Tribulation Road: A Red Hot Treats Story Read Online Free Page A

yanked the black thong with the blessed silver
metal be-spelled and filled with protective items before being sealed shut. She
slipped it over her head. Lighting danced around her car—flickering streaks of
light, as if angry that they’d missed their opportunity. Her heart missed a
beat. She gripped the wheel tight to keep her shaking hands steady. Her
knuckles protested the tight grip.
    A flash lit the sky. A tree
toppled. Brigh slammed on the breaks, hydroplaning. Steering into the skid, she
imagined a white bubble of protection forming around her and her car. You
didn’t fight fire with water. You fought fire with fire. While the KOS didn’t
dabble in black magic intent on harm, they yielded white without hesitation.
Edging around the fallen tree, she ran through her options. Like a cat, she
only had so many lives, and eventually her response time would fail her. There
was no way on the deserted road to pull over and everything in her screamed, Get
home now!
    Furious with her lack of
options, she slapped her palm against the wheel, relishing the sting. It meant
she was still alive. Above her, the storm raged on with no signs of slowing. How
could they pin this to me so specifically? They’d have to have a personal item. The puzzle piece clicked into place.
    She navigated the car off
the highway and slammed the shifter into the park. Where is it, where is it? She crawled into the back and scanned the seats, running her hands over the
seams and between the cushions. Coming up blank, she dangled off the edge of
the seat, peering under the passenger side and the driver’s. Still empty-handed,
she growled. She pushed the back door open and stepped into the rain. The water
chilled her to the bone and lashed at her skin like tiny razor blades. She
bowed her head and walked to the back.
    The license plate was
clear. She knelt down and swayed. The wind roared in anger. She fought to keep
from falling on her ass. She ran her hand under the bumper and jumped when she
brushed something hard and slick. She grabbed it and yanked. The black bag mocked
her. A fucking mojo hand. The voodoo curse was normally cast from a
distance with its intended victim in mind. But the assholes couldn’t get a
piece of me to make it specific, so they pinned it on my car.
    She reached into the inner
pocket of her navy blue jacket and pulled out her knife. She sliced through the
bag with a sharp silver blade and let the water wash away the things inside,
rendering it ineffective. As if she’d hit a switch, the rain let up and the
clouds began to disperse. She wiped her wet hair out of her face. This was no
beginner spell caster. Not with the power he or she had called down. What
worried her more was how close they’d gotten to her . How could they know
where I’d be? How did they slip under not just my radar, but Richard’s as well? Her stomach turned. She rose to her feet and froze when she saw a woman in
black standing a few feet away. The evil coming off her in waves curdled her
stomach. Her long black hair billowed behind her in the wind.
    Brigh gripped her knife
tight and struck a defensive pose.“I don’t know what you are, but I’ve
had a shitty day and I’m not in the mood. You can try me, but in the end, I
guarantee you’ll be on the losing team.”
    The wraith smiled and
shimmered away.
    I am so fucked. She
spun on her heels and ran to the car, climbing in and pulling away. The sky
cleared and the rain dissipated, but the sinking sensation remained. She called
her father. The phone continued to ring and went to voicemail. She disconnected
and redialed. The three beeps in her ears made her stomach drop. What the
hell is going on? She called her mother and received the same response. Panicked,
she called Richard. The phone continued to ring and eventually went to
voicemail. She called a handful of people and got the same response. Did
someone cut down the local cell tower? Swallowing her pride, she called the
one person she didn’t