That one turned out to be the best kiss I ever had.
Chapter 20
Dad began laying out the plans for the day.
Brad and Shelly were going to be joggers running on the street in front of Bell Tower Hall. They were going to place a surveillance camera near the entrance so we could watch the comings and goings at the property.
Dad was going to be setting up equipment that would relay the signal to our location, while Mom and Grandma would alternate driving up and down the road until Shelly and Brad were in the clear and they could come home.
Of course, Vance and I were stuck with the usual, manning the fort. While I could see that he was going crazy with having to stay behind, this was one time that I agreed with Dad. I didn’t want Vance anywhere near those people.
We went into the sitting area after everyone had left. Dad had the monitor for the surveillance set up in there. We were supposed to watch it and let them know if the signal relayed okay.
“You want to watch some television?” Vance asked absently, picking up the remote and clicking it toward the large set. “I imagine it’ll be a while before they need us.”
“That’s fine,” I said, and we both sat on the sofa together.
Vance put his arm on the back of the couch and his feet up on the coffee table. I decided to lie down and put my head in his lap.
He continued clicking the remote but moved his other hand down where he gently rested it over my shoulder. He slowly began to run his fingers through my hair over and over. I wondered if he even knew what he was doing, or if it was just a natural reflex with him, but it felt good nonetheless. It was extremely relaxing.
He was very restless, I could tell, since he didn’t linger long on any one channel, surfing his way through the entire selection.
I closed my eyes when he started the process over, just enjoying being next to him even if he was a little agitated.
I didn’t realize I had fallen asleep until I felt him move gently from underneath me, laying me softly back onto the sofa.
Slowly, I opened my eyes to see him walk over to the monitor, which was right next to the television, and adjust a few knobs. Suddenly a picture of Douglas and Fiona’s driveway snapped clearly onto the screen.
“Got it, Sean,” he spoke into a small handheld walkie talkie Dad had left for us.
“Is the picture clear?” my dad’s voice came back.
“Looks perfect,” Vance said after he watched the screen intently for a few moments.
“Great,” Dad’s voice crackled over the radio. “We’ll be back shortly. You want to take the first shift?”
“No problem. I’ve got it under control,” he said.
He placed the radio next to the monitor and headed back to the sofa.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you,” he said, and he looked at me with a soft expression of regret on his face.
He sat down next to me, gently lifting my head into his lap, and I snuggled comfortably up against him once again.
“How long was I asleep?” I asked with a yawn.
“About forty-five minutes,” he replied. “Everything is all done now. The others should be back shortly.”
“I heard,” I said.
I continued to lie in his lap, and he absently stroked my face and hair while he alternated between watching the water sports on the television and watching the monitor. They were close enough together that we could easily keep tabs on both.
We sat together in comfortable silence until the rest of the family came into the room.
“See anything yet?” Dad asked excitedly.
I could totally tell he was in his government agent mode.
“Not a thing,” Vance replied. “But I did have a question.”
“What’s that?” Dad inquired.
“If we see Darcy leave, how are we going to follow her? We’re here, and by the time we could get into a car to follow, she’d be completely out of the area,” he said with a concerned look.
Dad just grinned. “Oh ye of little faith,” he replied. “Have I ever let you down yet? I set up sensors for several miles in both directions. They’ll alert us to the direction of travel. When we do find the car, we’ll tag it, too, even though we’ll take Darcy. That way if Douglas and Fiona use the vehicle, then we’ll be able to follow them with pretty efficient accuracy without them discovering that we’re tailing them.”
“You’re right, Sean. You don’t disappoint,” Vance said with a grin.
“Something should be happening soon,” Grandma spoke up. “We’re only a week away from the eclipse now.”
“You need to be careful,” I said, looking up at Vance. “They’ll be doing everything in their power to find you now.”
“I’m counting on it,” he said.
“Please don’t go off and do something crazy,” I replied. “If they got hold of you now, I’d be terrified.”
“I don’t have any plans to do anything like that.” He chuckled as he patted my head. “You don’t trust me very much do you?”
“I’m speaking from past experience,” I said, frowning at him. “You tend to suffer from white knight syndrome, running off to help someone in need without thinking things through first.”
“Portia, you have my word that I’ll be careful and try not to do anything rash,” he promised.
“Good,” I said, and I settled back into his lap. “It’d better stay that way,” I added for extra emphasis.
“We’ll watch things for the next few hours,” Vance said to my dad. “I’ll call you if I see anything.”
“Great,” Dad said. “I’ll go put this other equipment up then.”
Grandma and Mom followed him out of the room, while Brad and Shelly came to have a seat in the two chairs next to the sofa.
“So how was your run?” I asked Shelly with a smile.
“Actually it was a nice jog.” She laughed. “The air was great, and the scenery was beautiful. If it hadn’t been for the fact that I knew we were running along the fence line of a demon coven, it might’ve actually been enjoyable.”
“That was the part I liked best,” Brad said looking at her. “All that adrenaline pumping through me, knowing we were there to thwart them right under their very noses.”
“You’re so crazy! Such a guy!” Shelly laughed at him and reached out to hold his hand.
Brad took her hand and squeezed it, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand, a sweet gesture that didn’t pass by neither me nor Vance.
“Well, we’re glad that both of you are back here safely,” I said with a smile.
“Yes,” Vance replied. “And I want to thank you for everything you two have done on our behalf. You’ve both placed yourselves in danger to protect us. It’s something I haven’t agreed with, but I do appreciate it.”
“Anything for a friend, right?” Brad replied, and Vance nodded his head in agreement.
We turned back to watch the water sports on the television.
“The lochs around here sure are beautiful,” Shelly commented while we watched the gorgeous water on the screen in front of us. “We should go on a picnic by one sometime.”
“That sounds like fun,” I agreed, thinking it was a great plan. “Maybe we can when my dad finally lets Vance and me off house arrest.”
“I guess we could do something here on the grounds for lunch,” Shelly suggested. “What do you think?” she asked, turning to Brad.
“It sounds fine to me,” he said with a shrug.
“Call it a double date then.” I smiled speaking up for Vance and myself.
When it was lunchtime, my parents came in to watch the monitor.
“I made some sandwiches and laid out some other things for your picnic in the kitchen,” my mom said.
“Thanks, Mom.” I said while Vance and I got up off the couch. “That was really sweet of you.”
“Didn’t see anything, I’m assuming?” Dad asked looking directly at Vance.
“Nope, sorry,”
he replied.
“Well, take this radio out with you just in case we need to get ahold of you quickly,” Dad said, giving a handheld to Vance.
“See you in a little while,” I said. We exited the room and made our way to the kitchen.
Mom had gone above and beyond herself this time. She had dug up a large wicker basket from somewhere. She had it laden with sandwiches, sweet meats, fruits and other snack items, as well as a few bottles of water. Next to the basket was a large blanket folded neatly on the counter.
“Mmm. Life is always good when Stacey’s around,” Brad said when he peered into the overstuffed basket.
The rest of us nodded our heads in agreement, looking at the mouthwatering items inside.
Vance picked up the basket, Brad grabbed the blanket, and the four of us headed toward the front door of the keep.
“So where do you want to go?” Vance asked when we entered the courtyard.
“I was thinking about that little door in the back wall that leads out onto the hillside,” I said. “There’s a beautiful view from there of the mountains and the loch in the distance.”
“I don’t know about that,” Brad said. “Technically that’s outside the keep. Your dad wouldn’t like it.”
“That settles it,” Vance said with resolution in his voice. “That’s definitely where we’re going.”
I laughed at him and his attempted rebellion against his restraints. He was going to push the limits as far as he could possibly get away with.
“Well, I think the fact that we could see anyone who wanted to sneak up on us for miles before they could actually reach us will make it okay,” I said with a smile, looking over at the others.
“I know,” Brad replied with a grin. “I was just kidding anyway. I like messing with Mr. Macho over here occasionally.”
“I know,” I said, smiling back at him and adding a wink.
“Hey!” Vance said, yanking me up against his side. “Quit flirting with Shelly’s boyfriend.”
“Whatever!” I replied’ and I sucker-punched him in the abs.
He doubled over as if I had really injured him, letting out a loud groan, before he popped back up laughing at me.
“I didn’t believe you for a second,” I said, making a silly face at him and sticking out my tongue like a child.
“Guess I’ll have to work on my acting skills,” he said still laughing.
“I guess so!” I replied, always enjoying ribbing him a little.
We had reached the small door then, and Shelly pushed it open so we could all walk through.
We walked out into the glorious sunshine that was shining over the rolling hillside, stretching out to the beautiful valley beneath us. We went out onto the grassy decline a little ways, where Brad shook open the large blanket. Shelly and I helped him to spread it across the ground before we all climbed onto it, and Vance sat the basket of food in the middle so we could all reach it.
We enjoyed the delicious items my mom had packed, stuffing ourselves to the brim.
“This is really nice out here,” Vance said moving to lie on his back, resting his arms behind his head.
I joined him, laying my head on his stomach, looking up at the blue sky overhead with its puffy white clouds that trailed across it like clumps of cotton balls.
“Thanks for suggesting this, Shelly,” he continued. “It’s very nice to get out of the keep for a while.”
“You’re welcome,” she replied, and Brad moved to sit behind her so she could recline against his chest.
We were quiet for a while then, just letting the breeze move over the four of us, watching the clouds roll by, while they cast shadows out over the landscape.
After a while I sat up and started to place items back into the basket. That was when I noticed it.
“Look!” I said, pulling a Frisbee up out of the basket. “Mom must have put this in.” I laughed. “I wonder where she found it.”
“Let’s do it. I need some exercise!” Vance said, jumping quickly to his feet, followed by Brad and Shelly.
We decided to play as teams, which gave Vance and me a little bit of an unfair advantage since we often used magic to make things interesting. Brad and Shelly did a pretty good job at using their magic to keep up with us, though. I was actually surprised at how good they had gotten.
Of course, the guys had to step it up a notch from that, showing off all their physical prowess since they had a captive audience.
I didn’t mind, though. I watched Vance somersault through the air to grab an extremely high throw from Brad. I could watch him move like this all day. The guy was positively breathtaking!
He pitched the Frisbee back to Brad from his peak in the air before tumbling back to the earth, landing easily on his feet.
I cheered for Vance when Brad missed the Frisbee, but was amazed when Shelly popped up behind him, catching the disc easily and returned it artfully to us.
“I’m impressed!” I called out to her, really meaning it. “You’re totally a natural!”
Shelly grinned widely back at me.
“Who knew I could be so athletic?” she replied with a wide smile.
We played for a long while, each of us trying to outdo the other until we collapsed into a tired heap on the blanket.
“That was fun!” I said breathing heavily, trying to catch my breath.
“It really was,” Vance agreed, nodding his head. “You two were awesome! If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were a full-fledged witch and warlock.”
“Really?” Shelly asked with a genuine smile, before sobering slightly. “Or are you just being nice?”
“Would I do that?” Vance asked, huffing.
“Probably,” Brad interjected with a grin.
“I’m wounded to the core,” Vance said, slamming his hand into his chest as if he had just been stabbed or something, falling backward onto the blanket. “Quick! I think I might need mouth to mouth,” he said, reaching out to grab me, pulling me onto his chest.
“I happen to know rescue breathing,” I said hovering seductively over him. I blew hard into his mouth instead of kissing him, catching him by surprise, and he gagged and started coughing.
The rest of us burst out laughing, and I jumped up to run away, knowing I would be in trouble now.
I made it about a yard away from him before he tackled me, and we went rolling several more yards down the steep hill together.
When we stopped, we were laughing hard at each other.
“That was fun,” I said a little breathlessly.
“It was fun. I sure love you,” he said with a big grin.
“I love you, too,” I replied smiling back at him.
He leaned in to kiss me, and my breath caught when his lips touched mine. I wound my arms around his neck and pulled him closer to me, opening my mouth in invitation to him. He let out a soft groan, kissing me back passionately.
“You’re going to start something that I’m not going to want to stop,” he whispered against my lips, his eyes flashing open to look into mine.
“Fine by me,” I countered, and I pulled him back, kissing him harder.
He happily obliged me, kissing me back with the same fervor that I was dishing out.
“What brought all this on?” he asked quietly but with a mischievous glint in his gaze.
“Watching you in action, of course, and you know it. You were doing it on purpose, hoping it would have exactly this type of desired effect on me!”
“I’m thinking it’s nap time all of a sudden,” he chuckled, not bothering to deny it. “What do you think?”
“I think it sounds like a delightful idea,” I replied while he nudged my nose with his. “If we can get away without hurting their feelings,” I added, nodding up the hill toward Brad and Shelly.
“Well, then, let’s get up and see what we can do about that,” he countered, but he stopped to kiss me breathless once more before he stood up and offered me a hand.
I slipped m
y hand into his, and he pulled me to my feet.
“This picnic was a wonderful idea,” he commented casually, locking his fingers with mine. “I haven’t had this much fun in a while.”
I looked at him with saucer-round eyes, trying to portray hurt feelings.
“Why I’m totally wounded by that comment!” I said mockingly, placing a hand over my heart.
He started laughing, pulling me into his arms once again and kissing me roughly, threading his fingers into my hair with one hand and holding me tight to him with the other.
“You were not included in that previous remark,” he stated hotly. “Nothing is ever better than my time with you.”
I felt my skin flush in response to his words, and he let out a low sound when he moved to kiss me again.
It was at this moment that Brad hollered out at us.
Reluctantly we both turned to look up the hill toward him.
“It’s Sean!” he shouted, pointing to the radio. “They’ve spotted Darcy!”
Chapter 21
The four of us raced back to the keep as fast as we could. We burst in through the massive wooden doors and nearly collided with my dad.
“We’re on our way out,” Dad said to Vance. “You and Portia stay here. Shelly and Brad come with us.”
I heard Vance sigh in frustration, and Brad and Shelly turned to follow Dad and Grandma out the door.
Standing at the doorway, I watched them while they pulled out of the bailey, speeding off down the road.
I turned to look at Mom.
“What happened?” I asked.
“A car with a driver pulled out of the estate turning toward town. We could plainly see Darcy sitting in the back,” she replied.
“Why would a driver be taking Darcy somewhere? She’s the maid. Doesn’t that seem a bit odd to anyone?” I asked.
Vance shrugged his shoulders.
“I have no idea,” he replied with a briefly thoughtful expression. “So what’s the plan?” he asked Mom.
“They’re going to follow them and see if they can get her alone somewhere. When Milly and Sean grab her, they want Brad and Shelly to place the tracking device on the vehicle. They plan on using a serum on Darcy to knock her out so she won’t be combative,” my mom explained.