4. Chapter Four
Chapter Four
“This place is fucking amazing!” I yelled over the music blasting from the second bar we passed on the street.
It was amazing that every one of these places boasted live music and the most delicious food I had since leaving North Carolina following Jevry to Fremont. There was nothing that compared to this, though. People walked the streets in costumes, beads around their necks, and it wasn’t even Mardi Gras. Drinks passed from person to person. And we all had our own drinks as we continued down the sidewalk.
“I hear drumming,” I beamed, smiling as I twirled, walking backward, facing the girls.
Before I could turn around, I bumped into something. DeArie and Saria reached out to catch me, their mouths gaped open.
“Oh, excuse me. I’m so sorry,” I apologized when I finally faced whatever I’d run into, and my breath hitched in my chest. My heart stuttered, and I swore my mouth hung open like DeArie and Saria’s.
“No problem,” he said, his eyes locked on mine. “Y’all be careful now.”
He was one of the most beautiful guys I’d ever seen. Eyes like green sea glass that seemed to shift colors in the light. Long brown hair covered the top of his head and was short on the sides. But not too long. His disheveled hair looked like he’d fixed it that way on purpose.
His thighs hugged the seat of the bike he was sitting on. He had so many tats up his arms that I couldn’t make out any one design, and they all seemed to mesh together. Silver rings were adorning all his fingers on both hands, and he wore a silver chain around his neck too. Somehow, it didn’t look gaudy or overdone. It fit him, only adding to his bad boy look. Of course, the leather vest he wore didn’t detract from his look either. My gaze snagged on the familiar skull with a crown of silver and red jewels.
He is a Sinner.
He was sexy and made my heart flutter because of the way he looked at me. Like he was trying to figure out all of my secrets. By the time I’d realized I was staring at him, the girls tried to pull me down the street and away from the rumble of the pipes of his bike. He revved the engine.
I giggled when I noticed he was showing off for us, following us down the street. I couldn’t help but watch him and wonder what it was like to ride on the back. Before I’d got up the nerve to ask him for a ride, the girls ushered me down an alley to a restaurant.
“Good Lord. Did you see him? I think he was a Sinner.” I asked as we came up on a podium with a woman standing behind it.
“Yes, honey, he was fine,” DeArie chimed in.
“Yes, he was. Looked a little dangerous though,” Saria commented as we waited for the woman to greet us.
“Hi, welcome to Season’s Creole Cuisine,” she said with a smile.
“Hey. Table for three please,” I said, returning her smile.
“Well, not all bikers are dangerous, Saria,” I told them as we followed the hostess to our table. “Just look at Stanton. He’s paying for all of this, and he treats Jevry like a fucking queen.”
This place was crazy.
We were literally sitting in an alley between two buildings wide enough for three round tables wide that sat four people comfortably and about twenty-four tables long. I could look up straight into the clear blue sky above us as the sun beamed down on us. There was no thruway. In front of us was a solid brick wall with a stage in front of it. A DJ played music as a band set up for a live music set. Our table had the perfect view of the small dance floor right in front of the stage.
Loud laughter filtered in from an archway to our right. When I turned to see where it came from, I could just make out a wooden bar and two bartenders. It was packed, just like the dining area.
“Stanton is the exception,” Saria insisted. “He wouldn’t hurt a fly. And he’s rich too.”
I wasn’t going to tell her that Stanton had killed for Jevry twice when she was kidnapped. I was surprised when Jevry told me.
Three handsome men sat at the table next to us. The one in a navy-blue suit, I tried not to stare at, but he was gorgeous. His brown hair was perfectly coifed, and silver rings donned his fingers. But none were on his ring finger. And he had some of the bluest eyes I’d seen.
The man had a slight tan to his skin like he spent a lot of time in the sun. The other two men had similar olive-colored skin and were dressed in all black. Black slacks and black button- down shirts. They looked more serious than the first guy. More menacing to tell the truth.
I pulled my gaze away from them when our waitress introduced herself. We all ordered drinks, and before long, I rocked in my seat to the beat of the music while we waited.
“We’re still doing the haunted tour tonight, right?” DeArie asked as the waitress set our drinks on the table.
“I’ll be right back to take your order,” she said, then left for the next table.
“I don’t think we should do a haunted tour, you guys,” Saria informed us. “Nana always said that when you go looking for stuff like that, it finds you. And y’all know spirits attach themselves to people.”
The look in her eyes was so serious I released the laugh that I tried desperately to hold in. She’d always been superstitious, even when we were in high school. And terrified of Ouija boards. Whenever we would play, she’d get up and leave.
“Come on, Saria. You really think we’ll come all the way to New Orleans and not go on a haunted tour? We had this whole thing planned out. Getting our fortunes read, eating beignets. I’m about to order this gumbo. Girl, you need to get it together. And enjoy yourself for once,” I encouraged, hoping she’d live a little.
Saria huffed out a breath and rolled her eyes. “I guess, but when you start seeing things in the shadows, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
My mouth twitched in amusement because I knew she would cave.
“Oh, shit! This is my song! Come on y’all, let’s go dance.” DeArie grabbed both our hands, and I downed the rest of my drink.
The beat thrummed through my body. It didn’t matter that we were the only ones on the makeshift dance floor. We were trying to live our best lives. My hands raised above my head, and my eyes closed as I moved my body to the music. I loved to dance. I could lose myself fast when I got really into the beat.
After a few minutes, other people from the restaurant danced around us. Smiling faces greeted me as I opened my eyes, and laughter bubbled inside me.
“This is amazing!” Saria yelled over the music, a smile spreading across her face.
DeArie bumped into my shoulder and leaned in to speak into my ear. “I think you’ve got an admirer, girl.” She tilted her head to the table next to ours.
Sure enough, the guy in the suit was staring right at me. His eyes raked over my body, much like the guy on the bike did earlier. It made me feel sexy that in the span of twenty minutes, I’d caught the eye of two of the most gorgeous men I’d ever seen.
“Okay, I’m ready to eat,” Saria announced, then grabbed our hands and pulled us off the dance floor.
When we approached the guy’s table, a delicious shutter spread through my body at his smoldering look. His stunning blue eyes had turned dark with lust. His attention was only pulled away from me when one of the men spoke to him in a language I didn’t recognize. The guy said something back to them, then retrieved his phone from his inside pocket.
At that moment, our waitress returned, and my attention moved away from them. When I could finally focus back on the man, he and his companions were gone. I slumped back in my seat with an odd wave of disappointment that I’d missed my chance for some fun.
Dinner was delicious. It was filled with reminiscing about old times and talking about the future. Laughing and chatting about any and everything. It was almost like we were still in high school. Just what this trip should’ve been about.
I just wished Jevry was here, which prompted me to snap a picture with my phone while DeArie was in the middle of her story about joining the mile-high club on the flight to New Orleans. I tapped a text and sent her the picture of DeArie and Saria.
“Are you guys ready to get our fortunes read?” I asked, pushing my seat back. “According to the brochures I picked up when we checked in, there’s a place just up the street. We have to cross the street here, though, because it’s on the opposite side. I’ll get this one.”
I snatched up the check, then pulled the card out of the envelope Stanton asked the stewardess to give us when we disembarked from the plane. The note inside said to use it for food, shopping, and any other extracurricular activities. Well, we hadn’t hit the stores yet for shopping, but this baby would get enough of a workout from all the food we were going to try this week. I signed the receipt, and then we headed for the fortune teller’s shop.
“Mystic Whispers,” I read as we stood outside the shop door. “Cool name.”
“I know, right,” DeArie said, sidling beside me. “Come on, let’s go in.”
She grabbed mine and Saria’s hands, who was almost digging her heels in, not wanting to go inside.
“Come on, Saria,” I said, yanking the door open and stepping inside. “You know this shit’s not real.”
I blinked a few times so my eyes adjusted to the low light of the candles that lit the place. The space smelled like black cherry incense, and soft elevator music played in the background. It wasn’t what I expected. I thought there would be soft pillows all over the floor surrounding a small table with a crystal ball on the table and walls draped in silk scarves.
Instead, what we got were shelves filled with natural oils. Homemade candles of every scent imaginable for healing, weight loss, energy, and sexual satisfaction. There were crystals of all kinds on the other side of the room.
I giggled at that one.
“Hello,” an authoritative voice boomed into the empty space, making us jump. “Welcome to Mystic Whispers.”
We turned in unison, and my eyes widened in surprise at the beautiful woman with braids piled on top of her head. She reminded me of the woman from my childhood who had commercials on most TV stations telling people to, “Call me now for your free reading.”
My mind worked to remember what the woman’s name was.
“I’m Ms. Cleo. How can I help you?”
I gasped because that was it! That was the woman’s name from the commercial so long ago. The accent wasn’t quite right. The Ms. Cleo from my childhood was from a Caribbean island or something. This lady, with her Creole accent was surely from NOLA, born and bred. But she fit the stereotype of a fortune teller—long flowy skirt, bracelets that clinked together when she moved her arms, heavy makeup. The woman was beautiful. She had a mischievous glint in her eye.
This was what I was expecting. Excitement shot through my veins at the possibility of doing something I’d never done before. This was one of the reasons I’d been so excited to come to New Orleans.
“Hi, we want to get our fortunes told,” I spoke up, getting over my shock.
“Uh, no. They want to get their fortunes told. I’m good,” Saria said, pointing between me and DeArie.
“Come on, Saria,” DeArie whined as she stood in front of Ms. Cleo. “Live a little bit.”
“I’ll buy some candles, but I told y’all I’m not touching this witchcraft stuff,” Saria announced before going back to browsing the candles and oils on the shelves.
Ms. Cleo threw her head back in a deep laugh. “It is alright. Don’t pressure your friend. All readings are forty dollars. So, if this is acceptable to you, then which of you are going first?” She threaded her fingers together and waited.
“I want to go first,” I piped up. I reached into my bag and gave her the money. And she stuffed it into her bra.
I followed Ms. Cleo to a small nook where a table with three chairs sat. I settled down in one, DeArie sat next to me, and Ms. Cleo took the empty chair. I looked back to ensure Saria was okay, and then smiled at the woman in front of me.
“Okay, how does it work? I don’t see a crystal ball anywhere,” I joked, pretending to look around the room.
Ms. Cleo laughed, and DeArie shouldered me. “Girl,” she admonished.
“It’s alright,” Ms. Cleo insisted. “I get that all the time, but I don’t do the crystal ball thing. Too cliché.” She waved her hand, shooing the thought off.
“So, what do you do?” I asked her, seriously, about exactly what I was paying for.
Ms. Cleo looked almost ethereal, unreal in the dim light as her top lip curved into a wry smile. “I deal in the cards, Suga.”
“Cards. Like tarot cards?” DeArie asked for clarification.
The woman nodded, then reached under the table and pulled out a deck of cards.
“Yes, Suga. Like tarot cards.” Ms. Cleo chuckled and shuffled the cards. “Do you have a specific question you want answered or a certain aspect of your life you want to know about?” Ms. Cleo asked as she continued to rearrange the cards.
“Not particularly, no,” I answered, but she continued to peer at me as she mixed them up. It felt like she was trying to dissect my soul or look into it. Under the table, I was cracking my knuckles. A fucking bad habit, but I did it when I was nervous.
“Are you sure?” Ms. Cleo asked, giving me one final chance before she proceeded.
“Well, maybe a man in my life. Haven’t had one of those in a long while,” I said, then chuckled.
Damn, I’m pathetic.
The woman smirked, then pushed the cards over to me. “Cut the deck into three, please.”
I did as she asked, cutting the deck into three stacks as even as I could get them. Ms. Cleo picked up each deck, putting the stacks back together, then asked the spirits, the great beyond, the creator, or whoever had an answer. “Will my client have a man in her life?”
Then she fanned them out in front of me. “Pull a card and turn it face up,” she told me, not looking down at the spread but staring directly into my eyes. It was really unnerving, but I did as she asked—chose one card and turned it face up.
“The Two Lovers.” She stretched out that last word then flicked her eyes up to me. “This card can represent a partnership or union of some kind.” She paused, then put her finger on the card and tapped it, “but for you, Suga, it means something very different.” Her eyes narrowed at me.
“Oh really!” I went with it because all of this was bullshit to me.
“Yes. For you, it’s a choice between things that are opposing and also mutually exclusive. It’s something you need to make the best decision about for your situation.”
What damned situation? The fact I didn’t have a man? I fought hard not to roll my eyes. Really this was all bullshit.
She pulled another card for me and put it face down.
“Hmmm, the King of Cups. The King of Cups can mean a few things. But like the Lovers, for you, it means something specific. This king lacks consistency, and therefore can be selfish and out for himself. This might lead to him using you in your relationship.”
“Well, damn.” I chuckled, looking over at DeArie. Saria was still checking out the oils and candles. “I just don’t need a man at all if he’s going to be doing all that.”
“Right, that’s depressing,” DeArie chimed in, a smile gleaming across her face.
“Well, we are not finished yet, Suga. I’ll pick the last card.”
She did and placed it in front of me, facing her just like the last ones. Ms. Cleo’s eyes widened, and mine did too. It looked like another king.
“This is the King of Swords.”
“Two kings?” I questioned. I had no idea what it meant, but from the way her eyes stretched, I figured it was something pretty significant. “Well, that sounds promising.” I smiled; my eyes riveted on Ms. Cleo.
“The King of Swords, like the King of Cups, can have several meanings. This king is controlled and cool. And very restrained. In matters of love, this king is not very romantic, so don’t take it personally when he’s blunt,” Ms. Cleo finished.
“Damn Lyra. Two men, and they seem to be polar opposites,” DeArie mentioned.
“Yes, seems like it to me too,” I said, contemplating everything Ms. Cleo just told me; suddenly, Ms. Cleo’s hand lashed out and snatched mine before I could pull it back. Her eyes, which were shining brown and boring into mine, rolled into her head where we could see the whites of her eyes.
“What the fuck!” DeArie said, jumping from her seat so fast that her chair toppled over.
Candle lights flickered as a breeze from who-the-fuck-knew-where, rushed through the room.
“Guys, what’s going…” Saria came barreling into the room, halting as she saw what was happening.
I tried to pull away from Ms. Cleo, but she had a fucking iron-clad grip on my hand.
“Let me go!” I yelled, trying to pull away from that woman’s grip. “I can’t get loose, guys!” I called my friends as they tried to help pull me away from her without wrenching my arm out of its socket. When I groaned from the pain and exertion on my shoulder, Saria and DeArie let go.
“You are in danger,” Ms. Cleo’s voice came out raspy and ancient. “One man will try to take you. Another will try to save you. Be careful.”
Then just like that, she let go of my hand. I sprung up, stumbled away from the table, almost falling over my chair, and was out of there before she could grab me again.
The three of us ran out of the door, and we didn’t stop until we were back down the street and heading toward our hotel again. I grabbed Saria and DeArie’s hands and pulled them into a small boutique just so we could get a breath. So I could fucking grapple with the fact that Ms. Cleo just went Linda Blair from The Exorcist on me.
“What the fuck was that?” I asked them, with my eyes wide and probably filled with the same terror I saw in theirs.
“This is why I told you guys not to fuck with that hoodoo shit!” Saria shouted, rubbing her forehead and pacing in front of the small fitting room area.
“Do you think she was right, Lyra? Why would she tell you to be careful? What do you think she was talking about? One to save and one who would take you? Take you where? Save you from who?” DeArie rattled off question after question, not even pausing to breathe. And the more she asked questions, the more my mind swirled trying to answer them.
I shook my head. “No. I don’t think she knew what she was talking about. More like she was bat-shit crazy. She puts on a good damn show, that’s for sure,” I answered, then giggled, trying to lighten the mood a little.
We were in NOLA to have a good time, and I wasn’t going to let some half-baked con artist ruin it for us.
“That was a good trick with the wind and shit,” DeArie claimed, giggling along with me.
“I don’t know, you guys,” Saria chimed in, finally stopping her pacing. “I grew up with this kind of thing. What happened back there was real. I’m telling you it was real.”
“It’s real if you give stock to it, Saria,” I insisted. “Now come on. I’m hungry, and I want to get some rest before our tour tonight.”
My heart rate slowed once I was able to reason through the party trick. I was ready to get our trip back on track.
“Are you kidding me? After what just happened, you still want to go on the tour?” Saria shrilled.
“Of course, we are still going,” I insisted, but before the conversation could go any further, a saleswoman approached us as we emerged from the fitting area.
“I’m sorry, can I help you ladies?” she asked, putting a fake smile on her lips.
I didn’t blame her though. We probably looked like some weirdos after busting up in the boutique, which now that I was looking around, was high-end.
“No, we’re sorry,” I apologized. “My friend just got a little excited about one of the dresses she saw on the rack.”
Okay, so I lied, but I wasn’t about to tell this lady that we got scared by a woman reading tarot cards.
“Oh! Well, let us know if you need help,” the woman said, with a genuine smile this time, then went back to whatever she was doing.
“Thank you,” I called over my shoulder as I pushed the door open to the boutique and left. My friends filed out behind me. Yes, I still wanted to go. I didn’t come all the way to New Orleans from Fremont to stay cooped up in a damn room, no matter how luxurious it was. “We have free reign ladies with that card Stanton gave us. Now, let’s live a little.”
I stood on the sidewalk with my insides quivering, trying to show determination I didn’t quite feel. I’ll be damned if I let some parlor trick ruin my week here. I looked both ways down the sidewalk to see if I saw anything unusual or out of the ordinary. My eyes locked on the man from the restaurant in the nice suit with the two burly men from earlier. My gaze lingered on him, but I tore my eyes away when he noticed I was watching him. Now was not the time to approach him. I heart was still trying to get a grip from out scare at Mystic Whispers. Reluctantly, I stalked off toward our hotel with my friends in tow.