shot out and grabbed Grace by the throat. “You keep your mouth shut, you old bitch. Alyssa doesn’t need to know about this little chat we’ve had. Got it?”
Grace didn’t hesitate. She let all her pent-up rage loose, sending Charlie flying straight back into the house. He slammed into a wall in the hallway. The man seemed to hang there on the wall for just a moment before he slid to the floor with a moan.
“Damn, Grace,” Hope said with awe in her tone. “That was impressive.”
“Yeah, well, seems ever since the divorce my magic has been supercharged. Too much anger mixed in with my give-no-fucks attitude, and here we are.” She peered in the house at Charlie.
He stirred, and when he opened his eyes and met her gaze, Grace saw nothing but pure insanity. He rose to his feet and began to slowly stalk toward them. Grace stood her ground, ready to do whatever it took to keep him engaged long enough for Lex and Joy to reappear with the cat. But just before Charlie cleared the hallway, Lizzy, the solid white cat, came flying out of nowhere and landed claws first on his face.
“Argh!” Charlie screamed and batted at the cat. She only held on tighter, yowling and hissing as Charlie tried to shake her off.
“Lizzy!” Lex called, running down the hallway after her. When she saw Charlie battling with the cat, Lex let out a low growl just as she grabbed hold of Charlie’s arm and yanked as hard as she could.
Suddenly a flash of intense white magic filled the hallway, blinding Grace. When she blinked away the spots, she found Lex clutching her cat and Charlie lying flat out on the ground.
“Go!” Grace ordered Lex. “Take the cat and get in the car. I’ll be right there.”
“Grace,” Hope said quietly from behind her. “Come on. Just leave him.”
Grace glanced over her shoulder at her oldest friend. “Take care of Lex. Make sure she and Joy are in the SUV. I’m going to make sure this bastard is still alive.”
Hope chewed on her bottom lip then nodded once. “Be quick.”
“I’m on it.” Grace kneeled down next to Charlie and checked his vitals. His pulse was a little erratic but nothing to be alarmed about, though he did have a large gash over his right eye. She wasn’t sure if it was from the cat or Lex’s burst of magic, but either way, she needed to stop the bleeding.
After quickly finding the first aid kit under the kitchen sink, Grace did her best to clean up the wound and bandage it, but then she went one step further. She placed her hand over the bandage and imagined the skin knitting itself back together.
Charlie’s eyes suddenly popped open, and as if he were possessed, his hand shot out again, this time clutching her hair.
“Ouch, you bastard,” she spat and reached down to grab his crotch. Her fingers tightened around him and twisted as she whispered, “I hope you never get a fully erect penis again, you ugly piece of shit. In fact, I’d be quite satisfied if you walked around frustrated but unable to do anything about it… All. The. Time.”
He howled and let go of her, immediately curling in on himself.
Grace scrambled off of him and quickly backed up while he writhed in pain. “Don’t ever text Lex again. If you do, I’ll go to the cops.”
“You don’t have anything on me,” he ground out, still clutching himself.
“Oh no? You think I’m not aware of the drugs you use or where you get them? Try me, just one time, and I’ll tip off the police.”
Charlie’s face went an even paler shade of white, and Grace felt vindicated. Her bluff had worked. She’d only heard rumors that Charlie did favors for the local drug king in the neighboring town in order to feed a growing habit, but she hadn’t been sure. Now she was certain of it.
“Do you know what they’ll do to you if they find out you turned in one of their own?”
His eyes flashed with pure hatred.
Grace laughed. “But then you aren’t one of theirs, are you?” She backed up, stopping right in the threshold of the front door before she added, “They couldn’t care less about you, Charlie. Now stay away from my niece. I don’t make empty threats.”
She ran back to her SUV and jumped in the driver’s seat. “Everyone present and accounted for?” she asked. When she got three confirmations and a reassurance