Be Careful What You Wish For Read online

  “Do you not know these people?” Jake was frowning.

  “No—not a single one. I wonder where my Nana is?” Cass said worriedly.

  “Do you want me to find her?” Jake raised an eyebrow at her.

  “Yes, please,” Cass said gratefully. She had no idea what was happening but she had a feeling that her flamboyant grandmother was probably right in the middle of it. “I’ll just go upstairs and wait,” she said to Jake who nodded and disappeared into the crowd.

  Cass was about to make a break for it when she caught sight of Rory.

  “Rory? Hey—over here!” Cass called for her sister who appeared to be trying to slip around the edges of the rowdy crowd as unobtrusively as possible. She had something clutched in one hand and she looked up eagerly at the sound of Cass’s voice.

  “Cass?” She came over as quickly as she could, having to evade one of the men who was trying to grab her. “Oh, thank goodness you’re back!”

  “What is all this?” Cass gestured at the crowd of people, raising her voice to be heard over the Eagles crooning about “Lying Eyes.”

  “It’s Nana again,” Rory said desperately. “After she dumped the Star Trek guy, she somehow got involved with a biker gang. I don’t know what website she’s going to but I don’t think it’s really seniors seeking seniors like she told me.” She shook her head. “Honestly, letting her on the Internet is turning out to be worse than when she was trying to do witchcraft!”

  “A biker gang?” Cass could hardly believe it. “I don’t see how—”

  “Hey, pretty darlin’.” A big, rough man wearing a leather vest which said, Tampa Renegades on the back in bold red letters, suddenly hooked an arm around Cass’s waist. “How about spending a little alone time with me over in the corner?”

  “What? No! Get off me! I don’t even know you!” Cass exclaimed, shoving his arm away—or trying to, anyway. He had a pretty tight hold on her and clearly didn’t want to let go.

  “Now, don’t be like that, honey—we can get to know each other real easy,” the man crooned in her ear. His breath was heavy with alcohol and his beard was long enough to reach his belt buckle.

  Cass knew that beards were really trendy right now but she had never cared for them herself—other than a close-cut, neatly trimmed one. The Grizzly Addams look did absolutely nothing for her at all. And even if it had, she didn’t care to be grabbed by a man she didn’t know.

  “Get off me!” she insisted, planting an elbow in the stranger’s considerable beer gut.

  “Oof!” he doubled over but somehow didn’t let go of her. When he rose again, there was an ugly look on his bearded face. “That wasn’t nice, darlin’,” he snarled. “Is that any way to treat your new friend?”

  “You’re not my friend. I don’t even know who you are or what you’re doing in my house!” Cass snapped. “I do know you’d better get your hands off me or you’re going to be in a world of hurt!”

  “Oh, and who’s gonna hurt me, sweet thing? You?” The man chuffed out a whiskey-scented laugh that turned Cass’s stomach.

  “I will hurt you—quite badly—if you do not take your hands off my client right now,” a deep, angry voice growled.

  Cass turned her head to see Jake standing there again, his face like a thundercloud. He was dressed in more casual clothing this time since, as he had explained, he didn’t have to be back to court for quite some time. But even in jeans and a neatly pressed t-shirt he looked imposing.

  “Who the hell are you?” the biker guy snarled. He was pretty big himself—only an inch or two shorter than Jake—and now he looked like he was spoiling for a fight.

  “I am Cassandra’s court-appointed elf,” Jake said crisply. “And if you do not step back right now, I promise you’ll be extremely sorry.”

  “Oh yeah? And who’s gonna make me sorry?” the biker slurred. “You think you can take me, buddy?”

  “I know I can,” Jake said. He made a gesture in the air and spoke a word that made Cass clap her hands over her ears.

  Suddenly the asshole biker was on the ground screaming with all his limbs at awkward angles.

  “Oh my God,” Rory exclaimed, her eyes going wide. “What did you do to him?”

  “I simply reversed the way his elbows and knees bend,” Jake said, frowning. “The spell will wear off eventually but it will cause him a certain amount of pain and distress until it does. No more than what he deserves for trying to assault a female.” He looked at Cass. “I’m sorry I didn’t get here earlier. I was trying to help your grandmother disentangle herself from a most imprudent match.”

  As though mentioning Nana had called her to them, Cass saw their diminutive, silver-haired grandmother threading her way through the crowd, followed by a huge biker.

  “You heard me, Harlan,” she was saying as she frowned over her shoulder at the biker. “I think it’s time for you and your, er, friends to go now. I never expected you to bring so many people with you on our first date and really, enough is enough!”

  “Aw, come on honey—we can’t leave yet! This party’s just gettin’ started and the Tampa Renegades never leave until the fun is done,” the biker exclaimed.

  “It is done now,” Jake growled. Taking a deep breath, he spoke another word of power that made Cass feel like she was going to go deaf. Suddenly the living room was empty of everyone but Cass, Rory, Nana, and their court-appointed elf.

  “Wow!” Rory looked impressed. “Where did you send them all?”

  “Merely outside.” Jake waved at the large bay window at the front of the room which showed the front lawn where rows of motorcycles were parked.

  The entire biker gang was looking around themselves in surprise, as though they couldn’t understand how they had suddenly gotten outside. Some of them started heading for the front door again but Rory ran to lock it.

  “Thank goodness that’s over!” she exclaimed, coming back. “Nana—you really have to be more careful on that website! This is the second time you’ve accidentally hosted a con when you were trying to go on a date.”

  “Oh, I know it!” Nana exclaimed, her silvery-purple eyes going tearful. “I don’t know how it keeps happening but it’s most upsetting! And just look at the state of the house!”

  She gestured to the trash and empty beer bottles that littered the floor, as well as the sticky puddles of alcohol that had spilled on the couches and side tables.

  Cass looked at Jake.

  “Do you mind?”

  “Not at all.” With a word and a gesture, the entire living room was once more in pristine condition.

  Rory gasped and Nana cried excitedly and clapped her hands for joy.

  “Oh, I had forgotten how wonderful it is to have an elf around the house! There are some things I do miss about the Realm.” She turned to Jake. “Thank you, Counselor O’Shea! Thank you with all my heart.”

  “You’re very welcome.” Jake took her hand and bowed over it gallantly which caused Nana to blush and titter like a school girl.

  The sight made Rory and Cass exchange a reluctant grin. Nana always had been a sucker for a good-looking man. It got her into an awful lot of trouble but it was just part of her bubbly personality.

  At last Rory cleared her throat.

  “Well, now that you’re back and everything is okay, maybe you can help me with a problem upstairs,” she said, giving Cass a pointed look.

  “Oh, uh okay—sure.” Cass nodded and started to follow her sister up the stairs but Jake put a hand on her arm to stop her.

  “Cassandra, I should say goodbye now.” He spoke reluctantly, as though he didn’t really want to go. “Your problems should hopefully be resolved shortly although if they are not, please feel free to call on me.”

  “Oh, uh…” Cass wasn’t sure what to say. Was this goodbye? Was she never going to see her court-appointed elf again? The thought made her stomach twist unhappily. After what they had just been through together, the idea of going their separate ways never to meet agai