THIRTY MINUTES LATER, I was standing on David’s front lawn, staring at my aunt Jewel, who had still not finished lecturing me.
“Nineteen forty-three,” she said, arms folded across her chest. When I’d called, she’d been asleep, so she was wearing a pale green housecoat over peach silk pajamas. “That is the last time the police had to be called on a member of this family.”
“Aunt Jewel—” I started, but she just lifted a hand to cut me off.
“Now, Harper Jane, I am not upset that the police had to be called on you. The women in this family have always followed the rules too well for my taste.”
From behind me, I could hear Ryan sigh. He had wanted to call his dad, or maybe mine, what with him being a lawyer and all, but I had reminded him that A) my dad did tax law, and B) no one was as good at getting out of sticky situations as Aunt Jewel.
Also, I knew she wouldn’t call my mom.
“But,” Aunt Jewel continued, “what I can in no way support is your nearly getting arrested for trying to break into your ex-boyfriend’s house.” She gave a little sniff, pushing her glasses back up her nose. “Show some pride, Harper, honestly.”
That stung, and I made an outraged noise, hands on my hips. “Okay, first of all, my trying to break into David’s house has nothing to do with him being my ex-boyfriend.”
Aunt Jewel raised her silver eyebrows, taking in Bee and Ryan standing behind me. “Is it Oracle stuff, then?”
Now it was Bee’s and Ryan’s turn to make outraged noises, and I turned to them, pushing my hair away from my face. “Okay, so maybe I had some conversations with Aunt Jewel last year, but”—I pointed a finger at them—“it was after I caught the two of you making out, so really, when you think about it, that’s your fault, too. I was . . . emotionally compromised.”
“Great,” Ryan muttered, and Aunt Jewel reached out to smack his upper arm.
“Do not take that tone! Yes, Harper told me y’all’s little secret, but I’ve kept it, haven’t I?”
Neither of them could argue with that, and Aunt Jewel turned back to me, those eyebrows still up. “What were you looking for, then?”
I’d been really honest with Aunt Jewel, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to be that honest right now. After all, she’d worry if she knew about the attack tonight, and there was no need for that.
“I thought David might have left some books behind that I could use,” I told her, and Aunt Jewel smacked my upper arm this time.
“Hogwash,” she pronounced. “I know you, girl, and there is no way you’d risk arrest just to find some books.”
Rubbing the spot on my arm, I glared at her. Okay, I tried to, but Aunt Jewel is a formidable lady. So it was more a quick hard stare before I went back to cowering a little bit.
“She was looking for books, Aunt Jewel,” Bee insisted, coming to stand beside me. Like Ryan, she’d known The Aunts her whole life, too, and had basically been adopted by them. “We promise.”
Aunt Jewel harrumphed at that, but looked at the three of us, standing there on David’s lawn, probably looking as exhausted as we felt. It wasn’t that late, but, man, had it been a night.
“All three of you are going home now,” she said, and when I went to protest, she just shook her head. “No. Whatever it is, it can wait until tomorrow. You’re lucky I was able to convince that police officer that you were suffering the aftereffects of a traumatic breakup, Harper Jane.”
That had been the most embarrassing part of this whole thing, having to look suitably ashamed while the police officer sized me up after Aunt Jewel’s explanation. I wasn’t sure if cops were allowed to gossip, but the last thing I wanted was people thinking I was losing it over David leaving. I was not the kind of girl who pined, for heaven’s sake.
“Your aunt is right, Harper,” Ryan said, resting a hand on my shoulder. “We can come back tomorrow, hopefully a little more stealthily.”
My skin felt too tight, my legs restless, but it wasn’t tied to my Paladin senses, I didn’t think. This was just my regular response to being told to wait or be patient. And besides, that girl was still out there, gunning for me. The sooner I got this worked out the better.
But I couldn’t argue with Ryan, Bee, and Aunt Jewel, all three of whom were looking at me expectantly, clearly waiting for me to acquiesce.
So in the end, I did.
? ? ?
I didn’t sleep well that night, which I figured was a natural side effect of having been attacked and nearly arrested. And clearly it showed on my face when I showed up downstairs the next morning, because my mom took one look at me and said she was calling the pool and telling them I was sick.
I didn’t even try to argue.
While she was on the phone, Dad came in, straightening his tie.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he said, ruffling my hair. Even though I’ll be eighteen in a few months, my dad perpetually treats me like a third-grader.
On a morning like today, I was actually pretty okay with that.