“Fine. I made mistakes.” Luke lifted his hands in a placating manner. “Are you going to spank me as punishment?”
“I might kick you in the rear end if you don’t adjust your tone,” I countered, my temper flaring. “Enough is enough, Luke. You know you did wrong. You’re only acting this way because you don’t want to admit it. You think it will somehow make things better if you become defensive and lash out. We both know that’s not how this is going to be solved.”
“And how is this going to be solved?”
“By working together,” I replied, not missing a beat. “I want to yell and scream at you for choosing to go to the casino that first night. I didn’t understand why you did it, but from the expressions on everyone else’s faces I could tell I was being unfair. I think I sensed something was going to go wrong that first night, and I simply couldn’t shake it. I’m at fault for not putting my foot down.”
“It must be hard to be right all of the time,” Luke deadpanned, shaking his head. “What a terrible cross to bear.”
I ignored the sarcasm. “I definitely knew something was wrong when all of you won. That made absolutely no sense. When you take the odds into consideration, no one in their right mind would bet on the fact that one-hundred percent of one group would walk away winners from a casino on the same night.”
“Yes, well, you’ve always been wiser than the rest of us combined.” Luke sounded bitter. It took every ounce of strength I had to keep from jumping off the table and smacking him across the face.
“Shut up, Luke,” I barked, taking him by surprise. “I’m the one talking here. Understand?”
“You’re not my mother.”
“No, but I am your friend,” I countered. “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had. You’re going to be the best friend I’ll ever have. I don’t care how angry you are with me right now. I believe that we’ll get past this, because – no matter what – we love each other. We always will. I have faith in that.”
Luke licked his lips and dragged a hand through his blond hair. “I didn’t realize what was happening,” he admitted, his voice small. “Things got out of control so quickly that I had no idea what was happening. From inside, I could tell I was being irrational and acting like an idiot, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself.”
“I have a theory about that, if you’re interested, of course.”
“Let me get this out first.” Luke’s eyes were glassy as they locked with mine. “I convinced myself that you were trying to ruin my fun the first few times you expressed worry about my trips to the casino. I thought some very mean things about you, like you wanted me to be unhappy because somehow you were getting off on it and didn’t love me as much now that you had Kade.”
The admission was like a punch in the gut. “You can’t believe that.”
“I don’t,” Luke offered. “I’m not sure my head ever agreed with that at all. But my stomach was another story. My stomach was this sour ball of bitterness, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that you were purposely working against me. I even convinced myself that you cast a spell over me so I would lose.”
I wanted to cry. Instead I remained strong and calm. “I see.”
“I don’t think you do,” Luke argued. “I would say that seventy-five percent of the time my head agreed with my stomach – that you were trying to hurt me. There were times when reason and sanity returned, and I knew I was being a complete and total tool. Those were the times I wanted to talk to you … but I didn’t.”
“Why?”
“Mostly because they happened when you were about ready to go to bed with Kade … or sit by the fire with Kade … or smile at Kade.” Luke pursed his lips, his expression rueful. “Yeah, I might be a little bitter about Kade. And I don’t think all of that is because of whatever is going on here. It’s been hard for me.”
“Then you need to talk to me about these things instead of lashing out.” I adopted a pragmatic tone. “We can’t fix things until we know there’s a problem. As for Kade … .” I broke off, unsure how to proceed.
“I don’t want to get between you and Kade,” Luke offered. “Only a small part of me is jealous that you’re so close with him. A bigger part of me is jealous because you’ve been spending so much time with him, but I’m capable of battling things out to win your time and affection.
“The thing is, I want you to be happy,” he continued. “I want you to be so happy that you’re over the moon every moment of every day. I see you that happy with Kade most of the time. A good friend should be happy. I’ve spent the last week being miserable, and I don’t like myself for it. I never thought I was that type of person.”
“Well, I don’t think you really are that type of person.”
“I told you what I was feeling,” Luke argued. “Clearly I am that type of person.”
“And yet years of friendship, years of witnessing your giving spirit, have taught me otherwise,” I said. “Luke, I’m pretty sure that we’ve figured out most of what’s going on. I’m going to tell you, but not because I want to completely alleviate your guilty conscience. I plan to make you pay for a few of the things you’ve done, but this isn’t all your fault. It’s not all your bitterness.”
“So … what is it?”
“We’ve managed to put together some background on the casino owner and that Pardo guy,” I replied. “Pardo’s sister is the casino owner’s wife. The enforcers Pardo sent out here seem to believe that the sister is a witch.”
Luke stilled, the information catching him completely off guard. “Seriously?”
I nodded. “I think that the sister cast a spell on casino patrons so that they win the first night and then became infatuated with the feeling of being a winner, if that makes sense.”
“It doesn’t, but continue.”
I could tell Luke wanted me to assuage a portion of his guilt. I was more than willing to do that, mostly because I wanted my best friend back. The other portion of his guilt – the small sliver he’d refuse to let go because of his martyr complex – well, that would take longer to eradicate.
“The spell made winners fall in love with the euphoria associated with winning, which made them want to return to the casino and gamble again,” I supplied. “The whole point was to hook people on winning and make them come back to the casino as often as possible. You were only guaranteed to win the first time, so when you lost it made you all the more desperate to regain that euphoric feeling associated with your first visit.”
“Oh.” Realization dawned on Luke. “I get what you’re saying. You think the spell is what made me more and more manic.”
I nodded. “Exactly.”
“But why didn’t it have the same effect on Nellie, Naida and Nixie?”
“It did in some ways but not in others,” I answered. “Nellie told me that he really wanted to go back that second night, but after losing the money he managed to tamp down his urges to return. He focused on work instead. It was hard for a bit, but the more he focused on work the more the feelings faded.”
“Uh-huh. And what about Naida and Nixie?”
“I haven’t talked to them in depth about this – mostly because I’ve been busy napping and questioning one of Pardo’s men in the House of Mirrors – but I’m guessing Nixie and Naida’s pixie nature played into that a bit. They’re not from this plane. They don’t often react to spells that affect normal human emotions.”
Luke rubbed his chin as he absorbed what I said. “But I really fell fast and hard. I’m a shifter. Shouldn’t I have a natural immunity?”
“Shifters are still part human,” I reminded him. “The spell was geared toward humans. Nellie, Naida and Nixie have no human blood flowing through their veins, so it was easier for them to shake off the urges or they were immune.” I had no idea if that part was true, but I needed to prop up Luke’s ego. “It’s not your fault. Er, well, it’s not all your fault. You did some dumbass things that I’m not happy with, but it wasn’t all you.”
; “I grabbed you.” Luke’s cheeks flooded with color as he stared at the ground. “I entered your trailer and grabbed you. In fact – and I can barely admit this to myself, let alone you – but I think I would have stolen from you if you’d slept through my visit.”
I’d already come to that conclusion myself. “I know.”
“How can you still be fighting for me knowing that?”
“Because you’re my best friend. You made a mistake,” I replied, the answer coming much easier than I expected. “I know what’s in your heart, Luke. Malice doesn’t live there. Sure, a bit of mischief takes up residence from time to time, but you’re not an evil person. It’s okay.”
Luke pressed his lips together, making a firm line as he risked a glance at me. “You’re not angry?”
“I am angry that you came into my trailer and I’m totally ticked off that you didn’t listen to me in the first place, because we both know I’m the wisest person in the land. As for the rest … no. I don’t blame you for any of this. I do expect you to do my bidding for the foreseeable future as payback, though.”
Luke snorted, his strangled laughter a welcome sound. “I guess that means I have to listen to you no matter what you say until you let me off the hook, huh?”
“You have no idea.”
“Well, given the circumstances, I guess I can live with that.” Luke edged a bit closer but didn’t completely close the distance between us. “I feel so horrible about grabbing you the way I did. I don’t know what kept Kade from pounding the crap out of me. He showed a lot more restraint than I would’ve in similar circumstances.”
“Kade didn’t physically hurt you because he knew it would emotionally cripple me,” I explained. “I knew something was going on from the beginning, Luke. I’m not just saying that because I want you to pat me on the top of the head and wax poetic about how intelligent I am. I felt something was off from that very first trip. I should’ve been more forceful when it came to stopping you from making a second trip.”
“I wouldn’t have listened. In fact, anything you did simply would’ve made me angrier. You couldn’t have stopped me.”
“We’ll never know.”
Luke smirked. “I know.”
“Yeah? I know, too.”
Luke’s grin widened. “I really want to give you a hug. Even though you have punishment planned for me – and I’ll probably whine nonstop when you start doling it out – I need to hug you. Is that allowed?”
I nodded as I hopped off the table and opened my arms. “It’s necessary.”
Luke fought back tears as he hurried closer and pulled me tight against his chest, one long, wracking sob escaping as he buried his face in my hair. “I’m so sorry.”
I patted his back, all of the awkwardness and anger from the past few days evaporating. “I know you are. I’m sorry, too. I should’ve stepped in the second I knew something was going on. Instead I let it fester and grow until it was out of control.”
“That’s not on you,” Luke countered. “I created this situation. It’s on me. I made mistake after mistake.”
“You did, but your brain was being influenced by someone else. We’re going to fix that tonight.”
Luke pulled back, although he didn’t release me entirely. “We are?”
“We are. We used one of the men Pardo sent as a messenger boy. Even as we speak he’s scurrying off to tell his boss our demands.”
Luke widened his eyes, surprised. “We have demands?”
“Yes. Those guys weren’t simply here because they wanted to shake more money out of you. They’ve been casing the place because they want to make a move on us.”
Luke was dumbfounded. “Why?”
“Because we’re a cash business, and that’s rare these days,” I replied. “No matter what, they were always going to come back tonight. We let Pardo know we were on to his plan and insisted he visit himself if he wants his money back.”
“I don’t have that much money on me,” Luke admitted. “I can only get so much out of the ATM every day.”
“We’ve got the money covered,” I said. “We’ve also got Pardo covered. Don’t worry about that.”
Luke studied my face for a moment, reading the obstinate tilt of my chin as he smoothed my hair. “What happens if that shadow monster attacks while Pardo is here?”
“That’s a definite possibility,” I conceded. “We can only handle one problem at a time. If our problems happen to converge … we’ll wing it.”
Luke snorted, genuinely amused. “That sounds dangerous.”
“Oh, no, we’re the dangerous ones,” I corrected. “Pardo needs to realize he messed with the wrong people. There are consequences, and it’s time Pardo faced some.”
Luke slung an arm over my shoulders. “You know, you’re terrifying when you want to be.”
“And don’t you forget it … especially when I’m punishing you once this is all settled.”
Luke’s smile slipped. “I have a feeling that’s going to suck.”
“Oh, you have no idea.”
28
Twenty-Eight
I stopped at my tent shortly before the big show ended. The longer the day stretched, the more antsy I got.
Melissa was in her element, a scarf tied around her hair and big gold earrings dangling from her lobes as she excitedly told a woman that she was going to have twins. Unfortunately for Melissa, she misread the situation. Roseanne Dawson wasn’t remotely excited by the news.
“Twins?” Roseanne arched a dark eyebrow and glared at the tent ceiling. “Son of a … !”
Melissa balked, her smile slipping. “I’m sorry. I thought that would be good news.”
“How could that possibly be good news?” Roseanne challenged. “My husband has been out of town on a business trip for six months. He’s building a resort in Tokyo. Do you think he’s going to be happy to come back and find out I’m pregnant with twins?”
Melissa shrugged, noncommittal. “Maybe he’ll think it was an immaculate conception or something. Have you been having phone sex?”
Roseanne’s expression was comical. “What does that possibly matter?”
Melissa shrugged. “He might think he’s so potent that he got you pregnant over the telephone. Men think a lot about themselves. I see it here all the time. If a guy thought he was potent enough to knock up a woman over the phone – with twins, no less – he’d probably brag about it to anyone who would listen.”
“Yes, he would,” Roseanne drawled. “Then the other men would laugh and bring him back to reality. That’s on top of the fact that the babies are likely to come out … um … a bit darker than he might expect.”
Melissa knit her eyebrows. “A bit darker? Oh, you mean … .”
“Yes, I’ve found the new pool boy to be especially invigorating,” Roseanne drawled.
“And potent,” Melissa said, rubbing her chin.
I considered stepping in and easing my young protégé’s burden, but I was mildly curious to see how she’d handle herself. I waited, keeping a safe distance, but poised to spring into action should things spin out of control.
“He’s definitely potent,” Roseanne agreed, adopting a far-off expression. “He looks like sex on two legs. He waxes his chest and gets all … sweaty and glistening … while he’s tending to the pool. He’s got more potency than any three men combined.”
I wanted to laugh at her description, but kept the chuckles to myself.
“So why not leave your husband for him?” Melissa suggested. “It sounds as if you like the pool boy more than the man you married.”
“It does, doesn’t it?” Roseanne shrugged. “The thing is, the pool boy gets paid fifteen dollars an hour and my husband makes six figures a month. One of those things is definitely better than the other.”
“Speaking of things … um … is the pool boy’s thing bigger than your husband’s thing? Is that why you fell for him?”
“Oh, geez.” Roseanne pinched the bridge of her nose and
stared skyward. “This is why I don’t talk with women under the age of thirty. They’re all stupid … and ask stupid questions … just like you.”
Melissa wisely didn’t take offense. “Is that a no?”
“Oh, geez.” Roseanne hopped to her feet. “Well, this day just sucks. I came here hoping you’d tell me I was imagining things, that my sore boobs were all in my head, and that everything would be okay because I could keep the pool boy and my husband for the long haul. Now I have to figure out what to do with twins, an angry husband, a prenuptial agreement that I can’t stand and a pool boy who thinks he’s in love with me. This is just … great!”
Melissa pursed her lips. “Well, at least you have a plan. Have a nice day.”
Roseanne scalded Melissa with a dark look and turned on her heel, brushing past me as she stormed out of the tent. Melissa met my steady gaze with a wide-eyed one of her own.
“That didn’t go very well, did it?”
I shrugged, amused. “I think it went fine. You did the best you could.”
“Really?” Melissa brightened considerably. “What are you doing here? Are you taking the tent back for the rest of the night?”
I shook my head. “I’m here to tell you to close early.”
Melissa’s smile slipped. “Why? I can keep working. I like it.”
“I know you can, but we have a situation and I want you to head to your trailer for the rest of the night.” I saw no reason to lie to Melissa, figuring she’d react better if I told her the truth. “We’re expecting trouble as soon as the circus closes tonight. It could get intense.”
Melissa was affronted. “And you want me to hide from the trouble?”
I forced a smile. “I want you to be safe. That means you need to stay in your trailer after dark tonight. Do you understand?”
“I do … but I could be some help.”
“Yes, you could.” I figured playing to her ego could only help the situation. “I don’t have time to catch you up, though, and we’re dealing with multitudes of crap. I need you to be safe. That means you need to be in your trailer.”
[Mystic Caravan Mystery 04.0] Freaky Games Page 25