Waking the Witch
Page 59
He didn’t smile at that, just kept his gaze on the path behind us. “It’s not the Jeep I’m worried about.”
“You think I should have gone back to town?”
“And let him think he’s spooked you? No. Whatever his problem is, it ends here.” He glanced in the mirror. “And it ends now, apparently. Stop the Jeep. He’s stuck.”
I looked behind me. Cody’s SUV was caught in that streambed we’d shot over.
“I’m guessing you want to take lead on this?” Adam said.
“Please.”
“Just watch out,” he said. “His truck could come free at any second.”
I twisted in my seat and cast my internal fireball, igniting it under the Lexus’s hood. A bang. The tires stopped spinning. Smoke curled from the grill.
Adam chuckled. “Or maybe not.”
I got out. At first, Cody had his head down as he tried to get the engine running again. I was a few feet away when he saw me.
He threw open his door. I slowed, knockback spell at the ready. He slammed the door and I saw that his hands were empty. I relaxed the spell, but stayed on alert.
“Where’s your boyfriend?” he called as he advanced on me.
“Unconscious, thanks to that little stunt of yours.”
Cody peered past me. When he didn’t see Adam, he gave a humor-less smile. “He needs to be a little faster getting his seat belt on.”
“Go to hell. If he’s hurt—”
“Then that’s his own damn fault for having a murdering bitch of a girlfriend. I hope he is hurt.” He advanced on me as I stood my ground. “In fact, I hope he’s dead. That won’t bring Tiffany back, but it’ll make me feel better. So will this.”
He swung so fast I didn’t see it coming until the last second. I tried to twist but his fist connected with my shoulder. I fell back, gasping in shock more than pain. Rage filled me and I lashed out with an energy bolt. As the last words left my mouth, I thought, Oh, shit!
I looked down at my fingertips, expecting to see the bolt flying from them. But they were just outstretched toward Cody, nothing happening. Launching that spell against a human had been reckless—I must have subconsciously sabotaged it.
“You want me to stop?” Cody said, looking at my outstretched fingers.
Adam had slipped through the trees, out of Cody’s sight. Now he rounded the rear of the SUV, his eyes blazing. I waved him back before Cody saw him. Cody swung again. I dodged and lifted my fingers in a knockback, but he charged and kicked my leg out from under me. As I went down, he kneed me in the stomach. Adam rushed forward.
“No,” I said, wheezing and shaking my head.
Adam hesitated. I met his gaze and he pulled back behind the SUV, hovering there, waiting.
“No?” Cody said. “You don’t like—”
Finally I was able to smack him with a knockback. He stumbled against the SUV.
“Getting clumsy?” I said.
He lunged forward. I hit him again, this one hard enough to knock him to the ground.
“I don’t know what you’re on,” I said. “But it’s powerful stuff, Cody. You can barely stand up. Now, what’s this about me being a murdering bitch? You think I killed Tiffany? There’s a commune full of girls who can testify that I was with them when it happened, so don’t—”
“You might not have pushed the plunger,” he said, getting to his feet. “But I know you had something to do with her death. You’ve been following us for days now. Tiffany said it had something to do with that Wiccan shit she used to be into. You stalked her and you harassed her. You lured her into the newspaper building—”
“I lured her? She called me. Check her phone records.”
“She said you threatened her.”
“Yes, I did. I threatened to take action if she didn’t stop harassing me. She—”
“You lying bitch!”
He swung. I wheeled out of the way. But before I could launch a knockback, he slammed his fist into my gut. I fell, gasping and blinking. Adam ran toward us. Cody drew back his foot to kick me in the stomach. I hit him with an internal fireball.
He screamed and doubled over. Adam stopped. As Cody stumbled back, he saw Adam and realized he was trapped between us.
Cody grabbed the SUV door handle. Adam and I both jumped at him, but Cody was faster, swinging in and slapping the lock closed. Adam reached for the back door. Cody hit the button and all his door locks engaged.
Adam jangled the handle on the driver’s side. The metal glowed red hot as he glared at Cody, desperately cranking the engine.
Adam glanced over at me. I was still winded and gasping, pain throbbing through my stomach. The whites of Adam’s eyes suffused with red. He pressed his fingers to the door metal. Tendons in his neck popped as he concentrated.
The door shimmered, heat pouring from it. Then it disintegrated in a shower of ash. The safety-glass window dropped, hit the door frame, and shattered.
Cody sat there, gaping at the hole where his door should have been. He looked down at the pile of ash and glass below.
“That’s what you get for buying foreign,” Adam said. “Barely need to touch it and it falls apart.”
Cody lifted his gaze to Adam’s, slowly, as if just realizing that nothing now stood between them. Adam reached in, grabbed him by the shirt front, and hauled him out. Cody’s arms windmilled, as he tried to grab something and hold on.
“Not going to take a swing at me?” Adam said. “It’s different when it’s a guy your own size, isn’t it?”
He threw Cody to the ground. Cody started scrambling backward. Adam walked over and kicked him in the stomach, so hard even I winced. Cody yowled and curled up, gasping for air.
“Doesn’t tickle, does it?” Adam said. “I’ve heard you can kill someone doing that. Try to run and we’ll test that.”
“What do you want?” Cody wheezed.
“First, leave Savannah alone. She had nothing to do with your wife’s death. She’s here investigating a murder—that’s it. You just happen to be the prime suspect. So that’s the second thing I want you to do. Confess. Probably too much to ask for, though, so we’ll settle for you answering some questions.”
I stepped forward. “Let’s start at the top. What were you and Claire talking about behind the hardware store?”
“You think I should have gone back to town?”
“And let him think he’s spooked you? No. Whatever his problem is, it ends here.” He glanced in the mirror. “And it ends now, apparently. Stop the Jeep. He’s stuck.”
I looked behind me. Cody’s SUV was caught in that streambed we’d shot over.
“I’m guessing you want to take lead on this?” Adam said.
“Please.”
“Just watch out,” he said. “His truck could come free at any second.”
I twisted in my seat and cast my internal fireball, igniting it under the Lexus’s hood. A bang. The tires stopped spinning. Smoke curled from the grill.
Adam chuckled. “Or maybe not.”
I got out. At first, Cody had his head down as he tried to get the engine running again. I was a few feet away when he saw me.
He threw open his door. I slowed, knockback spell at the ready. He slammed the door and I saw that his hands were empty. I relaxed the spell, but stayed on alert.
“Where’s your boyfriend?” he called as he advanced on me.
“Unconscious, thanks to that little stunt of yours.”
Cody peered past me. When he didn’t see Adam, he gave a humor-less smile. “He needs to be a little faster getting his seat belt on.”
“Go to hell. If he’s hurt—”
“Then that’s his own damn fault for having a murdering bitch of a girlfriend. I hope he is hurt.” He advanced on me as I stood my ground. “In fact, I hope he’s dead. That won’t bring Tiffany back, but it’ll make me feel better. So will this.”
He swung so fast I didn’t see it coming until the last second. I tried to twist but his fist connected with my shoulder. I fell back, gasping in shock more than pain. Rage filled me and I lashed out with an energy bolt. As the last words left my mouth, I thought, Oh, shit!
I looked down at my fingertips, expecting to see the bolt flying from them. But they were just outstretched toward Cody, nothing happening. Launching that spell against a human had been reckless—I must have subconsciously sabotaged it.
“You want me to stop?” Cody said, looking at my outstretched fingers.
Adam had slipped through the trees, out of Cody’s sight. Now he rounded the rear of the SUV, his eyes blazing. I waved him back before Cody saw him. Cody swung again. I dodged and lifted my fingers in a knockback, but he charged and kicked my leg out from under me. As I went down, he kneed me in the stomach. Adam rushed forward.
“No,” I said, wheezing and shaking my head.
Adam hesitated. I met his gaze and he pulled back behind the SUV, hovering there, waiting.
“No?” Cody said. “You don’t like—”
Finally I was able to smack him with a knockback. He stumbled against the SUV.
“Getting clumsy?” I said.
He lunged forward. I hit him again, this one hard enough to knock him to the ground.
“I don’t know what you’re on,” I said. “But it’s powerful stuff, Cody. You can barely stand up. Now, what’s this about me being a murdering bitch? You think I killed Tiffany? There’s a commune full of girls who can testify that I was with them when it happened, so don’t—”
“You might not have pushed the plunger,” he said, getting to his feet. “But I know you had something to do with her death. You’ve been following us for days now. Tiffany said it had something to do with that Wiccan shit she used to be into. You stalked her and you harassed her. You lured her into the newspaper building—”
“I lured her? She called me. Check her phone records.”
“She said you threatened her.”
“Yes, I did. I threatened to take action if she didn’t stop harassing me. She—”
“You lying bitch!”
He swung. I wheeled out of the way. But before I could launch a knockback, he slammed his fist into my gut. I fell, gasping and blinking. Adam ran toward us. Cody drew back his foot to kick me in the stomach. I hit him with an internal fireball.
He screamed and doubled over. Adam stopped. As Cody stumbled back, he saw Adam and realized he was trapped between us.
Cody grabbed the SUV door handle. Adam and I both jumped at him, but Cody was faster, swinging in and slapping the lock closed. Adam reached for the back door. Cody hit the button and all his door locks engaged.
Adam jangled the handle on the driver’s side. The metal glowed red hot as he glared at Cody, desperately cranking the engine.
Adam glanced over at me. I was still winded and gasping, pain throbbing through my stomach. The whites of Adam’s eyes suffused with red. He pressed his fingers to the door metal. Tendons in his neck popped as he concentrated.
The door shimmered, heat pouring from it. Then it disintegrated in a shower of ash. The safety-glass window dropped, hit the door frame, and shattered.
Cody sat there, gaping at the hole where his door should have been. He looked down at the pile of ash and glass below.
“That’s what you get for buying foreign,” Adam said. “Barely need to touch it and it falls apart.”
Cody lifted his gaze to Adam’s, slowly, as if just realizing that nothing now stood between them. Adam reached in, grabbed him by the shirt front, and hauled him out. Cody’s arms windmilled, as he tried to grab something and hold on.
“Not going to take a swing at me?” Adam said. “It’s different when it’s a guy your own size, isn’t it?”
He threw Cody to the ground. Cody started scrambling backward. Adam walked over and kicked him in the stomach, so hard even I winced. Cody yowled and curled up, gasping for air.
“Doesn’t tickle, does it?” Adam said. “I’ve heard you can kill someone doing that. Try to run and we’ll test that.”
“What do you want?” Cody wheezed.
“First, leave Savannah alone. She had nothing to do with your wife’s death. She’s here investigating a murder—that’s it. You just happen to be the prime suspect. So that’s the second thing I want you to do. Confess. Probably too much to ask for, though, so we’ll settle for you answering some questions.”
I stepped forward. “Let’s start at the top. What were you and Claire talking about behind the hardware store?”
