Under the Moon (Goddesses Rising) Read online

  Tess changed the subject, which drifted to her greenhouse and cosmetic work. “It’s mostly little things. I don’t advocate major changes. But sometimes the simplest adjustment can make life so much easier, especially for teenagers or people who make a living on their appearance. Like smoothing hair.” She smiled fondly at Quinn. “Not that I’d do anything for you now. You’re beautiful just as you are.”

  Quinn didn’t care about stuff like that, but she flushed anyway. “Thank you.”

  “How about me?” Sam spoke up for the first time. He fingered a small mole next to his mouth. “Can you get rid of this?”

  Tess laughed. “As if you don’t know how much women love it. Don’t be silly. Those kinds of things add character and uniqueness to a person. We shouldn’t strive for some uniform concept of beauty. Here.” She rose and disappeared into the house, coming back a moment later with a photo album. “This is the kind of thing I mean.” She showed them a young woman with a major scar across her face. The before picture showed it puckered and reddened. In the after picture it was shorter and silvery, faint but still present.

  “You couldn’t get rid of it completely?” Sam asked.

  “I could have, yes, but we discussed it and she didn’t want to. I thought it was brave of her. A lot of people would have pushed for me to make it perfect. But she said it was something she had learned from and was an important part of her.” She flipped the page. A port wine stain covering a man’s shoulder, upper arm, and shoulder blade had been rendered almost invisible. A third photo showed a tattoo where he’d made the rippled edge of the stain a shoreline with a crab and seagull. She flipped again to a boy with a wartlike growth on the side of his neck, gone in the after picture.

  “Some are purely cosmetic,” Tess admitted, showing them a girl with uneven earlobes. “But most are about self-esteem. Of course, a lot of what I do can also be done surgically.” She touched the wart photo. “But this is non-invasive so almost risk free.”

  Quinn nodded, pleased that her mother had found balance between philosophy and commerce. She checked her watch, stunned at how much time had gone by. She’d learned a lot and enjoyed the meeting, but staying longer would waste time they didn’t have. Tess would still be here when everything was over. “I’m sorry,” she said. “We’ve kept you from work all morning.”

  “Please don’t worry. I wasn’t going in until later, anyway.” For the first time in hours, Tess looked uncertain. “Will you…I mean, I really don’t have a right— But I’d like to know if you plan to contact your sister. Marley.” She didn’t give Quinn a chance to answer, rushing to add, “It’s up to you, of course. I want to be ready when she, you know.” Her smile was half wince.

  “I do,” Quinn admitted. “But I have a feeling she already knows.”

  Tess nodded with resignation and didn’t ask Quinn why she thought so, which meant her mother had been content to live in denial until now.

  “I can call Ned,” Tess offered, “and see if he’s available to have lunch with you. If you’d like. I know he’d want to see you.”

  “That would be nice, thank you.” Quinn stood, Sam coming to his feet behind her, and reached to hug her mother. “It’s been wonderful talking to you.”

  Tess held her hard. “Oh, for me, too. Will you be in town long?”

  Not if she was going to confront her sister before any other goddess was harmed. Not that she could say so, but thinking about it reminded her that Tess was vulnerable.

  “I’m not sure,” she finally said. “I’ll let you know. Be careful, okay?”

  Tess frowned, her fingers tightening around Quinn’s. “Of what?”

  “Didn’t you hear about the leech?” Hopefully that sounded neutral enough. She didn’t want Tess to worry or ask questions that Quinn didn’t want to answer.

  “Oh.” Her face cleared. “That. Don’t worry. the Society will track him down. Everything will be fine.”

  That was a stupidly naive attitude. “Be careful,” Quinn said again. “I’m sure he’s charismatic and well-bred. Like Sam here.”

  Tess’s trilling laugh tapered off as she crossed to the phone. “You’re probably right. And you’re sweet to worry. I’ll be careful.”

  It wasn’t enough to reassure her, but Quinn didn’t know what more she could do. They waited while Tess called Ned at work and arranged for him to meet them at a restaurant in downtown Fairfield. Tess remained in the doorway, waving as they got in the car and left.

  “That took a long time,” Nick griped as they turned onto the road. Quinn gave him quick directions to the center of town.

  Sam leaned on the back of the seats. “If Marley has anything to do with the leech, her mother doesn’t know it. She’s kind of—” He broke off, shooting a look at Quinn.

  “Naive,” she agreed. “She thought I was there to meet her, so I didn’t want to push too hard.”

  “What’s your take on what she said about your sister?” Nick asked.

  “She sounds…well, like she said, stubborn. Willful. Overly sympathetic to the fringe element.”

  “Do you think she sounds like the kind of woman who’d create a leech?” Nick asked.

  Since Sam’s jaw was close to Quinn’s ear, she heard his teeth grind together. She knew he thought the answer was yes but didn’t want to say it because she was related to Quinn. “From a neutral perspective? I’d think a woman who would disregard or dismiss the dangers of doing so would have to be stubborn and rebellious. So, yeah. Definitely the kind of woman who’d create a leech.”

  Nick raised his eyebrows at her. “And?”

  “And what?”

  “How do you feel about that?”

  Quinn sighed. “I didn’t even know she existed, and if she did this, created this monster who’s hurting people I care about and taking apart a life I’ve built—” She stopped herself and continued more calmly, despite the anger roiling in her gut. “My reputation has been damaged, and I’ve put my work on hold.” Not to mention the changes in her relationship with Nick, though it remained to be seen whether those could be considered damage or not. “I know no one forced me to investigate this, but even if I hadn’t, it affected me. I’m pissed.”

  A Lexus pulled out in front of them, and Nick nosed the Charger into the narrowly marked space the other car had vacated. The big, silver-haired man who had to be her father already paced the walkway of the panel-fronted restaurant squeezed next to a tiny jewelry store. He peered down the street one way, then the other, then scanned the cars lining the curb. In a trench coat over a dark gray suit, he was exactly what Quinn expected after reading Sam’s report and hearing Tess talk about him.

  “He looks nervous,” Nick observed, turning off the ignition.

  “Wouldn’t you be, seeing your daughter for the first time in over thirty years?” Sam responded. “Want us to bring you a doggie bag?” he teased.

  Nick didn’t joke back. “Fuck that. I’m coming in this time. I was going insane when you were in that house.”

  They all climbed out of the car and crossed the street. Ned focused on them as they approached, and his expression lightened.

  “Quinn.” He held his arms out to the sides, then enveloped her in a bear hug, sweeping her back to the last time she’d seen him. He’d done the same thing then. A little less heavy and a lot less well dressed, he’d smelled the same as he did now, and amazingly like her adoptive father. She blinked back foolish moisture and let him hold her at arm’s length.

  “You’re beautiful. So beautiful. I knew you would be. And what’s this?” He let go of her with his right hand to offer Sam a shake. “Two boyfriends?” He laughed heartily. Sam’s chuckle was strained, and Nick didn’t even bother to smile when Ned offered him his hand.

  “No, sir, this is Sam Remington, my assistant, and Nick Jarrett. He’s—”

  “A protector.” Her father’s face went stern, but he shook Nick’s hand nonetheless. “I’m familiar with the name.”

  “Oh. Good.” Nick
raised his eyebrows at Quinn as they passed him to enter the restaurant. She shrugged. She had no idea if that was good recognition or bad.

  The hostess seated them and they ordered sodas before perusing the menu, making small talk until the server returned. Once she’d taken their orders, the conversation went much as it had with Tess.

  But Quinn had a much different feel with her father. The man clearly suffered no regret or reservation. He talked openly about everything and offered details normal adopted kids might want but that Quinn hadn’t thought of, like medical and family histories. She had cousins on his side of the family.

  Those were all things she’d like to explore someday, but not now. The longer the afternoon wore on, the heavier the weight of awareness grew. She couldn’t indulge in the reunion any longer. So during a break in the conversation, she said, “Can I ask you something, Dad?”

  The “Dad” was calculated but surprisingly natural. It didn’t feel like a betrayal of the man who’d raised her—he’d have encouraged it—and it put Ned even further at ease.

  “Of course. You can ask me anything.”

  “How come Tess isn’t more involved in the Society? I’m the board secretary, and I never saw her at meetings. We might have connected sooner if she had been.”

  His groomed silver brows came together above his nose.

  “I can’t say I know too much about that goddess stuff. I think maybe she didn’t want it to overshadow my career.”

  A typical male-executive-type response. Quinn tamped down annoyance on Tess’s behalf. “What about Marley?”

  “Oh, now, Marley is a different story!” His voice boomed around them. “She’s a rebel, that girl. Learned everything she could from her mother and her teachers but didn’t stick around long. Doesn’t like to be told what to do, is her problem.”

  “Is it a problem?” Quinn asked, taking a bite of her excellent crab Alfredo.

  “No, no, she’s a good girl. Likes to do her thing and doesn’t much care what others think about it. She runs an inn up in Maine—I’m sure Tess told you—but she probably didn’t mention that Marley collects misfits.”

  Quinn stopped chewing, but because her mouth was full Sam was the one who asked what kind of misfits.

  “You know, people who don’t ‘fit in’ to normal society.”

  “Like goddesses?” Nick said.

  Ned chuckled. “Some, but those who don’t fit into mainstream goddessing, either. But all kinds of misfits. Male, female, flighty, fruity, anal-retentive to the point of obsession. Anyone who doesn’t fit can find a place at Marley’s inn.” He set his fork and knife across each other on his plate and waved at the waitress to order coffee.

  “How about a boyfriend?” Quinn asked.

  “She wouldn’t tell me. I don’t have a great track record,” he admitted with a sheepish smile. “I chased away all her high school beaux.”

  “I can see how you would be intimidating.” Quinn laughed. “I can’t help being curious about her life.”

  “Of course, of course. Actually,” he said, pressing his finger across his lips, “now that I think about it, there was one guy last time we visited who seemed to hang around her a lot. More than any of the others. She didn’t treat him like a boyfriend, exactly, but he sure seemed enamored of her.” He gave a proud-father nod. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he courted her.”

  He seemed kind of young to use such old-fashioned words, but maybe the corporate world had bred it into him.

  “Do you remember his name?” Nick asked, and if Ned thought it an odd question, he didn’t say so.

  “Arthur or Anthony…no, something stranger. Archie, Andre—something like that. It began with A.” He thanked the waitress for the coffees she set down beside him and Quinn—Sam had declined and Nick opted for a Samuel Adams. Then Ned frowned at Nick, and Quinn suspected the conversation was about to flip on them.

  “You mind telling me what a notorious protector is doing with my daughter?”

  “Notorious?” Nick laughed. “I don’t know about that. I’ve always been Quinn’s protector.”

  “Why does she need one? And why you?” He eyed Sam. “He looks capable enough.”

  Quinn only said, “I have a history.”

  “I see.” The furrows in Ned’s forehead deepened, but he remained focused on Nick. “Why should I trust you?”

  Nick thumped his beer on the table. “There’s no reason why you shouldn’t.”

  “What other goddesses have you protected?”

  “More than half of them.” His tone had grown testy. “And there hasn’t been a single one of them harmed in my fifteen years of protection.”

  “Impressive.” But he didn’t sound impressed. The waitress approached with the check and he reached out, but Nick intercepted it.

  “I’ll take it, thank you.”

  Quinn frowned at her father, unhappy with his attitude and not liking how close “notorious” was to “rogue.”

  “Why do you say Nick is notorious?”

  He shook his head, all his earlier affability gone. “We’ve heard rumors.”

  “How? You said both Tess and Marley aren’t involved with the Society.”

  Ned harrumphed and wouldn’t look at her.

  “Where would you have heard rumors about Nick?” she demanded.

  Ned muttered and evaded, but in the face of three unwavering stares, he admitted he paid attention to things.

  “My daughter is up there in the woods with god knows what kind of people. I want to know who does what in her world.”

  “Nick’s not part of her world,” Quinn pointed out.

  Ned looked sheepish. “I have two daughters.”

  Quinn sat, uncertain what to say. Both her parents had been keeping tabs on her. Tess understood about her adoptive father. Ned knew about Nick. But they had never contacted her, never tried to form a relationship. It soured what had started as a pleasant reunion—and Quinn no longer wished to push it further. For the first time, she considered that their lack of contact reflected a flaw in them, not her.

  As they made their way outside, Ned patted her shoulder, ignored Nick, and shook Sam’s hand with his other one already in the air, flagging down a cab. The three of them stood on the sidewalk, watching his taxi drive away.

  “I don’t like him.” Nick stalked across the street to his car.

  Sam looked sympathetic but said, “I have to admit, I think you’ve been better off, Quinn.” He followed Nick.

  She waited until he was halfway across the street before following. She agreed with them but for some reason felt compelled to defend her family. That wouldn’t make either of them change their minds, and the truth was…she would never know.

  …

  They were silent as they climbed into the car and buckled up. Quinn’s positive feelings of a few hours ago were gone, leaving a sharper loneliness than usual.

  Nick waited for a trolley on wheels to go past, then peeled out into traffic. “Where we goin’?”

  Quinn sighed and let her head drop to the back of the seat. “Let’s find a hotel for tonight. We can head to Maine tomorrow.”

  “Not a chance.”

  “Nick—”

  “No, Quinn. There’s something weird going on here, and we’re not charging in blind.”

  The need to do so burned fiercely, but she knew better than to react without planning. “So what do you propose?”

  He pulled into the parking lot of a Fairfield Inn. “I need to scout Marley’s place first. Problem with doing that is leaving you alone. Daddy Warbucks had a point back there.” He stared out the windshield for a couple of minutes, clearly lost in thought, before heaving a frustrated sigh. “I need to do whatever’s going to keep you safest. Instinct tells me Marley’s deeply involved in all this, and she’s your sister.” He looked at Quinn. “I don’t suppose I can convince you to leave it alone at this point? Go back to the cabin?”

  She smiled.

  “Didn’t think so. I ca
n’t be in two places at once.” His eyes met Sam’s in the rearview mirror. “You can protect her here. You’ve been doing my job three-quarters of the time anyway, but at a different level. And the moon’s nearly full.”

  “Which will make her a more tempting target,” Sam reminded him.

  “And more badass. I never had to protect her when she was freeing women from their abusers. Only later, when she didn’t have the power to use against them.” He shifted to face the backseat. “You don’t think you can do this?”

  Sam’s jaw tightened and his eyes blazed. “Of course I can.” He leaned over the seat. “The local chapter of the Society is Chloe’s chapter. I think there’s a meeting in two days. Maybe she can take us. We can try to gather more information, see what everyone’s saying about you two.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Nick agreed. “The leech would be stupid to go near Chloe’s at this point. The heat’s higher, even if to us the Society doesn’t seem to be doing much. He’s got to assume they’re watching her. Be alert, though,” he told Sam. “Whoever sent those guys to snatch Quinn aren’t as high profile.”

  Quinn didn’t want to let Nick go. It didn’t make sense because he’d already been around far longer than she was used to. She knew how to say good-bye to him, for cripes sake. But it wasn’t just that. She was afraid—not for herself, but for him.

  For no good reason. When he said no one had ever been harmed on his watch, he didn’t mean there hadn’t been attempts. He was a powerful protector, and no matter what someone was trying to do to his reputation, he was the least vulnerable of the three of them right now. Still, dread flared at the thought of him driving alone to Maine, where the culprit in all of this could be.

  Nick’s hand landed reassuringly on her thigh. Quinn looked at him, and the intensity of his gaze locked her in place.

  Sam looked back and forth between them. “I’ll go register us for a suite,” he said, climbing out of the car and striding into the lobby office without looking back.