Free Love Knows No Bounds by Brooke Moss, Nina Croft, Boone Brux Page A

of the nearest stones. “They look like they’re in good shape.”
    Christopher joined her. “I’m sure Pierre has something spectacular planned for them.”
    “I’m sure. The man is crazy but he definitely knows design.”
    The shrill ring of her phone startled her. She removed her hand from the stones and fumbled in her purse, but the ringing stopped. The screen said one call missed. Pierre must be trying to phone her at—she glanced at the time on the screen—one in the morning. She’d be irritated with him if she wasn’t already even more irritated with Satan. The phone now registered no coverage.
    “That’s weird.” She flipped the phone shut and shoved it back in her purse. “It only rang once, but it did ring. That’s the first time since…” She thought back to when she’d used her phone last. “Since the Bandicott Estate.”
    Christopher took out his phone. “I use my phone all the time but it says no coverage.” He slid it back in his pocket. “Looks like somebody doesn’t want you making calls.”
    “Or checking my email.”
    He nodded. “Maybe you were onto something by trying to unfollow. Maybe that’s why you’re being tailed.”
    “Because I’m too close?”
    “Yeah, I think Mr. Minion is getting nervous.”
    Faye looked at the stones. She’d been touching them when her phone rang. She placed her hand against the top of a brick and her phone chirped. She pressed both hands on the bricks and her phone chirped again, more loudly.
    “Help me. I have an idea.” She lifted a stone and placed it on the floor about ten feet from the pile. “Lay out some of the stones on the floor.”
    He picked up a brick and followed her over. “Why?”
    The feeling of being watched returned. If Vern was inside the building, she didn’t want to give away her plan. She tried to sound nonchalant. “I want to examine some of the stones before we call a cab. Mr. Shogun will kill me if the moving crew damaged any of these.”
    Christopher’s brow furrowed in confusion. “So you want to examine each stone?”
    “No.” Her voice sounded unnaturally high. “Maybe twenty or so.”
    If her suspicions were correct then the stones just might be the answer to her dilemma. The trick was to not let the demon know she’d figured it out before she had a chance to test her theory. The chapel had been the one place her phone had worked. She prayed everything she’d read about holy ground would apply to these stones.
    After several minutes of hauling bricks, they’d managed to lay out a square stone platform big enough for two people. Faye knelt, pretending to examine the pieces while digging in her purse. She pulled out the phone Mr. Shogun had given her and stood, searching the shadows of the warehouse. But she couldn’t see anything beyond the light, Still, she felt him and knew he was there.
    Her heartbeats thumped at the base of her throat and she tried to swallow past it. She didn’t know what the next few minutes would bring, but if she didn’t try to thwart the Devil then her fate was sealed. The unimaginable torture the nuns had drilled into her head strengthened her resolve.
    She stepped onto the stones. Instantly her phone rang. Before she could answer it, the phone flew from her hand. Faye grabbed, but missed and watched it sail into the darkness. She waited but no crashing pieces sounded.
    “What the hell?” Christopher said.
    “Exactly.” The voice wafted from the darkness.
    Faye shuffled a few steps to the left, grabbed Christopher’s arm, and pulled him onto the stones. He stumbled, but quickly righted himself. “What’s going on?”
    “She’s figured out the loophole.” The minion stepped into the light, holding her phone in front of him like a trophy. “Unfortunately, she wasn’t clever enough to hold on to this.”
    Christopher looked at her, silently asking What the hell?
    “The stones.” She pointed to their feet. “They’re holy ground. They’ve been blessed. That’s