The Whisperers: A Three Book Box Set Read online

  Jacob fled, running as fast and as far as he could until his strength failed. They would hang her tomorrow and by the time she drew her last breath he hoped to be far away.

  All he could think to do was run and pray. Pray that the evil in her soul died with her body and set him free.

  Even now, thinking about Sara made gooseflesh appear on Teddy’s arms. She’d never witnessed anything like the malevolence and malice she’d felt pouring off that woman. Teddy’s heart went out to Jacob, the son who’d been punished with such a mother. Better to have been an orphan than stuck with an evil woman like that.

  What was more troubling was that something that belonged to that woman was left to Mik. Surely, she couldn’t be a descendent of Sara’s. There wasn’t an evil bone in Mik’s body.

  Teddy suddenly sat up ramrod straight. The son, Jacob, didn’t appear evil in the vision. Maybe he survived, made it back east, grew up and got married. Maybe he had children and for some unknown reason passed that coin down to them.

  Which didn’t explain how it ended up with Mik. Was one of Jacob’s descendants a woman who’d ended up pregnant and unable to care for her child? Was she still alive and if so why did she give Mik up? Did she have no family to turn to? Was Mik the last of her family line?

  All the questions made Teddy want to hold the coin again. There might be more answers.

  And none of that will solve your immediate problems.

  She blew out her breath and forced her thoughts away from the mystery of the coin and back to the spreadsheet. Ten minutes later, she pushed back from the table. As much as she hated it, she knew she was going to have to admit defeat. The shop wasn’t going to make it and she couldn’t keep shoveling what meager funds she had in savings into it.

  If she was frugal and could break the lease, she could survive for three months. That was long enough to find a job. Maybe she’d get Alex to look over her financials but she doubted that would change anything.

  Tears threatened but she sucked in a breath and forced them back. She wasn’t going to cry, wasn’t going to wallow. Her bad luck was nothing compared to what Jake and his family were going through. Here she was feeling sorry for herself over losing something she’d had a few months while they were faced with the possible loss of a home that’d been in their family for generations.

  That reminded her. She and Jake had not had a chance to discuss her idea and since she’d already acted on it she really needed to tell him. On impulse, she picked up her phone and called him. He answered on the second ring.

  “Hey beautiful.”

  “Hey. Did I get you at a bad time?”

  “No. Everything okay?”

  “Yes, why?”

  “I don’t know. You sound … never mind. What’s up?”

  “I wanted to talk to you about that idea I had.”

  “Oh yeah, the idea.” She heard a bit of humor return to his voice. “And I want to hear all about it. How about I swing by your place later this evening? I should be done here around eight.”

  “Okay. What me to fix dinner. You’ll be hungry.”

  “That I will.”

  Teddy didn’t have to ask. She could hear it in his voice. He wasn’t talking about food. That started a fire inside her.

  “Then I’ll have it waiting.”

  “Cool. Oh! Hold on. Something happened today.”

  “What?”

  “This old Ranger buddy of Jed’s called. Colton Marsh. He has two brothers who have a ranch in Florida and they’ve got some strange stuff happening. He wanted to know if you and your sisters would consider seeing what you can get from an old scroll or something. Jed said he sounded like it was pretty important. I told Jed I’d ask you.”

  “Sure. Are they going to mail it?”

  “Actually, they’re flying up here tomorrow. Jed’s friend Colton is going to pick them up and bring them to the ranch in the morning.”

  “Okay, well, just tell me when and I’ll drive over.”

  “Actually, I was thinking that since I’m headed to your place tonight maybe we could drive over together in the morning.”

  Teddy grinned. “Is that your way of asking if you can stay the night?”

  “Yeah, I guess it is.”

  “Well the answer is yes.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. Now go get finished what you need to do. I’ll see you by … what? Nine?”

  “If not sooner.”

  “Okay. See you later.”

  “Bye, beautiful.”

  Teddy put her phone down on the table. Seemed like they weren’t the only ones with mysteries and problems in their lives.

  But she’d think about that when the time came. Right now, she was ready to focus on planning a dinner that Jake wasn’t likely to forget.

  *****

  Robert Dalton Manning, CEO. That’s the way the plaque on the door to his office read. Dalton wanted to rip it off and jump up and down on it. Since Deidre had exiled him to the Siberia of the company, the new subsidiary of Manning Enterprises, he no longer had access to critical data of the parent company.

  Which meant that Deidre could be setting him up for anything and he had no way of knowing until it was too late. He stomped into his office, slammed the door and pulled out his cell phone.

  His aunt, Henrietta Manning Mills, answered on the third ring. “Good morning.”

  “I wish,” Dalton groused. “I’m operating blind here, Aunt Henrietta. I need to know what she’s doing.”

  “That is being taken care of as we speak, my dear.”

  “Oh?”

  “Indeed. There is dissention in the ranks since your departure and I am finding it quite easy to sway support our way. There will, of course, be a bit of quid pro quo expected upon your successful reinstatement into the seat of power.”

  “I’ll happily make recompense. Have you details for me?”

  “Not over the phone. Why don’t we meet for lunch? Or better yet, you come here. There is the matter of the Nash ranch we need to discuss. If, assuming, you are still set upon claiming possession if the family does not meet your price.”

  “I am.”

  “I see. Well, nevertheless, we have much to discuss, so let’s say one o’clock?”

  “I’ll be there.”

  “Excellent. I look forward to it.”

  The line went dead and Dalton shrugged. Henrietta never did sign off of a call with a goodbye.

  He took a seat at his desk and opened his laptop to check his schedule. There was nothing pressing he needed to concern himself with. Except for Deidre and what to do about the Nash ranch.

  He knew she was set upon destroying them, and there was a time he had gladly taken part in her schemes. Now, however, she had made an enemy of him by trying to implicate him in the poisoning of the stock on the ranch.

  He was not about to let that go. Thanks to his Aunt Henrietta, and unbeknownst to Deidre, all paperwork, sales histories and documentation regarding the fluoride that was used to poison the water on the Nash ranch now bore Deidre’s name.

  Also, thanks to Aunt Henrietta, the phone used in all communications regarding the fluoride had been located and destroyed, and all phone records altered.

  Dalton said a silent thank you that his Aunt was on his side. He’d forgotten how shrewd and relentless she could be. Better to have her as an ally than an enemy. Working with her, he was going to annihilate Deidre and reclaim his father’s legacy.

  And maybe he’d get what he needed to prove that Deidre had killed his father. There was nothing Dalton would like more than to see her rotting in a prison for the rest of her life.

  However, at the moment, he had to decide what to do about the Nash ranch. If he went through with his threats, he had no doubt that Mikayla would hate him until her dying breath. That shouldn’t bother him. She was, after all, engaged to Jed Nash and had made it clear that she was not interested in him. But he felt she could be swayed if he could just find the right leverage to use to caus
e a rift between her and Jed Nash.

  Dalton spun around in his chair and stared out of the window. There had to be a way. He just had to think outside the box.

  Chapter Four

  Jake cut a look over at Teddy. She had her window rolled down and the way the wind was blowing her hair, she looked like something out of a fairy tale – a princess or siren.

  Dinner last night had been an event to say the least. Teddy had concocted some Middle Eastern dishes, spread throws, silk sheets and mounds of pillows on the living room floor. She’d greeted him at the door wearing a belly dancer costume that made him forget entirely about food.

  A year ago, he’d have described the evening as some of the best sex he’d ever had and probably forget about it before the end of the day. Not today. Being with Teddy was different. It wasn’t just sex. As silly as it would sound if he spoke it aloud, it was a connection of more than just body parts. She touched something inside him.

  Damn. It hit him like a rampaging bull. He was in love with Teddy. Lock, stock and barrel. She had his heart.

  That kind of scared him. Jake had never been in love. He’d liked a lot of women, but he’d never felt anything like this.

  How had it happened? He knew she evoked feelings in him no one else ever had. She made him want to be a better man. No, she made him want to be the man of her dreams. The one who’d win her heart and ride off into the happily-ever-after sunset.

  Holy shit.

  She looked at him and the smile she gave him warmed him like the sun.

  “Do you know anything about Jed’s friend, Colton?”

  He shook his head. “Not really. I know he’s an ex-Army Ranger like Jed. But he was in the service a lot longer. I’ve met him and he’s a nice guy a lot like Jed. Not exactly the kind of guy who’s into small talk if you know what I mean.”

  “Got’cha. And this scroll thing? He doesn’t have a problem with what Alex and I do?”

  “Beats me. All I know is he asked Jed for help and…well you know the rest of the story.”

  “Oh look, there’s a truck turning in.”

  Sure enough, Colton turned onto the drive to the ranch just ahead of them. Jake followed him in. Colton parked and before Jake had done the same, people climbed out of the truck.

  “Good god,” Jake muttered. He knew Colton was formidable but had no idea that his brothers were the same.

  The three men that got out were big. Not fat, but tall and solid.

  “Wonder which one is Colton?” Teddy asked.

  “The biggest.”

  “They’re giants.”

  “Yeah, those are some big fellas.”

  Jake parked his truck and just as they were getting out, Teddy’s phone rang. She looked at it and then at Jake. “It’s Alex. Go on. I’ll be just a minute.”

  “Okay.”

  Teddy turned her attention to the call. “Alex? Where are you?”

  “On my way. What’s this all about anyway?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Okay, well…look, when this thing is over, I need to talk to you about something.”

  “Is everything okay?”

  “I think we both know it isn’t – not for either of us.”

  “You’re making me nervous, Alex.”

  “Don’t go getting all worked up. I just need to talk to you – just you.”

  “Not Mik?”

  “Not this time.”

  “Okay, how about when this is done, you come home with me?”

  “Deal.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you in a bit.”

  “K. Bye.”

  Teddy stood there for a few moments staring down at the phone. Alex didn’t rattle easily but she sure sounded rattled. What now? It seemed like their lives had been nothing but a series of problems ever since they sold the farm.

  Or ever since you got involved with Jake and his family.

  Teddy was immediately ashamed of herself for the thought. Jake and his brothers had nothing to do with her problems. No, that fell on Dalton Manning and apparently his evil stepmother Deidre.

  What was such a mystery was why they would have anything against her, Mik or Alex? Maybe Deidre had a burr up her butt over something that had happened with Jake’s dad, or even with Jed but she and her sisters had nothing to do with that.

  None of it made sense. And right now she needed to put that out of her mind and get inside to see what the mystery was that had people flying here from Florida.

  She hurried to the house and entered through the kitchen door.

  Wow. Talk about a houseful of hunks. She’d always thought that the Nash family boasted of the most beautiful men she’d ever seen. The Marsh men definitely had their fair share of drop-dead gorgeous. Tall and big, they all had raven dark hair, eyes of blue and bodies that could send a woman into serious hormone storm.

  Jake saw her and hurried over. “Hey, I want you to meet everyone. Everyone, this is Teddy Morgan, Mik’s sister.”

  “Hey, Teddy.” A beautiful dark haired woman sitting at the kitchen table with Mik spoke up. “I’m Lily, and that one –” She pointed across the room to a man talking with Jed and two others. “That’s my husband Clint. The two with him are Cam and Colton.”

  “Nice to meet you all.” Teddy gave everyone a smile.

  “And this is Ellie,” Mik said, gesturing toward the lovely woman seated beside her.

  “Ellie, this is my sister, Teddy. Ellie’s married to Cam.”

  “Hi, Ellie.” Teddy walked over and took Ellie’s hand. The unease that rolled off her had Teddy pulling Ellie to her for a tight hug.

  “It’s okay, you’re among friends,” she whispered.

  Teddy could feel the relief that washed through Ellie. “Thank you,” she said when Teddy pulled back.

  “Come on.” Teddy took her hand. “Let’s go into the den where it’s quiet. Get acquainted.”

  “So, Jed tells me you’ve got a bit of a mystery on your hands,” Teddy said as she took a seat on the couch and patted the cushion beside her.

  “You could say that,” Ellie replied.

  “You want to tell me?”

  Ellie cut her eyes to the people in the kitchen then back to Teddy. “I’m afraid this will sound … crazy.”

  “Honey, trust me, I’ve seen my share of crazy.”

  “Well.” Ellie cleared her throat and paused to compose her thoughts. “Here goes.”

  Teddy kept quiet for the nearly ten minutes it took for Ellie to tell her what was going on. When she finished Teddy nodded. “You have the scroll with you?”

  “Yes.” Ellie reached for her shoulder bag that she’d set on the floor and pulled out the scroll.

  Teddy reached for it but stopped at the sound of Alex’s voice. “Hold on Teddy.”

  Alex entered the room and smiled at Ellie. “Hi I’m Alex. Teddy and Mik’s sister.”

  “Ellie.”

  “Hi, Ellie. Sorry, I wasn’t eavesdropping – oh hell, yeah I was. But I wanted to hear the story.”

  “So why can’t I touch the scroll?” Teddy asked.

  “Because of that.” Alex walked over to take a seat in a chair adjacent to the couch and pointed at Ellie’s necklace. “Haven’t you been watching? If she moves and it moves away from her skin the light inside it dims.”

  “Really?” Teddy looked at the necklace. “Show me.”

  Ellie lifted the chain so that the gem was not against her skin then let it fall back into place. Teddy’s eyes widened. “Very cool.”

  “Touch it first,” Alex suggested.

  “May I?” Teddy asked Ellie.

  “Sure.”

  “What’s going on?” Mik asked as she and Lily walked into the room.

  Alex filled them in and they sat down to watch. Teddy reached out and lifted the gem from where it rested against Ellie’s chest, closing her hand around it. She closed her eyes and for a few seconds there was no sound or movement in the room.

  Unexpectedly, energy suddenly roared f
rom the necklace and raced through her. She had no control but could feel her body suddenly arch back. Her eyes flew open and she could see the light that was shooting from between her closed fingers.

  At the instant the thought entered her mind that this was the coolest thing she’d ever experienced, Mik ran across the room and crawled onto the couch behind her. She wrapped her arms around Teddy as Ellie pried her hand open.

  Teddy really wanted to tell them to stop, that she was in no danger but she couldn’t get her mouth to work. In fact, nothing seemed to work. She was caught up in this feeling of bliss that was incredible.

  When her hand opened and Ellie took the gem away, it felt like something suddenly sucked all of the energy from her body. She fell back against Mik, her breath coming hard and fast as her body tried to adjust to the sudden drain of energy. Images were suddenly flooding her mind, so fast that she could barely assimilate the information.

  Ellie’s husband Cam hurried across the room and sat beside Ellie, wrapping one arm around her. Teddy could feel his concern and Ellie’s fear. Ellie thought she’d hurt Teddy and feared that everyone would hate her.

  “Teddy?” Alex’s voice drew her attention.

  She blinked and tried to smile. The images were stronger, clearer. She almost had them. Just another second. Oh my god.

  Teddy cut her gaze to Ellie in surprise then looked at Alex. “She’s not human.”

  “What?” Mik blurted from behind Teddy. “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t … I can’t explain it,” Teddy said. “I just know. That necklace isn’t from this plane of existence. It’s from another place. A place where Ellie comes from. Or at least where her people come from.”

  “That’s crazy,” Cam said when everyone else gaped at Teddy in shock.

  “Maybe not,” Alex said and got up to wedge herself on the couch between Teddy and Ellie. “I may be able to help.”

  “How?” Ellie asked

  “I can …” She cut her eyes at Mik and when Mik nodded, turned her attention back to Ellie. “I can talk to the dead.”