by Tara Rose
“And it makes you angry that he never told you.”
She stared at Estevan, wondering how that stupid bitch Gina Barrett could ever have left him. Then again, if she hadn’t, Jade wouldn’t be here with him right now. What on earth had he ever seen in her? “Yes. It did then. And sometimes I still get angry. But like you said, he was only trying to protect me.”
“But you’re still angry at your parents for refusing protection.”
She poured herself another drink and drained half of it, then put down the glass and took his hands again. She needed his warmth and strength right now far more than she needed to get drunk. “You know, most people don’t think I should be, including Santos, of course. Most people like to tell me that it was their choice, and that they probably felt safe because it’s not exactly easy to get on and off this island. Or that they were right not to leave their entire family or the place where they’d had roots for nearly a century.”
“Most people are idiots.”
She nodded. “I know. I guess there really is no clear answer, is there? Because if they’d gone into protection, that still isn’t a guarantee they wouldn’t have been found and killed, is it?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“I was told they’ve never lost a witness who followed the rules, but you know my parents. They weren’t rule followers.”
“No. They weren’t. But they were good people, just like you and Santos are.”
She squeezed his hands. “Thank you for saying that. They were good people. They were happy and carefree, and tried very hard to help us both live that way as well.”
Estevan smiled. “Well you do, but what happened to your brother?”
“That’s why I think he knew. He told me once that Asa had even tried to get my parents to go into witness protection, but when I pushed him to find out how Asa had known them, or known about the mob hit they’d witnessed, he wouldn’t tell me.”
The smile faded as he nodded slowly. “Your brother and Asa have a close relationship. Odd, but close. He might have known but he kept it from you to protect you. And he probably mentioned it to Asa, thinking perhaps he could persuade your parents.”
“We could have all been killed. They should have told me.”
“But you weren’t killed. And even if you’d known, was that how you’d have wanted to live your life? Always looking over your shoulder?”
“No. You’re right. I wouldn’t be the same person now if I’d had to do that.” She let go of his hands and returned to eating. It would be a shame to waste this delicious dinner. He’d gone to a lot of trouble. “Let’s talk about your family now. I don’t mean the stuff everyone knows. Tell me about your childhood. Tell me something I don’t already know.”
“Well, okay. Where should I start?”
“Tell me what your family thinks about your painting. They can’t be thrilled that you chose not to become CEO of Phoebe’s Playthings one day.”
He chuckled. “That’s for sure. I don’t know if you ever knew my grandfather, Alejandro. He died when I was ten, but I was already closer to him than to any of my other family members.”
“Which of your great-grandfathers was he descended from again?”
“Agapito. And my grandmother was Meryl Raleigh. She died from cancer when she was only forty, so I never knew her.”
“I lost both sets of grandparents when I was young.”
“I’m so grateful for the time I had with my grandfather. He doted on me because we were so much alike. He loved to explore the caves along the beaches, and wasn’t interested in learning the family business.”
“Do you think that’s why you aren’t either, or were you always like this?”
“I’ve always been like this. I remember drawing before I learned how to write. But my great uncle Emilio was one of the men who’d founded Phoebe’s Playthings, along with Daniel Raleigh, who was my grandmother’s cousin.” He grinned. “But I guess you know the company history, right?”
“Everyone on this island does. But that must have been rough for your grandfather, then. Having that pedigree, but no interest in the company.”
“I remember him telling me that my father was always apologizing for both of us. But even back then, as young as I was, I never understood the need for apologies or excuses. We were who we were, and I didn’t understand why we had to be like everyone else in our families.”
“Your father doesn’t say much to any of us when we see him around.” Alexander Durante never had a smile for anyone, and when he spoke at all, it was in a tone that left no doubt he felt she and her family were beneath him. Was Estevan certain he was truly descended from these two families? “Was your grandfather interested in pirate swords, too? Is that where you learned about them?”
He poured a second drink and she finished her fish and veggies, eyeing the fruit salad. “A lot of the ones I have were left to me in his will. He’d been collecting them all his life, and no one protested me having them. I heard Asa tell my father they were useless junk.”
“Useless junk? I doubt that. Especially not if they’re authentic.”
“Oh, they are. All of them. But Asa doesn’t like to acknowledge the fact that our ancestors acquired this rock with illegal money from rum-running and gambling. If he admits the existence of pirates, he has to admit what his family did.”
“He sounds like a complicated man.”
Estevan frowned slightly, then reached over and scooped some of the fruit salad onto plates. “He’s not. He’s just very focused on making money and keeping the natives in their place.” He gave her a droll look. “That would include you and Santos, of course.”
“Of course. And about seventy percent of the people who live on this island.”
Estevan chuckled. “Yeah. My family seems to forget that without the natives, they wouldn’t have a work force.”
“And the empire they’ve built wouldn’t exist. Who do they think William, Raleigh, Agapito, and Iago fathered their children with? Aliens?”
Estevan laughed.
“And without the natives, there would be no local business owners who support their company, or police, or health care. The list goes on and on.”
Estevan raised his glass. “To the natives who keep this island in existence. You’re the real driving force behind our floating paradise.”
“To the natives.” They clinked glasses, and something shifted inside Jade as she watched his handsome face. This man had more charm than he would ever realize. She was drawn to his carefree existence, but that wasn’t only it. She liked him because he wasn’t a corporate wannabe. He didn’t buy into the whole family business angle. He was his own person, and he wasn’t afraid to be so.
After they finished the salad, and most of what was left in the pitcher of margaritas, Jade asked to see his sword collection. He led her to the back of the condo and told her not to freak out. She was about to ask what he meant, but understood when he unlocked the door.
“I had this room built after I bought it. No windows, and the door has a steel core. This is actually another bedroom, and there’s a narrow passageway behind the far wall, where the windows are, but you can’t get to it.”
“Wow. And you’re on the ground floor. It would make a great place to hide during a storm.”
“Yeah. I kind of thought that, too. Unless there’s a flood. Then I wouldn’t want to be in here.”
He flipped on the lights, and she gasped at the array of swords, daggers, and coins on display. Everything was either under glass or encased in a plastic sleeve. He had display cases and hooks above them covering three walls, and a table in the center with smaller items. “This is incredible. I don’t even know what to look at first.”
He pointed toward one of the swords. “This is the one I was telling Santos about.” She followed him to the case where he picked up a cutlass and told her to hold out her hands. “It won’t cut you. The plastic is thick.”
She did, and he gently placed
it on her hands with the blade flat. “See the markings?” He pointed toward the hilt. “They only made a few of these.”
“It’s so beat up. I guess they used it a lot…”
“It’s all right. I know it’s a bit freaky to think about it.”
“Do they all look like this?”
“Yes. Some of them have huge dents in them and stains I don’t dare try to take off. I don’t want to ruin the finish.”
“Wow.”
He took back the cutlass and replaced it on the wall where it had hung, then pointed toward the table in the center. “I have coins and other small objects in here. Most of these I inherited from my grandfather.”
She glanced over the items in the case. “But he must have found all this on the island, right?”
“Some of it, but he scoured catalogs and then later websites for them as well.”
“And is that where you get most of your pieces now? The Internet?”
“Yes. I think anything that can be found here on the island has already been found, or isn’t meant to be.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Promise you won’t tell a soul?”
“I promise.”
He motioned her over to the far wall and slid a panel out from underneath the display case. “I was given this when I was fifteen it. It might be a huge clue to the origin of the curse, or it might be nothing.”
Her pulse raced. “But I thought no one knew anything about the curse?”
He gave her a long, searching look. “That’s not entirely true. There are clues, and quite a few of us have them. My grandfather told me about the ones he knows of, but he also told me the men and women who have the clues in their possession keep their mouths shut about them.”
“Why?”
“You’ll see in a moment.”
Jade held her breath as she watched Estevan take out a black felt bag, and then remove a bronze medallion on a chain that looked as ancient as the sword he’d just shown her. As he held it up, she swore she heard the medallion humming, and a cold shiver ran up and down her spine.
Chapter Four
Jade reached out tentatively, intending to touch it, but Estevan pulled it away. “Only touch the chain, not the medallion.”
“Why not?” she whispered.
“Are you sure you want to know?”
“Of course.”
“The chain has been blessed by Phyllis.” Phyllis Trudeaux was a voodoo priestess who had a shop downtown, and did private consultations for many island residents. “For protection.”
“From what?”
Estevan looked reluctant to speak, but finally he sighed and continued. “When I touch the medallion itself, I have disturbing dreams for several nights. Dreams in which I’m chased by…creatures. I don’t know what they are.”
“Like childhood monsters?”
“Worse. More like demons.”
She stared at the medallion. “Okay. Then why on earth do you keep it?”
“It was given to me by Emilio. He swears it bears the name of the demon who cast the curse, but I’ve sent pictures of it by e-mail to experts around the country, and they can’t find anything on it.”
“What about having someone come here to look at it? Maybe the name doesn’t show up in pictures?”
“I’ve thought about that. But it’s difficult to find the right person. Someone who won’t exploit something this mysterious.”
“Where did Emilio get it?”
“He wouldn’t tell me. But he also told me not to touch it. He had it wrapped in a piece of aluminum foil. I touched it, of course. More than once. Then finally after I had the dreams each time, I went to see Phyllis for help.”
“Why did he give it to you?”
Estevan shrugged. “I don’t know. I think he knew I’d take care of it, and take it seriously. He may not have agreed with the choices my grandfather and I made in life, but I think he understood them.”
“You said a lot of you have clues. Why don’t you all just pool your resources and figure this thing out?”
“Honestly? I think we’re all afraid to find out the whole truth. I think everyone believes if we get all the clues together and start fitting the pieces of the puzzle in place, we’ll have to face the curse. We’ll have to acknowledge the fact that it’s true, and we’ll have to name who cast it, and why. And then we’ll have to do something about it.”
She swallowed hard as she stared at the medallion. On the surface, it was nothing. The shape on it was ugly but nondescript. And she couldn’t see any words at all. But the more she gazed at it, the clearer the image became. It wasn’t a pleasant face at all, and Jade usually wasn’t bothered by paranormal stuff. But this was starting to freak her out and make her uncomfortable, as if she’d walked too close to high-tension wires, or the temperature in the room had suddenly climbed with no plausible explanation.
Jade backed up a few steps. “Maybe you should put it away again.”
He watched her carefully. “You felt it, too, didn’t you? The negative energy.”
She nodded. Estevan placed the medallion in the bag, and put the bag back on the panel. He slid it closed, and Jade let out the breath she’d been holding. Once they were out of the room, his face took on a more relaxed expression. “I’ll bet this is weirdest dinner date you’ve ever had.”
“No. It’s not weird at all. It’s fascinating. You’re fascinating.” She glanced around the room, suddenly more than conscious of his male aura. He was dressed simply, in khaki shorts and a T-shirt but he exuded sexiness. Every time she saw him he did.
Her eye caught several blank canvases. “Will you show me some of your work?”
“I’d love to.” He moved closer. “But first there’s something else I want to do.” He brushed a finger along her hair, tentatively, as if he was unsure of her reaction. She held her breath again, every nerve ending on fire. “Something I’ve wanted to do since I was like thirteen years old.”
“That long?”
“Yes.”
Jade’s body trembled as he bent his head and kissed her. His lips were as soft and warm as she’d always imagined they’d be, and when his tongue probed hers, she moaned softly and opened her mouth to let him inside. He cupped her face and she moaned louder now, wrapping her arms around his hard, muscled body as his tongue moved in ways she’d never experienced. The man could kiss.
Her pussy was soaked and her nipples tingled. Erotic images danced through her head. She’d fantasized about this man so often now that the reality of finally kissing him was like every erotic experience she’d ever had coalescing into one perfect moment.
An annoying chirping sound invaded her consciousness. He released the kiss and groaned. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
Jade shook her head slightly to focus her thoughts. “What is that?”
“Liam.” Estevan strode over to the kitchen counter and retrieved his phone.
“Can’t we just ignore it?” She knew who Liam Raleigh was. One of the multitude of his cousins—first, second, third, or heaven only knew how they were all related. Jade had known him most of her life as well, but he was a company man, all the way. Nothing like Estevan. But despite that, she also knew from listening to local gossip that the two were good friends. It boggled the mind.
“Sorry. Hang on. I’ve been waiting for this call.”
She listened to him say something about painting supplies, and then he asked something that made Jade curse his silly cousin. “It has to be now? Really? Can’t I just sign the damn thing in the morning?” To his credit, Estevan did not look happy. “Fine. Come on over now.”
He disconnected the call, and gave her an apologetic look. “I’m sorry. This won’t take long.”
“What’s going on?”
“I’m doing some work in the complex, and Asa has insisted I sign a contract. Since Liam and I are close, he’s making him do the dirty work.”
“Your family is making you sign a contract to paint wa
lls inside their company?”
“Yeah. I know. Now you understand why I have zero interest in working for them.”
“When do you start this job?”
“In the morning. I’ve been waiting for someone to call and confirm I can get inside the building on a Saturday. I’m doing the painting on weekends so I don’t distract anyone and cause mass chaos during normal working hours. Apparently Asa found out a half hour ago that Liam never had me the sign the contract, and he bitched him out for it.”
She had to laugh at both the look on his face and the tone of his voice. Jade sauntered toward him, trying to put on her best sexy face. “Well then, we’ll just wait for Liam to bring over your super important contract, and then we’ll get back to what we were doing.”
* * * *
Liam couldn’t imagine what had Estevan in such a huff about him coming over on a Friday night. The man lived like a monk. There were no cars or bikes parked outside his condo, so he must not have company. When Estevan opened the door and Liam crossed the threshold, he opened his mouth to speak but then closed it again.
Jade Augustine stood next to Estevan, dressed in the prettiest summer dress he’d ever seen, and holding a drink in her hand. Her eyes were bright and her pretty face slightly flushed, though Liam didn’t know if that was from the drink or something else. Her hair was slightly mussed up, and he stared from her to Estevan again, wondering how he could have possibly missed this.
“Oh. I didn’t know you had anyone here. Sorry.”
How long had they been seeing each other? And why hadn’t Santos busted Estevan’s balls for dating his sister?
“It’s all right. Where’s the contract? Let’s get this over with.”
Liam ignored him and addressed Jade instead. “How are you? You look wonderful. It’s been a while.” He’d known her all her life, of course, but didn’t see her nearly as often as he wished he did. Her brother, Santos, was a hard-nosed police sergeant who had pretty much made it clear to Liam that Jade was not going to date a Durante or a Raleigh. As a result, he’d only gone out with her once and then never called her again. That had been two years ago, and he’d spent nearly every moment of those past two years wishing he’d told Santos to go fuck himself.