She Shall Have Music (Psychic Seasons Read online

  “Six movies? That’s too many, pick three and we’ll make a night of it—Tyler and Reid can entertain themselves this evening.”

  Gustavia volunteered to go out for supplies since a movie marathon required popcorn, chocolate, and wine. At least.

  “Let me grab a coat and I’ll go with you,” Amethyst volunteered knowing none of them should be going out alone.

  “No, stay. I’ll take the dogs with me.”

  “I don’t like it.”

  “Bad idea.”

  “No.” Julie and Kat spoke at once.

  “I’m not scared of Logan. He messes with me, I’ll kick him so hard he’ll taste his fiddly bits.”

  At her words, a chill ran up Kat’s spine bringing with a sense of foreboding. “Don’t be foolish, Gustavia,” she admonished.

  “She won’t be alone,” Kat heard Estelle say in her head. “I’ll go along, keep an eye on her. She’ll never know.”

  Before anyone else could argue the point, Gustavia was up and out the door calling Lola and Fritzie to follow her.

  Chapter Six

  Deep shadows fell in soft pools of darkness at the edge of the tree line bordering the farthest section of the parking lot. Logan huddled and hunched in that darkness watching shoppers wheel carts of groceries to their cars.

  Waiting—he remembered what he was doing here—waiting for Gustavia to come out. Even in his thoughts, her name sounded like a sneer. She was a crystal-wearing, new age freak and she had cost him everything. Everything. He hated her, so he waited and planned.

  Every time the door opened, his tongue darted out to swipe over lips cracked and peeled from spending too much time outdoors. He had a vague memory of staying in a warm cabin once but not where or when. During the rational moments, he knew he had slipped over the edge. He didn’t remember stealing this car or driving it here but he must have done both.

  Time had become twisted and turned back upon itself. Hours passed like minutes and sometimes days felt months long. Yesterday it had been summer-warm but last night, autumn had begun to blow its cooling breath down his neck. He remembered shivering in the dark, the white plume of his breath like a cloud of smoke rising toward the velvet-blue sky.

  He needed a blanket. Julie kept the spare blankets in that chest at the foot of her bed. Thinking of her always brought the blackness—made it swim up from inside him until it sucked him under.

  What was inside of him barely kept itself from chortling gleefully at seeing Gustavia stride out of the store alone. The depth of corruption and blackness occupying Logan’s body surged over his mind to steal away every good memory until he perceived nothing but emptiness, pain and the hunger for revenge.

  _,.-'~'-.,_

  By the time Gustavia checked out, the parking lot was nearly empty. A feeling of unease stole over her as the hair on the back of her neck prickled. Surreptitiously she glanced around and saw no one near but the sensation of being watched was still strong. She walked around the car to pop the truck and stow the groceries inside.

  Logan was out there, she would have staked her life on it. Using her body to block him seeing what she was doing, she grabbed the tire iron. She could almost feel his hot breath on her neck. When she turned around, he was there. The Logan standing before her was not the man she had known. There was something twisting his features into a mask of evil. His eyes glittered with darker intentions.

  “Hello Gustavia.” His voice, too, was altered—deeper, more gravelly and she noticed the trace of an accent she had never heard before. Concentrating quickly, even in the low light of dusk, she could see his aura was a black roiling mess with only a hint of color. Whatever had overtaken the man—whether it was an earthwalker, ghost, or his own thirst for revenge—was operating on pure malice.

  In the car, both dogs were lunging and barking madly. Lola smelled his scent and recognized him as enemy—the one she had tangled with before. Still, locked inside, there was nothing she could do but raise the alarm so she continued to bark.

  “Logan.” She managed to keep her voice even. Maybe she could appeal to that part of him that still clung to the tiny bit of color in his aura. “It’s not too late, you can stop this right now; walk away before it goes too far. I know there’s a decent man inside there somewhere.” She didn’t believe that for a minute; she had always despised him, her gut instincts telling her he was not a good person. But, there were levels of wrong and being a lying schemer was a far cry from kidnapping and possibly murdering her.

  Keeping her focus trained on his aura, she saw a brief flare of color as his face shifted, only for a second, back to the man she had once known. He choked out one word, “Sorry,” before the color was consumed by blackness and hate settled back over his features.

  It hadn’t worked. She still held the tire iron and she was not as helpless as he might think. Dropping into a defensive pose, she prepared to fight.

  He lunged and she defended, delivering a straight punch followed by a round kick that broke his nose and rocked his head back. The dark fury of the earthwalker rose up and he came at her again. She fought bravely but her Krav Maga techniques were no match for the force inside him that continued far past the bounds of his physical body and he finally wrested the tire iron away from her, whirled around, then brought it down upon her head.

  Dazed and in pain, but still clinging to consciousness, Gustavia lay on the ground and remembered Amethyst had once said that anything done with great intention left an aura imprint, so she concentrated on leaving some of her energy in this place.

  She felt him pull her up but was unable to resist as he dragged her the short distance to his car and threw her into the back seat before leaning in to secure her wrists with a short bit of rope. She struggled and even managed to get in another kick before he punched her in the face.

  Pain bloomed across her cheek as his fist connected but instead of subduing her, as he wanted, it only made her more determined to thwart him. Feigning unconsciousness, she closed her eyes and slumped in the seat.

  He had her now and he’d get the other one, too. Somewhere inside, what was left of Logan despaired that he had given in to the insanity that possessed him. There was little trace left of the intelligence that had allowed him to craft a con, to act a part and fool a mark. He had given himself over to the darkness and the darkness had eaten him whole.

  Thankful her ruse had fooled him, Gustavia tried to connect her energy through the car to the ground beneath. If it worked, Amethyst, with her new power level, might be able to follow the trail and find her.

  It was a slim hope but since there was nothing else she could do, it had to be enough.

  When the car stopped, hoping for some kind of opening to get away, she forced her body to remain limp. Maybe she could use the element of surprise against him. She felt him grab her feet and drag her forcefully out onto the ground. Even though her head slammed against the edge of the car floor on the way down, Gustavia sent another burst of energy into the ground then, when Logan leaned down to pick her up, lunged up and rammed her aching head into his gut.

  He let go of her, dropping her heavily down on the gravel drive and stumbled back as she twisted and turned in an effort to stand. Even with her hands tied behind her back, she might be able to do some damage but before she could make any progress, he delivered a vicious kick to her head.

  That was the last thing she remembered until the persistent sound of water dripping finally penetrated her consciousness. Slowly, painfully, she eased into skull-pounding awareness.

  Gustavia opened her eyes then quickly closed them again as even the low level of light in the room felt like sharpened swords stabbing into her brain. Nausea, a greasy grind in her belly, she breathed shallowly in an effort to minimize the pain, taking stock as best she could.

  The surface under her cheek was soft and rough at the same time. It smelled musty and unused. Maybe it was a bed, maybe some kind of cot; she couldn’t tell.

  Lying on her stomach, Gustavia g
ently tried to shift her shoulders into a more comfortable position to ease the aching pull of muscles and realized her arms were now secured behind her.

  Each movement brought back the pounding in her head and she felt every single ache left over from the fight, but still she struggled against bonds that only tightened with each attempt until finally the relentless pain overwhelmed her again and took her back under.

  _,.-'~'-.,_

  Helplessly, Estelle watched Logan stalk Gustavia in the parking lot. She tried to yell out a warning but something, some force stopped her, froze the words in her throat before she could utter them.

  Panic mounted as she watched for long moments while he moved stealthily closer and closer. She saw the short conversation, the desperate fight, and the final outcome as Gustavia was outmatched by Logan’s manic disregard for his own safety.

  Logan hadn’t come away unscathed either. He had not counted on Gustavia’s ability or willingness to fight and Estelle was sure he was leaving with a broken nose.

  Estelle saw him pull Gustavia from the ground and drag her the short distance to his car where he shoved her into the back seat. She saw Gustavia give him that final kick and heard the sound of fist meeting face. She watched him bind Gustavia’s hands, shove her limp body across the seat. Then he turned toward Estelle and she finally saw through the physical barrier to what was inside. With a last malevolent glare at Estelle, he slid inside, slammed the door, and drove away.

  Struggling against the force that bound her, Estelle wanted nothing more than to follow, to see where he would take Gustavia. Instead, she was rooted to the spot, unable to take action and it was not until the car was long out of sight before she was finally released. By then, it was too late to follow so she turned her focus back toward Hayward House and help. She sensed Tyler was closer, right down the street.

  This was one of those times when it would have been nice to have Julius around. His greater experience with being in spirit form might have given him an edge. The only positive thing that had come out of this was that she had both seen and gotten a sense of the earthwalker. She hadn’t known that ghosts could shiver until she felt that cold attention focused on her. She was still shaking from the experience as she concentrated on Tyler in order to locate his exact location.

  Chapter Seven

  Heedless of whether or not anyone might see her, Estelle abruptly appeared next to Tyler in the bar where he and the other men were playing pool. It was dark enough that only one other patron noticed and he had enough alcohol already in him to doubt what he was seeing.

  “He’s taken Gustavia.” She announced to the group.

  Zack threw the paled but immediately shifted into cop mode. “Where? Tell me what happened.”

  Estelle laid it out for them, told them where to find Gustavia’s car and which direction Logan had gone when he had driven away with her. The only thing she held back was any mention of the earthwalker. Zack had not seen her shimmer into the room and now was not the time to open up that particular conversation.

  “I’ll call Julie and let them know.” Tyler pulled out his phone.

  “No, you go with Zack, help Finn. I’ll go tell them. You find her.”

  “Tell them to stay at the house, safe.”

  Estelle shot him an arched eyebrow. “Have you met your fiancée and her friends? You know that’s not going to happen. I’ll bring them to you; it’s safest when you are all together anyway.”

  Before he could protest, she stepped around the corner where Zack would not see her and vanished.

  The four men wasted no time covering the short distance from the bar to the grocery store; Zack called dispatch and relayed his orders. Every officer in the vicinity was called into action. Some to set up roadblocks, others to organize the search. Following protocol with hot fury running through his veins was the hardest thing he had ever done. All Zack wanted to do was find his sister and see her safe. Well, that and take Logan Ellis apart with his bare hands.

  _,.-'~'-.,_

  Flashing past the gazebo and wishing Julius was back from his mysterious errand; Estelle zipped into the house and nearly shrieked the news, “Logan’s got Gustavia. He grabbed her from the parking lot and there was nothing I could do to help.”

  “I’ll call Tyler.” Julie pulled out her phone as she stuffed her feet into the first pair of shoes she could find.

  “No need. I just came from there. The men want you to stay here where it’s safe,” Estelle explained knowing full well that option was not on the table.

  Sure enough, Amethyst snorted, “Like we’d just sit here when Gustavia is in trouble. Never happen.” She quickly helped Kat with her things and the three women were out the door before two full minutes had passed.

  “Where are they?” Julie asked as she slid behind the wheel.

  “Parking lot behind the grocery store.”

  During the short drive, Estelle described for the grim-faced women everything that had happened then said to Kat, “Do you mind?”

  Kat knew exactly what she was asking. Estelle wanted her to act as channel so she could remain available longer than her energy normally allowed. “I was thinking the same thing,” and she opened herself to let the spirit slide inside. In order to conserve energy, Estelle stayed in the background speaking to Kat rather than through her.

  “We’ll find her. It will all be fine.” Amethyst kept repeating the words almost as if to reassure herself they were true.

  _,.-'~'-.,_

  Flashing lights greeted the women as they pulled into the parking lot. Jumping from the car, they raced to the epicenter of the activity.

  Zack had already found Gustavia’s car keys and released the two dogs. They were now stashed in his cruiser.

  Under the harsh glare of the temporary lighting set up by the police, Amethyst saw Zack crouched down to investigate some drops of blood on the pavement. Hoping the blood was not Gustavia’s she checked his aura, fear swirled through with anger. Some of the blood did belong to Gustavia; her aura surrounded a few drops but most was surrounded by darkness.

  What made Amethyst swear under her breath was the one thing she never expected to see—Gustavia’s imprint, clear as day. Even under attack, the woman had had the presence of mind to funnel energy into the ground.

  Amethyst could barely breathe. Here was the perfect situation where her gift could be useful and she was restrained behind a barrier watching the imprint slowly fade as the minutes ticked past.

  An hour crawled by as the six friends watched Zack work alongside his team. Sixty endless minutes of knowing Gustavia was at Logan’s mercy. As the second hour began counting down, Amethyst’s patience waned. She paced, she stalked the boundary, she watched Zack’s expression darken as each incoming report was negative.

  Enough was enough. A moment came when she thought no one was paying attention so Amethyst ducked under the tape and made her way across the parking lot.

  Stepping forward, she gently touched Zack on the shoulder and quietly asked him to move aside for just a minute.

  “Working here, Amethyst.” He shrugged her hand away. “Get back behind the barrier.”

  “Zack, I know. And I know you’re scared. So am I, but I might be able to help.”

  Running a hand through his hair, Zack impatiently stood and walked a short distance away where he stared at her, cold fury on his face then gestured for her to hurry. With no other auras to distract her, she could see Gustavia’s energy outline as clearly as if it had been pressed into the ground. Leading away from the main part of the imprint were what appeared to be a set of drag marks.

  “She was still alert when he dragged her away or I wouldn’t be able to see the auric imprints so clearly,” Amethyst assured Zack and raised her voice so the others would hear.

  “Okay, you’ve seen whatever it is you needed to see, now get out of the way and let me work,” Zack said, voice dripping with impatience. This woo woo stuff wouldn’t find his sister and that was the priority here.r />
  Backing away from his obvious hostility, Amethyst rejoined her friends and told them what she had seen. Estelle told Kat every detail she could remember, including which direction Logan had taken when he drove away; Kat relayed Estelle’s words to the others and they all brainstormed ideas.

  “This is my fault.” Julie’s voice trembled with unshed tears. “I brought him here. I got her into this and I let her go out alone.”

  Knowing it was needed, Amethyst spoke sharply, “Self recriminations won’t help anything now. Any one of us could have gone with her and we didn’t. You think you’re the only one blaming yourself? What we need to do is think this through, calmly and logically.”

  Reid couldn’t help admiring the way she took charge; even when he could tell her thoughts were just as frantic as everyone else’s.

  Face set in lines of worry, Finn agreed. “Amethyst’s right and so is Julie. She’s the catalyst for everything. Think about it—Julie is the one he really wants and taking Gustavia is only a means to that end. He won’t kill her because he’d lose his bargaining chip and he won’t go far because he wants us—or at least Julie—to find him. I think this is a trap and Gustavia is the bait.”

  “Zack has to follow procedure, but there’s nothing to stop us from looking for her ourselves.” Tyler was ready to do anything to get Gustavia back and not just for Julie’s sake. Gustavia was family to him, they all were.

  Unsure of his place in the group, Reid spoke up, “Jane, you can see her imprint, is there any way she could have left—I don’t know—some kind of energy trail?” It might not work with the block in place but if there was a chance, it was worth exploring.

  “It’s Amethyst,” she corrected absently. “Maybe. If she intentionally pushed her energy through the car and into the ground—and if the rubber in the tires didn’t form some kind of barrier—there might be an energy trail. And if I hadn’t botched the handling of my new abilities, I could probably see it,” she answered, bitterness coloring her tone.