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Suddenly, Jackson blinks and frowns.
“I know where he is,” he says and wipes his free hand over his eyes. “We need to get to the bayou.”
“Do you have an address?” Cash asks.
“No,” Lucien says, narrowing his eyes as he watches Jackson. “He doesn’t need one.”
Jack shakes his head and looks down at me. “My parents’ house.”
“Didn’t you sell it?” I ask with a frown. “Someone must live in it.”
“I sold it. No idea what was done with it after. I’m telling you, he’s in that house. I recognized the kitchen.”
“Let’s go,” Cash says. “You’re in the lead, Jack. I’ll follow you.”
We hurry to the cars, and when Jackson pulls away from Andy’s house, he swears under his breath.
“It makes sense,” he says. “Of course, he’d target that place. I’m linked to it, and it has the bad energy from my dad killing himself.”
“Jack.” I rub his arm and feel the tension roll off him in waves. “What was happening? In the vision.”
“He was cleaning his tools in the sink. Blood everywhere. He was fucking whistling as if he were doing the dinner dishes. Then, a scream came from somewhere in the house, and the fucker smiled. Like it made him so damn happy. He grabbed his power drill, put a bit in it, and walked out of the kitchen.
“I didn’t follow him. I pulled myself out of the vision. I know it’s chickenshit of me—”
“No, it’s not,” I insist. “No one wants to see that, Jack.”
“I figured I know where he is. We can just go get him. And, hopefully, save the girls before he drills holes in them.”
He glances at me, his face filled with torment.
“I’ve seen war, Daph. I’ve seen, firsthand, what men can do to each other. I’ve watched soldiers be blown apart, shot, you name it. But I’ve never seen anything like this.”
“Of course, not. There’s never been anyone like this.”
He’s quiet for the rest of the drive. I could find his old house with my eyes closed; I spent so much of my time there when I was young.
Jackson pulls to a stop in the driveway, and both of our jaws drop.
“No one’s here,” I say quietly. “Nobody’s been here for a long, long time.”
“Why would someone buy it if they didn’t want to live in it?” Jack asks. “It doesn’t make any sense.”
“I don’t know.” I glance up to find Millie standing next to my door. I step out of the car and look at the others. “There’s no one here.”
“I know,” Millie says. “I reached out to see. I know.” She holds up a hand before I can scold her for dropping her shields. “But lives are at stake here, and I needed to know. There’s nothing living in that house.”
“You’ll want to go inside,” Lucien says to Jack, who just nods. “We’ll go with you. Cash and I will go.”
Brielle joins Millie and me as the three men step up to the door. Lucien flicks his hand, and the door unlocks and opens.
“It’s so cool that you guys can do that,” I whisper to my sister. She turns back to me with a smile.
“Lucien just gets sexier every day.” She sighs in happiness. “And you should see what he can do with fire.”
“I’ve seen,” I remind her. “And it’s impressive.”
“You should see what Cash can do with handcuffs.” Brielle’s smile is as bright as the sun. “It’s magical in its own way.”
“Hell, yes,” I say with a laugh. “I’m sure it is.”
A few minutes later, the guys come back outside. Jack’s face is set in angry lines.
“What’s in there?” I ask.
“Nothing,” he says. “Literally, nothing. Whoever bought it hasn’t stepped foot inside since the day it sold.”
“Odd,” Lucien says quietly. “But I guess people can be odd. It’s not against the law.”
“Something doesn’t feel right,” Millie says slowly. “Like it’s all more smoke and mirrors.”
“Well, I can tell you that there’s nothing inside,” Cash says. “Except about three inches of dust and maybe a mouse or two. The structure is surprisingly sound for sitting empty in the bayou for so many years.”
“That’s just it,” Lucien says. “After just a couple of years, it should have started to decay. It wasn’t a new house when Jack sold it.”
“No, it was a good fifty years old then,” Jackson agrees. “But no one’s inside.”
“Now what?” I ask, suddenly exhausted. “He’s just got us on a wild goose chase.”
“He’s distracting us,” Brielle says. “Keeping us from the most important thing, and that’s coming up with a plan to get rid of him. Instead, he has us running all over Louisiana.”
“You’re right.” Jackson takes one last look at the house. “Let’s go back to Millie and Lucien’s and regroup.”
We turn back to the cars. I swear I see a curtain move out of the corner of my eye, but when I look up at the house, it’s still.
