“Mr. Mammon?” Rutherford asked. “Hello?”
No one answered. Rutherford carefully placed the gun on the floor. He stood and smoothed his tie.
“Ha-ha,” Rutherford said, backing up, moving toward the door. “My bad. Ha-ha. Well, I’m just going to leave now. I, uh, I actually have a job offer in…Tasmania. And, um, I might consider it. So it’s been lovely. And you have a fabulous day. The weather should be outstanding today. Outstanding.”
Rutherford slipped out of the room and carefully closed the door behind him. Words were said in the vestibule, but I couldn’t make them out. There was the sound of footsteps and then it was quiet.
I looked over at Hatchet. “Okay, then,” I said. “That went well.”
“I think I hath pooped myself,” Hatchet said.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
The door opened and Diesel walked in. “Are you okay?” he asked.
I nodded. I’d been running on bravado up to this point, but it was fast disappearing, getting replaced with a wash of relief that had me close to tears.
“Who shot Ammon?”
“Rutherford,” I said. “Not entirely intentional.”
“He was running out of the house when I arrived. Everyone was running out of the house. I grabbed him, and he said you were in the basement chapel and you were lovely in your white gown and waiting for me.”
“The waiting part is true. Not sure about the gown,” I said.
Josh and Glo and Clara rushed in.
“Whoops,” Clara said, spotting Ammon. “Looks like we’re late for the party.”
Diesel got Hatchet off the hook and dumped him onto the floor.
“A thousand thanks, sire,” Hatchet said. “I fear I have no blood in the lower half of my body.”
Josh was bent over Ammon. “Whoa, he’s holding a rock. I bet it’s the Stone of Avarice.” Josh took the stone away from Ammon. “You know, I always felt I was on a higher plane than everyone else,” Josh said, holding the stone. “And now I know why. It’s because I really am superior. I was meant to own this stone. I was meant to own everything, to rule the world.”
“Good grief,” I said. “Someone take the stone away from him and put it in the silver box on the altar.”
Diesel removed the stone and dropped it into the box. He took a pocketknife out of his jeans, lifted me to my feet, and cut my cuffs away. A tear leaked out of my eye, and he wiped it away with his thumb.
“Sorry I didn’t get here sooner,” he said, wrapping an arm around me, holding me close to him.
“How did you know I was kidnapped?”
“Josh was standing in front of the bakery, letting some tourists take pictures of him, and he saw Rutherford and his men drive off with you. He ran inside and told Glo, and Glo called me. I was on my way back from Boston when I got the call.”
“We were worried Diesel was too far away, so we jumped in Clara’s van, and took off to save you!” Glo said.
“Boy, have I got good friends, or what?” I said.
Diesel looked over at Ammon. “Nergal’s going to love talking to this one.”
—
I spent the night next to Diesel. The danger was over but the fear stayed with me, and I didn’t want to be alone. I didn’t set the alarm, but in the morning I woke up on time anyway. The room was dark. Cat was at the foot of the bed. Diesel was still asleep. I crept out from beneath the covers, took a shower, and dressed in my usual uniform of jeans and a T-shirt. I went downstairs and made coffee. My kitchen was cheerful and my world felt good again. Everything would be fine until another stone found its way to Salem. I fed Cat, and when I turned around I was face to face with Wulf.
“Good morning, Lizzy,” Wulf said.
He was very close to me, and his personal space hummed with energy.