Jack picked that moment to return. He was momentarily oblivious. “Everyone ready?” When I didn’t immediately answer, he shifted his gaze to me ... and then was on me in two long strides. “What’s wrong?” His hand was on my forehead. “Are you relapsing? Do you need to go to the hospital? You know what? You’re going whether you like it or not. That’s all there is to it.”
The look Casey shot me was full of warning. He was silently admonishing me to keep my mouth shut. I’d done that before, though, and I had no intention of doing it again.
“He says he’s my brother.” I blurted out the words, earning a scowl from Casey. “He says he’s my brother and knows ... everything.”
Jack immediately pushed himself between us, standing as a buffer between Casey and me. Fury radiated off him in waves. “I knew there had to be something wrong with you. No one can put up with Laura. Who are you? What’s your game?”
The sigh Casey let loose was long and drawn out. “I’m Charlie’s brother ... though I used to call her something else. That’s for another time. Before you start, Jack, you should know that I’ve already volunteered to take a DNA test. I don’t expect her to swallow this information on faith alone.”
“How awesome of you,” Jack drawled. “Why are you here? What do you want from her?”
“That’s to be discussed once the DNA test is finalized. She’s not going to believe until she has proof. She’s always had a hard head.”
I felt sick to my stomach and bent over at the waist. “Jack ... .”
He immediately moved his hand to my back. “It’s okay. I won’t let him hurt you ... or take you. We’ll get rid of him.”
“Oh, don’t be so hasty,” Casey chided. “How are you going to explain wanting to oust me? If you try, I’ll tell Chris what she can do. You’ll leave me no other choice. Is that what you want?”
“You’re blackmailing us?” I was incredulous. “So much for family bonding.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know, Charlie,” Casey countered. “I’m being as expedient as I can. There is a specific outcome here that needs to be achieved. Make no mistake about it, we will come to a meeting of the minds.”
“And what happens if we don’t agree to your terms?” Jack challenged.
“You’ll find out that she can be taken after all.” Casey was firm. “Don’t fight me on this, Jack. You’ll lose.” With those words, he strolled toward the door. “We should get moving. They’re waiting for us at the airport.”
Jack pulled me into his arms the second he disappeared. “It’s okay.” He kissed my forehead and hugged me tight. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll figure this out.”
I wanted to laugh, but it would’ve been hollow. How were we supposed to figure this out?
“It’s going to be okay,” he repeated, hugging me as tightly as he could. “If this guy wants a war, he’s got one. I’ll fight him.”
I believed that. The question was: Would Jack be capable of stopping him?
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About the Author
I want to thank everyone who takes the time to read my novels. I have a particular brand of humor that isn’t for everyone – and I know that.
If you liked the book, please take a few minutes and leave a review. An independent author does it all on their own, and the reviews are helpful. I understand that my characters aren’t for everyone, though. There’s a lot of snark and sarcasm in my world – and I know some people don’t like that.
Special thanks go out to Heidi Bitsoli and Phil VanHulle for correcting the (numerous) errors that creep into a work of fiction.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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Books by Amanda M. Lee
An Avery Shaw Mystery
Who, What, Where, When, Die
If it Bleeds, it Leads
Buried Leads
Shot Off The Presses
The Preditorial Page
Misquoted & Demoted
Headlines & Deadlines
Misprints & Mistakes
Bylines & Skylines
Off the Record
Unwritten & Underwater
Extra! Extra! Dead All About It
On Deadline & Under Fire
Above the Fold & Below the Belt
Oracles & Obituaries
A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Mystery
Any Witch Way You Can
Every Witch Way But Wicked
Witching You Were Here
Witching on a Star
Something to Witch About
Witch Me Luck
Life’s a Witch
Charms & Witchdemeanors
The Trouble With Witches
Murder Most Witchy
A Witch Before Dying
A Breath of Witchy Air
Witch, Interrupted
Flip the Witch Switch
Witchin’ Around the Clock
A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Short
Careful What You Witch For
Wicked Brew
On a Witch and a Prayer
You Only Witch Once
The Christmas Witch
Bewitched
A Solstice Celebration
Witchdependence Day
Happy Witchgiving
Merry Witchmas
Four-Leaf Clover
Thistle While You Work
Landon Calling
I Dream of Twila
How Aunt Tillie Stole Christmas
A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Fantasy
Witchy Tales
A Witch In Time
Make A Witch
A Witchmas Carol
All My Witches
Close Encounters of the Witchy Kind
An Aisling Grimlock Mystery
Grim Tidings
Grim Offerings
Grim Discovery
Grim Reunion
Grim Expectations
Grim Holiday
Grim Rising
Grim Tempest
Grim Vows
Grimlock Family Shorts
Grim Like Me
Grim & The City
Now & Grim
Grim & Bear It
Grim & The Dead
Death Gate Grim Reapers
Only the Lonely
Only the Quiet
Only the Lost
A Mystic Caravan Mystery
Freaky Days
Freaky Lies
Freaky Hearts
Freaky Games
Freaky Places
Freaky Rites
Freaky Witches
Freaky Reapers
A Charlie Rhodes Cozy Mystery
The Bigfoot Blunder
The Chupacabra Catastrophe
The Werewolf Whoops
The Megalodon Mix-Up
The Undead Uproar
A Moonstone Bay Cozy Mystery
Witchin’ USA
Witch Out of Water
Freaky Deaky Tiki
To Spell With It
A Spell’s Angels Cozy Mystery
Bad to the Crone
No Crones About It
Covenant College
Awakening
Whispering
Conjuring
Waxing & Waning
Graduating
Living Covenant Trilogy
Rising Covenant
Dark Covenant
Eternal Covenant
Dying Covenant Trilogy
Haunted Covenant
Desperate Covenant
Everlasting Covenant
2019 Shorts
Wolf on the Job
Luke on the Loose
Cupid in Crisis
Millie on a Mission
Elemental Witches of Eternal Springs
Bat Out Of Spell
Spell on Earth
Hotter Than Spell
Spell or High Water
[Charlie Rhodes 06.0] The Incubus Impasse Page 29