“I made sure the cameras were recording audio,” Gemma said. “Jac will know what she’s saying, right?”
“Assuming it’s Latin, yeah.”
“How the hell are you two so calm?” Nick gets to his feet and starts pacing around the room.
“We’ve done this before,” I offer. “Well, not exactly this, but it’s not my, uh, first rodeo.” I cringe at the cliché. “I’m sorry, Nick. I didn’t want you or anyone involved. I shouldn’t have asked you to get those files.”
“The files,” he breathes, blinking rapidly again. “That girl. Rachel. She was the one you asked me to look into. Ace…you need to explain everything to me.”
“Wait,” Gemma says, snapping the first aid kit closed. “That girl was one of the missing children?”
“Yeah,” I tell her, and then turn back to Nick. “I’ll explain everything, but I need a minute to talk to Gemma alone, okay?”
He sinks back onto the couch and nods. I take Gemma’s arm and go into the library.
“What’s going on?” Gemma asks, eyes wide. “Things went from bad to worse, didn’t they?”
“Mr. Trent said he didn’t personally send the golem but he had a colleague who has the power to do so. He made it seem like an even deal, like they both were in on it, but now I’m thinking he’s controlling Rachel,” I spit out rather quickly, mind whirling.
Gemma gives me a blank stare. “What?”
Taking in a breath, I go back. “When I met with Mr. Trent, he said I had something I wanted, but he didn’t seem totally sure I had it…which makes sense now. He had Charles come sniffing around the house to look for the gargoyles. They’ve been on the house for years and now they’re gone. So he’s not sure if I have the runes or if someone else has them.” I’m thinking out loud and not sure if Gemma is following, but right now I don’t have time to slow down.
“So assuming my aunt was able to cloak me and maybe even the house until she died, the timelines match up too.” I pick up the worn paperback copy ofEmma. “Those other kids…they didn’t have anyone else to take care of them after their parents died. And I didn’t either, not in the sense of someone who could really love and protect me. I stayed with my dad’s brother and his wife until I was old enough to move out. I would have been another perfect target. But my aunt…” I look around the library, feeling a little teary-eyed for some reason. “She stayed away, but she kept me safe. And I guess her staying away was to keep me safe too.”
“How does Rachel fit into this?” Gemma asks, nervously twisting her hair between her fingers.
“Mr. Trent knows about the demon. He knows how it kills, and…and I think they’re working together.”
“Working together?” Gemma echoes, looking even more terrified.
“Yes. He said he likes magical items because they’re worth a lot and can come in handy. Oh my God.”
“What?”
“I thinkhe’scollecting magical children. Not the demon.”
Gemma brings her hands in. “Why?”
“I’m not sure. To use…I mean, having your own personal witch is like having a magical arsenal at your beck and call, isn’t it?”
“He doesn’t have powers himself, does he?”
I shake my head. “He said he doesn’t.”
“So we’re looking at an extreme case of Napoleon Complex. But instead of feeling inferior for being short, he feels like he needs to have powers.”
“Yeah, in a sense, I think so. And if you think about how much money people make in human trafficking…”
“Think about how much more you’d get when you’re auctioning off children with magical powers.”
“That’s why he needed the parents out of the way. The children might not have a handle on their powers yet and can’t defend themselves.” My throat thickens. “And it’s easier to brainwash someone young. Make them think he really loves them or something fucked up like that.”
“So he had Rachel’s parents killed and then kidnapped her?”
I pull my lips around my teeth as I think. “She ran away…and maybe she really did. Maybe he offered her protection, told her lies…lured her in.”
“This is so fucked up, Ace.”
