“Hey,” I shouted.
“Quiet,” the man, who I had decided at this point was a kid, said.
“I don’t like being forced into things,” I growled. “You won’t like me if you keep doing that.”
The guy lowered his hand. The spell on me stopped and he sighed. “Look, I was only trying to get you to come with me. It makes all this a lot easier. The boss wants to see you.”
I shot a confused look to Rufus.
“You know that I have no idea what he’s talking about,” he said.
“It was worth a try,” I replied. To the kid, I said, “What boss?”
“The one Sadie knew.”
At the mention of her name, I jumped in the limo and motioned for Rufus to join me. “Well come on, don’t just stand there.”
He sighed and made no move to enter.
“Look, you’ll feel responsible if I disappear in a limo and never return.”
“You’ve got a point.” He slid in beside me and closed the door.
The kid sat in the middle of the seat across from us, behind the driver’s glass partition. He tapped the glass, and the driver veered off.
“Where are we going?” I asked. “And what huge gonads you have for working magic in a non-magical town.”
The kid laughed. “I do what I’m told. I was told to pick you up, and I picked you up.”
The inside of the limo was dark. Blue LED lights outlined the seats and the walls, casting a cold halo on the interior.
“Where are you taking us?” Rufus asked.
“I’m not taking you anywhere,” the kid said. “Just for a drive.”
Cold dread washed through my body. Whenever anyone in a movie went for a drive, they wound up dead. I rubbed my arm against my thigh, working up my magic like static electricity, prepared to hit this kid with it if I had to. Rufus’s brow twitched as his gaze slid to the corner of his eye.
I hated to tell him, but I would not be protecting him against any magic this kid might throw at us. Rufus would be on his own.
“Relax,” the kid said. “Why don’t I let the boss explain it?” He picked up a phone that sat beside him. He didn’t dial a number, just started talking. “Yeah, I got her. Got some friend of hers, too.” A pause while whoever was on the other end asked a question. “Some guy. No, I don’t recognize him.” He hung up. “The boss’ll be here in a second.”
I squinted. “What do you mean?”
Next thing I knew, the fat kid moved over as another figure materialized beside him. This man had blond hair smoothed back against his skull, cold blue eyes and was thinner than a bean pole.
“I do declare that you have done well, Georgie,” the man said in a deep Southern drawl, “by finding Miss Cooke.”
Georgie beamed. “I did my best, Boss.”
The boss patted his shoulder. “Good job.”
The boss straightened his tie and turned to me. “How do you do, Miss Cooke? My name is Sykes Laffoon.”
I gestured to Rufus. “This is John.”
Sykes pinned his gaze on Rufus. “No last name?”
Rufus shook his head. “I suffer, unfortunately, from amnesia.”
