Damned and Cursed (Book 2): Witch's Kurse (58 page)

"Okay," Jack said, cracking his knuckles.
 
"Let's get started."

The man with the cell phone stepped forward, holding the phone in the air.

"Stop!" he shouted.
 
"If you take one more step, your daughter will die."

Jack's eyes went wide as his legs froze.
 
His mind raced for an explanation as he studied the man holding the phone.

He knew he was staring at their leader, the man named Sean.
 
Sean was most likely Sean Faraday.
 
The resemblance to his brother Rob was telling.
 
There was a look in his eye that told Jack he was very serious.
 
His finger hovered over the send button.

"What did you say?" Jack said.

"I said if you take another step, your daughter, Tiffany March, will die.
 
Hey, little dog," he said, raising his voice.
 
"I know you can hear me.
 
Get your tail in here, or you'll be responsible for the death of this man's daughter."

Jack could only hope Marie would listen.

"Jesus Christ," Sean said, shaking his head.
 
"Finally, we found something that can stop you.
 
What the fuck are you?"

He barely heard the question.
 
His mind was still reeling.

"You…went after my little girl?"

Sean leaned on one of the tables.
 
Jack noticed a television sitting on a table in the corner of the room, along with papers, knives, guns, and ammunition.

"Not my proudest moment, believe me.
 
I kill werewolves, not humans.
 
And especially not little girls.
 
But we've got resources all over the world, and we will do what we have to."

There were footsteps behind him, and Jack turned to see Marie walking with a man behind her.
 
She was naked and her body covered in blood.
 
The hunter held a gun to her, and shoved the barrel in her back as she stood next to him.

"Your daughter won't die over me," she said.

Jack gave her an appreciative nod.

"Will someone throw the dog a robe or something?" Sean said.
 
"I don't want to stare at wolf tail."

One of the hunters retrieved a blanket from a cot and threw it at Marie.
 
She bared her teeth as she wrapped it around herself.

"You weren't at the hotel for Marie," Jack said.
 
"You were there for me."

"We found your business card at the dog's apartment.
 
My gut told me to dig into you, and I always listen to my gut.
 
Turns out I was right.
 
You're a very private man, not much is out there on you.
 
But we did find your daughter.
 
Picked her up from Parkville Elementary when she was at recess."

Jack clenched his fists, eying each and every hunter.

"Do you realize what you've done?
 
Do you know how many people will die because of your actions?
 
Your little wolf hunting club?
 
It's over."

Sean laughed, nearly sending Jack over the edge.

"You don't know how big our little wolf hunting club is."

It was Jack's turn to laugh as he shook his head.

"It doesn't matter.
 
One hundred years.
 
Two hundred.
 
All
of you will die."

His words shook up the hunters, but Sean managed to keep a brave face.

"That may be true, but your daughter will still be dead if we don't come to some kind of deal right now."

"What kind of deal is that?" Marie asked.

"Excuse me," Sean said.
 
"Humans are talking here."

"Don't insult me," Jack said.

One of the hunters leaned closer to Sean.
 
"I don't like this."

Sean raised a hand to silence him.

"I would
love
to know exactly what you are," Sean said.
 
"But the truth is you're not a werewolf, so I really don't care.
 
In order to save your daughter, all you have to do is turn around and walk away.
 
The pup stays with us.
 
We'll get to know her and her pack very well.
 
You go home, hug your daughter, forget you ever came here.
 
It's as easy as that.
 
I'm not happy you killed nearly my entire unit.
 
But I've learned over the years when to cut my losses."

"There's a problem with that.
 
You're looking at the only member of her pack," Jack said.

Marie grabbed his shoulder, and gave Jack her own appreciative look.

"Jack, go," she said.
 
"It'll be okay."

"Exactly," Sean said, rubbing his finger over the send button.
 
"Everything will be great.
 
We'll give her food, water.
 
She can pay for my brother's death.
 
It'll all be fine."

"I want to see Tiffany.
 
Show me she's okay."

Sean looked at one of his men and gestured to the television.
 
The hunter moved across the room and turned it on.

Jack waited impatiently for the image to come to life.

Kevin leaned back in the driver's seat of the rental car with his feet hanging out the window.
 
His body ached from running more cable at a warehouse earlier in the day.
 
He did take a shortcut when everyone went to lunch.
 
Instead of using the scissor-lift to reach the top of the warehouse, he simply used his magic feather, pulling cable as he floated along.
 
There were smudges of dirt on his arms, and he couldn't wait to get back to Jack's house to shower.

"I miss you," Leese said, her voice emanating from the rock under his shirt.

"We just saw each other last night," he said, smiling.

"So?
 
Are you saying you don't want me to come over tonight?"

The school bell rang.
 
He looked up over the dashboard to see the parents gathered in the playground, waiting the release of their children.
 
The doors opened, and the young ones ran all over the place.
 
Some ran to the swing-sets while others ran to their parents.
 
Some just ran in circles.

"I didn't say that," Kevin said.
 
"Tiffany said she wants to cook for us."

Leese laughed.
 
"That should be fun."

"How's Cindy and Alex doing?
 
Is he back from Florida yet?"

"Not yet.
 
Cindy's actually heading down there now.
 
All my favorite people will be gone.
 
Will you keep me company?"

He smiled at her flirtatious tone.
 
"You know I will.
 
What's going on with them?"

"She just misses him.
 
They're still newlyweds.
 
She can't go ten seconds without wanting to hold his private parts."

Kevin chuckled.

"He also showed up on You Tube again.
 
Cindy showed me last night.
 
I thought her head was going to spin in circles.
 
He was flying away from a helicopter or something.
 
It actually looked pretty cool, but you know Cindy.
 
She'll probably slap him across the face for worrying her, then hump him."

"Nice image, Leese."

The noise seemed to grow quiet outside.
 
Kevin looked at the playground once again to see fewer parents and children.
 
Tiffany sometimes spoke with her friends for a few minutes, but never enough that the playground emptied.

"Kevin?" Leese said.
 
"You didn't hear me, did you?"

"No, sorry.
 
I'm looking for Tiffany."

"I asked what you wanted me to wear tonight.
 
I was trying to sound all sexy."

He smiled at the thought, but kept scouring the playground.
 
Tiffany should have already opened the car door and been sitting next to him, complaining about her day.

"I'm sorry.
 
It's just she's usually here by now."

"Did she get detention or something?"

"Tiffany?
 
Nah, but I'd better go see what's going on."

"Okay.
 
Call me when you get home."

Kevin grabbed his coat from the back and left the car.
 
He marched across the playground toward the open doors.
 
He was nearly inside when he heard a girl talking to her mother.

"Mom!
 
That man there, that's Kevin!
 
He's the one I told you about, the man who can make people float in the air!"

He turned to see one of Tiffany's friends, Melissa, and her mother, Stacy.
 
Stacy was giving him a look that didn't make him feel comfortable, and would certainly draw a scowl from Leese.
 
He approached the two and smiled politely.

"Hey, Melissa," he said.
 
"How's it going?"

"Good.
 
Can you make me float again?
 
My mom doesn't believe me."

"Uh, that was just a trick.
 
Listen, have you seen Tiffany anywhere?"

"Not since lunch.
 
She wasn't in class after that."

"Did she get sick or something?
 
Did she get in trouble?"

Melissa shrugged and made a noise that resembled
I don't know
.
 
Kevin's heart pounded harder as he searched the playground one more time.
 
Stacy grabbed his shoulder gently.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.
 
"Tiffany's had a few issues in class before.
 
She's probably with the principal.
 
I wouldn't worry too much."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Kevin said, feeling exactly the opposite.
 
He pulled away.
 
"I'd better go find her."

He went inside and looked for Tiffany's classroom.
 
He'd never been inside her school before, and only knew her classroom number from a list Jack gave him.

A woman sat at a desk alone, drinking coffee and reviewing notes.
 
She glanced up at Kevin as he entered the room.
 
She didn't look friendly, peering over her glasses as if she were staring down an annoying eight-year-old.

"Hi," Kevin said.
 
He adjusted his coat.
 
"Are you Mrs. Freely?"

"I am," she said, looking back to her notes.
 
"And you are?"

"My name's Kevin.
 
I'm watching over Tiffany March for a while.
 
She's in your class.
 
Do you know where she is?"

"I'm afraid I don't."
 
She finally looked up from her notes.
 
"She didn't come back after lunch.
 
I checked with the principal and nurse, but she wasn't there.
 
It's sad, really, cutting class at such a young age."

"Excuse me?" Kevin said.
 
"Cutting class?"

"Yeah.
 
I hate to say it, but she's a bit of a problem child.
 
And I can see why, given her father—"

"Tiffany wouldn't cut class."
 
Kevin's anger grew, which surprised him.
 
He was protective of the little girl, which was the last thing he expected.

Mrs. Freely laughed.
 
"Yeah.
 
No one ever thinks their child breaks the rules."

Kevin's mind raced as dread crept over him.
 
Mrs. Freely started to ramble about the terrible behavior in her class, but he wasn't listening.
 
His mind kept dwelling on a single thought.

Tiffany was missing.

If he'd given her a magical rock, or simply slipped one in her backpack, he could find her easily.
 
He could use his own magic rock to pinpoint where she was.
 
But he'd given her no such object.
 
He just didn't think about it, and he wanted to slap himself for the lack of forethought.

He needed to find her.

"Do you have a library here?" he asked, interrupting her rant.

"What kind of question is that?
 
And don't you know it's rude to interrupt—?"

Kevin pulled a potion from his coat and threw it at Mrs. Freely's desk.
 
The woman jumped in fear and shook her hands in the air.
 
Her furious expression only lasted a moment, before she slowly breathed in the witch's magic.
 
He waited for her pupils to dilate as she stood perfectly still.

"Do you have a library here?" he repeated.

"Yes."

"And where is it?"

"Take a right out of this classroom, and a left at the end of the hall.
 
It's on the left, across from the school store."

His truth potion was good for any three questions.
 
After the third question, the subject would sleep for two hours, and not remember what they were asked.
 
It was simple and effective, but Kevin couldn't think of a third question.

"You don't really like children, do you?"

"No, I don't."

Mrs. Freely started to collapse.
 
Kevin rushed forward to stop her from slamming her head on the desk.
 
He gently lowered her to the floor and left the classroom without looking back.