The Frozen Witch Book One Read Free Page A

behind the
sink and started to apply the lipstick with a quick
hand.
    Stacy frowned as she turned around and
jumped onto the counter. She sat there, swinging her legs, looking
decidedly un-Stacy as she continued to consider me with a concerned
look. “Something’s not right with him. I mean, I know we’re always
saying that, but seriously… I’ve never seen him like
this.”
    I smudged my lipstick, hand ticking to the
side as a sudden burst of nerves pounded through my gut.
    Whilst I thought, deep down, that Larry was
a good guy. The cops might not agree. I’d heard enough around town
to know he wasn’t always an upstanding businessman.
    I frowned at Stacy as I grabbed some
mascara and started applying way too much until my eyes looked like
they were framed by spider legs. “What do you mean? Where is he,
anyway? He should have been at the door, chiding me for being
late.”
    Stacy shrugged. “I saw him when I got
here. But I haven’t seen him since. Camille from the kitchen staff
said she saw him darting off into a taxi an hour ago, after he had
a conversation with a god.”
    I arched an eyebrow. No, I didn’t think
Stacey actually thought old Larry McGregor of Fabulous Catering
Services had nicked off in a taxi after a meeting with the
divine.
    One look at the way Stacey was biting her
lips told me the only godly thing about the guy Larry had talked to
would be his butt. Or his abs. Or his chest – Stacey was never
picky.
    “What guy was he talking to?” I clicked
the lid on the mascara and shoved it back into Stacey’s makeup
purse.
    She took an entirely unnecessary breath,
as if she had plans on swooning into the sink. “Franklin Saunders.
This party is his. I heard from the other waitresses that he has
just rented out this entire tower. You know who he is,
right?”
    Yeah, sure – I knew Franklin Saunders.
Anyone who stepped foot in Saint Helios City soon met the guy. And
no, he didn’t walk up to you and personally introduce himself – he
was just everywhere. From the gossip rags to newspapers, you
couldn’t move without news of Mr Saunders. The city’s number one
philanthropic, rich, handsome bachelor. The media couldn’t get
enough of him, and nor could any red-blooded female.
    Franklin was the kind of perfect you didn’t
actually see in real life. Though I’d never met him personally, by
all accounts, he looked like a Greek statue come to life.
Airbrushed, muscled, and crammed into a fine Kashmir suit, Gucci
loafers, and a Cartier platinum watch.
    “It’s like the guy’s been carved out of
hotness or something.” Stacey fanned herself.
    I ignored her text-book, girlie move and
scratched at my neck.
    What was going on here? When Larry had said
he would rather owe me than Franklin Saunders, had it been more
than a throwaway comment?
    “Anyhow, when you’re finished here, we
need you on the floor. Drinks are about to start.” Stacy jumped off
the bench, pivoted, checked her lipstick, and waved as she walked
through the door.
    She left me there, frowning at my own
reflection.
    M y phone vibrated with a message, the sound
so unexpected I had to stifle a yelp.
    Groping in my bag, I pulled out my mobile
and frowned all the harder when I saw it was my mother. The text
was suitably brief. Just three words, in fact: not good
enough.
    It was a response to my earlier message that
I wouldn’t be able to see grandma today.
    I sucked in what I hoped would be a calming
breath, but it just made me all the more pissed off. Lashing out, I
kicked the bench. Though everything in this building was made of
steel and polished chrome, I still managed to dent it.
    “Shit,” I spat under my breath, dropping
down and running a hand over the damage.
    A good girl, in my grandmother’s eyes, would
promptly turn around and tell management what she’d done. Me? I
walked away, grabbing Stacey’s makeup bag. Checking my reflection
one last time, I left.
    I wouldn’t bother replying to my mother’s
text until this