Chapter 18
Dutton walked into the Mystyk Pizza Parlor, feeling not only happy, but grounded.
For the past three days, his life had finally felt right.
He conceded that it was an odd feeling to have when he was pretty certain that the Magical Task Force was just looking for any excuse to arrest him again.
But it’d been three days since he’d dodged them at the Harvest Festival, and they hadn’t come knocking at his door… yet.
Though it wasn’t exactly as if he’d been staying at his house. He’d only been by for a change of clothes and some toiletries. Otherwise, if anyone was looking for him, they’d easily find him at Dahlia’s house.
Since the night they’d gone to the Harvest Festival, he’d spent every night with her and Shortcake. He’d already grown quite fond of snuggling up with both of them when he went to sleep. He was pretty sure the feeling was mutual.
They’d taken turns making dinner and cleaning up, but he’d pretty much assumed the job of taking Shortcake out.
It wasn’t because Dahlia didn’t want to.
It was because Shortcake demanded it. The little dog had claimed him as hers, and there didn’t seem to be anything he could do about it.
Not that he wanted to. He was head over heels for her and her mother.
“Good afternoon,” the raven-haired hostess said with a bright smile. “Table for one or will a guest be joining you today?”
“Table for one,” he confirmed. Dutton had considered ordering a pizza and just taking it back to the shop, but he was getting tired of eating alone in his office. He’d still be eating alone, except this time he’d be eating alone in public. Anything was better than staring at his four walls.
“Too bad I don’t get a break for a couple of hours. I’d keep you company,” she said with a wink.
“Ah”—he peered at her nametag—“Thanks, Daphne, but I’m good.”
“I bet you are.” Daphne turned and swayed her hips in an exaggerated motion as she sauntered off.
“Whoa,” Dutton whispered under his breath and immediately texted Dahlia. The hostess is flirting with me.
Her reply came immediately. What’d she do? Offer to cut up your pizza for you?
Dutton snorted. Not yet, but I bet that’s on the table. She said she wanted to keep me company and then walked off like she had the body of Jessica Rabbit.
She sounds hot. Just remember, if you dump me, you’re dumping Shortcake, too.
I think it’s clear you don’t have to worry. Nothing could tear me away from that pup. He added a laughing emoji just to be sure she knew he was joking.
I’m well aware, Dahlia typed back. The feeling is mutual. She sat at the front door for thirty minutes after you left this morning, just staring forlornly out the side window. I swear, if she had to choose who to live with, I’d be a very lonely woman.
Not if I had anything to say about it.
“What can I get you today?” Daphne suddenly asked as she appeared just over his shoulder. “Water? Wine? My phone number?”
“Just water, please,” Dutton said, trying his best to sound disinterested.
“That’s too bad. Because I’m ready to say ‘yes’ to that Saturday night date you’re thinking about taking me on.”
Dutton glanced up. “I think my girlfriend wouldn’t care for a third wheel. I’ll have water, a Caesar salad, and a personal combination pizza.”
“Girlfriend. Darn it.” She slunk off and he heard her mutter, “All the hot ones are taken.”
He hadn’t intended on invoking the girlfriend card, but it just seemed the easiest way to get Daphne to stop throwing herself at him. Besides, he liked referring to Dahlia as his girlfriend. It made him feel… complete.
The door swung open, and Sheriff Drew Baker, along with his brother-in-law Clay Garrison, strolled in.
Dutton wanted to ask the sheriff if there was any new progress on discovering who started the river and brewery fires, but he looked deep in discussion with Clay. Maybe they were discussing the brewery. Clay was the manager, after all.
Daphne returned with his water and salad. She placed them on the table and said, “Your pizza will be out soon.”
“Thanks,” he said, grateful the flirting had stopped.
Before long his pizza appeared, and Dutton took his time eating his lunch.
He’d pointedly avoided sitting where he could see the flames flickering in the fireplace.
He knew that they morphed into images that were spelled to mean something to the guests, but he wasn’t interested.
Fire had become a sore spot with him, which took some of the magic right out of it.
Once he’d eaten his fill, Dutton asked for the check. When Daphne handed it to him, she winked again and walked off. He looked down and saw that she’d left her number. Scribbled below it were the words Just in case.
Slightly annoyed, Dutton threw cash down on the table, ignored the number, and walked out.
It was slightly overcast, and it looked as if a storm was getting ready to roll in.
Dutton quickened his pace, trying to get to his car before the storm started.
Unfortunately, he’d had to park quite a way down the street since the town had the spots in front of the pizza parlor blocked off with caution tape in anticipation of the parking spots being repainted.
He took quick strides and felt the first fat drops of water splash down on his head. He ducked his head as he continued on, and if he hadn’t felt the fire magic crawl over his skin, he’d have missed the guy climbing down off the roof of one of the buildings.
Dutton stopped dead in his tracks and swiveled his neck, looking for the fire. When he didn’t see it on the street, he looked up and was nearly tackled by the man wearing a gray bodysuit.
“What have you done?” Dutton demanded even as his hand shot out and grabbed the other guy by the neck. The undeniable signature of fire magic radiated from the guy, and Dutton knew he’d just cast a fire spell. It might not be blazing yet, but it would be soon.
The man grunted and used some martial arts move to neutralize Dutton’s grip around his neck.
“Son of a—” Dutton blurted, but then he was silenced when the man’s arm went around his neck and cut off his airway.
He gagged, but nothing happened. His instincts kicked in, and suddenly Dutton grabbed the man’s arm with both hands and yanked, knowing it would do nothing other than give him leverage to aim for another part of his anatomy. Like his family jewels.
Dutton lurched forward and kicked back at the same time, aiming for the man’s crotch. He knew he’d connected when the other man swore and said, “I’m going to remove your balls with a spoon.”
“I’d like to see you try,” Dutton challenged, realizing that he must not have landed a direct hit since the man was still standing.
“Looks like you might get that wish, Butt Munchen.” The man let out a snicker that was all too familiar.
Dutton’s blood ran cold. “Grady?”
“Grady’s dead,” gray suit said.
But Dutton didn’t believe him. He sounded just like Grady from his foster home. The same Grady who’d insisted on calling him Dutton Butt Munchen. Unfortunately, the name had stuck, and everyone in high school called him that.
“What happened to him?” Dutton asked just to keep him talking.
“Never mind him. I’m here for you now. Looks like your time shacking up with that pretty blonde is about to come to an end.
Too bad your loyalty was so bad, Butt Munchen.
You could be living in a beach house right now.
Instead, you’re about to be arrested for arson.
I hope you enjoy your time in white padded rooms.”
“I’m not—”
Dutton was cut off when the guy flipped him so that he was lying on his back on the pavement, staring up at the darkening sky. The breath had been knocked out of him and he was a little dazed, so when the man in the bodysuit ran off, Dutton barely registered it.
Suddenly, smoke billowed in the air, and all senses came back to Dutton.
Pain was radiating down his back and shoulder.
But none of that mattered when he felt the magic fueling the fire.
It filled his lungs, made his skin itchy, and gave him brain fog from the layers of dark magic that was used to cast the spell.
“Hold it right there!” someone demanded.
Dutton tried to look around to see who the man was talking to, but he saw no one on the rainy, empty sidewalk.
“You! Put your hands up!” The Magical Task Force agent stared down at him, a gun pointed right at his chest.
“I… can’t,” Dutton forced out and wondered if he could live without oxygen. Because right then, nothing hurt more than trying to breathe.
“Do it! Now!” The other agent appeared, also pointing his gun at Dutton. “Arms up.”
Dutton wanted to scream. To curse at them. But he knew that would only escalate things. He did his best to put his hands up, keeping them as far away as possible from both guns that were still trained on him.
“Dutton Williams, you’re under arrest for arson…” The agent went on to read him all of his Miranda rights. “Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Dutton said weakly, just so he could put his hands down.
The agents pulled him to his feet, and when the magical cuffs were slapped onto his wrists, all the pain and itching stopped, and he was finally able to take a deep breath. He felt almost… normal.
“What are you doing?” another man demanded.
“Arresting the man who started all these fires. Including this one.”
Dutton looked up at the building that was still ablaze. The roof was on fire, and no one seemed to be doing anything about it.
“Let him go. Right now.”
Dutton finally spotted Drew Baker, the town sheriff, his eyes blazing with red-hot anger.
“He didn’t start this fire, and right now he’s the only one with the skill to put it out. Or at least he would be if you took those anti-magic cuffs off him,” Baker said.
“We can’t let him go, Sheriff. You don’t have jurisdiction on a Magical Task Force case. So you’re going to have to step aside now,” Agent Parker said with a smirk.
“He can’t have started the fire, you fools!
He was at lunch with me and Clay Garrison.
Let him go, or I’ll see to it that your supervisor puts you on suspension.
Not only that, but I’ll testify for this shop owner that you unlawfully detained a fire witch when he could have been saving the structure. ”
Dutton stared at the sheriff in awe. It was sort of true that they’d had lunch together.
They’d been in the same building at least. But they hadn’t left together, and he doubted that the sheriff had actually seen the entire interaction between Dutton and Grady.
He didn’t know why the sheriff was helping, but he’d be eternally grateful if it got him out of the cuffs.
The smell of the smoke was turning rancid, and the longer they waited, the harder it would be to save anything.
“Fine. But this is on you,” Agent Avery sneered.
The cuffs were ripped off, and magic started to tingle in Dutton’s fingers and toes.
“Come on, Dutton,” Drew said. “We need your help now. Yvette is out of town. You’re the only one who can get this put out so the entire town doesn’t go up in flames.”
“I’ve got this.” Dutton stumbled a bit, his entire body screaming in pain. But he ignored it, focused on the fire that was blazing above them, and went to work.