I hurried out the door and closed it softly behind me, then moved further down the hall. “I don’t believe you.”
“I’m switching to a video call, Lily. I hope you’re decent.”
I looked down at myself. Thankfully, I’d gone to bed in a T-shirt and my fox pyjama pants. I held the phone away from my face so I could see the screen. My stomach dropped to the floor, and my body wanted to follow. My legs weren’t up to their job of holding me up. They’d actually been doing quite a crap job lately.
Piranha was in a room I didn’t recognise, sitting on a white sofa, holding my niece. Annabelle was fast asleep, oblivious to the danger she was in. Oh. My. God. I needed to call James.
Piranha grinned. “Sorry, but if you call anyone, she’s dead, and it will only be the beginning. If you want her home safely, you need to hand yourself over. Once I have you at my mercy, I’ll send this one home.” She moved the camera up to her face so I could no longer see my gorgeous niece.
If I went without telling anyone and she didn’t give Annabelle back, no one would ever know, and I would’ve failed doubly. But I believed her. She had nothing to lose and was crazy enough to kill an innocent baby. Imagine having to tell James I went against what she told me and his child was dead. Oh, God. I could hardly breathe. What the hell was I going to do?
“I’m sending you some coordinates, Lily. Get here within thirty seconds by yourself, or the baby gets it.” The screen went black, and the call ended.
Stuff it. I magicked clothes on and memorised the numbers from the text that came through, but before I left, I opened the bedroom door. “Will, catch!” I threw him the phone, made my doorway, and left. I hadn’t told anyone anything. I could honestly answer that if she asked, but as if I was going to just obey her without leaving evidence so someone could find me. I didn’t trust that she’d send my niece back even if I did what she said. If I didn’t come through for Annabelle, we’d likely both be dead before breakfast time was over.
As I stepped through my doorway, I put up my return to sender. But what else would I need? How was I going to guarantee Annabelle’s safety? Damn it! I was the least qualified person for this, and Piranha knew it. What would they have taught the agents to do in this situation? Never give in to the demands? Tell the police—well the PIB were police in their own right, but I should have contacted someone, surely? But then, if I did…. Argh, what a vicious circle. I didn’t know that there was a right answer in this situation. Dana was unpredictable, well, not entirely. She was predictably murderous, and that’s what I couldn’t toy with. I had to assume she intended to carry out every threat. She held all the power in this situation. Annabelle’s fate hung in the balance until she was safely back at home. I just had to make it happen.
I’d come through to a white room with a shaggy-style rug and orange sixties-style vinyl chair. The door opened before I could knock. The evil witch stood there, but Annabelle was nowhere to be seen. “Where is she?”
“Safe… for now.” She laughed.
“How did you get to be such a b—”
“Now, now, you should be nice to me. I hold all the cards. Come in.” The last was more an order than an enthusiastic welcome. I managed not to shudder as I walked past her, at least not externally. Who knew internals could shudder? It was a wholly unsettling experience, one I never wanted to repeat.
She pushed me in the back, and I stumbled forward. I wanted to fight back, but now wasn’t the time. I needed to see that Annabelle was okay. “Where is she?”
“Not yet. I want you at my mercy before I reveal her whereabouts.” We were walking down a hallway. Just as we reached a doorway at the end, the thug from the other day appeared, and he had an ugly friend. Both men were twice my size and glared at me.
Piranha gave me one more shove, and I flew into the chest of the thug I’d met before. He grabbed my arm and looked at Piranha. “What do you want me to do with her?”
“I haven’t decided yet, but I want you to put the collar on her.” She threw him a silver collar that looked like the one they’d put on my mother. If I waited any longer, I was never going to see Annabelle again. I just knew it. And I still had no guarantee that she’d make it safely home.
I narrowed my eyes and threw a hate-filled stare at the man holding me. “Try and put that on me, and you’re dead.” I jerked my arm out of his hold and turned to the evil one. “Where’s my niece? I am not surrendering anything until she’s back home and safe.”
“Put the collar on, and I’ll show you.”
“Do you think I’m stupid?”
She grinned. “No. I know you are.”
The thug gripped my wrist. I tugged at his hold. “Let go.” He had a return to sender up, so I couldn’t zap him. Unless…. Annabelle must be here somewhere. If I disobeyed, how was Piranha going to hurt her if she was busy dealing with me? They didn’t know my special talents. If I timed this right, I could kill them all, grab Annabelle, and be out of here in five minutes. Was that really my inner voice talking so casually about killing people? And what if it went wrong and I managed to get myself killed? Would she kill Annabelle, or would it not matter? Maybe they were my options: try to escape, or, if I couldn’t, make sure I died trying.
Now I had to hope Will didn’t barge in too early and ruin everything. I guessed it was time to call action.
“Lily? Are you listening to me?” Piranha’s face was twisted in anger. “You do realise I could kill you right now if I wanted.” Her magic prickled my scalp, and a long-bladed knife appeared in her hand. The other thug grabbed my other wrist, and now I was seemingly helpless. They all had return to senders up, so they knew I couldn’t use my magic against them. Surely I was helpless.
The men held me fast as Piranha slowly moved the knifepoint towards my face. She prodded my cheek with it—not hard enough to draw blood but hard enough to make a lesser person pee their pants. I, thankfully, did not. I gave her my most deadpan look, as if I had not a care in the world. “It’s nice to know you’re scared of me.” I smiled.
Her eyes widened, and she pressed the blade hard enough to prick my skin. I managed not to wince at the sting. “Not in a million years. These boys are just my guarantee that I can take my time without having to stop to knock you unconscious. I want you to feel everything I do to you. I want you to know, as you die, who is killing you.”
“You’ve been watching too many movies. Seriously. Have you got any original material? Next, you’ll be shooting at me, but no bullets will actually hit me.” I laughed. “And, don’t forget that we have to have the compulsory fistfight at the end.”
She drew her arm back in a wide arc and slapped my face. My head snapped to the side. Ouch. That actually hurt. Why the hell was I waiting? It was her turn to laugh. “I’m enjoying this. But don’t worry, I won’t kill you… yet. My father wants to use you first.” Her face twisted in revulsion. “He needs strong magic to put some plans into motion. He’s waited a very long time, and even though your incompetent agent friends have put a dent in those plans, it’s all going to be fine. Once my father has your magic under his control, the world will be his.”
Oh, this was interesting. So now maybe I couldn’t kill them. I needed her to take me to her dad. Or maybe I could kill her and he’d come looking for me. Hmm, that was preferable. “Where’s my niece?”
She laughed. “Oh, sorry, I forgot to mention that my father will be minding her until I’ve delivered you to him.”
Crap.
I’d have to wait a little longer for my revenge.
She hovered the knife near my face again and flicked the tip of the blade across my cheek. I sucked in a breath, but I didn’t cry out. I would not give her the pleasure. “Oops, I slipped.”
“Yes, that’s what happened to me when I killed your boyfriend. Oops.”
Fire flared in her eyes, and she placed the knife blade at my throat. I held her stare and thought of my mother, of how she must have felt running from Dana’s father and Toussaint. I
let the hatred well up inside me, a scalding volcano of motivation to survive this and show no fear. I met her glare, second by second, any fear I’d felt earlier swallowed whole by images of my parents.
Revenge couldn’t bring them back, but it would ensure I could sleep at night and that millions, even billions of future non-witches would be safe. Dana’s forehead wrinkled, as if she wasn’t sure about something. “Why are you smirking? Why aren’t you scared?”
I smiled. “Because I know something you don’t. Actually, lots of somethings. And when you find out what they are, it will be too late for you to do anything about it.” At this point, I believed some of what I was saying, but it was pretty much cow manure. It was fun messing with her. Accepting that I might die was liberating. I’d already lost so much of what was dear to me; there was no way I was going to let them take my niece from her parents, and I knew I would do anything to stop that from happening.
At peace with my decision, nothing could hurt me.
Will burst through the reception-room door down the hall, James right behind him, both leading with their guns. I knew they’d find me eventually. But my message had no context, and James had no idea Annabelle’s life hung on Dana’s whim. Although they must have learned by now that she was missing, and they would know I only acted for important stuff. “Lily!” shouted Will. Our gazes met. His eyes were a tumult of worry, fear, and anger.
But that was all I saw before one of the men behind Piranha smashed me in the back of the head. Hmm, maybe I’d been too hasty in my previous assessment because that hurt like a….
And that’s when I blacked out.
It was probably for the best, really.
My head ached, and there was pressure on my neck. Crap. I’d stuffed up, gotten too cocky, and I’d made my life harder. Of course I had. Without opening my eyes, I knew I was somewhere different, somewhere that Will and James would never find me.
Timing was everything. Idiot, Lily!
But then again, Annabelle was also everything, and without knowing where she was, we were in big trouble. I ignored the fear rumbling in my stomach. Maybe it was just hunger? If that was the truth, why didn’t I open my eyes? Let’s just get this over with. I was such a chicken sometimes, but not today. I wasn’t going to let myself shirk my responsibilities.
I did it; I opened my eyes.
And it was just as I thought.
I was lying on another couch, and on an armchair nearby, Dana’s father sat staring at me. He smiled. “Ah, Lily, so kind of you to join us.”
I made a “you’ve got to be kidding” face. “Do all you criminals watch James Bond just for their one-liners? Or is that really how criminals talk, and the movie people researched it really well?”
“I see you haven’t lost your sense of humour.”
“Where’s my niece?”
“Over there. Look, just as Dana promised—she’s fine.”
Dana sat in an armchair cradling Annabelle and cooing at her. It was about as comforting as watching a funnel-web spider coddle your baby. I just needed a giant thong to squash her with, and everything would be right with the world.
“She also promised that you’d send her home safely when you had me where you wanted me, and”—I reached up and touched the cold, metallic collar around my neck that definitely blocked my magic—“I’m pretty sure that’s where I am right now. At your whim with no magic to protect myself. If you don’t send her back now and I have proof she’s safe, I will die rather than help you.”
“Did you hear that, Anna, honey, your Auntie Lily is trying to make demands? She’s so stupid. But we knew that, didn’t we?” If Piranha thought she could build rapport with my niece, she was the stupid one. Annabelle had much better taste than that. Also, I wasn’t going to bite. If that’s what she wanted, it wasn’t happening.
I looked back at Dana’s father. “We both know I’m here because your daughter isn’t magically powerful enough to help with what you want, so why don’t you send her away, and we can talk business. But only after my niece is safe.” Ha, I saw the glint of anger strike her face. If I managed to make her angry enough, maybe I could take advantage somehow. Was there a key for this contraption around my neck? If they wanted to use my magic, they would have to give me access to it eventually. Unless they were going to brainwash me like they did with Millicent. Gah! Come on, Lily, you beat that vampire witch. They’ve got nothing on him. My inner voice had a point. I really should listen to it more often, or was that what got me here in the first place?
Dana’s father stood, and I struggled to sit up, but after impersonating a determined cockroach, I managed to. Damned if I was going to crane my neck looking up at him towering over me. He walked over to me and looked down. Damn. I was still looking up at him. “So, if I don’t return your niece, you would rather die than help me? Are you sure?”
I stood and took great joy in the flinch he tried to hide. “Positive. Hurry this up. I always hoped I’d die suddenly, like without warning, because, really, we all die suddenly. Like, there is a point in time where it happens. It all just stops. I know with cancer, you might say someone died slowly, but at the moment of death, it happens all of a sudden.”
“Oh for God’s sake, shut up!” Dana yelled. Annabelle cried.
“Argh, now you’ve done it. You’d make a crap mother. And I wonder what Dana’s mother would think of both of you using a baby to get me here? I have a suspicion she wasn’t nearly as horrible as both of you. Imagine what she would say, knowing you’ve threatened the life of a baby.”
Hmm, that got their attention. They both stared at me. Dana’s eyes radiated anger, but what else was new? Her father, however, had that cold, controlled look of anger and pain, something that ran much deeper and could do infinitely more damage to another person when that was their motivation. Maybe I’d just thrown one insult too many.
Dana jumped up, the baby still in her arms, crying. “Stop talking about my mother. You don’t know her. You don’t know what she would or wouldn’t think. You know nothing about her!”
I rolled my eyes. “If she was a half-decent person, then, yes, I do know what she’d think.” I turned my gaze on Dana’s father. “I also know my mother didn’t kill her. Your father did.” Okay, I didn’t know it for sure, but he was there when she died, and my mother wasn’t. I had to hope my assumption hit close enough to the truth to get a result.
“Enough!” my target shouted.
But since when had I listened to orders? “You killed her in your house, then burnt it down. I just can’t work out why.”
His face had paled—he obviously hadn’t foreseen this turn of events. Dana hadn’t missed his reaction, either. I smirked. “My mother didn’t kill your mother. You’ve hated me for so long for nothing. Maybe hate your father since he was the one who did it.”
“She’s lying. How would she know how your mother died?”
“Admit it under magical oath, then.” Ooh, now I was coming up with the good stuff.
Silence seized the room. Even Annabelle had quietened.
I stared at Dana’s dad with a challenge in my gaze. He would never agree to that, even if he were innocent. As if a criminal about to use a victim for their own nefarious purposes would submit to a request from said victim. He would never lower himself. He hadn’t kept that secret for over ten years just to let it all come undone now. As far as he was concerned, I was temporary, but he would have a lifetime with his daughter.
But it was too late.
Dana would always wonder. I had planted the seed, and I hope she choked on its fruit.
“Lies!” He slapped me. A jolt of pain cracked from my cheek to my neck. Bloody family of slappers. If I didn’t already have a headache, I’d pull out my awesome headbutt and break his nose. But I needed to think.
“Take Annabelle home or I will die here. I’ve beaten a vampire witch. You think I’m going to succumb to you?” I spat in his face. Wow, that was so gross of me, but I liked it. Nice work, Lily.
He snarled and wiped his face. He grabbed me under the chin. “Do that again, and I’ll cut your tongue off. You won’t need that to draw magic.”
I reached for my magic, but it wasn’t there. Of course it wasn’t. Grrr. Anger and fear entwined in my gut, and I wasn’t sure which was getting the upper hand. Actually, as my knee rocketed upwards and smashed Dana’s father in the balls, it was obvious that anger was winning. Yay, anger!
He grunted and doubled over. I pushed him out of the way and ran to my niece. They were obviously never going to send her back, so I had nothing to lose.
Nothing.
But Dana had magic, and I didn’t.
She hit me with a wall of energy that flung me backwards. I slammed into the floor, the air rushing from my lungs. Dana screamed, “Clive!” Her two thugs came running, as well as two extras. One of them helped her father stand, and another put his boot on my stomach and pointed a gun at my chest.
Dammit! This was not how this was supposed to go. The bad guys were not supposed to win. I looked over at Annabelle, who’d started crying again. “I’m so sorry, baby girl. Auntie Lily loves you. I’ll figure this out. I promise.”
Piranha sauntered over and stood at my feet. Even though her thug had me in check, she kept just far enough away that I couldn’t kick her. I smirked. “Still scared of me, even though I have no magic, and this moron has a gun pointed at my chest?”
Her lip curled up in a sneer. She held out my gorgeous niece. “I just wouldn’t want you to do anything to hurt this one. Just imagine if she died, and you died, and your brother still hated you for all eternity. And he will hate you, you know.” I did figure that might happen, but it was too late to cry about it now, and squirrel’s bum I was going to give her the pleasure of seeing an iota of grief in my face.
“Scaredy-cat. I know squirrels braver than you.” I grinned.
She flicked a finger at me, and it was as if acid ate through my wrist.
The tattoo! Crap. I’d forgotten all about it. So, it was still active, but maybe only when they were close to me. At least it wasn’t going to do anything worse than cause me to grimace. And, yes, I was grimacing, which Piranha thought was amusing if her smile was anything to judge by. “Ah, good to see it’s still working. Oh, look, little Annabelle has one just like Auntie Idiot’s.” She lifted Annabelle’s sleeve to reveal a tiny tattoo, and my heart squeezed painfully. The tattoo’s size made it look more like a lizard than a snake, but I wasn’t going to joke about it.
Witch War in Westerham Page 21