by Dana Davis
Just as they received their fortune cookie deserts, a well-dressed Native man, who looked to be in his late forties, walked in. Like some Native men in Phoenix, he didn’t have the rugged features associated with the stereotype of an Indian. He was a bit fleshy with soft features and bright eyes. Daisy didn’t know enough about the local Native communities to tell which tribe he hailed from but he looked out of place in this part of town. Everyone in the restaurant was white, with exception of the servers and one Asian couple seated by the bar. Even in the twenty-first century, most Indians still lived on or near the reservations. And the reservations didn’t have a lot of money. Daisy thought that a shame. Scottsdale could do with more outward diversity. Unlike other minorities, most paranormals could hide their identities.
A young girl was with the man, a daughter perhaps. The hostess seated them a couple of tables over, also by the window. Daisy didn’t usually stare at people but this man caught her gaze and nodded. She nodded back, wondering if she knew him from someplace. He could very well be a paranormal. A lot of Indians had the blood in them.
After a few moments, a middle-aged woman joined the two, but she took a good look at Daisy first. The man said something to her before she sat. The girl glanced over.
“What’s that all about?” Noah said.
“Got me.”
Before the conversation went any further, the woman came to Daisy’s table. “Excuse me,” she said with the barest hint of a Native accent.
She smelled of a fruity perfume, very nice and relaxing. Her blue sweater and gray skirt accentuated ample curves. Streaks of white stood out against her long black hair, which she wore secured at the nape of her neck. Daisy didn’t have to be a telepath to notice that intelligence and confidence flowed from the woman, and those dark eyes looked like they didn’t miss much.
“Yes?” Daisy said.
“I couldn’t help noticing your necklace. It’s very pretty. Where’d you find such a treasure?”
Daisy felt a fool now. The woman had only been admiring her jewelry. I must be getting paranoid. She fingered the silver moon suspended on the silver chain. A raised ruby floated in the center of several marcasite stones. Not something you could pick up just anyplace. “A little shop in Old Scottsdale,” she said. “I don’t remember which one.”
That was a lie, something paranormals were damned good at. Mrs. Ferdinand had sold the necklace to her. But only paranormals who’d been referred to the woman were allowed in her store, which was inside her private home. And she knew if people weren’t on her list long before they reached her door.
“Well, it’s really beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
The woman eyed Noah, narrowed her eyes briefly on Bridgette, then smiled and went back to her table. The daughter kept eyes locked on Daisy until her mother chastised her for staring. She looked to be about ten or eleven years old and would probably have the same ample figure as her mother one day, though her features reflected her father’s heritage.
Daisy turned back to her table. From Bridgette’s expression, she had no doubt plucked something from the strangers’ heads. But now wasn’t the time to talk.
After Noah paid the check and they headed for the door, Daisy had an uneasy feeling someone watched her. She peered over one shoulder just before she stepped outside and saw the Indian woman studying her. She smiled and followed Bridgette out as Noah held the door for them.
“Anything?” she said to Bridgette once they were in the car, a blue Camry hybrid they’d purchased for Noah last year.
Daisy really liked the car but preferred to drive the mint green Volkswagen van she’d had since college. Of course, she’d had her mechanic, a paranormal distant cousin on her father’s side, convert it to an automatic, add an alarm, air bags, new seatbelts and other modern features. Phoenix wasn’t exactly the safest place to drive these days. Too many people from other parts of the country visited here, many making a permanent move, each with his or her own street style. Quite a shock to some of the truck-driving locals from outlying areas, who rarely left their farming communities.
“Both adults are paranormals,” Bridgette said as she clicked her seatbelt in place. “I couldn’t get much from either one. Their minds are well trained. That woman wasn’t just admiring your necklace, though. That much I got.”
“Oh? What about the kid?” Noah said as he glanced over the seat.
The parking lot lights illuminated his features and Daisy saw the beginnings of stubble on his chin. His face conveyed worry. She would have to put him at ease later. He’d always been a bit overprotective of her, and she didn’t want him getting involved with other paranormals, especially strangers. Despite his newfound ancestry, he had no powers with which to defend himself if things grew hostile.
“Typical kid. Her mind’s as open as a whore’s legs.”
Noah laughed.
“You’re horrible, Bridge,” Daisy said. She snicked her seatbelt into the lock.
“It’s in my blood. The kid has no powers. At least, nothing that’s shown itself, yet.”
“That could change.”
Many paranormals didn’t come into their powers until puberty or later. Inherent witches were different than most. Their powers began developing early, usually when they were old enough for kindergarten, the way Daisy’s had manifested. Which was why most were home-schooled until they could integrate without giving themselves away.
“I suspect it will, since those two are her parents. If they’re up to something, the girl doesn’t know anything about it. She thought her mother was simply admiring your necklace.”
The Native man stared out the restaurant window. Though it was dark out, they were parked beneath a light, and Daisy had a sickening feeling he could see her too.
“We should go.”
Chapter 12
Mother May I
Yelling emanated from the guestroom. Bridgette had called her mother again. Since it was Monday, Noah had gone to work, and she finished cleaning up the breakfast dishes as she waited for her cousin. Perky trailed her around the kitchen as she tended to chores, probably sensing she’d be leaving soon. The dishwasher filled up much faster with three people in the house and she ran it for the third time in a week.
Bridgette wanted to go condo hunting today, so Daisy decided to put her estate items up for a six-day auction starting tomorrow. That way she wouldn’t have to worry about scheduling a package pickup until next week after the winners paid.
She’d just changed from sweats into jeans and a sweater when Bridgette finally got off the phone. Her cousin’s face looked drawn, even with makeup. Dark circles stood out beneath those brilliant green eyes and her cheeks were flushed, probably with anger. Bridgette was still gorgeous, though, like a model without the airbrushing. They’d known each other since Daisy’s first week on the planet. Her cousin was near exhaustion.
“You look like shit,” she said as they met in the hall.
“Thanks,” came Bridgette’s droll reply. The two of them headed for the family room, Perky trotting behind.
“I know you’re not sleeping well.”
Bridgette gave her a sideways glance and shrugged. “I didn’t sleep well even as a kid.”
“You know what I mean.” She led her cousin to the couch and motioned her to sit. “You’re having nightmares.” Before Bridgette could protest, she added, “I’ve heard you moaning in your sleep.”
“How do you know I’m not having dream sex?” That familiar smirk danced on Bridgette’s thick lips but the smile seemed a bit forced.
“Funny. Here.” She held out a business card.
“What’s this?” Bridgette took it. After staring at it for what seemed a very long minute, she frowned and eyed Daisy.
“She helped me after my mother died. She’s a paranormal. You’ll like her. I promise.”
“I don’t need a shrink.”
“I can’t imagine what it was like for you with that siren and I won’t pretend
to. But I know you. And you, Bridgette Kelly McDougal, aren’t getting enough sleep. You’re jittery all the time, sucking caffeine like it’s about to be banned. And you forget things, even where money’s concerned. Not like you at all, cousin.” Those green eyes grew dangerous, telling Daisy it was time to back off. “Just think about it. That’s all I’m asking.”
Bridgette gave her a long, suffering look then relaxed. “Fine. I’ll think about it.” She stuffed the card in her purse. “Can we go now?”
“Yes. I know just the complex. It’s nearby. Close enough for us to get together on short notice if we need to. And before you ask me, yes, it’s run by a paranormal family.”
“As long as it’s got all the modern conveniences.” Which for Bridgette, meant expensive upgrades throughout. “But I want to drop off that piece of shit rental first and buy a real car.” She headed toward the garage with Daisy on her heels. Suddenly, she stopped halfway through the kitchen and turned, long arms crossed beneath her breasts. “What’re you not telling me?”
Daisy sighed. Though she had enough mind control to keep Bridgette out of her most private thoughts, the woman could invariably dig up something, as she could with just about any paranormal.
“Out with it, Daisy.”
“Okay, okay. The complex is owned by Fay and Jay Abbey.” She winced, half-expecting her cousin to haul off and slap her.
“I see.”
Bridgette followed Daisy several miles to the rental place on Shea Boulevard and dropped off her car. She climbed into Daisy’s VW van and said, “You really should get rid of this hippy-shit thing.”
Daisy reached over to turn the CD down as she chuckled. “I like it.”
Bridgette adjusted her seat as far back as it would go. “Jay, huh?” she said after a minute of squirming. First time she’d mentioned anything about the Abbey’s since they left the house.
“You’re mad.” Daisy put the van into gear and backed out of the parking space, braking once for a man who gabbed on his cell as he walked between the cars, not paying attention to anything else. At least he wasn’t driving.
“I’m not mad.”
She steered toward the exit. “Yes you are.”
“Jay’s small potatoes compared to Simon.”
She pulled out of the parking lot onto Shea and hit a red light at the next intersection. She glanced at her cousin, hoping the woman would confide in her now. “That was his name? Simon?”
“Yes.”
“Think he’s still looking for you?”
“I doubt it after all this time.” Bridgette nodded to the light, which had turned green.
Daisy accelerated just as the guy behind her honked from his oversized pickup. “Dumb ass,” she uttered. “Can’t he see I’m not exactly driving a Jaguar?” He came up on her tail and flashed his headlights. “Like that’ll make a difference.”
Bridgette glanced over her shoulder and uttered a cease spell that caused the guy’s engine to stall. “That’ll teach him.”
“Now why didn’t I think of that?”
“You’re too nice.”
Daisy laughed.
When she got to the Loop 101, also known as the Pima Freeway, she headed north. She’d promised Bridgette a ride to one of the upscale auto dealers before they went to see the condo. The woman could be a prude sometimes. No way would Bridgette purchase anything less than stylish, certainly not a 1965 mint green VW bus, even with modern upgrades. This section of the 101 had been completed several years ago, giving easy access to the northern part of Scottsdale and prompting business growth as well as a housing boom. Daisy’s hometown had become a shopper’s paradise, with all the traffic and noise that followed those conveniences.
“So, you gonna tell me about this Simon guy or not?”
Bridgette sighed. “He’s gorgeous, Daisy. Absolutely drop-dead gorgeous.” Of course. Why expect anything less from a legendary seducer? “And he was the best fuck I ever had.”
“I’ll bet.” Despite the gravity of Bridgette’s former situation, Daisy chuckled.
They passed various freeway reliefs, likenesses of local flora and fauna carved by artists into the underpasses and sound barrier walls. Daisy’s favorites were the giant geckos that looked as though they crawled up the side of the wall, wonderful art in her opinion. She tried not to let them distract her as she drove.
Several city workers in orange vests were attending to the landscaping along the side of the freeway, and she had to change lanes to avoid a driver who seemed confused by the flashing arrows of the work truck. He slowed to a near stop and Daisy got a glimpse of the Minnesota license plate as she passed.
“You should’ve honked at that idiot,” Bridgette said.
“Why? Cause him to panic and swerve into something? Like us?”
Her cousin made a sound of disgust then said, “Simon must’ve been stalking me just out of my telepathic range for weeks. Had me hooked that first date night, caught me completely off guard. Took me almost three weeks to realize what’d happened. That’s how strong he is, Daisy. And a cocky sonofabitch. I was a prize to him. A paranormal. Not some mortal woman who’d never be able to resist him. I think he saw me as some sort of rite of passage. He really didn’t want to let me go. I was still in California at the time.”
Daisy nodded. She took her exit and turned left at the light. Palo verde trees dominated the medians, green bark, tiny leaves and numerous thorns a telltale sign of her beloved desert.
“Once I figured out what Simon was doing,” Bridgette said. “I waited for him to go out on one of his errands and managed to break the connection long enough to get some distance from him. I packed my magick books, clothes and anything else I could squeeze into my luggage, and moved into an Oregon hotel. The bastard followed me there so I hightailed it to Colorado.”
“Shit.” Daisy braked hard as an elderly woman made a left turn right in front of her.
Luckily there were no other cars near enough to hit the giant Oldsmobile, or her for that matter, as Arizona drivers were notorious tailgaters. Bridgette smacked the dash and uttered several swear words. Happy she hadn’t t-boned the Olds, Daisy concentrated on slowing her racing heart and waited in silence for her cousin to continue the story. Her silence worked and soon Bridgette focused on her abductor again.
“When I realized I wasn’t going to lose Simon that easily, I called Cousin Sally and told her what was going on. She invited me up to Banff—no, she insisted I come. I got on the very next plane to Canada and never looked back.”
Daisy slapped down jealousy that her cousin hadn’t confided in her first. Bridgette probably had a very good reason. Probably thought she was protecting me. “Good for you. But what about your job, your apartment? Your furniture?”
“I’d already given notices to my boss and my apartment manager in California and sold all my stuff, thanks to that bastard. I was living with him. A slave to him. I don’t think I bought anything but lingerie the three weeks he had me. I decided not to settle down anyplace until I was certain he’d stopped looking for me, so I lived in hotels until I got to Sally’s. He probably never expected me to move to Canada. Thank the universe I finally made it out of his calling range. Sally and I cast every spell we could find to break his connection to me. She assured me that after eight months he would’ve latched onto some other prey.”
Daisy wanted to reassure Bridgette, give her a sound hug and tell her how happy and relieved she was that she escaped. Her cousin wasn’t the touchy-feely sort of woman, unless it came to men. Instead, she settled for, “I’m glad you got away. And I can’t imagine a siren going too long without sex.”
“He’s an animal. Into everything kinky. I’m sure some of it’s outlawed in several countries.” She sighed. “Crazy sonofabitch. But phenomenal sex. Boy, I miss that.”
“Bridgette, honestly.” Despite the influx of winter visitors, traffic was light today and Daisy made it to the auto dealer quicker than she’d expected. She took a left as soon as traffi
c allowed. “Great sex isn’t worth all that.”
“I didn’t say it was great. I said phenomenal. Huge difference.”
She couldn’t help smiling as pulled into the dealership lot and parked. Several men in ties paced around outside. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a car dealership within thirty miles that was owned by a paranormal. Some things were just too dodgy, even for her kind.
“Time to deal with sharks of a different color, Cousin,” she said. “Got your game face?”
“Honey, I got my whole shit-bag full of tricks. The sorry sonofabitch who picks me won’t know what hit him until I’m long gone with the car of my dreams. At a decent price.”
“You go girl.”
Bridgette opened the door just as Daisy killed the engine. “You coming?”
“Nah. I’m not much good haggling for cars. Anything else. But not cars.”
“That why you still drive this piece of shit?”
“This is a beauty.”
“Yeah. If it’s the 60s and you’re a fucking hippy.”
Bridgette shut the door before Daisy could get in a retort and headed toward the small crowd of men. They seemed eager. The guy whose turn it was to snag the next customer stepped lively toward the tall redhead. The rest seemed genuinely disappointed. Bridgette would no doubt get exactly what she wanted at the price she decided to pay.
Daisy smiled, took up a water bottle she kept tucked in the small ice chest, and took a long drink. She put the bottle in a cup holder, one of the modern upgrades she’d had done, leaned her head back and relaxed. She must have dozed off because the next thing she knew, her cousin was standing outside her window.
She squinted at the tall woman then lifted her sunglasses to check her watch. Only ten minutes had passed. “Done so soon? Won’t that look a bit suspicious?”
Bridgette said nothing. Instead, she walked around to the passenger side and waited by the sliding door. She must’ve bought a ton of accessories to need all the room back here. Daisy twisted out of the front seat, stepped back and opened the sliding door. Bridgette climbed in the back, stooping to keep her head from banging the metal roof.