Page 28 of Discovered Magic
Or perhaps only Mary heard what he hadn’t voiced aloud. As an outsider, she observed more than most, relying on body language and a person’s energy.
“It seems Jonas’s plan to separate them isn’t workin’ all that well,” Draven commented casually as he joined her to watch Gus scurry after his father.
Mary placed a hand to her throat. “Works.”
“Oui, however, it will not be enough. Harlan Green will get that boy killed one day, ma chère. It’s a sad fait.”
She looked up at him, meeting his warm whiskey gaze.
“But perhaps his père will meet his end first?” he suggested with a wink. “For now, let’s introduce you to the Ridge’s finer plaisirs.” With a smile promising sin, he held out an arm, waiting for her to tuck her hand into the crook. “Do you fancy a taste of Perdition’s underbelly? Cards, whiskey, and péchés folk pray the good Lord don’t see.”
She hesitated.
“You can’t shock me, Marie,” he said, giving her new name a poetic flair, Mah-ree. “I mean you no harm. But if it makes you feel better, I can conjure for you a pair of gloves.”
With breath held, she touched her fingers to his coat sleeve and sighed happily when nothing happened. His grin was pure triumph.
9
ONE YEAR LATER…
“Shots fired at the bank, Sheriff!” Gus hollered as he skidded to a halt in the open doorway of The Velvet Ember’s parlor.
“Blasted thieves,” Jonas swore, slamming his whiskey down. “Sorry, Red. Gotta run.”
Gus’s pale face prompted him to pause. “What is it, son?”
“I think it’s my Pa. He’s rounded up a few?—”
Red’s expression arrested. “Mary is in the bank.”
“Goddammit! I swear, that woman attracts trouble like prairie flowers attract bees.”
Jonas was on the move, not waiting for further explanation.
It was pure bad luck that Mary was in the Perdition Ridge Exchange & Trust when Harlan decided he needed to make a withdrawal. And worse, the bastard didn’t have an account and had added others to his one-person gang.
Teleporting would be faster, but there was no way to do it with a town full of spectators. He dashed through the saloon, expecting and finding Draven, with Red and Gus on his heels.
“Bank robbery,” he barked. “Mary’s at the center of trouble again.”
With the grace of the gunfighting gambler he was, Draven flung his cards facedown on the table and rose. “We’ll pick this back up when I return. And should one of you peek at my hand, I’ll remove yours. Compris?”
In unison, his three tablemates gulped and nodded.
Locking gazes with Red, he said, “Keep them honest, chère.”
She waved them off.
Outside the bank, they formulated a plan. “Gus, you keep watch from atop the mercantile,” Jonas ordered, intending to keep the young man from harm’s way. “Draven and I will enter as soon as you’re clear. If they escape, don’t leave your spot, but monitor their route. Got it?”
“Yessir.”
The instant he scurried off, Jonas turned to Draven. “Bulletproof yourself, Masters. We can’t stop time with witnesses.”
“Understood.”
They spared a moment to cast their spells, making it seem as if they were deep in conversation while reciting the words to protect themselves.
