Meadow's Keep (The Gatekeepers Series) (28 page)

From the expressions on the
faces of those in the audience, the performance was a huge success. For a few moments, everyone in the audience had been able to suspend reality, enjoy themselves, and laugh. Knowing what she did about the tragic lives of those in the audience, Jasmine was thrilled to give them that freedom.

The curtain swung
closed in front of them as she turned to Eryk. “How do you do this all the time? I’m beat.”

Before he could answer, Jenn ran across the stage. “I’m afraid you’re gonna have to do another
kind of disappearing act. Sonya called. People are looking for Lily.”

Jasmine watched Lily’s face turn ashen
and caught the slight movement she made toward the exit. Jasmine stepped forward and put her arm around the frightened girl—to calm her and to keep her from bolting.

“I’ve already been in touch with Bask.
He suggested the
fortress
.” Jenn said softly, glancing around as she emphasized the word.

“Got it,” Jasmine said. “
Clothes?” She pulled at the costume whose comfort level was lessening by the second.

“In the
van,” Jenn said. “
Eryk
’s going to leave here and go to the airport. You’ll be in the back. From there you’ll transfer to another vehicle. He’ll supposedly fly off. The problem is how to keep them from seeing you transferring from one vehicle to the other, if they follow you.”

Eryk spoke. “Not a problem. I’ll handle it. It’s what I do.” He smiled at Lily. “We’ll take care of you.”

Lily didn’t look all that confident. Her eyes kept darting toward the door.

Jasmine stepped closer and said in a whisper. “Don’t think about it. Let us take care of you. We can. Trust me.” With that
, she held up her hand in front of Lily and let a ball of energy form. Lily’s eyes widened. Jasmine closed her hand, dissipating the energy, and smiled at the frightened teen. “We won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Who
are
you?” Lily’s voice cracked.

“How about we get you to a safe place and then I’ll tell you and you
’ll tell me?”

Chapter
Thirteen

Jasmine and Lily sat in the back of the van as Eryk pulled into the drive of Meadow’s Keep. The transfer at the airport had gone
well. They saw the men who’d followed them from outside Safe Harbor. Who knew that Eryk had a hidden talent? He could bend energy in such a way that, as he explained to them, made him, and anyone he touched, virtually invisible. She still wasn’t sure how he did it. Somehow, he’d made it appear to those watching as though only he boarded the plane, although all three of them had. Then, all three of them left the plane, totally unseen, walked around the building to the plain paneled van waiting in the employee’s parking lot.

They were barely on Interstate 64 when Jasmine began peeling off the cat suit, threatening bodily harm if Eryk as so much glanced in the rear view mirror.
Not that there was much he hadn’t seen already, she realized, remembering her nightmare at the posh hotel. It was just the idea. She saw his green eyes flash in the rear view mirror once before he turned the mirror away.

“Don’t tempt the devil,” he commented and Lily
offered a weak smile.

Now, sitting in jeans and the loose
navy cashmere sweater, Jasmine felt much more herself. Of course, she wasn’t going to feel completely comfortable until she rid herself of the gelled cat ears. No matter how much she brushed, her black hair sprang back into two tufts.

They drove in silence, keeping a lookout for
their pursuers. Lily sat wringing her hands, occasionally swiping at the tears that escaped.

Eryk swung off Atlantic Avenue from the center lane, not giving a signal,
the van leaning, the tires squealing as they made the sharp turn. He didn’t slow until he reached the tall iron gates. He punched in the code and watched the gates pull back. This was the last place he wanted to be.

“Whoa
!” Lily leaned forward over the console as they pulled around and the motion lights came on. “That’s a friggin’ castle.”

“Pretty much,” Jasmine
remembered her own reaction.

“Who has a castle in
Virginia Beach?”

“I guess we do.”
Jasmine tried to sound nonchalant.

Lily dropped back on the seat. “First you do real magic. Now you tell me you have a castle. Who are you guys—
some sort of superheroes?”

Jasmine caught Eryk’s raised brow.

“I’m going to go check things out, just to be on the safe side. You guys wait here. And keep the doors locked,” he said and got out of the van, clicked the remote locking them in, and looked back to make sure the gates had closed.

“He’s really hunky,” Lily announced to Jasmine.

“Umm-hmmm.”

“Are you two sleeping together?”

Jasmine coughed. “What?”

“I said—”

“I heard what you said. I know you’re a woman of the world, but that doesn’t entitle you to ask that question.” Jasmine said.

Lily looked down at her hands. “Sorry.”

That van door slid open before Jasmine had to break the awkward silence. “Okay, ladies. Let’s get settled.” He grabbed the suitcases and waited for them to step out of the van. Jasmine took her suitcase from him. Lily, seeing Jasmine, reached for hers, which hit the ground from the weight. Jasmine figured she must have packed everything she had at Safe Harbor.

“
Allow me,” Eryk said, using that accent of his as he took the suitcase from her.

Jasmine could almost hear Lily sigh.

They stepped into the long corridor. “I’ll move the van around back once we put our suitcases away. Okay, here are the rules, Lily. You have access to everything, except the two rooms that are locked. The one at the foot of the stairs,” he nodded to the door where Morgan had been manacled. “And the locked room off the kitchen. There’s nothing in the first room, but it has some wiring issues. And the one off the kitchen goes to the basement and the steps are unstable.”

“Don’t worry. That leaves plenty to explore
,” Lily tried to make her voice light, stepped forward, peering into the first room and letting out a low whistle.

Eryk shook his head and moved toward the stairs.
Lily and Jasmine followed him up the stairs. As Lily went past Meadow’s princess room she stopped so quickly Jasmine had to step around her to keep from running into her. “Do you think I can stay in here?” Lily whirled and faced Jasmine. Then, as though she realized she should be too old for this types of room, Lily’s pretty face took on a rosy blush.

“
I’ll tell you what,” Jasmine said. “I’ll flip you for it.”

“You…want to stay
in here?”

“Who wouldn’t?”

“Me,” Eryk commented from the doorway to the master.

Jasmine turned to him. “Well, that’s because you’
re a guy. But we’ll let you toss the coin. I call heads.” She hoped that Eryk knew how to control a coin toss, otherwise she’d be spending the night in more pink than she could stand in a lifetime.

Eryk pulled a quarter out of his pocket, showed it to both girls, and tossed it into the air. He watched it closely, caught it, slapped it on the back of his hand and uncovered it. “Tails. Sorry, Jasmine. Let’s go find you another room.”

Jasmine watched Lily step toward her and stop. For a moment, it looked as though she might have thrown her arms around Jasmine in a hug, but caught herself. Instead, she turned and began exploring the room. Hey, it was a start. A start Jasmine was afraid might end too soon. She needed to call Jenn and find out what was really going on.

“We’ll meet downstairs in thirty minutes, okay?” Jasmine called from the hallway.

Lily nodded and sat on the frilly canopy bed, letting her hands move across the comforter.

Jasmine followed Eryk do
wn the hall where he stopped, looking at her.

“I’ll take the master
,” Eryk said. “You could take the adjoining
mistress
chamber.”

“That’s okay
. I’ll take the turret room.” She moved to the room across the hall from the master. “I’m going to take a shower and get this gel out of my hair.”

“Oh, I don’t know. I kinda like the ears.”

Jasmine purred as she shut the door in his face.

She let the shower spray flow over her body, easing the aches. Her muscles burned as though she’d been in a gym, preparing for the Olympics. Her respect for Eryk’s real assistant increased tenfold. As soon as things calmed down, Jasmine planned to lobby Eryk for a raise on Brandy’s behalf.

Jasmine was amazed at the ease with which Eryk performed. Because of the link between them needed for some of the illusions, she
could feel when his heartbeat changed. No matter what they did, his heart rhythm had remained steady—except when he’d first seen her on stage. When he pushed that curtain back, his heart rate had skittered before it steadied out.

She smiled and wiped the steam off the mirror, revealing her lean, muscular body
. She would never have the curves Jenn had—or the boobs—but what she had was taunt and firm. She turned to the side and stood straight. Yep, perky breasts tipped with tawny areoles, flat tummy, and a round butt. She glanced down at the white scar on her hip, which had almost obliterated the birthmark which identified her as one of Ruthorford’s descendants. She grabbed the lotion sitting on the counter and rubbed it onto her flesh. Her hip wasn’t the only scar remaining from Rob’s attack. She had several, the most pronounced, however, were the one on her hip and one on her side, next to her breast. That one was fading. In time, she hoped, it and the memories it brought back would fade as well.

Her cell phone rang from the bedroom. Wrapping the towel around those high breasts, she stepped
into the round room and picked up the phone. “You’re not going to believe this room. It’s like something straight out of a historical romance, tapestries and all,” she said to Jenn without preamble.

Jenn
’s silence had Jasmine leaning against the high bed. “What? Talk to me,” Jasmine encouraged.

“
Sonya said a social worker, a private investigator, and a lawyer came to visit her.”

“Oh, Jenn. I’m sorry.”
Jenn spent so much of her time protecting her wards.

“Not to worry, Mr. Bask has
that covered. As far as they know, some runaway who vaguely matched Lily’s description stayed here overnight. Somehow, the photo and paperwork got lost. Just watch your back. There’s a lot of money behind the people looking for her.”

“
We had a tail to the airport. Eryk lost them, just like he said he would. As for the money issue, I’m not concerned about that. Abbott House can checkmate any money move. Who are they? Who is she?”

“Her name is Arabella Greeson
. Her father is Porter Greeson, as in Greeson Industries.”

“
Greeson…why does that sound familiar?”

“
How about Beverly Greeson?”

Jasmine stood
up. “You mean the socialite. She’s spends more on couture than a small country’s budget.” Jasmine had met the middle-aged diva on several buying trips. Beverly Greeson was the darling of every fashion house from New York and Paris. And, from what she remembered, the woman had a reputation as a snobby bitch. It was hard to believe that the friendly, helpful girl wanting the princess bed was a product of that woman. Of course, it did explain her incredible fashion sense.

“Bask says to lie low for a couple of days until he gets back to you. There should be plenty of food. If you need anything, give him a call.”

“I’ll talk to you later.” Jasmine grabbed a fresh pair of jeans and sweater and headed back to the bathroom, still holding the phone.

“You gonna be okay?” There was concern in Jenn’s voice.

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.” She wished she were as confident as she sounded. Playing house with a ready-made family hadn’t been on her immediate agenda. Now, it seems, it was.

“I’ll call you when I can
,” Jenn said.

“Please.
And give Morgan a call. See how she’s doing. I don’t want her worrying about this delay.”

“Already have and she’
s good.”

T
he sound of laughter floated out of the kitchen and made Jasmine smile as she came down the stairs. Jasmine really liked Lily—correction—Arabella. She hoped this wasn’t the last laughter she heard from the young girl. It was her job, and Eryk’s, to make sure that didn’t happen. With renewed determination, she swung about the bottom of the steps and headed back to the kitchen.

“Again! Do it again,”
Lily urged Eryk. The voice was far different from the hard bitter sounds that emanated from her when she’d first arrived at Safe Harbor.

Jasmine stepped in to see the pancake fly high into the air. She saw Eryk glance her way,
give her a smile of appreciation, and look back in time to catch the flipping pancake perfectly in the pan.

“Want some?”
he asked Jasmine as he slid the plate-sized pancake onto the plate and placed it in front of their young companion.

“Sure.” Jasmine circled around the island and took a seat ne
xt to Lily. She looked over at her. She really did like the name Lily better. Lily suited her. The sweetness, the freshness. The girl sitting next to her bore little resemblance to the one Sonya had brought to the shelter. Even with the impending threat, she sat next to Jasmine, scoffing down a giant pancake, as though she didn’t have a worry in the world. Jasmine glanced over at Eryk, admired the lanky muscles and the blazing green eyes. Maybe she didn’t have a worry. He had a way of making one feel safe.

Eryk slid
a huge pancake on her plate. “Eat it while it’s hot.” He poured more batter into the pan and let his eyes lift to hers, almost like a caress.

That’s when she felt the sizzle run up both of her arms at once. The room got warm and she could almost feel her pupils
dilate in response. Jasmine immediately glanced over her shoulder at the locked door that led to the basement. She’d almost forgotten it—and their reaction to each other when they stepped inside.

“Sometimes a pancake is just a pancake,” he said quietly.
Or, a reaction is us, reacting
.

“Huh?”
Lily questioned.

“Nothing
,” they said simultaneously.

Jasmine’s brows drew together in a frown.
Had he said the last part or did she just think he had. She picked up the syrup bottles and examined them, choosing the butter pecan to add over the melting pat of butter he’d slipped atop her pancake. She cut into it and her fork eased through the fluffy disk. She slipped the hot bite, dripping with syrup, in to her mouth and closed her eyes. The hint of vanilla blended with the butter pecan and butter and she almost moaned.

“Good, huh?” Lily studied Jasmine’s reaction.

“I’ll say. Any coffee to go with this?”