Hidden Magic
Page 18
Please let her be all right.
Heart racing, he set his flashlight down and drew his weapon.
He nudged open the door to her room with the barrel of his Glock. A black man lay bleeding from his mouth and neck on the floor, barely conscious. He lifted a hand as if asking for help. The man met his stare and Zander instantly knew who it was.
“Where is she?” When Jamal didn’t answer, he kicked him in the gut as hard as he could.
Jamal moaned and curled into a ball but didn’t answer.
A sound drew his attention to the other room, like something sliding across the floor. He took no chances as he quickly cuffed Jamal then headed into the store room. It was too dark to see much without any natural light coming inside.
He found Jilly on the floor, her feet tied to the legs of a wooden chair. A large bruise on her cheek was swelling enough to take over half her face, but she seemed otherwise unhurt.
He immediately freed her then pulled her into his arms just to assure himself she was okay.
She whimpered and grasped his arm. “Eloise is in the corner.” She pointed weakly toward the lump in the back of the room. “Please help her.”
He called for an ambulance and backup as he headed over the older woman and crouched next to her. Feeling for a pulse, he released a breath. “She’s alive.”
Eloise’s eyes fluttered but then closed again. He lifted her up and carried her out into the main room and set her on a bench near the door. Then he rushed back to the storeroom for Jilly.
Her bruise was turning a nasty shade of purple, which made him want to give Jamal an even worse injury. Better that he didn’t go back there or he might do just that.
“Are you okay?” He stared down into her eyes and his chest tightened at her nod.
“I stabbed him again. I had to.” Tears streaked her cheeks.
“It’s okay. He’ll never hurt you again.” He sat on a loveseat near the book section of the store and kissed the top of her head.
The whir of sirens suddenly filled the air. Blue and red lights bounced off the glass. He cradled Jilly in his arms until the EMT’s urged him to release her.
Thank God he hadn’t lost her.
* * * * *
Jilly handed Zander the end of a long white ribbon attached to the Maypole. He looked so handsome in khaki shorts and an earth-tone t-shirt. And his smile was so warm and genuine.
The drummers started drumming and along with her coven and dozens of guests, she and Zander circled the pole in opposite directions, wrapping it in symbolic red and white strips. She waved to Eloise, who watched the spectacle from the sidelines.
Thank the Goddess her boss had only suffered a concussion from the pistol whipping she’d suffered at Jamal’s hands last week, which could have been so much worse.
Zander passed her going the opposite direction. She owed him so much. He’d rescued her twice from Lee Saxon but she’d saved herself and Eloise from Jamal, who was now in jail, where he belonged.
Despite getting predictably tangled up in the shorter and shorter ribbons, she felt freer than ever before.
Zander helped her slip under the bindings when it was all over. “That was fun. I never realized Maypoles were a pagan thing.” He draped his arm over her shoulder as he led her to the food table.
She breathed in the raw male scent of him and moved closer. Her only appetite was for him. But it went way beyond sex. He’d come to the day’s Beltane festivities because he seemed genuinely interested in her beliefs. “Do you know what the red and white ribbons symbolize?”
He stopped and stared at her, amusement flashing in his eyes. “A barbershop’s pole?”
She laughed. “Nope. The red is for menstrual blood and the white is for semen.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Wow. You witches are always thinking about sex. I love that about you.”
She glanced toward the sumptuous spread set up nearby. “I’m not really hungry. You?”
One side of his lips lifted in a sexy grin. “Oh I’m hungry all right. But it has nothing to do with food.”
His warm breath fanned over her neck as he whispered in her ear. “I want you.”
A pleasant shiver rolled over her skin. Before could tell him that she returned the sentiment, Taryn and Haley came over.
Taryn swiped a celery stick from the feast. “Are we supposed to keep calling you Jilly or would you prefer Lauren?”
Jilly hadn’t told everyone in the coven about her past but she had confided in her two best friends. She thought about the question only a second. “Lauren’s gone. I’m Jilly now.”
“What’d you think of the ritual?” Haley asked Zander.
He took Jilly’s hand. “It was interesting. I don’t envision becoming a witch or anything, but you might see me at these events if Jilly will have me.”
She smiled. He was a good man. Not only had he worked tirelessly to find Hannah, but after she’d turned up, he hadn’t let up on the DA until all the charges were dropped. “Yup, I think I’ll keep you around for a while.”
Haley piled a paper plate high with gooey desserts and fattening breads. “You guys are so sickeningly sweet. Now I have to stuff my face with sugar to drown my loneliness.”
Taryn rolled her eyes. “Yeah, like she ever goes more than a week without a new guy chasing at her heels.”
Haley stopped what she was doing to face Taryn. “Problem is they’re not worthy. I refuse to accept any less than the perfect guy and same should hold true for you.” She tipped her chin toward Zander. “No reason we can’t find one as good as him.”
He puffed out his chest. “There aren’t any others like me, but maybe you two will find men who are close.”
The women groaned in unison. Jilly hoped her friends were someday as fortunate as she. Against all the odds, was finally happy. Not only had she found a great guy, but she’d discovered herself as well.
About the author
Wynter Daniels lives in Central Florida with her husband of more than twenty years and their two nearly grown children. They are all the slaves of a very demanding cat. After careers in marketing and the salon industry, Wynter’s wicked prose begged to be set free. She writes for Ellora’s Cave, Carina Press, Loose id, Red Sage. She loves to hear from readers, but only if it’s good!
Find Wynter at her website or on Facebook.