Romance in Moonspell

by Jesica Coulter Smith

  Curling up on the bed, she flicked the TV on. She didn’t really care what she watched, she needed the noise in the background, something to make her feel less alone. She’d been alone for so long she should be used to it by now, but she found she still craved companionship. But companionship, a home, a family, it was all a pipe dream for someone like her, someone on the run and always looking over her shoulder. Something she’d probably never have, not unless she could find a way to make a new life for herself. If she could make her way to L.A., maybe she’d have a shot. It would take some money, but surely she could get a fake I.D., maybe even a birth certificate. She wanted that new life so badly she could taste it.

  Lacey flipped channels, stopping on a major news network. Her heart thrummed in her chest as she waited to see if her face would flash on the screen. What lengths would they go to just to find her? After everything she’d endured since being incarcerated at the hospital, she knew they wouldn’t just let her walk away. Unless they were afraid she’d talk. But really, who would listen to her?

  When the news ended and she didn’t see her likeness splashed across the screen, she settled back in bed and changed the channel, finding a movie to distract her from her thoughts. It was early still, perhaps too early to go to bed, but after her long walk into town, and a sleepless night the previous day, she was exhausted. Before long, her eyes slid shut and she was sound asleep. Her first real night of sleep where she could shut both eyes and not worry about screams from down the hall, not worry that someone would slip into her room intending her harm.

  Chapter Two

  Bright and early the next morning had found Lacey at the Big Bear Diner. Mavis, the owner, had been very kind and understanding. She’d taken Lacey under her wing and had offered her a job immediately, even though she didn’t have any experience. The witch had given her a cubby in back to use so she’d stashed her bag and donned an apron before greeting customers with a pad and pen in her hands. Mavis had assured her she’d have a uniform for her in a few days, if she were still around. Once she got into the rhythm of things, the morning ran smoothly.

  The smell of coffee and bacon hung heavy in the air. Sunlight filtered through the large front windows making the place look cheery. The customers chatted to one another, and to the waitresses, creating a low hum in the small diner, a sound that was rather pleasing to Lacey’s ears. It had been so long since she’d been in a normal setting like this that she’d forgotten what it was like.

  A group of men in matching navy tees came in and took a booth in Lacey’s section. She approached them with a smile and laid down four menus.

  “Can I get you something to drink while you look over the menu?” she asked.

  The one in the right corner looked up and caught her gaze with his, a blue so dark it was almost navy. A midnight blue to go with his midnight black hair. His jaw sported a five o’clock shadow, but it just added to his sex appeal. That one look pulled her in, made her feel vulnerable, more than she already did. Even though he was seated, she could tell he was tall, much taller than her five-foot-three frame. All of the men were broad chested and had large arms, whether from their job or working out she didn’t know. On closer inspection, she realized their shirts said M.F.D. with a fireman’s logo under it. So, not just hunky men, but heroes. She could use one of those about now. Too bad she wasn’t sticking around.

  The man next to the one with the intriguing eyes gave her an engaging smile.

  “Well, hello, sweet thing. I don’t remember seeing you around town before.”

  “I just got here yesterday.” Should she have said that? They probably would’ve found out anyway, what with Moonspell being so small.

  “Well, I don’t know where you came from, but their loss is our gain.”

  She couldn’t help but smile at the flirt. He was handsome, too, just not as enthralling as the man beside him.

  “My name’s Rafael, and if you need anything while you’re in our fair town, don’t hesitate to ask.”

  Wow, he really laid it on thick, didn’t he? She might’ve been locked up when she was sixteen, but she still remembered flirting. With his dark hair and even darker eyes, she imagined he tempted more than one woman in this small town. But he just didn’t do anything for her.

  “I’m Lacey.”

  “Lacey, these are my friends.” He pointed to the two men across from him. “Reece and Tarian are brothers, and next to me is Draco.”

  “Like in Harry Potter?” She slapped a hand over her mouth. What had possessed her to say such a thing?

  The men snickered and Draco glowered.

  “I had my name long before that book came out,” he said softly, his voice a deep rumble that sent pleasant tingles through her.

  “Don’t worry. He isn’t an evil wizard,” Rafael assured her with a grin.

  “We’ll all take iced tea,” Tarian said, coming to her rescue. “And I’m pretty sure we all want the breakfast special.”

  The men all nodded and she notated their selection on her pad before hurrying away. She felt someone’s gaze on her as she walked off and fought the urge to turn and look over her shoulder. Something told her it was Draco. She’d had a boyfriend or two, but she’d been without male companionship for so long -- unless the guards and doctors counted -- that she’d forgotten what it was like to be around men. The firemen seemed nice. Maybe being in Moonspell for a few days wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

  She put in their order then moved on to another table, but she was very much aware of Draco no matter where she was. This instant attraction to him couldn’t be good. Nothing could come of it. Of course, that’s assuming he wanted anything from her. She could just be a novelty to him because she was new to town. Yes, that made more sense than anything else. While it was true her coloring was unique, she wouldn’t call herself beautiful. Possibly pretty, but nothing more.

  After delivering food to all of her tables and topping off everyone’s drinks, she stepped out back for a break. For an alley, it was surprisingly clean. A stack of boxes near the dumpster made her wonder what type of shelter they’d make, because come quitting time she’d have nowhere to go. She couldn’t afford another night at the motel, not if she wanted to eat. Maybe she could find a place to wash her clothes and take a nap while they were being cleaned, then she could figure out what to do with herself for the rest of the evening.

  When her break was over, she went back inside and checked on her tables. Rafael flirted with her some more and she tried to take it in stride and be friendly, but not too friendly. She didn’t want him to think she was interested, but she didn’t want to be rude, either.

  As her customers started to leave, she gathered their money and cashed out their tickets. She was rather surprised at how much she’d made in tips already. The firemen were the most surprising of all, leaving her a ten-dollar tip. She wondered whose idea it had been and wished she could thank them, but they’d left before she had a chance. Pocketing her money, she sat at the counter while there was a lull.

  “How’s your first day?” Mavis asked.

  “Good,” Lacey responded with a smile. “The customers have been great.”

  “I saw the Larimar boy flirting with you.”

  She frowned. “Oh, you mean Rafael? I’m sure he didn’t mean anything by it.”

  “You seem awfully sure of that.”

  “It’s just a feeling I have. It seems to come to him as easy as breathing so I figure he must flirt with everyone.”

  Mavis laughed. “Well, it seems you have his number! Good, don’t let him pull the wool over your eyes. He’s a heartbreaker, that one. Of course, he’s also one of our more eligible bachelors. All of the firemen are, except for Jax Donohue. He’s very much taken.”

  “What do you know about Draco?”

  “So that’s the way the wind blows. Well, he’s on the quiet side. Truthfully, I don’t know a whole lot about him.”

  “He just seemed so… intense.”

  “I noticed he
was staring holes through you. It seemed he was rather taken with you, and if that blush in your cheeks is any indication, you feel the same.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Lacey said. “I’m only here for a few days.”

  “Maybe. Life is funny sometimes. Just because we have things mapped out doesn’t mean they happen that way.”

  Lacey frowned. Was Mavis trying to say that she wouldn’t be leaving Moonspell? Was it something the witch knew from her powers, or was she just guessing? Regardless of what her employer thought, she would be leaving Moonspell, and soon. She had no choice. It was only a matter of time before the chief discovered she’d escaped from the Dekatur Hospital and he arrested her. She refused to go back to that hellhole. She’d rather die than return there.

  Returning to her tables, Lacey kept busy until it was time to go home. Everyone was friendly and she found herself opening up to them. She just had to be careful that she wasn’t too open. Although, she’d been thrown for a loop when an elf walked in. She’d never seen a man with green skin before.

  * * *

  After wandering around town for a few hours, peeking in store windows and meeting more of the townspeople, Lacey backtracked to the diner. She didn’t have enough money for a motel room again, not if she wanted to save for bus fare. The large boxes she’d seen in the alley would provide protection from the wind and hide her from prying eyes. Creating a shelter out of the cardboard, she crawled inside and used her bag as a pillow. It was still a little early for bed, but she’d need to be up at the crack of dawn to avoid the diner workers.

  Lacey stared into the darkness and wondered what tomorrow would bring. Would it be another day like today, or would it be the beginning of the end? She didn’t want to dwell on the past, on the boogieman hiding in the shadows, but she had little else to think about. Until she reached safety, wherever that was, her life was not her own. Until she had a new identity, a new Lacey, she would be on the run and unable to relax, unable to enjoy life without looking over her shoulder, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her nose wrinkled in disgust as she inhaled the scent of rotting garbage from the dumpster nearby. This was definitely not her ideal place to sleep. Maybe she should’ve looked for a park or something, slept under the stars instead of hiding in a box.

  Voices carried down the alley and she tensed. Were they coming closer? She heard three men, laughing, their voices slurred from too much drink. Trying to make herself even smaller, she crammed herself into the corner of the box. As they passed her by, her body slowly relaxed, but not completely. She wasn’t sure how safe she was in the alley. Just because Moonspell was a small town didn’t mean it was without its share of crime.

  The voices faded away and Lacey wrapped her arms tight around herself. She closed her eyes once more and tried to think of something to distract herself from the wreck that was her life. A pair of blue eyes came to mind. What was it about Draco that fascinated her so? He was different from anyone she’d met before. She knew that even after their brief encounter. It was more than his good looks and mouth-watering physique. He’d appeared more serious than his tablemates, and yet there were laugh lines bracketing his mouth. What made him smile? Could she make him smile? Did she want to?

  He’d piqued her interest and she wanted to know more about him. Mavis hadn’t been very forthcoming with information, or maybe she just didn’t know that much about Draco. Either way, Lacey didn’t really know anyone else. Maybe the next time the hunky fireman came in she could find her tongue and actually speak to him. She hoped she’d have another chance to talk to him. Call it a sixth sense, but something told her he would be important to her in some aspect. Maybe he would be her salvation, but she had no clue how.

  Chapter Three

  The next morning, Lacey emerged from her cardboard haven and finger combed her hair to the best of her ability. Gathering her bag, she walked around to the front of the diner and sat on the bench out front waiting on someone to open up. She didn’t have to wait long. Mavis’s husband Bronson came strolling up the walkway about ten minutes later, a big smile on his face.

  “Good morning, Lacey.”

  “Morning, Bronson. I was awake and thought I’d get an early start.”

  “I can always use some help in the morning. Come on in.” He unlocked the door and ushered her inside.

  Lacey went to the back and stored her bag in her cubby before returning to the front counter. She didn’t know what she’d do during the next hour, but she’d help in any way Bronson needed her to. Anything was better than sitting in a cold alley, starving. She hadn’t eaten since lunch yesterday and her stomach was already starting to rumble. She’d skipped dinner hoping to save a little money. Now she wished she’d spent the cash to fill her belly.

  “Why don’t you fill the napkin dispensers,” he suggested. “Then you can top off the ketchup bottles and salt and pepper shakers.”

  Lacey nodded and got to work. The work might have bored some, but Lacey was just thankful to have something to do. If her hands were occupied, so was her mind, and that was a wonderful thing. The hour passed swiftly and before she knew it, the diner was open for business.

  Josie came in to help with the breakfast crowd and the two women worked together to keep drinks filled and customers satisfied. They had a lull for about an hour before lunch started, and took the time to grab a plate for themselves. When the bell jingled over the door, Lacey looked up from her plate and her heart kicked in her chest. He’d come! She’d wondered if he would.

  His gaze caressed her as he took a seat at a booth in the window. She abandoned her plate and smoothed her apron as she stood. Grabbing her pad and pen, she approached Draco’s table. This was her opportunity to make an impression. Now if she could just get her mouth to work, and come up with something relatively intelligent to say.

  She stopped at the edge of the table and fiddled with her pen. “Morning. What can I get you?”

  “I’ll take a sweet tea and a cheeseburger with fries.”

  She jotted down his order. “I’ll get this in. It shouldn’t take long.”

  As she turned to walk away, his hand reached out and grabbed her wrist, halting her progress. She looked at him in surprise. When he didn’t say anything, just stared at her, she looked down at the hand on her wrist then back up at his eyes. He didn’t release her though. His thumb caressed her and he tugged her closer.

  “Did you decide to stay in our fair town?” he asked.

  “I’m just working for a few days to save up some cash. I’ll be leaving by the end of the week.”

  He lightly squeezed her wrist. “Are you sure there isn’t anything we can do to change your mind? Something I can do?”

  Was he flirting with her? “I wish I could stay, I really do, but it just isn’t possible.”

  He released her and she headed back to the kitchen to place his order. Her skin hummed where he’d touched her and she wanted to know what it would be like to feel his hands elsewhere on her body. What would it be like to kiss him? She’d bet he was a divine kisser.

  When his order was ready, she delivered it, hoping for more interaction with him, but he merely thanked her and turned toward his food. She was disappointed, but what did she really expect? She’d told him she wasn’t staying. What would be the point in starting something?

  Draco left without a word, but he did leave her a rather generous tip. She’d have liked to say the rest of her afternoon was just as pleasant, but she had a few grumpy customers who didn’t tip very well. It wouldn’t have been so bad, except one of the evening waitresses hadn’t shown and Mavis had asked if Lacey would mind the extra hours. Knowing she needed the money, she’d been only too happy to stay, even if it did mean a full day on her feet. By the time the diner closed, her feet and her back were killing her, and she was more than ready to leave.

  She’d already decided she’d go to Little’s Laundromat when she got off work. When she’d wandered
around town the day before after her shift, she’d noticed the sign in the window posting their hours and knew they’d be open until ten o’clock. That gave her plenty of time to do her laundry and maybe rest a little. She’d be back in the alley after that, getting cozy in her boxes. Assuming her boxes were still there. Oh God! What if the garbage had been picked up and they were gone? She’d tackle one problem at a time.

  As she crossed Willow Grove, hands grabbed her from behind and jerked her into a darkened alley. Her heart raced as she looked up into cold brown eyes. She knew those eyes, only too well. How had he found her? Had the car led him to her? Were others on their way?

  “What do you want?” she asked, her voice shaking with fear.

  “It’s time to go back, Lacey, go back and pay for your crimes. You shouldn’t have killed that poor girl and then run.”

  He gave her a malevolent smile, his eyes glinting in the moonlight. She didn’t know with any certainty, but she would be willing to bet that this man had killed Alicia. She knew he was one of the guards who “visited” the other women in the hospital, and after the things he’d done, what was one more crime? She’d been lucky to escape such a fate. Pinning the murder on her was no big deal for such a person, knowing that she’d been incarcerated for stabbing her boyfriend. Only a hospital employee would know that. Well, she supposed anyone who had watched the media would know, but an outsider wasn’t likely to slip into the hospital and kill Alicia in her sleep. No, it was an inside job, and Lacey doubted it was another patient. That wasn’t to say there weren’t patients capable of such a task, because there were, but her gut told her this man was responsible.

  “I’m not going back.”

  His fingers bit into her arms and she knew he was bruising her delicate skin. The man licked his lips and leaned in close to inhale her scent. Lacey trembled. Should she fight or would that make it worse? He was at least half a foot taller than her, and while his sparse frame didn’t look particularly strong, she knew looks could be deceiving. They stared at one another and she waited for him to make his move. Would he haul her away in cuffs? Call the police to have her arrested? She hated to think of the alternative.