by K. M. Waller
Chapter Six
Each second that passed felt like an eternity. She should’ve gone in with Lex instead of letting him convince her to stay outside. It was her house, after all. After another couple minutes, Amira pushed the door open wide. “Lex?”
He advanced down the stairs and into the foyer, hitting the light switches as he came toward her. “I’ve checked every room. If someone broke in, they’re long gone now.”
She half-smiled with relief. “I can imagine the disappointment of a thief coming into this house. My laptop stays at the tea room and my jewelry collection is faux gems.”
Lex held up his phone. “Take a few minutes to look around while I call the police.”
She rushed forward and placed a hand on his forearm, but retracted it when the familiar zing spiked up her arm. “Let me check around first before you make the call. I don’t want to waste an officer’s time if it turns out I didn’t pull the door closed all the way.”
Jekyllpup and Hydepup settled on the couch while she placed Clara on her perch. She walked through the downstairs rooms and not a single item appeared out of place. Upstairs held three empty bedrooms, the master bedroom, and a bathroom. She glanced inside the master bedroom she’d taken over when her sisters moved out. Again, not a thing out of place. As she descended the stairs, prickles of anxiety marched around her back and into her shoulders.
The grimoires.
She dashed into the living room, half-afraid Lex would be standing over them, but more afraid of the alternative. Apprehension sprang into her limbs.
Lex stood motionless while Sugar Plum worked back and forth through his legs. He glanced up and raised his eyebrows. “Something missing?”
Two nights ago, she’d left all four books on the edge of the coffee table. Why hadn’t she put them away like she’d intended? “I need to check the basement real quick.”
She rushed to the basement door and flicked the light switch. Maybe the books had known a stranger was in the house and magically put themselves back in the safe. After all, magic had its own rules. Wishful thinking. The safe stood open and empty.
Lex called to her from the top of the stairs. “Everything okay?”
Oh sure, Lex. Only one hundred and fifty years of spells missing. She stopped herself before saying the words out loud. He’d never believe she was a true witch anyway. “No. Everything’s fine.”
Who would steal spell books? Another witch? Each family of witches had their own specialties and most spells were unique to their family. Even non-practicing witches understood using another coven’s spells could end in disaster. Could it be the great-aunts? They had the books memorized, but they were reaching an age where their memories could be failing. At least she knew her sisters wouldn’t touch the books with a hundred-foot pole. She practiced a smile that didn’t radiate edginess and anxiety before she joined him in the kitchen.
Sugar Plum settled and flopped down on his foot, her quiet way of saying she liked him. Lex crossed his arms and leaned against the counter, his eyes focused on her. His concern appeared real. At least she’d put the indifference spell inside her purse for safekeeping. She grabbed her nerves and walked up to him. With this latest disaster, she needed one less burden. She pinched at the hair on his forearm and pulled hard.
“Ow.” He brushed her hand away. “What was that?”
“Sorry. I thought I saw a spider.” She checked her fingers—there wasn’t a fictional spider or an arm hair. Flower goddesses divine. No hair. No spell books. No sanity would be left if she had to endure all of this another day.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” He rubbed the spot where she’d pulled.
She tucked her hands behind her back. “Really, everything’s fine. Not a thing out of place. Thank you for checking out the house.”
“I could stay for a few minutes until you feel safer.”
His gentle voice made her heart beat wild in her chest. If she invited him to stay, she’d be feeding into her aunts’ obsessions. She gestured toward the door. “I really need to get to bed. There’s a lot to do before the bridal shower tomorrow, and it’s been a very long day.”
In the morning, she’d have Ally and Ris help scry for the books. If that was even possible. She pulled on her lip and waved goodbye to Lex as he backed out of the drive. She shut the front door, resigned to the fact she now had to tell her sisters everything. Otherwise, they’d never understand why she broke their pact about keeping the grimoires locked away.
∞∞∞
Lex drove the short distance to his rental home. He’d searched the Walker house with speed, knowing Amira wouldn’t leave him alone for too long. From what he could tell there hadn’t been a burglary, but from Amira’s reluctance to call the police, he suspected she noticed something out of place. At least he’d be able to watch over her with the surveillance equipment once Jordie returned.
He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a photograph he’d snagged from a bulletin board in the kitchen. Three elderly women, a man and a woman, and three small girls stood together.
The mayor’s comment from earlier pushed to the front of his mind—Amira’s spinster aunts. The faces of the women matched the ones the vision had shown him. The three elderly women were Amira’s aunts. He’d gotten it all wrong. Part of him grumbled over the wasted time. The problem with the assignments and the amulet was the vagueness. Witches equaled complicated, he reminded himself. The powers could only point an agent in the general direction of paranormal crimes being committed or to be committed in the immediate future.
The other part of him, the one he tried to ignore, whispered a sigh of relief. He liked Amira. And from what he could tell, her sisters were nice people too. He’d had fun with Ally at game night.
At least he hadn’t spent too much time chasing the wrong witches. The fact that the amulet warmed under Amira’s touch bothered him. The connection to the assignment still centered on her.
He tossed the picture in his glove box. He exited his car and strode inside the house. There was still a mission. If the aunts were the cause of the romantic mischief in this town—and he suspected they might be—he needed to shift to using Amira to find them. Anything to get off of Gramps’ radar for a while.
Jordie’s van rumbled into the drive.
Lex met him at the door. “Where have you been?”
Jordie rubbed the top of his head. “Sorry, boss-dude. It took longer to get the equipment than I thought it would. There’s a ton of paperwork the supply clerk at the LSP made me fill out. And I had to watch a training video.”
Jordie didn’t meet his gaze, and Lex wondered briefly if the delay had more to do with the new supply clerk being young and attractive rather than with Jordie’s ability to fill out forms.
“Mr. Sparsh asked me about our progress with the assignment.”
Funny, Sparsh had never checked on his progress with past cases. “What did you tell him?”
“Nada. I shrugged a lot. I’ll let you handle the higher-ups. But he did say I have a job waiting for me when you think I’m ready.”
“You have college to finish first.” Lex motioned him inside, dismissing the idea of Jordie as a full-time agent. Their agreement stated Jordie spent one semester focused on school and he could spend one semester assisting various agents with non-dangerous cases. “We need to get everything set up tonight. We missed a possible break-in at Amira’s. We’ll start with planting something outside the tea shop to make sure that isn’t the next target.”
Jordie rubbed the back of his hand across his mouth. “What did they take?”
“I’m not sure yet.” He thought back to Amira’s worried expression when she’d run to the basement. He’d searched that area too, and all he’d seen was an empty safe. He needed to get closer to her—for investigative purposes—and find out if her aunts had something to do with the break-in. Amira hadn’t mentioned her aunts in any conversation pertaining to her family. The assignment could predict a growing feud betwe
en the two generations. It wouldn’t be the first time paranormals had fought over territory. Could a magical showdown be the event?
He filled Jordie in on the aunt situation while they removed several pea-sized cameras from a silver case.
“That muddies everything up a bit.” Jordie’s fingers moved across the keyboard while he connected the wireless cameras to the computer program.
Lex scratched the back of his neck. “How so? It’s still a pretty simple case as far as I’m concerned. We have to shift our attention to the older witches, but we can’t discount Amira and her sisters as the cause of the potential paranormal crimes either.”
A light chuckle shook Jordie’s shoulders.
“What’s so funny?” Lex asked.
Jordie tapped a few more keys. Then he focused his attention on Lex. “It’s funny that you’re trying to convince yourself there’s anything simple about this case. Amira’s not a bad witch, but you’re still going to use her. We should just ask them for help.”
Lex shoved several pieces of equipment into a black bag. “I have to handle this assignment by my grandfather’s rules. The best way to do that is to maintain my cover.”
“At least you can drop the Romeo act now, right? Acting like you still want to romance her would be harsh.”
He paused, Jordie’s words hitting him like a brick to the gut. At some point during the evening the Romeo “act” had become less of an act and more second nature. And now that he knew everything about her wasn’t some glamour, he feared he wouldn’t be able to turn that part of himself off. He enjoyed being around her, hearing her laugh, watching her bake. Game night had been the most relaxed fun he’d had in years, mostly because they’d been working together on the same team. Jordie had the right idea—definitely time to back off.
∞∞∞
The next morning, Amira rested her hand on the doorknob outside the tea room. Whether she wanted to or not, she had to face her sisters and explain the hard truth that she’d allowed four books with all their family secrets to be taken. Then she’d have to explain why she’d had the books out of the safe in the first place. Which would in turn lead to an explanation about Lex. Good times.
Her cheeks puffed as she blew out a long, weary sigh. She still couldn’t figure out who’d want a couple of decades’ worth of emotional manipulation spells. Maybe the aunts were getting impatient and planned to up their game. Or perhaps they knew Amira and her sisters would fight back with a spell of their own and had taken the books as a calculated precaution. Since her parents’ deaths, finding the girls love matches before thirty had been their aunts’ entire lives. She’d been a fool to think they’d ever give up.
“Not in a hurry to start the day?”
Amira jumped at Lex’s gravelly voice. He leaned against the brick wall no more than ten steps away, partially hidden by the early morning shadows. Back to business casual, he wore grey slacks and a crisp white button-up shirt.
“How long have you been standing there?” she asked, slightly annoyed he’d snuck up on her.
“Long enough to see something’s bothering you.” He stepped closer.
She couldn’t muster a smile and shrugged instead. She pulled the door open and grabbed an apron from a hook. The morning routine would help take her mind off the difficult tasks of the day ahead. “The bridal shower for the mayor’s soon-to-be daughter-in-law is weighing heavy on my mind, I guess. You’ve met the mayor. She’s not one to put up with too much drama that’s not of her own making.”
“Think she’ll be dressed in her witch’s finest again?”
“Oh no, she’ll be wearing something worthy of the Queen of England today.”
His laughter floated in behind her, and she closed her eyes to soak in the sound. How much would she miss the sound of his voice when he left?
He grabbed the blue striped apron. “Why would there be drama? I’ve never been to a bridal shower, but I can’t imagine it can get much worse than what I saw yesterday.”
Amira tied the apron around her waist, not sure why she felt the need to constantly confide in him. Because he’s leaving soon and you’ll never see him again. At least he didn’t have any other questions about the break-in. “Not too long ago, Ris was engaged to the mayor’s son. It didn’t end well and before she could even give the ring back, he’d already proposed to Dara.”
“Ouch. Wasn’t she a little young for an engagement?”
“I thought so. It’s still a very sore topic for Ris, and she doesn’t mind letting her feelings be known in public.”
“From what your friend said last night, I’m guessing there’s a high rate of love matches in Burberry.”
Amira twisted the charm on her necklace. How many times had she almost considered giving in to the aunts’ love spells? This time included. All she had to do to snap out of it was look at a picture of her parents. The perfect couple. Always in love. Until the very end.
“Amira?”
“Yes?”
“Your office phone is ringing.”
She shook out of her stupor and walked across the room to her office. She closed the door behind her, grateful for a few minutes of peace. One of her two sisters would be on the phone. No one else called at seven a.m.
Still, she kept her greeting professional. “The Tea Haven, Amira speaking.”
“Ris isn’t answering her phone. Is she there?”
“Good morning to you too, Ally. And no, she’s not. It’s a good thing, though, because Lex is already here this morning, so we can’t meet. I need to tell her about selling, and soon, but it’s best if she stays away until after the bridal shower.”
“This is really unlike her. Bugging out on us last night and now this morning. Can you check on her? Coach called in sick and I have to sub for a track meet until around lunch. I don’t have time to double back.”
“I can’t leave right now either, but I’m sure she’s fine. The bridal shower is today. She pouts when things don’t go her way, you know this.”
“You’re probably right. I’ll try her again around lunch time.”
“I’ll send her a few texts too, and let her know you’re worried. Let’s meet up tonight. We need to talk. All three of us.” She lowered her voice and cupped the receiver. “About magic stuff.”
They disconnected. Amira leaned against her desk. Pans clanked inside the kitchen and she allowed herself a small smile. She hadn’t even asked him to help. He’d grabbed an apron and jumped right in. If she had someone like Lex around her kitchen every day, she might consider keeping the tea shop. That wasn’t the way it was going to work, though. As soon as she obtained a hair from Lex and performed the spell, he’d vanish like steam rising from a hot cup of tea.
∞∞∞
Lex banged around pans to mask the constant vibrating coming from his cell phone. Part of the equipment Jordie picked up from LSP headquarters allowed them to tap into the mainline of Amira’s phone. Jordie texted the conversation to him line by line.
Frustration built inside Lex’s chest. From now on, he’d wait to see if they all met before he barged in, as that seemed to be their pattern. Even if he now believed that Amira and her sisters were innocent bystanders in his assignment, at least he would’ve had leverage against them to use in drawing in their aunts.
He pulled out a pan that had triangle indents. Why had he been in such a hurry to see Amira this morning? He’d spent most of the evening setting up surveillance on the three sisters with Jordie. It wasn’t as if he needed to be with her every minute now.
The weariness pulling her soft features into a frown bothered him.
“Please don’t dent my favorite pans. You haven’t bought them yet.”
“Sorry,” he said. “Deep in thought.”
“That seems to be the theme today.” She pointed at his cell phone on the counter. “You’re getting a lot of texts this morning. Are your other business interests being neglected?”
He glanced at his phone, an idea forming. “Actual
ly, it’s one of my attorneys. She has a few questions and wanted me to ask before we talk further about signing a contract.”
She hesitated with her hand poised in front of the handle to the large stainless steel refrigerator. “Sure, ask away.”
“She wants to make sure you own the property and business free and clear.”
“Won’t a title search take care of that?” She stacked ingredient containers in his opened arms.
He carried them to the table and organized the plastic tubs by size. “Most of the time it does. We’re just doing a little more due diligence. Any family members that could come out later and say they have a claim?”
“I bought my sisters out when Ris turned eighteen.”
“No other family? Did your parents have any siblings?”
Amira arranged pans on the countertop. Then she turned several knobs on the double oven. “Do you really need my family tree?”
His gaze shifted from her face to her neck. “I like to cover all the angles.”
She cleared her throat. “I haven’t even decided if I’m going to sell to you yet. In fact, I expected to see a Letter of Intent or something by now. I’m letting you in on all the family secrets with nothing more than your word.”
Not all the family secrets. “I just need another day or two to get a handle on the operations before I make a final decision.”
Her brow furrowed, and he suspected his cover of buying the tea shop grew thinner by the day. If he could discover the whereabouts of the elderly women in the pictures, he’d move on to them. And move on from Amira.
She placed a large mixing bowl in front of him. Then put one in front of where she stood on the opposite side of the island counter. “When I call out the ingredients and measurements, you follow along like we did yesterday.”
He drummed two measuring spoons on the counter. “Why don’t you use that big mixer over there in the corner?”
“Hand mixing is more fun.”