Six Times a Charm

by Deanna Chase

  I woke, lying on the stage, with Pyper holding my hand. “What happened?” I asked, disoriented.

  “You tell me,” she said. “I was headed into the office to make a phone call when I saw you standing there. You looked like you were in some kind of trance. Then your face went white, your eyes got wide and you collapsed. Something frightened you.”

  “No, not frightened, exactly.” The truth was, I wasn’t sure what just happened. I hadn’t been scared. My own emotions had been buried under the onslaught of the darkness I’d just experienced while the scene had replayed for me. Even the parts I hadn’t been conscious to witness. Did I imagine what I thought happened? My empathy gift said otherwise.

  “Then what?” Pyper looked at me expectantly.

  What indeed? “Startled?”

  “That look was not a startled one,” she said.

  How could I tell her what had happened without revealing my ability? Panic formed in a little ball at the pit of my stomach. “Maybe I just overdid it after last night.” I stood, shaking slightly.

  She stared at me for minute. “Yeah, maybe. I think you should sit down.”

  She had a point, but I didn’t want to stay that long. “Where is everyone?”

  “Next door, waiting for you.”

  “Oh. I thought we were meeting here. Let’s go.” I took off, not caring if she followed. I needed to get out of club. It just felt…wrong.

  I entered the back room of the café from the adjoining hallway and found Kane.

  “I was starting to think you fell back asleep,” he said.

  “No, I thought we were meeting next door. Is Ian out front?” I peeked through the tiny window from the back room of the café. Ian was sitting at one of the tables with a woman sporting bright red curls.

  I bit my lip. Why was Kat here? She’d called a few days after the incident in the club. I hadn’t picked up, and she’d left a message asking if we were okay. I hadn’t called her back. It still stung that she hadn’t even considered I’d been telling the truth. Before all the drama happened, I wouldn’t have believed it either. But if Kat had been the one saying it, I would have at least listened.

  As I lingered, trying to find the nerve to face my friend, Dan entered the café and strolled up to their table, holding a bouquet of sunflowers.

  My breath hitched, and buried memories flooded back. Dan and I standing in his parent’s sunflower field on a hot summer day as he gazed down at me with a powerful wave of tenderness bursting from his essence. I’d reached up, caressing his jaw with my thumb and he’d kissed me for the first time. A romantic, emotional kiss that had ended with his arms wrapped tight around me as if he’d never let go. That was the summer we’d fallen in love, before I’d lost his trust and he’d lost mine.

  Dan bent down and kissed Kat’s cheek. Her smile turned sweet as he handed her the bouquet. He always gave sunflowers. As homage to his parent’s livelihood, I’d supposed. But it still hurt seeing the familiar gesture.

  Sadness settled in my chest. Dan had only recently turned into a massive jerk. Once he’d been a kind, attentive partner I’d been ready to spend my life with. And here he was, displaying a small piece of the man I’d once known. No wonder Kat didn’t see what I did.

  Had I been just as blind? No. I’d had the added benefit of knowing what he was feeling. He’d loved me. I had never doubted it. Now he carried an emotional poison—at least when he was around me. Somewhere deep inside I wondered if I was to blame.

  Kat stood, wrapped Dan in a tight hug and sat as he strolled off again and disappeared onto Bourbon Street.

  “That’s your friend, right?” Kane asked, following my gaze.

  I tilted my head, stealing a peek at his thoughtful expression. He’d remembered. “Yes.”

  “What are you waiting for?” Kane nudged me, and I had no choice but to walk through the door.

  I stopped behind Kat and cleared my throat. “Let’s sit outside.” I didn’t know where this conversation would lead, but we didn’t need an audience.

  “Where the heck have you been?” Kat turned and frowned, her eyebrows pinched.

  “Here,” I gestured vaguely around the shop and glanced at Ian. “Hi.”

  “Hey. I’ll be right back.” He got up and headed toward the counter.

  “I’ve been calling you since last night. Didn’t you get any of my messages?”

  Shaking my head, I searched for my phone in my purse. I hadn’t checked to see if anyone had called. No doubt Gwen had been trying to reach me as well. “Oops, I must have left it in Kane’s room.”

  “You slept with Kane?” she whispered, looking over my shoulder.

  I glanced back to see the man in question watching us. I waved and he nodded. “No, well, yes…” Her eyes bulged with shock. I tried not to laugh. “I slept in his bed, but nothing happened.”

  “Why the hell not?”

  “Stop staring. Let’s talk about this outside.”

  She grabbed her flowers and followed me. I glanced at them but said nothing. Conversations about Dan never went anywhere good.

  Once we were seated she blinked a few times then reluctantly gave me her full attention. “Kane is sex on a stick.”

  “Watch it, girl, you’re drooling.” I handed her a napkin, and my shoulders relaxed. I should have known girl chat about a hot guy would diffuse any awkwardness.

  Ignoring my napkin, Kat switched gears. “Ian left me a message you’d been attacked last night. I’ve been calling ever since. Geez, Jade, you’ve had me in a panic all day.”

  I tensed. Now she was worried about me? “I wasn’t attacked. My head just got in the way.”

  “I wish you’d have called,” she said quietly. “Who else do you have to look after you?”

  “I’m sorry. I was in no shape to call anyone. Besides, I have friends here. Pyper and Kane took care of me. See?” I held my hands out. “I’m fine. No need to worry.”

  “Except for the giant bruise on your forehead. And I’d hardly call these people your friends. I mean they work at a strip club, for God’s sake.”

  “So what?” My fists clenched in aggravation. “A minute ago you were wondering why I hadn’t thrown myself at Kane, and now you’re judging him and Pyper? You don’t even know them. Pyper isn’t some doped-up stripper. She owns the café and helps manage the club. And as for Kane, he was a perfect gentleman. Get off your high horse and drop the preconceived notions. At least they were there for me when I needed them.” I stared at my hands, trying to forget I’d been making the same sort of assumptions about Kane since I’d met him.

  Kat’s pain, mixed with frustrated anger, assaulted me. I closed my eyes, quickly building my silo barrier. Damn it. I would not feel guilty. Pyper and Kane had proven to be better friends in the short time I’d known them than Kat had in the last three months. I wouldn’t stand for her insulting them.

  “What do you mean, ‘At least they were there for you when you needed them’? When have I ever not been there for you?”

  “Never mind.” I shook my head. “It’s not important.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “It’s about Dan again, isn’t it? God, Jade, I wish you two would just let it go already.”

  “And I wish you’d wake up!”

  “I don’t want to be in the middle of this.” She closed her eyes for a moment then looked at me pleadingly. “Can we just agree to not talk about him?”

  “Fine.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Excuse me.” Ian cleared his throat. “Sorry to interrupt, but I sort of need to talk to Jade.”

  “You’re not interrupting,” I said. “We’re done here.”

  Kat stood. “I have to get home anyway. I just needed to be sure Jade was okay. Thanks for letting me know, Ian.” She gave him a quick hug and left without saying another word.

  I slumped and waved for Ian to sit. “Sorry about that. We’re having…issues.”

  “It’ll blow over soon enough. You know how Kat is. She’s protecti
ve.” Ian set a paper cup in front of me. “Pyper thought a chai might perk you up.”

  “She’s protecting the wrong person.” Closing my eyes, I took a long swig of the chai and sighed. Yep, I’d needed that. “Thanks.”

  Ian took notes while I gave him a detailed account of the night before and the vision I’d just had in the club, minus the crazy emotional turmoil.

  “Excellent.” He grinned.

  “I’m glad you think so,” I said dryly. “I’d just like it to stop.”

  “I’ve got a plan for that. After Kane called I left a message for my aunt, who has some tricks for us to ward off your ghost. I should hear back from her later today.”

  Kane had called Ian? Did they know each other? Weird. “Okay, when can we get that done?”

  “As soon as possible, but I need to take readings from inside the club first.” He stood up. “Ready?”

  I nodded and followed him into the café. We found Pyper and Kane sitting with their heads together at a table in the corner.

  “We’re back.” Ian waved.

  Pyper straightened and smiled at him. “Oh, good. We were just talking about you. Have a seat.” She patted the chair next to her.

  He gave her his sexy half-smile and squeezed in beside her.

  Kane was staring at me, and suddenly my head swam. I grabbed the edge of the table and took cleansing breaths to center myself. His hand rested on the small of my back as he leaned in and whispered, “Maybe you should go up to Pyper’s and lie back down.”

  “Probably.” But I made no move to leave. I wanted to know what we were going to do about the ghost. “Okay, Ian, what’s the plan?”

  “Kane’s going to let us take some measurements down here, so I’ll get started with that shortly. I’ve got a lot to do in an hour.”

  “An hour? But you stayed half the night in my apartment.”

  Kane stiffened beside me. I looked at him, bewildered.

  “Kane said he’d open the club a little late, but he has an event scheduled. Since we can’t measure activity with other people around, I’ll take what I can get. Though I would like to log some data with you and Pyper in there to see if either of you sets anything off.”

  “Just me and Pyper?” I asked.

  “Yes. It seems the two of you have some kind of connection with whatever may be lurking here. I’ll take some basic measurements and have each of you come in for a reading. After I record the data I can compare the results and see if we have any similarities or anomalies,” Ian explained.

  “No.” Kane said.

  “No?” I asked before anyone else could respond. “What do you mean, no?”

  Kane turned serious eyes on me. “I mean, I don’t want you and Pyper involved anymore. You went into some sort of trance today in there, and Pyper could have been seriously hurt last night. I will not allow that to happen again.”

  The blood rushed to my head. Combined with my fight with Kat and feeling like I had no control over what was happening, I snapped. “Who are you to tell me what you will and will not allow to happen?”

  “Your boss.”

  I huffed. “Right. Boss. I had no idea taking orders from you on my personal time was in the job description. Besides, you may be the owner of the club, but technically I work for Pyper, remember? I only filled in tending bar as a favor to her. Why in the hell else do you think I would work at a strip club?”

  “For the money,” he said calmly. “Like all the other girls.”

  “You son of a bitch.” I glowered at him, pissed off, mostly because he was right. I did need the money, but he didn’t have to know that. “You know damn well I only filled in as a favor to Pyper.”

  He opened his mouth to say something, but Pyper cut him off. “That’s true.”

  Kane turned to her. “Which part, the favor part or the son-of-a-bitch part?”

  “Both,” she said lightly. She turned her attention to Ian. “Of course, we’ll both help.” She waved her arm toward me.

  I smiled at Kane’s incredulous expression.

  “Oh, stop being a bully,” Pyper continued. “We’re both big girls. If we want to help Ian figure out what’s going on, we will.”

  Kane stared at her until she raised an eyebrow. Then he studied me. I resisted the urge to stick out my tongue. Real mature, I told myself. Finally, he asked Ian, “Is there something you do to keep people safe in these situations?”

  Ian nodded. “Yes. So far we haven’t had any mishaps…though this situation seems a bit more volatile than most we’ve been involved with.”

  “Really?” I asked. “How so?”

  “Well,” Ian paused, rubbing his chin. “Most of our clients come to us because they see images, like a vision, or they get a sixth sense something is there. Rarely do we come across cases where the spirits are interacting on as personal a level, as they seem to be doing in this case.”

  Kane stayed silent but continued to glare at all of us.

  Ian glanced at him, shifting uncomfortably. “But don’t worry, there are things we can do to discourage interaction. As soon as I hear back from my aunt we’ll set up wards to keep the ghost inactive.”

  “Sounds great.” Pyper handed him a card. “My cell is on there. Give us a ring when you’re ready. Come on, Jade, let’s get some takeout and head to my apartment.”

  Without glancing back, I fell into step behind Pyper.

  ***

  Once back at Pyper’s I found my phone and grimaced at the multitude of calls from Kat and Gwen. I should have remembered to call my aunt. Chances are, she’d felt the void when I’d been knocked out and most certainly would have felt my energy shift while I’d been in the club that afternoon. I dialed, and spent a full twenty minutes assuring her I was fine, and promised to check in more often.

  “It’s good to have someone to worry about you.” Pyper handed me a mug of chai.

  I nodded. “Thanks.” Emotionally exhausted, I leaned back and closed my eyes.

  Promptly at nine o’clock, Pyper’s cell phone rang. She answered and a moment later tucked her feet under her. “Ian wants just you for now. Then we’ll switch.”

  “Here goes nothing.” I got to my feet, waved and took off down the two flights of stairs. My heart pounded. I wanted nothing else but to go back up to Pyper’s apartment and just hang with her.

  Ian waited for me at the back door of Wicked. We wasted no time saying our protection spell and repeating the procedure we’d followed the week before in my apartment.

  For the last hour I’d been having an internal debate, trying to decide if I wanted to open myself up and use my gift this time. On one hand it would give me insight, but on the other I might pass out again. And I was really tired of being treated like an invalid.

  As Ian followed me around the room, making appreciative noises at whatever results he received, I couldn’t stop my curiosity. I had to know. Letting my guards down, I took in the lingering emotions. They were stale, and I was reminded of the smell of warm beer left out overnight after a party. Dingy lust, mixed with tired anticipation, swarmed in my head then suddenly was chased away by disgust and hatred.

  I froze and scanned the room.

  “Did you see something?” Ian’s voice and energy lit with excitement.

  I shook my head, still trying to hone in on the direction of the intrusion. There wasn’t a clear path, just a whirlwind of toxic emotions.

  “Say something,” Ian whispered.

  “Why are you here?” I asked in a clear voice. The disgust gripped my senses until all I could see was a red haze. I gasped as I fought it. “Let go! You do not have permission to invade my aura.” The red cleared, and the toxic waste gripping me vanished. A pure white energy, something close to joy, filled my being. “Thank you.”

  “Who are you thanking?” Ian asked, stepping up next to me.

  “I don’t know. The goddess, maybe. Did you get what you needed?”

  “More than enough. I can’t wait to analyze this.” Ian bounced l
ike a little boy on a sugar high. He steadied himself and examined me. “What just happened there?’

  I shrugged. I didn’t want to share my ability with Ian. Unfortunately I was too tired to come up with a great explanation. “Can we talk about it later, after you do your analysis?”

  His face fell, but he recovered quickly. “Sure. It’s probably better to talk about it after the scientific stuff is laid out anyway.”

  I turned to go. “I’ll send Pyper down when I get back upstairs.”

  “I guess we’ll have to reschedule our date?” Ian said with a question.

  Oops. I’d forgotten all about it. “Sure.” I smiled. “I’m also still waiting to hear what you found out during the first investigation.”

  “Oh, right! I have a bunch of charts and stuff for you, but basically it boils down to some spiked EMF readings, indicating there was something there, but nothing definitive. I think we can safely say something is causing havoc. We just don’t have solid proof. Yet.”

  I pursed my lips. “All right, but you know I don’t care about proof. I just want it to leave us alone.”

  Ian’s smile soured. “Of course. I’m working on it.”

  “I know.” I grabbed his hand and squeezed. “Thanks. I really do appreciate everything.”

  He pulled me toward him and kissed my cheek. “You’re welcome. Any time. I’ll call you about dinner.”

  I nodded and, trying not to read too much into his kiss, went to get Pyper. Halfway up the stairs, I spotted her coming toward me.

  “Ian called already,” she said.

  “Okay. Is the door open? I need to get my stuff.”

  “Yeah, Kane’s up there.” She winked. “Go easy on him. He isn’t used to anyone but me putting him in his place.”

  I laughed.

  “See ya.” She squeezed past me and disappeared at the bottom of the stairwell.

  A moment later I let myself into her apartment. “Kane?”

  “In here.” His voiced carried from his room.

  I stopped in the doorway, watching him make the bed. Now that my irritation had worn off, I felt bad I’d snapped at him. Even though he’d kind of deserved it. I really didn’t like to be told what to do. Still, he’d only been being protective. “Sorry I lost it on you earlier. It’s been a rough few days.”