Oceans of Fire (33 page)

“Jonas doesn’t need to know anything about that other man. He can’t handle someone with that kind of power,” Hannah said. “Did you feel the electricity gathering in the air with that small push he sent Joley? He really zapped her hand and yet, just brushing her palm with his thumb took the pain away.”

“Joley was furious. I’ve never seen her that way,” Sarah said. “I was actually afraid she’d start some kind of battle with him right on the spot.”

“You have a lot of connections. Can you find out anything about him?”

“If we get his name, I’ll start inquiries.”

Hannah nodded and glanced up the stairs. The water in the shower had turned off but Abigail would be upstairs a few minutes longer. “I’m worried about Abbey. She’s been really unhappy for years and with Aleksandr coming back into her life she’s more upset than ever. Her solution is always to disappear. She goes off to another part of the world researching and doesn’t have to interact with us at all. She just withdraws.”

Sarah studied the shadows in Hannah’s eyes. “You’re
really
worried, aren’t you?”

“Aren’t you?” Hannah countered.

Sarah nodded, her shoulders sagging a little. “The truth is, I’ve been scared for Abbey. I was hoping I was just being paranoid. But she lets you closer to her than any of the rest of us. Don’t lose her, Hannah. I know it’s a burden for you because you’re so empathic and she’s so troubled right now, but you’ve got to hang on to her until the rest of us can figure out how to bring her back to us.“ Sarah flicked a glance toward the stairs, then forced a smile. ”What about you? How are you doing? How’d the shoot in Africa go?“

“The photographer was a genius. I’d like to work with him again. I enjoy the traveling and Africa was beautiful. I hired a guide and stayed three weeks just to try to take everything in. I can’t even begin to tell you the awe I felt out in the wild.” Her eyes sparkled. “It was like being free. The strange thing was, I didn’t have a single panic attack out in the wild, with just the guide and me. I didn’t stammer. I could actually talk to him. Mostly I just listened. He had such wonderful stories to tell me.”

“I’m so pleased for you, Hannah,” Sarah said. “I wondered why we didn’t receive an SOS from you.”

Hannah poured a cup of tea, added milk, and handed it to Sarah before pouring a second cup. “I know it must get old for everyone to have to help me when I’m on jobs. It’s so draining for all of you over such a long distance.” She turned with perfect timing and handed the cup of tea to Abigail as she came up to them dressed in a sleek pin-striped pantsuit that was more feminine than either sister had ever seen her wear.

“Nice, Abbey. Are you expecting to go out on a date with Frank?”

Abbey made a face. “As if. I’ll leave that to Aunt Carol. Is she already there?”

“She helped oversee all the details with the caterers and the party planner along with Inez. They want this to be a huge success. Aunt Carol ordered me to come and collect you,” Sarah explained. She glanced at her watch. “We’re already late so a few more minutes won’t matter that much. I haven’t had a chance to ask you about the other Russian, the one with the magic. Who is he?”

“His name is Ilya Prakenskii. He was raised in the same state-run home that Aleksandr was raised in. I asked Aleksandr if he remembered anything different about Prakenskii and he did recall a few things that indicates the man may have been born with the same gifts we have. He’s definitely adept at them. He tried to subtly push me to say something I didn’t want to say, and when I realized it, I challenged him to a game of truth or dare.” She smirked. “He definitely didn’t want to engage.”

“Does Aleksandr think he’s dangerous to us?”

“He says he’s a dangerous man, has the reputation of a hit man, and that he works for Sergei Nikitin, who just happens to head up one of the Russian mafia families. Nikitin absolutely loves Joley’s music and wants to meet with her.”

“She attracts the worst people. I think she needs a stamp on her forehead that says, ‘If you’re a psycho, apply here.’” Sarah sighed and looked at her watch again. “We have to find out as much as we can about this Prakenskii. And all of us need to keep a watch on Joley. She can be a bit psycho herself if anyone pushes her too hard. We’d better get to the party. After all, Frank let the press know Hannah would be there.”

“Not just Hannah,” Abigail said. “Poor Joley and Kate as well. He did a lot of name-dropping to bring in a crowd. He’ll get it, too, dangling the three of them like that.”

“Inez is proud of him for that. She wants this event to be a huge success and for the townspeople to fully support him,” Sarah said. “She thinks he brings culture to us.”

Hannah put up one hand in surrender. “Fine, I’ll go, but I wish he wouldn’t have so many of his famous fund-raisers. He seems to time them so coincidentally when I happen to be back in town.”

“He does, doesn’t he?” Abbey said.

“Clever man,” Sarah added. “Free press for him.”

The town, usually quiet and homey, was alive with people. Several limousines were parked along the wooden sidewalks and various top-of-the-line models of cars lined the streets. Teenage boys hung around in groups to admire the more exotic cars while the young girls tried to catch glimpses of celebrities as they entered the fashionable art gallery.

Frank Warner had been in Sea Haven a good ten years and his gallery was classy, spacious, and filled with interesting antique artifacts and paintings. Sarah had been to his home once with Inez and she said his house was filled with beautiful artifacts from around the world. Old and much-revered paintings were kept in special rooms where the sun never touched them.

The gallery featured sculptures from modern times as well, art forms in several types of material, all pleasing to the eye and carrying a hefty price tag. Only a couple hours’ drive from San Francisco, the town’s quaint beauty, with its theater and culture, had appealed to Warner and he’d stayed, making a surprising success out of his gallery.

He often featured some of his own paintings of the local area, the harbors and cliffs, the crashing waves and windswept landscapes. The Drake sisters found him talented, eccentric, and a bit of a coward, using their fame but not wanting to get too close to the strange, magical gifts they shared.

Hannah waved to a crowd of teenagers and Abbey sent a brief smile, stepping close to her younger sister. Hannah always looked poised and confident, even a bit haughty as she swept through a crowd with her elegant, exotic beauty, yet she was painfully shy and often had panic attacks. Whenever she made public appearances her sisters aided her by binding together so she could speak and breathe without problems. It was draining on all of them, but they were so used to it, they did it automatically.

“You look beautiful, Abbey,” Sarah said as they entered the gallery. “I like that pinstripe on you. And you’ve done something different with your hair.”

Hannah burst out laughing, the sound turning heads. “She’s wearing it down and it isn’t soaking wet and dripping saltwater.”

“Hey now!” Abbey protested. “I’m not always soaking wet.”

Sarah made a derisive sound. “Yes, you are. I think you’d live in the sea if we let you. Kate thinks you’re evolving into a mermaid. Don’t you, Kate?” she added as Kate approached them.

Kate Drake laughed at Abbey’s expression. “You know it’s true, so don’t bother denying it. I’m getting married in a couple of months and you haven’t contributed so much as a preference for colors or flowers.”

“I said I thought a scheme of coral reef would be pretty as a centerpiece on the tables,” Abbey pointed out.

Kate nearly snorted the sip of wine out her nose. She waved Abigail away. “Go mingle so Inez will be happy with us. She’s looked at her watch fifty times in the last ten minutes and she’s upset because Joley made a comment about one of Frank’s goddess sculptures looking a little anorexic.”

“That’s our Joley, stirring the pot,” Sarah said. “Come on, Kate, we’ll do damage control. You two stay out of trouble.”

Hannah caught sight of Joley weaving her way through the crush of the crowd and nudged Abbey. “There’s Joley. Let’s do a fast run through and make our way to her. Maybe we can get out before Inez asks us to do something like stand on our heads for everyone.”

“Good idea.” Abbey drifted around the room, murmuring greetings to people she knew and acknowledging introductions quickly to protect Hannah as much as possible.

“There’s so many people,” Hannah said. “Isn’t there a fire code? Where does he find all these people?”

“There’s Aunt Carol. Take a look at the man hanging on her arm”—Abigail pointed rudely but she was so shocked she didn’t care—“that’s old man Mars.”

Hannah laughed. “You mean Reginald. He’s all cleaned up and wearing a suit. Aunt Carol is snapping pictures like mad. Hopefully she’ll get one of him because if any moment in time is worth recording, this would be it. I’ve never seen him in anything but his overalls and a scruffy face.”

“He’s actually good-looking.”

Abbey smiled and waved at Frank Warner as he swiftly, but very politely, moved through the crowd in the opposite direction. Amusement put a smile on her face as she waited for Hannah to sign another autograph. Over in the corner Kate was signing a book she’d written and Joley scrolled her name across a baseball cap.

“Abbey?” Hannah gripped her wrist hard. “I’m having trouble breathing in here.” Her voice was so low Abbey could barely hear her.

Immediately Abbey slipped her arm around Hannah’s waist. “You’re all right, baby, as long as you stick by me. You know how everyone is afraid of me. Especially Sylvia. Is she here?” She wanted to make Hannah laugh and she succeeded, although it was a brief wheezing response.

“I think she’s more afraid of me,” Hannah admitted. “You never retaliate.”

Abbey laughed aloud and the sound turned heads in the room. “So you admit it! You’d better be glad I’m not Sarah or you’d get a lecture.”

Hannah shrugged. “Someone has to be the bad girl.”

Abbey hugged her sister a little closer. “You have the proverbial heart of gold, Hannah. Joley’s the wicked one. You’re a sweetie.”

“Hey! I heard that,” Joley came up behind them, slinging her arm around Hannah so she and Abbey guarded her from either side, protecting her from the crush of the crowd. Unfortunately Joley was too big of a star to make it across the room without a dozen people stopping her to ask for her autograph.

“I’m so glad I’m not a rock star,” Hannah whispered.

Joley winced. “I am
so
not a rock star.” She tossed her head and assumed a haughty expression. Hannah naturally looked haughty but Joley could pull it off beautifully when she wanted.

“I also
so
want out of here, but Sarah and Inez and Aunt Carol will tear strips off us if we take off too early.”

“I’ve got an idea,” Abigail said. “It’s really, really bad and we’ll probably get into a lot of trouble. You want to hear it?”

“I’m in,” Joley said. “Lead the way. I don’t have to hear it.”

Abigail threaded her way through the crowd toward a door marked Employees Only. “Chad Kingman works in the back. Do either of you remember him?”

Joley made a face. “You aren’t thinking of dumping your Russian hottie for Chad, are you? Do you remember him in school? He was totally obnoxious.”

Hannah burst out laughing again. “Everyone was obnoxious in school, Joley. We all grew up, even Chad.”

“Well, the hussy can’t sleep with one and rush off to be with the other.”

“I know you’re not calling me a hussy, Joley!” Abigail glared at her. “You have no idea whether or not I slept with Aleksandr.”

Joley grinned at her. “Hannah told me you wore the red panties. You had every intention of sleeping with that man and you stayed out all night. I don’t need confirmation that you’re a hussy. I already know!”

Abigail tried to look innocent but the blush was creeping up her neck and into her cheeks and her sisters were giggling like schoolgirls. “Well, fine, maybe I did,” Abigail conceded. “But I’m not going off to find Chad Kingman, for heaven’s sake. He would never talk to me even if I did think he was hot, which I
don’t
. There was this little incident at a party when he was a junior in high school. Very bad. I’ve never been his favorite person since.”

She glanced around, shoved open the door, and waved her sisters through. It was dark and gloomy in the back room. Boxes cluttered the floor and tables. Sculptures of various sizes littered the room.

“It’s a little spooky in here,” Hannah said.

“What are we doing?” Joley said. “Although, this isn’t bad. At least we don’t have to smile at Frank and watch him flirting with Aunt Carol. She’s deliberately leading that man on so she can spy for Jonas.”

“Aunt Carol loves drama. And it doesn’t hurt to have two men hanging on her every word,” Hannah said. “I don’t know how she does it. I’ve even gotten close to her to see if I can feel the flare of magic when she’s flirting, but I can’t. It’s really her appeal. She makes everyone feel so good.”

“She brightens the world,” Joley said. “Abigail, you should sneak back to the buffet table and get us food and something to drink and we can have our own party right here.”

“We aren’t partying, you slacker, we’re spying.”

Hannah gripped her arm in excitement. “Spying?” She lowered her voice and looked around. “We need Aunt Carol’s camera.”

“Fine, you two wait here and I’ll go get the camera and some food.” Abigail slipped through the door again and joined the throng wandering through the gallery.

Carol was in the corner laughing with Reginald Mars. Abigail caught up a plate, filled it with finger foods, and made her way to her aunt. “Hello, Mr. Mars,” she greeted. “You look absolutely wonderful.”

Carol ran her hand up and down Reginald’s arm. “Isn’t he handsome?” She beamed at the man, her eyes bright and her smile genuine.

Old man Mars shook Abigail’s hand politely and flashed a charming smile. He had eyes only for her aunt. “Nice to see you, Abbey.”

“I hope the two of you are having a great time. Aunt Carol, would you mind letting me borrow the camera for a few minutes? Joley wants a few shots for her scrapbook.”