Something Witchy This Way Comes

  A second later, we peeled out. “How did you find me?” I shook out my hands trying to steady them. It didn’t help.

  “Wasn’t hard. Whatever they shot me with only knocked me out a second or two, I think. When I looked up, the van was tearing out of there.” He shook his head as he negotiated a turn. “Principal Linton and Agent Phillips get a big fat F for letting those people take you.”

  “Everything happened pretty fast. They wouldn’t have had a chance to stop them anyway.” Still, why didn’t Fawn or Linton rescue me instead of letting Hayden handle it? They’d said that sorcerers tended to avoid confrontations with normal people. Maybe they figured Hayden had a better chance of getting me out of there since my abductors wouldn’t want to risk exposing their true nature. Involving themselves with a non-supernatural would only complicate the situation. “Besides, they were already letting me go.”

  “Why would they do that? Aren’t they the guys who’ve been stalking you?”

  “Sort of.” I bit my bottom lip and tried to think of a way to explain it.

  “What’s going on?”

  “I’m not sure anymore who to trust. It’s good you showed up.”

  His eyes met mine. “So these guys abducted you, but now you’re thinking maybe they’re not so bad? How does that work?”

  “I’m not sure… But I don’t think these guys meant to hurt me.” Yet, I added silently, then gazed out the window. “They wanted a chance to talk to me without interference from Linton or Fawn. That’s pretty much all I know right now. By the way, where the hell did you get the gun?”

  “I stole it from my step-dad a while ago. Never needed it until now.”

  “And you just happened to have it on you?”

  “In here.” His free hand tapped a spot in the console near his knees. “When I first got this car and had modifications done, I also had them make a compartment so I could hide stuff from my step-dad.”

  I’d never had any strong opinions about guns, one way or the other. Until now. If he hadn’t had the gun and Rena resisted, what would I have done then? “It seems like I was there a few minutes before you showed up. I may have passed out, so it’s hard to tell. Were you casing the joint first?”

  “Sort of. I watched them a bit. Mostly I needed to wait because I was still feeling a little weak from whatever they gave me.”

  I let my head drop back against the backrest and glanced at him, feeling a slow smile spread over my face. Damn, but he was sexy in rescue mode. I aimed my gaze on the road to keep myself from staring at him. “How does a teenager go about stealing a gun?”

  “He married my mom when I was ten and a few months later he started punching on me. When my mom wasn’t around, of course. And he never hit me where she could see any bruises. He threatened to kill her if I told anyone.

  “Couple years later, he moved on to my mom. I was scared he’d kill her. All I could think about was getting one of his guns, so I could save us if I needed to. Every time they left the house, I tried getting into the gun cabinet. I can’t tell you how many hours I spent trying to pick that stupid lock.” Hayden paused at a stop sign for a split second before continuing.

  “One day, it opened. I lifted the gun, locked the cabinet and wiped my prints. He didn’t even notice for about two weeks.” Hayden laughed. “Then he called the police. They couldn’t trace it back to me and I’d already hidden the gun in the air vents. A lot of good that did me the next time he hit me. I was nowhere near the damn thing.”

  “Is that when you got that scar?”

  He touched his cheek. “Yeah, he wears a big ring.”

  Hayden had been abused and eventually learned to defend himself — even won trophies. The last few years had to have been awful. But all I could see was what he’d accomplished and how he’d triumphed over hard times. I smiled. “Because of all that, you were able to save me today.”

  He smiled back. “Yeah, well, they got you on my watch. Very uncool. No way was I going to let them get away with that.” He checked the rearview mirror then pulled over to the curb and parked. “I can’t take you home. You’ll stay at my house from now on.”

  “What?” My jaw dropped. “As if my parents would go for that. Are you kidding?” Not only that but I’d promised to spend the day with Bree. I didn’t like breaking my word. I wanted to get home. Which wasn’t going to happen any time soon since we were still parked at the curb.

  “You can forget about me taking you home. They’re probably waiting for you there. If not now, then another time.”

  “Like they won’t expect us to go to your place?” I cocked a brow.

  “Better security at my house.”

  “They were about to let me go. You know that guy you saw? Not the two bozos in black but the other one. He convinced that bitch to release me. I think she would’ve let me go anyway. But if there really is a problem, it’s her, not him. He won’t let her do that again.”

  “Tessa…” He sighed. “You trust too easily. Better safe than sorry, right? You’ll be fine at my house with all our security. And I won’t molest you… much.”

  No, no, no. “That guy? I’d met him before. He was in my room when I got home last night.”

  “He was waiting for you in your room?” Hayden’s eyes narrowed at me before he signaled to leave the curb.

  I nodded. “He stayed a few minutes then left.”

  “He didn’t hurt you?” Hayden’s voice was strangely gruff.

  “No. He was totally nice.”

  “What did he want?”

  I shrugged. “He says Linton and Fawn are lying to me.”

  “I don’t think you should trust any of them.” He stopped for a red light.

  “Yeah, that’s pretty much what I figure. Still, he could’ve hurt me last night but he didn’t. He didn’t even come after me when I wouldn’t go into my room.”

  “You let a perfect stranger in your room and you’ve never invited me once?” He snorted.

  I decided to ignore that. The last thing I wanted to discuss was the two of us alone in my bedroom. “We just talked. Then we made a deal to meet again tonight.”

  “In your bedroom?”

  I didn’t answer.

  “How about tonight, you two meet in my bedroom. How do you think he’ll like that?”

  Hayden’s pushiness should’ve put me off. But it didn’t. All I could wonder about was how I could kiss him again without falling down the rabbit hole. “I told my little sister I’d spend the day with her. I have to go home.”

  “What are your plans?” Hayden asked. “Are you taking her somewhere?”

  It wasn’t even lunchtime. I had plenty of time to wear Bree out before dinner. “I was going to take her to the park but now I’m thinking of going to Superstition Mountains, maybe pan for gold. Thought I’d take advantage of the cooler weather.”

  “They have a ghost town there too.” He pulled up in front of my house.

  I wished I’d paid attention to where we were headed. “Hayden, I can’t go anywhere without my car. Why didn’t you take me to your house where I left it?”

  He got out and jerked his head toward the front door. “Let’s get your sister and we can argue on the way to that ghost town.”

  “Wait.” I tried not to swoon over him rescuing me, then wanting to hang out with me and a five-year-old. “You’re really going to be seen with us?”

  He grinned and took hold of my hand. “Absolutely.”

  My mom met Hayden and me at the door. I wondered if she’d been spying through the window then chastised myself for doubting she’d done exactly that.

  “Hi, sweetheart,” she said to me then held out her hand for him to shake, smiling politely. “I’m Vivienne.”

  “I’m Hayden. Nice to meet you. Tessa invited me to spend the day with Bree and her. Is that okay with you?”

  “Oh, of course.” It was my mom’s turn to swoon. She promptly turned, looking flustered, and called out for Bree. “Do you think you’ll be back in tim
e for dinner? You’re welcome to join us, Hayden.”

  “No, Mom, we’ll eat while we’re out. It’s a long drive. We should get going.” I zeroed in on Hayden, hoping he’d take the hint. No such luck. Bree appeared at my side and I took her hand in mine, ready to bolt.

  “Actually, we already planned dinner at my house. I was thinking we’d make popcorn and rent a movie. Something Bree might like.”

  My mom beamed. The traitor. Why take an interest in my life now?

  “That sounds wonderful. I let Bree stay up as late as she wants on the weekends. Have fun.” She practically shoved us out the door, probably anxious for me to get started. The sooner I hooked up with Hayden, the sooner he’d be her son-in-law. I could almost see the dollar signs in her eyes.

  And what was with Hayden? Why waste his day with us when he could be skinny dipping with Back Up Plan or any other flavor of the moment?

  Whatever. Once we returned to his house, I’d have my car and could leave any time I wanted. I had to admit though, it would be nice having company for our little outing.

  I guided Bree through the front door, but froze at the passenger side of his car. “Dude, no back seat. Where are we supposed to put Bree?”

  “On your lap for now. We’ll switch cars at my house.”

  When we got there, he didn’t want to take my dinky Scion. We piled into his mom’s SUV and cranked the stereo. The long stretch of muted red sand sprinkled with pine trees and cactus flew by as we roared down the highway.

  A few minutes into our trip, I glanced at Bree to discover she was sleeping. “Hayden, I have to talk to you about something.”

  He turned down the stereo. “What’s up?”

  God, where should I start? “This is going to sound crazy but when I told you last night that I read minds, I wasn’t joking.”

  I waited, anticipating mockery.

  “You read minds?” The corners of his mouth crept up. “If you say so.”

  This was one of those times when I hated being right. “Actually, it’s not really reading minds. I see images, like a movie. I don’t hear words or anything.”

  “You’re messing with me.” He kept his eyes on the road but glanced at me briefly. “Or you snuck a drink when I wasn’t looking.”

  “How about a test? We have nothing better to do.”

  He gave a half-hearted shrug. “Knock yourself out.”

  “Imagine something and I’ll tell you what I see.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I flinched, anticipating where his mind might go. I immediately got a very clear picture of making out with him in Christina’s garage. Why would I expect anything else from him? At least he wasn’t remembering rolling around with someone else. “Nice. But I have my own visuals for that. I was there last night, remember? Think of something else.”

  His mouth dropped open. “You saw you and me—”

  “Making out in the garage.” I said the words aloud then cringed, scooting closer to the passenger side door. Not because the thought was repulsive but because I knew how little it had meant to him. “Can we move on?”

  His eyes narrowed. “What am I seeing now?”

  “You’re in an auditorium — a stadium or something. There’s an audience cheering.”

  “That was when I won regional title. Aikido. It’s a type of martial arts.” He stared at me long enough that I had a savage urge to take control of the steering wheel, certain he’d get us into an accident. Instead, I double-checked that my seatbelt was properly fastened and pointed for him to turn his eyes ahead. His gaze returned to the road. “So you read minds?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “That’s…” Hayden shook his head. “You’re tricking me somehow.”

  “Listen,” I said. “I can’t blame you for thinking that. We can keep doing this until you’re convinced.”

  Six rounds later, his mouth gaped. “So… if, for instance, I had a fantasy about you, maybe imagined you naked, you’d see it.”

  Damn. He’d better not do it on purpose just to make me crazy. “Except that I look better in your fantasies than in real life.”

  “I doubt that.” He grinned. “I saw you in those tight black pants. That was better than my imagination.”

  I squirmed in my seat and he chuckled.

  “The last few days of tutoring, every time I got, eh, distracted, you knew?”

  “Unfortunately, yes. But we’re getting off the subject.”

  “Not really. This is exactly the kind of thing I want to talk about.” He chuckled. “I thought it was weird how you always seemed to know.”

  “Right. Listen. Agent Phillips and Principal Linton, they’re like me. Same with the people who drugged us today. Both parties talk crap about the other side. It’s hard to know who to trust.” I explained everything I’d learned and told him about Movers and Blockers, also Fawn’s calming effect on others. Since it was a long drive, I had plenty of time. “If you’re going to be my guardian angel, you need to know what you’re getting into.”

  Hayden scoffed. “I think I can handle it.”

  “Really? Everything’s going to be fine with only two of us and I don’t know how many of them?” I raised my brows.

  “Actually, I have no idea. Look at it like an adventure. All the more reason for you to stay at my house.”

  I didn’t get the obsession with me staying over. Didn’t get it at all. That’s what his other girls were for. Anyone he’d call would have infinitely more experience at satisfying a guy’s needs and probably didn’t require the hoop jumping that I did. “Hayden, what is your deal? If you want someone to stay the night, you have lots of girls you can call.”

  He looked at me like I’d spoken in another language. “Yeah, if all I wanted was sex. That’s not why I want you to stay over.”

  “So you’re saying you don’t want to have sex with me? Should I be offended?”

  He laughed and raised a hand from the steering wheel. “Whoa. That’s not what I meant. Of course I want to get naked with you. But I want more than that. I like your company.”

  It didn’t compute. He enjoyed just being around me? “Why?”

  “When I’m with you, it’s easy. Fun. And I like the way you call me on it every time I get out of line.” He grinned.

  Hayden made it sound like a sibling-type affection. Maybe he only threw in the part about me getting naked so I wouldn’t get my feelings hurt. Somewhere deep inside, I was powerfully relieved that it might not be sexual. Because that would mean I wouldn’t be tempted to get involved with him. The other part of me wanted to crawl into a hole and eat three pounds of chocolate while wallowing in self-pity with a box of tissues in hand.

  This type of situation — me wanting Hayden to like me and worrying that he didn’t — was exactly what I’d avoided since first seeing him in the principal’s office. Each time I wavered, I needed to remember that Hayden was not a nice guy. He should be with someone more worldly anyway, someone more experienced, like Back Up Plan.

  I glanced over my shoulder and checked on Bree. She was still sleeping. A silver sedan caught my attention through the rear window. It looked like the same one that had been behind us at the freeway onramp. It also resembled the car that followed me some days to and from school. “I think someone’s tailing us.”

  “Yeah, same guys that are always shadowing you. Don’t know why they bother. They obviously suck at their jobs or I wouldn’t have had to get you after the kidnapping.”

  True. “You’re not worried?”

  “Would worrying change anything? I’m starving,” Hayden said. “Let’s eat first.”

  When we arrived at a cafe, Hayden toted my muzzy sister until she was alert enough to walk on her own. During lunch, they chatted it up and he playfully teased her. My chest tightened watching their easy camaraderie. I wouldn’t fall hopelessly in love with him though. It wouldn’t be long before he screwed up again and made it impossible for me to love him.

  We finished lunch and he snagged the chec
k and made a run for it. Before I could stop him, he’d handled the tip too. He was really racking up the brownie points. Probably trying to weaken my defense… which was crumbling. I should get away from him before he succeeded and I stopped caring about his motives. Once we were back at his house, I would make an excuse and escape with Bree — in my own car.

  “That whole kidnapping thing really threw me off my routine. I forgot about my shift at Delia’s tonight.” I took Bree’s hand in mine as we walked to the ghost town.

  He took Bree’s other hand. “Call in sick.”

  “No way. In my world, you meet your obligations. You know, some of us don’t have family riches to fall back on. Some of us have to think about our future and supporting ourselves.”

  “Sorry.” He glanced at me and rolled his eyes. “But I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go to work. Tessa, it was only a few hours ago when you were…” He glanced down at Bree. “You know. White van. Deserted building.”

  I sighed. He had a point. But… “I don’t think their intentions are bad. I’m too valuable to randomly…” I glanced at Bree too. “Eliminate. And they wouldn’t risk losing me for their side. Besides, what will I do tomorrow and the next day? I can’t hide forever.”

  He stopped at the entrance to the ghost town. “I’ll let you go, under one condition.”

  I squinted at him. This was going to be good. It had better not involve a body massage.

  “I’ll drive you and Bree home then wait while you get ready for work. I’ll personally take you there and hang out. Probably call Skyler and Brad so I don’t get bored or look like a stalker. Then I’ll get you to my house. Call that guy and have him meet you there where I can keep an eye on him.”

  “This is ridiculous.” My hands flashed to my hips.

  “If you don’t agree, then I’ll take this guy out before he ever makes it to your bedroom window.”

  I believed he’d do it. Psychic powers or not, I couldn’t see Mr. Perfect standing up to Hayden physically, or to the gun he might still have. “Fine. Whatever. But I’m not…” I reminded myself of five-year-old ears. “Staying there is not an option. After the meeting, I leave. I’m sleeping in my own room.”