by Brenda Drake
She licked the bacio-flavored gelato she’d chosen. A mixture of chocolate and hazelnut, the name meant “kiss” in English. It was unbelievably delicious.
Andrei rested his back against the banister beside her, licking his strawberry gelato and slanting his eyes in her direction, a lazy smile on his face. Her heart squeezed at the glorious sight of him with the backdrop of Venice surrounding him. It felt like a dream.
She wanted to escape her fears. Wanted to forget the men stalking them. Forget that damn curse. And forget that death could be a breath away for her.
Being there, in that place with Andrei, she could forget for just a moment.
“This is great. Thanks for suggesting it.” She bit the edge of her cone. “By the way, I believe your grandmother. I don’t think she’d put you in danger. It had to be her cousin.”
“I’m sure you’re right.” He stared at his cone.
“And how weird is it that our families go back centuries.”
Andrei ran his tongue across his hand, lapping up a dripping stream of pink gelato. “Yeah, it’s fucked up, though. My family hunted and killed yours, and they’re still doing it.” He lowered his hand and shifted toward her. “It stops now. I won’t let them touch you.”
Daisy reached over and brushed a strand of hair from his forehead. She froze. Did I just do that? By the startled look in those striking blue eyes of his, she had.
“Um…” She returned to staring at the water splashing against the buildings. “We’re not them. I mean our families. We’re better than that.”
“You make me better,” he said and turned to face the same direction as Daisy, gazing down the lagoon.
“Don’t forget.” She found herself staring at his perfect profile and almost forgot what she was going to say. “I know the real you. You were already a great guy before we met.”
He angled his head and regarded her, his lips curling up at the corners. “Thanks for the seal of approval.”
“Anytime.” She returned to staring at the beautiful scenery.
A gondola came around the bend with an older couple holding each other. The gondolier stood at the bow of the boat behind the man and woman. He kept his eyes on the water ahead while rowing with an oar connected to a wooden rest beside him. It was part of her Venice dream to ride in one. And there she was, in her most loved city, unable to do any of the things she’d always wanted to do.
“Wish I could take you on one.” Andrei placed his hand on hers, sending a tingle to start in her stomach and travel up her chest, through her arms and legs, and to the tips of her fingers and toes.
She smiled at him. “Thanks, that’s so sweet of you. I know we can’t spend our money frivolously but having gelato in this place is pretty fricking amazing.”
He removed his hand from hers and checked the screen on his phone. “You ready to go? Our bus leaves in an hour.”
“Sure thing.” She popped the last bit of her cone in her mouth and gave a final look down the canal.
Spending money made Daisy nervous, but Andrei had assured her that they had enough. On the bus, he’d jotted down numbers, always budgeting their funds. The thousand euros he got for his watch and the two hundred she’d made changing fates had to last until they made it back to Amsterdam.
She liked watching Andrei. The muscles in his jaw tightened when he was in deep thought. He lifted his heel and lightly bounced his leg to whatever tune was playing in his head.
“We should head for the station.” He gestured behind him with a jerk of his head as if they could see it from that tiny bridge with all the buildings surrounding them.
The spell of Venice broken, she released the railing. “Yeah, okay.”
She’d almost forgotten the reason for her trip to Europe. Almost forgotten the cursed boy. And almost forgotten the men following them.
And that those men might just possibly want her dead.
As the bus approached the station in Rome, Andrei scooted forward in his seat, searching the parking area.
“I don’t see them,” he said.
Since they’d ditched the men by switching up their itinerary, Andrei believed the men would wait it out there for them. He’d given his grandmother the main cities for their journey. The ones they couldn’t skip, which meant the men had the list, too. But they didn’t know what time Andrei and Daisy would arrive. That was their upper hand.
Andrei got up to look out the other side of the bus. Sitting back in his seat he said, “Nothing there. They could be inside, so we’ll want to stay with a group. Wrap your scarf around your head.”
Her hands shook as she removed her scarf from around her neck. After redoing her bun, she put the scarf over her head, crisscrossed it at her neck, and draped an end over each shoulder.
He reached into his bag, took out a Yankees baseball cap, and put it on. “Don’t leave my side. Keep your head down and go straight to the entrance. We have to find a taxi stand or something.”
“Okay,” she said, and the quiver in her voice gave her away. She was terrified.
He squeezed her hand, his fingers strong and firm around hers. “Hey. We’ve got this.” He stood and slipped on his backpack.
She tugged hers out from under the seat and followed him down the steps of the bus. They kept close to a group of younger people, probably college age. The bus station was busy. Summer breakers and families on holiday swarmed around the ticket booths and waiting areas. Breaking through one group, trying to keep up with Andrei, she spotted the men beside a brochure stand.
As she reached out for Andrei, a soccer team passed between them, pushing her back. The men looked in the direction of the loud athletes, and she quickly lowered her head.
Shit. Shit. Shit. Now what? Stay calm. Get somewhere.
Andrei hadn’t looked back. He didn’t know the men were there or that she was no longer with him. She walked as normally as she could to the women’s room.
Did they see me? She removed her backpack, dropped it on the floor, and leaned against the wall.
I’m trapped.
Panic rose in her chest, and she couldn’t breathe anymore. She slid down the wall and sat on the floor, taking deep breaths and trying to calm herself. She needed to think. To come up with a plan. She needed Andrei.
Then an idea hit her.
She reached into the front pocket of her backpack and took out her tarot deck.
You can never use this magic. Daisy recalled Miri’s warning. It’s too dangerous. Crina, the spirit who had taken over Iris’s body, had the ability to give people fates by handing them a tarot card. And Daisy had it, too. But hers had morphed when Daisy sent Crina to the spirit world. Daisy only had to throw it at them to deliver a fate.
The cost is too high. Miri had warned. It’s more taxing on you than changing fates.
It didn’t have to be a fatal fate, just one that would stop the men.
Chapter Ten
Andrei
The line at the taxi stand was long. Waiting in it was too much of a gamble. They’d need another plan. Andrei glanced back. Daisy was gone.
Where the hell is she?
He backtracked his steps, searching the crowd for her.
There wasn’t any sign of her. The heat caused sweat to run down his temples. He spotted the two Thorn men exiting the door to the arriving buses.
Shit.
His gaze bounced around the lobby, looking for the floral scarf, panic settling in.
“Salut, Andrei,” Ramon’s voice came from behind him.
Andrei spun around.
“He no speak Romanian,” Bart said. “Only the English.”
“Why are you here?” Andrei’s eyes went from brother to brother.
“Mother got tired of the two baboons leadership sent.” Ramon’s gaze went to the door the two men exited. “They couldn’t catch a dog with a bone, those two.”
Andrei needed to distract them. Then maybe Daisy would see them and know something was up. Get the hell out of there befo
re they could spot her. “Bunică told me the truth behind your group,” he said, venom in his tone. “Why didn’t you tell me I was joining The Thorn? How can you belong to something so evil?”
“Mother didn’t want Miri to know,” Ramon said. “We would have gotten around to telling you… Eventually. After you were committed to our cause. But then, you’re too much of a do-gooder.”
“I’m tired of this.” Bart grabbed Andrei’s arm and yanked him closer to him. “Where is the girl?”
Andrei struggled against Bart’s hold, his jaw tightening. He needed to find Daisy and get her away from these clowns before they did something they’d regret. Always trying to please their mother, his cousins never thought for themselves.
His pack tugged back, and he twisted around. Ramon was messing with his front pocket.
“What are you doing? Leave me alone.”
“Just giving you the ring back,” Ramon said, zipping the pocket. “For when you change your mind. It’s a family tradition.”
Andrei wanted to knock that smile off Ramon’s face.
“I’m not changing my mind, you jerk. Don’t you see what you’re doing is wrong?”
Why am I even trying to talk sense into them?
Ramon glanced over his shoulder to where Andrei was now looking. “Tell me where she is.”
He needed to stall them. “I don’t know. We got separated in Florence.”
Stay put, Daisy. As if she could hear his thoughts. She had to have seen Ramon and Bart and hid somewhere. But where?
Bart took a step toward him, and Andrei took one back and bumped into Ramon. “We would hate to harm your grandmother, but if you don’t hand over the girl, you’ll leave us with no choice.”
Bunică.
He fisted his hands. “Touch her, and I’ll kill you.”
“Family or not. I’ll gut you right here,” Ramon said, moving to Bart’s side and opening his windbreaker for Andrei to see the handle of his knife attached to his belt. “Snotty-nosed kid. Always better than everyone. America ruined you.”
Bart held his arm out in front of Ramon, glancing at people rushing by them. “Put that away. You want to alert security?”
Neither of them saw her coming.
Daisy stormed over, a determined look on her face. She tossed a card at Ramon and sparks flew around him. When a surprised Bart faced her, she threw another one at him.
Pops and bangs like small firecrackers sent people running. Others dropped to the floor, and screams rang out in sharp tones.
Daisy snatched up both cards and turned to Andrei. “We have to go.”
Andrei was stuck to his spot, stunned.
Grabbing his hand, she tugged him along with her and yelled, “Run!”
Her steps slowed, and he pulled back on her lead. Blood spilled out of her nose, and her face was powder white. She slumped to the floor, and he scooped her up into his arms.
Holding her close to him, he labored for the door. Her head flopped against his shoulder. The line for the taxi stand had dispersed. One cab was parked at the curb. The driver stood outside the open door, peering into the station to see what had happened.
Andrei opened the back-passenger door, placed Daisy down on the seat, and ducked into the cab. “Hurry. The place is under attack,” he said.
The driver flinched and rushed into the front seat. He put the car in drive and sped off.
“Do you speak English?” Andrei asked.
The man nodded.
“Take us to Parioli district,” Andrei said. “Via Michele Mercati?”
Again, the driver nodded, his eyes flicking up to watch them in the rearview mirror. “She okay?”
“I’m okay,” Daisy answered and wiggled out of her backpack. She struggled with the zipper.
“Here. Let me,” he said, unzipping it. “What do you need?”
“Something to plug up my nose.” She leaned her head back against the seat.
Andrei pulled out some take-out napkins and scooted closer to Daisy. “What did you do back there?” he whispered, placing the stiff paper to her nose.
She covered his hand with hers, and he could feel the weakness in it, trembling and frail. He let her take the napkin and withdrew his hand. “Don’t be afraid of me.” Her words were pleading.
He touched her cheek. How could he be afraid of her? Miri told him to be, yet he couldn’t. She cared deeply for others. Gave more than anyone had to give. Risked her life to save others.
“Never,” he whispered. He wanted to add “again,” because he had feared her. But that had changed. She’d changed him. “So, what was all that card throwing stuff and sparks about?”
She took a deep breath. “I don’t know. It’s something Crina could do, and now I can. It comes from the curse. When I released Crina, it attached to me. Except Crina didn’t have a body and I do. That’s why she needed Iris.”
Hot air blasted through the window. He dragged his fingers through his hair. “You should rest.”
“No. I’m fine,” she said, shaking her head. “You see, when I sent her away, I kept her magic. She could hand a card to someone and change their fate. It sort of morphed with me. I can’t do what she did with all the cards. I can only do it with the Major Arcana ones. But I don’t have to hand it to someone, to have it touched. I can throw them at people.”
Andrei swallowed. He would’ve never believed it if he hadn’t witnessed it for himself. “What are Major Arcana cards?”
“There are twelve of them. They’re more powerful than the Minor Arcanas. They deal with bigger issues like death and illness.”
No wonder Miri warned him about her. Dangerous. Don’t touch her. But he refused to fear her. A migraine was building behind his eyes and his bones ached. The stress was wearing on him.
He shot a look out the back window thinking of Ramon and Bart. “What did you give”—he stopped before calling them by their names—“those men.”
What would she do if she found out that he was a Thorn? He didn’t even remember the name of the group. Not until then. In need of acceptance, he had taken the oath thinking it was just a joke or a game. Like joining a gang. Belonging to a group. Not being alone, when he felt he had no one. Mostly, the meetings were about drinking and messing around with girls.
“I sent one the Fool card reversed, which made him unprepared and unable to chase us. The other one I hit with the Magician card reversed. It gave him disorder and fear.” This time she looked over the back seat, chewing on her bottom lip. “So, it wasn’t anything too bad. They could come after us again.”
He knew they wouldn’t give up. They’d been giving him a hard time for quitting their group. In just about a week, he’d be eighteen and on his way to New York. Away from his peculiar extended family and their cult.
The traffic was intense. The taxi driver weaved in and out of lanes to get around slower drivers. The bread and cheese he’d eaten earlier moved uneasily in his stomach with every jerk of the car.
The driver pulled over to the side of the street and stopped in front of a very large pink stucco villa. Andrei paid the man instead of having him wait. It cost enough to get to the Parioli District. They’d have to walk or find another way to get to the train station later.
Daisy stared at the broad, elaborately carved door to Joost Van Buren’s home.
“Ring the doorbell,” he said.
“What do I say? I never know what to say.” Daisy wrung her hands.
“Just what we came up with on the bus. Want to practice once?”
“Okay,” she said. “Hello, Joost, I’m Daisy Layne. Your friend, Henry, paid me to give you a tarot card reading.”
“It’s Harry.”
“Are you sure?” The tips of her fingers turned red, she was strangling them so hard.
He retrieved his phone from his front pocket and searched Joost’s school site again. He found the chess club photograph with Joost and a classmate. “Yes, it says Harry. See?” He pointed the phone’s screen at her.
She stared at the doorbell button.
Andrei sighed and pushed it himself, causing her to give him a surprised look. The bell chimed inside the house.
“I wasn’t ready,” she hissed and removed her hair tie. Combing her fingers through hair the color of burnt copper.
“You’ll never be ready. Don’t overthink it. Just jump in.”
“Non sono a casa,” a soft voice came from the street. An Italian girl with dark, wavy hair and long legs stood at the road holding a leash attached to a white fluffy dog.
“Parli inglese?” Daisy said.
“Sì,” the girl replied. “They not home. Holiday in the Alps.”
Daisy stepped down the brick pathway to the girl. “Do you know where? What hotel?
“Sì. Always same place. Zermatt. Grand Hotel.”
Daisy looked from the girl to Andrei.
The girl gave Andrei the once-over with a wide grin.
Daisy noticed and rolled her eyes. “So, I guess we’re going to Switzerland,” she said.
When the girl walked off, Andrei retrieved a map he’d gotten at the station from his pocket and checked. “There’s a bus a few blocks away at this green mass. Must be a park. Something called Bioparco di Roma. It’s nearby.”
“It’s a biopark,” Daisy said.
The humidity made it feel like walking through thick cheese soup. Sweat drenched his shirt, and the sun beat down on his neck.
Daisy dragged her feet beside him. “This is how I imagine hell to be.”
Andrei let out a weak laugh. “You nailed it. Have any water?”
“I’m out.”
He slipped his backpack off and unzipped the top, reaching in for his bottle. “Here,” he said and handed it to her. “There’s not much left.”
She inspected the bottle. “What about you?”
“I already had some,” he lied.
“I didn’t see you drink any.” She secured her hair into a ponytail. He liked her hair back. It showed off the curve of her neck and her high cheekbones flushed from the heat.
Andrei was finding there wasn’t much he could put over on her. That thought sank inside him, hitting his stomach like a boulder. If she ever found out he was a Thorn, what would she do? He knew he should tell her, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. The shame was too great to bear. Would she believe he hadn’t known what the group was when he joined? That he thought it was just some silly gang his cousins made up.