Motor City Witch Read Online Free PDF Page A

Elise’s back as she sobbed into his shoulder and his stomach clenched. Gods knew he’d been longing to hold her again, but not like this.
    “Nothing. There isn’t even any scent near the bedroom window.” George shook his head.
    “The alarm system hasn’t been touched.” Wallis stepped away from the panel by the entrance. He moved off into the condo, presumably to check the other doors and windows.
    “If they ’ported in somehow that might explain getting past the wards.” Aidan racked his brain for ideas. He’d felt the weight of the magical protection field around the house, even though it hadn’t triggered on him because Elise had invited him in. “I don’t know of anybody who wards the center of a room.” Despite their differences, he actually found himself wishing Desmond was around. The mage could be an ass, but he might have a better sense of what kind of magic was used.
    Desmond was hours out of town, so they had to work with the assets they had. Wallis, one of the few Fae Aidan knew who was good with technology as well as magic, returned, shaking his head. “Magic trails and strong ones, but nothing I can place and only in the one room. Whatever it was, they definitely ’ported directly in and out. There was a silence spell, too—that one was obviously elven, but the signature isn’t from anyone I know.”
    “Which explains why Elise didn’t hear anything.” Aidan continued to rub Elise’s back. Her sobs had quieted to hiccoughs, but she was still shaking. “Any idea when?”
    Wallis shrugged. “Hour and a half. Two, tops.”
    “H-how c-c-ould I not kn-know?” Elise wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her sleep shirt. “I should have felt something, even if I couldn’t hear it.”
    “Because they made quite sure that you wouldn’t, leannan .” He dropped a kiss onto her silky hair. “Whoever did this obviously knew what they were doing. They weren’t amateurs. None of this is your fault.”
    “If they got past my wards, it definitely was.” Anger was starting to spark in her dark eyes, displacing some of the terror and grief. Good. Fury would help her function. She struggled against Aidan’s hold so she could turn to face the group. Reluctant to let go of her, but understanding her need to be strong, Aidan loosened his arms so she could slide off his lap. He did ’port in an oversized handkerchief, which he handed her to wipe her face and blow her nose.
    “Does Dina have a nanny?” Aidan backed away to the far end of the couch. “Someone who watches her while you’re out or at work? Who might have keys or access to the room, a way past the wards?”
    Elise shook her head. “Dina goes to a witch-owned daycare near the gallery,” she said. “Sylvia Jones—she’s not a Wyndewin , but she can handle kids with power. If I have an evening event, sometimes she keeps Dina overnight, but Sylvia never comes here.”
    Jase left the room, returning a few minutes later with a tray of mugs and a full pot of strong, black coffee, along with fresh tea for Elise. As everyone helped themselves, the doorbell rang and Wallis admitted Greg Novak.
    George’s older brother was still in the tux he’d worn as Ric’s best man at the wedding, though his tie and half his shirt studs were missing and, if Aidan wasn’t mistaken, one collar point was smeared with raspberry-colored lipstick.
    “It seems to me,” Greg said after gulping down half a cup of coffee, “that the first question is why. Obviously it isn’t about money. Though Elise has thousands of dollars’ worth of art in her gallery, kidnapping isn’t the easiest way to get it. If they could pop in here, they could have just as easily popped into a bank vault. So what we should be thinking about is who you might have pissed off lately, gorgeous.”
    “Well, leannan? ” Aidan searched her face for any hint of suspicion, but she shook her head.
    “I haven’t turned down anybody at the gallery and I haven’t been involved in