Hidden Magic (11 page)

Her blood pounded in her ears. Had Jamal found her? She tightened her grasp on the knife.

The frightened girl who’d endured so many beatings threatened to take over. No, damn it. She wouldn’t be victimized ever again.

A door squeaked somewhere, sounded as if it came from a faraway tunnel. Then silence.

Fight for your life!

Yes, she could do it. She wasn’t that young, frightened woman anymore. She was strong now. And armed. Gripping the edge of a table, she willed her legs to work. Dizziness threatened to overtake her but she refused to give up.

She slipped off her shoes, trying to make as little noise as possible.

A shadow moved outside the door.

She couldn’t breathe. Her fingers shook as she hit nine-one-one. She begged the Goddess to protect her.

* * * * *

Zander was almost home when the call came over the radio. The instant he heard
Mind’s Eye Bookstore,
he made a U-turn, squealing his tires as he did. If anything had happened to Jilly after he’d left her there…

He shuddered. He couldn’t bring himself to consider the possibility.

Speeding all the way, he pulled into the lot at
Mind’s Eye
the same time as a marked unit.

Deputy Erik Fowler got out of his patrol car way too slowly for Zander’s comfort.

Zander was ahead of him at the door in a second. “Search around back. I’ll check on the caller.”

“Yes, sir.” The officer turned on his flashlight as he headed for the side of the building.

Jilly appeared behind the glass. Thank God. Zander wiped the sweat from his forehead. Her pallor tore at his gut. Why hadn’t he trusted his instincts and stayed with her?

She unlocked the door and the instant he opened it, she practically jumped into his arms.

He held her tight, smoothed his hand over her hair. “It’s okay, I’m here.” He kissed the top of her head.

She remained quiet, pressed against his chest, trembling.

Which destroyed him. Murmuring reassurances, he led her inside. The place was dark save for the lighted exit signs and the flicker of a candle spilling from the back room. He sat her in a chair and noticed for the first time that she had a pocket knife in her hand.  He tipped his chin at it. “Want to give me that?”

She let out a sigh and handed it to him.

He flipped on the light switch on the wall. “Want to tell me what happened?”

She hugged her arms around her body. He yearned to hold her, comfort her, but he had to get information first. “Did you see anyone?”

“I was doing a reading on myself when I heard glass shatter. Well, I knew something was going to happen a moment before it did.” Her eyes glistened. She didn’t say anything for a minute and he recognized that she was trying to hold it together.

He squeezed her shoulder. “It’s okay. Take your time.”

She gave him a half nod. “I went for my purse to call the police and I saw a shadow. He was right outside my door. Right there.” She gestured toward the small room where she did readings.

A chill snaked up his spine. Anything could have happened to her. “Go on.”

“I remembered the second keypad to the security system. My boss, Eloise showed it to me once. It’s in the closet in my room. I locked myself inside and hit the panic button.” She wiped a hand over her face. “He must have left the way he came as soon as the siren went off. I shut off the alarm when I saw the flashing lights out the back window.”

The front door opened. “Detective Parsons?” Deputy Fowler glanced around the room as he covered the distance between them. “There’s a broken window around the side of the building.”

“Do me a favor and call the on-duty Crime Scene tech.”

The officer blinked. “Um, okay.”

“Thanks, Erik.”

The deputy gestured at Jilly. “Need the EMTs?”

“I think she’ll be okay.”

Jilly nodded her agreement.

“Find any tracks outside?” He prayed they’d catch the burglar but since the officer stood there without a suspect in tow, he doubted they would.

The deputy shifted his gaze back and forth between Zander and Jilly. “No, sir. Nothing visible. Did he come inside?” Fowler asked Jilly.

“Looks like it.”

“Check for footprints where he broke in.” Zander didn’t want to leave Jilly’s side.

“I think he came in through the storage room.” She pointed to an open door in the back left corner of the shop.

The officer headed in that direction. “There’s some dirt on the floor, sir. Maybe the CS tech can get a print or two,” he shouted.

“I hope so.”

The crime scene van showed up about the same time as the owner of the store, the older blond woman Zander had first spoken to the day he’d met Jilly. While the tech worked, Zander took down Jilly’s official statement and Deputy Fowler helped the owner nail a board over the broken window.

By the time everyone was finished, the ordeal was showing in Jilly’s slumped posture and the bags under her eyes. Zander led her to his car and helped her into the passenger seat. He crouched next to her. “I’m taking you to my place.”

She started to object but he cut her off. “You’re obviously very shaken up. I won’t get any sleep unless I know you’re safe. And the only way to make sure you are is to have you with me. So don’t bother arguing. It won’t do any good.”

She opened her mouth to say something then apparently changed her mind.

“Can you honestly tell me you’re okay to be alone at your place? That you aren’t terrified to be by yourself tonight?”

She huffed. “No, I can’t say that.”

“I thought you’d see it my way.” He shut her door then circled the car and got behind the wheel. “Our crime scene tech didn’t find any fingerprints but there were a couple good latent footprints.”

“Latent?”

“Invisible to the naked eye.” He steered out of the parking lot. “We can tell a lot about someone by his shoe prints. Height, weight, the way he walks, maybe even what type of work he does.”

“Do you always investigate break-ins to this degree?”

He avoided looking at her. No need to frighten her any more than she already was. “Not always. But with an open missing person case that leans toward foul play, we’d rather err on the side of caution.”

“And you think the person who took Hannah could be the one who broke into
Mind’s Eye?”

“Not necessarily.” Could be a coincidence that the news had run a story about her working on the Saxon case just hours before the store was broken into, but his gut told him it was related.

“You don’t have to protect me. I know you think it had something to do with me working with you, but we can’t be sure.” She was staring at him but he refused to take his eyes off the road.

“Quit barging into my brain.”

She laughed, the first time he’d heard that musical sound all evening. “I’m not telepathic although that would come in handy. I can see your aura, though. And that tells me a lot about your mood at the time.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

When they got to his house Jilly lagged behind him on the walk then sat on the porch swing. “Mind if I hang out here a few minutes?”

He dropped his keys into his pocket then joined her on the seat. “I promise to be a perfect gentleman. You can have my room and I’ll take the couch.” Much as it was going to kill him, he couldn’t push her. She’d been through enough tonight.

“I won’t put you out of your own bed.” She pulled her black sweater tightly around her.

“I insist. Besides, I sleep on the couch most nights anyway since there’s no TV in the bedroom.” Wasn’t true, but he wasn’t going to subject her to his lumpy sofa. Although if he had his way he’d join her in his bed.

“Sounds like your life is about as exciting as mine.”

He snickered. “Yeah, well, I’ve been working a lot. County’s been looking to hire another detective but until they do, it’s just me. Sheriff Van Horn helps with the most important cases, like Hannah’s, but he’s got a lot of other responsibilities on his plate.”

She nodded but her gaze drifted away.

“Thinking about the break-in? Had to be pretty frightening.” He should have been there to protect her, damn it. He draped his arm over the back of the swing, tugged gently on a lock of her hair.

“It was…pretty awful.” She shuddered and her eyes darkened as they met his. He wasn’t psychic but the vibes she sent were unmistakable. She licked her lips and he couldn’t focus on anything but the sheen she’d left.

He recalled the taste of those lips, that sweet tongue. All his blood headed to his groin. He pulled her to him until their mouths were a fraction of an inch apart. Her scent intoxicated him. He was addicted and he desperately needed a fix.

How was he supposed to protect her when he couldn’t think straight around her? Being near her sent his head into a dizzying tailspin. He crushed his lips to hers, drank her in. Nothing soft or gentle about this kiss. It was all about unbridled need and mind-numbing passion.

Their tongues wrestled and twisted together, igniting a fire that wouldn’t be quenched until he was deep inside her. He tangled his fingers in her hair. God, if he didn’t get her inside and into his bed, they’d be giving his neighbors a show any minute now.

He broke the kiss and got up. “Let’s go in.” When he offered his hand, she wouldn’t take it.

“I…we shouldn’t Zander.”

His hopes came crashing down at his feet.

Chapter Four

Jilly couldn’t look at Zander. She knew better than to let her heart take over. But the attraction was undeniable, more intense than any she’d known. How was she supposed to get involved with him—a cop no less—when she wasn’t even who she said? Wasn’t fair to him. And it was downright dangerous for her.

She’d kept everyone at arm’s length since she’d run away from New Orleans, even her closest friends and coven-mates. Dating was something she’d avoided, or more accurately, feared. Her instincts told her she could trust Zander, but they’d led her astray more than once when it came to men. She had to end this before there was no turning back.

Headlights hopscotched through his yard and a dog barked nearby.

He roughly grabbed her hand and hauled her up. “Let’s have this discussion inside.”

She should ask him to take her home but the thought of being alone at her cottage made her cringe. If that was Jamal who’d broken into the store, she wasn’t safe anywhere by herself. Unless the break-in had to do with Hannah Saxon. Either way, she felt a whole lot safer with Zander nearby.

He took her inside his house and turned on the lights. “Be right back. Make yourself at home.” He disappeared down a hallway.

The open floor plan was bright and airy, decorated in half a dozen shades of gray. Despite the bland color scheme, there was a warmth to the place. Two walls were covered with framed pictures of smiling men, women and children. Some bore a resemblance to Zander—the emerald eyes and dark hair—others didn’t, but she suspected they were all his relatives. Several of the pictures group photos, candid shots that portrayed a family filled with love. One was a group of uniformed officers that appeared to have been taken at least twenty years ago. She picked out a man with an uncanny resemblance to Zander.

The photos somehow made the empty house feel more alive, not lonely like her cottage. But even before she’d left her identity as Lauren behind, she’d never had more than one relative’s photo—her mom’s. Her life might have turned out very different if she’d had a big, loving family as Zander apparently did.

Between the sofa and loveseat there was a guitar resting upright on a stand. She ran her hand over the polished wood and a vision of a younger Zander filled her mind. Smiling at a group of friends, he played the instrument and she sensed his immense satisfaction. Music gave him a great deal of happiness, but it was also how he worked through negative feelings. It was almost as if she were reading his private diary. She moved her hand away and the vision dissipated.

A granite breakfast bar separated the living room from the kitchen, which was so tidy it appeared to have been hardly used. An expensive looking coffee maker was the only thing on the counter.

Zander returned minus his suit jacket.

She could see way more of his muscled arms and shoulders now and it reminded her how attractive he was, how much she wanted him. But she forced the thought from her mind.

Zander headed to the kitchen. Glancing back at the front door, she noted how many steps from it she was, something she now did every time she was alone with someone she hadn’t known long.

Zander would never hurt me.

But trust didn’t come easily to her.

He rolled up his sleeves then opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of beer. “Drink?”

“No thanks.” Alcohol would only cloud her judgment. She was having a hard enough time resisting Zander even though she was perfectly sober. “This reminds me of a model home. Aren’t guys supposed to be messy?”

“I gave one of my sisters some money and she insists on cleaning the place for me every week to pay me back. She was here today.” He popped off the top of the bottle then tipped it to his mouth and drank. Then he joined her in the living room.

She pointed at the photo of the cops. “This man looks just like you. Is he your father or an uncle?”

He didn’t look at the picture. “My father.” His face clouded.

“So you followed in his footsteps, huh?”

Muscles ticked around his jaw. “God forbid.”

“What?”

He shook his head. “Don’t want to talk about it. Sit. Please.”

Last thing she wanted to do was upset him. Maybe his dad had passed on. She settled on the sofa.

Zander lowered himself to the wood coffee table opposite her and set his beer down beside him. Then he closed his hands around hers.

That delicious heat she felt every time he touched her washed over her again. She couldn’t bring herself to pull away.

“I didn’t imagine that spark between us. Did I?” His voice was low and quiet and his eyes smoky with desire. The man could turn her into a puddle of a woman with just one look.