I hightailed it down the stairs and pressed my mouth to the crack beneath Kaye’s door. “Hey! I can’t get back in, but I wanted to let you know that Roberts is blackmailing Amy!”
I listened for a beat as Kaye shuffled across the carpet. “Are you sure?” she whispered from just on the other side of the closed door.
“Positive. She flat-out told him she was only doing this because of it. It sounded like he has something on her. She did something illegal, and he’s holding it over her head.”
“We can work with that,” Kaye said, and I could just imagine the huge, mischievous smile behind those words. “All we have to do is —”
“Shut that mangy cat up!” Roberts yelled from upstairs.
“Hey!” I shouted back without thinking to be quiet. “That’s going too far! I’m a lot of things, but mangy is not one of them!”
Amy came running down the stairs before I even had a chance to finish my retort. “How’d you get out, little guy?” she asked, then scooped me up and unlocked the bedroom door.
“Are you missing someone?” she asked Kaye as she entered, giving me a nice scratch behind the ears. A guy could get used to this.
“Can we talk?” Kaye asked. Somehow she’d managed to make it across the room and back onto the bed before Amy entered.
“Sure.” Amy set me on the bed beside Kaye, then moved back to block the door. “What’s up?”
“I can help you,” Kaye said flat-out. “I mean it. I can help with whatever trouble you’re in.”
Amy stiffened, then closed the door behind her with a quiet click. “What are you talking about? Why do you think I need help?”
“Don’t run, please. I know that guy is holding something over your head. You’re being blackmailed, and I can help you get out of it.” Kaye held out her hands. “All you have to do is cut these ropes. I’ll take care of the rest.”
Amy shook her head, but her eyes remained wide. “No. Even if I knew I could trust you, you’re not strong enough to take him on. Look how fast the two of us took you down.”
Kaye sucked air in through her teeth. “I let my guard down. The two of you got the drop on me. This time, I’ll be getting the drop on him… If you let me out. That’s it, it’s all you have to do.”
“But you don’t even know what I did,” Amy whispered sadly. “How can you be so sure you can help?”
I hated seeing her so down, so I hopped off the bed and joined her at the door. I couldn’t give her a hug, but I could rub my side against her leg to show some support.
“Did you kill anyone?” Kaye asked.
Amy shook her head. “No,” she whispered again. I might not have made it out if not for my super satellite ears.
“Steal anything?” Kaye continued. When I glanced over, I saw she had one eyebrow raised in question.
Another head shake from Amy.
“Whatever you did, was it done with malicious intent?”
Amy winced, cocked her head, then shook it firmly. “No, no. I never wanted to hurt anyone.”
“If you didn’t have malicious intent, then I can guarantee you the lightest possible sentence,” Kaye said. I had no idea if what she said was the truth, but Amy’s eyes filled with tears. “With my help, of course.”
“Really?” Amy’s voice wavered as she lowered herself toward the floor and threaded her fingers through my thick fur.
Kaye gave her a serious look. “I can’t guarantee you’ll go without any punishment. But I can promise leniency. I’ll see to it personally. Besides, whatever it is has to be better than working with this jerk.”
Amy remained silent as she petted me some more.
I offered a meow of encouragement, just in case it helped seal the deal. Now that I really knew what was going on, I wanted Amy to be able escape just as much as I wanted it for me and Kaye.
“This scares me to death, but I’ll do it. Yeah.” Amy sucked in a deep breath and rose to shaky feet. “Be right back.”
Kaye and I just stared at each other in shock. She was really going to help us. I could hardly believe it.
Amy returned quickly, and she’d brought a present with her. “These scissors are spelled to cut your magical bonds. I keep them in my room, just in case Roberts ever turns on me. He doesn’t know I have them.”
Amy crept over to Kaye on the bed and broke the ties with her respelled scissors.
As soon as she was freed, Kaye jumped to her feet and used each hand to massage the opposite wrist, one after another. She let out a giant relieved sigh, then put on her game face. “Stay behind me. I got this.”
Kaye bent and pulled a wand out of her socks. I hadn’t even realized she’d had it with her. Nice.
“He’s in his recliner,” Amy said. “To the left when you go through the door at the top of the stairs.” Amy scooped me up but stayed back several paces as she followed Kaye out of the room, down the hall, and up the stairs.
After that, everything happened really fast.
Kaye screamed and burst through the door.
Roberts shouted back.
I couldn’t see a thing.
“Go on,” I urged Amy. “Let’s see what’s happening.”
“Shh.” She hugged me tighter. “You’re safe back here. I’ll take care of you no matter what happens.” She squeezed me a little too hard for my liking, but I let it slide.
“I’m scared,” she admitted, pressing her lips into the soft fur at my neck.
“It’ll be okay,” I insisted, but, once again, she couldn’t understand me.
Amy only hugged me tighter to her chest.
“We can’t hang back like this,” I argued with a growl. “We need to go help her!”
She tried to hush me again, but I wriggled and pushed against Amy until she dropped me.
“Moss, wait,” she called after me softly, but I refused to let my partner go it alone.
Kaye and Roberts both had their wands out and pointed at each other. Kaye’s hair stood straight up as if she’d been struck by lightning, and Roberts sported a huge bloody gash on his cheek.
“You okay?” I yelled.
“He’s strong,” Kaye said between pants for air.
Roberts’ eyes darted from Kaye to me, then back again. “Are you talking to your cat?” he boomed.
“Of course not,” Kaye said with the mischievous smile I’d come to love. “That would be stupid. I’m just talking to myself like the crazy old lady I am.”
Roberts growled, and they both grimaced as their wands continued to point at each other. The magic arcing between them was not only visible, but it also filled the room with a tremendous amount of energy. So much the added weight in the air hurt my ears.
Okay. My friend needed help. I wasn’t sure when she’d turned from my jailer to my babysitter to my friend, but here we were.
Now what could I do? Not much, I had to admit. I had no magic, no weapons. But I did have a couple very sharp sets of claws.
Darting forward, I jumped onto the coffee table, then launched myself straight at Roberts’ face.
Score! I connected with the wound Kaye had already inflicted and tore into it like a cat out of hell.
As he screamed, Kaye produced ropes with her wand, the same ones that had bound her only minutes ago. They wrapped around the big, bad man and then tied themselves into a pretty, little bow.
The magic in the room dissipated, taking the added pressure with it.
And just like that, it was over.
Kaye waved her hand again and a piece of duct tape slapped itself on Roberts’ mouth.
Amy rushed into the room and scooped me back into her arms. “I’m free,” she whispered. “Do you hear that, Mossy? I’m free! He can’t hurt me anymore.”
I nudged her chin with my forehead, and to my complete mortification, I then realized I was purring.
Kaye turned toward us. “Is he purring?” she asked incredulously.
Amy nodded, and Kaye let out a chuckle.
I tried to stop so as not to prolong my embarrassment, but the vibrations just continued to come in one never-ending loop.
“Well, that’s a new one,” Kaye said, then laughed again.
Normally I’d be really mad at her for adding to my embarrassment like that, but since she’d just defeated the bad guy and saved us all, I decided to let it slide.