“Ride with me, then. We need to get to my house. Now.” Leading the way out, I call Gemma.
“Ace,” she whispers. “Someone just pulled into the driveway.”
“I saw on the camera,” I tell her. “Make sure the doors are locked and stay out of view.”
“Do you think it’s that Trent guy?”
“Probably. He wasn’t happy with the way I left.” I push through the doors of the cafe and practically run to my car. “I’ll be home as soon as I can.”
“Stay on the phone with me?”
“Of course.”
I get in my car and the call automatically transfers to the speakers on my car.
“Is he after the book?” Gemma asks, and I know Nick is wondering what the fuck we’re talking about. At least he knows enough to not ask questions now.
“No. He’s not. I know what he wants and I’ll tell you when I’m home. Just…shit…you didn’t give me all your crystals, did you?”
“No. I still have a few amethysts left.”
“Good. I know there’s quartz in the library. Jac’s been cleansing and charging them in the moonlight. Put them together—”
“To magnify the properties. On it.”
I run a red light and speed down another street. Once I’m out of the busy downtown area I’ll be able to make good time.
“What’s going on outside? Don’t look out the window,” I remind her. “I think my computer is in the kitchen.”
“It is. Hang on. I’m in the library now.” A minute passes before Gemma says anything else. My heart is beating so fast and my palms are sweating. Electricity sizzles at my fingertips. I grip the steering wheel tighter.
“They’re on the porch,” she whispers. “I can hear footsteps.”
“Are you in the kitchen?”
“Yeah. Getting your computer.” She’s breathing fast and another few seconds go by. “Okay. I’m sitting on the back stairs. They can’t see me here.”
“Good idea.”
“Pulling up the security system now.”
I can feel Nick’s eyes on me, and I’m pretty sure his heart is racing just as fast as mine is. I get stuck at a light and grit my teeth. It’s the middle of the afternoon. The guys are fast asleep, set in stone. They can’t protect Gemma, and they can’t protect themselves.
But it’s not like anyone could just walk in and take the large statues out. They wouldn’t fit through the stairwell for one, and two, they weigh a ton. It would require a team with tools and machinery to move just one of the gargoyle statues.
“It’s still loading,” Gemma whispers. “Stupid slow Wi-Fi…come on…come on…”
“I’m like fifteen minutes away,” I say, as if that’ll comfort her, but as soon as I say it, I realize how much bad shit can happen in five minutes, let alone fifteen.
“It’s the same guy from before. You know, the one who looked like a skinny Albert from Batman.”
“Alfred,” I correct out of habit.
“Yeah, whatever. I’m not as big of a nerd as you are.”
The little bit of banter calms me down just enough to keep the fire from erupting from my fingers.
“What’s he doing?”
