“Matt. What do you want?”

“Did you not just get mad at me for not calling? Now I call, and you aren’t being nice.”

Madison sighed. She didn’t know what he had planned, but she didn’t feel like playing games. “Look. I’m sorry about last night, but I really have to go. I have a phone call to make.”

“You wouldn’t be trying to call your friend Angie, would you?”

Something between fear and panic twisted in her gut. “What have you done?”

The laugh that came through the phone sounded evil and not like Matt’s at all. “Let’s just say I have something you want, and you have something I want.”

“The book.”

“Very good. Now lock up the store and get the book. I want it now or I will hurt her.”

‘Why are you doing this?” Madison cried onto the phone.

“Now, no hysterics from you. Just get the book.”

“Where are you?” Madison looked around the store and tried to come up with a plan.

“You don’t need to worry about that. Your ride is there,” he told her.

“My ride?” Madison didn’t see any cars out front. Hearing a noise behind her, she turned and faced a large muscled man.

“Now get the book, and Tag will bring you and it to me.”

Madison ’s mouth was dry, and she had to swallow several times before she could speak. “Why?”

“Just do as you’re told, Madison. I have given Tag permission to do whatever he wants if you don’t cooperate. He’s a big guy. I doubt you would need two of him to satisfy you.”

Madison put a hand over her mouth as her stomach rolled.

“You have fifteen minutes,” Matt told her then she heard the click of him disconnecting and a dial tone.

She looked over at the stranger who took a step towards her.

Madison held her hands up. “I’ll get it.”

He nodded and Madison looked outside once again. No one was in sight.

The strange man followed her into the back room and stayed on her heels as she moved the old painting that hid the safe. Madison turned the combination in the hidden safe. She could feel the man behind her, and it was all she could do to keep from screaming in terror. She knew this couldn’t end well.

There was nothing in the book that was worth all this. She wasn’t sure what her brother was after, but she would give him the book and hopefully get herself and Angie back safely.

Her mind drifted to Dante and Tom. They were going to be so pissed, but it wasn’t like she had a lot of choice. Taking the book out of the safe, she looked over her shoulder. The man, Tag, took it from her and grabbed her upper arm.

“Let’s go.” He yanked her out of the room.

Madison didn’t fight him, knowing it wouldn’t do any good. He led her out the back door, and she saw Angie’s SUV parked behind the store. He opened the driver’s door and pushed her in.

Madison climbed over to the other seat and put her seat belt on. “Where are we going?”

He didn’t answer and Madison leaned back in her seat, trying to come up with a plan.

Chapter Eight

As soon as Tag pulled onto the old dirt road Madison knew where they were headed. Her grandparent’s house was out this way. It had been years since she had come out this far, but she knew immediately she was in more trouble then she thought.

As Tag navigated the rough road, Madison prepared for the battle ahead. When the house came into view, she noticed three cars that she’d never seen before.

“Who’s all here?” she asked.

Again he didn’t answer, but Madison hadn’t really thought he would. He pulled between two black cars and turned off the engine.

“Don’t try anything, girly.”

Madison made a face at him. Girly? She didn’t get time to comment before he grabbed the book with one hand and her with the other. He easily dragged her from the car.

The door opened before they reached it and a young girl, probably not even twenty, held it open for them.

Madison looked at the home where she had spent most of her summers. The fire, years ago, had damaged only the back of the building, so the living room was in order as they led her there.

That was where she saw Angie handcuffed to a chair, and from the burn marks on her wrists, Madison guessed they used pure silver.

“Son of a bitch!” she cried and ran to her friend. She knelt in front of her, and Angie opened her eyes. Madison could see the pain etched all over her face.

Madison looked over her shoulder until she found her brother. “I brought you the book, now let her go!”

Matt walked forward. “As soon as we finish our business.”

Madison stood and faced him. “We’re finished. I brought you the book. Now let her go!”

Matt stopped and looked from her to Angie. “All in good time. I have something for you to do then I will release you both.”

Madison didn’t believe him. Wherever he had been, he had changed. He had turned evil. She could smell the black magic in the house. “I won’t do anything else.”

Matt’s hand came across her face, and she didn’t have time to avoid the blow. Pain exploded across her cheek, and she lifted a shaky hand to her face. Eyes stinging, she wiped off the blood from her lip.

“Wow. How manly,” she taunted.

He hit her again but Madison didn’t recover as quickly this time. He moved and wrapped a hand in her hair. Yanking her head up, he brought her face close to his.

Madison saw the biggest change in him for the first time. Where his eyes had once been blue, they were now coal black.

“What have you done to yourself?” she whispered, trying to understand the change in her brother.

He laughed and leaned even closer. “I embraced my heritage. Just like you’re going to do tonight.”

Before she could argue, he pulled her to the side of the room, and Madison saw for the first time what he had planned. The pentagon and black candles in the middle of the floor had every indication of a ritual.

The girl who had opened the door carefully placed the book in the middle.

“That’s not a book of black magic,” Madison told him, struggling.

Matt wrapped an arm around her neck. “You have so much to learn, little sister. Every spell can be done in black or white magic. It’s all about the witch.”

She shook her head as the other people in the room made a circle around the pentagon. Matt started to move forward, taking her with him.

He pushed her down until she was kneeling on one side of the circle. He matched her position on the other side.

“Give me your hand,” he ordered, holding his own hand out.

Madison shook her head.

He looked over to where Angie was tied up and Madison followed the movement. Tag stood behind Angie with what looked like a thin necklace. He placed it around her neck and Angie screamed in pain. Shocked, Madison looked back at her brother.

“Pure silver and we have plenty more,” he told her. “Now give me your hand.”

Hand shaking, Madison put hers inside his larger one. He closed his fingers around it, and Madison ’s body went cold.

He started chanting while one of the women lit the candles around them. Madison tried to pull her hand away, but Matt’s hold tightened. Not knowing what else to do, she tried to listen to his words.

Her grandmother had tried to teach her Latin, but Madison hadn’t been very good at it. She could only pick up one out of several words, but the words she could pick up were bad. Invoke, evil, sacrifice.

When Matt started the chant over again, Madison could feel the change in the room. The air sizzled around her. The flames of the candles grew.

Madison closed her eyes and concentrated on her own magic. It had been years since she had practiced, but as she started the spell to ward off evil that her grandmother had thought her, the words flowed easily to her mind.

Madison repeated the spell over and over as her brother’s voice rose.