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Authors: Rose Pressey
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over her shoulder. “There was some man out there when we pulled up and he was talking with him.”
I frowned. “A man? Are you sure it wasn’t Nicolas? He said he was going for a walk.”
“Don’t you think I’d recognize Nicolas if I saw him?” she asked with a frown.
“Yes, I do, but I thought maybe you saw him from a distance,” I said.
She shook her head. “No, I saw him up close.”
“I don’t know who he could be talking to. I don’t like the sound of this though.” I walked over to the tall windows lining the wall across from us.
Sure enough, Jon was outside speaking with a man. They stood beside Jon’s car.
“Come on. We should go see what they’re talking about,” I said, motioning over my shoulder.
Annabelle followed me. After we’d made it halfway across the room, Rebecca called out, “Is everything okay?”
When I turned around, I saw the women standing at the threshold of the kitchen door. I knew without asking that they had been eavesdropping.
I plastered on a fake smile. “Off course. We’re just stepping outside for a moment. We’ll be right back. Why don’t you all get rid of the men, then enjoy the rest of the cupcakes.”
What was left of the cupcakes—all I saw was empty wrappers and crumbs, even the icing had been licked from the plate.
Their eyes lit up. “That’s a good idea,” Kimberly said.
The women hurried out of the foyer toward the kitchen. Their skirts made rustling sound as they rushed toward the back of the manor. The lace-up boots echoed against the hardwood floor; it sounded like a stampede.
“Remind me to tell you about their dining habits,” I said as Annabelle and I walked out the front door.
When we approached Jon, he had an odd look on his face, as if he’d been caught in a criminal act and I was the police getting ready to arrest him. He looked around as if he was trying to find a location to hide the evidence, only I didn’t see any evidence—other than the strange man beside him. The man wore jeans and a sweater the same shade of black as his hair. Again, I was probably just being paranoid, but with everything that had happened, it was no surprise that I was on guard. I had to be.
I looked at the man and smiled. “Hello.”
He nodded and looked me up and down. Without saying a word, he turned and climbed behind the wheel of his car and turned the ignition. He looked over at us again, but then wheeled the car around and pulled down the driveway.
“Who was that?” Annabelle asked.
“He’s just a friend of mine,” Jon said casually.
I scowled. I wasn’t buying that story. What was his friend doing at LaVeau Manor? According to Annabelle, the man had been there when they pulled up.
“Why was he here?” I motioned toward the driveway with a tilt of my head. I wasn’t going to let him get away without answering that question.
Jon shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Oh, he was looking for me. I told him to meet me here since he was in the area.”
Okay, I guess that could have been a truthful explanation. But why hadn’t he mentioned it to Annabelle?
Chapter Ten
I’d left Annabelle and Jon on the veranda so that they could talk. I hoped that Annabelle would push Jon for more information about the man. Thank goodness when I stepped into the kitchen the men were gone. Just as I hadn’t wanted to know exactly where they’d come from, I didn’t want to know where they’d gone either.
“We got rid of them,” Sarah said as she licked icing off her face.
Where had she found the icing? Had she found the extra I’d stashed in the refrigerator?
Again the other coven members frowned. They weren’t happy with me and the feeling was mutual. I’d taken away their playthings. Luckily, the smoke had settled, but there was still a high magical charge in the air, and I knew exactly what was causing the feeling.
The men m ight have been gone, but the bad thing now was the women were at the magic again. Rebecca was
I frowned. “A man? Are you sure it wasn’t Nicolas? He said he was going for a walk.”
“Don’t you think I’d recognize Nicolas if I saw him?” she asked with a frown.
“Yes, I do, but I thought maybe you saw him from a distance,” I said.
She shook her head. “No, I saw him up close.”
“I don’t know who he could be talking to. I don’t like the sound of this though.” I walked over to the tall windows lining the wall across from us.
Sure enough, Jon was outside speaking with a man. They stood beside Jon’s car.
“Come on. We should go see what they’re talking about,” I said, motioning over my shoulder.
Annabelle followed me. After we’d made it halfway across the room, Rebecca called out, “Is everything okay?”
When I turned around, I saw the women standing at the threshold of the kitchen door. I knew without asking that they had been eavesdropping.
I plastered on a fake smile. “Off course. We’re just stepping outside for a moment. We’ll be right back. Why don’t you all get rid of the men, then enjoy the rest of the cupcakes.”
What was left of the cupcakes—all I saw was empty wrappers and crumbs, even the icing had been licked from the plate.
Their eyes lit up. “That’s a good idea,” Kimberly said.
The women hurried out of the foyer toward the kitchen. Their skirts made rustling sound as they rushed toward the back of the manor. The lace-up boots echoed against the hardwood floor; it sounded like a stampede.
“Remind me to tell you about their dining habits,” I said as Annabelle and I walked out the front door.
When we approached Jon, he had an odd look on his face, as if he’d been caught in a criminal act and I was the police getting ready to arrest him. He looked around as if he was trying to find a location to hide the evidence, only I didn’t see any evidence—other than the strange man beside him. The man wore jeans and a sweater the same shade of black as his hair. Again, I was probably just being paranoid, but with everything that had happened, it was no surprise that I was on guard. I had to be.
I looked at the man and smiled. “Hello.”
He nodded and looked me up and down. Without saying a word, he turned and climbed behind the wheel of his car and turned the ignition. He looked over at us again, but then wheeled the car around and pulled down the driveway.
“Who was that?” Annabelle asked.
“He’s just a friend of mine,” Jon said casually.
I scowled. I wasn’t buying that story. What was his friend doing at LaVeau Manor? According to Annabelle, the man had been there when they pulled up.
“Why was he here?” I motioned toward the driveway with a tilt of my head. I wasn’t going to let him get away without answering that question.
Jon shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Oh, he was looking for me. I told him to meet me here since he was in the area.”
Okay, I guess that could have been a truthful explanation. But why hadn’t he mentioned it to Annabelle?
Chapter Ten
I’d left Annabelle and Jon on the veranda so that they could talk. I hoped that Annabelle would push Jon for more information about the man. Thank goodness when I stepped into the kitchen the men were gone. Just as I hadn’t wanted to know exactly where they’d come from, I didn’t want to know where they’d gone either.
“We got rid of them,” Sarah said as she licked icing off her face.
Where had she found the icing? Had she found the extra I’d stashed in the refrigerator?
Again the other coven members frowned. They weren’t happy with me and the feeling was mutual. I’d taken away their playthings. Luckily, the smoke had settled, but there was still a high magical charge in the air, and I knew exactly what was causing the feeling.
The men m ight have been gone, but the bad thing now was the women were at the magic again. Rebecca was
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