Sinful Magic (Book 3 of the Ink series)

Chapter 23

I ran through the front door of Nona's house looking for someone to tell me what happened. It was quiet. I slammed right into Hutch, screaming, I fell back against the hallway table almost landing on the floor.

"Shh," Hutch told me. He grabbed me by the arm putting me back on my feet.

I pushed my hair out of my eyes. "What are you doing in here?"

"I heard what happened at the beach," he started. I looked around, for any signs something was amiss. "The only way I knew to get you here was if I told you something was wrong."

I backed up feeling duped.

Hutch stepped forward, I took another step back. "Do you trust me?"

Did I, I wasn't sure, especially now that he was standing in my Grandma's home. He lured me for what reason I wasn't sure. But I was going to find out.

"I was worried for you, Doll," Hutch closed the space between us. "Two bodies found in Henry Park, I was worried about you."

The shock on my face melted. "Anyone could have thrown them over."

Hutch agreed. "I didn't think much about it until I thought about the time you told me you did something for your father."

I grabbed Hutch by the shirt and shoved him out of Nona's house. "You need to keep quiet. How do you know someone won't overhear you?"

Hutch wasn't pleased with my aggressiveness. I slammed the door shut and spun back around. "What does any of that have to do with you lying to get me to come back here?"

Hutch leaned against the fancy wooden post on the porch. "I think we both know what you did for your father. And the fact that the body of the mayor's wife shows up on the beach doesn't sit well with me."

I was sure a dead body wouldn't sit well with anyone. But I understood. "You don't think the mayor would do this."

Hutch nodded. "The mayor is smart enough to know better. If anyone he is using for his own benefit didn't hold up their end of the deal things could blow up right in his face. It's too dangerous. He's not that stupid."

I took a seat on the porch steps dumbfounded. "Then who would do such a thing?" One person was responsible for the Mayor's wife's death. But Sara, she was a whole different situation.

I had put a spell on her. One to make her attracted to Tucker. I was scared to think that Tucker might have killed her after I sent her his way.

Hutch took the spot next to me, letting out a sigh. "Who would do such a thing? Someone trying to get back at the mayor, someone who feels they were wronged by him."

I shook my head. "He wouldn't." There was no way it was Slade. I refused to believe it.

"Are you sure about that, Doll?" Hutch continued to prove me wrong. "Wasn't it just the other day he tried his hardest to get on your good side?"

"He wanted me to know that things worked out. That he figured it all out," I said, my words turned into nothing but a whisper. "That we didn't have to worry about anything anymore."

Was I dating a sociopath after all? Did Slade go around killing people and doing whatever he needed to make it through life? Was I falling for it all this time?

"Because he is trying to get back at the mayor," Hutch insisted. "And I think he is willing to do whatever he has to to make that happen."

I couldn't believe once again I was questioning Slade's motives. I was certain he turned over a new leaf. I stared at the ground in shock.

Hutch slipped an arm around me without my even noticing it. "I told you, Doll. I'll always be here for you." He stroked my hair, guiding my head against his chest.