BREAKING CURSED BONDS

by Elisabeth Zguta

  “I’m so sorry you lost your mother,” Jeremy said.

  He gently touched her arm. Emilie felt a goodness seep into her being, and realized his touch alone brought her back to a balanced state of mind. He is a godsend. She looked up to meet his eyes and continued, hoping he’d be able to accept this bizarre family situation.

  “This stranger showed my father legitimate documents and an ancient book, really more of an old journal of some kind. They met behind closed doors, as if hiding a deep dark secret. The whole thing is creepy. How’s that for family secrets?” She wiped the corners of her eyes. “I told my brother and sister about the stranger and the curse, too. Michelle and Robert don’t believe in it either, but that’s why Michelle and I went to New Orleans, to visit someone who knew about the legend of a curse. This old woman said curses aren’t real, but she spoke of an old magic potion and a legend handed down through generations. I want to believe she’s right and there are no curses, but I just know it’s there. I can feel it.”

  “What do you mean, you feel it?” he asked.

  Emilie’s face burned. She closed her eyes, wishing she hadn’t said so much. “I sense things,” she slowly admitted.

  Jeremy stared straight ahead, his eyes blank, as if his mind had wandered to a different place. She chastised herself for telling him the truth about her gift. A plate dropped in another corner of the room. Jeremy flinched, and then wiped his mouth with his napkin. Emilie sensed he was gathering his thoughts, after being far away for a moment. This whole conversation is freaking him out, she thought.

  “Emilie, I’m sorry this scandal is upsetting you and your family. I’m not sure if there’s such a thing as a curse, but I am sorry that it brings back bad memories of your mother’s death. Who is this person scamming money from your father? Do you know his name?”

  Emilie didn’t know why he asked or what he was thinking, but he definitely seemed concerned. Considering how much she’d already told him, it seemed pointless to hold anything back now. “His name is Pierce, a Mr. Hugh Pierce.”

  Jeremy choked on a sip of water and coughed a second, his face gone pale.

  “Hugh Pierce, you’re sure?” he said. They exchanged a searching regard. “You’re not going to believe this, but I’m looking for this man.”

  Jeremy reached across the table and took Emilie’s hands in his. “Hugh Pierce robbed my Great Uncle Thaddeus, and caused him to have a heart attack. My uncle died, and I vowed at his grave to find this man, and retrieve the book he stole. Uncle Thad said the old journal was essential to solve a mystery about a death in our family. That had been his goal in life, he called it his ‘little mystery.’ I took this project to be here in Memphis, so I could track Hugh Pierce down. ”

  Jeremy exhaled and slumped back in his chair. He looked relieved of a burden that he had carried all the way from Surrey. Somehow it all made perfect sense to Emilie: they were on the same quest, their paths intertwined. She understood now, fate had brought them together to help each other.

  “Jeremy, an ancient book was delivered to my father. That man, Pierce, must have stolen it. Let me describe it for you, it was definitely very old. Worn at the edges and the spine was tattered. The pages were fragile, made of old parchment and written in a French script. I was afraid to open it. The pages almost fell from the dried binding.”

  Swallowing hard, she remembered the shock she’d felt when she’d touched the pages with the evil-faced drawings. She decided not to share that with Jeremy. It would only confuse things. “I remember hieroglyphic designs on some of the pages,” she added.

  Jeremy leaned forward again. “Tell me, Em, did the inside front cover have a blue mark drawn?”

  “Yes, an insignia in a blue ink or dye of some sort.”

  Jeremy knocked on the table. “That sounds exactly like the journal stolen from my Uncle Thaddeus.”

  He sat back, placed his hands behind his head, and closed his eyes for a moment. He was thinking, or letting it all soak in, and Emilie hoped he was able to process all this. Most people found it difficult to absorb these bizarre things, but for Emilie it was too easy. Her life had been one big freak show.

  “Today I was looking for the book in my father’s library,” she said. “It’s linked to this curse somehow, and I want to translate it. I stopped searching, though, when I got spooked.”

  Jeremy covered her hands with his. “What could be worse than a curse? What scared you?”

  Suddenly she was aware of her clammy skin. This was it, the moment of truth. If she told Jeremy any more of this crap, he may fly out the door and never look back. This was the final test. How much faith did she have in fate? Determined to trust her instincts, she cleared her throat and went for it.

  “On a shelf in my father’s library there is a hex bag. It scares the hell out of me, I don’t like Voodoo stuff around the house, it’s just freaky. But I was the one who went to get it, with a family friend.”

  “Why do you need a hex bag for your father?”

  “I was told he needed its blessings to keep him safe.”

  They both stared at each other a moment. He didn’t run away screaming, but stayed holding her hand. Reality returned when the waitperson interrupted to serve them their entrees.

  For the rest of the evening, they avoided any further serious conversation. Emilie assumed Jeremy needed time to process everything. Hell, she still didn’t have her head wrapped around it all, either. First her father’s strange behavior, then the mysterious package being delivered, followed by a stranger fleecing money from Father, and then her brother acting out. Top that off with a warning from Mr. Labue and a legend from Miss Boniverre, followed up by chasing Voodoo bags with Father Eddie.

  Each step of this puzzle seemed crazier than the last, but somehow fate had brought them together and now they were on the same path. Emilie was determined to finish this jigsaw and end the damned curse that had thrown her entire life into a tailspin.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  They finished dinner and left the restaurant. Jeremy drove west, to a nearby park at Shelby Farms. They parked and found a bench where they sat quietly for a while, avoiding the subject of the curse. The only sounds were the birds settling in for the night, and the cicadas beginning their nightly serenade. They watched the ducks swim on the small manmade lake, little ones squawking as they followed the momma.

  Jeremy gazed down at her and said, “You belong outside with the flowers and trees, you smell so sweet and clean, like a fresh summer breeze carrying a jasmine current.”

  Emilie smiled. She hadn’t heard sweet words in a long time, and he said them with a purity she rarely felt from people. Jeremy pinched a strand of her hair and froze for a moment. Then he traced the profile of her face with the back of his hand, barely touching. Her skin tingled at the slight contact, and she shivered. He wrapped his arms around her and snuggled her close to his chest. Emilie breathed in his scent, saltiness from his sweat, mixed with a subtle herbal hint of thyme.

  Bending his face to hers, he gently kissed her lips. His mouth was moist and warm. She melted, lost all thoughts of anything else except his presence, and kissed him back but with more vigor. She soaked in the heat from his body. She raised her hand to his chest; it felt muscled and firm. She reflected how wonderful it was that he had such a strong body, not being a stranger to work, yet could be so gentle when he touched her.

  “Please, take me to your hotel. I want to be with you Jeremy,” she whispered.

  Jeremy pulled back, and caught his breath. “We have something special, we both feel it, but I don’t want to be too forward, too soon. Part of me says wait, but the other part wants you, right now, too.” He kissed her again, this time with more urgency. “I don’t care. I want to be with you, too.”

  Emilie kissed him back, then got up from the bench and walked toward the truck, pulling his hand. They didn’t speak on the drive to the hotel. The silence was charged with anticipation. Emilie watched as if disconnected from the physical
world. The streets flew by her window as they headed downtown. Jeremy parked the truck in the hotel garage, got out, and went around to open her door for her. They walked through the back entrance’s glass doors and headed for the bank of elevators with brass doors.

  “Staying at the Peabody, my, you are special,” Emilie said. She smiled, giving the most seductive look she could muster. It had been a long time since she’d had sex, but it was like riding a bike, right?

  Jeremy shrugged. “The project must get a special deal.”

  He took her hand in his, and pushed the floor button with the other. Emilie’s stomach swirled as the elevator rose. A bell tinkled and the doors opened. They exited the elevator and walked down the long dimly lit hallway to his room. Jeremy took the key card from his jacket pocket, but before he could use it, Emilie grabbed his hand and reached up on her tiptoes. She kissed him, pressing her lips firmly against his, then using her tongue, traced his upper lip. He smiled, and she felt his immediate response, his body hard beneath his jeans. He leaned into her until her back was against the wall.

  Emilie reached out and held him tight around his waist, reaching to kiss him again. He returned her intensity and slipped his hand up to her breast, giving her a gentle squeeze. Emilie’s nipples hardened from his touch. Her entire body tensed and yet relaxed at the same time. Then she heard a click and realized Jeremy had slid the card in the lock, and opened the door to the room with his foot. A sudden sense of danger clouded her thoughts.

  “Stop, Jeremy. I think someone is in there.”

  He turned toward her, his eyes questioning.

  “I have the same feeling I did when the stranger was in with my father. I think someone’s in your room.”

  “Why would anyone be in my room? Emilie, don’t worry so much. Watch, we’ll go in slowly and you’ll see, the room will be empty.”

  The door swung open and they looked in. Light from the street filtered in through closed sheer drapes, casting a seductive ambiance in the room. Jeremy took a few steps past the threshold and raised his arms. “See, nothing to worry about.” The soft light hit Jeremy’s face, playing with his contours and dimples. Emilie followed him into the room.

  “Hello, Mr. Laughton.”

  Jeremy jumped. “Who the hell are you?”

  Emilie was confused and looked at Jeremy, his jawline clenched. She looked over to the far corner of the room, still dark. Sitting in a chair in the shadows of the room sat a motionless man.

  “I said who the hell are you? Emilie, call 911.” Jeremy moved toward him. The man switched on the table light and stood, still not saying anything.

  “It’s you,” Jeremy said. “Bloody hell, what are you doing here? Speak!” His face burned red.

  Emilie turned and recognized Mr. Pierce, then remembered she was supposed to be calling for help. She picked up the phone on the bedside table. The front desk responded.

  “Peabody, front desk. How can I help you?”

  “I heard you were looking for me, Mr. Laughton. Put down the phone. I want to chat.”

  Emilie looked over her shoulder and saw Pierce had a small handgun pointed at Jeremy. She said into the phone, “Sorry, my mistake.” She hung up the receiver. “Why are you here, Mr. Pierce?”

  “I am here to speak with Mr. Laughton, not you, Miss de Gourgues.”

  “Well, whatever you want to say to me, say it now, spill,” Jeremy said angrily.

  “All I want to say is stop looking for me. If you don’t stop your hunt, I will file a complaint of harassment,” Pierce said.

  Jeremy shook his head. “You’ve got some nerve. I know you’re the one who robbed my uncle’s place. You killed him! And I intend to make you pay.”

  “You have no proof,” the man said smugly. “There is no proof. So keep your distance or you will be the one arrested. Consider yourself warned.”

  In a flash, Jeremy lunged forward and wrestled Pierce to the floor, overpowering him. He knocked the gun from Pierce’s hold, and it flung to the floor. He then immobilized Pierce by wrapping his arm around the man’s neck, his forearm pressed to Pierce’s throat. The small handgun had landed a few feet away, and Emilie snapped it up.

  “Call the desk again. Tell them there’s an intruder.”

  Emilie backed up to the phone and dialed the front desk once more. This time when they answered, she blurted out, “Get someone up to room 505, there’s an intruder and we need help.”

  Pierce didn’t struggle, but Jeremy refused to loosen his hold as he pulled him off the floor.

  “You will regret this,” Mr. Pierce said. “I won’t be detained long, and then you will see me again.”

  His threats sent shivers up Emilie’s spine, and she wondered what else was going on. She knew there was no reason for him to be so concerned about her family. Someone else had to be paying this guy, someone with a twisted agenda.

  “Who sent you here, Mr. Pierce? Who are you working for? Is it my brother?” Emilie held the gun toward him. The man just sneered. The door opened.

  “Drop the gun,” a security guard said when he’d taken in the scene, his gun trained on Emilie.

  Emilie threw the pistol on the bed.

  “Not her, this is the guy.”

  Jeremy shoved Mr. Pierce toward the security guards and then walked around the bed and hugged Emilie. “It’s all right. Everything will be okay.”

  The night dragged on. Questions were answered, and forms were filled out and signed once the police arrived. They took Hugh Pierce away in cuffs, but his threat still rang in the back of Emilie’s mind. She realized someone was going to pay the bail and set him free, and Jeremy and she would need to track him again. The threat unnerved her.

  “Jeremy, can I still stay here with you? I don’t want to go home,” she said.

  “You never have to ask. You can stay with me as long as you want, no strings attached.”

  They stripped to their underclothes, then cuddled under the sheets. Jeremy held her in his arms and gave her a gentle kiss, then closed his eyes as Emilie closed hers. She fell into a deep and needed slumber.

  Emilie’s morning began with tenderness as she and Jeremy woke up together.

  “Please, go ahead and shower first,” Jeremy said. He kissed her head, but her phone rang before she could go anywhere.

  “You go first and I’ll take this call.”

  He rolled off the bed and retreated to the bathroom as Emilie answered her phone. A boisterous voice echoed on the line.

  “Hey, Em. What do you want to talk about? Did something happen?”

  It was her sister. “Hi, you. What do you mean, what are you talking about?”

  “You left a text message yesterday, remember? So, big sister, what’s up? You need my advice on what?”

  Emilie smiled to herself. “I called yesterday because I felt some mojo from a hex bag sitting on Father’s bookshelf. I didn’t know what to do about it, but today I don’t think I care. I’m so happy that I can’t be bothered with it all.”

  “Wow. Okay, what’s really up? You sound different. You sound happy. Oh my God, you got laid!”

  Michelle, always a quick thinker. “No, I haven’t. Not yet anyway,” she amended, blushing.

  “Listen, I can’t talk right now. He’s in the bathroom and he might hear me talking about him. I’ll call you later.”

  “Just tell me who,” Michelle pressed.

  “Remember the man across the room at the Bombay Club?” Emilie whispered.

  “No way, Mr. Gorgeous! I told you he was staring at you. He’s hot for you, Em. How did you meet? Did he follow you to Memphis? He’s not a stalker, is he?”

  “Slow down, Michelle. He’s not a stalker, there’s not a bad idea in his head. Believe it or not, it’s just a coincidence. I guess it’s a small world after all, or else it’s just fate.”

  “Well, I don’t believe in fate, but I know you can feel these things, so I wish you the best. Keep me updated, okay? No going off doing anything stupid,” Michelle sai
d.

  “Did I hear you right? You actually acknowledged that I can feel other people’s emotions?”

  They laughed and Emilie promised to call her sister later.

  Her head whirled. So much to do, so much to sort out. All these new feelings were happening so fast, yet it seemed like she had known Jeremy forever. Finally, she was happy. They worked well together, and they were definitely physically drawn to each other, too. Last night proved at least that much, before they’d been so rudely interrupted. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like when they were able to actually consummate their growing attraction.

  When Jeremy came out of the bathroom, she was proud of herself for resisting the sight of him with only a towel wrapped around his lean hips. Determined to remain focused for just a bit longer, she took her turn in the shower and got dressed. From the hotel, they went to a cafe for coffee.

  Jeremy handed Emilie her tall hazelnut with cream. “Careful, it’s hot.”

  Emilie blew the steam away from her face, watching Jeremy as he added two sugars. “Sweet tooth?” she asked.

  He only smiled as he stirred his coffee. “I think we need to put our heads together regarding this curse business,” he said.

  Emilie took a sip, but it was still too hot. She looked around. It seemed eerily quiet for a Starbucks in the morning.

  “Yes, our common quest is quite the mystery to unravel.”

  “Emilie, I did a background check on our friend, Pierce. The man was originally from New Orleans, and he has a long arrest history. Promise you’ll use caution if that man shows up again at the house or office.”

  She recognized the concern in his eyes, and smiled. “I will, don’t worry. Listen, I’ve been thinking,” she said. “Someone from Memphis must have hired Pierce to steal the book, but I’m stumped about the why. We need to find out who’s behind this scheme. I have a hunch there’s a bigger agenda going on here. Someone wants my family to suffer. It’s not money they’re after, it seems more about my father’s emotional state. Bringing the journal forward made the curse feel too real for him, and dropped him into a deep depression. He’s reliving my mother’s death.”