The Cupcake Coven (17 page)

Rebecca stepped out from behind Dru and jammed her hands on her hips. “The place isn’t for sale.”

“He said you might say that.”

As Dru strolled toward the guy he backed up a few paces. “The lady isn’t selling her business, and unless you want to buy a pastry you should leave.”

The guy raised both hands and continued to back away. “Fine. But you’ll be sorry you didn’t consider it.”

As soon as he was gone, Rebecca let out a deep breath in a whoosh. “Thanks for coming back, but I could have handled him.”

“Maybe so. Maybe not. He was actin’ weird and kept putting his hand in his pocket. I wasn’t about to take the chance.”

“It might be time to do another spell. Something more general that will stop any kind of harass—” Rebecca’s eyes rounded.

A loud smash and flying glass interrupted her. Dru turned just in time to see the cake platter and a giant penis come sailing through the front window, balls first.

He dove for it, but it was too late. He hit the floor, which was covered in shattered glass, and slid forward until he was eye to nuts with the battered cake.

Rebecca stood stock still with her hands covering her mouth. Finally, she rushed over to him. “Are you all right?”

He rolled onto his side and found a spot with no glass where he could place his hand and push himself to a sitting position. Then he rose slowly.

“Don’t move,” Rebecca said. “Let me grab the dustpan and clean up these shards first.”

Dru’s thick jeans and boots seemed to have protected his lower half. He wasn’t sure about the rest of him. He waited and let Rebecca brush off his clothing, then sweep the floor after that. When she came to her ruined cake she stopped and stared. “I don’t think he was really a realtor.”

“No. Probably not.” He brushed off his hands and stooped down to retrieve the platter. “What a giant dick.”

“I guess it was heavy enough to break the window.”

“I meant the dude, not the cake.”

She shook and burst into gales of laughter, alternating with tears. He believed her reaction was called hysteria. Dru couldn’t think of anything else to say, so he just wrapped her up in his arms and held her together while she unraveled.

Rebecca popped her head around the corner and saw Dru hammering the last nail into the plywood that covered her former window.

“Oh, goodie. Just what I always wanted,” she said sarcastically. “Boarded up windows.”

Dru stood back and inspected his handiwork. “Well then, this is your lucky day.”

She strolled over to him. “I have to go to Myranda’s shop for a couple of special things. Why don’t you lock up and go look for your sister.”

He noticed the brightly colored satchel over her shoulder and a large paper bag with a handle and figured she meant to go right now.

“I’ll walk with you.” He laid the hammer on one of the tables and opened the door for her.

“I don’t need a bodyguard.”

“Until you have a new spell in place, you might. What did you decide to do, by the way?”

Rebecca smiled although it didn’t reach her eyes. “Something pretty advanced. I’m going to create something called a sigil.”

“What does it do?”

“It’s kind of like the bodyguard you want to be, but the sigil I create will be working twenty-four seven, and that’ll be his only job. He’ll continue to do it until I ask him not to and release him.”

Dru straightened. “You’re going to create—what? Some kind of supernatural person?”

“Not a person. An energy. I’m using the word ‘he’ loosely. And as far as supernatural goes—you can’t get much more natural than pure energy.”

“I don’t understand. What do you have to go to Myranda’s for?”

“The Mars chart.”

“Oh…the what now?” Dru scratched his head.

“I don’t have time to explain it all. Just know that I won’t be long. You really don’t need to come with me.”

Dru sighed. “I’m not lettin’ you go alone, so stop tryin’ to talk me out of it. I won’t annoy you with a bunch of newbie questions. We can just enjoy a nice walk on a beautiful day.”

She nodded. “Fair enough.”

He held the door for her and locked it behind them. She glanced at the plywood on the outside and her lips thinned. In a way, he was glad she’d gotten past the sadness and shifted into anger mode. As long as she didn’t do anything to hurt someone…
Uh oh. Is that why she needs to create some kind of alternate being? Maybe she can’t hurt anyone, but
it
can.

He quickly dismissed that thought. Rebecca wouldn’t do that. He didn’t know what this bodyguard would be able to do, but he was sure Myranda would. She’d stop her if Rebecca were about to try something dangerous…wouldn’t she?

“So, what’s in the bag?” He reached for it and she let him take it from her.

“Something for Keith’s party. It won’t be nearly as good as the cock cake, but I didn’t have time to remake it, and at least they’ll have a cute dessert.”

He peered inside and saw a couple boxes and one of her frosting contraptions in a plastic bag. “What’s cute about it?”

A sly smile resembling Hanna’s crossed Rebecca’s face. “I brought two dozen spice cookies, some raisins and a frosting gun.”

“I can tell by your expression that’s not all there is to it.”

“I have no idea if it’s going to work, but picture this…two round cookies side by side with a raisin in the middle of each. Then I’ll add a shelf bra with the frosting.”

“I don’t know what a shelf bra is, but I’m picturin’ boobs!”

She chuckled. “In that case, it just might work.”

“You’re a very creative lady.”

She grinned. “It’s not worth a hundred bucks, but the cookies alone will help buy a couple of those erotic molds.”

“So, you’re still gonna add the adult specialty orders to your menu?”

“Absolutely. It was a great idea.”

Dru was quiet for a bit. He admired her guts and determination, but still…It would be so much simpler if he could talk her into selling and coming home to the ranch with him. He could protect her better there. And if she was fillin’ their stomachs, a dozen strong, strappin’ men with pitchforks would protect her completely.

The hole left by his mother wasn’t just affecting him. She was the cook—an excellent one, and the lousy meals back home were probably getting pretty old. Earl might have already hired another cook. Dru made a mental note to check on that. He doubted pure energy could pick up a villain by the scruff of the neck and toss him out onto the sidewalk.

They went to Myranda’s shop first. Apparently, Rebecca had called her and Myranda offered to let them in after closing. Then she called Keith and he said he could wait for the dessert until seven.

Myranda opened the door and stepped back to let them in. “Hey, you two. Pretty inseparable these days, aren’t you?”

Rebecca chuckled. “So it seems.”

Dru hoped she wasn’t getting sick of him, but he’d never forgive himself if something happened to her. He hoped this sigil thing would be the answer.

Myranda strode to a closet he hadn’t noticed before. Come to think of it, he was pretty sure it hadn’t been there. Maybe she’d had it covered with some kind of tapestry or something else on display.

She rummaged through notebooks and loose papers, eventually pulling out a clipboard.

“Ah ha. Found em. How many do you need?”

“Three, I think.”

Dru had planned to be quiet, but he couldn’t help himself. “You’re creatin’ three of these beings?”

Rebecca frowned at him, but then sighed as if resigned to his curiosity. “Each sigil has only one job. I want one to protect me, one to protect you, and one to protect my house and business.”

Myranda peeled off three sheets, and Dru noticed several various sized grids on each. Each graph was labeled with the names of different planets, and he couldn’t make any kind of sense of the letters in the grids. It looked like the world’s worst crossword puzzle.

“Man, I had no idea magic could get so complicated.”

Myranda smiled. “I wouldn’t worry about it, Dru. There’s plenty of good you can do with the basics.” She turned to Rebecca. “Do you want any help wording your commands?”

“If you have a few minutes…” She laid a hand on Dru’s arm. “If you want to stroll around the neighborhood and look for Shasta, I’m perfectly safe here.”

But am I safe?
He’d had a funny feeling the whole time they’d been walking through the small city. The hair on the back of his neck prickled as if they were being watched. He wasn’t a wimp, but he wasn’t an idiot either. He’d be no good to Rebecca if someone decided to eliminate him. Keeping an eye out for trouble until she got her little energy beings created wouldn’t be a bad idea, though.

“I think I’ll just stand out front and watch the world go by. Sometime you see more when you’re standing still.”

Myranda nodded. “Very wise.”

Myranda’s shop was on a fairly busy corner with a street light. Dru positioned himself so he could see everyone coming and going. Only a few minutes had ticked by when Rebecca popped her head out the door.

“Hey, Dru. We’re going to go ahead and create the sigils instead of waiting until I get to my altar at home later.

“Fine with me,” he said.

A few minutes later, he realized the creepy feeling he’d had earlier had vanished. Was it coincidence? His subconscious? Or was there a little energy being out here, heading off the bad guys for him?

As he contemplated that, a car rolled to a stop at the light. He spotted a young woman in the passenger’s seat. She had dark blonde hair, short with bangs, but…could it be?

He cleared his throat loudly and she turned to look at him.

His gaze met his sister’s eyes.

“Shasta!”

She tilted her head as if not recognizing her own name, then turned and said something to the driver. The light changed and the car took off like a shot.

He thought he heard her yell, “Stop!” But the car kept going.

“Shit,” he muttered. He dodged a car rounding the corner and sprinted in the direction of the fleeing vehicle. He could see the back of their heads and they appeared to be arguing.

“Shasta! Stop!”

The car slowed to take a right hand turn and the girl stared at him. They disappeared behind a building, but he wasn’t about to give up. He dashed down the street and when he rounded the corner, he could still see the vehicle. A bike was propped against the building he stood next to. He glanced around for the owner and didn’t see anyone.

Just then a convertible slowed to take the same corner. He made eye contact with the male driver and wished he had a badge.
Oh, what the hell…it’s worth a try.

“Excuse me,” He pointed to the car ahead. “I need to catch up with that blue coupe. Is there any way…”

The guy slowed for a moment, and Dru thought he may have caught a lucky break. Then the guy must have changed his mind and sped up.

Dammit.

The blue coupe disappeared from sight.

“Why the hell didn’t you stop?” April demanded.

Mike scuffed the pavement and stared at his shoes. “I—I’m sorry. At first I thought he was just a crazy person yelling a word. He was outside that witch shop. I thought he was saying something like Shazam! I never heard of the name Shasta.”

She had to agree that the wide-eyed man looked a little frazzled, but she’d heard, “Shasta” clearly. If that was her name, it didn’t ring a bell.

“I keep trying to recall the guy’s face. I thought I might have recognized him.”

“Or was that just from a recent encounter?” Mike asked.

Crap. Now I know why he looked familiar. He was the guy giving out samples from the bakery.

Mike brushed a bug off his Ford Mustang’s hood. “Hey, I’m sorry. I turned around and we tried to find him, but he was gone. If he’s looking for you, he’ll probably go back to that area. We can try again tomorrow.”

April calmed down. At first she thought Mike had purposely been trying to keep her from discovering a clue to her identity. Just that morning he had said he wouldn’t mind if she never recovered her memory.

“Yeah. I appreciate that.” At least she knew where she might find the guy, at the bakery.