Chapter 15

"Can I walk you home?"Braxton asked Lily as they all filed out of The Grimoire.

She took stock of her sisters. Prim was sticking close to Indigo, while Sage had already said her goodbyes and was headed home with August.

When Niko said goodnight and headed toward his SUV, and Indigo and Prim took off in the other direction, she said, "Yes. I'd like that."

Dante waved as he got into his own vehicle, and suddenly it was just the two of them.

Braxton wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close as he steered her toward her house. But she pointed to the waterfront and said, "Let's take a bit of a detour."

He nodded, and she leaned into him, letting out a contented sigh. Everything about him just felt right. Natural.

"I like you like this," he said.

"I like me like this too." She looked out at the bay and the silver moon reflecting off the water, so contented she couldn't imagine living anywhere else. "I've lived here my entire life, and nights like this still take my breath away. How is it possible for a place to be so beautiful?"

"It really is something special," he said as he stared down at her, and she got the distinct impression he wasn't just talking about the landscape. "I guess I owe Niko a huge thank you. If he hadn't mentioned Befana Bay, I never would have ended up here."

"Can I ask you something?" Lily asked as she paused near the dock that led down to the boats.

"Sure. Anything."

"What's the deal with your friend Niko?"

He raised both eyebrows, appearing surprised by her question. "What do you mean?"

She pressed her lips together, not sure what to say. "I don't know. I guess I just want to make sure my sister isn't walking into something she can't handle."

He chuckled softly. "It looks to me like Indigo can handle just about anything. In fact, none of you Easton girls are exactly shrinking violets."

That got a laugh out of her. "True." But then she sobered. "It's just that Prim felt like something was off. She said she felt like not everything was as it seems with him, and I don't want Indigo to get hurt if Niko has a wife or someone back in Florida waiting for him."

Braxton released her shoulder and took her hand in his as he led her over to a bench and tugged her down to sit next to him. He stared down at their entwined fingers and said, "I can't say for certain that there's no one waiting for him. It's been a while since we talked. It feels like his current plans are pretty up in the air, so maybe that's what Prim is picking up on. I am willing to go on record to say that Niko is a standup guy, and even though I haven't seen him in a long time, I still believe that's the case."

"People change. You can't know that," she reasoned.

"You're right. People do change. I have. But we all have secrets and pasts. That's just life. Are you telling me that Prim didn't have reservations about me?" he challenged.

Lily laughed. "She told me you were a lost cause and that I should date one of the rotating actors that breeze in and out of town so that I could at least make some connections and get a movie deal out of my column."

He stared at her incredulously. "Really? That seems very callous for Prim."

Lily waved an unconcerned hand. "She was joking. The last thing Prim would do is advocate for any one of us to date an actor."

"Why's that?"

"We're married to this town. Most actors are only here temporarily. If any one of us talked about leaving, I'm not sure what Prim would do. Probably knife a tire to keep us in town longer," she said with a chuckle. "Seriously, family is everything to her and has been since our parents died. It would be very hard on her if one of us moved away."

"I envy that," he said, caressing her cheek. "The closest I've come to having a real family is Dante. And to a lesser extent, Niko."

"Found family is just as important," Lily said. "It's why I'm determined to help you break that curse. Because, Braxton?"

"Yeah?" he breathed.

"I'm fairly certain that no matter what happens going forward, you're a part of mine."

His eyes closed for a long moment as he let out a long sigh, and then when he opened them, he took her cheeks in both hands and kissed her.

Lily leaned into the kiss, parting her lips for him. His tongue tangled with hers, and the entire world vanished, leaving only Braxton and the way he made her feel when he was holding her. They kissed for so long that when they finally came up for air they were both breathless.

Braxton touched his forehead to hers and said, "I should probably get you home."

She wanted to say that she was home. That being in his arms made her feel safe and secure. But she kept it to herself and nodded, letting him lead her up the hill to her small cottage.

When they got to her front door, she started to invite him in, but he kissed her one last time and said, "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

She stood with her hand on the doorhandle, watching him go, knowing that they'd had a breakthrough, and everything had changed. She just prayed it was for the better.

* * *

Lily was staringat a blank computer screen, daydreaming about the kiss the night before, when her phone rang, startling her out of her thoughts. She glanced down and saw Ressa's name pop up on the screen and hurried to answer it. "Ressa, have you got something for me?"

"Sure do. Are you ready for this?"

Lily scrambled to open her notebook and grabbed a pen. "Yep."

"Lucy Lansing's last known address is in Hansville, Washington."

"Hansville?" Lily gasped out. "You're not serious. That's like twenty miles from here."

"Very serious. I found an alias attached to her, Maryse Madyson. That name with her same birthday was filed on a lease agreement with the county two months ago. There's not much out there on her from the past six to eight years. I found one address in Tucson, but nothing else. She's been very careful about staying underground, but these days, with everything online and security cameras everywhere, it's harder and harder to do."

"What in the hell is she doing in Hansville?" A ball of unease formed in her gut. She knew on a cellular level that Lucy was in Washington because of Braxton. But why now, after years of being MIA? It was more than a little suspicious that both Braxton's mom and Lucy were now in Washington. Were they working together against Brax again? She could barely stomach the thought.

"Lily?" Ressa asked. "You still there?"

"Yeah. I'm here. Give me the address. I think it's time to find out exactly what Ms. Madyson is up to."

Ressa gave her the information and then said, "Be careful, Lil. There's usually a very good reason that people go off grid like that."

Lily sucked in a breath and said, "I know, and I will. Thank you."

The minute she ended her call with Ressa, Lily called Prim.

"What's up?" her sister asked after the first ring.

"Are you busy? I need someone to ride along with me to Hansville."

"I can probably get out of here for an hour or two. Viv is working with me today. What's in Hansville?"

"Braxton's ex," Lily said, her voice full of venom.

"The one who cursed him?" her sister gasped out.

"The very same."

"I'll be right over," Prim said.

Lily ended the call and went to put on jeans and a plain T-shirt. Something that wasn't too identifying. If she got a chance to talk to Lucy, she wanted to fly under the radar.

Two minutes later, Lily's door flew open and Prim burst in. She was wearing a pretty red dress with a colorful crocheted cardigan over it. Lily took one look at her and shoved her into her bedroom. "You can't go like that."

Prim looked down at herself. "Why? I think I look cute today."

"You do. Especially for a yarn shop owner. But not when we're staking out Braxton's ex. Here." She shoved a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt at her, knowing her sister always ran cold.

"Fine," Prim said with a sigh. "But I'm going to need shoes, too."

"Already on it." Lily handed her socks and a pair of tennis shoes. "I'll be waiting in the car."

When Prim was dressed, she jumped into the passenger seat of Lily's car and said, "I didn't realize we were going undercover. Should we stop for some masks, too?" she asked sarcastically.

Lily glanced at her. "Funny. I just don't want to stick out if we do run into her. I figured we could pretend to be new neighbors. Find out what her story is, why she's here."

"If she's here for Braxton, you don't think she'd tell the truth, do you?"

"She might. I hear that criminals try to stick to the truth as much as possible so they don't get caught in a lie." Lily handed her the address Ressa had given her. "Will you set up the navigation?"

"Sure. Worth a shot then." Prim sat back in the car and tapped the address into her GPS.

Twenty minutes later, they drove past a small blue home with an overgrown lawn and dead potted plants on the porch, though the house itself looked as if it had been well maintained. There wasn't a car in the driveway, nor were there any signs of life.

"Doesn't look very promising," Prim said.

Lily drove past a few more houses and then turned onto another street and parked her car. As she pushed the door open, she said, "Come on. Let's go investigate."

"What are we going to do, break in?"

"Of course not. Though if a door was left open, I wouldn't be opposed to just checking to make sure there are no dead bodies."

Prim groaned. "I can't believe you just said that out loud. You do realize we are like ninety percent likelier to find an actual body now, right?"

"That's just a superstition. Now come on."

"Superstitions are a thing for a reason, Lily. You know that as well as I do."

"Either way, I'm still going to investigate with or without you."

Grumbling to herself, Prim fell into step beside her sister and said an audible prayer to the goddess of life to protect them from any lingering spirits.

"Good one," Lily said. "I would have forgotten all about that."

"This is why I'm here. I keep you out of trouble."

Lily nodded. "Yep. It's why I didn't call Indigo. She'd have already barreled in and likely tripped some sort of booby trap."

They both laughed, knowing that was an over-exaggeration even if there was a kernel of truth to it. Indigo was the most impulsive of the four sisters.

When they got to the house, Lily walked right up the driveway and onto the porch.

"What are you doing?" Prim asked.

"Finding out if anyone is home." Lily knocked on the door. When no one answered, she hit the doorbell and listened carefully. "Did it ring?" she asked her sister.

Prim nodded.

"Good. Looks like she's not here. There's no dog either." Lily glanced around at the neighborhood. The houses were a good distance apart. Hansville was fairly rural, and that worked in Lily's favor. "You stay here as a lookout. I'm going to go around back and see if anyone is back there."

"You're going to go see if the back door is open," Prim said, her tone dripping with disapproval.

"What you don't know won't hurt you," Lily said as she walked off the porch.

"It will if I get arrested."

Lily pretended she didn't hear her sister. So far, they hadn't done anything even remotely illegal. The weeds along the side of the house were even thicker than they were in front, and Lily started to doubt that Lucy was even staying at the house. Though she supposed there were plenty of renters who were terrible at lawn and yard care.

The backyard was just as deserted as the front, and Lily didn't hesitate to walk up onto the back porch and peer into the kitchen window. She spotted a mug and a dirty pan in the sink. A loaf of bread was sitting on the counter along with a plate of butter. Someone was living there. They just weren't home.

After glancing around again, Lily grabbed the doorknob and twisted.

Locked.

"Damn," she muttered and then checked the windows. Every single one was closed and locked. There'd be no breaking in today. Not unless she wanted to bust out a window, but even that was too far for her to go. She took one last look in another window and spotted an open suitcase with a pile of clothes on the floor. The bed was mussed, and a pile of cosmetics were visible on the dresser. It was enough to confirm that a woman was staying there, but since she hadn't fully unpacked, it made Lily conclude it was likely a temporary stay.

"Did you find anything worth going to jail over?" Prim asked when Lily met her back in the front of the house.

"Chill out. It's not like I picked any locks or busted through a window." She led Prim back down the driveway as she filled her in on what she saw.

"Didn't you say she signed a lease two months ago?" Prim asked.

"That's what Ressa said. Maybe she rented it in advance and just got here? Or maybe she's anticipating a quick getaway?"

"Or maybe she's just a slob and has been too lazy to unpack," Prim mused.

"I guess any of that is possible. Do you have to get back right away?"

Prim shook her head. "Not unless Viv texts to say we've suddenly gotten busy."

"Good. I want to do a stakeout to see if Lucy comes home anytime soon."

As they climbed back into Lily's car, Prim said, "I knew we should have brought snacks."

Lily laughed and opened the middle console, revealing a bag of sour cream and onion potato chips and a package of Red Vines. "Will this do?"

"You're incredible. You know that, right?" Prim said with a smile.

Lily nodded and handed the Red Vines to her sister, knowing they were her favorites. Then she moved her car so that they were parked down and across the street from Lucy's house, but they still had a decent view of both the driveway and the front porch.

They sat in the back seat of the car so they'd be hidden by the tinted windows, munching on snacks for almost a half hour before a black Ford Bronco with a rental tag on the back pulled into the driveway.

Lily sat up at full attention, her phone camera ready to go. She wanted pictures of Lucy so she could show Brax and make sure it was the same woman.

But when the door of the Bronco opened, a man in black pants, a tight black T-shirt, and a black baseball cap jumped out. He pulled the ball cap down low, obscuring his face as he walked up to the front door.

"That's definitely not Lucy," Prim said.

"He doesn't live there either," Lily said as they watched him knock and then peer through the front window.

Prim glanced at her sister. "Looks like we're not the only ones looking for Lucy Lansing."

Lily peered out the window. "Am I crazy, or is there's something familiar about that guy?"

"How can you tell?" Prim asked, studying him. "All I see is a man in a black uniform."

"One who is scoping out the place exactly like I did an hour ago," Lily said as she watched him take off to the back of the house.

Prim let out a breath. "I suppose this is what happens when one lives their life grifting and scamming people. How often do you think she runs from people like him?"

"I don't even want to know," Lily said.

After about twenty minutes, the man reappeared and headed for his truck. They still couldn't see his face, but when he pulled the door open, the wind picked up and blew his cap off. Prim let out a gasp. "That's Niko!"

Lily leaned forward, squinting at the man in question, and she felt her heart get caught in her throat. Prim was right. It was Niko. What the hell was he doing snooping around Lucy's place? Had they been in cahoots all these years? Or was he there trying to help Braxton just like she and Prim were? If he was helping Braxton, wouldn't he have just told him that instead of being vague and insisting he needed a change of scenery?

"I told you there was something off about him!" Prim cried. "Follow him."

Lily scrambled into the front seat and waited until Niko pulled out and was turning right at the end of the street before she stepped on the gas. When they made the turn, she followed at a good distance for about a mile before she spotted him turning into the small parking lot of a neighborhood coffee shop.

"Go over there," Prim instructed, pointing to a beach access parking lot across the street. The sun had started to shine, and there were a handful of cars in the lot, making it a good place to stop.

They pulled in next to a minivan and waited. And waited some more while Niko disappeared into the coffee shop. When he reappeared, he had a coffee cup in one hand and his phone in the other, pressed to his ear. And then, as if he had some sort of unnatural radar, he looked up and peered right at Lily. His eyes narrowed as he ended his call and walked across the street, straight toward her.

"Oh hell," she breathed.

"How did he do that?" Prim asked.

But Lily didn't have time to answer before there was a loud knock on her window.

Even though she knew he was coming, she still jumped and then let out a nervous laugh as she rolled the window down. "Niko!" she said, acting surprised. "What are you doing out here today?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing," he said casually. "I was just checking out a house that's scheduled to be auctioned and getting the lay of the land to see what I think of the area. And then I stopped for coffee. What about you?" He peered into the car and spotted Prim in the back seat. "Everything okay?"

"Of course," Lily said. "We're just out tracking the whales." She tapped her phone. "Last we heard, they were headed up this way from Kingston. We're hoping to get a sighting, maybe a few pictures. It's something we do every now and then when they're in the area."

He blinked, and she wondered if he believed her. If he didn't, he did a good job of masking his skepticism. "Really? I'd love to see that. Any idea how far away they are?"

Crap. "Not sure. Prim, do you know?"

She felt her sister kick her seat as she said, "I'm not sure either. I'm not getting great cell service right now, so I'm having trouble tracking them. Last I heard they were headed north, but you know how it goes. Sometimes they abruptly turn around to hunt. Tracking the orcas is so unpredictable."

"I bet," he said. "Well, maybe I'll stick around and see if they turn up."

Lily swallowed as she looked back at her sister, pleading with her to say something. If Niko knew anything about Befana Bay, he already knew that the orcas visited the bay almost every morning, and it was unusual for the residents to try to track them down along the rest of the shores of the Salish sea.

"Oh dear," Prim said. "That's Viv texting." She waved her phone. "Looks like she needs me back at the yarn shop in Befana Bay."

Lily gave Niko an apologetic smile. "Darn, looks like we have to run. Good luck catching sight of the whales. Let us know if you find them." She put the car into gear and eased out of the parking lot, leaving Niko in their dust.

"We have to tell Indigo that there's something up with him," Prim said.

"Yeah, but what? That he was snooping around Lucy's house, just like we were?"

"I don't buy it. He looked more like a cat burglar," she said. "And what was that about when he came over to us? He must have realized we'd followed him, but he didn't call us out on it. Why?"

"I don't know. What do you think about his claim that the house is scheduled to be auctioned?" Lily asked, feeling more confused than ever. Niko had just shown up in town the day before, and already he was snooping around Lucy's rented house. She didn't know what to make of it.

"Seems like an excuse to me," Prim said.

Lily made a mental note to check the county website and see if his story checked out. "What if he was just trying to find Lucy so he could help Braxton?" The idea wasn't out of the question. Niko was one of Braxton's best friends. Lily knew she'd do just about anything for her sisters, the women she thought of as her best friends.

"No way." Prim sounded almost incredulous over the idea. "I'd be more inclined to believe he's tangled up in something with Lucy. He hasn't even seen Braxton in over a decade. You aren't going to convince me that he's suddenly interested in helping Braxton sort out his personal life."

"You have a point," Lily said, slumping over her steering wheel as she waited at a light. "We need more information about Niko. That's all there is to it."

"What are you thinking? A background check?" Prim asked, looking pleased at the idea.

"Maybe. I want to talk to Braxton first."

"Bad idea." Prim shook her head. "He's only going to defend his friend. We need more evidence that Niko is up to something before you take this to Braxton."

Lily groaned, knowing her sister probably had a point. But the idea of keeping Braxton in the dark made her stomach ache. They were just starting their relationship. Keeping secrets and telling lies of omission wouldn't do them any favors. "I still think I need to tell him. If Niko is involved with Lucy somehow, it's better he knows now rather than later when he's caught off guard."

"So you're going to tell Braxton about Lucy's house, too?"

Lily nodded. "As soon as we get back to town."

"Okay," Prim said, brushing her hair back and into a ponytail. "But don't say I didn't warn you."

"There's no chance of that."