The Monstrous Seven (A Hannah Hickok Witchy Mystery Book 4) Read online

Cooper wasn’t happy with the declaration. “But ... .”

  “Stay here with me.” Tyler patted his shoulder. “We can’t be part of this one. You’re going to have to accept that.”

  That was easier said than done, but Cooper knew when he was beaten. “Be careful,” he pleaded, his eyes locking with Hannah’s somber blue orbs. “Don’t put yourself at risk. If he’s too strong, then retreat. I ... just be careful.”

  She nodded in understanding. “It’s going to be fine. Trust me.”

  Cooper trusted her with his heart, but that’s why he was so afraid. His life was teetering on the head of a pin and he had no idea if he would lose everything should things fall.

  HANNAH KNEW SHE WASN’T ALONE as she walked out of the saloon. She also knew she was the best hope they had of keeping everyone alive. That weighed heavily as she faced off with the dancing man. Rather than sit back and play defense, she decided to be an offensive dynamo this go-around.

  “You must be wrath,” she offered as Danielle and Jackie trailed behind her.

  The man snorted. “Oh, there’s nothing better than a woman who thinks she knows everything. My name is Frank Bedford.”

  Hannah was momentarily taken aback, thinking perhaps she’d been wrong on the sin angle, and then redoubled her efforts. “But you’re wrath. You like making people fight.”

  “That’s a rather simplistic way to look at things.” Frank studied his fingernails for a moment and then flashed a smile. “Where are your friends?”

  “Right here.” Hannah waved her hand at the other two witches. “I figure, since you’ve been watching us, you already know their names.”

  “I do,” Frank agreed. “They’re not the friends I was talking about, though. Where are the other two? I want to see the security chief and the animal guy. They’re who I’m more interested in.”

  Hannah hesitated and then shook her head. “They’re unavailable for a meeting right now. Perhaps you should check back tomorrow.”

  The laugh Frank let loose was long and low. “Oh, you’re so funny ... and full of yourself. Just for the record, Missy, I don’t do business with females. I’m old-school. I happen to believe men are the only ones who can strike a proper deal.”

  “Is that what you’re here for? To strike a deal, I mean.” Hannah found she was unbelievably nervous, but not for the reasons Frank would’ve probably preferred. Her greatest fear was that Cooper wouldn’t be able to stop himself and would barrel through the doors in an attempt to serve as her protector. If he did that, they might both be lost ... and the notion was enough to dry the saliva in her mouth.

  “I’m here to issue a warning,” Frank corrected. “It seems you’ve been sticking your nose in business that doesn’t concern you. This ... meeting ... has been planned for a century. You needn’t involve yourself in the affairs of gods.”

  “Gods, huh?” For some reason, that struck Hannah as funny. “I thought you were furies. That puts you more on par with demons than gods.”

  Frank’s expression was dark. “You listen here—”

  “No, you listen.” Hannah vehemently shook her head as she cut him off. “If you want to have a discussion, I’ll be the one doing the talking. If you want to start throwing magic around, you’ll be dealing with me on that front, too.

  “I get that you prefer men, which is both antiquated and ridiculous, but it doesn’t matter,” she continued. “I’m your only option if you want to talk.”

  “I see.” Frank’s eyes narrowed into glittery slits and the wind picked up a notch.

  Hannah couldn’t be certain, but she felt as if something brushed her arm. When she looked down, there was nothing there. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something had just happened. What, though, was beyond her scope of understanding.

  “You’re the one who killed Donny,” he said after a beat, clucking his tongue. “I thought maybe it was you ... but I chalked it up to your buddy instead. His minion described a magical couple — and you and your boyfriend fit the bill — but I wasn’t actually sure until right now.”

  It took Hannah a moment to realize he was talking about the man she’d taken out in the restaurant the night before. “Was that his name? Donny, I mean.”

  “He’s gone by many names over the centuries,” Frank replied. “As have I, if you’re curious. Every generation requires a new identity. That’s the only thing that changes, though. The rest ... well, it always stays the same. The game can never change, and an outsider won’t be allowed to come in and pretend to be part of something she can’t possibly understand.”

  Hannah frowned. “Game? This nexus thing you’re doing isn’t a game. You’re hurting people. You may think it’s funny, but it’s not, and I have no intention of letting it continue.”

  “Oh, really?” Frank looked amused at the threat. “How do you think you’re going to stop us?”

  “The same way I stopped your buddy Donny.”

  “That was lucky.”

  “Go ahead and keep thinking that.”

  “I don’t think it. I know it.”

  “Well ... .” Hannah broke off at the sound of raised voices, her head snapping in the direction of the saloon. She couldn’t hear exactly what was being said, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out what was going on. Cooper and Tyler were yelling at one another.

  Frank’s smug smile would haunt Hannah’s nightmares. It was evil enough to send a chill down her spine. “You were saying,” he drawled, clearly amused.

  “What did you do?” Hannah was fearful.

  “I did what I do,” Frank replied with a pronounced eye roll. “I get that you’re a witch. I get that you think you’re all-powerful and all-knowing, although you’re neither. I get that you want to be the solution. You’re not, though. You’re not part of this. They are, though.” He jerked up his chin and the sound of scuffling feet was unmistakable as Cooper and Tyler came flying through the swinging doors.

  “Crap!” Jackie swore viciously as she swiveled to see what was happening behind them. Tyler and Cooper were throwing punches, and they showed no signs of stopping.

  “You can’t fight the inevitable,” Frank said. “If you try, it will just make things worse.”

  Hannah’s heart seized as Cooper drew back and landed a vicious punch, one that was strong enough to send Tyler flying. Even though the veterinarian was fit, strong even, he wasn’t trained like Cooper. As a former military man, Cooper could kill Tyler with his bare hands, and that’s exactly what Hannah feared would happen.

  “Knock it off,” she warned, taking a threatening step toward Frank as she flexed her fingers at her sides. She couldn’t allow this to continue, but she was leery of starting a fight with an unknown entity.

  Frank’s smile was smug. “Make me.”

  Hannah knew she didn’t have a choice. She was the only one who could save the men at this point, so she lashed out with her magic, allowing her inner witch to take over. The magical bolt she sent in Frank’s direction was enough to have him widening his eyes, but he easily sidestepped it.

  “You’re going to have to do better than that,” he offered in a haughty tone. “That was weak sauce. If that’s what worked on Donny, then I’m horrified. Of course, he was a big guy. He never was one to move if he could sit there and absorb a blow. I swear, he was such an idiot. I’m still going to miss him.”

  Hannah expected the posturing. She let him sink into it. He was mostly talking to himself, lost in his own victory, and then she unleashed two more torrents of magic.

  Frank moved to step out of the way of the second wave the same way he had the first. Hannah anticipated it, though, and the third wave she’d sent barreled into him before he could move again. His eye went wide a split second before he realized what was going to happen and he raised his hands.

  Hannah assumed he was going to block the spell but he wasn’t fast enough. Her magic hit him head-on, smacking into his chest, and caused him to fly backwards. Unlike Frank, he didn’t dissolve int
o a pile of dust, though. He’d been able to brace for part of the blow, and even though blood appeared on his shirt, he managed to stay in the game ... although he looked as if he was laboring for breath as his eyes caught fire and the atmosphere sparked with energy.

  “That was a mistake, little girl,” he growled, raising his hands to ready for attack. “You’re about to find out exactly why you shouldn’t have inserted yourself into this situation.”

  Hannah swallowed hard, fear gripping her heart, but she didn’t back down. “I told you to bring the fight to me. You should’ve listened.”

  “Well, you’re about to get your wish. You’d better start running now.”

  Hannah had no intention of running. It was time to fight for her family. There was no backing down now.

  12

  Twelve

  Hannah never considered herself much of an athlete. When her friends in high school were cheerleading — something she figured you needed rhythm to do, so she declined — she spent her time reading at home during away games. There was one exception. Volleyball. And it was those skills she put on display.

  She had no idea exactly what magic Frank possessed, but she shoved her fear of the unknown out of her mind as she dropped to her knees and skidded to the right, effectively evading the barrage of light he sent in her direction. The magic made contact with something — Hannah could hear wood splinter — but she kept her attention on Frank as she unleashed another wave in his direction.

  Frank turned to the left so his back absorbed the bulk of the magical blow, but he was breathing hard when he turned back and Hannah didn’t miss the way his lips had blackened and started to crack.

  “One more blow should do it,” Jackie offered from her spot to Hannah’s right. Hannah had assumed her fellow witch took cover inside the saloon when the magic started flying, but that wasn’t the case.

  Hannah nodded in agreement as she lifted her head over one of the water troughs they kept for the horses. Frank was on the other side, favoring his shoulder as he glared at her. He remained defiant even though it was clear he was struggling.

  “I won’t just let you walk away from this,” he hissed. “You can’t kill one of us and get to claim victory. That’s not how it works.”

  Hannah risked a glance at Cooper and Tyler, who had rolled another twenty feet down the street. They were going at one another — hard and fast — and Hannah’s fear ratcheted up a notch when she saw the blood dripping down Tyler’s face. If Cooper hit him a few more times, the results could be catastrophic. Not only was that bad because Hannah was legitimately fond of Tyler, but also because Cooper would never forgive himself when he returned to his right frame of mind.

  “Just shut up,” Hannah announced, straightening so Frank had a clear shot at her. She knew it wasn’t necessarily the smart move, but she couldn’t dilly-dally. She needed to put an end to the fight ... which meant putting an end to Frank. “If we’re going to fight, I think we should do it like adults.”

  Frank rolled his eyes. “Oh, so you want to go passive aggressive and gossip behind each other’s backs, do you? That sounds like zero fun. Why do you think I’m even here? The new way of doing things is the wrong way. We have to remind people of what could be if we expect them to remember what was.”

  It was convoluted logic and Hannah couldn’t work out what he was trying to say in her head. Ultimately it didn’t matter, though. Hannah understood she couldn’t let this stretch out. “You’re a coward,” she announced, her eyes narrow slits of hate as she regarded the man. “You get off on making others fight but refuse to get your hands dirty.”

  “Um, look around,” Frank countered. “I’m in this dusty hellhole for a reason. I’m fighting you.”

  “No, you’re hiding because you’re scared of me.” Hannah decided to press her advantage. “That’s why you came here in the first place. You heard what I did to your friend and you wanted to try to eliminate me before I could figure out exactly how to kill the rest of you. That’s it. That’s what makes sense.”

  “Oh, that’s not even true.” Frank rolled out so he was in clear view, his chest heaving as his eyes flashed with annoyance. “You’re nothing but a gnat to us. The others said we should come together and handle you, but I knew I was all it would take so I came without them.

  “Look around,” he practically bellowed. “I’m winning. You’re losing. Your friend is about to die ... and at your boyfriend’s hands. Do you know what that means? I’m in control here. Me!” He thumped his chest for emphasis. “You can’t take me down because you’re nothing!”

  That was the opening Hannah was looking for. She kept her hand movements tiny — even though she wanted to end with a flourish — and pulsed another dose of magic toward Frank, purposely keeping it low and light.

  “Is this all you have?” Frank was delighted as he easily swatted the magic away, his eyes trained toward the ground. “Is this your last effort? That’s so pathetic I’m not even sure if I should waste the energy killing you. In fact ... .”

  The words died on his lips because he was focused on the first dash of magic, not even glancing in Hannah’s direction while he was speaking. The second burst of magic she heaved in his direction was a surprise when it smacked into him.

  Frank made a gurgling sound, his head snapping up as he looked to the sky. Hannah couldn’t be certain, but part of her believed he was trying to say something — maybe even call on magic to flee — but it was far too late. For all intents and purposes, he was already gone. His eyes rolled back in his head and he started flaking as he careened toward the ground. At the moment his body was supposed to hit, he exploded in a cloud of dust — or maybe it was ash — and disappeared.

  Hannah was breathing heavy as she bent over at the waist and rested her hands on her knees. She was feeling pretty good about herself — if also exhausted — and was debating what would be the coolest thing to say considering the takedown ... when she remembered Cooper and Tyler.

  “Oh.” Her hip twinged as she turned, relief washing over her when she found the two men sitting in the middle of the street, disheveled but no longer fighting. “Are you okay?” She rushed to Cooper’s side, cringing when she saw the blood at the corner of his mouth. “Oh, geez. Maybe we should call an ambulance.”

  That suggestion was enough to have Cooper snapping up his head. “Absolutely not.” He was firm, his eyes keen as they searched her face. “Are you okay, baby?” It was as if he was stepping out of a dream and finally seeing the reality around him. “Are you hurt?” He reached for Hannah, but she carefully grabbed his wrist rather than allow him to fawn all over her. “I might be a little sore tomorrow from diving in the dirt like that — it’s much easier when you’re wearing the knee pads and doing it on a gym floor — but I’ll survive.”

  She flashed a smile as she studied Cooper’s wounds and then turned her attention to Tyler, who looked to be worse off ... and staring at the ground rather than his friend. “Do you need to go to the hospital, Tyler?” She didn’t want to put him on the spot, but she wouldn’t risk his life if he had internal injuries either.

  “I’m fine,” Tyler reassured her, managing a smile that didn’t make it all the way to his eyes. “I just ... I’m fine. Once I’m cleaned up, you won’t even be able to tell anything happened.”

  Hannah knew better than believing that, but she didn’t press the issue. “There’s a first aid kit in the saloon,” she said, extending her hands to help Cooper to his feet. “Let’s get you guys cleaned up, huh?”

  Cooper shot her a grateful smile, but his eyes were remote. “I ... um ... .”

  “First aid first,” Hannah chided when she realized he was about to melt down over what happened. “You guys need to rest and let us look you over. After that ... well ... we’ll talk about the other stuff.”

  Tyler pasted a look of bravado on his face. “That sounds like a plan to me.”

  JACKIE AND DANIELLE WENT TO work on Tyler as he sat at one table and Hannah put
her entire focus on Cooper, who refused to meet her steady gaze. She was developing a bit of a complex when she pressed a pad, covered in peroxide, to his cheek.

  He let loose a low hiss but held still despite his obvious discomfort.

  “You don’t have to be strong all the time,” Hannah noted as she tended him. “It’s okay. You’re ... okay.”

  Finally, although it took monumental effort, he raised his eyes. She saw shame waiting there and was taken aback.

  “This isn’t your fault,” she reassured him quickly, using her free hand to brush his hair away from his face. “You were being controlled.”

  “That’s not an excuse,” Cooper shot back, his temper bubbling up. “I ... hurt him.” He flicked his eyes to Tyler and found the other man watching him with an unreadable expression. “I’m so sorry. I ... didn’t mean anything I said.”

  Hannah’s heart constricted at the words, but she held it together. “You said stuff?” She’d missed that part. It must’ve been when they were inside the saloon. “What did you say?”

  “It doesn’t matter.” Cooper stubbornly averted his gaze and stared at the wall. “None of it was true. It was all ... terrible. I’m ashamed of myself.”

  Hannah worked her jaw and flicked her eyes to Tyler. He looked equally conflicted. “You guys should get this stuff out there, deal with it here and now. I know it’s difficult but ... we can’t afford to let this fester right now. If something was said, you both know it wasn’t the truth. Frank was controlling you ... and now he’s gone.”

  “It felt like we meant the words,” Tyler offered in a low voice. He looked lost ... and scared ... and hurt. Hannah hated his response but didn’t know how to help him. “When I was saying the things I said ... I meant it at the time. Now, though, I hate myself.” He refused to look at Cooper. “I’m so sorry.”

  “I’m sorry, too,” Cooper muttered. He also kept his gaze anywhere but on his friend.

  “Is this a man thing?” Hannah asked, rolling back on her haunches so she could regard them. “No, I’m being serious. I don’t understand why you guys are acting this way. Frank was clearly controlling you — and having a good time doing it — but he’s gone now. You guys are okay. Why can’t you just make up?”