19
Seven days later my life had gone from super weird to television show weird. Lucas had been over every single day. We'd been inching closer and closer to the bedroom, but at the last possible minute I'd stop myself. I wasn't sure why and every time he left I felt like grabbing a pillow and screaming into it. But there was something...something was holding me back. What it was I couldn't put my finger on.
He would gracefully accept. Sort of. And then I would have him leave because if he stayed, the whole dance to the bedroom would start again.
I thunked my head down on my kitchen counter, right next to the hot mug of coffee I'd just poured. What was wrong with me? Everything I wanted and I still couldn't seal the deal.
My mother always told me to never discount my intuition. I'd always believed her and tried to always trust my gut feelings, but I wanted Lucas like a kid wanted firecrackers on the fourth of July.
I knew he was holding back from me, though, so it made it difficult for me to take that final step.
My cell rang and I rushed over to my purse to dig it out. I pressed the button before looking to see who it was and heard Morgana's husky voice on the other end.
"We can do it."
I let out a sigh of relief and felt my shoulders sink down to normal levels. "Thank goodness. Thank you so much!"
"We will need to travel with you to set the wards. Plus we are the only ones who know where the new property is. When we get to the house, we will provide Marissa and her child with renewable glamour charms for when they need to leave their home. Our recommendation is they never turn those charms off, just in case someone spots them outside. But, if they're indoors, the warding should be strong enough to prevent prying eyes. It's never a bad thing to be overly cautious, though. The charms will have to be recharged at every full moon, but as long as Lucas continues to provide our retainer, we will travel to her instead of risking them coming back into Midnight Cove."
"This is wonderful news."
"Your man wishes to know why we are helping him. I can hear his thoughts about me as loudly as a freight train. Please advise him, we aren't helpinghim. We are helping a mom and child. Our business will conclude at such time that he does not pay us or the mother and child no longer need our assistance."
"If there ever comes a time when he doesn't pay you, please notify Marissa first, so she has the opportunity to negotiate with you." I didn't see a scenario where that happened, but I wanted to make sure all of her bases were covered.
"Very well. We will ensure Marissa and you are notified if Lucas ever misses a payment or cancels our services."
"When can we go?"
"We will leave before dawn tomorrow. Please ensure Marissa only takes what is necessary. Everything else will need to be destroyed."
"Excuse me? Destroyed?"
"Yes, to prevent others from coming in and tracking her. We will destroy the home she lived in and everything inside of it."
"That seems a little bit like overkill."
"The people who are after her are methodical and careful. This is only for her protection. Lucas is paying us handsomely to hide her."
Marissa wasn't going to like this. "Very well. I'll talk to her."
"We will have a van at her current location at 5 a.m. tomorrow. Make sure you've eaten and have whatever you need for the road. Expect a four hour trip and no stops."
The phone line disconnected before I could agree with her. Maybe I needed to bring something to pee in because coffee and road trips were a terrible combination.
I dialed Marissa's number. She picked up on the second ring. "Grace! I can't wait for tomorrow. Clint might be a bear about it. He's been sleeping in every morning, so waking him up to get him ready is going to be a nightmare."
"Did Lucas tell you about the packing?"
She scoffed. "Ugh. Yes. What a pain. I didn't bring much with me anyway, but I do have some things here I'm really going to want to take with me. How I'm going to sort through that I don't know."
"It will come to you. Just know whatever doesn't go will have to be destroyed."
"Do you think this is going to work?"
I didn't have to think about it long. "Anything the Comey sisters get involved in will work. Possibly too well. I have a very good feeling about this, and I think you and your son will be safe as long as they're behind the scenes."
"Finally," she said and sighed.
