Damned and Cursed (Book 2): Witch's Kurse (41 page)

"Rob, your bartender."

Marie clenched her eyes shut and reached out for Jack's shoulder.
 
He backed away, not letting her touch him.
 
She was so confused, and needed to lean on anything.

"Rob told you
what
?
 
I didn't kill Erica, and I don't even know who the hell you are."

"I know this now."

"Why would he say that?
 
What the hell is going on?"

"I'm not sure.
 
And as far as you're concerned, I don't care.
 
Whatever problems your bartenders have with you, I don't give a shit.
 
They're for you to solve.
 
I've got my own crap going on."

They resumed walking once again.
 
Marie was still raw, still angry, but something else leaked in.
 
Curiosity.
 
Someone was playing them both.
 
The question was why.

"You're looking for Erica's murderer," Marie said.
 
"You're her ex, aren't you?"

It was Jack's turn to stop.
 
His shoulders tensed, and she could see she hit a nerve.
 
Up until then, Jack exuded confidence.

"Erica talked about me?"

"Very little, but enough."
 
It was time for Marie to pick.
 
"She was running from you."

"That's not really any of your business now, is it?"

He picked up the pace again.
 
Marie pitied him, and the realization shocked her.
 
She felt sorry for the man who destroyed her dream, needled her as she fought the change.

Marie tried to pick up more about him as they walked through the woods, back to Sandy Cliffs.
 
He was a jerk; that much was obvious.
 
He had no trouble beating three humans.
 
But at one point, he cared about Erica.
 
She didn't believe he hurt her, at least not physically.

"How many of you are here?" Jack asked.
 
"How big is your pack?"

"I don't have a pack."

"Bullshit.
 
You all do."

"Oh, and how do you know that?
 
Because you've killed so many of us?"

"Exactly.
 
You never run alone."

"Maybe I'm different."

"Maybe you're full of shit."

"Hey."

She grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.
 
Jack pulled away.

"
Don't
touch me—"

"Listen to me very carefully.
 
I do not have a pack.
 
Understand?
 
I don't need a pack, and I would appreciate it very much if you stop bringing it up."

Jack was quiet a moment, taking her in.
 
He held his thumb and index finger an inch apart.

"You know, you're
almost
cute when you're mad."

Marie rolled her eyes and pushed past him, leading the way.
 
The coat stopped at her hips, and whether it was her keen senses or women's intuition, she knew he was enjoying the view.

"Would you please stop staring at my ass?"

"You're the one who charged forward."

She said nothing.
 
She simply wanted to get back to the stump near the apartment, gather her clothes.
 
She told herself the night would end with a bubble bath, and she aimed to make that happen.

The scents of the human world surrounded her as they drew closer.
 
Cars, people, trash bins.
 
She stood near the stump, not bothering to put on her clothes.
 
Her shoulder had healed, but a trail of blood ran down to her wrist.
 
She could see the back of the apartment building from where they stood.
 
Jack stayed by her side, which surprised her.

Marie regarded herself and Jack.
 
They both looked like they'd been through a war.
 
Jack's shirt was torn, revealing a muscled torso.
 
There was blood on him, but no wounds at all.
 
Whatever his affliction was, whether he was really cursed by a witch, he healed faster than she did.

"I'm not sure if I can take all this in," she said.
 
"So much crazy shit going on."

He shrugged.
 
"Life's tough sometimes.
 
Suck it up."

"Wow.
 
Thank you for that kind wisdom."

Jack smiled, ever so slightly, and gestured to the building.

"You can use the patio door, if you want.
 
I left it open."

"You…broke into my apartment?"

"Yeah.
 
That's how I tracked you down.
 
I saw your little map, saw you sniff the air, like a dog.
 
And I have to admit, some of that underwear you have…"
 
He gave a thumbs-up.
 
"I approve."

Marie's cheeks turned red from rage and humiliation.
 
She felt violated.

"You…."
 
She couldn't speak.

"Now, now, don't go all Cujo on me again.
 
I'll break out the choker chain."

"Enough with the dog jokes."

"Well, I have to run.
 
I found out what I came here for.
 
I'm going to go have a little talk with Rob, see how he's doing."

Jack began walking away.
 
He didn't bother asking for his coat.
 
He made it ten feet when Marie spoke.

"What am I supposed to do now?"

He faced her, an eyebrow arched.
 
His expression was impassive, uncaring, almost the same as when she first saw him in the cemetery.

"I don't care.
 
If it helps any, I'm sure this is the last time we'll see each other."

"We can both hope."

He turned, but had one more thing to say.

"Oh, Marie Johnson.
 
That's a dumb name."

She watched him leave.
 
He climbed into a rental car and drove away.
 
Mixed emotions attacked her.
 
Jack was the man who ruined her bar, her dream.
 
But for some reason, her heart went out to him.
 
He came to Sandy Cliffs to find his ex-girlfriend's murderer.
 
So, even with all the evidence to the contrary, he was capable of feeling.

His scent lingered a few extra seconds, and Marie savored it.
 
Unpleasant man or not, she could at least enjoy the scent.
 
It was no different than a young hot-blooded male ogling a well-built woman as she walked by.

She reflected on the evening, their conversation.
 
Why would Rob say those terrible things about her?

Kevin still hadn't shaken his bad mood.
 
He'd been awake since five in the morning.
 
Jack's words still haunted him from the night before.
 
Dead-beat.
 
It was simply Jack being Jack.
 
He loved to get under Kevin's skin, loved to push and irritate.

But he typically didn't outright lie.

Scowling, he flipped the pancakes on the stove.
 
He worked with the bacon on the next burner, giving them a single turn.
 
He was approaching his twentieth birthday.
 
What twenty-year-old had their career path planned out?
 
He couldn't afford to go to college, and didn't really want to, even if he could.
 
Victoria chewed him out the one time he tried to make money selling potions.
 
All he could was stick to his strength, which was research papers.
 
Apparently Leese and Jack both had a problem with that.

Kevin looked up the stairs, listening to the silence.

"Tiffany!
 
Breakfast.
 
Let's get going."

She walked down the stairs five minutes later.
 
She moved slowly, stiffly, like she'd just risen from the grave.
 
Her hair hung in front of her face, covering her eyes.

"Pancakes and bacon."

She sat at the bar and made unintelligible noise.
 
He did recognize her last two words.

"Thank you."

He smiled.
 
Ironically, it felt as if Tiffany was the only one on his side lately.
 
He tried to call Leese the night before, after his conversation with Jack.
 
She didn't answer, and only sent him an email late telling him she spent time with Cindy.

"Are you okay?" Tiffany asked.

Kevin marveled at the turn of events.
 
Not long ago Tiffany wanted nothing to do with him.
 
Now she was checking up on him.

"I'm fine, thanks.
 
Just…you know, girlfriend problems."
 
He studied her as she shoved pancakes in her mouth.
 
The bags under her eyes were impossible to miss.
 
"How are
you
doing?
 
Did you sleep?"

She brushed her hair out of her eyes, and Kevin saw it, just for an instant.
 
Despair.
 
For a moment, he thought she would cry.

"I had a bad dream last night."

He said nothing, merely poured her a glass of orange juice.

There was a knock at the front door.
 
Kevin and Tiffany both looked at each other, confused.

"Are we taking one of your friends to school today?"

She shook her head.
 
"I'd ask you if it was okay first."

Kevin opened the front door to see a man on the porch.
 
He looked ready for a day at the office.
 
White shirt, khakis, nice shoes.
 
Kevin imagined he'd broken down out on the road, or was just plain lost.

"Uh, yeah?
 
Can I help you?"

"You're Kevin?"

Hearing his own name surprised him.
 
"Yeah…."

"My name's Craig.
 
I'm an acquaintance of Jack's.
 
You mind if I come in?"

Kevin hesitated, and turned to Tiffany.
 
Her back was to him as she continued to devour breakfast.

"Tiffany, do you know this guy?"

She turned on the stool.
 
"I've seen him before with Dad.
 
I don't remember his name, though."

"He…didn't tell you I was coming?" Craig asked.

Kevin shook his head.

"Figures.
 
That's like him."
 
Craig spoke under his breath.
 
"Damn asshole."

"Ah, you do know him," Kevin said.
 
"Come on in."

Craig stepped inside the living room and rubbed his hands together to fight the chilly morning.

"Okay, to get right to the point.
 
I'm in a bind, and Jack called me last night telling me you were the answer.
 
He said we could help each other out."

Kevin glanced at his coat, hanging on the rack in the corner.
 
If Jack was selling magical services behind his back, they would have angry words.

"What do you mean?"

"I run a few local businesses for Jack.
 
Two of them have no IT services, and that'll go up to three or four, very soon.
 
I want one guy, who can handle every system.
 
He says you need a job.
 
And, if you know Jack like I do, I tend to do what he wants."

"Real clever, Jack," Kevin whispered.

Tiffany spoke up.
 
"Kevin already has a job.
 
He's watching me."

Craig laughed.
 
"Yeah, he told me about that.
 
Everything I need done now you can do while Tiffany's at school.
 
After Jack gets back, you'll work for me…or him, I guess, full time.
 
You need a job, I need a guy who can fix computers and run cable, today.
 
What do you think?"

Kevin silently mulled it over.
 
What was Jack doing?
 
Was this another of his games?
 
A way to control Kevin, keep an eye on him?
 
Was this Victoria's doing?
 
The last thought seemed even more far-fetched.

Was Jack trying to do something nice?

"Well…I can fix computers, and I can run cable."

"Alright," Craig said, looking relieved.
 
"We have a deal.
 
Here's my card.
 
Just stop by later this morning at that address.
 
We'll sign everything we need to, get you started."

Kevin's head was swimming.

"Uh, okay.
 
I'll pick up cable somewhere in town."

Craig nodded.
 
"We'll hammer all that out today.
 
Just keep your receipts, but we'll eventually get you a company credit card.
 
Welcome aboard."

He waved goodbye to Tiffany and left the house.
 
Kevin was still trying to process what just happened.
 
Tiffany held her plate in her lap, finishing up breakfast while staring at Kevin.

"Wow, you work for my Dad.
 
That's really cool."

Was it?

Just like that, Kevin had a job.

*****

Rob removed his grocery store apron as soon as he stepped foot in the apartment.
 
He balled it up and tossed it across the room.
 
It landed neatly on the back of the dining room chair.