Chapter Seven
“Your timing is impeccable, as always,” Payton replied with a calm she didn’t feel. She’d swear on a stack of grimoires the woman probably scryed each of their locations and, finding them together, intended to do everything in her power to keep them apart.
Mayor Mary-Alice Cobb carried herself with the rigid posture of someone who believed good breeding was a moral requirement and bad manners were a criminal offense.
She was the perfect politician with a side of country-club queen.
Everything about her was curated, from her immaculate chignon to the pearls she wore like armor.
An ironclad self-righteousness simmered beneath her polished exterior, and her permanent sneer suggested everyone around her smelled faintly of disappointment.
And Payton hated the bitch.
The instant she met Dailey’s suddenly wary gaze, she had an epiphany. The clarity of hindsight struck, making her realize he always wore either a hunted or a badgered look whenever his mother showed up.
How had she missed it before? Had she developed a sixth sense for these things recently?
Payton waited a few heartbeats for him to take control of the situation, but he remained quiet, watchful. And in between the silent beats, disappointment rode her hard. Apparently nothing had changed on his end, and he was still unwilling to stand up for her.
With a weary sigh, she climbed to her feet. “You know where to find me when you’re ready, Officer Cobb.”
She’d meant when he was ready to pull his head out of his ass, but he interpreted it as having to do with the incident from last night, because he said, “Don’t leave town.”
His hard-edge tone could only mean one thing—he intended to follow through with the charges.
A little of her old rebellious nature surfaced, and she said, “I already told you I have to plan my sister’s bridal shower. But after that, no promises.” With a middle finger flip, she picked up her bag from the floor and headed for the door.
The way was blocked by her nemesis.
“You aren’t welcome here after what you did,” Mary-Alice informed her.
Big surprise there!
“I know,” Payton said with as much dignity as she could muster. There had been no excuse for running out on Dailey on their wedding day. She should’ve called a halt to their relationship long before.
But the old witch wasn’t done. “You—”
“Mother!”
Her eyes burned with loathing, and despite Dailey’s sharp reprimand, the mad cow was determined to continue. “You can crawl back—”
“Enough!” Dailey’s roar shook the blinds, shocking both Mary-Alice and her.
Although he’d been formidable during their time together, he’d never been able to control his environment with only his voice. When had he become so powerful? And why was it so seductive, even now?
He continued as if he didn’t realize the force of his anger. “I mean it, Mother. One more fucking word, and I’ll pack my shit and go.”
Mary-Alice gasped. A look of betrayal settled on her autocratic face. “Dailey!”
“No. You’re done with the insults and insinuations.
Payton has done nothing to deserve it.” His expression was as stone cold as his words, able to freeze fire, and it left little doubt of his seriousness.
Gray eyes, no longer dull and lifeless, sparked with rage.
And surprise of surprises, it wasn’t directed at Payton.
The desire to thank him was strong, but with her throat thickening, she couldn’t speak. Yet he understood. Of course he did because he always saw more than anyone else.
Holding out his hand, he said, “We have things to discuss.”
Deep-seated instinct urged her to take the olive branch, to place her palm in his, but she hesitated.
“We don’t have time for this Dailey,” Mary-Alice cut in with purpose. “We have a family emergency.”
His cool gaze landed on his mother. “If it’s not imminent death, I don’t give a shit.”
Payton’s heart melted, but was his action of putting her first too little too late?
Was there any way to salvage their trainwreck of a relationship after so long a break?
She’d like to think so, but it didn’t start with his alienating other family members who did matter, like Harrison or his sister Sloane.
“It’s okay, Dailey,” Payton assured him. “I’ll wait.”
He dropped his arm. “I’ll pop around after I deal with whatever this is.”
She nodded and hurried out without a backward glance.
“What the hell are you doing, Payton Hawthorne? Are you insane?” she scolded herself.
She should book an appointment with Harrison and have her brain examined!
Or maybe she should pray for a meteor to take Witchmere out.
It was the only way she’d stop returning to this hellhole for another self-torturous cycle.
A fiery flash appeared in the sky, growing in size and speed until Payton feared her cursed boots brought her random thought to life.
In a blink, it was gone, and at her feet lay a glowing green egg-shaped rock.
The urge to pick it up was overwhelming, but if it had just burned its way through their atmosphere, wouldn’t it fry her fingers?
And yet, it hadn’t melted the shoveled-packed snow it landed in.
“Fuck it.”
Bending, she held her hand an inch from its scale-like exterior, and sensing no heat, she dared touch a finger to the surface. Although warm, it wasn’t scalding hot.
“This is so not smart,” she told herself as she scooped it up and cradled it between her palms to examine. “This is how all alien horror films start!”
“It’s true. That was pretty dumb on your part.”
Payton yelped and fumbled the egg, barely managing to catch it before it hit the pavement.
“Jesus, Rowan! You need a damned bell on your neck.”
“Bells are for cats. Not wolves.” Inching closer, she peered at Payton’s prize. “I’ve never seen anything like it. But do they look like dragon scales to you?”
“How the hell would I know? I’ve never seen a dragon.”
“Hm.”
“Hm? Hm, what?”
Rowan shrugged. “Nothing. Just hm.”
“Is it just me, or was the thing on fire before it landed?”
“I saw it, too.” Her green eyes sparkled as she added, “I also heard what went on inside the station.”
“It’s those massive ears of yours,” Payton quipped.
Her friend’s hands flew upward to touch the appendages in question, before she scowled and dropped them.
“God, you’re a bitch.”
Laughing for what felt like the first time in years, Payton bumped shoulders with her. “You know you’re perfect, ho. Hell, all the women in this town want to be you, and all the men want to be with you.”
“All but one,” Rowan said with a morose glance down the street at Harrison Cobb’s office.
“Yeah, well, his loss.”
“Remind me again, why are those brothers brainless?”
Payton grinned as she tucked the green-scaled egg in her purse. “With a mother like Mary-Alice Knob, how can they be normal?”
“Cobb,” someone ground out.
“Crap on a cracker, the non-future monster-in-law’s behind me, isn’t it?” she whispered.
“Yep,” Rowan whispered back. “So’s Officer Knob.”
Daring a glance over her shoulder, Payton witnessed a flash of straight white teeth before Dailey sobered.
Had his curse really been lifted? She wanted to ask, but couldn’t find the courage to bring it up in front of his horrid mother.
The miserable witch didn’t need one more thing to hold over Payton’s head.
“Excuse us, ladies.” He did nothing to disguise the humor in his voice. “Lead on, Mother.”
They hadn’t made it two feet before Rowan called out, “Isn’t she always leading you boys by your noses, Dailey?”
Mary-Alice’s heels clip-clopped on the sidewalk as she trotted away, but Dailey wasn’t so quick to follow.
“Careful, Rowan. If she takes it into her head to hex you, I can’t stop her.”
“What could she possibly do that I’d give a crap about?”
He turned around, walking backward while keeping them in his sights. “Ever see one of those Sphynx cats?”
Rowan paled.
Dailey shrugged.
And Payton laughed. How could she help it? The visual was priceless.
Across the distance, her eyes locked with his, and she was happy to see them come to life. With a wink and a whistle, he faced forward and jogged to catch up to his outraged mother.
Payton sighed.
“Don’t,” Rowan warned.
“What?”
“You know very well what. If you want your newly healed heart carved out again, fall back in love with the man.”
“It never healed, Ro. And I never fell out of love with him,” she confessed.
Silence settled between them as they watched Dailey’s fine ass strut away.
Finally, Rowan turned to her. “Should we bust your dragon egg open and see what’s inside?”
“No! Talk about dumb!” Payton placed a protective hand over her purse. “There’s no telling what we’d unleash.”
“Fair. Let’s get margarita mix and drown our sorrows instead.”
For the first time, she didn’t want to hang out with Rowan and drown her sorrows. Her need to be alone took precedence. “Can’t. I have a few things to do. Can I meet you later?”