ROMANCE: Mason (Bad Boy Alpha Male Stepbrother Romance Boxset) (New Adult Contemporary Stepbrother Romance Collection) (70 page)

“Now, we need to go get yours.” 

“Why?”  She breathed, her skin going cold.

“I have a theory.  My theory is that these brooches are more powerful when together.  Am I right?”

Becky knew lying at this point was useless.  At this point she just wanted to survive.  In reality she just wanted to stay with Daniel even though he terrified her.  She lowered her eyes, then lifted them right back up. 

“You’re partially right.  It has more to do with the close proximity of the witches.” 

Daniel walked smugly from the closet.  “Pick an outfit to wear.  These are your things now.” 

Becky watched him go, then looked around the closet greedily.

“My goodness, your house is a shambles.”  Daniel said with amusement. 

Becky looked guiltily at the sagging roof and yard full of junk and old cars. 

“We’ve been meaning to clean it up.”  She replied lamely. 

Daniel slid his eyes without turning his head.  “I’m sure you have.” 

The driver parked and opened a door for Daniel then Becky.  A full moon hung low in the sky, and there was no need for a porch light.  Becky mounted the crooked eight steps to her former front door feeling oddly out of touch.  Maybe it was the heels.  Maybe it was the fine makeup Daniel had provided, or the hairstyle his personal stylist had given her.  She thought it was probably the lamb skinned jacket with fur collar.  She knew it had mainly to do with all she had seen and had been forced to face in the past two days.  She unlocked the door with shaky hands. 

“I wonder where Teddy is.”  She glanced over her shoulder as she cut the light on.  The bare bulb on the ceiling offering a murky amber light.  “You said he left, right?”

“Yes, earlier today in fact.” 

Becky turned away again and Daniel exchanged a stony look with his driver.

Daniel looked around the dingy kitchen with distaste.  He couldn’t understand anyone wanting the live like that.  Dishes were piled in the sink with hard food crusted to their surfaces.  The floor even felt sticky under his feet. 

He walked down the hall and looked in a room which he assumed was Autumn’s.  The double bed was made neatly and there was a tiny bookshelf with several well-worn paperbacks lined up in a neat row.  He looked at the titles with interest.  Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and a collection of Edgar Allan Poe’s work.  The title which made him smile was the most worn book of all of them: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.  He wondered if she now felt like she had slipped down the rabbit hole. 

He opened a few drawers, frowning at the lack of decent clothes he found there.  She must have lived a lonely hard life.  Becky was no kind of parent figure at all.  He left the room and went to the other bedroom which over looked the front yard.  Becky was throwing things into a large tote bag. 

“What could you possibly want from here besides that brooch?” 

Becky stopped and eyed him warily.  “It’s just a few keep sakes, and a few things I once dabbled in.” 

Daniel peered into the bag and saw a small photo album, a book, an Ouija board, and something wrapped in a dirty silk scarf.  He reached for it, but Becky stopped him. 

“Please don’t touch those.  They’re my Tarot cards.” 

“Ah, so you are a psychic witch?”

Becky couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic, so she opted for the safe move and simply shrugged.  She went to her bureau of drawers and opened the top drawer.  She moved socks and under ware to the side until she found what she wanted.  She pulled out a small cardboard box, something that would hold costume jewelry, and removed the lid.  Daniel stood across from her and stared down at the brooch.  Its stone wasn’t as green as Leanne’s. 

“Why is your stone different?”  He asked suspiciously.

Becky wet her lips.  “Each one is slightly different.  Mine has a green stone but there’s a reddish hue, making it look almost brown in some light. 

“Leanne’s is completely green.”

“Yes.  I know.” 

“Does the added hues mean anything?”

“I don’t know.” 

Daniel jerked her arm lightly, but with enough pressure to have her undivided attention.  “You will need to find out.”

Becky nodded numbly, and placed the lid back on the box. 

“It interests me why you lived in such squalor.  Why didn’t you do what you were born to do…and be a witch?”

“I was afraid.  I read Tarot cards for a while, but even that began to scare me.  I preferred the mind emptiness of drugs and alcohol.” 

“But now you aren’t afraid?”  He asked indicating the bag still sitting on the bed. 

“I am, but…well, being with you at the Bull Mitch has made me realize what a waste I’ve been.”  And I want to please you more than anything else.

Daniel nodded, a wolfish grin on his face.  Of course you do.  He responded.

Becky felt her knees turn to water.  The time for her foolishness was over.  “That’s an interesting trick you have there.”

“Perhaps you can learn it.”

Becky nodded and tossed the box into the bag.  “I don’t need anything else.” 

Daniel had caught sight of the broken picture of Autumn as a small child sitting on top of the dresser.  He slid the 8x10 from the broken glass and smiled. 

“She was a beautiful child.”

Becky looked away guiltily.  “She was always into trouble.” 

“Tell me, your hair…is it the same deep red naturally as Leanne’s was and Autumn’s is now?”

Becky shrugged.  “I’ve dyed it so many times, I can’t remember.”

Daniel narrowed his eyes.  “I think you have a memory problem.  Tell me, what’s your given name?”

“Rebecca.”  She said, and lifted her chin slightly.  Was she really going to cower for her entire life?  “And yes, my natural hair color is red; just not as deep as theirs.  Mine had a slightly orange look to it, and I hated it.” 

“Women of fall.”  He mused.

“What does that mean?”

“The hair colors; they remind me of fall’s beauty.” 

“I have some gray in mine.  That’s why I have to keep it dyed these days.” 

“A little gray just proves you’ve lived.”

“Sometimes gray comes from living too much or too hard.”

Daniel laughed with his head thrown back.  “You’re developing nicely.  Your backwoods, I’m just white trash skin is shedding, I think.” 

Becky wasn’t sure what to say to that, but she felt it too.  She was glad to feel it.  She hadn’t felt this good since she was seventeen years old. 

Daniel took the picture of Autumn and placed it in the bag.  “May I?”

“Might as well.”  She shrugged. 

“My goodness, but you’re an odd mother.” 

Becky said nothing as she took the bag by the handles and left the room.

Daniel poured Becky a glass of chardonnay before settling comfortably into one of his antique couches.  He watched her twirl the liquid and sniff it before swallowing.  Yes, she was something more than white trash once upon a time.  Her memory seemed to be coming back.

Daniel watched her move across the room and stare up at the painting.  She lacked some of Leanne refinement and grace, but she was quite certainly a faded version of her sister, at best.  Daniel rubbed a finger cross his upper lip.  He seemed drawn to sisters.  Or at least to separating them. 

Tonya sauntered into the room and scowled at Becky.  She placed a thin hand on her hip and spoke in a low growl.  Her distaste for whatever the issue was dripped from her red lips. 

“You have a slight problem with one of your guests.” 

Daniel stood and buttoned his double breasted jacket.  He looked at Becky.  “My apologies, I shouldn’t be long.” 

Becky listened as the door shut behind him and the long legged Tonya.  She set the glass down heavily when she heard the lock engage. 

“What is it?”  Daniel asked when they were out of ear shot of the double doors. 

“Well, a real guest thinks the hotel is haunted because he heard a man screaming while in the shower.” 

“Which guest?”

“Mr. Mubar.” 

“I assume the screaming was coming from 666?”

“You should rethink your architecture and move the sisters of pain to the basement.” 

Daniel chuckled.  “My dear, their rooms are insulated.” 

Tonya gave him a dark look. 

“They have been sound proofed.”

“Well, that’s funny, because Mr. Mubar’s room sits right below the area of their room where the room of horrors is and their bathroom.” 

“Fine, I’ll look into it.  And how is Mr. Mubar now?”

“He’s drunk on fine wine and cocaine.”  She stopped at the door for 666.  “He wants to know when Dionte will arrive.” 

“Let him know, as gently as you can, that Dionte has met with an untimely and unfortunate death.  Tell him his drugs and guns finally caught up with him.”

Tonya waited for Daniel to unlock the door.  “Why did you have to kill him?”

“I was bored.”  He stated simply.

“Bored?”

“He’s linked to Rebecca and Teddy.”

“So, you’re calling her Rebecca now?”

“It’s the proper name of her birth.”  He smiled without feeling.  “I believe she’s turned a new leaf…or should I say returned to an old one.”

“What did Dionte’s business arrangements with them have to do with anything?”

“I don’t answer to you, Tonya.”  Daniel said icily.  “Please try to remember that.”

Tonya stared at the back of his neck as he unlocked the door.  She hated coming to this suite.  Lately, she hated everything related to Daniel Blacksmith.  

The room was flooded with light and Glenelle was perched on the arm of the couch in a camisole and sheer robe.  She was touching herself between the legs and grinning as she watched Heather lead a naked Teddy around the room by a leash.

“What are you girls up to?”  Daniel asked with a smile, as if he was speaking to his daughters.  He leaned his cheek downward as Glenelle hoped off of her perch and came to kiss his cheek. 

“I hope you wash your suit.”  Tonya mumbled, her eyes on Glenelle.  Glenelle puckered her lips and blew a kiss in Tonya’s direction. 

“Girls, you need to keep your fun a little quieter until I can figure out why a guest heard Mr. Roberts screaming earlier.” 

Teddy looked at Daniel with pitiful large eyes.  “Please, set me free.” 

“Oh, you will be eventually.”  Daniel promised. 

Heather jerked on Teddy’s leash, forcing his hands back to the floor.

“Tighten things up, girls.”  Daniel said and left the suite.

When Daniel returned, Becky was sitting comfortably on the couch.  He saw she had poured herself another generous glass of wine. 

“Is everything alright?”

“Just fine.”  He said and sat beside her. 

“I’m curious; what types of things do you remember Leanne being capable of?”

“Not much.  She was so much older than me.  I do remember having a pet hamster and when it died she blew in its ear and it came back to life, but it was mean after that and tried to bite me every time I fed it.” 

“So, she had some necromancer abilities.”

Becky looked at him blankly.

“A necromancer is someone who dabbles in dark arts related to the dead.”

“Oh.  I don’t think she was one of those.  I think she just felt sorry for me because I was crying.” 

“And what of you?  What were your abilities like?”

Becky sat the glass on the end table and kicked off her heels.  “I seemed to know things about people.  My mother gave me the very set of Tarot cards you saw in my bag and taught me how to use them.” 

“Was she angry when you turned your back on your talents?”

“Yes.  The last time I saw her was when Autumn was a little girl.  It was at Thanksgiving time.  We had a terrible final argument about it.  She died a year later.” 

“Leanne would have liked to know that.” 

“I didn’t know where Leanne was.”

Daniel weighed her response and found it to be truthful.  “Yes, I suppose not.” 

“You feel yourself changing, no?”

“What do you mean?”

“You aren’t the same woman who walked into the Bull Mitch on Halloween.” 

Becky ran a hand over the fine material of the blouse she had on, relishing the expensive feel of it.  The jacket was tossed over the back of the opposite couch.  She had liked the feel of that too, but this went deeper than just fine clothes. 

“Yes, I feel different.”

“More confident?”

“A little, but I’ve spent most of this time feeling afraid.”

“Of me?”  He asked casually, already knowing the answer. 

“Yes, of you, of this place, of the future.”

“Were you a good mother to Autumn?”  He knew the answer to that as well.