unscathed.
“You done?” Meaghan asked, hands on her hips and eyebrow raised.
“You . . . you,” Emily sputtered, inarticulate with rage. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with.”
Face impassive, Meaghan said, “Let’s see. You and Natalie are witches and Jamie . . . hell, I don’t what he is. I just know he can’t stay that way.”
Emily’s jaw dropped.
“And I’m sure there’s a bunch of other supernatural crap going on too.” Meaghan waited a beat. “Oh, and I’m impervious to magic. Like my father. There’s a whole lot of detail I still need to pick up, but I think I have the general outline.”
Emily, her face brick red, stared back without reply.
Meaghan took a step closer to the desk. Emily took a step backward.
Gotcha , Meaghan thought. “I know you can’t hex me, but you can still magic all the stuff around me. But you need to understand. You drop a desk on me, you’d better make it count because if I get back up again I’ll kick your ass all over this building.”
She dropped her hands onto the glass desktop and leaned forward. Emily cringed backward. Meaghan glared at her. “Don’t ever come at me through my staff or anyone I care about again. You’ve got a problem with me, you take it up with me.”
Emily refused to meet Meaghan’s eye. With a stiff nod, she pointed at the amulet.
Meaghan scooped the amulet off the desktop. A subtle surge of energy seemed to flow through it. Heavy for its size, it felt warm in her hand, alive.
“Thank you,” said Meaghan. She held the amulet tight in her fist, feeling it throb like a tiny heart. “You and I have gotten off to a bad start. I’m not sure what you hoped to accomplish here, but since you’ve decided to now be reasonable, this one time I’m going to overlook you assaulting my staff members.”
As Meaghan turned to leave, Emily said, her voice tight with anger, “You may be safe from magic but that doesn’t mean I can’t make your life miserable. Politics can get pretty ugly around here and . . .”
Meaghan stormed back to the desk, silencing Emily in mid-rant. Emily backed up so fast she almost sat on the credenza that covered the wall behind her desk.
Again, Meaghan placed both hands on the glass desktop and leaned until she was at eye level with Emily. With icy calm, Meaghan said, “You may be a big bad-ass witch, Endora, but I’ve spent my entire government law career in Maricopa County, Arizona, which is, in many ways, still the Wild, Wild West.” She leaned back and stared down at the cowering Emily. “I know uglier politics than you’ve ever seen. Bring it, sweetie, and I’ll take you to school.”
Meaghan turned on her heel and strode out. The two timid girls in the outer office looked at her with something approaching adulation. Meaghan smiled back. She stopped a moment and said, “She gives you any shit, come see me.”
Eyes wide, they nodded, as Meaghan swept out the door and down the hall.
Chapter 16
M eaghan took the elevator because she wasn’t sure her legs would support her. She slumped against the back wall of the car, eyes shut, her whole body shaking. The amulet thrummed in her hand.Kady had been posted as lookout. When she saw Meaghan, she unlocked the office door. “Did you get it?”
Meaghan opened her hand and displayed the amulet.
“Oh, thank God,” Kady said. “Natalie has to keep hexing him so he doesn’t knock the file room door down.” A metallic boom echoed through the office suite. “There he goes again.”
Meaghan ran back to the file room. Natalie was leaning against the door.
Boom!
Natalie looked grim. “The hexes aren’t working anymore. He’s too strong. And still crazy. City hall’s about the worst place for him to change.”
Meaghan held up the amulet. “How do we get this around his neck?”
Boom!
Natalie turned her head and shouted at the closed door. “Damn it, you little shit, we’re trying to help you!”
“What if you magic
“You done?” Meaghan asked, hands on her hips and eyebrow raised.
“You . . . you,” Emily sputtered, inarticulate with rage. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with.”
Face impassive, Meaghan said, “Let’s see. You and Natalie are witches and Jamie . . . hell, I don’t what he is. I just know he can’t stay that way.”
Emily’s jaw dropped.
“And I’m sure there’s a bunch of other supernatural crap going on too.” Meaghan waited a beat. “Oh, and I’m impervious to magic. Like my father. There’s a whole lot of detail I still need to pick up, but I think I have the general outline.”
Emily, her face brick red, stared back without reply.
Meaghan took a step closer to the desk. Emily took a step backward.
Gotcha , Meaghan thought. “I know you can’t hex me, but you can still magic all the stuff around me. But you need to understand. You drop a desk on me, you’d better make it count because if I get back up again I’ll kick your ass all over this building.”
She dropped her hands onto the glass desktop and leaned forward. Emily cringed backward. Meaghan glared at her. “Don’t ever come at me through my staff or anyone I care about again. You’ve got a problem with me, you take it up with me.”
Emily refused to meet Meaghan’s eye. With a stiff nod, she pointed at the amulet.
Meaghan scooped the amulet off the desktop. A subtle surge of energy seemed to flow through it. Heavy for its size, it felt warm in her hand, alive.
“Thank you,” said Meaghan. She held the amulet tight in her fist, feeling it throb like a tiny heart. “You and I have gotten off to a bad start. I’m not sure what you hoped to accomplish here, but since you’ve decided to now be reasonable, this one time I’m going to overlook you assaulting my staff members.”
As Meaghan turned to leave, Emily said, her voice tight with anger, “You may be safe from magic but that doesn’t mean I can’t make your life miserable. Politics can get pretty ugly around here and . . .”
Meaghan stormed back to the desk, silencing Emily in mid-rant. Emily backed up so fast she almost sat on the credenza that covered the wall behind her desk.
Again, Meaghan placed both hands on the glass desktop and leaned until she was at eye level with Emily. With icy calm, Meaghan said, “You may be a big bad-ass witch, Endora, but I’ve spent my entire government law career in Maricopa County, Arizona, which is, in many ways, still the Wild, Wild West.” She leaned back and stared down at the cowering Emily. “I know uglier politics than you’ve ever seen. Bring it, sweetie, and I’ll take you to school.”
Meaghan turned on her heel and strode out. The two timid girls in the outer office looked at her with something approaching adulation. Meaghan smiled back. She stopped a moment and said, “She gives you any shit, come see me.”
Eyes wide, they nodded, as Meaghan swept out the door and down the hall.
Chapter 16
M eaghan took the elevator because she wasn’t sure her legs would support her. She slumped against the back wall of the car, eyes shut, her whole body shaking. The amulet thrummed in her hand.Kady had been posted as lookout. When she saw Meaghan, she unlocked the office door. “Did you get it?”
Meaghan opened her hand and displayed the amulet.
“Oh, thank God,” Kady said. “Natalie has to keep hexing him so he doesn’t knock the file room door down.” A metallic boom echoed through the office suite. “There he goes again.”
Meaghan ran back to the file room. Natalie was leaning against the door.
Boom!
Natalie looked grim. “The hexes aren’t working anymore. He’s too strong. And still crazy. City hall’s about the worst place for him to change.”
Meaghan held up the amulet. “How do we get this around his neck?”
Boom!
Natalie turned her head and shouted at the closed door. “Damn it, you little shit, we’re trying to help you!”
“What if you magic
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