Aric scowled when he realized who was visiting us so early in the morning. “What do you want? We already know you have no information to help us.”
“That’s not entirely true,” Lincoln said. “We told you it was the Cult of the Moon. You wouldn’t have that information without us.”
“And yet you have no idea who is in the cult or what their plans are,” I pointed out. “That makes you kind of worthless to us.”
“Which makes the fact that you wanted to force us into the pack for useless information pretty irksome,” Aric said. “I kind of want to punch you.”
“I kind of want to punch you, too,” I admitted. “Still, all’s well that ends well … I guess.”
“And by ending well, are you saying that you’re leaving the pack forever?” Lincoln asked.
I shrugged. “We’re never going to be part of the pack the way you want us to be. We’ll always be around to help if necessary … that is when our problems don’t overshadow yours, of course.”
“Of course.” Lincoln narrowed his eyes. “What will you do now?”
“Now I’ll do what I always do and give the problem some thought before moving forward again,” I answered. “We’re in no immediate danger. We eradicated the current threat last night.”
“That doesn’t mean another threat won’t appear … and probably when you least expect it.”
“Another threat always appears,” I said. “I’ve gotten used to that. I can only tackle one problem at a time. This problem is over. The next will come when it comes.”
“So you’ll do what?” Lincoln wasn’t ready to cede the argument. He had no idea every word he spewed in my direction was a complete waste of time. “We could work together to solve this.”
“No, we can’t.” I rolled my neck until it cracked and heaved out a sigh. “You want to control us. I won’t ever allow that to happen.”
“We’re never going to allow that to happen,” Aric corrected, surveying the back of the Explorer as he studied his handiwork.
“We’re never going to allow that to happen.” I bobbed my head in agreement. “You’re not ready to admit you’re not in control of this situation, and we won’t allow you to control us. We’re at an impasse.”
“We could negotiate,” Lincoln offered.
“Negotiations require two sides working for a common good. Your side won’t compromise, so there is no negotiation.”
“But … what will you do?”
“Go home,” I replied, smiling as I watched Sami shyly wave at Joshua. She seemed somehow perkier after shifting. There was a spring in her step and a lightness about her shoulders. “We’ll go home, live our lives, and figure out the next step when it becomes necessary.”
“Do you think you can handle every problem on your own, Mrs. Lake-Winters?”
I shrugged. “I’m not on my own.” I beamed at Aric as he closed the back of the Explorer. “I have everything I need to help me fight the battle. It turns out we don’t need you to make things better. We just need each other.”
“You’ve got that right.” Aric made a smacking sound as he kissed my cheek. “Where is the kid?”
I pointed. “Exchanging digits with her boyfriend.”
Aric’s smile slipped. “I’ll rip that kid’s head off his shoulders and give it to Claudette as a souvenir.”
I snickered as I shook my head. “She’s a woman now. Didn’t you hear what she said?”
Aric pursed his lips. “She’s my baby.”
My heart rolled at his earnest expression. “She’s more than one thing now,” I said after a moment. “She’s not entirely a woman, but she’s not a baby either.”
“She’ll always be a baby to me.”
I pressed my lips together as I shook my head and focused on Lincoln. “Do you need anything else?”
“You can’t leave without striking a deal,” Lincoln argued, his voice firm. “It’s necessary to your survival.”
“I think the problem is that you think it’s necessary to your survival,” I corrected. “You want my power. You want Sami’s power. You don’t care what we want or need. I’m not interested in bolstering your power base.”
“But … .”
I shook my head to cut him off. “We’re done. You lost your negotiating power when you tried to manipulate me. Last night I told Debbie that I mean what I say. I meant what I said to you. I’m done playing your games. It’s finished.”
Lincoln looked hopeful when he shifted his eyes to Aric. “We can help you keep your family safe.”
“My family will be safe, but it won’t have anything to do with you or your efforts,” Aric replied, holding out his hand as Sami approached. “Are you ready?”
Sami eyed his hand, confused. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to erase Joshua’s number from your phone.”
Sami rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
I smirked as I ushered Sami to my side of the vehicle and pulled open the rear passenger door. Sami climbed inside and grinned as Trouble scrambled up beside her. “You need to give our father a break,” I admonished. “This is a lot for him to absorb in such a short amount of time.”
“What fun would that be?” Sami challenged. “I want to make him suffer a bit first.”
I bit my lip as I slid a sidelong look in Aric’s direction and shut the door, closing Sami off from a potentially rough conversation. “She may get that from me,” I offered.
Aric barked out a laugh as he shook his head. “She definitely gets that from you. Are you ready to head home?”
I nodded.
“Then let’s do it.” Aric cupped the back of my head and gave me a long kiss before playfully swatting my rear end. “Let’s see if we can keep the bathroom breaks to a minimum on the way home, shall we?”
“No promises.”
Lincoln’s eyes were angry brown saucers as Aric nudged him out of the way and headed toward the driver’s seat. “You can’t just leave. We’re not done here.”
Aric glanced over his shoulder. “We’re done. You don’t have anything we need, and we’re not sharing what we have. It’s finished.”
Lincoln sputtered something but I couldn’t make it out as Aric slammed the door shut. I raised an eyebrow and waited.
“It feels good to be free,” Aric said.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure that I have everything I want,” Aric replied. “I have you. I have the kid. I have this life. That’s what I want.”
I leaned over the console and pressed a kiss to his mouth. “Me, too.”
Aric sank into the kiss, briefly pressing his eyes shut. The perfect shared moment was brief.
“Omigod!” Sami screeched. “Are you trying to kill me?”
Aric chuckled as he slipped his key into the ignition. “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”
“Welcome to a world where you have two women in your life,” I teased.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
He said the words, but I wasn’t sure if he meant them. For now, though, our world is complete, and that’s enough.
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About the Author
I want to thank everyone who takes the time to read my novels. I have a particular brand of humor that isn’t for everyone – and I know that.
If you liked the book, please take a few minutes and leave a review. An independent author does it all on their own, and the reviews are helpful. I understand that my characters aren’t for everyone, though. There’s a lot of snark and sarcasm in my world – and I know some people don’t like that.
Special thanks go out to Heidi Bitsoli and Phil VanHulle for correcting the (numerous) errors that creep into a work of fiction.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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Books by Amanda M. Lee
An Avery Shaw Mystery
Who, What, Where, When, Die
If it Bleeds, it Leads
Buried Leads
Shot Off The Presses
The Preditorial Page
Misquoted & Demoted
Headlines & Deadlines
Misprints & Mistakes
Bylines & Skylines
Off the Record
A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Mystery
Any Witch Way You Can
Every Witch Way But Wicked
Witching You Were Here
Witching on a Star
Something to Witch About
Witch Me Luck
Life’s a Witch
Charms & Witchdemeanors
The Trouble With Witches
A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Short
Careful What You Witch For
Wicked Brew
On a Witch and a Prayer
You Only Witch Once
The Christmas Witch
Bewitched
A Solstice Celebration
Witchdependence Day
Happy Witchgiving
Merry Witchmas
Four-Leaf Clover
Thistle While You Work
A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Fantasy
Witchy Tales
A Witch In Time
An Aisling Grimlock Mystery
Grim Tidings
Grim Offerings
Grim Discovery
Grim Reunion
Grim Expectations
Grim Holiday
Covenant College
Awakening
Whispering
Conjuring
Waxing & Waning
Graduating
Living Covenant Trilogy
Rising Covenant
Dark Covenant
Eternal Covenant
Dying Covenant Trilogy
Haunted Covenant
A Mystic Caravan Mystery
Freaky Days
Freaky Lies
Freaky Hearts
Desperate Covenant (Dying Covenant Trilogy Book 2) Page 28
