Page 18 of Just a Little Wicked (Wicked Sisters #2)

Charlotte

Here are links to Lucas Gillis’ social media profiles, since I know you won’t look on your own.

Charlotte

Big surprise that you’re not answering

W hen they pulled up to Lucas Gillis’ house this time, the sun was setting on a beat-up Bronco in the driveway.

The house windows were lit, and even from the porch Erikson could hear the sounds of a basketball game.

Was it the Celtics? Erikson itched to know when he heard a loud cheer go up at the same time that a referee blew the whistle.

Winter rang the doorbell, and a moment later the door swung open and a good-looking man filled the space.

Erikson had expected a man in his early thirties, but he hadn’t expected a damned model.

Maybe he should have looked at the link Charlotte had sent him to the guy’s social media accounts.

Charlotte had said he practically lived his life online, and Erikson could see why.

A nice-looking dude like that could gain quite a following, because if nothing else, social media was vain.

The man’s shaggy blond hair fell over one warm, brown eye, and he smiled down at Winter like she was dessert. Erikson smirked. He’d love to see Lucas Gillis hit on Winter. She’d eat him for breakfast and then pick her teeth with his bones.

“Lucas Gillis?” Winter asked. Wait, wait a second . . . was her voice pitched a little higher than usual? Certainly she wasn’t affected by this guy?

Lucas leaned a hand against the doorframe and said, “Depends who wants to know.”

Erikson hated that answer. It was the least original of all douchebag replies.

Gillis’ jeans were slung low on his hips, and his shirt was stained with oil. He clearly worked some physically demanding job that kept him in the shape he was in.

“My partner and I have some questions for you.”

Only then did Gillis drag his eyes from Winter to Erikson. He immediately straightened, his stance becoming more aggressive. Oh yeah, this guy was a total asshat. “Partner?” Gillis asked.

Erikson crossed his arms over his chest and stared him down. “ Partner .” Let Gillis take from that what he wanted. Erikson knew full well that Winter could deliver the guy to his maker if necessary, but that didn’t make this very odd and protective urge on his end ease.

Winter stepped in front of Erikson. “We have some questions about a man you went to high school with. May we come in?”

Gillis tore his eyes from the stare-down with Erikson and winked at her. “’Course you can, sugar.”

What was happening to Erikson? Why was his skin prickling and his fists clenching? Why did he want to slap that stupid look off Gillis’ face? It wasn’t like Winter was in danger or needed his protection, so he couldn’t fathom why he wanted to wipe the floor with this loser.

Lucas Gillis stepped back, waving his arm like he was welcoming them to a palace.

They stepped into a mudroom with neatly lined work boots and a variety of oil-stand Carhartt sweatshirts.

Beyond, from what Erikson could glimpse of the kitchen and living room, the house was surprisingly neat, with hardwood floors, stainless steel appliances, and a leather La-Z-Boy facing the moving images of the Celtics game on TV.

Something beeped in the kitchen, and Lucas gestured for them to sit around the table. He opened the microwave and shut it again to quell the annoying alarm, but left his dinner inside. He leaned against the counter. “Want a beer, Winter?”

He didn’t offer Erikson one.

“No, thank you.” She brushed back a springy curl, the same curl Erikson had touched only minutes ago, and lifted her face.

If Erikson had to guess, she had no idea how sweet and beguiling she looked to unsuspecting strangers who hadn’t yet glimpsed the underlying steel.

“We’re hoping you can give us information about Atlantes Blackwood.

You went to high school with him, right? You posted a class photo online.”

A smug smile curled across his lips. “I take it you follow my social media accounts.”

“I don’t have social media. A friend showed me.”

The smile turned incredulous “You don’t have social media? Like, none ?”

“None,” she answered flatly. Erikson knew the Celeste women kept low profiles on purpose, and he suspected Atlantes did as well, which was making this damn Witch hard to find.

Gillis gave a low whistle. “Never thought I’d meet someone without social media.” He seemed genuinely astonished, and he was looking at her now like she was a mythical creature. Little did he know. “Yeah, I went to school with Atlantes. Weird kid. Girls seemed to like him, though.”

“Were you friends?” Erikson asked. He was sprawled in the chair next to Winter, and some part of him wondered if Gillis wasn’t sitting because it was an unconscious power move to be taller than him, or if it was because they’d clearly interrupted his dinner and he was hoping they’d be quick.

“Nah. I moved here from Georgia when I was fifteen. Rinky-dink fucking school. No damned kids. Far as I can remember, Atlantes kept to himself. Makes sense that he murdered his mom.”

He eyed them slyly, like he was hoping to shock them with that information, and seemed disappointed when they didn’t react.

“You think he’s guilty?” Winter asked. “Wasn’t he at a party that night?”

“Well, I was partying with the high school that night—remember, there were like ten of us—and I didn’t see him. I don’t know who vouched for him, but it sure as shit weren’t any of the seniors.”

Now that was interesting. Erikson wondered if the names of Atlantes’ alibis were still on file with the police.

“He in trouble again?” Gillis asked, his gaze darting between them. “You cops?”

Winter shook her head. “No. We have some time-sensitive information about his family that we need to share with him, so we’re trying to track him down.”

She was a good little liar. Not a flicker in her stone-cold eyes.

Gillis shrugged. “Sorry I can’t help. It’s not like we kept in touch. I don’t think anyone knows where he went, except maybe Amanda. She had the biggest crush on him. She was the only who had his number.”

“Are you still friends with Amanda?” Erikson asked.

“Oh shit, yeah!” Gillis snapped his fingers and pulled his phone from his pocket.

He quickly tapped out a text. “I don’t know if she’ll answer.

We kind of hooked up last time we saw each other, and then she didn’t want to be friends anymore after that because she’s married .

” He whispered the last word like the house had ears and was going to snitch on him.

“I know you guys don’t have social media, but if you ever sign up, my handle is @MagicLukeGDawg across platforms.” He winked. “I promise you won’t be sorry.”

Before Winter could reply, Gillis’ phone dinged and he looked down, a lazy smile crossing his face. “Well, well, looks like Miss Amanda’s marriage might be on the rocks.” His thumbs flew across the screen while he grinned, that piece of hair swinging in front of his eye.

After several minutes had passed, where it seemed Lucas had forgotten them entirely, Winter said sharply, “Lucas, does she know where Atlantes is?”

Lucas’ head whipped up at her tone, and his pupils expanded. He gave her the widest puppy-dog eyes Erikson had ever seen. “Are you a dominatrix? Because I could totally?—”

Erikson cleared his throat, and Lucas swallowed the rest of his words.

“Yeah, she said he moved to Sealand, but she doesn’t have his address. Plus that was like, more than a decade ago.”

Winter stood. “Thanks. If you think of anything else, my number is?—”

Erikson passed Gillis a card with his professional number before she finished. “Give us a call if you remember anything else.”

Gillis took the card, sent one last longing look at Winter, and went back to texting the unhappily married Amanda. Erikson and Winter let themselves out and climbed into the truck. She was already on her phone, looking up where Sealand was and how long it would take them to get there.

“It’s a big island about an hour south. We could go tonight.

” She wrinkled her nose as she studied the screen, one hand holding the phone and the other scratching her thigh.

“Shit, there are so many smaller islands around it. If he’s on one of those it could take us forever to find him, if he’s even still there.

This is ridiculous. It’s going to take all the time we have left to find him, and he might not even be the key to stopping the Shadow Council. We might be chasing him for no reason.”

“What other choice do we have? Unless you’ve changed your mind about involving our siblings?—”

“No,” she said quickly. “They stay out of it. This is my problem.”

He sighed inwardly as he pulled out of the driveway.

He respected that Winter wanted to keep her sisters away from the Shadow Council, but he had zero doubt that eventually the Shadow Council would come for them, too.

They were too powerful to be left untouched.

Surely Winter had to know that. “If we find lodging near Sealand tonight, maybe in the larger town of Jonesport, we can start hunting for Atlantes first thing in the morning. But we need to grab our luggage from the inn.”

“All right.” She scratched her arms. Her face was paler than usual and she seemed jittery, like she’d had too many cups of coffee even though he hadn’t seen her drink any since the morning.

“You feeling okay?”

“What?” Even her gaze was foggy, and she had red nail scrapes up and down her arms from where she’d been scratching. “Yes, I just . . . I haven’t released lately.”

He glanced at her, his heart pounding in his throat. “You haven’t had a release lately?”

She nodded, and only after the cab became uncomfortably tense did she look at him. She must’ve seen the expression on his face because she burst into a peal of laughter. “Not in that way, Erikson. Cripes.”