They walked up the sidewalk through the throng of business people in suits and young moms wheeling strollers. She caught a whiff of vampires among them and tried not to flinch. Not every vampire was bad, she reminded herself, and thought of Garrett and Natalya. The loud chatter filled her ears and Gillian was grateful for the sound. A breeze blew a pile of leaves in every direction and she sighed, enjoying the crisp autumn air. The sizzling aroma of garlic bread from an Italian restaurant lingered in the air.
Natalya stopped in the middle of the street and touched her arm. “Hold on a minute. I’m getting a call.” She moved off to the side and put her phone to her ear.
A delivery van screeched to the curb in front of them. A vampire in an arm sling climbed out of the back and attempted to unload a box onto the sidewalk without much luck. He glanced over his shoulder at Gillian with a pleading look in his eyes. “Excuse me, miss? Could you help me?”
Gillian hesitated for a moment, hating feeling like a scared little chicken. This was still her neighborhood and her peeps. “Sure, give me a minute.” She slung the strap of her purse across her body and hoisted her bag onto her shoulder. Once her hands were free, she walked over to the box to lift it out of the van, and an arm wrapped around her waist in a vicelike grip. She let out a blood-curdling scream, and another hand closed over her mouth. She cried out and sank her teeth into his hand.
“Are you ready to go for a little ride?” he whispered close to her ear and lifted her off her feet. Her vision blurred as panic set in.
She kicked out with her feet, but it was like hitting a brick wall. He let go of her and shoved her into the back of the van.
“Stop right there and hold up your hands or I’ll shoot you in the back.” Natalya’s voice cut through the crowd.
The asshole turned around, giving Gillian enough time to reach inside her purse and grab the potion bottle. She climbed out of the van, pressed her finger to the nozzle, and sprayed him on the side of his face.
He covered his eyes with his hands. “What the fuck? What did you spray me with? It burns.”
“Get your hands up. You’re under arrest.” Natalya slapped a set of cuffs on his wrists and hauled him up against the side of the van while he continued to howl in pain.
“Did he hurt you? Gillian? Please, say something so I know you’re okay.”
Her chest heaved and her heart continued to thud against her ribcage. Gillian nodded slowly, trying to catch her breath. “You were right. I should’ve gone with the bouquet.”
* * *
Gillian lifted the steaming mug to her lips and let out a deep breath. “What’s in this? It’s good.” Her voice still sounded shaky, not to mention hoarse from all the screaming. She glanced over at Natalya, who was seated next to her on Brooke’s couch. She’d agreed to take her to her apartment. It was the only place she’d wanted to go after the attack, hoping to pick up on her cousin’s energy. Gillian leaned back in a cushion, trying to recover from adrenaline overload.
“It’s brandy, hot water, nutmeg, and cinnamon. I found some liquor in a kitchen cabinet. You needed something to calm your nerves. I’m so sorry about what happened,” Natalya's voice filled with guilt.
“Stop blaming yourself. It wasn’t your fault. Except for a few scratches, I’m fine. Maybe Lawrence will think twice about sending one of his minions. You were a total boss back there.”
Natalya cracked a smile. “You too. I’m quite sure that vampire is still trying to figure out what hit him.”
After Gillian finished her brandy, she got to her feet and paced around the apartment, touching everything she could get her hands on, from the remote control to Brooke’s favorite cookbook from theBarefoot Contessa.Nothing new came through, only fragmented images from the past.
“I think it might have the opposite effect. You’ve exposed him all over social media, which will cost him all of his high-power connections.” Natalya fell silent when her phone pinged. “Hold on a sec.” She glanced at the screen and pursed her lips. “Garrett just texted me. He’s insisting on coming here to pick you up after the attack.”
Her pathetic heart gave a little flutter. “Do you think Greystone told him anything that could lead us to Brooke?”
Natalya shrugged. “I’m sorry, Gillian. I can’t say at this point.”
Gillian did another sweep of the place, and finally, she gave up, feeling sad and emotionally drained. Suddenly, everything crashed over her all at once. She plopped back down on the couch and burst into tears. Her body shook with the force of her sobs. She reached for a tissue from a box on the end table and blew her nose. “I’m sorry. I’ve been trying to be strong.”
“It’s going to be okay. I promise.” Natalya squeezed her shoulder. “You’ve been through hell and back. I think you’re entitled to a good, hard cry.”
When the tears finally subsided, she started to feel a bit better. She exhaled, and decided to try another way to create a psychic link with Brooke. She needed to channel her divination skills, and the best way to do that was to help someone else. “Have you ever had your cards read?”
Excitement flashed in Natalya’s eyes. “Yes, but it was a long time ago. Do you have any here?”
“I keep a spare deck on me at all times.” Gillian got up from the couch and reached for her purse off the table. She pulled out a velvet pouch and took a seat in a chair across from Natalya. The moment she held her cards and shuffled them, magick pure and bright pulsed beneath her fingertips.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the tarot. You have an amazing selection of decks at your shop. My Aunt Agatha was a witch. She read palms and used crystal balls. I remember going to visit her as a child, and you could always count on a line of people trying to get in to see her for a reading.”
“How about you?” Gillian pushed the cards closer to Natalya, motioning for her to cut the deck. “Did you inherit her gift?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve never dabbled.” Natalya tapped her fingers on the coffee table. “My family would’ve frowned heavily on the whole thing.”
Gillian chuckled. “All the more reason you should give it a try. Let’s see what the cards have to say.” She flipped the Two of Pentacles, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Her mind filled with images of an older woman in a blue dress with grey hair. She sensed her spirit trying to come through. “I think your Aunt Agatha is trying to send you a message through me.”
