Witch on the Fritz

by Isabel Micheals

  Lost in thought, Piper hadn’t heard her phone ringing. The screen indicated it was Cassandra calling. She swiped to the left, pressed the green button and answered. “Hey, Cass. What’s up?”

  “Hunter strikes again. He heard through the grapevine that Sky had a date with Levi tonight and nipped it in the bud. She’s pissed and it took everything I had to stop her from making a trip out to the Bayou to rip his balls off.”

  Piper should have been surprised, but she wasn’t. Hunter had been pulling these stunts for years. She had to wonder if he had gone too far tonight. Skylar really liked Levi, which meant Hunter just became public enemy number one. Paybacks were a bitch, and her cousin would seek retribution from him for meddling in her love life.

  “Will he never learn? I wish they would admit their feelings for one another and put us all out of our misery. The last time these two went to war, I couldn’t visit Liam for three months. What the hell, Cass?”

  “Tell me about it. Young love. Ain’t it great. Maybe this would be a good time to move Liam out of the friend zone and into the love zone. Then you wouldn’t have to sneak around like teenagers.”

  “Bite your tongue, Cassandra Gray. You worry about your love life and I’ll worry about mine,” Piper hissed through the phone.

  “Don’t you mean the lack of one?” Cassandra countered.

  Piper could feel the tension building in her neck and shoulders. She didn’t have time to deal with this conversation. She had a job to do. “Is there anything else I should know?”

  “Yeah. We’re not going to make it tonight. Skylar doesn’t feel like celebrating. I told her she could spend the night with us. She’s already in her pajamas and devouring the homemade bread you baked earlier. We’ll see you in the morning. Be safe.”

  “Thanks, Cass. Will do.”

  Piper ended the call and returned to the bar. It had only been a few minutes, but the place was filling up. Several regulars were waiting at the end of the bar for her. She acknowledged them and began making their drinks.

  Nine hours later and she was dead on her feet. The crowd tonight had been rowdier than usual. She watched as one of the tourists convinced his girlfriend to take a shot in the barber’s chair. Once the woman sat down, Lacy pulled the lever so that she landed flat on her back. Then, her legs were spread in a wide eagle pose that allowed Lacy to slip between them to pour the shot as the crowd cheered her on. When Mason finally rang the bell and yelled last call, she did a happy dance in her head.

  Piper cleaned up her station, counted her tips, signed out for the night and said her goodbyes. It was four o’clock in the morning when she exited The Thirsty Squirrel but there were still drunken pedestrians on the streets. This was the part of her job she liked the least. Keeping an eye on her surroundings, she turned left at the end of the corner and headed toward her car. When the hairs on the back of her neck rose, she knew someone was following her. Knowing that she couldn’t use her magic in public, she calmly reached for the pepper spray in her purse and rubbed the rabbit’s foot in her pocket. Just a few more steps and she’d be at her car. She was almost there when a strange man stepped out of the shadows.

  “Hello pretty lady. Might I buy you a drink?”

  Piper recognized the man from earlier in the bar. He gave her the creeps then; and he was giving her the creeps now. Something wasn’t right about him. “No thanks,” she replied and continued walking past him. When he grabbed her arm, she turned and squirted pepper spray in his face. When the man released her arm, she ran to her car only to be stopped short by his friend. The menacing grimace on his face had her hackles rising again.

  “You idiot. I told you not to cause a scene. Silas is going to have your head if you harm her. The boss man is convinced that Liam will do anything to get his woman back, even if it means selling his business. Now quit fooling around and let’s get this done.”

  While her assailant was distracted scolding the other guy, Piper stomped on his right foot and elbowed him in the groin. “Let me go you jerk.” When he hunched over to cover his balls, she landed an uppercut to his nose, which left him howling in pain. He was angry and spewing expletives at her, but she was angrier. She quickly pulled the key out of her pocket, unlocked her car door and ran to safety. The rubber from her tires squealing out of the parking lot was the last thing her attackers saw. She kept looking in the rearview mirror to make sure they weren’t following her. Unsure whether or not the men knew her home address, Piper took the long way home. Heart pounding, she parked the car in the garage and rushed into the condominium she shared with Cassandra.

  The house was quiet, which normally wouldn’t have bothered her, but tonight was different. Tonight, two strangers tried to abduct her. She wanted to call Liam because he would know what to do. But given the time, she decided it could wait until a decent hour. Exhausted and still revved up from her attack, Piper quietly made her way upstairs to take a hot shower. She needed to get the stench of those men off her. Daylight would come soon enough, and she would have to reexamine what happened tonight. But for now, she was home and safe. That’s all that mattered in the grand scheme of things.

  Chapter 2

  It was five o’clock in the morning and Piper was wide awake. The hot bath had calmed her nerves, but the incident in the parking lot continued to grate on her nerves. Why were those guys after me? Why did they think I was Liam’s woman? Who talks like that anyway? I’m not some piece of property. I’m a grown woman who can take care of herself. I don’t need a man. Liam’s my best friend, end of discussion. But I still need to let him know what’s going on because Silas sounds like bad news.

  Unable to go back to sleep, Piper slid out of bed and freshened up before making her way downstairs to the kitchen. She was in the mood for some French toast, crisp bacon, and a veggie omelet. Maybe she would whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookies for Sky. If things were as bad as Cass had indicated on the telephone last night, her cousin would need a sweet treat this morning.

  When the delicious aromas filled the kitchen, Piper sighed with pleasure. She loved her cozy kitchen. The monochromatic color scheme was anything but dull. The wood countertops not only gave the room a homey feel, but added an element of nature. She scoured the white and grey kitchen proudly as the subtle black accents anchored the space and provided a touch of drama. The cozy kitchen nook where she and her cousins spent hours discussing their dreams and heartache added intimacy to the room. Goddess, she loved her kitchen because over the years it had become her safe place.

  An hour and a half later, she was joined downstairs by her cousins. Everyone grabbed a plate full of delicious food and settled into the kitchen nook. The first few minutes consisted of moans and groans as they dived into the French toast topped with strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. The delectable gypsy bread was coated in warm maple syrup, powdered sugar and freshly whipped butter.

  Mouth full, Skylar nodded her approval of breakfast and finished chewing the slice of french-fried bread. “This is delicious Pipes. You really outdid yourself this morning. What’s the special occasion?”

  Did she take the opening and tell them about last night or let Sky spill her guts first? Her cousin was enjoying breakfast and seemed unfazed by Hunter’s antics from last night. Maybe, she would slip in her failed abduction and no one would notice since they were enjoying the eggy bread so much.

  “Nothing special. I was attacked in the back parking lot of The Thirsty Squirrel by two incompetent imbeciles and couldn’t sleep. So, I decided to make French toast this morning and my famous chocolate chip cookies. We all know they are Sky’s favorite.”

  Forks clanged on the table as her cousins glared in shock. They both yelled at her in unison. “You what?”

  Hmm. Maybe I should have worked a bit on the delivery from the stunned look on their faces. “Well, that didn’t go as expected. Guess I should start at the beginning.”

  “Damn straight. Start talking Piper Marie Patterson,” Skylar demanded.r />
  Piper backtracked and began telling her cousins about the two men who tried to kidnap her after work. She explained how they had been lurking in the bar earlier in the night and had given her the creeps. When she realized she was being followed, she rubbed Lizzy, pulled the pepper spray out of her purse and hurried to her car. But the other man was waiting for her. So, she turned and pepper sprayed the first guy when he grabbed her arm, but her escape was short-lived. When the second guy grabbed her, she waited until he was distracted yelling at his friend and decided to SING.

  Cassie squealed with laughter. “Oh, my Goddess. You pulled a Gracie Lou Freebush on them?”

  Piper smiled at her cousin. She loved Cassie’s enthusiasm and sense of humor. Skylar, on the other hand, was still glaring at her. “Solar plexus, Instep, Nose, Groin. It wasn’t exactly in that order, but it was effective and allowed me to escape. I took the long way home to make sure I wasn’t being followed by those idiots.” The more she spoke, the angrier Skylar looked, which didn’t bode well for anyone.

  “Why didn’t you wake us when you arrived home?” Skylar asked through gritted teeth. “You could have been hurt.”

  “But I wasn’t, thanks to Lizzy. She has never let me down.”

  Skylar growled. “I do not want to hear about that damn rabbit’s foot. If you mention it again, I will burn it. What did these guys want beside you? I’m appalled that some assholes thought they could maul you and get away with it. We are the Witches of Mystic Grove and we don’t take shit from anyone. Do you hear me?”

  Cassie tried to ease the growing tension in the room. “Everyone in Jefferson Parish can hear you.”

  Piper sighed heavily and tried to tamp down her frustration. “Loud and clear Skylar. I’m not really sure who they were but they let it slip that their boss’s name was Silas. The second guy assumed Liam would do anything to get me back, even sell his business since I was his woman. That comment pissed me off, but I wasn’t about to argue with them. My only objective was to escape, not to interview my abductors.”

  “Did you at least call Liam?” Cassie asked.

  Piper tried not to squirm in her seat. “Um. No. I took a hot bath and went to bed. When I couldn’t sleep, I woke up and cooked this fabulous breakfast for us. I thought Skylar would enjoy my famous chocolate chip cookies since Hunter sabotaged her date last night.”

  “Do not mention that narcissistic asshole’s name around me ever again. He has single-handedly destroyed my love life.”

  Piper tried not to flinch at the venomous words spewing from her cousin’s mouth. She knew from her conversation with Cassie that Hunter had screwed up once again, but she didn’t realize how bad until now. The murderous look on Skylar’s face would have put fear in the Goddess. She pitied the fool for crossing her cousin. There was no doubt in her mind that he would pay dearly for his transgressions. She should probably intervene and come to his defense, but it wasn’t the time nor the place. Besides, it took the spotlight off her and last night’s incident.

  She extended the platter of warm chocolate chip cookies toward her cousin as a peace offering and hoped they would calm her down. “Don’t be mad, Sky. Tell me what happened last night between Levi and Hunter.”

  “The insufferable baboon intercepted Levi in my driveway and told him that it was wrong for a man to poach on another man’s woman. Like I’m some damn egg waiting to be cooked. Levi didn’t even put up a fight. By the time I realized what was happening, chicken shit Levi was halfway down the street. What kind of man doesn’t fight for a woman? How could I have thought we had something special? Damn, Hunter Alexander. When I get my hands on him, I’m going to…”

  “Jump his bones and thank him for saving you from marrying a spineless nitwit,” Cassie interjected with a laugh.

  Skylar glared at her cousins who were enjoying the fiasco that had become her life. “This is not a laughing matter. I told you he is single-handedly destroying my love life one relationship at a time.”

  Piper raised an eyebrow and stared at her cousin in disbelief. “Dramatic much, Sky. Sounds to me like the man is staking his claim and from where I’m sitting, it’s about damn time.”

  Skylar was about to admonish her cousin when Gus raised up on his hind legs and begged for another piece of bacon. She obliged the puppy and patted him on the head. When Gus fled with his treat, Skylar returned her attention to Piper. “You wouldn’t be laughing if the roles were reversed and Liam ruined your date.”

  “Bullseye,” Cassie yelled and dropped an imaginary microphone.

  Piper knew she had two choices. She could either stay here and defend her non-existent relationship with Liam; or she could seek refuge upstairs. She still needed to get dressed and drive out to the Bayou. She had steered from her normal routine of calling Liam when she got home from the bar. He was probably worried. It only took her a minute to decide.

  She stood and began clearing the table. When the dishes had been rinsed and loaded into the dishwasher, she turned and answered her cousin. “I don’t have time for your antics today Skylar. Liam needs to know what happened last night. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to get dressed for my trip out to the Bayou.”

  Skylar and Cassie followed Piper up the stairs, undeterred by her response. “You can run, but you can’t hide dear cousin,” Sky taunted.

  Piper entered her bedroom, pulled an outfit out of the closet and laid it on the bed. “I’m not hiding. I’m getting dressed like a normal person. If you had rubbed Lizzy’s foot like I had suggested last night, maybe your date wouldn’t have been a disaster.”

  “That’s it! I told you what would happen if you mentioned that rabbit’s foot to me one more time. Where is it? I’m about to light a fire under its ass,” Skylar said as she began searching for the rabbit’s foot.

  Piper wasn’t worried about her cousin’s temper tantrum. She knew Lizzy was safely tucked away in her jewelry box, which was hidden in the bathroom. It took some fast talking on Cassie’s part, but she finally convinced their cousin that they needed to get dressed also. When Skylar finally relented, Piper let out a sigh of relief and rushed into the bathroom to shower. An hour later, she let out a blood curdling scream that could have risen the dead.

  Skylar was the first to rush into her bedroom. Cassie trailed behind her. “What the hell is going on?”

  The once meticulously clean room looked like a bomb had exploded in it. Piper had turned her bedroom upside down. Her face was pale and she was rushing around the room in a state of panic. “I can’t find Lizzy.”

  “The rabbit’s foot?” Skylar asked in disbelief. “All of this drama is about a damn rabbit’s foot?”

  Piper gritted her teeth and turned to glare at her clueless cousin. “Not another word Skylar Eleanor Tate or I will not be responsible for my actions. If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a million times that Lizzy is not just a rabbit’s foot. She’s special and she’s tied to my magic. Do you remember what happened the last time I lost her? It was only half a day, but everything that could go wrong did go wrong.”

  Skylar held up her hands in surrender and took several steps back toward the door. “Damn. She used my middle name. This can’t be good.”

  Piper was about to admonish her cousin again when the doorbell rang. Whoever was on the other side of the door was impatient because it rang again within a matter of seconds. “Will someone please answer the door?”

  Seeing an opportunity to escape her cousin’s wrath, Skylar jumped at the chance to do her bidding. “I’m on it,” she yelled and fled the room like a thief in the night.

  “Chicken,” Cassie whispered as Skylar whizzed past her.

  “Maybe, maybe not. Guess we’ll never know. Good luck,” her cousin whispered back with a shit-eating grin on her face. When the doorbell rang again, Sky rolled her eyes in annoyance. “Hold your horses, I’m coming.” A few minutes later, a huge crash and blood curdling scream came from the living room. “Son of a bitch.”

  Piper’s face wa
s stark white as they rushed out of the bedroom. When they reached the living room, Skylar was sprawled on the floor holding her arm. It was in an unnatural position that made Piper cringe. “Oh, no. It’s already starting. This is bad. This is really, really bad.”

  “Houston, we have a problem,” Skylar said through clenched teeth. “I think I’ve broken my arm.”

  Piper bent down to examine her cousin’s arm when the doorbell rang again. It’s also when she completely lost her shit. “Will someone answer the damn door?”

  Cassie jumped into action. “Skylar don’t move. Piper, I’ll get the door.”

  “Gee, thanks Cass! It doesn’t look like I’ll be going anywhere anytime soon,” Skylar snapped.

  Cassie scowled at her cousin. “I know you’re in pain, but there’s no reason to be a jerk. You brought this on yourself, after all.”

  “I did no such thing. It was that damn rabbit’s foot. This one is all on Lizzy,” Skylar insisted.

  Piper threw her hands in the air, exasperated by the entire conversation. Her life had turned into a complete shitshow and the damn doorbell was still ringing. She ignored the fact that Skylar had come to her senses and finally admitted Lizzy was their good luck charm.

  Too little, too late, Sky. We’re screwed now. We’ll never win The Great Wiccan Cake Off without Lizzy, but that was a revelation she would keep to herself until Skylar was patched up and sedated on some strong drugs. Right now, she needed to do damage control by finding Lizzy. She must have lost it last night in The Thirsty Squirrel’s parking lot. It was the only plausible explanation.

  Chapter 3

  Liam had no patience for Hunter’s bullshit this morning. They’d had this discussion a million times to no avail. It was time for them to make the family business legit because he had no desire to run moonshine for the rest of his life. But Hunter was being a stubborn mule as usual. He wouldn’t even entertain the idea and since his brother owned a third of the business that posed a problem for all of them.