Page 35 of Mastering Mayhem

“I’m not an idiot.” Hazel crossed her arms. “Set up the wire. Show me you have fifty K ready to send me, and then I’ll get the amulet.”

The High Priest laughed, the noise sounding like it belonged to an exaggerated movie villain. “Our agreement was twenty.”

She shrugged one shoulder dismissively. “I have another buyer lined up if you don’t want it.”

“Who?” Adrian asked. “Are they from Salem? I highly doubt they have the funds available to beat my offer.”

“The Salem witches tried to steal it.” Hazel shifted her weight to one leg, resting her hand on her hip. “I left them in the vault in New York.”

Ember tensed beside me, her energy shifting into fight mode. Good. I would love to tear Adrian’s head from his neck. Perhaps I could use it as a bowling ball in the Underworld. The Severed Heads League had invited me to join their ranks before Isabel imprisoned me.

“Does she have it yet?” my witch asked through clenched teeth.

“She has not revealed its location,” I said.

Chaos moved beside me, his expression grim. “Do you feel it? Focus on the veil.”

I shifted my attention from the imbecile witches playing with a force they could never fully comprehend to the energy around us. The low vibration of the Underworld registered immediately, making my arm hairs stand on end.

“A rift is forming.” I scanned our surroundings but found no visual clues. Not yet. “Wait. There are two.”

“I feel them both as well,” Chaos said. “Ready yourselves for company. We aren’t the only ones preparing to intercept the amulet.”

Ember unsheathed her sword while Miles and Shade clutched daggers in each hand. Ash rubbed her thumbs against her fingertips, making them spark before adjusting the strap of her bag.

“Bring it on,” Ember said.

“One rift is there.” I pointed to the shimmering line of red forming three feet away. It hadn’t yet opened, but the energy from the being wishing to cross over was palpable.

“Let’s seal it before anything gets through.” Ember gripped her sword in one hand and offered the other Ash. They spoke the incantation, and Ash dusted the tear with her potion. The red line faded, closing before it could fully open.

Adrian laughed again, drawing my attention to the exchange. “Did one of them have purple hair? And one with blue?”

“Purple, yes. A woman with two men. I didn’t see anyone with blue.”

He laughed harder. “You locked the High Priestess of Salem in a vault. I suppose I can give you a bonus for getting her out of my hair.” He snapped his fingers at a male witch. “Hector, pull up the wire transfer and change the amount to thirty thousand.”

“I want fifty or I’ll take it to the other buyer.”

Adrian arched a brow. “You’ll take thirty and hand it over…if you value your life.”

Hazel shifted her weight from foot to foot, crossing and uncrossing her arms. “Forty-five.”

Adrian inclined his chin, tilting his head in warning.

Hazel’s posture deflated. “Okay. Thirty. Show it to me.”

Adrian jerked his head toward her, and Hector showed her a phone. I was too far away to see the contents of the screen, but Hazel nodded and stepped away.

“It’s a deal,” she said.

“It’s about damn time.” Ember stepped around the wall to stand next to me. “You said two rifts were forming. Where’s the other one?”

I focused on the vibrations in the air. “Behind Adrian. I believe it’s from the fae realm.”

“I agree,” Chaos said. “The question is, did Adrian invite them?”

“Doesn’t matter.” Ember clutched her sword with both hands. “We’re here for the amulet. Let Boston deal with their own problems.”

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