Out of Sight by Stella Cameron

And I’d like to hear them whispering to me, too. It would be okay if they turned pretty colors as well.”
    “Marley really does tell you things,” he said. “How come I didn’t even know you were back in town? You must have been hiding out. I thought you were away all these months.”
    Avoiding the question, she turned to the planting bed where the cat stretched out and tentatively scratched her tummy. There were more angels in there and, barely visible, a small griffin made of some kind of reddish stone. If it weren’t for the gargoyles on lintels and glowering down from the roof, the griffin would look completely out of place.
    In the next bed of plants over, she parted a cascade of philodendron draped over a figure with wings folded and eyes lowered. “I’m not proud of what I did beforey’know. It was only by chance that Ben and Willow got back together.”
    “Not entirely,” Sykes said. “It was kind of a joint effort.”
    “I’m sure it was and I’m glad you intervened. I was an idiot. I knew I wasn’t welcome here afterward so I stayed away. Marley wanted me to get everything out in the open with you and try to get past it, but I…well, I didn’t is all.”
    “No laughing angels today,” Sykes said. He turned away from her and after making sure the angel she had found remained revealed, Poppy caught up with him.
    They left the property through tall, wrought-iron gates at the side of the shop. Poppy noticed for the first time that there was a griffin in the center of those gates. Someone must have liked them a lot.
    Fortunes was only blocks away on St. Ann Street. They walked fast through a midday hot enough to raise waves of trembling vapor from the pavement. Flecks of mica sparkled through a thin layer of dust.
    A small boy in a stroller cried while a black Lab licked ice cream off the toddler’s face. The mom was too busy trying on sunglasses from a vendor’s cart parked at the curb to notice.
    “Hope that’s not chocolate ice cream,” Sykes said to the woman, who spun around. He pointed at the dog and baby. “Chocolate is really bad for dogs.”
    He reached for Poppy’s hand and pulled her along with him as his strides lengthened.
    “You’re mean,” she told him, laughing.
    “Got her to look after her kid, didn’t I?” He pointed ahead. “I see someone we both know.”
    Poppy saw her brother, Liam, pacing outside Fortunes, a phone pressed to his ear. He saw them coming and raised both arms in the air. He wasn’t waving. Liam radiated anger.
    “He’s going ballistic,” Poppy said unnecessarily. “Liam doesn’t lose it like that.” She broke into a run.
    Sykes was faster and loped ahead fast enough to just about pull her off her feet.
    “Whoa,” Liam shouted. “Where’s the fire?”
    Sykes skidded to a halt in front of him. “You tell me. You’re the one waving his arms around.”
    Liam turned red. He ran a hand behind his neck. “I couldn’t find my sister,” he said, looking from Sykes to Poppy. “No one saw you since last night when you went to that creep’s place. We heard what happened to that woman and Ethan’s gone over there with the band.”
    “The band?” Poppy frowned at Liam. “You’re not serious.”
    “They had an early session and you couldn’t keep ’em away. They’re protective of you, Poppy.”
    Fortunes had its own regular band for backup and to play when they didn’t have featured artists.
    “Why didn’t you call me?” Poppy said.
    “I did. The number’s not in use, it says.”
    Poppy shook her head. “You can’t be using the rightnumber.” She marched past Liam to enter the club. She was grateful for the cool in the foyer.
    Sykes and Liam followed her, both tall, both dark-haired, and Liam’s eyes were an intense navy blue. Her brother was another heart-stopper, but he genuinely didn’t seem to have any idea of the effect he had on women.
    Liam taught history at Tulane. He also helped back up Poppy with the club management,