47. Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Seven
W illow woke lying in Nate’s arms, precariously on the edge of the bed. She feared any movement would send her tumbling to the floor.
‘Do you think Arnie has another room available? This bed isn’t made for two.’
‘Milly said not. Maybe after we have drunk a few pints, it won’t matter.’
Willow’s mobile sprang to life with the rendition of Mungo Jerry’s “Summer Time”. She ignored it, but it rang again and again. She rolled over, refusing to acknowledge Nate’s raised eyebrows at her music choice. He caught her before she fell.
‘Hi Glenn. What’s up?’
‘Is Amber with you?’
The earlier anger she felt towards Amber threatened to flare when Glenn mentioned his daughter’s name but retreated with the touch of Nate caressing her arm, grounding her as the orchard had done. The teenager’s actions were foolish and ill-judged, but when the red mist subsided, she knew Amber didn’t lie maliciously or out of spite. It wouldn’t be fair to involve Glenn; she would deal with her apprentice alone.
‘No. I’m out of town at the moment. Why?’
Glenn’s silent protracted pause chilled her. She slipped out of bed to snatch her clothes strewn over the floor. Following her lead, Nate stumbled out of bed with a thud followed by a ‘Fuck’ as he hit his head on the sloping roof.
‘Where are you?’ Glenn asked.
‘I’m with Nate. It’s a long story. What’s going on, Glenn?’ She listened to him explain. ‘I’ll be with you soon.’
Amber was missing.
***
Nate squeezed himself into the compact car, his head touching the ceiling and knees bent ridiculously high. If she weren’t so anxious, she’d have laughed at the absurdity of the sight.
‘You don’t have to come,’ she said, reversing Mavis out of the pub carpark.
‘Don’t be silly. I’m not being left behind again. You have a knack for disappearing yourself. Just go slow over the cattle grids, please.’ Nate buckled himself in, regretting the last pint of the Old Ram’s special. ‘Or better still, drive my car.’
She scowled at his request. She needed the comfort of her own car and the distraction of driving to prevent her mind from reeling with concern, rather than being a passenger in Nate’s smooth top-of-the-range Land Rover.
‘Let me get this straight, no one has seen her since this morning when she lied about being ill. Maybe she’s gone to clear her head at a friend’s place. She is eighteen. She’ll be fine.’ He was unsure of the need to panic.
‘I hope so, but Glenn said her clothes and Louise’s journals are missing and something about some strange letters that were clearly not sent to her.’ Willow waited for him to make the connection that was worrying her.
‘You think they’re from Rafe.’
The icy fingers of fear clenched her heart as she nodded. ‘And it gets worse. She’s not been sleeping and having nightmares, which may make her powers unstable. The last time that happened, she was in ICU for weeks. We need to find her.’