“Do you want me to see if my contacts at the state crime lab can run tests on it?”
She shook her head. “I’d like to take it to my Mémère.” At the very least, the resident Voodoo queen would confirm what Holly suspected. The doll was a warning. How much of a warning, she didn’t want to admit. Based on the location of the pin stick, it could well be a death threat. She palmed the doll, careful not to dislodge the pin. Holly couldn’t wait any longer. If her grandmother wasn’t home the next day, she’d have to find her.
“It’s just a doll,” Simon whispered close to her ear.
He didn’t understand what that doll represented. It was all part of the curse she’d come back to vanquish.
She didn’t bother trying to convince him to believe in the power of black magic. He would be of no help in her attempt to remove the curse. But he would prove useful if he could protect her long enough to reverse the dark magic.
With that warm hand still at the small of her back, Simon guided her to his pickup and held open the passenger door for her.
She stepped up onto the running board and slid into the seat, glad to be off her feet for the first time in eight hours. The doll in her palm mocked her attempt to relax.
Having Simon so close wasn’t helping either. He was far too attractive.
As tired as she was, she should have had no problem keeping everything on a professional basis. Even exhaustion wasn’t helping her focus on what mattered—Removing the curse.
Not dancing with Simon or imagining his big body filling the limited space in her houseboat.
What she needed was a cool shower, a soft bed and sleep.
She leaned her head back against the seat, closed her eyes and waited for Simon to close the door.
The truck dipped slightly, and something whispered across her breast.
Holly’s eyes shot open to find Simon leaning over her.
“What the hell?” she muttered. Everywhere he brushed against her lit up like the fourth of July, sending electrical shocks throughout her body.
“Just buckling you in,” he said as he stretched the shoulder strap over her and snapped the buckle in place, his knuckles grazing her hip.
Sweet Jesus.
In that brief moment, she went from near-death exhaustion to all her senses on high alert.
If her breath wasn’t lodged in her lungs, Holly would have told him to never mind. She could drive her own car and take care of her own self. Twenty-four-seven with the man who could dance and who sent her senses into a raging whirlwind by simply buckling her seatbelt was a bad idea.
She reminded herself that it was a good thing she wasn’t in the market for a relationship.
Now, she just had to keep repeating that thought to herself or risk putting the man in jeopardy of her deadly curse.
And if her self-coaching didn’t do it, the doll in her hand should be enough of a reminder of the trouble she was in and, by association, everyone around her could be affected.
Chapter 4
Simon followed Holly’s directions through town and down a road that ran along the edge of the bayou. They turned onto a narrow gravel path lined by oak trees dripping with Spanish moss.
Creepy at night, Simon could imagine it wasn’t much better in daylight. Eventually, they emerged into a small clearing. Simon slowed to a stop. Straight ahead, the headlights glinted off the inky waters of the bayou. Expecting a house, Simon was surprised to find only a houseboat moored to a dock, with a single light shining over the door onto the dock.
“You live on a houseboat?” he asked.
She smiled. “As of today. Do you know how hard it is to find a house to rent at this time of year?”
“Actually, I do,” he said. “Which reminds me, I have an appointment with a real estate agent tomorrow. I’ll need to cancel.”
Holly frowned across the console at him. “Why do you have to cancel?”
“I’m on assignment. I won’t leave you alone while I’m out house hunting.”
