I will not blush. I will not blush. I will not blush. Vin took a sip of scalding coffee so she wouldn’t have to answer immediately.
“She did,” Dom said, casually reaching for his mug. “So did I.”
Blushing. “Yup,” Vin managed to say.
Emma actually giggled. “Awesome!” she squeaked out.
“So you busted into my room why?” Vinny asked.
The grin slid off Emma’s face. “Are you kidding me? What happened yesterday? The migraine nearly killed me, and then I woke up in the afternoon and you were gone, and a car was gone and I nearly called the cops.”
“We, uh, had to borrow the car for an errand,” said Vinny. “Sorry.”
“I was worried! Jonas has been recovering from his damn stupidity, so he’s useless. I didn’t know what happened.”
“Sorry, Emma. Really. It was unplanned.”
“You okay? What’s wrong with your neck?” Emma asked, squinting.
Vinny raised her hand to cover the scratch. “Um, nothing. Do you have a scarf or something?”
“Sure, but it won’t match your style. Speaking of, where’d the necklaces go?”
Dom’s foot nudged Vinny’s, a warning to watch her mouth. As if she needed the warning. “They’re safe. I’ll put them on again after breakfast.”
Emma drained her coffee. “Guess what.”
“What?”
“Side effect of Jonas’s boneheaded move yesterday.” Emma smiled. “We had a really good talk this morning. The first good talk in a year, honestly. He woke up, his head clear, and he told me he was so sorry for all the crap he put me through these past months. He’s tossing the stash he’s got in the house, and he’s going to get help for his addiction. He says he’s committed to starting a new life. And I didn’t even say anything! He came out with it. I’m so relieved.”
“That’s great,” Vin said. Emma’s eyes were full of hope, and Vinny knew she’d lost her chance to tell her that it was highly likely her husband made a deal with a demon and nearly killed Vinny with a necklace.
“Oh, and in case you forgot, it’s your birthday! I got a birthday cake all ready. So let’s have a little party tonight.”
“Sure.”
Emma beamed and then said she had to take care of a few things.
After she left the kitchen, Vinny shot a look at Dom. “Ixnay on the urse-kay, mmkkay?”
“At least till after the cake,” Dom agreed cautiously.
Fortified with coffee, Vinny went back upstairs, Dom at her heels.
“It’s not Emma,” she told him as she put her necklaces back on. “She’s got nothing to do with it.”
“She noticed the necklace was gone.”
“No, she noticed all my necklaces were gone. She didn’t ask about the gold one, and she didn’t look weirded out. So she’s innocent.”
“Maybe,” Dom said. “Listen. Try to keep a low profile today. I have to scope out my wards, and check in just in case Lily or Lex dig up more info. If anything happens, tell me instantly. Text. Scream. Whatever. I’ll join you as fast as I can. And Pie will be around.”
She nodded.
The day was actually pretty quiet, considering. But Vinny was also conscious of a feeling building up in the air, the sort of atmospheric shift before an electrical storm. It made it hard to concentrate.
In the early afternoon, Jonas found her on the patio. “Vin,” he said. “I have to apologize.”
Was he confessing to giving her a cursed gift? “For what?”
“For yesterday. For more than that, but yesterday especially. I’m so sorry you saw me like that. Strung out. I never meant for that to happen. And definitely not for you to see it.”
“Oh. It’s okay.” She was nonplussed. She’d never seen an apologetic Jonas.
“It’s not okay, but I’m going to try to be better. Emma deserves it. I fucked up, but I can’t let a bad choice define my life.”
“I hope you turn things around,” she said.
“I will. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know I’m sorry.”
How was she supposed to ask about a curse now? How awkward.
“No worries,” she managed. Then, because the seriousness was killing her, she added, “Don’t think you get to have a bigger slice of cake tonight.”
He held up his hands. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
Time came for dinner. Emma went all out, and every dish she put out was one of Vinny’s favorites.
It should have been fun. It was almost fun. Emma and Jonas held hands, and they looked happy. Dom was outwardly funny, but Vinny could tell he was anxious.
“Sorry I didn’t make your deadline,” he told Jonas suddenly, before dessert.
The mood shifted, as Dom brought up the one thing they’d all been avoiding talking about.
Jonas jumped a bit in his seat. “Oh. Right. Well. You tried. There was never a guarantee it would work. Some ghosts are tricky.”
“Demon,” Dom corrected.
“What?”
“I told you it wasn’t a ghost. It’s a demon.”
“That sounds less good,” Emma said.
“It is less good,” Dom told her honestly. “But I’m going to try one last thing tonight. It might work, it might not.”
“What are you doing?” Vinny asked.
“A different spell. I have to use the attic. And it’ll take me a few hours.”
Jonas said, “Wow. Sounds serious.”
“Yeah.” The way Dom looked at him almost made Vinny wince, because it was blindingly obvious to her that Dom wanted to throttle Jonas. But Jonas seemed unaware.
“I hope it works,” he said.
“Me too.” Vinny said. He hadn’t told her a thing about this new spell, but she knew he’d been talking with his family all day about what to do. Maybe they’d found something.
“Okay,” Emma said, too brightly. “I’m getting the cake.”
She brought out a tall, white frosted angel food cake, with burning candles in a circle around the top. Vinny smiled at her friend, grateful that at least this one relationship seemed to hold tight despite everything.
They sang the song, and then Emma said, “Make a wish!”
Vinny didn’t know what to wish for. Should she wish to break the curse? For Jonas to go to hell? For Emma to get happily divorced? For world peace? For a fresh box of condoms?
I wish for life to be better tomorrow.
The wish formed in her mind, and she blew out the candles. They sparkled briefly before going out, leaving long trails of thin, twisting blue smoke.
The cake was delicious, but Vinny kept thinking of Dom alone in an attic, with a demon on the loose.
When everyone got up from the table, she took Dom by the arm, whispering, “You didn’t do anything to the cake, did you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Those candles acted funny.”
“Maybe Emma bought trick candles.”
“Emma hates trick candles. You cast a spell on them, didn’t you.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Dom looked way too innocent.
“Whatever.” She looked him over carefully. “Are you going to be okay? With whatever you’re doing in the attic?”
“Don’t worry about me. But do me a favor. Don’t go upstairs. Hang out on the main floor for a while.”
“Why?”
“Trust me.”
She nodded. She’d trust him. “Good luck.”
He smiled at her, then left.
Vin helped Emma clear the dishes. In the kitchen, she noticed how tired Emma looked. “You okay?”
“I’m just really wiped out all of a sudden,” Emma said. “Am I the worst friend if I turn in super early on your birthday?”
“Of course not. It was a perfect birthday dinner.”
“I didn’t even get you a present,” Emma said. “How could I forget that?”
“You know I’m not a material girl.” Vinny gave her a hug. “Get some rest.
We’ll party tomorrow.”
“Cool.”
Emma went to her bedroom, leaving Vinny alone in the great room, except for Piewicket, who commandeered a couch to herself. Vinny sat on another couch, staring out the window at the sunset.
“Not exactly a night at the club.”
She turned to see Jonas standing there, skinny and stylish and hair perfectly done. He looked like the celebrity Jonas Belling.
“It’s fine,” she assured him. He didn’t want to go out to the clubs in the city, did he? Why was he so slicked up?
Jonas said something, but it was weird and garbled and Vinny didn’t catch it.
“What did you say?”
“Nothing.” Jonas smiled as he sat down on the couch. “You hearing things, honey?”
“Must be. I swore you said something.”
“Well, I’ll say something now. Happy birthday, babe.”
“Thanks.” What was with all the honey and babe stuff? Vinny hated that kind of talk.
He moved a little closer to her. “I’m really glad you came out to visit.”
“Well. I guess I felt compelled.”
Jonas slung an arm on the back of the couch, but then moved it to her shoulders, his fingers threading the chains of her necklaces. “What’d you wish for?”
“I can’t tell you that. First rule of birthday wish club.”
He laughed, then leaned over and kissed her.
“What the hell?” She pulled away, angry. She hadn’t planned on confronting him about the camera until tomorrow, but maybe it couldn’t wait.
“Come on, Vin. Loosen up.”
“How loose do you think I’ll get?”
He tried to kiss her again, as if that were normal. Vinny edged off the couch and stood up. She glanced over to where Piewicket had been. The cat was gone. Oh, great.
“You’re all uptight. What’s wrong with you?” he asked, standing up too. Standing way too close to her.
“Wrong with me? You’re the one acting all horny with your wife sleeping a few rooms over.”
“I’m just being honest. You’re hot, babe.”
“Are you high again? Seriously. Are you on something?”
“I want to be on you.”
Gross. Vinny pushed him away, hard. “What. The. Fuck.”
Jonas lost his balance and was now on his ass in the middle of the room. He glared at Vinny as he climbed to his feet. “I take it back,” he said. “You’re not hot. You’re a fucking ice queen. It’s like you got a wall around you.”
All at once, she got it. She did have a wall around her—the one Dom so very lovingly put up to protect her. And it was working.
“You’re trying to use magic,” she accused him. “To get me in bed. That’s low.”
“What the hell are you talking about? You’re crazy.”
In any other context, it would sound crazy. But Vinny was utterly certain of what was happening now. “Don’t lie to me. You’re using some kind of magic. What’s the matter, out of roofies?”
“You’re insane, Vin.”
“That’s what guys say when they want women to shut up. I’m perfectly sane. And pissed. I’m going to wake up Emma. It’s time she gets the full story on you.”
“No!” Jonas grabbed her by the arm, twisting it painfully in his attempt to keep her from leaving. “You can’t tell her. I’ll lose everything.”
Vinny pulled her arm free. “Too late.”
Jonas grabbed at her again, this time wrapping his hand around the chains of her necklaces. “Where is it? Where’s the one I gave you?”
“I got rid of it,” Vinny said.
“Got rid of it? You can’t! It’s impossible.”
“So you did know it was cursed.”
He stopped moving, just for a second. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes you do.” Dom came into the room, holding the gold necklace up. “And it’s time you stop lying about it.”
Chapter 25
Vinny had never been so happy to see two guys about to argue.
Jonas turned on Dom. “You said you were going to be in the attic all night.”
“I told people what they needed to hear.” Dom walked toward Jonas, who shrank away as soon as Dom held the necklace out toward him
“Get that thing away from me!” He glared at Dom. “I paid you to fix my problem!”
“You lied to me,” said Dom. “Made the job pretty hard.”
“Fuck you.”
“No thanks. But if you really want, you can try your secret code word.”
Behind Jonas, Vinny watched him with narrowed eyes. She remembered the garbled sound he’d made. “I knew there was something weird about what he said.”
“Yeah. I guessed as much,” said Dom. “It’s a pretty typical piece of the deal when someone bargains with a demon out of lust.” He looked back to Jonas. “Was that the only sin? Lust?”
Jonas shook his head, not meeting Dom’s gaze.
“It can’t be just lust.” That comment came from Emma. She’d been woken, somehow, and now rejoined them all. “It was money too. And fame.”
Piewicket padded into the room, silently taking it all in.
“Jonas was never that talented,” Vinny noted, slowly putting it together. “But all of a sudden, he had an agent, and an album deal, and distribution, and tours.”
“Not everyone is as lucky as you, Vin!” Jonas snapped.
Vinny felt like he’d hit her. “Lucky? I wasn’t lucky. I worked my ass off. I practiced every damn day just to keep up. That’s your problem, Jonas. You never wanted to put the time in. You just wanted to magically be rich and famous.”
“What happened?” Dom asked. “How’d you run into the demon?”
Jonas looked around at the three people surrounding him, cutting off every point of escape. He looked up at the clock on the wall. “It’s too late.”
“It’s not,” Dom said sharply. “But you have to tell the truth. What happened?”
“There was a party,” Jonas said, his voice barely loud enough to hear. “A birthday party. In the Bronx.”
“Malika’s party?” Vinny gasped out. “That was years ago.”
“Thirteen years ago.” Jonas looked lost. “She threw that party for you, Vin. And I went because I wanted to see you so bad.”
“You were already dating Emma by then.”
“Off and on,” he said, defensively. “But it was you, Vin. It was always you.”
Emma’s mouth just hung open, and Vinny felt sick to her stomach.
“What happened at the party?” Dom asked quickly.
“I couldn’t get close to Vin. So I just drank. Dropped some acid. And I saw this chick looking at me. She said there was a way to get everything I wanted. But I had to make a deal.”
“She was the demon,” Dom guessed. “Demons often take on human appearance to get close to victims. She offered you a bargain. What was the deal you made?”
Jonas grimaced, but didn’t say anything.
Vinny glared at him. Time was draining away, and Jonas was just now having his come-to-Jesus moment? Jesus. “Jonas! Spit it out!”
“I got thirteen years till she came back for the payment,” Jonas said, dully. “Thirteen years. Over a decade. I thought it would be plenty of time to figure a way out.”
“You called the Salems two fucking weeks ago!” Emma yelled.
“I was scared!” Jonas yelled back.
Dom stepped in front of Jonas, blocking his view of his furious wife. “Jonas, look at me. What was the deal? I need details.”
“It was simple,” Jonas said. “She said three sins could be satisfied. Greed, envy, and lust. One sin, I’d get 39 years. Two sins, 26. Or all three, for 13 years. I wanted it all. So I took the bargain. Money, fame, sex. All I could handle, and then at the end, I had to offer up the one thing I desired most. Whatever I put the necklace on. If I chose nothing, it’d be my soul. I didn’t ever even feel my soul, so I said yes. I figured i
t was like getting something for nothing.”
Vinny laughed, nearly hysterical. “Something for nothing? From a demon? Have you never seen a movie?”
“For all I knew it was a bad trip!” he insisted. “What did I have to lose?”
Dom snapped his fingers to return Jonas’s focus to him. “Keep going. Say what happened next.”
“What happened is that I got everything. I got famous. I got rich. I married Emma, who’s smart and gorgeous. And Vinny just drifted away. Not famous. Not rich. Playing at being a punk.”
“Playing?” Vinny hissed.
“I wanted to show her what she missed,” Jonas said. His words came fast now, after years of keeping silent. “I wanted to show her what I’d accomplished.”
“You mean what your demon accomplished,” Vinny said.
Jonas rambled on, unhearing. “But when she got here, I could tell nothing had changed. She was too fucking proud to admit that I was good enough for her. She still looks like she’s real people, but she’s a spoiled princess and she’ll always think she’s better than everyone else.”
Vin realized tears were streaming down her face, and she wanted nothing more than to feed Jonas’s soul right over to the demon.
Emma rushed over to wrap her arms around Vin. “Don’t listen to him,” she whispered. “None of that is true.”
“Stop that!” Jonas yelled. “Fucking stop that, both of you! It’s driving me nuts!”
Dom looked disgusted. “They’re not doing that to turn you on, idiot.”
Jonas stared at Vinny and Emma, as if he couldn’t look away. “I said fuck it! I gave her the necklace. I wasn’t going to, but then I thought why should I give my soul up for Vinny? She’s so high above everyone, on her own plane. Who would miss her?”
Vinny buried her face in Emma’s shoulder, as if that could keep her from hearing Jonas say things like that about her.
“Even if you gave her the necklace, it doesn’t mean anything,” Emma said triumphantly. “She’s not your obsession. That’s bullshit.”
Jonas glared at Emma. “Shut up. You don’t want to win this contest, Emma.”
“That’s not what I mean! This demon’s supposed to get the thing you want? That’s the deal? Years of fame and fortune and fucking random chicks in exchange for the one thing you desire most?”
Keep Me Close Page 21