spies and spells 01 - spies and spells by tonya kappes Page A

would have enough room to get us out of there.
    Vinnie’s screen popped up a map of the area.
    “I know we are on the docks. I want to know what this place is and who is in the car in front of us.” My chest heaved up and down. The cat continued to stand on Vinnie’s hood with its creepy eyes focused on me. The white brow a clear indication it was the man from last night.
    “If that cat makes one scratch on my hood, I’ll neuter the fur ball.” Vinnie’s monitor put a picture up of the person in the yellow car.
    It was a bald man with aviator glasses on. He had a toothpick stuck in the corner of his mouth. It slowly bounced up and down as he gritted this teeth together.
    “Can you get a read out on him?” I asked.
    “As to our location – we are at the Mystic Couture makeup facility. Very fitting since SKUL has an interest in the package you stole and the man on top of my hood was part of it.” Vinnie’s screen showed a picture of the inside of the building.
    “Indo-sting,” I whispered to reverse the spell on the cat. My brows furrowed as I looked at the cat in the eyes, eyes that haunted my soul. “Raptu, verto.” A stream of breath headed straight for the cat on the long “o” sound.
    The cat’s head flung back; its mouth opened exposing the sharp teeth.
    Mewwl. The sound escaped the creature that was morphing back into the man.
    I shoved the gearshift into reverse, turned the wheel to the left, and punched the gas pedal not waiting for Vinnie to kick in. The wheels screeched the full one hundred and eighty degrees. I slammed on the brakes just in time to not hit the black car. The half-cat, half-man flung off the hood and landed on all fours, like a cat, on the ground.
    I threw the gearshift in drive and floored the gas. A shrill sound came from Vinnie’s tires, spitting out smoke from underneath us, sending us into a forward motion making it through the small opening and out of the gate back onto the river road.
    I glanced back as Vinnie took over. The man was on his hands and knees, his back heaved up and down like he was trying to catch a breath. The others were scratching their heads standing around him. The bald man peeled his sunglasses off his face, and his eyes   scowled at the back of Vinnie. A white glow of sunlight blanketed him.
    “Shit.” A momentary panic rushed through me. The bald man was in charge and at any cost, he was going to see to it that I was taken care of and not in a good way.
    “Um. . .” Vinnie’s voice quivered. “We have company.”
    “You have got to be kidding me.” I beat my hand on the wheel and turned to see what Vinnie was talking about.
    “Hey!” Vinnie’s voice boomed. “Easy on the hitting.”
    “Sorry, but it’s Mick.” I grimaced.
    “I wasn’t talking about him.” Vinnie’s tone frightened me.
    “Who?” I jerked around. The only person I noticed was Mick. My eyes darted between the cars, looking for anyone or anything who might be following us. A streak across the sky darted in front of me.
    “Auntie Meme,” my voice was tight. Sweat beaded on my forehead when I saw my crazy aunt and her puffed-out black hair peddling her bike above me. Her eyes searing me and Vinnie.
    She tapped her wrist, letting me know she had been out looking for me and I was going to be late.
    Like a shooting star, she shot past me and disappeared.
    Mick was getting closer.
     “Take it nice and slow.” My eyes darted back to the rear-view mirror. I had to get this over with quick.
    Vinnie decelerated taking us down to the forty-five miles-per-hour speed limit, turning left back toward home.
    “Don’t go home,” I cried out. “I don’t want him knowing where we live. Plus Auntie Meme already knows we are late.”
    Vinnie took all sorts of turns. I felt like I was the little silver ball, weaving in and out and around, in the child’s plastic maze game. Mick continued to follow us, at a safe distance, but he was still following.
    “We need to lose him,