A Wicked Good Witches Paranormal Romance Books 1-7 (Wicked Good Witches Seasons) (43 page)

Melinda closed her eyes.

She could not, and should not, want to see Riley again. Never mind her brothers would never allow it.

And William… shit! He’d probably tear Riley’s head off!

She returned to her bed and fell back onto it, staring up at the ceiling. She inhaled and exhaled deeply, heartbeats slowing. It was impossible to avoid the inevitable confrontation with Riley, but there was no reason it had to be today…

CHAPTER 3

Charlie stepped into the sheriff’s office. Mack was leaning against the edge of her desk, phone to her ear. She nodded at Charlie and mouthed she’d be just a minute.

“Charlie,” a voice spoke from behind him. He turned around. It was Eva. “Thank you for coming.”

“Of course.” 

Eva’s long white hair accentuated her red puffy eyes.

“How are you holding up?” Charlie asked her, instantly regretting his choice of words. “Sorry… stupid question.”

“I’m okay,” she insisted at first. “I guess I’m freaking out… a little. Dad’s never vanished before, he always checks in, especially if he’s going to be late.”

Charlie nodded, listening intently.

“He was taking a tour of the Demon Lights yesterday and he never came home.”

“The Isle’s lighthouses… there’s five lights, following the most outer points of the Isle,” recalled Charlie. “Did you hear from him at all?”

“No. He left home around nine in the morning and I didn’t have any contact with him after that. His intention was to start at the light closest to our house, and he’d planned to loop around the island until he’d made it to all five, ending up back home. We even talked about meeting up for lunch but he never called, and I got busy and forgot. I didn’t start to worry until last night when I realized it was dark and he still wasn’t home. I tried to reach him repeatedly but he isn’t answering his cell.”

She paused, smiling fondly.

“Dad may check in with me, and has never disappeared before, but he does tend to run late and is easily sidetracked.”

Mack finally got off her phone and stepped over to the duo.

“Eva called me early this morning, Charlie. She’s already checked the lighthouses. No sign of him.”

“I asked anyone I came across near the lighthouses. It was just after sunup this morning though, so mostly fisherman going out to catch. No one had seen him,” Eva explained.

Charlie stroked his stubble covered chin, wondering what could have happened to Anthony Jordan. He dropped his hand, gazing at Eva. “So what makes you think there’s a supernatural cause behind his disappearance?” 

Eva dropped her gaze, apparently reluctant to answer.
Damn it Dad! Once I find you, I might just kill you for putting me in this situation… seeking out the Howard Witches for help. Exactly what I don’t fucking need…
she sighed, outwardly.

Again, Charlie found himself in the position of doubting her. His wolf senses tingled, much in the same manner it had when he’d first met Eva in Bloodsucker Bay. They’d tingled in the same way when the mermaids had first sought out his help, before tricking him into trying to take off the Guardian ring he now donned. His wolf had been right to doubt the mermaid’s true purpose. Was it also right about Eva Jordan?

Regardless, if her father was missing and the cause was supernatural, it was his duty to find out what happened.

“Eva, whatever it is, I can’t help unless you tell me what you know.” His voice came out more harshly than he’d planned. He softened his tone. “I just need to figure out what we might be up against.”

Eva blew out a breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she locked her gaze on Charlie’s. “Dad found a map. I didn’t know anything about it until right before he left yesterday morning, and I really didn’t think much of it until after he disappeared.”

A map he couldn’t even see fit to let his daughter and partner know about until right before he was leaving the house…
she expressed in silent bitterness. 

“A map?” questioned Charlie.

“Yes. I have no idea where he got it, or much about it at all, but my dad claimed the map showed some magical way to travel between the Isle’s lighthouses.”

Charlie tossed her an inquisitive look. “I know just about everything there is to know about this Isle and I've never heard of such a thing.”

Eva shrugged, at a loss for what to say.

“I didn't give it any thought, Charlie. My dad's always off on some crazy research kick. I'm just afraid that maybe, just maybe, whatever this map is, something about it might have been real, and possibly dangerous.” A tear fell down her cheek. Her father had never vanished before. But going to the enemy for help was not something she wanted to do. Unfortunately she had no other option. Her father was lost somewhere, she hoped not injured, or worse… dead.

Charlie reached up and caught the tear, gently wiping it away. “Whatever’s happened, we'll figure it out. We will find him.”

His fingers left a sting on her cheek. A trail of heat. She closed her eyes for a second, wishing it away. She’d had to call Charlie. She needed to find her father. That’s all this was. If the Howard’s discovered why she and her father were on the Isle, they’d lock her up, not help. But she had to keep it together. If she didn’t, not only might she lose her father, but everything they had worked for would be ruined.

It would be his own damn fault!

This is going to be a very long day.

Mack’s phone rang again; she hopped across her office to pick it up.

Charlie leaned in closer to Eva. “After everything I’ve done to you, helping find your dad is the least I can do, whether it’s supernaturally related or not.”

“Thanks, Charlie. And I’ll consider us completely even after this.”

“Even would be nice, but I think I still have a ways to go to make up for nearly killing you.”

She laughed lightly. “Well, maybe I shouldn’t let you off that easily.”

He grinned and nodded in agreement.

She sighed and let out a deep breath. “Thanks… I needed a laugh. Even a small one.” Her voice held a slight tone of relief.

“Just remember we’re on an island. There’s only so far he can go, right?”

“Right,” she agreed.
I can do this. It’s not like Charlie is bad to look at. He’s almost even nice to be around… Ugh. Yeah, this isn’t going to go anywhere good.
Keep some distance, find Dad then get back to the plan.
Eva stepped to a water cooler a few feet away and grabbed a paper cup.

Charlie wondered if the map Eva spoke of was real, and if so, why had he never heard about it before? And what purpose would it serve; to have the ability to leap between the Isle's lighthouses? 

Mack motioned for Eva to come to her desk just as Michael and William strode through the door. Mack threw a wink in Michael’s direction and he rolled his eyes in forced amused reaction. He’d prepared himself to face a flux of overwrought emotions, but was surprised that Eva gave him little. Just like her father. A few blips of worry, but that was it.

How did the Jordan’s keep such control, he wondered? He shook his head. He’d gotten emotions off Eva before. Something felt different today though. Maybe she was just so distraught her emotions were shut down. He’d seen that happen before, when someone had just suffered something traumatic.

Charlie hurriedly filled them in on the situation.

“Have you ever heard of such a map, William?” he inquired when finished.

“No. Not at all. And I’ve been on this Isle for many a moon.”

“Sounds like we need to visit The Demon Lights,” said Michael. “I actually can’t recall the last time I went to any of the lighthouses on the Isle. It’s just so… touristy.”

Charlie nodded in agreement. “I think we were kids the last time we visited. Mom and Dad took us around.”

“Yeah, that’s right. That was ages ago.”

Charlie nodded. “Eva’s done her own search already, and I would bet Mack has someone from the department on the case as well, but they may have overlooked supernatural clues.”

Charlie and Michael stopped and stared at William. His face wore the look of something dawning on him.

“What?” they asked in a simultaneous chime.

“It might be nothing...”

“But?” coaxed Charlie.

“There was an incident that occurred many years ago, long before even your parents had met and married… a young boy insisted that while playing in one of the lighthouses he was suddenly somewhere else. He said he had no idea where he was, but that he had gone through some door… a door that was never located and considered non-existent. Chalked up to an overactive imagination. The boy was missing for over twenty-four hours before he turned up at the very lighthouse where he’d gone missing. Your great grandfather checked into possible supernatural causes of the incident, but when no such door was located, he closed the case. It was deemed a strange accident and nothing more was ever made of it.”

“Still,” exhaled Michael, “it makes you wonder if there is some truth to this map thing.”

“It also sounds like a lot more than leaping between the Isle’s lighthouses.” Charlie wondered what purpose leaping between the lighthouses would serve.

Mack walked over and joined them, with Eva right behind.

“That was my deputy,” she informed them. “He’s out questioning people but so far, not a trace.”

“We were thinking we should do our own sweep of the lighthouses to start,” explained Charlie.

Mack nodded. “I figured as much. I’m going to head out and help my deputy. You guys keep me posted.” She gave them a business like nod and headed out of her office.

“We could cover more territory if we split up,” Michael suggested after Mack’s departure.

“Um, yeah, let’s do that,” agreed Charlie. “Michael and William, why don’t you start where Mr. Jordan began his tour and Eva, do you mind tagging along with me? We can start at the opposite side, and if we find nothing, we can all meet up in the middle.”

“Whatever we need to do, Charlie. I’ll drive,” she offered. He smiled kindly, agreeing.

Michael shot Charlie a smirk but let it fall as they headed outside.

“I’m parked around the corner,” said Eva. “I’ll drive around and pick you up.”

Charlie followed as Michael and William hopped into the Howard’s jeep. Michael opened the dashboard and grabbed a couple of the potion-filled vials. “Just in case,” he stated, handing them cautiously to his brother. Charlie caught a hint of a gleam in Michael’s eye.

“It’s best this way,” Charlie argued his brother’s unsaid statement. “I have the ring, I’m protected. I can protect Eva. You two can take care of yourselves.”

“Uh huh. Just admit you like her already,” said Michael.

“Not the time,” bemoaned Charlie. “Besides, I’m still in the making up for nearly killing her phase.”
And the not quite trusting her phase…

“Yes, there is that,” cautioned William. “Be careful, Charlie. I won’t be there to stop you should anything
smelly
occur.” His eyes teased, but also warned.

“Whatever was causing that to happen… me wanting to basically devour her… the ring keeps it in check, promise.”

“I trust the ring,” William spoke, satisfied.

Charlie lifted his hand fiddling with the ring, wondering if its power somehow masked the intoxicating smell, which caused him to want to do terrible things to Eva Jordan, or if it was just gone now. A part of him hated to admit that he wished he could smell it again. Just once more. There was something freeing about it. No need to care about anyone or anything. A way to release all his primal urges without a single care.

He shook off his thoughts and looked up to see William’s gaze eyeing him sternly.

“It’s all good,” Charlie had the need to say. He caught the corner of the vampire’s mouth turn up in the tiniest of smiles.

Charlie cleared his throat as Michael and William sped away, making room for Eva to pull into their spot and grab him. He hopped in, telling her to make a tight turn in the street and head out of town.

“You okay?” she pried out of the blue. “You look… flustered all of sudden.”

“Fine. It’s nothing.”

Her eyes said she didn’t believe him but she didn’t vocalize it.

“Really, it’s nothing.” 

“Insisting twice always means it’s something,” she retorted.

“How about you just focus on driving,” he advised, as she nearly missed sideswiping a car while making the U-turn.

She cast out a frown and continued toward the first lighthouse.

CHAPTER 4

Melinda woke with a start, sitting up in her bed. She had fallen asleep, soon after submerged in a dream; a dream she knew instantly was a prophetic vision. She caught her breath and stood up, unsure what to do. There was a little boy that needed saving. She also knew that her brothers, William, and Mack were busy helping Eva Jordan.

“I’m just going to have to handle this one on my own,” she decided, slipping on a pair of tennis shoes. She grabbed a light jean jacket and headed outdoors, glad to see the sun trying to overtake the clouds. The outside surfaces were still damp from all the recent rain. The extra humidity made her normally wavy brown hair curl into tight ringlets.

She stood at the bottom of her porch for a long minute, her heart pounding nervously in her chest.

“I have to do this,” she whispered determinedly. Regardless of her fears of running into Riley, she needed to do whatever necessary to save this little boy. She had never done this on her own before though. Typically, she would have called Mack and had her, as the sheriff, suddenly appear and save the day.

“Should be simple enough,” she mumbled. “There’s nothing magical involved.” Melinda walked with a determined gait, soon passing by the Wicked Muddy Cafe. A hot coffee sounded good but she could not fathom facing Grace and kept going. Instead, she relived the dream hoping not to forget any important details.

It seemed pretty straightforward… a vacationing family was on the beach and their son was playing in the water. A large wave crashed over the boy, dragging him out into the ocean. His father attempted to swim after the boy but the boy drowned before the father could reach him. The father in turn, hit his head on a rock, and drowned before the lifeguard could save
him
.

“I just need to get the boy out of the water before that wave hits.” She could really have used Mack’s help on this one. The sheriff could have ordered an evacuation of the beach, or some such thing. Melinda glanced up at the sun, and started to jog her way toward the beach. Why hadn’t her dream given her more time? She’d be lucky to make it. In her dream, the sun had been at two o’clock. It wasn’t far away.

“I can’t believe I thought about getting coffee. Can I do anything that’s not just stupid ass stupid?”

I really need to stop asking myself that.

Then stop getting yourself into ridiculous and avoidable situations!

But confrontation sucks…

Are you really going to sit here and argue with yourself?

I need a freakin’ vacation from my brain…

Melinda darted through crowds of tourists, making her way to the beach. She veered down a walkway that threaded two shops, popping out at the back of the buildings, closer to the water’s edge. She raced along a cobblestone pathway behind the shops, which straddled the beach.

This wasn’t the right section of beach though. The family would be at the far edge of this particular beach, near a rocky shoal that branched out of the ocean and onto the shore, serving as a wall that ended the beach.

Her breaths came out heavier with each step she ran.

“Man, I’m out of shape! I really need to work out or something…”
Yes. Let’s find something else we hate about ourselves!

Exhausted, and pissed at her brain for not just shutting the hell up already, she veered again, this time heading onto the sandy beach toward the rocky shoal. Her eyes scoured the beach searching for the family or the boy.

Melinda froze.

Atop the rock wall sat Riley Deane.

“Son of a bitch! Seriously?”

A shadow grew out of the corner of her eye.

“The wave…” She scurried to the shoreline. The boy played in the sand just at the edge of the waterline. Small waves were whirling around his feet. His parents’ backs were turned as they unpacked a picnic basket.

People started shouting up and down the beach as the oversized wave came into view, rushing toward the shore. The lifeguard blew his whistle loudly, sounding a warning.

Melinda flew past the boy’s parents, hurrying to reach the boy before the wave did. The parents jumped as she ran past, hearing the warning whistle of the lifeguard. Their eyes opened wide with dread as they witnessed the wave charging the beach; they screamed for their son.

Others on the beach had already headed into shore or braced themselves for the impact. But the little boy had not. Melinda heard the boy’s parents pleading behind her. They would never catch up.

Even if I reach him, I’m not going to have time to run
…

As she leaned over and snatched the boy, the wave came crashing over them. “Hold on,” she cried out, wrapping her arms around him. The wave hit her hard, her footing swept out from under her. Nevertheless, she didn’t loosen her grip on the boy.

The force of the current dragged them away from the beach and farther into the ocean. Her head slipped under the surface. She kicked with her feet as hard as she could, pushing towards air, but the current swept them in circles, pulling them down instead of up.

Melinda was finding it harder to breathe, her grasp of the boy, loosening. She tried to boost him upward, to get him above the water. She opened her eyes, salt stinging for a second, and all she could see was water whooshing around their bodies.

Finally, the wave subsided and the current slowed, just enough for her to kick upward. Something pushed against her back and she panicked for a moment that they’d been thrown into the rocky shoal. It didn’t feel hard enough though.

The next thing she knew, they were being pushed upward, their heads peeking above the water. She gasped for air and lost her grip on the boy. She tried to reach for him but her arms gave out.

Melinda realized there was a person behind her, keeping her above water. “I lost him,” she choked out.

Someone else appeared in the water. The lifeguard. He dove underneath and got hold of the boy, swimming him to safety.

Melinda’s eyes wanted to close. She feared she might pass out. Her vision sparked with colorful splotches. A cold sweat sent a shiver ravishing through her. The chilled waters of the Atlantic did little to help.

Someone tugged her towards the shore and once she was able to touch bottom, a voice called out her name. When she opened her eyes an alarmed looking Riley Deane faced her; his haunting, molasses eyes searching hers for signs of encouragement that she was all right.

Even though she knew it was wrong, relief swam through her. Her head collapsed on his shoulder. “I’m okay,” she breathed out, though weakly. He embraced her, relieved, gently pulling her onto the shore.

Once on the beach she fell backwards onto the sand, trying to catch her breath. The lifeguard hopped over and took a glance at her. She gave him a wary thumbs up.

“Are you sure?” he grilled.

“Yes,” she mustered out. “Really.”

“She’s just out of breath,” Riley told him.

“She saved that little boy’s life,” the lifeguard spoke gratefully. “By the time I saw what was happening there was no way I could have gotten over here in time. Rogue waves…” he shook his head. A lifeguard’s worst fear.

Riley looked down at Melinda with a wry smirk. “I guess you can add lifesaver to your list of jobs…”

Someone threw her a towel, and she dried her salty wet hair and legs. She peeled off her jean jacket, along with Riley’s help, hoping her clothes would dry out quickly. Although with all the humidity, maybe not.

Once on her feet and breathing normally again, the parents of the boy came to Melinda and gushed for what seemed like forever. The mother had tears streaming down her face and her thanks came out in gracious sobs.

Melinda was glad the boy was okay, but just wanted to leave. She had no idea what to do about Riley, but the look on his face said,
I don’t care that you’re a Howard and I’m a Deane.
There’s no way in hell I’m leaving you alone right now
.