Blood Rush (The Lost Witch Trilogy #2) (29 page)

“I’m sure that’ll be so exciting,” Ava said under her breath picturing an old grizzled mountain man. Harry raised an eyebrow at her sarcasm but ignored her comment.

“I’ll be taking samples here but we’ll be staying in a town about fifteen miles away. It’s where I grew up. There will be plenty of people there. Sort of,” he added quietly. “But we’ll be so busy here, I don’t think there’ll be much time to socialize,” he said, his eyebrows coming together in a V as if he were suddenly worried.

Ava closed her eyes and counted to ten in search of patience. She got to three and gave up. “It’s almost as if you don’t want me to socialize. This is my summer before I go to college and you’ve kept me so busy these last few years that I’ve never even had a boyfriend. I’m sorry dad, but if there’s a town with people, then I want to meet them. I’m going to find the cutest boy there and then I’m going to go on a date,” she said, throwing her hands in the air and turning away from her father as she automatically went into emotional control mode.

Ava closed her eyes, gripped her arms and concentrated on breathing slowly as she recited the alphabet backwards. She could feel the blood rushing through her veins begin to slow down gradually. She stopped when she felt her father’s hands on her shoulders.

“Ava, I’m sorry. I know that your life has been a little different compared to other girls. I know that you look at all your friends going to dances and dating and you feel cheated and left out. I’m sorry for that. Someday soon, you’ll understand why.”

Ava opened her eyes and glared at her feet. “I hate that word someday. I’ve heard it all my life and it’s just a carrot that you’ve held in front of my face to keep me quiet and in the shadows. I’ll give you this summer Dad, but then my life is my own. No matter what,” she said quietly.

She felt her father step away from her and turned to watch the man who had raised her single handedly since she was three. He had his hands on his hips and he was looking down at his feet with his face in shadow. Ava was so irritated with him she could scream, but she could never deny her love for him. He raised his head finally and she felt her heart soften against her will. He looked so torn, guilty almost.

“Ava, you’ll have all the answers you’ve ever wanted at the end of this summer. For good or bad. Then you’ll understand why you’ve had to live your life the way you have. I’ve done the best I can Ava. I love you,” he said, looking at her with tormented eyes.

Ava shook her head and walked into his arms, hugging him tightly. “I know you have. But it’s time I had a little freedom. I love you too, but the cage has to open or I’ll go insane,” she said softly stepping back.

Harry let his daughter go and nodded. “I know. I was the same way at your age.”

Ava smiled and nodded her head. “Good, then you understand how I feel. So I’m warning you. All the cute boys in a fifty mile radius better watch out.”

Harry winced and then gave up and laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind, but Ava, all the boys your age around here are a little different and not the type of men I want you dating. It’s probably wise to wait for college to start socializing. ” he said running his hand through his hair.

Ava raised an eyebrow and tilted her head as she studied her father. Sometimes she could sense her father’s feelings and right now, she could tell he was honestly worried but was trying to hide it. But why?

“If you didn’t want me to socialize with the people who live around here this summer, then why did you insist that I come with you? Kendra invited me to spend the summer with her family at their vacation house in California. I just don’t get any of this,” she said with a frustrated groan.

Harry held up his hands for peace. “I told you Ava. This is our last summer together before you leave for college and you start your life on your own. There are certain things I need to explain to you and I realized that this was the perfect opportunity. Sometimes showing is better than telling.”

Ava let her shoulders drop and she shook her head. “Fine, fine, fine. Let’s get on with it then.”

Harry’s face relaxed into an easy smile. “Exactly what I was thinking. Let’s grab our packs and head down to those cottages. I need to take samples and do a little investigating. We’ll stop for lunch in a couple hours. Sound good?” he said, opening the back of the jeep and grabbing their back packs. He tossed the light tan pack to her and kept the black one for himself. She slipped her pack on and then watched wide eyed as her father attached a lethal looking gun to a leg holster as if he did that kind of thing every day.

“Uh Dad?” she asked softly, trying to swallow back her unease.

Harry glanced up and grimaced as he saw her reaction. “It’s a Beretta Px4 9mm. Just a precaution. The research I’ve been hired to do is kind of specialized. There were quite a few attacks on tourists here about 6 months ago. The place is totally deserted now, but it’s my job to discover what exactly happened here,” he said as he grabbed a couple water bottles, throwing one to her.

Ava caught the bottle automatically one handed and nodded. “Not your typical research project, huh?” she murmured, wondering why anyone would hire her father to do something on this scale. Harry Paskell was a geneticist, not a CSI investigator.

Harry glanced at her and grinned as if he could read her mind. “I’m sort of a specialized investigator on this project. Everyone leaves a DNA imprint. Whatever or whoever attacked the tourists will have left their DNA. I’m here to track them down. I owe it to my friends and family to find whoever did this,” he said quietly.

Ava blinked in surprise. For a moment, her dad had looked a little dangerous. Weird. “So where’s my gun?” she asked jokingly as they walked down the hill towards the lake.

Harry glanced at her and slipped on his sunglasses. “Actually I thought about it, but there wasn’t time for you to take a class before we came. If anything happens just use your instincts,” he said cryptically.

Ava stared at her father’s back in shock. She’d heard nothing but the opposite her entire life. Ava, control your natural impulses. Ava, think logically. Ava, you’re different than other kids. You must never lose control.

“So what you’re saying is, that whatever attacked those people six months ago, might attack us?” she asked, feeling a little better about their summer now. Kendra would be so jealous when she told her the real reason they were spending the summer in Canada. The beach couldn’t compare to mysterious attacks on tourists.

Harry glanced over his shoulder at her and shook his head. “Probably not, but just be on your guard. Listen to what your senses are telling you,” he said.

Ava’s eyes went round in awe. “And then what? Do a back hand spring? Scare them off with a hand stand or cart wheel?” she asked, grinning at her father’s back.

Harry laughed and jumped over a pile of branches lying strewn on the path. “That’s not a bad idea. Being a trained gymnast means you’re physically strong enough to handle just about anything. But if anything happens, just yell for me and I’ll take care of anyone that is a threat.”

Ava leaped gracefully over the branches, landing beside her father. “And what if you’re too far away?” she asked, just now realizing that they really could be in danger.

Harry gave her a half smile. “Trust me, I’ll hear you.”

Ava shrugged and walked in silence beside her father. She closed her eyes for a second and let her senses take over. The eerie silence caused a slight shiver to run down her back but she blocked it out. And then she felt it. Someone or something was watching them.

Ava’s eyes popped open and she felt a stream of adrenaline start to flow through her veins.

“What’s the matter?” Harry asked, looking at her curiously.

Ava glanced around, noticing all the dark shadows hiding behind trees and rocks. “We’re being watched. I can feel it,” she said softly, still scanning their surroundings.

Harry repositioned his back pack without stopping. “I know. We’ve been watched since we got here. Don’t worry about it. It’s probably just an animal.”

Ava felt a few hairs at the back of her neck rise up and she stared at a small ravine where a dense amount of fir trees grew. Whatever it was, it was tracking her and her father.

They walked down the path to the first vacation cottage and paused at the steps leading up to the small porch looking out on the lake. Ava turned and stared at the pristine view and wondered what could have scared everyone away from something so beautiful.

“You know we could have brought the jeep right to the front door Dad. Why did we have to hike from the main road?” she asked as her father took off his back pack and opened the zipper.

Harry grabbed some plastic gloves, tweezers and baggies before answering. “It’s still basically a crime scene. I don’t want to disturb any prints,” he said, glancing around the cottage and lake, pausing on the trees that nestled around the small house protectively.

Ava moved to follow her father but he held up hand. “You stay here. I’ll let you know when or if I need you to take pictures,” he said and then disappeared into the cottage not waiting for her response.

Ava huffed out a breath and then rolled her eyes. Knowing her father, he could be inside for hours and not remember she was waiting. She slipped off her back pack and rooted around inside until she found a granola bar. She walked over to the lake and sat down on an old Adirondack chair and stared at the silent, smooth water as she finished her snack. She glanced at her watch and then sighed.

She knew back home in Bellevue Washington, her friends were going off to their jobs at the mall and spending their free time sailing and going dancing. Having fun. She understood her father not wanting her to stay home all summer by herself, that’s why she’d been so certain her father would have agreed to let her go with Kendra down to California for at least a month. Being told no had come as a complete shock. The only reason she wasn’t throwing a fit was because deep down, she did want to spend more time with her father. They’d both been so busy with their separate lives lately it had felt like they were slowly growing apart. She had school and sports and he had his classes to teach and his research. But hanging out in front of creepy crime scenes was not what she would call a good bonding experience.

She ran her hands through her long golden hair and then paused. She felt like she was being watched again. She turned and scanned her surroundings with a glare. Nothing. Not even the sound of birds. She blinked as she realized that the quietness surrounding her wasn’t exactly natural. It was too quiet. Where had all the animals gone? She shivered unexpectedly and then smiled at herself. She, Kendra and their other friend Larissa loved going to scary movies on the weekends. Her imagination had always been over the top and now she was doing a good job of freaking herself out.

She was just restless after the long ride in the jeep. She needed to be at a gym. If she could work out, she’d be able to get rid of the excess adrenaline she always seemed to have too much of. She stood up and stretched and then walked over to the beach. She glanced around the shoreline and smiled at the soft sand. Perfect. She would just work out here. Who needed a mat when she had sand?

Ava stretched out and warmed up her muscles before jumping into a sprint and jumping up to twist her body into a triple full layout with three twists. She landed on her feet and laughed happily.

This is what she loved the most. Doing what she loved doing without an audience. It was so much more fun to fly through the air when no one was critiquing every move she made. Ava turned and glanced at the silent cottage her father was working in and shrugged. No one to see but the trees. She grinned and jumped into another sprint and then threw her body higher than she ever had before, fueled by freedom and the joy of having complete control over every muscle.

She landed perfectly on her feet and then bent backwards, creating a flawless back bend before kicking her feet up into the air. She walked around the soft sand on her hands and then got bored, so she balanced on one hand as she brought the other close to her side.

“How long can you hold that?”

Ava squeaked and flipped quickly to her feet, frowning because not one sense had warned her that someone had casually walked up to her.

She stood up and stared at the man standing in front of her, looking at her speculatively. He was tall, probably as tall as her dad and he had glossy medium brown hair that hung just below his ears and bright clear, light blue eyes. She couldn’t tell how old he was, but he looked a little older than her. She looked him up and down quickly and recognized his strength and power immediately. What was he? A professional athlete? But there was one thing she did know for certain. He was absolutely the most stunning man she’d ever met in her life.

She pushed her long dark blond hair out of her light brown eyes and frowned at the man. “I thought I was alone,” she said, sounding as irritated as she felt.

The man grinned at her and shrugged. “I would have said hello before but then I would have missed the show. I’m Cyrus Carlston and you must be Harry Paskell’s research assistant,” he said holding his hand out to her.

Ava relaxed and smiled back. Cyrus Carlston must be the guide her father had mentioned. “I’m Ava, Harry’s daughter. It’s nice to meet you,” she said reaching out to grasp the man’s firm hard hand.

Cyrus looked surprised and he stared at her curiously, not letting go of her hand as he studied her face carefully.

“Harry’s daughter? Interesting,” he said softly, still holding her hand. He stepped closer to her, leaning down as if he were trying to see inside of her.

Ava lost her smile as she stared up into his ice blue eyes. This guy had no clue about personal space. She pulled on her hand, but he refused to let go.

“Are you going to let go of my hand now, or are you going to tell me my future?” she asked, jerking hard one more time on her hand forcing Cyrus to let go.

Cyrus looked down at his now empty hand and frowned at her, before his face cleared and he smiled.

“I see a summer filled with excitement and nights filled with mystery and romance,” he said with a grin before stepping back and shoving his hands into his jeans pockets.