Cloaked Campaign, page 19
“And your mother’s,” Reg teased.
Anger flashed in his eyes. Reg took a step back, knowing that she had crossed the line. She knew where he was vulnerable now. His ego covered a sense of inadequacy and the knowledge that his mother thought he could do more and had always covered for him and made things happen for him, rather than just letting him work things out for himself. Teasing him about that fact or anything to do with his mother would not have good results.
“Sorry. I should know when to shut up,” Reg told him. “Won’t happen again.”
“I could tell things about you, you know,” he said, eyes still blazing. He looked as if he’d like nothing better than to carve her up and serve her to the authorities. Reg wasn’t sure what things he thought he knew about her but, if he did… there was nothing in his manner that suggested she would be able to get out of him avenging himself on her for that one slip of the tongue.
“I really am sorry,” she repeated. “I don’t know what you think you know about me, but I know things about you too… and I think things would go better if we both just left each other alone.”
It was a bluff. What did she know about John Saunders other than that he was a neophyte to the coven and had an overbearing mother?
But she could know more. She was a powerful psychic. There were things she could find out about him if she wanted to. But she tried not to poke around too much in other people’s business, despite what Saunders might have said. Despite the graffiti on her car that suggested otherwise.
At least the graffiti would be gone soon, and she wouldn’t have to think about it.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
When Reg returned to the car lot to see how the work on her car was progressing, it seemed like it had been days since she had left there. But the crew was still carefully applying the new coat of paint, intent on their job. Reg checked out the customer waiting area. There was a couple there; whether they were waiting for their paperwork to go through on a loan for a new car or to have some work done on their vehicle, Reg didn’t know. But they didn’t seem to mind the wait, cuddled up together on a couch, murmuring to each other and giggling occasionally. Nice that they were so into each other, rather than just staring at their phones, each pretending the other didn’t exist.
Reg tapped Marta Jessup’s name in her contact list.
“Reg! Hi, how’s it going? How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay. Listen… there’s someone I want you to look up.”
“I can’t give you private information about people, Reg. You know that.”
“I don’t mean that I want you to look him up for me. I mean… in connection with your investigation of the car vandalism and… maybe the other stuff.”
“Oh. Okay. What have you got?”
“John Saunders.” Reg kept her voice low, watching the young couple to make sure that they weren’t listening to her. “He’s a neophyte associated with Corvin’s coven.”
“I think I’ve heard that name before. I interviewed most of them when Davyn was missing.”
“You’ll probably remember him, then. Lots of opinions. Big ego. Thinks that he should be allowed to run for election.”
“A neophyte?” Marta’s tone was shocked.
“I know. That’s what he thinks, though. And get this, his mother is always pushing him to do stuff like that because he’s such a natural-born leader and, when people get in his way, she goes postal.”
“Oh, really. And does his mother happen to be named Hope?”
“He wouldn’t tell me. Which is kind of suspicious. What’s his problem in telling me his mom’s name?”
“I guess he thinks you’re snooping around where you don’t belong.”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“And why would she think that you’ve crossed her son and are preventing him from leading the coven like he should be able to?”
“Well, he’s convinced that I’m on Corvin’s campaign. Trying to get him elected. He thinks we’re buddies and I would do anything to get him elected, I guess. I keep telling him that I’m trying to talk people into not voting for Corvin, but he won’t listen.”
“Well, I guess that could be a problem.”
“He thinks there’s some kind of weird relationship between me and Corvin.”
“Well…” Marta’s voice was half teasing, half serious.
If she were honest, Reg knew that the relationship between her and Corvin was weird. She couldn’t help that. She hadn’t asked for their fates to be bound together, for them to be psychically connected forever. That was outside her control.
“Well, he thinks it’s weirder than it is,” Reg clarified.
“Okay…”
“That’s all.” Reg shrugged, even though Marta couldn’t see her. “I just wanted to make sure you looked into Saunders. He checks all the boxes of someone who might want me out of the way.”
“I will look into it. Don’t expect immediate results, though. It will take a while to find anything, even if there is something to find. And it’s harder to do background on practitioners than it is on normal folks. Screwy birth dates, name changes, moving across the country unexpectedly. Trying to fly under the radar.”
Reg had a mental image of a witch flying on a broomstick low to the ground to avoid radar detection. She knew that wasn’t what Marta had meant, but…
“Okay. I won’t expect anything right away,” she promised. “But… as soon as you can. I don’t want to be wandering around town unprotected while some psycho tries to figure out the best way to knock me off. And maybe she gets it right the next time.”
“I’ll do my best. Wish I could help more.”
“Find some evidence. There has to be something. The registration on the truck that ran me off the road?”
“Rented. Cash. Fake name and ID.”
“Fingerprints?”
“No hits.”
“Dang.”
“Maybe I should hire a psychic,” Marta suggested.
“Shut up!” Reg ended the call.
Reg stared at the big TV screen in the waiting room. The sound was turned down too low to hear anything. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to watch anyway. The chance meeting with Saunders kept going through her mind. Was there a reason that they had met? Was it fate? Reg’s psychic gift leading her to the one person who had answers? Or was it just a coincidence that she had run into him again? A dead end that wouldn’t lead her or Marta Jessup anywhere at all? There was no guarantee that John Saunders had anything to do with Reg’s recent spate of bad luck. Maybe the universe was just conspiring against her, and the vandalism, poisoning, and road rage incident were all completely unrelated. Or maybe it was her time to go.
The phone’s vibration startled Reg and she looked down at it.
Corvin.
Had he sensed her thinking about him or talking about him with Saunders?
Reg tried to decide whether or not to answer, but she knew that in the end, she was going to anyway, whether it was a good idea or not. In fact, she knew it was a bad idea. She was trying to derail his chosen path and he was bound not to be happy about that. But what was he going to do about it? Curse her?
Besides, she was bored. She didn’t want to sit there in the waiting room for hours longer, staring at the little screen of her phone and the big screen of the TV. Maybe she should get an Uber home. But what would she do at home? If she were home, she would have to worry about responsibilities like cleaning and strengthening the wards in the yard, which she had still neglected to do.
Reg tapped her screen to answer the call.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Hey.”
“Regina.” Despite Reg’s expectation that he would be angry with her over her continued interference in his life, Corvin sounded happy. And Reg didn’t like that.
“You sound good… what’s going on?”
“Nothing is going on,” he told her pleasantly. “I was just thinking of you… thought I would give you a call.”
“Well… that was nice of you. Don’t you have other stuff to do, though? Schmoozing with the warlocks in your coven to make sure they’re going to vote for you?”
“Of course they are going to vote for me.” His voice was warm and confident. “Why wouldn’t they?”
“Are they all your puppets now? You just tell them what to do, and you’ve got a tight enough hold on them that they will do whatever you want?”
He chuckled, not the least bit concerned by her accusation. “They all have minds of their own. And they know that the time is mine. Davyn has had this responsibility for too long. He is ready for a break. I am the only other candidate. They know my powers and that I have worked hard to earn the right to run for the leadership position. They know all the barriers I have had to break through to make it all possible. My star is rising. They know it.”
“Not everyone may agree.”
“I can stand a few dissenters. But I think you are mistaken. Nobody is opposed to it.”
Reg bit her tongue. She knew that she shouldn’t point out about John Saunders and maybe some of his neophyte friends being against it. Why would Corvin care about that? Saunders was not a voting member of the coven. His opinion carried little or no weight. And if he made trouble when Corvin was the leader of the coven, he could simply stop him from ever being able to be initiated into the coven. Then all the time that he had spent meeting with them and trying to prove himself and his suitability for the coven would be wasted. He would have to start all over again somewhere else.
“So you’re calling to tell me that you’re going to be elected? Is that what this is about?”
“No. You’re the one who brought up the election campaign.”
Reg tried to remember exactly what she had said, and had a suspicion he was right. If he had called to gloat about it, she had played right into his hand.
“Why did you call, then?”
“You don’t believe that it was just to enjoy a conversation with you?”
“No. I don’t.”
He laughed again. “Well, there may be more to it than that. I thought you might like to know that I have heard some rumors over the last couple of days. About something strange happening out near Davyn’s house.”
“Near Davyn’s house? Then shouldn’t you be calling him? I’m not exactly responsible for anything that happened out that way.” She paused, then thought again. “Unless you are saying that you think Ember might be in danger. What kind of strange happenings?”
“People have been catching glimpses of a strange bird. Or of something lurking around in the forest over there.”
Reg’s mind was still on the track of Ember possibly being in danger and it took her a minute to realize that he wasn’t talking about another creature being out there that might be a danger to Ember. “Oh… that he’s been seen. Yeah, we figured that was going to happen sooner or later.”
She could sense Corvin’s nod, even though she couldn’t see him. “Unfortunately, there is no way to keep a creature like that secret for long. Not in a populated area like this. Not unless you’re going to cage him and hold him in some cave or dungeon where no one can see or hear him.”
“I would never do that to Ember.”
“No, and I’m sure Davyn would not either. A creature as majestic as that… it would be a crime to imprison it. But I thought you should have a heads-up that people are starting to realize that something is living over there. It won’t be long before they figure out what, and then…”
“Then come the torches and pitchforks?”
“I don’t think people will immediately jump to harming him. People are more… aware of how the loss of these rare creatures could impact the environment and the magical community. They have almost been wiped out. I think you are more likely to get people from nature preserves approaching you—or Davyn—with pamphlets showing why your dragon should be transferred there.”
“You don’t think anyone will be violent toward him?”
“I don’t think most people will be violent toward him. But some people… it’s always possible.”
“I should call Davyn then. Let him know.”
“That would probably be a good idea. He’s good at handling publicity. He’ll say the right things.”
“Are you saying that I wouldn’t?”
Corvin’s deep chuckle resonated down the line. Reg couldn’t help smiling herself.
The door to the waiting area opened and a tallish, slim figure entered. Reg glanced over at him, surprised. Saunders. He approached Reg, then saw that she was on the phone and stopped. Reg lowered the phone from her ear. “John… Um, Mr. Saunders,” she had no idea what to call him. “What are you doing here?”
He glanced at the phone in her hand and then at her face. “I need to talk to you. Alone.”
Reg shrugged. She looked over at the young couple waiting for their car. It wasn’t like they were right on top of each other. They were talking to each other without Reg being able to hear what they were saying. Unless one of them had hyperacute hearing, she couldn’t see what danger there was in her and John having their conversation there.
“Go ahead.”
“This is not… private enough.”
“No one is listening. What is it?”
He got closer to her. Reg flushed at his proximity to her. She hadn’t noticed before how handsome he was. He was a young man. He was powerful and would ultimately succeed in his plans. He had everything going for him. And if he were interested in her…
Was that why he had followed her back to the car lot? Because he had feelings for her? She hadn’t seen it until then but, with him standing so close, looking down at her, Reg could see it all.
There was a heady scent in the air. Warm and sweet. Chocolate brownies, freshly baked. Reg glanced around for some sign of them. Was Wilf making the dessert? He certainly did seem to know how to take care of his customers. The well-appointed waiting room, his skill in identifying what a client would like in a car, the willingness to go the extra mile to put new tires on for her or to repaint the vehicle when it had clearly not been his fault that it had been vandalized in the first place. Reg’s stomach growled.
“It’s just…” Saunders leaned toward her. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you after you left. Every time I talk to you, I feel… I think there’s a chemistry between us.”
Reg shifted an inch closer to him. How had she failed to notice the chemistry before? Saunders’s words and actions made it clear that he was willing to take it to the next level.
And what would that be? Going out on a date? Skipping the dating stage altogether? Why did they have to wait? Why go through all the culturally approved rigmarole if they both knew that they were good for each other? Reg felt that John Saunders completed her like no one else ever had. If he felt the same way as she did, what reason was there to drag their feet?
Of course, there was the issue of his mother. Whether she was the witch who was trying to kill Reg.
That could be a problem.
“Yes,” she assured John, not wanting to leave him hanging any longer. “Yes, I feel that too. I never realized before…”
He touched her arm. There was a subtle buzz. Not like with Corvin, where skin touching skin would give her a jolt. But it was pleasant. It confirmed to her that they were meant to be together. What reason was there for delay? She shifted closer to him, starting to close the gap between them. She ran her other hand over his well-muscled shoulder. Picking up garbage in parks might not exactly be a workout, but he was in good shape. Maybe he lifted weights when he was not working.
“This is nice,” she whispered.
She should take him back to her house. He was right; this conversation demanded more privacy than they could get sitting in the car lot waiting room. Home, maybe a light meal, candles, a cuddle that might lead to other things…
But then, she was still waiting for her car. She couldn’t exactly drive home. She could wait for it to be done. Or she could grab a cab or rideshare home…
“My truck is here,” Saunders whispered. “You agree that we should go somewhere more private?”
“Yes. Definitely.” Reg sucked in a deep breath of the chocolate-laden air and let it out again. “Whatever you want.”
Saunders nodded. He turned toward the door he had entered through, putting his arm around her to encourage her to go with him. Reg didn’t need any more prompting. Saunders knew what she wanted. He would take care of everything.
He walked her out the door and to his truck, a white pick-up with a maintenance company logo on the side. Reg wondered briefly whether he worked for the maintenance company or owned it. Was it his own business? He was so strong, intelligent, and motivated that she wouldn’t be surprised if it were his own company. He seemed like the kind of guy who would not want to work for someone else.
There was a terrifying screech and something fell from the sky.
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Reg gave a little shriek and pulled back, until she realized what had just dived out of the sky and alighted on top of Saunders’s truck.
“Ember! You scared me.” Reg laughed and shook her head. “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be at Davyn’s.”
Saunders was looking at Reg and at the dragon in shock. “What’s going on here? What…?” He stared at Ember. “That looks like… a dragon.”
Reg understood his shock. She had been pretty surprised herself that first time when she had expected to find an armadillo and instead had found herself face-to-face with a hatchling dragon.
She giggled, feeling a little drunk. “This is Ember.”
“A dragon.”
“Sure. A dragon,” Reg agreed. “A firedrake, if you want to get technical about it.”
“Firedrake! I thought they were extinct.”
