“I know, I know. I shouldn’t worry, but I have this strange feeling. Something just seems off. I don’t have Nick’s number, or I’d call him. I know she really wanted to get back together with him, but I don’t think she’s even talked to him. She was giving him his space.”
Annie was silent for a few seconds while she processed the news. “Maybe she was tired of giving him his space. Maybe she decided to go for it?”
“She didn’t come right out and say so, but I got the impression she was going to leave the ball in his court.”
“Give Clara a call. Maybe they’re hanging out. And let me know, please?”
Her call with Clara only reinforced all their worries. “I don’t like it either, Maggie. How well do any of us know Nick, anyway? He’s just a stranger as far as I’m concerned. I’m coming over, and I’ll bring Annie with me. Be ready to brainstorm ideas of how to approach him.”
Fifteen minutes later, Annie marched through the front door, with Clara following closely behind her. “Clara said you talked about confronting Nick. Well, allow me to handle that fool,” she said, slicing the air with her wand.
Maggie gently deflected her wand. “Hold on. We can’t just zap him. First off, we don’t even know if he’s seen Gina today. Although, we have every right to be suspicious for sure.”
Clara threw her hands up. “That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to tell little Miss wandslinger here. We need to approach him cautiously in a public space where he is likely to be less of a threat.”
“Right. We need to act calm and cool, so he’ll hopefully be more cooperative than defensive. We should tactfully approach him at Saints and Sinners, and then we’ll …” An earsplitting crack suddenly echoed through the house. “Holy fireballs! Careful that wand, girl. You could burn this place down!”
Annie blew a little cloud of green smoke away from the tip of her wand. “Tactfully? Calm and cool? Fine for you, but that’s not my style, and both of you know that. He needs to fear us, and I mean for real.”
“Please, Annie. He is a bear shifter. I don’t know anything about them. My guess is that, like regular bears, they are unpredictable and have the potential to be violent. So, you must understand why we need to be cautious, just in case,” Maggie said.
“All right. Fine. We can give him one shot to come clean, but don’t think for a minute I won’t zap him into another dimension. I don’t care how many witnesses there are.”
Maggie sighed. “I’ll drive.”
A half-hour later, they were parked in front of the Saint Laurent. “Please, try to behave. And I’m talking to you, Annie.”
“Yes, mother.”
“Shh, there he is.” Clara pointed to a side door. Nick had stepped outside, where he checked his phone, glanced around, and went back in.
“Did you see that?” Annie squeaked, obviously shocked.
Clara shrugged. “So, he checked his phone. Maybe he doesn’t get much of a signal inside.”
“Are you kidding? Didn’t you notice how shifty he was acting? That was pure guilt. He was looking around like a cornered rat.”
Maggie nodded, surprisingly in agreement with her. “I got that vibe too. Come on, let’s go inside and have a drink. Let me take the lead, and we’ll just see how he reacts.”
Inside Saints and Sinners, Clara noticed there were only four other patrons, and they were seated in a booth. “This place is dead.”
“Nick’s behind the bar. Let’s go,” Maggie said, leading the way.
“What can I get you ladies this evening?” Nick said, quickly wiping down the bar.
“Margaritas.”
“Three?”
“He can count to three. Yay!” Annie lightly clapped.
Nick slightly cocked his head, half smiling. It was clear he was holding back a sarcastic response. As soon as he turned around, Clara leaned in to check him out.
“Hot guy with a nice ass. I can see what Gina sees in him. Up close, he doesn’t seem as scary as I imagined. In fact, I’m detecting good vibes,” Clara whispered.
Annie shrugged. “So, he’s fuckable with good auras and shit. That doesn’t mean he isn’t a monster.”
Maggie nudged her. “Shh.”