Waking the Witch
Page 77
I laughed, but it came out a little ragged, my gaze sliding to the safety of the window.
“Did I miss something?” Adam asked.
“She’s warning me not to tangle with psychotic hell-escapees,” I said. “Which is good advice in general, and—”
“What’d Savannah do?” he said, cutting me off as he turned to Jaime.
I tried to protest, but Jaime told him. As Adam realized what she was saying, his face went rigid, eyes blazing, his fingers heating on my arm. When she finished, though, he turned to look at me, and his expression ... It was respect and it was pride and it was anger and it was something more, too, but before I could figure out exactly what it was, he glanced down, rubbing his chin, the fingers rasping against his beard stubble.
“Yes, you need a shave,” I said.
The corner of his mouth twitched a little, but he still didn’t look at me.
“Your mom’s right,” he finally said, voice gruff. “It was an insanely brave and insanely stupid thing to do, and if you ever consider it again, remember I’m on this side, and if you survive, I’ll kick your ass for the next fifty years, okay?”
“Okay.”
I smiled and he looked at me, and our eyes met, and my heart started beating so fast I could barely breathe.
“Oh, would you look at the time?” Jaime said, jumping up. “I promised Elena I’d call with an update before three.”
“I’ll call her myself,” I said quickly, and Adam looked away just as fast, saying he’d get my phone, then go grab us all something to eat from a café across the road.
“They have chocolate chip cookies,” he said as he handed me my phone. “They look really good.”
I made a gagging noise and he laughed, and whatever had been in the room a moment ago had passed.
As he teased me, though, a nurse stopped and popped her head into the room.
“You got the cookies, then?” she said.
We all stared at her.
“I heard you talking about cookies ...” Her gaze moved down the hall. “No, they’re still here. Just a moment.”
She came back carrying a box that made my stomach clench. Taste of Heaven cookies.
“Your friend dropped these off earlier,” the nurse said as Adam took the box.
“Friend?”
“A young woman. She came in to see Savannah. She knocked over the bed tray and Linda gave her quite the tongue-lashing, I’m afraid. She left these and took off.”
“When did this happen?” Adam demanded.
“When you went for dinner last night,” I murmured. “I thought I dreamed it.” I turned to the nurse. “What did she look like?”
“Mousy little thing.” She colored. “I shouldn’t say that. She was very sweet.”
“Did she leave a name?”
“No. She was about your age. Long dark blond hair. Turned-up nose.”
I thanked the nurse. When she left, I turned to Adam. “The new girl at the commune.”
He frowned. “I thought Leah ...”
“Killed Tiffany? She said she didn’t—and she wouldn’t bother to lie. Seems we have a witch-hunter after all. So can we leave now? Before she comes back and kills me in my sleep?”
He grabbed my shoes and jacket from the closet.
forty
Getting discharged from the clinic wasn’t easy, so we took the express route ... out the nearest exit door. Jaime covered for us. I gave her my house key and said we’d meet her there tonight. An hour later, we were pulling up to the commune gates. I let Adam help me out. When he tried putting my arm around his waist, I pushed him away.
“I’m fine,” I said.
“No, you’re barely walking.” He put his arm around me for support. “Enough with the heroics, okay? You’ve earned enough brownie points to last you a lifetime.”
My cheeks heated. I tried stepping away again, but he only tightened his grip.
“Either I help you or we go back to the hospital and get you a cane. Better yet, a walker.” He grinned at me. “Now that, I’d pay to see.”
I lifted my fingers, tips sparking.
He laughed. “You don’t scare me, Savannah Levine. You might have your spell power back, but you’re liable to keel over before you can cast.”
A figure appeared on the porch. Megan, bringing out a basket of laundry. She shaded her eyes and looked our way. A hand raised in halfhearted greeting, then she came out to meet us.
I had to remind myself I’d been gone only a day. Not long enough for people to notice I’d left, I hoped. The fewer questions I had to answer, the better.
“We’re looking for the new girl, Amy,” I said.
“That makes two of us,” Megan said.
“She’s not here, I take it,” Adam said.
“Packed and left last night. Didn’t even ask for her final wages.” She hefted the basket on her hip. “I should have notified the police. I just thought ... well, I thought with Cody dead and the murders solved, she wasn’t likely to turn up dead.”
“What the hell are you doing on my property?” boomed a voice.
We turned as Alastair strode toward us, his face red with fury. Behind him, girls watched from the house, accusing glares fixed on me.
“I cannot believe you would have the nerve to set your foot on my property after what you did.”
“What did I-?” I began.
“You’re a lying, hypocritical little bitch, Ms. Levine.”
“Whoa!” Adam stepped forward. “I don’t know what you think Savannah did—”
“She came to my house and she pretended to care about that little girl-”
“If you mean Kayla—”
“Of course, I mean Kayla. You told Paula you weren’t going to do anything. You promised her. She trusted you. You lied because you didn’t have the guts to look her in the face and tell her you were turning her in.”
“What? I never-”
“You sawwhat kind of mother she was to Kayla. You saw how much that little girl needed her. But you turned her in. And for what? That wasn’t even your case—you were hired by Claire’s mother. You had nothing to gain by accusing Paula.”
“Civic duty,” Megan murmured. “She’s a detective. Whether Ginny’s death was her job or not, it was still her responsibility—”
“Did I miss something?” Adam asked.
“She’s warning me not to tangle with psychotic hell-escapees,” I said. “Which is good advice in general, and—”
“What’d Savannah do?” he said, cutting me off as he turned to Jaime.
I tried to protest, but Jaime told him. As Adam realized what she was saying, his face went rigid, eyes blazing, his fingers heating on my arm. When she finished, though, he turned to look at me, and his expression ... It was respect and it was pride and it was anger and it was something more, too, but before I could figure out exactly what it was, he glanced down, rubbing his chin, the fingers rasping against his beard stubble.
“Yes, you need a shave,” I said.
The corner of his mouth twitched a little, but he still didn’t look at me.
“Your mom’s right,” he finally said, voice gruff. “It was an insanely brave and insanely stupid thing to do, and if you ever consider it again, remember I’m on this side, and if you survive, I’ll kick your ass for the next fifty years, okay?”
“Okay.”
I smiled and he looked at me, and our eyes met, and my heart started beating so fast I could barely breathe.
“Oh, would you look at the time?” Jaime said, jumping up. “I promised Elena I’d call with an update before three.”
“I’ll call her myself,” I said quickly, and Adam looked away just as fast, saying he’d get my phone, then go grab us all something to eat from a café across the road.
“They have chocolate chip cookies,” he said as he handed me my phone. “They look really good.”
I made a gagging noise and he laughed, and whatever had been in the room a moment ago had passed.
As he teased me, though, a nurse stopped and popped her head into the room.
“You got the cookies, then?” she said.
We all stared at her.
“I heard you talking about cookies ...” Her gaze moved down the hall. “No, they’re still here. Just a moment.”
She came back carrying a box that made my stomach clench. Taste of Heaven cookies.
“Your friend dropped these off earlier,” the nurse said as Adam took the box.
“Friend?”
“A young woman. She came in to see Savannah. She knocked over the bed tray and Linda gave her quite the tongue-lashing, I’m afraid. She left these and took off.”
“When did this happen?” Adam demanded.
“When you went for dinner last night,” I murmured. “I thought I dreamed it.” I turned to the nurse. “What did she look like?”
“Mousy little thing.” She colored. “I shouldn’t say that. She was very sweet.”
“Did she leave a name?”
“No. She was about your age. Long dark blond hair. Turned-up nose.”
I thanked the nurse. When she left, I turned to Adam. “The new girl at the commune.”
He frowned. “I thought Leah ...”
“Killed Tiffany? She said she didn’t—and she wouldn’t bother to lie. Seems we have a witch-hunter after all. So can we leave now? Before she comes back and kills me in my sleep?”
He grabbed my shoes and jacket from the closet.
forty
Getting discharged from the clinic wasn’t easy, so we took the express route ... out the nearest exit door. Jaime covered for us. I gave her my house key and said we’d meet her there tonight. An hour later, we were pulling up to the commune gates. I let Adam help me out. When he tried putting my arm around his waist, I pushed him away.
“I’m fine,” I said.
“No, you’re barely walking.” He put his arm around me for support. “Enough with the heroics, okay? You’ve earned enough brownie points to last you a lifetime.”
My cheeks heated. I tried stepping away again, but he only tightened his grip.
“Either I help you or we go back to the hospital and get you a cane. Better yet, a walker.” He grinned at me. “Now that, I’d pay to see.”
I lifted my fingers, tips sparking.
He laughed. “You don’t scare me, Savannah Levine. You might have your spell power back, but you’re liable to keel over before you can cast.”
A figure appeared on the porch. Megan, bringing out a basket of laundry. She shaded her eyes and looked our way. A hand raised in halfhearted greeting, then she came out to meet us.
I had to remind myself I’d been gone only a day. Not long enough for people to notice I’d left, I hoped. The fewer questions I had to answer, the better.
“We’re looking for the new girl, Amy,” I said.
“That makes two of us,” Megan said.
“She’s not here, I take it,” Adam said.
“Packed and left last night. Didn’t even ask for her final wages.” She hefted the basket on her hip. “I should have notified the police. I just thought ... well, I thought with Cody dead and the murders solved, she wasn’t likely to turn up dead.”
“What the hell are you doing on my property?” boomed a voice.
We turned as Alastair strode toward us, his face red with fury. Behind him, girls watched from the house, accusing glares fixed on me.
“I cannot believe you would have the nerve to set your foot on my property after what you did.”
“What did I-?” I began.
“You’re a lying, hypocritical little bitch, Ms. Levine.”
“Whoa!” Adam stepped forward. “I don’t know what you think Savannah did—”
“She came to my house and she pretended to care about that little girl-”
“If you mean Kayla—”
“Of course, I mean Kayla. You told Paula you weren’t going to do anything. You promised her. She trusted you. You lied because you didn’t have the guts to look her in the face and tell her you were turning her in.”
“What? I never-”
“You sawwhat kind of mother she was to Kayla. You saw how much that little girl needed her. But you turned her in. And for what? That wasn’t even your case—you were hired by Claire’s mother. You had nothing to gain by accusing Paula.”
“Civic duty,” Megan murmured. “She’s a detective. Whether Ginny’s death was her job or not, it was still her responsibility—”
