Charmed & Dangerous (17 page)

Wednesday, 3
P.M
.

Brussels

Almost-dead guys: Way too many

I
t had been so quiet around here at the castle I thought the other witch and warlocks had left. No such luck.

When we traveled to town for the second round of meetings, I noticed Sphere and Wally standing at the back of the ballroom. They both acknowledged my presence with a nod and turned their attention to their charges.

Which one was after my charges? I had a difficult time believing Sphere could harm anything larger than a Chihuahua. He had power, but I didn’t believe he knew how to use it. I focused my powers on Wally’s mind. He blocked me and gave me an irritated look.

Lesha didn’t come in with her client. He sat alone on the third row. Curious.

That’s when I realized Sphere and Wally might be up to no good. They hadn’t bothered to attend Tuesday’s meeting, but now all of a sudden they were at attention, ready for battle.

Hmmm.

Took a deep breath in order to sense the room and detected another magical entity. A handsome warlock with curly blond hair gave a slight wave and smiled. Tipped his mind, and he answered back, “I offer no harm.”

Seemed friendly enough, but after last night I didn’t trust anyone. Darby’s warning about a deceitful warlock stuck in my brain. I would have walked across the room to meet him and get a better idea of what he was up to, but the sheik was about to give his speech.

My stomach turned flip-flops when I looked at him, so handsome in his three-piece suit. His tanned skin dark against the white starched collar of his shirt.

I sent him a quick good-luck spell and clarity of being that I hoped would help his message be understood. His eloquent speech and relaxed but professional manner won over the crowd.

They stood and clapped when he was done and that’s when it happened. A large boom, like thunder clashing, and the huge chandelier fell. I used both hands to stop it midair and it hovered over the heads of more than half the dignitaries.

Everyone froze, uncertain of where to move. Total deer-in-the-headlights syndrome.

“Move!” I screamed and the room erupted in chaos. You’ve never seen so many pin-striped suits sprint for a door. Wally and Sphere, the rats, joined them.

The other warlock stayed and moved close to me. “Tell me how I can help.”

“I can’t let go and I can’t lower it on my own. I’m fighting against someone else’s magic.” I could feel the sweat on my brow, but couldn’t wipe it away.

“If you’ll allow me in your circle, I can perhaps float it to the ground with your help.” His voice was calm.

“Anything’s better than it crashing down on top of us. See if you can push it to the left so we can lay it down.”

He raised his arms and mumbled an incantation. I don’t know exactly what he said but it worked. The huge crystal piece moved down and gently fell across the tables.

A few of the crystals broke, but nothing like what could have happened.

It hadn’t been easy because someone’s magic had been pushing the thing so hard it would have shattered to a million pieces, killing everyone underneath it. Including me.

“Bronwyn, are you okay?” Azir shouted from the stage. He and the PM ran across the room to grab my arms. The magic I’d just fought was more powerful than anything I’d ever come across. I tried to act like I hadn’t been sucker punched but my body was about to give out.

Ignoring them both, but grateful for the assistance, I raised my head to the blond warlock. “Who are you?”

“Cole Jameson. I’m a friend of Garnout’s. He sent me to help and said he’s busy researching your problem and that it’s deeper than you might think. He should have an answer for you soon.”

The PM and sheik frowned. But I wasn’t about to explain about what had happened to me at the castle. I didn’t have energy.

“I’m grateful for your help and Garnout’s.” A cleansing breath gave me renewed strength and I pulled my arms away from my charges. “I’m okay, guys, but that was some powerful black magic.”

“Did you sense it just before it happened?” Cole gazed around the room as if looking for something. “I thought perhaps it was one of those other two, but when they ran I knew it came from someone else. That thing”—he pointed to the chandelier—“could have killed most of the people in this room.”

“Bronwyn wouldn’t have let that happen, even if it put her own life in danger.” I heard the undertones in the sheik’s voice. He’d been more than a little worried.

“I’m tired of this chickenshit warlock or witch who is afraid to face me.” Put my hands on my hips and surveyed the room. “He or she may be powerful enough to shake the earth, but obviously has problems going one-on-one with a five-foot-two witch.”

Cole laughed. “Can’t say that I blame him. You’re the most powerful witch I’ve ever come across, and I’ve met quite a few in my line of work.”

“Which is…?”

He glanced at the two men beside me. “We’ll chat about that later. I think it might be a good idea to get all of you out of here and to a more secure location.”

He talked like a cop. He might be a part of the spook brigade. They round up renegade witches and warlocks and do God knows what with them. I’ve seen more than my share of magical folk hauled off, but never knew what actually happened to them. As long as I didn’t have to go along for the ride, never had reason to care.

“Won’t you join us for dinner? It’s certainly the least we can do,” the PM asked as we walked into the lobby of the hotel. Most of the diplomats had left immediately, but a few hung around, curiosity getting the best of them. They thanked me for stopping the thing and I just smiled. Didn’t really know what to say.

“I’d be grateful for a good meal. I’ve been traveling for the last twelve hours to get here.” Cole shook hands with the PM and the sheik. “But I need to make arrangements for accommodations in town. Would it be okay if I meet you later?”

“Why don’t you come back with us to the castle?” the prime minister interjected. “We’re thankful for what you did in there and we are more than happy to accommodate you.”

Cole looked at me and I shrugged my shoulders. If Garnout sent him, then he had to be a good guy. I’d have to keep an eye on him, though. Too much had happened the past few days to let anyone go unchecked.

“That settles it.” The PM turned to Miles, whose normally pale skin was even whiter than usual. I hadn’t even noticed he was there, but evidently the incident had shaken him. “Make arrangements for Mr. Jameson.”

As we climbed into the car, Miles popped open his cell phone and called the house to get a room ready for Cole. I needed to be alone and to sleep in order to renew my energy. The idea of having one more suspicious warlock in the castle wasn’t appealing, but at this point I didn’t have much of a choice.

One thing I know for certain: Wally and Sphere had known something would go down. But why would they run and not protect their charges? Those toads better answer my questions by the end of the evening.

11
P.M
.

So Cole’s a cop. A cute one. Argh, Bronwyn, get a grip. You’re turning into Simone. Not everything in pants is something at an amusement park for you to ride.

Technically Cole’s called an agent and he’s part of the international spook brigade. He had planned to come soon to Brussels anyway to check on Lesha’s brother and make sure he was under control. He’d been in Australia working on a case when Garnout called him, and he rushed to get here.

Glad Garnout can take the time to phone him but not me. Then it dawned on me. I hadn’t even looked at my e-mail in days. Plugged in the computer and found a message from Sam, two from Simone, and one from Garnout.

Traveling, you know. Meant he was going through time, which is why he couldn’t answer his page. It all made sense, but I still didn’t understand why he felt it necessary to send Cole.

Sam’s e-mail had asked for a few potion recipes we’d talked about, but there wasn’t a darn thing about him missing me.

He had gone by the house and found Casper on the roof. After several tries he’d finally coaxed the cat down with some of Lulu’s chicken. As soon as she smelled the fried goodness, she shimmied down the front porch post and curled against his legs.

My cat has good taste when it comes to food and men. But she can be stupid when it comes to heights. She’s afraid of them, but can’t seem to help chasing after birds in trees or up to the roof. Usually I levitate her down from wherever.

By the time we had made it back to the castle, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, otherwise known as Wally and Sphere, had vacated the premises along with their charges. The rest of the summit had been canceled and everyone had left as soon as they could charter a flight.

It’s a shame. I’d really looked forward to turning those cowardly warlocks into two fat hens. I also wanted to know if they had any inkling of who was behind the near tragedy.

The arrangements had been made for us all to depart in the next twenty-four hours. I expected the sheik to ask me to go back to the Middle East with him.

“I won’t be going home for a while and plan to travel back to America next week,” he told me at the informal dinner we had in the small dining room. By small I mean my house could have fit into it and there still would have been extra room. The table sat thirty, but our little group, consisting of Miles, the PM, Azir, Cole, and myself, took root at one end.

“Oh, do you have business there?” I took a sip of wine. A bit smoky and bitter for me, but I needed the nerve-soothing power of the drink.

He looked at me pointedly and said, “Yes.” His husky tone told me it was nothing but monkey business and it involved me. Great, just great. Here I am trying to save his ass from the evil in the world and he wants to play hide the tamale.

“Aren’t you worried about the need for protection?” I tried to be casual about it, but just a week ago he’d shown up at my house fearful of the world.

“The prime minister and I will travel together and we have your protection spells and charms with us at all times.”

“That’s wonderful and lovely but have you forgotten about what happened earlier today? That magic—warlock, witch, or whatever—is nothing like I’d ever seen before.”

“Yes, well.” The PM fidgeted in his chair like a choirboy during too long at a sermon. “The thing is—Before you came down—” He cleared his throat. “Mr. Jameson told us about the danger you are in. This Mr. Garnout you talked about says that there’s a hit out on you.”

I turned to look at Cole. That asshole had no business telling my clients a damn thing about my personal affairs.

He obviously knew what I thought and held up a hand. Probably from the daggers I’d thrown with my eyes.

“Bronwyn, I know I crossed the line but the investigative team looking into the incident at the hotel today thinks the whole thing was aimed at you. The person behind the magic wanted to kill you and didn’t care who else was in the way. Do you have any idea what would have happened if any of those people had died? It would have been an international incident in proportions we haven’t seen since the last war.”

“What makes them think it was aimed at me?”

“The residue from the magic is an exact match of what we found on the warlocks who attacked you in New York and Oslo. They were pawns and someone had tried to use them against you but it didn’t work. That black sludge Garnout helped clear out of your system is the same magic that we found around the chandelier.”

Cole pointed to the men across the table. “The prime minister and Sheik Azir were nowhere near when that incident took place in New York, so…”

I folded my arms across my chest. The small twinge of a headache moved from the base of my neck and threatened to become a full-blown migraine in a few minutes.

“So you think I’m endangering my charges by being around them?” If my jaw tightened any more they’d have to get a crowbar to open it. I still hadn’t been able to rest after the fiasco at the hotel and my energy waned. Now this jerk was blaming me for everything. Enough.

“If you gentlemen will excuse me, I need to pack.” I pushed away from the table and headed for my room. I wanted to be angry, but everything he said had been true. They both could have died—and a whole lot of other people—because some asshole wanted me dead.

An overwhelming tiredness surrounded me and it was all I could do to climb the stone steps to my third-floor room. I barely made it to the bed before I passed out.

Strange dreams rolled in my head. The sheik ran around wearing the jacket I’d found, and then Sam stole it from him. I was on a broom riding around their heads yelling, “Run for the hills, boys, the demons are coming, the demons are coming.”

Wouldn’t a therapist like to get ahold of that one?

Wednesday, 11
P.M
. (continued)

Brussels

Witches who want to go home: 1

I
woke a couple hours later to the sheik calling to me from outside my door.

“Bronwyn? Hello, Bronwyn?”

He couldn’t touch the door thanks to the wards. My head still felt fuzzy, but I shuffled over and let him in.

“Are you okay?” He touched my arm and the familiar heat rushed through my body.

“No. I feel like crap.”

He guided me to the bed and sat beside me with his arms around me. “It’s not your fault.”

It took me a minute to decipher his words. He thought I meant about him and the PM.

I really felt like dog doo, rolled over by a lawn tractor.

His concern brought all the uncertainty back into focus. “The hell it’s not. Both of you could have been killed,” I whispered, not wanting to believe it. “I couldn’t have forgiven myself if something had happened to you. Either of you.”

He lifted my chin and stared into my eyes. At first I thought he might kiss me, but then he spoke. “Do you have any idea how worried I was? Bronwyn, the prime minister and I were never in any real danger, but you were directly underneath the thing. It would have crushed you.”

I laughed. “I’m tougher than I look.”

“Don’t make jokes. Please, not this time. I want you to be safe and I’m afraid it’s my troubles that have created this ill will toward you.”

“What makes you say that?” His scent was a combination of piney aftershave and a musky soap. Intoxicating to my addled brain.

“The attack in New York happened after you helped me in Norway, and you were on your way to meet me at my home, remember?”

“Yes, but what you have to understand is that there’s always someone who wants me dead. It’s just a part of the job. That’s why I moved to Sweet so I could see the bad guys coming. They’re always out there.” I shrugged and circled my head around to pop my neck. Talking to him had helped to ease the tension.

I took a deep breath. “To be honest, neither one of us is to blame. It’s the bad guys, whoever is after you, and me, that we should be targeting our anger toward.”

He massaged my shoulders through my blouse and pulled me closer to him. “After I watched you today I realized something important.” He leaned down and kissed me, his lips soft and gentle. Nipping my lip, he gently opened my mouth with his tongue and investigated every inch of it.

I lost myself in the moment. My body came alive as his hands slid down my arms and grabbed my waist. The sheik might have had control of my mouth, but Sam had invaded my thoughts. I couldn’t sit here and kiss another man, knowing I was in love with someone else. Even I’m not that low.

I stood and put some distance between us.

“I know you don’t date clients, Bronwyn, but I would not let another day pass without kissing you.” He stood also and held up a hand to keep me from speaking.

“Don’t ruin it by saying something flip. Please.” He backed away toward the door. “I’m going to leave you to rest now.”

“I liked it.”

“What?”

“The kiss. I just wanted to say that I liked it. But we can’t ever do it again.”

He considered what I said, and with a puzzled look asked, “Is it because of Sam?”

“Yes. I like his kisses too, and I think I’m in love with him.” It was more honest than I’d been with myself in months. Saying it out loud made it so real, and right.

Azir frowned. “Perhaps some time in Sweet will help clear your thoughts. Cole tells us that you have more power on your home territory, so you’ll be safer there.”

Cole had been right about the power. I needed to recharge and the best place to do that was at home.

I walked to the door and hugged the sheik. “You’re a good man. Keep your charms with you at all times.”

“I will.” He waved and left.

I walked back to the desk where my laptop whirred. Darby had finally found a way to get me a message without possessing someone’s body. My screen saver on the computer read,
Danger from the dark one
.

Geez, clear as mud that one is with the messages. Did she mean the sheik? Sam? Another warlock? Argh!

All I wanted to do was talk to Sam. I moved to the bed and dialed him on the cell.

“Are you okay?” He must have caller ID because he knew it was me.

“Yes.” I sighed.

“You don’t sound okay. You’ve been in another battle?”

“Of sorts. I don’t want to talk about that. I just needed to hear your voice.”

“If you tell me what’s bothering you, maybe I can help.” His deep voice soothed my nerves like no other. I wished he could hold me, then all would be well in the world.

I ended up telling him everything about the hit on me, the chandelier, what had happened with the PM and the sheik, and the news about Cole.

“My God, Bron, no wonder you feel so bad. Tell me what I can do to make it better.”

“Come here right now and make love to me. Help me forget all of this crap and let me lose myself in you.”

I heard a big sigh on the other end. “Baby, if you want I’ll drive to Dallas and take the first plane to Brussels I can get. I can be there by tomorrow afternoon.”

I laughed. “You would do that for me?”

“Of course. Just say the word.”

“Well, it isn’t necessary. I’ll be home tomorrow and then you can help me to forget.”

“Tomorrow? Excellent. I’ll get everything ready for you. Sounds like you need some serious R&R, and I’m just the guy to help you out.

“Let’s see. We’ll need an exercise plan. That will involve sex. Um, a nutritious diet of chocolate syrup and whipped cream; that will also include sex. I am worried you won’t be getting much sleep though, at least in the first several hours.”

I giggled. “Thank you, Sam.”

“I’m going to take very good care of you.”

“I can’t wait. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I’m so damn lucky. So, very, very lucky.

Thursday, 2:30
A.M
.

Slept for a couple more hours and then went foraging for food. I hadn’t eaten much at dinner and my stomach grumbled so loud I couldn’t ignore it.

After a few wrong turns and about ten minutes of searching, I found my way to the kitchen. The large room was completely surrounded in a gray stone that made it about twenty degrees cooler than the rest of the castle. A blessing I’m sure when the six ovens I saw in there are turned on.

I opened the large fridge door and pulled out some of the beef tenderloin and other things left over from dinner. I put everything on the large wooden table in the corner. A beautiful view from the bay windows, even this time of night with the stars highlighting the tree shadows in the snow.

Before he came around the corner, I sensed Cole. I saw him reflected in the glass before me, and turned around. Mouth full, I gave him a small salute.

“That looks good.” He walked to where the desserts sat on top of the counter. I’d done my best to avoid that section of the kitchen but there was an array of delectable sweets, from handmade chocolates to a raspberry torte.

He grabbed two chocolate-filled croissants and a glass of milk, and joined me at the table.

“So, are you angry with me?” He pulled apart the pastry and bit in. “Garnout said you might not appreciate my help, but insisted I come anyway.”

I wasn’t in the mood to talk, but even I have trouble being rude for no reason. “Don’t mind the help, but I didn’t care for you sharing private information with my clients.”

“In all honesty, I didn’t realize you hadn’t told them about the hits on you. I tried to cover, but it didn’t work. The prime minister and his friend the sheik are much too observant.”

Something about this guy sent my warlock radar into high gear. Adorableness aside, he seemed too casual about everything. He hadn’t batted an eyelash when the chandelier crashed, and nothing fazed him.

“So why are you really here?”

“I’m hungry.”

The man was nothing short of infuriating. “You didn’t come here just because Garnout asked you to. You’re a major player in the international spook squad. Traveling two thousand miles out of your way because some wizard asked you to isn’t going to work for me.”

His hooded blue eyes stared a full minute as if he were considering how much he wanted to share.

“Trouble follows you intimately, Bronwyn, and I thought, as did my superiors, that perhaps I could observe you for a few days, and track the warlock behind all of this.”

“I’m curious how you know so much about the situation. Except for the PM, Azir, and their security teams, the only other person who knows anything is Garnout. As angry as I am with him right now for butting in, he isn’t usually so open with my personal business.”

“This has nothing to do with anything personal.” His voice took on an edge. “We’re on the same side here. The only thing your friend Garnout shared was that you were up against a powerful warlock. The rest of the information we picked up from accounts in Oslo, Dubai, New York, and, of course, here in Brussels.

“You’ve left a trail of dead warlocks behind you, and it’s our job to take notice.”

“There’s not a one of them who didn’t deserve everything they received.” If Cole and the spook squad were on my side they had a strange way of showing it.

“Trust me, you’re a hero as far as most of us are concerned. In the last three years you’ve rid the world of more evil than all the witches in the world combined.”

“I find that hard to believe. And you don’t seem to share the hero worship. Not that I’m complaining.” The room became even colder and I wondered which ghost might be listening in this time.

“I’ve a great respect for what you do. I may not always agree with the way you go about it”—he held up a hand before I could chime in—“but you get the job done.

“You asked why I came to Brussels. I wanted to see you work and to talk with Lesha’s brother. There’s a good chance he knows the warlock behind all of this. But his mind is gone. It may never heal enough for him to think in complete sentences.”

“His sister is the one who did that to him. I had nothing to do with it.” I threw up my hands in my best “I’m not guilty” motion.

Cole laughed, a nice sound, his head shaking back and forth. “For such a tough witch, you sure are defensive.”

“No offense, big guy, but I don’t like the idea that I’m being watched. I have a job to do, and I do it. I don’t want to have to worry about the squad picking me up because I’ve killed a few too many bad guys.”

“I don’t know what else to say to convince you, but it isn’t you we’re after. You felt that magic—whoever is after you and your charges means to kill. We want to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

He looked around the kitchen and shivered. “Does it feel colder in here to you?”

Several ghosts had come into the room. The temperature had dropped at least ten degrees in the already cold room.

“Um, no. I’ve got to get some sleep. Early flight and all. If I were you, I’d take a look at the two warlocks in the back of the room today. They were ready for something to happen, so they must have had some idea of what was to take place.”

“We’re on it. Good night.” He held out his hand to shake. “I’m happy I finally had a chance to meet you.”

I shook it, but didn’t bother to lie and say I felt the same way.

The coldness followed me to my room. My great protector has returned. I have failed Darby, my lovely Irish ancestor. We will be leaving in less than four hours, and I haven’t been able to reunite her with her lover.

I picked up the jacket on the back of the chair and let my fingers trail along the soft collar.

So much love between this man and woman. Maybe someday I can come back and help them. But for now I can’t wait to get home.

I’m determined to figure out what is going on with Sam. Our relationship has taken a turn, and I feel like I’m missing out on something fantastic every moment I’m away from him.

And Azir. That’s one thing Cole may be right about. He and the prime minister may be safer without me around.