School for Unwitting Wiccans, page 4
part #3 of Misty's Magick and Mayhem Series
Luke nodded. “You were here once before, Marigold, and asked for my wife by name. That tells me you came here for a purpose, not simply to introduce yourself.”
The tall one, Fern, smiled. “I admit, we knew Madam LeJeune lived here when we bought the house. We would very much like to meet her in person.”
“Today is not a good day,” said Luke.
“Who is it, dear?” Claire closed the distance behind Luke and peered over his shoulder.
“The ladies who moved in down the street.”
Claire eyed them up and down. “Aw, yes. Welcome to our fair neighborhood, ladies.”
Fern brightened, standing tall. “Would it be possible for us to step in for a moment and meet Madam LeJeune?”
Claire smiled. “You are meeting Madam LeJeune, senior. I am Mystere’s mother, and no, it’s not possible to meet her today. She’s not feeling well, I’m afraid.”
“Sorry to hear that. We’ll come back another day.”
“Yes, you do that.”
Luke closed the door as they retreated down the stairs and turned the lock. “That’s the second time the short one has been here. Marigold. The other one is Fern.”
Claire raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?”
Luke shrugged. “Sadly, I have no time to worry about the neighbors. I’d better call my brother.”
Angelique cleared the work table in the kitchen in preparation for the protection spell Misty was sending to Rowanne. She scrubbed the surface of the table clean, dried it, and placed an altar cloth in the center.
To charge the candles with her own energy, Misty rubbed the three yellow candles with grapeseed oil before Angelique lit them. Once they glowed brightly in the center of the table, Misty raised her arms and chanted the spell.
God of the forest, Man of Green
Guard my loved one in time of need
In a hostile cave so dark and bare
Ignite a spark of hope and care
With danger close hold back the bear
And give her strength till help is there
God of the forest, Man of Green
Do my will, So mote it be.
Misty voiced the spell three times, with each repetition louder than the one before. By the third, she shouted to the heavens. Sparks flew from the ends of her fingers, and a couple of the dried bouquets on the ceiling caught on fire.
Claire squealed as Angelique climbed on a chair to smother the flames with a tea towel.
Luke watched from the doorway as Misty cast the protection spell for Rowanne. When she finished, he shut himself in the sitting room at the back of the house and called his brother. He didn’t want to do it, but it had to be done.
“Hi, Luke, are you watching the game?”
“Not yet. Umm… Sam, I have to tell you something.”
“Not more bad news, is it? I don’t think I could take it.”
Luke heard a woman’s voice in the background. “Is there somebody there with you? Am I interrupting?”
“I’m seeing someone, yes. A woman I met in the hospital.”
“Oh, nice.”
“What did you want to tell me? Can it wait?”
“I don’t think so, no. Misty had a disturbing dream this afternoon. She saw Ben hurt, and Rowanne taken from the little cabin by a bear shifter.”
“A bear shifter? A dream?” asked Sam.
“Misty’s dreams are usually visions, Sam. They are very accurate. Rowanne and Ben could be in real trouble.”
“Yeah, I’ll be right there,” Sam said away from the phone. “Look, Luke, I know you buy into all Gran’s Wiccan mumbo-jumbo, but think about it. How could a bear turn into a boy and take Rowanne? I’m not happy that she lives out in the woods playing house with a homeless boy, but Ben seems to care for her. I’m sure they’re fine.”
Luke drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Even at his most ferocious, Ben is a fox and would be no match for a black bear with an agenda.”
Sam laughed. “Do you hear yourself, Lukey? You actually sound like you believe Ben can turn into a fox.”
Luke bit back all the things he wanted to say to his brother. Now wasn’t the time and over the phone wasn’t the way. “I’m heading out in the morning to check on them. Come. Stay. I honestly don’t give a shit. I thought you should know.”
“Let me sleep on it. I’m entertaining company right now.”
Furious with his brother, Luke ended the call and vowed to go without him in the morning.
Louisiana Forest.
Rowanne sat in the dank dark, waiting for Rufus to fall asleep on his bed of leaves on the other side of the cave. Suddenly, the air around her vibrated with energy, and a jolt of excitement ran through her.
Is Misty doing something?
Rowanne’s eyes were wide in the pitch black as she waited for a sign. She stared at the fire, and to her amazement, sparks shot up out of the dying embers and bounced off the ceiling.
“Yep, that’s Misty,” she whispered to herself.
The bright sparks from the explosion in the fire gave her enough light to see her way to the mouth of the cave. Once she stepped outside into the night, she had no clue where she was going or which way the cabin was from there.
She picked a direction and ran.
She ran through the trees, leaves crackling and twigs snapping under her feet. In the pitch dark, Rowanne ran full-tilt into the trunk of a huge oak and almost knocked herself out. While she sat on a log trying to clear her head, Rufus strolled out and sat next to her.
“Why did you run? I told you, you’re mine now. Don’t you listen?”
“Get away from me,” she screamed, but there was nobody for miles to hear her call for help. I wish I had my wand. She reached into the leaves at her feet and felt for a stick she could use as a substitute.
Rufus picked her up as if she weighed no more than a feather and tossed her over his shoulder.
Rowanne pointed the stick at Rufus’ head and whispered her spell as he trudged along in the dark.
God of the forest
Hear my plea
Get this bear
Away from me
Vile and evil bruin
Let me go or meet your ruin
Rufus tripped in the dark, and as he fell, he released his hold on Rowanne. She hit the forest floor with a wallop but wasted no time getting to her feet. Ignoring the new pain in her right knee, Rowanne took off running as fast as she could go in the opposite direction of the cave.
I don’t care where I’m going. I have to hide.
Rowanne didn’t look back to see if Rufus was after her. There was no point. It was too dark to see more than a few feet behind her. All she could do was hope the big brute wouldn’t be able to find her. She ran until she couldn’t run another step.
Hiding places weren’t plentiful, but trees were.
She picked a big sturdy one, stood on a log, and struggled up to the first broad branch. Once she found a rhythm, she climbed higher and higher until she felt safe from Rufus.
Pressing her back against the trunk, she propped herself precariously in the Y of two broad branches. With one arm wrapped around the next branch above, she leaned back and closed her eyes.
CHAPTER FOUR
Monday, September 23rd.
Louisiana Forest.
Daylight filtered through the leaves of the trees and made a dappled pattern on her jeans. Rowanne woke up hanging on tightly to her safety branch, her butt sore, her muscles stiff, and she had to pee. She also had to find her way back to her little cabin and back to Ben.
She climbed down the tree, confident she could find her way to the shack in daylight. As soon as her feet landed on solid ground, Rufus grabbed her.
“Time to go home. You kept us out all night.”
Nine Saint Gillian Street. New Orleans.
Still fuming over Sam’s refusal to believe his daughter was in danger, Luke packed everything he thought he might need to survive in the forest if one day turned into longer. Then, he hooked up the trailer he rented to the back of Misty’s Ford Explorer. He was picking up the dirt bikes at nine sharp.
“Do you have your gun?” Misty stood at the back fence holding a plastic container full of snacks.
He nodded and patted his jacket by his arm. “I have my side-arm, though a handgun is no good against a bear. If it comes to that, I also have a rifle.”
“Do you think the bear could be a shifter?” asked Misty. “I think he must be if he wants Rowanne.”
Luke held Misty in his arms for a few moments, then kissed her. “Don’t do anything strenuous while I’m gone. I can’t concentrate on finding Rowanne if I’m worried about you and the baby.”
“We’ll be fine,” said Misty. “I promise to take extra special care of us both. You’ll be back in a couple of days.”
“Is your father in the truck?”
“You in the truck, Daddy?” asked Misty.
“Ready to travel, child. I didn’t have to pack anything.”
“Be careful, Lukey.”
“I will be careful.”
Louisiana Forest.
Ben woke at dawn with Nixa scratching at the sealed container he’d brought last night. Misty had packed him all his favorite foods to bring with him. He just hadn’t expected he’d be eating them out in the middle of the forest without Rowanne. “You hungry, Nixa? So am I. Let’s have a little something and then get going. Today we have to find our girl.”
Ben removed the lid from the container and grabbed some of the meat. He gnawed on some and shared some with Nixa. When they’d had enough, he sealed it back up, slung his bow over his shoulder, grabbed his quiver, and resumed the search. He’d searched for miles yesterday and come up empty.
Today he’d find his little red-haired girl.
Seventeen Saint Gillian Street. New Orleans.
Marigold leaped from bed as soon as she woke, ran to the kitchen, and made coffee for Fern. She’d work her butt off on the unpacking today to try to get back into her sister’s good graces.
Madam LeJeune wasn’t cooperating with their plan, and without her, they’d never be powerful enough to conjure up handsome husbands and millions of dollars.
Maybe we should take her a gift?
Marigold turned to the three cats standing in a line in front of their empty dishes. “We’ll take her a gift, and then she’ll have to invite us in and be our friend.”
Endor answered with a loud meow, and it was settled.
Baton Rouge.
Sam Hyslop woke next to a beautiful woman. Her honey-colored hair spread across the pillow like a silky fan. It was a sight so unfamiliar to him, it took his breath away.
After losing his wife three years earlier, his life had been lonely, stressful, and filled with a series of disasters and unfortunate events.
Rowanne became an unruly teen obsessed with being a witch like her great-gran. She concentrated on developing her powers. She acted out. She made enemies at school. And ultimately, she was expelled for inappropriate behavior.
Inappropriate? She shouted spells at the other students and put hexes and curses on them. It had been a nightmare for Sam. His blood pressure rose to an unhealthy level, he let his health get away from him, and his heart gave out.
Sam could feel the pressure building again.
Rowanne was living in the forest with a boy who thought he was a fox, and his brother, Luke, was telling him she’d been kidnapped by a boy who could change into a bear.
Where would it end?
Sam looked down at the woman sleeping next to him and tried to put his brother’s story into perspective. Was Rowanne in danger, or was this another of Misty LeJeune’s far-fetched witch tales?
The woman had a reputation in New Orleans, and his brother was in love with her. Sam had been to her home several times and had never seen her do any of her magic tricks.
He believed it was all hype.
Sam scrambled out of bed, pulled on the pair of boxers lying on the carpet, and headed downstairs to brew a pot of coffee. What did Lynn like for breakfast? He had no clue.
He’d met her in the hospital and took a chance on asking her out. He knew nothing about her. She was pretty, intelligent, and available. What else did he need to know?
As soon as the coffee was started, Sam called Luke’s cell.
“Hey, Sam.” He could hear the ice in his brother’s voice.
“Where are you? At home?”
“Nope, I’m almost as far north as the edge of the forest. You didn’t seem to have any interest in helping your daughter, so I’ll find Ben and take care of it myself.”
“Thanks for making me sound like a fuckin loser.”
“No problem.”
Sam stared at his cell. Luke had gone without him. And he’d hung up on him. His brother was pissed.
I have to go help him. He’ll never forgive me if I don’t.
“Why are you staring at your phone, Sam?”
He hadn’t heard Lynn come down the stairs. “Umm… my brother thinks my daughter might be lost in the woods north of the city, and he wanted me to help look for her.”
“So, what are you still doing here? If you need to go, I’ll grab my things. That’s not a problem.”
He shook his head. “He doesn’t even know if it’s true or not. I don’t want to ruin our day by dropping everything and leaving to go on some wild goose chase. Rowanne might be perfectly fine. She knows those woods.”
“Is she hiking with friends?” asked Lynn.
“No. Not exactly.”
Lynn hopped up onto one of the stools at the breakfast bar and folded her hands. “Start from the beginning and tell me what’s happening. I don’t want to be the cause of you not being with your daughter if she needs you, Sam. That wouldn’t sit well with me.”
Sam leaned onto his elbows and drew a deep breath. “When I was hospitalized with my first heart attack, Luke took Rowanne to live with him until I was better. She didn’t like it in New Orleans, and she ran away.”
Lynn poured two cups of coffee and sat down across from Sam. “Okay. Keep going.”
“She was kidnapped by a sex-trafficking ring and taken to an estate north of the city.”
Lynn’s blue eyes widened. “No. That’s terrible.”
Sam nodded. “It was terrible, but at the time I was in ICU and knew almost nothing about it. Luke is a Texas Ranger, and he pulled out all the stops looking for her.”
“Obviously, you found her.”
“Luke did. He found her in the state forest north of the city. She’d been rescued by a wild boy who lives in the woods.”
“This sounds like a fairy tale.”
“There are a lot of unbelievable parts to the story.”
“And now?” asked Lynn. “Why would she be back in the forest again?”
“This is the part I’ve argued with her about. I want her to live at home, finish her last year of high school, and start college. She insists on living with Ben in the woods.”
“Do they have a house there? They couldn’t. The state wouldn’t let them live in a park.”
“They live in a little hunting cabin in the middle of nowhere. I’m almost out of my mind worrying about her.”
Lynn frowned at him. “If you’re so worried, why aren’t you on your way to look for her?”
“Because there are other factors, and I don’t know if the story my brother told me was true.”
“Why would he lie?”
“He wouldn’t lie, but his girlfriend/wife, Misty, saw the danger in a dream, and that’s what Luke is going on. It was a dream that Rowanne was kidnapped by a bear.”
Lynn sipped her coffee and digested the story. “He’s willing to drive to the forest and look for her based on a dream his girlfriend had?”
“She’s a psychic, and she has Luke snowed. My brother believes every crazy word that she says.”
“An honest-to-goodness psychic or one of the fake ones who has a booth in Jackson Square?”
“She has a reputation, and sometimes she helps the police find missing people.”
“What’s her name? I sometimes go for readings, and I might have heard of her.”
“Mystere LeJeune.”
“Madam LeJeune, the most famous witch in N’Orlean?”
Sam nodded. “That’s the one.”
“I’m getting dressed.”
“What’s the hurry?” asked Sam.
“I’m going to look for your daughter. Maybe I can catch up to your brother.”
Sam scratched his head, not knowing what just happened. “Why the sudden interest when I mentioned Misty?”
Lynn seemed surprised he would ask. “Madam LeJeune interests me greatly. Yes, she has a reputation—an incredible one. Besides, and a day in the woods might be fun.”
Sam set his coffee down and sighed. “All right, I guess we’re getting dressed.”
Louisiana Forest.
Rufus dragged Rowanne back to his cave and tied her ankles together with twisted vines. She sat propped up against the damp stone wall and tried not to cry. Not many tears were left.
If Misty cast a protection spell on her, Rowanne hadn’t seen evidence of it yet—though Rufus hadn’t killed her. Maybe that’s what the spell she felt last night was for, keeping her alive until Ben found her.
“I’m going to find us some food.”
She jumped when Rufus spoke to her. “You can’t run, so be a good girl and wait right there for me.” He laughed a growly bear laugh.
Rowanne watched him as he lumbered out the gaping cave entrance, and as soon as he was out of sight, she began picking at the vines holding her ankles together.
Luke parked on the shoulder of the narrow park service road next to the fence marking the perimeter of the state land. He shouldered the hiking pack, retrieved his rifle from the back seat of the truck, and backed the dirtbike he rented off the trailer. Misty was a genius. This thing would save him hours.
“You with me, Josiah?”
“I’m here, son,” Misty’s father said. “Think of me as your reconnaissance, Luke. I’ll go ahead and try to find the cave and report back as soon as I can.”
The tall one, Fern, smiled. “I admit, we knew Madam LeJeune lived here when we bought the house. We would very much like to meet her in person.”
“Today is not a good day,” said Luke.
“Who is it, dear?” Claire closed the distance behind Luke and peered over his shoulder.
“The ladies who moved in down the street.”
Claire eyed them up and down. “Aw, yes. Welcome to our fair neighborhood, ladies.”
Fern brightened, standing tall. “Would it be possible for us to step in for a moment and meet Madam LeJeune?”
Claire smiled. “You are meeting Madam LeJeune, senior. I am Mystere’s mother, and no, it’s not possible to meet her today. She’s not feeling well, I’m afraid.”
“Sorry to hear that. We’ll come back another day.”
“Yes, you do that.”
Luke closed the door as they retreated down the stairs and turned the lock. “That’s the second time the short one has been here. Marigold. The other one is Fern.”
Claire raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?”
Luke shrugged. “Sadly, I have no time to worry about the neighbors. I’d better call my brother.”
Angelique cleared the work table in the kitchen in preparation for the protection spell Misty was sending to Rowanne. She scrubbed the surface of the table clean, dried it, and placed an altar cloth in the center.
To charge the candles with her own energy, Misty rubbed the three yellow candles with grapeseed oil before Angelique lit them. Once they glowed brightly in the center of the table, Misty raised her arms and chanted the spell.
God of the forest, Man of Green
Guard my loved one in time of need
In a hostile cave so dark and bare
Ignite a spark of hope and care
With danger close hold back the bear
And give her strength till help is there
God of the forest, Man of Green
Do my will, So mote it be.
Misty voiced the spell three times, with each repetition louder than the one before. By the third, she shouted to the heavens. Sparks flew from the ends of her fingers, and a couple of the dried bouquets on the ceiling caught on fire.
Claire squealed as Angelique climbed on a chair to smother the flames with a tea towel.
Luke watched from the doorway as Misty cast the protection spell for Rowanne. When she finished, he shut himself in the sitting room at the back of the house and called his brother. He didn’t want to do it, but it had to be done.
“Hi, Luke, are you watching the game?”
“Not yet. Umm… Sam, I have to tell you something.”
“Not more bad news, is it? I don’t think I could take it.”
Luke heard a woman’s voice in the background. “Is there somebody there with you? Am I interrupting?”
“I’m seeing someone, yes. A woman I met in the hospital.”
“Oh, nice.”
“What did you want to tell me? Can it wait?”
“I don’t think so, no. Misty had a disturbing dream this afternoon. She saw Ben hurt, and Rowanne taken from the little cabin by a bear shifter.”
“A bear shifter? A dream?” asked Sam.
“Misty’s dreams are usually visions, Sam. They are very accurate. Rowanne and Ben could be in real trouble.”
“Yeah, I’ll be right there,” Sam said away from the phone. “Look, Luke, I know you buy into all Gran’s Wiccan mumbo-jumbo, but think about it. How could a bear turn into a boy and take Rowanne? I’m not happy that she lives out in the woods playing house with a homeless boy, but Ben seems to care for her. I’m sure they’re fine.”
Luke drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Even at his most ferocious, Ben is a fox and would be no match for a black bear with an agenda.”
Sam laughed. “Do you hear yourself, Lukey? You actually sound like you believe Ben can turn into a fox.”
Luke bit back all the things he wanted to say to his brother. Now wasn’t the time and over the phone wasn’t the way. “I’m heading out in the morning to check on them. Come. Stay. I honestly don’t give a shit. I thought you should know.”
“Let me sleep on it. I’m entertaining company right now.”
Furious with his brother, Luke ended the call and vowed to go without him in the morning.
Louisiana Forest.
Rowanne sat in the dank dark, waiting for Rufus to fall asleep on his bed of leaves on the other side of the cave. Suddenly, the air around her vibrated with energy, and a jolt of excitement ran through her.
Is Misty doing something?
Rowanne’s eyes were wide in the pitch black as she waited for a sign. She stared at the fire, and to her amazement, sparks shot up out of the dying embers and bounced off the ceiling.
“Yep, that’s Misty,” she whispered to herself.
The bright sparks from the explosion in the fire gave her enough light to see her way to the mouth of the cave. Once she stepped outside into the night, she had no clue where she was going or which way the cabin was from there.
She picked a direction and ran.
She ran through the trees, leaves crackling and twigs snapping under her feet. In the pitch dark, Rowanne ran full-tilt into the trunk of a huge oak and almost knocked herself out. While she sat on a log trying to clear her head, Rufus strolled out and sat next to her.
“Why did you run? I told you, you’re mine now. Don’t you listen?”
“Get away from me,” she screamed, but there was nobody for miles to hear her call for help. I wish I had my wand. She reached into the leaves at her feet and felt for a stick she could use as a substitute.
Rufus picked her up as if she weighed no more than a feather and tossed her over his shoulder.
Rowanne pointed the stick at Rufus’ head and whispered her spell as he trudged along in the dark.
God of the forest
Hear my plea
Get this bear
Away from me
Vile and evil bruin
Let me go or meet your ruin
Rufus tripped in the dark, and as he fell, he released his hold on Rowanne. She hit the forest floor with a wallop but wasted no time getting to her feet. Ignoring the new pain in her right knee, Rowanne took off running as fast as she could go in the opposite direction of the cave.
I don’t care where I’m going. I have to hide.
Rowanne didn’t look back to see if Rufus was after her. There was no point. It was too dark to see more than a few feet behind her. All she could do was hope the big brute wouldn’t be able to find her. She ran until she couldn’t run another step.
Hiding places weren’t plentiful, but trees were.
She picked a big sturdy one, stood on a log, and struggled up to the first broad branch. Once she found a rhythm, she climbed higher and higher until she felt safe from Rufus.
Pressing her back against the trunk, she propped herself precariously in the Y of two broad branches. With one arm wrapped around the next branch above, she leaned back and closed her eyes.
CHAPTER FOUR
Monday, September 23rd.
Louisiana Forest.
Daylight filtered through the leaves of the trees and made a dappled pattern on her jeans. Rowanne woke up hanging on tightly to her safety branch, her butt sore, her muscles stiff, and she had to pee. She also had to find her way back to her little cabin and back to Ben.
She climbed down the tree, confident she could find her way to the shack in daylight. As soon as her feet landed on solid ground, Rufus grabbed her.
“Time to go home. You kept us out all night.”
Nine Saint Gillian Street. New Orleans.
Still fuming over Sam’s refusal to believe his daughter was in danger, Luke packed everything he thought he might need to survive in the forest if one day turned into longer. Then, he hooked up the trailer he rented to the back of Misty’s Ford Explorer. He was picking up the dirt bikes at nine sharp.
“Do you have your gun?” Misty stood at the back fence holding a plastic container full of snacks.
He nodded and patted his jacket by his arm. “I have my side-arm, though a handgun is no good against a bear. If it comes to that, I also have a rifle.”
“Do you think the bear could be a shifter?” asked Misty. “I think he must be if he wants Rowanne.”
Luke held Misty in his arms for a few moments, then kissed her. “Don’t do anything strenuous while I’m gone. I can’t concentrate on finding Rowanne if I’m worried about you and the baby.”
“We’ll be fine,” said Misty. “I promise to take extra special care of us both. You’ll be back in a couple of days.”
“Is your father in the truck?”
“You in the truck, Daddy?” asked Misty.
“Ready to travel, child. I didn’t have to pack anything.”
“Be careful, Lukey.”
“I will be careful.”
Louisiana Forest.
Ben woke at dawn with Nixa scratching at the sealed container he’d brought last night. Misty had packed him all his favorite foods to bring with him. He just hadn’t expected he’d be eating them out in the middle of the forest without Rowanne. “You hungry, Nixa? So am I. Let’s have a little something and then get going. Today we have to find our girl.”
Ben removed the lid from the container and grabbed some of the meat. He gnawed on some and shared some with Nixa. When they’d had enough, he sealed it back up, slung his bow over his shoulder, grabbed his quiver, and resumed the search. He’d searched for miles yesterday and come up empty.
Today he’d find his little red-haired girl.
Seventeen Saint Gillian Street. New Orleans.
Marigold leaped from bed as soon as she woke, ran to the kitchen, and made coffee for Fern. She’d work her butt off on the unpacking today to try to get back into her sister’s good graces.
Madam LeJeune wasn’t cooperating with their plan, and without her, they’d never be powerful enough to conjure up handsome husbands and millions of dollars.
Maybe we should take her a gift?
Marigold turned to the three cats standing in a line in front of their empty dishes. “We’ll take her a gift, and then she’ll have to invite us in and be our friend.”
Endor answered with a loud meow, and it was settled.
Baton Rouge.
Sam Hyslop woke next to a beautiful woman. Her honey-colored hair spread across the pillow like a silky fan. It was a sight so unfamiliar to him, it took his breath away.
After losing his wife three years earlier, his life had been lonely, stressful, and filled with a series of disasters and unfortunate events.
Rowanne became an unruly teen obsessed with being a witch like her great-gran. She concentrated on developing her powers. She acted out. She made enemies at school. And ultimately, she was expelled for inappropriate behavior.
Inappropriate? She shouted spells at the other students and put hexes and curses on them. It had been a nightmare for Sam. His blood pressure rose to an unhealthy level, he let his health get away from him, and his heart gave out.
Sam could feel the pressure building again.
Rowanne was living in the forest with a boy who thought he was a fox, and his brother, Luke, was telling him she’d been kidnapped by a boy who could change into a bear.
Where would it end?
Sam looked down at the woman sleeping next to him and tried to put his brother’s story into perspective. Was Rowanne in danger, or was this another of Misty LeJeune’s far-fetched witch tales?
The woman had a reputation in New Orleans, and his brother was in love with her. Sam had been to her home several times and had never seen her do any of her magic tricks.
He believed it was all hype.
Sam scrambled out of bed, pulled on the pair of boxers lying on the carpet, and headed downstairs to brew a pot of coffee. What did Lynn like for breakfast? He had no clue.
He’d met her in the hospital and took a chance on asking her out. He knew nothing about her. She was pretty, intelligent, and available. What else did he need to know?
As soon as the coffee was started, Sam called Luke’s cell.
“Hey, Sam.” He could hear the ice in his brother’s voice.
“Where are you? At home?”
“Nope, I’m almost as far north as the edge of the forest. You didn’t seem to have any interest in helping your daughter, so I’ll find Ben and take care of it myself.”
“Thanks for making me sound like a fuckin loser.”
“No problem.”
Sam stared at his cell. Luke had gone without him. And he’d hung up on him. His brother was pissed.
I have to go help him. He’ll never forgive me if I don’t.
“Why are you staring at your phone, Sam?”
He hadn’t heard Lynn come down the stairs. “Umm… my brother thinks my daughter might be lost in the woods north of the city, and he wanted me to help look for her.”
“So, what are you still doing here? If you need to go, I’ll grab my things. That’s not a problem.”
He shook his head. “He doesn’t even know if it’s true or not. I don’t want to ruin our day by dropping everything and leaving to go on some wild goose chase. Rowanne might be perfectly fine. She knows those woods.”
“Is she hiking with friends?” asked Lynn.
“No. Not exactly.”
Lynn hopped up onto one of the stools at the breakfast bar and folded her hands. “Start from the beginning and tell me what’s happening. I don’t want to be the cause of you not being with your daughter if she needs you, Sam. That wouldn’t sit well with me.”
Sam leaned onto his elbows and drew a deep breath. “When I was hospitalized with my first heart attack, Luke took Rowanne to live with him until I was better. She didn’t like it in New Orleans, and she ran away.”
Lynn poured two cups of coffee and sat down across from Sam. “Okay. Keep going.”
“She was kidnapped by a sex-trafficking ring and taken to an estate north of the city.”
Lynn’s blue eyes widened. “No. That’s terrible.”
Sam nodded. “It was terrible, but at the time I was in ICU and knew almost nothing about it. Luke is a Texas Ranger, and he pulled out all the stops looking for her.”
“Obviously, you found her.”
“Luke did. He found her in the state forest north of the city. She’d been rescued by a wild boy who lives in the woods.”
“This sounds like a fairy tale.”
“There are a lot of unbelievable parts to the story.”
“And now?” asked Lynn. “Why would she be back in the forest again?”
“This is the part I’ve argued with her about. I want her to live at home, finish her last year of high school, and start college. She insists on living with Ben in the woods.”
“Do they have a house there? They couldn’t. The state wouldn’t let them live in a park.”
“They live in a little hunting cabin in the middle of nowhere. I’m almost out of my mind worrying about her.”
Lynn frowned at him. “If you’re so worried, why aren’t you on your way to look for her?”
“Because there are other factors, and I don’t know if the story my brother told me was true.”
“Why would he lie?”
“He wouldn’t lie, but his girlfriend/wife, Misty, saw the danger in a dream, and that’s what Luke is going on. It was a dream that Rowanne was kidnapped by a bear.”
Lynn sipped her coffee and digested the story. “He’s willing to drive to the forest and look for her based on a dream his girlfriend had?”
“She’s a psychic, and she has Luke snowed. My brother believes every crazy word that she says.”
“An honest-to-goodness psychic or one of the fake ones who has a booth in Jackson Square?”
“She has a reputation, and sometimes she helps the police find missing people.”
“What’s her name? I sometimes go for readings, and I might have heard of her.”
“Mystere LeJeune.”
“Madam LeJeune, the most famous witch in N’Orlean?”
Sam nodded. “That’s the one.”
“I’m getting dressed.”
“What’s the hurry?” asked Sam.
“I’m going to look for your daughter. Maybe I can catch up to your brother.”
Sam scratched his head, not knowing what just happened. “Why the sudden interest when I mentioned Misty?”
Lynn seemed surprised he would ask. “Madam LeJeune interests me greatly. Yes, she has a reputation—an incredible one. Besides, and a day in the woods might be fun.”
Sam set his coffee down and sighed. “All right, I guess we’re getting dressed.”
Louisiana Forest.
Rufus dragged Rowanne back to his cave and tied her ankles together with twisted vines. She sat propped up against the damp stone wall and tried not to cry. Not many tears were left.
If Misty cast a protection spell on her, Rowanne hadn’t seen evidence of it yet—though Rufus hadn’t killed her. Maybe that’s what the spell she felt last night was for, keeping her alive until Ben found her.
“I’m going to find us some food.”
She jumped when Rufus spoke to her. “You can’t run, so be a good girl and wait right there for me.” He laughed a growly bear laugh.
Rowanne watched him as he lumbered out the gaping cave entrance, and as soon as he was out of sight, she began picking at the vines holding her ankles together.
Luke parked on the shoulder of the narrow park service road next to the fence marking the perimeter of the state land. He shouldered the hiking pack, retrieved his rifle from the back seat of the truck, and backed the dirtbike he rented off the trailer. Misty was a genius. This thing would save him hours.
“You with me, Josiah?”
“I’m here, son,” Misty’s father said. “Think of me as your reconnaissance, Luke. I’ll go ahead and try to find the cave and report back as soon as I can.”
