by Deanna Chase
Kat reached over and gave Charlie a quick hug. “Congrats!”
Watching them, I jumped off the stool, lost my balance and stumbled backwards, crashing into someone. Mortified, I turned to apologize and stopped midsentence. Hate crept up my spine, shattering my defenses. I took a step back.
“Dan,” I said.
Kat whirled in surprise. “Hey! I thought it was poker night.” She put her arm around Dan’s waist and kissed his cheek.
His eyes went wide with shock and then he scowled. “What the hell are you doing here? I told you I didn’t want you hanging out with that freak.”
“Dan.” Kat warned and backed away. “Don’t talk about Jade that way.”
Ignoring her, Dan glared at me. “Why did you have to bring her to this slut palace? Again.”
“She wanted to come,” I said.
“Like hell. You talked her into it, you cheap bitch.”
Kat leaned in, poking Dan in the chest with her finger. “Do not call her that. And don’t you dare tell me who I can and can’t hang out with, Dan Pearson.” She took a few steps forward, forcing him back. Her anger, mixed with confusion, took over, pushing all of Dan’s hatred right out of my awareness. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
Dan grabbed her wrists and yanked her aside. As he moved toward me, Kat regained her footing and jumped between us, stopping him.
“I’m warning you, Kat, get out of my way,” he said.
“Or what?”
“Or you’ll get what’s coming to you.” He grabbed her shoulder, trying to yank her sideways, but Kat swung her forearm up and knocked his arm away. Before he could say another word, she reached up and slapped him. Hard.
“Don’t ever touch me like that again,” she seethed.
“Excuse me. Is there a problem here?” Kane suddenly appeared next to me.
“It looks like Kat has it under control,” I said.
Kane glanced at Kat, and then focused on Dan. “That may be true, but I recall banning this individual from the premises.” He stepped around Kat and dodged the swing Dan threw his way. “You’ll want to calm down now.”
“Fuck you. I won’t stand for a pimp telling me what to do,” Dan yelled and lunged forward.
Kane sidestepped him and kicked. He caught Dan in the rear, sending him sprawling into a couple of stools. Dan crashed to the ground and groaned as he rolled to his side.
Kane signaled to one of the bouncers. When his backup appeared and hauled Dan to his feet, Kane leaned in and said, “I thought we had this conversation before, but let me inform you one more time. Stay away from these premises. Stay away from Jade, or I’ll find a way to have you arrested.”
“I never touched you. Good luck making that stick.” Dan winced when the bouncer yanked his arms back.
Kane shrugged. “True, but I have a bar full of witnesses who’ll say you attacked one of my girls. Now move.”
Kat turned to me, holding her wrist. Her face was etched in disbelief. “What just happened here? Who was that?”
My anger at Dan turned to sympathy for her. It was the first time she’d seen that side of him. Worse, it wasn’t just that she’d found out her boyfriend had turned into a first-class asshole, but he was also one of her closest friends. I knew exactly how she felt.
“I don’t know,” I said sadly. “But he behaved in much the same way the last time he showed up here. I tried to tell you.”
She furrowed her brow. “Damn, Jade. I’m so sorry. I was pretty drunk that night. I didn’t remember a lot of what happened, just that you and Dan were arguing and then he told me…well, it doesn’t matter what he said. He obviously lied about it.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. But thank you, Jesus! She’d finally seen Dan at his worst.
“You have no reason to be sorry. This is Dan’s problem. And now mine, obviously.”
“What are you going to do?”
She blinked back tears. “Tell him to move out, I guess.”
“I’m sorry. I know it’s hard.” I took her hand. “And I’m sorry we let him come between us.”
Kat pulled me into a hug. “I know, honey. So am I. Don’t worry. You won’t have to deal with him anymore.” She dabbed at her wet eyes and forced a smile. “What’s a girl got to do to get a drink around here?”
I smiled, gave her another hug and turned to Charlie. “This girl needs a drink. But better make it a diet Coke, minus the rum.” I flashed Kat an apologetic smile. “We can’t be drunk when Lailah shows up.”
“Anything for that bad-ass girl. I wouldn’t want to be on the other end of that stabbing finger and lecture.” Charlie winked at Kat and filled two glasses with ice.
Just as I pulled out a ten to leave on the bar, Kane appeared beside me. “You know,” he said in a husky voice, “there are perks to being the owner’s girlfriend.”
“Like what?” I held the bill out for Charlie to take it.
She glanced at Kane, hesitating.
“Like, free drinks.” He lowered my arm.
Leaning toward him, I lowered my voice. “I wasn’t aware I was your girlfriend.”
“You are if you want to be.” He watched me, maintaining a casual appearance. No one would have guessed the nervous hopefulness churning beneath his cool exterior.
I wanted more than anything to say yes. “Can we talk about it later? Tonight.” I’d told Kat I would tell him, and I meant it. I needed to have it all out on the table before we moved any further in this relationship.
He searched my eyes and smiled at whatever he saw there. “Sure. Come find me when you’re ready.”
I slipped the bill I still held into the tip jar. “Thanks for taking care of Dan. Again.”
He winked and took off into the crowd.
“Whoa. Is it suddenly hot in here or what?” Kat said, fanning herself.
“Shut up.” I laughed as we made our way to an empty table, drinks in hand.
Kat sat and took a sip of her drink. “Damn, this would be much better with a heavy dose of Bacardi.”
“Sorry. We already had a glass of wine. Drinking and messing with spells is a really bad idea.” I slide my chair next to her and held my glass up. “A toast to ridding Pyper of her black shadow, and to me finally coming clean with Kane.”
“Amen to that.” We clinked our glasses together. “I don’t know if there’s any hope for the ghost stuff, but judging by the sparks between you and that man, I’d say you don’t have much to worry about.”
I prayed she was right.
Kat turned her eyes to the stage. “Can you believe how in shape these girls are? Look at her climb that pole using just her hands.”
I watched along with her, until Kat plunked her drink down and started inspecting her wrists.
“You should keep icing them. It really helps,” I said.
“A margarita or two would numb the pain faster.” She smirked.
“Lush.” I chuckled and gazed around the room, searching for Kane. Instead, I found the creepy angry guy, still sitting alone in his corner with that unlit cigarette in his fingers. Deep satisfaction and anticipation reached me as my eyes locked on his. A shiver ran through my body, causing my hands to start shaking.
“Kat, I think we should go get Pyper now.”
“Already?” She tried to read her watch in the semi-dark room.
“Yes, now.” I stood up, leaving the unfinished diet coke behind and took off to find Pyper, pulling Kat behind me.
“Pyper?” I called, while walking into the office.
“She went upstairs to change.” Kane’s voice made me jump.
“Damn it, Kane. Don’t startle me like that.”
“Sorry, didn’t mean to.” He stepped out from behind the open door. “I was putting some files away.”
I half-turned to face him.
“What’s wrong? Your face is pale. Did something happen?” He started for the door.
“No, nothing. I just…one of the guys out there gave me the creeps.”
/> “Is that all?” Kane shrugged. “That’s what we get in the strip club business, a bunch of creeps. Like that ex of yours.”
“Right. Well, I better go get Pyper. Lailah will be here soon.”
“Okay, sure.” Kane searched my face. “Be careful. I’ll see you later.” He pulled me closer and whispered, “I’ve become rather fond of you.”
I took a breath and cleared my throat. “I will.”
His lips came down and brushed mine lightly before he let go.
I stumbled out of the office and stopped in front of Kat, who was patiently leaning against the wall.
“Holy shit, that man is hot. You better lay claim to him before someone else does.” She craned her neck, trying to catch a glimpse of him in the office.
“Stop it. Let’s go.” Together we made our way up to Pyper’s apartment.
***
At eleven thirty, Pyper strolled through my apartment door.
“Where is she?” I asked, looking behind her for Lailah. Pyper had left minutes earlier to let her in the building.
“Downstairs talking with Kane.”
“Kane? Do they know each other?”
Pyper avoided my glance and stared out the window. “Yeah. I should have made the connection before. Kane dated a girl named Lailah for a while, but I never met her.” She shrugged. “He said she had special talents, but you know I always assumed he meant in the bedroom.”
Kat let out a loud giggle, but stifled it when she caught the look I gave her.
“Great.” I sat heavily on the edge of my bed.
Kat got up from my desk and sat down next to me. “What’s up?”
“Just tired.”
She put her arm around my shoulders, giving me a small squeeze. Just then Kane and Lailah walked in. Their mutual affection reached me, stabbing me in the heart. She gazed up at him, smiling, while Kane chuckled at something she’d said. He sobered as his eyes found me, his face and emotions unreadable. How did he do that? I’d always been able to read his emotions before.
Standing up, I walked over to Lailah. “It’s pretty close to midnight. Don’t we need to get started?”
“Oh! Yes. Sorry. I got distracted.” She smiled at Kane. “We need to get to the courtyard. Kane, you stay here. We’ll be back.” She gestured to us and headed back through the door.
The three of us filed out after her with Pyper in the lead. When we reached the courtyard Pyper asked, “Why does Kane have to stay back?”
“The goddess will only speak to her daughters,” Lailah replied.
“We’re calling a goddess?” I asked.
Lailah ignored my question. Trepidation settled over me as I wondered what the hell we were getting ourselves into. I hoped she was speaking in symbolic terms. Literally calling a higher being meant opening pathways. And when that happened, you never knew what was coming.
“Over here, girls. We have a lot to do, so please do as I say,” Lailah said.
We nodded in unison.
Lailah’s easy smile was replaced by a fierce concentration. “Pyper, take all of the candles out of my bag and light each one. Jade, I need you to draw a pentagram with the chalk. You know how to do that?”
“Sure. How big?”
“Pretty big.” She walked in a large circle to show me. She stepped off to the side, and I went to work on the border, using the dim candlelight Pyper was busy creating.
“What can I do?” Kat asked.
“Help Jade. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just a five-point pentagram enclosed in a large circle.”
I hurried my motions as Kat knelt on the courtyard bricks opposite me, filling in the lines of the pentagram.
“So, Lailah, are you like a witch or something?” Kat asked.
“Or something,” Lailah said.
Both Kat and I looked up, staring at her. Oddly enough, Pyper kept her head down lighting candles.
“Pyper, after they’re done with the pentagram, put the white candles on the outer circle, then put the blue candles on the points where the pentagram intersects.” Lailah pulled various herbs from her bag.
Pyper nodded and continued with her work.
Kat glanced at me, and jerked her head toward Lailah. “Or something?”
“Kat,” I said in a low voice, not wanting to offend the one person who might be able to help.
“It’s all right.” Lailah sniffed one of her herbs. “I’m not a witch. I’m a low-level Angel. I sense things other people can’t, and I can utilize some Wiccan type spells to my advantage.”
“A low-level Angel?” Kat said, each word rising.
Lailah flashed a genuine smile. “That’s the reaction I usually get. I’ll explain more later. Right now we have work to do.”
I sensed Kat having difficulty containing her curiosity, but she kept quiet until we finished the pentagram circle. “Low-level Angel?” she whispered to me.
I shrugged and whispered back, “That’s new to me, too.”
Pyper never once registered she heard the exchange between Kat and Lailah. She stood a small distance apart from the three of us, waiting.
Finally, after studying some notes, Lailah looked up. “I need the three of you to stand in the middle of the blue candles in a small circle with your hands linked.”
We each stepped carefully over the ring of lit blue candles and faced each other. I held my hands out and warmth spread to my center as I grasped the hands of my two friends. Suddenly everything felt right. Like we were supposed to be there together. I smiled, feeling for the first time this might actually work.
“Good. Just like that. The three of you stay linked until I tell you it’s time. Then each of you will need to move across the blue candle plane, into the space I’m in. Got it?”
We all nodded.
“Now, I just need to do this last thing before we start.” She stepped outside of the white candle circle and began to chant in a language I didn’t understand, while dropping a trail of crushed herbs. Once she’d completed three rotations around us, the chanting stopped, and she stepped back over the white candles into the circle.
“What should we expect?” I asked.
“I don’t really know. No spell is ever the same twice. I’m going to call on the goddess for help to dispel the spirit. It’ll be her will as to what happens after that. The idea is to trap the spirit in that circle you are in and to get the three of you out before he can hurt anyone.”
Panic radiated off Pyper.
I squeezed her hand in assurance. “I’m not letting go.”
She nodded and looked straight ahead, her eyes wide.
Lailah stood directly in my eye line and for the first time that evening I noticed she wore a deep plum velvet cloak with gold trim. How had I missed that? Then the vision of her gazing with dreamy eyes up at Kane filled my head. I scowled.
“It’s very important that each of you keep a positive attitude through this ritual, or else there could be severe consequences.” A twinge of irritation jabbed me right between the eyes.
Startled, I followed it to Lailah’s piercing stare. Damn. I hated that she could read me. I bit my lip, took a large intake of breath and willed my irritation away as I exhaled.
Pyper relaxed her hand in mine, and I noted the easing of the tension lines around her mouth. Gathering energy, I projected what I hoped was calm in her direction. A little help couldn’t hurt.
Kat squeezed my hand, getting my attention. Her posture wasn’t exactly relaxed, but she didn’t look like she wanted to run away either. I squeezed back, grateful for the support.
“This spell works primarily off of intentions. I need each of you to focus on trapping the spirit in the circle. Jade, your energy is the most suited for this type of thing, due to your empath abilities, so your intentions will carry more weight. You said you’ve seen the ghost?”
“Yes. Lots of times.”
“Good. Form a clear picture of him in your mind, and use all of your energy to bring him to the circle.”
“Isn’t he already here? Can’t you see Pyper’s dark shadow?” I asked.
“Yes, her shadow is there, but once we start the spell anything can happen. Just keep focused.”
I nodded and closed my eyes, concentrating.
“I’m going to start now.” Lailah’s light energy circled us as she walked the perimeter of the circle. “I need each of you to stay silent and focus. Expect anything from rain to sunlight to intense heat or extreme cold. Like I said before, I just never know what will happen.”
I looked up at the clear night sky, spotted the familiar yellow Louisiana moon and gave a little shudder at the unknown yet to come. I snapped my mind back to the mental picture of Bobby and focused on the brick closest to the center of our inner circle.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Lailah reach up and untie her cloak. She tossed it outside the circle and stood barefoot in an almost transparent white gown. Her honey-streaked hair hung loose around her shoulders, and I couldn’t help but think she looked like an escaped mental patient.
Her disapproving glare landed on me. I shut my eyes tight, determined to focus.
I heard nothing but Lailah’s voice after that. “Selene, moon goddess of the night, hear me now, High Priestess of the Coven.” Her voice was clear and somehow blocked the dull background noise from the people walking Bourbon Street, just feet away. “Bless these women, your three daughters, with your presence. We call seeking wisdom, strength and, above all, the power to protect our sister from all who seek to harm.”
Mist tickled my arms. I opened my eyes to a thick blanket of fog. I could see nothing but the dim glow of the candles flickering low on the ground.
“Moon goddess, we ask you read our sisters’ intentions. We give our will to you freely and take nothing but yours in return. We want only to help our sister to be free of the bonds that bind her. Free of the spirit that haunts her. From one to three, and three to one, please let your will be done.”
Silence loomed. The foggy mist turned dense, soaking my shirt until it clung to my body. The candles, barely visible, flickered like a faulty light bulb. I held my breath and waited.
And waited.
Then, in a flash, the mist dissipated and the candles stopped flickering. The three of us looked at each other then at Lailah, standing as still as a statue, her eyes closed, head tilted up. I sent Pyper a questioning glance. She lifted one shoulder in a sad deflated shrug.
