2 Witch and Famous by Eve Paludan, Stuart Sharp Page A

did that mean? If he had killed Jessica Hammersmith, what could I do about it? If he’d killed all these people, what was I willing to do about it? Niall said that I had the potential to be stronger than him, the way witches were almost always stronger than warlocks, yet, if I wasn’t willing to do anything, did it matter how strong I was?
    If I just left Niall to go on as he was, how long would it be before he killed again? And again. I would be as good as condemning the next Jessica Hammersmith who fell into his path. If I couldn’t bring myself to stop him, then maybe the best thing I could do was to stand back and let the coven do its work.
    I shook my head. No. I couldn’t let that happen. I wouldn’t let that happen. I had to at least try to talk to Niall before it came to that. Maybe I could convince him.
    I came out of the cupboard looking far more businesslike than I had looked going into it. Siobhan was still holding the bug. I took it from her and held it up in front of me. I needed it.
    “Is this thing still working?”
    “I don’t know,” Siobhan said. “Maybe. Elle—”
    “If you can hear me,” I said into the bug, “listen to me. Whatever else you have heard, whatever he might have done, Niall is mine. Mine. Attack him, Rebecca, and I will come for you. If he needs to be stopped…if he needs to be stopped, I’ll be the one to stop him.”
    I crushed the bug in a heavy-duty stapler, looking around at Fergie and Siobhan, almost daring them to say something.
    “Fergie, Niall’s Aston will have a GPS tracker on it in case of theft. Can you call up the location?”
    “I’m not some teenaged hacking prodigy, you know,” Fergie replied.
    “You don’t need to be,” I said. “Just call the insurers and let them know that we need the location for a case.”
    “Lie to the people who pay us?” Fergie asked. He obviously caught sight of my expression. “All right. I’ll get right on it.”
    I waited while he made the call.
    Siobhan touched my shoulder lightly. “Are you really planning to…you know? Kill him?”
    “I don’t know,” I admitted. “I can’t let him murder people.”
    Siobhan bit her lip. She looked lost then, almost…terrified. I didn’t have the time to spare for comforting goblins right then though.
    “Elle…I don’t think Niall…” Siobhan began and then her voice faded out.
    “I have the GPS on screen,” Fergie called out. “The car is parked close to the castle area.”
    “Great.” I couldn’t keep the disappointment out of my voice. The main tourist space of the city. One that would be thronging right now. “It’s only the perfect space for him to hunt.”
    “And you, too,” Siobhan ventured.
    “Right,” I said. “Wait here. If the car moves, you tell me.”
    Siobhan caught hold of my arm. “Elle, there’s something I have to—”
    “Not now , Siobhan,” I said, brushing her off as I headed for the door. It was harsher than it needed to be, but right then, I’d been lied to and abandoned, shot at and accused. I had a boyfriend to confront and a murder to solve. I figured all of that earned me the right to be a little harsh.
    It didn’t take me long to get over to the castle. I rushed through the old town, past all the tourist shops and the small c afé s, until I was standing beneath the ancient stone edifice on its hill, the familiar cannon that sounded their regular salute sticking out from the battlements. The crowds were already thick up Lawnmarket and Castle Hill, with clumps of tourists standing around the edges of those streets taking photographs while street performers continued to take up space as they vied for attention.
    I didn’t look at any of them closely. I didn’t drift through the emotion the way I had yesterday, either. Instead, I scanned the crowd, looking for some sign of Niall as I made my way up the hill. I was heading for the castle only on instinct, because the truth was that Niall could be anywhere. I could have