“Sounds good. Ten and I will bring dessert. Just not ice cream. My scooping hand is about done.”
Nodding, Fitz scooped his own bowl of ice cream and added strawberry sauce, before heading to the table with Aurora and the kids.
“Any chance Fitz and Jace have inspired the two of you to adopt again?” Ronan asked Jude.
“Our family is complete, but that doesn’t mean I’m not gonna take the chance to cuddle the new baby every chance I get.” “What about you?” Jude asked.
Ronan laughed. “I think we’re done. I mention it to Ten every now and then. He’s happy with Everly and Ezra. I am too, but you’re gonna have to fight me for baby cuddles. There’s nothing better in the world than getting all the snuggles and handing the baby back to its parents when it’s time for a diaper change.”
Nothing better, unless the baby was yours.
2
Tennyson
Two days later, Ten sat in his reading room at West Side Magick. He’d just finished up with his last client of the day. A seventy-year-old widow named Madge, who wanted to nag her husband, Ted, over infidelity allegations from fifteen years ago.
Ten knew first hand that the man had never cheated on his wife, but there was nothing he could say or do to convince the grieving widow. Ted had been working late one Friday night and had a heart attack at his desk. The cleaning crew had found his body the next morning. There had been ninety-three missed calls over the ten hours before he’d died. Ten couldn’t help but wonder if Ted died just to get away from Madge.
Thankfully, he’d never have to worry about that kind of situation with Ronan. Not just because Tennyson could read him like a dime store penny dreadful, but because Ronan could never keep a secret that big without the guilt tearing him apart. He was about to pack up for the day to head home when his phone rang. Madam Aurora’s name was on the caller ID. “Hey, Aurora.”
“Hey, yourself, Ten.” Aurora wasn’t her usual sunny self. Her affect was flat. Unreadable.
“How have you been? Haven’t seen you in a while.” Ten reached out with his gift and wasn’t getting a whole lot. Aurora obviously had herself on lockdown, keeping whatever she was calling about a secret.
“Hopefully I’m about to change that.” Aurora, usually so polished and in control of herself, sounded rattled, on edge.
“Are you okay?” Ten could sense her fear, but couldn’t figure out what his friend was so afraid of.
“I’m fine, but I have this friend who’s in trouble.Bigtrouble.” Aurora paused and took a deep breath. “Can you meet me at my shop? I know it’s the end of your work day and you want to get home to take the kids out to pick strawberries, but this is an emergency.”
“What kind of emergency?” It wasn’t like Aurora to beat around the bush.
“No one’s hurt. Don’t bring Ronan. Come alone.”
“Aurora, tell me what’s-” The phone beeped three times and the call dropped. Anxiety surged through Ten’s body. What the hell was going on and why wouldn’t Aurora want Ronan involved?
Stuffing his phone and his wallet into his pockets, Ten peeked out his office door. He knew the detectives were working upstairs and he didn’t want to run into Ronan. It was one thing to keep something from him in the moment, but was something else entirely to lie to his husband about where he was going.
Thankfully, the coast was clear. He practically ran out the door. Just as he was climbing into the SUV, his phone chimed. It was a text from Carson. [???]
Obviously his escape hadn’t gone completely unnoticed. Not wanting to lie to Carson either, Ten set the phone in the cupholder and started the ignition.
The drive to Madam Aurora’s shop took about fifteen minutes. He’d been focused on her the entire drive, hoping his gift would give him some clue as to what was going on and why she was being so secretive. The only possible answer he could think of was that she’d had a premonition about something or someone close to her and needed Ten’s help to figure it out.
Parking the car, Ten hurried down Essex Street and into the shop, which was crowded with summer tourists. When he caught the attention of the girl working the cash register, she pointed toward Aurora’s office.
“Come in,” Aurora called out when Ten knocked on her closed door.
Taking a deep breath, Ten turned the knob and walked into the room. Sitting at the reading table were Aurora and a man Tenhad never met before. He appeared to be in his fifties and wore a grey suit with a bow tie. Of all the scenarios Tennyson’s worried mind had thrown at him since Aurora’s call, unassuming anonymous accountant, was not on his list.
“Ten, we’re so glad you came. This is Rhys James. He’s an accountant at Rimmel and Stockard, over in Peabody. He got into a bit of trouble with the Salem Police last night.” She tapped a red lacquered fingernail against a pile of overturned papers to her right.
No wonder Aurora didn’t want him to bring Ronan. She was going to plead her friend’s case and ask Ten to see what Ronan could do to get him out of trouble. He turned to Rhys. “I’m not sure what Ronan can do to help. He’s with the Cold Case Unit.”
Rhys wore a terrified look. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Aurora patted her friend’s hand. “We’re going to need Ronan’s help eventually, but for right now. We need you to listen to what happened last night.”
