Page 109 of Last Witch Attempt
“You make it sound easy.”
“I don’t think it will be easy, but it has to be done.”
“Okay. I’ll get Scout. I’ll leave the rest to you. Contact me when you know where we should be and when.”
I gave him an impulsive hug. He was stiff, to the point I was confused. When I looked over my shoulder, I found the source of his unease.
Spencer stood near the corner of the greenhouse, staring at us. He appeared as uncomfortable as I felt. “I was just looking for you. Steve wondered where you went.”
He either thought I was cheating on Landon with Evan—which was ridiculous—or he recognized that Evan and I were plotting.
“You guys are up to something,” Spencer said when Evan and I continued to stare like idiots.
“Yes.” I nodded. Lying was out of the question. Spencer wasn’t a moron. “I have a plan, and I can’t tell Steve what it is.”
“I thought you were all about the brutal honesty,” Spencer challenged.
I shrugged. “There’s honesty and there’s honesty. This situation is … layered.”
“You’re not going to kill the naiad,” he guessed.
“I am not.”
“And you’re afraid that Steve will try to order you to kill it.”
I nodded again.
“He wouldn’t do that. I understand why you plan to do this on your own. It’s too much for Steve to absorb all at once.”
“We have three things to deal with.” I ticked them off on my fingers. “The naiad wants to go to another plane. She has murder on her mind first.”
Spencer nodded for me to continue.
“We have Millie, who is a problem all to herself. I think she might do well if she goes with the naiad, but that’s going to require a conversation.”
“I can’t pretend to understand the Millie situation,” Spencer said.
“It’s a mess. There’s another factor. There’s a warlock who used his powers to convince the construction workers to kill the naiad, but torture her first. The construction workers might’ve panicked and accidentally killed her. The wizard knew better.”
“You believe he’s our main enemy.”
“He’s our biggest problem,” I clarified. “I’m going to send my friend here to get another friend who can open a plane door. While he’s doing that, I’m going to talk to Millie.”
“What about the warlock?”
“He’s last on the list.” I turned grim. “He’s the piece of the puzzle we’re going to make fit whatever picture we come up with.
“I have to deal with Millie first,” I continued. “The naiad will fall into place. All she truly wants is to be left alone. Once I have Millie, I’ll deal with the warlock. We have to make sure Dustin Carrington is off the playing board too.”
“Because he’ll become collateral damage,” Spencer surmised.
“He’ll be an issue,” I said. “Can I trust you to keep Steve out of this?”
Spencer looked uncomfortable with the question. “He’s my boss. I have a great deal of respect for him.”
My heart sank.
“I have a great deal of respect for you, too,” he added, blowing out a sigh. “I think you can trust Steve, but I understand why you don’t believe you have the time to get him where you need him to be.”
