Stitching the Talisman (Kali James Book 3), page 20
“I’ll ask her,” I offered.
“Thanks.” He looked relieved. “If she agrees, we’ll set the trap. We’ll need a location where she can appear to be alone but somewhere with enough cover we can have a team in position. Then, we’ll leak information about where she’ll be.”
I considered it. Whatever scenario we came up with had to be convincing, or Aldea would never bite. “She could be at my shop, helping with inventory or something. Olivia has been working at the Stitch Witch until she finds a job, so it wouldn’t be much of a stretch for me to hire her.”
“Too risky,” Craig argued. “If you’re with her, they’ll either kill you to get to her, or grab her and take her to a second location we don’t control.”
“What if I had her cover the shop for me while I went to an appointment?”
Craig thought about it. “It’s not perfect, but it could work. It’s a familiar environment to anyone who’d be on our team. We could place our people in the shop and in the empty building across the street.”
“How are we going to get in the building across the street?” I couldn’t imagine Craig breaking and entering, but he’d surprised me before.
He must have suspected what I was thinking because he shook his head, smiling. “I know the landlord.”
“Oh.”
“What about your new neighbor?” Craig asked. “We can’t risk a human stumbling into the middle of this.”
“He doesn’t live above his shop like I do, and I’ve only seen him there during the day. If we do it in the evening, we should be clear.” With the exception of haunted house season, this part of Kansas City was largely a ghost town after five.
“Good,” Craig said.
I refilled our glasses and lifted mine for a toast. “It sounds like we’ve got ourselves a plan.”
Craig didn’t reach for his. “There is one thing I need to do first,” he said grimly.
“What’s that?” I set my glass back down on the coffee table, not liking the sound of that.
Craig took a steadying breath before he hit me with his curveball. “Ratcliff is currently in D.C. on vampire business.” He didn’t volunteer how he knew Ratcliff’s travel itinerary. “Volkov is following up with Aleksei to see how the Enclave connects to all of this, but it can’t be a coincidence they put you under their protection. And they extended that protection by sending Aleksei into Ratcliff’s seethe to retrieve you.”
The same thing had occurred to me. "You think they know what Ratcliff’s up to?”
“I’m not sure, but before we move forward with this plan, I need to find out how deep their interests run, and I need to establish a connection between Ratcliff and Aldea.”
“Okay,” I reasoned. “So, we go to D.C.”
Craig pulled away, pacing to the window. He peered out of the curtains, and I recognized it for the stalling tactic it was. His deep sigh confirmed my suspicions. “I need to go alone.” He turned back to face me, heading off the objections he must have known were coming. “Listen to me. You’re lucky to have gotten out of Bucharest alive, Kali. Going back to Ratcliff’s domain is too dangerous. Not to mention, you are on everyone’s radar. The Enclave has Shadows watching you. Aldea has his eye on you. If you get on a plane for D.C., we might as well send Ratcliff a party invite.” Craig reached for my hand and tugged me closer.
I held myself stiffly, but I didn’t pull away.
“Let me lock this down, so we can nail Aldea.”
His reasons were logical, but I felt the old fear bubbling up. “We could take a chartered plane. I could stow aboard like Riley did, so no one would know I was on it.”
Craig didn’t say anything.
“Meira could cover for me,” I pleaded.
“I’m asking you to trust me.” Craig leaned in, his serious gray eyes like still waters on a winter day.
Trust wasn’t something that came easily for me. Maybe once it had, but then everyone I’d trusted left me behind. First, Claire, through no choice of her own. After her death, the people in my life fell like dominoes—my friends who couldn’t cope with a girl changed by the loss of her sister, my mother who simply walked away, even my father and brother, who stayed but as shells of themselves. And lastly, my grandmother who chased ghosts to her grave.
Each loss had frayed my ability to rely on anyone except myself. Even Riley, who crashed through my walls, I mostly trusted at my side where I could see her, where I could at least pretend to have some control. What Craig was asking tapped bone deep into my insecurities. He was asking me to trust that when he left me to handle this, he would come back.
I stared at him, swallowing past the fear welling in my throat. “Craig, I…” I faltered, closing my eyes.
Craig bent toward me until his forehead was touching mine.
“I’m afraid you won’t come back,” I whispered, the admission itself terrifying.
“Look at me.” He leaned away from me, his hands going to my shoulders. He waited until I opened my eyes. “I will always come back.” It wasn’t a soft promise.
I wanted to believe him. Even though the silence stretched between us, Craig didn’t flinch. And he didn’t pull away. He sat with me, gaze steady, the weight of his hands an anchor where they rested on my shoulders.
“Okay.” My voice was as raw as I felt. “When will you leave?”
“As soon as Volkov gets the flight arranged.”
I expected him to gather his phone and leave right away, but he grabbed my hand instead. “Come on. You need to get some rest.”
Craig laid down beside me, tucking me against his body. Wrapped in his arms, I fell asleep to the steady sound of his breathing.
Later, I woke in a panic, cold sweat drenching the silk sheet covering my body, I knew without turning my head, Craig was gone. While I’d signed up for this, the old anxiety settled into my chest. Knowing I wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep, I sat on the edge of my bed in the dark debating what to do.
In the end, I went all in with the trust fall, dialing the number by heart.
“Kali?” Riley’s voice was muddled with sleep. “What’s wrong?”
“Can you come over?” My voice cracked. “I don’t want to be alone.”
She didn’t ask any questions. “I’ll be right there.”
To keep my mind off the multitude of things that could go wrong the next day, I distracted myself with an eight-hour sewing marathon. On the positive side, I finished four in-progress custom orders and shipped the costumes out a week early. I also started Emma’s gown for this year’s Kansas City Renaissance Festival. I was making her a gorgeous corset-style overdress made with burgundy velvet I’d found at a pop-up vintage fabric stall in West Bottoms. It would take hours of sewing, but the end product would be worth every second of my labor.
By five, I was ready for a hot bath and a bad movie. Parker caught me as I closed the shop.
“Hi Kali.” He leaned the stack of empty cardboard boxes he was carrying against the side of the building.
“Still moving in, I see.” I grabbed a flattened box as it flopped over and returned it to his stack.
“I am.” He looked into the window of his store and shook his head. “It’s a mess. At this rate, I’ll be lucky if I’m open by Christmas.” He sounded so dejected.
“Do you need help unpacking?” I offered.
His whole face lit up. “Really?”
“Really.” It would be a win-win. His unpacking efforts would be supercharged with a helper, and I wouldn’t sit around my apartment plotting Aldea’s death. We could even order a supreme pizza and a liter of pop. I’d be so high on carbs and sugar, I wouldn’t even worry about Craig.
“That would be amazing.” Parker started gathering the boxes into a pile, but because of the wind that kept catching the flaps, it was a losing battle.
“Here, let me help you.” I took half the stack, leaving him with the rest.
As we headed to the alleyway by my apartment where the trash and recycling dumpsters were, the wind picked up, blowing my cardigan off my shoulder. I had a tank top underneath, so I wasn’t concerned about flashing the neighborhood, but Parker’s attention snagged on my tattoo.
“Wow!” He moved to get a better look. “That’s a beautiful tattoo.”
He was standing close enough that it made me take a step back. Seeing my discomfort, he cringed and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry. I’m not the best with social cues,” he apologized.
“It’s okay.” I felt bad for overreacting. I tugged my shirt to the side to give him the full view of my crow tattoo. “I just got it recently, and I have to admit I love it.”
“I can see why.”
Feeling the now familiar stirring of wings, I hastily covered it up before Parker noticed the movement and started asking questions. “Do you have any tattoos?” Parker didn’t seem like the kind of guy who would consider ink.
A boyish grin lit up his face. “Believe it or not, I do.” He pulled up the sleeve of his t-shirt to reveal an equally beautiful tattoo on his bicep. It was tailor-made for a music lover, with a trumpet surrounded by flaming musical notes. He held my gaze. “We’re not so different, you and I.”
I tossed the boxes in the recycling bin and changed the subject, eager to get our feet firmly back in the friend zone. We were back to talking about bad horror flicks when we rounded the corner to head back inside. Parker stopped short, his eyes narrowing.
I turned to see Craig standing next to the door of my shop. He had a duffle bag slung over his shoulder and exhaustion written in the lines of his body. He didn’t spare Parker a glance.
My stupid heart tripped all over itself. “You’re back,” I said, stating the obvious.
Parker shifted awkwardly beside me, looking between the two of us. “Who’s this?” he asked.
“I’m sorry.” I turned back to him. “Parker, this is Craig Ward.”
Craig held out his hand, gripping Parker’s hand lightly as he shook it. Except for a polite glance at Parker, he kept his gaze on me. “It’s nice to meet you, Parker. I’m Kali’s boyfriend.”
If I kept smiling like a middle schooler, I was going to hate myself in the morning.
“I’m so sorry, Parker, but can I help you set up shop another time? Craig got back from his trip earlier than I was expecting him.”
Parker looked away, his face flushing a little. “No problem. It was nice of you to offer. I’ll take any help I can get.”
“I’ll stop by tomorrow, and we can make plans.”
“That would be great.” Parker mumbled a goodbye before sidling past Craig and disappearing into his shop.
When we got upstairs, Craig dropped his bag inside the door of my apartment and leaned in for a soft kiss.
“Are you hungry?” I asked when we broke apart.
“Starving.” He stared at me, and I wasn’t sure if he was talking about food or something more.
“Come tell me about the trip, and I’ll make us sandwiches.” I was far from Suzy Homemaker, but even I could pull together a tasty sandwich on short notice. We sat at the kitchen table to eat.
I waited until he finished his sandwich before pushing for details. “So,” I prompted. “What did you find out?”
Craig stood to put his dish in the sink. “I talked to Ratcliff, and it’s clear he knows Aldea.” He sat down across from me, his face troubled. “But Ratcliff swore that he didn’t put Aldea on the Tribunal. He claims Aldea was requested by name.”
“Requested? By whom?” I scowled, trying to make sense of the game Ratcliff was playing.
“He claims that a representative from the Tribunal contacted him and requested that Aldea fill the open position.”
I laced my fingers on the back of my neck and looked up at the ceiling, trying to make sense of it. “Do you think he was lying?”
Craig shook his head. “I think he was telling the truth.” At my inquisitive look, he explained. “It’s an oddly specific lie to tell, first of all. But more importantly, if Ratcliff put him on the Tribunal, he’s the kind of man to rub salt in the wound, not deny it.”
Craig had a point there. Ratcliff seemed to love nothing more than to lording his upper hand over those he felt beneath him. “Who would request Aldea?”
Craig stared at me blankly. “I have no idea.”
It was late, so there was no chance we’d get answers tonight. I put our plates in the dishwasher and tidied up the kitchen. When I turned back to Craig, he was watching me with heavy lidded eyes.
“You look exhausted.”
He smiled. “A little, but sleep can wait.”
“Are you sure?” After a trip like that, he had to be dead on his feet.
“Positive,” he said. “I’ve been waiting all day to do this.”
“Do what?” I asked.
Craig backed me against the refrigerator, caging me in his arms. He stared into my eyes long enough my breathing shallowed in anticipation. When he kissed me, he left no doubt how awake he was. Although it was far from our first kiss, there was a possessiveness in this one that was new. I parted my lips, inviting him to take more. By the time he pulled back, I was trembling with need, ready to have crazy back-against-the-fridge sex. I didn’t even care the living room blinds were open.
Craig had other ideas. He stepped back, giving me enough space to choose. This wouldn’t be just sex, not with us.
I reached out and ran my fingers across the stubble on his cheek, swallowing past the lump in my throat. He was worth the risk. “This will never be casual for me either,” I whispered, holding his gaze. “I’m all in.” I grabbed his hand and led him to the bedroom.
Craig undressed me slowly, peeling away the layers as if unwrapping something precious, his lips blazing a path down my body. When I stood naked before him, he looked at me with reverent eyes. “Beautiful.” There was gravel in his voice and a fierceness in his touch.
I tugged his shirt out of his pants and waited until he ditched the rest of his clothes. And then we were a tangle of limbs and tongues, trying to climb inside one another and blot out the ugliness of the world around us.
CHAPTER 23
The good news from Romania was that the Enclave would not interfere with the investigation into the witch murders. According to Aleksei, Craig had the green light to do whatever needed to be done. Despite their stamp of approval, we still had no clue how much the Enclave knew or how invested they were in the outcome. Aleksei claimed not to know anything about why I was under their protection.
While Craig worked to pull a team together, I drove to the Stitch Witch to enlist Olivia’s help. Although Volkov was a necessary part of the plan, we all agreed to keep Riley out of it.
“Hey, Olivia. Do you have a minute? I need to talk to you about something.”
Olivia stopped winding the bolt of crushed velvet in her lap and looked up at me. “About what?”
I watched as a customer positioned herself close enough to eavesdrop. The problem with catering to the sewing crowd was they were notorious gossip hounds. “It’s better if we talk in private.”
Olivia narrowed her eyes suspiciously but set the bolt of fabric aside. “Okay. We can talk in the back.”
Janis watched us with interest.
“You might as well come, too, Janis,” I called over my shoulder.
When all three of us were settled in the back, I explained the situation as thoroughly as I could without divulging details I didn’t have authorization to share. To my surprise, Olivia agreed to help us without much discussion.
Janis wrung her skirt in her hands but sighed. “I don’t like this, but it’s your choice, Olivia.”
Olivia gave her a reassuring squeeze. “I’ll be fine.” When she turned to me, I didn’t like the hint of excitement in her eyes. “What’s the plan?” she asked.
I ran through the basics, including the where and when. I detailed the fail-safes we would have in place to make sure the witch killer never got a hand on her. By the time I was done, Helen had closed the store, and all four of the older witches were rallying around Olivia.
Helen gave Olivia a protection amulet that she tucked inside her shirt. The amulet would ward Olivia against most physical attacks, including a knife. Even if the witch killer figured out the ward, the time it would take to dismantle it would give us enough time to get to her.
Alyce’s contribution to the cause was a mason jar full of moonshine and a pair of earplugs to block out vampire compulsions. No one was sure whether the earplugs would work, but we all figured it was worth a shot. I confiscated the moonshine after Olivia choked on her first swallow. Olivia seemed more like a sip-a-wine-cooler drinker, and Alyce prided herself on making moonshine that could, according to her, “burn the hair off a man’s ass.”
Our plan was to have Olivia watch my shop from four to six. To ensure word got around, I called Volkov to get his permission first. Even though we were playacting, it grated on me to ask permission. Volkov put me on speaker phone in the middle of a debrief for the attack on Xavier, ensuring he had a roomful of shifters and Xavier present for my ask.
Although the wards on my shop weren’t a secret, any witches worth their salt would know wards designed to protect me wouldn’t be a barrier to snatching Olivia. Helen and Bea also made it a point to ask Olivia about her shop-sitting duties throughout the day as customers came and went. If anyone could spread the word like wildfire, it was Stitch Witch regulars.
After leaving the Stitch Witch, I checked in with Craig who had arranged for a team of shifters he trusted to be on site. Craig had tried to convince me to stay away, but there was zero chance I was leaving this fight to other people. The plan was for me to join his team in the empty building once I left Olivia in my shop. Then, all we had to do was wait.
With the pieces in place, I had several hours to burn before we laid the trap. Fortunately, I had a rain check to cash in, which would occupy me for the better part of the afternoon.
I found Parker crouched amid piles of vinyl records and movies in his shop.
“Hey, Parker.”
