Taken (31 page)

“I need the young lady to exit the vehicle as well.”
 

Josh snuck a peek at her out of the corners of his eyes. Her fear and confusion were genuine and perfect for the situation. But when the other cop said, “spread ‘em” and kicked her feet apart with the toe of his boot, Josh had to squelch the desire to turn around and punch him. He trembled with rage when the cop’s energy field spiked with lust as he patted Channie down.

Hopefully, the cop searching Josh would interpret his shaking as fear instead of anger. He holstered his weapon and said, “What are you two doing out here?”

“We just got married.”

“Uh-huh. You look a little young to be married and this isn’t exactly a honeymoon suite at the Ritz.”

“We’re saving our money.” Josh instantly regretted letting Hunter talk him into accepting the pillowcase stuffed full of cash. How the hell was he supposed to explain that?

The cop nodded at the sack of money and said, “What’s in the bag?”

Josh took a deep breath. If he demanded they get a search warrant, they’d just haul him and Channie off for more questioning. “Money.”

The cops eyebrows shot up. “Money?”

“I worked as an exotic dancer at ‘Her Lady’s Pleasure’ in Vegas. That’s my tip money.” Josh’s cheeks burned and his ears felt as if they were on fire, but the closer he kept things to the truth, the better. “I used the name ‘Hunter’ when I’m on stage.”

The cop didn’t look convinced. “Hand it over.”

There was nothing keeping the cop from just taking the cash. If Josh were half the mage Channie thought he was, he could curse the man. He untied the knot at the top of the pillowcase and opened the bag. “If you want to examine the money, feel free. Just remember where it’s been.”

The cop curled his lip and wrinkled his nose. “I think I better take you guys in for questioning.”

Josh felt the warm glow of magic swell inside his chest. He released it and guided it towards the two cops. “Please, we just got married in Vegas this morning. I have a marriage certificate to prove it. Please … don’t ruin our wedding night.”

The other cop rested his hand on the butt of his gun then said, “Let’s see the marriage license, but move slow and keep your hands where I can see ‘em.”

Josh said, “It’s in the glove compartment, on the other side of the car.” He pulled up every bit of magic he possessed and flung it at the two cops.
You don’t want to ruin our honeymoon. You want to catch the bad guys that were speeding down the highway shooting at people. We aren’t a threat.

The cops scrutinized Josh and Channie’s wedding license as well as every other document in their possession then went back to their cruiser. The first cop came back and handed Josh a warning ticket for loitering. He rested his forearms on the open window and said, “I could have arrested you two for indecent exposure, but even if all you were doing was sleeping, it’s not safe. Thieves and rapists prowl isolated spots like this, looking for young fools. Go get a room. The back of a car is no place to spend your wedding night.”
 

~***~

Josh nodded and said, “Thanks,” then slumped against the seat and let his head fall back against the headrest as the adrenaline left his body.

Channie brushed his hair off his forehead. “You need to sleep.”

He’d used all his magical energy on the cops. Josh was exhausted but they couldn’t afford to stop. “Your mom is still out there.”

“Didn’t you see the steam pouring out of the hood? She’ll need to stop and get that vehicle patched up. And I doubt she’ll be able to find a mechanic before morning.”

“I’m not comfortable stopping when we’re so exposed.”

“Then let me drive.”

“You don’t have a license. What if you get pulled over? I don’t have enough power left to get us out of another jam with the cops.”

“I’ll drive very carefully and obey all the rules, even the speed limit.”

Josh considered their options and decided to let Channie drive. “Alright. But wake me up in a couple of hours.”

Channie smiled and kissed his cheek then traded places.
 

“And Channie?” Josh cranked the passenger seat back as far as it would go.

“Yeah?”

“I think we should stay with my dad for awhile.”

She froze with her hand on the ignition, then cocked her head to the side and said, “I thought you wanted to find your clan.”

“I do. But, I don’t even know where to start looking. And this … situation with your mother is dangerous.”

“How’s living with your father going to help? I don’t want to put him, or Liz in danger. And what about Elijah? He’s there every other weekend.” Channie’s voice rose as her energy field lit up with fear.

“I’ll put the Book of the Dead in a safety deposit box at a bank in Denver. No amount of persuasive magic will get your mother into a safety deposit box without a key.”

“How are you going to use the book, if it's locked up in a bank?”

“I’ll do it inside the bank. They give you a private room to examine the contents of your box.”

“What if Momma finds the book while we’re there?”

“She can’t get past the security guards, but I’ll cast misdirection spells around the bank while we’re there. Just to be safe.”

“Do you honestly think that horrible book wants what’s best for us?”

“No.” Josh laughed, but without humor then took Channie’s hand in his and pressed it against his chest, over his heart. “But I do believe it wants what’s best for all mages. We already know it wants me to reveal myself to my clan and face off with the Wicked Witch of the West next December. Hopefully it’ll show us the next step before then. We can’t just go charging off into enemy territory without a plan.”

Channie’s hand trembled against his chest. “I’m scared.”

“Me too, babe. But it’s going to be okay. I promise.”

~***~

A beam of light startled Josh awake. He bolted upright and threw his shield over Channie.

She gasped and said, “What’s wrong?”

Josh sighed and lowered his shield when he realized it was the rising sun and not the flash of a curse in his eyes.

He blinked and squinted as he lowered his shield and returned his seat back to the upright position. “Sorry. False alarm. You were supposed to wake me after a few hours.”

“You needed the rest. How much magic did you use on those police officers?”

“Enough.” Josh flipped the visor down then pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I need to call my Dad and let him know we’re coming home. Do you want me to put the phone on speaker so you can hear both sides of the conversation?”

“I don’t want to hear either side of that particular conversation.”

“Why not?”

“He’s gonna be madder’n a wet hen when he finds out we got married.”

Josh rolled his eyes and sighed then set his phone in the cup holder. “Pull over at the next gas station so we can fill up and trade places. I’ll wait until then to call him if it makes you feel better.”

“It does.”

When Channie came out of the bathroom, Josh was still on the phone. He grinned at her and waved her over then tried to hand her his phone.

Channie backed away from it but Josh turned the speaker on and said, “It’s okay.”

She glared at him then leaned towards the phone. “Hello?”

“Welcome to the family, Sweetheart.”

Channie was exhausted when she and Josh finally pulled into the driveway. Ezra and Liz ran outside to meet them. After hugs, kisses and stern warnings of “Don’t you ever do that again,” Ezra draped one arm around Josh, the other around Channie and shepherded them to the front door.

Josh said, “Hang on a second,” then tugged Channie away from Ezra and swept her off her feet, cradling her in his arms. He kissed the top of her head and said, “Better late than never,” then stepped over the threshold.

Channie was afraid he was going to carry her all the way upstairs to his room, but he walked into the kitchen instead and set her down on the counter next to the icebox. He jerked the door open and stuck his head inside. “I’m starving. How come you guys never have any food in the fridge?”

Channie grinned. If it wasn’t one appetite, it was the other. She hopped off the counter and peeked around Josh into the icebox. Two cartons of eggs, a pound of bacon, a gallon of milk, butter and … tofu?
 
“What are you talking about? There’s plenty of food in here.”
 

Liz said, “Do you enjoy cooking?”

“I don’t mind it, and I’d be happy to stir up some grub for everyone, but I don’t know where you keep your pots and pans or how to use this fancy cookstove.”

Josh said, “Channie’s an amazing cook. You wouldn’t believe what she can do with a rabbit or even a squirrel.”

Liz gasped and turned green. Ezra didn’t look so good either, but he nodded and said, “Is that right?”

Josh laughed and said, “Her cornbread is even better,” then opened a door and stepped into a huge closet with floor to ceiling shelves. “What do you need besides corn meal and flour?”

“Baking soda, sugar and salt.”

Josh set everything on the kitchen table and said, “How hot do you want the oven?”

“Hot enough to cook it all the way through without burning the bottom.”

“Yeah, but how hot is that? 350? 400?”

“I don’t know.” Channie’s cheeks flushed. She’d used the stove top burners at Josh’s momma’s house and at the house over by Heritage Park, but she’d never used either of the modern ovens.

Liz pulled a cookbook out of a drawer and thumbed through it, then put her finger on a recipe and said, “Try 350 degrees for twenty-five minutes.”

Josh explained what he was doing as he tapped the oven’s display screen with his finger. “When you’re ready to put it in the oven, just touch this icon and that’ll start the timer.”

Channie slid the pan into the oven then put Josh to work frying bacon while she chopped onions and red peppers for the scrambled eggs. It took the cornbread thirty minutes instead of twenty-five, and the middle fell when it came out of the oven — Liz said it was something about the higher altitude that affected baked goods. But it was perfectly browned, moist and tender.
 

Ezra patted his mouth with his napkin and said, “This is amazing,” then grabbed another square.

Liz licked her lips then moaned and said, “I don’t even want to know how many calories or fat grams are in each bite.”

Josh shoved the last square of cornbread in his mouth and somehow managed to swallow it whole without choking. His lips quirked up at the corners as he pushed away from the table and gazed at Channie with lust-filled eyes.

She dropped her gaze to her hands as her cheeks burned.

Josh stretched and yawned then said, “Since Channie and I cooked, how ‘bout you guys do the dishes. We need to catch up on our sleep after that drive.”

Ezra smiled at Channie and said, “Thanks for the meal,” then leveled his gaze at Josh. “Before you head upstairs, why don’t you go get your marriage license out of the car. You shouldn’t leave important documents lying around.”

Josh rolled his eyes and said, “If you want proof that we’re really married, just say so.”

“I want proof.”

~***~

Ezra took their marriage certificate into his office and scrutinized it for several minutes. “How did you manage to talk your parents into signing the permission form?”

Channie swallowed and forced a smile across her face, but it felt stiff and unconvincing, even to her. She couldn’t help but wonder if she’d ever see Daddy or Abby or the trips again. Or … Momma. It didn’t make a lick of sense, but she couldn’t help missing her. Not the way she was now, of course, but the way she’d been before the Book of the Dead cursed her.
 

Josh stepped behind Channie and slid his arms around her waist then kissed the top of her head. “Things have changed.”

Ezra’s gaze dropped to Channie’s belly. “What can I do to help?”

“There’s nothing anyone can do.” Josh slid his hands to the front of Channie’s body and rubbed a slow circle just below her navel, as if caressing their unborn child. “Channie and I just have to figure some things out.”

“I understand.”
 

Well, Channie sure as hell didn’t. Why on earth did Josh want Ezra to think she was pregnant?

Ezra said, “Why don’t you two go on to bed. A good night’s rest can help almost any situation.” He patted Channie’s arm then cupped the back of Josh’s neck with his palm and said, “I love you, son. Everything’s going to be fine.”

~***~

As soon as Josh shut their bedroom door, Channie lit into him. “What the hell, Josh? Why did you do that?”

He ran a hand through his hair, leaving it in total disarray. “Look, you don’t know my dad the way I do. He wasn’t going to stop questioning us until he got some answers that made sense. And it wouldn’t surprise me if he tried to talk us into annulling our marriage. I just don’t want to deal with it. An imaginary pregnancy solved both problems.”

“But now he’s going to worry about a baby that doesn’t even exist. And what are you going to tell him when my belly stays flat?” Channie’s stomach churned. “And what if he wants me to go see a doctor?” She’d heard about the way Empty doctors examined pregnant women from Kassie. No way would she submit to that.

“Hey you, come here.” Josh tugged on Channie’s hands as he sat on the edge of their bed. “I think it’s better he worry about a non-existent baby than the truth. I don’t think he’s ready to hear about magic. And hopefully, the book will show us the next step before we have to worry about you not showing. When this war is over, and we can come home, we’ll just tell him you miscarried.”

“That’s cruel, Josh. Folks have a way of falling in love with just the idea of a baby. You know he’s probably downstairs telling Liz all about it right now.”

Josh groaned and smacked his forehead with his palm. “I forgot about Liz. She’ll probably have one of the guest-rooms converted into a nursery before the end of the week.”

Channie picked up Josh’s back pack and handed it to him. “Let’s just hope the book gives us some answers tonight so we can squelch this whole baby idea before it spirals out of control.”