Then there’s the whole someone is stealing from my restaurant ordeal. Normally, that would be high priority, but the way that people are messing with me lately, it’s lower on the list. I already have an idea on how to lure the rat out, with Stevie’s help. She’s the best at potions.

I talk out loud to myself, trying to concoct a plan about the coven. Kidnap Clover, maybe some light torture. Get everything out of her that I can. Maybe cement her feet together and throw her in the ocean. Maybe let her live. It will honestly depend on my mood. Truly, the person who needs to pay the most is my mother. If I can find a way to strip her of her magic, that would be the ultimate payback.

Unfortunately, none of these scared bitches have shown their faces in town since the ritual. The first chance I get, I’m taking one of them and dragging information out of them.

I park my car in the garage of my home, and the door automatically shuts. Stevie is sitting on the couch watching one of her shows when I walk in.

“You didn’t leave at all today?”

“No, I’ve been watching Below Deck all day,” she says.

“Fair enough. I have something to keep you busy, though.”

“What’s that?” she asks, interested. Stevie isn’t one to be left idle. While she might have the general upbeat personality of the other witches, she isn’t completely free spirited. She loves working at Hex and getting her hands dirty.

“Truth truffles. I need about a dozen.”

“Oh, and who are we exacting the truth from?”

“Well, make two dozen, actually. I need a batch for Hex. Someone is stealing. And I might need more if my next plan comes to fruition.”

“What plan is that?”

“Locking up one of those traitors in the basement and getting the answers I need.”

Stevie is usually sweet and kind, but she nods her head in agreement, completely okay with the kidnapping scheme. I feel a little bad that I’m helping bring this side out of her, but it’s necessary. They didn’t just hurt me; they used both of us.

“I have a date with Dax tomorrow,” I say.

She arches her eyebrow as she sifts through the kitchen cabinets, getting the materials she needs for the truffles. “Where are y’all going?”

“Not sure. He’s going to pick me up here.”

“Do you need me to disappear for when you come back?”

“With the way things went today in my office, I would say yes.”

“What happened in your office?”

“A lady never tells,” I say over my shoulder as I walk to my bedroom.

I can hear my cousin say, “You’re not a lady.”

I ignore her and get ready for the night. There’s nothing more to do that I haven’t already done. I’m certainly not going to let those hags turn me into a scared shut-in. I’m going to enjoy my date with Dax tomorrow, and figure out the rest as it comes along.