This Strange Addiction by Julie Steimle (e book free reading .txt) 📕

Chapter Seventeen

Audry returned from Africa early. Tanzania was beautiful, and so was the wildlife, but Audry realized she did not belong in Africa, but out west like her brother had insinuated. She needed to plunge herself into her doctoral research and get her degree. But also, by not telling anyone she was coming back, it gave her plenty of time to get her things out of her old apartment without anyone to interfere. Silvia would not be back, still with Jessica and the baby, and maybe she could surprise Matthew at the last minute and get her car back. She was leaving New York after all.

When she arrived in New York City, the air was chillier and it was raining a lot. Audry got her key from Vincent and with him went back to the apartment. He was going to help her finish moving.

“I’m sorry,” Vincent said with a shrug. “I realized I had to leave most of the packing to you because when Rick was here—” Audry flinched at his name. “—he told the movers not to touch the kitchen stuff and, well, I realized didn’t know what was yours and what wasn’t. I got all your room stuff out, though.”

She stuck the key in the lock and turned it, opening the door. The second it was open, she heard voices from inside. A man and a woman.

For a brief moment, Audry panicked, wondering if the apartment had been rented out already and they had forgot to change the locks. But as she stepped in, she recognized the woman’s voice. It was Silvia.

“…plates. So the big cooking stuff is really all mine.”

“Oh. So the plates and silverware are hers?”

“Yeah. We should wrap them nicely. They were gifts from her grandparents. Part of her, uh, hope chest.”

Audry walked in. In the kitchen, Randon Spade was with Silvia, packing up Audry’s things and separating them from her own. They both turned when Vincent and Audry came in.

“Audry!” Silvia grinned, happy to see her, though puzzled also. She rushed up for a hug. “What are you doing here? I thought you were going to stay in Africa for three months.”

Hugging her, Audry was surprised at how fresh Silvia looked, and how happy. Nearly all the darkness that used to follow her roommate was gone. And Randon stood tall, grinning at them with pleasure.

“Uh, I realized I had to go back and finish my work on my PhD,” Audry said. “Africa was just a distraction.”

Nodding, Silvia understood. Then she glanced back to her—Audry realized it—boyfriend. “Is this just a pit stop then?”

Audry shook her head. “I wouldn’t call it a pit stop. I need to pack my things and get my car.”

Silvia cringed, though Audry wasn’t sure about what.

“Is something wrong?” Audry asked.

Shaking her head, Silvia replied, “No. We’ll help you pack. You’re right. You should move on. Our world is way too crazy for you. You need to escape.”

Vincent rocked on his heels, glancing to Randon for an exchange of male sense over this cryptic conversation, but Randon clearly understood what was going on and agreed with the ladies. However, he beckoned to Vincent, reaching out a hand for a shake.

“I’m Randon Spade.”

“Vincent. Vincent Williams. Audry’s cousin.”

“Nice to meet you. Let’s go get the heavy stuff.” Randon then gestured up to Audry’s room.

“I think the furniture belongs here,” Vincent said, looking around.

Randon tugged on his arm. “Then let’s pretend to get the heavy stuff. They need to talk.”

He pushed Vincent toward Audry’s room upstairs. Vincent had already cleared that room though. All of Audry’s things were gone. However, Randon did convince him to help break down the bed for removal. It had belonged to Deacon Enterprises. The movers had only moved a few belongings, and all from Silvia’s space.

 “So… how are you doing? Really?” Silvia asked once they were gone.

Audry shook her head. “I’m angry. At myself mostly.”

Silvia nodded.

“I am so blind,” Audry muttered. “I would have married Hogan and would never have known what a scumbag he was until something disastrous happened—like Charlene coming at us with a knife like in Lethal Attraction.”

Silvia stared. She exhaled, thinking about Charlene now. Apparently she had not taken her as that much of a threat. But then she dealt with crazy murdering witches and not obsessed exes. She would have been the murderous ex.

“I don’t know what I would do if I saw him again, either,” Audry said. She shook her head. “Honestly, I don’t know if he really was even serious about marriage.”

“You mean monogamy,” Silvia retorted wryly. “He was serious about marriage with you.”

Audry cringed, nodding. Then she went to get her dishes. She started to pack up in silence.

Outside, the storm got heavier. The rain was now beating all the windows.

“I’m gonna miss this place,” Silvia murmured, gazing toward the windows and the open ceiling. “It was one of the best apartments I’ve ever lived in.”

“Do you like living a Jessica’s?” Audry asked.

Shaking her head, Silvia replied, “I’m not living there anymore. I moved in with Randon. He’s my new shadow.”

Audry stared. Then she grabbed Silvia’s hand. “You moved in with him?”

Silvia nodded, grinning. “Yep.”

Heaving a sigh, shaking her head, Audry opened her mouth to advise her, but Silvia chuckled and added, “I’m not the same as you… as you full well know.”

“But living with him.” Audry shook her head. “Most men only want one thing—”

Laughing, Silvia nodded. “Yeah. That’s that cliché. But Audry, really… I know the kind of hell Randon grew up in. It is the same as with me. We are comfort for each other. Our relationship is a mutually beneficial agreement.”

“Is he going to marry you?” Audry asked, knowing Silvia had entertained the idea… especially after growing up with such a broken home.

Silvia blushed. Then she whispered. “As soon as Tricia is caught, we’re going to Vegas to make it official. We haven’t told anybody yet.”

Silvia’s words gave her chills, reminding her of that possibly murderous witch. And as the rain pounded against the window, now with lashing wind, that one stark reality returned to Audry. Being near Silvia was not safe.

Audry decided right away to get out some of her stored-away equipment for field work from the ottoman—another thing she had not brought to Africa but definitely wanted to take with her. She went to it immediately.

Lifting off the lid of the wide footrest, Audry heaved out the case for her cameras and tripods, as well as her two tranquilizer guns. She had one that was a rifle. The other was a pistol. They looked scary to the uneducated about guns. And she only ever used them when out in the field. They only shot tranquilizers and were rather light to carry. But when in Tanzania they had given her local equipment to use so she would not need to carry excess luggage.

“Oh, you definitely don’t want to forget that,” Silvia said when she saw her. “I’m surprised you left it.”

“I couldn’t bring it in a carry-on,” Audry said.

Heaving them next to the boxes, Audry checked the rifle to make sure there were no darts in the chamber. Sometimes she forgot. Her pistol still had the clip in it.

Lightning and thunder crashed outside. The lights flickered.

“Uh oh.” Silvia looked up at them. She then cringed. “I think I left all my candles at Jessica’s place.”

“You think the power is going to go out?” Audry stood up, wondering if she had left a flashlight in the windowsill. She had one of those Japanese solar-charged flashlights—or did. She wasn’t sure if she had told Vincent about it to pack. Audry went over to the window to search for it. She found one. The other had to be up in her bedroom.

They continued to pack, Audry going back to the dishes as she decided that if the power was going to go out, her breakables had to be her priority since she did not want to break glass in the dark.

“I met Daisy MacTire while you were gone,” Silvia said as she helped wrap up the glasses.

Audry groaned. This was the last thing she wanted to talk about. Apparently Rick came out about him hooking up with his ex. “Are they getting married?”

Silvia shook her head, huffing. “She wishes.”

“Sorry?” Audry stared.

“Rick didn’t introduce us,” Silvia replied with a smirk. “He texted us for help.”

Audry groaned. Of course.

“Look, what you saw wasn’t exactly what you thought it was,” Silvia explained. “Daisy stalked him out. We don’t know how she does it, but she’s quite a seductress.”

“Whatever,” Audry groaned back. “I don’t care.”

“What do you mean you don’t care?” Silvia eyed her. “It upset you. You wrote about it.”

“It’s just an excuse,” Audry said. “He’s a grown man. He can do what he wants.”

Both Vincent and Randon were coming down the stairs, carrying the long parts of the bedframe. They halted, exchanging looks.

“Was that your excuse for Hogan too?” Silvia asked with bite, defensive on Rick’s behalf.

“No,” Audry snapped back. “What Hogan did was the worst. And I get it—Rick was only screwing around with one whore instead of collection ‘goddesses’. And yeah, so what if he got seduced? He’s a damn grown man, and honestly I am sick of men who can’t keep it in their pants. All men are pigs.”

Then she saw them. Her cousin stared as if to say, ‘Hey. I’m not a pig.’ Randon lifted his eyebrows as if to say, ‘I protest. I’m a cat.’ He looked like an annoyed cat, standing there with his stare.

“He’s a wolf,” Silvia replied with a sigh, meaning Rick.

Randon coughed, urging Vincent to move on. They went down the rest of the way

“Fine. Predator,” Audry snarled, feeling indignant as her cheeks colored. “Isn’t that why he could not see me in the alleyway when I spotted those two together?”

Silvia nodded, giving up. Though she said, “But I thought you were in love with your wolf.”

Huffing Audry replied, “I think I’ll take Rick’s advice and start selling cheetah tee shirts for my fundraising. Or an herbivore, like the giraffe.”

Lightning cracked close by. The lights flickered again, on then off then on again. Vincent screamed, dropping the bed frame he was holding.

Standing, drenched in the open doorway as if she had just appeared out of nowhere, was that creepy woman who had to be Tricia Garland. Her face was gaunt, her hair hanging around her in frizzy waves. In her hand was a wicked-looking knife.

Randon grabbed Vincent and pulled him back, shoving him up the stairs. Silvia backed up, standing in front of Audry.

“I’ve finally found you, you traitor,” Tricia bit out. She raised the knife and charged at Silvia.

Audry grabbed up her handgun from off the counter and hoped it was still loaded, pulling the trigger.

*Poot* *Poot*

Tricia tripped on her way towards the kitchen with two tiny darts sticking out of her chest as both Audry and Silvia dodged behind the counter. Silvia grabbed the nearest heavy-looking pan for a weapon. But the soaked witch did not get that far. Tricia collapsed where the carpet met the tile.

“Is she dead?” Randon called down over the stair banister.

Silvia hugged Audry. “Nope! Out cold!”

They called Matthew right away.

Vincent was shaking when the police arrived. Joshua Johnson spoke with him, getting his statement, while the other police officers on duty collected the knife for evidence and cuffed the still unconscious woman. Matthew got Audry’s statement and had permission to also take her tranquilizer gun for a short time as evidence, promising to get her a replacement if they needed to keep it.

“What about my car?” Audry said, relieved that the last of the three witches had been caught. “Can