as she laughed at someone off camera, but she looked beautiful in all the photos he had taken. He didn’t think she could take a bad shot.
He should delete them from his phone, but he hadn’t. And he knew he wouldn’t.
“Thank you.” The expression in her voice turned complex. “It feels like I’ve been treading water for so long, but I’m really leaving tomorrow.”
“Yes, you really are leaving,” he replied quietly. “I’ve got to go. Talk to you tomorrow.”
She hesitated, but then all she said was, “Good night. And thank you again for everything.”
“You’re welcome, Molly.”
Before she could say anything else, he disconnected.
She had quickly exploded into such a large presence in his life. He needed her gone to keep his head in a dangerous game. More than that, he wanted her gone, for her sake. But in privacy, he was forced to admit she would leave a big hole behind when she went.
He stood for some time looking out at the vibrant city lights and drinking. Feeling a host of unwelcome things… regret, frustration, loss… but feeling none of the elation he would have six months ago at reaching another milestone on the way to his ultimate goal.
When he finished his scotch, he went to email news of the latest development to his coven.
Chapter Fourteen
She was leaving.
Leaving. It repeated in her mind like the rhythm of train wheels turning.
If she got safely away, it would be thanks to the man who had carefully crafted an identity over forty years, all so that he could patiently enact revenge for an outrage that had happened before her parents had been born. Perhaps before her grandparents.
He had saved her life more than once. He had climaxed inside her, and she might never know his real name.
She was leaving a place where she had lived all her adult life, leaving her only surviving family, her acquaintances, friends. Her favorite restaurants and bookstores. Her body still ached in areas from Austin’s attack, and she’d hardly had a chance to process the news of his death. She certainly hadn’t had any chance to process Nina’s. She needed to buy a pregnancy test kit, and unknown forces of malign intent wished her harm.
But Josiah dominated every other consideration. She was eager to drive far away from everything else, except him. Thinking about leaving him behind caused her to… ache.
Leave it to her to get inappropriately attached to a man who had never asked for it. Who had, in fact, warned her to do the exact opposite.
She still tired too easily and couldn’t wrap her brain around everything. Hopefully she would survive long enough to process it all. Closing her eyes, she slept.
The large old Victorian house settled around her like a well-worn cloak. She walked through it, soaking in the peace and the airy quiet. She badly needed some peace and quiet.
This time the woman sat in a square of sunshine, looking out a large picture window. As Molly glanced outside, she noticed a white stone labyrinth in the middle of a beautiful garden.
“There’s been some drama, but I’m finally leaving tomorrow,” Molly said.
“Are you?” The woman turned to smile. “I’m glad. That means we’ll get a little time together.”
Why only a little bit of time? She frowned. “How do I find you?”
“The spell is still active, so watch for signs. You’ll see them.” The woman sighed. “I’m too tired to hold this dream together for long. Good journey to you.”
“Wait—what kind of signs?” Even as she asked, the dream faded, and she slipped back into darkness.
She woke just after five. After trying unsuccessfully to get back to sleep, she stripped the sheets off the bed to wash them along with her single outfit. There wasn’t anything she could do about needing one of his T-shirts, so she shrugged and picked her favorite, a black one so old the aged cotton felt soft as silk against her skin.
Then she showered and laundered the towels and washcloths, made the bed, cleaned the bathroom, washed the coffee maker, and tucked the rest of the uneaten chocolate bars in her purse, until finally there wasn’t anything left to do but read upstairs in one of the armchairs, bathed in the quiet morning light.
Just after lunch, her phone chimed, making her pulse leap.
Meet me at one thirty sharp. He added directions for how to get from the safe house back to the city.
I’ll be there.
If I don’t show by one forty, leave but don’t panic. It means something came up.