Ronan’s hands shook as he paced through Jude’s living room. River hadn’t given him any details about what they’d uncovered in Ten’s dreams, which scared him more than anything. While they waited for Ten and River to arrive, Jude was busy making phone calls. He’d spoken with Cole, Carson, and Madam Aurora. They were all coming by. Cope would bring Everly. Ronan had been against the idea at first, but Fitzgibbon pointed out that her gift was stronger than anyone’s.

His friends were right. The things Everly could do at her age staggered other psychics. Aurora especially. She’d had her gifts from a young age just like Everly, but she hadn’t come into the real power of them until she was much older. As much as Ronan hated to admit it, they needed Everly here.

From the corner of his eye, Ronan saw movement near the stairs. Everyone had met on the street and were on their way into the house.

“Daddy!”

Everly ran to Ronan and wrapped her arms around him. The others filed into the house behind her. “I missed you today when you were working.”

Guilt swamped Ronan. He’d promised to take the entire school vacation week off to spend with her and here he was breaking his word. “I missed you too, honey, but we need your help.”

“I know.”

Everly nodded solemnly. “But I’m not sure how much help I can be. Remember I told you I was having trouble with my gift?”

“I remember, but you’re the smartest little girl I know, even without your gift working at full power, I’m sure you’re going to be able to help us figure out what’s going on. Okay?”

“Okay,”

Everly agreed. She looked as if she had more to say, but Ten and River walked into the house and Everly ran to them, hugging her father, then her uncle.

“Why don’t we all have a seat,”

Ten said, offering Cope an apologetic look. “We called everyone together because I need help. I’ve been having this recurring nightmare. Last night I was able to see a bit more of what it’s trying to show me. I thought I had it all figured out, but River pointed out that a different solution was possible.”

Ten offered River a grateful look.

“What is this dream about?”

Cole asked.

“Cope knows a little, but before I say anything more, I want you all to try to see it for yourself. When you’re all done, we’ll talk it over.”

Ten shut his eyes. Ronan could see he was working on his breathing exercises.

The house was quiet for several minutes. The only sound Ronan could hear, aside from his own heart pounding in his ears, was the kitchen clock ticking. His gut roiled. What the hell could River have figured out about the dream that he and Ten hadn’t been able to see themselves?

“Who wants to go first?”

Ten asked, looking around the living room at his friends.

“You’re scared out of your mind, for starters,”

Carson said. “For yourself, Ronan, and Everly, but I can’t see why. The picture is just beyond my reach, like something on a high shelf.”

Anyone who knew Ten would be able to see he was scared. Ten’s body turned in on itself, like he was trying to make himself smaller. His usually sunny demeanor was gone and the corners of his mouth drooped down.

“I see a woman in a sparkly pink dress. She’s screaming, but I can’t make out what she’s saying,”

Cole frowned.

“Aurora?”

Ten asked.

The older woman dabbed her eyes. “Oh, Ten. I’m so sorry.”

Cole wrapped his arm around Aurora and started whispering to her.

“Ten, what the hell is going on?”

Ronan’s heart pounded like a jackhammer. Terror like he’d never known in his life swamped through him. What he didn’t know was where the danger was coming from.

Ten pointed to their daughter. “I’ll explain everything in a moment. I want to hear what Everly has to say.”

All eyes turned to Everly, who sat on the living room floor with her back to the darkened television. It was the spot she usually sat in when it was movie night at Jude and Cope’s house. She sat with her legs crossed and her head bowed. When she lifted her head, she wore an angry look.

“Are you okay?”

Ten asked.

“No, Daddy, I’m not okay. Why couldn’t I see any this before?”

Everly asked.

“Why don’t you tell me what you see, then we can talk about it, okay?”

Ten sounded calm, but Ronan could tell he was anything but.

Everly frowned, but nodded in agreement. “I see someone lying on the floor. He was shot. There’s blood. A lot of blood. Celestina is screaming and so am I.”

“I’m so sorry, honey, but can you see who the person on the floor is? I originally thought it was Ronan, but now…”

Ten trailed off.

Ronan stopped walking mid-pace. His frantic eyes moved from Ten to Everly and back again. “But now, what ? Will one of you please tell me what’s happening?”

Fitzgibbon walked up to Ronan and wrapped an arm around him. Jude did the same.

“Daddy thought the body on the floor was you,”

Everly said pointing to Ronan, “but now he thinks its himself.”

Ronan felt his knees buckle. Thankfully, Fitz and Jude were holding him up. They maneuvered him to a nearby chair and set him down. “I don’t understand any of this. Aurora, are you seeing the same thing?”

Aurora nodded. “I am, but it’s all I can see. I don’t know who’s done this to Ten or if he lives or,”

Aurora paused looking at Everly.

“Or dies,”

Everly finished. “I might only be six years old Aurora, but I can handle what’s happening. If there’s anything I can do to save my Daddy. I’ll do it, but I need all the facts.”

Ronan snorted. He couldn’t help himself. His daughter just proclaimed that Ten was going to die on one breath, and on the next, she was digging deep, readying herself to change the events she’d seen. “Why did you think the body was mine?”

Ronan asked.

“It’s always you,”

Ten said. “You’ve taken six bullets. Broken two bones. Been kidnapped. Blown up. Held at knifepoint. You were on a notorious mobster’s hit list. Do you want me to go on, because I can.”

Ten shook his head. “I assumed it was you because I couldn’t see who it was. Every time I pushed closer, the vision got foggier. I’d mentioned to River that very thing happens when I try to read myself. He put two and two together and thought I was the victim.”

Jude left Ronan’s side and walked to the front door. He grabbed his briefcase, opened it, and pulled out a legal pad and a pen. “Okay, we’ve got another murder to solve.”

He took the chair beside Ronan, but turned his attention to Tennyson. “You’re sure this incident is going to happen at the circus?”

Ten nodded. “This is going to sound crazy, but I could smell popcorn. When we were in the building yesterday, I couldn’t smell anything on the show floor. That’s why I think this will happen during the performance.”

“Why don’t we stay home?”

River asked. “If Ten isn’t there, he can’t die.”

When no one answered, River looked around the room. “Right?”

“Not necessarily,”

Cole said. “The victim might switch to someone else. Or something worse could possibly happen.”

“What the hell could be worse than losing my brother?”

River asked, sounding appalled.

Cole angled his head toward Everly.

“Wait, no. That’s not possible.”

All the blood drained from River’s face.

“All of you keep saying that the future is fluid,”

Ronan began. “Just by knowing what’s going to happen, doesn’t that mean we’ve changed things?”

“There’s no way to know that for certain,”

Carson said. “It’s not a one for one deal. Removing Ten from the situation isn’t a guarantee that this goes away. It could be much worse than we already know it is.”

“Exactly,”

Cole said, picking up his brother’s lead. “Right now, we know how. We know where. We know when. All we’re missing is who and why.”

“So, you’re saying that if everything stays the same, then what, you have a leg up on catching Ten’s killer? You’ll use him as bait and hope that you’re in time to stop the bullet?”

River’s eyes were so wide, Ronan was afraid they were going to fall out of his skull.

“Something like that,”

Carson agreed.

“Our leg up , as you put it,”

Fitz began, “is time. The three of us spent the morning going over the original cold case murder from 1995. It was our plan to go back into Boston tomorrow and speak with all the members of the current circus who were there back then. If we can figure out who killed Jumping Jack, we may be able to stop what comes next.”

“What if catching the killer is what triggers the chain of events Aurora and Everly are seeing? What if the killer gets the kids instead? What if it becomes a mass casualty event?”

River was on the verge of hysteria.

Ten picked up his brother’s hand. “It’s okay, River. We’re going to figure this out, but we need all hands on deck. You were the one who figured out it was me. I hadn’t been able to see that. I need you working at full-strength here. You might not have my gifts, but you have an amazing sense of intuition. I need all the help I can get. There’s no use sitting around and crying over something that hasn’t happened yet and that we might be able to stop.”

River nodded. He rested his head against Ten’s shoulder. Both men were silent for a few seconds. “I just found you, little brother. I don’t want to lose you.”

“You’re not going to lose him,”

Ronan declared. “None of us are.”

“It’s all hands on deck,”

Jude agreed. “We’re going to talk to the circus crew tomorrow. Carson, Cole, Aurora, if one of you can come with us, we’d greatly appreciate it. Cope, Ten, and Everly, have already been there, we’d like more gifts in the room, if that’s possible.”

“I’m in,”

Carson said.

“I’ll stay here and man the store.”

Cole turned to his brother, who nodded. “There are some appointments I’ll need to reschedule, but that won’t be a problem.”

“I’ll do what I can from here. All I need is a snippet of Tennyson’s hair.”

Aurora offered a wicked smile.

Everly’s eyes widened. “Can I work with you, Madam Aurora?”

“If your parents say it’s okay, I’d love to teach you about some of my other gifts.”

Aurora winked at Ronan.

“She’s all yours,”

Ronan said, without bothering to consult Tennyson. They needed all the help they could get. It had been Aurora who’d been able to break the curse that made Cisco Jackson’s husband a vampire, thanks to a spell she’d whipped up. If she could do that, she might well be able to save Tennyson from winding up dead in a puddle of his own blood.

“We’ve got one hell of a team here,”

Ronan said. “I trust all of you with my life, more to the point, I trust all of you with Ten’s.”

“No pressure,”

River muttered, breaking the room up into some much needed laughter.

Ronan meant every word he said. If anyone could save Ten, it was the people in the room. All they needed to do was stay on task, figure out who killed Jumping Jack, and keep the killer from striking again.

Piece of cake, right?