I wasn’t surprised the piece moved to ‘yes’ quickly. He wasn’t impressed, even rolling his eyes.
“Okay, is he a dangerous man?”
Another ‘yes’ without hesitation. I thought about what to ask next. “Can I trust him even with my life?” I didn’t concentrateon the board but on the man sitting across from me. With his eyebrows furrowed, I could easily tell he was concentrating. The piece didn’t move for a few seconds. When it did, I was certain the spirits were providing a negative answer. Another cold chill shifted through me.
No, I wasn’t in the habit of running my life by way of using the Ouija board, but knowing what the spirits had to say seemed important. Very slowly, it shifted gears, the piece sliding firmly to ‘yes.’ He seemed not only surprised by the answer given, but also relieved.
“The spirits are never wrong,” I offered whimsically.
“Am I allowed to ask a question?” His heated gaze spoke volumes.
My body reacted appropriately, shuddering with a wave of white-hot sizzle. “Of course.”
“Let me think.” He took a deep breath, scrubbing his jaw before placing his fingers in position. “Is the lovely redhead as magically talented as she is beautiful?” When it shot to ‘yes,’ I laughed.
“You pushed it on purpose and don’t deny it. Also don’t do it again or the spirits will become very angry. You don’t want that to happen.”
“Oh, of course not. No cheating this time.” Montgomery took his time before asking a second question. “Will my presence endanger my amazing companion?”
When the planchette drifted to an affirmative again, I quickly pulled my fingers away. “Not good enough. Keep your fingers inposition.” I returned mine, furious the spirits were trying to ruin my evening. “How am I in danger?”
Given we’d asked yes and no questions, I wasn’t certain if the spirits were inclined to a more complex answer. Very slowly, words were spelled out.
B-E-C-A-U-S-E M-E-N W-I-L-L C-O-M-E
While taking and holding a deep breath, I lifted my head. He was still perplexed but also something else. Angry. Furious with the world.
“What men?” I asked. “The ones who shot you?”
“Don’t worry about whether that’s true or not, my French flower. You will be safe. That I promise. However, I believe we should leave the spirits alone for tonight. If not, you’ll find out all my dirty little secrets.”
“Oh, we wouldn’t want that. What do you want to do?” Maybe I was goading him. Maybe I was still uncertain how I felt about him.
“Do you take visitors in your studio?”
Why did he feel the need to lean across the board, his lips so close to mine I could almost taste them? Why did he feel the need to look more rugged tonight than usual?
And why did I have a terrible feeling we couldn’t just stay friends?
“Not usually, but for you I’ll make an exception.”
CHAPTER 16
Montgomery
Because men will come.
The answer could easily have been concocted by the combination of our fingers, but the reality of my grandmother’s beliefs lingered in the darkest sections of my mind. While the matriarch would call the Ouija board a child’s game, for those who believed, the answers were powerful.
And my little French flower smelled of fear. I’d caught a whiff before, almost immediately after she’d read the incoming text while at my house, but her current anxiety was focused on who and what I was.
Then with the asshole driver who’d come out of the blue. I was usually far better with my observation skills. If I hadn’t seen the bastard lying in wait, I should have heard him. The engine was a HEMI, the suspension souped up like some redneck, but I had other thoughts ravaging my mind.
Did my perfect flower have an enemy of her own? She’d been shaken enough I hadn’t grilled her, merely returning her to the diner so her friends could fawn over her while I searched for the motherfucker.
Including discovering what dark secrets my dinner companion was hiding. She’d acted like she had no idea who’d almost run her down, even tossing out that the occurrence was just because the driver had been blinded by the sun. I knew better.
After leaving her, I’d prowled the streets in search of the person responsible. The near tragedy had happened so quickly, I’d caught only that it was a dark blue truck, late model with oversized tires. But the driver had been male, something I’d yet to share.
