The Frozen Witch Book One Read Free Page B

gig was over. And, hey, by that time, maybe I
wouldn’t have to reschedule with my Nona – maybe she would be
dead.
    I winced at the thought. There were some
lines even I wouldn’t cross.
    Or at least, so I told myself.

Chapter 3
    Larry McGregor
    This was it. He was a dead man. Even if he
managed to make it back to Saunders in time, it wouldn’t count.
    Larry had already burnt too many
bridges.
    “Move your funkin’ ass,” Larry spat at the
taxi driver as he banged his knuckles against the glass dividing
window.
    “Sir, I’m driving as fast as I
can.”
    “Well it ain’t fast enough. I’ve got two
minutes.”
    Two minutes.
    Franklin Saunders had given Larry two days
to retrieve the box. Larry had gotten it. But it had cost him. He’d
had to personally go against Hank Chaplain’s men to steal it back.
And Hank Chaplain? He was the worst asshole in Saint Helios
City.
    Larry was a small fish, and Hank had always
ignored him, only partnering up occasionally if Hank really wanted
something Larry could get.
    Now Larry had burnt that bridge.
    All to get this stupid box back.
    Not for the first time, he timidly ran a
hand along the rough wood. The thing was old – ancient, if Barney
was any expert. And he was; Larry had stolen enough antiques from
clients over the years to appreciate that Barney had a real nose
for figuring out how much something was worth.
    This box? When Barney had seen it, his beady
eyes had popped. The old grouch had doubled over his bench,
practically salivating.
    Larry had tuned out most of what Barney had
said. There’d been something about ancient Norse runes carved into
the wood. Something about the box potentially being thousands of
years old.
    The only thing Larry had cared about was one
little word: priceless.
    Priceless never meant priceless. It meant
something was so rare it couldn’t be replaced. Larry knew from
experience that everything – everything – in life could be bought.
You just had to find someone willing to pay.
    Now Larry’s knuckles tensed, protruding like
white rubber balls against his flesh as he pushed the box harder
into his chest. It was Larry’s turn to pay.
    Pay for his sins, as Franklin Saunders had
put it.
    “Just hurry the hell up,” Larry snapped as
he glanced at the clock on the dash once more.
    One minute. Larry had one minute. If he
didn’t show up at Franklin’s door in time….
    …
    Lilly White
    “God, it’s packed in there.” Stacey
grabbed her skirt, neatening it with a quick pat as she shoved her
empty tray towards me.
    I leaned past, catching a glimpse through
the service door. Stacey was right – the function hall was packed.
It was a massive room, too.
    “There’s gotta be at least 500 people in
there,” I whistled under my breath.
    “Sure are, and they’re drinking like fish.
We need more champagne and Chardonnay, stat.”
    “I’ll let the kitchen know.”
    “No, I will. You’ve got to get out there –
I’m all smudged,” Stacy pointed out as she checked her reflection
in her shiny silver tray.
    “You look okay,” I tried.
    She snorted at me derisively. “You think
okay is good enough? My future husband’s waiting out
there.”
    I chuckled. “Does he know
that?”
    She flashed me a smile that was all teeth.
“He will soon. Now cover me while I go do some
touchups.”
    I didn’t question. I grabbed one of the
trays along the service bench to my side, smoothly backed towards
the door, pushed it open, turned, and entered the function.
    Immediately, I smoothed a smile over my
lips. The kind of smile that would not be moved no matter what
happened. Drunk guy spills his burgundy down my pristine white
shirt? I would smile. Some old lady elbows me in the face whilst
she reaches for a canapé? I would smile. Some letch goes for my
ass? I would smile stiffly then tell the kitchen to spit in his
drink.
    It was all about the smile, as Larry always
said.
    Larry….
    My mind instantly snapped back to him. I
hadn’t seen him yet.