Barbecue & Brooms (A Southern Charms Cozy Mystery Book 4)

by Bella Falls

  My confidence faltered when the thread of connection changed course. Instead of stretching out in front of me, it banked right, arcing and moving like the second hand of a watch. Unsure of what to do, I slowed my pace, and twisted my head around until the thread of connection tugged on me in the opposite direction. Instead of me pursuing Rita, she gained the upper hand, flying right behind me.

  “Pixie poop,” I exclaimed, losing my momentum to turn around and find her.

  The glowing thread shortened, and a blur closed in fast on my right. A woman’s evil laugh echoed through the woods, and I knew Rita was playing with me. I lurched forward to match her speed when she caught me.

  The lady racer pulled up close, avoiding brush and branches with ease as if it was child’s play. “I see you figured out the goggles I gave you weren’t meant to help.”

  I dodged a particularly tall sapling, swinging wide to the left. Rita stayed parallel to me, refusing to make her next move.

  “Once a cheater, always a cheater,” I taunted, banking in her direction to knock her off balance.

  Although I wanted to catch Rita, since I was off course, I didn’t know how anybody would find us. And if she managed to get me off the broom out here alone, there was no telling how she would use her psychic magic on me. I needed every single one of my memories to stay intact.

  The professional racer snorted in derision. “Do you really think an amateur like you, who hasn’t finished a race in the upright position, can take me on? Please. Give up, Charli.” She saluted and dashed away, dodging the trees with a smooth deftness I envied.

  I couldn’t let her win, even if she was no longer in the official race. The one we still competed in counted for far more.

  Something the gnome brothers had said rung in my ears. If I could push her to the new extended boundary, maybe even into it, I might be able to stop her. If Flint’s descriptions were true, I could force her into the border, either obliterating her mode of transportation or hurting her enough to slow her down. If her head blew up like Clint implied, I wouldn’t shed any tears.

  The woods we were in had to be the ones that sat outside our normal borders as a natural barrier to unwanted guests. If I could flank her on her left and keep her from maneuvering around me, I would be able to either force her into the shield at the western side of the woods or bring her out into the more immediate land beyond the southwestern line of trees. If my mental calculations weren’t off, I might have a secret weapon I could use waiting in the clearing.

  The Founders’ tree grew in the field close to where this woodland ended. Having used its magic before to protect our town, I hoped it would allow me to tap into its power one more time. A lot of if’s hung in the balance for me to succeed, but I didn’t have a choice but to cling to hope and fly my behind off.

  I took a deliberate sharp angled detour to the left to swing outside of her peripheral vision. It almost did me in trying to watch Rita and look out for tree-like obstacles at the same time. When I saw my best opening, I zoomed on the diagonal until I pulled up beside the racer.

  “Oh, Charli, you’re still trying? I respect your moxie, girl, but you’re not going to win any prizes.” Rita tapped a spot right in the middle of her chest. “I’ve got luck on my side.”

  We both rose up and over a downed tree, and Rita swerved in an attempt to slam into my body. If I flinched for even a second, she might succeed in knocking me off. Instead of moving out of the way, I leaned in and aimed to hit her. Our bodies collided again and again, each time a little harder. I had no explanation as to how I remained on my broom other than the sheer will to make it to the Founders’ tree.

  “You stupid idiot.” Rita rammed me so hard, both of our brooms tilted and wobbled.

  “You’ll knock us both off,” I yelled, trying to swat her away.

  Occupied with the task of staying upright, we both missed the oncoming holly bush. It wedged in between us, its branches and pointy leaves scraping our skin. I managed to stay on my broom, but felt the air blowing over open cuts and scratches.

  The bright light of the sun filtered through the space between the trees ahead of us, and my heart leapt. In only a few more seconds, we’d burst out into the field on a direct line to the Founders’ tree. Rita flew straight only a few clicks in front of me. She tried to shake me off, but I remained glued to her tail.

  Without the goggles, the sun blinded me when we made it out of the woods. Now that I’d gotten Rita to where I wanted her to be, I had to figure out how to get as close to the special tree as possible and then stop her. A good old-fashioned hex might do the trick, but with all my energy being spent on wielding my renewed magic and flying the broom, I didn’t know how much oomph it would have.

  A gray shadow appeared on my right flank, and I glanced over to see a massive wolf with golden eyes running at full speed next to me. It tilted its head for me to know exactly who it was, and took off after Rita.

  The wolf’s paws lifted off the ground as it vaulted into the air. The animal had its prey in its sight, but he attacked too soon.

  I screamed out with all my might, “Dash, no!”

  In one gigantic leap, he knocked the witch off her broom and sent her tumbling across the ground. Dash’s wolf crashed too, having chosen the explosion of a chaotic attack over a controlled take down of his prey.

  With my magic draining me and not an ounce of Mason’s flying powers remained, my sudden landing went predictably wrong, but I’d gotten used to pain when I touched down. There was no time to moan or check how hurt I might be. I had to get up to make sure Rita hadn’t recovered yet. My rattled brain struggled to come up with a brilliant next step to save the day while I worked my way off the ground.

  I rolled on my side, and the lump in my pocket pressed into my hip. Making it to a shaky standing position, I reached inside my pants and touched the familiar cloth. Another prickle of power danced over my fingers, and the thread of connection pulsed strong and unwavering.

  “I could kiss you!” I shouted into the air, silently thanking Mason for sneaking the sapphire into my pocket.

  Standing up, I unwrapped the jewel with my fingers and held it in my palm. The blue glittered with so much brilliance, I almost had to shade my eyes. Somehow, it recognized the nearness of Lucky’s fortune. Not sure of how the gem would come into play, I placed it back in my pocket for safe keeping.

  With Rita still crumpled on the ground, I had limited time to try to strip her of the gold coin she used to contain the leprechaun’s luck. I stomped over to her, pausing about a foot away to first do a visual check on her condition. Her chest rose and fell at a rapid pace, so she hadn’t died. Holding my own breath, I gathered my courage and scooted closer. I kicked her foot once to see if she would react. The racer’s body lay still and unmoving.

  Working my way around to where her head lay, I crouched down and leaned over her face. She’d touched her chest when she talked about luck being on her side, so I gambled on finding the coin hanging around her neck by a chain. My breath quickened, and I rubbed my fingers together in anticipation of grabbing the necklace and ripping it off her.

  Just as I got close enough to move her shirt out of the way, Rita’s hand shot up and grabbed me by my hair. She yanked hard, pulling my head closer to hers, enjoying my yowls of pain.

  “You lose,” she hissed through her bloody split lip.

  “No, you do. Let go of Charli.” Mason hovered close to us on another broom. He got off and held out his hand in front of him, summoning power at his command. “Now.”

  Rita’s body shook, and I checked to see what caused her convulsions. Her amused chuckles morphed into uncontrolled cackles, proving how far she’d lost her mind.

  She released my hair. “Well, this will be interesting.”

  I clambered away, fear of what she might do next making me forget about taking the coin away from her. “Why?”

  Mason warned her to stay still, but Rita rolled over anyway and smiled, showing off her bloody m
outh and teeth.

  “Because I finally get to find out just how lucky I am.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “So the detective has come to save his maiden fair,” teased Rita. “I didn’t take you for a damsel-in-distress type, Charli.”

  The racer stood up slowly, placing her hands in the air with a wry grin. Only a fool would believe she intended to surrender. Neither Mason nor I were fools.

  I scurried backwards to put some distance between me and the crazy witch until something warm and furry blocked my escape. A growl rumbled and vibrated against my back, and now I was the one smiling.

  Mason willed magic to crackle across his fingertips. “This is your last warning. Get down on the ground with your hands behind your head.”

  Rita didn’t budge. She lowered her arms and placed one hand on her hip. “Looks like I get to play a little before I leave. Who should I mess. With. First?” She pointed at each one of us while toying with her choices.

  Dash’s wolf pushed against my body, preparing me to expect another attack. His lip curled up in a snarl, and I rolled out of the way.

  “Uh, uh, uh, wolf boy.” Rita snapped her fingers and searing pain pierced my head, blinding me.

  Mason cried out and grabbed his temples. Dash’s wolf whimpered and lay low to the ground, his paws covering his snout.

  The ex-racer laughed, pulling on the chain around her neck and revealing the gold coin. “I’ve never tried a psychic attack on three people at once, but something told me I’d get my way. Oh, excuse me, two people and a wolf. I think it’s about time you shifted back, don’t you?” She snapped again.

  Dash’s animal yowled and cowered as low as its body would go. The air around him shimmered and flickered with power. Gray fur receded and the muzzle shortened. His wolf howl morphed into a human groan of pain from the forced shift. Dash’s body curled in the fetal position and his face contorted in agony.

  Rita stared with no shame at the shifter’s nakedness. “If I had more time at my disposal, I might try to turn you into my own personal pooch.” She blew a kiss at Dash.

  Hot fury boiled in my veins, dulling the pain she caused. “Big Mouth told us everything,” I gritted. “We know you killed Fireball.”

  If I could distract her by talking, then maybe she wouldn’t be able to affect all three of us. I was willing to take the brunt of her powers if it meant Mason or Dash could take her down.

  Rita shrugged. “It only took him a few decades to finally earn his nickname. If the big oaf hadn’t been called to the stage, I would have wiped his memory of his entire association with me. And don’t think because I’m talking with you that you’ve distracted me.”

  A hundred elephants stomped my brain into a pulp. I clasped my head, trying to keep it from exploding from the torment. Maybe it was a bad idea to call attention to myself. I lurched forward and braced myself against the ground.

  My fingers dug into grass and dirt. We were farther away from the Founders’ tree than I’d intended. I could try and use what was left of my magic to call to its power even from this distance. But I needed my head to stop pounding for one second.

  Rita rolled her shoulders back and stretched her neck from side to side. “You know, it’s been murder having to hide my true strength all these years. Sure a little mind manipulation here and there did the trick, but it wasn’t very…what’s the word?” She flourished her fingers, curling them to make a fist, and Mason dropped to his knees. “Satisfying.”

  Nana had hammered the lesson into me that if a witch used magic to harm others, it took a toll on them. Frosted fairy wings, I’d taught that to a couple of spell classes. And after seeing what Hollis’s actions did to him, I knew the truth of the consequences. So why was Rita not a withering husk?

  “That’s a good question, and yes, I can read your mind because you’re so weak that you can’t keep me out.” Her shoes appeared in my sight when she stood right above my prostrate body. “And since I won’t be here long, I’ll give you a real gift and tell you the truth.”

  The pain in my head eased up, and I panted hard to recover. She lifted my chin with her fingers so I had no choice but to watch her smug explanation.

  “My early life was less than pleasant. No fairy tale for me and my magic. As soon as I could, I skipped out of the foster system and survived on my own. Little by little, I experimented to find the limits of my power. When none came, I did what I wanted to sustain the life I created.” She stared off into the distance, caught in her memories.

  Mason grunted. “A hard childhood doesn’t justify what you’ve done.”

  Rita made a motion with her hand, closing her fingers to her thumb. “No more talking for you, Detective. It’s rude to interrupt.” She rolled her eyes with dramatic effect. “Men. Always trying to interfere in our lives, am I right? Now where was I?”

  Dash’s eyes blinked open, glowing gold and irate. He remained still but he kept the insane racer locked in his line of sight.

  “You were explaining to me why you’re still so healthy despite hurting others with your talents,” I said, participating in her game but hopefully preparing the chance for the three of us to take her by surprise.

  “Oh, right. The fact is, I’m not.” She pointed at her chest. “Cancer. Stage four. I’m dying, Charli.”

  “Then why in the hell are you still hurting people? Killing them?” I screamed. None of it made any sense.

  Rita crouched down to my eye-level. “Because I can. And if I don’t have long to live, then I’m going to go out my way. I’ll take what I can and leave a path of destruction in my wake. I didn’t expect some backwards podunk town like yours to be the starting point, but it’ll do just fine.”

  As she leaned forward, a cocky smile spreading on her lips, the gold coin swung away from her body. With one quick swoop, I could take it from her. I drew in a breath and prepared to snatch it.

  Dash chose that moment to attack her again in his human form. Rita scrambled away from me, and I hit the ground in frustration at the missed opportunity. He failed to tackle her with his full body, but his shoulder caught her in the chest, knocking her onto her butt. The throbbing in my head stopped, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

  Mason recovered at the same time and pushed himself off the ground. He raised his hand in the air and took aim. “With the authority of the wardens, I order you to—”

  Rita chuckled ruefully. “Oh, please.” With a snap, Mason froze in place. She reached out with her other hand and crooked her finger at Dash. “And I think I’d like to have you right by my side, dog.”

  I watched in horror as Dash crawled on his hands and knees and sat down, leaning against her leg like an obedient hound.

  Rita placed her hand on his head, stroking his hair and spreading her fingers wide. Her eyes closed, and she breathed in deep. “My, this one has some serious power, but he uses all of that yummy strength to hide his true nature from you. You’ve fought some battles, haven’t you, poochy?”

  “Take your hand off of him,” I demanded.

  She placed a finger to her lip. “Shh, I’m not done listening to his mind. It’s too delicious, all the secrets he’s keeping. Oh Dash, I think you should tell Charli how you really feel. Every woman deserves to hear the words from the man she desires.”

  Dash struggled to keep his mouth from moving. When Rita tightened her grip on his scalp, he winced. “I…won’t. You can’t…” He panted with the effort of fighting her.

  She leaned over and spoke in his ear. “Open your eyes and tell her.”

  With Rita’s will pushing him to obey, Dash did as he was told. His glowing gold eyes snapped to mine. “I love you,” he rasped.

  “There. Doesn’t that make you feel good?” Rita asked me. “But that’s not all.” She focused on Dash again. “Tell her the thing you definitely didn’t want her to know. And if you fight me again, I’ll take one good memory you have with her and erase it forever.”

  Dash snarled low. “Please don’t,�
�� he begged.

  “Tell her,” Rita repeated, singing the words.

  The wolf shifter gazed at me with absolute regret pooling in his eyes. “I won the war for my pack at a cost. I owe a debt that must be paid.”

  The witch narrowed her eyes. “Don’t try to get around it. Tell it all now, or I’m going to strip the one memory you treasure the most clean out of your skull.”

  “I’m engaged to be married,” Dash grunted.

  My heart shattered into a million pieces. I had no right to care as much as I did, but I couldn’t help the tears that fell in mourning of something that never had a chance to begin with.

  “I made a blood pact with Trey that if something happened to him, I would marry and always take care of his younger sister, Dina. He died fighting for me, and I’m left to honor my word. I came here this weekend to say goodbye.” Dash bent his head, unable to watch me cry.

  I sniffed and turned my head to find Mason watching me with a scowl. My reaction to what Dash was forced to tell me broke something between the detective and me. In a few quick seconds, everything I had with either man disintegrated.

  A seed of hate rooted deep in my gut. I let it fester and slither inside me until it thrived and bloomed, fueling my anger and rage. The more fury that pumped through my veins, the less I felt the effects of Rita’s psychic assault.

  She patted Dash’s head and waved her hand in front of her face. “Whoa, the emotions coming off of you, Detective, are so strong. I don’t even have to touch you at all to feel the tangible love you have for Charli. And I can tell you haven’t been brave enough to tell her either. What is it with you two cowards?”

  “You’re the coward,” I snapped.

  Rita raised her eyebrows. “Really? So you’ve told the detective about your delicious kiss with the shifter?” She closed her eyes and licked her lips. “Tasting Dash’s memory, it was a toe-curling moment. So much heat and lust and anticipation finally finding a little release.”

  Mason’s face fell, and my anger faltered with guilt. “I was going to tell you, but I wanted to wait until—”