Chapter 4
Addison yawned as she walked from the coffee shop after splurging on a java chip frappuccino. Every day she thought of Riley’s words, but she had yet to make any sort of move on Myles.
She had an hour until she had to be at Gator Bait.
It had only been a week, but she’d managed to bring in twice as much money as her other two jobs combined.
Holding down three jobs was taking its toll on her, which was why she had opted to quit her cleaning job.
She kept her job at the attorney’s office because of the hours and their willingness to work around her college courses.
Of course, that wasn’t an issue this semester.
Addison walked to a bench across the street and sat. Not even the wonders of the French Quarter could pull her from the funk she fell into every time she thought about finishing college.
If she saved everything she made, she might have enough to cover another semester, but what about the one after that? Thanks to the tips from Gator Bait, she was able to pay Wendy for two months past due rent, as well as the current month.
Getting behind on bills sucked the big one. Addison felt as if she were forever getting caught up. It was one of the reasons she wanted a degree, to get a good job so she could make enough money to support herself.
Ever since her father’s death, she felt as if she were fighting for handouts. There hadn’t been much family to even consider taking her in, but she felt fortunate that she’d had that and wasn’t forced into a foster home.
Looking back, Addison knew her first few years with her grandmother might have been strict and regulated, but at least she was loved.
After her grandmother died, she’d briefly lived with her mother’s brother and his wife until he’d been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis.
Then she went to the only other family that could take her in, her father’s brother and his wife.
They didn’t have any children of their own, and they struggled with money, but she had a home.
Addison got her first job two months shy of her sixteenth birthday just so she wouldn’t have to ask them for lunch money.
And now to learn the truth about them… She couldn’t even think about it.
Every time she did, she grew so infuriated that she thought she might explode from the anger it was so fierce.
As she sat drinking her frappuccino, Addison’s thoughts turned to Myles.
At first she believed the sexual tension between them was her imagination.
Over the past week, she found him watching her often.
His gaze was direct and...needy. The one thing she wasn’t was a take-charge kind of girl.
She liked the guy to make the first move, but she was seriously considering going outside of her comfort zone when it came to Myles.
He was dependable, steady, and so damn handsome she wanted to lick his entire body. It was sinful for a man to look so good. Not to mention the havoc it played on her hormones.
Myles seemed like the type of guy to go after a woman he wanted. He had yet to make any perceived moves on her though, which probably meant...he wasn’t interested.
“Well, this day just gets better and better,” she mumbled to herself as she came to the conclusion.
Addison people watched – one of her favorite pastimes – as she continued to wrestle with her thoughts on Myles. If he rejected her, Addison would never be able to step foot inside the bar again. She’d be mortified.
A breeze ruffled her hair, pulling the strands into her eye. She wiped them away, tucking them behind her ear. That’s when she spotted a woman with rich, dark hair blatantly staring at her from across the street near a row of artists and fortune tellers.
Addison raised a brow in question. To her shock, the woman started walking toward her. In a city known for its crazies, Addison sat up straighter, prepared to defend herself if need be.
The woman was tall and slender. She wore a gauzy cream shirt that was cinched at the waist with a brown belt. It was paired with a long, full, red skirt with small beige flowers. Around her head was a scarf of cream with dark brown beads hanging against her forehead.
The woman stopped before Addison, her brown eyes large and tilted slightly at the corners. She had mocha skin that hinted at mixed ancestry. “Your life is in danger.”
How did one react to such a statement? Addison frowned as she cocked her head. “From you?”
“Of course not,” the woman said impatiently and sat down while covertly looking around. “I know you may not believe me, but I saw you in danger last night.”
Addison was beginning to wonder if the woman had escaped a mental institute. “Saw me? I doubt that. I was working all night, and the only thing I’m in danger of there is having beer spilled on me.”
The woman let out a long, suffering sigh. “When I say I saw you, I mean that I had a vision. I was doing a reading last night when your face flashed in my mind and I saw it all. A wolf was chasing you.”
“Whoa,” Addison said and scooted away on the bench. “Hold up a minute. Did you just say a reading? Are you a fortune teller?”
The woman rolled her eyes and motioned with her hands to her outfit. “Bingo. Now, can you get past that so you can hear what else I’m saying?”
“I heard you. Danger. Wolf.”
She stared at Addison for a moment before she stuck out her hand. “Let’s start over. I’m Minka Verdin. I’m from a long line of fortune tellers descended from gypsies that came here from Romania.”
“Addison Moore,” she said as she shook Minka’s hand. “You’re serious.”
“As a heart attack. Listen, most of the time I bullshit my way through reading someone’s palm.
I’ve had visions since I was six years old, but they were stupid, like an image of a live oak outside of town, or an old rusty car sitting in a yard.
There have been three instances in my life where I saw someone’s face. Last night, it was yours.”
Addison didn’t want to believe her, but the truth shining in her eyes couldn’t be ignored. “Let’s say I believe you. How did you know I’d be here?”
“My stand is over there,” Minka said and pointed across the street in the square. “I’ve had that same space for five years. I didn’t just see the wolf chasing you. I saw you sitting here in that same navy shirt and white shorts. So, I kept a lookout.”
Addison had lived in New Orleans most of her life. She knew the things said about the city, and she even witnessed some things that made her want to hide under the covers.
“There are no wolves in New Orleans.”
Minka turned her gaze away. “Look around. Tell me what you see.”
Addison did as she requested. She turned her head from one side to the other. “I see people returning to their jobs after lunch. I see tourists. I see artists painting. I see musicians. Regular, everyday people.”
“Do you know what I see?”
She shifted her eyes to Minka, curious. “What?”
Minka pointed to where her stand was behind the artists. “I see witches.” She jerked her chin in the direction behind her. “I see demons.” Next, she nodded her head to the left. “I see vampires. Farther down the street...werewolves. And to the right are djinn.”
“Right,” Addison said with a laugh, thinking Minka was teasing her. Then Addison saw her face and the seriousness in which Minka’s dark eyes stared. “You want me to believe I’m surrounded by those things? Besides, everyone knows vampires can’t come out during the day.”
“Yes, they can. They prefer night, but they can move in the daylight. And yes, I want you to believe the supernatural surrounds you, because it does. It always has. New Orleans is a mecca for such creatures.”
“Just New Orleans?”
“No,” Minka said sadly. “There are other places the supernatural are drawn to, and there are people who hunt them.”
Hunters. Addison remembered what she had overheard between Myles and Riley a few days earlier. “If these...beings...know they’re being hunted, why do they remain?”
“Because in New Orleans, they have a sort of truce so that all five factions can remain. And they’re being watched.
If they step out of line, they are eliminated instantly.
It keeps the factions in line for the most part.
Besides, there are too many of the supernatural gathered here for the local hunters to wipe out by themselves. ”
“You know these hunters?”
Minka hesitated for a second before she nodded. “I do. I’m part of the supernatural world because I have gifts, but I’m not a threat like vampires, demons, or other things.”
“You left out werewolves. Aren’t they dangerous?” Addison asked curiously.
Minka bit her bottom lip a moment. “They can be, but they are also loyal to a fault.”
“You said one was chasing me. I’m gathering it isn’t loyal to me.”
“That’s just it,” Minka said, her forehead furrowing. “He shouldn’t have been chasing you.”
That got Addison’s attention. “He? You know who it is? Tell me so I can keep my distance.”
“That might be difficult.”
There was something in Minka’s tone that set off warning bells in Addison’s head. “Who is he?”
“He’s not your enemy. If anything, you’re safer near him.”
“Safer?” she cried, standing up. “You said he was chasing me.”
Minka rose to her feet and very calmly said, “That’s what I saw, but that doesn’t mean that’s what happens.”
Addison had about had enough. She crossed her arms over her chest. “Did you, or did you not just come over here and tell me I’m in danger?”
“Yes,” Minka answered.
“Did you or did you not tell me a werewolf was chasing me in this vision you saw?”
Minka’s lips flattened for a moment. “Yes.”
“Then why are you backtracking all of a sudden?”
“Did you not hear what else I said?” Minka asked testily. “I said he shouldn’t have been chasing you.”
Addison dropped her hands and adjusted the strap of her crossbody purse. “Why?”
“I recognized the wolf.”
“And?” Addison urged tightly, her patience at an end.
Minka plopped back down on the bench. “He’s one of the good guys.”
“A werewolf that’s good? Isn’t that a contradiction of terms?”
“If you knew him, you’d understand,” Minka said. “They’re known throughout the Quarter, throughout all of New Orleans. They help keep the factions in line. They would never hurt a human.”
“But other werewolves would?”
Minka looked up and nodded. “Some.”
“You keep saying ‘they’.”
Minka shook her head and shoved a stray strand of dark hair out of her face. “Have you met any new people recently?”
“I work at a bar. I meet new people every day.”
That got Minka’s attention. “What bar?”
“Gator Bait.”
Minka jumped to her feet again and took a step back. “Watch yourself, Addison. You’re in danger, but I don’t know from who.”
Addison’s jaw dropped when Minka turned and began to walk off. “So that’s it? You’re going to dump that foretelling in my lap and then just walk away.”
Minka’s steps halted and she looked back at Addison over her shoulder. “I’ve never told a stranger any of this before. I couldn’t help you anyway.”
“And if you have another vision that tells you more? Don’t you want a way to contact me?” By her hesitation, Addison knew the answer was a resounding no, but whatever drew Minka to proclaim her vision kept her still.
Finally, Minka nodded. “Yes.”
“I live in an apartment off of Rue Parc Fontaine. If I’m not there, you can find me at Gator Bait most nights.”
Minka nodded. “Be safe, Addison.”