Hank leaned out the window. “Is it okay to leave the SUV here and go on into town to get some gas for it?”
“I’ll give you twenty-four hours. After that it’ll have to be towed. If it’s towed, it’ll go to George’s Garage on South Main Street.”
“Fair enough.” Hank gave a terse nod of his head, leaned back against the seat and started the engine. He pulled onto the highway.
Bella concentrated on the soothing hum of the wheels revolving against the pavement, trying to relax. She looked up and saw the lights of a town. “Farmton?”
Hank nodded.
“I’m going in alone.” She tried to ignore the pressure building behind her eyes.
Bella waited a heartbeat. When Hank didn’t speak, she turned toward him. “You aren’t going to fight me on this, are you, sugar?”
“You’ll be wearing the power amulet?”
She looked at Sabina who nodded. “Yes.”
“Then no, Isabella, I’m not. With the amulet, you won’t need me.”
I
’
ll always need you
,
sugar
.
Speechless, reeling from the answer and the use of her full name, Bella blinked. It was the answer she wanted but hadn’t expected. “Well, then…good.”
She took off her amulet and handed it to Sabina. “Collateral.”
Sabina nodded, unbuttoned her cuff, pushed up her sleeve and slipped hers off. She handed it to Bella.
Bella’s hand tingled as she clasped it in her fingers then slipped it on her forearm. Sabina did the same with the beauty-creativity amulet.
The headlights caught a large sign welcoming them to Farmton.
“I’m going to have to drop you off in town.” Bella shifted her hips in the seat, looking for a more comfortable spot to sit.
Hank nodded. “There’s an all-night diner a block up and to the right.” At the next block, he turned right and pulled in front of a dingy, poorly lit diner. Through the glass they could see a couple of men on barstools sipping from white coffee mugs and a young couple giggling in a booth in front of the plate glass window. Hank put the truck in park and let it idle. “Place doesn’t look like much but it’s got the best pie in the entire state of Wisconsin.”
“I’ll have to try it sometime. I love pie.” Bella dry-washed her hands, her only sign of agitation.
Sabina opened the door. “The gods speed.” She stepped out, shut the door and waited on the sidewalk.
Hank looked at Bella for a long, long moment then grabbed her face between his hands and kissed her, hard. Without another word he opened the truck door and stepped out.
Bella blinked, dazed.
He shut the door then stood there, his hands resting on the ledge of the open window. “Stay out of trouble.”
“Eat a piece of pie for me,” she replied, scooting over to the driver’s side.
“What’s your favorite?” Hank lounged against the truck as if he had all the time in the world.
“I like them all but I claim blackberry.”
“Blackberry it is then.”
Their gazes locked.
Bella’s lips parted.
Hank’s eyes darkened.
On impulse she reached out of the truck, grabbed him by the collar, pulled him to her and planted a long, moist kiss on his lips.
With great reluctance, she lifted her throbbing mouth from his. Straightening, she put the truck in drive. “I’ll be back.”
“I’m counting on it.” He stepped back from the truck.
She tapped the gas pedal.
Shoving his hands in his pockets, he stood in the street and watched her drive off.
“She’ll be all right,” Sabina said from the sidewalk.
He waited until the truck’s lights disappeared then joined Sabina. “That was a brave thing you did entrusting her with your amulet. You don’t really know us. What if all this is just an elaborate hoax?”
“Then I’ll have to destroy you.”
He reached for his hat that wasn’t there and ran his fingers through his hair instead, leaving it standing on end. “Gottcha.”
Using her thumb, she reached up and ran it under his lip.
Hank jumped back like he’d been scalded.
She held up her thumb for him to see under the lamplight. “Lipstick, bright red.”
“Just be careful, you’re wearing the beauty amulet now.”
She laughed. “Gets to you, does it?”
“Me and every red-blooded male for a fifty-mile radius.”
She looked up at him, judging, assessing and finally smiling. “I don’t think I’ve got to worry about you, Hank McHenry.”
He rocked on his heels. “Of course, you don’t,” he snapped. “That doesn’t mean I like having my equilibrium tossed around.”
“I’ll remember that,” she said, biting down on her lips until they formed a straight line that kept trying to tilt upward. “So are we going to try some of that famous pie?”
“I’m afraid that treat is going to have to wait.” He started to walk and she fell in beside him, her heels clicking against the sidewalk.
She looked at him and arched a brow, a questioning gesture.
“See that gas station on the corner?” He tipped his head toward the other side of the street.
“Yes.”
“Everybody who works in a gas station has a buddy who’s a mechanic. We are going to get the name of a mechanic and pay him an exorbitant amount of money to get that SUV fixed ASAP. I think the fuel line has a hole in it. They would want something that would get the SUV a good distance from the house before it died. So I’m betting a can of gasoline and either a new hose or some good duct tape will put us back in business.” Determination surged through him. “And then we find Bella, Maureen and Jack.”
“You are not to be trusted.”
“Really?” He looked down at her.
She smiled. It softened her features and lit up her face, giving her a Madonna quality that startled Hank. “At least not about agreeing to sit idly by when someone you care about is in danger. I think you could be trusted with anything else, including our lives.”
* * * * *
The sky overhead was gray and a heavy mist hung in the air
.
Didn
’
t the sun ever shine in this gods
-
forsaken place
?
He watched Striker stride toward him
.
Even though he
,
Victor
,
was a god and Striker couldn
’
t hurt him
,
for just a moment he felt a raw frisson of fear travel up his spine
,
chilling him
.
Striker stopped in front of him, his back to the guard. He pulled a switchblade and held it in the cusp of his hand, his stance menacing. “I’m not willing to wait much longer, Price.”
“We’ll be out of here within forty-eight hours.” Victor’s nostrils flared with disdain. Who did this thug of a mortal think he was, threatening a god?
Chapter Twelve
Bella drove with the window down, the cool night air blowing her hair and roughening her skin with goose bumps. There was no traffic and no lights. She looked at the odometer. She’d gone five point seven miles. Squinting, she leaned forward, clicked on the high beam and took her foot off the gas, slowing the truck. There was the turn, she’d nearly shot past it! She slammed on the brakes and jerked the wheel to the left.
Her hands tightened on the wheel. They’d never gotten the password for Billie Jones’ phone. Would it have made a difference?
I can
’
t think about that now
.
She took a deep breath, two more miles. Pine and oak lined the dirt lane. When she hit a pothole, she bounced on the seat like a jumping jack. She grimaced, better not to think about Jack right now. A glance at the odometer told her she had one mile to go. Slowing, she dimmed her lights.
Creeping along at ten miles an hour, she kept a close eye on the odometer. When she’d gone another three-quarters of a mile, she pulled the truck off the road, turned off the engine and cut the lights.
Opening the door, she stepped out of the truck and leaned against it, letting her eyes adjust to the night. The wind soughing through the pines hit her in the face and blew her hair straight back, bringing tears to her eyes. In the distance, a coyote howled. She shivered and rubbed her arms, touching the amulet on her forearm. Power surged through her. She pushed herself away from the truck and began to walk.
She’d gone about four yards when she heard a rustling on her left. Mindful of the coyote, she spun around. A deer charged through the underbrush, crossed the road almost in front of her and disappeared into the pines. Her breath came out in a shaky whoosh as she clutched her heart and forced herself to move forward.
Her eyes adjusted to the night. Eerie shadows, from the trees, lined the lane like gaunt skeletons. A dim light shone to her right. The house.
Glancing around, she bent low and ran up the drive. She stopped in the shadows several yards from the dilapidated structure. A dark sedan was parked in the driveway. Moths fluttered under the porch light, which was dim and yellow from dirt and dust.
She inched forward. The lights in the front rooms of the house were off. She stole ‘round the side to the back and saw a dim light glowing from a window. Hunkered down, she crept toward it.
Looking up at the window, she sighed. It was just out of reach. At times like this, she would sell her soul for a few more inches. Standing on tiptoe, she grabbed the windowsill, pulled herself up and hung on, fervently hoping no one would glance out the window.
Her nose pressed against the dirty glass, she swallowed a gasp. The back of black trousers was inches from her face. Craning her neck, she looked up. Billie Jones, the punk who’d attacked her and Maureen, stood in front of the window, his legs splayed. Inching to the right, she stretched and peeped around him.
Jack lay on his back on the dirty floor, his arms and legs bound, his eyes closed. Maureen sat pressed next to him, her hands and feet tied, her knees drawn up to her chest.
Victoria circled them like a rabid dog, waving a gun in Maureen’s face. Even through the dirty window, Bella could see the glowing light of madness in her eyes. A dribble of white foam formed at the corner of her mouth and trickled down her chin. With a careless swipe, she wiped it away.
Victoria glanced at her watch and smiled. A macabre stretching of the lips that made Bella shudder, she could just imagine how poor Maureen must feel.
Victoria raised her gun and pointed it at Maureen’s head.
Hanging by one hand, Bella jerked her rigid arm at the light and concentrated. The light bulb shattered in a million pieces at the same time a gunshot sounded.
Jesus Christ! At least the gun was pointed at Maureen, as long as she had the amulet on, she would survive… If she had the amulet on.
Bella dropped to the ground and ran around the side of the house. She shot her arm up and focused on the porch light. With a pop, it went out, leaving the night in darkness except for the moon drifting in and out of clouds and Bella wasn’t sure even the amulet could take on Mother Nature.
Flattened against the side of the house, she reached over and pushed open the front door. The rusty hinge shrieked like a screech owl. She heard running steps and a wild shot. Damn, what now?
Bella backed up as the footsteps got closer. Mist enveloped her like a ghost’s shroud. The moon came out at the same time Billie Jones stepped onto the porch, waving a gun.
His head swiveled in her direction. Their eyes locked. “You,” he snarled and raised his gun.
Bella’s arm shot out. His gun went flying toward her and would have hit her in the head if she hadn’t ducked. “Guess I need to work on that,” she muttered then shot her arm out again.
Step by unwilling step, Billie Jones backed up ‘til his back was pressed against the house, his arms extended like a grotesque representation of one of Da Vinci’s more famous works. He struggled but couldn’t move. “What are you doing to me?” he screamed, obscenities flying from his mouth.
“Later, Billie.” She made her way into the dark house. Standing in the shadows, she waited for her eyes to adjust. The room was empty except for a few pieces of furniture with dustcovers thrown over them.
Victoria’s muffled voice came from the back of the house. “Billie, where are you, baby?”
Some women have no taste in men
.
Bella shook her head.
Then again
,
maybe it
’
s a match made in heaven
,
or hell as the case may be
. She crept forward her back pressed against the wall, feeling gritty dirt beneath her fingertips.
“Billie, where are you?” Victoria called out, hysteria edging her voice.
Moving fast, Bella followed the sound.
Keep talking
,
Victoria
.
“Bill” The voice cut off with a grunt.
Bella heard a thump and started to run.
Bolting through the door, she saw the shadowy figures of Maureen and Victoria rolling on the floor. Maureen’s head pressed against Victoria’s abdomen, Victoria pounding on Maureen’s head with clasped fists.
Since Maureen was at a disadvantage with her hands bound in front of her and her feet tied together, Bella decided it was time to lend a hand. Her arm shot out and Victoria went flying against the wall to land on it with her arms and legs splayed. There she stayed.
In the dark, Bella could see the whites of Maureen’s eyes. “Pretty cool, huh?” Bella said conversationally.
“How in the hell did you do that?” Maureen croaked.
“Get me down from here, you crazy bitch,” Victoria screamed.
“Talk about the pot calling the kettle black,” Bella observed as she ripped off the duct tape wrapped around Maureen’s wrists.
“Ouch!” Maureen yelled as Bella yanked it away from the skin.
“Don’t be such a baby. You get your ankles and I’ll see about Jack. I would have loved to have seen that tackle.”
Maureen began to remove the duct tape from her ankles. “Thank goodness I’m wearing jeans, I’ve saved no end of skin. Jack, are you okay?”
“I’m okay,” he mumbled.
The duct tape made a rending sound as Bella tore it off Jack’s wrists. “Can you get your ankles?”
He nodded, pushed himself to a sitting position and began to rub his wrists.
Bella dusted off her dress, though why she wasn’t sure. The sucker was ruined. “Be right back.” She walked through the house and onto the porch. Putting her hands on her fist, she tilted her head and studied Billie.
He thrashed his head about, screaming, “Get me down, you crazy bitch.”
“Tsk, tsk, remember the old adage, if you can’t say something nice don’t say anything at all?”
She flashed her arm upward.
Billy opened his mouth but nothing came out. He shook his head back and forth, his mouth still moving.
Bella dusted her hands together and walked back into the house. “I could sure get used to this power stuff.”
She stepped into the room the hostages had been kept in and saw Maureen bending over Jack, both of them grimacing. “What did daddy’s little girl do to Jack?” Bella yelled over Victoria’s screaming invectives.
“Used him for a punching bag,” Maureen shouted back as she laid hands on him.
As Victoria continued to scream, Bella rubbed her pounding head. “Oh, for the gods’ sake,” she muttered. Her arm shot out and Victoria fell silent, her mouth still working.
Both Jack and Maureen stared at her. Finally, Maureen said, “That is too cool.”
“Wouldn’t mind having one of those toys myself,” Jack said, his gaze sliding to her arm. Putting his hand against the wall, he shoved himself to his feet and stretched his legs to get the circulation going again. “Let’s get out of here.”
“What about her?” Maureen pointed at Victoria, adhered to the wall.
“I have an idea.”
Glad my brain can still function without the creativity amulet though I
’
m sure some dregs still remain
. She walked over and plucked off the cell phone clasped at Victoria’s waist.
She dialed 9-1-1. “This is Victoria Price. There’s some suspicious activity at that old deserted house about ten miles outside Farmton. My boyfriend and I were out walking and heard screams. Sure, we’ll stick around.”
Not
.
Bella gave the police directions then snapped the phone shut.
Turning, she motioned for her friends. “Come on, let’s go.”
Jack looked at Victoria. “Are you going to leave her like that? Where’s her pal?”
“Yes to the first and you’ll see to the second.”
They trooped out to the porch.
Jack looked at Billie and whistled. “You’ve been a busy girl.”
“I’ll tell you all about it later. Right now, let’s get you two out of here.” Bell stepped off the porch and Jack and Maureen followed.
“What do you mean you two?” Maureen asked, tuned in to Bella’s every nuance.
“The truck is parked off the road a few hundred yards back. Get out of here before the police come. I’m going to stay in the background and drop them right before the police arrive then hightail it out of here.”
“I’m not sure I like this plan,” Maureen began.
“Sugar, we don’t have time to argue. I’ve got Victoria’s cell. I’ll phone and you can pick me up as soon as it’s safe. Besides, I have the power amulet.” Excitement crept into Bella’s voice.
Maureen hesitated. Bella looked at Jack. He nodded.
“Come on, Maureen. She’ll be okay and we’ll be back for her as soon as she gives us the all-clear signal.”
Maureen capitulated. “Okay.”
They hurried down the road.
The moon came out, illuminating Maureen as she glanced over her shoulder.
Bella waved and Maureen waved back. “Hurry up, you two,” she murmured under her breath and stepped into the shadows.
Standing in the pines, she listened. Night sounds broke the silence, deep-throated bullfrogs, the occasional who-who of an owl and once in a while rustling in the underbrush. “Come on, come on,” she muttered from the shadows, straining to hear the sound of a car.
Finally, she heard an engine start up. She sagged against a tree, feeling the rough bark bite into her back. “Thank the gods.” Minutes later she heard the sound of a siren. She tensed. “Get out of there, Jack.”
The sounds of sirens grew closer ‘til car lights illumed the lane, two squad cars back to back. Bella waited until the police pulled up in front of the house, killed their lights and got out of their cars before she dropped Billie and gave him the power of speech back. Then she stole ‘round the side of the house and waited near the window where Victoria lay plastered to the wall.
She grinned as she heard Billie scream hysterically about some witch woman gluing him to the wall and taking his voice away. As the policemen and Billie entered the room Victoria was held in, Bella threw out her arm and dropped Victor’s daughter to the floor.
The policemen swept the room with their powerful Maglites. A bright beam swept by then came back to rest on Victoria’s gun lying on the floor. Past all reason, Victoria made a dive for it. A policeman put his foot in her back, then read Victoria her rights and cuffed her. He turned and patted down Billie. When the officer pulled a small plastic bag filled with white powder out of Billie’s pants pocket, he read him his rights and cuffed him too.
Bella stepped backward away from the house and knocked over an old bucket that thumped against the side of the house. The noise startled a screech owl in a nearby tree. The raptor made an unearthly sound, spread his great wings and took off. Bella did the same. A light shone down from the window and circled the spot she’d been in only moments before.
As the shadowy trees closed in around her, she sprinted away from the house, ignoring the rustle in the underbrush and the flicker of yellow eyes in the distance. It took her a few minutes to realize she was headed deeper into the forest and away from the road. Bella stopped, leaned against a tree and tried to catch her breath while she got her bearings.