A Book of Spirits and Thieves Page 27

  Maddox laughed. “Apologies!” Then he shifted his gaze to Becca, who sat on a wooden bench across the tavern, glaring up at him. Her arms were crossed and her expression . . .

  Oh dear.

  He jumped down from the table. “I’ll be back soon, Sienna.”

  “Take your time, sweetling,” she replied with a grin.

  She called him sweetling!

  He made his way through the crowd toward Becca. “You look deeply unhappy,” he told her when he reached her side.

  “Do I?”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. I’m just sitting here, invisible and incorporeal. Waiting. My sister and mother are probably only desperately worried about me, while you’re all here celebrating the fact that you managed to open a locked box. So, no. Not unhappy. Just impatient. With you.”

  She said you so sharply it was as if it were a dagger she’d decided to poke him with.

  But instead of making him feel bad, it raised his ire. “I know you’re in a gigantic rush to leave this kingdom you despise so much, but it’ll have to wait until tomorrow.”

  “Oh really?”

  “Yes . . . really. Besides, have you considered for one moment that the thought of saying farewell to you might be painful for me? That having you here as a spirit I can never touch is preferable to me than not having you here at all, even though the thought of kissing you—really kissing you, the real, solid you—is all I can think about?”

  Her eyes widened. “Maddox . . .”

  It was a great relief to have gotten the truth out, but the aftermath made him feel raw and exposed and deeply foolish. “Please forgive my drunken behavior.”

  He staggered away from her without another word.

  The tavern swirled around him—the laughter, the chatter, the music, and the dancing. Everyone seemed happy and joyous.

  Yet Maddox now descended into pure misery.

  He liked Becca so much, had gotten so attached to her in such a short time, it felt as if his heart might ignite inside his chest.

  And if everything went perfectly, he would soon lose her forever.

  When they got back to the cottage, Maddox excused himself so he could rush outside and be sick. When he was done wiping his mouth, he noticed he had an audience.

  “Better up than down,” Barnabas said, nodding sympathetically.

  “I didn’t ask for your opinion.”

  “What? I’m here to help you through. It’ll take you a while until you’re able to handle your drink. But it’ll happen.”

  Maddox pressed up against the stone exterior of Camilla’s cottage, then slid down to the ground and rested his head in his hands.

  “Oh my,” Barnabas said. “You’re in terrible shape, aren’t you?”

  “The worst.”

  “It’s not just the ale. It’s the girl, too. Am I correct?”

  Maddox rubbed his eyes. “Have you ever been in love, Barnabas?”

  Barnabas paused, as if in solemn thought. “Is that what this is with the spirit girl?”

  “I don’t know what it is. I’m just asking you a question.”

  That pained shadow he’d seen yesterday crossed Barnabas’s expression again.

  “Yes, I’ve been in love. I know how it feels. That all-consuming sensation like nothing you’ve ever experienced before. The terrifying knowledge that you would live and die for this girl, if only she’d give you the chance.”

  “Who was she, this girl you loved?”

  Barnabas turned his faraway gaze to Maddox and finally smiled again. “We should get you back inside, my young friend. There’s a warm cot with your name on it in the back room. You can sleep this off.”

  It seemed Barnabas didn’t want to talk about such private things, which was probably for the best. Maddox knew he’d likely be lying anyway.

  “Sleep sounds good,” Maddox agreed.

  “It certainly does.”

  It was well past dawn when Maddox finally woke. Opening his eyes, he felt as if someone had placed a thousand-pound weight upon his head while he slept.

  “Ughh,” he moaned as he pushed up from the cot.

  “I bet you have a hell of a hangover this morning,” Becca said. She stood by the wall, her arms crossed over her chest.

  “I wasn’t hanging over anything, was I? Were you”—he hesi-tated—“watching me sleep?”

  “Um.” Her cheeks reddened. “More like waiting for you to wake up.”

  “Is everyone else awake?”

  She nodded. “They’ve been up for hours.”

  Maddox rubbed his forehead, trying to will the crushing pain away. He peered at Becca through his fingers. “My deepest apologizes for my behavior last night.”

  “No apology necessary.” She searched his face in silence before turning away. “I’ll leave you to get dressed.”

  When she left, he forced himself to get up and get dressed, and reflected on all the idiotic things he’d said to Becca last night. At least, all the idiotic things he could remember. With one last groan, he left his little room to join the others.

  Camilla tossed him a roasted chicken leg as he passed through the main room of the cottage. “Get something in that stomach of yours.”

  Barnabas sat at the table, inspecting the book.

  “Are we planning to test the book’s magic this morning?” Maddox asked.

  “Yes, we certainly are,” Barnabas replied.

  Sienna entered the room, smiled at them all, then turned to warm her hands by the fire. “Good morning, sister. Good morning, Barnabas, Maddox. A lovely day, isn’t it?”

  Barnabas closed the book. “Not nearly as lovely as you are, Sienna.”

  “My, you’re a charmer, aren’t you?” said Sienna.

  “I certainly try.”

  There was a knock at the door.

  “Who could that be?” Camilla asked, frowning and scratching her wart-covered chin. “I’m not expecting anyone.”

  “Perhaps you aren’t,” Sienna said. “But I am. Seems they’ve arrived earlier than I expected. They must have taken very swift horses.”

  “Who’s that?”

  “Some friends of mine who are interested in what your friends stole from the goddess.”

  “What?” Camilla exclaimed. “What are you talking about?”

  Sienna closed the distance between them, showing a flash of silver in her grip, and Camilla gasped as Sienna sank her sharp dagger into her soft belly.

  “Did you really think you could steal from Her Radiance and get to live another day?” Sienna hissed as she let her sister fall to the floor in a heap.

  Maddox watched in silent shock. He met Becca’s stunned gaze with wide eyes.

  “Maddox,” Barnabas yelled. “Run!”

  The wooden door split and crashed inward as Valoria’s guards poured into the cottage.

  Maddox tried to summon his magic, but he was too flustered, and too ill and weakened by all the ale he’d consumed last night.

  “That one.” Sienna pointed at Maddox, her expression now void of any kindness. “Valoria will need him when she arrives.”

  The heavy weight of a sword hilt struck the side of Maddox’s head, and darkness once again filled his world.

  Chapter 24

  CRYSTAL

  Crys visited Becca Saturday morning. It was just the two of them, and Crys sat in the chair and studied her sister’s face.

  She’s not my sister, she reminded herself. She’s the daughter of an immortal murderer.

  Crys tried to see her differently, tried to feel less of a bond with her. Maybe that would make everything easier.

  But it didn’t work. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t see Becca as anything except her kid sister.

  And she knew in her heart she never would.


  She’d been up most of the night, racked with all kinds of thoughts after her dinner with Farrell the previous evening. She hadn’t actually meant to admit she knew his secret so soon.

  He’d confirmed her worst suspicions. The guy she’d originally met, the guy she’d actually liked, hadn’t been real. The one from last night, that was the real Farrell Grayson. A smug, overconfident, overprivileged creep who was a part of a horrible organization responsible for evil acts.

  Did he know the whole truth about Markus? Or was he just another clueless minion?

  Crys didn’t care either way. She never wanted to see him again.

  When she got back to the shop, she considered confiding in her mother about what had happened last night with Farrell, but before she could say a word, her mother immediately grabbed her purse and jacket.

  “Can you close up the shop tonight?” she asked.

  “Where are you going? Out to visit Becca?”

  “No.” Julia hesitated at the doorway.

  “Mom,” Crys said pointedly. “No more secrets between us, remember?”

  She sighed and turned to face her daughter. “No more secrets,” she agreed.

  “So? Spill.”

  “I need go to the airport and pick up your aunt.”

  Crys gasped. “Jackie’s here?”

  “Almost here. She managed to get a flight out of London this morning. Her plane lands in an hour. She wants to see Dr. Vega immediately, but I haven’t been able to get him on the phone to set up a meeting. We’ll stop by his office on our way back, and hopefully he’ll still be there.” She reached for the doorknob. “I’ll call when I have Jackie in the car, and we’ll let you know when to expect us.”

  “What if someone follows you?” Julia didn’t know that Markus had put Farrell on her trail, and it was entirely possible she was being watched as well.

  “Trust me, in the last fifteen years I’ve learned how to get around without being detected.”

  “You’ll have to teach me that.”

  “Maybe someday.” She squeezed Crys’s hand. “I’ll see you soon.”

  Crys locked the door after she left, turned the sign to CLOSED, and searched the bookshop until she found Charlie. She took him up to the apartment, where she gave him half a can of tuna, then made a sandwich with the other half.

  He gobbled the fish up in record time, then squeaked out a happy mew.

  “You’re welcome.” She leaned over to scratch his head. “So, what do we do now?”

  He brushed against her leg, his tail twitching.

  “You’re right. If I stay here with all this time to think, I’m going to go completely crazy. I need to do something. But what?”

  Charlie padded out of the kitchen and jumped up on the carpet-covered climber she’d recently bought for him.

  “You’re no help at all,” Crys said.

  A half hour went by before she got so impatient that she decided to head to the university campus. She decided she’d wait in Dr. Vega’s office for her mother and Jackie to arrive.

  She grabbed her keys and her bag, then eyed the Canon she’d left on her bedside table.

  “What can I say?” she mumbled. “It’s a great camera.”

  She tucked it in her bag.

  On the way to the campus, she tried it out for the first time, confirming that digital had one very important and helpful advantage over film: She could instantly review the photos she took on the view screen.

  However, this convenience would also take some of the fun out of photography for her, robbing her of the surprise that came with seeing what showed up on film when she finally developed it days or weeks later.

  When Crys arrived at the campus and began navigating her way along the sidewalks toward her destination, she kept an eye open for anyone who might be spying on her, but came up with nothing. But that didn’t mean Markus wasn’t around. He could be here today, attending one of his classes.

  Unless that, too, had been a lie.

  She entered the Anthropology Building and headed up to Dr. Vega’s office, only to find an unlocked door and an empty room.

  “Can I help you?” another frazzled-looking professor came up from behind and asked, frowning so deeply it looked painful.

  “I’m looking for Dr. Vega. Is he here today?”

  “No, he’s not here. I’m afraid he was taken to the emergency room earlier this afternoon.”

  She stared at him. “What? What happened?”

  “He was mugged and beaten very badly.”

  Her grip tightened on the strap of her bag. “Where is he?”

  “Mount Sinai Hospital. It’s not far from here.”

  She’d already started for the exit. “I know exactly where it is.”

  Dr. Vega was in the same hospital as Becca.

  It took Crys a while to find Dr. Vega’s room, and then she had to lie and say he was her father in order to see him.

  Luckily, the nurse believed her.

  She slowly pushed open the door to find a beaten, bloody man lying in a hospital bed, his eyelids swollen and open only a fraction, but enough to know he was awake.

  “Miss Hatcher,” he managed to say, his voice hoarse and raw. “I’m so sorry about all this.”

  “Sorry?” She was at his side in a second, wincing at the sight of the tubes attached to his arms and nose. “For what?”

  “I’m such a fool, such a weak, pathetic fool. They’ve been watching me, all this time. I’ve prided myself on my paranoia, feeling it’s kept me safe all this time. But they were waiting. Until I had what they needed. I’ve betrayed you. And I’ve betrayed your aunt. I only wish I could have been stronger.”

  “The Hawkspear Society. They did this, didn’t they?”

  He nodded, then grimaced as if the small movement had caused him great pain. “I tried not to tell them anything beyond what I already revealed in my paper, but they applied some duress, as you can see.”

  Her stomach lurched. “What did you tell them?”

  “The Codex . . . you told me you’d seen it. . . .”

  Crys went cold inside. She’d told Markus that she didn’t know where it was. “What else?”

  “That your sister touched it, and that it sent her into a mysterious coma.”

  “Damn it.” Markus now had all the information he needed to get the book and severely hurt her family in the process.

  “I should have let them kill me.”

  “No,” she said fiercely. “Don’t say that. You did what you did because they gave you no other choice. Jackie will understand.”

  “She’ll never speak to me again.” His eyes filled with tears. “All our work, the amount she’s struggled these last several years, all for nothing.”

  “It’s not for nothing. When did this happen?”

  “I was on my lunch break. Open-faced roast beef sandwich, gravy, salad. Tea with lemon.” He exhaled shakily. “I hadn’t taken even my first bite when they arrived.”

  Part of her wanted to be angry with him, but looking at him now, so baffled and helpless, she wasn’t. Markus’s minions had tortured the information out of him.

  “For your sister to have this reaction to the Codex,” he managed, “it means that she must be very important and very special.”

  “You’re right. She definitely is.”

  After a solemn goodbye, Crys left his room, promising to come back and check on him later.

  She went to Becca’s floor, her steps quickening as she approached the room and pushed open the door.

  Becca’s bed was empty.

  She turned and grabbed the first nurse who passed by. “Where’s my sister? Where’s Becca Hatcher?”

  The nurse frowned, then grabbed the clipboard on the door, scanning it. “It doesn’t say she was moved. . . .”

&
nbsp; “She’s not here, so she must have been moved somewhere. Where was she moved?”

  Confusion crossed the nurse’s expression. “I . . . don’t know. There must have been a mistake somewhere. I’ll look into it immediately.”

  Crys’s phone began to ring. She pulled it out of her bag and looked down at the screen.

  DAD

  “Crys.” He cut her off when she answered. “I know you’re at the hospital.”

  Her legs weakened, and she went to sit down on a nearby chair. “What’s going on?”

  “Markus was ready to be exceedingly patient with you. . . .”

  “Dad—”

  “But he knows you lied to him. You’ve seen the Codex, haven’t you?”

  There was no point in denying it now. “Okay, yeah. I have. But I didn’t lie to him. I really don’t know where it is.”

  “I’ve been asked to tell you to go get it and return to the bookshop. Someone will pick you up there in an hour.”

  “Dad, aren’t you listening to me? I don’t know where it is.”

  “Yes, I am listening. And now you will listen to me.” There was no emotion in her father’s cold voice, which had turned her blood to ice. “You brought this on yourself. I don’t know what your mother has told you, but she’s a liar. She’s manipulating you.”

  “Where is Becca?” she bit out, then raised her voice. “Where is she?”

  “She’s with us.”

  Crys went utterly still. “With you? You mean, with you and Markus? What the hell, Dad? Why are you being like this? Is . . . is she okay?”

  “She’s fine.”

  “I thought you loved me. I thought you wanted the best for me and for Becca.” Her voice broke.

  “I do. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.” He paused, but only for one tense moment before he spoke again. “An hour. Be ready, have the Codex in hand, and all this will turn out perfectly fine.”

  Before she could remind him, yet again, that she truly had no idea where it was, he hung up.

  Crys stared at her phone, then yelled an obscenity at it so loudly that the nurses and patients in the hallway looked at her with alarm.

  Hands shaking, she scrolled through her contacts and called her mother as she headed out of the hospital.