In Salem, Massachusetts, where the air is filled with mysticism and secrets, Antonia Daley's life takes a tumultuous turn. Engaged to the charming Dallas McCoy, Antonia believes she has found her happily ever after until she stumbles upon a shocking...
"I want to have some fun." She got out of the car and stretched. "Let's go." She started to jog, ducking into someone's yard and jumping the fence.
"Really?" She heard him groan. "I thought I left fence jumping behind when I left the NYPD." Antonia stopped, feeling bad. She had forgotten about his injury. He landed a little heavily, stumbling a bit. "And we're also trespassing."
"Are you okay?" She reached out and gripped his elbow so he wouldn't fall.
"I'm fine." He grumbled, pulling out of her hand. "I have a limp; I didn't lose the leg."
"Sorry." She dropped her hand, feeling like an idiot.
"No, it's okay," he said quickly and smiled reassuringly. I hate that it's slowed me down so much. What do you want to do?" She hesitated, but when he took her hand again, she smiled back and led him over to the gate. Opening it, she crouched down and led him along the fence to a tree near the street.
"If I'm right, we should have come out near..." She smirked and pointed. "A few feet from Raven's car." Putting her finger to her lips, she crawled on her hands and knees over to the passenger door. She could hear them inside laughing, and she looked over her shoulder at Maverick, who was still behind the tree. He held up his hands and stepped back, indicating he wanted no part of what she was about to do. Grinning, she jumped up and pressed her hands and face against the glass. Both girls screamed, and Jynx scrambled back over the console and into Raven's lap. Giggling, Antonia opened the back door and climbed in. Maverick got in on the other side, shaking his head.
"Toni!" Jynx shrieked and climbed through the seats, slapping at her. "What the hell is wrong with you!"
"I'm sorry!" Antonia laughed and caught her hands. "I couldn't help myself."
"I almost pissed myself!" Jynx pulled back and sat down again, folding her arms and glaring at her.
"Are you sure you didn't?" Raven grabbed some napkins, wiped something off her legs and sniffed experimentally.
"No!" Jynx snapped. "I did knock over your energy drink though." She leaned down and picked the can up off the floor. "Sorry."
"Ugh," Raven grumbled. "Now the car will be sticky." She wiped up some of the drink and joined her sister in glaring at Antonia. "What are you doing here?"
"I need to tell Jynx something." Antonia's good mood vanished, and she shifted nervously.
"Oh, that's not good." Raven got up on her knees and turned, looking over the headrest at them. "What happened?"
"I really, really hate that sometimes," Antonia mumbled to Maverick, who smiled sympathetically.
"Yeah, it does get annoying." He agreed. "Raven, we should go for a walk." She nodded, and they got out of the car. When the door shut, Antonia took a deep breath and told Jynx what Dallas told her about Keanna." When she finished, Jynx stared at her for a moment.
"That's not funny, Toni."
"It's not a joke." Antonia reached up and took her hand. "I'm sorry. I wish I didn't have to tell you." Jynx snatched her hand back and glared at her.
"Seriously? You scare the shit out of me and then lay that on me? What the hell?"
"Yeah, I shouldn't have done that. I kind of forgot why I was here." Antonia winced and ducked her head. "I'm really sorry, Jynx." She heard the door open, and then it slammed shut. "Fuck." She muttered. "What the hell is wrong with you?" She opened the door and got out, looking around. "Jynx?"
"She's gone. Maverick's gone after her." Raven walked up and put her arm around her shoulder. "Get in, he'll bring her home."
"I'm an idiot." She groaned. She felt like the world's worst friend. Why had she decided to scare them?
"Yeah, we'll talk about it in the car." Raven opened the passenger door and directed her in. When she got in the driver's seat, she started the car and pulled away from the curb. "So? Explain."
"What did Mave tell you?" Antonia swallowed the lump in her throat. Was she actually about to cry? The last time she did that was when her mother sold her cello. What was wrong with her?
"That Keanna should be locked up." Raven glanced at her. "Are you..." She pulled over quickly and parked. "Are you crying?"
"Apparently?" Antonia grabbed a napkin and wiped her eyes. "I don't know what's wrong with me."
"Okay," Raven said, pulling her into a hug. "If you can't tell me what's wrong, tell me what happened."
Antonia nodded and haltingly told her about what happened at the lawyers, meeting up with Maverick and talking to Liam, the drive over, and what Maverick told her. "When he explained about what happened with Julia, I felt almost giddy. Then, we were getting close to you guys, and it was like an intrusive thought. "Scare them. Scare them." I told Mave to pull over and jump a fence." She sighed. It was like I couldn't stop myself."
Raven was quiet for a long moment, then she nodded and smiled. "Giddy, huh?"
"Yeah, I was just..." She stumbled and didn't know what she wanted to say or describe how it felt. "I felt light. Like gravity wasn't pulling me toward the center of the earth anymore. I was almost lightheaded."
"Hmmm. You mean happy?" Raven smirked as she teased her. "Congrats, Sweetie. You just had your first real emotion in years."
"Well, I'm having another one now, and I don't like it at all," Antonia mumbled, looking out the window. "Feels like I'm a horrible person."
"Yeah, that one is guilt, and you'll feel it until Jynx lets you know she's okay. She smiled and pulled up in front of the condo building. "Give her some time; she'll probably be pounding on your door at three in the morning, so try to get some sleep."
*Copyright: All Rights Reserved, Stephanie Myrick, 2024. Posted to Wattpad ONLY*
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
