Page 11 of Warrior Witch

Peeking around the dumpster, I spotted my least favorite psycho standing next to his bike, completely unbothered by the rain pouring around him. He stretched his leather-clad arms across his chest one after the other, then above his head as he leaned backwards. Damn, he really was in good shape.

Bad Harlow. Again with the ogling.

“I’m the one he’s looking for, so I’ll circle around the back to avoid him. Tell Lindsay to be ready to floor it as soon as I make it to you guys, okay?”

“Got it. See you in a minute.” She turned to head back inside before spinning back to face me. “Oh, and, Harlow?”

“Yeah, kiddo?”

Addie bounced on her heels, her lips twitching as she suppressed a mischievous grin, “When you see that I’m right about Kylen, can I adopt the dog?”

“I’m letting you bring an adult man. We can talk about the dog later.”

I shooed her off and waited, crouched behind the dumpster, until I heard the faint ding-a-ling of the bell above the door.

Good, she’s in.

In the gas station parking lot, my stalker tuged off his leather gloves with his teeth as he stomped past our car towards the store. And me.

I moved quickly, grateful for the pitter-pattering of rain against the dumpster to cover the sound of my boots as I rounded the corner to the back of the building. Staying low to avoid the windows, I shuffled between the wall and nearby trees, making it about halfway down before the doorbell rang out again.

Please, gods, let that be Addie leaving with the guys.

Too anxious about the situation to trust my luck, I peeked over the window frame and muttered a curse. Lindsay was still at the register with Addie and Kylen next to him. That meant the bell was… Shit!

I ducked out of sight just as I spotted a figure in a familiar leather jacket farther down the aisle, facing the windows I hid beneath. Wonderful. A chill ran down my shoulders as the rain soaked through my hoodie, but I did my best to ignore it. I just needed to keep moving, nice and slow.

Despite the barrier of brick and glass that separated us, I was painfully aware of the biker’s presence. My heart pounded until I felt like I was choking on my own pulse. Taking a deep breath, I pushed myself to take another step, then another, and another, until I edged around the corner to a blessed full brick wall.

The doorbell rang again, and I breathed a sigh of relief as Addie’s shrill voice urged Lindsay to “hurry the fuck up.” Finally, we were nearly out.

I waited against the wall until I heard our car sputter to life, and then no force in the world could have stopped me. Keeping my hood up to hide my face, I sprinted to the car and dove into the open back door, my face landing on a pair of legs.

“Drive, Lindsay!” Addie shouted, and with a screech of tires, we were off.

Sitting up, I pulled the door shut as we swerved onto the road and took a deep breath.

“Nice one, Addie. I don’t think he saw me.” I cast a grin to my right, expecting to find my young apprentice.

Instead, the thighs my face had been pressed into belonged to the newest member of our chaotic troupe.

Addie threw me a cheeky grin from the front passenger seat, and I barely resisted giving myself a face-palm.

Welcome to the Epic Road Trip of Destiny, Kylen.

Kylen

“So… anyone wanna tell me what that was about?” I asked, shifting under the discomfort of the anxious energy buzzing through the car.

It seemed that, of everyone here, I was the least worried about the turn events had taken in the last thirty minutes, and I’d just been kidnapped.

Okay, so maybe kidnapped was an overstatement.

I had already accepted a ride before I was thrown in the car, after all. It had just been far more hurried than expected. One moment I’d been fielding questions from the little dud witch in front of me, and the next I was hustled into the back of the car like we were dodging paparazzi in the middle of LA.

I eyed the profile of the guy in the driver’s seat. He could totally be a celebrity. His smooth, dark skin was expertly highlighted and powdered, and his eyelids shone with golden shadow framed with a dramatic dark wing of eyeliner. He was beautiful, and I could see him walking the carpet at the Met Gala. If I had any sense of self-preservation, I would be insanely attracted to him. Instead…

I slid my gaze toward the scowling bombshell to my left. Her arm stretched across the back of the seat, her fidgeting fingers brushing my shoulder as she shifted to check the road behind us at regular intervals. I wanted to ask her to sit down and buckle her seatbelt because the way she was half kneeling had images of blood and broken bones screaming through my head. Was a car accident likely? No. Was it worth the risk? Definitely not.

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