Annihilation Road (46 page)

“Hannah did it to Jonas more than once,” Inez said, referring to the owner of the shop and her husband, who just happened to be the sheriff.

“She filled his truck with toads?” Rebecca was horrified. Everyone else at the table looked amused. Sabelia walked away laughing.

“She certainly did,” Inez confirmed. “And when he was a teenager and snuck a girl into his bedroom, there is a rumor that toads leapt into his room and filled that as well.”

“How did Hannah do that?” Rebecca asked. “Not that I’d do it, but you have to admit, filling cars and trucks with toads could come in handy.”

Inez looked at her sharply. “Whose car would you fill with toads, Rebecca? I always considered you so sweet.”

Doris burst out laughing. “We all change spending time with you, Inez. I’m not always certain it’s for the better, but we have way more fun.”

Seychelle joined in the laughter, but she thought controlling toads might be a good idea. She’d have a bunch of them jump right on Savage’s thick skull and do a little froggy dance. “I’m all for Hannah teaching us. I already asked Sabelia to teach a class. I haven’t quite convinced her, but at the time she wasn’t talking as much as she is now.”

Lana smirked. “I’m reading your mind.”

“The question is, are you willing to take the class?” Seychelle asked.

“Absolutely. I’m all for petitioning Hannah right now. Alena would be in as well,” Lana said solemnly. “Blythe is too nice, Soleil would never do anything like that to Ice, but Anya might need to know how to have a trick or two on her
side around Reaper. Breezy is just as sweet as they come, and Zyah is capable, but Player’s too nice, so she doesn’t have the need. I think Anya and Alena are the only others for the class.” Lana went through the list of potentials from the women of Torpedo Ink.

“You left out Lissa and Lexi,” Inez pointed out. “Technically, they’re women of Torpedo Ink as well.”

Lissa was married to Casimir Prakenskii and Lexi to Gavriil Prakenskii, both men fully patched members of Torpedo Ink.

“Lissa comes to a few events, and she’d be all in. I’ll invite her too, if we can get Hannah and Sabelia to agree,” Lana conceded. “But Gavriil has brought Lexi only once. He’s extremely protective of her. I honestly don’t know her at all.”

“I don’t think you young girls should have all the fun,” Rebecca said daringly.

The door to the shop swung open, the bells tinkling merrily, announcing more customers. Seychelle turned her head, expecting to see Eden Ravard. Brandon Campbell walked in with a very young woman under his arm. Head down, she looked extremely pale as she stared at the floor with no expression on her face. She wore dark jeans and a wrinkled T-shirt with a very thin, light sweater over it.

Brandon whispered to her, and her body jerked as if he’d struck her. She tilted her head up like a puppet, looking toward their table but staring past them, not at them, with vacant eyes. Brandon came right up to the table. He looked anxious as he gave them a little half smile in greeting.

“Hello, Doris, Inez. Everyone. This is Tessa Deering, my friend. Tessa, honey, can you say hello? Please?”

Tessa swallowed and looked up at him, nodding several times. “Hello.” She murmured the greeting to the window behind them. Her voice sounded hollow and far off.

Brandon sighed and shook his head, looking very discouraged. “We’re on a little outing. I thought it might bring her out of her shell. Tessa’s very . . .” He broke off as if
searching for the right word. “Come here, honey. Sit right at this table.” His fingers bit into her arm as he all but forcibly put her into the chair at the little intimate table straight across from the one where the women were sitting. “She won’t even move on her own anymore. I’m running out of ideas.”

“Oh, Brandon, that’s such a shame,” Rebecca said. “Have you tried a counselor?”

“She refuses to go. She won’t leave me long enough to go. It’s a good thing I work from home. I’m getting worried about her dependency.” He talked as if Tessa weren’t even there.

Seychelle caught Lana’s gaze. Brandon was using his “voice.” Just a note here and there, but it was enough to ensnare everyone. Doris wouldn’t fall under his spell because Seychelle had built a shield for her. Lana clearly was aware that something was off about Brandon, and she knew Tessa was in trouble. She was fighting the effects of that tone.

“We were just discussing the silliest thing, Brandon,” Seychelle said cheerfully. “We were going to ask Hannah and Sabelia to teach us classes in some of the craziest arts.” Deliberately, she used counterpoints to his voice, almost like stabbing through his tones with little pinpoints, but so sweetly he wouldn’t notice.

She rested her chin in her palm and looked at him with wide blue eyes. “Let me try with her. I hate that you’re so upset. Women can sometimes do things men can’t.” Before he could object, she turned her attention to Tessa.

Around her, the women were all nodding their heads in agreement and murmuring, “Yes.” “Try, Seychelle.”

“Tessa, honey, look at me.” Seychelle used a tone with absolute command, one impossible to ignore, notes tuned specifically to the girl. It had been difficult to find them since Tessa had only spoken the one brief word, but Seychelle was very motivated to get her away from her abuser.

Tessa blinked several times and then focused, as if surfacing from far away. Her gaze settled on Seychelle’s eyes. Seychelle smiled at her.

“That’s right. Keep looking at me. You’re perfectly safe here. Brandon, can you go to the car and get her a proper jacket? She’s cold. That sweater isn’t warm enough.”

“I don’t think . . .” Brandon started.

“That would be such a good thing,” Lana said. “I’ll go with you.” Lana shot him her beautiful smile. She was an exceptionally gorgeous woman. Very sensual. When she stood up, her body was purely feminine. It was impossible to resist her.

Brandon rose immediately. Lana tucked her hand in the crook of his arm, and they walked out of the shop together. Lana’s voice drifted back to them. She sounded so admiring as she told him how wonderful he was to take care of a girl who clearly needed help.

For the first time, Seychelle felt as if she really did have a family. She knew what it felt like to work smoothly with Lana, completely in sync, not having to look at her and yet knowing instantly what she was doing and that she was on board to help get this young girl to safety.

Brandon Campbell was a predator, and somehow Seychelle was going to find a way to deal with him. It wasn’t going to be that day, but it would be soon. She was grateful she wasn’t alone, and Lana was so ready and willing to help. Now that she had the predator out of the way, and her voice had compelled the older women at the table to hear only truth, she could concentrate on Tessa and do her best to undo the damage in the short time Lana was buying her.

“All right, Tessa, keep looking at me. Tell me the truth so I can help you.”

“No one can help me. I’m not worth anything. He reminds me of that all the time. I’m lucky he bothers with me,” Tessa whispered in a low voice.

A collective gasp went up from the table, but Seychelle waved them to silence. She already knew Brandon’s methods. He made certain he took away all self-esteem from his victims.

“That isn’t
your
truth. I know I can help you. If I can get
you away, would you go? What would you like to do? What was your dream?”

For one moment, Tessa’s eyes lit up and her face was animated. “I wanted to be a fashion designer and make clothes. I was really good at it in school. But he said . . .”

“We don’t really care what he said, do we?” Seychelle said. “We only care what you want and what we can do for you. Do you want to go home? To your parents?”

Tessa shuddered and wrapped her arms around her middle, shaking her head. “No, I’ll stay with him. I’ll stay with Brandon. My father gets drunk and he . . .” She broke off and shuddered again. “No. I’m never going back there.”

“You don’t have to. Not ever. And you don’t have to stay with Brandon,” Seychelle soothed. The door to the shop opened and her stomach knotted. She kept her voice calm. “Honey, how old are you?”

“Eighteen.”

“When is your birthday?” Because, honestly, the girl looked like a baby to her. Seychelle knew she looked young. But Tessa looked like she was fifteen. Maybe sixteen at most.

“It was two days ago.” That was said in a whisper.

Another gasp went around the table. That meant Brandon Campbell had been with an underage girl. He had to have known.

Seychelle was getting serious vibes, a warning tingle sliding down her spine. The hairs on the back of her neck standing up. A flutter in her sex.
He
had walked in. Savage. He was in the Floating Hat. Another thing about Savage she loved: as stubborn as he could be, he was also sensitive, and he could see her hold on Tessa was very fragile and could be broken with the slightest distraction. Sabelia hadn’t come to the table with their tea either. That didn’t surprise her. Sabelia clearly had psychic gifts.

“All right, honey, we’re going to get you some help. What do you think about leaving with Lana? Have you met her before? She’s seriously wonderful. She’s coming back now.”

Those little bells in the shape of hats announced the door to the shop had once again opened, allowing Brandon and Lana back inside. Lana’s soft voice kept Brandon enthralled as they walked toward the table.

“No one can hurt you when Lana’s around. And you know what she does?” Seychelle poured enthusiasm into her voice. “Lana designs clothes. She owns Label 287. Have you heard of that boutique?”

Again, there was a flare of interest in Tessa’s eyes.

“She’s right here, Tessa. She’ll walk you right out and take you to a place no one can hurt you. She’ll give you a job.”

Brandon sank into his chair and Lana took her seat at the table. Brandon barely glanced at Tessa, seemingly completely taken with Lana.

“Brandon.” Seychelle leaned toward him and waited until his gaze jumped to her face. She had used the merest hint of compulsion in her voice. The thinnest note, just enough that it covered his heavier copper-colored ones without penetrating into them. The gold slid against the copper and very gently settled over the top of those notes. “We discovered a huge problem while you were gone.”

The older women nodded solemnly, all three backing Seychelle up, looking at Brandon as if he was in terrible trouble.

“Don’t be alarmed, we’re going to fix it. There’s no way we’ll let this affect your reputation or work,” Seychelle continued, her voice pitched in that same low, almost intimate tone. The golden notes continued to slip out. “Tessa only turned eighteen two days ago.” She dropped her voice and looked around the tearoom before continuing. “That means the
entire
time she’s been with you, she’s been underage.”

“What?” Brandon feigned horror.

The three older women continued to nod. Lana put her hand over her mouth, her eyes going wide in shock.

“I’m afraid it’s true. If this gets out, it will ruin you,” Seychelle said. “We think we can minimize the damage to your reputation if we move fast. Lana can take Tessa now
to a safe place. You can get her things to Inez at the store, and it will simply look as if you were rescuing her from a bad situation.”

Tessa shook her head. “Brandon said no one else will want me.”

The older women looked horrified again. It was impossible not to be aware of it. Lana made a move to stand, but Seychelle signaled her to wait.

“You misunderstood him, didn’t she, Brandon? He would never mean that,” Seychelle said. Brandon had to give Tessa his permission or Tessa wouldn’t go. She was still too far under his spell.

Brandon felt those golden notes weighing on him, pushing on his need to cooperate. At the same time, he always counted on the goodwill of the older women in Sea Haven, and they were looking to him to do the right thing as well. He gave Tessa his best smile. “Honey, everyone would want you. You’re a wonderful girl and you’re going to go far in this world.” He pushed his most persuasive tone into his voice. “Go with Lana like a good girl and cooperate with her. She wants you to do well. All of us do.”

Tessa nearly leapt out of her seat. Lana rose smoothly and took the girl’s hand. Seychelle didn’t allow triumph to show on her face as the two left the Floating Hat together. She was certain Tessa was going to end up at Blythe and Czar’s home. It didn’t matter as long as she was safe.

She turned her attention back to Brandon, giving him a smile. “We were all so worried when we found out her age.”

Brandon leaned toward her, all charm. “I appreciate you caring enough to be concerned.”

“It was very disconcerting,” Inez said. “Really, Brandon, how could you not realize her age when she lived with you for months?”

Doris frowned. “She looks so young too. I thought Seychelle looked young, but that girl looks like a baby. You need to be far more careful in the future, Brandon.”

He scowled and got up, shoving back his chair, but his eyes were on Seychelle. Steady. Refusing to look away. “I’ll get her things and bring them to the store, Inez. I’m glad to be done with her. She was difficult.”

“She was a child,” Rebecca pointed out.

Brandon’s eyes narrowed on Seychelle. Grew dark and stormy. “This is twice now you’ve chosen to interfere. Do you think I’m going to let you get away with it?” He hissed the question at her, low and mean. This time his tone was heavy with pure copper, pushing the notes down so they dropped into her mind like weights.

She maintained eye contact. “You do what you have to do, Brandon.” Her notes were pure gold, sliding into his mind, pouring over it and surrounding it, coating it and covering it completely until the notes were lifted and carried away, drifting toward the ceiling.

He swore at her, crouching down so he could stare directly into her eyes. “This isn’t over.”

“I think it is,” Savage said. “Back off now.” He stepped between Seychelle and Brandon, breaking the eye contact between them, his crotch practically wedged in Brandon’s face, his motorcycle boots inches from his legs. His voice was low, barely heard, but it carried enough menace to send shivers down Seychelle’s spine.