Here’s hoping she would listen to my plea before zapping me into the next world.
I gave the door a controlled jerk, smirking as the metal popped off and the door swung open. If this courier business didn’t work out, I could always pursue a career as a cat burglar.
I ducked inside, careful not to make too much noise. Forcing the lock hadn’t been as loud as I’d expected and by the lack of a chime, it sounded like they had disabled the bell.
On whisper quiet feet, I headed for the sound of voices in the back. I should probably announce myself so I didn’t startle Miriam and her shopkeeper, but it had been a rough night. I wanted a chance to observe without them knowing I was here before I announced my presence.
A male voice tangled with the sound of a female’s. I hesitated as a thought occurred to me. Maybe I shouldn’t interrupt. It was possible she had closed the store early to entertain a gentleman. It was a weird place to have a date, but what did I know of witches. Maybe ‘come see my potions’ was a form of foreplay.
Walking in on her and a date would probably not be the best way to gain her cooperation. I could wait outside until the man left. I’d feel like a stalker, but it was better than barging my way in.
“What are you doing here?” Miriam asked right next to my ear.
I shrieked and jumped, giving too much force to my leap and sailing halfway across the room, knocking several items over on the way.
Landing partially on my feet and partially on a plush chair, I looked up to find Miriam regarding me with a tilted head and a bemused expression. She held a large drink in one hand and a familiar looking pizza box in the other. It was from a joint that catered to the after-midnight crowd. I sometimes stopped there if I was in the area during a courier run. Their pizza had the perfect balance of grease, fluffy dough, gooey cheese, and mouth-watering toppings.
I straightened, smoothing my hands down my pants.
“Miriam, hi.” Oh, that was even more brilliant. If I hadn’t impress her with my stellar leaping skills, I could wow her with my conversational topics. “What are you doing here?”
“It’s my store.”
Right. Of course.
“That’s not what I meant. You startled me. I thought you were in the back office.”
“That’s odd, no one should be in here. Angela asked to leave early tonight. It should just be me minding the store. That’s why I closed it to run out and get dinner.” She waved the pizza box slightly.
I glanced at the curtain of beads. Who were the two people in the back room, then?
“Are you the one who broke my door?”
My gaze shot back to her. The softly worded question felt like a trap. Judging from the silvery sheen her eyes had taken, my next answer could decide whether I walked away from this encounter or crawled.
“Um, yes.” I rushed on even as I felt the atmosphere take on a disturbing charge. I so didn’t want to get electrocuted again. “But only because I saw people in the store and thought it was odd that it was closed early. Given all that’s been happening lately with the disappearances and murders, I didn’t want to take the chance something else was going on.”
Finished, I held my breath. It was a pretty convincing lie given I’d had seconds to come up with it.
The buildup of power paused as she considered my answer. The power retreated. I gave an internal sigh of relief.
“Miriam, what are you doing here?” Angela asked, stepping out of the back.
Her gaze shot between the two of us. She looked upset at the sight of me, but the expression was gone in the next second, leaving me to wonder if I’d imagined it.
A man stepped out after her, his gaze cool and assessing as it slid between Miriam and me, noting the damage I’d left in my wake. He was handsome, with one of those faces that would appeal to most women and a body that was fit and lean. His blond hair had that sexy tousled thing going for it, like he’d just gotten out of bed and run his hands through it. He seemed familiar somehow, like I’d seen him somewhere, but for the life of me, I couldn’t remember where.
Miriam stiffened as soon as she caught sight of the man behind Angela.
“What is he doing here?” she asked, her voice taking on a deep undertone. It was like it reverberated and echoed back a thousand times in the small space.
Next to the sorcerer’s voice, it was pretty impressive.
Whoever he was didn’t seemed phased by the suddenly scary witch in front of him.
“I’ll see you later, babe,” he said, slipping past Angela and heading towards the exit. He gave the broken latch a considering look before slipping away.
Miriam made no move to stop him, keeping her eyes trained on her shop keeper.
