Page 4 of Hooked on a Demon (Leeside Witches #3)

Eliana

A fter jump-starting her car, Everest told her she’d need a new battery sooner rather than later.

She thanked him for his help, but she doesn’t have the money for that right now.

This means she’s driving back to the studio today on nothing but the wings of hope that she can make it another couple weeks.

But those wings are looking pretty bare about now.

“Not again. Come on,” Eliana says with frustration, banging her hands on the steering wheel. Pushing her foot down on the brake, she turns the key in the ignition, only to be answered with an annoying whirring noise and then deafening silence.

“Fuck.”

She rests her head on the steering wheel, tears building in her eyes.

Wiping the tears away with the sleeve of her sweatshirt, she leans back and rests her head on the headrest. She’s always hated that she cries when she’s angry, frustrated, or stressed.

She hates it even more that she’s going to have to pay to have the car towed to a nearby shop and pay a mountain of money she can’t afford to get it fixed.

Digging her phone out of her bag on the passenger seat, she unlocks it and opens up a search engine to look for a towing company.

After calling and giving her information, they inform her that a driver would be there in the next forty minutes.

She then searches for a nearby shop and finds Hellbent Motors.

The name sounds familiar, but she can’t figure out why.

Either way, it’s only a few miles away, so it will have to do.

She gives the number a quick call and checks to make sure it’s okay to bring her car in.

With the go-ahead from the young guy on the other end of the line, Eliana makes her final call to her boss at Strike a Pose.

“Thank you for calling Strike a Pose; how may I direct your call?” Bellamy answers.

“Hey, Bels, it’s Ellie. Can you get June for me?”

“Sure, one sec,” Bellamy answers, placing the call on hold and starting the calm hold music.

The softness of the tune challenges her current mood, and rather than being peaceful, it ignites further anger in her.

She needs this money and can’t afford to miss teaching a class, but now she’s going to be stuck for at least an hour dealing with her stupid fucking car.

“Hi, Ellie.”

“Hi, June. I’m sorry for the short notice.

My car broke down on the way to the studio, and I’m not going to be able to make my two ballerina tots classes this morning.

Would you or Sienna be able to cover for me while I get this disaster heap towed and taken care of?

” Eliana tries to sound apologetic rather than angry, but she’s not sure it comes through.

If it sounds angry, June doesn’t let on.

June pauses before answering, likely running through the schedule for the day to make sure the changes work. After a moment, she replies, “Yes. Yes, that should work. Sienna can take your first class, and I can do the second. Are you okay?”

The question is simple, but it deflates her.

Tears build quickly again, and she fights against it, not wanting to unleash everything on her boss, who is asking out of necessity.

“Yes. I’m okay. Thanks for asking,” she replies, meaning every word of it.

“I’m waiting for the tow truck. I’ll let you know when I’m on my way. ”

“No worries. Thank you for letting me know, hun.”

“Thanks for your understanding, June. See you in a bit.” Eliana hangs up and sighs. She’s parked on the side of the road, so she’s safe. But now she’s also hungry. With time to kill, she goes to the coffee shop across the street.

With food and tea in hand, she settles back into the car and waits for this stupid tow truck. The driver arrives right at the forty-minute mark. He hooks up her junker with ease and instructs her to get into the cab. After she awkwardly climbs in, he asks, “Where are we headed?”

Eliana double-checks her phone before replying, “Hellbent Motors. It’s over on Roundtree.”

He nods. “Yep. You sure you want to go there?”

“It’s the closest, so it will have to do.”

“Alright,” he replies. His words are brief, but not untoward.

As a relatively young woman, Eliana knows she can never be sure how these kinds of situations will go.

She probably should have called Everest, but the last thing she wants is for him to know he was right.

As protective as he can be, he’s still her brother and will take any opportunity to tease her.

Thankfully, the ride to the shop is brief and the driver isn’t overly chatty. Eliana hates making small talk with strangers as it is, but today in particular, she isn’t in the mood for it. She needs her car fixed; that’s all she cares about.

When they arrive, he backs her car into a spot out front and unhooks it before giving her an invoice for the service.

She digs her wallet out and pays, and then the man hops in the truck and disappears as if he were merely a figment of her imagination.

Maybe he is, and this is all just a twisted game her brain is playing on her.

Her head is down as she walks to the front door, placing her phone and wallet back in her bag.

She pulls the door open, still too focused on trying to close her bag with one hand and keep it slung on her shoulder.

The door chimes overhead, and a gruff voice sounds from somewhere in front of her, “Hi. I’ll be right with you. ”

Her head pops up. She knows that voice. She hasn’t heard it in some time, perhaps even years, but she knows it. She’d know it anywhere.

“Declan?” she asks, looking at the boy, no man , behind the counter.

“Yeah,” he responds nonchalantly, clearly having not noticed her yet.

Fuck, he looks good.