The Devil's Russian Beauty

by Ana Lee Kennedy

  “You all right, sweetie?” Her mother’s voice reached her from a few feet away.

  She turned toward her mom. “Yeah. Fine.”

  Her mother frowned and walked over to her. “No, you’re not. What’s wrong?”

  “How can you tell if a man is two-timing you?” she asked. “I know Daddy cheated on you when he was overseas, so how did you know what he’d done when he came back from his military duty?”

  “It was the look in his eyes,” her mother answered. Pain appeared briefly on her face, then vanished. “He had such expressive eyes. When he got home, I knew what he’d done the instant he walked in the door and looked at me.” She flicked her gaze over at Frank and Luella, then stepped close so only Bernadette could hear her. “Surely you don’t think he’s messing around. He loves you, honey, and it’s obvious to everyone else too.”

  “He has a close friendship with her,” Bernadette said, rolling her eyes in Luella’s direction. “They have these talks that just seem…too intimate.”

  “Then talk to him about it.”

  “If I do, he’ll think I don’t trust him.”

  “Because you don’t.”

  “What?” Bernadette gaped at her.

  “Well, why else would his friendship with Luella threaten you?” Her mom crossed her arms, the plastic bag full of lettuce dangling down her torso. “Luella has a mate.”

  “I know, but I don’t know everything about their lycanthrope culture—”

  “Maybe that’s it,” her mother said. “Maybe you’re in unfamiliar territory, so you’re jumping to conclusions about things you’re unsure about.”

  Relieved, Bernadette placed her hand on her mom’s shoulder. If her mother was echoing her earlier thought, then it must be the answer. “I think you’re right, Mom. Thank you.”

  “Just want my baby girl to be happy.” With a bright smile over her shoulder, she headed toward the back door with the brimming bag of lettuce.

  Lord, she loved her mother so much. Thank goodness for a voice of reason.

  “Frank tells me that you’re going to help at the farmers market tomorrow morning,” Luella said behind her.

  Feeling better, she offered her friend a smile and a nod. “Yeah, sounds like a lot of fun.”

  “Well, that depends on your attitude and how much patience you have.” Luella laughed, the rich sound carrying across the garden.

  Frank approached Bernadette, slapped her on the ass and called as he passed, “See you tonight, babe.”

  Butt cheek stinging pleasantly, Bernadette waved to him, then focused on Luella again. Her doubts rose from her like a cloud and drifted away on the cool breeze. “Why do you say that?”

  “Most people are nice enough, but some customers are bitchy, rude and even downright hurtful because they believe we’re a commune here and not a motorcycle club with a sustainable farm and community.” Her big, round, blue eyes took on a sad glint. “I wanted to warn you in advance before someone blindsided you with a nasty remark.”

  “Frank will be with me, so he’ll head off anything like that.”

  Luella shook her head, the action loosening a thick lock of golden hair that tumbled down to land by the left side of her face. She poked it behind her ear. “No, sweetie, he didn’t say he’d be there. He asked if you wanted to help at the farmers market. He’s taking that big steel horse he’s been working on to Indianapolis first thing tomorrow morning.”

  Crushed, she could only stare into her friend’s sky-blue eyes. “Oh.”

  A furrow appeared between Luella’s eyebrows. “Didn’t he tell you?”

  “No.” Tears pricked her eyes. Why in the hell was the news upsetting her so much? It wouldn’t be the first time he had to be gone for two or three days to deliver a bike.

  “Don’t cry, honey.” Luella pulled the kerchief from around her neck and held it out to Bernadette. “He has a lot on his mind as he waits for the energy rights monies. And since the Claiming and Maiming, members here are still going without a lot of things. The insurance companies are fighting several of the families on their claims to repair vehicles and their homes and other things because the companies are calling what happened gang-related. They don’t believe we were simply attacked out of the blue and insist it’s not covered under their policies.”

  Stunned, Bernadette dabbed at each eye. “Holy crap.”

  Luella nodded gravely. “So, if Frank seems distracted or scatterbrained, that’s why. Cold weather will be in these parts anytime now, and folks need their new windows, fireplaces repaired, wood burners replaced, reliable vehicles to get around in the snow… There was and still is so much damage from the attack.”

  “Good grief, Luella. What will they do if they’re denied their compensation or the claims drag on for several more months?”

  She offered Bernadette a look that spoke volumes.

  “Shit.” She added another tomato to a box. “I wish I could help.”

  “Honey, you help a lot. You just don’t realize it.” She bent to pick up a crate. “Puppy will show you how to manage our vendor’s spot, so you’ll be in good company. Might be another lady with you, too, if someone volunteers.” She paused before taking the vegetables over to a lawn tractor with an attached trailer. “You okay now?”

  She nodded. “I’m good.”

  “All right, then. Let’s get the rest of the work finished out here, take the trailer to the lane for my hubby to load the vegetables into his pickup, then we’ll have us some coffee and a snack.” Luella returned to work.

  The severity of Scary Mary’s warning sank into Bernadette’s brain so suddenly that a headache formed, and she grimaced. The MC and the clan were weak and open to an attack. Not one from a physical source, but the unknown, an unknown that Mary said was very powerful. Although she hadn’t been to Mass for years, she gulped and quickly crossed herself. Realizing the irony of being a witch and Catholic, she burst out laughing, but the sound came out with a slightly hysterical edge.

  Unnerved, and with worry snaking its way through her heart, she hurried to finish picking from the last two tomato bushes and tried to keep her thoughts on what Luella would come up with for their lunch.

  Chapter Seven

  The next morning, Bernadette joined Puppy and Callie May, a tiny human woman also mated to a lykoi, in front of the Monroe County courthouse in Rebellion. The women showed Bernadette how to display the vegetables, hang the signs, and which customers to watch for who often had light fingers.

  They sat in lawn chairs at the end of Beastman’s pickup, its tailgate down and holding the merchandise still in crates. A folding table in front of them sat on the edge of the sidewalk. Beastman had thought to place a table umbrella in the truck, which Luella was currently sliding down into the holder affixed to one end of the table.

  Bernadette yawned. She’d stayed up late waiting for Frank, then finally went to bed to lie awake until he entered the bedroom a little after midnight. Although disappointed he’d missed their time together, she realized he had to make sure each part and piece of the latest Nightshade Wolf he and his guys had created was perfect. Otherwise, the buyer could refuse to pay the other half of the motorcycle’s price and Frank would have to refund the first half. Until the energy rights monies were paid to Frank, the MC desperately needed the revenue from the bike to help their families.

  A hot ball of worry had reinserted itself somewhere between Bernadette’s heart and her stomach. She kept telling herself she and Frank were fine, but it seemed like ages since they’d had any true quality time together, and sex had been happening less and less too. Frank often crawled into bed late and crashed within a few minutes. He’d done the same last night, apologizing over and over, hugging her and saying he’d make up for lost time, then falling asleep with one arm slung over her waist and the other under her head, snoring softly behind her.

  She kept telling herself he had a lot on his mind, and she knew full well how badly stress affected people, especially money problems
when others relied on a person. Pushing her worries aside, she focused on their vegetable stand. It wasn’t quite nine a.m. yet, but the eye-searing blue sky and cool weather made it a great day for patrons, who had already begun to approach the parking area in front of the courthouse. An old woman selected two fat butternut squashes and handed Bernadette four dollars. As she put the money away, she caught something bright red in the edge of her vision and turned toward it. There, two tables down, stood Daffi in a formfitting, fire-engine-red dress and nosebleed heels. Although she had her reservations about the woman, she had to admit she was a blonde bombshell. Daffi looked so much better with some meat on her bones. When Bernadette had been at Crow’s MC, she’d often wondered if the woman ever absorbed anything other than pills and blow. The River Rebels might own Daffi now, but she looked well fed.

  She waited as Daffi wandered closer to their table. Her short hairstyle lay around her head and face in waves that complemented the shape of her face. Light makeup completed her appearance, and her fiery-red lipstick brought out the honey tones in her hair. Bernadette had often wished she could wear red lipstick, but the color always washed her out and made her look like she’d been drinking too much cherry Kool-Aid.

  “Who is that woman?” Callie May asked next to her.

  “I don’t know her last name,” Bernadette replied quietly, “but she used to be one of the Wraithkillers’ sweetbutts. She’s been sold to the River Rebels.”

  “Damn, that’s sad. I feel for any woman who gets herself in that situation.” Callie sighed heavily.

  Puppy put more vegetables on the table, and Bernadette took money and made change as Callie May bagged purchases and thanked each customer.

  “Oh, I almost forgot.” Callie May jumped up and retrieved something sitting on the pavement behind Bernadette, pulling it with a scraping sound to a place between their chairs. Once she sat again, she leaned over and opened the flaps of a cardboard box, revealing a variety of beautiful autumn hues. “I knit and crochet coats, shawls, jackets, gloves, hats, scarves…anything you can use in cold weather. I usually sell my creations online, but I do good business here during the last three or four weeks of the farmers market.” She withdrew a couple multi-hangers and hooked them to the inner supports of the umbrella, then began slipping items onto lightweight clothing hangers and hung them in the holes of the bigger multi ones so they were clearly displayed to customers.

  In minutes, women swarmed around their table exclaiming over the bright autumn colors with bold accents and trims.

  Puppy snorted in amusement and set out more tomatoes.

  “Plus the colors draw people to our table,” Callie May confided in a whisper to Bernadette, “so they usually buy veggies with a hat or a scarf.”

  Bernadette laughed. “You’re quite the businesswoman.”

  Beaming at her, Callie May rose to help a mother try on a jacket while her children were eyeing the baked goods table next to them.

  Making change for another patron, Bernadette caught a whiff of something sweet and spicy, as if someone had combined ginger, honey and citrus. Thinking it was coming from the confectionery vender, she glanced to her left only to find Daffi staring at her.

  Before she could stop herself, Bernadette blurted, “What perfume are you wearing?” Embarrassed, she added more quietly, “It smells amazing.”

  Daffi blinked, her expression both confused and pleased. “It’s Hawaiian Ginger by Calgon,” she said, her tone more wary than cold. “It’s cheap, but it lasts a long time and the scent sticks with me, especially if I spray it in my hair or on my clothes.”

  “I’ll have to buy some.” The fact the woman didn’t come back at Bernadette with a sarcastic remark or a harsh attitude made her happy for some reason. “It really does smell awesome.”

  “Thank you.” Daffi’s half smirk turned into a hesitant smile and she moved over to investigate the items Callie May was now straightening on hangers.

  Without being obvious, Bernadette kept an eye on Daffi as she admired each shawl and jacket. The autumn breeze gusted over the wide expanse of sidewalk, ruffling the table umbrellas, tousling hair and whipping skirts and dresses around the women’s knees. Although Daffi was a few feet away, the goose bumps on her arms and bare neck were unmistakable.

  Daffi tried on a beautiful gold, russet and deep orange shawl with black trim and tiny golden beads on the edges. She looked at the price tag, sighed wistfully, then returned it to its hanger, careful to place it on the tool just so, and hung it back up. Shouldering her little bag, she strode to the courthouse steps, her heels clicking crisply, and disappeared inside.

  “Callie May?” Bernadette said as she handed over three quarters to an old man. “Would you take that shawl with the beading and set it aside for me? I’ll pay you for it when we get home.”

  “Sure, hon.” The young woman reached for it, then paused, her face lighting up with comprehension. “Aw, you’re a really good soul, honey. You know that?”

  Bernadette shook her head. “Nah, I’m just trying to give someone a bright spot in their day, that’s all.”

  With a gentle chuckle, Callie May retrieved the shawl, placed it in some tissue paper from the box, then slid it into a little gift tote also from the box. “Whatever you say, hon.”

  * * *

  At noon, the vendors packed up what was left of their goods and loaded everything into their vehicles. As Bernadette helped Luella lift the umbrella up out of its holder, she kept an eye on the courthouse steps. When Daffi emerged through the massive double doors, Bernadette glanced at Luella and asked, “Would you mind if I go take care of something?”

  “Sure, honey. I’ve got this. Everything else is already stowed in the pickup. How long are you going to be?”

  “Ten minutes tops.”

  “Okay.” She folded the umbrella and reached for the straps to tie it to its support pole.

  “Thank you.” Reaching under the table for the gift tote holding the shawl, Bernadette kept her attention on Daffi so she couldn’t get away from her. She hurried after the woman, who was walking to a little blue car parked on the street by the courthouse’s side entrance.

  About 15 feet away, she called, “Daffi, wait!”

  Surprised, Daffi stopped in the process of opening the driver’s door, but her expression quickly shifted to suspicion. “What do you want?”

  Her question gave Bernadette pause. Why was she offering the woman a gift? The question vanished as she halted within four or five feet of Daffi and stared into her light green eyes. Daffi needed a friend, and Bernadette realized she wanted to be that friend.

  “I hope this doesn’t offend you,” she began shakily, “but I wanted to give you something.”

  “Why would you want to give me anything?” Daffi asked defensively. The wariness in her eyes grew more intense.

  “Well…” Bernadette shrugged. “We got off to a bad start a few months ago, and I wanted you to know I have no hard feelings.” She held out the little brown tote. “And…well…everyone needs someone to confide in, someone who has their back.”

  A smirk twisted Daffi’s red-painted lips. “And you think you’re gonna have my back, huh?”

  The quaver in the woman’s voice caused her accent to grow heavier. Bernadette waited as emotions marched over Daffi’s face, her body rigid, stance defensive. She kept holding the bag out to her.

  “Just take a look,” Bernadette urged. “If you don’t like it, I’ll take it back.”

  For an instant, all the fight bled out of Daffi. She looked around, first up one end of the street, then the other. Hesitantly, she held out her hand, her fingernails painted the same color as her lipstick. Bernadette handed her the tote.

  Daffi held a cord handle in each hand, pulled them apart and looked inside at the gift. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell ajar. “Oh… I…” She looked up at Bernadette, her eyes glassy, but her expression delighted. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “How about thank you?”
>
  With resolved, Daffi switched to one hand and held the bag out to Bernadette. “I can’t accept this. Ezra will ask how I could afford it, then…well…” She lifted one shoulder in a halfhearted manner.

  “Can’t you tell him you’ve been saving for it?”

  “He doesn’t give me enough money to save.”

  An idea popped into Bernadette’s head and she grinned. “Tell him there was a raffle at the farmers market and you won it. I’ll tell the other girls and they’ll vouch for you if necessary.”

  Slowly, Daffi nodded once, twice. “Okay. He should believe that. Thank you.”

  “You like it, right?”

  “Oh, yeah. I fell in love with it the moment I saw it hanging at your table.” Looking into the bag again, Daffi sighed dreamily. “That girl makes so many pretty things. This is the first time I’ve owned anything like this.”

  Happiness poured into Bernadette. “Good. I’m glad you like it.”

  Daffi started to slide into the driver’s seat, then paused and looked right at Bernadette. “I’m sorry I beat you up.”

  “I understand why you did it,” Bernadette replied, startled by Daffi’s apology.

  One corner of Daffi’s mouth quirked. “You held your own, I’ll give you that.”

  Bernadette laughed, and Daffi joined her.

  “By the way,” Bernadette said, “that outfit is stunning on you, but it’s nice to see you with some meat on your bones. You’re a lovely woman.”

  “Oh.” Red flared in Daffi’s cheeks and crept up her neck, even staining the swell of her breasts peeking from the dress’ V neck. “Uhm…thank you.” She glanced at Bernadette as she settled into the driver’s seat, but pleasure lit her eyes. “I’ll see you around. Thank you again—I really mean it.” She started her little car and began pulling away from the curb.

  “You’re very welcome,” Bernadette called out, smiling so big it hurt.

  She sighed as she gathered her thoughts. In the square, Daffi’s Ford made a right and headed out of town. Footsteps to her left drew her attention to the courthouse’s side entrance. As he descended the steps, a very handsome, blond man with bright blue eyes smiled at her. Familiarity hit her. Where had she seen him before? As he passed her, his smile grew more interested. She looked away, suddenly remembering him from the day she’d paid the property taxes for Frank. The guy must be with one of the energy rights companies.