Chapter 9
Chloe
“How was the date?”
I shrieked.
After leaving Xav’s place, I’d been walking home by myself, on the edge of the woods where Mamie had been found and thinking about what he’d said.
Jeb Jackson had a wife, Viola.
Mamie was the “other woman” and I couldn’t quite wrap my head around it. She’d always told me to never lie, cheat, or steal. How could she do this to another woman? I was disappointed in Mamie, for the first time in my life.
Right now, I wanted to take a hot shower, crawl in bed, and get some rest. Tomorrow, I’d come up with another plan. Somehow, I had to approach Jeb and find out if he’d been screwing around with my grandmother. I doubted he’d admit to it. Since the sheriff didn’t bring it up with me, I suspected he hadn’t known about their relationship, either.
But, I’d figure it all out. Eventually. Yeah, things would look much better in the morning. They always did.
Because I’d been so wrapped up in my deep thoughts, I hadn’t noticed Saint, lurking in the darkness, seated on my front porch stairs.
He stood and walked over to me.
Instinctively, I slapped him.
“Ow, that was violent.” He laid a hand on his face. Even in the gloom, I could see a red mark.
“Yeah, well, you had it coming. What are you doing out here in the dark?”
Without missing a beat, he pointed to the naked lightbulb above our heads, suspended by a chain. “You need a new one. It’s burnt out.”
I made a mental note to replace it. If I was going to come home by myself late at night, having a well-lit entranceway was an important safety measure.
I gritted my teeth. “Nice dodge. I meant, why are you here? Are you stalking me?”
He ignored my question. “Who sent you the dolly?”
“The what…?”
Saint held up a handmade cornhusk doll. I’d never seen it before.
“Where did you get it?”
“Found it lying on your welcome mat.”
I snatched it from him, examining the doll. I had the strangest sensation when I touched it. It just felt wrong. Squishy inside, like something rotten. Besides, it had a pin stuck through its head. I’m not up on voodoo practices, but I doubted this was a positive sign.
Maybe it was a weird magical gift from Nettie? I placed it on the porch rail, unwilling to touch the thing anymore. Something about it creeped me out. After I got rid of Saint, I’d chuck the damn thing in the trash.
“You don’t know who sent it?” he asked.
I shook my head.
“Well, that’s ominous. You should tell the sheriff.”
“Why? So, he can take another report and shelve it? No, thanks.”
Saint sighed. “Damn, you’re stubborn. What if this is some kind of threat?”
As threats go, it kind of sucked. “I can take care of myself.”
“No, you can’t. Somebody needs to watch your back.”
I got the sense, Saint was volunteering. His high-handed approach should’ve pissed me off. It didn’t. Saint might’ve screwed Roxie, but he cared about me. At least a little bit.
I got this tingling warmth in the pit of my stomach. Despite everything he’d done, my heart skipped a beat. Why did he get under my skin?
“Don’t worry. I can handle my new suspect all by myself.”
A muscle worked in his jaw. “You eliminated Richelieu?”
“Yeah, from what he said, Mamie was seein’ Jeb Jackson.”
“As in…?” Saint poked a finger through an “O” he’d made with his thumb and another finger.
“Gross, but accurate.”
“Holy shit.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Let me repeat my earlier question,” Saint said. “How was your date?”
“None of your business.”
“I bet it didn’t go well.”
“How would you know?” I swatted at an overzealous mosquito buzzing around my face. It didn’t get cold enough down here to kill them. Or maybe I just had the urge to hit something. “As a matter of fact, I had a nice time.”
“You’re home early. By yourself.” Saint said it, like he’d just laid a royal flush on the table, and he was about to rake in a crapload of money at a poker game.
“Xav got a call from work, so we had to cut it short, but he made another date with me.” It was a shameless lie, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to wipe the smile off Saint’s handsome face.
A vein bulged in his temple and his lips thinned. Suddenly, he didn’t look so arrogant. Ah, victory is sweet.
“Are you gonna go?”
“Sure. Why not? I had fun.” Actually, I’d kept wishing it was Saint, putting the moves on me.
“Did he kiss you?”
I pondered telling him the truth briefly but decided against it. It was better to leave him guessing.
“We aren’t gonna have this conversation.”
“Did you sleep with him?” He took a step forward. Evidently, Saint had formed a conclusion all on his own.
Enough of this crap.
I stomped up the stairs. “It’s late. I’m going to bed. Alone. And I’m gonna do whatever I damn well please. Get used to it.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” He followed me, right on my heels. “Like I said, somebody’s gotta look out for you. Richelieu can’t be trusted.”
“And what about you? I already know I can’t trust you.” I whirled around to face him, ready to give Saint a what for, when I saw he was staring at my neck.
“Are you looking for bite marks?”
He cleared his throat. “No.”
“Make that a yes.” I’ve had it with this town and its weird obsession with the paranormal. “Xav’s not a vampire. And why are you jealous, anyway? From what I hear, you and the rest of your biker buddies have a lot of groupies. They’re called succubi, right? Why don’t you screw one of them?”
“I’m…concerned, not jealous.”
Yeah, okay. Sure.
“I mean it.”
“Whatever. And for the record, you don’t need to be. Concerned, I mean. Xav wouldn’t do anything to hurt me.” I didn’t know the man well, but he didn’t seem like a threat.
Saint opened his mouth and shut it several times.
“What?” I asked, placing my hands on my hips. “Just say it already and go.”
“I can’t help it. I care about you.” Saint made “care” sound like another four-letter word.
And I didn’t believe him for a second. His motives weren’t pure. This was all about conquest. He didn’t catch me the other night, so he was trying to scoop me up again.
Only I was too smart to fall for his game.
“Where’s Roxy?” I asked the question casually, as I pulled my keys out of my purse.
“No clue.”
I stared at him.
“It’s the truth. I sent her home after you left, and I haven’t crossed paths with her since.”
I wanted to believe him. How sad is that? I mean, the man had women coming and going to his place, delivering themselves like pizzas.
“Yeah, after you had a quickie.”
Saint looked appalled. “I don’t do quickies, because I take my time and treat a woman right.”
“I really don’t care about your sex life.” I’m such a liar. I wished I didn’t care, but I did. I opened the door, intending to end this conversation, but he pushed his way inside.
“What are you doing? I didn’t invite you.”
“Too bad, I’m coming in any way. And unlike your boyfriend, I’m not a vampire, so I don’t need a formal invitation.”
I mentally counted down from ten, trying to keep my temper in check. It had always gotten me into trouble.
“We need to talk about this, Chloe. I have to fix us.”
“Number one, I don’t think you can. Number two, there is no us.”
“You don’t know me,” he blurted out.
“Yes, I do.” After all, I’d basically stalked him as a young teen.
“Look, I know you had a crush on me back in the day, and I thought it was cute at the time, Little Bit. But I think you had me on a pedestal, and the other night, you kicked me off of it. You met the real me, and you were disappointed.”
“Okay, maybe you have a point.” We’d had maybe a handful of conversations back in the day. Mostly, I’d admired him from afar.
“You saw me at my worst, and for that, I apologize.”
I hated to ask, but the curiosity was driving me insane. Playing it cool the other night had been difficult, but I’d managed to keep my mouth shut. My patience was gone.
“So, you really didn’t touch Roxy the other night?” I asked. “You swear?”
“You have my word.” He raised his right hand, as if taking an oath. “I sent her home.”
“And why should I believe you?” I stared him down.
“The whole damn club’s been talkin’ about it. I’m sure you heard the rumors.” Saint rubbed the back of his neck.
“You could’ve told her to lie for you.”
“I didn’t! Think about it, if I’d asked Roxy to lie, I would’ve come up with something less embarrassin’, right?”
It made sense.
“Roxy was pissed at me, because I shoved her out the door, so she got back at me. And for the record? I don’t have a problem in that department. My equipment works just fine.”
Oh, I remembered how large he’d felt. Throbbing. Hungry.
“Yeah, I know.”
Saint groaned.
Once more, the air between us was charged with lust and longing, crackling with energy, like the moments leading up to a lightning strike.
“You should sleep with me. I promise, you won’t regret it, Little Bit.”
I cleared my throat, suddenly nervous. “I don’t think getting involved with you would be a very good idea.”
“You were willin’ the other night.”
“Yeah, until she showed up. It was quite a wake-up call.”
Saint took a step forward and I moved back. “It was an accident. I didn’t mean for it to happen.”
“Yeah, well, it did.”
“Come on, give me another shot.”
I pressed my lips into a thin line, before I did something stupid, like agree.
“Just let me take care of you. You don’t even have to return the favor.” His grin was slow and sultry, full of sexual promise. “I’ll give you the best orgasm of your life, guaranteed.”
“That wouldn’t be hard.” Dammit. Too late. I’d already said something foolish.
Saint rubbed his chin. “What do you mean?”
Oh, hell. There was no way to back out of this gracefully. “I’ve only been with one guy and it was…less than ideal.”
“What happened?”
I felt my cheeks burning. “It’s a long story.”
“I got the time.”
“Fine. Long story short? He, er, arrived, and I didn’t.” Dave had been so concerned about having an orgasm, he’d nearly rubbed my clit raw, trying to rush me. In a moment of weakness, I’d let him talk me into fooling around and it had been a disaster.
“And he didn’t take care of you afterward?”
“No.”
His jaw dropped. “So, you’ve never had an orgasm?”
“No. Never.” At least I didn’t know what I was missing.
“Not even on your own?”
“I’ve gotten close a couple of times, but never, uh, made it to the destination.” I looked all around the room, anywhere but at him. When I’d played with myself, I got close to the edge, but I’d never been able to just relax and let it happen.
Saint groaned as if I’d said something arousing, instead of humiliating. “Now, you have to let me touch you. I’ll take care of you and you don’t have to do a thing.”
Despite myself, my noble intentions started to crumble under the onslaught. I’d be lying, if I said I wasn’t tempted to take him up on his offer—the promise of pleasure, without any strings.
But I didn’t trust him. Saint had an agenda. If I let him touch me, he’d want more. Who are you kidding? You’d want more, too.
“I thought we agreed to be friends earlier.”
“It’s what you wanted, not me. Come on, Little Bit, all you’ve gotta do is say the word. I’ll take care of everything else.”
The way he looked at me, set me on fire. The front door was still open and for a second, I thought about dashing out of it, so I could avoid this discussion.
But I had to shut this down. “I appreciate your impression of Lucifer with the apple, but I’m not an idiot.”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t play dumb, Saint. You’re betting I’ll get carried away and let you do anything you want.” And I would. When I got turned on, I’d forget to be upset with him.
“I don’t have a clue what you’re talkin’ about.” His eyes widened in shock, as though the idea had never occurred to him. “This is all about you. Not me.”
“Well, I know myself. Once we started down this road, I wouldn’t be able to refuse.”
His expression was wolfish. “Then you should definitely let me make you cum.”
I turned away from him. “Getting involved with you would be a huge mistake. Eventually, it’s gonna end and then I’ll be hurt.” And I’d had enough pain and grief to last me lifetimes.
“You don’t know how it will end.”
“Yes, I do. You’ve got a reputation, Saint. Once you’re done with a girl, you toss her aside. I wish I could be a free spirit, but I’m not.”
Saint made a frustrated sound in the back of his throat. “Forget about the future. Do you still want me?”
Crap. How do I even begin to answer his question? I wanted to wrap my arms and legs around him. And I also wanted to never see him again.
“It’s complicated.”
“No, it really isn’t. Do you want me? Yes or no.”
Both.
“I can see you’re torn. Kiss me.” He groaned, low in his throat. “You need more information to make a decision.”
Nope. Not gonna happen.
“Come on, Chloe, don’t be afraid.” His voice softened and Saint took a step closer. “I promise, if there’s no longer a spark between us, I’ll back off.”
More than anything, I longed for another good, old-fashioned, intense lip lock. His kiss had been incredible. I hesitated, on the verge of giving in to him.
I already instinctively knew he’d be fantastic in bed, and I’d never been this attracted to anyone. Ever.
But what about afterward? What if he lost interest and moved on to some other chick who hung around Carrefore?
It would be devastating.
I can’t do this.
“There’s no spark left. We’re done.” I shoved Saint, causing him to stumble backward out the door.
And then I slammed it shut in his face.
***
“Who gave you this?” Nettie asked.
“I don't know, Nettie. Saint found it on the porch last night.”
She was holding the cornhusk doll. A creepy present was the least of my worries at the moment.
Nettie had come over just before dawn. I needed to talk over this recent revelation about Mamie and see if she knew anything else. So far, she’d avoided my questions, because Nettie had been too preoccupied with the doll.
I cut straight to the heart of the matter. “Why didn’t you tell me she was seeing someone?”
“Because I didn’t know.”
We were seated out back, by Mamie’s rose garden with two fresh cups of coffee I’d brewed for us. The roses perfumed the air. I couldn’t smell their earthy scent without thinking about her. Mamie had spent hours and hours out here.
“You had no idea she was sleeping with Jeb Jackson?” I found it hard to believe. Two locals getting it on was juicy gossip, especially when one of them was committing adultery.
“No. Obviously, Camille was embarrassed about it, so she hid it from me, too.”
“I can’t believe Mamie was a homewrecker.” I slumped in my chair.
She’d always been my moral compass, driving me to be a better person. Mamie had taught me to do what was right, not what was easy. I was disappointed in her and yet I felt guilty about judging her, too.
“Love is complicated, chère.” Nettie patted my hand. “Once you fall in love, you’ll learn the lesson for yourself.”
I didn’t think I’d be able to deal with love. Trying to suppress my feelings for Saint was difficult enough. I didn’t love him. Not yet. But I had a terrible feeling, if I slept with him, it would be a tipping point. Is there anything worse than unrequited love?
“I have to talk to him.”
“No, you don’t need to open Jeb’s wounds.” Nettie took a sip of coffee. “Camille is gone, and he’s probably grievin’. Not to mention, he’s got a terrible secret to keep. Viola’s not…well, she’s unpredictable.”
I didn’t understand her tone. “You’re saying she’d leave him, or something?”
Nettie stared at the doll in her lap once more, lips pursed.
“Nettie?”
“What?” she asked distractedly.
“I have to talk to him, but I’ll be discreet.” I needed answers and only Jeb could provide them.
“Trust me. He ain’t the killin’ type.”
“People are capable of anything.”
She sniffed. “Suit yourself.”
“I always do.”
Nettie turned to face me. “Why are you goin’ at this so hard, Chloe?”
“Because I owe Mamie.”
She frowned. “What?”
“I let her down, Nettie. I moved away and left Mamie alone. I should’ve visited more often or chosen a local school. If I’d been here, maybe—”
“Non!” Nettie grasped my hand. “Stop it. You won’t do this to yourself, do you hear me? Camille was proud of you. You finished high school and graduated college. You did somethin’ neither Camille, nor your mother could accomplish.”
My throat ached. “But—”
“Camille believed in fate, and so do I. As tragic as her death was, it was simply her time. And even if you’d been here, you couldn’t have prevented this.”
I wanted to believe her, but I still struggled with it.
“You will see I’m right in time,” she said kindly. “Before I forget, Maya gave me something for you.” Nettie reached into her battered brown leather bag and pulled out a manila envelope, which she handed to me.
I opened it up to find information from my grandmother’s case file, although parts of it had been heavily redacted with a black magic marker. And blessedly, there were no crime scene photos.
“This is amazing.” I paged through the records, eager to read the contents, but I didn’t want to be rude. “I’ll have to thank Maya when I see her.”
“See that you do.” Nettie nodded. “I’d like the two of you to reconnect, become friends again. Take it from me, friendship is priceless.” I knew she was thinking about Mamie.
So, my shifts with Maya hadn’t been a coincidence.
“Well, that’s a tall order. She’s kinda prickly.” Maya would just shove me away if I got too close.
“Yes, but she could use someone in her corner, and so could you.”
Nettie wasn’t wrong. I might have grown up here, but I didn’t have many close ties.
“I promise, I’ll do my best to be her friend.”
“Good. Now, there’s something else I want to discuss with you. I’ve been meanin’ to bring it up, but I wanted to wait until you settled in.”
“Oh?”
“It’s about your grandmother.”
I braced myself. “What?”
“Did you ever wonder about this?” She pointed to the herb garden, a couple of feet away.
I shrugged. “Not really. Mamie loved to cook, and she made some DIY salves and stuff.” Everyone had a hobby.
“Yes, but do you ever wonder how she learned to do all of that?”
“No.”
Nettie took a deep breath. “Your grandmother was a witch, and her mother before her, and so on. She was going to teach you, too, but you went away to school. There’s a group of us—old ladies, who occasionally cast together.”
Cast…? As in spells?
And then it all made sense. Why hadn’t I seen it before?
Mamie had an extensive herb garden. She had an entire room where she dried them. They hung from the ceiling in small bunches. There was a high table in the center with a marble mortar and pestle, she used to crush them up. And she’d always talked about listening to the earth and being “at peace” with the universe.
Mamie had made all kinds of herbal remedies, including a whipped rosemary concoction which was way better than any commercial face cream.
“Camille was a skilled healer and witch.”
“Did she practice voodoo, too?” I was fascinated. Mamie had a whole other side to her, I’d never known about.
“Non.” Nettie shook her head. “Camille called herself a hedge witch and practiced green magic.”
“Which means…?”
Nettie lifted a shoulder. “If you ask me, there’s no such thing as types of magic. But your grandmother never used animals in her rituals—only plants.”
From what I’d heard growing up, Nettie used reptiles in her spells and potions, but I didn’t wanna know anything about it. It was just too gross. Although, on second thought, maybe she should have a go at Kraken.
“So, who do you worship? The club tributes Legba and Kalfou, but what about you, personally?” I’d been curious about Nettie’s voodoo for years and this seemed like the ideal opening to learn more.
“Many deities and loas.”
“Right, like Papa Legba.”
“Oui.”
“So, you’re not a Christian.” It didn’t matter to me one way or another but living in the Bible Belt and practicing voodoo couldn’t be an easy gig.
“I worship Jesus, too.”
“You mean, in addition to other, er, beings?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t think it works that way.” I wouldn’t consider myself devout, but I knew Christianity was monotheistic.
She arched a brow. “Do you know how it works?”
Nettie had a point. “I guess not.”
“Anyway, I’m bringin’ all this up, because I’d like to teach you if you’d let me. Magic is in your blood, chère. You should learn how to use it.”
I sighed. “I don’t believe in magic. At all.” Even though, the offer was tempting, if only because I’d understand Mamie better.
She laughed. “Just because you don’t believe, doesn’t mean magic doesn’t exist. It’s all around us, but you can only see it if you pay attention.”
Yeah, I wasn’t buying it. “By the way? Xav is not a vampire.”
“Is that right?” Nettie raised a brow.
“Yes, he showed me a family portrait. He just has a lookalike.”
“When did he show you?” she asked sharply.
Oh crap. “Last night.”
Her lips thinned. “You promised me you wouldn’t be alone with him again.”
“I’m sorry.” I winced. “But I needed to know if he was involved in Mamie’s death. He’s the one who told me about Jeb.”
“And you’re certain he had nothing to do with Camille’s death?”
“Xav didn’t do it.” I cleared my throat, and then changed the subject. “He explained about the genetic hiccup. Apparently, he just inherited the family traits.”
“Did he now? Well, it sounds very plausible.” Sarcasm dripped from every syllable.
Suddenly, I had doubts, too. He hadn’t even eaten his chicken. Of course, he could’ve just been nervous because he’d been intent on seducing me.
Hmm, no, Xav is confident. There’s no way he’d been anxious about sleeping with me.
Great. I sound nuts, too.
“Richelieu’s a vampire and you won’t convince me otherwise. Are you seein’ him again?”
“No, not like that.”
“You should stay away from him altogether.” Nettie shook a finger at me. “Mark my words, one day you’ll be a believer. I just hope it doesn’t come too late to save you.”
The words sounded ominous.