Once upon a time in Assjacket… I took my witch on a merry chase. Samhain was right around the corner, and I wanted to party somewhere fun. Our schedule had been jam-packed with job after job after job. While she didn’t go looking for the work, she sure as hell didn’t turn the hunts down. Even though we hadn’t had a vacation in years, Maddie was driven—which is just polite speak for batcrap crazy about getting the bad guys.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m on board with hunting down witches who broke the law, slipped bail, then fled. Our reality wasn’t big with the Norms, and they frowned when the news featured anything smacking of spellcraft, witches, shifters, and other hellraisers—yes, I mean actual hellraisers. Maddie shut down the Hellmouth Resort last year. Talk about epic cleanup project. I thought that job would never end.

Where was her reward? Where was her downtime to recuperate and throw a ball around for me? My Maddie needed a break, and I knew the best place to go. Assjacket, West Virginia, on the Earth closest to ours. It was a practical paradise for those of us who walked the not so thin paranormal line.

Lifting my gaze to the clock on the wall, I panted with impatience. It was almost time. If this went the way I wanted…the phone rang!

Maddie hit pause on the streaming series she was using to unwind and answered her cell before it rang again.

“Madison.” The sharp bark of command in her voice riveted me. I loved her voice. It was low, husky, and carried a distinct alpha quality. I’d follow her anywhere.

“Got a job for you.” The voice on the other end was Cyrus. He was Maddie’s bondsman—the magic man who called with all our assignments. I liked it when he used to visit. He always brought me a treat. Maddie wasn’t so fond of him. The last time she saw him, she threatened to hex off his balls if he barged into her space again. That meant he called, and I didn’t get treats.

“Yeah? I just finished a job for you two hours ago. What is our deal?”

“Don’t bite me, Maddie. This is one of those special circumstances, which means bigger bang in the paycheck.”

“I haven’t hung up on you yet.” Maddie left the easy chair where she’d been napping since we got in. Tracking her with my gaze, I waited a beat for her to get in the kitchen. The coffee maker hissed. At least making coffee, she’d have to go near the fridge and there was a chance I could score a treat or three.

Rising, I trailed after her.

“…Floosey worked at a casino in Vegas. She turned state’s evidence with the council after stealing the client list.”

“Sounds more like a job for the Witch Marshals than for me.” Maddie walked over to the fridge to get out the milk, and she paused long enough to open one of the bags of jerky. Accepting the offer, I gave her a toothy grin. She barely acknowledged it as she padded back to the coffee maker.

“It would be, except her immunity is contingent on her testifying. Since she ran, it activated her bail agreement from two years ago. She also portal hopped to a parallel Earth. I don’t have many who can handle portal hoppers, much less alternate realities.”

Pouring her coffee, Maddie snorted. “Nice backstory dump. Tell me what I really want to know.”

“It’s twice your usual fee. If you get her back before the case against the casino starts, then it’s three times.”

“Better.” She took a sip of her coffee and leaned against the counter. Padding over to her, I leaned against her. Some folks called her prickly, but she never rejected my company. “Deadline?”

“Two weeks.”

“That’s a wide-open time table.” Though suspicion etched her words, she put her cup down and ran her nails lightly over my scalp. Canting my head, I waited for her nimble fingers to reach the spot that always itched. “What’s the catch?”

“The catch is we’re pretty sure she fled to a place called Assjacket, West Virginia.”

Yes! Just what I wanted to hear.

Maddie groaned. “We have no jurisdiction in another witch’s town, and the Shifter Whisperer in control there isn’t going to be keen on our arrival.”

“Which means you need to go under the radar. Quiet. Calm. Snatch and grab.”

So not the way we rolled.

“Works for me. Send me the details and a pic.”

Cyrus almost had what he wanted, so why did he have to ask, “Do you want back up?”

If I had a hand, I would have face-palmed. As it was, I just flattened my ears in anticipation of Maddie’s response. “You do that,” she said, her voice a silken threat. “And I’ll send them back to you in pieces and make you pay me quadruple. Got it?”

“No need to get testy, I just wanted to ask. Page me when you’re back with the prize.” The man got off the phone in a hurry. Maddie chuckled and glanced at me.

“It’s time for Karma to get to work.”

That was my queue, I trotted outside first. Portal hopping on a full bladder never ended well for anyone.

Assjacket.

Party time!