“Who’s this?” Raffe asked, narrowing his eyes at another photo mounted on the other side of the board. There were several red strings connected to it.
I moved over to get a better look, and instantly froze. I recognized the light brown skin, the deep-set eyes, and crow-black hair, and around it all was a very angry circle. Crippling fear took over.
They know about Jacob.
Thirty-Four
Harley
I was unable to think. My brain was frozen, each synapse glitching with dread like nothing I’d ever experienced before. I’d been scared out of my mind in the past, but not like this. I’d let Isadora and her cabbie/little helper Dicky keep an eye on Jacob. I’d been comfortable with that idea, thinking that the Ryders didn’t know about him.
But they did.
They were just saving the best for last. Based on how they’d marked all the other people, it did seem like they’d yet to catch him. But that hardly made me feel any better.
I couldn’t keep this to myself anymore. I had to tell Wade and the others. However, I’d been hiding this from them for a while, now. Gah, they’re going to be so, so mad.
“Are you okay?” Wade asked me, noticing my expression.
I couldn’t take my eyes off Jacob’s photo, partially because I was about to tell Wade about him, and I was fearful of looking him in the eyes as I did it.
“Um, no,” I said, my voice breaking.
“Call a support unit over here,” Garrett told Santana, somewhere in the background of my unraveling horror picture show. “We need all this bagged up and taken back to the coven.”
She did as asked, moving away from the corkboard to make the phone call.
“What’s wrong?” Wade pressed. I could feel his eyes on me. My skin burned.
“There’s something I didn’t tell you,” I said.
The silence that followed confirmed what I’d been fearful of. Wade was about to get really, really mad.
“Harley. What’s going on? Do you know him?” Wade asked, pointing a finger at Jacob. “If we’re to compare what we know with the markings on this board, they’ve yet to catch him.”
“His name is Jacob. Jacob Morales,” I said. “He’s sixteen. A foster kid and a magical, like me.”
“How do you know him?” Raffe asked. “He’s not on our list.”
“He wouldn’t be. He’s kept to himself, stayed under the radar, learned a few tricks to control his abilities along the way,” I explained. “He’s afraid of discovery… of the covens.”
“That doesn’t answer Raffe’s question,” Wade said sharply. “How do you know him?”
“The Smiths took him in a few weeks back. My Smiths.” I sighed.
“And you didn’t tell us. You didn’t notify the coven, Alton… anyone,” Wade concluded.
I shook my head slowly. “He begged me not to. Isadora asked me to keep him hidden—”
“Isadora freaking Merlin?! You’re taking orders from her now?” Wade exploded. “What the hell were you thinking, Harley?!”
“I didn’t see a Ryders card in the house! Isadora has been keeping an eye on him. She rigged the house with charms and stuff! The Ryders were targeting the people on our list!” I replied, raising my voice. “Isadora said there were spies in the coven. That I couldn’t bring Jacob in because it was too dangerous for him!”
“Why? All the kids would’ve been safer in the coven! Whatever charms Isadora rigged your house with are worthless; we’ve seen that already!” Wade shouted. “Had we brought them all in, none of them would be missing! Their parents would still be alive! And we’ll all have that cross to bear, forever. What makes Jacob so special that you couldn’t tell the coven about him? That you couldn’t even tell me about him?”
A second went by as I chose my words carefully. “He can feel other magicals,” I finally said. “He’s a living, breathing magical detector.”
Everyone was stunned, their jaws dropping and their eyes growing wider. Shock crashed into me as they all wrapped their heads around this revelation. It didn’t take long for Tatyana to figure out why I’d kept Jacob hidden.
“He’d be an invaluable asset,” she said. “The covens would be fighting each other to get their hands on him. The rogues, too. Oh, not to mention Katherine Shipton and… the Ryders.”
“I didn’t know they had their sights set on Jacob,” I replied, nodding at the photo. “If I’d known, I would’ve dragged his ass into the coven myself, whether he liked it or not. That would’ve been the lesser evil, all things considered. I thought no one knew about him, and that he could go on like that, at least for a little while. At least until we caught the Ryders and Katherine Shipton. I… I was wrong.”
Wade scoffed. He was fuming. “You were more than wrong. You put his life in danger. The Smiths’, too!”
“I know!” I cried out, tearing up. “Now, I know.”
With trembling hands, I took my phone number and speed-dialed Jacob.
“What are you doing?” Wade asked.
“Trying to call him,” I whispered. “No answer…”
Despair was taking over, cutting off my breath and making my entire body shake. Tatyana put a hand on my back in an attempt to make me feel better. It didn’t do much, but it did keep me focused long enough for me to try calling the Smiths next. Still, no one was picking up.
“It’s just voicemail,” I said, looking at Wade. “They’re not answering my calls. They always answer my calls.”
“I don’t get something,” Garrett said. “If the Ryders knew about Jacob, why didn’t they leave a card? They must’ve known about your connection to the Smiths. They wouldn’t have passed on the opportunity to taunt you… and us.”
“I don’t think they knew where to find him,” I said.
“But they did,” Wade replied, pulling the photo from its pin and showing it to me. “Look at the background.”
He was right. That photo had been taken outside the Smiths’ house. I recognized the brickwork, the porch lighting. Oh God.
“Now I’m confused,” I breathed.
“If they knew and kept it from us, they probably meant business,” Garrett suggested. “At least, that’s how I’m seeing it. Maybe they wanted to make sure they got to him without your interference.”
Yet another horrible thought crossed my mind as I took a step back and looked at the entire board again. “Or, maybe they somehow knew we were coming. Maybe they knew I was only going to see this here, too late for me to do anything. If we’re here, they’ll have sent their underlings over there.”
I heard a swoosh. My head snapped to the right, and I saw the flash of enormous fireballs.
“Watch out!” I yelled, dropping to the ground.
The whole crew ducked the attack.
Four young magicals stood in the wide doorway, their Esprits lit up and vicious grins slitting their faces. I recognized them all from the photos on the corkboard—Kenneth Willow, Anna Phelps, Evie Ramirez, and David Brooks. All magicals, all ticked as willing participants.
Behind them, Astrid was on the ground. For their sake, I hoped she was just knocked out. My heart shrank painfully in my chest as I shot back to my feet.
“Fancy running into all of you here.” Kenneth sneered. “I’m kidding. We knew you were going to pay us a visit. This place is rigged to the ground.”
“Where are they?” I asked, gritting my teeth.
“I was wondering how long it would take you to find this place, though. We’ve been waiting for you for what feels like forever now,” he replied, the pin on his bow twinkling red. “Where’s who?”
“You’ve picked the wrong moment to play dumb,” Garrett said, taking a step forward. I had to admit, I appreciated his bravery and rational thinking. Despite his thorns, Garrett was a valuable magical.
“Oh, you’re looking for the kids!” Kenneth chuckled. “Sorry, can’t help you. But they’re being well looked after, don’t worry.”
“Let me guess, Emily and Emmett Ryder have them,” I said.
Kenneth grinned, then gave me a wink. “Bingo!”
“Where’s Jacob?” I asked. It felt like a long shot, but I had to try.
“The wonder kid? Why? You want him? You’re a little too late for that, cupcake, since you’re here, instead of watching over him. He’s being dealt with,” Kenneth answered.
Garrett took another step forward, then gave Wade a brief nod over the shoulder. Wade took a deep breath and shifted his weight onto his left leg. He was about to attack.
“I’ve got a hot date tonight with a gorgeous pair of Puerto Rican twins. I don’t want to be late for that, so why don’t you just cut to the chase? What do you want?” Garrett asked.
“The Diaz sisters?” Santana replied, raising an eyebrow.
This was a deliberate exchange. It slightly confused the four hostiles. Garrett smiled at Santana.
“Yup. You have no idea how hard I worked to get them both to say yes,” he said. “There’s no way in hell I’m letting four psycho brats ruin this for me.”
He didn’t wait for a response, and just darted forward. His Esprit watch glistened a pale shade of blue, as the ocean rumbled by the shore—loud enough for all of us to hear it. Garrett rammed into Kenneth and took him down. At the same time, thick and flexible columns of ocean water shot through the storage unit, extending like endless arms directly from the shore. Each crashed into the other three magicals. It was incredible to watch, given their arched stretch and the amount of water and raw force that each carried with it.
That was all we needed to get on the offensive. Santana released her Orishas and tackled Anna. The little sprites smacked her with high speed and precision, hard enough to daze her and prevent her from casting any spells.