“Everything okay?” Alex asked.
“Yes,” Sam said, and then explained, “Mortimer just wanted to let us know that Martine discovered that Elspeth wasn’t in her bed and called him to bawl him out for not having guards on her before this, and to see if she was at the Enforcer House. Mortimer told her where we’d gone, but that we’d no doubt head back to the apartment once done shopping.”
“Oh dear. I’m sorry,” Elspeth said with a wince, and then added, “She probably blamed him for my climbing over the balcony to avoid her too. Everything would be his fault, of course, and not hers.”
“Damn, girl!” Alex peered at her with amazement. “Cale said your mother could be controlling, but climbing over the balcony to leave your own apartment?”
“Yeah.” She shrugged helplessly. “Climbing down from the balcony was the only way to get out of the apartment without her attaching herself to me like a conjoined twin.”
Alex shook her head. “Why on earth did you invite her to visit if she’s this difficult?”
“I didn’t invite her. She and the twins just showed up. To surprise me,” she added with disgust.
Sam grimaced with sympathy and reached out to pat her arm. “I suspected as much when I heard she was here. I mean, her control issues are the reason you left England and moved here. Besides, you hadn’t mentioned that they were coming.”
Elspeth nodded solemnly. She’d become friends with Mortimer’s wife since she’d started helping out at the Enforcer House. She enjoyed talking to her and had shared things about her life.
“Gran mentioned that you moved here because your mother is controlling,” Wyatt admitted. “But isn’t moving out of the country a bit extreme?”
“Mother’s control issues are extreme,” Elspeth assured him.
“It took Elspeth almost a century to get to move out on her own,” Sam told him. “And she had to sneak around to do it.”
His eyebrows drew together with uncertainty. “I don’t understand. Are you saying—”
“She’s been trying to move out on her own since she was fifty years old,” Sam explained.
Eyebrows rising, Wyatt turned to Elspeth. “Why would that be a problem? I mean, once you were eighteen she couldn’t stop you from leaving.”
“Have you met Martine?” Alex asked with amusement. “She’s pretty intimidating.”
“But it wasn’t intimidation that kept Elspeth from moving out,” Sam said with a scowl. “Any time she said she wanted to move out, or get a job, Martine just took control of her and changed her mind for her.”
“You’re kidding!” Alex said with dismay, and then turned to Elspeth. “She didn’t, did she?”
“She did,” Elspeth assured her. “Fortunately, Dad stepped in when it came to an education and a job, but he let her have her way about the other. I think he felt we should fight for our independence otherwise.”
“Wait,” Wyatt said with a frown. “Are you saying immortals can control each other too?”
“Older immortals can read and control younger ones,” Elspeth explained quietly.
“Wow,” Alex breathed now, her gaze on Elspeth. “Your mother controlling you like that . . . That’s pretty messed up. What’s her deal?”
Elspeth’s eyebrows rose at the question. “Did Cale never explain the reason she’s like this?”
“There’s a reason?” Wyatt asked.
Elspeth nodded, but then glanced to Sam when her phone rang again.
The other woman pulled her phone back out, peered at the screen and groaned. “It’s your mother. Mortimer must have given her my number.”
“Decline it,” Alex suggested.
“No. She’d just call Mortimer and harass him and he has enough on his plate what with the Russians in town and Beth and Scotty getting themselves burnt to a cinder.” Hitting the button to accept the call, she turned to walk away.
Elspeth stared after her and then turned to Alex. “What did she mean when she said Beth and Scotty got burnt to a cinder?”
“Oh, right, you don’t know yet,” Alex said and then grimaced. “Well, you know that joke job you sent Beth and the Russians on the night your mother arrived?”
“Joke job?” Wyatt asked.
“A soft call. The hunters call them joke jobs,” Elspeth explained, and then turned back to Alex and asked, “You mean the call about a coffin in a barn?”
“Yes.” Alex nodded. “Well, it turns out the barn was booby trapped with wires and explosives. Beth was supposed to lead her team in there, get beheaded by wires, be trapped inside when other wires pulled the barn doors closed, and then be finished off with a firebomb.”
“What?” Elspeth gasped with shock.
Alex nodded.
“Is she all right?” Elspeth asked with a frown. “And how did Scotty get burned? He wasn’t working with Beth and the Russians.”
“No, he wasn’t,” Alex agreed, and then explained, “Scotty was among the backup, but before he got there Beth and one of the women with her went in to collect the pieces of the first Russian, it set off the firebomb. Beth came running out in flames, as Scotty got there. He threw himself on top of her to try to put out the flames and whoosh!” She gestured an explosive action with her hands. “He went up in flames too.”
“Damn,” Elspeth breathed.
“How?” Wyatt asked, his eyes narrowing. “Was some kind of accelerant splashed on everyone?”
“It wouldn’t be needed,” Elspeth said quietly. “We’re extremely flammable. In fact, it’s the only real way to kill an immortal.”
“And beheading,” Alex put in.
“Yeah,” Elspeth agreed, but added, “Although, even that can heal if the head’s put back on the neck quickly enough.”
“Seriously?” Wyatt asked with amazement.
Elspeth nodded, but asked Alex, “Do they know who the trap was for and who set it?”
“They’re pretty sure it was meant for Beth, but they have no idea who’s behind it.”
“Jeez,” Elspeth breathed. “Poor Mortimer. His plate is overflowing just now.”
“Yeah. Sam’s worried about him. She says the stress is really starting to pile up. I mean first they drag off more than half his hunters to Venezuela, and then everybody and their brother hops on the rogue bandwagon up here. Now Beth and Scotty got themselves toasted.” She shook her head. “I guess they brought them to the Enforcer House and the pair were screaming all that first day and part of the second too. Sam and Mortimer haven’t had much sleep lately.”
“No, I don’t imagine they have,” Elspeth said solemnly.
“Yes, and—”
“Grrrrr! Argh!”
Elspeth glanced to the side even as Alex did and they watched Sam drop her phone in her purse as she returned to them.
“Your mother wanted us back right away,” she said dryly as she reached them. “But I told her we were still at Apple and would be another half hour.” Glancing to the store behind them, she smiled and added, “Which wasn’t a lie. We are still at the Apple store. Or at least in front of it.”
“So why are we going to be another half an hour?” Alex asked.
“I thought since we’re in the neighborhood, I’d take you all to my favorite restaurant for burgers and the most amazing shakes ever.”
“Sounds good,” Wyatt said.
“It does,” Elspeth agreed and then arched her eyebrows and asked with amusement, “Trying to delay going back to my apartment?”
“No. Your apartment is fine. In fact, I’d be happy to see it. I was hoping to delay having to deal with your mother,” Sam admitted bluntly.
“Hmm,” Elspeth smiled crookedly. “And here Mortimer told me you weren’t afraid of anyone.”
“He’s right,” Sam assured her. “I’m not afraid, but that doesn’t mean I’m looking forward to it.”