by Brenda Drake
Bram picked up one of the bottles and handed it to the guy. He chugged water down, then handed it back to Bram, giving the boy a pat on the back before jogging off to the others. Bram returned the bottle to its place on the bench and lined it up with the others.
“Stay here,” she told Andrei, then crossed the road, and continued to the far side of the bench from Bram, careful not to scare him. Picking a spot where he could see her, she eased down and sat crisscross on the grass. She kept flicking her gaze in his direction to make sure she had his attention while removing her tarot deck from her pack. The box and backs of the cards were purple with a green vine design.
Bram watched her.
She removed the cards and flipped one at a time in a perfect row, face card down. Bram took a long, sideways step toward her. She kept dealing them out on the grass pretending not to notice his movement. As he got more comfortable with her presence, he took another lengthy stride in her direction.
“Would you like to touch them?” she asked, her eyes going from the cards to him, not knowing if he understood English.
One of the model guys from the soccer team ran up to them. He said something in German and Bram nodded.
“Hello,” Daisy said to the guy. “Does he want to see the cards?”
“You American?” The guy lifted the hem of his shirt and wiped his face.
“Yes. Just touring around Europe.” She placed another card on the grass. “We’re just taking a break. Thought it would be fun to watch a football game.”
The guy said something to Bram in German before rushing off to the game.
Bram sat down in front of her and reached for a card, but hesitated.
“It’s okay.” Daisy glanced over at Andrei. He stood in that confident stance of his. “Go ahead,” she said.
Bram looked uncertain.
She smiled and nodded at the cards.
He picked one up and showed her the picture. A small gasp escaped her lips.
The Sun Card.
She found Andrei and shook her head signaling that Bram wasn’t the one.
It was a perfect fate for Bram. The image of a large sun with a child on a horse. It meant freedom—vitality. She was thrilled it wasn’t the Death Card. He wasn’t the cursed heir. Bram snatched up another card and laughed. The Star card had a naked woman under a star on it. Daisy sat there with him as he turned over cards and lined them up perfectly on the grass for nearly an hour before the game ended. She found that model dude was his stepbrother and that Bram loved helping out the team.
Before Bram left with his brother to go home, he gave her a tight hug. She squeezed him back. “Goodbye, Bram.”
Andrei passed Bram and his brother as he walked over to Daisy. “Not the one, huh?”
“No. He’s not.”
“Are you okay?”
She smiled up at him. The setting sun caused shadows to fall around him, darkening the beautiful angles of his face. A shiver raced across her skin. She wasn’t sure if it was the cooling night air or the concern on his face that caused it.
“I’m mixed. If he were the heir, then we would be done. At the same time, I was relieved it wasn’t him.” She raised her palms. “Which doesn’t make sense, I guess.”
“You’re worried, aren’t you?” He reached a hand out to touch her, but stopped himself, letting his arm drop to his side. “Why?”
She stared at her feet. There was a scratch at the toe of her left ballet shoe. “There’s a lot of precautions to make in removing the curse. I can’t make a mistake. Like…”
His brows crinkled together. “Like with the little girl on the train?”
She shrugged. “Yeah. I want it to end. Everyone who knows what I can do is afraid of me. Afraid to touch me.”
“How do you know they’re scared of you? I’m not.”
“Seriously? Come on. You avoid touching me.”
“No, I don’t.”
“You do, too.”
“I’ll prove it.” He stepped closer. “I’m coming in. If you don’t want me in your personal space, you better say so.”
“Well, that just ruined the mood.” She chuckled.
“I’m taking that as a green light.” He grasped her arms and pressed his lips against hers, then released her. “See. Not afraid. How was that?”
Her lips throbbed. When she imagined kissing Andrei, she pictured something more passionate. It was so quick she barely had time to feel the spark. Like one of those “bang snaps” they’d throw during Fourth of July. Snap. And out.
“The kiss was okay,” she finally said.
“I could give it another try.”
Her cheeks warmed. “Um, no, that’s okay. We don’t need to…you don’t have to. I mean, I get the point.”
Oh, God. Someone shoot me. Get control of yourself already.
That lopsided smile stretched his lips again, causing a million bang snaps to go off throughout her body.
She took a deep breath and slowly released it before saying, “But you were afraid of me. And you’re still unsure. You’re definitely scared shitless whenever I touch my tarot cards.”
Andrei ran his fingers through his hair, his blue eyes holding hers with such intensity she couldn’t breathe.
“God. Stop that!”
Did she just say that out loud?
He raised an eyebrow. “Stop what?”
Breathing. Being so gorgeous, it hurts.
“Nothing,” she said.
“Okay.” He stared at her like she just lost it. “I was afraid. You can’t blame me. Miri’s and my grandmother’s stories screwed with my head. I thought all this shit was folklore. My family has been telling stories about it for generations. I never believed it before. But here we are.”
“I know,” she said. “It freaked me out when I first learned about it. I couldn’t even touch tarot cards until I had to. But this gift I have, well, I can use it for good. That’s all I’ve got. It’s my way of having some control over it.”
He swallowed and nodded at her. “Okay. So, this ritual or whatever it is. What do we have to do to keep you safe? What are the precautions?”
“I have a list of things I need to do.” She placed her backpack on the ground, unzipped it, and searched for her wallet.
Where is it?
She pulled out her clothes and dumped the rest of the contents on the street. She pushed the items around looking for her oversize, floral-print wallet. It wasn’t there. She searched the front and side pockets.
“My wallet’s missing.”
He dropped to his knees beside her and riffled through her stuff. “When’s the last time you saw it?”
“Before we got on the train.” She retraced her steps in her mind and came to when she had woken up on the train, and a few of her things had fallen out of her bag and onto the seat beside her. Then she remembered the man on the train, the one with the ring with thorns. She kept connecting eyes with him. She thought it was odd, but he was only waiting for his chance. “Shit. He stole it.”
“Who?”
“The guy on the train. What am I going to do? The list. My money…” Her heart slammed so hard against her chest she feared it would rip out of her. Tears burned, and she glared at him. “It’s your fault. You left me there sleeping. Alone. I was out cold. The perfect victim.”
It was over. There was no way they could continue without money.
Chapter Eight
Andrei
Daisy gave him the cold shoulder the entire way to the hostel. How could he blame her? He was angry at himself. It was his fault someone robbed her. He really had to go to the restroom and she was asleep. He’d brushed aside a quick thought that he should wake her up. It was close by, so he decided not to. He was only gone a few minutes.
Good thing the asshole hadn’t swiped her passport. Andrei had maybe enough money to pay for their beds and a couple of meals, but that was it.
They stood in the hallway outside their room, looking through the open door. One
bed, a small shower, and a desk with a chair. That was it. And the bed was a full, not even a queen.
He went inside. “I’m sorry. This was all they had.”
Her sniffle was soft, but the sound of it cut through him. It was killing him. He felt guilty enough for leaving her alone on the train.
She came inside, dropped her bag on the floor, and sat on the bed.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll take the floor.”
She lifted her gaze to him. “That’s silly. We’ll share the bed. Just keep to your side.”
“What?” It was like an ice storm crossed the room. “You think I can’t keep my hands off you?”
Her eyes were enormous and bright with the tears glossing them. “I wouldn’t think you’d slump so low. I meant, don’t toss around a lot.” She stood, went into the bathroom, and slammed the door.
What just happened?
He pounded on the bathroom door.
“What?” She sounded pissed.
“Listen, I’m sorry.” He leaned his shoulder against the doorframe. “I shouldn’t have left you. It was a dumbass thing to do, even if it was only a few minutes.”
The door slowly opened, and she looked up at him with sad eyes. Her dark auburn hair was tied up into a bun. She wore that tank top and sweatpants combo that drove him crazy. Sleeping next to her was going to be tough. “I’m sorry, too,” she said. “I was just upset.”
She was beautiful. One of those subtle beauties. Her freckle-dusted nose wrinkled at him. “This really sucks.”
“Yeah, it pretty much blows.”
“We need money, and I have an idea of how to get some,” she said, holding up a flyer with ripped corners. It was in German, but by the photograph printed on the beige paper, it had to be an ad for some sort of outdoor market.
He rubbed his chin. “How is this going to help?”
“I can set up somewhere and charge for tarot readings. See here”—she pointed at a paragraph on the page—“it says anyone can have a booth.”
“It’s in German. How do you know what it says?”
“While you were getting the room, I found this on a bulletin board and translated with an app on my phone.”
As she brushed by, he rotated with her, then stopped when she rounded her side of the bed.
“Only tarot readings, right?”
She pulled the blankets aside and crawled in, sliding to the edge of the bed. “Of course.”
He took off his shirt.
Daisy sat up suddenly. “What are you doing?”
“It’s hot.”
“Oh, hell no.” She wrapped one arm around her knees and waved the other at his abs. “I can’t sleep next to all that.”
I make her nervous.
“And stop grinning like that,” she said.
“I’m not grinning.” He grabbed the back of his neck, flexing his bicep.
“Ugh.” She flung herself back on the mattress and rolled over, turning her back to him.
He laughed and pulled his shirt back on, crawling in beside her. When he turned to face the other direction, their butts touched.
She gasped. “Seriously? Just stop.”
“Not my fault,” he said, turning off the light on the nightstand and rolling over to his other side, facing the middle of the bed.
She turned her head to look at him. “We can’t spoon.”
He buried his arm under his pillow. “We have to face the same direction to not touch asses.”
She smelled like oranges and something floral. He could barely make out the silhouette of her body against the streetlights spilling in through the window. He wanted her. Wanted to kiss her lips and nibble the plump bottom one. Wanted to run his hand across her bare arm without being afraid to touch her.
Quit thinking about her.
He watched her body rise and fall with the light rhythm of her breath until he fell asleep.
The Vienna Naschmarkt resembled flea markets from back home. Daisy spread her thin, colorful scarf out on the ground. Only a few people stopped and paid her for a reading. She needed a better set up. Andrei searched the market for a small table and chair. The best he found was a TV tray and stools.
“Found something,” he said, carrying the tray under one arm and two stacked stools under the other. “Not great, but they’ll do.”
Daisy scrambled to her feet. “It’s perfect. How much did they cost?”
“Less than ten euro,” he said. “I haggled. You got to spend money to make it, right?”
Andrei set down the stools on the pavement and unfolded the tray. She covered it with the scarf, placed her deck of cards on the makeshift tablecloth, and sat, crossing her legs. He stood there for several minutes watching her drum her fingers on the tray and stare at the passersby.
His stomach rumbled as he checked his wallet and pockets, counting the notes and coins. There was just under fifty euros left. The free breakfast at the hostel was hours ago. “I’m going to get us some water and maybe something to eat,” he said.
“I’ll be right here,” she said, the frown on her face deepening as another browser glanced at her and strolled past.
The market was a lot more crowded than when they first arrived. Daisy had made twenty-five euros, but they needed to make as much money as possible. He couldn’t let her raise it on her own.
He repeatedly twisted his watch on his wrist as he looked for the jeweler’s booth he’d spotted when they arrived earlier. The twisting had been a habit since his grandmother gave it to him. The booth was in a convenient spot near the food trucks.
The jeweler was pleased with the deal. He should be, since, at a thousand euros, he’d paid only a fraction of what the vintage watch was worth. When Andrei handed it over to the man, his soul deflated, and it took all he had to keep from tearing up.
He knew his grandfather would understand. He’d do the same. A watch for a life. Seemed like a fair exchange. Besides, his memories of his grandfather were in his mind and heart, not in an object. Before leaving, Andrei snagged a business card. Maybe, Bunică could get it back one day.
After grabbing some sausages stuffed in bread and two bottles of a sparkling orange drink, he returned to Daisy’s area. She had several people surrounding her and a young girl on her right side. A woman near sixty with short, dirty-blond hair sat on the stool across from Daisy.
“Only pick one,” Daisy said, fanning the cards on the scarf. The girl beside Daisy brushed her light-brown hair from her eyes and translated it into German for the woman.
Only pick one?
The woman picked one and flipped it over. It was a card with several tall sticks and a lone man holding one of them.
What is she up to? He’d seen her give a tarot reading at the hostel. She used more than one.
“The Nine of Wands reversed,” she said. “A recent failure has made you depressed. It’s a dark place you’re in, and it will only get worse.” She waited for the girl to translate it.
The woman nodded excitedly. “Ja. Ja.”
“It will be okay,” Daisy said. “I’m going to change it for you.”
Change it?
“No, Daisy!” he snapped.
Before Andrei could reach her, Daisy touched the card with a crystal. The card flew up and the images separated, spinning until they slammed back together, and fell onto the table. A collective gasp rose from the spectators. Andrei searched the crowd. The ten or so people had surprised expressions on their face.
At the outer side of the group, two men whispered to each other while their eyes were on Daisy. Both were of average height, had dark-brown hair, and straight noses. A silver crown of thorns encircled each of their ring fingers. Panic fluttered in his stomach.
How did they find us?
When the cards settled on the table, Daisy gathered them up. The woman slid some money to Daisy before standing.
“What are you doing?” Andrei hissed in Daisy’s ear, placing their lunch on the table.
“Making mo
ney. See.” She held up some euro notes. “It’s about two hundred. Once I started using my gift, I’ve been busy.”
One of The Thorn men sat on the stool in front of Daisy.
“Sorry, man,” Andrei said, staring him down. “She’s done for the day.”
“No, I’m not,” she snapped. “We need more. To…you know.”
Andrei bent down to whisper in her ear. “I have the money. A thousand euros. I sold something.”
She turned to face him, concern on her face, and whispered back, “What did you sell? And don’t tell me if it was you.”
“I didn’t sell myself.” Andrei straightened and then spoke to their audience. “It’s lunch break. Come back later.”
The girl beside Daisy translated for him, and the group broke up, going off in different directions. The man pushed the stool back, the legs scratching loud against the pavement, and grumbled something to the other man before they walked off together.
Daisy handed the girl a few notes and thanked her. After everyone left, Daisy sat back down. Andrei straddled the other stool and passed her one of the sausage breads and a bottle of the orange drink.
Right then there probably wasn’t a safer place to eat lunch.
He kept his eyes on the passing crowd. The men were somewhere in the tangle of people. They wouldn’t have gone far. They’d keep their sights on Daisy. And one question kept playing in Andrei’s head.
How did they know we were here? They knew her. Someone must’ve shown them a picture of her.
The sensation of being too close to a fire spread across Andrei’s body. Why did she have to change fates and bring attention to herself like that? How could she be so careless?
They ate in silence until Daisy slammed her bottle down. “I don’t know why you’re mad at me. I was just trying to help our situation.”
“You don’t?” He couldn’t believe she was acting so nonchalant about it. “How many times do you have to hear that you’re killing yourself until you stop?”
“I’m helping people.” He’d never challenge her in a glare contest because the one she was shooting at him right then would win a gold medal.
But that didn’t stop him from continuing, “And what do people think about your gift? Aren’t you supposed to hide it?”