immediately turned on the shower, though she didn’t intend to use
it.
The door joining the two rooms sat slightly ajar, allowing
Gracey to hear the hushed conversation taking place next door.
“That Tori chick has big plans,” Phoenix said. “She has
several texts about all of the solar flare stuff Julien told us about, along
with some really creepy looking old books. Like, really old, witchy kind of
books. I emailed myself a file from her computer. Take a look.”
Gracey couldn’t risk taking a peek but knew all she’d see if
she did was two men staring at a phone. How had Phoenix seen any of those
things? She’d been by his side the entire afternoon and they hadn’t stepped
foot inside Tori’s office. The only time he’d been out of her sight was when
he’d been in the bathroom. Did he climb through a vent or something? If so, why
hide it from her?
“What about this?” Orano asked in low voice.
What about what? Gracey thought.
“I found it in the attic. If it is what I think it is,
shouldn’t we take care of it?”
What were they talking about? What did Phoenix find, and why
was he telling Orano he’d gotten it from the attic? He’d never been anywhere
near Tori’s attic.
A few moments of silence, broken only by the occasional
grunt, had Gracey biting her fingernails down to the quick. Curiosity consumed her.
Just when she thought she couldn’t take any more, a loud curse from Orano had
her stifling a giggle.
“If a guy as big as you can’t open that jar, I’ve lost all
respect for body builders,” Phoenix taunted.
“It’s going to take a little extra to break through whatever’s
protecting this thing,” Orano said.
Jar? It can’t be . Gracey replayed the afternoon’s
events in her head, trying to remember anything that might explain what she’d
just heard. The only jar she could imagine Orano being unable to open was the
one containing her totem, but that couldn’t be what they were discussing.
“We should have a few minutes before she’s out of the
shower. Do you want to find a sheltered place outside?”
Although she didn’t hear an audible response, she did hear
the door to their room open and close. Gracey cracked her door as quietly as
she could and risked poking her head out enough to see down the hall. She
caught sight of Orano’s backside as the exit door closed behind him.
Feeling a little like a cat burglar, Gracey ran down the
hall. She had no way of knowing where they’d gone after exiting. They could
easily be standing right outside, ready to catch her in the act of spying on
them. After a deep breath and silent prayer, she pushed open the door. Nothing
but a standard parking lot greeted her.
They could have gone anywhere, she thought. Except
that wasn’t true. Phoenix said they would go somewhere sheltered. There weren’t
many places she could see that fit that description. None in fact. The parking
lot held no trees and ended at the wall of the next hotel. Then again, there
were a couple of transport trucks parked near the back corner. They didn’t have
their trailers attached, but the cabs alone were plenty big enough for a couple
of guys to hide between.
Gracey made her way to the closest cab just in time to hear
Orano tell his partner to step back. She crouched low and crept around the
front of the cab. Their backs faced her, Phoenix closest to the truck she hid
behind. They’d put the jar—her jar—on the pavement in front of them.
Would they kick it? Maybe drop something heavy on it? Gracey
wanted to tell them not to waste their time. The magic protecting her totem
wouldn’t go down that easily. Maybe after a few unsuccessful attempts, they’d
finally see the power she’d been trying to convince them existed. It might do
them some good. At least then they’d be forced to believe in—
A bright orange ball of fire appeared out of nowhere in
Orano’s hand. Instead of shrieking like any normal person would, he threw it at
the jar like a major
it.
The door joining the two rooms sat slightly ajar, allowing
Gracey to hear the hushed conversation taking place next door.
“That Tori chick has big plans,” Phoenix said. “She has
several texts about all of the solar flare stuff Julien told us about, along
with some really creepy looking old books. Like, really old, witchy kind of
books. I emailed myself a file from her computer. Take a look.”
Gracey couldn’t risk taking a peek but knew all she’d see if
she did was two men staring at a phone. How had Phoenix seen any of those
things? She’d been by his side the entire afternoon and they hadn’t stepped
foot inside Tori’s office. The only time he’d been out of her sight was when
he’d been in the bathroom. Did he climb through a vent or something? If so, why
hide it from her?
“What about this?” Orano asked in low voice.
What about what? Gracey thought.
“I found it in the attic. If it is what I think it is,
shouldn’t we take care of it?”
What were they talking about? What did Phoenix find, and why
was he telling Orano he’d gotten it from the attic? He’d never been anywhere
near Tori’s attic.
A few moments of silence, broken only by the occasional
grunt, had Gracey biting her fingernails down to the quick. Curiosity consumed her.
Just when she thought she couldn’t take any more, a loud curse from Orano had
her stifling a giggle.
“If a guy as big as you can’t open that jar, I’ve lost all
respect for body builders,” Phoenix taunted.
“It’s going to take a little extra to break through whatever’s
protecting this thing,” Orano said.
Jar? It can’t be . Gracey replayed the afternoon’s
events in her head, trying to remember anything that might explain what she’d
just heard. The only jar she could imagine Orano being unable to open was the
one containing her totem, but that couldn’t be what they were discussing.
“We should have a few minutes before she’s out of the
shower. Do you want to find a sheltered place outside?”
Although she didn’t hear an audible response, she did hear
the door to their room open and close. Gracey cracked her door as quietly as
she could and risked poking her head out enough to see down the hall. She
caught sight of Orano’s backside as the exit door closed behind him.
Feeling a little like a cat burglar, Gracey ran down the
hall. She had no way of knowing where they’d gone after exiting. They could
easily be standing right outside, ready to catch her in the act of spying on
them. After a deep breath and silent prayer, she pushed open the door. Nothing
but a standard parking lot greeted her.
They could have gone anywhere, she thought. Except
that wasn’t true. Phoenix said they would go somewhere sheltered. There weren’t
many places she could see that fit that description. None in fact. The parking
lot held no trees and ended at the wall of the next hotel. Then again, there
were a couple of transport trucks parked near the back corner. They didn’t have
their trailers attached, but the cabs alone were plenty big enough for a couple
of guys to hide between.
Gracey made her way to the closest cab just in time to hear
Orano tell his partner to step back. She crouched low and crept around the
front of the cab. Their backs faced her, Phoenix closest to the truck she hid
behind. They’d put the jar—her jar—on the pavement in front of them.
Would they kick it? Maybe drop something heavy on it? Gracey
wanted to tell them not to waste their time. The magic protecting her totem
wouldn’t go down that easily. Maybe after a few unsuccessful attempts, they’d
finally see the power she’d been trying to convince them existed. It might do
them some good. At least then they’d be forced to believe in—
A bright orange ball of fire appeared out of nowhere in
Orano’s hand. Instead of shrieking like any normal person would, he threw it at
the jar like a major
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