Charmed & Deadly Read online

  Unfortunately, I think there’s trouble brewing in Sweet. When I met with the coven the other night, something didn’t feel right. I’m not sure, but I think Sheriff Mike, Peggy’s son, may have had enough of his mom holding the town’s every move in her tight fist. Much like my own mother, she tends to only be happy when things are going the way she wants.

  When I walked into the meeting at the community center Peggy and Mike were arguing in the corner. No one said anything, but it all felt very uncomfortable.

  She was whispering something through gritted teeth, but I couldn’t tell what she was saying. Whatever it was, it made him angry and he stomped out.

  She conducted the meeting and was as polite and cordial as ever, but I could tell she was still angry. She asked me to lead some protection spells that were strengthened by all of us working together.

  After it was over she thanked me and then said she had to run.

  Nosy me wanted to ask if maybe I could do something to help, but I’ve got enough going on right now between trying to find Garnout and keeping on top of Jason’s whereabouts.

  If Peggy needs me, she knows where to find me. Which isn’t always a good thing.

  Twenty

  Sunday

  Midnight

  Funky-feeling witches: 1

  I never did get to find out about the drama between Peggy and her son. They didn’t show up at the picnic. But that’s okay because I seem to be able to create my own little dramas out of complete nothingness.

  There must be some kind of karma ruler in the cosmos that keeps people from being too happy. Or maybe I should learn to keep my mouth shut.

  Like that’s going to happen.

  The Methodist Men’s social was fun. The guys set everything up picnic-style under a huge tent to save us from the hot West Texas sun. The burgers were delicious, and I’d just discovered a vat of banana pudding that I was certain would make my day, when the trouble started.

  Billy and Margie were ahead of me, arguing over some of Ms. Johnnie’s chocolate icebox pie.

  “You two sound like an old married couple.” I joked, and smiled knowingly at Billy.

  “As if I’d ever marry him.” Margie frowned. “The man would choose banana pudding over chocolate pie. That’s just crazy.”

  It was the stricken look on Billy’s face that almost made me drop my plate. “Margie, don’t be an idiot.” The instant I said the words I knew I’d screwed up. They’d come out much harsher than I’d planned. Actually, there was no planning involved, which was part of my problem. “I mean, it’s just, um, dessert. I like them all.” I smiled.

  “Idiot?” Margie shoved her plate at Billy, her voice rising. “What would make you say something like that, Bronwyn, and take his side? I thought you were my friend!” Suddenly, the music stopped as well as the conversations.

  If only I had the power to stop time and reverse it. “Margie, please. I didn’t mean it like that. Really.”

  Her chin jutted out and her hands went to her hips. “Well, miss high-and-mighty witch—oh, I’m sorry, did I offend you?”

  Okay, so I have a bad temper. It pisses me off when people do that. Make “witch” sound like “bitch.” Margie’s my friend, but I didn’t care for her tone.

  That’s when my mouth went into overdrive. “I meant that if you start hen-pecking the guy now over something as stupid as dessert, he’ll never ask you to marry him.” See, it’s my mouth. It never stops.

  It was about this time that Kira walked up and grabbed my arm. “Margie, I think Bron’s had some kind of sun stroke or something. She hasn’t been herself since she came home from Africa. Maybe it’s malaria.”

  Margie crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Huh. That would explain a lot.”

  I opened my mouth, but Kira’s hand flew up and covered it. “Bron, just leave it alone.” Then she proceeded to drag me out of the tent.

  “What the hell was that about?” She continued pushing me toward the parking lot.

  “I don’t know, and stop shoving me. Did you see Billy’s face when she said she wouldn’t marry him? He looked like his dog had just died, and he really loves his dog.” My head hurt, probably from the tension.

  “You called her an idiot. You know how sensitive Margie is about that kind of thing. She’s brought herself up from difficult circumstances and made a good life for herself. She even put herself through nursing school. What you said was cruel.”

  I rubbed my head with my hand. The pain was searing. “Geez. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.” That’s when I started sliding down the side of the big red truck we’d been leaning against.

  “Bron?” Kira’s annoyed tone turned to worry.

  I tried to open my eyes, but I couldn’t. Someone had left a burning match in my brain. “Kira, get Sam.” The words came out garbled, but she understood.

  She screamed for him. I have no idea where he was during all the commotion, but he came running.

  By the time he put a hand on my head the pain had lessened, but my vision was blurry and my stomach felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to it.

  “Bron, honey, can you hear me?” He snapped his fingers. I wanted to answer but I couldn’t get my mouth to work. Then I blacked out.

  I woke up in the hospital, one of the places I hate most. I felt fine, except for a wicked case of cramps. I told everyone who would listen that I could go home, but Sam insisted I stay overnight for observation. He can be so bossy sometimes.

  They CAT-scanned my brain and ran all kinds of tests while I was out. So far, nothing has shown up.

  Margie stopped by a few minutes ago. She peeked her head in the doorway. “So I hear they found a brain in that head of yours. Surprise, surprise.” Her southern twang made me smile. She wasn’t dressed in her nursing gear, so I knew she was here to see me.

  “Have you forgiven me for being a jerk?” I motioned her to come in the room. My arm was still hooked to the IV, and I pushed the button on the bed so I could sit up. “I’m so sorry. Obviously I was having some kind of brain hemorrhage.”

  She paused for a moment and stared at me thoughtfully. When she walked into the room, she smiled. “Hey, don’t joke about that. Sam was worried you really had picked up something in the jungle. You had us all scared.” She sat down on the edge of the bed. “And of course I’ve forgiven you.”

  I reached my arm out and she grabbed my hand. “You know I’d never do anything to hurt you, Margie.” I still felt the need to explain myself, and I prayed I didn’t offend her this time. “Whatever happened to my head made me stupid. Well, more stupid than usual. I think Billy’s really serious about you, and he looked so hurt when you said you wouldn’t marry him.”

  She squeezed my hand. “You don’t have to talk around it. Kira told me everything. I know about the ring.” She shrugged. “I’d sort of given up on the whole idea of marriage. Figured maybe it wasn’t in the cards for me. I love Billy so much. I hope I haven’t screwed it all to hell.”

  Smiling, I patted her hand. “Nah. Billy won’t give up. He’s a tough guy, and he’ll only see this as a setback. I bet you guys will be married by the end of the year. That is, if that’s what you want. Margie, you are an amazing chick and any man would be blessed to have you.” I chewed on my bottom lip.

  She let go of my hand and stood up. “Have you ever wanted something so much that you were afraid to think about it for fear of jinxing it?”

  I chuckled. “Absolutely.” There had been many times in my life when I’d felt that way, most recently with Sam. I’d never thought about the future with him because it seemed like too much to wish for, and I worried that I’d mess it up.

  “That’s the way I feel about Billy. I hope you’re right about him not giving up. I have some serious making-up to do with him.” She moved toward the head of the bed and straightened my pillows.

  “Well, why don’t you stop by and see him on the way home?” I pulled the blanket up under my arms.

  “I may just do tha
t.” She smiled. “I wonder if I can find some banana pudding this late at night.”

  As she left, I asked her to find Sam for me, but he still hasn’t shown up. I’ve backtracked through my day trying to see if maybe I did something to bring this all on. I don’t know. Before Margie arrived I did a quick once-over of myself trying to see if maybe someone had spelled me, but I didn’t find anything.

  Sam knows how much I hate hospitals and that I heal better at home.

  So where the hell is he?

  Monday 11 a.m.

  New York

  Bad witches who are in trouble: 1

  My cell phone started ringing about one this morning. I must have dozed off waiting for Sam. I was sound asleep and dreamed my ears were ringing. That’s when it dawned on me that it was my phone. I pulled open the bedside table and dug my hand into my purse.

  I was groggy when I flipped open the phone and didn’t bother to check the caller ID. “Yes?”

  “Bron?”

  “Yeah.” For a few seconds I couldn’t place the voice then I realized it was Cole. “What’s up?”

  “We have a trace on some magic in Budapest. It’s the same as what we found in Amsterdam.” Cole sounded tired.

  The news made me sit up. “Is it Jason?”

  “Possibly. We found two witches who had been tortured. Their powers were stripped just before they were murdered. The magic belonged to your ex. We’ve been able to pinpoint it exactly, thanks to the help of his family. So it’s definitely him.”

  My stomach made a funky noise and bile rose in my throat. I knew I’d been right about him in the first place.

  “Are you in Budapest?” I moved my legs to the side of the bed and carefully pulled the IV out of my arm. Sam had insisted on hydrating me intravenously. I found gauze in the drawer and held it against my arm to stop the bleeding. Moving fast made me dizzy and it took a few seconds for me to find my feet.

  Cole sighed. “I’m in London right now, but I’m headed that way.” I could hear his shoes clicking on the floor.

  “Are you with the PM?”

  “No. I’ve been here on personal business.” He said it in a way that suggested he had no plans to tell me the nature of that business.

  “Okay. I’ll meet you in Budapest tomorrow.”

  “That’s not necessary, Bron. We can handle this.”

  I slipped the pair of jeans that Kira and Caleb had brought by earlier over my hips. “Cole, if it’s Jason—and I know it is—I need to be there.”

  “It’s a police matter.” Even as he said the words he had to know they didn’t mean crap to me.

  I snorted. “And I’ll give you my full cooperation. I’ll be more than happy to tell you where I’ve left the pile of ashes when I’m done.”

  Cole laughed. “Okay. Call me when you get there and we’ll get to work immediately.”

  There was no way I could fly myself, just in case my brain really was self-destructing. I punched some numbers on my cell and called Caleb. He and Kira had been at the hospital until about eleven, when I made them go home. She was worried she had caused my headache, and it took forever to convince her not to feel guilty.

  He picked up on the second ring. “Bron, what’s wrong?”

  I cleared my throat. “Nothing. I need you to come pick me up.”

  “Did they release you?”

  Caleb always knows when I’m lying so I didn’t bother. “Not exactly.”

  I heard him sigh. “Where’s Sam?”

  “I don’t know, but I’ve got a job and I really need to leave. Now.”

  “I’m not getting my ass kicked by your boyfriend because I broke you out of the hospital. Besides, what if your head explodes? Then what will you do?”

  “If my head explodes it won’t be my problem, it’ll be someone else’s. Come on. I need you to come get me and then fly me to Dallas.”

  He coughed. “Are you serious?”

  “I know it’s late, but just in case my brain does decide to do something crazy I don’t want to be the one flying the plane. I need to get to Dallas so I can get the first flight to Hungary in the morning. It’s important, Caleb. Trust me, I’m not being dramatic when I tell you lives are at stake.” That wasn’t a lie. Jason was stripping the powers of these witches to build his own power, and he wouldn’t stop—at least, not on his own.

  I searched for my shoes while I talked to Caleb. I figured I had another ten minutes or so before one of the nurses came in to check on me. They were pretty regular about that sort of thing.

  “Meet me on the side of the building close to the nursing home.”

  “I’m not coming to get you, Bronwyn. You blacked out this afternoon, and if Sam thought you were better, he would have released you.”

  I slid on my Keds that had been tucked away in the closet and pulled the orange T-shirt I’d been wearing earlier over my shoulders, moving the phone as necessary. “Caleb, if you don’t do it, I’ll just ask someone else. Please. I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important.” I had to go, and I really would do whatever it took.

  I heard him whisper something to Kira. “If you tell her, she’ll call Sam.”

  “She already knows it’s you. Okay. We’ll be there in five minutes.”

  Sweet’s hospital is small, and it shares the building with the nursing home. My only big problem was getting past the front desk. I was just about to leave my room but I stopped to write Sam a quick note.

  Heading to Budapest. Feel fine. Sorry.

  Love you,

  Bron

  I snuck out of the hospital, and I knew Sam was going to kill me when he saw me.

  It was awful to leave without telling him good-bye, but I didn’t have time for the drama. I still had to go home, pack, and put my bag o’ magic supplies together. And grab a suitcase full of tampons, pads, and anticramp herbs to deal with the worst period of my life. In fact, I was certain that’s why I had passed out today and been so grumpy.

  Kira and Caleb lectured me the entire time I packed, and during our flight to Dallas.

  I had to turn my phone off. Sam started calling about twenty minutes after we left the hospital. I’m not sure, but just as we were taking off I think I saw his truck pull into the hangar.

  I have a feeling he’s really, really pissed and hurt. That’s the worst part for me. I can’t stand the idea that I’ve disappointed him. I haven’t had the courage to listen to the seven voicemails he left.

  Maybe later.

  Twenty-one

  Budapest

  Tuesday

  2 a.m.

  Travel-weary witches: 1

  W hatever happened to me yesterday wiped me out. It’s a good thing I didn’t try to fly myself anywhere. I slept almost the whole way to Budapest and I feel way better than I did yesterday.

  I love it here, and I try to visit as often as possible. I’m fairly certain that back in the day when they were writing fairy tales about princesses in castles they were totally thinking about Budapest. Everywhere you look it’s like a giant, picture-perfect postcard, castles against blue sky. It’s beautiful.

  They also have these really great spas all over the place with water that is supposed to be both magical and medicinal. All I know is that after an hour in the water, I feel rockin’ good.

  Cole met me at the airport in a big sedan. He was standing just outside in jeans and a dark blue button-down. Sometimes I forget how handsome he is with his curly blond hair and Caribbean blue eyes. “I just received a call from your boyfriend.” He smirked.

  I shrugged. “Figured he’d track me down eventually. Did you have a pleasant conversation?”

  Cole chuckled. “Not exactly. He wants you to call him as soon as you get in.”

  He opened the car door for me and I sat down on the leather seat. “I’ll call him later.” Sam must really have been upset to call here, and right now it was just easier to avoid him. The guilt slid uneasily into my belly.

  Cole stared at me for a minute. “Your funeral.”r />
  “Yeah. I know. So what have you found out so far?”

  We pulled out into the traffic. “There’s been a series of murders, all of them related to magic in some way. Most of the victims have been tortured, all of them had their powers stripped.”

  I bit the inside of my lip. Why hadn’t I killed the bastard when I had the chance? More people had died and it was my fault. “Have you been able to track him yet?” The view outside was filled with historic buildings and the Danube. Everything seemed so serene; the exact opposite of the turmoil inside of me.

  “No. We still aren’t certain it’s Jason.” He paused. “But whoever it is, he is using some dark magic. The same kind we found in Paris where we had that run-in with Calinda. If she really is involved here—well, you saw what can happen.”

  Rubbing my head, I tried to think. “It doesn’t make any sense. Why would she be working with someone like Jason? He’s just your run-of-the-mill dumbass warlock.” I looked at Cole. “Sorry, no offense.”

  He waved it away. “None taken. If Jason is mixed up with her, well, it could be bad for all of us.”

  “I don’t get it, Cole. Jason hates women with a capital H and he wouldn’t work with anyone more powerful than him.”

  Cole shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you, but the magic definitely matches. It’s the same thing we saw in Amsterdam, Paris, and now here.”

  Great. “So what do we do?”

  “For now we’re going to get you checked in to the hotel. Then I’ll take you to headquarters so you can view the evidence we found.”

  “Any chance I can see the witches?” We’d turned the corner and the hotel came into view. It looked like a giant castle.

  “Not a good idea.” Cole checked his rearview mirror and frowned. He moved the car into the other lane. “They were brutally tortured and left in rough shape.”

  I sighed. “I need to see them.”

  He glanced at me. “Okay, but I’ve warned you.”

  I’ve seen some pretty nasty stuff over the past few years. Sometimes even by my own hands—blowing up evil warlocks may be necessary, but it can be gross. I’ve also seen some disgusting things done by true evil. That’s never fun.