The Only Purple House in Town (Fix-It Witches, #4)(58)

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at a dilapidated farmhouse set well back from the road. It would take an hour to walk into town from here. Mira had grown more agitated from the silence, and by the time they got there, she raced to the front door, pounding on it with both hands. No answer.

“They’re home,” she whispered. “I know they are. The light’s on in their room.”

“We have maybe forty minutes,” Sally said, checking the time on her phone. “And that’s if their family socializes for a bit after services. We should put some pep in our step.”

Iris had a bad feeling as she circled the house, trying to decide if they should just look for a way inside. Maybe she was overreacting, but—oh. There’s someone in the yard. She called out, but the person didn’t seem to hear her, and when she tapped their shoulder, they jumped so hard they nearly fell off the wooden swing.

“Mira, I think I found Rowan!” she called.

The person in question was young and slight, clad in dark jeans and a blue hoodie. They also held an old iPod with headphones askew on their ears. They probably didn’t hear us earlier. Iris took a step back, not wanting to freak them out further.

“I think we ran into each other briefly at Fix-It Witches. You were getting your iPod repaired? Oh, and Mira was worried about you,” Iris added. “That’s why we’re here.”

Some of the tension drained out of Rowan’s posture. Yeah, I’d be wary too if someone startled me in the dark, and I lived in the middle of nowhere.

“Oh! Yeah, I remember you. Turns out I needed the iPod,” Rowan said in a cautious tone.

Soon, Sally rounded the house, followed closely by Mira.

The younger woman rushed to Rowan’s side. “I was so worried when you stopped responding to messages and didn’t answer the phone. Are you hurt?”

“I’m sad. And pissed,” Rowan replied. “My parents confiscated my phone. They tried to make me go to church tonight too, but I refused. Things are…tense, to say the least.”

“I can’t believe Peyton did that to you.” Mira shook her head, clenching a fist.

“It sucks. I trusted her at first because she had her own doubts about the lifestyle, but then they brainwashed her or something. Now she thinks she’s doing this for my own good, and…” Rowan trailed off, glancing at Iris and Sally. “Who are these two anyway?”

“My housemates,” Mira said.

Rowan seemed to put the pieces together then. “I’ve heard a lot about you. You must be Iris…and Sally, of course. Love your cardigan! It’s too cute.”

“Maybe now’s not the time for a lengthy chat,” Sally said.

They nodded. “Yeah, I need to get out of here. Don’t know where I’ll go, but—”

“You’re coming home with us,” Mira cut in firmly.

Rowan didn’t seem sure about that, but they didn’t argue. Just as well because Sally was right. It would be safer to avoid a confrontation with Rowan’s family. Maybe they wouldn’t make a huge fuss, but Iris would rather not test the issue. She focused on the practical side of the situation.

“Do you know where your phone is?” Iris asked.

“My dad put it in the locked file cabinet in his home office.”

“I can retrieve it while you pack,” Sally said.

Everyone just sort of…stared at her after hearing that. Iris had to smile over such a kindly, innocent old lady confessing to thieving skills. “Care to explain?” Iris asked.

Sally waved a hand airily. “Now isn’t the time. Rowan needs to get their stuff. We can talk about it later.”

Ten minutes later, they were backing out of the long drive onto the county road when a truck with high beams on came toward them. Rowan glared. “That’s them.”

“You don’t have to worry about them anymore,” Sally said.

“I prefer found families anyway,” Iris murmured. “So it was a bit hectic back there, but…welcome to ours.”



* * *



While Eli understood why he hadn’t been chosen to be part of the liberation team, he still paced the front room until he saw headlights in the driveway.

Tension streamed out of him, leaving him weak at the knees. Maybe it was silly to worry, but so many things could go wrong. Things could get physical during the extraction, or maybe somebody in Rowan’s family had a shotgun. He wished his imagination wasn’t so great right about now. He held on to the wall, letting out a relieved sigh.

“They’ve only been gone an hour. You’ve practically worn a new groove in the floor,” Henry Dale said.

Though Eli didn’t say anything, he knew the old man was concerned too. Which was exactly why he was still looking out the window and not holed up in his room rereading The Princess Bride. Four people headed toward the house, and Eli went to open the door for them. Iris and Sally came inside first, leaving Mira to converse for a few moments with the newcomer. That must be Rowan.

They had a small suitcase, a backpack, and a duffle bag with clothes sticking out the top. Yeah, definitely a stealth extraction. Rowan looked nervous—completely understandable since everything was happening so fast. Eli decided that Sally’s solution—warm drinks for everyone—made a lot of sense in this situation. He conscripted Henry Dale to help him, and the older man appeared to understand his intentions. Even in the kitchen, Eli could hear the conversation, however.