To Bedevil A Beauty (Southern Sanctuary - Book 5) (14 page)

“Seriously? 
I‘m meeting you half-way here Berry.”  Growled Ramsey.

Oh
well, anyone too much of a wuss to brave the new bar would just have to miss
out.  “You’re right.  Though maybe next time you’ll cave with better
grace.  Thanks Hotshot.”  She hung up quickly before he could make a
comeback.

Marion
entered the office smiling broadly, a huge stack of folders in her arms. 
“All of a sudden you’re looking well enough to attend to a party.”

“Funny. 
I assume the word has gone out?”

Marion
sent her a scornful look before setting the folders down with a loud thud on
her desk.

“Sorry,
silly question.  What’s all this then?  I’ll be lucky if I get out
here before midnight.”

Marion
reached over and grabbed the paperwork Berry had managed to finish so far.
“What can I say?
 
If you hadn’t spent
most of the week lolly gagging around after being shot then it wouldn’t have
had a chance to pile up like this.”

“Very
funny.”  Berry gave a sigh as she glared at the pile. “You’d better send
an order out for take away.”  At least she could expense the cost of her
meal.

“Already
done.” Marion assured her with her usual ruthless efficiency before striding
out to deal with a ringing phone.

With
another sigh Berry ignored the new pile of paperwork demanding her attention
and returned her focus to the manila folder already open before her.  Who
was she kidding… second job?  She was drowning under the weight of her
first job.  Oh well, at least she had a party to look forward to
tomorrow.
 
Hmm, yes, she could drown her
problems in pitcher after pitcher of tap water, because that’s all she’d be
able to afford.

Chapter
Twelve

“I’m
not going.”

“Well,
I’m not going up there!”

“There’s
not enough money in the world.  I’m not going.”

Berry’s
head was beginning to hurt.  The squabble had been going on for ten
minutes now.  Ever since she’d sat down at the table with birthday girl,
Eli, her sister Fraser, Darcy, Quinn, Gigi and Riya, who currently had her head
down on the table, her spill of black hair covering her face.

“Where
are all the melds?”  Fraser asked, looking around what they had all agreed
was a very nice bar.

“Probably
still in bed with their mates.”  Groused Darcy.  “Inconsiderate
bitches.”

“They’re
just running late.”  Quinn mediated.  “We could wait until one of
them arrives.”

“Need…
drink… now.”  Riya’s words were muffled but still audible.

“What’s
her problem?” Darcy looked down at her cousin, collapsed face first on the
table.

“Don’t…” 
Riya’s plea was ignored by Gigi.

“It’s
Gaia…”

“Where?”
Both Berry and Riya, who abruptly sat up straight, frantically looked around
the room.

Gigi
laughed.  “Goddess, chill you two.”

“Yeah.” 
Eli broke in.  “She’s not coming anyway.  Something about refusing to
sit in a bar where alcohol is being served because it might prove harmful to
the baby.”

“She’s
pregnant?”  Berry, felt a weight lift from her shoulders, several of the
others expressed their surprise and relief.

“No.” 
Eli shook her head regretfully.  “She was talking about the pre-foetus.”

“What
the hell is a pre-foetus?”  Quinn frowned, brushing the end of her long
dark blonde pony-tail back over her shoulder.

“It
means she’s still not pregnant.”  Eli supplied.

Both
Berry and Riya groaned audibly.

“I
get Berry’s problem.”  Darcy frowned, tucking a lock of black bobbed hair
behind one delicate ear.  “But I don’t get why you’re freaked.”  She
directed her question at Riya.

“She
wants me to make her an outfit.”  Riya shot a longing glance from hazel
green eyes at the bar and the row upon row of bottles of alcohol displayed
behind it, so near, yet so far.

“An
outfit for what?”  Fraser enquired.

“To
get pregnant in.”  Riya admitted with a wince.

The
whole table groaned in both disbelief and sympathy.  Riya’s magic was
particularly specialised.  The intermingling of her psychic powers and her
talented dressmaking skills meant that she was able to create the perfect
outfit for life changing events; job interviews, first dates or dreaded meeting
the parents’ dinners. In particular, her gift let her create fairy tale bridal
gowns and decadent wedding night apparel. 

No
order was ever placed.
 
Riya’s magic
didn’t work like that.
 
Usually what
happened was that the customer in question wandered passed Riya’s exclusive
boutique and there in the window, on the mannequin, would be the exact outfit
they had been dreaming of.

Riya
visibly shuddered.  “She keeps bringing me sketches of what she wants me
to make, take my word on it, there is a lot of cleavage involved. I really need
a drink.”  She admitted mournfully.

“Well
I can’t go up.”  Darcy stated.  “I’m just as likely to kill one of
them.  Eli will never get served.  Berry’s been hurt.  Quinn
can’t afford to touch one of them.
 
Riya’s a wreck.
 
Fraser will
probably incite a riot and Gigi can’t be trusted.”

“Hey.” 
Gigi protested, purple eyes flashing.

“Oh,
get over yourself.  One slip from you and all the alcohol will turn into
something we’ll need to call a hazmat team in to dispose of.  Or are you
forgetting the Christmas Eve drinks disaster of two years ago?”  Darcy’s
icy blue eyes were full of amusement as she spoke.

“Isn’t
Riordan supposed to be working here?”  Berry asked, looking around. 
“Maybe she’ll take our order?”

“She
helps serve food, not drinks.”  Eli supplied with a shrug.
 
Pushing back a lock of burnished golden
blonde hair that had fallen across her eyes.

“I’m
surprised those brothers of hers let her work here.”  Mused Fraser.

“None
of this chatter is getting the drinks here any time soon.”  Riya
muttered 

“We’ll
have to wait for one of the melds.
 
Nell
should be here soon, or Hadleigh.”
 
Eli
looked towards the front door.

“I’ll
go.”  Quinn stood up.
 
Determination
in her silvery blue eyes.

“Are
you sure?”  Gigi looked horrified for a moment.

“They’re
just men… okay yes, I grant you, young, single, and gorgeous… potentially pawns
in one of Great-Aunt Alma’s match making schemes…men.
 
But I’m tired of living in fear.  Aren’t
you guys?  We’re better than this.  So who’s with me?”  Quinn
looked around the table, then rolled her eyes.  “You guys are such
wusses.”

“Happily
single wusses.”  Darcy amended in a smug sing-song voice.

“Fine,
you scaredy cats stay here.”  Quinn pushed her chair in.

“Just
water for me.”  Berry held up a hand to get her cousin’s attention.

“No,
champagne all round.  The whole day is my party, so my treat.  Put
this behind the bar.”  Eli handed across her credit card.  “And
whatever you do, don’t touch either of them.” Eli warned as Quinn snapped up
the card.

“What? 
Suddenly I’m an amateur?”  Quinn held up her hands, displaying the elbow
length fingerless gloves she wore. 

The
women watched Quinn saunter up to the bar.

“So
brave.”  Gigi admired.

“So
stupid.”  Darcy smirked.  “Speaking of recklessly stupid.” 
Darcy transferred her attention to Berry.  “Why don’t you tell us a little
bit about this policeman you’re shacking up with?”

“I’m
not shacking up with him.”  Berry protested.  “As you well know I was
shot and my car was torched.  I’m just staying at Chief Hughes’ apartment
because it’s a safe location and easily defendable.”  Berry saw doubt
lingering in her cousin’s eyes.  “Seriously, there is nothing going on
between us. He’s just here today to act as my guard.”

“He’s
here today?”  Darcy looked surprised for a moment before following the
direction of Berry’s gaze, a wicked smile instantly gracing her features. 
“So he is.  Hmmm, I swear to the Goddess if I were to hand the man a spoon
right now I think he’d eat you up in an instant.” 

Berry
bit back a groan as the entire table made a show of looking out towards the
outdoor patio, where Ramsey Hughes was currently seated, dressed in blue jeans,
grey jumper and heavy boots.

“Ah,
don’t all look at once.”  Griped Berry, beginning to wonder where the
alcohol was.

“Darcy’s
right.”  Gigi agreed.  “The man can’t take his eyes off you Berry.”

“That’s
his job.  He’s here to provide protection.  Just like Zeke guarding
the front door.”

“But
Zeke isn’t eyeing you like you’re the last steak in the fridge.”

“Lovely.” 
Berry wondered what was keeping Quinn so long.  “Look, you guys know
me.  I’ve done the marriage, I’ve done the divorce and I’m officially done
with men.”

Fraser
issued a heartfelt sigh.

“What
was that for?”  Berry eyed her suspiciously.

“Well
he is kind of ruggedly…”  Fraser started the sentence.

“…dreamy.”
Eli stated.

“…doable.” 
Darcy put forward her thoughts.

“…hot.” 
Riya proposed.

“…intriguing.”
Gigi finished.

“You
lot are impossible.  What happened to all of you swearing to stay away
from single men?  Case in point, the fact that we’ve never been to this
bar before because the owners happen to be two single men, new to the
Sanctuary?”

“You’re
forgetting the fact that when they first came here with the intention of
renovating the old firehouse station into this bar and the apartment upstairs
that it was the High Council that approved their application.”  Eli
reminded.

“So?” 
Berry frowned.

“Don’t
be naïve Berry.  Great-Aunt Alma sits on the High Council now.  Can’t
you just picture her rubbing her hands in glee at the prospect of those two
hunks settling down locally?”  Darcy scoffed.  “That’s why this place
has been a no-go zone since it opened.”

“Is
that so?
 
From the way you were all
admiring Chief Hughes I thought maybe the embargo on men might have been
lifted.”  Berry drily noted.

“It’s
easy to admire men when they are already taken.”  Fraser answered for the
group.

“Taken?”
 Berry winced as her voice came out a little high pitched.  “Taken…
by whom?”

Riya
rolled her hazel green eyes heavenwards.  “You, if you want him stupid.”

“I
don’t want him.  I just got through reminding you all that I’ve sworn off
men.”

Darcy
chuffed a laugh.  “And a piss poor job you did of it too.”

“I
did not.”  Berry fought hard not to stamp her foot.  Why wouldn’t
anyone believe her when she said she was sworn off men?  “You…”

“Thank
Goddess, drinks.”  Riya looked up at Quinn’s return.  “Sweetie, you
okay?”

The
entire table echoed concern.
 
Quinn was
as white as a sheet as she set down two ice buckets on to the table.

“Did
you touch one of them?”

“Did
you see a memory?”

“Are
you alright?”

Quinn
collapsed gracelessly into her chair.  “I didn’t see any memories… I don’t
want to talk about it.  For Goddess sake, someone pour me a drink.”

Berry
hastened to obey.

“What
are we talking about?”  Quinn enquired, hot colour now flooding her
cheeks.

“The
new Chief of Police’s unrequited… or perhaps, not so unrequited love of
Berry.”  Darcy provided.

Quinn
forced a smile, the others at the table biting back their worried questions
concerning her obviously distressed state.  “Spill, I want to hear
everything.”

Berry
met her cousin’s troubled eyes, she didn’t know what had happened up at the bar
but it had scared Quinn badly.
 
Her
cousin’s hand visibly trembling as she lifted the champagne flute to her lips
and drank down almost half its contents in one go.

Damn,
she hated that Quinn was upset, her cousin’s magic could be overwhelming
sometimes.  Opening her mouth she found herself saying.  “Well, it
all started Friday week ago with the cats…”

*                        
*                     
*

Ramsey’s
eyes roamed slowly over the nearby expanse of beach.  No suspicious
characters loitered.  Feeling eyes upon him, he shifted his focus inside
the bar, meeting Berry’s gaze instantly.  Arousal curled in his gut and
shifted lower.  Damn, she looked nice in that navy silk dress and those
ridiculous red shoes she’d insisted upon wearing.  With her hair down,
curling around her shoulders and those naturally red lips of hers, she looked
both relaxed and flirty.

Suddenly,
every single one of Berry’s girlfriends turned to look directly at him.
 
His instincts for potential danger kicked
into high gear momentarily.  Ten seconds that felt like a lifetime passed
before they dismissed him as interesting and returned to chatting amongst
themselves.
 
Phew, they were a potent
collection of women.  With more arriving by the minute, as the women
commandeered two more tables and shoved them together.  He only recognised
Nell, the doctor, who’d attended to Berry in the car park after she’d been shot
and Charisse.  Wow, what a family. 

The
women might come in different sizes, shapes and colourings but each and every
one of them was beautiful in their own unique way.  Seriously, how was
Haven Bay still a secret?  Slap a picture of any one of these women on the
front of a tourist brochure and you’d have people… well men, flocking to the
town.  But it wasn’t just their looks that drew the eye.  There was
something magnetic about each and every one of them.  An allure, a mystery
needing to be solved, a sense of… power.  Power?  Shit, maybe the sun
was hotter out here than he thought.  Ramsey took an absent sip from his
lime and soda as he contemplated the beautiful blue sky autumn day.  Out
on the water sail boats skated across the relatively calm ocean, taking
advantage of the slight breeze that was blowing today, their colourful sails
decorating the horizon.  

It
was stunningly picturesque and strangely relaxing to just sit here… watching
over Berry, knowing she was safe and just… be.  God, when was the last
time he’d just kicked back and relaxed?  Enjoyed a peaceful, quiet
moment?  Shit, he hoped this place wasn’t making him soft.