Page 78 of Deadly Deception
With a disinterested shrug, Aurelia merely said, “I was bored, so I released the medium.”
Well, shit.
Chapter
Twenty-Four
Franklin
I wasn’t sure if activating Holland’s charm was the right decision or not. Regardless, it was the option I went for. Boone was tapped out. I knew he was scrambling around, searching for something to use. I needed to buy us time, so that’s what I did. Some might say activating the shield charm was a no-brainer, but it wasn’t as simple as that. The charm would last about twenty minutes, give or take, and in that time, nothing could get in, but we couldn’t get out either. We couldn’t move toward an exit or make a break for an escape. We would be the same sitting ducks when the charm wore off.
Still, twenty minutes was twenty minutes and I’d take what we could get. Maybe between the three of us, we could come up with a solution out of this mess.
“Holy shit,” Henson said when the dust and cacophony of noise dissipated. I glanced over to see his eyes wide as he stared at the hail of bullets stuck in the shield. Henson ran his shaky hands up and down his chest as if searching for wounds. I started to tell him he was fine, but my words were interrupted by the sound of Boone’s nearly hysterical laughter. That laughter was abruptly cut short when Tabitha Clark entered the room.
“My, my. Looks like I’m a little late to the party.” Clark didn’t sound the least bit upset, worried, or concerned. Her gaze swept the room in a relaxed cant, her ever-present purse hanging off one arm.
Clark’s shoes lightly clacked as she made her way across the tiled floor and toward the coffee machine. “I hope it’s fresh,” Tabitha said as she pulled the coffee pot closer, swirling the contents and taking a deep inhale. Grabbing a nearby mug that appeared freshly washed, Clark poured a cup before she rummaged through cabinets. Her happy exclamation when she found sugar and creamer was at odds with the rest of the tone of the room.
“By all means, make yourself at home,” Sara said through gritted teeth.
“Thank you, dear. That’s a very kind offer.” Sara brought the mug to her nose and inhaled again before draining half its contents. “Oh, that does taste good. Mmm.”
Sara leaned against the counter, her back now to the three of us. Jay continued glaring, his hateful gaze moving between Henson, Boone, and me. I wanted to reach through the shield and punch that look off his face, especially when he aimed his seething vitriol Boone’s way.
Sara’s tone was calm, barely a hint of underlying tension when she said, “Interesting to see you out of your room, Ms. Clark. Seems my security is a little lax considering you are supposed to be safely locked away, and Boone was supposed to be stripped of his charms before being allowed further into the house.” While Sara might not have said it directly, the implication that heads would most certainly roll was definitely implied.
Neither Boone nor I bothered enlightening Sara that it was me who’d activated the charm, not Boone. While we remained silent, Clark waved a dismissive hand in the air and said, “Youknow, I heard the snick of the lock open and then all that terrible gunfire. Poor Navarre. He was so upset. I don’t think I could have left him alone, but wouldn’t you know it, a tiny kitten showed up on his lap. And just like that”—Clark snapped her fingers— “Navarre eased and seemed fine.”
My mind spun.Kitten?Door unlocking?Could it be…?
“Aurelia’s here,” Boone whispered. “She’s standing off to the side, to the left and behind Tabitha.”
So, our wayward djinn was here but choosing to keep her presence under wraps from everyone but Boone.Wonderful.
“She was disappointed with the way things were going,” Boone added in the same hushed tones. “She was bored.”
“Christ.” I didn’t know what else to say. Sometimes, there simply was nothing more to say. Henson must have felt the same because he remained mute beside me.
Sara stiffened before waving a hand in Jay’s direction. “I think it’s time our guest was placed back in her quarters.”
Jay raised his weapon, the threat clear.
Clark didn’t appear or sound concerned when she said, “Oh, I believe we’ve had enough of that. Benny, would you be a dear and take care of the human weapons?”
I blinked.Who the hell is Benny?
Jay appeared just as confused and even more shocked when his precious weapon was stripped away and tossed across the room. The clanking of metal hitting metal sounded through the room as guns and knives piled up into a faraway corner. Whoever, or whatever, took them was a mystery.
“Aurelia?” I asked Boone and he shook his head.
“She’s still leaning against the doorjamb. For better or worse, she doesn’t look bored any longer.” I heard Boone’s harsh gulp and felt his anxious shiver.
Tabitha Clark simply stood there, her crinkled eyes shimmering over the edge of her coffee mug. “Thank you, Benny.You’re such a sweet boy.” Tabitha shot Sara a wink and added “He’s not really a boy. Poor Benny was an adult when he died, although I think we can all agree that dying at the mere age of twenty-eight is a damn shame. Waste of a good life. Don’t you agree, Sara?”
Sara stiffened and her hands clenched along the edge of the counter. “Depends on the life. By the way, that was a neat trick. It’s cute that you think I need human weapons to control you. You’re a frail, old woman. It would be nothing to take you down with muscle power alone.”
“Oh, goodness.” Clark placed a hand to her chest, raising her purse with the action. “I suppose that’s true. I don’t know that Benny will let you get close enough to harm me. After all, he is a little miffed at you, what with you being responsible for his untimely demise.”
