Chapter 23 #2
Keir chuckled. “Regardless, you have them. Be well, Warlock Holland.”
“And you.”
The call ended, leaving me staring at my phone. Hikaru slept peacefully in my lap, his chest rising and falling with consistent ease. I doubted Hikaru shared this more vulnerable form with others. The fact he trusted me so implicitly made me feel ten thousand feet tall.
With that feeling warming my insides, I decided to try contacting the last two individuals on our list—the two we’d so far been unable to reach.
The first call went to voicemail again. My eye twitched.
I wasn’t sure whether to be annoyed or concerned.
If the individual simply wasn’t answering their phone due to laziness, then I was annoyed.
If it was because they’d activated a dangerous charm, then I was concerned.
Not knowing which played havoc with my nerves.
If we knew where they lived, I’d ask Hikaru to drop in and check on them.
As it was, all I had was a phone number.
Perhaps I could ask one of Franklin’s coworkers to find more information.
I believe there was a human female he worked with that had a penchant for tracking information via computer.
I had no such skills, nor did I wish to attain them.
I left yet another voice mail indicating the urgency of the situation, not that I’d gotten very far with that tactic yet and ended the call.
I brought up the next individual, a human woman named Martha Phillips.
I dialed her number and waited, all the while, the fingers of my free hand wove through Hikaru’s soft fur.
The phone rang four times. After the fifth, a hesitant woman answered, “H-hello.”
I instantly perked up. “Is this Martha Phillips?”
“No. I’m her sister, Belle. Who is this?” Belle’s voice went from watery to wary in less than a heartbeat.
“My name is Nikodemus Holland. Why are you answering your sister’s phone?” Warning bells sounded inside my head, increasing my heartrate and making the hand tangled within Hikaru’s fur grip a little too tight. Hikaru raised his head, his sleepy eyes blinking before rapidly focusing on my concern.
“The warlock?” Belle sounded confused. That confusion turned to swift anger. “This is all your fault! What did you do to my sister?”
I pulled the phone away from my ear as Belle’s raised voice turned into a screech. “What has happened?”
“I don’t know.” She continued yelling. “You tell me. Martha had another migraine. She saved up forever to get one of your charms. They’re supposed to be the best. What a load of bullshit.”
I asked again, “What happened?”
Belle’s scornful scoff rang in my ear. “She’s in a fucking drug induced coma.
That’s what happened. She activated it and started screaming and holding her head.
God, the sounds Martha made…I can still hear her screaming.
” Belle choked on a sob. “She wouldn’t stop screaming.
She…I called an ambulance, and they came and picked her up.
The doctor said she had to give Martha way more drugs than usual just to get her to stop screaming.
Even then, her heartrate was too elevated and the doctors were worried about her having a stroke.
They put Martha in a medically induced coma. It was the only choice.”
“Dear Gaia.” I placed my forehead in the palm of my hand. Hikaru sat up, his cold nose poking at my chin. When that didn’t work, his rough tongue licked my cheek. Pushing down my anger and fear, I asked, “Where is the charm now?”
“How would I know and why the fuck should I care? That damn charm is the reason why—”
“Belle, I know you’re upset and rightly so, but I need to know where that charm is. I’ve been trying to get ahold of your sister for a few days. Some of my charms were tampered with, they were changed to—”
“You’re trying to blame someone else?” Belle sounded incredulous.
“I’m trying to save your sister,” I snapped back. Inhaling, I forced myself to calm. “If I can get ahold of that charm, there’s a chance I can undo what has been done.”
This time, Belle’s voice sounded wounded and small. “You can save Martha?”
I swallowed hard. That was a promise I couldn’t make, no matter how desperately I wanted to. “I’m not sure.”
Belle choked on a harsh laugh. “Yeah, that sounds about right. What use are you?”
“I’m not sure, but I’d like to try. Please, try and remember where the charm is.”
“Why should I trust you? Your shoddy work is the reason Martha’s in the hospital, you’re the reason she might not…God, I can’t even say it.”
Hikaru transformed, his arms wrapping around my shoulders as he rested his cheek in the hallow of my neck.
It physically hurt, having someone call my work shoddy.
“Listen, I know I’m asking a lot, but I really think I can help, I just can’t guarantee it.
Please, let me try.” So far, Belle hadn’t mentioned contacting the Warlock Council.
I could only hope that was truly the case.
I needed to get to that charm before Danzig or one of his minions did.
Belle huffed and I could hear her sniffles through the connection. “Last I saw the thing, it was on the floor beside Martha’s bed. I’m not sure if it’s still there or not. The EMT’s walked all around the bed and I sure as shit wasn’t touching it after what that charm did to Martha.”
“What’s the address?”
“You’re going there now?”
I glanced down at Hikaru. Our eyes met and my kitsune gave me a slight nod. “I’ll be there within a minute once I have the address.”
“Oh.” Belle obviously didn’t know what to make of that, not that I blamed her.
I was a warlock, not a brownie or fairy.
Regardless, Belle rattled off a Nevada address.
I repeated the address out loud so Hikaru could hear.
I didn’t even get a chance to properly end the phone call before Hikaru’s form dissipated, pulling me along for the ride.