Soul Broker by Tina Pollick Page A

had a long couple of days. Drew filled us in before he left.”
    “Where am I?” She wanted to ask about Sophie, but she didn’t know if these women could be trusted. What if she was in Hell? What if Drew was killed and his bitch Master was trying to find out where her daughter was? She wasn’t going to say anything else to these women until she had some answers, and she could move.
    “You’re safe. This is house belongs to our coven. Sophie has been with us since Drew dropped her off last week. She’s been asking for you.” The woman smiled, she had Mackenzie’s mother’s brown eyes. The woman tucked a few stray strands of brown hair behind her ear. The hair was streaked with grey, which appeared to shimmer when she moved. Mackenzie tried to sit up again. If she was seeing shimmering hair then there was something definitely wrong with her.
    “Who are you?” Mackenzie asked, lying back again. The pain in her ribs threatened to steal her breath.
    “My name is Renea. I’m your aunt. I’ve had the pleasure to get to know your beautiful daughter while she’s stayed with us.”
    Mackenzie still didn’t know if this was some kind of trick. She wasn’t giving any information about Sophie away. As far as she knew she didn’t have any family. Now this woman, who did resemble her mother, was talking all kinds of nonsense. Was this a trick or could it be true, her and Sophie weren’t alone in the world? The idea of having a family made her heart race. The thought was too good to be true. Besides, how would Drew know about a family she didn’t even know about?
    “I’m sure you have a lot of questions. Would you like to rest some more, or would you like to see Sophie before you go back to sleep?”
    Mackenzie nodded. She was hoping Sophie was here, but if she wasn’t she would claim ignorance about this Sophie person later.
    “Mamma!” Sophie ran into the room and landed on Mackenzie’s chest. The wind rushed out and pain brought dark spots in front of her eyes, but Mackenzie didn’t say a word.
    She glanced up at Sophie and forced a smile. “Hi, baby.” Sophie’s head rested on her chest. Mackenzie found the strength to run her fingers down Sophie’s back.
    “You was sleeping for a long time. I wanted to wake you, but Aunt Renea said to let you sleep. I’m glad you awake now, momma.”
    “Me too, baby.”
    Renea placed a hand on Sophie’s shoulder. “I heard Gretchen say something about cookies. Would you like to go see?”
    Sophie glanced at Renea and then at her mother. “Go ahead, baby. Momma’s going to take a little nap and then you can tell me all about your adventure.”
    Sophie picked up her rabbit from the floor and placed it next to Mackenzie. “My bunny will watch you until I come back. ‘Kay?”
    Mackenzie nodded. Sophie ran out of the room, calling for Gretchen and cookies.
    “I’m glad she’s okay. Thank you for taking care of her for me.”
    Renea stroked her hair. “Get some sleep. We’ll talk when you get up.”
    Mackenzie slept for three more days. She only knew that because she heard Renea talking to another woman, who she presumed was Gretchen, when she woke up. Mackenzie sat up. She was surprised she was able to move without too much pain. She stood to find where the voices were coming from.
    The women were sitting in front of a window, watching as Drew pushed Sophie on a tree swing.
    “You’re up,” Renea stated.
    “Yeah.”
    “How are you feeling?”
    “Pretty good. Can you tell me where the bathroom is?”
    Renea stood. “I’ll show you. I’ve got some clean clothes for you to change into, if you want to take a shower.”
    “Thank you.” She stopped and glanced out the window again. “How long has he been here?”
    “He came this morning. He was concerned that he didn’t hear from you, so he stopped by. When he saw you were still sleeping, he asked if he could spend some time with Sophie. I didn’t think you would mind, so I said yes.”
    Mackenzie turned