Witch Cursed in Westerham
Page 18
It was done.
The sting of the blade intensified as it burnt my throat.
Shamus screamed and dropped the scalpel. “You evil bi—”
“Lily!” Will burst through the door. Not wanting to be a human shield, I grabbed the wrist of the hand at my mouth. I pulled his hand away just enough to change the angle. Then I fastened my teeth around his index finger and bit down hard. He screamed again and punched my back. I stumbled forward and smacked into Will. Casting a quick eye over me to make sure I was okay, our eyes met. Satisfied I was fine, he shoved me to the side, safely out of the way, then launched himself at Shamus.
Yelling came from the other room, and both Beren’s and Dr Finnegan’s magic prickled my scalp. A crash of something metallic hitting the floor came through the door, then a grunt, and swearing. Another smash and clatter, a thud.
I looked from the door to Will. Who should I help? Will had tackled Shamus, and they were wrestling on the ground. Surely Will had this covered—he was taller and bigger than his adversary, and he still had his gun. Decision made, I turned and ran into the next room.
Big mistake. Each man used his magic to throw things at the other as Beren chased Dr Finnegan around the room. I ducked just in time to avoid a metal bedpan flying at my head. It clanged into the wall next to the door.
Beren and the doctor dodged and weaved around a bed on wheels as implements, beakers, and cups sailed through the air. Every time one met its mark, someone grunted. A plastic chair sat forgotten next to the wall. A metal or timber chair would have been way better, but maybe this would be enough to distract Dr Finnegan long enough that Beren could take control. Goodness knew why he hadn’t drawn his gun.
Both men must have known I was there, but they didn’t dare take their eyes off each other. I had no magical protection, but hopefully Dr Finnegan wouldn’t notice. If he did, I was in trouble. I grabbed the chair and moved closer to the melee.
Beren was at the head of the bed, and Dr Finnegan stood at the foot of it. All I had to do was stand as close to Dr Finnegan as possible and look menacing, and he’d have to pay attention, hopefully giving Beren a chance to achieve a winning blow.
Clang, smash. The crackle as someone trod on broken glass.
Moving slowly, I crossed the room, but when I was eight feet away, I leaped towards Dr Finnegan, chair raised. His head jerked around, and he aimed his hand at me, the words to a spell forming on his lips. Crap.
I brought my chair down towards his head. He shoved his arm up to protect himself as the last word of his spell left his mouth. An invisible wall of air careened into my stomach, sending my backwards through the air. My back slammed against the wall, and my head followed.
And that was the end of that.
Voices—male and female mumbled. One voice in particular stood out. “Lily? Lily, wake up.” I opened my eyes to a concerned Will. He was kneeling on the floor in front of me. I scrunched my eyes shut as a headache pierced the back of my head. “Lily!” He lightly slapped my face.
“Stop.” I opened my eyes a crack. “I’m okay. I’ve got a major headache.” I leaned forward and touched the back of my head. Sticky blood. Gah. “Did you get Shamus?”
“Yes. He’s back in lockup.”
I was about to ask about Dr Finnegan when his protests stopped me. “Get these cuffs off me. I haven’t done anything. I’ve been loyal to this organisation for more years than any of you. For God’s sake, stop manhandling me.”
Angelica must have run to get here so quickly. I would imagine not much time had passed from me hitting the wall and Beren getting the situation under control. “Why, Dr Finnegan? That’s what I’d like to know.”
He broke down and cried. Whoa, that was unexpected. Was he going to play the sympathy card? “You wouldn’t understand. You don’t have children.”
She folded her arms. “Try me.”
“Shamus is bad news. He’s been dating my daughter, got her into drugs. She’s even stolen from her mother and me. Our sweet little girl’s turned into someone we barely recognise. She refused to give him up. As soon as we found out what’s been going on with Dawn, I begged him to leave her alone. I even offered to pay him off, but he said he didn’t want that. He said if I helped him free his brother, he’d leave Dawn alone, never speak to her again, disappear.” He bowed his head.
Angelica looked at me, her eyes misty, but then she blinked, and it was as if the tears had never been there. “Oh, believe me, I understand. I’d do anything to protect the ones I love, but I’m afraid I can’t help you. You’ve compromised the bureau, almost shut us down. You could’ve come to me. Maybe I could’ve helped you.” She stepped close to him, but he didn’t meet her eyes, keeping his gaze fixed on the floor. “I’m sorry, Paul, but you’re under arrest.” She turned to the two agents holding his handcuffed arms. “Take him to the cells.”
Shoulders slumped, tears still falling, he let them take him away. I sucked in a deep, shuddering breath. Wow, that was awful. Beren knelt next to Will. “Here, Miss Fearless, let me take a look.” He placed his hands on both sides of my head and probed around. After maybe a minute of warmth infusing my scalp, the headache faded away. “Done. I’ve healed your cut and the concussion. If you feel ill later, let me know, and I’ll have another look. But you should be fine.
I gave him a tired smile. “Thanks, B. You’re the best.”
“Hey, I thought I was the best.” Will raised a brow.
I grinned. “You are kind of cool, but the best? I would have said yes when you were the owner of a quackmobile, but as the owner of a regular car, not so much.”
His mouth dropped open. When he recovered, he said, “Maybe I’ll just have to prove it to you. Come on, and I’ll take you home.” He gave me a sexy smile.
He helped me stand. After saying goodbye to Beren and Ma’am, Will went to make his doorway when Chad strode casually into the room, his arms behind his back as if he had not a care in the world. “Ah, there you are, Agent DuPree.”
Both Beren and Ma’am, answered, “Yes?”
Chad’s forehead wrinkled as he looked from one to the other. “You’re both DuPree?”
Ma’am heavy sighed. “Yes, Agent Williamson The Third; we’re both Dupree. Which one of us do you want?”
“Well, you of course.” He blushed. “Ah, Agent Pike was showing me how to use the handcuffs, and I got a bit stuck. He ran off before I could ask for help. To be honest, I thought I could work them out for myself.” He brought both hands to the front and held out one arm. Yep, there was definitely a set of handcuffs hanging off it.
A set of keys popped into Ma’am’s hand. “Here, sir.” She took his arm and freed him, then scooped the handcuffs up and shoved them in her belt. “Maybe leave the agenting to those of us who know what we’re doing.”
My eyes widened. Would she get away with that? He’d been pretty docile up until now, but surely that would offend him. He leaned closer to her and lowered his voice. “To be honest, I enjoy the organisation of things. I never could adjust to being in the field. I lasted three months early in my career. But this job is way more exciting than my position in New York. They’d shoved me in an office. I organised the roster, kept the weapons and ammunition stocked, that sort of thing. It was a big surprise when they moved me here. But I’m enjoying it.”
“Well, why don’t we come to an arrangement? You can oversee the day-to-day running of HQ administrations, and I’ll deal with the cases and field operations.”
“But I like sitting in on meetings. As long as I can still do that, you have a deal.”
Ma’am held out her hand. “Deal. But it would behove both of us to not say anything to the directors.”
“Of course.” At least he seemed to understand something. Maybe having him here wasn’t going to be as bad as we originally thought.
“Great.” She turned her attention to Will and me. “Now everything’s settled, it’s time you two went home and had a well-deserved rest. I have everything
under control.” She gave us a satisfied smile.
We bade her goodbye, and as Will made his doorway, I had no doubt she did have everything under control. Everything was as it should be. I looked down at my tattoo and frowned. Well, almost everything was as it should be. But there would be time enough to right that later. I’d make sure of it.
About the Author
USA Today bestselling author, Dionne Lister is a Sydneysider with a degree in creative writing, two Siamese cats, and is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Daydreaming has always been her passion, so writing was a natural progression from staring out the window in primary school, and being an author was a dream she held since childhood.
Unfortunately, writing was only a hobby while Dionne worked as a property valuer in Sydney, until her mid-thirties when she returned to study and completed her creative writing degree. Since then, she has indulged her passion for writing while raising two children with her husband. Her books have attracted praise from Apple Books and have reached #1 on Amazon and Apple Books charts worldwide, frequently occupying top 100 lists in fantasy and mystery. She’s excited to add cozy mystery to the list of genres she writes. Magic and danger are always a heady combination.
Also by Dionne Lister
Paranormal Investigation Bureau
Witchnapped in Westerham #1
Witch Swindled in Westerham #2
Witch Undercover in Westerham #3
Witchslapped in Westerham #4
Witch Silenced in Westerham #5
Killer Witch in Westerham #6
Witch Haunted in Westerham #7
Witch Oracle in Westerham #8
Witchbotched in Westerham #9
Witch Heist in Westerham #11 (out March 2020)
The Circle of Talia
(YA Epic Fantasy)
Shadows of the Realm
A Time of Darkness
Realm of Blood and Fire
* * *
The Rose of Nerine
(Epic Fantasy)
Tempering the Rose