Page 14

Chapter

Fourteen

VOODOO

“ I ’m taking Grace for a walk. Mind if Goblin comes?” I directed the question to Alphabet and not Bones. I didn’t really care what Bones had to say on the matter and I wasn’t asking for his permission.

“She okay?” Lunchbox frowned.

“No,” I said, keeping it as forthright as she had. “She’s trying to not have a panic attack. She wants to be outside and she wants to walk. So I’m taking her.”

“Take Goblin,” Alphabet said as he glanced up from his laptop. “He could use the break to stretch his legs.” Grace would probably appreciate his company.

“Take your phone,” Bones said and I gave him a mock salute before I whistled. “Come on, Goblin.”

“Go,” Alphabet said, when the dog checked with him first. He really was the fifth member of our team these days. The relief on Grace’s face when Goblin and I met her in the mudroom would be hard to manufacture. She took my gun in stride or if she didn’t, she didn’t complain.

Once I opened the door, the cooler air drifted in. The overcast clouds suggested rain, but there was no scent of it in the air. I checked my watch for time and followed Firecracker and Goblin out the door.

“Which way?” she asked as she slid her hands into her pockets. The lack of color in her face hadn’t quite drained her lips of their pinkness, but it wasn’t far off. It added to my worries regarding her.

“Let’s head up the mountain,” I said. “It’s not a steep incline, but it is steady. There’s some good lookouts along the way.” Pretty sure there were, but what I could see when I scouted wasn’t necessarily scenic.

“That means the walk back will be downhill.” A hint of a smile appeared, briefly, but it still showed up. She set off in the direction I indicated and I let her set the pace. Her legs were a lot shorter than mine, so better to not make her take two or three steps for every one of mine. Goblin played forward scout and raced ahead, then circled back to check on us before dashing on again.

Yeah, he needed the exercise too.

“How long have you guys had this place?” As much as I hadn't been expecting conversation, I wasn’t going to turn it down either.

“A few years,” I told her. “We pooled our resources, bought the land and built what we wanted. Some of the structures were here, but the house is all us.”

“You did all the work yourselves?” The faintest bit of skepticism made me smile.

“Don’t think we’re up to it?” It was meant to tease and another flash of her smile said it worked.

“Just seems like a lot of work.”

“It was, but it was the kind of work we wanted to do. We built over the summer. Pitched tents, had campfires at night. It was almost like having summer camp without the counselors or the girls.”

She rewarded that comment with a real laugh. What bugged me about it was how hollow she sounded when the laugh was done and how quickly the light in her blue eyes seem to just go back out.

Head on a swivel, I scanned the area. Goblin was in scout mode too. He would check ahead then come back and join us for a while before he took off again. It also let me keep an eye on Grace. She lost some of the stiffness to her movements the more we walked.

The wound on her back was healing. The bruises on her throat would heal. The discoloration on her cheek, the mottling of yellow and green where someone had caught her with the back of their hand was also fading. These were all positives, but it was the wounds we couldn’t see that had me on edge now. The concussion appeared better. Looks could be deceiving.

“It’s a really nice house,” she said, as we reached one of the lookouts. There wasn’t much here but some sheer rock faces, but the lip overlooked the valley. “Wow.”

“Thanks and this is one of the reasons we like it up here. It’s quiet. Few to no people. We occasionally see some bears, and a moose once. We left them alone, they left us alone.”

Her eyes rounded briefly and she wrinkled her nose. “Are you teasing me?”

“Yes,” I said because I definitely had been earlier. “But dead serious at the moment. There is wildlife up here. If Goblin goes on guard, it means he’s scented or heard something. Trust his instincts.”

The fact she looked directly at Goblin who was currently rolling on his back in some thick grass and wiggling as he played made me laugh. Her scowl was adorable.

“I’ve never seen a moose,” she muttered, and turned her attention back to the valley. The breeze had picked up and while it was cool, it wasn’t cold. The clouds thickened, but it still didn’t feel or smell like rain. Just a weather system passing by.

It could keep right on passing.

“I don’t advise trying to pet one. Or a bison for that matter.”

“Are there bison up here?” Her eyes narrowed as she glanced at me.

“Not up here specifically, but we’re not far from the parks and there are bison there. Tourists like to get their picture with them and don’t realize that bison are not docile creatures and they really don’t like it when people invade their space.”

“Well, then they get what they get.” She shook her head. “We’re in Montana, right? You can tell me that?”

I sighed. “Yes, we’re in Montana.”

“Thank you,” she murmured, the two words were so soft I almost didn’t hear them. “You guys brought me here, to your place and I know I’ve been pissed at you?—”

“You have a right to be.” For all that we had good intentions, the choice to bring her here had been Bones’ and he’d never explained exactly why. I could guess and if I was right, then I actually agreed with the choice. “Bringing you here isn’t about keeping you prisoner, Firecracker.”

“No?” She practically dared me, but her gaze remained fixed on the distance.

“No. Whoever is after you is extremely determined. We think there are at least two groups, but based on the timeline and what you can recall, I have to wonder if there is more involved than just these groups coming after you.”

“More?” She pivoted to stare at me almost pleadingly. “More than killing my agent and manager? More than taking my sister? More than taking me? What more could there be?”

“Taking you permanently. Making you a part of a collection. Keeping you.”

Disgust curled her lip and she shook her head. “They don’t get to have me.”

“No, they don’t. But they want you, Grace.” It was my turn to sigh. “At the end of the day, we can keep you safe if we keep you out of sight and away from anywhere you would normally be.”

Maybe we should have had this conversation before.

“You are visible in your life?—”

“I’m not as visible as you might think.”

“Perhaps you’re not a household name, but people know you. They know how to book your time.” I frowned. “Why didn’t they just hire you for a shoot and take you that way?”

That pulled her around. “I have no idea. Eleanor takes care of my contracts and negotiations. I’m not her only model. But she’s really good at what she does and she vets every request carefully…” Her gaze went to the distance again.

Based on that description though, if the people trying to lay hands on Grace went through her manager, it might explain why they killed her. Not that we had concrete evidence on that yet . It didn’t feel like a coincidence in any form of the word.

“I was offered a million dollars to attend a party,” Grace said. “They offered less than that but I don’t do those anymore. I don’t like them.”

“Like—what kind of party would pay you a million dollars to show up?” Even if I was already guessing yachting, I wanted her take on it.

“A yacht party. They are very popular. Wealthy men want to buy everything. Sometimes, they like to buy the attention and company of women.”

She folded her arms and I checked the color in her cheeks. I didn’t want her to be cold. Goblin was still lolling in the grass. He was comfortable and she had some color again. Both positive signs.

“When I was just starting out, I would take the invitations because they were networking opportunities. A group of us would go together. Some girls liked to do a little more and if they wanted to, fine, but I wasn’t for sale. Not like that.” Another long sigh escaped her. “I hate this. I just want to see Amorette, to talk to her, to hug her and know she is okay. Then I want to go back to my life… Maybe it’s not the life for everyone, but I liked it.”

If I could stand her sister in front of her right now, I would. “We’re not so bad, are we?”

“No.” It came out almost grudging. The frustration reflected in expression. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Well, first thing’s first, we’re going to finish our walk.” I offered her an arm. “And I’m going to let you interrogate me.” That didn’t come out quite how I intended it, but it fit. “You want to know something, ask. I can’t promise to answer everything, but I will tell you what I can.”

She eyed me then my arm. She trusted me enough that night to let me help her forget everything. Could she trust me now? Not reading into her hesitation, I waited her out. Finally, she slipped her hand onto the crook of my elbow.

“You still good for more walking?” Probably shouldn’t push it.

“I thought I got to ask the questions.” The tart response made me grin. “But yes, I think I’m fine to keep walking. I really don’t want to go back inside yet. If I was at home, I’d go to the gym and just work out. A run on the treadmill or a stairmaster—something.”

Right. I could definitely help her with that. “As much as I would like to ask what else you like to do, I would like you to take note that I am not asking you any more questions. You have the lead, Firecracker.”

Goblin gave up his lolling to lope alongside us and then he darted ahead. There was another spot up the slope where she could get a good feel for the mountains themselves. It was a hell of a view.

She didn’t ask me anything at first, just moved with me. Her gaze was distant and her mouth turned down. She was grieving. Maybe trying to distract her wasn’t the best plan.

“What is your name?” Damn near missed the question, she asked it so quietly. “I know you go by Voodoo, but what is your—government name, I guess is the right question.”

Not answering it before had been about keeping distance. It wasn’t classified, but there were few who called me by that name. Bones was one, but generally only when we were alone or he needed actual help.

“My name is Bryant,” I said. “Bryant Wagner.”

Surprise flickered over her face. I kind of liked being able to surprise her.

“So where did Voodoo come from?”

Chuckling, I shook my head. “That’s a longer story.”

“I have time,” she pointed out. “So do you at the moment.”

At the moment…

“True, but that’s definitely a story for another day.”

“Hmm…” She really was cute when she was disgruntled.

“I did say, I didn’t promise to answer everything.”

“That’s true… Bryant.”

I liked how that sounded on her lips.

“Bryant Wagner.” She frowned. “You really don’t look like a Bryant.”

“No?” I laughed.

“No,” she said.

“Do I look like a Voodoo?” Yes, she was the one who got to ask the questions, but I wanted to know.

Grace glanced up at me from under her lashes. “That’s definitely an answer for another day.”

“Touché, Firecracker. Touché.”

“I liked it.” She was quite pleased with herself. “So, besides rescuing women from trafficking rings and blowing up drug labs, what else do you do?” I must have hesitated too long because she sighed. “Let me amend it to what else do you like to do, if you can’t talk about your work.”

The retort made me want to kiss her. She wasn’t asking this time, so I refrained. “I like a lot of things, Firecracker, but if you want to know if I have hobbies…I do. I like to do magic tricks.”

Interest flared in her eyes. “Magic tricks?”

“Sleight of hand is really useful in my line of work.” I raised my hand to her ear and “pulled” a coin from her hair. It was a good, solid coin. Great for working my fingers. When I held it up, I said, “Silver dollar for your thoughts?”

Real delight lit her up and took my breath away. Right.

More magic tricks.