Conjure by Lea Nolan Read Free Book Online Page B

success, Jack Guthrie! I saw the open pit. Did you find something?”
    “Oh, we found something all right, and I had to take one for the team.” He lifts his gauze-wrapped hand for her to see.
    Her brows arch. “What happened?”
    He puffs his skinny chest and lowers the pitch of his voice, trying to impress her. “Oh, just a booby trap that burned my hand. But it’ll take more than a little explosion to wipe me out.”
    I shift my gaze to hide my expression. Too bad she didn’t see him sobbing last night like a gigantic infant.
    “A burn? Let me see it.” She lifts his hand and picks at the tape holding the gauze.
    I lurch toward her. “Don’t. It needs to stay covered.” The last thing he needs is to get it infected. If I have to listen to Jack blubber any more, I might kill him.
    She levels her gaze at me. “I want to see it.” Then she smiles at Jack, softening her voice as she strokes his shoulder. “Please unwrap your hand.”
    I glare at the pair of them. “Whatever.”
    He slowly unwinds the gauze and gently tugs it from the ointment coating his skin. She cradles his hand in hers and stares closely at his fingers. “You must have this looked at.”
    He waves her off with his good hand. “It’s nothing. Emma took care of it.”
    She shakes her head. “No, that is not enough. It is blistered.”
    “What? No, it’s not.” My eyes snap to his hand.
    She lifts his hand toward me. “Yes, it is.”
    I gape. She’s right. Four slick yellow blisters have risen across his fingers. Blisters that weren’t there a half hour ago. “What the heck?”
    Jack attempts to appear unaffected.
    Maggie re-wraps his hand. “You must go to a Grannie.”
    Cooper tilts his head. “You want us to meet your grandmother?”
    She laughs. “That is not possible.”
    He scratches his temple. “I don’t understand. Whose grannie do you mean?”
    She shakes her head. “You need a Gullah Grannie with powerful medicine. And I know just the one.”

Chapter Six
    “It’s too far to walk.” Maggie points at Cooper. “Go get a car, and I’ll meet you on the main road.” Although she says it with a smile, it’s not a request. She walks to the wall and grabs her hat, then turns toward the forest, away from the Big House.
    Jack’s brow crinkles. “Wait, we can’t leave the treasure here. Let’s grab it, and then we’ll go.”
    She stops and walks back to him, cupping his cheek in the palm of her hand. “The treasure is unimportant now. You must see the Grannie.”
    “But—”
    “There is nothing more important than your health, Jack Guthrie.” She clasps his free hand and stares into his eyes for a long moment. “Now, go fetch a car. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
    His shoulders relax, and he smiles. “Okay.”
    Wow. That was impressive. I wish I could make him do things that easily.
    We head back through the woods to the Big House to climb into the only car Beau will let Cooper drive—a safe, boring beige station wagon. Cooper’s had his conditional license for two months now, so he’s finally allowed to drive us legally. Not that we let the legal aspect stop us last summer.
    Cooper punches in the key code to open one of the doors on the five-car garage. “Who do you think this Grannie is, anyway? Seems kind of strange.”
    When the lock clicks open, I step into the freestanding building, which, with its glossy polymer floors and shiny sport cars, is more like a new-car showroom than a private garage. “I have no idea, but if Jack’s hand is really that bad, maybe we should find a doctor.”
    “No.” Jack’s voice is firm. “Maggie knows what I need, so let’s do what she says.”
    I glare at him and feel the space between my eyes pinch. I barely even know her, but I’m sick of Maggie. The words burst from my mouth unchecked. “You know what? I’ve had about enough of what Maggie wants. She wasn’t the one who had to deal with you yesterday or drag your sorry butt home. We did that. Cooper