Witch Unleashed Read online

  WITCH

  UNLEASHED

  A Hex Sister Cozy Mystery

  (Tess Venture)

  Book 1

  Kate Allenton

  Copyright © 2018 Kate Allenton

  All rights reserved.

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, character, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or use fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locals or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by Coastal Escape Publishing

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  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  Chapter 1

  “Venture Island is haunted, and it still hasn’t made the mainland’s headlines,” Margo complained, pointing to the television’s early morning news while I was reviewing the roster of guests that would be arriving within the hour.

  “You would think after thirty years, and some of the stories Dad told me, we’d warrant a byline or two in mainstream, especially considering the weird factor.” But nope, not even with word of mouth between guests had anyone pointing out the obvious.

  “It’s like the island is cursed, only revealing itself to those that need to know,” Margo argued.

  She might very well be right. She was kind of wise like that. Margo’s blonde hair lay in soft curls down her back. Her powder-blue pastel business suit was always pressed to perfection. People tended to believe Margo was just a dumb blonde, but I knew better. I’d known her my entire life. “We have some nut jobs arriving today.”

  Some guests I’d been fielding calls for months in advance making sure the hotel was ready to cater to their every weird whim, and let me tell you, they had some doozies. Normal people just wanted to make sure we knew of their allergies or handicap needs, but this week’s requests ranged from rooms with nothing red inside to even one guest requesting the room locks be set on a timer from outside. Who did that? Samuel Marks, that’s who. There was always one weird guest in each bunch, but this week we had two.

  I didn’t question their requests or strange phobias; they paid big money for us to accommodate their needs. It wasn’t my job to understand. It was my job to get it done. To be honest, nothing surprised me anymore.

  “Did you finish your sweep of Patterson Finley’s room?” I asked, glancing up from the guest roster.

  “There’s nothing red. I double checked every closet, cabinet, and nook,” she answered.

  Venture Island was my home, and I no longer held the position of glorified child babysitter to the guests. I was now head dog in charge of guest services. Okay, it was still a babysitting job, but I’d graduated to adults.

  The island was a tropical destination, but not for normal clientele. The lush greenery, crystal blue waters, and magical currents running through the earth touted us as the premier tourist destination for the supernatural enthusiast.

  We catered to the weird and unusual. The island itself was an enigma, founded only thirty years and three step-moms ago. How it had stayed uncharted for so long was a mystery to everyone. My father had found it strictly by accident when his sailboat crashed along its shore in the dead of night on his honeymoon. Lucky for him and Mom, they’d been rescued a week later, but they’d returned with determination to claim the shores as their own, and they had. God rest my mother’s soul.

  Enough about the island and all of its unusual guests. Let me introduce myself. My name is Tess Venture. Tess to my friends, Contessa when I was in trouble. Make no mistake. I’m not royalty. I don’t have a dowry that men would kill for, even though some of the Venture Resort’s employees might disagree with me being the daughter of the founder of the island and owner of the resort.

  My official title was Manager of Client Services and Guest Relations. You might think it was because I had a cheery disposition, but you’d be wrong. Snark was my unofficial middle name and a sharp tongue my weapon of choice. In my line of work, I needed both to keep these guests in line. I knew where to draw the line when it was needed and when to bite my tongue, even though sometimes I ignored that particular angel on my shoulder. I was pliable, and that was the way Daddy liked me. Tolerated me was more like it. I wasn’t sure he was particularly fond of either of his sperm donations.

  We always played third fiddle; first went to the island, second to whichever wife he was currently married to, and third to us kids. We didn’t hold it against him. On the contrary, his lack of affection and rules had made us extremely self-sufficient and independent.

  “Were the locks on the penthouse changed to a timer to accommodate Milton Turner’s request?” I asked, stacking my lists and rising from my seat.

  “Yes, I watched it last night to make sure it engages at nine o’clock on the dot,” Margo said.

  I smiled. Everything was ready. Well, at least as ready as could be expected. “I appreciate your help. You make my job easy.”

  “I will always try. Have a good day, dear.” My mother vanished in a cloud of smoke as the first specks of sunlight crawled across the floor.

  Chapter 2

  So you’ve probably guessed by now that my mother is a ghost and has a sun phobia. Who could blame her? It was the very thing that had killed her. A spell gone wrong in a quest for the perfect tan. Her skin had burst into flames the next day when she walked into the sun. I was ten at the time, but I’ve heard the stories. I wasn’t a witch like my mother, and I wasn’t quite like my dad. I was one of a kind, and I was about to be unemployed if I was late again.

  Thirty minutes later I licked the lipstick residue from my teeth and jumped off the golf cart, not stopping until I stood by my father’s side. He glanced at his Rolex. “Two more minutes and you would have been late…again.”

  I let out a resolute grunt of acknowledgement. “But I wasn’t.”

  He raised his brow before pasting on his award-winning smile as guests departed the ferry. Masterson Venture was the king of facades and hiding secrets. “Anything I need to know about this group?”

  His words made me pause. He normally knew everything about everyone. “A couple of honeymooners, Tim Jones, the famous baseball player…”

  “Again?”

  “Every year like clockwork before the season starts. He claims the hot springs give him his mojo.” I glanced down at my roster and cleared my throat. “And the Halliwells.”

  The vein in my father’s temple throbbed. “Which one?”

  “All of them,” I whispered.

  He finally turned to look at me. His smile faltered. “Excuse me?
I couldn’t have heard you correctly.”

  I gripped the clipboard to my chest. “They made reservations a year ago. Candace approved them. I couldn’t cancel.”

  I’d butted heads enough with my ex-stepmother that had I tried to intervene again I would have been bumped down to dog walker. She was the epitome of the evil stepmother. I think she lived to make my life miserable.

  “That’s unfortunate,” he growled as the group neared.

  “They shouldn’t be a problem. I banned them from performing any rituals or spells. I told them it was against island rules.”

  “You lied. I’m impressed.” He pasted his fake smile firmly back in place. “Your vacation is now officially postponed until every last one of them leaves the island.”

  He headed for one of the men and shook his hand, leaving me reeling with this new wrinkle in my plans. I watched as the entire group climbed into the resort bus.

  The baseball player had his hat pulled down covering his eyes. People on the mainland might believe him suspicious. The Halliwell’s well, they were a unique bunch. Pippy Halliwell led the way to the bus. Her every step full of determination and oozed energy sending people scurrying out of her way. Her sister, Penny, well she was another story. She was clinging to the straw hat on her head to keep it from flying away. Peter Halliwell, he was all business. Poor thing was holding his phone up in the air in search of cell service. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that his attempts were futile. Vinette Halliwell, the Halliwell matriarch, scowled at my father in passing as her long grey hair drifted on the breeze. Everyone climbed on the bus, all but one lone stranger that started walking up the street.

  “Excuse me,” I yelled at the black T-shirt-loose-jean-wearing-big-boot-clomping man. He wasn’t dressed anything like the guests arriving on the ferry with their tropical shirts and dresses and wide-brimmed straw hats.

  The man kept walking, ignoring my feeble attempt to stop him. I jogged to catch up, cursing beneath my breath before I got in front of him, stopping him with my hand and swiping back loose hair that had wrangled free from my bun. “You don’t need to walk. The bus will take you to the resort.”

  “I’m not going to the resort,” he answered, taking his time letting his gaze linger down my body. His lips twisted into a smile at my neon-painted toenails before he lifted his gaze, giving me a glimpse of his dimples and stunning green eyes.

  “If you aren’t a guest, who are you here to see?”

  “That’s need to know, and you don’t qualify.” The stranger shifted his bag higher on his shoulder.

  I narrowed my eyes and glanced over my shoulder in the direction he was headed. A road that in two miles would dead end. The stranger would be met with nothing but the lush forest, away from any civilization until the hotel took out a tour group scheduled in the morning. A smile split my lips as I turned around. “Far be it from me to stop you.” I stepped out of his way and swept my hand for him to proceed. “Enjoy your walk.”

  He lifted a hand to my face, and I leaned back.

  “You look like a clown.” He swiped his thumb against my cheek and held it for me to see. A smudge of my fire-engine red lipstick covered his digit.

  Why did he have to go and be nice? I was content to let him sweat in the heat until he found his way or until the monkeys found him. They were a nasty bunch when teasing their prey. “If you keep going that way, it’s going to dead end in two miles. If you’re looking for town, you need to go in the opposite direction.”

  His gaze lifted over my head focusing down the road. “You were just going to let me find out the hard way?”

  “It was need to know, and you didn’t qualify,” I said, stepping around him and heading back to my golf cart.

  The bus pulled out in a plume of smoke, and I found my father behind the wheel of the golf cart, watching me as I slid onto the seat and grabbed the bar for dear life. My dad drove like an adrenaline junkie high on too much caffeine.

  “Who was that?”

  I shrugged as my dad hit the gas and pulled away. I tightened my hold on the rail so I didn’t go airborne with each bump. “Don’t know and he wouldn’t say. He must be visiting someone in town.”

  The island had a town of transplanted locals. Most were employees that worked at the hotel and their families, some had vacationed and decided to stay, but the one thing they’d all needed was a nod of approval from dear old dad. Each resident was vetted for what they could contribute to the success of the island, and they needed to be deemed worthy.

  Other than that, it functioned like a normal small city on the mainland, complete with police, shops, restaurants, and town council people who handled the everyday decisions and complaints. We had the best of everything, and Dad had planned it that way. The shops sold only the best international fare, and the eclectic food from different countries was beyond comparison and satisfied any food hankering. No normal person would ever want to leave; but then again, I wasn’t normal.

  Red and yellow balls of light hovered over the ground in front of us. An irrational fear climbed my spine. This wasn’t happening. I hadn’t seen the death omen in three months, not since Old Man Weathers had passed away. I grabbed Dad’s arm and squeezed.

  “Dad.” His name was a whisper, but my frightened tone was enough for him to slow the buggy to a stop.

  “What is it?” he asked, scanning the surroundings as if he himself should have sensed something amiss.

  I swallowed against the lump in my throat and licked my lips. “The flicker is back.”

  That was what I’d called it as a kid because it reminded me of a dancing candle flame encased in an energetic ball of light. I now knew it better. It was like a gas that rose from the ground, and seeing it meant someone was about to die.

  “Is anyone sick on the island?” I asked as he stepped on the gas again, running the cart through the balls of energy he couldn’t see.

  “Not that I know of,” he answered, glancing at me. “And I know everything.”

  If that were true, it left me questioning why he hadn’t canceled the Halliwells’ reservations himself. Unless he knew it was one way to keep me on the island. I wouldn’t put it past my old man. He was kind of crafty like that.

  Chapter 3

  Dad not being in the know that death was near had him dropping me off at the entrance and stealing my cart to head into town. I got everyone settled into their rooms before sticking my head into the security office to find Watson kicked back with his feet on the desk reading a comic book instead of watching the security monitors.

  “If you get a minute from finding out if Wolverine saves the day, you might want to keep an eye on the monitors and check your record settings.”

  He glanced over his shoulder. “Why? You afraid someone is going to skinny dip in the pools?”

  Watson didn’t take much serious. Nothing ever really happened at the resort that he couldn’t handle just judging by his look. He was intimidating, all six feet five of tanned muscles, but I knew better. I should. He was my brother’s best friend, and the two had a track record of being troublemakers.

  “I’m saving you a reprimand. I saw the omen. It’s all hands on deck. Dad went into town to check on the residents, but I’m sure when he gets back, he’ll pop his head in here to make sure you’re not goofing off.”

  Watson dropped his big boots to the floor. His fingers worked lightning fast over the keyboard until all the screens were up and being recorded.

  I stole a licorice stick from his candy jar and bit off a piece, heading for the door.

  “Hey, squirt,” he called out.

  I pulled open the door and turned.

  “Thanks for the heads-up and watch your back.” The humorous glint from his gaze was replaced with concern.

  I grinned. “Why would I need to? I’ve got you to do that.” I winked and left.

  Watson and I had this on-and-off flirtation thing going on. We’d been dancing around the idea of dating for years. The only thing that sto
pped us was our working arrangement, not to mention my protective brother. The thought of telling him curdled like sour milk in my stomach.

  Probably something he’d serve me just to torture the two of us.

  I stopped by the kitchen at the end of my shift. I didn’t make it a habit to eat with guests, but my brother fed me just the same. He always packed a to-go box for me to take back to my cabana.

  Noah was in front of the stove. His normally white pristine apron was stained red, but thank God, not the blood variety.

  “Busy day?” I asked, lifting one of the lids to take a peek inside the pot.

  “Nothing I can’t handle,” he answered. My half-brother was from wife number 2. I’d liked her, but she couldn’t handle an isolated life and hightailed it off the island two years after saying her vows. Noah was the best younger brother any girl could ask for and not just because his cooking was to die for but because he had a big heart. “Are you cutting out early for the day to start your vacation?”

  I sighed and pressed my lips into a pout.

  “He didn’t,” Noah growled.

  “He did.” I shrugged. “He’s mad the Halliwell clan is here. It appears I have babysitting duties until they leave.”

  “One day I’m going to sneak you off the island, and when I do, don’t even look back. You deserve more than the crumbs this place gives you. You should be out exploring and living the dream.” He cut a slice of chocolate cake and added it to a Styrofoam container. “You’ll get extra cake for him screwing up your plans.”

  “It’s okay; it’s probably better this way.” He stuffed in another container with his famous spaghetti. My absolute favorite.

  He gave me a sideways glance. “Why is that?”

  “I saw the flicker,” I whispered so that the other kitchen staff wouldn’t hear. The last thing I needed was to start a panic and induce a heart attack or two.