Page 115 of How to Flirt with a Witch

Freddie steps closer, his piercing eyes widening. “You have access?”

I shake my head. The exhaust from the running vehicle clouds the air, searing my nostrils.

“Where is Alchemy 13?” Freddie asks, an unsettling sharpness in his tone. There’s his dark side again.

A pang of guilt cuts through my fury. I shouldn’t have mentioned the room. I let anger take over and didn’t consider who I was talking to.

But he can’t get into CSAMM anyway, so maybe it’s fine.

“Was today all a setup?” I ask, deflecting. “You wanted to get me alone, so you brought me and Natalie to a curse in a graveyard, where she wouldn’t be able to fight properly?”

His lips quirk into a smile—and there’s his soft side. “Took a while for a curse to show up in one, but we got there in the end. Touché for bringing the whole SWAT team along. Didn’t expect that.”

“Well, you suck at being sneaky.”

He chuckles, the lines in his forehead softening.

A pair of crows on a power line fill the silence. Too much information is swirling around in my head for me to really feel anything.

Freddie steps back, putting more space between us—as if to show me I’m free to step out of the car. “I just needed you to know we’re on the same team. We deserve the magic the witches have been keeping from us.”

I say nothing. We are definitelynoton the same team.

But we aren’t on opposite teams, either.

Dammit, why did Natalie have to keep secrets from me, whileFreddie Madsen, of all people, is standing here telling me everything I wanted to know?

He extends a hand, offering to help me get out of the car. His palm is soft, worn, a couple of calluses and scars he no doubt acquired doing something shady.

I don’t take it. I swing my feet over the edge of the trunk and hop out, avoiding putting weight on my injured ankle.

Freddie drops his hand, his lips twitching as if he’s about to smile. He doesn’t apologize for making his dog treat my leg like a chew toy.

We stand in the billowing exhaust, surrounded by a putrid haze that mirrors what’s going on in my brain.

Freddie reaches into his coat pocket and takes out a white card. “I was serious when I said I have business cards, by the way.” He holds it out cautiously as if trying not to startle me. After I take it, he puts his hands up in surrender. “Think about what you want.”

The card is thin and discreet. Black ink, Times New Roman, with his name, number, and email. That’s it.

“You’ve got your phone on you?” Freddie asks.

My heart jumps into my throat. I say nothing, unsure which answer would be in my favor.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he says. “I assume the witches know where you are, which means they’ll be here any second. I’m going to drive away now. I just ask that you consider what we talked about.”

I nod, keeping my jaw clamped. I’m not making promises. As surprised and relieved as I am that he’s letting me go… “This doesn’t change that you’re an asshole.”

He winks.

As he gets back in the car, I cross my arms and shiver. If Natalie doesn’t give me a valid explanation for everything Freddie told me, I’m going to have to decide what I really believe—and whether the Madsen family might have a point.

Chapter 28

The Strange Limits of Earth Magic

My whole body achesas I let Natalie carry me into CSAMM. My ankle hurts more than my pride, so I surrender to her strong arms, my legs dangling and my head resting against her shoulder.

Before today, the thought of her bridal-carrying me would’ve been romantic and exciting. Now, all I feel is anger.