Bewitched (Betwixt & Between #2) - Darynda Jones Page 0,37

had now.

“I did.” She dabbed her nose with a handkerchief. “They won’t find her as long as I’m alive.”

“Ruthie,” Papi said. “You can’t imagine what this means to us.”

“I can, actually.” Her shoulders shook as Papi drew her into a deep hug.

“We will protect her with our lives,” Dad said.

As they walked to the front door, Percy shook beneath their feet, clearly not wanting me to go. Tiny me poked my head out from under the blanket and waved sleepily at him.

I wanted to curl into a ball right then and there. Did they realize just what they’d promised my grandmother? Did they understand the dangers that awaited them had I been found? I didn’t know. But I did know that they probably had no idea what happened after Ruthie closed Percy’s door.

She sank to the floor, her heart clearly broken, and cried.

Trying to get control of my own emotions, the ones cinching my throat closed, I glanced over the screen at Ruthie. “Who’s filming?”

The shy smile that spread over her face told me everything. It was Chief Houston Metcalf. They’d been seeing each other for decades, and she clearly still had feelings for him. Which is why it made less than zero sense why she’d banish him from her life now. Something else was up with that.

In the video, the chief laid down the camera and went to her. The only thing in the frame was a shot through the front window out to the driveway. I watched Dad strap me into a car seat before car seats were mandatory while I listened to Ruthie cry in the background.

The current Ruthie made a similar sound near the end of the bed.

I handed the laptop to Annette. “I’m sorry, Gigi.” The old endearment just slipped out. But it was time.

Ruthie pressed a hand to her mouth as she took in what I’d said, then threw her arms around my shoulders, and I fell into her hug. “None of this was your fault, sweetheart. You were born to greatness. It wasn’t a choice.”

“But you did everything to keep me safe. I’m so grateful for you.” I looked up, over her shoulder. “And for you, Percy.”

Ruthie pulled me tight for a long moment, then leaned back to look at me. She brushed a strand of hair off my face.

I swiped at a stray tear and struggled to stay focused. “In the video, when I said I locked the doors, you think that meant I went back in time and did it with a supernatural spell to keep Bead-uh inside?” Whoever Bead-uh was. The mysteries wouldn’t stop piling up. At this rate, I’d need a pair of supernatural waders.

She nodded. “I do.”

“Why? I mean, how could you possibly come to that conclusion?”

She lifted her head. “Because, before that day, sweetheart, there was no attic. There were no doors. There were no gables.”

I stilled. “And then there were six? Just out of the blue?”

“Yes. If you look at pictures of when the house was first built, there are six gables. Even the original plans show them, yet I couldn’t remember them being there until that day. And neither could Percy.”

“What about the chief?”

“He remembers them. He even had a memory of the first time he saw the house. He was riding his bike past it when he was a kid, and he fell in love with the gables.”

“Wow. Maybe you just, you know, overlooked them.”

She laughed, not even bothering to address the idea.

“You realize that doesn’t actually prove anything.”

“It does to me. And it did to Percival too. Oh, and just in case you needed one more witness, do you remember meeting Serinda today?”

“Yes. She’s amazing. Fiery and funny and elegant like you.”

Ruthie’s expression shimmered with surprise. “She remembers as well. That’s how we met. She stomped up to the house and demanded to know what magics I was doing to put six gables on a house of witches where anyone could see them.”

“Sounds like her. Did she think the muggles would suspect?”

“Oh, no.” Ruthie waved a dismissive hand. “She didn’t care about that. She was upset that I’d used six gables instead of five. That I’d created a Star of David instead of a proper pentagram. Said it was an embarrassment to the witch community.” She grinned as she thought back. “We’ve been best friends ever since.”

“Did you tell her what you think really happened?”

“Oh, goodness no. Not for years. Remember, I had you in hiding. I wasn’t about to tell anyone about