by K. M. Waller
Samuel strolled out of the kitchen, and it took every ounce of restraint for Amira not to throw a rolling pin at the back of his head. She didn’t have any magic herbs in her shop, but she wished she’d added some pepper to his peppermint tea.
The burning desire to protect her sisters rekindled like an out-of-control forest fire, and one way or another, Lex would listen to her and focus on this new threat. The human one.
A thud and bump from the walk-in pantry caught her attention. What now? More LSP agents? One of Chase’s minions left behind to catch her on camera?
She picked up the rolling pin and tip-toed to the opened door. She flicked on the lights and before she could yell “ah ha!,” Ris and Ally screamed, with Ally’s high-pitched enough to shatter glass.
Amira grasped at her throat. “What are you two doing in here? And why haven’t you answered any of my texts?”
She pulled both of them into a hug, and the three of them stood silent for a few moments.
Ally spoke first. “We weren’t sure if that agency guy was reading your texts or monitoring your phone calls.”
“We drove by my house and there was this creepy grey van out front.” Ris sat on a stool and opened a container of chocolate bits. She tossed several in her mouth. “We decided this might be the safest place to meet up with you.”
Ally grabbed the container next. “We were coming out when that Samuel Chase knocked on the door. So we hid. He’s a terrible person, by the way. I no longer want his autograph.”
“I’m glad you’re both okay.” Amira took the container from Ally and popped a couple of pieces of chocolate in her mouth. The sugar soothed her nerves.
“The hottie thinks I spelled Dara?” Ris asked.
Amira nodded. “I know you didn’t, but why did you run out?”
“I freaked. I’d just wished she would choke on her tea and she literally began choking.”
Amira soaked in her sister’s explanation. “If we don’t fix this he’s going to take you in front of the Council.”
Ris scoffed. “He can try.”
Amira asked the second question burning a hole in her brain. “Why are you meeting with the aunts?”
Ris and Ally exchanged glances. Ally nudged their little sister with the back of her hand. “You have to tell her.”
Ris let her bangs fall into her face. “I want to learn witchcraft. I want to practice magic.”
“You went to them behind my back?”
“I made a bargain a few months ago, and I knew you wouldn’t approve. If they stopped trying to love spell you and Ally, I’d learn magic under their tutelage.”
Amira flopped down in a chair. That’s why the great-aunts had stopped their meddling.
Ris moved over to Amira and hugged her around the shoulders. “I don’t want you to be mad. Because of you we have a choice, but it’s my choice.”
She glanced up at Ally. “Did you know about this?”
“I saw the aunts in town a few weeks ago. I followed them and saw Ris getting a package, so I confronted everyone. We were waiting for the right time to tell you.”
Amira flicked her hand toward the dining room. “Any of the times we were casting unnecessary deflection spells would’ve been a good time.”
“That’s my fault,” Ally said. “Not that I don’t trust the aunts, but I wanted to make sure they stayed true to their deal.”
“Are you going to practice witchcraft too?”
Ally tucked her hands in her pockets. “No way.”
Ris gave Amira one final squeeze and took the chocolate container to the other side of the counter.
Amira sighed and rubbed the middle of her forehead. “What’s with the suspicious brown packages?”
“Herbs for beginner spells.” Ris’s lips twitched, and finally she broke into a smile. “Being a witch is really cool.”
Cool? Goddesses help them all. “Where are the aunts now?”
Ris and Ally exchanged another look. Ally folded her hands in front of her. “They said something about not trusting ‘the fuzz’ and they wouldn’t step foot in Burberry until they were gone.”
Amira focused on the center of the countertop. The biggest threats were still Lex’s group and Samuel Chase. After she dealt with them, she’d deal with Ris and the aunts.
Ally reached over and squeezed her upper arm. “What’s the plan, big sister?”
“I need to win back Lex over to our side. Samuel knows who hurt Dara and we need to trick him into telling us, but I need to know you two are safe and out of the way so I can focus.”
The wrinkle between Ally’s eyes deepened as it often did when she was worried. “How are you going to win over Lex?”
“I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse.”
Ris tugged on Amira’s sweater, her blue eyes shimmering. “Not dressed like that you aren’t.”
Amira batted her hand away. “What does it matter how I’m dressed?”
Ally rested her elbows on the counter. “Sweetie, there is an electricity between you and Lex. I saw it the other night when you two teamed up on Charades. And every time you say his name your eyes do this twinkly thing. And the way he looks at you when you’re not looking makes me jealous.”
“That was because of the assignment,” she argued. “He got close to me for the assignment.”
“But what if…” Ally spread her arms wide. “Wouldn’t it be nice to be with someone who couldn’t be spelled by the aunts and already knows your deep dark secrets?”
Wouldn’t it?
“Be brave,” Ris interjected.
She eyed her little sister. “Right now I need to focus on clearing you. But since I’m going witch hunting, I don’t see the harm in letting you pick out an appropriate outfit.”
∞∞∞
Lex continued searching Ris’s townhouse for anything that might lead him to the whereabouts of the three elder witches. If Ris was anything like Amira, she’d want to rally with family.
He grasped the amulet around his neck, and winced at the memory of Amira’s horror-stricken eyes when he’d bound her powers. Only temporarily, he reminded himself. And it wasn’t as if he’d ever see her again after this assignment. Their worlds wouldn’t collide again.
Jordie tapped on the door to Ris’s bedroom. “Find anything?”
Lex shook his head and felt around inside the pockets of Ris’s coats. “Where did you drop off Amira?”
“At the tea shop. Whatever you did when you took her powers definitely sucked the life out of her.”
“I did what was necessary.”
“Yeah, okay. Keep telling yourself that.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“These ladies are the nicest people in this town. Probably the entire state. Doesn’t your gut tell you that something’s off here? Or are you just trying to impress your gramps with a quick turnaround.”
“I don’t care what Gramps thinks. I’m committed to the assignment, and I’m going to finish it.”
“Whatever you say, boss.”
“Now it’s boss. Not dude?”
Jordie shrugged.
“What? Get it all off your chest right now so we can finish doing our jobs.”
“I know why you don’t like to take assignments. Unlike real estate, you have to get your hands dirty with horrible things like people’s emotions. Rip someone’s little sister from their family, and now you have to care.”
He cared. He always cared. That was what made him different from his grandfather. That was why he was still here trying to prevent worse consequences from falling on Amira and her sisters.
Jordie shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’m not going back to school, and I’m done being your assistant. When we finish this I’m going to ask Sparsh for a position.”
Lex huffed and checked a few empty purses. “Our deal is for you to finish college first, then you can join the LSP full-time.”
“I’m breaking our deal.”
He stille
d. “Fine. I don’t need any help.”
“And you never let anyone forget it, either. Do you know what took me so long getting the surveillance equipment? I was recruited by two other teams. I’m a hot commodity because if I can assist your ornery, obnoxiously stuck-up rear end, then I must be good at my job.”
Lex pointed to the front of the house, anger boiling over. “If you want to leave, there’s the door.”
“That’s your problem, right there. Your feelings get hurt or anyone tells you that you’re wrong, and you’re ready to show them the door. Sound familiar? Until today, I’ve never seen you care so much about finding the truth. And that’s because you had a partner who made you better. Then you let her down.”
“Where is all this worldly wisdom coming from? What makes you such an authority on me?”
“Because I’m alone in this world too, and I don’t want to end up like you.” Jordie lumbered out of Ris’s bedroom and shut the door softly behind him.
Lex sat on the edge of the bed, letting all of Jordie’s words run through his head. Since he’d graduated college and broken free of Gramp’s control, he’d spent his days in boardrooms negotiating real estate deals, taking as few assignments as possible. All to avoid the legacy Gramps intended to shove down his throat. He’d spent all this time trying to be the complete opposite of his grandfather. He’d never stopped to think about what that got him in the end.
Three short taps came from the other side of the bedroom door.
“You don’t have to knock, Jordie,” he called out.
The door pushed open and Amira stepped through. She’d changed from her flowing, flowery dress and sweater into a pair of dark jeans, a black T-shirt, and black ankle boots. Instead of the loose bun, she’d pulled her hair into a slick ponytail. The entire outfit screamed “kick-butt and take names.”
Have mercy.
“What are you doing here?” He rose, half surprised and half pleased to see her.
“You can keep my witch powers if you don’t fully trust me, and I can live with that. For now. But you are going to listen to me about my sister’s innocence.”
He tucked his arms across his chest. Weariness engulfed him. “She’s the most obvious suspect, Amira.”
“She might’ve been up until thirty minutes ago when Samuel Chase paid me a visit.”
Lex squared his shoulders. Chase had become a gnat that outwitted every swat thrown at him. “What has he discovered?”
Her eyes narrowed. “He isn’t smart enough to discover anything on his own. Someone called him here to boost themselves into instafamous status. That person—not my sister—has been spying on us and stole the spell books from my house. That person is the bad witch.”
“Who is it?”
“He called her a confidential source, but that’s not the worst part.”
Could it get worse? “Go on.”
“The person took a video of us using a deflector spell against the aunts. Samuel wants to turn the Walker sisters into a reality show, and he’s not afraid to blackmail me to do it.”
His teeth ground together as rage built deep in his gut. How dare Chase threaten Amira? The amulet sat heavy around his neck, reminding him of his own treacherous actions. He’d find a way to atone for that soon enough, but for now… “I need to have a little talk with Samuel Chase.”
“Taking down Samuel will only solve part of the problem. We have to find the person responsible for all of this mess. The true assignment.” She placed her hands on her hips. “If you’ll partner with me again, I think I have a plan. But you will have to trust me and listen to me.”
Jordie hovered behind Amira in the doorway. “I think we should trust her, boss.”
The hope in Amira’s eyes infused him with a spark. How long had he let his grandfather’s expectations keep everyone at arm’s length? He not only trusted Amira but wanted her by his side to finish this case together. Earlier, she’d said he wasn’t the man she thought he was, and it was the truth. But for her and this assignment, he could do better. And he didn’t want to lose Jordie either. When this was over, he’d remove his ultimatum about college. The agency needed more people like him, and less like Lex and his grandfather.
Lex walked to Amira and circled his hand around her wrist. He pressed her palm against the amulet hidden beneath his shirt. “Amira Walker, witch of Burberry, I unbind your powers.”
She smiled. “Is that your way of saying you’re sorry?”
“Yes.” He held her hand against his chest a few seconds longer than necessary. “Now let’s go catch a bad witch.”
Chapter Eleven
Amira reconvened with Lex and Jordie at her house. The three of them sat in her living room, Jordie on the floor with Jekyllpup and Hydepup snuggled up to each of his thighs. Lex relaxed on her well-worn couch. Sugar Plum rubbed her face against his elbow before flopping down across his lap.
He ran a distracted hand through the cat’s thick fur and Amira paused with the phone against her ear to drink in the sight of him.
She finished her phone conversation with Ally and disconnected. “I’ve convinced Ally and Ris to wait for me across the street at the public library until we’re done with Samuel Chase, but I don’t know how long that will hold.”
Jordie scratched her dogs simultaneously. “Whoa.” He stopped petting and tapped the side of his head. “I have a great new theory. What if Dara did this to herself? She does like to be the center of attention. I think I heard someone say she has her own YouTube channel where she reviews makeup. The reality show would be her ‘in’ to the big times.”
Amira joined Lex on the couch and flipped through the pages of one of the two spell books they’d recovered from Ris’s mattress. “Don’t think I haven’t considered it, but I don’t think it’s that easy to spell yourself, although I can’t say for sure. We’re looking for someone who wanted to emotionally manipulate her but also make a big enough display to get Samuel to believe the magic was real.”
Lex searched through the other book, the pages making a small whoosh sound as he moved through them quickly. He stopped and tapped one with his knuckles. “Here’s the spell I think we’re looking for.”
Amira reached across the book and ran her index finger under the title. A spell of truthfulness. “Bingo.”
His gaze held hers. “Do you think you can do this type of spell without your sisters’ help?”
“I’m going to try.”
Lex glanced at his watch. “We have an hour to get the supplies together.”
“Some of this stuff can be found at the holistic herb shop a few doors down from the Tea Haven.” She pulled a pen and piece of paper out of her purse. “Jordie, I’ll make you a list of the items we need. There’s some petty cash in the kitchen cupboard above the stove. Earl Grey box to the left.”
“Right, boss—er, I mean Amira.”
She smiled at Jordie and handed him the slip of paper. Lex had done the right thing by taking Jordie in. Even though the two men might not share the same philosophies, she could tell by his actions and their conversation in the van earlier that Jordie looked up to Lex.
After Jordie bounced off to the kitchen, she turned to Lex. “There’s something on there that’s going to be a little more difficult to obtain.”
“I’m sure I can handle whatever you throw at me. It can’t be worse than trying to get a hair.” His dark eyes leveled on her, but they had small crinkles around the edges.
“Go ahead and poke fun. But if you were spelled, I had to get you out of town and fast. Can you imagine being hopelessly in love with a tea shop owner?” She scratched the edge of her nose. “Besides, I thought you were too perfect, and if I let you stay, I might’ve let you stay under the spell forever.”
“I’m not too perfect anymore?”
“Now you’re perfectly flawed.” Goddesses divine, that was so corny.
When he didn’t say anything, she glanced at him. His eyebrows were drawn together as if he were deep in thought.
She searched his face, careful not to let her gaze linger too long on his lips. What would a relationship between them look like? Could they make it work? Ris’s words echoed in her mind. Be brave.
Clara squawked sharp and loud, interrupting the moment.
“Um, what do you need me to get?” he asked, shooing Sugar Plum off his lap so he could stand.
“We need a personal memento from a master liar. It can’t be Samuel’s.”
“What qualifies as a master liar?”
“A politician, like the mayor.”
“I’d call her an exaggerator, but I’m not sure she’s a master liar.”
Amira stood and stacked the grimoires on her cluttered coffee table. “Exaggerator and embellisher extraordinaire. She’s Burberry’s biggest gossip and come election time, she’ll make promises she never intends to keep. I don’t know anyone else who’d fit the bill, so to speak.”
Lex leaned over and allowed Hydepup to sniff his outstretched hand. Hydepup returned the nicety by allowing Lex to scratch the top of his fluffy head. Once the exchange ended, Lex focused his attention back on her. “The mayor is our target then. What qualifies as a personal memento?”
“That brooch she wears with every suit. Her grandmother gave it to her, and she considers it a good luck charm.”
“Do we know where to find her?”
“My guess is that with all the events today, she’ll still want to hold the Stargazer’s Picnic and movie in the park in the center of town. It’ll give her a chance to fill everyone in on Dara’s condition.”
The center of town was less than a mile from the Tea Haven, and if they moved fast, they’d have the items and the spell prepared before Samuel Chase returned for his answer.
Lex approached her and squeezed her hand. “This is a good plan. I’m glad you came back.”
“I’m emotionally invested. I had to come back.” The zings ran sprints up and down her spine. They stood almost toe to toe. If he asked to kiss her again, would she say yes this time?
She pulled her hand out of his grasp. With everything going on, there was no time to worry about kisses or her ever-growing feelings for Lex. “There are so many variables we can’t control. What if my sisters don’t stay put? What if something goes wrong and his producer releases the videos? What if—”