Page 17 of Cursed (Witchbane #8)

“Tony, listen to me. There’s no guarantee that we could have gotten to Pax before they did.

They used magic to take him, and they could have used that against us too.

The bad guy was closer to making his move than we thought.

As for a witness protection program…sort of.

I’m not sure we could have gotten him there with the witch on our tail. ”

Evan knew that Seth meant the St. Expeditus Society in Charleston, which gave sanctuary to people hunted by supernatural criminals.

“Where are you?” Evan asked.

“At home.” He gave a shaky laugh. “I haven’t even put the groceries away.”

Seth and Evan traded a look, and Evan nodded.

“We’ll come get you. Stick the perishables in the fridge.

You can stay with us. We don’t have a lot of elbow room, but the RV is heavily protected, and we picked up enough dinner to share.

Don’t go anywhere, lock the doors, and ignore anyone who knocks except for us. We’ll be there as quickly as we can.”

“Okay. Thank you. Just…hurry.” Tony sounded like he was barely holding himself together.

“Stay on the line. Talk to me. About anything,” Evan said as he and Seth locked the RV, climbed into the truck, and headed back to town. “Tell me how you got into music?”

“My grandfather used to play the guitar. He taught me. He was with a bunch of local bands when he was young,” Tony said, shaky but distracted.

“He didn’t care that I was gay. Said he’d played with plenty of gay guys in the bands and it never bothered him.

The rest of the family, not so much,” he added with a bitter sigh.

“How’d you end up in Savannah? Where else do you play besides the food truck park and Mystic?” Evan did his best to keep Tony engaged.

“I left home and headed to the big city, which was Savannah. Told myself I’d work up to Atlanta, but it’s got a real different energy.

Wasn’t ready for that. Maybe never will be.

Savannah’s been good to me,” Tony said. “I found people to play with who aren’t jerks, so sometimes I play alone, and sometimes we have a trio.

We have regular gigs lined up that pay enough to cover the rent. And I met Pax.”

“How did you meet?” Evan looked over to Seth, who mouthed, “Five more minutes.”

“I was playing at a bar, and he came in with some friends from the food trucks,” Tony said.

“They hung around and seemed to be really into the music. Then his friends left, and Pax stuck around for my second set. He bought me a beer afterward and we got talking. Everything else just grew from there. How did you and Seth meet?”

Evan rolled his eyes. “Seth told me that a dark witch wanted to kill me. I said he was crazy. Then it turned out he was right, and he saved my life. It sounds very made-for-TV dramatic, but I’d definitely recommend the way you and Pax met.”

Seth pulled up in front of the house Tony and Pax shared. He and Evan both drew their guns, although they kept them low to avoid drawing the wrong sort of attention.

“I don’t see anyone,” Evan said.

“A witch with a cloaking spell might be able to hide,” Seth warned.

“I’m not getting any warnings from the ghosts,” Evan replied. “They saw Pax get taken, and the ones who still have a sense of self are worried about Tony.”

“Will they stand watch while we get Tony out of there?” Seth asked.

Evan closed his eyes, concentrating, and then nodded. “Yeah. But I don’t think they can fight if we get ambushed.”

“Then we better not need backup,” Seth replied.

Tony was waiting inside the door with a packed duffel bag and his guitar. He looked like he had been crying, although he now wore a resolute expression.

“I don’t know anything about how you guys do what you do, but I’ll help any way I can to take those bastards down and get Pax back.” Tony locked the door behind him, and they hustled him into the truck.

“Stay down,” Seth told him as they drove away. “Just in case anyone is watching.”

Tony tucked himself into the footwell in the back seat where he couldn’t be seen from the windows as Seth put them back on the road.

“Is anyone following us?” Tony asked in a shaky voice.

“Not that I can tell,” Seth replied. “I’m going to take the long way, just in case.”

Seth made several switchbacks and meandering turns before finally ending up at the RV park.

“Stay put,” he told Tony as he got out to check the wards on the trailer and scope out the area before gesturing for Tony and Evan to come inside.

“This is where you guys live?” Tony asked, looking around the neat, compact living space.

“It’s cozy, but it’s home,” Evan said.

“My folks bought it to do some retirement sightseeing before they were killed by the witch-disciple who also killed my brother,” Seth replied.

“That’s terrible. I’m so sorry,” Tony said.

“It’s what put all the rest of this in motion,” Seth told him. “Go ahead and set your duffel down by the couch. It has a pull-out bed. I’m afraid that’s all we can offer for sleeping, but I’ve got sheets, extra pillows, and blankets to make it comfortable.”

Tony tucked his bag into a corner and then came to sit at the kitchen table. “Thank you for letting me come with you. I didn’t know what to do.”

Evan got the takeout order from the fridge and set it on the counter. “You’re welcome to share what we brought home. If you prefer a sandwich, I’ve got ham and turkey, two kinds of cheese, condiments, and pickles. What sounds good? Food always helps.”

“Ham. Any kind of cheese. Thanks,” Tony replied, sounding dazed.

Evan made a sandwich, grabbed a bag of chips and a can of soda, then he put the plate in front of Tony before he grabbed a folding chair, and Seth sat across from him with their own plates of takeout.

No one talked for a few minutes. Seth figured they were all trying to recalibrate after everything that had happened.

Tony ate, although it didn’t look like he had much appetite. Seth couldn’t blame him, given his worry for Pax. When Tony finished, Evan picked up the plate and put it in the dishwasher, then joined the others in the living room.

“You drink whiskey?” Seth asked.

“Huh? Yeah.” Tony sat on the couch with his head in his hands. Seth poured them all a couple of fingers’ worth in mismatched glasses, enough to ease the stress without taking away their fighting edge.

Tony accepted his glass gratefully and knocked it back, then sputtered.

“Go easy.” Evan sipped from his glass.

Seth wondered if Evan’s sudden headache had gone away and guessed from the look in his eyes that it hadn’t. That worried him.

“I’m scared,” Tony admitted. “I’m afraid that they’ll hurt Pax, and I’m ashamed that I didn’t stop them. I’m terrified for him—he’s got to be so afraid. And I don’t know how I can help you get him back.”

Seth and Evan sat down in the other chairs. “Evan and I went to Sterling Vernon’s award ceremony today. Does that name ring a bell?”

Tony frowned. “The restaurant guy? He did a mentorship program for up-and-coming owners, and Pax went to it. Pax said Vernon was really nice to him and very helpful, but I’ve always gotten an uncomfortable feeling around him. Why?”

“Because he’s really a century-old witch who was behind all the deaths in Pax’s family, and he’s the one who arranged the kidnapping.” Once again, Seth wondered if Tony had some latent, unrecognized psychic ability.

Tony blinked, looking stunned. “What? How?”

Seth figured that ripping the band-aid off was the only way to bring Tony up to speed.

“A century ago, a dark witch named Rhyfel Gremory had a coven of twelve witch-disciples. He sacrificed people to work an immortality spell for himself and his coven. When he was hunted down and killed for his crimes, his followers scattered, claiming their own territories and setting up covens to work the spell to their benefit. They require a cycle of human sacrifice to make the magic work. It doesn’t end until the disciple is dead. ”

“That’s…pretty crazy.” Tony looked at his glass like he was sorry he had drunk the liquor so quickly. Seth poured about half as much into the glass.

“Go slow. We don’t have time to nurse a hangover,” Seth advised.

“If you…stop…Vernon,” Tony said, as if he couldn’t quite bring himself to say “kill”, “what about the rest of his coven? Do you have to stop them too?”

Evan shook his head. “It depends. If the rescue comes in the middle of the ritual once the magic is activated, the repercussions destroy the witch-disciple and his coven. If we can stop Vernon before he starts the ritual, the rest may scatter, trying to cover their asses.”

“I don’t understand what Vernon gets out of it.” Tony looked very lost. “He’s already rich and well-known. He’s a big player in the local scene. Does he really plan to live forever?”

Evan shrugged. “It’s extended his life to more than a century without normal aging. And he’s been bankrolling his restaurant with smuggling and other illegal activities. He’s got an underground restaurant that caters to a supernatural clientele with some highly illegal menu items.”

Tony swallowed hard. “Bad stuff?”

“You probably don’t want to know,” Evan replied.

“Okay. How can I help you save Pax?” Tony asked. His eyes were red-rimmed, but his resolute gaze told them he wouldn’t be dissuaded.

“I don’t know yet,” Seth said. “I’m going to put out the call to our friends with abilities that Pax has been taken. We’re sure we know where Vernon’s hiding him. Once they get here, we can go in to save Pax and shut down Vernon’s killing spree for good.”

“What’s stopping his goons from coming after us here?” Tony asked.

Seth sat back. “Magic. I’m not a full witch, but I can do some protective spells that our more powerful friends developed. They’ve shown us how to put wards on the truck and RV and given us protective charms.”

He dug in his pocket and pulled out a talisman Rowan had given him. “Here. Put this on. It won’t make you completely magic-proof, but it will help.”