I opened my
mouth. Nothing came out.
Mom made
big eyes at me and nodded toward the table. I dropped my bag on the floor and
sat.
“Drink your
tea.” Grandma Frida pushed a steaming mug toward Rynda.
Rynda
picked up and drank it, but her gaze was fixed on me. Desperation in her eyes
turned to near panic. Right.
I closed my
eyes, took a deep breath from the stomach all the way up, held it, and let it
out slowly. One . . . two . . . Calm . . . calm . . .
“Nevada?”
Grandma Frida asked.
“She’s an
empath Prime,” I said. “I’m upset, so it’s affecting her.”
Rynda gave
a short laugh, and I heard Olivia Charles in her voice. “Oh, that’s rich.”
Five . . .
six . . . Breathe in, breathe out . . . Ten. Good enough.
I opened my
eyes and looked at Rynda. I had to keep my voice and my emotions under control.
“Your mother killed an entire crew of Rogan’s soldiers and four lawyers,
including two women your age. It was an unprovoked slaughter. Their husbands
are now widowers and their children are motherless because of her.”
“A person
is never just one thing,” Rynda said, putting the mug down. “To you she might
have been a monster, but to me she was my mother. She was a wonderful
grandmother to my children. She loved them so much. My mother-in- law doesn’t
care for them. They have no grandparents now.”
“I’m sorry
for your and their loss. I regret that things went the way they did. But it was
a justified kill.” Dear God, I sounded like my mother.
“I don’t
even know how she died.” Rynda clenched her hands into a single fist. “They
only gave me back her bones. How did my mother die, Nevada?”
I took a
deep breath. “It wasn’t an easy or a quick death.”
“I deserve
to know.” There was steel in her voice. “Tell me.”
“No. You
said you needed my help. Something terrible must’ve happened. Let’s talk about
that.”
Her hand
shook, and the mug danced a little as she brought it to her lips. She took
another swallow of her tea. “My husband is missing.”
Okay.
Missing husband. Familiar territory. “When was the last time you saw . . .”
Rogan had said his name one time, what was it? “. . . Brian?”
“Three days
ago. He went to work on Thursday and didn’t come back. He doesn’t answer his
phone. Brian likes his routine. He’s always home by dinner. It’s almost
Christmas. He wouldn’t miss it.” A note of hysteria crept into her voice. “I
know what you’ll ask: does he have a mistress, did we have a good marriage,
does he disappear on drunken binges? No. No, he doesn’t. He takes care of me
and the kids. He comes home!”
She must’ve
spoken to the Houston PD. “Did you fill out a missing person report?”
“Yes.
They’re not going to look for him.” Her voice turned bitter. She was getting
more agitated by the minute. “He’s a Prime. It’s House business. Except House
Sherwood is convinced that Brian is okay and
he’s just
taking a break. Nobody is looking for him, except me. Nobody is returning my
calls. Even Rogan refuses to see me.”
That didn’t
sound right. Rogan would never turn her away, even if I pitched a huge fit
about it. I’d watched the two of them talking before. He liked her and he cared
about her. “What did Rogan say exactly?”
“I came to
him on Friday. His people told me he was out. He was out on Saturday. I asked
to wait, and they told me it was a waste of time. They didn’t know when he
would be back. I may be naive, but I’m not an idiot. I know what that means.
Two weeks ago, I had friends. I had my mother’s friends, powerful, respected,
and always so eager to do Olivia Charles a favor. Two weeks ago, one phone call
and half of the city would be out looking for Brian. They would be putting
pressure on the police, on the mayor, on the Texas Rangers. But now, everyone
is out. Everyone is too busy to see me. There is an invisible wall around me.
No matter how loud I scream, nobody can hear me. People just nod and offer
platitudes.”
“He didn’t
stonewall you,” I said. “He was out of state. With me.
She
stopped. “You’re together?”
There was
no point in lying. “Yes.”
“The thing
with my mother, it wasn’t just a job for you?”
“No. She
killed the wife of a man I consider a friend. He works here now.”
Rynda put
her hand over her mouth. Silence fell, heavy and tense.
“I
shouldn’t have come here,” she said. “I’ll get the children and go.”
“That’s
right,” Grandma Frida said.
“No,” Mom
said. I knew that voice. That was Sergeant Mom voice. Rynda knew that voice
too, because she sat up straighter. Olivia Charles was never in the military,
but three minutes of talking to her had told me that she had ruled her
household with an iron fist and had very low tolerance for nonsense.
“You’re
here now,” Mom said. “You came to us for help, because you had nowhere to turn
and because you’re scared for your husband and your children. You came to the
right place. Nevada is very good at tracking missing people. Either she’ll help
you, or she will recommend someone who will.”
Grandma
Frida turned and looked at Mom as if she had sprouted a pineapple on her head.
“Right,” I
said. I may not have personally murdered Rynda’s mother, but I made that death
possible. And now she was a pariah, alone and scared. She had lost her mother,
her husband, and all of the people she thought were her friends. I had to help
her. I had to at least get her started in the right direction.
Wildfire is the conclusion of the Hidden Legacy Trilogy and what a fun ride it's been. The action and danger escalate with each continuing book, luring us deeper into the conspiracy exposed in book one. Along with the dangers facing Rogan and Nevada, they are trying to work out what it means to be in a relationship together and how they proceed.
Nevada finds herself in an awkward position - trying to avoid her grandmother and her sure-to-be-bad plans, she's taking on becoming a house in her own right, House Baylor. But that adds more stress and anxiety, especially when it means letting out secrets of her family's powers.
Rogan is dealing with his own personal struggles, but he realizes one thing for sure - he wants Nevada and somehow they can figure out a way to make it work.
Wildfire culminates the plot revolving around those involved in the conspiracy and their remaining plans. Nevada and Rogan dig deeper into the matter while also helping out Rynda, who isn't easy to work with in some aspects, for either of them.
One of my favorite things about this series are the twists and turns Nevada and Rogan face, and how things have unexpected outcomes. Putting the pieces together seems so easy when you learn certain things - but the reality is - not everything is as it seems. Wildfire brought out the true devotion between Rogan and Nevada, it brought a deeper loyalty among Nevada and the rest of House Baylor, and it delivered action and suspense all along with those other emotions.
In the end, I really enjoyed the journey these two have taken with each other; saving the world while falling in love. They are a perfect match and bring out so much in each other - which makes the books that much more compelling.
If you enjoy fantasy reads mixed with action, suspense and romance - this trilogy is for you!
Start the Trilogy at the beginning
“Ilona
Andrews" is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing
team. Ilona is a native-born Russian and Gordon is a former communications
sergeant in the U.S. Army. Contrary to popular belief, Gordon was never an
intelligence officer with a license to kill, and Ilona was never the mysterious
Russian spy who seduced him. They met in college, in English Composition 101,
where Ilona got a better grade. (Gordon is still sore about that.) They have
co-authored two New York Times and USA Today bestselling series—the urban
fantasy of Kate Daniels and the romantic urban fantasy of The Edge—and are
working on the next volumes for both. They live in Texas with their two
children and many dogs and cats.
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