Page 75 of Boss Witch

The older witch lifted a shoulder, unconcerned. “She’s lonely. And her cakes are excellent. Shall we try again?”

When they joined hands, the energy rose between them in a practiced wave. Though everyone fed the working, Margie shaped it cleverly. In her hands, it became a twisty little red herring, and then Kerry and Priya took it from there, affixing it to a bird they sang to in magical tones. As one, Vanessa and Ethel shifted gears, nudging the spell toward the older woman Ethel had identified as the target. Here, they had to be careful. If the spell went wrong, their target could use it to trace the energy back to them.

But Margie grew in confidence, unspooling a fine tether that let the herring zip away. She offered just a flicker of energy in the distraction, and then the connection went taut and snapped as the ensorcelled bird raced away, crafted as a distraction that would lead the team astray. The movement and the dispersal of energy would seem like a careless witch, bleeding power on the move, plausible for a witch who was emotionally distressed.

Clem pulled out of the bond as everyone else did, conscious of bone-­deep exhaustion. The Herring-­Bird—­an improvement on the original spell—­would lead the crew astray for weeks, darting about the country in erratic movements that should run the hunters ragged.Hopefully, it won’t lead them to any actual witches. I’ll post a warning on the forum.

Margie groaned and stretched, raising her arms above her head. “I think we did it.”

“You need to eat something,” Danica said. “We all do.”

She took the hint, assisting her cousin in setting out drinks and more slices of the pineapple upside-­down cake. As her coven sisters devoured the dessert, Clem rubbed her temples. This headache had persisted for days, a perfect accompaniment to the low-­key sadness that wouldn’t let her go. She’d tried not to be that dipshit, pining for someone who was poison to her, but she couldn’t wipe Gavin out of her heart, which she’d previously been able to clear like it was a dry-­erase board.

“I think he’s shielding you,” Leanne said quietly.

She glanced up with a start. “What?”

The redheaded witch put her hands on Clem’s shoulders and kneaded, going hard at the knots of tension. “Gavin. He must’ve covered for you. Otherwise, we’d already be fighting or fleeing for our lives.”

Clem muttered, “More likely he’s covering his own ass. Otherwise he’d have to explain sleeping with the enemy.”

“You should talk to him,” Priya suggested.

She ignored that suggestion. Priya and Danica were the sweetest witches in the coven, and they both tended to think that anything could be forgiven. Clem knew better. That was why she had no relationship with Barnabas, and she was ready to add Gram to her list of biologically-related-yet-undesirable connections.

“Let’s check if the spell worked first,” Ethel said. “Fill me another bowl of water.”

***

What about the secret USB?

Pacing the flat, Gavin shook his head. That had to be a trap or another test of his loyalty. Even Alban couldn’t be bird-­witted enough to let that slip accidentally. No, if Gavin went poking around, it would confirm any doubts they had about him. There might not evenbea secret USB, best to proceed as if he hadn’t heard anything about it. Benson was asleep, curled up in his breast pocket, and the mouse made him feel less alone at least.

Just as well I have Benson. Might end up on the lam like Grandad with only this wee fellow for company.

As he fretted, he got a call in the middle of the night.

“We’ve found them,” Ted said, his tone all triumphant. “Joanna got the lock on them, they’re running. Sit tight and wait for Jase to deal with you. I smell disciplinary action!”

Panic fluttered wildly inside him, and he battled back the urge to demand clarification.Clem’s safe, right?Somehow he feigned indifference.

“Understood.” He didn’t offer any good wishes, but that didn’t faze the other man.

“Reflect on why you failed,” Ted added.

Swallowing a curse, Gavin cut the call and controlled the urge to text Clem. His mobile wasn’t safe, and if he contacted her immediately after hearing that the team had found the trail, it would give the game away.I could use the netbook to email her at the contact listed on the shop website.It might take a while for her to check it, though, and he shouldn’t say anything too personal, as her cousin probably monitored the box as well.

That in mind, he headed to the bedroom and pulled the netbook out of its hiding space. He had put a password on it so if there had been any failed attempts to login, it would show on the screen. The machine appeared to be untouched. Thankfully, Ted didn’t have orders to toss the place. His father was reluctant to admit he was doubting Gavin, perhaps.

Looks like there’s some benefit to being Da’s son after all.

Gavin opened his email, deciding to contact her from the old account he was using to communicate with Grandad. There was a message waiting from his grandfather, along with ten thousand spam messages. He opened it first. There were four attachments, poor-­quality images that appeared to be snapped of some ancient text. If he peered closely, he could make out some of the words, but he didn’t feel like working that hard unless he knew the context.

Dear Gavin,

I’ve thought long and hard about whether to entrust you with this.

At first, I wasn’t certain if you’d come to entrap me as your father’s agent, but the longer we converse, the more I don’t believe that’s the case. And if I’m wrong about you, then I lose nothing by sharing this information because I’m not sending my only copies. The truth is always the truth, no matter who attempts to cover it up.

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