Page 18

It was a list.“What do we have here, Lukey.”I ran my finger down the page.The first few ingredients listed were pretty standard stuff, but the rest… “Shit.”Were not.

These were all things Fern sold in her store, Malicious Brew.Witches who veered toward the darker side frequented my best friend’s establishment, and I immediately recognized the last five ingredients on the list.They were all things Fern stocked, but she stored them in the back because they were too dangerous to put on the shelves.They were also ingredients she’d told me were missing when she’d done her stock inventory—an inventory that Luke had volunteered to help her with.

“What the hell are you up to, Luke?”

Fern’s store had been broken into just as she and Relic got together, and she’d had no idea what, if anything, had been taken.When she finally found the time to go through her inventory, she’d been surprised anything was missing at all, because the goal of the break-in had been to send a message, to scare her, and not to rob the place.

I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples, then looked around more closely.My gaze was drawn to something black and glossy poking out from under his bed.I grabbed it cautiously.People hid all sorts of things under their beds, and there were certain things I had no interest in knowing about him.Thankfully, it was only a notebook.On the black cover was a hand-drawn symbol in silver ink.I flicked the book open and cursed.

Recipes for different potions—potions he most definitely shouldnotbe making—were carefully detailed on the pages.But what had the hair on the back of my neck lifting were the annotations written beside each ingredient, additions that when combined, changed each ingredient in a way that would alter its cellular makeup and its purpose.When used, or taken, it would react in a completely different way than it was originally used for.

Luke was making drugs.

That little idiot was making fucking drugs!

I needed to find him, and fast.

My gut had been trying to tell me he was in trouble, and I’d let this thing with Jagger throw me off.I’d ignored my gut.Now Luke was incommunicado and, going by the evidence, doing something seriously stupid.

I rushed back to my room, slid on my jacket, and grabbed my bag.“You need to stay here,” I said to Boo.

He chattered unhappily.

“Be a good boy and look after the house while I’m gone.I promise I’m okay, and I won’t be late.”

I lifted him from my shoulder and put him on the iron headboard, then rushed out the door.Boo exploded into the air and flew past me, clicking and chirping the whole time, making it clear he was not happy about being left behind again.

“Boo, stay.I’ll be back soon.”

With one last squawk, he flew up to the light and hung there upside down, watching me walk out the door.No doubt he was planning to stay there and nap until I came home.

Warmer weather was on the way, but it was still cool at night, and I wrapped my jacket around me and jogged to my car.I headed to Evie’s house first.She hadn’t been home the other times I’d stopped in looking for Luke, but it was worth another try.

She wasn’t home, though, so I quickly wrote a note and slid it under her door, telling her to call me ASAP, then headed off to the last place I’d seen Luke, the Dogwood fights.

Fight night was yesterday, which meant the usually packed parking lot and crowded building was empty when I pulled up.

Grabbing the flashlight from my glove compartment, I shoved it in my bag, slung it across my chest, and headed toward the huge, deserted building.I wasn’t sure what I was looking for, but Luke had been here last night, so it was a good place to start.

The door was locked, of course, so I made my way around the building, searching for a way in.I aimed my flashlight at the windows around the back and noticed one ajar.“Bingo.”

Shoving over a nearby steel drum filled with trash, I heaved it back up so it was upside down.Doing a quick search of my surroundings, to make sure I was still alone, and more than a little pleased when I confirmed that I was, I used a crate to climb onto the drum.Dragging the window open, I wriggled half of my body through.

The scent of blood, sweat, and aggression hit me straightaway.I lifted my flashlight and searched the room.They used this space as a locker room by the looks.There was a bench seat directly below me.Handy.Sliding the flashlight back in my bag, I hitched my knee on the windowsill and maneuvered my body through the tight space, so I could drop to the bench feetfirst and not break my neck.

My boots hit the wood with abangthat echoed through the room.I froze, listening again to make sure I was on my own.When everything remained silent, I climbed down and headed along the hall, checking the other rooms that I passed.All were empty or had a random piece of furniture in them, but nothing that screamedclue!Though, honestly, I wasn’t sure what would qualify as a clue.I was hoping my gut would help me out with that.

I carried on along the hall and into the main room.The cleanup crew hadn’t been through yet, and litter covered the floor.Empty bottles and plastic cups cluttered surfaces and overflowed from more steel drums, and a couple of bloody towels sat abandoned on the blood-splattered floor of the cage.

Why would Luke come here?Was he really that stupid?Selling drugs in a place like this was pure insanity.Getting caught selling, on land owned by shifters, was asking to get torn to shreds.

I shone the flashlight around the room.Nothing of note caught my eye.What the hell did I think I’d find here?This was a stupid mistake.I started back the way I came, lighting up the floor as I went so I didn’t trip on anything—then something caught my eye.

I crouched, picking up a small piece of black cardstock, a tiny envelope with a familiar emblem drawn on it in silver.I opened it, but there was nothing inside.I quickly took Luke’s notebook from my bag.The emblem was the same.I sniffed the envelope and recognized a handful of ingredients immediately.“You little idiot.”Real fear filled me now that I’d confirmed what he was doing.This was bad.

Oh gods.All the overdose emergency calls Jack and I had gone to.Had they taken the drugs Luke made?I stood and shoved the small envelope into my pocket.

“Who’s in here?”a growly voice called.