A fork of lightning cut the darkness overhead, and a sudden breeze blustered through the parking lot. Long strands of hair danced around the old lady’s head, her clothing whipping against her thin frame. When the wind wrapped around Ben, tearing at his shirt and pants, clawing at his hair, he jolted at the unexpected frigidness. Icy tendrils seemed to pierce his skin and invade his body, squeezing his lungs, crushing his heart.
A moment later, the pressure vanished. Released, he sucked in a greedy breath. What the fuck?
Raising his head, he glared at the old woman as anger crashed through him. “This is about Calista?” he roared.
She lifted her chin. “Yes.”
He strode toward her, closing the distance in three steps. “That freaky bitch put you up to confronting me, told you to wave your arms and say some mumbo-jumbo to get even with me?”
“No.” She gave him a menacing look, her eyes the same golden hue as Calista’s. “The curse was all me. And now, it is done.” She pivoted and walked away, her movements surprisingly agile considering her rickety appearance.
Ben stared after her as she disappeared around the corner of the tattoo shop.
“Hey,” he yelled and jogged to catch up. But as he rounded the building, he found only an empty sidewalk. The old lady had vanished. “Damn.”
He rubbed his hand across his chest, trying to erase the twinge of cold, which was no longer there. The pain he’d experienced still fresh, he pressed his palm to his sternum. Yeah, his heart was still beating. He glanced up and down the unusually quiet street, his nerves on edge. The whole thing had been seriously freaky, beyond real.
The frivolity from Bourbon Street danced on the air, beckoning him to partake. Instead, he stalked back to his car, no longer in the partying mood. Jamming his hand in his pocket, he drew out his keys, popped the fob, and opened the door. He twisted to peer over his shoulder in the direction the woman had gone.
“Curse?” He shook his head and settled into the driver’s seat, closing the car door behind him. Starting the engine, he looked out the window. “Bullshit.”
Chapter Two
Calista balanced the takeout bag of Red Beans and Rice in one arm, her mail, purse, and law school books in the other. Keys held between her teeth, she climbed the back porch steps. Halfway up, the heel on her shoe broke. She struggled to keep her balance but lost, and screamed as she tumbled down the four steps, landing face first in a mud puddle next to the stairs.
“Damn it.” Her ankle and knee throbbed in pain. She slapped the wet soil beneath her and gingerly sat up. Okay, add scraped up elbow to the list. Glancing over her shoulder, she found her dinner strewn over the walkway, her mail scattered in the wind, and her textbooks open and submerged in the muck.
Didn’t it just figure? Her whole day had been a disaster. It only seemed fitting her night would end up in a big, fat pile of mud.
Irritation broke the last bit of control she’d held on her emotions. Enough, she’d had enough of it all. Leaning against the bottom step, she gave in to the tears that had threatened all damn day, covered her face with her damp, grimy hands, and let them flow.
Her life was friggin’ pathetic. Two weeks had passed, and she still couldn’t believe how her relationship with Ben had ended. She’d done it again. Given her body and heart to a man who didn’t want them. Oh sure, he’d wanted her body—he’d been abundantly clear. But a good time was all Ben Walker had been after.
She’d been so stupid. Listened to his pretty words and totally ignored the signs staring her in the face. The way he’d only wanted to see her at night…in his room. How he’d never even wanted to get a meal with her or meet her friends or do any damn thing that meant getting out of bed.
Stupid. God, she was such an idiot. The things she’d told him, shared with him. She’d poured her heart out like a fool, and he’d never wanted anything more than a good lay for as long as it would last. Shit! Even after their argument, he expected her to call him.
Why the hell did she keep falling for these losers? Why did she keep offering her heart and getting it tossed back in her face? All she wanted was someone to love and for them to love her back. Was it too much to ask?
She shook her head. None of it mattered because she was done. Done putting herself out there. No more. If she had to go through life alone, then so be it.
She shivered, the realization bringing a fresh round of hot tears flowing over her cheeks. She was still nothing but a pathetic, stupid, stupid woman. And crap, why did it still hurt so damn much?
“Calista?”
She cringed, the concerned voice of her neighbor grating her ears. Oh God, a witness to her humiliation. Could this day get any worse? “Go away, Andy. I’ll be fine.”