by Cherie Marks
“I just want to be normal. I’m so exhausted, and I can’t keep pulling jobs. I want it to end.”
“What if I told you I know a way to end your curse forever?”
I gritted my teeth and glanced up to meet his gaze again, eyes almost dry. I didn’t want to be interested, but I really did want a way out. Was I desperate enough to work with the devil?
“I’d say you’re probably lying, and I’d have to be an idiot to work for you.”
As if he didn’t have a care in the world, he sat back down and rested his chin on his folded arms, lying on the table in front of him. I watched him warily.
“Ever heard of the Hale Stone?”
Mostly, I’d heard it was impossible to find. “Lost…for centuries. No way to get it.”
“Before now. Turns out, there’s a prophecy. When a Hale witch is pregnant with a son, the stone will resurface.”
“So? I told you, I haven’t talked to Evie in far too long. She could’ve had fifteen sons for all I know.”
He sat up straight, his eyes shining as he continued his story. “That’s just it. Only female witches have been born for centuries. No males at all, but I happen to know that Evie was the last remaining Hale witch and broke her own family’s curse. To bring it full circle, she is currently expecting a child.”
“And you want me to go cozy up to the Hales and see if Evie is carrying a boy. If so, I’m supposed to con her out of this stone and bring it back to you?”
“Easy-peasy for a skilled pro like you.”
I plastered the smile back onto my lips. “Eat shit, vampire. I’m not getting anything for you. Looks like you’ll be killing me after all.” I wasn’t that depraved. Despite our falling out in Hollywood, Evie was a good person, and I wanted nothing to do with this.
His confident look didn’t waver as he said, “Somehow, I knew you’d say that.” He nodded to some unknown person behind me, and a click, like a switch, sounded from the same direction. “This might change your mind.”
Knowing I wasn’t going to like what I saw, I swiveled my head, pulling my body around as far as the restraints would allow. Through a large, viewing glass that could clearly be darkened to become a one-way window, I now saw a familiar face smashed up against it.
“Fuck me.”
“With a brother like him, I’d say you make a habit of saying that phrase.”
My little shit of an older brother, Bruno, had worked me into a corner once more, and though I wanted to be able to throw up my hands and walk away from this, I knew I couldn’t…literally.
“Let me guess. His life for the freaking stone.”
“Clearly, you got all the brains of the family.”
I turned back to stare him in the eyes, making sure my disgust was evident in the twist of my lips. “Well, you leave me no choice. I’ll get the stone for you, and you’ll let him go, but you mentioned something about freeing me of the curse also.”
“Yeah, I did, didn’t I?” He stood and produced a key. As he began unlocking my restraints, he said, “One touch of the stone will break a curse forever.”
“Sounds too good to be true.”
“Not necessarily. It breaks curses, at a cost, of course.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Your curse will be gone but so will your emotional ties to your brother and anyone else you care for.”
I threw a glance over my shoulder. Would that be so bad? To no longer care if my brother couldn’t keep his shit together? I didn’t see the downside. It was a freedom I would be hard-pressed to see a reason to reject, especially if the dangerous urges went away.
“I’ll do it. Just point me in the right direction, and the stone is as good as yours.”
Goodbye, curse. Goodbye, emotions. Goodbye, pain. It was time to walk away from all my misery and choose my own path for once. What could possibly go wrong?
Chapter 3
I sat on a decorative bench and watched people walk up and down the sidewalk. I was waiting. For a mark. I’d watched her for a full two weeks until I’d been completely certain of her schedule. She’d be driving this way any minute now.
I glanced down at my phone to check the time for the umpteenth time. And then, as I looked up, I saw her bright, red Corolla crest the hill. I perked up and sat forward, psyching myself up to pull what I hoped was my last con. This was the last thing I wanted to be doing right now, but if it meant I’d never have to manipulate and work people over ever again, it would be worth it. If it meant I could let my brother clean up his own messes without feeling any responsibility to him, I’d do it time and again. Besides, with time, my body would heal. Curses would never went away on their own.
As the car made its way down the street at a school-zone speed, I darted toward the street, bracing myself for the inevitable impact. Tires screeched as she attempted to stop, but I didn’t even give her enough response time to slow down, loosening the muscles of my body as best I could before the car plowed into me. I rolled up on the hood and over the other side. I’d done everything just right to minimize the unavoidable damage to my body, and as I came to a rest on the asphalt of the street, pain lanced through the side that had taken the brunt of the hit. Something had definitely broken, and for just the smallest of seconds, I knew I deserved every bit of the pain I would endure due to my injuries.
Before I got too mindless with the pain, a quick spell put a contusion on my head and made my face swell so that she couldn’t recognize me right away.
A car door slammed, and my eyes closed as the waves of pain hit me. As usual, I was going to pay dearly for this con.
“What the…? Are you okay?”
She was kneeling down on the street beside me, leaning over me, her phone plastered to the side of her head. She called for an ambulance, and all I could do was lay there, letting the agony take over while silently congratulating myself for running everything according to plan so far.
A couple hours later, I was situated in a hospital bed, pain meds being pumped into my thirsty veins. The swelling I’d created had mostly faded. I was feeling much better, but she still hadn’t come to my room, and I wasn’t quite sure the con was working as well as I’d hoped. Surely, if it were, she’d be here already.
The wide door into the room opened and a couple figures walked into the small space. The nurse who’d been taking care of me all day began checking my vitals and changing out the saline bag pumping the necessary hydration into my body.
An older man in a white coat with a clipboard in his hand stepped forward. “So, Ms. Doe, you seem a little more cognizant. Can you tell us who you are and what you were doing running into a busy street?” He stared at me over his bifocals.
It was time to put my acting skills to work. “I…I…I can’t seem to remember anything.”
“Well, your injuries are consistent with a brain injury that could cause some memory loss, so it’s not unusual for you to not recall important details.”
“Like that thing you get when you don’t even remember your own name? Um…amnesia?”
He nodded, a heaviness in his gaze. “Could be.”
“How is that possible? I thought that was made up for movies and bad soap operas.”
“No. It’s quite real, just rare.”
Playing the part of someone trying to figure this surprising development out, I let my focus wander up to the ceiling and back down before asking, “How long will this last?”
He shrugged. “Hard to say. Could last a day or two. Could last for years. Just to be clear, it’s possible, you’ll never get your memory back.”
I stared at him, mouth open, as if I were letting his words sink in. “So, what do I do now? Where do I go? What’s going to happen to me?”
Someone stepped out of the shadows, and I had to stifle the smile that almost slipped onto my lips. Evie had come.
“I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.” She came up beside the bed. “I’ll take full responsibility for her care. Whatever it...”
She stopped and stared at me, and I knew the exact moment she recognized me. The emotions that played over her features fascinated me. No doubt about it, she knew who I was.
I tensed as she leaned in and paid for it with the pain that sliced down my back, but I wasn’t entirely sure my acting skills would work on her. I could easily mimic a head injury, but she was a powerful enough witch to see right through it if she suspected that at all. And, after my brother’s usual behavior, I wouldn’t blame her if she did. I just hoped my amnesia ploy worked.
“Cara?”
I swallowed hard before saying, “I don’t…I don’t know if that’s my name or not? Do we know each other?”
She looked me over only once before looking away quickly. Instead, she looked at the doctor and said, “As soon as she is well enough, I’ll take her to my house. She can stay with me until her memory returns.”
“That’s very generous of you, Evie, but do you really think Dane would want you to do that?”
The look she gave the doctor nearly had me laughing. If I wasn’t in a truckload of pain, I might have been rolling on the floor. Instead, I suppressed my giggles and waited, groggily, for her response.
“Believe it or not, Dr. Camofloster, I have a brain of my own and can make decisions without Dane.”
“Of course you can. I meant no disrespect. It’s just…well…” He pointed to her protruding abdomen. “Do you think it’s a good idea to bring a stranger into your home in your condition?”
Evie’s hands planted on her hips hard. “I hit her with my car. I think I owe her something. Besides, she’s not a stranger. We’ve met before….years ago…out west.”
“You know who I am? That’s great news!” It even hurt to smile. “So, my name really is Cara? That’s good to know.”
The doctor glanced at me quickly before pulling her back into the shadows. He began to talk in a low voice, and I had to strain to hear what they were saying.
“How’s your pain, dear?” The nurse interrupted my eavesdropping.
I gave her a small smile and said, “I’m managing fine right now.” I had to keep my wits about me, which meant bearing a little pain. The real problem was figuring out what I was missing in a conversation that concerned my future.
“Well, let us know if anything changes.”
“Will do.” I gave her another tight lift of my lips and tried to focus on the doctor’s words to Evie. The gist of it was that there were people who leaped in front of cars on purpose, hoping to get a quick payday, and he hoped I could be trusted. Clearly, the doctor had a point, but if my brother was going to live, and if I had the opportunity to exist curse-free, I had to keep up the act.
I couldn’t quite hear the end of their chat, but they both stepped back to the side of my bed. The nurse exited quietly, and I focused on the concerned looks mirrored on both their faces. I had a feeling I wasn’t going to get the outcome I so desperately wanted.
Evie cleared her throat. “Do you remember me at all, Cara?”
I stared at her with a furrowed forehead, like I was straining to remember. I shook my head back and forth slowly. “I can’t place you at all. Maybe if you tell me how we knew each other, something might come back to me.”
“Maybe later.” She glanced behind her before leaning down again and whispering, “Considering the indefinite nature of when your memory might return, the doctor thinks it’s a bad idea to extend an invitation to stay with me without an end in sight. I see his point…” Shit. “But…I can’t sit back and do nothing. We’ll set up a time limit, say a month, in which I’ll do my best to help you get your memory back. After that, we’ll reevaluate the situation.”
I couldn’t suppress the smile that came over me. I knew that once I was inside, I wouldn’t fail. I’d find the stone, and I’d finally make my problems go away. I’d finally be able to live a normal life. It seemed too good to hope for after all I’d been through.
“Besides, Dane hired a bodyguard to watch over me while my father and he are out of town. Might as well add one more. Three’s company, right?”
Another person? That was…unexpected. And he was set on protecting Evie. No problem. Bring it on. There wasn’t a challenge I couldn’t handle.
“You’re just going to love Finn Bryant. He’s a total stick-in-the-mud, which means the pranks are that much funnier.”
This was going to be harder than I thought. Not because of the wrench of a bodyguard thrown in the works. This was going to be difficult because Evie was exactly how I remembered. She was vivacious and fun. I really, really liked Evie, and I drew the line at hurting people I liked. When it came to Evie, the line was blurred, so what was I supposed to do now?
Chapter 4
Completely healed, except for a faulty memory, I followed Evie through her front door and immediately felt waves of guilt once more. She was being genuinely nice and considerate, carrying what little belongings I’d been given by the hospital. Mostly, it was a bag of shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, and other general hygiene items.
Honestly, I didn’t have too many personal possessions anyway. Turned out, not being able to settle down in one spot for too long hindered the accumulation of permanent stuff. Of course, even now, the curse was kicking in. My fingers itched to grab everything not nailed down. It was a compulsion I had to work hard to fight, and I knew I’d lose eventually. I just hoped I could hold out until I could find the stone.
“I’ve got a spare bedroom that I’ll put you in, right across the hall from me. I actually have two, but Finn will be in the other one, next door to yours.”
“When do you think I’ll be able to meet Finn?”
“This evening. His flight arrives in about an hour. I arranged for a friend of mine to pick him up at the airport so that I could get you settled in.”
Guilty, guilt, guilt! Why did she have to be so great? Why couldn’t she secretly be a wicked hag who peed in pools and drank the blood of kittens while doing it?
“I appreciate that, but I really don’t want to be an inconvenience. Go about your normal life. The doctor said that my memory could come back in a flash. I’m sure I’ll be as good as new in no time. And, I’ll do my best to stay out of your way.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Make yourself at home. My house is your house—at least for now. I’m sure things will straighten out, and you’ll get back to normal in no time.”
Why did that idea depress me even more?
“Whoa! Evie, you have to warn me we’re having guests over. What if I’d been entertaining a lady-friend?”
My gaze dropped to the ground where a fluffy, orange-furred cat sat on its haunches, looking back and forth between Evie and me. I recognized her familiar Clooney. He’d been a little thinner when I’d met him in California long ago. He’d been trying to break into showbiz, but obviously since then, he’d let himself go just a little.
“Clooney? Why are you here? You’re supposed to be picking Finn up at the airport. Er…making sure he gets into the correct car anyway.”
“Oh, was that today?”
“Yes! How could you forget?” She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. “I’ll have to let him know what’s going on.”
“Nah! Don’t worry about that. Baba Yaga and I are back on good terms. I’ll just ask her to zap me there. She won’t mind.” He stood and walked a circle around my legs, sniffing haughtily, before asking, “Should I even bother to ask why Cara’s back in your life after what her brother put us through?”
Well, he clearly remembered me, but I had to play dumb as best as I could. “Brother? Dammit! I should remember having a brother, right?” I made a show of examining Clooney a little closer. “Have we met before? Pretty sure I’d remember you.”
As I glanced around, Evie looked thoughtful for a moment before saying, “You’re sure you don’t recall anything about our time together in California?”
I’d expected her to ask this again, and this time I was ready with an answer
. “I can’t seem to remember much of anything before yesterday. I have vague memories of familiar faces, but I can’t even match them up to names. I was hoping you could tell me what I was doing in California, and for that matter, what I’m doing here. Maybe tell me more about…a brother I apparently have?”
Clooney scoffed…either that, or he was coughing up a hairball. “Wait a minute! What do you mean you don’t remember?”
“I hit her with my car, Clooney, and she bumped her head on the asphalt. She’s forgotten a lot, including when we knew each other before.”
He stared at me suspiciously. This was going to be harder than I thought, but I’d committed to the con. My brother, the only family I truly had, was counting on me. I’d just have to fake it until I made it. “Did I do something to you in California? Do I owe you an apology because if so, I am really, very sorry? I hate the thought of hurting someone and not even knowing about it.”
“Hmmm. Maybe it would be best to get you settled in before we have that conversation.”
“O…okay.” I wished my anxiety weren’t real, but I knew what she knew already. And, no doubt about it, it hadn’t ended well. The question was, knowing that, why was she being so nice to me?
“Let me show you where you’ll be staying.”
“Are you seriously letting her stay here? After what her brother did to me? To us?”
“She’s staying here. That’s already decided. Now, when were you planning on throwing yourself on the mercy of Baba Yaga? I don’t want Finn standing there waiting for you.”
“Fine. But we still need to talk about this. I really wanted that part in the commercial. That part was made for me, and I didn’t appreciate being passed over.”
“Go!”
With an angry twitch of his tail, he shot toward the back of the house and disappeared.
“I don’t want to cause trouble between your familiar and you.”