Natalya’s eyes grew wide. “I can smell her.” The room filled with the scents of leather and rose perfume.
“Can you get me a pad and something to write with?” Gillian’s hands began to tingle.
“What are you doing?” Natalya passed over a small notebook and a pen from her bag.
“I’m going to automatically write the message she sends.” Gillian closed her eyes, and her hand scribbled furiously across the page. After several minutes, she stopped and sagged forward, drained from the channeling. “Why don’t you read the message? See if it rings any bells for you.”
Gillian set the pad on the table while Natalya’s eyes scanned over the words.
“The perfume bottles are tucked away in a blue hatbox at the top of your mother’s closet. I can’t believe this.” Natalya inhaled sharply, and tears filled her eyes. “When my aunt died she left me her antique perfume bottles. I used to admire them as a child. We could never find them and looked for years. Thank you, Gillian. This means the world to me.”
“You’re welcome.” Gillian squeezed her hand. “I’m glad I could help.”
Natalya glanced at the rest of the message. A curious expression spread across her face. “Wait, there’s more. I think this part is about Brooke. She still glows with health but longs to go home. The trees and the grass keep her magick flowing through her veins, but I fear not for long.” Natalya ran her fingers over the words, and a line appeared between her brows. “The last piece at the end appears to be some sort of warning. Beware of theodnoglazyy.”
“Beware of the odno-what?” Gillian asked, leaning forward to touch the paper.
“It’s Russian. I’m not sure how to translate the word. Let me think, beware of the one-eyed man?” Natalya looked up at Gillian, shaking her head. “I’m not sure what it means.”
“Sounds ominous,” Gillian agreed. “I’ll tell Garrett about it when I see him.” She scooped up the cards and slipped them back in the pouch. With a sigh, she reclined in the chair and pulled her legs up to her chest. “Speaking of Garrett, how long have you known him?” she asked, trying to sound casual.
“We’ve been working together for a little over six months now, but it feels a lot longer.” Natalya pulled a hairband off her wrist and swept her long, dark hair back in a ponytail.
Last night something had shifted between them, and Gillian couldn’t help but wonder what it meant, if anything. Now that she understood what Garrett had been through, she saw him in a whole new light. But there was still the matter of him trying to ruin her reputation. She’d been avoiding bringing the subject up at every turn. There were far more important matters at hand, but at some point, they would need to clear the air. She couldn’t put a label on what she felt for him exactly, but it filled her heart with a bittersweet tenderness.
“Garrett can come off a little menacing at times, but it’s all an act.” Natalya smiled wide and tilted her head to the side. “Inside, he’s as soft and gooey as a marshmallow.”
“Now there’s a word I’d never use to describe him.” And then Gillian recalled the way he’d interacted with his elderly neighbor Annette. She’d even called him “sweet boy.”
Somewhere along the way she started to look forward to their interactions. He kept her on her toes. Did he do that with all the women in his life? She wanted to ask Natalya if their relationship had ever gotten personal, but it wasn’t her place. Not that she could blame her if it had. Now that she knew him better, she couldn’t imagine how any female wouldn’t be drawn to him on some level.
“Gillian? What’s going on in your head?” Natalya asked, bringing her back to the present. “I’m getting a strong vibe that you want to ask me something.”
“I do want to ask you something, but I’m afraid it might offend you.”
“It’s okay. Please, go ahead.”
“Well, it’s really for the sake of the ruse. I just wondered in all of those months of you and Garrett working together, doing all those late-night stakes outs, did you ever, you know, get together in the carnal sense?” Gillian asked, holding her breath, waiting for Natalya’s reply.
“Me and Garrett? God, no.” Natalya shook her head. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, you’d have to be half-dead not to notice how virile he is, but we’ve always had a professional relationship. I don’t look at him romantically and vice versa.”
Those few simple words filled her with relief. “Good to know.”
“Believe me, you don’t need to worry where I’m concerned. Of course for purposes of the ruse and all,” Natalya said with a twist of her lips. “Anyway, I’m not savvy when it comes to matters of the heart.” A faraway look appeared in her eyes.
Her aura turned from red to purple, and Gillian picked up on her sadness. She wanted to ask her about it, but she didn’t want to probe since they didn’t know each other that well yet.
Instead, she tried to backtrack. “Oh, you thought I was asking for me?” She placed her hand on her chest and then moved it lower to pull at a loose thread on her jeans. “I was curious, in case someone asked.” Goddess, she was rambling now, making a complete ass of herself.
Natalya chuckled, putting her at ease. Gillian liked her, and under different circumstances, she could see them being friends. “If you say so. I can’t speak for the other women in his life. I understand he has quite a reputation.”
Her heart sank. “I can’t say I’m shocked by the revelation.” With a deep sigh, Gillian tried to process their conversation, and one thing became clear, there was a whole lot more to Garrett Mulroney than met the eye. And she was determined to unravel the mystery.
Chapter 18
“Ishould’ve been there. We need to talk about what happened.” Garrett turned to Gillian as they veered out of the parking garage at full speed in a sleek, blue sports car that looked like something straight out of a Bond film.
“We will, but not now.” Gillian cut him off. “Please, Garrett, if we get into what happened earlier I might lose my shit, and tonight is all about Willow and Alex. I want everything to be perfect for them.” From the moment he’d picked her up at Brooke’s, he couldn’t stop apologizing. The message about Brooke had helped to ease the knot in the pit of her stomach. At least she knew she was safe, for the moment anyway. According to Natalya’s aunt, it was only temporary. In the meantime, Gillian would work with Saje and pray they would find an ancient form of magick to break her bond.
