MIDNIGHT MAGIC - ch 14

MIDNIGHT MAGIC – ch 14

Julie

(*)(*)(*)

“Aintin, can I ask a question?”

Finola looked at Julie. “Go ahead, mo stor (my dear).”

“I’d like him to remember the reason you’ll do what you’re about to do. I mean, I want him to remember that it was because he came after me, who’d never done anything to him. Me, someone who’d been abused because I got tangled up with the wrong person. I want him to always remember the part he would have played in whatever harm might have come to me.” She was very careful not to mention the baby.

Finola smiled sweetly at Julie. “I can do that, mo chailin daor (my dear girl),” then turned to look at Cormac and sneered, “I can do that with pleasure.”

Brian hurried spoke, “Wait. I have a few questions for him. Auntie, can you truth-spell him?”

“Oh, without a doubt, my ghra (my love). First the truth, then the remembrance.”

She walked closer to Cormac and recited:

“For us, who want the truth revealed,

Loosen this tongue for secrets unsealed.

Those who now are in my house,

Will hear the truth from this enemy’s mouth.

My finger on lips for all to see.

Will tell us the truth, so mote it be.”

Finola stepped back, sat in her chair, looked sternly at their so-called guest and commanded, “Cormac, you may begin. You will answer every question asked of you, without thought, without hesitation, without the shred of a falsehood.”

She turned to Brian and encouraged, “Brian, you may begin.”

Although his first instinct was to punch Cormac in the face, he controlled his temper and demanded, “Who sent you?”

“Indirectly, Tony Moretti.”

“What do you mean ‘indirectly’”

“Tony called Monty and Monty called me relaying what Tony wanted.”

“Guess Tony felt that Monty wasn’t smart or good enough?” Everyone heard the sarcasm in Brian’s voice. But Cormac, under Finola’s spell, didn’t recognize it.

“When Monty came here earlier, he felt like he wasn’t being told the truth. He felt that my warlock powers would find what he wasn’t seeing.” Cormac tried to say, “it worked, didn’t it?” but his tongue wouldn’t produce those words – again, thanks to Finola’s spell.

Mickey stood and said, “Uncle Brian, do you mind?” Brian shook his head, indicating that he could ask what he wanted to know.

“Cormac, or maybe I should just call you Mac, not that your name matters anymore.” He, too wanted to punch the man but also held back.

“I don’t like to assume anything, so I’ll ask. How did you get here so fast.”

“I jumped the leys.” He wanted to say that white witches weren’t the only ones who could use the ley lines but, again, thanks to Finola, his tongue couldn’t make that utterance.

Mickey continued, “Why Julie? What’s so special about her? From when I’ve learned, your friend Tony could have anyone. Why her?”

Cormac struggled to say something but still, whatever he wanted to say got stuck in his throat. Instead, he remarked, “Because she walked out on Tony. Nobody leaves a Moretti. Nobody!”

Jules stepped beside Mickey, laid a gentle hand on his arm, and said, “Mickey, I need to ask a few questions.” Mickey, his hand gently on hers and gave a loving squeeze, then took a step back.

“Cormac, You just said that ‘nobody leaves a Moretti.’ Am I to understand that other women have tried?”

“From what I hear, none of them liked being slapped around and again, from what I hear, they all deserved it.”

“What happened to them?”

“Don’t know; don’t care. My job along with Monty is to find them and bring them back. After that, we’re done. ”

An icy chill ran down her spine, but she asked anyway, “You said, ‘them’. How many women and who were their husbands?”

“Look, we’re talking about the Moretti’s. There’s Al, the father, Fred, son number one, and Tony. I have no idea how many women we tracked down and brought back. We don’t keep track of them.”

Ian jumped up, violently. “You mean to say you never saw any of those women again? Ever?” he shouted.

“Not my job to keep an eye on them, only to find them and take them back.”

Midnight jumped into Finola’s lap and screeched, “Can I bite him now, Aintin? Please? He deserves to be mauled.”

Finola smiled. “No, Midnight. Be patient. Your time will come.”

Mia watched her friend, thinking her face might pale at the thought of what she’d been through. She was afraid Julie might be sick. However, instead, Julie’s face turned red with temper. She stepped closer to Corman, and before anyone could even guess what would happen, with one mighty swing of her closed fist, made her connection and broke his nose. “How dare you! How dare you bring innocent women to what could possibly have been a prison sentence!” Her eyes began to flow with tears as she finished, “Or worse!”

Mickey was totally caught off guard at Julie’s outburst, but then he began to laugh. “Oh my god, Jules, remind me to never get you angry with me. That’s one hell of a right hook you have!”

She turned to Finola. She was still extremely angry, and her words exhibited that emotion. “Aintin? Can we get Monty here? I want to watch the two of these creatures squirm and suffer with whatever you have in mind.”

Ian reached into Corman’s jacket pocket and found his cell phone. After finding the number, before he depressed it, said, “You’ll say what I tell you. No more, no less.”

Corman unwillingly nodded. “You tell Monty that you found the girl. She’s at the cottage where he was earlier. He needs to get here.”

Brian spoke, “You do NOT answer any questions. As soon as you give him that message, Ian will be disconnecting the call.”

He looked at everyone in the room, “Now we wait.”

Midnight looked at Finola, “While we wait, how about one little scratch? Just on his ankle where he can’t reach it, Please?”