Free What Doesn't Kill You by Cate Dean Page B

my baby. Tell me where the sympathy comes in.”
    Zach spoke before Claire could come up with an answer that didn’t make her sound heartless. “Annie’s right, Mom. He doesn’t care about anything but his next fix. I don’t know if we did any damage by taking just one card—Mom?”
    “His next fix.” Horror threatened to choke her. “If we can’t give him what he wants, he’ll find—”
    “Another victim,” Zach whispered.
    “He mentioned Agnes—and I told him she was a better reader. Oh, God—” Claire headed for the front door. “Stay here, Zach.”
    “I won’t let you face him, not alone.”
    Marcus stepped toward her. “I will—”
    “I’ll go with her.” Simon laid one hand on Zach’s shoulder, glanced over at Marcus. “If anyone needs to touch the cards, I can do it.”
    Marcus studied him for a long moment; so long, Claire expected him to object. Finally, he nodded, took Claire’s left hand, and kissed her wrist, just over the fading burn. “Watch yourself, my witch.”
    She simply nodded, her throat tight.
    Simon broke this silence, his voice brisk, no nonsense. Claire recognized it—his cop voice. “Where is your supply of salt, Annie?”
    “Cupboard over the stove. Or you can just take my ghostbusting bag.” She flashed him a smile. “Front hall closet.” Her smile faded. “Be careful, both of you.”
    Claire nodded. “Stay put, lock the doors. A line of salt would make me feel better.” She pulled open the door, afraid if she looked back at them she would lose what little courage she had left.
    “Mom—” Zach caught her hand, towering over her. “Don’t get dead.”
    She let out a surprised laugh. “I’ll do my best, sweetheart.” Tears clogged her throat when he leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Get inside, and lay down that salt. It seems to work on the card. Maybe it will keep James out, or at least slow him down. Just in case.”
    She eased out of his grip and joined Simon on the sidewalk.
    “Agnes is Madam Serena, right? Owns The Witch’s Way?”
    “She is also the only other tarot reader in town. She doesn’t have any power, Simon. She won’t be able to protect herself—”
    He took her hand and started to run.
     

SEVEN
     
    C laire’s breath hitched as they approached The Witch’s Way. The front window was dark, and it shouldn’t have been.
    Simon let go of her hand, put himself between her and the door.
    “Whatever happens, you stay behind me.”
    She nodded, her heart pounding so hard she could feel it in her throat. Simon would protect her, no matter what it cost him. Claire inched along the wall, prayed the cost wasn’t already too high.
    Please let her be all right. Please, God, if you’re listening—let her be all right.
    “I’ll go in first.” Simon’s quiet voice lifted her head. “You stay right behind me, no matter what. Tell me you understand.”
    “I understand.” And she was too scared, too worried to think of an Annie-smart response.
    Nodding, he moved toward the glass door, not making a sound. That quiet way of his always surprised her, though she knew it must have been from his days as a combat medic in the Army. The cop gig only reinforced the training, making him damn good at his job. Claire knew that training, and his gift for seeing power, saved her life.
    His whisper yanked her out of the past. “It’s unlocked.”
    Claire nodded, her dread notching up.
    Simon eased the door open, and Claire couldn’t stop herself. She pushed past him, ignoring his whispered demand.
    “Agnes?” Her voice echoed in the silent shop. There was no sound, not even the weepy New Age music Agnes normally had pouring out of the speakers. Dread spiraled to heart wrenching certainty. And then Claire spotted her. “No,” she whispered.
    Agnes lay on the bright rug next to her velvet draped reading table, one arm outstretched, as if she were reaching for the door. Claire forced herself to move forward, and knelt beside the too-still