by Jane Hinchey
“Enough talking!” Her voice was laced with hysteria. “If you keep talking, I’ll beat your head in with the rolling pin,” she threatened, and I believed her. I didn’t utter a sound, just watched her with wary eyes, my face stinging.
In the kitchen, she turned on all the burners and the smell of gas filled the air. She did the same with the oven, opening the door, so the fumes poured out. Oh good. I think I’d rather be gassed than have my head bashed in. Then I saw what she pulled out of her pocket. Matches. Oh no, not fire, please not fire. Not only me, but my beautiful cottage—it didn’t deserve to burn.
Thank god Archie was outside. He’d be spared. My mind drifted to Gran, to Mom and Dad. I thought of Jenna and Monica, Jackson, and finally, Blake. It saddened me I wouldn’t have another picnic with him, I’d never find out if his lips were as soft as they looked. I wouldn’t relive the thrill of his hand in mine, or the heat of him as he stood next to me.
“What are you crying about?” Gladys snapped, and that’s when I realized tears were running down my face. I hadn’t noticed. But one thing was for sure—I wasn’t ready to die. I would not sit here and let her kill me, not without a fight.
“You’re a coward,” I taunted. “Killing someone over some lousy eggs? That’s pathetic. And now you’re killing me because I found you out? You’re a chicken.”
The mocking worked. She roared and lunged at me, her hands going for my throat, but I was ready for her. Using her momentum, I pushed down against the floor with my feet and we toppled over, crashing to the floor. Pain ricocheted through my spine and head, and my ears were ringing, but she let go of my neck to balance her hands on the floor and push herself up.
But I had what I wanted. One hand was free. The other was tangled in broken chair and rope, but one was free, and I used my magic to release myself from the rest of the rope. Her back was to me as she got to her feet. I saw her reaching for the rolling pin and knew what she intended to do next. As she turned and swung, I rolled, and she connected with the floor and not my head.
“Nooooooo!” she screamed, swinging again. I rolled back, avoiding the second blow. Bringing my feet up, I pushed her in the stomach, hard. She staggered back, not expecting the attack. I clambered to my feet, dizzy, my head throbbing. The air was thicker with gas now, making it difficult to breathe. I tried to think of a spell to contain it, but my mind was blank. I wasn’t sure if it was due to a brain injury from two blows to my skull in a relatively short period of time, the gas, or something else, but my sense of self-preservation was high. I had to get out of here.
I made a run for the door, only I didn’t get far as I felt myself being jerked backwards by my hair. Spinning around, I flailed with kicks, yells, and slaps, anything to keep her off but I’d misjudged. Gladys was strong for an old witch. She wrestled me to the floor, and I wondered if she’d been working out. I got a few more slaps in before her hands circled my throat and I began to see stars. And Gladys’s eyes, crazed and intent on me.
My hand slapped around on the floor, trying to find something, anything, to use as a weapon. When my fingers touched something wooden and smooth, I reached my fingers out as far as they would stretch, wrapping my hand around the rolling pin. Channeling all my strength, I swung the rolling pin at Gladys’s head.
I heard a scream. I think it might have been mine. As she fell off me, I sucked in welcome breaths of air and scrambled to my feet, staggering for the door and flinging it open to drag in sweet, sweet, fresh air.
Two police cars skidded to a halt, blue and red lights flashing, blinding me. I lifted my arm to shield my face against the unexpected glare.
“Take her!” Jackson shouted, pushing past me, but I stopped him, grabbing his arm.
“There’s gas!” I gasped, coughing. “She has matches,” I warned. Two uniformed officers were right behind him.
“I’ve got you.” Strong arms swept me up and rushed me off the verandah. I clung to Blake, confused as to why he was here. With Jackson. Who had called them? He opened a car door and slid me onto the back seat. A furry head butted my arm, along with a familiar meow.
“Archie!” I pulled him into my arms, burying my face in his fur.
Blake squatted in the open door, his face full of concern. “He ran all the way into town. Pretty sure he was heading for the police station when I saw him.”
“Oh, Archie, you good boy,” I cooed, then I looked at Blake. “She’s crazy. Please help Jackson. The place is full of gas and she has matches.”
I blinked and he was gone. The adrenaline that had been keeping me going was fading fast and I rested my head against the back of the seat while Archie climbed on my lap and rested his head against my chest. I wrapped my arms around him and cuddled him to me, comforted by his purr.
Hearing a commotion, I turned my head and watched as Jackson and the two officers escorted Gladys out of the cottage, her hands restrained behind her back. She was ranting and raving—I couldn’t make out what, it sounded like gibberish to me—and Jackson seated her in the back of the squad car before coming over to check on me.
“You okay?” he asked, leaning one arm on the roof of the car as he ducked down to look at me.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’ve got a tough head,” I joked.
“Tennant tell you that this cat of yours is the hero?”
“He did.” I smiled.
“Glad you’re okay,” he said roughly, touching a hand to my cheek before straightening up. “See that she gets a checkup,” he said to Blake before shaking the other man’s hand and climbing into his car.
Blake leaned in and pulled the seatbelt across both Archie and myself, then gently closed the door. I looked through the window at my cottage, relieved beyond belief that it was still standing.
“What did you do?” I asked, once Blake had slid behind the wheel. “How did you stop her from sending it up in flames?”
Blake adjusted the rearview mirror and met my eyes. “I surrounded her with an energy field. If she lit a match, there may have been enough gas trapped in with her that she’d have gone up in a ball of flame. Although, I couldn’t say for sure. Seemed she wasn’t prepared to risk it. Once Jackson got the cuffs on her, I released the shield. I’ve turned the gas off and opened all your windows.”
It took too much effort to reply so I merely nodded and closed my eyes, the rocking of the car as we pulled away enough to send me into a light slumber.
“Harper?” Blake’s voice blew hot breath into my ear, but I didn’t have the energy to wake up. Not fully, and not just yet.
“Come on. We’re at the hospital, time to get you checked out.”
Right. Yes. I’ll get right on that. In a minute. Just give me five more minutes and then I’ll get up. Archie’s warm body disappeared, and I grumbled in protest.
“Come on, up with you.” Suddenly, I was lifted out of the car and cradled against a firm chest. It was almost enough to get me to crack open an eye. Almost. Blake’s chest vibrated as he chuckled. Then the glorious dimness of outside was replaced by harsh hospital lights and I turned my face into his neck to protect my eyes from the glare.
The next few hours were a blur of being poked, prodded, stuck with needles, and generally not being left to sleep in peace like I so desperately wanted to do. Eventually, they decided to admit me and if it meant I could get some rest, I was all for it. After all, I couldn’t go home, not tonight.
“Archie?” I croaked, forcing my eyes open. Blake sat by the side of my bed, watching the solution in my drip as it made its way down the tube and into my arm.
“He’s fine. He’s in my car. I’ll take him home with me tonight.”
“You can have cats in hotels?”
He shrugged. “I’m not really bothered with what I can and can’t do right now.”
“Are you okay?” I frowned. I was a bit spaced out—had he been hurt tonight?
He barked out a laugh, clasping my hand in his. “I’m fine. I’m worried about you, you nut. You scared me for a
minute.”
“Oh, sorry.” I closed my eyes on a sigh. I was feeling better and not so fuzzy headed. My headache had gone, although my scalp was still tender, but I was still tired.
“What’s the time?” I asked. He glanced at his watch. “Just after three.”
“You should go. Get some sleep. Take care of my cat.”
“I’d rather stay here,” he grumbled.
“Please take care of Archie. He might poop in your car,” I felt compelled to point out.
He laughed again. “A compelling argument. Okay. I shall see to your cat’s needs if it will make you happy.”
“It will. All I’m going to do is sleep. Come back in the morning and break me out of here.”
“You can count on it.” He stood, then leaned down and dropped a soft kiss on my lips. “Get some rest.”
And then he was gone. With a sigh, I pulled the covers up to my chin and did as instructed.
Gran, Jenna, and Monica arrived the following morning.
“Ohmigod!” Gran sat on the edge of the bed and pulled me into her arms, her grip tight. God, had these witches been lifting weights or some sort of super workout? How did they get so damn strong? I winced a little and eased out of her grip.
“Easy there, Gran.” I smiled, blinking a couple of times at today’s outfit. Cut-off denim shorts with black leggings underneath, a floral slash Hawaiian blouse, with a striped, what looked to be home knitted vest over the top. Oh, and on her feet, blue bedazzled Uggs.
“You’re all over the news. You’re a hero,” Jenna said with a little smile.
“I hope you got the scoop?”
She snorted. “But of course!”
“You could have been killed,” Monica felt compelled to point out. “That witch was all sorts of crazy.”
“Well, I didn’t. I’m fine.” I was dressed and sitting on the side of my hospital bed, eager to go home. I kept glancing at the door, expecting Blake to walk through at any moment, growing more disappointed when the minutes ticked by and he didn’t appear.
Gran clued in. “Blake called,” she stated. “Said something had come up, asked if we’d give you a lift home.”
Monica, dressed in her oversized summer hat, long sleeved coat, with scarf wrapped around her neck and face so that all that was visible was her eyes— behind sunglasses—and her nose, sat on the end of my bed. “He also said,” she pointed out, “that he’s totes sorry he can’t be here himself and that he’ll explain when he sees you.”
“And Archie?” He’d taken my cat home last night and I missed sleeping with my feline companion. Never mind the crushing sense of disappointment that Blake wasn’t here. Never mind that at all.
“He’ll bring Archie up to your house as soon as he’s finished with whatever it is that’s keeping him away,” Monica assured me.
“Don’t forget he’s a lawyer,” Jenna pointed out. “I’m sure he has other clients aside from Gran. Maybe more complex cases too.”
“Good point.”
“Oh, good news on that point.” Gran beamed. “Jackson called and said I’d been unarrested.”
“What she means is the charges have been dropped,” Jenna added.
“Oh, Gran, that’s wonderful. About time!” I hopped off the side of the bed and hugged her, breaking apart when a nurse bustled in.
“Here are your discharge papers, Harper. Come back if you experience a return of any symptoms. Things like dizziness, nausea.”
“I will,” I promised, eager to get home.
“The bruising on your throat will settle, but if you have any trouble swallowing, or breathing, come back. It means there is swelling, and your breathing could be compromised.”
I’d seen the angry purple bruises on my neck when I’d looked in the mirror this morning, but they looked worse than they felt.
We bundled into Monica’s car, because hers had the darkest tint, and drove out to the lighthouse cottage. Having the windows open all night had done the trick, the gas had dissipated.
“We’re going to have to smudge again,” Gran grumbled. “The energy is all off in here.”
Jenna put the kettle on and busied herself making us coffee while I perched on the edge of the sofa. “I can’t believe it,” I finally said, and three heads swung around to look at me.
“Believe what, love?” Gran asked.
“That it was Gladys. That she killed Bonnie. Then tried to kill me. It’s so crazy and surreal.”
Jenna handed me a coffee. “Did she tell you why she killed Bonnie?”
I nodded. “Oh yeah. Over the eggs. Bonnie kept sneaking into her chicken coop and stealing the eggs. And that day, it just tipped Gladys over the edge.”
“Crazy chicken lady,” Monica declared, accepting the coffee Jenna held out to her.
We all heard a car pull up outside and I jumped to my feet, hoping it was Blake with Archie. Opening the front door, I smiled when I recognized Blake’s rental car. He opened the door and Archie leaped out, trotting toward me, meowing all the way. I bent and scooped him into my arms.
“I missed you too, boy.” I kissed his nose and held him tight while watching Blake walk toward me.
His dark eyes swept me from head to toe.
“Hi,” I said, trying for sexy but nailing chipmunk once again.
“Hi yourself,” he said, his voice low and smooth. He tucked my hair behind one ear, his fingers brushing against my cheek. “We have to talk, but first…”
Then he kissed me. Boy, did he kiss me.
Archie sprang out of my arms, freeing me to pull Blake closer and run my fingers through his hair. The kiss went on forever but ended all too soon.
“What’s wrong?” I whispered, his face giving him away. Something was terribly, terribly wrong, and try as he might to hide it, I could see the truth.
Blake took hold of my hands and looked deep into my eyes.
“Harper…it’s about your parents.”
My heart stopped. I closed my eyes for a second as a million wild ideas ricocheted around in my bruised brain. When I opened them again, Blake was watching me intently.
“Tell me.” I braced myself. One part of me hoped this was some elaborate joke, that he was about to yell “surprise,” and they’d leap out from the back seat of the car. I even snuck a look over his shoulder, but I couldn’t see through the tinted glass.
“Harper, your parents are missing. They missed their flight in Adelaide. No one knows where they are.”
It was one of those moments where everything freezes and then comes at you at a million miles an hour. I kept my eyes locked on his, drawing on his strength, willing myself to remain calm.
“Right,” I finally said. “Looks like we’re going to Australia.”
Ready to read Harper’s next adventure in Witch Way Down Under? Get your copy here: mybook.to/DownUnder
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Books in the Witch Way Series:
#1 Witch Way to Murder & Mayhem
#2 Witch Way to Romance & Ruin
#3 Witch Way Down Under
#4 Witch Way to Beauty and the Beach
Still to come… (not yet published)
#5 Witch Way to Death & Destruction
#6 Witch Way to Santa Claws
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About Jane
Aussie Author & International Bestseller Jane Hinchey writes sexy, snarky, badass, paranormal romances and funny, witchy, paranormal cozy mysteries.
&n
bsp; Living in the City of Churches (aka Adelaide, South Australia) with her man, two cats, and turtle, she would really prefer to live in a magical town where cooking could be done with a snap of her fingers, and her house would clean itself.
When she's not in her writing cave she's usually playing the Sims, Civilizations or something similar, binge-watching Netflix or upping the ante in the crazy cat lady stakes.
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Copyright © 2019 by Jane Hinchey
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-6485019-6-1
ASIN: B07R8KB4Y1
Published by Baywolf
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