Lunacy (Blood Trails Book 13), page 24
“We do, yes.”
I sighed. “Why would I do that?”
“Because once I have Magda, and you’ve given us some space, Daryl will text you where to find Emma. And Shade? Don’t try using your little tracking spell. Emma’s situation is…time sensitive. And once I send the address, you have thirty minutes to get here. Hope you don’t hit traffic.”
Chapter 23
“It’s an ambush,” Sonar guessed. “I know that address. It’s a gym, but it’s closed for renovations. If it were me, I’d prioritize killing Shade to make sure she doesn’t have to worry about any more tracking spells.”
Liam shot Sonar a glare in the rearview mirror. His truck shot through a yellow light with enough suddenness that my heart almost leapt out of my throat.
I took a deep breath. “That’s fair. But I’m harder to kill than one might think.”
“Just ask Cormac,” Peasblossom agreed.
I winced.
Liam’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t say anything.
“If she tries to kill my witch,” Peasblossom continued. “She’ll have me to deal with.”
Scath let out a sound between a whine and a growl, that skin-crawling sound all cats seemed able to make.
I smiled at the odd show of support, but my happy expression died as Magda made a pathetic whimpering sound low in her throat. I glanced behind me into the backseat where the female shifter was sandwiched between Scath and Sonar. I didn’t like having Magda with us. Abused women could be an unpredictable combination of weakness and ferocity, and Magda had already proven whose side she was on. If she was willing to lie to Liam to protect Cormac, I could only imagine what she’d be willing to do for Danielle, her beloved stepdaughter.
“There it is,” Sonar said, pointing straight ahead. Through the intersection we were stopped at, I could see a gym with the name “Sock it to Me” over the door. A boxing gym. Judging by the state of the front of the building and the generous graffiti that covered the red brick, I guessed the membership fees were more affordable than most.
The windows in front were scratched to the point they almost seemed frosted at the edges, and the lights were off inside, making it impossible to tell if there was any movement in the building.
Liam pulled through the intersection and into the lot across the street that provided spillover parking for the surrounding businesses.
“Please don’t hurt her,” Magda begged. “She needs help. You have to see that?”
She aimed the last sentence at me. I met her eyes, holding her gaze until she looked away. Hopefully remembering that less than thirty minutes ago, she’d thrown me under the bus after her husband tried to kill me. I wasn’t the one to beg for help.
Liam got out of the truck and led the way toward the gym’s front doors. Sonar circled around the back, clearly intent on catching Danielle if she fled out a different exit. Scath put herself behind Magda, and I followed Liam, trusting Scath to make sure Magda didn’t try anything.
The door was unlocked.
“That’s not suspicious at all,” Peasblossom muttered, holding onto the shell of my ear with one hand.
“There’s a security camera,” I said under my breath. “Over the door. What do you want to bet Danielle is watching us?”
None of us looked up, but I knew Liam had made a mental note of the camera’s position. His aura ticked up a few degrees, the heat a sharp contrast to the freezing air around us.
“It won’t help her,” Peasblossom said confidently. “She’s no match for us.”
I wished I shared Peasblossom’s confidence. But Danielle had proven to be more resourceful than I’d given her credit for. Like most addicts, she’d proven to be very crafty when it was necessary to get what she wanted. I wouldn’t underestimate her again.
I reached out to touch Liam’s shoulder, jumping when he turned to me with eyes four shades lighter than they should have been, glittering with gold flecks. Something about looking into those eyes so close to mine made the world contract, eliminating everything but Liam. Heat rushed to my face, and I shook my head.
“Wait here a moment,” I told Liam, pleased that my voice came out clear and calm. “I just need a moment to prepare.” Before he could respond, I retreated a short ways away. I glanced back to see Magda watching me, her expression hard to read. She’d hear anything I said at this distance.
“Scath,” I said, looking down. “A little white noise?”
Scath blinked at me, then looked back toward Magda. After a moment of hesitation, she paced a few steps away, putting herself between us and Magda, and started…purring.
I raised my eyebrows. I wasn’t sure what I’d expected, but it hadn’t been that. Mundane large cats didn’t purr—they didn’t have the physiology for it. Of course, Scath wasn’t a mundane cat. Still.
I shrugged the shoulder Peasblossom was curled up on. “I’m going to give you a tracking spell,” I said, keeping my voice as low as I could without being unintelligible. “I want you to put it on Magda in case Danielle does manage to get away.”
Peasblossom nodded solemnly, holding still as I pressed a finger lightly to her forehead and passed her the spell. I moved slowly, concentrating on the spell and using as little energy as possible. The supercharged nap had helped, but the energy I felt now wouldn’t last. I’d need real sleep, soon. And if I wanted to be ready for whatever Danielle had waiting inside, I couldn’t afford to be loose with my magic.
By the time I walked back to the gym, Liam had his hand on the handle of the front door, and he looked like he was ready to tear it off out of sheer impatience. Magda stood beside him, a humming beacon of tension, her eyes darting side to side, the pulse in her neck throbbing so hard I could count her heartbeats even in the dim light from the few street lamps that weren’t burnt out.
We entered the gym quietly. There were four boxing rings, one in each corner. In between the rings were huge heavy bags that were almost more duct-tape than vinyl. Moonlight crept in through the large front windows, filling the room with shadows that seemed to move whenever I turned my head. Liam’s nose twitched with every step he took, and between him and Scath, I hoped we’d have some warning if Danielle had any friends around.
I looked up and noticed that there was a narrow catwalk that took up two of the walls, meeting in the corner to form a right angle. A viewing platform that would allow a coach to look down on all four rings.
Only the person that stepped out of the shadows to stand in front of the railing was no coach.
“Cutting it a little close, don’t you think?” Danielle said, her tone mocking. She raised her arms and spread her hands out to gesture to either side of her. “We’ve been waiting.”
More figures stepped out of the shadows. I cursed to myself and glanced at Liam. He shook his head, almost imperceptibly. He hadn’t smelled them.
I was willing to bet my last roll of toilet paper that there were some cans of scent-killer spray missing from the box of stuff we’d taken from Howard’s apartment.
The people standing to either side of Danielle were armed, and they all wore ski masks of varying colors to hide their faces. Two of them had their guns drawn, held loosely in their grips as they kept their hands at their sides—for now. The other two wore their weapons tucked into the waistband of their jeans. It was a good way to end up shooting themselves, but now wasn’t the time for a lecture on gun safety.
I took a deep breath and carefully opened my third eye, just enough for a peek. “Her friends are human,” I murmured, keeping my voice too low for Danielle’s companions to hear, but loud enough that I knew Liam would hear me.
Danielle heard me too.
“Oh, that’s right. You guys haven’t met my friends.” She clapped a hand on the shoulder of the person next to her, a tall woman with red hair peeking out from under the edges of her ski mask. “We go way back. They helped me a lot when my mom died.”
I swallowed a groan. Human friends from before she was turned. A convenient way to discourage me from using magic. Well, flashy magic. Danielle was a fool if she thought hiding behind humans would give her that much of an advantage.
Though their presence would keep Sonar and Liam from shifting.
“I have a deal for you, Detective,” Danielle said. “All I want is a fresh start. You agree to hand over Magda, and swear that you will never try to find—or have your girlfriend or someone else find—me, or Daryl, or Magda ever again, and I’ll have Daryl let Emma go.”
“I can’t do that, Danielle,” Liam said calmly. “You killed a man, and you tried to frame Emma for it. Emma could still end up taking the blame. You need to come back and tell the police the truth.”
Liam had deliberately avoided mentioning the Vanguard or New Moon, but Danielle understood. Unfortunately, the mention of police had an immediate effect on her companions.
“Police,” one of the men growled. “We’re not handing her over to any cops. Dani didn’t kill anyone.”
I stepped forward, drawing their attention. “You care a lot about Magda, don’t you, Danielle? That’s why you never went through with your end of your and Daryl’s agreement. In the end, you couldn’t leave her alone with Cormac. Especially not after you forced her to lie for you.”
Danielle’s jaw tensed. “He’s a monster. He’ll kill her eventually. Or let Talia go too far and do it for him.” She looked at Magda then, and her face softened. “I’ll keep you safe. You’ll come with me and Daryl, and we’ll protect you.”
My chest tightened in a burst of involuntary empathy. Danielle cared for Magda, really cared for her. And she wanted to believe she could save her. Wanted to believe it so badly that she didn’t notice the way Magda leaned away when she spoke. Didn’t realize that Magda would never go with her. Never leave Cormac. My heart ached for her. Magda either didn’t want to leave her husband—another unfortunate characteristic of abused women—or she was too afraid to go. If it was the latter, I couldn’t blame her. I didn’t think Cormac would ever give up on her, would ever live with the shame of others finding out his wife had left him. And I hated to think what his reaction would be if she did run, and he caught her.
“She won’t leave with you,” I said gently. “Look at her. She’s not going to leave.”
Danielle’s expression turned pleading. “You’ve been like a mother to me. Please. Please, come with me. Get away from him for good.”
“I can’t,” Magda whispered. “Baby, you know I can’t.”
Danielle hesitated, then lifted her chin. “It’s okay. It’s okay, you’ll be safe anyway. Liam will protect you. He’s finished at the recovery center, he’ll have no choice but to go back home. He’ll keep you safe.”
Liam narrowed his eyes. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Yes, you will,” Danielle insisted. “New management will move in once you’ve lost your position, you’ll have to move on. Why wouldn’t you go home?”
“Oh, Dani,” Magda said miserably. “Liam is never coming home.”
“Yes, he will.” Danielle stared at Liam, as if she could will him to agree with her. “I can see how much it bothers you how Cormac treats Magda—and everyone else. If you lose your job, you’ll have no more excuses for not doing something about it. It’s like Magda says, you balance Cormac out. You keep him from going too far, from being too cruel.” She looked back at Magda without giving Liam a chance to respond. “If you won’t come with me, at least I know he won’t kill you if Liam is there. Liam will protect you.”
The last line sounded more like a plea. A child begging an adult to tell them there is no monster under the bed.
“Liam has a job beyond the center,” I said, still careful not to mention New Moon by name. “He’s a cop. And he has family here. Friends.”
“You,” Danielle spat.
Liam’s aura flared, sending another heatwave over me that made me take a step closer to him. “Yes, her. I’m not going anywhere.”
I frowned. “You know…now that I think about it. Who’s to say it won’t be Cormac that takes over?”
Liam stiffened, but Danielle spoke up before he could.
“No,” Danielle snapped. “He would never leave Wayne National Forest. He has too much territory.”
“Well, I guess that depends on what he values more,” I said slowly, pieces starting to fall into place. “The territory…or the power and influence that would come with running Liam’s business. Molding all those minds.”
Danielle paled.
“I’m guessing that you wouldn’t like that,” I continued. “You would never feed more people to Cormac, let him get more powerful, more influential. You hate him. Even though that would mean Liam would be around to protect Magda, you’d never give Cormac that kind of power.” I looked at Magda. “But you would. Wouldn’t you?”
Magda flinched, raising her hands and wringing them in front of her. “What? What are you saying?”
“She had nothing to do with anything,” Danielle snapped.
Something Flint had said to me once came back to me then. One of the little pearls of wisdom he chucked at me so often. “All it takes for a weak person to triumph is patience and an eye for opportunity,” I murmured. “You planned it all, didn’t you, Magda?”
Magda’s eyes widened. “Please. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Leave her alone,” Danielle growled, stepping forward to grip the railing.
“I caught Jackal and Talia together earlier,” I pressed, ignoring Danielle.
“And you’re surprised because you thought she loved Cormac?” Magda said weakly. “She cares about power, not Cormac. She’s been trying to get Jackal to challenge him for alpha for years.”
“That’s not what’s perturbing me,” I said. “When I caught them, Talia told me Cormac didn’t care who slept with who.”
“So?” Danielle asked.
“So why would he care that you and Daryl had a relationship?” I asked. “Because you’re his daughter?”
Danielle froze. Uncertainty pulled her brows together and she looked at Magda.
“No,” Magda said quickly. “He didn’t know. Doesn’t know.”
“You said not to tell him,” Danielle said slowly. “You swore you wouldn’t tell him, that if the time came for him to know, I could do it. You promised.”
“I didn’t tell him,” Magda insisted. “Maybe he figured it out.”
“We could ask him,” I suggested. “Should be simple enough. If he knows, we’ll ask him how he found out.”
“No,” Magda blurted out.
As soon as the word escaped her mouth, panic seized her shoulders. She knew it was too late.
“Maybe we should ask him why he didn’t want you and Daryl together, Danielle” I said, looking at Magda.
“He said he had plans for me,” Danielle said, almost to herself. “He said I would do better than Daryl, that Daryl was a loser who would only hold me back. He said I had potential. I thought it was mockery at the time, him taunting the druggie loser. But he wasn’t, was he?” Danielle turned to Magda. “You’re the only one who ever said that to me. That I had potential.” Tears shone in her eyes. “Did you convince him to forbid me and Daryl to be together?”
Magda took a step toward her. “Dani, you and Daryl will be together. You—”
“Answer the question,” Danielle snapped. “Were you the one who turned him against us?”
“No.”
She said the word, but there was no conviction behind it. Magda might have manipulated Danielle, used her, but she did care for her. Cared enough that lying to her hurt. And it showed.
“Listen to me, Dani,” Magda tried again, her voice turning soothing. “I know Cormac seems like a monster. But you didn’t see him when Liam was home. He was a brute, yes, but he was a necessary brute. He’s violent, but he keeps us safe. He protects us, and our territory. All we need is someone to mitigate that violence, make sure it’s turned outward, not inward, make sure he doesn’t go too far. Liam can do that.”
“You could have left him,” Danielle said desperately. “Liam would have taken you in. He would have helped you.”
“Liam’s way is a fool’s way,” Magda said, disdain creeping into her voice. “He’s weak, Dani. Look at the mess he’s made with those under his command, how much he lets them get away with. Cormac would never let people walk all over him the way Liam does. Liam couldn’t survive outside the city, and he only survives here because he’s a police officer, and he has the center. Take away that artificial control, and what are you left with?” She took another step forward. “What’s needed is a combination of the two. They’re two halves of a whole, Dani.”
Liam listened without saying a word. Something very like pity had crept into his eyes.
“I loved you,” Danielle whispered. “And you used me. I did all this to protect you. I killed Dustin for you.”
Her announcement sent a shock wave through her group of accomplices. A few of them shared looks, and at least one of them lowered their weapon as they stared at Danielle.
She ignored them all as tears slid down her cheeks. She backed away from the railing, toward a doorway near the corner. “Stay with him then. Let him kill you. I don’t care anymore.”
Magda raised a hand, took a quick step forward as if she’d stop Danielle, but the younger woman shook her head and bolted.
“Scath, don’t let her leave,” I said urgently. It wasn’t a lack of faith in Sonar’s abilities that made me send Scath, but Danielle had proven to be trickier than I’d given her credit for. And Daryl was still missing.
The group of people Danielle had brought with her stared in shock as their reason for being here fled. The masks hid their expressions, but their confusion was clear in the way they looked around at one another, the weapons in their hands sagging. Two of them cursed and ran out after Danielle, but the others stayed.
Liam had put himself between me and the people with guns, with Magda between him and me. Now he addressed the armed humans, using his cop voice.
“Drop your weapons and go home. This is a one time ‘get out of jail free’ card. Take it.”
