Page 69 of Boss Witch

Ted had introduced his minions—­Ingram, Alban, Echo, Joanna, and Darcy, three men, two women, all tough as nails and impatient to get started. To make matters worse, Echo wasn’t an enforcer at all; he was another hunter, which meant Gavin’s father must’ve decided he wasn’t getting the job done fast enough.

That or I can’t be trusted anymore.Honestly, he wasn’t sure which would be worse.

“You can’t stay here,” he said. “The landlady lives downstairs, and she pops in quite often. You’re eating the croissants she dropped off before you got here,” he added to the silent, stone-­faced one called Ingram, a man in his fifties with weathered features, a silver-­black beard, and scars that told a sinister tale about his predilection toward violence.

Deliberately, Alban caught his gaze, taking a chocolate croissant from the plate, holding eye contact while he took a huge bite.That’s a dick move, innit? I was saving those for dessert.Alban appeared to be in his late twenties, thin and weaselly with blond hair slicked back with altogether too much gel. He habitually flicked a switchblade open and closed, so his specialty must be knives. Gavin disliked him already; he’d shooed him away from Benson’s cage because the bastard kept tapping the bars, frightening the mouse until he ran into the house to hide.

Echo was massive, even for a hunter, who tended to be burly because they often worked alone. He had muddy-­brown hair and sun-­damaged skin, which made it tough to guess how old he was. But Gavin guessed late thirties or early forties, and Echo had a nervous leg problem, kept jittering it whenever he sat, but more often, he paced the flat like a caged animal.

Joanna had to be sixty, a venerable age for an enforcer, and like Ingram, she had multiple battle scars. She wore her hair shorn close in silver fuzz, and she dressed like a combat veteran in olive and khaki utility gear with pockets that bulged with weapons of all types. Her muscles were a little slack, but she still looked fierce enough that Gavin wouldn’t want to test her. She wasn’t eating his croissants at least, but her watchful air worried him.

That only left Darcy, who looked even younger than Alban, early twenties at most. She was on the chubby side, also dressed in fatigues, but on her, it was cute rather than intimidating. That might be what they were counting on—­that the enemy wouldn’t realize how dangerous she was until it was too late. She had red hair caught up in a simple plait and a smattering of freckles on an upturned nose.

Ted got to his feet then, drawing everyone’s eyes. “Relax, we weren’t planning to move in. We’ve got our own digs.”

“Where are you headed?” Gavin asked.

Ted’s lip curled. “I think you mean ‘we.’ Before you go your merry way, you need to show us where that massive flare occurred. Don’t tell me you didn’t sense it, because we got reports from hunters all over the Midwest.”

Fuck. Is he talking about what I sensed at the restaurant or the ritual site?

He didn’t think either locale would be enough to let Echo learn anything that would put Clem and her family at risk, but his stomach churned over the prospect of this going pear-­shaped.If I lie, they’ll know. This is probably a loyalty test.Fighting nausea born of fear, he gambled with the truth.Better for them to think I’m still on their side.

“There were two,” he said. “One was a restaurant, but I got there too late to catch the witch. The other was in the middle of a farmer’s field. Where should we go first?”

“Restaurant,” Echo said straightaway. “The traces will fade faster there with more people moving through.”

The man was right about that, as humans carried energy with them, even if they couldn’t use magic. Humans with a strong will could even smudge a witch’s tracks, which was why witches blended in with humans and preferred to live in cities these days. Times when a witch could live like a hermit on a mountaintop had passed; that was a good way to get caught because there was nothing else around to confuse the energy signature.

“Then let’s go.” Gavin grabbed his wallet and opened the door, making sure he watched every last one of them leave before he shut the door.

I need to sweep the place.It wouldn’t surprise him if they’d planted surveillance since he clearly wasn’t in the circle of trust anymore.How bad will this get, I wonder?

The squad had a black SUV parked out front, a ride with darkly tinted windows that would absolutely draw all kinds of attention in St. Claire. It practically shouted “shady business,” but he didn’t say anything as they all piled in, leaving Ted by the driver’s side.

Gavin got on his bike and put on his helmet. “Do you remember which side of the road to drive on?”

“Don’t try to be funny, just lead the way,” Ted said coldly.

Giving thanks that he didn’t have to get in the SUV, he started the Duc and rode over to Heart of Artichoke, making no allowances for the size of the massive gas-­guzzler they were driving. The restaurant had plenty of parking, so he pulled in and waited, hoping like hell that Echo wouldn’t glean any insights. It was a freestanding two-­story brick building with a lot that wrapped around, far more parking than one would see at a restaurant back home. Since it was summer, the patio was open and a few people were eating outside, undeterred by heat or insects.

Ted raised a hand imperiously, demanding Gavin get his arse to the entrance. Alban was already there, perusing the menu like he hadn’t just eaten Gavin’s chocolate croissant.

Alban made a face. “Looks like it’s vegetarian,” he complained.

The enforcer called Ingram scowled. “Stay on task. We’re not here to eat.”

“They may object to the lot of us poking around inside if we don’t,” Gavin pointed out.

“That’s what the mission funds are for,” Joanna said in an even tone. “Come on, let’s get a table for seven.”

“I’m a bit peckish,” Darcy said.

“Eat this.” Alban made a crude gesture near his crotch.

Before Gavin could hit him, Darcy did it herself, followed by Joanna and Ingram. There was a definite protective vibe going on between the oldest members of the crew and the youngest.Any relation? Can I use this somehow?

With an impatient gesture, Ted led the way in. A bunch of tough-­looking people getting a meal together here would set the town gossip alight. Mrs. Carminian would have Gavin connected with Armenian weapon dealers in her version of the story in another hour. By the time it circulated, he didn’t care to imagine how colorful it would be.

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