by Deanna Chase
I wrapped my arms around Julius and pressed my head to his chest, not wanting to let go. “Call me if you learn anything new.”
“You know I will.” He rested his chin on the top of my head. “And you take care of the bike. No riding in the rain. And no drag racing, no matter who challenges you.”
I pulled back and opened my mouth in mock indignation. “No drag racing? You’re no fun.”
He gave me a smirk. “That’s not what you said this morning.”
I laughed. “Fair enough. Go hand that jackass off to the council and hurry back. I have plans for you later.”
“Plans that include traipsing through the bayou and putting the smackdown on anyone else involved in Mia’s kidnapping?”
“Something like that.” I reached up and pressed my lips to his, trying to ignore the pang in my chest. And even though I knew he’d be perfectly fine—in his own way, Julius was just as powerful as Jade—there was something inside me that ached with the thought of being separated from him, if only for a short time. It unsettled me.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, eyeing me when we broke apart.
Crap. He’d noticed my turmoil. I forced a smile. “You mean besides Bo and Mia?”
“Yes. I know you’re amped up about finding them both, but there’s something else. What is it?”
I sighed and pressed my hand to his chest, wanting to be connected to him. “Just unsettled after what happened back there. It’s not every day a girl finds out she has supernatural powers. I’ll be fine. Jade’s here to protect me… or to keep me from blowing myself up.”
His eyes searched mine. “If you want me to stay—”
“No.” I held a hand up. “You have a job to do. Go do it. I’ll be here when you get back.”
“You’d better be.” With one last kiss on my cheek, he gingerly climbed into the SUV.
“Make sure you take those herbs Jade gave you. Okay?”
He held up the metal tin. “Will do. I’ll be as good as knew next time you see me.”
“Good.” I waved as Kane pulled out of the parking lot, leaving Jade and me behind. I turned to her. “Ready?”
She grinned. “Always.”
I climbed on the bike, secured my helmet, and after she did the same, I kicked the bike to life. “Hold on!” I called over my shoulder.
The second her hands came around my waist, I put the bike in gear and flew down the highway.
Before we’d loaded Emerson into the SUV, Jade and I had searched his office building but found nothing out of the ordinary. There had been stacks of invoices and customer receipts on his desk. The only oddity was the sheer number of parts ordered and sold. Unless they were selling their inventory online through eBay, there was no way a town as small as Twin Forks could support that kind of volume.
“The shop has to be a front for something else. Most likely drugs,” I said to Jade as we walked up to the inn’s front door. “And I’d bet my last dollar they are forcing Bo to be a part of it.”
“That’s possible.” Jade stared at the inn, frowning.
“What?” I asked, glancing around for anything unusual or out of place. But the sun had set and the only thing I could make out was the pathway, which was lined with a half dozen garden lights.
“There’s unusual energy coming from inside the house.”
I paused midstep. “What does that mean… unusual?” If we walked through the front door, were we going to end up in another magical showdown? Goddess, I hoped not. Besides being exhausted, all I wanted was one of Moxie’s warm muffins and a fresh cup of coffee.
She shook her head, her brows pinched. “I don’t know. It’s like a dark cloud is hovering overhead. Not evil, just… unsettled.”
“Well, that’s reassuring,” I said, doing nothing to hide the sarcasm in my tone.
She gave me an apologetic smile. “Sorry. I just can’t put my finger on what’s bothering me. Something’s off.”
“Okay.” I closed my fingers around my dagger, comforted by the magic that suddenly sprang to life.
“Do you feel it?” Jade asked. “The energy in the house, I mean.”
That was a good question. Could I? I’d felt Jade’s magic and Emerson’s back at the Twin Forks garage. Could I tap into other energy? I closed my eyes and concentrated on Jade. My pulse rate seemed to speed up slightly, and that rush of magic intensified. I definitely could sense her magical energy. But what about the house? I took a few deep breaths and focused on the door.
Nothing.
Closing my eyes, I recalled the entry, the wooden stairs, and the adjacent living room area. My pulse didn’t speed up, but there was something there. Something that felt a lot like queasiness.
“Um, if what you feel makes you want to heave, then yes. I feel it.” My eyes popped open, and the minute I focused on Jade, the queasiness dissipated.
“Heave?” she asked. “No. But it does make my skin itch a little. Whatever it is, we just need to be prepared.”
“So far we’ve been in more danger of walking in on inappropriate role play.”
“Really?” Jade laughed.
I chuckled with her. “Really. But they’ve been fighting the past few days, so you might be spared.”
The entry was dark except for one dim wall light. Low murmurs came from the living room, and before we clambered up the stairs, I poked my head in on Hale and Moxie.
The pair sat on the couch, Moxie draped over Hale’s lap, their heads bent as they spoke quietly. He was dressed in a clean T-shirt and loose shorts while she wore leggings and a tunic. I glanced down at Hale’s exposed legs and winced. They were angry and marked with blisters. He should’ve gone straight to the hospital for medical attention.
“Pyper,” Moxie called over Hale’s shoulder. “Good, you’re here.”
“We didn’t mean to interrupt,” I said, already backing out of the room. “I just wanted to make sure Hale got home safely.”
“Yes, thanks to you apparently.” She smiled, but her eyes were tired as she waved me forward. “Can we talk to you for a minute?”
“Sure.” I nodded for Jade to follow me into the living room. Moxie’s lavender scent was stronger than usual, making my nose itch, and I wondered how Hale managed to sit right next to her.
After I introduced Jade, we sat opposite them in a pair of matching club chairs. And just as I was about to ask what this was all about, Stella came bounding into the room, yapping. Moxie’s cat let out a yowl and took off into the adjoining office. The little dog made a beeline right for me and launched herself into my lap. I picked her up and snuggled her against my shoulder, soothed by the weight of her small body against mine.
Hale cleared his throat, and when I glanced up, he met my gaze head on. “Thank you for what you did today.”
I gave a half shrug. “I didn’t do anything anyone else wouldn’t have done in my position.”
He let out a humorless laugh. “Not in this town. No one stands up to Emerson Charles.”
“No one?” Jade asked, curiously. “Why is that exactly? Are there no other witches around who are willing to engage him?”
“There were,” Hale admitted. “But after everything went down with Sterling and Mia, Emerson went on a morality kick. He started spewing stuff about family and loyalty and how the people of this town needed to come together to rise above all the evil that lurks out there. Anyone who dared use their magic couldn’t be trusted and ultimately was ostracized. He made the claim that Sterling and Mia were experimenting too much with their powers and that Sterling accidently killed her. And while he’s never come out and said that Sterling got what he deserved, it’s been implied many times over.”
“So what happened to the other witches in town?” I asked, trying to piece together what he was telling me.
“They’re either working for Emerson, left town, or were forced out,” Moxie said.
“And the Swamp Witch shop? Is the proprietor an actual witch, or…?”
Hale shook h
is head. “She just sells novelty stuff. Once everyone else with any sort of magic disappeared from Mayhem, Emerson started showing his true colors. He threatens, bribes, blackmails, and spells people to do his bidding.”
“That’s the only reason Hale was working for him,” Moxie said softly. “He couldn’t afford for—”
“Moxie, no!” Hale frowned and shook his head.
“How are we ever going to get out of this situation if we don’t tell someone?” she asked, hastily pushing her unwieldy, curly hair out of the way.
“We’ll be fine. I’ll handle it,” he muttered and glanced away.
Jade and I shared a glance. She mouthed, Guilt. Lots of guilt and pointed at Hale. I didn’t need to be an empath to figure that out.
“I don’t know what your role was at the Emerson’s garage, but I promise you can trust us,” I said, trying to sound reassuring.
“Really? Doesn’t your boyfriend work for the Witches’ Council?” Hale asked, his eyes narrowed in challenge.
“Well, yes, but neither of us do, and he’s not here right now.” Stella lifted her head and started to growl for no apparent reason. I ran my hand over her head, calming the little troublemaker. “Besides, unless you have magical abilities, then they don’t have any jurisdiction over you.”
He let out a huff of humorless laughter. “That’s the bitch of it. I am a witch, though I never wanted to be one. Never wanted to cast spells or deal with the darkness that ultimately comes along with being cursed with power.”
I couldn’t say I blamed him. In fact, learning that I had magic, even if it was attached to the dagger, had given me pause. The terrible things I’d seen Jade have to deal with over the past few years were enough to make anyone walk away from all things magic. Most didn’t because the power surge was too intoxicating. If he’d managed it, he was stronger than I was. Still, something was bothering me about his statement. “If you have magic, why didn’t you fight back when Emerson attacked you?”
Hale opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Then he let out a groan of frustration and shook his head, his fists clenched.
Moxie’s body tensed, and she let out an exaggerated sigh. “Dammit. Not again. He won’t be able to talk for days now.”
“What? Why?” Jade leaned forward, her elbows on her knees as she studied him. “What just happened there?”
Hale gently pushed Moxie off him and stood. He didn’t look back as he limped into the next room.
Moxie bit her bottom lip, then she grimaced and shook her head. “I’m not sure if this is a good idea, but I’m going to tell you what I know and pray it doesn’t come back to bite Hale in the butt. Can I really trust you, two?”
“Yes,” we both said in unison.
Jade smiled at me, then turned her attention to Moxie. “You don’t know me, so I can understand the apprehension, but let me lay my background out for you. I’m a white witch, leader of the New Orleans coven. I don’t work for the council, but a couple of my coven members do. I don’t use black magic. Or at least never intentionally. There have been a few close calls when my friends or myself have been in mortal danger. My husband is a demon hunter. Neither of us would dream of using our powers against anyone else for personal gain. My mission here is to help Pyper find Mia and now Bo, who appears to be missing. If Hale is in trouble, I’ll do everything in my power to help him out too. All you need to do is give me a chance.”
My heart swelled as I listened to my friend. She didn’t have to put herself on the line to help strangers, but there she was, stepping up just as she always did. Remarkable didn’t even begin to describe her.
“And you?” Moxie asked me. “Why are you getting involved in a five-year-old kidnapping of someone you’ve never even met?”
It was on the tip of my tongue to answer, Why wouldn’t I? But her question deserved better than that. “I don’t want to be cliché and say something like ‘with great power comes great responsibility,’ because that sounds like a BS answer and not the whole truth. But I’m not sure how else to put it. Most people don’t see ghosts, but I do. And when one seeks me out with information that can help someone, I can’t just ignore it. I know what it’s like to be held captive by evil, and I won’t stand by and let it happen to someone else. For me, it’s personal.”
She let my words sink in for a moment, then she nodded. “I can see that. Okay, what I’m about to tell you has to stay between us. If Emerson Charles is released and he finds out I’ve told you any of this, Hale’s a dead man. Understood?”
“Your secret is safe with us,” I said while Jade nodded.
“Okay then.” She sucked in a breath. “Hale pledged an oath of fealty to Emerson Charles, just like all his bikers have. And when he did, a spell was cast that rendered him unable to use his magic specifically against Emerson or spill any of Emerson’s secrets. In fact, he can only use magic when Emerson orders him to.”
“And?” I prompted, knowing there had to be more. Otherwise they wouldn’t have been worried about the council.
Her expression turned steely as she forced out, “Emerson Charles runs an illegal chop shop. Did you know that?”
I shook my head. But it did explain a few things, such as the excess invoices in his office. He had to have some sort of paper trail for the accountants if he was banking illegal sales.
“I’m not surprised,” she added. “Because then you’d likely already know that Hale is his right-hand man.”
17
“What?” I asked, my eyes widening as a wave of shock rolled over me. That was the last thing I was expecting her to say. “He’s in business with Emerson Charles?”
“I wouldn’t say in business exactly, but without Hale, it would be a lot harder. You see, Hale is gifted at memory modification. For the past four years, his job has been to make the victims believe they sold their bikes to Twin Forks Cycles. In exchange for his ‘obedience,’ Hale was allowed to maintain a certain portion of his freedom, which basically meant he didn’t have to live at the Twin Forks compound like most of the rest of them do. Emerson Charles is a dictator.”
They had a compound? Was that where Bo was? Had he been under Emerson’s spell as well? My stomach turned at the thought of the young man being exploited by his so-called guardian. “It sounds like you’re implying Hale was an unwilling participant.”
“Damn straight he is!” She sat up straight and pointed toward the door. “Do you think that sweet man would ever do such a thing if he had a choice?”
“No, that’s not my impression of him,” I said.
She slumped and tears welled in her dark eyes. “It’s been terrible. Hale donates as much of the money as he can to youth programs. We didn’t know what else to do.”
Jade stood and moved over to the couch to sit next to Moxie. She gently took the woman’s hand in hers, and although I didn’t doubt Jade was trying to comfort her, I suspected she also wanted a better read on the woman’s emotions. “Four years is a long time. Didn’t anyone ever question why they sold their bikes? Not even after the spells wore off?”
She shook her head. “Not once. Part of the scam included taking the victim back to the Twin Forks lair, where he was drugged and robbed of any cash on his person. In the morning, he wakes up in some obscure motel with memories of hooking up with one of the biker babes and thinking he spent all his cash on her while he partied like a rock star. If and when the spell loses its punch, their memories are so vague and confused, they don’t really know what happened.”
“Holy balls,” I breathed. “Emerson is a human cockroach.”
Moxie nodded and wiped the tears from her cheeks. Her eyes were sunken and shadowed as if she hadn’t slept in days. “Now that Emerson is at least temporarily incarcerated, we’ve made a decision. We’re leaving town.”
“Why now?” I asked. “As opposed to when this all started?”
She snorted in frustration. “I asked Hale the same thing earlier today. He said it’s because Emerson would’ve com
e after us. But now that Emerson has attacked him, he’s willing to risk it.” Standing, she smoothed her tunic. “We’re leaving tonight while we still can.”
“Tonight?” It was already after nine. Finding another place to stay was going to be difficult at best, especially with a rambunctious shih tzu. “Okay, let me grab our bags and we’ll get out of your way.”
“No, no,” she said, shaking her head. “You can stay here as long as you like. The utilities are paid through the end of the month. Don’t let us put you out on the street.”
“That’s kind of you,” I said, breathing a sigh of relief.
“Do you know where you’ll go?” Jade asked, her head tilted to one side as she looked up at the woman.
Moxie shrugged. “North maybe? Definitely out of state. Maybe out of the country. As far as we can get before Emerson is released.”
I studied the woman standing in front of us. She was so different than the one I’d met a few days ago when we’d checked in. Before, she’d been happy, bubbly, full of mischief and life as she planned her dates with Hale. But tonight she was just tired. Worn out and disillusioned.
Jade stood and turned to Moxie, her expression filled with curiosity. “Can I ask you one more thing?”
“Uh, sure.” Moxie glanced over her shoulder as if looking for Hale. But when she didn’t see him, she returned her attention to Jade.
“If Emerson spelled Hale in order to keep him from talking about their arrangement, how is that you know all this?”
Moxie let out a mocking laugh. “Emerson Charles is many things, but discreet is not one of them. Not when he’s trying to get a woman into bed anyway. Apparently he thought that informing me he controls my boyfriend would be a turn-on.”
“You mean he came on to you?” I asked, wondering how it was possible to harbor so much loathing for one human being.
“Yes. And he still does. Pretty much every chance he gets.” She reached behind the desk and picked up a familiar plastic bin. The top was missing, and inside I spied no less than a dozen brightly colored adult toys. When she noticed me staring, her tight smile vanished, replace by a mischievous one. “Now that we’re getting out of this town, I have big plans to help Hale get his groove back.” Then she winked and disappeared to go pack.