spies and spells 02 - betting off dead (10 page)

“Fine,” I replied, mocking his tone.

I watched as Amber Byrd put her paddle in the air as the auctioneer called for the last bid on Rails and Nails.

“One million!” Amber screamed and flung her paddle in the air.

The auctioneer yelled, “We have one mil, here.” He pointed his gavel at Amber, and then swept it in front of him in a fluid motion, pointing it at Riley.

Riley shook her head. She looked over at Amber. Her eyes were dark. I paused for a moment. I hid the thick swallow in my throat and turned as soon as she looked back at me.

“Going once, twice, sold to number 13!” The auctioneer hit his gavel on the stand and pointed to Amber.

She squealed with glee.

When the bid for stall number four came up, my senses went on high alert because it was the horse Forest also wanted.

They weren’t about to let the horse get sold out from underneath them. They started their bid out at five hundred thousand dollars, which seemed to please the auctioneer to no end. No one else bid against them, which was probably because it didn’t seem to be a strong horse. Though the doping could change that.

After Riley and Forest filled out the necessary paperwork, they walked over to us.

“How do you like it?” Riley asked Mick and scrunched her nose in a playful way at him and shook her hips. I glared.

“It’s great!” Mick’s voice was a little too chipper for me.

Riley and Forest whispered something among themselves.

“Are you getting in good with Riley?” Mick stood behind me and wrapped his arms around me. His warm breath grazed my ear, sending goose bumps along my shoulders and down my arms.

“You two lovebirds.” Riley giggled.

“Mmm, hmmmm.” I snuggled up close, taking advantage of feeling his nice warm muscles against me.

“Ouch.” Mick jerked his arms away from me. “What burned me?” He held his arm out. There was a small red mark in the exact shape of the pendant around my neck.

“Oh, baby.” Riley grabbed his arm. She tugged on him. “We’ve got some ointment that will fix you right on up.” She looked at me. “We’ll be right back.”

They left me standing there by myself as everyone filed out of the barn, passing me by.

“I’ve never won anything in my life,” the southern voice was sweet to the ear. Amber’s grin showed her accomplishment. “And I was afraid paddle number thirteen was going to be unlucky.”

“Actually you didn’t win.” I hated to break the news to her. “You paid one millions dollars for Rails and Nails.”

“Still.” She lifted and lowered her shoulders. “I still won against the other bidders.”

She had a mass of auburn hair piled on top of her head. There was a trail of freckles that dotted along her nose. She had rosy cheeks and pale skin. She was cute.

“You know what.” I decided to get to know her and not listen to Riley. I glanced over Amber’s shoulder to see where Mick had gone. “You are right. You did win. And Rails and Nails looks like a mighty fine horse. And I’ll let you in on a little secret.”

“What’s that?” Her eyes popped open curiously.

“The number thirteen gets a bad rap. It’s actually very lucky.” It was true. Poor thirteen. It was always a good number for me.

“I sure do hope so. We’ve been saving up a long time. Unlike most of these people.” Amber’s voice got lost under the roar of the auctioneer as another horse was brought out.

“Good luck with Rails and Nails.” Ranger walked over and spoke directly to Amber. I don’t think he noticed that I was there. “He’s a very special horse.”

He stalked off.

“He’s creepy.” Amber’s eyes swiveled upward.

“If you’ll excuse me. I need to go find my husband,” I said. “It was nice meeting you, Amber.”

“Did I tell you my name?” Her brows furrowed. Nervously, she shoved her fingers in her hair. “Because I don’t think I did.”

“Come on,” Joel Byrd, Amber’s husband, came over and jerked on her arm. He didn’t pay any attention to me either. He simply dragged Amber out of the barn but not without me hearing him say, “I told you that they said you aren’t supposed to make friends with these people. What are you thinking?”

“I swear on Mama; I didn’t tell that woman my name.” Amber looked at me over her shoulder, her eyes strangely veiled.

Chapter Eight

“Where in the world could he be?” I tapped on the steering wheel and looked out Vinnie’s windows.

Everyone in the barn had left and the horses had been sold. They’d even backed in the horse trailers and packed the horses in them. When I waved to Amber, who sat in the front seat of the big Chevy Dually while Joel loaded up Rails and Nails, she only gave me a slight smile before she started to play on her cell phone.

“I told you Maggie, I do not like this.” Vinnie didn’t like anything. “The whole thing not only stinks of hay, dirt, and manure, but evil. None of this is good for my exterior paint job.”

“And that is why I’m here.” I tossed my hands up in the air when I saw Mick walk out of another stable shooting the breeze with Forest, not realizing my anger shot out of my fingers creating a big thunderclap as the blue skies opened up into a pounding rain.

Mick ran as fast as his fancy loafer shoes would take him and jerked on the handle.

“Open up!” He banged on the window. I clicked the unlock button. He jerked again. It was still locked. “Open up! I’m getting soaked.”

“I’m trying!” I yelled back and bit back the fit of laughter because of the struggle Vinnie and I were having. I’d unlock them and he’d lock them right back. I hit the unlock again.

“Seriously,” a look of disbelief settled on Mick’s face as the rain streamed down his face. His fancy gelled hair was pasted to his head and covered that adorable widow’s peak. “Please open the door. I’m sorry I left you alone.”

Magically the doors unlocked.

“See,” I let out a big sigh. “All you had to do was apologize.”

“You won’t believe what all they have in these barns.” He rubbed his forearm.

“Riley has a hankering for you and she did nothing to fix your wound.” I gripped the wheel and let Vinnie go as fast as he wanted to go. I didn’t care what was in the barns.

“You sound like a wife, nagging me. Do I need to remind you that we are undercover?” Mick grabbed the door handle as Vinnie skidded onto the interstate. “And it’s pouring rain. You are hydroplaning.”

“Nagging you?” My mouth flung open, my nose snarled, and I rolled my eyes. “You left me standing there in the middle of an auction, not knowing a soul or even giving me a clue on what to do.”

“You aren’t supposed to do anything. You are to blend in like a layperson and play nice with the wives while I, the spy, go do all the work.” Mick bit back, leaving no room for argument. He was right and I was simply there to assist.

“I did my job and got us an invite to the cocktail party.” I felt restless and irritable.

The silence between us was deafening. There wasn’t even a little bit of a spark in me that wanted to be with Mick at this moment.

“Listen, Maggie,” he reached over and put a hand on my forearm. My muscles tensed by his touch. Vinnie was going faster and faster. By his zipping in and out of lunchtime traffic, I could tell he was in a hurry to get Mick out of the car. “I’m sorry I hurt your feelings. I am. But I got some good time with them that will get us really on the inside.  And I got us invited to the Byrds’ cocktail party tomorrow night.”

“You know what,” I shifted in my seat once Vinnie had pulled up to Mick’s apartment and put it in park. “We are partners that is all. I’m playing a part. You are playing a part. I will do my job. There is no need to scold me. I’ve got this covered.”

“Alright. Plan on staying for my specialty after-dinner drink so we can discuss everything we’ve got so far.” He jerked the handle open. He got out of the car, bent down and asked, “Pick me up at seven?”

Before I could answer, Vinnie slammed the passenger door closed.

Mick stared at me, baffled.

“It’s an old car.” I shrugged before Vinnie squealed his tires and zoomed off.

Chapter Nine

“You didn’t have to be so rude.” I let Vinnie know my displeasure of how he nearly chopped off Mick’s head. “Plus it would’ve been a waste of a cute head if you did behead him.”

Vinnie’s engine roared in delight.

“I didn’t like the way he put his arms around you in the barn. He seemed to take more pleasure out of it than business.” Vinnie’s circuits were flashing with anger. “Nor did I like how you felt inside when he left you standing there alone for that half hour.”

“It’s business. He was in the other barn doing his spy gig.” I reminded him and snapped my fingers to get back into the old clothes I’d had on earlier. I was much more comfortable in the jeans, plaid shirt and cowboy boots than the dress. “I’m so glad I have you to keep me safe.” I rubbed my hand across the dash.

Vinnie chirped his horn.

Within a few minutes, he pulled onto Fourth Street and parked in front of The Brew. I was starving and it was right after the lunch crowd had cleared out so it was perfect timing to check on Sherry.

The bell above the door signaled my arrival.

I scooted up to the counter next to Joe Farmer, the owner of Farmer’s Dry Cleaners. He was in love with Auntie Meme and always laundered the towels, rugs, and aprons for The Brew. Obviously, Auntie could clean them with a swipe of her hand, but she insisted no magic, except in the kitchen because of her life’s journey.

“How’s it going, Joe?” I asked.

“You know. Fair to middlin’.” He kept his eyes focused on the pass-through just in case he could get a glimpse at Auntie. “I’d be much better if Meme would accept my proposal.”

Auntie looked out and into the dining area. When she saw me, she shot me a reproachful look before she disappeared back into the kitchen. She never liked for me to discuss Joe’s feelings.

“Hey, good lookin’!” Joe hollered with delight when he saw her. “What‘cha got cookin’?” he sang and smiled.

“Mercy sakes, Joe,” I said and maneuvered myself up to standing when I saw Sherry venture out of the swinging door with a plateful of today’s special on it. “That’s no way to court my auntie.”

“Aw, shucks.” He cackled. “She’ll give in one day.”

I raised a brow, but didn’t say anything. I’d leave it to him to figure it out.

“How’s it going?” I asked Sherry after she put the four-topper’s food on their table and scurried over to clean up the two-top by the window.

“Great!” There was a little too much excitement in her voice for me to believe. “I forgot how much I love the food industry. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love my job, but this is a great break from it.” She lifted her shoulders to her ears as the corners of her mouth lifted. “If you’ll excuse me. I’ve got another group of four right over there.”

As I watched her walk over and talk to the customers with a delightful, cheery disposition, I experienced a gamut of perplexing emotions until I figured out exactly what was going on.

“Auntie Meme,” I whispered lightly fingering a loose tendril of hair on my cheek.

I strolled back to the kitchen, nodding at a few of the regular customers that were generally here during their lunch hours before I disappeared into the kitchen.

Auntie Meme’s pots were boiling on the stove with a ladle in each going around and around with no one stirring them.

“How was your new job?” she asked without turning around to see it was me. She used her witchy senses.

“It was fine.” I walked over to the pot and looked down. “What spell did you put on her?”

“Huh?” She turned on her pointy-heeled boots to face me. Her eyebrows dipped in a frown. There was a ball of dough in her hands.

“You know what I’m talking about.” I couldn’t believe she was going to play dumb with me.

“Oh.” She curled her wrist, the ball turned into a tray of small petite fours just as Sherry pushed her way in the door.

“How do you know these things?” Sherry questioned taking the tray from Auntie. “Table twelve just ordered these.” She drew the tray up to her nose and took a nice long whiff. “They smell so good.”

She scurried back out to the diner.

“First off, she’s never that chirper, nice or smiles.” I crossed my arms across my chest and waited.

“There is nothing wrong with a little happiness spell.” Auntie Meme snapped her fingers. The ladles in the pots stopped their circular dance and the contents plated themselves into different sandwiches, soups, and salads the customers had ordered. They also had the special ingredient Auntie made specifically for them. “It wasn’t like she was unhappy to be here. She said it was for the good of the team that she be here for you. She seemed to be a little complainer and I didn’t want to hear it. Voila. You see what I came up with. A productive, happy employee.”

Auntie Meme beamed with pride.

“Now tell me about your day? Because as your Guardian, I’m extremely curious.” She motioned for me to sit down at the small table in the kitchen before she waved her hand through the air, putting a bowl of bean soup and cornbread in front of me.

While I ate, I told her about how I was playing Mick’s wife. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head when I showed her the yellow diamond ring. I also told her how Mick got a little jealous when Forest had hit on me. I shared how I thought it was so funny how Mick invited me for an after-dinner drink so we could discuss everything we’d discovered and how I didn’t understand why we wouldn’t go over everything with Burt at the office. By the look on her face, she did not think it was funny but stayed curious to hear about the rest of my day.

“I’m not sure how I’m going to be in two places at once tonight.” I leaned back in the chair, suppressing a sigh.

“Your mother will send you back to the coven if you miss that meeting tonight.” Auntie Meme didn’t tell me something I didn’t already know, though Mom really wouldn’t send me back to the coven. She’d make it hard for me to live under her roof, that was for sure. “You better figure something out and fast. Because it’s going to be six-thirty before you know it.”