Page 50 of How to Flirt with a Witch

“Exploit me how? Don’t you think I have the right to know what myabilitymeans?”

“Doesn’t today prove this is all very dangerous?” Natalie snaps, her voice filling the car.

“I don’t know who Freddie Madsen is and why he’s dangerous!” I wave a hand. “But he sure as hell knew who I was.”

Natalie looks at me sharply. “About that. How much did he know?”

“He knew I can sense curses. He saw us in the thrift store. I remember him looking at me.”

“Yousawhim that day? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“What, that a stranger looked at me? I didn’t think it mattered!”

Natalie groans, leaning back against the headrest. “He must have followed us—followedme—to the thrift store. I should never have gone out in public with you. That was so…”

“Well it’s too late to regret spending time with me. What’s done is done.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

There’s a pause as Natalie switches lanes.

Abruptly, she growls and slams her palms against the steering wheel. I jump.

“If he followed me that day, there’s a chance he knows where you live,” she says.

“I’m sure it’s fine—”

“No. You have no idea…” She grips the wheel tightly, her knuckles straining. Her gaze keeps flicking to the rearview mirror.

“What? Tell me what you’re thinking.”

She scoots in front of a bus to avoid a left-turning car, earning a prolonged, angry honk from the bus driver.

“I don’t know if you’re safe at home,” she says stiffly, like each word is difficult to get out. “They’ve probably already been watching you since…”

“Who’sthey?”

“You’ve been seen with me by people who shouldn’t have seen us together. The Madsen family knows what you can do. This is what I meant when I told you it’s dangerous to spend time with me.”

Fear seeps from her pores and into my skin, making my face numb. Part of me believes her and trusts that she’s trying to protect me. The other part of me is screaming to open the door, tuck and roll out of this moving car, and run as far away from this whole situation as fast as possible.

But if I run, will Freddie Madsen’s dog just sniff me out? Will the Madsens come after me no matter what I do or where I go?

I feel tainted, dirty. Everything familiar is suddenly unstable, my sense of home and comfort upended all over again.

“What do I do?” I ask, a tremor in my voice.

“I have somewhere you can stay,” Natalie says. “It’s the safest place, especially where the Madsens are involved. Would you be comfortable with that?”

“Wait. You want me to…” My brain reels, this turn of events making me dizzy. “I can’t move out of my place! How do I know you’re telling the truth?”

“Katie, if you go home, he will come for you again. He’ll try to take you like he did tonight.” She glances sideways at me, her eyebrows pulled down. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to scare you. But it’s the truth.”

My breaths come faster. I rub my face, smothering myself. The sensation of Freddie’s hand on my arm hasn’t left, tingling down to my fingers. And though I’m not sure what to believe or whether Natalie can be trusted… I can say with certainty that I’m more afraid of Freddie Madsen than I am of Natalie Zacharias. And I refuse to risk him finding me again.

I drop my hands into my lap. “What about Ethel?”

“I know.” Her tone is extra calm as if to balance out my panic. “We’ll go now, get your kitten, and pack as many of your belongings as we can. We have to be in and out as fast as possible, okay?”