Damned and Cursed (Book 2): Witch's Kurse
Read Damned and Cursed (Book 2): Witch's Kurse Online
Authors: Glenn Bullion
Tags: #Paranormal & Urban
Witch's Kurse
By Glenn Bullion
Copyright © 2014 by Glenn Bullion
This book is a work of fiction.
Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or used fictitiously.
Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from Glenn Bullion.
Special Thanks:
Gene Evans
Dominque Nelson
K. Mathis
Kim Hennessy
Kelly Daniels Embelton
John Walley
The woman met Nathan's gaze as he opened the front door to his home.
A polite, confused smile crossed his face as he eyed her up and down.
It wasn't hard to read his emotions.
Surprise, apprehension, a touch of attraction.
He glanced along her figure before once again meeting her eyes.
She wasn't used to the attention, but dressed differently than she usually did.
A pair of black tights with a blouse that showed some cleavage.
His cheeks turned red at having been caught, but she simply smiled, placing a hand on her hip.
"Can I help you?"
"I hope so.
I've been driving for four hours now.
I have an appointment."
Nathan frowned.
He wasn't attractive at all, but had a cute smile.
He was nothing like she was expecting.
She did her own examining, but for reasons different than his.
He wasn't pasty white with huge horn-rimmed glasses.
He had a slim build, probably a product of daily exercise.
The two feminine scents touching her nose spoke of family, a wife and daughter.
Another scent reached her senses, and the smile on her face faltered somewhat.
He owned a cat.
"An appointment?
Uh, sorry, ma'am.
I don't know what you're talking—"
"I'm Jane."
His eyes lit up.
"
You're
Jane?"
Her name wasn't Jane.
But it was the name he'd taken to calling her the past few weeks.
Every secure email, every phone conversation.
Apparently, his own little private joke.
Jane Doe.
She was annoyed at first, but decided she'd better get used to the simple concept of having another name.
"Something's not right here," he said.
"Tell me about it."
Jane peered over his shoulder to see his wife and daughter eating in the dining room.
She took in the suburban neighborhood behind her.
It was only five o'clock, and children were playing in the street.
A husband parked in a driveway and was met by his wife at the front door, an odd sight to her.
"This isn't really how I pictured you."
"Are you kidding me?"
He looked her up and down once again, settling on her breasts slightly longer than necessary.
"Look at you.
I mean…wow.
Really, something isn't right.
You're supposed to be eighty—"
"May I come in?" she interrupted.
"Uh, sure.
But…you're an hour early.
I'm eating with my family."
"Oh, you won't even notice I'm here."
Nathan stepped aside and glanced at the briefcase Jane carried with her.
She smirked at the anticipatory gleam in his eyes.
She took one last look at the street behind her, making sure the kids were keeping far away from her car.
Jane admired the immaculate home as she stepped inside.
Everything was clean and tidy.
Pictures of Nathan and his family littered the walls.
In between those pictures were random shots of a black and white tuxedo cat.
She tried not to snarl.
"Jane, this is my wife, Terri, and my daughter, Mackenzie."
Mackenzie smiled warmly before shoving green beans into her mouth.
The girl was probably ten or eleven years old.
Jane's breath hitched at the sight of the silverware all over the table, and fought to calm her nerves.
She knew modern silverware didn't even contain much silver, but she'd had her incidents in the past that always kept her on her toes.
"Mackenzie," Jane said.
"Pretty name."
Terri lifted the corner of her mouth in an attempt to smile, but she was more focused on studying Jane.
Jane suddenly wished she'd dressed differently, more conservatively, but it was seventy degrees outside.
It was technically fall, but the warm weather was still hanging on.
Terri noted Jane's figure, and a tiny flash of jealousy moved through her eyes.
Jane thought Terri had nothing to be jealous of.
She was an attractive woman, with a beautiful daughter.
"Are you hungry?" Terri asked.
"We have plenty to eat."
"No, thank you."
Jane sat at the table with Nathan and his family.
The uncomfortable silence stretched for nearly a minute, until the cat from the pictures jumped on the table.
It sat in front of Mackenzie, its tail wrapping around her glass.
"Lucky!" Terri said.
"You know you're not supposed to be on the table."
"He's just hungry," Mackenzie said.
"He wants my green beans."
"Honey," Nathan said.
"You know you have to finish your green beans."
He looked at Jane.
"Don't worry.
He's a friendly cat—"
Lucky's ears folded back as he made eye contact with Jane.
He leaned back slightly and hissed, surprising Nathan and his family.
Jane stiffened as her pulse raced.
Lucky turned and dove from the table.
He ran up the stairs leading to the second floor.
"Oh, wow.
I've never seen him hiss before."
Jane's lip twitched.
"I guess cats don't really like me."
The silence stretched once again, and it was Jane's turn to study.
Nathan was in a unique line of work, and she couldn't imagine how he balanced his job with a family.
She could tell Terri knew what her husband did.
There were no curious glances, no questioning looks between them.
They were obviously feeling out of place due to her early arrival, but they seemed to be a happy family.
Their scents were all pleasant.
Just enough to mark them as individuals, but close enough to tell her they were related.
Terri and Mackenzie in particular smelled very close.
Strawberry and nutmeg, with Mackenzie having a slightly stronger aroma of nutmeg.
"So," Terri said.
"Are you a client of Nathan's?"
Jane cast a sideways glance to Mackenzie, wondering how to answer the question.
"Uh, yeah.
Things have been going very well so far."
"My husband is very good at what he does," Terri said, winking at Nathan.
"I'm sure you'll be happy with his work."
"Terri…." Nathan said.
He wasn't comfortable with his wife's choice of conversation.
"Hey, Mom," Mackenzie said.
"Don't forget I have to go to Dana's house tonight to practice the play."
"No problem.
Just finish your food and we'll head on over."
The rest of dinner went as smoothly as it could.
Nathan noticeably relaxed when they finished and his family prepared to leave.
Jane kept the briefcase close to her side at the table.
She watched Mackenzie wait impatiently at the front door as her mother retrieved her purse and keys.
Jane locked eyes with Mackenzie, and the young child rolled her eyes toward her mother.
Jane stifled a giggle.
"We'll be back soon," Terri said.
Nathan met her at the door for a kiss.
"Don't get into any trouble."
"I never do."
They waved politely at Jane as they left.
Nathan closed the door behind them and turned his attention to her.
He looked her up and down once again, but not to admire her.
He was more curious than anything else.
"Wow," he said.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but you're probably the hottest client I've ever done work for.
It's definitely a surprise."
She smiled.
"Flattering.
You're quite a surprise, too."
"How so?"
"I expected some hairy geek living in a cave somewhere, who didn't know how to talk to people."
He laughed.
"My wife would probably agree with some of that."
He pointed at the briefcase.
"Is that the money?"
"Yeah.
Fifty thousand dollars.
I almost cried putting it all in the case."
"I'm very good at what I do, Jane.
It's a drop in the bucket, really."
"I know."
He gestured to a door, and followed Jane across the dining room.
The door led downstairs to a dark basement.
"So, I have to ask, am I fixing someone's mistake?
Did someone seriously screw up putting together an identity for you?
There's no way you're eighty years old."
Jane said nothing.
Nathan flipped a switch at the bottom of the stairs and the basement lit up.
Jane didn't know where to look first.
Nathan's setup was impressive.
It better had been, for a total of one hundred thousand dollars.
A few computers were scattered along the walls amongst some expensive-looking printers and plotters.
The far corner of the basement was dedicated to taking photos, with a backdrop and chair.
She was in awe, but couldn't help the second thoughts coming her way.
One hundred thousand dollars—half up front, half on delivery—for what amounted to work being done in someone's basement.
Was it a wise investment?
Jane tried to shake the doubt away.
It wasn't just an investment, but a necessity.
Still, Jane couldn't help but wonder if she should have simply done the work herself.
With the power of the Internet, there wasn't much a person couldn't discover for themselves.
"What's the deal?" Nathan pushed.
"I've been pouring my head into the paperwork of your life for the past few weeks.
Everything says you're a senior citizen.
You've got an awfully nice shape for a senior citizen."
Jane was slowly losing patience.
She hid her mood behind a smile.
"Botox," she said.
"What's the next step?"
Nathan sat at a computer.
"Well, I need to take some photos, tie up a few loose ends on the net here.
I'll have to adjust your age, since you weren't honest with me.
After that, we really should be all set."