“I don’t know what you’re about to ask, but can we pick Rowan up? It sounds like they might not be safe. We can figure out the details afterward.”
Mira stood. “I was hoping you’d say that. We have the little room ready here. I don’t have a lot of cash right now, but I’ll do an extra spell to cover their rent, or—”
“Nonsense,” Henry Dale cut in. “We’ll all chip in. Since I’m getting a discount for puttering, I can easily afford to contribute.”
“As can I,” Sally said. “Really, we’re all getting a bargain, especially since the house is so much prettier these days.”
“I can pay,” Eli said, sounding slightly disgruntled. “I can send a year’s rent for Rowan right now.”
Iris waved her hands, demanding attention from everyone. “Hey! I’m the homeowner. I wouldn’t charge Rowan anything under the circumstances.”
“If you don’t stop it right now, I’m going to cry,” Mira announced, already putting on her coat.
“Let’s go now,” Sally urged. “If I’m right, Rowan’s family is probably at Sunday night church, so we can do a stealth rescue. Ooh, should I put on my black coat and hat?”
“If you want,” said Iris.
“If it’s okay, I’ll just take Iris and Sally,” Mira said.
“Fine with me,” Eli said. “Henry Dale and I will put sheets on the bed and dust Rowan’s room.”
“They’ll be so happy,” Mira said with another tremulous smile. “Should I send a text to let them know we’re on the way? They’re not answering, so—”
“Wait,” Iris cut in, as something occurred to her. “When I got in trouble at home, my mom would usually take my phone away. If you send a message to Rowan and they don’t have access, couldn’t their family read the message first?”
“Oh damn,” said Sally.
Mira slowly lowered her phone. “Do you think their family would do that?”
Iris lifted a shoulder. “We won’t know until we get there.”
“I’ll try to call instead. If I can’t get a hold of them…” She trailed off as the phone rang and rang before defaulting to voice mail.
Since Mira knew where Rowan lived, she drove and Sally called shotgun. Iris gazed out over the cornfields as they left town. Somehow it was worse knowing that Rowan lived out in the country. It would be so easy for their family to isolate them, cut them off from friends who cared, and ugh. This line of thought reminded her of Lily, who was so glad not to be related, and of Rose and Delphine, who’d essentially ghosted her while claiming to put the ball in Iris’s court.
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.