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“I guess. But once I leave, I won’t want that co
“Lesser of two evils though, right? Their money could go a long way,” I said. “I’ll go watch TV. Let me know if you need anything.”
She nodded, her attention drifting to the photo in her hand. I made a quiet exit.
As I got comfortable, a phone went off at the other end of the couch. I leaned over and reached into Tessa’s purse to see who it was. Chait. OK if Rena & I stop by in a few min to talk?
Hell, no. Still, I took the phone and lurked in the doorway until Tessa realized I was there. “Chait wants to come over with Rena right now.”
“Just Chait. I don’t like her.” She carefully gathered the pile of photos, put them in the box and replaced the lid.
I texted Chait with, Fine, but only you.
“And Hayden? From now on, don’t go into my purse without asking. Any other girl would slap you.”
I tried to suppress a smile, but couldn’t. “I usually keep them too busy to notice things like that. Apparently, you’re not challenged enough.”
We heard the tap at the same time. Chait worked fast. I darted over to the window and opened it so Tessa wouldn’t have to get up.
“Still hiding from Frank and Lila’s people?” Tessa leaned against the headboard, knees up. “Because you could’ve come in through the front door.”
“We’d rather be discreet.” Chait gave me a nod and I returned it. I didn’t like him.
Tessa smiled and pointed to the foot of the bed. “Sit? I was looking at pictures of my sister. My memory could’ve been jogged a better way but I’m glad to remember everything now.”
Chait sat on the edge of the bed, glancing at me briefly. “I’m sorry about Rena. That’s the second time she’s been out of line. I’ll have to watch her more carefully.”
“So why are you here?” I rounded the bed to be closer to Tessa. The way she looked at him bothered me. I wanted him gone.
“To give you an update. Our informant in Frank and Lila’s camp told us that your replacement arrived today,” he told me. “Tomorrow, you’ll no longer be guarding her.”
“That’s what you think.” I snorted. No one was going to tell me I couldn’t continue to do my best to keep her safe.
“I was hoping you’d say that.” Chait gri
“You—” She blinked. “You’re advising me not to choose your side?”
“Normally, I wouldn’t. But I got to thinking. If your sister had chosen differently, she’d probably still be alive.”
“So let’s assume your people are the good guys,” I said. “We’d be siding with people that don’t deserve help, who shouldn’t be in power.”
“When you say we, you mean her, right?” Chait stood, looking smug. “Just because you know about sorcerers doesn’t make you one of us.”
In a flash, I’d moved to the foot of the bed. “You can have a superiority complex all you want. But if it came down to it, I’d still be able to kick your ass.”
“You sure about that?” His chest pushed against mine.
“Man, you guys are stupid. I’m choking on testosterone fumes here. Can we not fight, please?” Tessa leaped off the bed to squeeze between us, shoving until we were no longer within reach of each other. She scowled at me until I retreated to the corner. It was probably best that I let her handle things anyway. “Frank and Lila told me sorcerers were very rare. They also said it wasn’t hereditary. Are they big-time liars or am I missing something?”
“They didn’t lie, as much as I wish they had. We are very rare. To find two in the same area is a big deal.”
“But it’s happened before?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, it’s not impossible. Why?”
“Because in one family, we have Zoe and me.”
“It’s not usually passed down. Maybe you have a lot of wizard ancestry on both sides of your family or something. I have no idea. Maybe it’s some weird coincidence and nothing more.”
“So what are the chances of my little sister being a witch too?”
His mouth parted as though he’d had an unpleasant revelation. “I really don’t know. It’s possible, I suppose. You and Zoe defy the norm. Maybe she will too.”
Hell. Bree may have to be protected, too.
Tessa swallowed. “Okay. Would it be common knowledge? Should I fear for her life?”
“It’s next to impossible, Tessa. You should assume Bree is normal. I had no idea Zoe even existed until Rena mentioned her. I think it was dumb luck that Rena knew. Zoe died ten years ago, so no one’s going to co
Tessa nodded. “Does it matter that she’s so young? I mean, the energy won’t be detectable until she gets older, right?”
“True, but…” Chait hesitated, his gaze briefly drifting to me. “All the more reason to join up with Frank and Lila — to keep your sister safe.”
It seemed he wanted her to choose the other side. Something didn’t smell right. “She goes to them, what’s in it for you? Are you their spy?” I eyed him.
“How about next time, you skip the meeting?” Chait said.
My shoulders tensed. “Not go
“Guys, knock it off. Chait, why are you pushing it?”
Chait rose from the foot of the bed and faced the dresser, his gaze touching a photo of Bree. “I’ve been doing this a while now and we’ve lost a few, you know. I…” He shook his head. “You’re a nice girl. I’d rather see you alive for the wrong reasons than dead for the right.”
“Lucky for me, I’m going to be alive for the right reasons.” She stood and stretched her legs. “So why did Frank and Lila allow me to get kidnapped and meet with you yesterday? There has to be a reason.”
“Same reason we allow you to meet with them. What are we going to do, make a scene? It’s not like getting ugly about it would make you think we’re pretty cool. In the begi
“Then why are you sneaking in and out of my bedroom?”
He gri
I took a step forward. “Chait—”
“Hayden, no.” She blocked me, her arm shooting out in a move I’d taught her yesterday. She wasn’t supposed to use it against me.
I grudgingly retreated to my corner, hoping he’d say just one more thing to piss me off. One more thing.
“Focus, Chait,” she said. “Why do you sneak in?”
“If they see us, they see us,” Chait answered. “But if they don’t, all the better.”
I semi-recovered from Chait’s jackass comment and felt less violent toward him, so I ventured closer to Tessa. “Why haven’t they made contact all weekend? Do you know?”
“Maybe because they have people watching, they don’t feel it’s necessary to talk.” Chait leaned against the dresser and folded his arms over his chest. “They know you’ll be back under their control at school tomorrow.”
“So they think,” Tessa said. “And what if I don’t choose sides for another month? Or three months. How long before they decide to eliminate me?”
“You could string them along for a while,” Chait said. “But why wait longer than necessary?”
Tessa lifted her chin and inhaled deeply. “I want to know who killed my sister.”
Oh, great, now she listens to me. Poking around would be too dangerous. I’d rather she choose the dark side and stay alive. But knowing Tessa, living a life that meant doing things she couldn’t be proud of wouldn’t work for her at all.
“I wanted to give you the heads up that Hayden’s being replaced tomorrow. If you don’t have any more questions, I’ll take off.” Chait walked the several feet to the window.