My eyes rolled into the back of my head. Here we go.
Despite my sigh, Matthias just kept on trucking. “As for Ms. Vaughn, she’s practically royalty. So, again, not terribly impressive that you’ve identified us both on sight.”
Cara considered him for a long moment, her serene smile still in place. “You’re right, Mr. Hartford. Your mother has indeed shown me pictures of you. I can’t comment on the marriage inquiry. Client privilege of course.”
“Naturally,” he said, his tone edged with sarcasm.
“And you are also correct in saying I know Ms. Vaughn.” She shrugged her shoulders and moved to stand beside a tall bookcase that was crammed to bursting with leather-bound volumes. “If you’ve come to seek my help, I’ll gladly give it to you both.”
“We are here to ask for your help,” I rushed to say, taking a small step forward, inserting myself between Matthias and the psychic. I had no idea if she was the real McCoy, but at the moment, she was my only lead. My father’s investigation team hadn’t turned up any leads on Jupiter’s whereabouts, or at least none that I knew of, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were running out of time to find her. Of course, I was willing to consider that the loudly ticking clock inside my head was counting down to my own demise and not Jupiter’s, but that didn’t help turn down the volume or sense of urgency swelling within me day by day.
Cara’s gaze lingered on Matthias for a moment longer but then released him and shifted her focus to me. “Shall we?” she asked, moving to pull aside the heavy curtain that partitioned off part of the space.
I didn’t wait for Matthias. He could go sit in the car for all I cared. I still had no idea what switch had been flipped to unleash the surly, guarded version of him. But it was clear the man who’d spun me around the dance floor and kissed me on the staircase the night before was no longer in the building.
It was probably for the best. I’d let myself get carried away. Before my head had even hit the pillow, my mind had filled with all kinds of crazy thoughts.
“Take a seat,” Cara said, drawing me back to the moment. She waved a hand toward the circular table that dominated the majority of the partitioned space. The walls were dark, covered in the same black crushed velvet as the rest of the storefront. The fabric was also draped over the round table, almost making it seem camouflaged but for a circle of crystals and quartz forming a centerpiece. Red upholstered chairs broke up the darkness. Matthias had followed a half-step behind me. Infuriatingly, he insisted on pulling out my chair and waited for me to sit down before taking the one beside me for himself.
Once we were situated, Cara took the third seat. Idly, she reached up and stroked the emerald pendant around her neck. She was still smiling at us and I wondered what she was thinking. It was a little like sitting across from a therapist, agonizing over what they were jotting down in their notes or what they’d tell a colleague about you once you were gone. Could she feel or see something between Matthias and me? And if so—what the heck was it? Because I’d been thrown into the dark again.
“Psychic energy works in a myriad of ways,” Cara began, unprompted. “Some seers have visions or dreams, others get a sensation or emotion from handling certain objects. Some can use tools like Ouija boards, tarot cards, or crystals,” she paused and indicated the assortment of glittering stones before her. “Others can have full, movie-like sequences come from seemingly nowhere. Almost like deja vu. My own power ebbs and flows, but it’s strongest when I have an object somehow related to the inquiry.”
I bobbed my head, processing her words.
She looked up and tilted her head to one side. “Do you have anything that belongs to Jupiter?”
My jaw dropped open.
“How did you—” Matthias started, looking at Cara with wide eyes. “You couldn’t have known that’s why we were here.”
Cara smiled at him.
We have a convert, ladies and gentlemen.
“Anything will do,” she continued, unfazed. “It should help me get a track on her.”
I started to shake my head, but the soft swing of my earrings gave me pause. “Wait,” I said, gently reaching up to my earlobe. “These are hers. She let me borrow them for the gala.”
Cara didn’t say anything as I removed the pair of obsidian earrings. She held out a hand and I dropped them into her waiting palm. A flicker of emotion flashed on her face but she quickly masked it. Her piercing eyes opened wide and then slammed closed, dark, feathery lashes fanning out over her cheekbones as she squeezed them shut.
“It’s dark,” Cara said, her voice raspy, as though the words were dragged from her. “I can’t see anything in front of me.”
She paused, barely breathing.
After a painfully long moment, she dragged in a deep breath and her eyes opened. A dark purple ring circled her bright blue irises and I gasped. Matthias straightened.
“She’s trapped somewhere,” Cara said, her voice still husky. A pained look pinched her delicate features and she shook her head. “I couldn’t tell where she was, but I felt … fear.”
“How do you know it was Jupiter?” Matthias asked.
Cara lifted her cupped hand, indicating the earrings. “There was a connection. It was clearly her.”
“Was she in pain?” I asked, halfway lunging across the table. “Try again! We have to know where she is!”
Matthias settled a hand on my waist, gently tugging me back into my seat.
Cara shut her eyes again, her hand clasping the earrings, but after another breathless moment, she shook her head again. “I’m sorry, Lacey. I can’t see anything but darkness.”
Tears welled in my eyes. “We have to find her. Please, use something else.” I reached for my purse and started digging. Surely there was something else that would help. But there wasn’t. The only other trace of Jupiter were a few snapshots in my phone’s camera and that wasn’t enough.
“Can you see anything about that night?” Matthias asked while I searched through my belongings again.
“Not at the moment,” Cara said. “Often, a memory will come to me, through the person I’m trying to contact. It’s easier with the dead.”
“Well, at least there’s that,” I scoffed. “At least she’s not dead. Just stuck in the dark and terrified!”
“Lacey,” Matthias said, his voice soft.
I ignored him and shot to my feet. “No. You were right. This was a waste of time. Come on. Let’s go.”
“Lacey, I’m sorry,” Cara said, following me from the room. “I want to help you. And Jupiter too.”
I spun on my heel and glared at the woman. It wasn’t her fault. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that, but I couldn’t hold back the rage and venom at feeling so helpless.
Matthias reached into his pocket and produced a business card. “Here’s my number. Please call us if you … uh, hear … anything else.”
“I will,” Cara promised, taking the card reverently.
We left the shop and went back to where Matthias had parked his SUV. Silently, we got into the vehicle and Matthias turned over the engine.
“Are you okay?” he asked after a long moment.
I shook my head. “No.”
His hand found mine and squeezed. Somehow it only made me feel worse.
“Let’s go have a drink,” I said, pulling my hand back to my own lap.
Chapter 17
Twenty minutes later, we cloistered ourselves away in the office space above the club. When we’d arrived, we found a DJ was performing for the majority of the night. The mood was upbeat, exciting, and loud. Matthias ordered our drinks and took me upstairs to a suite of offices used by club management. As a partial owner, he had access and it was much quieter, even with the thumping music bleeding up through the floors.