Kiss the Witch Goodbye

by Lisa Olsen

  A black haze appeared, oozing out of Ruby’s pores. It curled like smoke, but darker than anything the fire produced, drawn to the mirror that Annaliese held aloft. The moment the smoke touched the glass, a keening wail pierced the air and the silver frame grew hot to the touch. The final lines were hard to get out, the syllables fighting her tongue to the very last. And then it was done, her ears ringing in the wake of the inhuman shriek that was cut off mid-wail. Anna fumbled with her pocket, drawing out the half onion, which she smeared across the surface of the mirror, sealing the demon in with another layer of protection.

  “Is that it? Did we get it?” Nick asked, followed by a racking cough.

  Once more aware of her surroundings, Annaliese quickly doused the fire, which had become nothing more than ordinary flames without the demon’s power to back it. The smoke was still thick and cloying though, and she struggled to open the windows and air the place out.

  Ruby moaned on the ground. Eyes tightly shut, she curled into a fetal position around her arm. The burned pockmarks from the tincture were nearly all healed, but her arm bled profusely when Anna pulled out the iron poker.

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

  “She can’t hurt us now,” Anna coughed, wrapping a tablecloth around Ruby’s wound.

  “Alright then,” Nick nodded, stumbling away to throw open the front door, gulping in the fresh night air before he returned to her side. “You got that on her good and tight?”

  “Yes, I think so.” She should get to a doctor to have it stitched up, but it would hold for now.

  “Good.” Nick pulled out his cuffs. “Ruby May, you’re under arrest for murder, attempted murder, arson, obstruction of justice, and generally being a pain in my ass.”

  Ruby’s only reply was to cough long and hard, and he hauled her over to the door, reciting her rights as Annaliese went to check on Rose. Lying on the kitchen floor, Rose was largely unaffected by the smoke, but Anna opened the kitchen door to help air the place out anyway.

  When she came back out to the front, Nick was on the phone ordering an ambulance and the fire department in between hacking coughs. There would be a ton of questions. They’d have to get their story straight and come up with a version that was palatable to the authorities. But for the moment, they rested on the porch together holding hands while Ruby silently wept onto the front walk.

  “You did it,” Nick said with a squeeze of the hand.

  “We did it,” she corrected him, overwhelmingly tired but content, all things considered.

  “We make a pretty good team.”

  She nodded, her head coming to rest against his shoulder. “That we do.”

  “You know… there’s something to be said for that. Making a good team. It makes you wonder how well we’d do on other things that require teamwork, you know, in day to day life.”

  “Uh huh.”

  “There’s something I’ve been meaning to talk you about. To ask you, really. Maybe now isn’t the best time with everything going on, but if there’s anything I learned tonight it’s that life is short.”

  Life wasn’t short, it was eternal, there were just different lives to be led. She thought about challenging his statement but she was too tired and his voice was soothing as he yammered on about life and partners and missed chances. He might’ve said more, but Annaliese drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter Forty

  Nick let himself into the store, not bothering to knock even though it was technically closed since the night of the fire. Dressed in a charcoal gray suit, he picked his way across the tools strewn all over the floor, following the sanding sounds that came from where Jax worked on refinishing the newly repaired display case.

  “Hey, she’s still got you working at this hour? That’s a real slave driver for you. You should ask for overtime,” Nick grinned extending his hand. Jax caught up his t-shirt that had been haphazardly tossed aside, wiping off his hand before he shook Nick’s. Was that how he always worked? Half naked and sweaty? No wonder Veronica was always clamoring to come over and help out.

  “Nah, I’m happy to do it, you know? I feel like it’s the least I can do after everything I put Anna through.”

  “It wasn’t your fault, you’re not your sister’s keeper.”

  “Maybe not, but I can’t help but feel like I should’ve known. I guess the signs were there, but I swear to you, I never thought any of that shit was real.”

  The words echoed Nick’s own feelings on the matter, but nothing would be gained by making Jax feel worse than he already did about it. “Hey, me neither. That was my first exorcism and hopefully my last. The place looks great. You can hardly tell there was ever a fire here at all.” The walls had been repainted, the floor sanded down and refinished. Most of the bookcases had been replaced, built in Nick’s garage over a busy weekend when he’d had time to pitch in. But the lion’s share of the work had been done by Jax and he’d insisted on paying for all of the materials himself.

  “I wanted to finish up a few things before I push off tomorrow.”

  “Oh, you’re leaving?” A sliver of guilt snuck in that he felt a smidge of glee over the news. Not that he distrusted Jax anymore, but that didn’t mean he liked the guy hanging around all sweaty and shirtless half the time.

  “Yeah, it’s time.” Jax tugged the shirt on over his head, stopping to wipe his forehead on the neck before he smoothed it down the rest of the way. “I rented a shack on the beach down in Coos Bay. I’m gonna hole up for a while and try to get my head on straight.”

  “That’s a good idea, take a breather. Any idea what you’re going to do about the band?”

  “Forsaken?” A grimace twisted his features. “That’s pretty much over as soon as my lawyer can get me out of the contract. I’m done with that shit.”

  “Really? It seems like I can’t turn on the radio without hearing you guys.” The tabloids had gone nuts with the story of Ruby’s arrest, especially when some of the more lurid details had escaped.

  “Oh yeah, sales are through the roof, but I can’t keep playing those songs without Ruby. It wouldn’t be right.” There was an almost wistful quality to his voice, and Nick hesitated in asking what he really wanted to know.

  “How is she, have you been to see her?”

  “She’s alright, I guess. I don’t know.” Jax went to the fridge, helping himself to a beer and offering Nick one, which he declined. “You heard about the suicide attempt?” Nick nodded, and Jax continued. “They’ve got her on a pretty strict watch now, but she has her good days and her bad days. She knows what she did, but in her head she’s worked out all these reasons why it’s justified. I gave up trying to understand her twisted logic about targeting the girls I showed an interest in, and her vision for our future together. It’s crazy, man. And speaking of crazy, how seriously fucked up is it that I hooked up with a bunch of chicks that looked like my sister used to without even realizing it?”

  Nick didn’t particularly want to go there, that was better left to his therapist. There was something else he wanted to bring up though. It had been eating away at him in trying to understand Ruby’s motives and make sense of it all. “I’ve got to know, did she ever say why she killed that last girl, Angela Parker? You’d never even met her before and she hardly seemed the type.”

  Jax nodded, staring down at the bottle in his hands. “Gideon was leaning on us pretty hardcore to cut the shit and help him put this major deal through. That’s all it was. It didn’t have anything to do with me, that girl was just convenient in the short window of time Ruby had after she drugged Rose and snuck out of the hotel. The sick thing is, the offering or whatever you want to call it worked. Gideon told me the next morning that we were a go. That’s part of why I had to quit. All this success, it wasn’t me. How could I keep taking part in it after so much blood was spilt to get us there?” He shook his head.

  “On the plus side, no more blackouts for me since they put her in the loony bin, so here’s to small favors, ri
ght?” Jax held up the beer in a salute before he drank deeply.

  “Hopefully she’ll get the help she needs to sort it all out,” Nick said gently. Of course, it was up to the judge as to whether she remained in the institution after her trial, but he felt fairly sure they’d find her insane given some of the stories she’d told.

  “Speaking of nutjobs, what even happened to your friend? Anna said she was suspended or something.”

  Nick bristled at the word nutjob, even though he could understand the man’s point of view. Natalie had completely lost it in the end. “Yes, it’s looking like she’ll beat the attempted murder rap, thanks to your testimony. For what it’s worth, I think you had the right of it. She didn’t plan on actually shooting you, she’d just been driven to the brink by Ruby’s tactics and wanted to bring you in at all costs.”

  “It’s kinda funny, isn’t it?” Jax shook his head, thumbnail digging at the label on the bottle. “Ruby hexed her up for coming after me and that’s what made her so bent on nailing me in the end. Poor chick. I mean, she’s still a bitch on wheels, but I feel bad for her.”

  “Her troubles are far from over. Natalie’s still facing charges of obstruction of justice and it’s a given she’ll never go back to the Bureau again.”

  “Maybe she’ll discover a new career? She could parlay this celebrity thing into a TV gig easy,” Jax smirked.

  “Speaking of celebrity, you’re really done with music now? Ever consider a career in carpentry? You do good work.” Nick’s hand smoothed across the new archway casings, the millwork identical to the original ones.

  “I don’t know,” Jax admitted freely. “I’ve been working on some songs, stuff that’s way different from my usual sound. We’ll see, you never can tell. I could decide to hop up on that crazy merry-go-round again, or I might decide to chuck it all and sell insurance.” They shared a chuckle.

  “Well, if you ever need a reference, you can always put me down.”

  “Thanks, man. I appreciate it.” His eyes rose to the ceiling in the direction of Anna’s room. “Boy, she’s really keeping you waiting, huh?”

  “Don’t tell her this, but it’s totally worth it,” Nick grinned. Still, he leaned into the stairwell to bellow, “I’m getting hungry, woman!”

  “Coming!” she called back, sounding frazzled. Less than a minute later, she clicked down the stairs in her heels, cheeks high with color as she emerged into the kitchen. Her hair had been swept up in a braid that started at one side of the head and wrapped around the back, spilling over the opposite shoulder in a mass of mahogany curls. Her usual flowing style was missing for the evening, the clingy red dress hugging her curves in all the right places.

  “See, totally worth it,” Nick muttered, catching Jax’s appreciative eye.

  Oblivious to the male approval, Annaliese plopped her purse on the counter and started opening cupboards.

  “I know I said I was getting hungry, but I can hold on until we get to the restaurant,” Nick quipped.

  “I’m looking for something,” she murmured, not even looking at him.

  “Is it bigger than a breadbox?”

  Jax got into the game too. “Is it animal, vegetable, or mineral?”

  “It’s bigger and it’s, ah… mineral, I guess. I can’t find that mirror,” she said, facing Nick with a worried look.

  “It’s already gone,” Jax volunteered, taking another pull on his beer like it was no big deal.

  “Already gone? What do you mean it’s already gone?” Annaliese demanded, her voice rising with a screech.

  “I gave it to the guy who came by this afternoon, like you wanted me to.”

  “Why would you do that and what makes you think I wanted you to?”

  Jax’s hands came up in defense at her stance. “Because he knew all about it. How else would he have known you’re keeping a demon in a mirror? I figured you’d told him everything. He said he was here to dispose of it properly.”

  The color drained from her face. “I didn’t tell a soul, did you?”

  Both men shook their heads, stunned.

  “Did he give a name or any way to contact him?” Nick asked.

  “No, he said his name… I think it started with an R or maybe a P… shit, I can’t remember it. He was a big guy, lots of tattoos.”

  “And you just handed it over?” Big guy with lots of tattoos didn’t sound too trustworthy in Nick’s books.

  Jax took a step back. “How was I supposed to know he wasn’t legit? Look, I’m sorry, but for what it’s worth, I trusted him.”

  Annaliese nodded, well on her way to forgiving Jax, but Nick wasn’t so sure the whole thing wasn’t going to come back and bite them in the ass someday. “We should probably mosey,” he said gently, and Annaliese picked up her purse, patting at her hair distractedly and looking around for her keys.

  “Now don’t wait up for me, I probably won’t be home tonight,” she said to Jax.

  “Oh… well then, I should say my goodbyes. I’m leaving early tomorrow morning.” He gave a half shrug at the surprise on her face.

  “So soon?”

  “Yeah, listen, thanks for everything. I can’t even say… every time I try to come up with the words, they desert me,” he said helplessly.

  Anna was already shaking her head. “You don’t have to thank me. That’s what friends are for, especially old ones.”

  “Friends,” he sighed, disappointment warring with resignation. “How about a goodbye kiss to tide me over until we see each other again?” Jax looked for permission to Nick, who pretended to misunderstand him.

  “I don’t know, you’re not really my type.”

  “I think it’s okay, don’t you, Nick?” Anna said in a reasonable tone. “Just one goodbye kiss, for old time’s sake?”

  “Fine, sure,” Nick said, sounding much more evolved than he felt. Part of him wanted to go wait in the car, but the controlling parts of his body kept him rooted to the spot.

  Jax approached her slowly, reaching up to frame her face with his hands as he kissed her gently. “Goodbye, Apples. Let’s not go another ten years without seeing each other again, okay?”

  “Good idea,” she nodded. “Take care of yourself, Jackson. And keep in touch.”

  Nick was settling into the feeling that he had nothing to worry about, when Jax tossed him a final grin. “Your daughter’s turning eighteen next spring, right?”

  “Dude, I have a gun and a license to use it.”

  “It might be worth it, that’s quite a girl you have. Take care of them for me.” Before Nick could decide if he was serious or just trying to rile him up, Jax disappeared up the stairs, his smile a mile wide.

  * * *

  Ever since the botched attempt at proposing, when he’d waited with bated breath for her answer only to find her fast asleep, Nick had been trying to pick his perfect moment. As they were shown to their favorite booth in their favorite Chinese restaurant, he thought he finally had the ideal scenario. A quick trip to the “bathroom” and his plans were in motion, Li agreeing to deliver the special fortune cookie at the end of the meal.

  That task attended to, he could sit and relax and enjoy the evening. They both ordered hot and sour soup with kung pao chicken (no celery) and steamed rice, with plenty of tea. So much tea, he had to actually excuse himself to go to the restroom for real.

  When he came back to the table, Annaliese was scrolling through her phone, but she set it aside as soon as she saw him.

  “Everything alright? You’re not thinking about delaying the reopening of the store, are you?”

  “No, it’s fine. The repairs are all made and Veronica promised to show up bright and early to help me restock the shelves tomorrow. That’s not what I’m worried about.”

  “But something is bothering you?” he pressed. Though so much had been resolved in the past weeks, he knew there were still things that kept her from sleeping well, despite his best efforts to wear her out at night.

  “I’m worried about
Rose, this hit her crazy hard.”

  He could imagine. The love gods had not been kind to her. First an unrequited love and then in love with a crazed killer. No wonder she’d taken off for distant lands. “Any word on if she’s coming back anytime soon?”

  “I don’t know. I got an email from her that she’s still up in Scotland. She didn’t mention anything about coming home. All she said was she had no idea what anybody’s saying, but she’s having a hell of a time trying to figure it out. I think a change of scenery is just what she needs.”

  “Speaking of a change of scenery,” he said, smoothly steering the conversation in a different direction. “It’s been nice having you around the house these past couple of weeks while the repairs were being done to the store.”

  “But you’re ready to ship me back out again?” she laughed. “Don’t worry, I promise I won’t keep that many things on your bathroom counter once I move back home again.”

  “No, that’s not what I meant,” he frowned, not sure quite how to correct that misapprehension. “I really meant it, we’ve loved having you around. Did you, ah, start to feel more comfortable with us?”

  “Yes and no,” she said after a moment’s thought. “I love spending more time with you, but it’s strange having people around all the time. I’ve been used to living alone for so long, every time Veronica gets up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom or downstairs for a drink, it makes me jumpy.”

  “Oh, I’ll just bar her door at night, problem solved.” Nick snapped his fingers, half serious if that’s what it took to help settle her in. “But other than that, we’re not driving you crazy yet?”

  Annaliese waved her hand back and forth. “Not yet, but it’s only been a couple of weeks.”

  Not the most auspicious beginning to their lives together. Maybe he was rushing things? Nick began to have second thoughts on proposing that night, and excused himself to go find the hostess. Only he barely got three steps away from the table when the check was delivered, the fortune cookies on top, and he darted back to the booth and slid in.