Charmed & Deadly Read online

  A hand, still tied to the rope, was all that was left. It held a small pistol. The sight made my stomach roll, and I took a deep breath.

  “Where did he get a gun?”

  Shaking his head, Kaz motioned toward the other side of the tree. “I do not know. I feel the leopard favors us, but we shouldn’t tempt fate. We must move quickly, down the other side of the tree. You do not want the blood of the prey on you.” Kaz was already moving behind me. I carefully followed him across the branches of the huge tree until we reached the other side.

  The lowest branch was still about ten feet off the ground, so he jumped off and then reached up to help me down.

  As my feet touched the ground, we heard a roar. It sounded far away, but the jungle can be deceptive.

  “The camp where your brother works is nearby, a few hours’ walk.” Kaz loaded his pack onto his back, and I did the same. “We’ll stop there and see if we can get any more information as to where your father and brother are.”

  I nodded. With the lone remaining soldier dead, we’d lost our guide. I knew the camp was probably crude, but I prayed there might at least be a place I could take a quick bath. There are at least twelve layers of insect repellant on my skin, and I’ve surpassed my personal best with the body odor.

  We’ve stopped to have a quick bite to eat and to rest. Kaz believes we are only about two hours away. Please, let him be right. It feels like someone is watching us, but every time I send my mind out, I don’t see a thing.

  The jungle is getting to me. I’m going mad, I tell you, mad!

  Geez. I really do need a shower and a Diet Coke.

  Camp Maharas

  9 p.m.

  Zonked witches: 1

  Compared to where I’ve spent the last few days, Camp Maharas is the Ritz. It’s basically a medical facility my brother set up to help the Rwandan refugees. It consists of five large tents, with a well for water and more children than I’ve ever seen in my life.

  When we first walked into the camp it was silent, and I wondered if it had been abandoned. I called out, “Hello? Is anyone here? I’m Bronwyn, Brett’s sister.”

  “Yes?” A beautiful African woman poked her head out of a tent with the huge red cross on it. “You are Doctor Brett’s sister?”

  I nodded and tried to smile. I say “tried,” because at that moment exhaustion had overtaken me—it was all I could do to stand. I said a quick energy spell, and it helped some.

  Wearing a long white coat over denim shorts and an olive tank, she rushed out to meet me. “I’m Doctor Sarah Umbarto. We are so happy you are here.” She took my hands. “Your brother speaks highly of you.” Her bright eyes were so green they looked like glass marbles.

  I seriously doubted my brother ever said a kind word, but I appreciated her attempt at being friendly. “Thank you.” I motioned beside me. “This is Kaz. He’s been helping me get through the jungle the last few days.”

  She nodded toward him and he gave a slight bow in her direction.

  I could hear whispering from the tents.

  “Children, it’s safe.”

  There was a rush of giggles and suddenly we were surrounded by chattering children. They didn’t seem to mind the fact that I smelled of bug repellant and sweat. They patted and pawed me until Dr. Umbarto shooed them away.

  “You must be stern with them or they’ll pester you for as long as you let them.” She smiled and shook her head as she spoke. “Off to school, now.” She pointed to one of the larger tents.

  “Where do they all come from?” I followed her into the medical tent.

  “Many are refugees, others are orphans who have lost their parents to AIDS.” She waved to a nurse and another doctor. “This”—she pointed to the nurse—“is Tiana. She assists us with everything from surgery to physicals and probably knows more than all of us put together.”

  Another woman walked up beside Tiana. “This is Doctor Carmen González, who has been with us for the past eight months.”

  Carmen held out her hand. “I’m so sorry about Brett. I’ve worked with him on and off for many years, and we’ve never had anything like this happen. And your father, well, it’s too much.” She had beautiful olive skin, light brown eyes, and a figure that runway models would die for.

  Something about her name seemed familiar. I wondered if she might be the same Carmen he dated in med school.

  I shook her hand. “Thank you. Are you the same Carmen from college?”

  Her smile turned shy and she looked away. “Yes.” She sighed. “Have you heard any more news?” Her hopeful plea made me cringe.

  “No. But I’ve been in the jungle the last few days, so if any came, I wouldn’t know it.”

  Carmen walked over to a computer with a satellite hookup. “If you want to check here you can. We can also make calls through an Internet link.” She held up a headset.

  “Thanks.” It suddenly dawned on me that we’d lost Kaz somewhere along the way.

  I called out, “Kaz?” No answer. “Did you see where he went?”

  Dr. Umbarto shrugged.

  I stepped back outside the tent. “Kaz?”

  “I’m here, Bronwyn.” He stood at the edge of the camp. “They have no guards, guns, or protection.” The worried look on his face told me loads.

  “You know you don’t need guns when I’m around.” I smiled to ease his worry. “I’ll put a protection spell up for the entire camp, and I’ll make charms in a bit so we’ll know when an enemy approaches.”

  Kaz put his rifle back into the shoulder holster. “There should be men here to protect the children.”

  “I know. That’s probably why my brother has refused to leave all this time. He’s been here for two years straight and hasn’t so much as taken a weekend away. Well, until now. And I have a feeling wherever he is, it isn’t much of a vacation.”

  My brother felt so drawn to this place and now I understood why. These people needed him. That’s why he’d given up his cushy practice at home and stayed. Never in a million years would I admit it, but we have that in common—when our friends need us, we’re there.

  Brett had come here two years ago as part of the Doctors Across Borders program and never went home. His two-week trip had turned into two years.

  I have to find him. These children need him.

  11 p.m.

  I’m going to kill Sam and Azir. I mean it. The idiots followed me here after I begged them not to, and now I can’t sense them.

  Sam had sent an e-mail.

  Bron,

  Azir and I are headed your way.

  Taking the river so we can catch up with you.

  Love,

  Sam

  Idiots. I just sent my mind out to check on them, but I can’t find anything. It’s as if they’ve disappeared, which is never a good thing. Usually even if Sam blocks me I at least know he’s around, but not this time. When I find him I’m going to cause him extreme physical harm for putting me through this. Then I’ll attack him like a horny tiger, but only after I hurt him bad.

  Cole had also e-mailed—no word on Garnout, which really pisses me off. I can’t believe the huge spook brigade can’t find one wizard. It’s nuts.

  They did find some interesting information about Jason. His family has disowned him, which is a good thing in my book. Turns out he killed one of his cousins after he escaped the Institute, and that didn’t sit well with his folks. The family has promised to assist the spook investigators in whatever way possible.

  The prime minister is furious with me. I received a snippy e-mail from Miles about how unprofessional I’ve been, and that I’ve abused Dr. Zocando’s kindness.

  Bite me. As far as I can see, Zocando still hasn’t done anything to find my dad or brother. The prime minister said they were heading this way in the next few days. Geez, my family could be dead by then.

  Throughout this whole escapade I’ve been second-guessing myself and wondering if I’ve made the right decision. Now I know. I can’t sleep, even th
ough I’m exhausted. I’m so worried, and we’re supposed to leave at first light tomorrow.

  I guess I’ll at least make good use of the time and put together some protection charms for the camp.

  11 a.m.

  The jungle

  Eerified witches: 1

  The whole time we’ve been in the jungle it’s been noisy, until today. I’ve heard the occasional bird, but most of the time it’s gunfire that interrupts the silence. It’s eerie because there’s no way of knowing where it comes from or how far away it is.

  We left the camp around seven this morning, a little later than expected. Kaz had a tough time waking me up, probably because I’d only fallen asleep three hours before.

  “Here—you should eat these to keep up your strength.” Carmen handed me a dozen protein bars. She’d been waiting outside my sleeping tent. I knew the bars had to have come from her personal stash, and I waved them away.

  “No, I know how precious these things are out here. We have food.”

  “Please, take them,” she begged. “It’s the one thing I can do to feel like I’m helping to find Brett.” Her voice caught. She looked at me and I noticed her eyes were shiny.

  I don’t know what made me do it, but I took the bars and hugged her. “I’m going to find him.” I patted her back, wondering if my brother had any idea how much she was in love with him.

  “I can’t imagine why you care so much about him. He’s such a pig-headed jerk.” I pulled away from the hug.

  She wiped her eyes with her hand. “I know,” Carmen sniffled, “but I love him anyway.” She smiled. “Of course he probably doesn’t have a clue. He’s so wrapped up in this place he barely notices I’m around.”

  I had a hard time believing that. Carmen was beautiful, with her shiny black hair and perfect figure, and I had a feeling she had no idea how gorgeous she was. My brother was stubborn, but he wasn’t stupid.

  “I’ll have him back here soon. No worries.”

  It took fifteen minutes to say our good-byes to the rest of the staff and the children. We’d been walking for the last three-and-a-half hours through the jungle. The farther we moved away from the camp, the quieter it became. Then about an hour ago we began to hear the gunfire. The jungle is tense with the sound of it.

  From what Kaz whispered earlier, it may be good news—we might be close to where they are holding my family. I hope so.

  We stopped a few minutes ago to rest and eat a light lunch.

  I’m so sick of all this crap that if those rebels find us now they are dead meat. There’s nothing I’d like more right now than to blow someone up.

  Well, a hot bubble bath would be nice, too. Oh, and Lulu’s fried chicken and chocolate pie. Hell, right now I’d settle for a turkey sandwich, potato chips, and a big glass of iced tea. My throat aches with the thought of it.

  Damn. Kaz is doing that twitchy thing with his head, which means it’s time to move on. I shouldn’t complain. Every step we take is bringing me closer to my family…and to the rebels who kidnapped them.

  I’m soaking up all the nature I can, and I’ve been building my power for days. When the time comes, I’ll be at full capacity and very, very dangerous to any foe.

  Seventeen

  The Congo

  8 p.m.

  Witches who need tranquilizer darts: 1 (If they don’t work on the big cat, maybe I can use them on myself.)

  Scary leopards: 1

  “W hen faced with a leopard, do not run,” Kaz told me when we stopped because of the darkness. Once the sun dips it’s like walking into a black hole. Of course, Kaz shares his leopard advice just as the darkness falls, and it totally creeps me out.

  No chance for a fire. Kaz worried the rebels might see the smoke.

  He left me in a small clearing to search for a “sleeping tree.” I was propped with my back against a tree trunk, my lantern next to me, eating one of the protein bars.

  Something sent alarming goose bumps down my arms and back. If they could speak, the bumps would say, “Danger, Bron, danger!” The problem was, at first I couldn’t tell what was going on.

  Then I sensed it.

  I was being watched again. I sent my mind out and soon discovered whatever was watching me wasn’t human. I stood up and stared out into the darkness. Sliding my pack up my back, I slipped it over my shoulders.

  “Do not run,” Kaz whispered behind me.

  At the edge of the clearing I saw her—a leopard. It was large, lithe, and golden, with a khaki spot in the middle of bigger black ones. Her eyes glinted in the shadow where she sat. She was beautiful, in a scary kind of way. I’ve always loved big cats. Well, until that moment.

  “Um, is she going to eat us?” I kept my eyes on her. I didn’t really know if she was a girl, but right then I wished I’d paid more attention to the Discovery Channel.

  The leopard sat down on her hindquarters. She turned her head to the right, and left. Then she did the weirdest thing: she stood again and sat down, but this time with her back to us.

  “Shouldn’t we run now?” I whispered.

  Kaz didn’t move. “Get in the tree.”

  “But—she’s giving us a head start.”

  He shoved me toward a massive trunk. “No. If she wanted us, we would already be dead. She’s guarding us. This is her way of offering us her protection. This tree will do.” He pointed upward.

  “Kaz, I can’t sleep with a leopard staring at me all night.”

  He sighed. “She’s not staring, she’s guarding. If we run she will only follow. Please, I am tired. Get in the tree.”

  “Kaz, how do you know she’s guarding us? Maybe she’s staking us out for a meal later.”

  “For the last twenty-four hours she’s been following us through the jungle. When we went into the camp she stationed herself outside of it. She didn’t try to eat the children or anyone else. I believe she is a magical creature sent to help us on our journey.”

  He said the words so earnestly, I couldn’t argue. A magic leopard? Hell, I’d come across stranger things.

  I had serious doubts I would get any sleep, but I crawled up onto the highest branch I could reach. Leopards like to hang out in trees, too, but for some reason being high up made me feel better. I stared out into the darkness for a long time.

  “What the hell is that?” A distorted male voice cut through the fog. I tried to open my eyes. They wouldn’t budge. Something cold and wet covered my body.

  I’m dreaming. My last thought had been to send myself out to search for the missing men using astral projection, while I tried to sleep in the stupid tree—the safest place to doze in the jungle, Kaz, my guide, had told me. This after a run-in with a leopard that made me feel like a T-bone on a platter. I can’t believe I actually fell asleep with those eerie cat eyes staring at me all night.

  “Jesus! It’s Bronwyn.” That voice I knew. Sam was in my dream. No surprises there. I’d been tramping through this godforsaken African jungle for days trying to find my hunka burnin’ love.

  “Is she alive?” That was Azir, my favorite sheik. I could almost smell his sandalwood scent in the air. It all seemed so real. “Where did she come from?”

  Two fingers brushed my neck and a hand pushed the hair from my forehead. “Her pulse is weak, but her breathing is steady.” Sam again. “Bronwyn, can you hear me?”

  Wow. This might be a really good dream. Both Sam and the sheik.

  It was weird, though; I couldn’t take control of my dream like I usually did. I wanted to talk with them, to tell them I was on my way, but my mouth wouldn’t work.

  “Bronwyn. It’s Dad. I need you to try to open your eyes.” My dad had his doctor’s voice on. Stern but kind. “Come on, honey, you can do it.” Um, yuck. What was my dad doing in the middle of my sexy dream?

  I took a deep breath and the effort caused me to cough.

  “There’s fluid in her lungs.” That came from my dork-faced brother. I hadn’t seen in him in two years, and he sounded older, worried,
and as annoying as ever. “Turn her over on her side.”

  Bite a big one, Brett. Dad was a top-notch surgeon before Brett had been a zygote. Leave it to my brother to get all bossy. I sure as hell didn’t understand why he would be in my dream.

  They turned me over on my side, and that was when I realized it wasn’t a dream. Their hands poked and prodded. I felt it all. I was with them, but I had no idea how I’d done it. Had I accidentally astrally projected my body? No, I couldn’t have. I didn’t have that power yet. My brain felt like it had been sucked through some kind of vacuum and I couldn’t get my thoughts to gel.

  Then I felt an evil presence, strong and malevolent. The stench of sulfur filled my sense. Crap. I had to wake up. I had to protect them. I reached out and connected with Sam’s strong arm. I’d know those hard biceps anywhere.

  “Talk to me, Bron.” He squeezed my hand. “She’s fading, how the hell is she doing that? Baby, say something.” I heard the worry in his voice. He loved me so much.

  Straining to speak caused something weird to happen in my head. As I slid back into the darkness, I whispered, “Evil’s coming.”

  The next thing I knew, Kaz was shaking my shoulder. It had rained, and my body trembled with the drop in temperature.

  “We must move. The rebels come,” he whispered.

  It took me a minute to realize where I was and that I must have dreamed about finding Sam and my family. I was so angry with Sam for being captured, too. He and Azir had put their lives in danger for no reason. That meant I had to save four of the most important men in my life. I had no idea how they’d gotten ahead of me, unless they’d been traveling the river or roads. That’s the only way they could move faster.

  I was furious with all four men.

  The leopard growled, low and guttural.

  I raised an eyebrow at him.

  “She has been guarding us through the night.” Kaz helped me down out of the tree. “She does not wish us harm.”

  As my feet hit the ground, I saw the gorgeous creature with her black spots at the edge of the clearing. She moved her head as if to say, “Hurry up.”

  I didn’t need to be told twice. I lifted my pack onto my shoulders and followed Kaz into the cover of the jungle. I heard gunfire to the east of us and wondered how close the rebels were. At least now I had a point of reference for where they were. Earlier, it sounded like they were all around us.