Hannah frowned. “Game? This nexus thing you’re doing isn’t a game. You’re hurting people. You may think it’s funny, but it’s not, and I have no intention of letting it continue.”
“Oh, really?” Frank looked amused at the threat. “How do you think you’re going to stop us?”
“The same way I stopped your buddy Donny.”
“That was lucky.”
“Go ahead and keep thinking that.”
“I don’t think it. I know it.”
“Well ... .” Hannah broke off at the sound of raised voices, her head snapping in the direction of the saloon. She couldn’t hear exactly what was being said, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out what was going on. Cooper and Tyler were yelling at one another.
Frank’s smug smile would haunt Hannah’s nightmares. It was evil enough to send a chill down her spine. “You were saying,” he drawled, clearly amused.
“What did you do?” Hannah was fearful.
“I did what I do,” Frank replied with a pronounced eye roll. “I get that you’re a witch. I get that you think you’re all-powerful and all-knowing, although you’re neither. I get that you want to be the solution. You’re not, though. You’re not part of this. They are, though.” He jerked up his chin and the sound of scuffling feet was unmistakable as Cooper and Tyler came flying through the swinging doors.
“Crap!” Jackie swore viciously as she swiveled to see what was happening behind them. Tyler and Cooper were throwing punches, and they showed no signs of stopping.
“You can’t fight the inevitable,” Frank said. “If you try, it will just make things worse.”
Hannah’s heart seized as Cooper drew back and landed a vicious punch, one that was strong enough to send Tyler flying. Even though the veterinarian was fit, strong even, he wasn’t trained like Cooper. As a former military man, Cooper could kill Tyler with his bare hands, and that’s exactly what Hannah feared would happen.
“Knock it off,” she warned, taking a threatening step toward Frank as she flexed her fingers at her sides. She couldn’t allow this to continue, but she was leery of starting a fight with an unknown entity.
Frank’s smile was smug. “Make me.”
Hannah knew she didn’t have a choice. She was the only one who could save the men at this point, so she lashed out with her magic, allowing her inner witch to take over. The magical bolt she sent in Frank’s direction was enough to have him widening his eyes, but he easily sidestepped it.
“You’re going to have to do better than that,” he offered in a haughty tone. “That was weak sauce. If that’s what worked on Donny, then I’m horrified. Of course, he was a big guy. He never was one to move if he could sit there and absorb a blow. I swear, he was such an idiot. I’m still going to miss him.”
Hannah expected the posturing. She let him sink into it. He was mostly talking to himself, lost in his own victory, and then she unleashed two more torrents of magic.
Frank moved to step out of the way of the second wave the same way he had the first. Hannah anticipated it, though, and the third wave she’d sent barreled into him before he could move again. His eye went wide a split second before he realized what was going to happen and he raised his hands.
Hannah assumed he was going to block the spell but he wasn’t fast enough. Her magic hit him head-on, smacking into his chest, and caused him to fly backwards. Unlike Frank, he didn’t dissolve into a pile of dust, though. He’d been able to brace for part of the blow, and even though blood appeared on his shirt, he managed to stay in the game ... although he looked as if he was laboring for breath as his eyes caught fire and the atmosphere sparked with energy.
“That was a mistake, little girl,” he growled, raising his hands to ready for attack. “You’re about to find out exactly why you shouldn’t have inserted yourself into this situation.”
Hannah swallowed hard, fear gripping her heart, but she didn’t back down. “I told you to bring the fight to me. You should’ve listened.”
“Well, you’re about to get your wish. You’d better start running now.”
Hannah had no intention of running. It was time to fight for her family. There was no backing down now.
12
Twelve
Hannah never considered herself much of an athlete. When her friends in high school were cheerleading — something she figured you needed rhythm to do, so she declined — she spent her time reading at home during away games. There was one exception. Volleyball. And it was those skills she put on display.
She had no idea exactly what magic Frank possessed, but she shoved her fear of the unknown out of her mind as she dropped to her knees and skidded to the right, effectively evading the barrage of light he sent in her direction. The magic made contact with something — Hannah could hear wood splinter — but she kept her attention on Frank as she unleashed another wave in his direction.
Frank turned to the left so his back absorbed the bulk of the magical blow, but he was breathing hard when he turned back and Hannah didn’t miss the way his lips had blackened and started to crack.
“One more blow should do it,” Jackie offered from her spot to Hannah’s right. Hannah had assumed her fellow witch took cover inside the saloon when the magic started flying, but that wasn’t the case.
Hannah nodded in agreement as she lifted her head over one of the water troughs they kept for the horses. Frank was on the other side, favoring his shoulder as he glared at her. He remained defiant even though it was clear he was struggling.
“I won’t just let you walk away from this,” he hissed. “You can’t kill one of us and get to claim victory. That’s not how it works.”
Hannah risked a glance
