spies and spells 01 - spies and spells (8 page)

I plucked the lipstick off the dresser and scooted back on the bed, emerging myself in the stack of fluffy decorative pillows. I held it up in the air, letting the glittery crystals of my room’s chandelier glisten down on the black tube of lipstick. I slid the top off the shaft and rolled the base up until the entire lipstick was exposed. There didn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary of what normal, everyday drugstore lipstick looked like and though I had never owned nor touched Mystic Couture, as far as I could tell, they looked the same. I rolled it back down and replaced the top. I wrapped my fingers around it and closed my eyes. I took a long, deep steady breath through my nose, letting the oxygen saturate the blood circulating in my brain, wrapping my thoughts around the magic I needed to figure out what was so special about Jockey Red. I wasn’t receiving anything.

The compact was still in the box. I reached over and grabbed it off the dresser, digging inside, pulling out the compact with the same scrolling red letters on top as the lipstick.

I opened the compact and lifted the powder puff off the beige powder. It wasn’t my color bronzer and nothing looked out of the ordinary so I snapped it shut.

“Supper time!” Auntie Meme’s voice snuck up under the bedroom door.

Letting out a big sigh and realizing I was just going to have to let the curiosity go and give Mick the package, I stuck the lipstick and compact in the box. Besides, I didn’t have a reason to care. I could just keep telling him I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Not tell him I was taking a dare from my sister. A spell dare where I turned his informant into a cat. I could only pray the man with the crazy snow brow didn’t remember what happened to him.

I put the box back on the dresser, for safe-keeping, until I decided how I was going to get it to Mick. A delicious aroma floated in the air down the hall leading me to the kitchen where everyone was already sitting around the table for supper. The colorful bouquet from Ronnie had been placed in the middle of the table, complementing the yellow plates and lime green soup bowls.

Auntie Meme believed it was very mortal-ish if not Kentucky-ish to decorate for the season. This meant switching out the entire home décor, including the dishes. Soon we’d be eating off fall plates and drinking from Halloween mugs.

“What’s this?” I asked about the cat collar next to my plate. I picked it up and dangled it in the air and let the small silver bell ding.

“I don’t know.” Abram scooped his spoon into the bowl and took a sip from it. “Some guy told me to give it to you.”

“Some guy?” I asked, taking a closer look at it.

“Yeah. He walked into the garage and said to give it to you. Freaky white eyebrow over his left eye.” He did a little shimmy-shake before he took another slurp off his spoon; his eyes darted between my family and me. All of us stared at him. “What?” He took a bite of the mini French loaf Auntie Meme had given each of us. The butter dripped down his chin. He wiped it with the back of his hand. “What?” he cried again.

“Some guy? Did he call me by name?” I asked. I didn’t have to use my witchy instincts to know it was
the guy
, the informant, whomever he was. How did he find me? I felt numb, almost paralyzed.

“I don’t know, why?” Abram sat back staring at all of us.

“We don’t know anyone. At least anyone who’d give me a cat collar.” My eyes drifted over to Lilith. “Maybe it’s for Riule.”

Her mouth hung open, her eyes practically bugged out of her head as she stared at the collar. She didn’t have to say a word to know what I was thinking or for me to know what she was thinking.

“Ouch!” I screamed dropping the collar in my soup, jerking my hand to my chest when a spark shot through my fingers, leaving a burn mark on the tip of my skin.

“Abram, can you please go check on my bicycle tires and brakes?” Auntie Meme grunted pointing him out the door.

“I’m not a bike mechanic.” Abram’s face contorted. His brows drew in a V.

“Please, Abram.” Auntie Meme stood up, walked over to the door and held it open. Without a word, Abram did as he was told.

Auntie Meme crept over to me, looking down into my bowl of soup. “There is evil lurking in the air. Does this have to do with that dare?”

Auntie Meme’s head rose. Her eyes dark. There was a sudden knowing between me, her, and Lilith. She licked her finger and pressed her finger to my mine, healing me in an instant.

“What are you talking about?” Mom’s words seethed through her gritted teeth. “What dare?” She demanded to know. “Do not tell me you girls are up to childish games again?”

Mom hated how Lilith and I played dare. It kept us busy and out of Mom’s hair when we lived on the farm, until the neighbor was featured on the local Louisville news with his half-rabbit, half-dog animal. Another spell gone bad because of me.

“I don’t know what is going on,” I bellowed with a whine in my tone. “First I see this guy three times.” I stopped and then started. “Two guys three times. Then I got this earthquake feeling in my body all three times.” I flopped my hand in the air from my wrist. “My spells with one of the guys are off. I just don’t know what is wrong with me.” I rubbed my forehead. “I think I’m going to be sick.” I held in my gag reflex and put my hand over my mouth.

“Spells are not something to mess with. One wrong syllable, one wrong snap, or twitch and everything we have ever done to blend in will go away in a flash. Then where would we be?” Her eyes darted between my sister and me. “We would have to start over.” She snapped the collar from my bowl.

She tossed it into the air and clapped her hands. The collar exploded into shimmery sliver glitter, floating down perfectly on the bouquet, giving the flowers a sparkle.

Mom had a natural gift of turning evil into good, and clearly the collar was filled with evil. I never went to her because Auntie Meme had always been more understanding.

“Now.” Mom let out a heavy sigh and dusted off her hands. She went back to eating as though nothing had just happened. My appetite was shot. “Why would someone want to give you a cat collar?” She took a sip of soup off her spoon, her pinky elegantly cocked.

Abram stuck his nose in the back door. “Is it okay to come back in? The bike looks fine.” He gestured over his shoulder to the garage.

Squawk!
Gilbert swooped into the room, perching itself on Lilith’s shoulder. Riule growled.

“Yes.” I waved him in. “I’m sure someone had me mixed up with someone else about the collar.”

“No.” Abram took his seat, shaking his head, taking another bite of his bread. He spoke with a full mouth, “He described—”

“So,” I spoke in a loud tone cutting Abram and his big mouth off. “How is my Vinnie’s operating system?”

“It needs new tires.” Abram’s shoulders bounced up and down as he chuckled to himself. Vinnie would be so mad if he knew Abram referred to him as
it
.

“I haven’t changed the tires in a while.” Abram hunched over his soup bowl, not looking at anyone. “Since we have this rain, I want to make sure you are safe in that old car.”

“Are we supposed to have bad weather?” Lilith asked, covering up her part in the collar problem.

“No.” Mom snapped. She knew better. She kept an eye on the weather since she took such great care of her flowers and plants. Not to mention her herb garden.

I pushed the bowl of soup away from me and pulled my mini-loaf apart. The thought of the informant coming to my house, finding me, sent goose bumps all over my body, even my neck. It didn’t take a witch instinct to know something was wrong. Way wrong.

Chapter Eight

“What was that about?” Lilith and I retreated to my room after we had cleaned up from dinner and let Auntie Meme get ready for her Spell Circle to come over and do their weekly cleanse.

“What?” I pretended not to know, pulling my clothes off and replacing them with a black turtleneck and black yoga pants, and pulling my hair up into a high ponytail.

I had to get the package out of my house before something really went wrong. The informant really wanted me to know he knew he had been turned into a cat, otherwise, why would he have sent me the collar? There was no way I was going to give Mick the package. The informant knew where I lived. I was going to get the package back to him. He obviously meant business and Mom was right. There was no way I was going to put my family in danger over overpriced makeup or whatever was going on between Mystic Couture and SKUL.

My family had a good gig going in Louisville with the diner and I wasn’t going to be the one to take us down.

If Mick threatened to shut down The Brew, I’d have to let Auntie Meme in on my little secret and let her deal with Mick. She’d put a good spell on him.

“You know what. The collar.” She stood with her back rested against the door, her hands planted on her slim hips. “The only person who would know about the collar is us and the person you turned into a cat.”

Pfft.
I waved her off and entertained the thought of using the Mystic Couture lipstick to top off my spy girl outfit. The package had to be delivered unused, though I wasn’t sure how I was going to pull it off without using magic, since Lilith and I had already used the lipstick.

“You somehow screwed up the spell and now that person knows.” Lilith warned. Her eyes shifted to the package. “And somehow that has something to do with him.”

“It’s not that.” I tried to brush her off, but I knew she had a keen witchy sense that I didn’t have.

“Where are you going?” she asked with cautious eyes. “You look like a cat burglar.”

“I’m going to meet someone.” I grabbed the package off the dresser.

“Who?”

“It’s none of your business.” I grabbed the door handle and tugged, forcing her to move. “And I’d appreciate it if you would keep it to yourself. And keep your lips off my stuff.”

Mom and Auntie Meme were busying themselves in the kitchen putting the menu together for tomorrow’s daily special at The Brew. Something they did on a nightly basis after watching the evening news. They made potions for their “special” which covered the entire Louisville metro area. Most of their potions were to make people happier, worry less, take more time with their family. And the news was filled with murder, taxes, and robberies, leaving a dark cloud over the community. . . until they came to The Brew for breakfast or lunch for their daily fix of happy. The mortals didn’t know why they left in a good mood. We always claimed it was the good food. That’s what kept them coming back for more.

Mom and Auntie Meme tried to blend in the best they could, but couldn’t resist a little happy spell. Mom said
it keeps the dust off.
Deep in our bones we could never really give up our heritage.

“I’ll be back.” I kissed both of them on my way through the kitchen, grabbing my clutch off the counter and flipping up the j-hook latch on the screen door.

“Where are you going like that?” Mom asked, setting the fancy curved glass bottle of Tonka Beans on the counter. She rested the side of her hip on the edge of the counter and crossed her arms in front of her. Her long black hair flowed around her curious eyes and down her shoulders. Auntie Meme stood behind her like they were a small gang.

Hmm
. The Tonka Beans attracted love and money. I wondered what on earth they were concocting for tomorrow. If I weren’t in such a hurry, I’d ask. 

“I’m going to meet up with some friends,” I lied, smiling, keeping the package close to my body.

I don’t know if they didn’t want to know the truth or were blinded with the possibilities that I was embracing my “try to be like the mortal” side they so desperately wanted me to have.

“Have a wonderful time.” Mom grabbed something off the counter and walked over and placed a chain over my head, hanging it around my neck. There was a bright red stone hanging from the end. Mom pushed the pad of her finger on the stone, smiling. “This is a present from me to you.”

My skin under the stone warmed, sending heat through my core. I didn’t have to ask to know she felt I was under duress with what I had not admitted to at dinner and so she was putting a protective spell around me. Something a witchy mother would do for any of her children.

“I will.” I ran my hand down her arm before I darted out the door.

Vinnie was in the garage, all tucked in when I opened the door.

“Maggie.” Abram stepped out of the darkness and into the moonlight.

“Dammit! Abram!” The package went flying as I grabbed my chest with my hands. “Why the hell are you sneaking around?” I bent down and picked up the package.

“You obviously don’t want your family to know about the car tires, which makes me believe you are up to something.” Abram ran a finger down the side of Vinnie. Vinnie’s lights glowed a warm yellow with happiness, equivalent to a cat’s happy purr.

“I’m fine,” I assured him. “I’m going out to meet some friends.”

“Someone new?” He gave a slight, watchful hesitation. He knew everyone I knew. “I mean I’d love to take you out.”

I shook my head and patted Abram’s arm. “And this,” I gestured between us, “isn’t going to happen.”

I hated telling him my feelings, but I had told him several times. None of them sinking in. But I held out hope that one day my words would seep through that thick blond head of his.

I waited for him to walk off before I jumped in Vinnie and flipped the manual switch on, which made me in charge of driving and not Vinnie. I started Vinnie like a normal car.

“Good evening, Maggie.” Vinnie’s lights lit up. “Where are we off to tonight? I hope not another cat spell. Maggie.” There was a concerned tone in Vinnie’s tone. “Did you flip off my switch?”

“I did.” I pushed the gas. “Is anyone following me or watching me right now?”

“Not that I can detect, but you have shut off a big circuit,” Vinnie said in a robotic voice.

“I can’t believe you let the guy I turned into a cat come into the garage while Abram was looking at your tires.” I gripped the wheel pulling down the alley and taking a right toward the docks.

“I did no such thing. Abram is not to know that I’m your familiar. And I hate how he curses me under his breath.” Vinnie scowled. “Where are we going?” Vinnie asked.