“I wasn’t talking about Landon,” I said, trying to remain calm. “What about the other guests? Have you told any of them that you were hiding a bunch of money on the property?”
“Only an idiot would do that.”
I arched an eyebrow.
“I’m starting to think you’re questioning my intelligence,” Nick said, the hand holding the gun wavering.
“Nick, you robbed a small-town bank because you thought it would have millions of dollars,” I said. “I can’t be the first person to question your intelligence.”
I should probably be questioning my own right about now. Never verbally poke a murderer when he’s holding a gun. It’s a basic rule. I know it. I’ve been faced with the prospect before. Maybe I have brain damage?
“I have an IQ of eighty,” Nick said.
“That’s impressive,” I said, taking a mental step back. It’s important to placate crazy people with false platitudes. “I … isn’t one hundred the standard for normal intelligence?” Yup, I definitely have brain damage.
“You’re making that up,” Nick said. “I’m smart.”
“Fine. You’re smart.”
“I am.”
“I believe you.”
We lapsed into silence for a moment, the words “leave it alone” running through my mind on a constant loop. Finally, I couldn’t take Nick’s frustration, or the shaking gun, for one more second. “If you’re so smart, why don’t you remember where you left your money?”
“I remember where I left it! Someone stole it!”
I was starting to wonder whether that really was the case. “And you’re sure it was the pots in that corner?” I asked, pointing.
“Yes.”
“You’re one-hundred percent positive it wasn’t those pots over there, right?”
Nick glanced in the direction I pointed, where another three pots were stacked in the same configuration. I could practically see his mind working.
“You’re not sure, are you?”
“I am so,” Nick said, although he was already walking toward the pots. “I just … maybe someone moved the pots over there after I put the money in them.”
“Maybe.”
Since his back was to me, I took the opportunity to move toward the door. I kept one eye on him as he rummaged through the pots and the other on the door as I turned the handle. It opened quietly, and I cast one more look at Nick before slipping outside. While it’s never fun to deal with a madman with a gun, it’s markedly easier when he’s also an idiot.
I broke into a run as I climbed the low-rolling hill. I could see the back of The Overlook. If I could get inside, I could lock the door. I would have backup. Magical backup at that. Nick wouldn’t be stupid enough to take on all of us, would he?
“Bay!”
I didn’t turn around. Nick had discovered my trickery, but slowing wasn’t an option. I was almost to the back of the inn when a familiar garden hat popped into view. Aunt Tillie was on her knees working in the dirt next to the patio, and Nick’s bellowing clearly caught her attention.
“What happened to you?” She asked, getting to her feet. “You look like you’ve been rolling around in the dirt. Did you and Thistle get into another argument?”
“Get inside,” I ordered.
Aunt Tillie didn’t move, instead tilting her head so she could look in the direction of her greenhouse. “Is that Nick? Why was he in my greenhouse? I’m going to kick his … .”
I grabbed her shoulders. “He has a gun.”
“So he’s been telling everyone at the inn,” Aunt Tillie said. “I’m guessing he’s packing light if he has to keep talking about it like that.”
“He’s the robber! He killed Amy Madison.”
Aunt Tillie furrowed her brow. “He doesn’t have the stones to do that.”
“He hit me over the head and kidnapped me.”
“Is that why you look like that?”
“Get inside!”
I risked a glance over my shoulder. Nick was almost upon us.
“Don’t worry,” Aunt Tillie said. “I’ll handle this.” She took a step forward and extended a gnarled finger in Nick’s direction. “Take one more step and I’ll blow you up with the power of my mind.”
Oh, well, that was convincing. I’m sure that scared the fight right out of him.
Nick stilled, his hand behind his back. He was hiding the gun, but for how long? “Can you really do that?”
“You have no idea what I’m capable of,” Aunt Tillie said. “Now, put your gun on the ground and lay down. Put your hands behind your back. I’ll cuff you and we’ll call the police. This doesn’t have to get ugly.”
“Cuff him? With what?”
Aunt Tillie didn’t move her eyes from Nick as she reached into her pocket and removed a set of steel handcuffs.
“Where did you get those? Actually, why do you even have them?”
“That’s none of your concern,” Aunt Tillie said. “Suffice it to say, there was a sale on Amazon and I wanted them.”
I never should have given her that computer.
Nick’s gaze bounced between the two of us. “Listen, I don’t want to cause problems, but I need Bay to find my money.”
“You lost the money you stole from the bank? What kind of idiot … ?”
Nick whipped the gun out from behind his back. “I’m not an idiot!”
“You keep telling yourself that,” Aunt Tillie said. “Maybe it will be like a self-fulfilling prophecy. You can take some classes in prison and better yourself.”
“I’m not going to prison.”
“Of course you are,” Aunt Tillie said. “You’re out of options on that front. Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll find someone to protect you in the big house. It’s probably going to be … uncomfortable … for those first few nights, but you’ll learn how to satisfy your prison husband.”
“That’s not going to happen to me.” Nick’s voice was shrill.
“Oh, honey, you’ve got ‘prison bitch’ written all over you.”
“Is that helping? We need to go inside and call Landon.”
“Shut up,” Aunt Tillie said. “I told you I have this under control. You’re starting to bug me.”
“Well, I’m sorry my kidnapping and head wound are ruining your afternoon.”
“You’re such a drama queen.”
“She is, isn’t she?” Nick said. “She’s mean, too. I have no idea what that Landon dude sees in her.”
“I think it’s her butt,” Aunt Tillie said. “That’s neither here nor there, though. You need to put that gun down.”
“I’m not putting the gun down,” Nick said. “It’s all I have left.”
“You still have your head,” Aunt Tillie pointed out. “If you don’t put that gun down right now, I’m going to blow it off your neck. Then where will you be? I don’t think you’re going to be very desirable in prison without a head.”
“Stop saying that!” Nick waved the gun around. Even from six feet away I could see his finger reflexively pulling the trigger.
I reacted out of instinct, throwing myself in front of Aunt Tillie. I heard the gun go off, but it was hard to register the sound with the pain ripping through my arm.
I hit the ground. Hard.
That’s when Aunt Tillie lost her temper and the skies opened up with a lightning strike close enough to make my hair stand on end. At first, I thought the screaming was coming from me. It wasn’t. Nick lost what was left of his mind when the lightning struck, and he fled into the newly formed storm.
I leaned back on the ground, gripping my arm as the blood coursed out. “Well, that was interesting,” I said, darkness pulling at the edges of my mind.
“I told you I would handle it,” Aunt Tillie said, glancing down at me.
“That’s good,” I said. “I’m trusting you to handle this, too.”
“What?”
I didn’t answer her. I passed out instead.
Thirty-Two
&nb
sp; “Let me in that room right now.” I recognized Landon’s voice, including the fear tingeing it, from my hospital bed.
“Sir, you’re going to have to calm down.” It sounded as though a nurse was trying to calm him. Given the pain medication I was on, unfortunately I was picturing her trying to do it with her boobs. “Ms. Winchester is being checked by a doctor. When she’s stable, you’ll be able to go in and question her.”
“She’s not stable?” Landon pushed past the nurse, pulling up short when he saw me in the bed. “Hey.” Relief washed over his face.
“Hey,” I said, weary. “You look nice.”
“You look like hell,” Landon said, moving to my side. “What’s going on here?”
“Who are you?” Dr. Ray Hardges had served Hemlock Cove as the primary physician for years. He was used to Winchester drama, although he obviously hadn’t been introduced to Landon yet.
“I’m her boyfriend.”
“You said you were with the FBI,” the nurse said, appearing in the doorway. “It’s against the law to pretend to be an agent.”
“I am an agent,” Landon snapped. “I also happen to be her boyfriend. I … what are you doing there?” Landon pointed to my arm, which was covered with bloodied bandages.
“I’m going to stitch up her arm,” Dr. Hardges said. “If you can remain calm, you can stay with her. If you can’t, you have to go out in the waiting room with the rest of her family.”
“They were banned,” I offered helpfully.
“Banned?”
“Mom was a little hysterical. She kept thinking my arm was going to fall off. She was willing to donate hers if I needed it.”
“How bad is it?” Landon asked, putting his hand on my shoulder.
“It’s minor,” Dr. Hardges said. “She was lucky. The bullet ripped through some flesh. It didn’t hit anything important, including bone. In a few days it won’t be anything but a minor aggravation and a bad memory.”
“Twila thinks I’m going to get lead poisoning,” I said.
“You seem a little out of it,” Landon said.
“I’m drugged.”
“Good.” He sat down on the edge of the bed, his hands nervously roaming up and down my body as he checked me over. “Is anything else hurt?”
“Just my head.”
“What happened to your head? You weren’t shot in the head, were you?” He was back on his feet, his hands clutching at my hair as he tugged it to the side.
“Ow!”
“Sir, you need to stop that,” Dr. Hardges said. “She was not shot in the head.”
“Then what’s wrong with her head?”
“Oh, there are so many answers to that question,” I mumbled.
“Sweetie … .” Landon straightened his shoulders, collecting himself. “What happened to her head?”
“She was struck from behind,” Dr. Hardges said. “My understanding is that Nick Spencer attacked her in the parking lot of the Dandridge. Everyone was talking at once when they brought her in, though, so I think you should probably talk to them.”
“Chief Terry is out there doing that right now.”
“Oh, that’s good. He knows how to handle them.”
“Can anyone handle them?”
“Good point.”
Landon forced a smile for my benefit. “How are you feeling?”
“Drugged.”
This time the smile that crossed his face was real. “When I got the call that you’d been shot, I honestly think my heart stopped beating.”
“It wasn’t so bad,” I said. “It probably wouldn’t have happened if Aunt Tillie hadn’t told Nick he had ‘prison bitch’ written all over him.”
Landon scowled. “She got you shot?”
“Not if you’re going to be angry with her.”
Landon pressed his lips together. “Where is she? Is she in the waiting room, too?”
“I … .”
“It’s going to be fine, sweetie,” he said, holding up his hand, conciliatorily. “I promise. I just want to have a little talk with her.”
“You look like you want to strangle her.”
“That might be fun, too,” Landon said.
“Who are you going to strangle?” Aunt Tillie popped into the room.
“Tillie, I told you that anyone who shared the same last name with Bay had to sit out in the waiting room,” Dr. Hardges scolded. “How did you get past Evangeline?”
“She’s not so spry these days,” Aunt Tillie said. “I walked right past her.”
“Are you going to behave yourself?”
“Yes.”
“It’s good that you’re here,” Landon said. “I want to have a talk with you.”
“Do you want to thank me for saving Bay’s life?” Aunt Tillie was guileless. The innocent look on her face made me want to laugh, but I didn’t have the energy.
“Did you get her shot?” Landon’s face was grave.
“Of course not,” Aunt Tillie said. “Nick wasn’t even aiming at us. He was waving his gun around like a crazy person. I think he pulled the trigger by accident. Bay jumped in front of me so I wouldn’t get hit. It’s all her fault.”
Landon clutched his hands together, furious.
“It’s okay,” I said. “I’m fine. It’s just a flesh wound.”
“You were shot!”
I jolted at the anger in his voice and contrition instantly flooded his features. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” He leaned over and kissed my forehead. “I didn’t mean to yell and scare you. I’m sorry.”
“You should really learn to control your temper,” Aunt Tillie said.
Landon inhaled deeply, the air rasping through his nose. “You’re probably right.”
Dr. Hardges patted him on the shoulder. “I’m going to go and get a few things for Bay, then we’re going to clean up her wound and sew her up. Then you can take her home. I’ll give you a few minutes with Tillie. It would be nice if you didn’t kill her.”
“I’m not going to kill her. Wait. Should Bay be going home? She was shot.”
“I’m not staying here,” I said. “I want to go home. I’m tired.”
“You can sleep here,” Landon countered.
“I want to sleep in my own bed. With you.”
Landon’s face softened. “Is it safe for her to go home?”
“She doesn’t have a concussion,” Dr. Hardges said. “We’re going to give you some pills for pain. She’ll probably sleep twelve hours. She’ll be much better tomorrow.”
“Okay,” Landon said. “Make sure you get me all the instructions.”
“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Dr. Hardges said.
Once Dr. Hardges left, Landon unleashed his fury on Aunt Tillie. “This is your fault!”
“How is it my fault?” Aunt Tillie asked. “I’m the one who saved her.”
“I have trouble believing that.”
“No, she did,” I said. “She told Nick she was going to blow his head off with the power of her mind. Then, when he shot me, she called down a storm and almost struck him with a bolt of lightning. He was so frightened he ran into the storm.”
Landon faltered. “You created that storm? You know they’re talking about it on television, right? The weather forecasters can’t figure out how it even happened. They said the weather conditions weren’t right for it. They’re calling it an act of God.”
“You’re welcome,” Aunt Tillie said.
“I’m not thanking you.”
“She’s alive.”
“She’s got a head wound and she’s been shot,” Landon argued. “She’s lucky to be alive.”
“And you’ve spent the past half hour imagining her dying in a pool of her own blood,” Aunt Tillie said, patting his arm. “You’re just an emotional pit of despair right now, aren’t you?”
Landon pinched the bridge of his nose. “She could have died.”
“I would never let that happen,” Aunt Tillie said.
“If that bullet had bee
n a few inches off … .”
“It wasn’t.”
“If she had moved slower … .”
“She didn’t.”
“If … .”
“She’s right there,” Aunt Tillie said. “You need to calm yourself. You’re starting to embarrass me.”
“Get out!”
“You get out!”
“I’m not joking,” Landon said. “Get. Out!”
Aunt Tillie pulled herself up to her full four feet and eleven inches, and fixed Landon with a dark look. “I’m only doing this because you’re about to blow a gasket.”
“Great.”
“We’re going to have a talk about this later,” Aunt Tillie warned, shuffling toward the door.
“I can’t wait.”
“If Nick wasn’t already at the top of my list, and if Lila Stevens wasn’t still in town, you would have a tornado of terror heading in your direction,” Aunt Tillie said.
“Get out!”
“ARE you comfortable?” Landon shifted the pillows under my head, pulling the covers up and tucking them around my shoulders.
“I’m going to pass out any second. You know that, right?”
“Not yet,” Landon said. “You have to take those pills Dr. Hardges sent home first. Here.”
He grabbed the medication bottle from the nightstand, tipped two pills into the palm of his hand, and passed them to me.
“I don’t need these,” I said. “I’m ready to pass out now.”
“Take them.”
“I … .”
“Take them.”
“You’re really bossy,” I said. I tossed the pills into my mouth and took the bottle of water he handed me so I could wash them down. When he was satisfied, I handed the bottle back and watched through heavy-lidded eyes as he stripped out of his clothes and climbed in next to me.
Mom wanted to stay at the guesthouse to make sure I was all right, but when Landon informed her that my bed was too small for the three of us she reluctantly left me in his capable hands, promises of a catered breakfast tomorrow morning escaping her lips as he pushed her out the door.
Landon switched off the lamp and rolled on his side so he was facing me. “Come here.”
I snuggled as close to him as I could, resting the side of my face against his chest. “I’m really tired.”
Witch Me Luck (Wicked Witches of the Midwest Book 6) Page 24