Suddenly Sorceress (14 page)

“Because Chloe hates Jonathan.” I carefully dodged his attempt to feed me.

“You’ve been sleeping for several hours. Things change.”

My mouth dropped open just long enough for Jack to shovel in another bite of eggs.

“While you were playing Sleeping Beauty on the couch here, your best friend managed to work her own brand of magic on my brother.” He held a glass of orange juice to my lips. “Sip.”

I gulped down a mouthful of sweet pulp. “But she didn’t like him, like, at all. Not even a little.”

“He can be very charming when he wants to be. He taught her a magic trick and, apparently, succumbed to a little feminine enchantment himself.”

Classic Chloe.
“So where did they go?”

“I have a hunch, but it would be ungentlemanly of me to say.” He winked.

“No,” I mouthed.

“I think so, yes.” He bobbed his head, sucking in his cheeks.

I felt around in the cushions. “I need to text her right now.”

“You can’t. You left your phone, remember?”

I fell back into the couch. The eggs settled like a lead weight in my stomach. “I almost forgot.”
I’m a fugitive from justice.

“Come on.” Jack tugged my arm until I sat up again. “You need to eat.”

“I’m not hungry anymore.”

“You need your strength.” He waggled the forkful of eggs in front of my nose, and I opened my mouth.

“I’m not a baby, you know,” I said as I chewed.

“Didn’t your mother ever tell you it’s not polite to talk with your mouth full?” His lips curved into an easy smile, but I wasn’t in the mood for his teasing.

I narrowed my eyes and pulled my lips into a dark scowl as I chewed. The more I thought about my predicament, the more my anger morphed into despair. I felt the familiar sting of tears welling up in my eyes.

“Hey.” Jack abandoned the plate and sank into the sofa beside me, tugging me into his arms. “I know this is hard, but you’re stronger than you realize. And you’re not alone. You have Chloe… and you have me.”

Jack’s words hit me like a wrecking ball, and big fat tears bubbled out of me like a fountain. I fisted his shirt with both hands as I curled into him and sobbed against his chest. The weight of the past few days lifted a little with every fresh wave.

Jack rubbed soothing circles on my back as he held me and pressed soft kisses against my hair. He let me cry until my shuddering breaths slowed to a smooth rhythm. “Please let me be here for you? Can you do that? Can you just try to let me in?”

I gave a jerky nod, wiping my runny nose on his shirt.

He chuckled. “Is that a yes?”

“Yes,” I whispered, wiping my face with the corners of Jon’s smelly cape.

“Now drink your juice.” He grabbed the half-empty glass and handed it to me. “Go ahead and finish your breakfast. The shower’s all yours when you’re ready. Just forget about everything else for the next hour, and let me figure out how we’re getting home.”

Home.
I couldn’t even imagine how we’d get back with that horse of a dog. He certainly wouldn’t fit in the carry-on luggage compartment. And once we figured out how to get him back to Atlanta, what would I do with him? I was no closer to changing him back than I’d been a day earlier, and I was no closer to explaining to the police what had happened to my fiancé.
Ex-fiancé.

I’m so screwed.

Jack handed me the fork, and I shoveled in another heaping bite of egg, choking it down when I thought of a new question. “Has Matt eaten since we got here?” I may have disliked him, but I couldn’t let him starve. I found I had much more compassion for him as a dog than I ever had as a person.

“He ate a bowl of oatmeal and four hamburgers. I think he’s fine. He’s been out like a light ever since.”

“Did you slip him another Benadryl?”

“Nah. At his current size, it would take a few more than that to knock him out. Besides, we need to conserve what little we have. I’m pretty sure he’s just tired from all the excitement.”

All I could do was nod. I may have had one less thing to worry about, but there were still far too many to count, and the day was young.

Eighteen

“S
o as it turns out,
Jon has a private jet.” Chloe twisted a lock of her blond hair around her finger and let a loose curl fall as she stared into Jon’s eyes across the table. I think they were holding hands under there.

“Would you stop that? You’re making me lose my appetite.” I tried in vain to avert my eyes from the train wreck in front of me. Watching Chloe shove big, juicy grapes into Jon’s mouth was more than I could bear. It didn’t seem fair for Chloe to be blissfully happy while my life careened out of control.

“Oh, be quiet, Ivie. It’s not like you don’t have your own magician,” she said with a pronounced wiggle of her fingers in our direction.

Jack shrugged at me, but I saw his smile threatening to come out.

“Yeah, Ivie, you have your own magician,” Jon said and punched Jack lightly in the arm.

“Ouch.” Jack rubbed the spot.

Maybe not so lightly.

“Can we get back to the important stuff?” I drummed my fingers on the side of the table. “What were you saying about a private jet?”

“Oh right. I have a private jet.” Jon plucked another grape from the bunch and popped it in his mouth. Then he leaned in and whispered something in Chloe’s ear, setting her off in a fit of giggles.

My breakfast threatened to make a reappearance. “Hellooo?” I banged my fist against the table, making the flatware clank together. “You actually own a jet?”

They stopped canoodling to gape at me.

“Let’s just say it’s at my disposal.” Jon shrugged. “How else am I supposed to get to shows?” He went back to popping grapes into his mouth.

“Private jet means no problem getting Matt home. We don’t have to fly commercial,” Chloe said.

“For today’s purposes, the dog is part of my act,” Jonathan added.

“Perfect,” Jack said with a wide grin.

“Not perfect.” I forced a smile. “But not bad.”

Jack took my hand and squeezed. “We’re going to figure something out. Don’t worry.”

For the record, I did worry… a lot. So much that my hair seemed to be falling out. I had left a clump of bright red strands in the shower drain, like the remnants of a Ronald McDonald wig. “When do we leave?”

“What’s the rush?” Jon tossed up a fat, purple grape and caught it in his mouth. “Nothing waiting in Atlanta but a firing squad, right?” He smirked as he chewed.

“Jon!” Chloe smacked his hand and scowled at him. She turned to me. “Sorry.”

“I’m glad you find my situation so funny all of a sudden.” I pushed away from the table, tipping my empty water glass onto a plate with a loud clatter.

“Oh, Ivie, he’s just trying to add a little humor to the mix.” Chloe followed me across the room. “I’ve been thinking a lot about what’s happened, and I have an idea. You can’t remember what Matt looks like anymore, right? Can’t picture him in here?” She tapped a French-manicured finger against my forehead. “Well I think that’s the whole problem. You imagined your boots the way they looked brand new, then you did the spell and they were brand new again. You can’t picture Matt as a person because all that’s left of him is his betrayal and the names you gave him when he called off the wedding. A skunk, a rat, a snake, and a dog… or two. But this time, he’s at least a person-sized dog. You’re getting closer.”

I had to give it to her. Her theory made more sense than anything I’d heard in days. “Chloe, you’re a genius.” I hugged her and planted a kiss on her cheek while she wiggled free.

“Let’s not get carried away.” She snorted.

“I need to find some way to imagine Matt the way he was. We need to get to Atlanta and find a picture of him somewhere. There has to be one at the gym. He practically lives—
lived
—there.” Tingling started at my toes and worked up my spine to my hair. For the first time in days, I had hope that my life might actually get back to normal. I glanced at Jack in his rumpled clothes with his perpetually messy hair and heart-stopping smile. Maybe not normal, but better. “So when can we leave?”

Jon juggled a handful of grapes. “Right after tonight’s show. I’ll ask the pilot to set a flight plan.”

Jack shook his head. “That ridiculous thing isn’t going to hold if he decides to bolt.”

Chloe gripped the thin, rhinestone-encrusted strap and clipped the other end to Jack’s belt, looped around Matt’s neck. “It wasn’t ridiculous when he was a Scottie. It was cute. I had big plans to take him out for ‘walkies’ with this leash!”

Jack laughed. “If you say so.”

“Matt won’t bolt.” I grabbed his gray muzzle between both hands and stared into his puppy dog eyes. “Will you?”

Matt whined, shaking his head to extract his face from my grip.

I wiped my slobbery hands on my jeans. There were worse things. Like skunk spray or rat bites—or snakes. All of them put together still trumped the actual guy, and yet, I couldn’t wait to change him back. I actually looked forward to seeing his stupid, smug grin and listening to his condescending voice. For all of five minutes, that is—just long enough for me to walk out of his life for the last time.

“He knows what’ll happen to him if I don’t change him back. Don’t you?” I watched his tail plant itself firmly between his legs.

“Not so scary now, are you?” Chloe teased.

Matt growled at her.

She stepped back. “I really don’t like him.”

Jon swooped in behind her and wrapped her in his arms. “Are we ready to go?” He rested his chin on the top of her head.

She giggled. “I’m ready.”

I wasn’t. A niggling sense of foreboding clung to me like summer sweat. “Okay, let’s get this show on the road.”

One by one, we boarded the Cessna Citation as if queuing up for a funeral procession. Our time in Vegas had been an all-too-short reprieve from the grim reality waiting for us in Atlanta. Well, waiting for me. The rest of them were merely spectators. And just being with me was disrupting their lives.

Chloe flopped into the window seat and bounced a few times. “This is better than first class! I don’t know if I’ll be able to slum it on a commercial flight ever again.” She giggled. “Oh, speaking of commercial… I left a message with my boss. I’m clear through the end of the week.”

“You think we’ll need all week?” I squeaked.

She shrugged and glanced at Jon. “Either way, my time’s freed up.”

“I told the guys I’d be back in a few days. They aren’t happy, but hey, family emergency, right?” Jon settled into the cream-colored leather seat. That was the third time he’d reminded me that he’d left his usual entourage behind. “They can call Copperfield if they need someone. I’m pretty sure his agent owes my agent a favor.”

“It’s so nice of you to come with us.” My cheeks ached from holding the fake smile.

Chloe beamed. “It is nice, isn’t it?”

“Oh, you know, I thought maybe I could help.” Jon squeezed her hand, and I translated that to mean he’d tagged along for the booty factor. “I usually travel with a whole entourage, but I figured you were trying to come in under the radar.” Make that four times.

I imagined turning Jon into a little gray hare. “Yes, it would be best if I did.”

“Hey, Jack, you remember the guys from that summer I toured Hamburg?”

Jack’s eyes snapped up from the text message he was sending, and he choked out a laugh. I suspected there was more to that story.

“Oh, man, great bunch of guys. Lenny still can’t look at a redhead without throwing up.” Jon stared at my hair and blinked twice. “Oh, hey, sorry, Ivie.” He flashed a quick smile.

I won’t turn Jon into a rabbit. I won’t…
“Don’t worry about it. I’m not really a redhead.”

“She isn’t. You should see what she looks like when she’s not all juiced up on magic. Very Audrey Hepburn.” Chloe beamed at me as if she were doing me a favor. As if maybe I didn’t look my best as a redhead.

“I’m going to check on Matt.” I moved to the back of the plane where he slept.

Jack had slipped him the last of our remaining Benadryl capsules, knocking him out cold. I worried he’d still be sleeping when we got home, but Jack assured me it would wear off by then. I really hoped so, because I wasn’t going to carry him if it didn’t.

I knew I should be sleeping too. It was after midnight and we would be arriving in Atlanta early, but as usual, nervous energy twisted my stomach into knots.

Sliding into what reminded me of a buff-colored leather recliner, I pulled out my notebook to start a to-do list. The top of the list?
Do not get arrested
. That seemed obvious, but I scrawled it out anyway.
Find picture of Matt
.
Get dark hair dye. Buy new bras. Call in sick. Change Matt back.
If I had time,
Get refill for birth control pills
.

I needed to move calling my boss higher on the list since I wasn’t going to show up at work looking like
this
. I ran a hand through my tangled mass of cherry Kool-Aid hair. At that point, I wasn’t sure if I had a job at all. Especially if the police had already been there. My head pounded just thinking about it. With my aching head resting against the seat, I listened to the drone of the engines and drifted off.

“Ivie. Ivie, wake up.” Jack’s voice broke through my amazing dream.

“Jack?” Dream Jack, in his magician suit, had me bent over an airplane lavatory, slamming into me from behind. Reality Jack jostled me awake on a plane heading for a date with a lethal injection.
All things being equal, I’d rather be asleep.

“Hey, we’re almost there.”

The pilot’s voice came over the intercom like a bad cliché. “We’re starting our approach into Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. The Fasten Seatbelt sign is on, so please move your seats into the upright position and remain seated until we have safely landed and taxied to the gate. We should be on the ground in ten.”

Ten minutes ’til touchdown.
My stomach flopped around like a carnival goldfish, and a faint prickling ran over my skin. The thought of returning to the scene of the crime gave me goose bumps. The worst part? Not knowing what waited for me back at home.

Matt panted at my feet but I found it hard to drum up any sympathy for him. It was his fault we were in that mess in the first place.

My stomach plummeted along with the plane’s descent, my knuckles whitening from my death grip on the armrests as we dropped toward the runway. The heavy thump of rubber hitting asphalt, along with the resulting shriek of wind as the spoilers flew up to slow our approach, sent my heart careening into my throat.

I tried to calm my racing pulse by combing my fingers through my hair and tucking it behind my ears. Then my shaky hands struggled to straighten my clothes.
One should always look her best when walking into a firing squad.

Jack grabbed my hand, lacing our fingers together, and brought it to his lips for a quick kiss. “Time to go.” His gentle touch calmed me.

“No turning back now.” I blew out a breath.

He smiled and leaned in to nuzzle my neck. “I’ll be right beside you the whole time.”

“Okay, kids. Everybody out of the boat.” Jon’s voice shattered our moment. He pulled his bags from the overhead compartment. “Chloe, what the hell do you have in here?” He strained to lift Chloe’s bag with one hand.

“Oh, no, I’ll take that.” Chloe blushed and wrestled the handle away from him. “This is as light as I travel, I’m afraid.”

Jack gripped Matt’s rhinestone leash and reached out to clasp my hand.

I threw my leopard print bag over my shoulder. “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s go.”

The moment my shoes met the tarmac, the hair on the back of my neck stood up. A strange, unexpected aura permeated the air around me, like the shifting barometric pressure before a storm, and I didn’t like it. Not one bit. I tipped my face up to the sky and closed my eyes. A heavy force pressed down on me. “Something’s… off,” I told Jack. “Wrong.”

“Hey, look at me.” I turned toward him and he smiled, squeezing my tense hand. “Everything’s fine.”

“No.” I shook my head, fixating on the curious hum of static energy. My insides wound up like pantyhose in a dryer. I’d never had a premonition before, but without question, I was in the midst of one. “It’s not.”

Jon and Chloe came down the stairs arm-in-arm, oblivious to the supercharged ions. “Seriously, woman, how many pairs of shoes do you have in this bag?” Jon teased as he set down the heavy bag.

She waved him off. “Just a few.” Her bright smile faltered as her eyes met mine. “What’s wrong?” She swept the area with her eyes. “Ivie? What is it?”

I was detached from my surroundings, trapped in the dark aura.
Maybe I’m dreaming.
“I don’t know.” I cleared my throat. I didn’t recognize my voice. The unfamiliar feeling had me wound up. “Someone’s here. They’re looking for me. I have no idea how or why, but I can
feel
them thinking about me. They have my picture…” I spun around to gape at Chloe. “The one you took of me ice skating in the park last Christmas!”

The color drained from Chloe’s face. “You’re scaring me. What do you mean someone’s here and they have a picture I took of you?”

“Don’t ask how I know, but I’m sure. They’ve been to my house.” I shook my head to clear the cloud surrounding me. “It gets worse. They have a picture of me taken two days ago when we checked in for our flight. It’s grainy but definitely me.”

“Can I get my hand back?” Jack winced, and I released the stranglehold I had on him.

“Sorry.” My fingers tingled as blood rushed back into them.

A frown darkened his features as he scanned the area. “If you’re right, we need to get out of here.”

“I guess it’s a good thing I ordered a limo.” Jon motioned to the black stretch SUV pulling around the back of the plane.