“The witches are out there.”
Despite his scowl, a hint of a smile breaks free. “Fine. But when I get BTN in the black again, I’m paying you back every cent.”
“Deal.”
Dominic scratches the back of his head. “I guess we need to go see Everly and get this straight.” He starts to make his way down another hall when I grab his arm. “Something wrong?”
But the truth is in the pit of my stomach. It’s lodged in the back of my throat. It’s locked inside my head with the demons and the sharp claws.
And her.
“No.” I give him a weak smile. “Let’s go.”
Because if Brenda McCallum is right…
Fate’s about to come scratching.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Dominic
I check my phone as another text lights up my screen.
Pieceofshitfuckercocksuckingasshole.
I stare at it, not sure whether to be offended or impressed she managed to string that many insults into one message. I’m about to respond when the chime pings again.
Drive safe.
Milly’s pissed. Not that I can blame her. For the last two months, I’ve let her shoulder all the responsibility at BTN while I’ve spent all of my time with Angel. But things are slowly creeping toward a new normal.
Is that even a thing? Because I’m not sure I ever had an old normal.
Still, Mom is safe and secure in the cushy top floor at Moss Valley, thanks to Angel’s bank account. The only reason I allowed her to do it was because I didn’t and still don’t trust Rosten. His word is about as solid as a cheesecloth.
I’m not okay with having my woman take care of my responsibilities, but I’m determined to turn BTN around and pay her back with interest. With Milly hiring a few staff members back, and daily operations running with a skeleton crew, it’s past time to get my shit in order.
Yeah, I know I called her my woman. It was a slip of the tongue. Don’t read anything into it.
Keys in hand, I’m crossing the main parlor heading toward the elevator when Hilda steps in front of me like a defensive lineman. “Sir…”
I stumble backward almost crashing into the piano. “Jesus, what the hell?”
“I’m sorry, sir, but Miss Romanov has a visitor.”
“At ten o’clock in the morning? Miss Romanov is already on set.”
She wrings her hands. Hilda isn’t a nervous person. The woman is as stealth as they come. “Yes, I know that, sir. What would you like me to tell Miss DeLuca?”
“I don’t give a damn what…” The words die in my throat. “Did you say DeLuca?”
“Yes, sir. She said her name was Vi—”
“Violet DeLuca,” I finish for her, my fingers crushing my cell phone. I have no idea what the hell she’s doing here, but it can’t be good.
Hilda stares at me with an unreadable expression. “So, you do know her.”
“Unfortunately.” I have half a mind to send her back to Chula Vista with a boot print on her ass, but she has a stubborn streak that rivals Angel’s. If I turn her away, I wouldn’t put it past her to show up at Silverline. Checking my watch, I groan. Screw it, I’m already late. “Send her up,” I say.
Pulling up Milly’s last text, I hit reply.
Something’s come up. I’ll be there in an hour, maybe two.
Her only response is a line of middle finger emojis.
By the time I pocket my phone and look up, Hilda is gone, and I’m left with my own thoughts, which isn’t a good thing. Things have been stable since taking Angel to Moss Valley last week, but still strained. At least she’s out of bed and verbal.
But I see what this house is doing to her. What I’m doing to her. I’ll catch her standing in the middle of a room just staring at nothing, and when I call her name, she turns around with this sad smile, and all I can hear is the counting of that damn clock.
I’m interrupted by the discreet clearing of a throat. Turning around, my eyes go straight to bright purple hair and Sharpie rimmed eyes. “Why am I not surprised?”
Hilda shifts a cautious gaze between the two of us, waiting until I give a quick nod before straightening her uniform. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me, Mr. McCallum.”
As soon as she’s out of earshot, I turn my attention back to the problem at hand. “Miss DeLuca. Long time no see.” I make my way toward the bar because if I have to deal with this shit this early, I’m doing it with a