Page 7

I'm the one who convinced her to come back.

Leo, Nick, and Granger exchange looks.

"Oh my god." I start pacing, sheer panic preventing me from thinking clearly. "Griselda Westing is a wanted criminal. Could she have taken her?"

Granger frowns. "What? Toto, what are you talking about?"

I take a deep breath, trying to steady my heartbeat. "Frank Ozella admitted to setting the Gardner fire. She was in on it."

"Dottie was in on it?" Granger stares at me in confusion.

"No, not Dottie. Griselda." I throw my hands in the air as I continue to pace. My brain is going into lockdown, and movement is the only thing staving off the inevitable panic attack. "Look it up!"

Three pairs of eyes are fixed on me, which on any other day would be a fantasy come true. Unfortunately, none of my fantasies involve them looking at me like I've lost my mind.

I pace back toward the guys, feeling helpless as fear overtakes me.

Leo steps in front of me, grasps my shoulders, and looks directly into my eyes. "We're going to find her, Toto."

He sounds so sure that some of my panic eases as his woodsy, amber scent drifts over me. Nodding, I give him a grateful smile. His thumbs brush my collarbones as his gaze drops to my mouth. Then he blinks and clears his throat, releasing me quickly and stepping back.

I turn to find Granger and Nick watching us. "All right, let's call somebody," I say, as my brain cells slowly migrate back north from my nether regions.

Nick leads the way as we head to the main house. He stops abruptly as we clear the barn doors, and I slam into him.

I open my mouth to apologize, but Nick reaches for me with his mechanical arm, pulling me behind him before raising both hands.

Baffled, I peek around him to find eight wizards, all dressed in black, standing in a row before us, wands raised.

"Well, this isn't a good sign," Granger says as he raises his hands.

No, this isn't good at all.

Chapter three

Nick

I'm underwater. Fragments of words make it through the haze clinging to my brain.

Dottie.

Vera.

Nick.

Griselda Westing.

Kidnapped.

Tortured.

Nick.

Nick.

Nick.

Someone is calling my name, but I can't seem to make myself respond. All I can think about is Dottie. Someone hurt her, and I wasn't there to protect her.