Chapter 18

Feelingout of sorts and more than a little disappointed by the coven's decision to ignore Katerina's request, Lily climbed into her car and just started driving. She understood the reasoning behind refusing to break the curse, and if she'd been in their shoes, she was certain she'd have made the same decision. It was dangerous. There was no doubt about that. It was just that she was the one who was at risk and felt it should be her decision.

If they'd left it up to her, would she have said yes to trying it before they found Lucy?

Probably not. Especially not when she had a lead on the woman.

There was nothing to do but find Lucy.

Before Lily even realized what she was doing, she turned around and pointed her car in the direction of Hansville. Maybe this time she'd get lucky and find the one woman who could end all this turmoil.

Even though the town was fairly close, Lily felt like she'd never get there. By the time she made the turn onto Lucy's street, she was vibrating with anticipation.

The house appeared to be just as deserted as the day before. She cursed under her breath and drove down the block, intending to park in the same spot she and Prim had used.

But a black Ford Bronco with a rental tag was already parked in her spot.

She didn't even bother trying to hide from him. Lily quickly parked her car and stalked over to the Bronco, knocking rapidly on the black tinted window. "Niko, I know that's you in there. Open up!"

The window lowered, and the man in question said, "Lily? What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here? What are you doing here?"

"This house is scheduled to go to auction. I was hoping that someone would show up to let me see the inside," he said with such ease that she almost believed him.

But not quite.

"That's a lie," she said, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at him. "What are you really doing here?"

He shrugged and gave her an easy smile. "Looking out for a friend."

"So you do know about—" She stopped abruptly, not wanting to spill Braxton's secret if Niko didn't already know.

His grinned widened. "Know about what?"

"I hate you," she said in frustration.

"I can tell." When she didn't respond, his smiled fell and he relented. "I told you; I'm here looking out for a friend."

"Which friend?" she asked, studying him carefully.

"Which one do you think? Braxton, of course."

"Do you know who lives here?" Lily didn't want to mention Lucy until he did.

"Yes. Do you?"

"Yes."

"Then we're both here for the same reason, aren't we?" he said evenly.

Lily blew out a frustrated breath. "Just tell me how you know. Because Braxton told me that he didn't even confide in his friends."

"How I know isn't important," Niko said. "All that matters now is finding Lucy and helping Braxton out of this mess. Right?"

"Sure," Lily agreed.

"Then can we work together?" he asked, assessing her.

"Hell, no. How do I know you're not a lying creep?" Lily still didn't trust him. She couldn't get a read on his vibe, and that made her uneasy. The fact that he knew about the curse without Braxton telling him also set off warning bells. Dante hadn't even known. And now Niko was staking out Lucy's house without even telling Braxton about it? She just didn't trust him.

I'm the lying creep?" he asked with an amused laugh. "That's rich. Does Brax know you're here?"

"No. I just came today on a whim. I didn't have a chance to tell him yesterday. First, you were there, and I wanted to talk to him alone. And then his mom showed up, and I certainly wasn't going to talk about this with her around."

"That was smart at least." He waved a hand. "Get in."

"No way." She placed her hands on her hips. "You think I'm crazy enough to get into a car with someone who's been lying to everyone?"

"Would you rather be out there if Lucy comes home?" he asked, ignoring her accusation.

Crap. He had a point. "How do I know you're not going to take me to some undisclosed place and lock me in a dungeon?"

Niko actually laughed. "I guess that's a risk you'll just have to take."

Lily hated that she couldn't get a solid read on the man. Usually she could just sense a person's aura. But his was just sort of blank, like it was being shrouded by magic. She noted that the Bronco wasn't running and decided, if he did try to take off, she'd have enough time to jump out before she was kidnapped. With a sigh, she walked around to the passenger side and got in.

"Now," she said, "how did you know this is Lucy's place?"

"Probably the same way you did," he said.

"I had a friend run a trace on her, and this address popped up," Lily said, not seeing any reason to keep it a secret.

"That's impressive." He gave her an approving nod. "It wasn't easy to find."

"Ressa's the best."

He gave her a side-eye glance. "Do you often find yourself needing a private investigator?"

"Yes." She didn't offer an explanation. So far she was the only one explaining herself. "Do you?"

"They come in handy sometimes." His gaze locked on a blue Toyota as it rolled down the street. When it passed Lucy's house and kept going, he turned his attention back to Lily. "What exactly does a woman like you from a small town need a PI for?"

"It's a town of witches. Sometimes things go haywire." She smirked. When he just stared at her, she rolled her eyes and said, "We get a lot of celebrities in town. We need background checks for those who work with them."

"I see. Makes sense."

"Now it's your turn. Why do you need PIs?" she demanded.

"That's not important. I'm just here looking after Braxton. He doesn't need any more trouble in his life, and if I can help him with that, I will. My only question is, are you helping him, or are you in cahoots with Lucy?"

Lily reared back as if she'd been slapped. "In cahoots with his crazy, curse-wielding ex? How dare you? I'm here because I care about Braxton and want to break the curse so he can move on in peace."

Niko took a long moment to study her and then nodded. "Yeah, I think you mean that."

"I don't need your approval."

"You're right. You don't." He stared her in the eye and said, "But fair warning; I'm not who you think I am, and I'll just caution you that you better be telling the truth. Otherwise, you'll have to answer to me."

"Are you threatening me?" she asked through clenched teeth.

"Just making conversation."

Lily was so angry she could have spit. "I don't like you. I know Brax thinks you're a friend, but I don't trust you. Stay away from both of us and my sister." Before he could answer, she climbed out of his Bronco and ran for her car.

Then she took one last look at the deserted blue house before speeding off to find Braxton.

* * *

Lily was stillout of sorts when she walked into The Enchanted Outdoors. "Dante?" she called when she spotted him stocking one of the shelves.

He jerked his head up. "Lily. What can I do for you?"

"Where's Brax?"

"In the back."

"Thanks," she said and took off through the door to the stock room as if she owned the place.

Braxton was just putting the phone down when he spotted her and stood. "Lily, what?—"

"I need to tell you something," she blurted.

"Okay." He pulled out a chair for her and sat back down. "What is it? Did something happen? Nothing blew up, did it?"

"No, nothing like that. At least not yet." She took a moment to collect herself before she blurted, "I found Lucy."

He blinked, clearly shocked into silence. When he finally spoke, he repeated, "You found Lucy?"

"Yes. I asked our PI to run a background check and a trace on her. One of her aliases signed a lease for a house in Hansville two months ago."

Braxton's face drained of color. "She's here in Washington?"

"I think so. I went to her house and?—"

He stood abruptly. "You went to her house?"

"Yes. I wanted to see if it was her first."

"And?" he asked.

"I can't be sure. No one was there both times I went over, but?—"

"Wait, both times? How long have you known?" He was frowning, looking upset.

"Since yesterday morning. Prim went with me, and then I was going to tell you yesterday, but Niko… And then your mom was there. I just wanted to talk to you alone, but you were fixing your plumbing, and it's just been one thing after another. I'm here now."

He sat back down and moved his chair closer, taking her hands in his. "I think you need to start at the beginning."

"Right." She explained her conversation with Ressa and then her impromptu trip with Prim, only to be foiled by Niko. And then that she discovered that the house really was scheduled to go up for auction.

"Okay, so he's possibly looking to buy a place. That makes sense. He's always been a guy who likes a bargain," Braxton reasoned. "Strange coincidence though."

She snorted. "Yes, especially since I found him there again today, and he admitted that he knew Lucy had rented the house."

"What?" Braxton's entire body tensed. "He knows about the curse? How?"

"I have no idea. He didn't say. He just told me he's looking out for his friend and…" She shrugged. "He wouldn't tell me much. Honestly, I think he suspected me of somehow partnering with Lucy. As cagey as he was, he was very protective of you," she admitted.

The tension drained from Brax's body. "He's always been protective. I think you two have that in common," he said with a soft smile.

"He was not nice to me, Brax." She knew she sounded petulant, but she had to tell him everything. "I don't know why he didn't just tell you he knows about the curse and that he was looking for Lucy."

"You didn't tell me you'd found her or that you went to her house," he said, though his tone was kind.

"That's different. I told you I was looking for her so I could find a way to break the curse. It's not like I was trying to keep anything from you. I was planning on telling you."

"I believe you. I still don't think there's any reason to suspect that Niko's motivations are any different. He's here with a lot of time on his hands. I don't know how he found out, and I wish he'd talked to me about it, but I bet he wanted to see if he could find anything first. I don't know. But one thing I do know for sure is that he's an honorable guy."

Lily sat back in her chair. "Okay, but you should know I got a weird feeling from him, and my intuition is almost always right."

"I'll talk to him," he promised. Then he looked at the clock. It was just past one. "How about we get out of here for a while? Just you and me. Maybe take a hike like we talked about before?"

"I'd love that. But I need to stop at home to change first."

"We'll stop there first." He led her out into the store and told Dante he was taking off for the day.

Dante waved. "See you later."

When Braxton pulled up to Lily's house, he reached behind the seat and produced a pair of hiking shoes. "I'll get these on while you're changing."

"Okay. I'll be right out." Lily rushed into the house, got herself ready for the hike, and grabbed two water bottles on the way out, feeling better than she had in days. The idea of spending a little time away from their problems felt like heaven. She was still upset about what went down with Niko, but Braxton seemed to be taking it in stride, so she was determined to try and do the same.

When she hopped back into the truck, she stuck the water bottle in the cup holders. "I figured we could use these."

"Good thinking," Braxton said and took off for the trailhead.