Fate Changer (The Lost Witch Trilogy #3) (7 page)

Zane nodded as they broke out into a run. “I’m betting on it.”

Sarah and Zane ran silently, still linked by their hands as they sent their power over their new lines, doubling the strength and fortifying their protection. They reached the house quickly and weren’t surprised to see Beatrice, Gretchen and Agnes sitting on the front steps waiting for them.

They ran into the small yard and dropped their hands as they both put their hands on their waists and tried to catch their breath. Sarah could tell that Zane was almost as tired out as she was. This last time had drained them regardless of their ability to recharge each other.

Beatrice stepped down and came to stand in front of Sarah. “
Well?
Did it work? Is the house safe?” she asked in a rush.

Sarah nodded with a smile as Agnes handed her and Zane each a Gatorade. She took a sip before answering. “It’s clean and free Bea. It’s safe now. You can move back tonight if you want to.”

Zane nodded in agreement. “Beatrice, you never have to wake up without the ocean again. “

Beatrice covered her mouth with her hands and burst into noisy tears, surprising everyone. Agnes put her arms around the other woman and made comforting noises. Gretchen patted her back and then moved to hug her sweaty son.

“You amaze me every day Zane. You
and
Sarah. What you just did is miraculous. We’re safe. We’re just as safe as if Francis was here with the new lines.”

Zane winced and shook his head. “I don’t know about that. Besides, Francis had a week and did the entire town. We did a small fraction. I don’t know how we can spend the rest of our lives living like caged animals. No, there will still have to be a confrontation Mom. The lines will give us time though.”

Gretchen frowned and looked disappointed. “Oh well, we’ve come this far. Who knows what you two are capable of together?”

Agnes let go of Beatrice and looked at her grandson speculatively. “Sarah, your lines will keep out whom specifically?”

Sarah lowered her Gatorade and wiped the sweat out of her eyes before answering. “Um, well, Charles for sure. I commanded my lines to keep Mason out too, but from what Lash says, the lines won’t work on him.”

Agnes nodded and she turned to Zane. “And
you
dear? When you were helping Sarah to throw up the lines, who were you protecting us from?”

Zane looked down at his feet and away from the women who now surrounded him. “Hmmm, oh the same.”

Agnes frowned at him and crossed her arms over her chest. “Anyone besides Mason and Charles?”

Zane glanced at Sarah and nodded. He glared at his grandmother before answering though. “Race.”

Agnes nodded her head. “I thought so. I was out here picking a few weeds and I felt something strange, so I turned around and I saw Race way down the street. He was trying to turn onto this road and his car stopped so fast I could swear the man crashed into the window. He got out of the car and tried to walk down the street but was thrown back so hard and so fast it looked like he was flying. He picked himself up and got back in the car and backed up down the street. I knew then that the lines were going to work perfectly.

Zane looked at his grandmother with narrowed eyes, but then turned and looked at Sarah cautiously. Sarah stared at him silently for a moment but then shrugged.

“It’s okay Zane. I know why you did it. He’s threatened my life and you’re just trying to protect me from anyone who might want to kill me. Hopefully someday, when we get rid of Charles, we can allow Race back in.”

Zane nodded sadly, noting that she had switched back to calling her dad by his given name. “Better safe than sorry.”

Gretchen nodded her head. “As much as I love that man, and I do, I know he’s wrong. And he’s determined to do the right thing, but he’s just so wrong he can’t see it. Zane was right to do what he did. Race will understand that someday. I know it.”

Beatrice looked doubtful, but patted Gretchen on the arm as they headed back into the house.

Chapter 5 – Letting Go

Sarah and Zane took turns taking a shower while Gretchen and Agnes helped pack up Beatrice’s things to take back to the house. By the time Sarah was dressed and ready for their date, all three women were gone and it was just she and Zane alone in the house.

Zane had taken extra care with his hair and clothes and Sarah smiled at how gorgeous he looked. He was wearing the outfit her grandmother had bought him for their first day in Maine. He still looked like a lost model from L.A. with his chiseled features and strong physique.

He wasn’t the only one who had tried hard. Sarah had taken extra time with her makeup and hair and had twisted her hair up with a few loose braids into a modern twist, letting a few waves surround her face. She’d chosen a short ruffled cream skirt, her long suede tan boots and a cashmere cream sweater. Zane’s expression when he saw her made all the extra time worth it.

“You look that good for pizza?” he asked with a happy grin.

Sarah grinned at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “No silly, I look like this for you. I don’t care what we eat.”

Zane wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned in, pulling her close. He nuzzled her neck and kissed her throat before standing up. “Okay, we better go, or I’m not going to want to go and I don’t really like the idea of your grandmother haunting me from the grave, which I know she’d do in a heartbeat. So scoot,” he said, turning her around and gently pushed her towards the front door.

Sarah laughed and walked out the door, turning to grab Zane’s hand. It was so strange and weird to be going out on a date when their very lives were at risk, but she refused to give in to Charles. If she lived in fear of the man, he’d already won half the battle. She would push him aside as much as possible and focus on the man beside her who loved her and would do anything to protect her.

They chatted lightly as they drove to an Italian restaurant in the middle of town. Sarah had been thinking Dominos or Pizza Hut, but was grateful for the change in venue. Instead of pizza, they ended up ordering a double order of lasagna.
Heaven
.

They kept their legs touching as they sat in a corner booth in the back. They felt completely secluded and safe. After exhausting all the superficial topics of conversation, Sarah brought up the subject of her father.

“The lines we threw up today, how could my dad even get down the street? And how will he be able to live in his office down the street? My lines were made to keep Charles and Mason out, but my dad is already in.”

Zane took a sip of his drink and put his arm around her shoulders as he looked down into her face. “You were drawing on my power, but I was drawing on yours too. The line I was putting up was specifically for your protection. Your dad won’t be able to get near you or come near where you live.”

Sarah let out a deep sigh. “And will it be hard to lift that protection do you think? You know, someday . . .”

Zane looked away and seemed uncomfortable but looked back at her, his eyes sad. “It’s all up to him Sarah. As long as he means you harm, he can’t get near you. So the way he was thrown back today was a good indication that he’s still determined to take you out rather than let Charles have you.”

Sarah closed her eyes and wondered when it would stop hurting. It had been so wonderful to have a father after going without for so long. The time Race had taken her to the movies after she’d had a bad day was still one of the best memories of her life. And now, it would have been better for her heart if she’d never met him.

Zane rubbed her back and kissed her cheek. “I wish I could take away your pain,” he said.

Sarah tried to smile and shrugged. “I used to watch the kids at school being picked up by their moms and dads and I was so stinking jealous. It was like someone finally gave me what I’ve always wanted and then it was yanked away.”

Zane caressed her cheek, sending soothing streams of warmth through her body. “As hard as it’s been for you to grow up without a father, I think it was probably a good thing, considering who your father is. Having a good father in your life, is the best thing in the world. Having a bad father is one of the most damaging things. Sarah, I know this is hard for you, but right now, we have to keep you safe from Race.”

“And the house? Why is that part of the package?”

Zane pushed his glass around the table making little designs as he thought about how to answer her. “Well, I figured if he was determined to take you out and he couldn’t get near you, then he might be tempted to do something to the house. Like, um, booby trap it.”

Sarah bit her lip and looked away.
Wow
. She looked down at her lap and sighed. She felt warmth and comfort wrap around her and she smiled. She looked up and pushed the hair out of Zane’s eyes and smiled. “Enough of this. We’re on a date. A real, honest to goodness date, and I haven’t had nearly enough of those. And not only that, I’m on a date with most gorgeous, kind-hearted man I know. I’m not going to waste another second on tomorrow. Let’s just focus on the fact that we’re together, we’re in a nice restaurant and we’re having a very nice dinner.”

Zane smiled in relief and kissed her knuckles. “I couldn’t have said it better myself. Add in the fact that I love you and that you’re hopelessly, madly in love with me and you’ve got yourself the perfect night.”

Sarah grinned and leaned over to kiss Zane briefly on the lips. “Perfect.”

They spent the rest of the evening talking about their future. They talked about college, careers, places they wanted to see, concerts they wanted to go to and every dream they had. And in the end, it was perfect.

When they got home, the opposite was true. They walked through the doors at ten o’clock to find Charlie yelling in the kitchen about killing someone. Lash was pacing the floor and Teresa was sitting at the kitchen table, crying into her hands. Agnes and Gretchen were doing the best they could to calm Charlie down, but they weren’t getting anywhere.

Sarah and Zane exchanged wary looks and joined the crowd in the kitchen.

“Uh, hi,” Sarah said, getting everyone’s attention.

“Oh good, you’re
finally
here,” Charlie said. “You’re just the person I need. You see I’m planning my father’s death and I want you there to help me. Make it as painful as possible and I want the whole town there to see it. But first you have to make him suffer. I’m going to have to insist on that part. I want a lot of pain involved, a lot of humiliation and then,
death
. I want his death,” Charlie said so clearly and so seriously, that no one doubted her.

Sarah let out a deep breath, let go of Zane’s hand and went to sit next to Teresa at the table. “Why don’t we start at the beginning?
Lash?
Can you tell me what’s going on? Charlie, I think Zane brought you home some leftovers. He says it’s your favorite. Why don’t you eat that while I get caught up?”

Zane looked at her as if he’d been betrayed, but turned a smiling face to Charlie, holding out the take out box. Sarah knew he’d been planning on eating it for a midnight snack, but Charlie needed to calm down a little. She sent an abject apology to his mind before turning back to Lash.

Lash nodded and sat down across from her at the table, glancing at Charlie who already had a forkful of lasagna in her mouth and Agnes shoving a glass of milk in her hand.

“We went to the stores this morning, but after that we started snooping around. We went to the library and went through old records and newspapers and found out what happened to Bryce and Teresa’s parents. Turns out Bryce died the same day Teresa’s parents died. Charles took out everyone Teresa ever cared about within an hour.”

Sarah’s mouth fell open in horror. “
Why?
”

Teresa wiped her eyes and looked up. “I started remembering things today. Seeing pictures of my mom and dad in their obituaries triggered some memories. The library had all the old yearbooks too, so seeing Bryce and me together in some of the pictures helped. I remember now. It all came back. Bryce had gone to visit his grandparents for Spring break so he wasn’t there to protect me from Charles. I was careless one day and Charles cornered me when I was shopping and threatened me that if I didn’t dump Bryce and start dating him, then I’d pay for it. I told him I’d never date him and that I’d rather die than spend a single day with him. And he just kind of smiled and nodded his head and said
fine
. He said,
you’re going to wish you were dead but in the end, you’ll still be mine.
”

Sarah felt sickened at hearing Charles’s threats. They sounded so similar to what he’d said to her. “Go on,” she urged Teresa.

“Within a week, Bryce returned from his grandparents and we were hanging out at his house when he just started turning blue. He couldn’t breathe, so I called 911 and then started CPR, but nothing helped. He just died right in my arms. When the ambulance got to the house, there was nothing they could do. He was gone,” she said through new tears, as if it had happened just yesterday.

Sarah felt tears slip down her own cheeks at the very real pain of someone losing the person they loved the most. She glanced over at Zane who was leaning against the bar. He could read her mind easily and he shook his head. The words came into her mind,
I’m not Bryce.

Sarah nodded slightly and looked back to Lash and Teresa. Lash looked just as ill as she felt. “And your parents Teresa? What happened to them?”

Teresa bit her lip before answering. “When Bryce’s parents finally drove me home that night, I walked into my house. My mom had been making dinner and my dad had been mowing the grass in the back yard. They had both fallen down where they were, blue in the face and dead. Everyone I loved most in the world was dead within hours of each other. The police took me in that night for questioning. There were too many coincidences. I told them about Charles and his threats, but they didn’t believe me. They had to let me go because there was no evidence and no confession. I went home alone that night and Charles was there waiting for me on my front porch.
Smiling
. Like he’d won or something. And that’s the last memory I have,” she said quietly, wiping the last of the tears from her face.