Cover Spell (23 page)

“Follow me,” he instructed.

He cut the ignition and hopped out of the driver side of the car. I grabbed my bag and scrambled to catch up to him. He slipped his hand into mine, and we strolled along the sidewalk.

“Just act like we’re out for a walk, a little N’awlins sightseeing. No big deal. We’ll head this way.” He pointed straight ahead. “Then, we’ll do a U-turn and check out the building on our way back.”

“Ok. Got it.” I squeezed his arm, and then shimmied up to his side while we walked hand in hand down Canal Street.

It didn’t take long to feel like we were being watched. The penetration was coming from all angles. I tried to walk nonchalantly and pretend to laugh at something Finn said in my ear. However, by the time we formed our loop at the end of the block, I knew we needed to leave Canal Street. There were eyes on us from the rooftops, street posts, and office windows. This group was professional; they knew there was a massive, on-going manhunt for Emmy, and they weren’t taking any chances. Finn managed to keep our pace slow and effortless all the way back to the car.

I finally exhaled once I was seat-belted in the passenger seat, and the door closed behind Finn. He started the ignition and turned the car around, back to the Hotel François.

“Yeah, we’ve got a problem,” he muttered.

He meandered the car through the narrow streets, and stopped at the red light to let a gaggle of tourists donned with cameras and shopping bags cross the street.

“I lost count of how many there were. What was your count?” I nervously looked at him.

“At least fifteen, and we have to assume there are going to be some inside. Not everyone is posted on a rooftop or outside of the building. Dammit. This isn’t going to be as easy as I thought.” He gripped the wheel.

“But we can still do it, right? The
Cover Spell
? You still want to do it?” I was worried Finn was backing out.

“Hey, look at me.”

He pulled the dark aviator shades off his beautiful face. His eyes sparkled and bits of blue glimmered under those long lashes. I felt my skin start to tingle as his hand rested just below the hem of my skirt, and I felt his fingertips press into my thigh. I needed some kind of reassurance from him. This didn’t feel like it was enough. All day it felt like we were out of rhythm, making decisions on our own, leaving the other one out, and keeping secrets.

“Babe, I promised you last night I’m not going anywhere. Trust me. I’m here.” The light turned green, and his eyes jumped back to the road. “But, we might have to work on your stun skills if we’re going to get through that guard post.” He winked.

Great, add one more thing to our to-do list today. I had to master stunning and learn a new spell.

The car lurched forward, but I didn’t leave all of my nagging doubt behind. He wasn’t sharing everything with me.

We needed each other to perform the
Cover Spell
; it was the only way to defeat the evil ahead of us. Madame Chantilly said the spell needed two witches, and the last time I checked, Finn and I were the only witches from Sullen’s Grove in town. We had to be connected, in sync to perform the spell, and at this moment, I didn’t know how we were going to tie ourselves back together.

“I’
LL JUST
run up, grab a water and a few things from my room, and meet you back at your room in ten minutes. Sound good?” I tapped the elevator button in the Hotel François lobby.

“Yeah, good. I see a couple officers from the department. I’ll check in with them and see you upstairs. I want to make sure they are headed in the opposite direction of us tonight,” Finn replied before strolling over to the small group of New Orleans detectives huddled by the coffee stand. I examined furrowed brows and low mumbles; it looked like they were in the middle of a heavy conversation.

The elevator doors closed behind me, and the car started to ascend to the fifth floor. I watched the numbers light up overhead, and I definitely wasn’t prepared when the elevator stopped on the third floor. The doors retracted and in stepped Evan Carlson. A gym towel draped around his neck. His face was flushed, and his gray T-shirt was wet from a hard workout.

“Uh, Ivy. Hey.” He looked at me, then the floor. He tugged on either side of the towel.

I smiled and bit my lip. “Hey, Evan. Good workout?”

Ok, this was awkward. I searched the elevator for a quick escape, but knew I would have to wait for the excruciatingly long climb to the fifth floor.

“Yep. It was good. Cardio and arms.” He flexed his bicep and leaned against the wall.

I tried not to stare. I wanted to say something, anything that would break the uncomfortable exchange. Things had been easy with Evan. Although I knew we hadn’t actually been on an official date, I did like him and he was so damn cute—even all hot and sweaty. However, I didn’t think we had enough between us to explain Finn. What could I say to excuse why I walked away with him last night instead of Evan, especially after I told him I was available? I couldn’t even make sense of it myself, much less try to eke out some kind of relatable story.

Finally, the doors pulled back, and I turned to the movie star I had slow danced with only a few nights ago. “See ya, Evan.”

“Yeah, see ya, Ivy.” He reached over to tap the “close door” button, and then he was gone.

Shoot, I really had ruined my chance with him. Before, I was kind of wondering if I had made up the whole thing in my head, but now I knew I didn’t. It shouldn’t matter. Finn was back in my life.

I looked at my phone to see if I had enough time to call Holly. I needed to talk this through with her. If anyone could win the Ivy Grace relationship pop quiz contest, it was her. No one else would understand the barrage of men churning in my mind and heart right now. However, that was going to have to wait. We would probably talk for hours. Minimally, this was a one-wine-bottle conversation.

I shoved my key card into the door, and started gathering up what I needed for tonight. There wasn’t enough time for doubt and second-guessing. Finn needed all my focus and attention if we were going to master the
Cover Spell
before tonight. My eyes shot to the bed. After last night, I wanted to give that to him.

We sat in the dark car on Canal Street, and surveyed the team guarding Emmy Harper from the rest of the world. From our vantage point, I couldn’t count the exact number of lookouts or how big their firearm arsenal was. The men paced the perimeters of the buildings, disappearing behind walls and lean-to blockades before reemerging.

We had waited until after midnight to leave the hotel. The paparazzi forces were growing by the second, but most seemed to take a break after the late night news cycle. With dwindling numbers of journalists, we could set out for the night almost undetected.

Except for the men who carried guns and were prepared for a surprise attack, I was feeling confident Finn and I were going to be able to pull off this rescue mission.

We had performed the
Cover Spell
three times in his room, and after each try, it got easier. Finn was all business—focused on our palms joining, our breath aligning, and our simultaneous timing of casting the spell that would give one of us a protective shield. Ultimately, I would bring down the consul with my
Extinguish Spell
, but
the
Cover Spell
was our safety net. He stopped arguing with me about my adamant offer to be the one to sacrifice more of my powers.

Finn withdrew the key from the ignition. “Ready to do this, babe?” He reached across the seat and pulled me close to him, tangling his hands in my hair. His kiss was urgent.

I pushed back a little to search his eyes. Was he afraid? Was he nervous? No. I didn’t see either emotion. I saw cool, confident Finn. “Yes,
babe
, I’m ready.”

We stepped out of the car and linked arms as we walked in the opposite direction of the guarded warehouse. A row of office buildings bordered the street. Once we were around the corner and comfortably out of sight of the guards, we unlinked arms. This was the part of the spell we had to perform individually—our
Fade Spells
. I lifted my arms and touched my palms overhead. Bits of sparkly dust coated each limb until my body was immersed in the fade glitter. I admired the ease at which Finn transformed into his transparent state. Finn’s body flickered with the glimmer of the spell. We were both ready.

I waited for Finn to propel himself into the sky before I followed. He thrust himself off the ground with a quick burst of force. I realized this was the first time we would fly together. I couldn’t remember another instance when I had seen him going through his spells so seamlessly and smoothly. Pulling my arms in against my chest, I pushed off the sidewalk until I found Finn suspended in air, waiting for me.

We needed to take out the henchmen lining the rooftops before entering the warehouse. They were rotating guard posts on the tops of two buildings in front of the warehouse. From that location, they could spot anyone entering or exiting Emmy’s holding place.

We hovered a hundred feet above the guards before splitting up. He pointed at the building farther away from the warehouse, armed with only two men. Taking the cue, I flew in their direction while Finn flew to the rooftop watched by four sentries.

I swooped down to hear the conversation transpiring between the two men on my assigned rooftop.

“What are we even doing up here? This is the strangest deal I’ve ever seen go down. Nothing comes in or out of the warehouse. What do you think we’re guarding?” one of the men asked the other.

“It doesn’t matter. Shut your mouth and keep an eye out. I don’t need all those details; we’re getting paid, aren’t we? If the boss says this is the job, then this is the job.”

“Well, maybe I’m not a ‘yes man’ like you are.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

The two were walking toward each other, the discussion escalating to argument status.

Like a fluttering hummingbird, I zigzagged, observing my targets. I replayed the stun lesson Finn had given me. He had laughed the first time I tried it. Did I really look that funny when I was concentrating on the spell? It didn’t matter—these men couldn’t see me. Quick. Exact. Power. Those were things I needed to focus on. I floated midair, lowering myself in small increments, close enough that the effects of the stun would hit them, but not close enough that I could get caught in a cross fire. I nervously watched as they puffed out their chests, like strutting roosters, and walked closer together. I wasn’t sure I was skilled enough yet to hit them both if they were far apart; this argument was turning out to be useful.