Page 69 of With All My Haunted Heart

“Ellie.” Her nearness makes every muscle in my body tense. God, she must be scared that the same thing could happen to her niece. “I’ll find ghosts who will like Willa. I’ll fix things so you don’t lose Sloane’s money.” Not that Sloane will ever want anything to do with me again. I take the business card out of my back pocket and let it fall to the floor.

“Pippa, slow down.”

“I can’t. Not if I’m going to fix this before Sebastian comes back on Thursday.” I grab the Lucente-Cole bag and sling it over one shoulder, ready to duck past Elle and get the hell out of here before I break down completely, but she cuts me off before I get to the door.

Her hands come to rest on my shoulders, gentle but firm.

“Pippa.” She says my name with such gentleness, such care, and then she’s slipping her fingers across my shoulders. They trail along my collarbone until she’s cradling my face, thumbs stroking across my jaw. “Talk to me. Why are you running?”

You have disgraced this family for the last time.

My heart feels fragile, like it might shatter at any moment. And neither of us has time for that.

“I’m not running away.” I tip my forehead to hers, letting myself soak in her comfort one last time. “I’m running toward a solution. I’m coming back. I promise.”

With a glance over her shoulder to make sure Xander hasn’t followed, I lean in for a kiss. Elle’s lips are soft and warm and perfect against mine. Fuck, I’m going to miss this. When she tries to deepen the kiss, I force myself to pull away.

“I have to go.” I slip by her with my things and disappear out the front door.

I manage to drive to the nearest gas station before the tears force me to pull over.

“Were you able to get them?”

“Good to see you, too, boss.” Dea stands from behind her desk, dressed down in jeans and a cozy sweater. “Do you plan to tell me what sparked your crystal emergency?”

Guilt and shame tighten my throat. “Next week. After I’ve fixed things.” When I left Midnight Manor two hours ago, I called Dea from the road and asked her to source two more large orbs of lepidolite, along with garden quartz and obsidian. I didn’t tell her why, and, at the time, she didn’t ask.

“I know I didn’t give you much time, but—”

“But I’m a miracle worker.” Dea flashes a smile and pulls a cloth bag from beneath her desk. “I put the lepidolite orbs into their own individual drawstring bags for easy handling, since I assume those are for transporting ghosts. You don’t need a repeat of the poltergeist you told me about.”

The long-healed Taser injuries on my abdomen twinge with remembered pain. “What would I do without you?”

Dea shrugs, her gaze darting away from mine. “You’re resourceful. You would have figured it out.” She hands over the bag. The weight of it surprises me.

“How big are these pieces?”

“It was either those or tumbles the size of my thumb. I figured bigger was better.”

She’s not wrong, but I wince internally at what these must have cost. “Where did you end up getting them?”

Dea stalls. Fidgets with the rings on her fingers.

“Please tell me you didn’t go to C3.”

“They have the best local selection,” Dea says, defiance mixing with guilt in her tone. “Teagan has a back room that caters to witches. It’s not just the stuff for mundanes out front. She even gave me a discount.”

Worry claws at my gut, though it doesn’t find much purchase against all the other emotions overwhelming my body and worsening the pain that constantly radiates through my lower back. “Why would she do that?”

Dea ambles back to her desk with a noncommittal wave of her hands. “I may have promised to get a business lunch for the two of you on your calendar.”

I groan. “Dea…I don’t have time for this.”

“She seems nice, Pippa. It won’t be terrible.” Deanna settles behind her desk and clicks the mouse. “I can schedule it for Monday. Get it over with?”

The groan that whines in my throat is far from professional. “Push it a week. I don’t think I’ll be in Monday, anyway.”

“Need a long weekend after working a month straight?”