Quit Your Witchin' (Bless Your Witch Book 4)

by Amy Boyles

  “How about now?”

  I grimaced. “As in this very moment?”

  “You know a better time?”

  “Nope. I guess not.” I snapped my fingers. “But I don’t have one of those magnifying glass thingies. And don’t you want Roman here for this?”

  He shook his head. “No. It might be too painful.” Then he pulled a magnifying glass from his pocket.

  “Where’d you get that?”

  He shrugged. “I may or may not have borrowed it from Councilwoman Gladiolas.”

  I took the glass. My fingers glided over the slick mother-of-pearl handle. “Jeez Louise. I don’t want to be anywhere near her when she finds out it’s gone.”

  He patted my hand. “Don’t worry. I’ll take the rap.” He slapped his thigh. “Well, I’m ready when you are.”

  I shook out my hands and tried to recall exactly how Gladiolas had done her thing with the glass. Since I actually had no idea, I decided winging it would be best. I focused on an image of Edgar as I picked through Boo’s hair. I traced over one side, across the top of his forehead and down the other.

  To be honest, I didn’t see anything except scalp, and I didn’t know if I would. I didn’t even know if I was doing this whole thing right. All I saw was hair shaft after hair shaft as I swept the glass over his head. I was about to give up when a picture of Edgar popped into view.

  “Oh my gosh! I found it.”

  “Now watch.”

  The image was dark. It was nighttime, but I couldn’t tell exactly where it was. Edgar looked years younger. He had Boo by the scruff of the neck.

  “Calm down, Richard. Take a breath.”

  “But Catherine!”

  Edgar shook him. “You can’t do anything about it now.”

  Boo glared at Edgar, his expression darkening. “You. You were with them. You did this!”

  “I’m not with them, Richard. I’m going to help you.”

  Boo’s anger melted as he crumpled to the floor. “My wife! My children! I saw her face. The one who held that wand.”

  Edgar took a step away. He paced back and forth, running his fingers through his hair. “It’s too early to expose everything. Much too early.” He turned back to Boo. “Richard, I hate to do this to you, but I must.” Edgar crossed to him. He placed a thumb and finger on Boo’s forehead. “When you wake up, you won’t remember any of this. You won’t know who you are.”

  The image went to black.

  I dropped the glass. It clattered to the floor.

  “What’d you find?” Boo asked.

  My fingers trembled and my breath hitched. “The murders—your wife and daughters. You were made to forget.”

  His voice soured. “What else?”

  I steepled my fingers to my mouth. “Edgar Norwood knew all about it.”

  NINE

  “Edgar Norwood erased your father’s memory of your mother’s murder.”

  Roman dropped his fish taco. Okay, so maybe I hadn’t picked the most perfect time to tell him. You know, it’s not easy laying a bomb like that on someone. In fact, I’d been debating how to tell him. Of all the situations that could have occurred, this one seemed like the best option.

  He scooped up a grilled filet. “How do you know this?”

  “Your dad had me peek into his memories.”

  Roman winced. “Figures.”

  I pushed a mound of refried beans with my fork. We sat at the only Mexican joint in town. It was empty thanks to the cold winter night and the fact that Valentine’s Day was over. People wanted to be snuggled up in their homes, not out and about. I couldn’t blame them.

  “What do you mean, ‘figures’?”

  Roman wiped a napkin over his mouth. “I’m not surprised he had you snooping around. He’s carrying a lot of guilt.”

  “He didn’t do anything.”

  “Did Edgar? Was it him who killed them?”

  I shook my head. “No. I don’t think so. The memory was foggy, but from what I could see your father knew who did it, but Edgar didn’t want him to tell. Said it was too early to expose everything.”

  Roman sat back. The top edge of the dragon tattoo peeked out the neck of his T-shirt. I stopped myself from reaching out and caressing it.

  Roman steepled his hands and placed them under the tip of his nose. “Too soon into the investigation, probably. If Edgar had gone after the murderer, he wouldn’t have discovered whatever it was he was sent to do.”

  I mushed my beans into my rice. “Have you figured out exactly what that is?”

  Roman raked both sets of fingers through his hair. He mussed it enough for it to look beach blown. I purred inside. He was hunky, sexy, and all testosterone. Yum.

  “No. I’ve got some calls out. Just waiting to get in contact with the person in charge of Edgar.”

  I raked my fork through my beans, leaving an imprint of the tines. “Any ideas on who attacked my family?”

  He sighed. “I wish I had good news, but no.” Roman slid his hand across the table and took mine. “But I’ll find them. Whoever it was, they won’t remain hidden for long.”

  I squeezed his palm. “Why us? No offense, but I thought these folks wanted your dad.”

  Roman smiled sadly. The corners of his eyes crinkled. “I think you’ve made a name for yourself. In case you haven’t noticed, you have a habit of knocking out people involved in magic stealing.”

  I dumped a glob of queso onto my beans and ate a mouthful. “If they didn’t try to kill me first, it wouldn’t be a problem.”

  Roman smiled sadly. “I think you’ve got someone’s attention.”

  I pulled back. “I don’t want anyone’s attention.”

  “Darlin’, there’s no choice in this. Until we find the witches and nail them, you’re in danger.”

  I sank my head on the back of the cool, vinyl booth. It was split in a few places, frayed, but you could tell it had good bones.

  “I won’t let anything happen to you,” he said. “You know how I feel.”

  I rubbed my hands over my face. “Roman, why do you love me? I mean, I can be whiny, I don’t always have my act together, and I usually run headfirst into situations without thinking.”

  “’Cause you’re so darn cute.”

  I glared at him. “Please tell me that’s not your real answer.”

  “What if it was?”

  “I’d say you were lying.”

  He drummed his fingers on the table. “I don’t know. Why does anyone love anyone? Because when you’re with them, that person makes you better. I’m better with you. You don’t always have your feet on the ground, Dylan. That’s okay. I do. But that’s what I need sometimes. Someone who doesn’t take things so seriously, someone who makes me laugh. Someone who makes the world brighter.”

  I arched a brow. “You’re saying I do all that?”

  “That and a bucket of chicken more.”

  I smiled at him. Warmth spread over my face and washed down my body. I wanted to melt into Roman, to forget all the crap going on and just focus on him.

  He never pushed. He never shoved. He simply waited patiently. As I held his gaze, the sense of love flowed through me. I felt it on the tip of my tongue. I was going to say it.

  The front door swung open. Frigid wind swept across the restaurant, slicing into my skin. I shivered and looked up, wanting to know who’d had the nerve to interrupt my special moment with Roman.

  Dewy Dewberry shook off the cold. She spotted us and beamed. She had some guy on her arm. His face was directed away as he hit the alarm on his car. He stayed turned as she dragged him over to our booth.

  “Hey, y’all, totally good to see you. Dylan, how are you holding up?” She leaned over. “I heard the terrible news through the grapevine. So sorry. Mmm hmmm. But I’m totally glad everyone’s okay.” She yanked her date forward. “I think you may remember Colten, right, Dylan? Colten Blacklock?”

  My stomach plunged to the tile floor. I swallowed the bowling ball in the back o
f my throat and glanced up. I met Colten’s dark, boyish eyes. His light brown hair was mussed. The dimple in his chin winked at me as it had in high school. His slim build looked perfect in the leather jacket and jeans.

  He flashed me a smile full of mischief. “Hey, Dylan. How’ve you been?”

  About a thousand emotions screamed to get out. Anger, humiliation, grief, regret. All of them. Here stood the guy whom I’d given my heart, soul, and other things to in high school. That was right before prom, the night he stood me up. He never showed, and then he had the nerve to tell everyone what he’d done to me. I despised him.

  Yes, I realize that was ten years ago and I needed to get the heck over it. But right now, raw emotion tumbled in my gut.

  I forced it back down to the sewer of my bowels and put on my biggest smile.

  “I thought you’d moved away, Colten.”

  He shrugged. “I’m visiting my parent for a few days.”

  “Great. This is my boyfriend, Roman. He’s a police officer.”

  Colten extended his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  I knocked Roman’s hand away before they could shake. “Honey, Colten has leprosy.”

  Colten glared at me. “What?”

  “Oh, you don’t? I’d heard that’s why you left Silver Springs.”

  He sneered at me. “I don’t have leprosy.”

  I grabbed my jacket. “Well, that’s too bad. I mean, that’s good. Great. So glad you didn’t have to move to a leper colony and lose your limbs one by one.”

  I slid out of the booth. “Listen, we’ve got to be going. I need my beauty rest if I’m going to run the most successful dress shop in Silver Springs. Great seeing you both. Y’all take care.”

  Roman pushed out of the booth and followed. He handed the cashier some money. When he opened my car door for me, he said, “So that’s the ghost of relationships past.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. He’s just some guy I haven’t seen in a long time.”

  “Right. And I’m an astrophysicist.”

  I shrugged. “You could be and I just don’t know it.”

  He grunted.

  “Listen, have you checked out Dewy? Don’t you think she might have been the one who attacked us?”

  “She’s got a solid alibi,” he said.

  “I don’t trust her.”

  “I don’t trust many witches except for you.”

  “I think you should look into her again.”

  Roman pushed a strand of hair from my eyes. He kissed me long and deep. The tension in my shoulders and neck went slack.

  “What was I saying again?” I said.

  “You were saying you wanted to go back to my place so I could guard you naked.”

  I laughed. “I didn’t say that.”

  He licked his lips. “No, but you were thinking it.”

  Roman might have been right there.

  “As wonderful as that sounds, I need to get back home. I have to stay with my family in case we’re attacked again.”

  He exhaled. “Okay. But the other way sounds like more fun.” Roman shut the door and crossed to the driver’s side.

  “It did,” I whispered. But I had plans to make. Plans that didn’t involve Roman, because if he knew, he’d kill me.

  ***

  When I got home, the entire house smelled like cinnamon and vanilla. Roman and I entered the kitchen to find Sera surrounded by stacks of cakes. I’m not talking about one or two cakes. There were four stacks piled five high on the counter and two stacks of five on the small tile island.

  “Um, what’s going on?” I said.

  Sera opened the oven and pulled out a golden brown cake. “I’m baking.” She shoved the pan on top of the stove and yanked off her mitts.

  “I see that. Any reason why?”

  She shrugged. “No reason. Just thought I’d burn off some extra energy.”

  I shot Roman a worried look. “Are you going to eat all of these?”

  She shook her head. “No. They’re for other folks. I couldn’t eat all these in a week if I tried. Roman, I have some for you and your dad right here.” Sera grabbed a stack and shoved them into his arms. “Here you go. It’s vanilla cake with vanilla icing. I hope you like that.”

  He nodded. “Smells delicious.”

  “If that’s not enough, I have more. I wasn’t sure how many your dad might eat in a day.”

  “How about one slice?” I suggested.

  Sera smirked. “Some people like cake, Dylan.”

  “Some people want to ward off diabetes, too.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  A knock came from the back door. Sera opened it. Two neighbor kids stood in a pool of lamplight. I was surprised their mother had let them out on a dark and cold night, but Silver Springs was pretty safe. Unless you were me and my family, of course; then witches came out of the woodwork to blast you into tomorrow.

  Sera squealed. “Y’all came back. Great! Here’s some cakes for you.” She handed both boys a stack.

  Roman tipped his head toward me. “You got this one?”

  I nodded. “I hope so. If not, I’ll be swimming in cake batter by tomorrow morning.”

  He planted a kiss on my forehead and left with his stack of cakes. Sera shut the back door and crossed to her mixing bowl. She started dumping more flour into it.

  I grabbed her hand. “Stop. Just stop. You’re going to suffocate us.”

  Sera’s lower lip trembled. “But I have to. I have to spread happiness.”

  “Sit.” I dragged her to a chair and pressed her onto it. “What’s going on?”

  “I don’t know. The attack kinda did me in.”

  I smiled weakly. “It’s okay. We’ll find out who did it.”

  “But what if we don’t?”

  “Do you think baking for the entire town will help?”

  She dropped her arms to the table and laid her head square in the center of them. Sera groaned. “I don’t know. Yes. I think baking will save the world. If the witches get one of my cakes, maybe they’ll forget all about us and won’t bother our family again.”

  I squeezed her arm. “Stinks, doesn’t it? Fighting for your life.”

  “I’m surprised you don’t sew more dresses,” Sera said.

  “I guess I have other ways of dealing with stress. Perk up. I’ll tell you something that makes the other night look like a Sunday at Putt-Putt golf.”

  Sera sniffled and glanced up. “What’s that?”

  “Dewy Dewberry toted Colten Blacklock into Las Vias tonight.”

  Sera shot up. “No!”

  “She sure did.”

  “To get to you?”

  I shrugged. “I’m assuming so.”

  “What a witch.”

  “You got that right.”

  “Whoa! What’s with the vomiting cakes?” Reid stood in the kitchen doorway.

  “Sera’s decided to join the PTA bake-off.”

  Reid snapped her neck toward Sera. “Seriously?”

  Sera scoffed. “Of course not seriously. That’s ridiculous.”

  “So’s that mountain of cakes,” Reid said.

  “It’s therapeutic,” Sera said.

  Reid trailed her finger over the lip of icing and popped her finger in her mouth. “They’re good, though. Might be a bit of crazy cat-lady overkill, but it’s tasty.”

  “Thanks,” Sera said.

  “Can I have a slice?”

  “I thought you were on a diet,” Sera said.

  Reid shrugged. “I don’t feel like it anymore.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “You don’t feel like being on a diet? You’ve been on one ever since you started dating Rick.”

  Reid carved out a hunk of cake that was a quarter of its entire size. “I’m just not feeling it.”

  “Why are you feeding your sorrows?” Sera said.

  “Probably for the same reason you’re baking yours away,” Reid said.

  Sera and I exc
hanged confused glances. “Did you and Rick break up?” I asked.

  Reid shrugged. “Maybe.”

  I tried not to cheer. Instead I rose, crossed to Reid and directed her back to the breakfast nook table. “What’s going on?”

  Reid sniffled. “Nothing. We decided to take a break.” Her sniffles became hiccups and the hiccups, sobs.

  “He doesn’t want to see me anymore,” she wailed.

  I grabbed a box of tissues, plucked out about a thousand and handed them to her. She honked her nose. “H-he d-doesn’t like me. S-s-says I’m clingy.”

  Shocker. All Reid ever talked about was how dreamy Rick was. No surprise he found her to be a bit on the static-cling side of things.

  “I’m so sorry,” I lied.

  “He’s a jerk. Doesn’t know how good you are,” Sera said.

  “I know you didn’t like him,” Reid said. “You don’t have to lie.”

  “We used to like him,” I said. “He used to be cool. But then you started dating and he made all those jerky comments.”

  Reid blew her nose. It was loud enough to wake the really, really dead. “I think he was trying to get me to break up with him. He didn’t say that, but I think so.”

  Sera gave her a hug. “Men stink.”

  “Yes, they do,” Reid said. “I’m just going to eat my cake and swallow in my sorrows.”

  “That’s wallow in your sorrows,” I said.

  “Whatever,” she grumbled.

  “Listen, I’ve got something that’ll cheer you up.”

  Reid didn’t perk up when she said, “What’s that?”

  So I told her all about Dewy and Colten.

  “She’s really trying to get to you,” Reid said.

  “She’s horrible,” Sera said. “Think she’s trying to sabotage you so that your business tanks?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know, but I wish she’d move away.”

  Sera started cleaning up her baking mess. “Maybe she’s trying to get you to leave. You know, make your life stink so that you’ll pack up and go.”

  “Yeah, maybe,” I said.

  “But I’m sure it wasn’t that bad,” Reid said. “I mean you dated Colten like a thousand years ago. I’m sure it wasn’t so bad seeing him.”

  My gut twisted. It had hurt, but I didn’t have the courage to tell them.