“I think I remember seeing some too.” Lynx picked up each orb, reading through the text. “So each victim got at least three warnings leading up to the new moon before they disappeared? Did Aurora say anything about the HOA when you talked to her?” he asked me over his shoulder.
I’d already sat down on the bed, taking a deep breath when Aspen latched, trying not to let the Toothy Terror get the best of me. “No, she didn’t—Shit!” Aspen bit down on my breast with a smile, and I yelped, causing them to turn around. I tapped his cheek with my finger, giving him a stern look that was very difficult to do when he was just so stinkin’ cute. Atlas chuckled next to me, probably entertained that his son was also a biter now.
Once I’d gotten him relatched, I tried to recall what Lynx had asked me. “You know what? She did say something odd. When I asked her if she knew who was behind the disappearances, she said I was asking the wrong question. She said I should have askedwhat.”
“What?” Atlas repeated.
“Hmm.” Saros ran his palm along his face again, scanning over the board. “That is odd.”
“Are you noticing what I’m noticing about this map?” Lynx grabbed Saros’s phone and walked out of the room, opening the front door. A few minutes later, he walked back into the bedroom. “Every house she noted has a silver star in the front window.”
“Have you ever talked to Wade Pierce before?” I asked them, only having briefly seen the CEO of Pierce Protections once.
Saros shook his head. “Not in months.”
“I’ve been trying to arrange a meeting, but Pierce is always busy traveling.” Atlas rolled his eyes, pulling out his phone and swiping through it before typing out a message and sending it off.
Saros peered out the window before shutting the blinds, as if nervous we were being watched.
“I’m supposed to train Laurel this afternoon,” Lynx offered, hands sliding into his pockets. “What if I do some digging while I’m at their house?”
“Won’t she notice?” Saros was looking over the map again, face contorted, deep in thought. “And didn’t you say they have cameras in every room?”
“Well, nothing like a well-timed distraction,” Lynx replied with a shrug, giving me a smirk.
Atlas’s focus was pinned to the map. “This is definitely promising.” He nodded a few times and then turned his attention back to the rest of us in the room, a confident twinkle in his eyes. “I think it’s time we find out who’s in the HOA.”
When Lynx Caven of number 16 arrived at 4 Blessed Crescent, Laurel Pierce was busy shaking up her pre-workout elixir in the kitchen.Silver door opening with a groan when his foot hovered over theBlesseddoormat, he stepped inside, already looking up at the cameras nestled in each corner.
Clearing his throat, he walked back into the kitchen, smiling at Laurel as she sipped her drink. When she offered him one from her Brewrig, he accepted, taking the shaker cup and drinking the elixir down in two gulps.
“Shall we?” he asked, nodding toward the home gym. Laurel led the way, and he began giving instructions for their session.
Ten minutes into it, he excused himself to use the bathroom, scanning over each door he passed. When he was finished, he crept to one door, opening it slowly before peeking inside and shutting it just as smoothly. Across from it sat another door, whose handle, when he went to jiggle it, wouldn’t budge.
“What are you doing?” Laurel asked, poking her head out of the home gym space. Lynx’s hand jolted back.
“Oh, I was hoping to see more of those cool gadgets Wade was telling me about. He’d mentioned them at the town hall and said he’d show them to me next time he was in town.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets, leaning against the wall. “Any chance it’ll be soon? The self-regulating system and upcoming upgrades just seem so cool. I’ve been trying to convince Saros to get one for our house.”
Laurel walked over and rested her palm on the door, opening it. “Go ahead. He has all the models in there with their specs. Boys and their toys! To me, it just looks like a bunch of techy mumbo jumbo. I’ll hop on the dreadmill for five.”
“Awesome! Thanks, Laurel.”
She returned to her workout, beginning her walking mystical tour of Ireland on the dreadmill.
A moment later, the doorbell rang. When she answered it, Oakley Brooks was there. “I’m so sorry to bother you, Laurel, but I wanted to personally invite you to the opening of Full Moon Emporium as a thank you for modeling.”
“I’ll definitely be there. I was just getting my workout in, thou—”
Oakley reached into her pocket and pulled out two talismans, dropping her voice down to a whisper. “Listen, I know Wade is gone a lot for work. This is a new prototype I’ve been working on for long-distance couples.”
Laurel pushed the door open further, waving her in. “What does it do?”
“Let’s just say the next time you and Wade want to have some far-apartfun time, if you mail him this and keep the other, you’ll be able to experienceeverythingtogether,” Oakley said with a wink.
“Oh, that sounds nice. But Wade isn’t really into long-distance affection…” Her face shot down to the ground.
“He will be once that’s around his neck. I imbue an aphrodisiacal enchantment into each one. It’ll latch onto his desire, and you two will be long-distance love bunnies before you know it.” Oakley smiled, and Laurel returned it, pocketing the talismans.
