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“If I’ve ever been there, I don’t remember it.”
Thalia skirted the other sofa and came up beside ours. Ky offered her the phone. She studied the photo, and her eyes widened.
“I know it,” she said. “In the basement. Their house in Portland. The…” She stumbled around something whatever spells they’d laid on her prevented her from saying. “Meetings,” she managed finally. “So many meetings.”
“The Frankfords’ house?” I said, watching her expression.
Her jaw tightened. She couldn’t quite nod, but her unwavering gaze was answer enough.
“Wait,” Lesley said, sitting up straighter. “Charles and Helen Frankford?”
“It could be one of them sending these texts,” Ky said. “We’ve got a location, at least.” He tapped away at his tablet.
“Yes,” I said to Lesley, because I could at least confirm that. I took the phone back from Ky and typed quickly, trying not to look at the photo.
Or you drew him in with magic. You’ve sent enough of that our way.
I resent that implication. Mind-altering magic is against Assembly law, even if you’ve gotten away with it. Your dear fellow came of his own free will. And I’m sure the others will follow soon.
“Rose,” Seth said, his voice low. “He’s just saying garbage to upset you. Let me.”
“No,” I said. “I’ve got to—”
But whoever I was talking to had already sent another message.You’ve heard what I have to say. Think carefully before you make any more moves. It’s a shame to live with regrets.
Sounds like a lot of bluster to me, I shot back, but no further reply came. “I think they’re done,” I said. “Did you get enough?”
“I don’t know yet,” Ky said, his gaze intent on his tablet. “If I can find the right cross-reference…”
I let out a shaky breath. Seth took my hand, pulling me closer to him.
“They’re just trying to rattle you like the assholes they are,” Damon said. “Don’t let them get to you. Don’t lethimget to you.”
Gabriel, he meant. I wouldn’t have been rattled anything like this if they hadn’t used him.
Which was why they had, of course. They wanted to distract me from what mattered the most—taking them down.
“Right,” I said. “Just the same thing they’ve been doing all along. Try to get at me through the people I care about.” I rubbed my temple. I couldn’t let that strategy work, not again.
A fierce gleam lit in Damon’s eyes. “Any way we could turn that around on them? Or do they not care about anyone except themselves?”
I paused. The idea sent a sliver of nausea through my gut, but at the same time, he might have a point. “They have a daughter,” I said, “in her thirties, already consorted… I don’t know what the situation is there. They never talked about her all that warmly. Other than…”
“What?” Jin said when I hesitated again.
“There is someone they always talked about a certain way,” I said. “I never heard them talk about anyone else like that… They have a grandson. He’s seven. Their ‘little treasure.’”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Damon
When I arrived at the Hallowell estate in the hot mid-day sun to pick up Jin, he was waiting in the front hall. The paintings he’d done for my mom’s apartment were already packaged up.
“I can unwrap them to show you them, so you can make sure you think she’ll like them,” he offered. “I went by what you said, but the way artistic tastes go, it can be hard to tell…”
I waved him off. Like he wanted to spend any more time than he needed to on my troubles. It’d been embarrassing enough going to him after last evening’s little meeting and telling him I was pretty sure my mom had been affected, maybe a lot, so I definitely wanted a few of those enchanted artworks to hang around her apartment.
I should have realized something was up with her in the first place, the way she was talking. How could I have believed she’d really think that way about Rose?
