Duplicity (Spellbound #2) (20 page)

“Lee, what are you doing?”

“I pulled out a silencing spell,” Lee answered, her back to Raj. “No one will be able to hear us.”

Raj’s sucked in a breath. Lee turned slowly. “The only drawback to the spell is it creates complete silence in the affected area.” Lee looked around her room. “That means once it is cast, neither of us will be able to speak.”

Then again, talking wasn’t really what Lee had in mind.

Raj studied her a moment. “Are you sure?”

Lee grinned. “You’re not going to fight me on this?”

Raj shook his head slowly. “It’s your decision.”

Lee set the silver heart on top of the open spell book. “Wait here,” she said. She walked down the hall to her bathroom and pulled out the jar she’d stuffed in the cupboard below the sink. Fertility spells were a dime a dozen. Preventing pregnancy, on the other hand, was a recipe much harder to come by. But Lee had finally found the protection spell she was looking for and prepared it a week before the anniversary of her death.

The herb mixture was still stashed where she’d left it beneath the sink. Lee unscrewed the lid on the jar, smelling chamomile and peppermint as she did. She slipped the jar under the faucet, filled it with water, and quickly drank it down.

Before returning to her bedroom, Lee removed the nazar from around her neck. If she kept it on, she risked having the evil eye counter the infertility spell she’d placed over herself. Not good.

Raj was standing in the same place she’d left him.

Lee took up the hand mirror beside her jewelry box. She held it at her side and walked up to Raj. There was no hesitation in her steps, no falter in her words. She looked him straight in the eyes. “From your lips to your toes, a mute silence grows.” Lee smiled. “Oh, yes, and you have fifteen minutes.”

Raj’s eyes widened. He mouthed,
I love you
.

“I love you, too,” Lee said, then lifted the hand mirror to her face and recited the chant.

Lee lay wrapped inside Raj’s arms. Out of all the feelings and emotions she’d expected, she wouldn’t have guessed peace, but here she was—the most content woman in the world.

For the past ten minutes, she and Raj lay together not speaking, and it wasn’t because of the silencing spell. That had worn off a little too soon.

Lee stared at the rainbow of colors draped across her ceiling and let out a deep, contented sigh.

Then, her cell phone rang.

Lee pulled back the covers and snapped into her clothes before her feet hit the floor. The name “Charlene” appeared on the display screen.

“I’ll be right back,” Lee said to Raj and stepped into the hallway. That ought to give him time to get himself composed and out of her bed. Lee was surprised by the lack of anger or frustration she felt at seeing who was calling. She didn’t even scowl when Gray spoke without saying hi first.

“Is Mom still there?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Lee made her way to the bathroom and snatched her nazar off the counter. Not the best place to leave it.

“Good. Make sure she doesn’t come home tonight.”

“Why?”

“Her contact paid me a visit at the house.”

“You’re kidding. What did he want?”

“I think he’s upset that she lied to him. I didn’t really want to stick around and find out, know what I mean?”

A quick glance in the mirror revealed Lee’s mussed-up tresses. She smoothed her hand through her hair. “Mm-hmm.”

“It’s spooky is what it is. The guy looks like the Grim Reaper.”

“Really?”

“And he doesn’t speak. Not aloud, anyway. He talks inside your head.”

“Creepy.”

“Way creepy. So, you’ll make sure Mom doesn’t go home?”

Lee headed back to her bedroom but paused three feet away from the door. “Yeah, of course.”

“Thanks.”

Say good-bye
, Lee told herself. Instead, she asked, “Do you have someplace safe to go?”

“I’m headed to the magic shop.”

“I said ‘safe.’”

“Don’t worry, I stopped by earlier. Adrian thinks we’re working together.”

Lee backed away from her door. “Working together on what?” Silence. “Gray?”

“Look, I had to earn his trust. And what does Adrian love more than anything?”

Lee swallowed. “Vengeance.” She took a quick last look at her door before retreating down the hall to Mr. Morehouse’s office and shutting herself inside. Lee braced herself against the sturdy oak desk against the far wall. “You’re going after Nolan, aren’t you?”

Gray didn’t even try to deny it. “Don’t worry. He won’t get hurt. And I’ll be killing two birds with one stone. I taught myself a blackout spell. Once Nolan’s dealt with, I’ll use the same spell on Adrian while I get his blood. Then I’ll fill the vials, return the pendants to Holloway, and get the heck out of Dodge. I know that will make you happy.”

Lee stood up. Her first instinct was to protest, but the truth was she did want Gray to leave town. It was for her own good, anyway. There was nothing for her here. A stab of guilt knifed its way inside Lee’s chest. “Don’t go into the shop alone. Let’s meet tomorrow after school. We do this together and then we can go our separate ways.”

“I’m going in tonight,” Gray said. “It’s not like I can go back home, and Adrian’s not on the premises. I’m still on European time. Night is my day. I’m going in.”

“If Adrian’s not even there, why exactly are you going in?”

Gray’s voice evened out. “I need an object closely tied to Adrian in order to perform the blackout.”

Lee tapped her fingers on top of Mr. Morehouse’s desk, then stopped. “I’m not gonna talk you out of this, am I?”

“Negative.”

“So you’ll just go in, get a trinket, and get out?”

“That’s it—deadly dull compared to our much crazier capers this past year.”

“Fine, promise me you won’t do anything stupid.”

“I won’t do anything you wouldn’t,” Gray said with a chuckle, right before hanging up.

Gray parked her car around the block and then walked to Adrian’s shop front. The street was now entirely deserted. Inside, the store was shadowed in darkness, not even a fixture light left on to brighten the displays.

Gray looked at the front door. She could unlock it or she could just…

A grin appeared over her face the moment she teleported inside the shop. Gray allowed her eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness, then made her way to the checkout stand. She rummaged around a drawer and began wrapping her fingers around any loose object that rolled around. No personal connections to anything inside. She shut the drawer and glanced over her shoulder.

A narrow entrance behind the checkout stand led into a back room. The room was cluttered with cardboard boxes, a mop and bucket, a mini fridge, a desk, and a worn-out armchair. As far as desktop knickknacks went, Adrian’s were not producing anything useful. There was a filing basket stacked with invoices, a stapler, tape dispenser, pencil sharpener, and jumbo eraser. Gray took these items into her hand just in case, but they contained no history or connection to the person who used them.

Gray settled into the office chair as she handled every loose item on the desk. Next, she rifled through the drawers, but the catalogues and files were about as exciting as the stapler.

Gray stood and looked around the room. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a bookshelf. Usually, she didn’t have much luck with books, but they might be the closest connection she could channel to Adrian.

Anyway, she was curious. During the short period Raj had been under Adrian’s employ, he’d talked of an extensive spell collection. If anything, she might learn something new and useful. It wasn’t like Gray had anywhere else to go that night.

She turned on Adrian’s desk lamp and made her way to the bookshelf. The first volume she selected had a binding as black as night. Gray read the title.
Retail Desire: Design, Display and the Art of the Visual Merchandiser.

She pulled out another book and then another.
Specialty Shop Retailing
.
Retail in Detail: How to Start and Manage a Small Retail Business
.

Gray groaned in frustration. She would have been better off finding out where Adrian lived and visiting his home while he was at work. What did she expect? A box of mementos and personal effects?

She shoved the marketing books back on the shelf, turned off the desk lamp, and pulled a quilted throw off a nearby shelf. The blanket had history behind it, but not Adrian’s.

Gray nestled into the worn chair and kicked off her shoes. She only meant to rest her eyes, but then she began to drift and the feeling became so intoxicatingly blissful that she let herself fall under the natural spell of sleep.

When Gray opened her eyes she saw Adrian staring at her. Morning light filtered through the small windows high above the back room. Adrian’s soft expression quickly hardened. “Look who reappeared.”

As she sat up, Gray blinked away the fog of sleep. “Sorry.”

Adrian folded his arms over his chest. “For what? Leaving without saying good-bye? Destroying my merchandise? Or breaking in?”

Gray screwed up her face. “I did not destroy your merchandise. That was mostly Lee and only because you provoked her.”

“What are you doing here anyway?”

Gray would have thought he’d be pleased to see her. She stood abruptly and folded the blanket. “I came by to apologize. Didn’t mean to intrude.” She made for the back door.

“At first I thought you really had teleported to Spain.”

Gray turned and smiled. “Nope. I couldn’t even manage to teleport myself across town. I did get from outside your shop to inside. And, I came up with a way to freak Nolan out.”

“I’m listening.”

“We’ll need to get to him while he’s sleeping.” Gray smiled. “Let the punishment fit the crime.”

Gray’s cell phone buzzed inside her purse on top of Adrian’s desk. Adrian sent the handbag floating her way. Gray snatched it and pulled the phone out.

“Hi, Mom.”

“Gray, I’m so sorry. One moment I was watching a movie with Mr. Morehouse, the next I fell asleep. I hope you weren’t too worried.”

Fell asleep? That was how Lee went about protecting Mom from her killer contact?

“I’m on my way home.”

“What! No! Don’t go home.”

“Gray?”

“I’ll meet you at The Daily Grind.”

“Gray, what’s going on?”

“I’ll explain everything there. Just don’t go home!” Gray slid her phone shut. She stepped back into her clogs. When she looked up, Adrian was studying her face.

“Why don’t you want your mom going home?”

Gray looked at the backdoor entrance beyond Adrian’s shoulder. Would it be rude if she teleported out of there two days in a row without saying good-bye? Probably.

She jutted her chin defiantly. “I made a mess last night and I don’t want her to see it until I’ve gotten a chance to clean it up.”

Adrian’s lips twitched. “Magical mishap?”

“Dinner disaster involving a lot of rice.”

Adrian joined in her laughter. His arm shot out as she tried to pass, blocking her from the door. “Nice try, Gray. What’s going on at your house?”

Gray was very tempted to karate chop the arm he held in front of her. Maybe she would teleport. Ha! Adrian would rue the day he taught her that one. Instead, she turned two glaring eyes up to his face and said, “I told you, I spilled rice all over the floor. Now move.”

The arm lowered. “Gray, if you ever need a place to stay…”

“I’d sooner sleep in a snake pit.” Gray waited till she was out the door to grimace. What was she saying? She just had!

Mom stood waiting for her in the parking lot at The Daily Grind. She was at Gray’s car door before Gray even got out.

“How did you get here?”

“Daniel lent me his car. Gray, what’s going on?”

“Mind if I order a mocha before we go into the details?”

Mom looked at the coffee shop, then at Gray. She nodded.

Once they were seated, Gray spoke in a low voice. “Your contact came by the house last night.”

“My contact?” The color drained from Mom’s face. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. What I don’t know is what he wanted. I sorta freaked and fled the scene. Mom?”

Her mom blinked several times. “You did the right thing.” She gripped the sides of the table. “What did he say?”

“Well, he doesn’t really speak, does he?”

Mom’s eyes were wild looking. They stared directly into Gray’s.

“He said he is here to correct his mistake… or
the
mistake, and when I asked what mistake, he said ‘you.’ Does he want to kill me?”

Mom shook her head slowly, but Gray couldn’t be certain whether that meant no or she had no clue.