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  Max drew his eyebrows together, his agitation obvious. “Is that what she said? Does she think I’m smothering her?”

  Despite Max’s annoying tendencies – and at least three were on display now – Ivy felt sorry for him. “She didn’t say anything,” Ivy hissed, keeping her voice low. “She just hung out all afternoon and we cooked and got to know one another. You need to chill out.”

  “But … I was sure she was about to break up with me,” Max admitted. “Now she’s here. I’m happy about that, don’t get me wrong, but I want to make sure she’s comfortable. I wasn’t expecting this.”

  Ivy was loyal to her brother … sometimes to a fault. She wanted to tell him what was going on because she was certain he would smooth over Amy’s frayed feelings in a matter of seconds. She knew better than that, though. This wasn’t her fight.

  “It’s going to be fine.” She rested her hand on his shoulder and stared directly into his eyes. “I promise this is going to be okay. You need to calm down, though. You’re acting weird. With Mom and Dad coming over, that’s the last thing you need.”

  He heaved out a sigh. He wanted to push things further. Deep down, though, he knew Ivy was right. “I’ll try to be good.”

  “That would be best. Now, go over there and greet her like a normal person. Give her a kiss and a hug but don’t pounce on her as if she’s dessert. You brought a different dessert. Try to remember that.”

  “I’m on it.” Max offered her a mock salute and then turned on his heel. He was obviously happy to be free of his sister so he could join the person he really wanted to spend time with.

  “This is going to be a long night,” Jack murmured as he moved to her side. “Is it wrong that I’m looking forward to your parents leaving before they even get here?”

  “No. That’s basically how I live my life.”

  “Good to know.”

  BY THE TIME MICHAEL AND LUNA arrived, Amy had managed to wrestle control of her emotions. She wasn’t ready to jump out of her skin every time Max made a move toward her and she actually managed a few smiles that weren’t nervous reactions and nothing more. She kept telling herself that everything was going to be okay … even though she wasn’t entirely sure that was true. She opted to have faith in Ivy. She figured the woman knew Max better than anyone. She wanted to believe things would be okay, so that’s what she told herself.

  “You are just adorable,” Luna announced as she crossed Ivy’s living room – ignoring her daughter and Jack in the process – and lasered in on the diminutive blonde. “I can see why Max tripped over himself to get to you. You’re so cute I want to put you into my pocket.”

  Ivy furrowed her brow as Amy worked her jaw. “Mom, I don’t think that’s a normal thing to say to a person you’ve just met. You want to put her in your pocket? What does that even mean?”

  “That’s a very good question,” Max drawled, shaking his head. “I want to know what that means, too.”

  “It means that she’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen,” Luna snapped, fixing her offspring with quelling looks in turn. “Now, if you will excuse me, I’m talking to Amy. How do you feel about my son?”

  Amy looked like a deer caught in headlights as she worked her jaw. “Oh, um … .”

  “Geez, Mom,” Ivy complained. “Why don’t you ask her what her favorite color is first or something. You know, ease into it.”

  Luna made an exaggerated face. “I’m talking to Amy. Why don’t you mind your own business, huh? Don’t you have a fiancé who is in desperate need of some attention?”

  “Definitely.” Jack bobbed his head without hesitation and slipped a finger through the belt loop on Ivy’s capris. “In fact, we’re going to be over here so she can give me a lot of attention.”

  “That sounds like a great idea.”

  Ivy fought the effort, but Jack was firm as he dragged her away. “We have to help Amy,” Ivy hissed.

  “No, we don’t.” Jack shook his head and tapped the end of her nose to keep her eyes on him. “Amy is a big girl. She’s dealt with worse than this. She’ll be fine.”

  “Don’t you think she’s already dealing with enough?”

  “Yes, which is why it’s good for your parents to distract her.” Jack refused to back down, instead tugging Ivy into his arms so he could hug her and sway back and forth. “Now … just pipe down. I want to spend a bit of time with you before I’m forced to run out, because you know that’s happening.”

  Ivy tilted her head to stare into his eyes. Brian left not long before Max arrived. He didn’t want to explain his presence even though he’d been invited for dinner. He promised to call Jack the second they had a lead on Jeff. Everyone was on pins and needles waiting for word.

  Nothing had come through yet.

  “I guess I could spend some time with you.” Ivy planted her chin on his chest. “Thank you for being so helpful today,” she whispered. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”

  His eyebrows migrated up his forehead. “Did you expect me to abandon you? I’m not sure what that says about my reputation if you did.”

  “I didn’t expect that,” she said hurriedly. “It’s just … you could’ve yelled. You could’ve flapped your arms and did that bird thing you do because she didn’t call the police sooner. I could tell you kind of wanted to do that.”

  His lips curved. “I don’t flap my arms and do a bird thing.”

  “You do when you’re annoyed. Trust me. I’ve seen it.”

  “Because you annoy me?”

  “Every chance I get.” Ivy’s grin was impish. “I like to annoy you because then we can make up more often.”

  “Making up is grand,” he agreed, resting his forehead on hers. “How about we set a special date to make up once this is all over with? I’ll even haul all the camping stuff into the woods and we can spend a night under the stars near your fairy ring.”

  Ivy’s eyes widened. “You would seriously do that?”

  “Of course I would. It sounds more fun than driving two hours to camp. That’s your favorite place. The odds of us finding anything other than a ghost witch out there are slim. I think it’s a fabulous idea.”

  “Oh, that’s sweet.” She threw her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek to his. “I think that’s a great idea to solve our camping conundrum. We can do it … but only for a night and close to home.”

  He moved his hands up and down her slim back and chuckled. “That sounds like the perfect evening to me.” He rested his cheek against the top of her head and shifted his eyes to the living room, to where Max, Amy, Luna, and Michael were all standing … and staring. “What?” Instinctively he glanced around. “Is something wrong?”

  “No.” Luna’s smile was enigmatic. “You guys are just in your own little world sometimes. I think it’s fantastic.”

  “Yes, I think it’s fantastic, too,” Max drawled, his arm slung around Amy’s slim shoulders. Obviously things were going well at the family meet-and-greet. “We’re hungry. How close are we to dinner?”

  Ivy shot her brother a dirty look. “Very close, you big whiner. Jack just needs to grill the meat. Everything else is ready.”

  “I guess I’ll get on that.” Jack pressed a kiss to Ivy’s forehead and then pulled away. “We got steaks for everybody but our two vegetarians. Ivy has soy patties for the two of you.”

  “I’ll help you grill,” Max offered. “That’s man’s work and you’ll probably need help because you’re bad at it.”

  Jack narrowed his eyes to dangerous slits. “Do you think you’re funny?”

  “Most people find me hilarious.”

  “I think you’ve been sold a bad bill of goods.”

  “And I think you’re going to need my help.” Max puffed out his chest. He was clearly in a bad mood. “Now, let’s do the dance of men and grill the meat. I wasn’t lying when I said I was starving.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” He offered up a dismissive wave. “We’ll start dinner to make sure
you’re happy.”

  Max’s smile was serene. “That’s all I ask.”

  IVY AND AMY TOOK ADVANTAGE of a few private moments to touch base while the rest of the family was outside.

  “Are you doing okay?” Ivy asked as she looked the woman up and down. “You look okay. I was afraid Max was going to suffocate you he was hugging so hard.”

  “He can’t help himself. He’s fearful that I’m pulling away from him.”

  “You were pulling away from him,” Ivy pointed out. “You were going to take off and run, not even say goodbye to him.”

  Amy frowned. “I don’t particularly like being reminded of that. It’s true, though. I was going to run away. I thought that was best for him.”

  “For the record, that’s never the answer.” Ivy wasn’t keen on chastising the jittery mother, but she didn’t want to completely let her off the hook either. “Running should be a last resort. I get that you were afraid and you did what was necessary for your son. You would’ve crushed Max in the process, though. I hope you know that.”

  “I do know that.” Amy rolled her neck as she grabbed a vegetable tray from the refrigerator. “Can I take this out? I think Max is going to keep whining if he doesn’t have something to munch on.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Ivy encouraged. “Also, don’t spend the entire night dwelling on what’s to come. I know it’s human nature to worry that you’re going to lose people when you open yourself up and allow them inside your heart. You can’t help but fear that you’re going to lose what you have. In this particular case, though, I don’t believe that’s going to happen. I think things are only going to get better.”

  “I think so, too.” Amy’s smile was small but heartfelt. “Thank you for everything. As for food, is there anything else that needs to go out?”

  Ivy cocked her head, considering. She liked making mental lists and she’d been checking off the one inside her head all afternoon. “Actually, Jack moved the cooler to the front porch. He was going to take it around back before my parents arrived, but they were early. I need to grab it and take it around. You don’t have to go with me, though.”

  “Oh, that’s fine.” Amy seemed almost lighter as she lifted the tray. “We can go together. I like spending time with you. Your mind is … soothing. I don’t know how else to describe it.”

  Ivy snorted at the compliment and yet it made her feel good all the same. She was in her own little world when she pulled open the front door … and then everything changed.

  Amy gasped when she recognized the man standing on the other side. Jeff didn’t seem surprised in the least, though.

  “I’ve been looking for you,” he hissed, his voice dangerously cold. “We have a few things to talk about.”

  Ivy forgot all about the cooler and shoved hard at Jeff, allowing instinct to take over. “You’re not supposed to be here. In fact, you’re in big trouble. The cops are looking for you.” She opened her mouth to scream for help, but Jeff recognized right away what she was going to do and slammed his fist into her face before a sound could escape, causing her eyes to roll back in her head as she hit the ground with a sickening thud.

  “What are you doing?” Amy slapped at his hands and opened her mouth to call for help. “I’m not going to just let you do this. Not again.”

  “Wanna bet?” Jeff’s eyes filled with fire. You were stupid to think you could get away. I was never going to allow that.” He slapped his hand over her mouth and grabbed her by the hair. “We have a lot of things to talk about, including my son. We need to get away from this place first, though. We don’t want your new boyfriend trying to play hero, right? Let’s get out of here, dear. I’ve missed you so much. I can’t wait to show you how much.”

  IN THE BACKYARD, JACK STOOD in front of the grill and did his best to ignore Luna as she fluttered around Max and peppered him with questions regarding Amy. In truth, Jack was uncomfortable with the line of questioning because he knew that Max was operating without all the information. In a few hours, things would be different … but they weren’t there yet.

  As Max launched into some tall tale about his flirting prowess and how he finally wore Amy down enough to date him, he shifted his eyes to the tree line across the way. He loved the location of the cottage – it was quiet, relaxing, and away from prying eyes – and on most nights he and Ivy could entertain themselves for hours just sitting under the stars and staring at them. Jack filled himself with thoughts of the next night they would be able to do that and let his gaze drift. He was happily floating on a cloud of imagination … until he caught sight of a face watching him from the foliage.

  He almost gasped. At the last second, he managed to control his reaction and swallow the sound. Still, he stared at the woman standing across from him for a long time. He recognized her, but only thanks to Ivy’s description. He’d never truly seen her before with his own eyes. There were times he thought he caught glimpses of her but when he took a second look he came up empty.

  Until now.

  Susan Bishop. The witch in the woods. Ivy met her weeks before and started learning about her magic from the long-dead woman. She was helping Ivy fill in the holes when it came to educating herself about what was happening. Jack had pretty much stayed out of that business because he didn’t know what he was supposed to contribute. Now, though, the woman was making herself visible to him. She had to have a reason.

  He opened his mouth to call out to her even though he knew it would invite questions from Michael and Luna. He stopped himself when something occurred to him.

  “Ivy.” He turned quickly, slapping the set of tongs he carried into Luna’s hands. “Watch the steaks,” he muttered, his mind already somewhere else.

  “What?” Luna furrowed her brow. “What’s going on? Is something wrong?”

  Jack didn’t answer, instead barreling into the house. His gaze instantly went to the kitchen, where he expected to find her, but it was empty. Slowly, he tracked his eyes to the living room and his heart gave a terrified jolt when he saw her crumpled on the floor next to the open door.

  “Son of a … .” He ignored the murmured voices behind him and rushed to her side. Max was close behind, although his confusion was evident as he poked his head out the front door.

  “I don’t understand,” Max said, his eyebrows drawing together. “What happened?”

  “You know what I know,” Jack snapped, gently sliding his hand under Ivy’s head as he looked for a bump. “Honey, I need you to wake up.”

  Max’s gaze bounced between his sister and the open door. “Where is Amy?”

  Jack felt sick to his stomach as a myriad of possibilities collided in his busy brain. He already knew the answer to the question … and yet Max was so far behind he didn’t know the proper question to ask. Things were about to get ugly … and then some.

  “Max, call for an ambulance,” Jack instructed as he brushed his fingers over Ivy’s face. It was already puffing up and he could see the signs of a bruise forming. “She was attacked.”

  “Right.” Max diligently pulled his phone out of his pocket. “What about Amy, though?”

  Jack couldn’t lie. There was no time. He needed help … and that help was going to have to come in the form of Max. “I’m guessing that Jeff came for Amy.”

  “Jeff?” Max was legitimately bewildered. “I don’t understand. What are you even talking about?”

  Jack craned his neck when he heard footsteps in the kitchen and snagged Michael’s gaze. The man was obviously confused when he walked into the scene and saw his daughter prone on the floor. “What happened?”

  “That’s what I’m trying to find out,” Max said bitterly.

  “I don’t have time to explain it for everyone’s benefit,” Jack snapped. “Max and I have to head out if we expect to catch up to Jeff and Amy. She’s in real trouble. I’ll explain what’s going on when we get back.”

  “Fair enough.” Michael knelt next to Ivy. “What about her?”

  �
�Get the paramedics here to check on her. I think she was hit in the face.” The thought made Jack want to start ripping heads off random people. “You take care of her, tell her that Max and I had to go after Amy. She’ll understand. She’ll tell you the story.”

  “Who is going to tell me the story?” Max groused. “I want to know what’s going on.”

  “I’m going to tell you.” Jack was grim as he strode to the locked desk in the corner of the room and inserted a key. He had to retrieve his service weapon. “You’re not going to like it. Amy wanted to tell you herself. She’ll get into the nitty-gritty, but I can give you a few details.”

  “It must be bad if you’re willing to leave Ivy when she’s in this condition,” Michael noted.

  “It is.” Jack briefly pressed his hand to his forehead and then calmed himself. “Call Brian and tell him we’re in the woods and to bring backup. I’m guessing Jeff couldn’t park too close to the house because he didn’t want to risk being seen. We still have time. Max knows these woods like the back of his hand.”

  “What Jeff are you talking about?” Max demanded. “I don’t know a Jeff. Unless … you’re not talking about the Jeff from the campground, are you?”

  “I am.” There was no easy way around this, so Jack simply blurted it out. “Jeff killed the woman at the campground. He also killed the woman here. He’s Amy’s husband, has terrorized her for years, and he’s here to kill her. We need to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

  Max’s mouth dropped open. “You can’t be serious.”

  “Oh, I’m serious. We’re out of time to discuss it, though. We need to get after her. We can’t let him leave this property with her. She won’t survive if he does.”

  Max’s expression matched his future brother-in-law’s. “Then let’s go. We don’t have any time to waste.”