Hunted Witch Agency Box Set Books 4-5 (Hunted Witch Agency Set Book 2)

by Rachel Medhurst

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Where are you?” Justina barked down the phone.

  Oh, she sounded pissed. Was she going to go all kickass on me? Maybe she’d fire me for losing my control with the magic. “I’m at an art museum.”

  My droll tone must have caught her attention because her voice softened. “Which one?”

  Glancing at the painting in front of me, I stared, not really seeing it. “The Scottish National Gallery.”

  Before I could blink, Justina materialised next to me. I didn’t even flinch as she searched the small room with her eyes. Ever the agent, never the person. Although, that was unfair. We were on high alert.

  I’d stayed away from Gerard since the night before, managing to avoid him by sleeping on a sofa on the lower floor at Mary’s.

  “Gerard said that you’ve had a row.”

  “Had a row?” I scoffed. “He basically ended it.”

  “He did?” Justina had been reading something on her phone. “That’s not what he said.”

  It had been three hours since I’d left the house this morning to wander the streets, a hood pulled over my head so no one recognised me. I was sick of hiding from warlocks.

  “We’ve left the scene in the hands of the police. Mackenzie is nowhere to be found, but they’re searching for him.”

  “How’s Kurt?” My interruption made her bite her lip.

  “He’s doing okay. When I messaged to say he was out of surgery last night, he told me to tell you to pull your socks up and get on with it. I didn’t, obviously. He’ll be out of action for a few days, of course.”

  Grabbing her hands as she wrung them together, I pulled her into a hug. At first, it was like I’d wrapped my arms around a life sized ice lolly. Gradually, she melted, her arms coming up to pat my back before she stepped away.

  “It’s funny how you can tell when I’m trying to distract myself.”

  Her little laugh made me smile. She was the most awkward of bosses, but her heart was huge.

  “Out of action for a few days? I think that’s a bit optimistic.”

  A genuine grin came to her face. “Don’t underestimate the power of Kurt’s healing ability. Ever since he lost his familiar, he’s become very adept at making sure he survives injuries and illness. It’s his passion for some reason.”

  “As well as being an arsehole,” I quipped, making us both laugh.

  The burst of sound that emanated from Justina’s phone made my skin go cold. It was Gerard’s ring tune. Justina had assigned us our own.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I can’t ignore him. I’m waiting to hear about an anonymous tip.”

  She answered it, not bothering to turn away. “Gerard?”

  My heart flipped when I heard his husky tone. I couldn’t hear what he was saying, but butterflies exploded in my stomach just the same.

  “Okay,” Justina said, her eyes growing wider. “We’re on our way.”

  My brain screamed in protest. I didn’t want to be near him so soon. However, work came first. That was what I’d signed up for. I’d have to swallow my emotions and put my agent face on. It was a better looking face anyway.

  “What’s going on?” I asked as Justina shot a text to someone.

  Tucking her phone away, she held out her hand. “Someone has just called headquarters with a tip off. Apparently, Mackenzie has placed a bomb in Cameron’s office building. He didn’t realise that we’d arrested him. The caller didn’t leave a name but they traced the phone number to Cameron’s sister.”

  “Hey!” The shout drew our attention. A man with long dreadlocks and dark skin approached, a big smile on his face. “I know you.”

  He pointed at Justina. He was human, his energy calm, collected. My own spike of fear lessened as he came to stand in front of us.

  “I’m sorry.” Justina held her frame softly, her energy welcoming. “I don’t recognise you.”

  Interesting. Although it looked like she was being friendly, I could tell she was on guard. Which meant she didn’t know the man. That was never a good sign.

  “No need to apologise.” Waving an arm, the man laughed heartedly. “I was a small boy the last time we met.”

  Okay, that was strange. Was the dude making up a story to distract-?

  An arm came around me from behind, holding me tight against a chest. The person’s other hand slapped something tight around my wrist. Shit, a magic deactivator. What the fuck?

  Justina flipped out her gun. Aiming it at whoever held me, she raised her eyebrows. The human who had distracted us backtracked, his arms held high. When he realised that Justina’s attention was on my captor, he ran from the gallery.

  “What do you want?” I asked, trying to bend my head around to see who it was.

  “You ruined me,” the man spat.

  Keith. Oh, great. I could never tell if he liked me, or tolerated me for Gerard. Not that we’d had much contact. However, as things stood, he hated me.

  “You ruined yourself.” Justina spoke before I could answer.

  It was probably best if I let her handle the situation with diplomacy. Especially since my magic was tempered. Although, I could still feel it bubbling under my feet. I wasn’t sure the device he’d used would be able to stop me from connecting to the ley line.

  “I’m going to hand her over to the warlocks for a reward.”

  The heat of him started to penetrate my jacket, making me squirm. He pinched my arm sharply with his free hand. “Stop it!”

  He had become unhinged. It was amazing what happened to a person when their fake reality was shifted to real life. People who did wrong often lived in a delusion about themselves so they could stay detached from what they were doing. See, I had done my research. Justina would be proud.

  “You’re going to prison, Keith. You won’t need any money there.” Justina’s arms were completely steady as she aimed the gun just above my head.

  This was a good time to recognise how handy it was that I was so small. There was no chance of a missed shot. Unless he picked me up and used me as a human shield, but even then, there wasn’t much of me to be a shield. I’d be pretty useless.

  The chattering in my mind ceased when he bent his head to whisper in my ear. “Maybe I’ll just kill you. It would probably make a lot of people happy.”

  Adrenaline made my body shake as I felt into the earth for my magic. It was faint, whispering to me. Calling me. Shit, I needed rehab for magic addiction. Not that there was such a thing.

  Justina shook her head ever so slightly. She’d obviously realised what I was doing. She was right. I had to let her play her role.

  “The warlocks don’t want Devon dead. It would destroy their link to the underworld. Which means you’ll have the whole race coming for you.”

  One of his arms slackened, giving me the opportunity to throw my elbow back as hard as I could. My fist flew down, smacking straight into his balls. I was once called the ballbreaker. Today, it was true. No man could remain standing when they were hurting down there.

  Keith cried out at the same time as he bent over, grabbing himself. His face turned bright red as he cursed like a sailor. Not that sailors cursed quite as much nowadays.

  “Well, that wasn’t how I’d do it,” Justina said, moving past me to take hold of Keith’s arms.

  Wrenching them behind him as he glared at me, Justina handcuffed him. Scowling, his lips curled up. “You killed my friends. You’ll pay for that.”

  “Don’t worry,” someone said from behind. “We’ll make her pay.”

  The tips of my fingers tingled as I ripped the magic band off my wrist and shoved it into my pocket. Turning slowly, I palmed my dagger, a scowl crossing my face as several warlocks came into the room. Where was security anyway?

  “Really?” My head fell back as I growled in frustration. “Do you have to do this again? Solstice is in like a week. You can have your stupid magic back then!”

  If the warlocks carried on, I’d consider severing my link
early. It would kill me and rid the earth of their magic for good, but it would be worth it to see their faces from the other side.

  “Maxwell Maddocks may give you leniency, but we want you where we can see you until the solstice passes.”

  This was getting beyond ridiculous. I’d never been so wanted in my life. Time to end all the bickering so I could go and capture Mackenzie. There were a lot of lives at risk if he had placed a bomb at Cameron’s headquarters.

  “Okay,” I shouted when they went to advance. “This is how much you’re pissing me off.”

  Placing my blade against the skin on my throat, I swallowed hard. Boy, the thing was sharp. Extremely sharp.

  Their eyes widened at my threat. Did they know how serious I was being? “One step closer, and I’ll kill myself. Which means your magic will disappear with me. What’s it going to be?”

  Power surged through me. Not magic, I left that alone. But, my own power. I was sick and tired of everyone wanting a piece of me. I tried to do what was right, tried to make everyone happy. But, it wasn’t possible.

  “That wouldn’t be wise,” one warlock said, holding up his hand.

  “It would,” Keith interrupted. “Go ahead and put us out of our misery.”

  Huh. As if my death would solve all his problems. Although, sometimes I wondered if I’d get more peace if I joined my ancestors.

  Not bothering to reply to Keith, I stepped forward. “My boss and I are going to leave. You’re going to back the fuck off so I can get on with my job. When the solstice rocks around, you’ll have your link back.”

  “How will you unhook safely?” A younger man crossed his arms over his chest. “You expect us to trust you?”

  “It’s not about trust. We don’t have a choice. How many of you will I have to explain it to until you spread the word and leave me alone? We only have days left.”

  My dagger was still held to my neck, the cool silver turning warmer from contact with my skin. It would only take one swift movement, and yet, my hand shook ever so slightly. I didn’t want to die. I wanted to live, to love. I wanted to help those that were in danger. Those that couldn’t help themselves.

  “We can’t accept that.”

  Brightly coloured magic was brandished in each hand. They didn’t believe that I would kill myself. Fair enough, they were right. Throwing up my arm, I whispered a barrier spell. A wall of physical magic mixed with the witch spell formed in front of us.

  As the magic from the warlocks rebounded away, the warlocks ran towards me. They were never going to get through my barrier. I was currently one of the most powerful people in the world. And, instead of feeling good about that, it made me feel totally and utterly alone.

  My gaze traced their angry expression as they beat against the shimmering wall. They hated me. But, I didn’t hate myself. It was time to release both links. The warlocks would have what was rightfully theirs. And, I would be free to love and marry Gerard. I would be free to be me.

  “Devon?” Justina dragged Keith to stand next to me. “We’ve potentially got a bomb to sort out. Shall we get going?”

  Chapter Sixteen

  “What people do for love is stupid,” I muttered as we walked around the perimeter of Cameron’s office building.

  Justina put a hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently. “Is it?”

  A barrier spell had been put up about one hundred yards from the entrance. People could go in, but no one could come out. It was cast with blood, so we couldn’t undo it. I’d been trying for ten minutes.

  “Do we know that there’s definitely a bomb inside?”

  Looking over my shoulder, Justina smiled at whoever was there. “That’s what the caller said.”

  Turning, I almost burst out crying as my mother and father approached. It felt like centuries since we’d seen each other, even though it had only been a week or so.

  “Mum!” My feet carried me closer before I threw my arms around her.

  She held me as I squeezed her, taking comfort from her warm embrace. It had been a tough few days.

  “I hear you’ve been up to all sorts, as usual.” Her tone was light, almost playful.

  “What can I say?” I literally had nothing to say. Drama was my middle name. Devon Drama Jinx. Woah, that had a ring to it that I didn’t appreciate.

  “Where’s Gerard?” my father asked.

  As if he was a sexy tattooed genie in a bottle, Gerard appeared right next to us. He had dark circles under his eyes. My heart tried to take up home in my throat as my stomach fluttered its wings. We didn’t make eye contact as he reported for duty.

  “Okay, now that you’re all here, we’re ready. Kurt’s out of the running, so Devon and Gerard, you’ll need to be the tag team that goes in to find the bomb. I’ll be behind you with a squad. They know how to defuse bombs. We don’t want to waste time rushing around the building. We’ve done an aerial scan with a drone. It looks like there’s a large source of energy emitting from level five.” Justina was reading something on her phone. It was amazing how she kept everything organised.

  “Are we time dependent?” I asked, still not looking at the man I was about to work with.

  Half shrugging, half shaking her head, Justina glanced at the team that were approaching. A cordon had been set up by human police. Their story to the outside world would not involve witches and warlocks or magic bombs. “We don’t know. We haven’t told anyone in the building that there’s a bomb. They can’t get out so we don’t want to cause panic. They’ve been told that there’s a problem with gas on the very bottom floor, so to stay in their offices until they’re told otherwise.”

  The bomb could be ticking away. We’d already wasted time talking and dealing with warlocks. We had to get inside.

  Taking my dagger out, I moved away from the group. Their eyes followed me, I could feel it. Instead of putting warlock magic into the blade, I felt down into the earth to connect to the ley line. Dragging its heady pure energy into me, I pushed it through my fingers, into the handle of the dagger. It started to glow white, flames flickering around its edge before they disappeared.

  “Are you ready?” Justina came over.

  Clearing my throat, I smiled. “Yes. I’m ready. I’ll try to tune into the magic once we get to the fifth floor. It might lead us there quicker. Just in case there’s a timer on it.”

  Something in my gut told me we had to hurry.

  Justina obviously agreed because she patted me on the back before indicating that we should go.

  Looking at Gerard for the first time, I nodded. Although my heart was beating a hundred times over, I cut off my emotions. Both our faces cleared of expression as we left everything behind and turned into agents.

  “You lead,” he said, his husky voice strong. “I’ll follow.”

  Before we stepped away, I glanced at my mother who mouthed that she loved me. Saying it back, I glanced at my father. He gave me a weak thumbs up. We were still struggling to reconnect. I needed to work on that once I was free to be me again.

  Shaking myself, I walked away from them. Justina and the team prepared themselves as we went into the building. They would follow in five minutes’ time. Hopefully we would find the bomb quickly. Disposing of it would be our only option.

  Gerard cleared his throat. “Our goal is to find the bomb. Once Justina joins us, we need to leave them to disarm it. We’ll go to the floors above to reassure the people working there.”

  Mr Hunky Mac-agent was back. The man I had fallen for was strong, protective, broody and a little annoying sometimes. But, he was him. He didn’t try to be anyone else.

  “Okay. I’ve got a feeling that there might be a timer on it.”

  “You do?”

  Stepping into the elevator, we both went to press the button at the same time. When our fingers clashed, we both drew back as if the other had shocked us.

  Facing forward, I swallowed. “I don’t know why. Just call it a witch’s intuition.”

  He nodded without lo
oking at me. It wasn’t awkward. Not at all. If only the elevator would speed the hell up.

  The ding as the doors opened made me heave out my breath in relief. The floor was a corridor. There were several office doors all the way to the end. At least the layout of the place was easy to navigate. However, there were a ton of rooms to search.

  “Gerard, come in.” Justina’s voice came down the walkie that Gerard carried.

  We paused just outside the elevator as he replied. “We’ve just reached the fifth floor.”

  “Good. You need to get a move on. Cameron’s sister just rung back to say that there’s a timer. She didn’t say how long we had.”

  Shit. Just what I thought.

  “We’re on it,” Gerard replied as our gaze met.

  “I’m on my way up with the team. We need to get those people off that floor.”

  Without uttering another word when the walkie went silent, we moved forward. Time was now essential. And, so was evacuation. Justina might not have wanted to cause a panic, but we had to get people away from the bomb.

  Getting out my phone as I opened the first door, I dialled my mother. Two women sat at desks, engrossed in their work. “Mum, can you try and get the barrier spell down? I tried, but you’re more experienced with the ley lines.”

  “Yes, I’ll try.” She hung up, knowing full well that I needed to concentrate. I’d missed her.

  “I’m afraid we’re evacuating this floor,” Gerard said to the women. His gun was held by his side, his gaze searching around them. “Please make your way to the elevator. Wait there until one of our team takes you down.”

  Their eyes widened in sync as they gingerly rose to their feet. Grabbing their stuff, they followed Gerard out as I started to search the area. If I could tap into the ley line, it might help me track the bomb. Mackenzie was a warlock. Surely, he wouldn’t have been able to make a magic bomb with his own magic?

  I could hear Gerard talking to more people in the office opposite. Their fearful energy started to seep into the walls, seeking a place to inhabit. I wouldn’t let it enter me. I had to keep my emotions turned off.

  Closing the door to block them out, I shut my eyes as I leant against it. My feet were planted on the floor. As my power connected to the earth below, I dithered between which magic to tune into. Surely the bomb was made by a witch?