Page 76 of All My Witches
Nikki scowled. “I don’t likeyou.”
“The feeling is mutual.” Landon shifted his gaze to me. “Okay. What do we donext?”
I had no idea. “Well … we need to make a plan to catch her. To do that, we need information on where she is and exactly what she’sdoing.”
“Okay.” Landon hunkered down so he was on an even level with Nikki. “Where isshe?”
“It is not my place totell.”
“Well, you have to tellme.”
“No.”
Landon looked to me for help. “Do you want to say anythinghere?”
“What do you want me to say?” I challenged. “You’re the FBI agent. Isn’t it your job to negotiate withterrorists?”
“Am I supposed to treat her like aterrorist?”
I shrugged. “What would you do if she was aterrorist?”
“Well, I’d slap her around and start breaking fingers.” Landon winked to let me know he was kidding. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I knew all too well that he didn’t have it in him to hit an old woman – even if she was a fake character in a soap opera and he was clearly tired and ready toescape.
“How else?” I asked, legitimatelycurious.
“I’d threaten her with jail, perhaps lock her in a federal prison until it loosened her lips. I don’t think I have that optionhere.”
He wasn’t wrong. I rolled my neck and stared at the sky a moment. “We could try to curseher.”
Thistle, who stood about ten feet away with Marcus, perked up at the suggestion. “Do you think we can do thathere?”
“I don’t know. It’s worth ashot.”
“Okay.” Thistle flexed her fingers. “I suggest we start with the urinary tract infection spell and then tilt it into the nails on a chalkboard chant. That’s always a crowdpleaser.”
I watched Nikki’s eyes for signs of recognition, but she didn’t so much as bat aneyelash.
“It won’t work on her,” I announced, drawing multiple sets of eyes to me. “She’s notreal.”
“How can you be sure?” Landonasked.
“And even if you are sure, why don’t we test the curses anyway?” Thistlesuggested.
I ignored her evil smile. “She’s just an empty vessel. It’s kind of like she’s a character in a computer game. She can only do what she’s programmed to do. She’s not Aunt Tillie. The woman at the church was AuntTillie.”
“I’m not doubting you,” Landon said, “but how can you be absolutelysure?”
“Because the Aunt Tillie at the church didn’t have to stick to a script,” I replied. “She could say and do what she wanted. She knew I was upset about the wedding, that I felt it was a bit cruel. She wanted to make sure I knew why she didit.”
“And why wasthat?”
“Because she knew that no matter how much I love and trust you, there was a part of me that worried you wouldn’t be there when I turned that corner.” I saw no reason to lie. “The biggest part of my heart knew you’d be there, and yet there was this little shard that started poking my innards when I saw your reaction to finding out she expected us to pretend to getmarried.”
“Bay, I reacted that way because I thought it was cruel and mean for both of us,” Landon explained. “It’s not that I don’t want to … .” He brokeoff.
“I know it was mean.” I softened my voice. “I don’t think she meant for it to be mean, though. It was supposed to be an exercise inacceptance.”
“I understand that, but it was still mean.” Landon pushed himself to a standing position, ignoring the way Nikki glared after him. “I don’t like it when she messes with us on stuff like this. I want to be able to choose our own course and not let her push us. I think that’sfair.”
