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“Where do you think you’re going with all those weapons?” a raspy voice asked.

My stomach dropped. Slowly, I turned to face Meemaw. She didn’t have the same glazed look as Miguel. “Are you…you?”

“Who the hell else would I be?”

I relaxed. “I worried you were under Keith’s spell.”

She cackled. “As if that Grade-A douchecanoe could control me.”

“What about the other witches?”

“All good.”

“Even Louise?”

“We gave her a couple gummies. She won’t be a problem. Now, are you here to quibble or to kick this beta’s ass?”

I withdrew a sword from its sheath. “What do you think?”

“Glad to see my faith in you wasn’t misplaced.”

I gestured to the other weapons still strapped to my body. “Can I interest you in a tranquilizer gun? Or perhaps a scythe for the lady?”

“I’ll stick with magic, thanks.” Her brow furrowed. “Where’d you get all that, anyway?”

“Not important right now. Let’s focus on our plan to take down Keith.”

“Keith,” Meemaw muttered. “Who the hell wants to fight an archenemy named Keith? It’s humiliating. He should at least have a name like Darkon the Destroyer.”

“No. Humiliating would be losing to someone named Keith,” I said, brandishing a glaive in my other hand. “Let’s go.”

“Hang on. Let me tell the others.” She whipped out her phone and tapped the screen. “Dietrich, this is Davis. Can you hear me?”

“Come in, Davis.” Margie’s voice crackled on the other end.

“You’re on a phone, not a walkie talkie,” I pointed out.

Meemaw ignored me. “Is Lake with you?”

“Affirmative.”

“I’ve got Garbo with me.”

Garbo? I mouthed.

“If you need weapons, she’s got a metric ton,” Meemaw continued.

“Meet us at Palmetto Square. That’s where the action is.”

“Ten-four.” The call disconnected.

“You assembled quickly,” I said.

“We’re a coven, Maya. We’ve learned from our past mistakes. An attempted takeover by a mediocre man is the kind of thing we can handle. Louise was unprepared, but thanks to you, the rest of us weren’t.”

“But Keith has god’s blood.”

“No amount of godly blood is enough to keep a firm grip on a powerful woman. Trust me, if I could do the same for the other Neighbors, I would.”