Believe: The Complete Channie Series (97 page)

“Sounds good. I’ll call you when I get home from the track tomorrow if I don’t hear from you before then.”

Josh continued to stare at his phone even after they said their good-byes. He was glad that Hunter was on his way to rescue Channie, but he was lonely. “Maybe I should call Mom and see what she’s up to?”

The sound of his voice echoing through the empty house depressed him. Calling Mom was a stupid idea. She’d know something was wrong as soon as she heard his voice. And Mom was a lot harder to fool than Dad.

Josh had plenty of homework to keep him busy, but he wasn’t ready to tackle it just yet. He needed to work on his bike if he planned to race the next day.

Josh
replaced the tires on his old bike and tuned it in record time. It was too early to go to bed so he decided he might as well get a little of his homework out of the way. “I wonder if I can use magic to help me study?”

Josh closed his eyes and murmured, “I want to remember everything I read,” then opened his World History text book. He did the same thing with Statistics, French and Calculus. “Man, I wish I’d known about magic all along. This is too easy. Ah, crap. It’s probably cheating.”

Josh was still debating the morality of using magic to help him study when stripper music poured out of his phone.

His heart leapt into his throat then settled into a steady, but rapid beat. There was no way Hunter had made it to Arkansas yet. “What’s up?”

“I just about got blown to bits. I swear there’re more trackers in Kansas than cops. They’re everywhere. I got two speeding tickets I couldn’t magic my way out of and a warning.”

“Are you all right?”

“I’m fine, but that damn tracker ain’t.”

“What are you saying? Did you…kill him?”

“No clue. I didn’t hang around to see if he was still breathing.
”

“Man! It sounds like you’re the one that needs to be careful.”

“Don’t I know it!
”
There was a brief pause.
“So…does Kassie know I’m gone?”

“Yeah.
”

“Is she mad?”

“Why don’t you just call her?”

“I’d rather face a tracker.”

“Give her a day to cool off. If you wait much longer, she’s just going to get madder.”

“I cain’t deal with her right now. Have you been practicing any magic?”

“I used magic to help me remember some school stuff. But I don’t think I’m going to do it again.”

“Why not?”

“
It feels like cheating.”

“Why would that be cheating?”

“It gives me an unfair advantage.”

“Some folks are natural born geniuses. How many of them are worried about whether or not that’s fair to the rest of us?”

“It’s not like a genius can turn off part of their brain. I can choose to not use magic.”

“Are you competing with the other students?”

“It’s not like I’m in the running for Valedictorian or anything. And none of my teachers grade on a curve so it won’t hurt anyone if I score high on tests.”

“Well, there you go. My own personal philosophy is if it don’t hurt no one, it’s okay. And sometimes it’s okay even if it does hurt someone. I’d take every opportunity I could to stick it to Eric.”

Josh grinned even though Hunter couldn’t see him. “Thanks. I feel a little less guilty.”

“You’re welcome. I’d like to shoot the breeze with you for a while, but Ms. Wisdom seems to think that trackers can find us through our phones so I better hang up.”

“She’s right, Hunter. In fact, you need to get a cheap disposable phone and don’t use it for anything except emergencies.”

Hunter hung up. Either he had a real problem with good-byes or he just didn’t like Josh telling him to get rid of his phone. Whatever.

Josh considered replacing his own phone, but trackers weren’t after him. At least, not yet. Besides, his contract with AT&T had another year on it. He wouldn’t be able to get a new iPhone without spending a fortune.
Huh. That’s weird.
He’d never let the cost of anything stop him before. Why was he suddenly so concerned about wasting money? It must have something to do with being married.

With the next day’s assignments out of the way, Josh didn’t feel as much pressure. He still had lots of makeup work to do, but he needed a good night’s rest if he wanted to have a decent showing at the race. He programmed the shower for twenty minutes of steam followed by ten minutes of hydro-massage. He could have used another cleansing spell, but it wasn’t nearly as relaxing as a shower.

When he finished, he slipped into a pair of boxers then went downstairs to lock up. He bent over to lower the security bar on the sliding glass door but froze when something darted out from behind the storage shed and jumped the fence in the back yard.

It was probably just a deer, or maybe a mountain lion. Josh slid the door open two inches. His shield exploded out of his stomach and formed a bubble of light around him.

“Whoa!” He hadn’t even thought about using his shield. His body must be acting on pure instinct. He slid the door open a little further and stepped outside. A buzz of foreign energy lingered in the air but there was no one there.

Hunter
jammed his helmet on his head and adjusted the chin strap. He hated leaving Josh behind, especially when he was still so naive and ignorant about magic. He needed some serious tutoring before facing off with Dominance, but he needed Channie even more. Without her, Josh would never be able to focus. He’d proved as much while they were studying the words from the Book of the Dead. That boy had it bad.

So did Hunter. He knew that leaving without saying good-bye to Kassie was a chickenshit move, but he
hated
good-byes and she was already mad at him. If he thought they could have parted on good terms, he might have risked it, but they were both too hotheaded and stubborn. They’d end up fighting. One, or both, of them would say something they’d regret. He’d make it up to her after he rescued Channie.

Hunter straddled the “Green Beast” and fired it up. He loved the way the engine roared to life. The vibration between his thighs gave him such a feeling of power. It was better than magic. It was almost as good as sex. He goosed the throttle and grinned as the front wheel lifted off the pavement. His worries scattered like leaves in his wake as he flew down the highway. Of all the gifts Ms. Stephanie had given him, this one was the best. He let out a whoop of pure joy. “Man, I love this bike!”

The adrenaline rush faded, but left behind a pleasant energy that kept him alert for the first six hours. He stopped in Hayes, Kansas for food and fuel and then again in Wellington, even though he didn’t need to. He wasn’t going to risk running out of gas again. Not if he could help it. He could have pushed through without stopping to sleep, but decided that was pure foolishness. He needed to stay sharp and he couldn’t do that without getting a few hours of sleep. It was safer to stop in a big city where he could hide in plain sight. He hated to waste the money, but if he didn’t pick a nice hotel, his bike would attract thieves, including trackers. The Cherokee Hotel and Casino just off Highway 421 in Siloam Springs, Arkansas was perfect.

He stepped up to the desk and pulled a hundred dollar bill out of his wallet. “I’d like a single room for one night.”

“I’m sorry. We don’t rent to minors.” The lady behind the desk licked her lips as her gaze traveled south.

“I get that a lot.” Hunter put his elbows on the counter and leaned forward to read her name tag.“But I assure you, Ms. Patricia, I’m legal.”

He lowered his eyelids to half-mast, gave her a lazy, crooked smile and used his sexiest voice, but resisted the temptation to use a come-hither spell. She wasn’t a mage, but he sensed several nearby. He didn’t want to draw attention to himself, or get busted for using illegal magic.

Her cheeks flushed. “All guests have to sign in with proper identification. Even those paying with cash.”

Hunter pulled his fake driver’s license out and slid it across the counter. “There you go, sugar. Is that proper enough?”

She swallowed then tore her gaze from his with obvious effort and examined the plastic card. “I’m supposed to request two forms of ID.”

Crap.
Hunter’s smile slid off his face. “My ex cut up my credit cards. This is all I have. I guess I’ll go try my luck at the Best Western.”

She covered Hunter’s hand with hers then glanced to the left at the other fella working next to her. He was busy checking in a couple of newlyweds. “Sign here. But don’t tell anyone.”

Hunter smiled and winked at her. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

“I get off work at midnight. I could show you around the casino.”

“Tempting. Very tempting.” Hunter lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. He didn’t want to hurt her feelings, and she was attractive, but he was only flirting with her so she’d rent him the room. Seeing Kassie again had done a number on him. He didn’t want any more casual hookups. “I gotta get on the road by dawn tomorrow morning. If I meet you at midnight, I doubt I’d get any rest at all.”

“That’s a little presumptuous.” She tugged her hand out of his grasp then folded her arms over her breasts.

“Do you have a break before you get off work? I’d like to at least buy you a drink.”

“I’ve already taken my break.” She wrote a string of numbers on the back of the receipt before handing it Hunter. “If you change your mind after midnight and I’m not here, give me a call.”

“Will do.” Hunter gave her his sexiest grin and another wink then turned around and headed toward the elevator. He had no intention of leaving his room until morning.

A rap on his door woke him up. At first, Hunter couldn’t remember where he was, but the glowing numbers on the clock brought it all back. Twelve fifteen. Dang. Some women just can’t take a hint. He didn’t even check the peep-hole before unbolting and opening the door. But instead of a horny desk clerk, two men in black suits filled the doorframe. Both of them mages.

Hunter’s shield snapped into place. But when the men didn’t raise theirs, he lowered his. “Sorry ‘bout that. It’s sort of an ingrained response. My ex has the nastiest stinging spell.”

The men chuckled and nodded. “Sorry to bother you, but we’re looking for a family of mages that disappeared under suspicious circumstances last August. Do you know of, or have you heard of, anyone that goes by the name of Money Kerns or Monroe Belks?”

Hunter clamped down on the fear trying to burst out of his energy field. He scratched the back of his head and frowned. “Let me think a minute. That name sounds familiar. I’ve been working out of state. Is he from around here?”

“Originally. But we know that he moved to Las Vegas.”

“Ah…that must be where I heard it. I worked at ‘Her Lady’s Pleasure’ as an exotic dancer in Vegas for a while. Do you have a picture? That might help jog my memory.”

The men sighed. “No. All we have is a description. He’s a large man, about six foot four and three hundred pounds. He also has a gambling addiction.”

“I don’t recall seeing any mages that fit that description. We get a few fellas in the club, but most of our clientele are women.” Hunter knew he needed to just shut up, but he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to gather a little intel. “Can I ask why y’all are looking for him? Is he in trouble?”