“Yes.” His mother nodded. “When she gets here, give it to her along with the taser. When the hunter shows up, she needs to taser him and bind him with the silver rope. Then she calls you, and you can help bind him more securely. You need to stay near her at all times.”
“Okay.” Dunc took a deep breath. He blew out the candle, stuck his fingers in the wax then let them cool. He tentatively went for the necklace. His fingertips touched it, and nothing happened. Dunc picked it up then dropped it back in the box. “That works. Hopefully, she won’t look too close.” He took his other hand and touched the silver for a second. A spark shot out of the box, and Dunc yelped. He grabbed his finger and winced as smoke rose from a noticeable burn. “Well, I guess that proves it’s pure.”
“What are you going to tell her if you make an error.” His mother looked at him in concern.
“The truth. I won’t have a choice.” Dunc sighed, closing the box. “And the rest of the plan is to bring him here?”
“Yes. I will wipe all memories of Amanda from his mind.” Hannah stated. “And everything from the last year. We don’t want him even to remember coming here.” “It will be permanent?”
“It will weaken if he sees Amanda in person. It will break if he looks into her eyes or interacts with her at all. You need to tell Amanda that.”
Dunc nodded. “If she stays here, I don’t see how she’ll ever run into Joseph again. I’ll have him taken far from here. We think he is staying somewhere nearby, but not everyone knows to look out for him.”
“Dunc, I know you don’t want to kill a man.” His mother sighed, rubbing her temples. “But I can’t help but feel this will not be permanent.”
“It could be.” Dunc hoped it would work. He couldn’t imagine killing someone and didn’t want to. The look on Joseph’s face in the photos he had seen frightened him. He didn’t want to be like Joseph. He wasn’t a murderer.
***
Dunc held a strand of the necklace between his wax-covered fingertips. He dropped it into the box and handed it to Amanda. She took it in her hands, curiously. “Really, a necklace?”
“The silver will stop his ability to pass through anything, like say ropes. You’re going to tase him, tie him up, and call me.” Dunc stated. “I will be nearby. He’s going to make a move at some point. Keep these things out of sight of the cameras. They’re still on, aren’t they?”
“Yeah.” Amanda winced. “I hate the fact he’s watching.”
“Yes, but we know that he’s going to show up if the cameras go out.”
“Huh. Are you still watching the cameras?”
“I check on you, yes.” Dunc lowered his eyes and stared at the floor. “I can delete the app if you would like.” He neglected to mention he had people watching the house, and he didn’t look as often as he would if they weren’t there.
“Not right now. I already know Joseph is watching me. It doesn’t matter who else is.” Amanda took the silver necklace and put it around her neck. Dunc blinked. Oh, that was going to cause a problem. He hadn’t thought that she might put it on.
“Maybe you should keep it in your pocket, so he doesn’t see it. He probably knows his own weakness.”
Amanda frowned at the suggestion. “Yeah, you’re right.” She pocketed it instead and then picked up the taser. It looked like a small flashlight. She laughed. “Well, now I’m just Veronica Mars for Halloween.”
“Worked well with her.” Dunc chuckled.
“What are you going to do with him if this works?” Amanda slipped the taser into her other pocket and grumbled at how shallow it was. She was going to need to find something with deeper pockets to put them in.
“We’re going to have all memories of you removed. Then we’re going to take him somewhere far from here and leave him with a serious case of amnesia.” Dunc explained. “I was told that he could never see you, talk to you or interact with you or it’ll come back.”
Amanda nodded. “Which means I should be okay to stay here?”
“Yes.” Dunc smiled. “As long as you want.” Amanda sat quietly with a brilliant smile on her face. Then she got up, walked over to Dunc, and sat on his lap. He leaned back, unsure of what she was going to do.
Amanda rested her head on Dunc’s shoulder and looked him in the eyes. She reached out to caress the left side of his face gently. The small cuts he had were healing, and he hadn’t shaved in several days because of them. Amanda ran her fingers through his stubble, and he stared at her curiously. “About that John Wick costume.” She grinned.
“I already have a good costume, Amanda.” Dunc grinned. “But if that’s what you want, I think I can scrounge up an old suit and tie that would work. Got friends who can help me with the bloody look because these should be healed up by then.” He ran a hand through his facial hair. “Lola is a hairstylist.” He groaned. “Oh, she’ll love this. I’ve been lazy so I might look the part. Keanu’s better looking than me.”
“Don’t start that again.” Amanda gave him a warning look, then leaned forward and kissed the tip of his nose. “Don’t.”
Chapter 11
A manda took a deep breath. It was 6:45 AM, and she needed to get Dunc out of his house by 7 AM. Amanda had her instructions from Dunc’s mother. One of the things she had warned her about had almost made
