him.
“You’re not pure Texas witch, chère . You old world?” he asked.
“Wherever my people might be from,” I said, “I’m one hundred percent Texan. Count on it.”
“She knows where our Vangie girl is,” Oatha said. Looking at me, she added, “You best not interfere.”
“With what? What are you planning to do to Vangie?” I asked.
Oatha glared at me.
“Momma?” he asked, leaning forward to smell my hair.
“Beau,” I said. “We don’t know each other well enough for me to be able to count the whiskers in your mustache. Why don’t you be a gentleman and step on back?”
“Who says I want to be a gentleman?”
“See how she tastes,” Oatha said.
“What the hell?” I snapped as he grabbed my upper arms in a vise grip. Intent as he was on pinning my arms to my sides as he licked my neck, I guess he didn’t expect me to react as fast as I did with a head-butt knee-slam-to-the-groin combination. He also might’ve forgotten about Mercutio. Merc’s not full-grown yet, so people sometimes mistake him for a house cat. That’s a mistake nobody makes twice if they get on the wrong side of his teeth or claws.
All I saw was a blur of fur as Merc landed on Beau’s shoulder and bit down on his ear.
Beau dropped like a stone from my between-the-legs blow, but he hollered and reared forward at Merc’s bite. He grabbed Mercutio and with three vicious jerks pulled Merc loose. It cost him an earlobe. He flung Mercutio, who sailed through the air, twisted in a half somersault, and landed on his feet. Those Cirque du Soleil guys had nothing on my cat. Merc slid backward a few inches before he got his grip on the floor, and then he was on his way back to us.
Oatha screeched a spell, arms outstretched. I slammed a palm into her back to send the spell wide. She knocked the table over to block Mercutio, and Beau clipped my leg, knocking me to the ground.
He backhanded me across the face and yelled a curse as he grabbed my hair. On the one hand, I was startled by the impact of the floor, the blow to my face, and the sharp stab of pain where his knee dug into my stomach. On the other hand, this wasn’t my first rodeo. As he raised his hand to hit me again, I whipped out my gun. I shoved the barrel against his throat.
“You sure you wanna do that, chèr ?” I drawled, pressing the gun against him hard enough to dent his flesh. He checked his swing and held out his arms in surrender.
“Momma,” he said. “Enough.”
She panted with rage.
Beau leaned forward and rubbed his thumb in the blood that trickled from my nose. Then he bent forward and kissed my lips. I hit him behind the ear with the butt of the gun. It was no love tap, and his head jerked from the force of the blow. He bit my lip maliciously before he tumbled off me and drew back.
The sound Mercutio made when he pounced from the counter would’ve been enough to send anyone running for cover, and Beau barely managed to dodge away. Beau grabbed a butcher knife from the block and held it out.
“Call him back or I’ll gut him.”
I grabbed Mercutio with my left hand. “No, Merc,” I whispered frantically. “Not now.”
Mercutio squirmed and hissed as they backed away. To Merc, no fight is over if his enemies are still walking. “Not now,” I repeated, trying to soothe him.
“You’ll regret this, you redheaded McKenna bitch,” Oatha said. “I’ll see you cursed. I swear it on all my dead.”
“Y’all wanna threaten me, go ahead. But you might want to check the witch newspapers before you start a fight in Duvall where I’ve got the home field advantage. You won’t be the first who’ve tried. Hasn’t worked out for anybody so far.”
Too late, I saw her going for the door. I released Mercutio and lunged forward but not before she got the closet open. Luckily, there were only mops and buckets inside. Vangie must’ve left when I’d gone to the front door to let them in.
“Gone,” she announced, turning to Beau. “You
“You’re not pure Texas witch, chère . You old world?” he asked.
“Wherever my people might be from,” I said, “I’m one hundred percent Texan. Count on it.”
“She knows where our Vangie girl is,” Oatha said. Looking at me, she added, “You best not interfere.”
“With what? What are you planning to do to Vangie?” I asked.
Oatha glared at me.
“Momma?” he asked, leaning forward to smell my hair.
“Beau,” I said. “We don’t know each other well enough for me to be able to count the whiskers in your mustache. Why don’t you be a gentleman and step on back?”
“Who says I want to be a gentleman?”
“See how she tastes,” Oatha said.
“What the hell?” I snapped as he grabbed my upper arms in a vise grip. Intent as he was on pinning my arms to my sides as he licked my neck, I guess he didn’t expect me to react as fast as I did with a head-butt knee-slam-to-the-groin combination. He also might’ve forgotten about Mercutio. Merc’s not full-grown yet, so people sometimes mistake him for a house cat. That’s a mistake nobody makes twice if they get on the wrong side of his teeth or claws.
All I saw was a blur of fur as Merc landed on Beau’s shoulder and bit down on his ear.
Beau dropped like a stone from my between-the-legs blow, but he hollered and reared forward at Merc’s bite. He grabbed Mercutio and with three vicious jerks pulled Merc loose. It cost him an earlobe. He flung Mercutio, who sailed through the air, twisted in a half somersault, and landed on his feet. Those Cirque du Soleil guys had nothing on my cat. Merc slid backward a few inches before he got his grip on the floor, and then he was on his way back to us.
Oatha screeched a spell, arms outstretched. I slammed a palm into her back to send the spell wide. She knocked the table over to block Mercutio, and Beau clipped my leg, knocking me to the ground.
He backhanded me across the face and yelled a curse as he grabbed my hair. On the one hand, I was startled by the impact of the floor, the blow to my face, and the sharp stab of pain where his knee dug into my stomach. On the other hand, this wasn’t my first rodeo. As he raised his hand to hit me again, I whipped out my gun. I shoved the barrel against his throat.
“You sure you wanna do that, chèr ?” I drawled, pressing the gun against him hard enough to dent his flesh. He checked his swing and held out his arms in surrender.
“Momma,” he said. “Enough.”
She panted with rage.
Beau leaned forward and rubbed his thumb in the blood that trickled from my nose. Then he bent forward and kissed my lips. I hit him behind the ear with the butt of the gun. It was no love tap, and his head jerked from the force of the blow. He bit my lip maliciously before he tumbled off me and drew back.
The sound Mercutio made when he pounced from the counter would’ve been enough to send anyone running for cover, and Beau barely managed to dodge away. Beau grabbed a butcher knife from the block and held it out.
“Call him back or I’ll gut him.”
I grabbed Mercutio with my left hand. “No, Merc,” I whispered frantically. “Not now.”
Mercutio squirmed and hissed as they backed away. To Merc, no fight is over if his enemies are still walking. “Not now,” I repeated, trying to soothe him.
“You’ll regret this, you redheaded McKenna bitch,” Oatha said. “I’ll see you cursed. I swear it on all my dead.”
“Y’all wanna threaten me, go ahead. But you might want to check the witch newspapers before you start a fight in Duvall where I’ve got the home field advantage. You won’t be the first who’ve tried. Hasn’t worked out for anybody so far.”
Too late, I saw her going for the door. I released Mercutio and lunged forward but not before she got the closet open. Luckily, there were only mops and buckets inside. Vangie must’ve left when I’d gone to the front door to let them in.
“Gone,” she announced, turning to Beau. “You
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