Page 24 of Sweetwater and the Witch

She clenched her teeth. “I am not nagging you. I am attempting to talk some sense into you.”

“Feels like the same thing.”

She peered at him very closely. “You were never going to murder him, were you? Admit it.”

“It would have been the simplest solution, but it’s not without complications,” he said. “Disappearing Willis into the tunnels would raise a lot of questions. Given that you were his last date at a matchmaking agency and the possibility that someone might have seen him making his way through the Dark Zone to Midnight Court, you would have popped up on the suspect list even without a mention of your talent.”

“Don’t remind me. So, uh, what is option two?”

“We dump him down here for a couple of hours while we’re at the reception. We use the duct tape to make sure he doesn’t come to and wander off. We come back later with Aunt Zora.”

“Who is Aunt Zora? Or should I ask?”

“She’s a hypnotist. Does a show at a small club off the Strip in the Emerald Zone. If anyone can erase Willis’s obsession with you, it’s Aunt Zora.”

“A hypnotist,” Ravenna said, more than a little stunned.

“Right.”

“Powerful?”

“Off the charts,” Ethan said.

Ravenna took a moment to process that news. It occurred to her that she was losing control of the situation. “Has anyone ever mentioned that you may not be entirely normal?”

“No offense, fire witch, but you don’t have a lot of room talk.”

She thought about that. “Fair point.”

“Relax,” Ethan said. “Personally, I’m feeling optimistic about our failure mode analysis and stress test date.”

“You are?”

Ethan paused at the arched doorway of a glowing green chamber. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve never had a date start out like this. I think it bodes well for our relationship.”

“We don’t have a relationship.”

“We do now. I’m helping you deal with your Willis problem. I’m a witness and a coconspirator. I’d say that adds up to a relationship.”

“I suppose it does,” she admitted.

“Baby steps.” He entered the chamber and dropped Willis on the floor. “Harriet, give me the duct tape. No, you can’t have his pen. It’s evidence. There will be fingerprints and psi prints on it.”

Harriet offered the roll of duct tape. Ethan tore off a long strip and crouched beside Willis. He grimaced.

“You’d think a guy in Willis’s position could afford a better grade of aftershave,” he said.

Chapter Eleven

“What’s going on, Ethan Sweetwater?” Ravenna asked.

He brought the Slider to a stop at the corner and looked at her, trying to get a fix on her mood. She had recovered from the drama in the front hall of the cottage with admirable speed and efficiency. Willis had tried to murder her, after all. Most people would be having a well-deserved panic attack. By rights, he deserved one himself. She could have been killed tonight. That knowledge was going to give him some very bad dreams.

But she was holding it together with grit and self-control. Those were exactly the characteristics required to handle a high-end talent like hers. He wondered just how powerful she was. It wasn’t the sort of question you could ask in polite company. It bordered on asking a person if she was one of the monsters.

The dark green dress was made of some silky fabric that glided over her sleek curves. There was nothing showy or flashy about her, but therewas an unmistakable vibe of power and simmering sensuality that suited her strong profile and compelling eyes. She looked amazing now but he would never forget the sight of her when he had arrived. There had still been a lot of hot energy in the air.

Fire witch.A thrill of satisfaction and certainty shivered across his senses. He accelerated gently through the intersection.

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