Page 59 of Hextreme Measures

Ofelia turned away from him and stormed toward the door that led to the lab. “Don’t bother. I’ll find him myself.”

Jack scrambled to his feet and followed her. He was well aware of Ofelia’s dislike for the big security officer. “What’s going on?”

“I’m going to kill him,” Ofelia replied simply. She used her magic to unlock the lab door. They kept it closed off from the rest of the team — without proper credentials, she wasn’t supposed to enter — but she didn’t care. With a simple flick of her wrist, the door flew open.

Inside, Jones and Biff stood at a table looking at some sort of results on a computer screen. Genuine shock reverberated across their faces when they saw Ofelia.

“What’s wrong?” Jones asked, his voice shaky. He was both turned on by Ofelia and afraid of her. “Are you here to make me your love slave? I’m ready.”

Ofelia murdered him with a glare. “That is sexual harassment. It’s not remotely cute.”

Jones’s mouth fell open. “I was trying to defuse the tension.”

“Pick another tactic,” Ofelia gritted out. Her eyes moved to Biff. “I’m sure you know why I’m here.”

Biff swallowed hard. His discomfort was obvious, to the point that his face had turned a mottled shade of red. “I don’t … what are you talking about?”

“Don’t.” Ofelia stomped three steps closer, causing Biff to back up and smack into the wall. “Just don’t even think about it.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Biff shook his head. “You’re crazy.”

“Maybe it’s the wedding,” Jones said. “I’ve heard of brides going crazy right before the big day. Given her father’s history —”

Ofelia reacted without giving it enough thought. She would likely regret her actions later. In the moment, she didn’t care. She lashed out with her magic and slapped Jones across the face with an invisible hand hard enough that he was shoved away from Biff.

“You’re going to shut up,” Ofelia warned Jones as he cowered behind a desk. “Just shut your mouth. As for you, Biff, we need to have a discussion about your mother.”

A myriad of emotions fluttered over Biff’s face. Annoyance. Surprise. Smug amusement. The last one he tried to cover, but Ofelia was a master at reading people. She’d grown up in a bar for crying out loud. Reading people was part of that world.

“Ofelia,” Jack said in a nervous voice from behind her. “Perhaps we should talk before you … do whatever it is you’re about to do. You’re obviously overwrought.”

Overwrought. That word did nothing to calm Ofelia. It was something that men threw around when they wanted to call women emotional.

Slowly, Ofelia turned to look at Sully’s boss. She pressed a finger to her lips. “Shh.”

An involuntary shudder ran through Jack as he registered the expression on her face. He was the boss, though. He couldn’t back down.

Ofelia’s eyes were full of hate when they moved back to Biff. “Your mother is a banshee,” she said in a measured tone. “She’s not a normal banshee, but she’s a banshee, nonetheless. Her husband died several weeks ago, at the hands of what looks like a banshee.”

Biff made a sputtering noise. “If you’re about to accuse my mother of killing my stepfather —”

Ofelia cut him off with a firm shake of her head. “I know your mother didn’t kill him with her own hands. The banshees that attacked the wedding party either did it to mess with her or because she ordered it. I haven’t figured that part out yet.”

“Is it true?” Jack asked. His tone had shifted. “Is your mother a banshee?”

“That’s not what we call it,” Biff replied. “It’s more like she was infected by a banshee but overcame it. She’s not a true banshee.”

Ofelia rolled her eyes. “She is a true banshee. The difference is that the banshees are in the middle of an evolution. Some of them — more than just Biff’s mother — are controlling their realities. The banshee gene is prevalent in Biff’s family. I’m curious what it does to men, but not curious enough to let that distract me right now.”

“How do you know that?” Biff challenged. “That’s a secret.”

“Let’s just say I found your mother’s book,” Ofelia replied.

Biff’s eyes narrowed. “You were in my mother’s house?” He took a menacing step toward her, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. “How dare you let yourselves into my mother’s house.”

“Ofelia.” That was all Jack said. Her name. He was unbelievably nervous.

Ofelia ignored him. “Zach is missing. Your mother grabbed him.”