Repossessed (13 page)

Rob tilted his head toward hers. “I’d say he’s the chunky guy behind those five pissed off wizards.”

She turned around to see the head of an overweight man dressed in biker gear. It was rather difficult to make out his features with five glowering dudes snarling in front of him. The one who grabbed her stepped forward and pointed at Rob.

Uh-oh.

They moved through the crowd as a rendition of the “
Devil Went Down to Georgia
” thundered from a jukebox.

As they approached, she turned to Rob. “Is it time to go, yet?”

“Nope.” He finished his beer and put the strap of his satchel over her shoulder. “But I suggest you stay out of trouble and find a seat somewhere else.”
Stay out of trouble?
Shouldn’t Rob follow his own advice?

Tessa picked up her drink and searched for a free table. The bar was packed. She decided to pick a spot close by, behind the table of biker nymphs. They didn’t care anymore about harassing her. They had front-row seats to a fight.

Five greasy wizards stepped up to Rob. Two matched his height, while the others peered up.

“Our friend here says you need to be reminded of your place, Warlock,” one of the taller ones grunted.

Rob’s right eyebrow rose. “Why don’t you come teach me?”

The other taller one with a military buzz cut jabbed Rob’s chest with his index finger. “Let’s see how tough he is with all of us standing here.”

“Rob. Don’t. Do. This,” the bartender warned.

“Shut up, Stan! He don’t belong here,” one of the shorter ones with a missing eye said.

Rob glanced at the finger on his chest. “Move it before I break it.”

Tessa sighed. They should’ve left. Did he thrive on danger like this? She knew he was ex-Navy, but damn, did he need to stand up to everyone?

The biker nymphs in front of her giggled as some of the patrons backed away.

The wizard with his index finger pointed at Rob waved his hand again. Suddenly, Rob snapped. Grasping the finger, he jerked it wildly to the side. The wizard’s face contorted in pain as Rob’s firm grip drove him to his knees.

His friends surged forward. Rob barked, “Take another step and I break his hand.”

Behind him, Stan gritted his teeth. “Take it outside, Rob. Bart, call off your friends or I’ll step in to end this.”

Rob released the wizard’s finger. With a sneer, Bart motioned with his head toward the door.

Rob grinned wolfishly. “You first.”

Tessa took a step forward. “Rob, why don’t we find a table? Let’s talk to Harry and—”

“Oh, shut up!” One of the biker nymphs tossed peanuts in her direction. Another with a nose piercing joined the assault, forcing Tessa to follow the men as they left the bar.

She reached the door, only to find herself flung backwards as the military hair cut wizard flew through the glass pane in the door. His momentum threw them into a table of wizards playing cards. Their goblets of brandy soaked her shirt as the blubbering wizard rolled off her. The hard imprint of poker chips pressed into her back. Grimacing, she removed a spicy chicken tender from her shoulder.

“Sorry… I’m so sorry,” she mumbled to the old men as they continued to play. One of them tossed a card on her head as another raised a bet.

Cackles of laughter from the biker nymphs, and a few other patrons floated through room over the screeches of the fiddle in the music. The fallen wizard wiped a line of blood from his mouth as he stood. Then he opened the broken door and bounded outside.

She followed him to find Rob tossing around wizards like hopscotch marbles. One would attempt to throw a punch, which Rob blocked then responded with a swift jab of his own.

Like fools bent on being punished, the pattern continued until one of the men grabbed Rob from behind. Before Rob could twist out to throw the attacker, another swept in and punched him in the ribs. She expected Rob to glance off the blow, but his face contorted in agony. The shorter wizard used the opportunity to hit Rob across the jaw.

Rob shook off the blow, sidestepping out of the hold. “Is that all you got!”

This had to end.
What to do? What to do?
The closest thing was a stack of newspapers. Read them to death? Need something better. As her eyes darted over the street, Rob snarled as he threw one of the wizards into a car door. The man rolled into a puddle of rainwater flowing into the sewer.

With an idea in mind, she sucked in a deep breath, gathered the energy necessary to summon the water to her will. With a flick of her fingers, the water rose, then drenched the men in the street.

They turned to her, dumbfounded.

“Works on dogs. I can see it works on wizards as well,” she sneered.

“What the hell did you dump on me?” a taller one moaned.

“It smells like shit,” another said.

NYC streets weren’t the cleanest in some places. A jump into the East River might’ve been a cleaner option next to being doused in puddles heading for the sewer.

Rob flashed a dark look at the men, then clenched his side and limped toward the bar. He ignored her wide eyes and stepped through the new opening in the front door. His wet shirt clung to his torso.

“Tessa, get your butt in here,” he yelled from inside the bar.

She backed away from the wizards as Bart tried to help one of his fallen comrades.

Once she returned, she found Rob sitting next to Harry at the bar. The table of card-playing wizards continued, their table now reassembled through magic, as if she’d never interrupted their game.

Stan tossed Rob a tattered towel from behind the counter.

“You always make an entrance, Shin.” Harry completed his shot with a single gulp. He scratched his straggled mane of dirty blond hair before belching.

“If you would’ve made it during the appointed time, I would’ve stayed out of trouble,” Rob grumbled.

He no longer held his side, but leaned inward with a scowl. “How much is it this time? And don’t think I haven’t checked the market prices.”

“The usual price. I could’ve added a fee for transport, but I can see—” He plucked a small piece of plastic from Rob’s shoulder. “—that you’ve had enough drama this evening.”

Rob reached into his jeans and pulled out a single ruby the size of a fingernail.

Harry snatched the gem from Rob’s hand and examined it with glee. He bit into the stone then stuffed it into his pocket.

“Feels legit.” He turned to Stan, tossing a few bills on the counter. “Another double Jack Daniels.”

He dug into his biker jacket, pulling out a crumpled paper bag. He tossed it to Rob.

“This one should last a lot longer. The magic is setup for one trial opening. After that, Clive will have to register its use with the Supernatural Municipal System.”

Rob nodded.

Harry chuckled. “You could’ve waited for Clive to buy another one of those.”

“Last time this happened, Clive told me he waited three years for a replacement. I don’t have that kind of time.”

A double shot of Jack Daniels was placed in front of Harry, only to be snatched by Rob. After slamming the drink in one gulp, he hissed while clenching his side.

Was he hurt worse than she’d thought? “Rob, are you hurt?”

“Old injury. Nothing that a quick handshake with my friend Jack Daniels won’t cure.”

Most men like Rob didn’t walk around with rib-based injuries. His aunt had said he’d worked long hours. Maybe he’d pushed himself too far?

She touched his shoulder. “How about we head on out since we have what we came for?”

Rob nodded slowly.

Harry rolled his eyes. “You already took my drink. If you ask nicely, I’ll bandage you enough to get home without pain.”

“How much will it cost me?”

“You’re already a valued customer. Consider it on the house.”

Rob took a step forward. Then paused. “No tricks, wizard. The last spell you cast wasn’t funny.”

“You can’t take a joke.” Harry turned to her with a wink. “I gave him a magical dose of Viagra. To help out. Apparently, he doesn’t have a sense of humor.”

“I would have to agree on that one,” she chimed in.

Rob frowned at her. “I had a hard-on for twenty-four hours. That kind of shit isn’t funny.”

While stifling the urge to laugh, Harry rubbed his hands together, drawing magic into his fingers. Light danced from hand to hand.

Rob offered a small smile. “Thanks.”

“No tricks, I promise,” Harry said. “If you feel anything funny, you can taint all my wands.”

Rob flashed a grin that made Tessa’s insides melt. “Is that even possible?” he asked.

“With the right tools, all of them rare, warlocks can jack up any weapon.” Harry lightly pressed his palms against Rob’s side. “Just give em’ cursed shit from each of the elements—fire, earth, wind, and water—and they’ll grow an ego big enough to think they can mess with the wizards.” The wizard backed away, apparently done with his work.

“The right tools…” Rob appeared thoughtful then made a move toward the door. “Thanks again for the quickie.”

“I treated you right, didn’t I? Last thing I think your lady friend needs is an injured boyfriend trying to tuck her in.”

“H-he’s not my boyfriend,” she stammered.

Rob leaned in to his friend, whispered something into his ear, and then patted him on the shoulder. Harry laughed with an evil glint in his eye. What secrets did Rob keep?

“Nice doing business with you, Shin,” Harry said.

Silent as always, Rob pulled her out of the bar.

A little over an hour later, they arrived back at her apartment. Ever since they’d left the subway entrance, their walking had slowed down. Almost to a casual stroll. She hoped he wasn’t in pain.

“You should get some rest. Are you sure we shouldn’t go to the hospital or something?” she asked.

“I’m not one hundred percent right now, but I’m fine.” He was staring at her again. His body was hard to read, but his eyes said something else. The message made her stomach flip.

“Maybe we can go out tomorrow then.” She tried to avoid his eyes and ended up glancing at his full lips. Not the best place. She daydreamed often as to whether they were as delicious as they appeared. “Oh, thanks again for watching out for me.”

“Not a problem. Although I’m surprised you made it out of there in one piece.”

“I’m not doing too bad.”

“Was that before or after you ended up covered in brandy?”

To distract herself from the heat rising in her face, she handed him his satchel. Then she pulled up her shirt to her nose and frowned. Her clothes smelled like a smoky bar that had been doused in hard liquor. Also, a bright orange smudge of Tabasco sauce caked her shoulder. She had hot stuff written all over her.

“So we can try again in a few days?” Persistence was how this game had to be won.

“Sure.” He hugged his side again. Harry’s healing spell must’ve not been as strong as his Viagra spell.

“See you around.” She backed toward the apartment. He didn’t step forward. She faced the doors, battling the need to reach for him. With eyes closed, she made a split second decision. If he was there when she turned around, then she’d make her move. She’d walk right up to him and say
something
. After she pivoted, she found him mere inches away. Her lips parted as his nose brushed against hers.

Her heart began to race. Did he know she’d make her move?

His free right hand drifted up her arm, finally resting on her shoulder. With a gentle tug, he drew her forward into a brief kiss. Was that it? Breathless from a single peck, she was about to burst at the seams. His mouth was so deliciously close. She wasn’t sure how much time passed as they stood there, eyes closed in a stand-off.

His tongue darted out to slide between her lips. She sucked in a breath. If this man didn’t stop teasing and kiss her, she’d hurt him!

As if under a spell, her eyes opened to see Rob returning her hungry gaze. For a split second, her mind delved into a fantasy of events: their fevered ascent up the stairs, their discarded clothes in the living room, and finally him pounding into her body as she braced against the doorjamb of her bedroom.

Tessa’s eager hands reached for his shirt to reunite their mouths. The sounds of the city disappeared as they necked under the streetlight. His hand slid down her back to rest against her bottom. As his fingers gripped her heated flesh, he kissed her with a possessiveness that left her breathless.

Suddenly, he clenched his side. He spoke against her mouth. “If I wasn’t… injured…”

Something buzzed in her pocket. She ignored it, but her phone kept vibrating. Whoever it was, they were quite persistent.

Once their heavy breathing settled, she glanced down and retrieved her phone.

Her fingertips went numb as she stared at the screen. The text message had been sent multiple times, each line more ominous than the next:
Don’t forget about the loan you made with us. We will come for you.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Dating Tip #15: I had a client of mine brag that his “connections” with Cupid was the key to his success. A single wizard living at home with his mother doesn’t have Cupid on speed dial. Women, avoid men who are all mouth and no action.

“Is everything okay?” Rob asked Tessa.

“I wish. Everything would be okay if I found a spell to send me to the moon. I’d be problem-free living in one of those humungous craters.”

Rob’s face reflected one of confusion.

“Don’t worry about it. Let’s just say I’d like a long vacation in a far, far away location.”

Rob leaned in to kiss her forehead and bid her goodbye. The touch left her heady as he added space between them. She watched him walk away before she ambled up to her apartment. The lights of her apartment were dim when she returned. Perfect for her somber mood. With nothing to purge the empty feeling that clawed at her, she plopped down on her bed. Eventually, she drifted to sleep.

A few days later, things weren’t getting any better. The calendar on Tessa’s iPhone stared back at her with red dots on critical dates. The crimson specks were stark against the white background. Other than reminding her of pending doom, the electronic device also admonished the fact that she hadn’t seen Rob for a while. After that crazy night at the bar, he’d disappeared.