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“What?” he growled at his wife.
Another stern look from her had him grumbling incoherent swear words. He huffed and left his place at the couch to stand by the fireplace with his back to me.
“I’m sorry for what’s happened,” Amelia went on, softer now. “Really, I am.” Her voice rose in desperation and her gaze shone with an equal longing. “But I need to know what happened to my father.”
I glanced between her and Dane’s back, repeating the move several times. When my gaze slid to Wayde, his smart-ass smile told me our promise remained and if I didn’t tell them what I knew, I’d never get the spell.
Not to say I wasn’t hell-bent on finding a way out of this. Now, to form an escape route…
Chapter Six
After considering all possibilities of getting myself out of this without breaking the binding spell, I finally admitted defeat. Wayde had me trapped…for now. Once I told him my end of the bargain, as in, what I learned about Alexander, I could leave with a way to find Kipp.
Staring at the maddening smirk on Wayde’s face, I muttered, “There isn’t much to tell. I found Alexander, yes, but—”
“Let me answer,” Gretchen interjected, “since I understand spirits more than you do.”
I gawked at her. How did that make any sense at all? But her serious look made me shut my mouth as she continued, “It appears something is wrong with Alexander. He did show up, but only for a very short time, and he couldn’t communicate.”
Her eyebrows drew together as if in thought. How could she be, when she presently lied through her teeth? “From what I heard from Tess, and from what I witnessed tonight, I would believe it is residue of his energy. Though, part of me believes there’s more to it.”
I watched her explain that bit of nonsense, but she wasn’t looking at me, her focus remained on Wayde, making me realize why she’d withheld the truth. We couldn’t rule out the possibility that someone in this room had cast the spell, and did we really want to confront them now?
Not likely.
Wayde leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, his gaze intent on me. “So, you found out nothing?”
“I wouldn’t say nothing,” I replied, hating how uncomfortable I felt under his stare. “I would say exactly what Gretchen said; there seems to be more to it. There has to be a reason he showed up like he did and couldn’t talk, but what that reason is, I have no idea.”
At the memory of Alexander’s state, my heartstrings tugged a sweet little song to help, but not enough to change my mind or to forget what Dane had done. I’d been screwed over by Dane once—Amelia was Dane’s wife and Alexander his father-in-law, which automatically put them on the do-not-help list.
With that thought firmly cemented in my mind, I added, “I did as you asked and found Alexander. I told you what I know—or don’t know, I should say—and what you do from here is your problem.” Wayde’s lips parted and I raised my hand, cutting him off. “I’ve upheld my part of the promise, so tell me how to locate Kipp. I’m getting the hell outta here.”
Amelia’s eyes widened, cheeks flushed bright red, and she shook her head. “But…but….” She glanced at Wayde and Dane frantically before she looked at me again. “If dad showed up at all it means he’s stuck and hasn’t found peace. We can’t leave him like this.”
“You can’t, but I certainly can.”
Hell, I had enough of my own pain to deal with, I didn’t need to take on hers, too. Besides, her dipshit husband had caused my agony. “Might I remind you, that your husband was adamant I not open myself up to ghosts, or care about them. But now I should, because it’s one of yours. When it’s convenient for you, it’s all right.”
Glancing over his shoulder, Dane’s eyes narrowed into thin slits. “Do not talk to my wife in that tone.”
I glared in return, unmoved by his wrath. “Tell me how to get to Kipp and I don’t have to talk to her at all.” Screw him and what he wanted. They couldn’t have it both ways and not have me notice the error in their judgment. “Problem solved.”
“We still need you,” Wayde stated.
“Get bent,” I bit off.
Wayde’s eyes burned with a hot emotion I suspected should frighten me, but had no effect at all. Then slowly, the side of his mouth arched. “We’ll offer you another trade if you stay. As Gretchen said, if there is more going on with Alexander, then we need to investigate the matter further, but you,” he said the latter like he ate dirt, “have gotten more knowledge from the one encounter than any of us have for days. Who’s to say if you seek him out again, you won’t get more?”
“Sorry to break it to you,” I retorted, pointing out an obvious fact. “But I got the feeling he blew all his energy with that one visit. I doubt he’d come back to me tonight.”
“Tomorrow he might,” Wayde offered.
“Good for you for figuring that one out.” I sighed, exasperated. “Problem is, I’m not sticking around until tomorrow to find out. I don’t need anything else from you, so give me what you promised.”
Wayde inhaled a long breath, stretched out his legs in the chaise, and clasped his hands in his lap. “What will you do once you find your ghost? He’s trapped between two worlds, is he not?”
My gaze skipped to Gretchen and she regarded Wayde with interest, the glow from the fireplace casting an orange hue on her cheek. Her curious look didn’t sit well in my stomach. “What do you mean, trapped?”
