I can’t tell if Sir’s mad face is his poker face, but he wouldn’t have said he’d look into it if he didn’t plan to. He’s got eleven days. That’s all the time either of us has. I’ll be a little too busy to deal with his shit after that.
She didn’t pay attention to where she was going, just walked down the street in the crisp, early-evening air to clear her head and put as much distance between her and Major Carson as possible without slipping into drow mode. Then I’d wanna go right back and tear him apart.
Her phone buzzed against her thigh, and she reached into the pocket of her trenchcoat to pull it out. A call from Mom on the landline? I guess it’s technically after hours.
Cheyenne answered the call and put the phone to her ear. “Hey, Mom.”
“Cheyenne! Oh, thank God. I didn’t know when I’d get you to pick up. Have you been somewhere without service?”
“Eleanor?”
“Sweetheart, I don’t know what happened. She was out there, and she wouldn’t listen to me. I kept telling her to listen, to just come inside, and—”
“Whoa. Okay, Eleanor. Hold on.”
“Cheyenne, if I knew anyone else to call, I… Well, I only know you, really.”
“Hey, slow down a second.” Cheyenne stopped on the sidewalk and stared blankly across the street. “Start over. Tell me what happened.”
“Cheyenne, I can’t even think! I don’t know what to do!”
A loud rustling came over the line.
“Eleanor? Eleanor. What’s going on?”
“You don’t have to yell, halfling. I can hear you fine.”
Cheyenne forced herself not to break her cell phone. “Rhynehart, what the hell is going on?”
“It’s Bianca.”
“What?”
“I know, kid. Shitty way to hear about it, but it’s not like we have another way to get hold of you.”
“Is she okay? What happened?”
“I don’t know.” Rhynehart sighed. “And I don’t know. There’s something wrong with her. I think.”
“Quit screwing around and give me information, man.” A car drove slowly past her, and Cheyenne briefly looked up before turning and pacing back the other way.
“She’s just standing there, Cheyenne. Obviously, my team’s still up at her place, keeping an eye on the black rocks. Bianca’s been out here all day, standing in front of the ridge, and we can’t get her to respond. She won’t even move.”
“All day?”
“Yeah.”
“And no one had the bright idea to guide her back inside? Jesus, nobody has a brain anymore.”
Rhynehart cleared his throat. “We tried, kid. Trust me. Moving her, I mean. Can’t touch her, though.”
“I don’t have a clue what that means.”
“Well, it means it fucking hurts.”
Cheyenne’s black Vans crunched on the leaves scattered across the sidewalk when she spun again, her heartbeat pounding furiously in her ears. “Seriously, what are you talking about?”
“I have no idea. Pretty sure I said that already. But I can tell you right now, Bianca Summerlin’s sparking magic at anyone who touches her, and she’s already fried a few of my men without lifting a finger.”
“No way.”
“Something you’re not telling me?”
Cheyenne looked disbelieving. “Not about my mom. What the hell? That’s not supposed to happen.”
“Yeah, I had a feeling. You should probably get up here.” Rhynehart lowered his voice. “Maybe bring somebody who knows how to handle this, huh? My guys aren’t equipped for this kinda thing, and I’m not equipped to listen to Bianca’s housekeeper shrieking in hysterics. Not for much longer, anyway.”
“Yeah. I’ll be there. Give me half an hour.”
“You already on your way, or you gonna take the super-speed express?”
“If anything happens to her before I get there, Rhynehart, I will blame you for it.”
“Yep. I probably would too. Don’t take too long.” He hung up before Cheyenne had the chance.
Shit. She shoved her phone back into her pocket and smoothed her hair away from her face. Okay. Hang in there, Mom. I’m coming.
Cheyenne headed quickly down the sidewalk, glancing up and down the street. When the last visible car passed her and turned the corner at the end of the block, she slipped into drow speed and took off with a burst of swirling leaves and a loud crack, heading for Henry County. The street swirled with kicked-up leaves and dry twigs. The dog who’d barked at her and probably would have rolled over if she’d stayed gave a high-pitched whine and sank to his belly in the grass.
* * *
She’d underestimated by ten minutes and stumbled out of enhanced speed twenty minutes later. The gravel drive in front of Bianca Summerlin’s estate slid beneath her feet, and she almost ended up with a mouthful of pebbles.
From behind the house, Eleanor’s frightened shouts echoed toward the front. “How could you let this happen? Why are you even here? You can’t keep her safe. You can’t keep any of us safe! Oh, my God. What if she never comes out of it?”
Fighting to catch her breath, Cheyenne staggered toward the bushes on the side of the house, her mouth dry and her legs trembling. Okay, maybe I pushed myself too hard. Not like I had a choice.
“Ma’am, please,” Rhynehart pleaded as she staggered down the flagstone steps toward the backyard. “I know I keep saying it, but the best way for us to handle the situation is if everyone remains calm.”
“Calm?” Eleanor shrieked. “Does this look like something to be calm about? Listen to me, Mr. Secret Agent or whoever-you-are, I run this woman’s life, and the fact that she hasn’t moved from that spot in the last sixteen hours is the exact opposite of what makes me calm!”
“Eleanor,” Cheyenne croaked. She pushed herself to move faster across the grass and raised her hand. “Eleanor!”
The woman turned toward Cheyenne and gasped, then practically shoved Rhynehart away before taking off across the manicured lawn. “Cheyenne. I’m so glad you’re here. You got here so quickly.”
“Come on, you know I can do that.”
Eleanor grabbed the girl’s shoulders and looked her over. “Are you okay? You look awful. Sweetheart, I have no idea
