As I passed the front counter at The Honeyed Peach, Rose, who stood on the other side, let out a quiet groan. I looked over and saw my fellow waitress gripping the gleaming wooden counter opposite an empty seat. Her fingertips were white from the strength of her grip.

I frowned at the sight of her pale cheeks flushing nearly crimson. Even through the din of conversation, clanking silverware, and the frenzy of cooking in the kitchen behind us, I could hear her struggling to catch her breath. Each inhale and exhale was shallow and fast. What was going on with the poor girl?

I hurried over to her. "Hon, I'm starting to think you're gonna hyperventilate. Slow it down. Deep breaths." Whatever was ailing her had been getting worse all morning. "Why don't you go home? I can pick up your tables."

She shook her head as she fanned at her face. "I just need a glass of water, I think. And some more of those chocolates . . ."

"Child, chocolate is not the answer to every problem."

"It could be, you don't know," Rose murmured as she turned around and reached for another one of the chocolates from Jude that I had brought in. I noticed the box by the register was now mostly empty. She bit one of the dark chocolates in half, and her eyes rolled back into her head as she let out a soft, content moan. "These are so yummy. I've never had anything so . . . so . . . wonderful in my life."

I raised a brow. Maybe there was some stock in that whole artisanal thing Jude was in love with. Rose liked her sweets, but she had barely been able to stay away from these chocolates. I'd even caught her sneaking one when she was supposed to grabbing a hot order. It was like she couldn't resist them.

I shook my head with a small smile and was about to leave to check on a table when Rose suddenly gripped the counter again. The piece of chocolate she'd been eating fell to the counter. A flash of worry flitted across her face. Was she finally going to admit she needed to go home? The silly little thing needed to stop eating those chocolates and get some rest. I placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm gonna cut you off, I think you—"

Rose leaned into my touch with a low moan and I jumped back slightly. She looked back at me, mortified, a hand pressed to her mouth. Her skin took on an even deeper flush. Her eyes were heated, despite the embarrassment in them.

She slowly moved her hand aside and took a shuddering breath. "Rhonda, something is very, very wrong with me."

"Trust me, hon, I noticed."

My eyes fell on her discarded piece of chocolate next to her hand. What was left of the liquid middle pooled on the wooden counter. The filling looked much thinner than I had expected. Pieces started to click into place in my mind. My eyes widened as a frightening picture formed.

Rose took a step back. "I'm going to call Maddox to, um, pick me up, I think."

Judging by the way she bit her lip to muffle another moan when she said his name, she needed a little something more than to be picked up.

And I had an idea of exactly why that was.

I rushed around the counter to grab the box of chocolates with enough force to crush the outside of the box. There was one chocolate left. I snatched it up, cracked it in half, and gave it a whiff. My blood froze. Instead of the sharp tang of alcohol, I smelled only chocolate. These didn't have alcohol in them. Why had Jude been so insistent Caleb not touch them? Only one thought came to mind—Jude must have slipped a potion into them.

I let out a bitter bark of a laugh, startling a pair of customers at the end of the counter. I gave them an apologetic smile despite the fury surging through me. Why had he tried to slip me a potion? What had he hoped to accomplish?

Given Rose's reaction, he must have thought he stood a chance of getting me into bed. So much for the new and improved version of my ex-husband. He was the same as ever. If he couldn't get his way with charm, he'd find another way.

"Rhonda, order up," Sam called out to my right.

I pushed down my rage. I would unleash it with a vengeance later. The promise of future retribution was the only thing that kept me from screaming at the top of my lungs. I couldn't believe I had been so foolish. I stomped over to the window, grabbed a tray, and plunked my table's food on top.

"You alright?" Sam asked, dipping his head to look at me through the window.

I opened my mouth, then snapped it shut, shaking my head. He gave me an understanding nod before straightening up and turning back into the depths of the kitchen. As I watched him smoothly slip back into his work, I found myself longing for a way to turn back time. I could see his confusion and I knew it was all my fault. I let Jude sow his seeds of confusion and doubt, just like I always had. I had to put a stop to this.

Caleb's excited face came to mind. Could he handle losing Jude again? Abby didn't know Jude well, but I was worried that Jude appearing and disappearing again would give them both issues galore.

That was why I had allowed him back in, despite my misgivings. I now knew I couldn't run the risk of him hurting my children. If he was resorting to trying to drug me to get into my life, he was clearly capable of far worse than leaving them with issues a bit of therapy could fix.

I had to shove him out of our life. The very thing I had been trying so hard to avoid. As much as it hurt me to think about, I would have to run the risk of confusing the children. Having Jude in their life would only lead to so much worse.

He would never change. These drugged chocolates were proof and I had to accept that.

* * *

The hustle of the lunch rush was the only thing that kept me from losing my mind throughout the day. It was finally over and the afternoon lull was kicking in. I was tempted to rush to the back, call Jude, and curse him to hell and back.

I knew that wouldn't work, though. Honestly, I wasn't even sure what would work to get him to go away. I was fairly certain boredom was the only thing that made him leave last time.

My mind made up, I was going to call Jude and chew him out when Sheriff Kobayashi stepped inside The Peach. I was used to seeing him around, he came in often to eat and talk with Sam, but he looked different—I’d never seen him look this serious before.

"Rhonda, you have a moment?" he asked as he approached the counter.

"What is it?" I wasn't sure I really wanted to know.

He glanced around. "Is there someplace private we can speak?"

"Follow me," I replied, somewhat reluctantly, before I took him to the staff room. I stood in front of him with a frown on my brow.

"Sorry to pull you away from work, but I need you to look at some pictures and tell me if you recognize anyone."

"I don't mind, but why me?"

"They're tourists. I figured they might have passed through here during their visit."

"No guarantees. I'll try my best, though."

He nodded and opened a folder I hadn't noticed. He plucked out three photos and fanned them out in one hand in front of me. Three happy, smiling faces greeted me. With a sinking heart, I realized I recognized each one.

"These two ate lunch here yesterday. They were planning to go do some camping. The third was by himself and didn't talk much."

He nodded and put the photos back in the folder. "Thanks."

"No problem." I folded my arms across my chest, suddenly feeling a chill. "Are they missing or something?"

He looked to the side, as if considering something, then nodded. "The lone man's body was found early this morning. As for the couple, an abandoned car that was rented to them was found just outside of town. We're trying to trace their last known whereabouts."

"Do you think something bad happened to them?"

"I hope not. I hope they'll just show up. But the abandoned vehicle was full of camping gear. So wherever they went, they didn't take their stuff with them."

"But this is Fayoak . . ." I was numb with shock.

"Unfortunately, these sorts of things can happen anywhere." He sighed, staring down at the photos with sad eyes as he closed the folder. "Thank you for your help."

"Let me know if there's anything else I can do."

"I will, thank you."

"You want to stay for a late lunch?"

"No, I have other leads to check out, but thank you again."

I followed him back to the dining room and frowned as I watched him leave. I couldn't believe there were two missing people and one person . . . dead. In Fayoak. I thought things would go back to normal now that Heather was locked away, but apparently, times were just different these days.

I was pouring myself a cup of coffee—really a bad idea considering my shot nerves—when Paige walked through The Peach's entrance. Since leaving Heather's witchy crew, she had exchanged her tennis skirts and heels for more casual clothes. She also no longer put on enough makeup to rival the most enthusiastic of clowns. She looked much more girl-next-door now and seemed happier for it, too.

I knew she wasn't here to dine by the way she craned her head around, looking for me. I curled my hand around the piping hot cup, ignoring the faint burn as I raised my other to wave at her.

She raced over to the counter in response, making me pause. She must have bad news about the coven. I had only just discovered the drugged aphrodisiac chocolates that had ruined Rose's day a couple of hours ago. I really wasn't in the mood for more bad news.

"Rhonda," she hissed quietly, getting straight down to business, "did you get my text last night?"

I pressed my fingers to my temple and let out a sigh, disappointed in myself. "I completely forgot to reply."

"Well, it's getting worse."

I resisted the urge to tsk loudly at her. I still had no what it was. She had this strange habit of thinking I could read her mind. Maybe because she could read minds, she thought everyone else could, too.

"Paige, sweetheart, I'm going to need you to tell me exactly what's going on."

"It's the coven."

"Yeah, I've got that part."

"I keep on hearing your name in people's thoughts. I'm not sure why, but—" Paige's eyes widened and she clamped her mouth shut. She subtly looked over her shoulder. I followed her line of sight and saw Jude striding into The Peach.

He paused by the foliage, shooting a disgruntled look at one of the bushy plants. He brushed at the hem of his suit jacket with sharp, irritated movements. The poor plant had just barely brushed the lush fabric. I narrowed my eyes. He definitely hadn't changed.

A moment later, Paige was two seats down the counter, sliding into a chair. She grabbed a menu, doing her best to pretend she didn't know me. What the hell was going on? Had Paige heard Jude thinking something nefarious? There was no way she could know him, right? I shook my head. No. I was certain she wasn't a member of the coven back when Jude and I were still together.

I wanted so badly to rush over there and grill her, but my need to tear into Jude outweighed that feeling by a hefty amount. I snapped my head back to the entrance just in time to see Jude look in my direction. The smile on his face told me he still thought I had my stupid blinders on. I would show him just how open my eyes were.

I placed my palms on the counter and leaned forward, giving him what I hoped were heavily-lidded bedroom eyes. He tilted his head ever so slightly, his brow furrowing. I took the chocolate box in hand and slid out from behind the counter, eyes still on his as he approached.

"Jude," I purred, "why don't you come to the back with me?"

The moment he caught sight of the box in my hands, his brows lifted and his lips quirked up into a smile. "Of course."

I led him toward the employee locker room in the back of The Peach. It was a good thing I was in front of him because I could barely keep the rage from my expression. I wanted to wring his neck with my bare hands. I pushed through the doors and stood with my back to him.

He let out a throaty chuckle as he followed me into the room. "Did you really eat all those chocolates? How naughty."

The moment I heard the doors swing shut behind him, I whirled around and threw the chocolate box straight into the center of his chest. He stared down at it as it flopped to the floor, leaving little flakes of chocolate on his wool suit.

"You massive prick," I bit out. "I told you—I warned you that if you hurt my children, I would—"

"You would what, Rhonda?"

My breath hitched in my throat when he lifted his eyes back to mine. All of the good humor I had seen in them was gone. His eyes were dark and cold. There wasn't even a trace of a smile gracing his lips. He took a step forward, and my heart slammed against my chest. Run, my instincts cried out, but I stood my ground.

"Tell me what you would do," he repeated, taking another step toward me.

I swallowed, my throat dry. I'd never seen this type of menace from him before. My voice was hoarse and shaking with nerves when I said, "You don't get to do this anymore, Jude."

"Do what?" He had the gall to feign confusion as he tilted his head to the side. "I only try to save you from yourself."

I was so shocked that it took a moment to sputter, "What?"

Jude moved in closer, his expression softening with each step. I jerked back when he reached out to place a hand on my shoulder. He stared at his empty hand for a moment, then slid his eyes to mine with a stiff smile as he dropped his arm down. I couldn't believe he was trying to manipulate me again. I took a deep breath and drew myself up straight.

"You wanted to know what I would do, Jude?" I clipped out. "I'll make sure you never see my children again. I thought they needed their father. I thought maybe you would be different for them but . . . you're sick in the head, you know that?"

Jude chuckled. "You're being unreasonable, darling. Maybe you should calm down and take a moment to think about what you're saying."

"Don't call me darling, you bastard." My blood was racing so fast I felt jittery. The lockers around me trembled slightly as I struggled to contain my powers. I didn't need assault charges, but I was so angry I was having trouble keeping my control. "I'm not kidding. I will call the sheriff if you come around us again."

"You know, Rhonda," Jude slid his hands into his pockets and leaned back on his heels with a cold smile, "I really do think you should take my advice and calm down. I would hate for the law to get involved. Could you imagine what would happen if we went to court?"

"Court?" I asked in a disbelieving tone.

All humor fled his expression, replaced by cold and sharp features. "You're a single mother, darling, and working in a diner. You have your children crammed into a tiny, two bedroom apartment. You have a strange man over every night. None of that sounds very good, does it?"

Stunned, I took a step back, then another, shaking my head. "You wouldn't even try."

"Wouldn't I?" he asked, his voice soft yet cruel. "Now that I'm here, freed from my terrible fate in that prison—"

"Bullshit, Jude," I interrupted with a snarl. I couldn't believe he was still peddling that lie.

"That mouth of yours." He clicked his tongue, disapproving. "Exactly what I would expect from a single mother. The stress is simply too much for you. Such a terrible environment for children. I'm sure a judge would agree . . ."

The doors to the locker room suddenly slammed open, and I watched in shock as Sam strode through them, looking enraged.

"Why the hell are you talking to my fiancée like that?" he roared in his baritone voice. "I think a judge would be damn impressed by our little family."

I tried my hardest to look unsurprised as Sam stood next to me and slid his arms around me. I tucked myself snug up against his side and gave Jude a small smile. I was aiming for confident, but I felt the quiver at the corners of my lips and cursed myself. I couldn't let him see any weakness. There was nothing Jude liked more than something to pounce on.

"You should've done a little more research before you showed your hand, Jude." I summoned up the most confident smile I could muster. I hoped it would do. "So much for a single mother, huh?"