Spell Hell: An Undercover Witch (Witch's Brew Book 1) Page 2
Shaking my head as I remembered the moment, I began to drive down the ramp that took me to the highway. It was gorgeous out, with the sun going down. An orange and pink hue lit the sky, making me wish I were actually traveling around for fun and not for a case. The scene before me would have been perfect for picture taking. The mountains shadowed over the grassy pasture beneath them, giving me a peaceful feeling.
Hitting the rumble strips on the side of the highway, I straightened out the van. Figuring I should probably pay more attention to my driving than my thoughts, I turned on the radio, immediately recognizing a popular pop song. I started belting out lyrics. Some of them I wasn’t sure of, so I made up words. Seeing something move from the corner of my eye, I yelped, jerking the wheel too hard.
“Holy shit, watch your driving!” my new co-captain said.
“Why the hell are you appearing in my car without a warning?” I demanded, gripping the steering wheel as I tried to regain my composure.
“Technically, it’s the Council’s van,” Mikey Greystone said to me as he gripped the ‘oh shit’ handle. His face was pale, as if he just realized the problem that his appearing out of nowhere almost caused.
“Whatever. You know what I mean.” I shot him another glare as I merged into traffic. It was slow, since it was around the time everyone got out of work. I sighed, not enjoying the idea of having to maneuver around slow drivers.
Mikey released the handle and glanced over at me. He was such a good-looking man, I drooled over him constantly. The only visible flaw in his appearance was a single scar that went from the corner of his left eye to his ear. That was from when he had a case that dealt with a psycho killer. Someone who had gone of his medication, and then couldn’t handle the voices that told him to harm people. It was a tragic ending, but something that had to be done. Even Witch communities had people who needed to be medicated. Not all of us were as perfect as me.
Just kidding.
Running a hand through his red hair, Mikey watched the road as if he was making sure I didn’t run into anyone. It wasn’t a secret that he was scared of my driving. There had been more than one occasion where he screamed like a woman in my car, afraid for his life. Those moments would live with me forever.
“I thought you should know that Daphne is raiding your apartment right now. She claims that you are suspected of stealing Council money,” Mikey said.
I went to hit the brakes in alarm, but he grabbed my arm, shaking his head. “Calm down. If you kill me, I will haunt you for the rest of your life, woman.”
Taking deep breaths, I debated if this was a good enough reason to turn around. Hell yeah it was, but just as I was about to take the next ramp to get off the highway, I received a text message from Jenna telling me that she was calling my lawyer, and that it would all be taken care of.
Releasing the breath I didn’t know I was holding, I gripped the steering wheel hard, not caring that my hands were suddenly feeling very sticky. “If she harms my cat, the bitch is dead. What right does she have to go into my apartment after I’m gone? Does she even have a warrant?”
Shrugging, Mikey let go of my arm. “I don’t know if she needs one as the High Mistress.”
“She does. That’s Witch law. It’s human law, too.” I shook my head. “She has another thing coming if she thinks that she can pin this on me. I don’t even have access to Council funds.”
Nodding, Mikey stared at me, his eyes wide. “If you do go to prison for this, you know who is going to be looking for you.”
Swallowing hard, I nodded. “My sister.”
Chapter Three
My sister was probably one of the most dangerous Witches in history. She had been into black magic from the age of five. It was true when people said she was dark from birth. The girl was always trying to find something to murder for her spells. It kept me living in fear my entire childhood, until I turned eighteen. From there I left, but that wasn’t before I reported her to the Council for murdering someone.
It was a painful moment, and one that I didn’t want to live through again. Her last words were that she would kill me if she ever got out of prison. What happened if I came to her? Would she try to shank me with a toothbrush? Images of my bleeding body on a dirty floor flooded my mind. I probably wouldn’t last a day if she found out that I was in prison with her.
Patting my arm, Mikey sighed. “You won’t go to prison. She has no evidence, and if she does, it is obviously fabricated.”
I just didn’t understand. She was mad at me for being Merlin and my mother’s daughter? That couldn’t possibly be the reason why she had it out for me. I shook my head, determined. I had a case that I needed to focus on. Jenna was taking care of my apartment, and I trusted that she would get it figured out. If I chose to go back to the apartment, I could lose my job. Daphne would then have every right to fire me for refusing to do my duties. Even after what she was doing now.
Mikey put on his seatbelt. “Want me to ride with you to Riverdale?”
He and Jenna were my best friends. We grew up together, so he knew all about my crazy sister. His dog almost became one of her victims. Amazingly, the police were able to find out where she was taking the animals. The only thing they could do was order her to do community service. At least, that’s what they said. I was too young to understand at the time. Who knew anything about the law at eleven years old? My sister, Vivian, was nine and celebrating her birthday in her very own way. Mikey’s dog had been a gift to herself.
“I can handle the ride myself. I would appreciate it if you would help Jenna with the problem back at my apartment,” I said, getting into the left lane to pass a slow car.
Nodding, Mikey suddenly disappeared. He was good at that. I only used the spell a few times, but he managed to get so good that he altered it to where he only had to say one word. That one word was always a whisper, so I never even heard it. My wish was to one day have as much talent as he did when it came to casting. Casting was hell. Spells were hell. It was spell hell, most of the time. My mother claimed it was because I hadn’t found my power yet. She once said Merlin didn’t come into his true power until he’d turned thirty-two. Why that would even be an issue was beyond me.
My fifty-third birthday was in about two weeks. It sucked that I would probably be on a new case by the time that rolled around. No getting drunk for me. At least not with friends. Usually, we went out to a Witch club to party. Apparently not this year.
*
Spotting the first hotel after coming off the Riverdale exit ramp, I turned right onto the main stretch called Riverdale Avenue. There were a couple of gas stations, and then a few more hotels. The closet one was also the tallest. The parking lot looked really packed. Maybe there was some sort of event in town, which I hoped didn’t mean I couldn’t get a room.
Parking the van, I hopped out to head toward the hotel’s entrance. There was someone in front of me. He glanced backward, scooting closer to the counter, as if I was invading his bubble. Just to be annoying, I took another step forward and coughed. The person glared, but continued to talk to the woman behind the counter.
Once he was done, I smiled at the woman. “I need a room for one. I’m not sure how long I will be needing it so, if you have a weekly rate, that would be great.”
The woman typed on the keyboard, her long nails hitting more than one key at times. She pressed delete more than once and restarted. “Looks like we have one room left, and it’s a smoking room.”
I made a face of dislike, debating if I wanted to go to another hotel. “Can I take another room when it comes available?”
Nodding, the woman handed me a paper to fill out with my information. “Sure. Just remind me tomorrow, and I can see what we have.”
Finishing up, I took my room key and headed back out to the van to grab my things. It was starting to sprinkle outside, which meant that if I didn’t hurry up, my hair would frizz. Not that it mattered, since I had to shower, anyway. Still, I hated it frizzy.
The room was very basic. The dark green comforters looked scratchy, like usual. The floor was a dark green carpet, and the curtains were the thick green ones with a plastic-like material on the back of them. At least I had a fridge, a microwave, and a TV. That was all I cared about. If I had to, I could live off of TV dinners.
Pulling out my laptop, I turned it on, deciding to take my shower while it booted up. I had to get comfortable before I read Drake’s file. The man probably had a long history, especially since he was a Vampire.
Hurrying through my shower, I dressed into some simple pajamas, shorts and T-shirt. I sat down to open up my email, finding the file Daphne sent. There were three pictures of the Witches that were murdered. Each of them looked around my age, and very beautiful. They appeared happy in their photos, some of them pictured with family, and the other taking a selfie. These were probably from their social media sites.
Neither one of them had kids, or a husband. They were single, each being out of a relationship for at least a month. They only worked for Drake for a week or two before they were fired. Checking out their work history, I found nothing that would cause any alarms to go off. They appeared to have excellent track records, so I couldn’t figure out what Drake would have had a problem with. Not that anything would pop out in their resume.
Then there were the crime scene pictures. The women had been strangled to death, their eyes wide open and mouths slightly parted. My heart hurt for what they had been through. When I continued to read through the file, I found that each of them had recently had sex prior to their deaths. It didn’t say it was nonconsensual, though, so at least that was a relief.
Drake’s file was bigger than I cared to read. I went through the parts about his history, which began in the 1500s, though there wasn’t much they could document from that time. But, I didn’t think Vampires gave up their information willingly to Witches. With so many wars between us, it was amazing we had anything on him at all.
His picture was stunning. The man could have been a god. His dark hair was swept back from his amazing face. High cheekbones and a strong jaw framed lips to die for. He was truly magnificent, even in a suit. I wasn’t a fan of men who wore suits. My type was the jeans and T-shirt kind. I would break my type for this piece of ass, though. That was, of course, if he wasn’t a killer. So far, from the evidence, it looked like he was. Each of the women were found to be hanging out with him after hours. At least that was what witnesses told the Magicteers. Unfortunately, Drake was unavailable for comment, and that’s when his Vampire lawyer started quoting rules and regulations between Witches and Vampires, barring further access.
I sighed, sitting back in my chair as my back began to ache. It was dangerous, what I was about to do. I had to somehow capture this man’s attention by appearing at the temp agency. If he wasn’t the killer, didn’t he think it was strange that three of his employees had been murdered? The guy had to be curious—if not worried—as to why the people he hires keep turning up dead. And if he didn’t have a problem with Witches, why did he avoid the questioning? Obviously, he had no problem hiring them. Unless he didn’t know right away, and that’s why they wound up dead. There were a lot of possibilities.
Yawning, I looked to see if there were any takeout menus lying around. I spotted an ad sitting near the phone and grabbed it. It was for pizza, which would work, since I wasn’t about to get dressed again. I had an early morning ahead of me, and somehow I had to convince the staffing agency that I was perfect for Drake’s company.
*
The temp agency was a small place inside an outlet mall. The front looked like nothing special, featuring a plain-lettered sign informing the public that they were the Allister Staffing Agency. The parking lot was less than full; most of the other places had not opened yet since they were either restaurant or hair salons. I climbed out of the van, straightening out my pencil skirt and blouse. “Here goes nothing,” I mumbled to myself as I started toward the agency.
Stepping inside, I looked around, finding some chairs along the wall and a table in the middle, which magazine sat on top of. There was window in the wall where a woman sat. She looked up, her dark face blooming into an amazing smile. She looked nice. I returned the smile, walking over. “I’m here to apply for a job. I heard that Jacobi Software is looking for a secretary.”
“We have a lot of positions open. That is one of them. If you’ll sign in and fill out this paperwork, we can get the process started. Once you’re finished, bring it up here and we’ll go from there.” She beamed at me, holding out a clipboard with papers on it.
Nodding, I signed in on the sheet that sat in front of the window and then took the clipboard. Just as I was about to head over to the chairs, the entrance door opened. The wind swept in, bringing me the heavenly scent of man, mixed with cinnamon and something else. I blinked several times, taking in the sight of Drake Jacobi himself. He appeared in hurry, coming in with an air of someone who was used to getting what he wanted. The expression on his face seemed one of equal determination and impatience.
He’s so fucking hot. I was probably drooling, but I didn’t bother moving to check because I was so in awe of his beauty. This man could have anyone that he wanted. There was no denying he was probably the world’s most perfect-looking man. That could be due to him being a Vampire, but none of the ones I’d seen before could even compare.
“I need an assistant immediately,” he said to the woman behind the window.
“Mr. Jacobi, we are working on that for you. It takes a little time to find the right person.” Again, she smiled.
Drake waved his hand dismissively at her. He looked around the room, eyes landing on me. I felt his gaze scan over me, taking in my appearance. Then he smiled. “You will do. You will start immediately!”
“Mr. Jacobi, she hasn’t filled out any paperwork yet. Let us start the process for her.” The woman was standing up now, trying to get his attention.
Again, he waved his hand at her. “No, this one is perfect. I’ll take the paperwork with us, and she will deliver it later when I send her out for lunch.” He started toward the door. I was still standing in the same spot, not sure what to do.
Irritated with my lack of movement, Drake snapped his fingers. “Come along. We have much to discuss in a short amount of time. I have a meeting, and you need to take notes.”
Nodding, I hurried after him. We went outside and he looked around. “Where is your car?”
I pointed to the van, and he frowned. Looking at me, he said, “That will not do. I will rent a car for you until you begin to receive paychecks. From there you can get your own transportation that is better in appearance. Death traps like that will not be parked outside my business.”
A little stunned, I went to say something smart, but he held up his hand to stop me. “You look like someone that doesn’t think before she speaks. Choose your words wisely in this moment.”
“I beg your pardon.” I didn’t know what to say. What did you say when you needed to keep your case in focus?
“We have an appearance to keep up, and if it looks like I don’t pay my employees well, then that reflects on me poorly.”
He had a point. Still, I felt insulted. What if I’d shown up in the Toyota? Shrugging, I followed him to a black car that was waiting. A man climbed out of the driver seat, making his way around to the opposite side. When he opened the door for Drake, I shook my head. He was spoiled rotten.
When I didn’t move to enter the car, he put one leg in and turned to me. “Come along. We have much to do.”
Sighing, I headed to the car. It was definitely going t
o be a long case.
Chapter Four
Drake’s software company was huge. Bigger than I thought it would be. When it said ‘software company,’ I thought a small warehouse, or maybe an office suite. Instead, it was a huge white building, with a lot of glass. The windows sparkled in the sunlight, making me want to shield my eyes from the glare. The place was impressive, that was for sure.
Glancing over at Drake, he seemed oblivious to my awe. He was too busy messing with his phone, fingers flying over the screen as if he was talking to someone through text messaging. He glanced up, sensing my gaze on him. It was the first time he actually looked at me. Something passed between us. I wasn’t sure what exactly, but he smiled, suddenly warming up to me.
“I’m still in shock every time I come to work,” he said, scooting closer to me.
Goose bumps popped up along my skin with him being so near. I itched to touch him, to run my fingers through his soft hair. Why did he have to be so beautiful? Why did he have to be a murderer? “How long have you owned the place?”
“Thirty years,” he replied, eyes sparkling when my mouth dropped open. “It started out in a small warehouse and grew into this.”
“But you’re so young.”
Giving me a scolding look, he waited for his driver to open the door for us. “You already know I’m a Vampire, just as I know you’re a Witch.”
A little startled, I slid out of the car when the door opened. “You’d willingly hire a Witch?”
Drake stretched when he got out, looking around the outside of his building as if inspecting it. “I have no problem with Witches. I have dated many of them, and they have always been a respectable race. Frankly, I have no idea why we’ve had so many wars.”
Turning to his driver, he thanked him and then started toward the entrance of the company, Jacobi Enterprises. He took out his phone, texting again as he walked. “They need to cut the grass. I hate when they skip a week. Looks unprofessional.”