Waiting for Magic (30 page)

“I’m not ruining a perfectly good door and a perfectly good shoulder just to invade Keelan’s privacy.”

Drew pursed her lips and looked disgusted, then pulled a pin out of her upswept hair. She held it up triumphantly.

“I don’t know how to pick a lock.” Their father would know how. In fact he was probably the best in the world at it.

“You’re the best hacker around,” Drew said, surprised.

Kemble closed his eyes. “You’re kidding, right? You do know the difference between cyber locks and physical locks.”

Drew grinned. “Of course I do. Just pulling your chain. I’ll pick the lock.”

She fished out another pin, which didn’t seem to put her upswept hair a strand out of place, and pulled them straight with hooks bent at one end. Then she stepped up, bent to the keyhole, and fiddled around with both of them in there. She stood, grinning, and turned the knob.

Kemble sighed.

“It’s an old lock,” Drew demurred when she saw his expression. “They’re easy.”

Kemble felt just about useless. Drew pushed into the darkened room, felt for the light, flipped it on.

They both just stood there, gaping.

Pictures of Devin. Lots of them. And it would be instantly clear to Drew, as it was to Kemble, that Keelan didn’t think of him like a brother anymore. A woman had painted pictures of the man she lusted after.

“No wonder she’s a little screwed up right now,” Drew breathed.

They stood there, in silence. Drew finally looked back at Kemble, blinking. She was thinking about all the possibilities. “So, uh, what happened at the river?”

It was no use to pretend. Drew was a bulldog when she wanted to know something. “Yeah. He didn’t want me to say. He held the water back for us to escape.”

“And he got the power from whom, exactly?” Drew’s eyes were big.

“He said on the way home it was that girl he’s giving surfing lessons. He, uh, says Keelan has a power, too. She could feel the Talisman at Pendragon’s. I haven’t seen any evidence of it.”

“Devin asked Michael if someone who’d come into their power could feel the presence of a Talisman,” Drew murmured. She looked around at the paintings. “Well, we know how she got her power, whatever it is. She loves him.”

“Or lusts after him.” That was hard to say.

Drew stared at him. Then a pitying look came into her eyes. Did she pity him because he’d never felt what she had? She obviously thought Keelan had felt it.

“And he loves another,” he pointed out. “Bad.”

Drew had to nod. “I thought I had the corner on that particular hell.” Drew looked around again. “I guess not.” She shook her head. “To never be able to … act on it, when it’s so strong.… That’s the definition of hell. And then there’s the incest angle. Poor Kee.” Kemble could see her remembering the conversation at dinner. Had she seen Keelan’s look of devastation?

Kemble took a breath. Should he? Would it help Keelan or hurt her? But Drew seemed to know what to do about their little sister and he didn’t. He was out of his league here. And Drew couldn’t help if she didn’t know all. “She did act on it. Last night.”

“How do you know?”

“Kind of hard to miss. She came to Devin’s room. There was, uh, lots of liquor involved.”

“Oh, boy.” Now Drew looked worried. As well she might. “She seduced him?”

“I think so.”

“Very, very bad. She wouldn’t have needed to seduce him or get him drunk if he got his power from her. It’s definitely the other girl.”

“Of course it is.” Kemble couldn’t even contemplate that his siblings were destined for each other. That was just sick.

Keelan’s stupidity and Devin’s easy morals could destroy any future happiness for one or both of them. Hell, it could well tear the whole family apart when they found out.

“What do we do?” Kemble asked. He wasn’t proud.

“I don’t know,” she said, dashing his hopes. “But I need a drink.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Kee paced her room, lighted only by the open door to her bathroom where she’d just taken a shower. Devin was on the move. She felt him head north from Jane’s. Damn. Where was he going? Maybe Jane’s house wasn’t far enough away from Kee. Or maybe he was on his way to S.G.’s house. She had no idea where S.G. lived, of course.

The pain of the stretching bond between them was physical. She fell to her knees on the thick carpet. She felt like she might lose the spaghetti. He was going faster now. Freeway? North. Must be he 110. It headed practically due north from here, unlike the west-leaning diagonal of the 405 along the coast.

That might mean he was heading to Pendragon’s estate. Why would he do that? She was panting, her mouth filled with saliva. She made a break for the bathroom.
Oh, God.

She raised her head from the toilet and reached a shaky hand for a towel to wipe her mouth and face. It didn’t matter why he was going to Pendragon’s. She had to stop him. She’d made jokes about Pendragon being a charlatan and a faker. But at the very least he was decadent and lecherous. She’d seen the way he looked at Devin. He talked crazy, too, about times past as though they were real to him. And there was also just something
off
about that whole place. She got to her feet, shaky. So maybe Pendragon was crazy.

Devin might be in over his head.

She rinsed her mouth with water from the tap. Or what if Morgan’s minions were waiting for a Tremaine to leave the Breakers unprotected? Devin saved her and Kemble from the river but they wouldn’t use water as a weapon again. His power over water would be useless.

What was he doing going to Pendragon’s alone anyway? She couldn’t think. Her hand trembled as she set down the bathroom glass. She took a long, slow breath trying to clear her brain. What to do? She could tell her father where Devin was going. He’d gather the troops to storm Pendragon’s castle if need be. And he’d be pissed as hell at Devin. She’d get him in a world of trouble. He’d never forgive her. Of course, he was never going to forgive her for last night anyway.

What if he was just going to S.G.’s house? But no. She just knew he was going to Pendragon’s creepy castle. There was only one reason to go back there. Devin must believe Pendragon had a Talisman after all. He wouldn’t tell Kemble. Kemble would feel obligated to go after it. Devin would want to spare him disobeying their father again. He wouldn’t tell Father either. He was the outsider, after all.
Oh boy
. He’d feel like he had to prove himself.

So, Devin was going after it.

Bad. Bad, bad, bad.

Okay. So how to protect Devin from his rash act? Besides calling out the troops and getting him in a world of trouble. If she told Kemble or Tris or Drew or even Michael, it was just like telling her parents. She’d seen enough TV to know storming Pendragon’s castle might just put Devin in more danger if the old charlatan really was off his rocker. They always killed the hostage when the police arrived.

No way. She had to do this herself. She could wrap Pendragon around her finger. Maybe. She could trade herself for Devin. But she didn’t want it to come to that. So she’d take a gun. She was a good shot. No one would expect a girl to be a threat. She’d get him out of the castle at gunpoint. But how would she get out of the Breakers? She wasn’t Kemble. And Jane had gone for the night, so no sneaking out with her. Edwards and crew would never let her out.

Unless someone convinced them letting her out was nothing to get excited about.

She sucked in a breath as the surprising answer hit her. She knew someone who could calm drunken Irishmen at a St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Maggie.

*****

“Hello?” Maggie’s voice came over the cell phone.

“It’s me,” Kee said. “Don’t tell Tris. Meet me outside at the bottom of your stairs.”

Kee heard Tris’s sleepy baritone in the background. “Who’s that?”

“Please,” she said.

There was a pause. “Just one of those people wanting to remodel the house again.”

“At this hour? Damn nuisance.…”

The phone went dead.

Kee slipped out the side door and pulled her raincoat around her as the sheeting rain spattered the asphalt. She waited under the overhang of the stairs that ran up the side of the garages to the apartments there, one occupied by Mr. Nakamura, and one by Tris, Maggie, and Jesse. It was only a moment until she heard the door close softly and Maggie come quietly down the stairs.

Maggie peered around until she saw Kee in the darkness. “What’s wrong?” she asked. “What’s happened?”

Kee had been trying to figure out what the answer to that question should be ever since she’d realized Maggie was her only hope. She’d moved at lightning speed, getting dressed in something vaguely attractive: an electric blue short dress with long sleeves and heeled black ankle boots. She couldn’t go to Pendragon’s looking like a homeless person, and expect to execute her plan. But every moment wasted was another minute Devin was in danger.

“It’s Devin,” she began. Then she took a deep breath. “He’s gone to Pendragon’s castle to get a Talisman for us.”

“Alone?” Maggie frowned.

“Yeah. That means he could be fair game for the Clan. Plus, there’s something wrong about Pendragon. I saw how he looked at Devin when we were there the other night. It’s not that he likes boys as well as girls. No harm in that. But I just have a … a bad feeling about him and that house. There’s something off up there.”

Maggie’s eyes flashed with thoughts. “You think he’s a serial killer?”

“God, I hope not.” Kee felt her eyes getting big. No. She wouldn’t think about that. “But maybe something kinky? Pendragon is surrounded by stories of satanic rites with naked people and two-headed goats.”

Maggie’s eyes got big. “Let’s tell.…”

“We can’t,” Kee interrupted. “If Father gets wind of it, he’ll recruit Tris and Kemble and Michael and the whole security team and just attack the place. Pendragon could decide to … to hurt Devin if he feels threatened.”
If he hasn’t already.
No. She couldn’t think that. “We can’t tell Kemble because he’d either tell Father just to prove he’s a responsible son, or he’d want to take care of it himself, and it isn’t fair to ask him to shoulder the blame again. And Tris would … well, he’d just be a bull in a china shop. You know he would. Michael is ex-Delta Force. Enough said. We need to exercise a little finesse.” She took a breath. “I’m not a threat. I’ll go in and talk to the old bastard. Maybe we can ease Devin out without making a big deal of it. He’ll think I’m just a girl. That’ll give me an edge.”

“And what if he
is
crazy and talking doesn’t work?” Maggie asked pointedly. “You
are
just a girl, after all.”

“I’ll be just a girl with a gun. One way or another I’m leaving with Devin.”

Maggie looked unconvinced. “You’d kill this guy?”

Didn’t she think Kee would do anything to save Devin? “I’ll wound him. First.” Their father had organized target practice for the girls ever since Tris and Maggie were attacked. She could do it. “I need the security guys calm enough to let me out and keep a secret.”

“And that’s where I come in?” Maggie looked Kee straight in the eye.

“Yeah.” It was a lot to ask.

“You’re right about one thing,” Maggie muttered, obviously deep in thought. “Brian would bring an army, and the boys would want to be part of it.” Her gaze shifted to Kee. “Endangering the whole family is pointless when we need quick and quiet.”

Kee sighed in relief. Maggie was in.

“But I’m coming with you.” Maggie nodded her head, thinking. “I’ll get Edwards to let us out, of course. You take one of their weapons, since Brian keeps the family guns locked up. You’re right. Pendragon won’t feel threatened by two bitsy girls. I’ll go in with you and calm him. He’ll think letting Devin go feels just fine. The gun will just be for backup.”