Demon Within, page 13
part #2 of Book of Shadows Series
Quietly, I got up and went inside to get a drink of water.
“Did Portia fall asleep?” Sean asked, barely acknowledging me from his mountain of paperwork and what appeared to be some blueprint scrolls.
“Yeah,” I replied. “I figured she needed the break.”
“Water sounds have always lulled her to sleep. We even had a wave machine when she was a baby that we kept by her crib. Worked like a charm.”
“Good to know,” I replied. Maybe I could help her sleep better in the future when she was restless.
Sean stopped what he was doing, staring pointedly. “Why? You aren’t planning any babies in the near future, are you?”
I almost choked on my water. “No,” I coughed, quickly taking another swallow. “Why would you even ask that?”
“You seem to enjoy putting your hands all over my daughter.” He pursed his lips, clearly challenging me to deny it.
“No more than she likes putting her hands all over me.” I struggled not to laugh as his face reddened. “Pretty sure I’ve got to actually be having sex with her for a baby to be in the picture anyway.”
Sean visibly relaxed. “I can’t tell you how relieved I was to learn that tidbit. Thanks for that.”
“I’m not holding back because I’m worried about you. I’m doing it for her. She deserves every beautiful dream she ever wants. I want it to be perfect when it happens.”
“After you’re married, right?”
I shrugged, not wanting to make him too comfortable. “We’ll see how it goes.”
“I’d prefer not at all,” he added.
“Pretty sure Stacey’s parents felt the same way about you too,” I reminded him, even though I had no idea.
“Touché.”
Sean glanced briefly at his phone. “It appears some of the others are on their way back now.”
“I’ll go wake Portia.”
It seemed a crime to bring her back to reality after she was resting so well. I waited until some of the coven members entered the apartment to wake her.
“Portia.” I gently ran my hand over her hair. “Hey, baby,” I continued when she blinked rapidly against the sunlight. “You’ve been sleeping for about an hour now. Some of the coven members have come back. I thought you might want to hear what they have to say.”
“Oh, okay.” She took my offered hand, and I led her inside, going over to the couch as the others gathered. Yawning, she laid her head on my shoulder, listening to the conversation Sharon and Fred where having with Sean.
“We were actually able to talk to the security guard at the facility,” Sharon said. “We noticed there was a sign advertising one of the warehouse units available for lease. We went to the gate pretending to be interested in putting a business in there. The guard gave us a card to the listing agent.
“We also asked him about security on the place,” she continued. “He told us they keep a guard posted at the gate all day, and there are three security cameras for the remaining walls around the property. He then informed us there’s a group that rents one of the larger units at the facility, and they conduct their business mostly at night. They post their own security guards there in the evenings. He said the name of the business was Cummings Enterprises.” Fred handed a business card to Sean. ‘He gave us a card for them also, in case we’re interested in contacting them and asking them for a reference for the facility.”
“So now we have an address and a phone number. Great work, you two. I’m really proud of you.” Sean smiled at Sharon and clapped Fred on the shoulder.
“Can I see it?” I asked, extending my hand and he dropped it into my palm. The words ‘Cummings Enterprises’ was clearly printed across the card. I ran my finger over the raised letters. “He’s really here then.” Something else caught my eye though. “This is a home address.” Rising I pointed this out to Sean. “We passed the turn to Las Conchas when we were downtown. I believe it’s a resort housing area.”
“Well, if that’s true, it’s evident he isn’t trying to hide,” Portia added, glancing between us. “That goes right along with what Juan told us. He isn’t afraid of anything, or anyone, getting in his way.”
“Did you perhaps find any clue to what Damien is shipping there?” Sean asked, turning back to Sharon and Fred.
“No,” Fred answered. “We didn’t ask once the guard mentioned all the business dealings were kept confidential. We felt he might get suspicious.”
“No worries,” Sean said, taking out his cell phone. “We’ll find out somehow.” He paused only a moment before speaking again. “Hey, Mom. You can send the other drivers back now, but I need you to check out a different location.” He gave Milly the address. “It’s located in the Las Conchas housing area. I only want you to find out where the property is, though. Please don’t slow down or try to observe anything other than the obvious. After you find the place, go ahead and come on back to the hotel.”
I was on pins and needles after his call, knowing contact could be imminent. I couldn’t help pacing the floor as we waited for news. Finally, after roughly thirty minutes had gone by, Milly returned.
“So, I found the address without any problem,” she said. “It’s easily the largest beachside home in the vicinity, though I didn’t notice any activity, whatsoever, as I passed.”
“How about you two?” Sean questioned Babs and Alice. “Did you have any success?”
Babs nodded. “We were able to speak with Juan. He seemed willing enough to help however possible, but he’s nervous, especially since Damien threatened to harm his family if he tried to involve other people.”
“That’s understandable,” Sean replied, tapping his chin. “If he’d like, we can conduct our business there in the evenings, after the shop is closed. He won’t even need to be there if he feels he can trust us.”
“That might help,” Babs agreed. “We’ll talk to him again and see what his feelings are.”
“Good. Now we just need to decide the best way to do some surveillance on the property in Las Conchas. If it’s indeed Damien’s personal residence, you can be sure it’ll have powerful protection charms all over it. We need to find the weakest spot and attack from that vantage point.”
“That would be the ocean,” I said, having already considered this possibility. “All of those homes are loaded with glass windows that face out to maximize the view of the sea. It would be easy to sit out on the water with binoculars or even a telescope. We’d be able to see virtually everything happening in the house without ever setting foot on the property. That would eliminate the worry about activating magical charms or wards he may have placed around the area.”
“That’s true,” Sean replied. “This is an excellent idea. We’d need to come up with a boat, though.”
“No problem.” I shrugged. “I’ve seen a lot of fishermen stay out on the water well after dark. I think we should offer to pay one of them to use their boat for the whole day. It wouldn’t seem suspicious for anyone watching to see a local craft out on the water. In fact, keep the crew on and let them fish. Tell them we’ll pay them double their draw for the day.”
“That could cost a pretty penny,” Sean warned me.
“I’m not worried about the money. I do have one stipulation, though.”
“What?” Sean tensed even as I brought it up. He knew what I was going to say.
“If I’m paying for it, then I’m on the boat, and Portia comes with me. She’s seen images of my dad through our mental link. We’re the only two here, besides you, who can positively identify him. I won’t leave her behind.” I was tired of standing around and doing nothing. I knew he needed my money, so this was a non-negotiable point for me.
A blind man could’ve seen how badly Sean wanted to shut me down, but he knew he couldn’t. “Fine,” he finally agreed. “We should be far enough away to keep you safe from being seen by anyone.”
“It’s too late for us to get on the boat today, though. We’ll have to shoot for tomorrow,” I added, wishing we could leave immediately for this recon mission.
“I can inquire about fresh shrimp for the restaurant while I’m down there looking for a suitable boat. It’ll be a good cover,” Bruce suggested. He owned a restaurant in Sedona that had seafood on the menu. He was completely legit. No one would question his presence at the docks.
Hal immediately volunteered to go to the marina with him.
“Awesome,” Sean said, rubbing his hands together like he was planning some diabolical event. “Now we need to figure out some surveillance plans on the warehouse this evening.”
Grabbing several scrolls from the table, he began rolling them out so all could see them. He knelt beside them, placing paperweights on the corners to keep them open. I knew he’d gathered these during the time since I’d joined the coven. He’d worked hard to discover as much about my dad as he could.
He placed one on top of the others, a detailed drawing of the warehouse here in Rocky Point, followed by one of Juan’s store.
Portia scratched her head as she stared. “Dad? Where did you get all this stuff, and what is it exactly that you do? And I don’t want any more of this encyclopedia salesman crap you’ve been feeding me my whole life.”
I laughed, as did many others. She was finally catching on. Took her long enough.
“Pumpkin,” Sean replied, “it may not be in your best interest to know that I may, or may not, be an agent of the United States Federal Government.”
“What? Are you like a . . . a spy or something?”
“No. Nothing that glorious.” Sean continued making circles on the blueprints. “All you need to know is I have my resources, but I’m not going to go into any more detail than that.”
Portia was upset, there was no mistaking it. She threw her hands in the air and walked away with a huff. “Pumpkin, I’m an encyclopedia salesman,” she spoke in a false tone. “But really I’m a warlock. Oh, and did I mention I’m a federal agent also? Is there anything else I need to know about you?” She glared at him, and he simply laughed, clearly enjoying the exchange. “I’m such an idiot!” she said under her breath.
“You really are,” I added, following her. I couldn’t resist teasing her a bit.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” She whirled around to face me.
“Encyclopedia salesman? Ever heard of the modern convenience called the Internet? Who in their right mind would purchase a set of encyclopedias when all the information they need is right at their fingertips?”
An accusatory gleam appeared in her eyes. “You’ve known all along, haven’t you?”
“Well, he was the reason Marsha came specifically to this coven.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
I shrugged, trying to play it down. “I figured if Sean wanted you to know what was going on, he’d tell you.” Moving closer I ran a hand down her arm, attempting to soothe her. “Don’t take it personally. It was a means to protect you and your family from harm.”
“Yeah, well I feel like Lois Lane when she took off Clark Kent’s glasses and found out he was Superman.”
I got a good chuckle at the description and hugged her. “Come on, silly girl. Let’s go see what your dad is planning.” I gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and steered her back to the ongoing discussion.
Sean began pointing out where security cameras were located around the warehouse, and where there were small gaps in coverage. “Even though these are weak points, we can count on them being reinforced,” he explained. “I’m positive Damien has looked for these kinds of flaws and has covered the area in magical charms.”
“What about this building?” I asked, pointing to the two-story structure near the compound.
Sean nodded. “That was what I was thinking. We won’t be able to breach the perimeter of the warehouse, but we can observe it from the roof of this building. Now Damien may have anticipated this also, so we’ll need to proceed with caution and check it for any type of alert system.”
“How will you know if they’re there?” Portia asked.
“Magic has a strong energy field,” Milly explained. “It looks different than natural energy, and there are ways to see it with certain spells. I imagine Damien may even be using the same sort of thing to search out some of the powers of his victims.”
“Makes sense,” Portia said, shaking her head. “There’s so much I don’t know,” she added into our link.
“You’re doing fine. Be patient. Things will come to you in time.” I thought she was handling everything amazingly well.
Sean continued. “I think we should establish a surveillance team into the room at Juan’s place. We can send another team to the roof of the building next to the warehouse to check things out. If they can get on the roof without detection, we’ll have them set up a camera. We’ll rig stuff so we can send the feedback to Juan’s store.
“I want Vance, and Portia, stationed with me at the store. The three of us will watch the monitor and call in any additional support as needed.” Sean glanced around. “Any questions?”
No one spoke.
“All right, then I want my mom to lead the group that’s going to attempt the roof,” he continued. “She’ll check for any magical barriers. If all is clear, then Brad and Shelly will go on top to place the camera. Once we verify the feed is coming through okay, I want all of you to leave the area as quickly as possible.”
“Understood,” Brad said, as Shelly nodded, gravely. They seemed both nervous and excited.
“And my job will be to have delicious food ready for all of you,” Stacey added, and everyone laughed.
Rising, Sean gave her a hug. “Which, of course, will be our favorite part. I appreciate everything you do for us, Stacey.”
“Like I’ve always said, I leave the magic to the experts. Besides, I like cooking for everyone.”
“Speaking of food, let’s all pitch in and get some lunch together,” Portia suggested. “I think we’ve had a pretty productive morning.”
“Sounds good,” Sean agreed. “What can we help you with, honey?”
“Well, we’re in Mexico. I got stuff for burritos, enchilada style. The tortillas were made fresh this morning. They’re still warm.”
“Delicious! Let’s get to it. I’m starving after all this planning.”
We had quite the assembly line going when a ringing sound pierced the air, causing us all to stop immediately.
“Oh! I’m getting a call,” Babs said.
Everyone was here. Who could possibly be trying to reach us? Immediately my nerves shot into overdrive. Had he found us? Did we need to run?
I shook my head, hating that I’d immediately reverted to my old way of thinking.
Answering it, an animated voice came pouring through the receiver, speaking in Spanish. Glancing at Brad, I watched as his eyes went wide.
“Okay. Gracias,” Babs finally said, and I felt as if I’d aged a year. “That was Juan. He says he just saw a truck that hauls for Cummings Enterprises pass by his store. It turned at the corner and headed down the street toward the warehouse. He believes Damien is receiving a new shipment.”
Hot damn! Impatience mixed with eagerness flooded through me. Now we were getting somewhere.
16
“Dang it! We need the camera on that building now!” Sean slammed a fist against the counter in frustration.
“It’s too risky to do it in the daylight, son,” Milly immediately spoke up. “We would be like sitting ducks.”
“I know, I know,” he replied, tapping his fingers against his forehead. “Think, Sean! Think!”
“I have an idea how to do it.” I was putting my neck out with this suggestion. It could work though. “But you aren’t going to like it.”
Sean glance at me, his eyes narrowing a bit, already on guard. “Tell me. We can’t afford to waste any more time.”
“Send Stacey,” I replied, gesturing in her direction. She looked shocked. “She isn’t magical, so she won’t set off any type of detection. She can call the realtor and tell her she’s interested in seeing the property, but it has to be this afternoon. She could also talk to some of the people from Cummings.”
“Absolutely not!” Sean practically roared, shaking his head with absoluteness.
“I said you wouldn’t like it.” I knew he was going to shoot me down before he even gave the suggestion a chance, not that I blamed him. I’d be equally angry if someone wanted to place Portia in the lion’s den.
“I think it’s a great idea!” Stacey said, surprising everyone. “Let’s do it!”
“No, Stacey! It’s too dangerous!” Sean gripped her shoulder, turning her toward him.
“Dangerous to you maybe, but not to me,” Stacey continued, trying to sell him on the notion. “I’m no one as far as Damien Cummings is concerned. He would rather swat a fly than look at me. I’d be able to move in right under the radar.”
“It actually makes sense, Sean,” Milly added, backing her.
“I don’t like it. Not one bit!”
“Look, Sean, we’ll send everyone else to take turns driving up and down the road outside the property. The regular security guards are on during this time of day. Cummings Enterprises isn’t going to try anything with the whole place watching them. They’re trying to keep up appearances, not blow their cover,” I reminded him. There was no way we’d let Stacey go in completely alone.
Sean paced, apparently caught between the sound argument for her to go and what his heart demanded. “Make the call,” he finally said. He handed the business card for the realtor to Stacey before turning toward me. “But if anything happens to her, I’ll hold you personally responsible.”
“As well you should, but I think we have her covered. I wouldn’t have suggested it otherwise.”
“Hola?” Stacey said, causing all of us to redirect our attention. She was already speaking to someone on the phone. “Se habla English? Yes, my name is Maria Sanchez, and I’m looking to possibly rent a warehouse unit that is located off Freemont Boulevard. Are you the listing agent for that property?” She paused while someone else spoke, but I couldn’t understand what was said.
