’t sure why, or why he’d been left alive and not outright killed. Aurelia said she’d overheard Navarre’s kidnappers say they had orders not to hurt Tompkins more than necessary, and that they’d strictly tried to follow those orders. Aurelia hadn’t seen anyone else, and I could only assume the ride the Magical Usage Council sent hadn’t arrived yet.
We were currently racing toward Tompkins’s home. Navarre and Tabitha were already gone. All we could do was hope there was some type of clue, something that might lead us to where they were. I’d already alerted the Magical Usage Council. That conversation had been…odd. That wasn’t the correct word, but I couldn’t think of a better one. They weren’t nearly as upset as I thought they should be. Nor were they terribly concerned or proactive.
I was beginning to question the legitimacy and abilities of the Magical Usage Council. The witch I’d spoken with calmly told me that, so far, Tabitha had not requested assistance. When I’dpointed out again that Tabitha had been kidnapped and most likely couldn’t contact the council, I’d been summarily dismissed and informed that the council would intercede if necessary and not a moment before. I’d stared, dumbfounded, at my phone while the screen darkened.
Franklin barely slowed as we came to the exit to Tompkins’s neighborhood. The EMT guys had beaten us to Tompkins’s home and were already inside, loading him on a gurney when we walked through the open door.
Franklin crowded around the gurney. Henson quickly followed. It was Henson who demanded, “How is he?”
“Stable,” one of the EMTs answered as the hefted the gurney up, long legs and wheels locking into place. “We want to get him to the hospital for better evaluation. There was an envelope pinned to his chest. I used gloves to remove it and laid it on the floor.” The EMTs didn’t wait for a response. They headed down the hall and out the door, leaving the front door open and the cold air access. The place was already chilly.
“Fucking hell,” Henson cursed as he snapped on gloves before leaning over and swiping up the envelope. Henson’s eyes widened when he read what was written on the front. Eyebrows furrowing, Henson’s gaze flicked from the envelope to me. “It’s addressed to you.”
“Me?” Franklin’s hand landed on my shoulder. The gentle pressure was as reassuring as it was meant to be.
“You mind?” Henson asked as he waved the envelope toward me.
