Chapter Twelve
Melissa spent the entire day waiting for a phone call or a text message from Joe. Much to her disappointment, though, he didn’t communicate at all with her. Whenever Melissa tried to call him, the answering machine message only irritated her even further. Joe should have notified her of any emergency, but he had failed to do so. Worry began to fill her heart. Could it be that the man she thought so highly of had tricked her? Was it possible that Helena had been right about him all along? Melissa couldn’t know, and that blaze of uncertainty, nestling in her heart, did not allow her to relax at all for the remainder of the day.
The pale, indigo sky surrounded Melissa, as she awaited her brother outside her cabin that night. Had she heard news from Joe by then, she would not have been that impatient to visit the witch. Still, his disappearance, and the fact that he didn’t have the courtesy to call her, particularly after their encounter, made her want to talk to Helena as soon as possible. Although the possibility of the witch knowing what he had been up to was rather slim, any information she might have on Joe could be useful.
Minutes afterwards, Dean stepped out of his cabin. He was not alone; Kate was right behind him, with a wicked smile on her face, holding hands with him, as they strolled towards her.
“Hey, you guys,” Melissa cast a quick glance up at her brother, and one more down at Kate. “I wasn’t expecting you to come with.”
“Are you serious?” Kate wondered, narrowing her puzzled eyes. “This guy’s the most messed up man I’ve ever heard of. I can’t wait to know more about him. Too bad Jules isn’t here.”
“Yeah, too bad you can’t mock him with her,” Melissa said, her lips curling into a humorless smile, as she turned around to walk alongside her friend.
“Relax, Mel,” Kate suggested, speaking sweetly to her as she patted her on the shoulder. “Knowing you’re so serious about this guy, we wouldn’t mock him. You can’t deny it, though. Your man’s a huge mess.”
“He’s made a big mistake, sweetheart,” Melissa voiced her opinion, recalling Joe’s letter, as they closed in on the woods. “In all truth? I’m sure I’d do the same, if I were him.”
“He’d better start being very careful, starting now,” Dean grated out, tossing a sideways glare down at his sister.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Melissa asked with a hint of annoyance in her feminine voice.
“Look, I don’t care who he is, or your relationship with him. If anything happens to you, if any harm befalls you or my brothers, I’m going to rip that prick to pieces,” Dean stated, his tone stiff, still staring at Melissa.
“Easy there, tiger,” Kate spoke, turning to face him, as they crept under the shadow of a tree. “I trust your sister. Why don’t you? I mean, she is your blood.”
“It’s him I don’t trust,” Dean explained, tearing his gaze away from his sister. Uninterested in arguing with him, however, Melissa chose to let her brother’s words pass by her unheard, and not because she meant to defend Joe. Clover Lake was hiding behind the numerous trees in front of her. It had been a while since she had last been there, and she had missed it. She was still a few hundred yards away from it, but she could visualize the right lower edge, as well as a few patches of the surface.
“Reverend Bradford, it’s time we had a serious conversation about that ‘broken hearts’ issue,” Kate teased, flashing a sweet smile up at her mate.
“Stop,” Dean commanded, his feet coming to an abrupt halt, as he gazed at the thick trunk of a tree across from him and slightly to the left. The ample moonlight was flashing gray on it, as Helena’s red eyes emerged from behind the trunk.
“You’re early,” the witch remarked, pulling her hood back from her head. “It’s not even dark yet.”
“Joe is missing,” Melissa informed, hastening towards her. “I haven’t heard from him since last night.”
“That is not my problem.” Helena pointed out. “Besides, it is his past that we must concern ourselves with, my young one.”
“Bummer,” Melissa muttered under her breath, pressing her lips together, as she, Kate and Dean gathered around the witch.
“You can see his future, right?” Dean squinted down at her, his voice coming out hesitantly. “It’s not…” he paused, “blurry or anything.”
“It would be, in case his future was protected by a spell,” Helena replied, twisting her staff, as she planted the end of it against the forest floor. “It isn’t. We will get to that, but I’m happy to say that every clue points to the fact that Joe Stanton has never been involved with witchcraft of any sort. He has been, however, dancing with the devil. I’m not really surprised. He…”
“You’re talking him down? Again?” Melissa protested, interrupting her.
“You are awfully touchy when it comes to him, you know that?” Kate complained, anger creeping into her tone, as she glared up at her. “Let her finish.”
“Thank you, Kate,” Helena gave her an appreciative nod. “The firm Joe works for nets more than a hundred million dollars. How do you think ‘Cross and Associates’ has accomplished that, Melissa? By representing simple people? No. Their clients are known drug dealers, crooked politicians, known members of the underworld in general. This is not Joe’s fault. Getting in bed with those people is just part of his job.”
“That’s true,” Melissa said, dragging her gaze away from the witch. “I’m sorry about before. I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that.”
“Do not do that again,” Helena stated in an emphatic tone, while her face hardened. “You might be Roman’s granddaughter, but if you do that again, I will deny any further assistance. Are we clear?”
“Crystal,” Melissa sighed, bringing her attention back to Helena. “Please continue.”
“The ‘getting in bed’ part was not entirely metaphorical,” Helena went on, her voice losing its nerve, as she pursed her lips. “Joe has been rumored to date women from the entertainment industry: in particular, two singers and one actress. But, that’s not what worries me. His personal life is his own. Still, there is another rumor, much worse than his soft tooth for artists. David Cross, his boss, is a well-known party animal. The guest list is comprised of a select few. No one can know for sure what really takes place in those parties, but, according to Phil Rushmore, a retired banker, they did lines of cocaine. In fact, Joe will be in a similar party, in a few hours from now.”
At that, the witch reached into her inside pocket, as Melissa tried to wrap her head around what she had just heard. Something did not add up. If Joe was actually open to dating anybody, he would not have rejected her like that, and he had done that twice already. Regardless of that, however, she didn’t have time to analyze his behavior. Once again, Helena’s crystal ball was spinning before her, glittering with a soft, silver color. A massive, luxurious mansion was brought into view, as the sphere rolled to a stop. The water of a large pool was shimmering under the moon in the background. A small crowd had gathered just outside the black, arch-shaped gate. Six women, in skimpy outfits were laughing and squeaking, surrounding three men, including Joe himself. An old man in a driver’s uniform was holding the rear right door of a black limousine open. One by one, they all entered it. But, before the expensive vehicle could cover more than a few hundred yards, Melissa’s blood froze in her veins, as a bullet pierced the windscreen’s glass. Within seconds, each and every window of that limousine was shattered, as more bullets were fired, puncturing holes into the car frame and the tires alike.
“I looked into his future, just a few minutes before you arrived,” Helena continued, as Melissa shook her head in disbelief. “The estate in question is on Actor’s Colony Road in North Haven.”
“That’s four hours away!” Melissa cried out her voice tormented and filled with tension and fear.
“These events occur just after 2 a.m., dear,” the witch stated in a tone unaffected by Melissa’s outburst. “You have plenty of time to get there.”
“We won’t be able to shift with so many people around,” Dean remarked, his gaze still locked on the crystal ball.
“We’ll figure something out,” Melissa said with a nod, her tone returning to normal. “Dean, do you mind if I do this with Kate?”
“Actually, I do,” he muttered, raising his eyes to meet hers. “You’re not doing this alone.”
“Honey, please take your truck and follow us,” Kate interjected, her voice sweet, as she turned left to face him. “I need to talk to your sister. We’ll bore you with all this girly stuff.”
“Will do,” Dean murmured, tipping his head down. Melissa would not start speculating on why Joe was in the company of so many beautiful women. Attending such a party was consistent with Helena’s revelations. She winced at the thought of having a long, complicated conversation with him. However, they could not discuss anything if he was brutally gunned down that night, and that was precisely what Melissa and Kate had to prevent.