New Orleans Magic: Urban Fantasy Series (The Voodoo Dolls Book 1)

by J. L. Hendricks

  “The missing girl is Acadia Contrella. Her sisters are Amaline and Adalaide. Rico, how long will it take? Should we take them out to dinner or something while we wait?”

  “That’s a good idea. Keep your phone on you, and I’ll call once I have the copy.” Rico hung up.

  I took a deep breath and snickered thinking about how crazy my mind can be. My sisters almost had me convinced that Rico was into me. It would have been so embarrassing if he knew what I was thinking, and what I was willing to do in order to get my friend back.

  Chapter 3

  Indie

  “So, what did Rico say?” I practically jumped Jenna when she came down the stairs from her call with Rico. She had been on the phone quite some time with him.

  “He’s heading to the police station right now to let them know he’s on the case. They should give him a copy of the video, then he’ll come straight here.” Jenna’s mouth twitched, and she chuckled before catching herself.

  “What’s so funny?” Kat narrowed her eyes and studied Jenna.

  “Nothing. Just some stupid thought that flitted through my head for half a second.” Jenna rubbed her neck. She sometimes did it when she was getting a migraine.

  “Wait, we can’t afford to hire a private investigator.” Adalaide slouched in her chair and began mumbling something incoherent.

  “Don’t worry about it. Rico is going to charge me whatever I can afford. It’s the least we can do to help you. You don’t need to stress about money right now. Let’s just focus on finding your sister.” Jenna walked over to Adalaide and rubbed her back.

  “Great! How long before he gets here?” Sam asked as she ate a handful of crackers.

  “It could be a while. He suggested we go out to eat. He’ll call me as soon as he has the video.” Jenna motioned for us all to follow her.

  “Fantastic! I’m starved! How about gumbo? I know a great little place a few blocks from here.” Sam licked her lips dreaming about the spicy concoction as she ran upstairs. “Gonna grab my purse. Be right back.”

  “Hey, grab all of ours!” Kat yelled up the stairs.

  “Sure thing!” Sam yelled back.

  Once she got back with our purses, we all headed out the back door to one of the best places in town for gumbo. We went to Monique’s Backwater Bistro at least twice a month just for their gumbo. Once in a while we would sample their beignets with a café au lait. My mouth began salivating all on its own thinking about the sugary sweet concoction New Orleans was known for. A beignet served fresh from the oven would tantalize your taste buds with the flavor of sugar and cinnamon while melting in your mouth.

  Shoot, now I have to have one after dinner.

  I sidled up to Jenna and asked, “So, what did you promise Rico in exchange for his help? A little side action? Maybe a romantic weekend getaway?” I elbowed her in her ribs and giggled.

  Jenna was so oblivious! Rico was downright in love with the girl. He could never take his eyes off her when they were in the same room. None of us understood how she didn’t see it. Kat said something to her right after Rico rescued her, but Jenna wouldn’t believe us. Maybe now she would. They would make a cute couple, and he could totally protect her from the dangers of the night.

  “Would your children be fully human? Or would you have puppies?” I ran away before she could hit me.

  “Hey! There was no talk about marriage. So knock it off.” Jenna rolled her eyes.

  “So what was the payment?” Adalaide asked.

  “I don’t know.” Jenna shrugged.

  Everyone stopped dead in their tracks and stared open-mouthed at the pretty brunette who fronts our band. “What do you mean? You agreed to pay for his services without actually getting his price?” Sam walked up to Jenna and shook her shoulders.

  “Jenna, I know you trust the guy. Shoot, we all trust him, but how do you know you can afford him? I’ve looked up their company, they’re top notch. There is no way we could afford even half of his rates.” Sam pursed her lips and put her hands on her hips.

  “Girls, don’t worry. Rico said I could afford his rates for this job. Just leave it alone, and I’ll take care of it. It’s the least I can do for our friends.” Jenna gulped and tried to smile. She couldn’t hide her nervousness.

  “Take a deep breath. Rico will treat you right,” I whispered into her ear once everyone started to walk again.

  “Thanks, Indie. I know he will. Which is why I agreed. I’m sure he’ll tell me tonight after he talks with Adalaide and Amaline.” Jenna put her arm around my shoulder and we walked quietly the rest of the way to the café.

  ***

  “Rico?” Jenna answered her cell while we were finishing up our gumbo at Monique’s. She stood up and walked outside so we couldn’t hear their conversation.

  I smiled, wondering what his price was going to be. Knowing him, it would be something simple, like a dinner date. Rico was such a gentleman when it came to Jenna. However, he could also be a real monster, but only if someone he cared about was in danger.

  Last month when Jenna was abducted by that stupid vampire, Rico and his pack went after her. By the time they reached Jenna, she was in serious peril. From what Jenna said, Rico’s wolf was totally fierce! He tore the vampire to pieces right in front of her!

  Rico was the local Alpha of the New Orleans pack and had taken us under his protection. If anyone from the paranormal world messed with us, I doubted they would survive Rico’s wrath. Since learning about vampires, magic, and wolves, we have pretty much laid low. I sure didn’t take midnight strolls anymore.

  Kat used to, but since last month, I only saw her leave in the middle of the night once. She never did confess what she was up to. Although, it’s really not my business, as long as she stays safe. I did have an idea though.

  There was a vampire who saved Kat a while ago. I was convinced she and the guy were having a secret romance. Sam and Jenna didn’t agree. They thought there was no way Kat would make-out with a fanged creature of the night. Especially one who lived off the blood of humans.

  I thought it was kinda romantic. Star crossed lovers who were doomed for heartbreak. It sorta reminded me of Romeo & Juliet. Or maybe the vampire book where the vamps shimmered in sunlight. Although, the vampires we have encountered were not vegetarians.

  Jenna walked back into the café. “Alright ladies, let’s head back to the shop. Rico’s going to meet us there. He got the video, and he already has some news to share with us! So, let’s pay our bill and skedaddle!”

  “Did Rico share the news with you? You seem a little…happy? Maybe excited?” Kat wiggled her eyebrows and smiled.

  “Oh, please! He has news already! We should all be happy. Come on! Chop chop!” Chances are we would arrive before Rico, but Jenna practically threw the money on the table and sped out the door. Leaving the rest of us in her dust.

  “Jenna, did he give you an indication he knows where Acadia is?” Adalaide kept pace with Jenna, biting her lip.

  “Sorry, he just said he had some news. Maybe even a lead. This is good. Better than anything the cops have reported, right?” Jenna linked her arm through Adalaide’s as they walked toward our shop.

  “True. This is the first time we have had hope. I just don’t want to get my hopes up to have them dashed.” Adalaide pursed her lips.

  “Hey, let’s not jump to conclusions. We’ll see Rico shortly.” Picking up her pace, Jenna led us all back along a busy street. Another festival was taking place in the Quarter.

  “At least he has the tape. Now we have something to use. We can make some pictures of the guy and use that to scope out the neighborhoods. Maybe if we show his picture around, someone will recognize him. We can even check with the bar. Who knows, he might be a regular there.” Jenna was right, it was time to be optimistic.

  Now we were going to have a picture of the guy. Even if the cops didn’t want to canvas the neighborhood, we could. This was huge!

  ***

  Rico beat us back to our
place. He was waiting on the back stairs leading to the apartment above our store. “Hi, ladies. It’s good to see you all.” Walking over over to the identical sisters, he held his hand out. “You must be Amaline and Adalaide? I’m Rico. Nice to meet you.”

  Amaline accepted his outstretched hand. “I’m Amaline. Thank you so much for helping. We had nowhere else to go. I can’t believe the cops wouldn’t help us, but you walk in and get a copy of the tape as well as some clues.” Amaline continued to shake his hand, even after she finished talking.

  “Amaline, leave the poor man alone. Sorry, my sister is just really excited to hear what you have to tell us. I’m Adalaide.” She put her hand up and waved.

  “Nice to meet you as well. Let’s get inside so I can tell you what’s going on.” Rico followed Jenna up the stairs.

  Once we were all inside, Rico went to our TV and put the disc inside our DVD player. He received a copy on DVD instead of VHS, which surprised me, if I’m honest. I truly thought our Police Department was seriously old school. Nice to be proven wrong on this one subject.

  “This is the footage they have. I can understand why they didn’t take you seriously. It looks like she’s really into him.” Rico pointed to the screen.

  We all watched in silence as a nice looking man was kissing Acadia, passionately. I would never allow a man to kiss me like that in public. He made his way to her neck and kept kissing her. Acadia’s head fell back, and it looked like she was in ecstasy. Her eyes were closed, and her smile was wide. Squirming in my seat, I tried to look anywhere but the TV.

  The guy’s face wasn’t totally visible yet. Acadia’s hair covered up most of his face, but I could tell he had nice, brown hair. It stood out in stark contrast to her black hair.

  After what felt like an eternity, the guy’s head moved up a bit, probably to her ear. It looked like he was whispering something. Acadia brought her head back up and kissed him. Then he wrapped his arms around her waist and guided her out the door. The camera lost them for a second, but then we got a great frontal view of the couple.

  The guy had sandy blonde hair spiked up on top. His eyes were a light shade of color, possibly blue. It was tough to tell in security camera footage. He carried himself as though he owned the world! And that smirk! The scoundrel knew he was hot.

  Jenna inhaled and put her hand over her mouth. “NO! It can’t be.” She looked to Rico who took a slow breath and nodded as he released it. Both of them looked to the sisters.

  “What? Do you know him?” Amaline asked with wide eyes.

  “Not exactly. I know his kind.” Rico looked to Kat and asked, “Do they know the truth about everything?”

  “I doubt it. Is that what I think it is? It’s not red lipstick on his lips, is it?” Kat sighed and leaned back in her chair. She had been sitting on the edge while viewing the recording.

  “Oh! Please tell me that isn’t a vampire!” Sam exclaimed, before putting a hand over her mouth.

  “Yes, it appears so.” Jenna looked from Sam to our friends. “Amaline, Adalaide, do you believe in magic and the paranormal?”

  Amaline chuckled, “You’re kidding, right? Vampires don’t exist. I know you sell voodoo dolls, and you have some seriously rabid customers who swear by your stuff. But come on. Magic? Vampires? Next you’re going to tell me that werewolves are real too.”

  Adalaide and Amaline shook their heads and laughed.

  “Uh, it’s all real. I know we wanted you guys to think we had voodoo powers, but we don’t. Most of our stuff is science based, not magic based. However, magic is real. We learned the hard way last month.” Kat blew out a breath and stood up.

  “A vampire tried to kill me last month right in front of Rico and his team. That’s how we met. Rico saved my life.” Jenna squinted and started to bite on her nails.

  Such a nasty habit. She said she had quit doing it. Guess not.

  “I don’t believe you. Prove it. Show me a vampire, in person. Not on video.” Adalaide pointed to the TV screen. “That just looks like smeared lipstick. You know we all wear blood-red lipstick when we go out clubbing. He was totally making out with Acadia, it’s her lipstick smeared on his face. That’s all it is.”

  Jenna looked to Rico and shrugged. “You care to show her?”

  Rico stood up and walked outside. We all followed.

  “What’s going on? Why are we going outside? Do you have a vampire for a neighbor or something?” Amaline followed with Adalaide close on her heals.

  As we walked down the stairs I said, “Promise me you won’t freak out? When I first saw it, I thought it was the coolest thing ever! He won’t hurt you, I promise.”

  We walked to the other side of our garage where there was a bit more privacy thanks to a high wall.

  “Ladies, trust me. I won’t harm you. I promise, but stay back.” Rico took a few steps away from us and began to shimmer.

  “Oh, brother!” Amaline turned to look at Jenna. “What’s he doing?”

  “Just watch. This is real.” Jenna watched as Rico changed into a wolf.

  The cool part about their power is they shift based on magic, so they don’t need to worry about their clothes tearing. No one knows where the clothes go, but when they shift back to human form, the clothes are there and not ripped.

  “Whoa! This can’t be real. Did you drug me or something?” Adalaide rubbed her eyes.

  Amaline grabbed Adalaide’s arm. “Stop that! Whatever you’re doing to us, just stop it. Now’s not the time for a prank.”

  “It’s not a prank. This is real. Welcome to the true NOLA. Where magic, vampires, and wolf shifters exist.” Sam waved her arm in front of Rico, like Vanna White when she turns over the letters on the board.

  Adalaide plopped down on the ground. “This can’t be happening. It can’t be real. Does this mean that Acadia is dead? Or a vampire now?” Adalaide looked up to me with tears in her eyes.

  “It means we have a lead. She could still be alive. The local vampires take women as their acolytes. When they do that, the women stay human for a long time.” I ran a hand through my hair hoping Acadia was just an acolyte.

  “What’s an acolyte?” Amaline asked.

  Rico changed back to his human form and answered, “It’s a worshiper of the vampire. They are human and willingly give themselves over to service of a particular vampire. Sometimes it’s just about being their errand person in the daylight. Sometimes…it’s more.” Rico looked down at his feet.

  “What does that mean? More?” Adalaide stood up and looked at Rico.

  “They will supply the vampires with the blood they need on a regular basis. Not enough to kill the human or turn them, but just enough to keep the vampire healthy and strong. They usually feed off of several different acolytes a week, so as not to take too much from the human.” Rico looked at Jenna.

  “Why would she volunteer to be an acolyte? She wouldn’t. He had to have forced her into it.” Nostrils flared, Adalaide slammed her right fist into her left palm.

  Sam walked up to Adalaide. “Sometimes, women enjoy it. I’m not saying that Acadia is a blood whore, but some of the women volunteer because of the arousal aspect. In the video, that vamp was feeding off Acadia. Did you see her face?”

  No one could look at the sisters. It was a very intimate act in a way too populated place. It really did look like she’d enjoyed it and went willingly.

  “Did you feel aroused when you were attacked by that vampire?” Amaline asked Jenna.

  “No. He forced his fangs into me and it hurt like nothing I’ve ever experienced. From what I’ve learned, they can be gentle and do it in such a way as to entice women to fall for them.” Jenna’s cheeks were heating up.

  “There are rules. They aren’t allowed to force women into this. However, I don’t believe your sister would fall for it. Something’s not right.” Looking to Rico, Jenna put her hands out pleadingly.

  “Are you sure she wouldn’t agree to this? You said she was into bad boys. What’s more bad t
han a vampire who can you make you feel so good?” Rico glanced at the two triplets in front of him.

  “Sure, most women love a good bad boy, but we don’t love a creature who can kill us. My sister wouldn’t agree to that. Is there a drug he could have given her?” Amaline looked to me.

  I thought for a moment. “Well, he could have slipped some X into her drink. That would most likely account for her enjoying herself so much in public. Rico, what do you think?” I looked over to our resident vampire expert.

  “Hmm, that’s very possible. It goes against all of their rules. If vamps are drugging women and taking them back to their coven, then I have to report this to the council. I can’t do it without proof, though.” Rico paced by the block wall that separated our building from the next one.

  “I’ll have my pack search the area where they were last seen. Do yourselves a favor and stay out of this. It’s really dangerous. They aren’t allowed to kill humans, but they always find ways around the rules. We probably have a dozen deaths a month just from the vampires trying to keep humans from finding out the truth.” Rico pointed at all of us.

  I wasn’t going looking for trouble, no way, no how!

  Chapter 4

  Indie

  “Indie! Focus. You know your cords better than this. What’s going on?” Sam was teaching me how to play guitar.

  “For the past week we have done nothing but sit around the apartment or the store. I’m bored. That’s why I asked you to teach me the guitar. I like the drums better. Sorry.” I shrugged. I really did hope I’d like learning the guitar, it would have been a fun way to bide our time.

  Rico has called Jenna daily with updates. So far, there have been no sightings. Amaline and Adalaide were getting really worried. We all thought that Rico and his pack would be able to find Acadia. He knew where the coven was located. All he had to do was go and see if Acadia was there. It would be obvious if she was on drugs or not.

  The vampire queen made him wait for an audience. How pretentious was that stupid witch! Well, I guess she’s not a witch, but you get my meaning. The bloodsucker continued to stall. This was getting out of hand and made her look really guilty.