An Apocalyptic Need (14 page)

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Authors: Sam Cheever

Tags: #paranormal action and adventure, #witches, #paranormal and supernatural suspense, #time travel, #wwbm romance, #paranormal book series, #paranormal adult, #paranormal adult romance, #interracial romance, #ir

BOOK: An Apocalyptic Need
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“The lady tole’ ya there’s no sich person here. Now get on out of my saloon before I send ya out on the end o’ a bullet.”

Grimm threw one last look toward the spot where Scarlett’s door should have been, seeing only a rough wood wall, and nodded. “Thank you for your hospitality.”

Buck Miller’s eyes turned to slits under a lowered brow, but the pistol found its way into Miller’s holster as Grimm headed toward the door. “That there was sarcasm, wasn’t it?”

Grimm smiled. It appeared the man wasn’t as dense as he appeared.

Miller chuckled. “There’s a woman named Scarlett out at the coven,” he offered as Grimm reached the swinging doors.

Grimm halted, his hand on the louvered surface. “Coven as in witches?” Apparently Scarlett knew more about the coven she’d told Grimm about than she’d let on.

The man spat on the straw-covered wood floor and nodded. “Some say so. Could be it’s just a bunch o’ women who ain’t got a man to protect ‘em so they come up with stories to keep trouble makers away.”

Grimm nodded. “Makes sense. Can you tell me how to get out there?”

“I can. It’s just south o’ town. Take a turn at Devil’s Horn rock and follow the path through the trees. You’ll know you’re gettin’ close when you start seein’ skulls.”

“Skulls?” Grimm shook his head.
So cliched.
“Thanks for the information.”

“You ain’t gonna get a warm welcome. I’d hate for that pretty little wife o’ yours to get widowed just now.” Miller lifted a dark eyebrow.

“You have a point. Maybe I should let the sheriff know to keep an eye on her while I’m gone.” Grimm had no intention of letting Cari out of his sight. But he wanted to know where all the players in town were…just in case he needed help.

Buck Miller’s craggy features shifted until Grimm saw teeth. Lots of big, white teeth. Grimm’s fingers twitched with energy before he realized the man was smiling. “Sheriff Buck Miller at your service.”

“You own the saloon
and
you’re the sheriff?”

The man shrugged. “You might o’ noticed Dodge Town’s not all that big, mister. It don’t take much to keep it lawful.”

Grimm nodded. “Good. That’s good to know. Thanks, sheriff. I’ll let you know if I need your help tonight.”

The other man’s bright blue gaze darkened. “You do that, mister…?”

“Forbes. Grimm Forbes. It’s been a pleasure.” Grimm pushed through the doors and stepped out into the heat of late afternoon.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

 

Cari watched Grimm walk down the street and enter the saloon before going to the door. She’d scoped out the boarding house as Grimm made arrangements with the woman who owned it and she’d seen a door she thought might take her out the back. Once outside she’d find a place to hide where she could watch Grimm. Hopefully he’d lead her to the portal and she could get back to the
Stellam
.

Her plan firmly in place, Cari felt better. She glanced out the window again, seeing the flash of a dusty black skirt going by but nothing from the saloon across the street. Grimm must still be inside.

She hurried over to the door, opened it, and gave a surprised little chirp.

A pretty woman with bright red hair stood outside their door, her fist raised as if she was about to knock. “Hello.” She smiled shyly. “You probably don’t remember me. You were kind of out of it when you were here before. I’m Scarlett.”

Cari glanced impatiently behind the woman. “I’m sorry, I was just leaving. Grimm is over at the saloon, looking for you.” Even as she said the words, Cari’s gaze slipped over the plain, homespun dress and sedate bonnet, wondering how Grimm could have ever mistaken the woman for a strumpet.

Scarlett’s smile widened. “Actually, I’m looking for you. Cari, is it?”

The first stirrings of unease tightened her chest. “I…um…I have to go.” She tried to push past the woman but Scarlett’s hand whipped out and something that felt like an electrical charge spiked through Cari’s back, stopping her as her back bowed with pain.

She tried to scream, tried to wrench away from Scarlett’s sizzling magic, but she couldn’t move and nothing emerged from between her lips except a terrified whimper of pain.

Warm breath tickled her ear. “I’m really sorry, Cari. I’m afraid you’re going to have to come with me. Someone’s looking for you.”

Cari called on every bit of resistance she had and managed to break the woman’s magical hold for an instant, her mouth opening in a shrill scream.

A big hand that smelled like dirty socks slammed over her mouth from behind. She was grabbed, roughly, and dragged toward the door. A carriage waited outside, the windows darkened with draperies. Two large black horses stomped and snorted as she was shoved brutally inside and voices called out for the carriage to move.

Then the snap of a whip on the air and the carriage jolted as it started to move. Cari tried to push herself off the rolling carriage floor but whatever Scarlett had done to her, combined with the jostling, side to side movement, was too much for her.

She was vaguely aware of voices droning on around her but they were like fireflies at first, flashing and then going dark as she grasped for them. As her mind cleared, she slowly realized what her captors were talking about.

A man’s deep voice…somehow familiar. “What of the hunter? What if he comes for her?”

Scarlett’s higher tone… “If he does we’ll deal with him. I wouldn’t worry, Pis.
He
will be pleased that we’ve found the girl. He was really mad when he found out I helped them leave before.”

“You didn’t know.”

“No. But he doesn’t care about that.”

The carriage hit a rock or something in the road and lurched, smacking Cari’s head against the wooden floor. She gritted her teeth against the pain, wishing she had some kind of power to use in saving herself. An epoch mage without magic was nothing but a victim in the worlds where they traveled.

“…kill her? I wouldn’t mind taking a knife to her myself. The little bitch has caused me no end of trouble.”

Cari forced her mind back to the conversation above her.

“I don’t know why. I offered to do it for him. But he wants to see her for some reason.” Scarlett’s tone was filled with speculation. “She apparently has something he wants.”

Cari kept her eyes closed, letting them believe she was unconscious, but her mind was spinning. Who would want her captured or killed? She could think of no one except maybe Lieutenant Alcott. The thought made her pulse jump.

Grimm had been right all along. She was such a fool. But thoughts of Grimm gave her hope. Surely he’d come looking for her.

Unless he believed she’d gone back to the
Stellam
.

Hope washed away on a wave of reality. Of course that was what he’d believe.

It was, after all, exactly what she’d planned.

~AN~

 

A plain, black carriage, driven by two massive black horses thundered past as Grimm stepped out into the street. Filthy water splashed up at him from under the narrow, wood wheels and he jumped back with a curse.

“Watch where you’re going, asswipe!” he screamed. The squat, black carriage thundered on out of town, seemingly oblivious. Rubbing mud from his jeans, Grimm stalked toward Tilly’s. He soon forgot the incident, however, as his mind returned to the task ahead. He didn’t relish crashing a coven of witches without backup. He had one blaster and it was low on juice. Grimm doubted he’d find reload cartridges in the eighteenth world. He briefly considered using the portal again but quickly dismissed it. Gathering ammunition in the world he’d come from would take too long. He’d have to make use of epoch-appropriate weapons. Grimm decided to ask the proprietor of
Tilly’s Board and Bread
where he could get some. He figured bullets would be better than nothing against a coven of witches. However, when he walked through the door, the chubby, rosy cheeked proprietress was standing there, wringing her fleshy hands.

“I’m sorry, Mister Forbes. They come in the door and took her. I couldn’t stop ’em!”

Grimm’s stomach twisted with fear. “Cari? They took my wife?” One small part of his brain reveled at how easily he’d fallen under the spell of that ruse.

Tears glistened in Tilly’s round, green eyes. “I’m so sorry.” The fat fingers twisted harder as her cheeks grew wet. “I tried to stop ’em, I did. But they did somethin’…” Her squeaky wailing trailed away and she sniffled, glancing at her hands.

“What?” Grimm clenched his fists to keep from grabbing and shaking the woman. “What did they do?”

Tilly shook her head. “Nothin’. They just dragged her on out o’ here.” Tilly gasped out a sob. “The poor, wee thing. She looked so pale.”

Grimm scrubbed a hand over his face, thinking fast. It had to be Alcott. Nobody else would have known where they were. In fact, Alcott shouldn’t have known either. Unless he tracked their signatures through the portal.

He suddenly thought of the carriage that had nearly run him over. He reached out, grasping the sobbing woman’s pudgy arms. “Did they put her into a black carriage pulled by two Friesian horses?”

The woman’s small eyes widened. “Friesians? I don’t know…”

“Big black horses with hairy feet.”

She started nodding, her expression lightening. “Yes! That were the one. The windows was all black.” She shuddered theatrically. “It looked like something straight from Hell itself.”

Grimm squeezed the soft flesh under his fingers and let go, stepping back. “Who took her, Tilly?”

The woman shook her head but looked guiltily away.

“Tell me, please.”

She sighed. “You’ll think I’m looney.”

“No. I won’t. I promise.”

The round, green gaze lifted to his, filled with fear. “Them witches took her. They spelled her and took her away in that evil contraption.” She shuddered again. “She’ll be writhing in the fires o’ Hell by now. Poor dear thing.”

Grimm barely heard the last murmured thought. He was already running.

The sheriff would have weapons he could use. He’d fight the guy for them if he had to. Then he was going to beg, borrow or steal a horse and follow the tracks of that carriage out of town. With luck he’d find Cari before the moon rose into the sky.

He didn’t relish approaching a coven on its home ground after dark.

Not without some serious firepower under his belt.

~AN~

 

Buck Miller glared back at Grimm, his big hand fondling the handle of the ancient pistol on his hip. “You ain’t goin’ there without me, Forbes, so you might just as well stop yappin’ and agree to it.”

Grimm expelled a frustrated rush of air. The last thing he needed when he faced off with Scarlett was a cranky sheriff from the eighteenth world peering over his shoulder. But it seemed he wasn’t going to have a choice. He’d just have to hope he could use his magics without Miller seeing.

Or the inhabitants of Dodge Town would be burning him for a witch along with Scarlett.

“All right, but we need to get going. That carriage has a sizable head start on us.”

Miller shook his head, grabbing an ancient shotgun resting against the wall. He handed the gun to Grimm. “It don’t matter. I know where they’ve gone. That carriage only comes into Dodge a few times a year, and it ain’t never for nothin’ good. It was the witches for sure. I can take you to their place.”

Grimm nodded. “I’ll need a horse.”

Miller lifted a dark eyebrow. “You don’t have a horse?” He lifted the second brow. “How’d ya get here then?”

Grimm cast about for a good excuse. The sheriff would know if a stagecoach had arrived in Dodge Town recently. So he decided to tell the truth. Mostly. “We walked.”

The craggy face lifted in surprise. “You don’t say?”

Grimm lost patience. “Are we going after Cari or not?”

“Your wife, ya mean?”

Grimm headed for the door. “Of course, my wife. Did you see me walking into Dodge with a harem?”

Miller fell into step beside him. “Don’t get your chaps in a twist, man. It ain’t usual to hear a man speak his wife’s given name like that to a stranger. That’s all.” Miller motioned toward a pair of horses tied up in front of the saloon. “Brick Morgan won’t mind if we borrow his nag for a bit.” Miller grinned. “He prob’ly won’t rise out of his whiskey stupor for a few hours anyhow.” Miller laughed, the sound like nails over rocks.

Grimm stuck his foot into the stirrup and swung himself onto the horse. As his butt hit the saddle he was thankful for having spent time in the arid lands of Asian Earth, where he’d not only learned to ride through necessity, he’d also gotten pretty good at it.

Grimm swung the mare around and trotted up alongside the sheriff. “How far out of town is the coven?”

“Couple miles.” Miller looked at Grimm. “We’ll need to ride hard. I don’t know about you but I don’t relish bein’ out there in them woods after the sun goes down.”

They kicked the horses into a gallop and, as they sped out of Dodge, Miller turned to Grimm. “So what exactly is a harem?”

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