by Deanna Chase
Hope’s face paled. “But you and Shannon ran him off?”
“We restrained him until Drew could get there, but after Drew cuffed him, the guy still managed to escape his restraints, and he disappeared through the trees. Drew launched a search, but they haven’t found him yet.”
“Drew knows?” Hope sent Chad a panicked glance, and he knew she was worried about what was going to happen with Levi now. Would he call Child Protective Services? If so, hopefully Lorna could help make sure he wasn’t sent anywhere.
“I need to see Levi,” Hope said. “Is there anything else I need to know?”
Brian shook his head, and Hope darted into the house.
“Thanks, man. I’m Chad Garber, the new guy who’s opening a music store in town,” Chad said, holding his hand out. “We appreciate your help.”
“Anytime, and nice to meet you. Brian Knox.” Brian gave him an appraising glance. “Isn’t Levi staying with Luna?”
“Yes, but we’re both keeping an eye on him,” Chad confirmed.
“I see.” Brian glanced back at the door and then at Chad again. “Are you and Luna… a thing?”
Chad didn’t exactly know how to answer that. They hadn’t defined anything, but even as he admitted that fact to himself, he nodded. “We’re dating.”
“Lucky man.” Brian clapped a hand on Chad’s back then glanced back at the house. “The kids are a little shaken up but otherwise all right. I’ve already given a statement to Drew, but let me know if you need anything else, okay?”
“You’re taking off?” Chad asked.
Brian’s brow wrinkled, and his lips pressed into a thin line as he stared at the front door. “I need to get home. I think Shannon’s probably had enough of me, besides, I have a date with Skye early in the morning.”
“Skye?” Chad asked. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn’t put a face to it. “Who’s that? Someone from Eureka?”
He chuckled. “No. Skye is my buddy Jacob’s daughter. He and Yvette have plans, so I get the pleasure of tea parties and maybe a drum lesson.”
“Drum lessons?” Chad said with a bark of laughter. “I bet Jacob loves that.”
Brian snorted. “There may have been threats to my life, but I’m willing to risk it. Skye’s not really old enough yet to do anything but make noise, but her face lights up when she’s banging away on her miniature drum set. Besides, the kit is at my house, so they really don’t have an argument.”
“Sounds headache inducing,” Chad said, still smiling.
“Nah. I’ve been drumming my whole life. Doesn’t bother me.” Brian waved as he made his way to the street where his SUV was waiting.
Chad watched the man go, wondering what he meant when he’d said Shannon had probably had enough of him. Had he missed something there? He shook his head and stepped into the tiny house. He found Hope sitting at a small dining room table with Levi, Candy, and another boy about their age.
Levi’s face was red and his eyes fiery as he ranted about his uncle and how the man had threatened his new friends. “It’s one thing for him to come after me, but Candy and Axel are off limits. If Brian and Shannon hadn’t shown up when they did…” A small shudder ran through his gangly body.
“I think Levi would’ve ripped his head off,” Candy said, staring at her new friend with a mix of awe and fear. “He was really, really pissed.”
“Yeah, he was,” the kid who had to be Axel said. He had curly blond hair and was wearing an expression that resembled something more like pride. “I wish I had that kind of confidence when I’m being pushed around.” Axel reached out and squeezed Levi’s hand briefly before pulling his own hand back.
Chad didn’t miss the tiny smile that flashed on Levi’s face for just a second before it vanished again. Ah, so Axel was the kid Candy had wanted to set him up with. Well, that part of the evening seemed to have gone as planned at least.
“Everyone okay here?” Chad asked, his gaze landing on Hope.
She gave a tiny nod.
“We’re fine,” Candy and Axel said at the same time.
“I hate that bastard!” Levi cried as he stood up and buried his hands in his hair. “Why can’t he just leave me alone?”
Because you have a special magical gift that’s valuable, Chad thought. But he didn’t say it. “He will,” Chad promised. “We’ll get with Lorna and have her file a restraining order. Until then, it’s better if you hang out at someone’s house just to be safe.”
“A restraining order isn’t going to keep him away,” Levi forced out, his breath catching on the words. His eyes were red and glassy with tears.
Hope stood and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him away from the other two. They whispered softly as Hope did her best to soothe him.
“Shannon,” Chad said, moving into her kitchen where she leaned against the counter. “Thank you for what you and Brian did tonight.”
“There’s nothing to thank me for. That jackhole deserves to be in jail. I hope Drew tracks him down and makes him suffer.”
Candy and Axel nodded.
Levi froze.
Hope whispered something to him, and he shook his head. She sighed and turned around. “I think it’s time to call it a night. Candy, Axel, can we give you a ride?”
They looked at each other, but before they could get a word out, Shannon said, “I have to run back into town. I’ll take them.”
“All right.” Hope glanced at Levi. “Ready?”
He nodded and turned to his new friends. “I’m really sorry about tonight. That’s not…” He sucked in a breath. “I just wanted to hang out and get to know you better.”
“We know,” Candy said. “It’s not your fault. We can get together in a few days if you want.”
“Sunday?” Axel chimed in. “My grandma has a pool. We could go over there.”
“That sounds fun,” Candy said.
Levi glanced at Hope. “Would that be okay?”
“Of course,” she said. “Now let’s go home and I’ll see what I can do about those bruises.”
Levi pressed his hand to his neck, anger flashing in his dark eyes. “Asshole.”
Chad had to agree, and he knew that if he ran into the man who called himself Levi’s uncle, he’d probably have a hell of a time keeping himself from smashing his other hand into the man’s face.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Hope watched as Levi paced the living room of her cottage. He was freaking out. There was no other word for it. They’d only been home a half hour when Drew, the town deputy, had shown up on their doorstep. Levi’s uncle, Frank Kelley, hadn’t been found, though a beat-up, faded-blue truck had been spotted speeding out of town toward the mountains.
“That’s him,” Levi said. “He’s probably headed to one of his buddy’s houses out in the sticks. He always disappears out into the country when the heat comes down on him.”
Drew made a note. “Do you know any of his buddies or where they live?”
Levi shook his head and continued to pace, his movements jerky. “I can give you the address of the house we stayed at in Eureka. It’s not his though.”
The deputy wrote down the address.
“Drew,” Chad said. “Lorna’s on her way. We need to file a restraining order so there’s no question this Frank guy shouldn’t be near Levi.”
Drew sat back in his chair, studying them. “Sure. We can do that. But I have to ask, who has legal custody?”
“We’re working on that,” Hope said quickly. “Lorna White is—”
“I don’t have a legal guardian,” Levi spit out. “My dad kicked me out six months ago. I went to stay with my uncle, but they don’t talk, and my uncle… Well, he just tried to force me to be a runner for his illegal potions business. So… I’m here. Luna offered me a place to stay and I—” His voice broke, and tears ran unchecked down his face.
Hope’s heart shattered right there in her chest. Pain radiated through her and without a thought, she strode over to Levi
and wrapped her arms around him. His body shook as he buried his face into her shoulder.
“Okay. I got it.” Drew stood and glanced at Chad. “You said Lorna is on her way?”
But before Chad could answer there was a sharp knock on the door. When he opened it, Lorna strode through. She was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, but the white-haired woman was all business as she swung her briefcase onto Hope’s table and pulled out papers that were already prepared. “In the state of California, any person twelve and over can file their own orders of protection. Levi, all I need you to do is sign, and we’ll have Drew take it from here, all right?”
Levi let go of Hope and nodded. After wiping at his eyes, he picked up the pen and scribbled his signature. “Is that all you need from me?”
“That’s it for me,” Lorna said.
“I still have a few questions,” Drew said.
Levi sent pleading eyes to Hope. She knew he was terrified, but she also knew Drew would do everything in his power to help them. “I think you should talk to Drew. He’s only trying to help.”
Levi’s face was white as he reluctantly nodded.
“Let’s go into the living room,” Drew said, waving for Levi to precede him. Levi was obviously unhappy about the situation, but he shuffled into the other room with Drew right behind him.
Hope turned to Lorna. “What does this mean? Will Drew have to call Child Protective Services?”
“Not necessarily,” the older woman said. “I got confirmation that Levi’s father Mike signed for the letter we sent the other day. He hasn’t responded yet, but the fact that he knows where his kid is and hasn’t even picked up the phone will only help your case. If it comes down to it, we can have Drew call and talk to Levi’s dad and try to get verbal confirmation.”
Hope’s mouth went dry. “What if he says no?”
“Why would he do that?” Chad asked. “He’s already made it clear he doesn’t want Levi in his house.”
“You know as well as I do that people can be evil for no reason at all, Chad,” Hope said quietly. “I just don’t want to give anyone a chance to hurt Levi again.”
“The phone call might be our best option, though,” Lorna said. “Why don’t we just wait to see what Drew says?”
Hope busied herself in the kitchen, making hot chocolate, while Chad and Lorna sat quietly at the table. It wasn’t long before Levi and Drew walked back into the dining room.
Levi hurried into the kitchen and stood next to Hope.
She reached out and grabbed his hand. “You okay?”
“I think so. He wants to call my dad.”
Hope closed her eyes and said a silent prayer. “Why?”
“To make sure my story lines up, I guess. I gave him the home number.”
Lorna spent the next few minutes filling Drew in on the letter they’d sent to Levi’s father.
Drew nodded and excused himself.
“Are you hungry?” Hope asked him.
Levi shook his head. “I’ve got a headache though.”
“Here.” She reached up and gently ran her fingers over his temple. Her magic flared to life, and it wasn’t long before he let out a sigh.
“Thank you.” He leaned against her shoulder and closed his eyes.
Hope wrapped her arms around him, just holding him close. “I’ve got you, Levi. Don’t worry about a thing.”
A small tremor went through him and he held on tight, like a small child. Hope wondered if he’d ever had someone to hold like this. The thought brought tears to her eyes as she realized she hadn’t had anyone either.
The door creaked open and footsteps sounded on the living room floor as Drew made his way back in. “I have news.”
Levi’s body stiffened, and then he started to tremble.
“It’s okay. Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it,” Hope murmured.
“I spoke with Mr. Mike Kelley on the phone just now. Levi’s father,” Drew said. “He’s agreed to let Luna take temporary custody.”
Hope let out a whoosh of air. “Thank the gods.”
Levi’s body started to shake as he let out a small sob. Tears soaked Hope’s shirt, but she didn’t care. She’d hold him for as long as she needed to. She couldn’t even imagine how hard it must’ve been to hear that his own father had given a complete stranger custody. It likely wasn’t any harder than being kicked out just for being gay, but it must’ve ripped open that scab, exposing a gaping wound.
“Thank you, Drew,” Hope said, still holding on to Levi.
“Just doing my job,” he said. “You’ll still need to file with the courts, but since I have the verbal agreement on record and you’ve already started the paperwork, it shouldn’t be an issue. Don’t hesitate to give me a call if there’s any more trouble. In the meantime, there’s still an active manhunt for Frank Kelley. We’ll be in touch if and when we find him.”
Hope nodded. “We will.”
“Good.” He mimed a tip of his hat, spun on his heel, and left them to deal with the aftermath of the evening.
Lorna stood, gathered her paperwork, and said, “This is all great news. I’ll work on the permanent custody paperwork tomorrow.” She stopped near Hope and Levi, her face full of sympathy. “Don’t you worry, young man. You’re in good hands with Luna and Chad, but they’re not the only ones who care about you. I’d dare say the entire town of Keating Hollow is going to be watching over you when they hear about what happened tonight. And a village of witches isn’t a group anyone wants to mess with. Not if they don’t have a death wish anyway.”
Levi lifted his head from Hope’s shoulder and glanced at the lawyer. “The entire town?”
Her lips split into a grin. “You’re one of us now. Time to get used to it.” She lightly patted his arm. “Get some rest. We’ll talk more soon.”
Levi nodded and wiped at his eyes.
Lorna waved to Hope and mouthed, Call me tomorrow.
“I will,” Hope said softly.
A moment later, she heard the front door closing, followed by the roar of Lorna’s car engine. With the lawyer gone, it was just the three of them again—Chad, Hope, and Levi.
Chad walked over to them, wrapped his arms around both of them, and just held on. “That’s the last time anything like that is going to happen to either of you,” he said in a low, almost growly voice. “I guarantee it.”
Hope closed her eyes, letting his words wash over them, and prayed it was true.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The weekend was low key with Chad, Hope, and Levi hanging out at Hope’s house on Saturday. Hope tried to keep Levi’s mind off of his uncle by renting a bunch of action movies and settling in for what she would mostly call a guy’s day. Chad brought over an outdated Playstation, and the two guys spent a few hours playing a vintage Tony Hawk skateboarding game while Hope baked cupcakes and spent some time weeding the small garden she’d started a few weeks ago. On Sunday, Levi went over to Candy’s and spent the afternoon swimming with her and Axel while Hope and Chad spent the afternoon ordering inventory for his music store.
By the time Monday morning rolled around, life had started to feel somewhat normal. Levi’s head was mostly healed and he’d get his stitches out in a few days. He seemed settled and even started talking about wanting to go back to high school in the fall. He’d missed an entire semester after being thrown out of his dad’s house. Hope made a note to talk to the school to figure out how he could make up the classes.
“We could talk about summer school. I don’t think it’s started yet,” Hope said as they strode into Incantation Café. “What do you think?”
Levi glanced at his feet and shoved his hands into his pockets.
“What? Are you not ready for that?”
“No, I—” He ran a hand through his dark curls. “I guess I just thought we had to wait for something to be finalized before I could…” Levi shrugged. “I don’t know. I feel like I’m in limbo.”
“Before you could start to move forward with y
our life?” Hope guessed.
“Yeah.”
She reached over and squeezed his hand. “I get that. I’ve been there before. It’s worse when you start to acclimate and then get the rug pulled out from under you. It’s up to you. And I mean that. But I really don’t think we’re going to have an issue, and it will probably look better to the judge if we show that we mean business. Enrolling you in school is a pretty permanent step.”
“You think so?” he asked, his eyes sparking with hope.
“I do. You like school, don’t you?” she said with a tilt of her head.
“I didn’t used to think so,” he said, this time meeting her eyes. “But once I didn’t have the option, I realized it was always my way out.”
“Out of your dad’s house?” she asked.
“Out of everything. His house. That tiny town he lives in. The small minds of the people who live there. I just don’t want to end up stuck anywhere.”
“I get that,” Hope said with a pleased smile. “An education is a powerful thing. And there’s a big world outside of Keating Hollow.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Levi said with a frown. “I don’t want to leave here. Not now anyway.”
She placed a soft hand on his arm. “I know, Levi. Don’t worry about that. I want you to have an education and choices. It’s what you deserve.”
There was silence for a moment before he flashed her a smile. “Thanks.”
“Nothing to thank me for,” she reassured him before pulling him into a tight hug.
After they had their lattes in hand and a couple of pastries, Hope and Levi met Chad outside on the cobbled sidewalk.
“Good morning to my two favorite people,” Chad said, striding up to them, looking at good as ever. His light hair was slightly too long, a lock falling over one eye, and his blue eyes were gleaming with mischief.
“Good morning yourself,” Hope said, leaning in for a quick kiss.
Levi nodded at him and took a sip of his latte.
“It’s a big day,” Chad said. “Levi, are you up for helping me with the store signage today? Our marquee is ready to be hung.”