The Curse Keepers (Curse Keepers series)

by Swank, Denise Grover

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Our truce ended less than a minute later when I told Collin I wanted to sell my candlesticks to Oscar.

  “I am not driving back to Kill Devil Hills,” Collin growled, standing in front of his truck.

  “I’m not selling them to someone else. I trust Oscar. So if you don’t want to waste your gas, I’ll drive my own car!”

  He dangled the bag in the air over his head, wearing an evil smile. “Seeing how I have the bag, I get to decide where we go.”

  I reached for it, but Collin held the pack higher, out of my reach.

  “Really?” I asked. “What? Are you a twelve-year-old boy now?”

  He laughed. “I think all men are really twelve-year-old boys deep down inside.”

  “I’m serious, Collin. They’re mine. Give them back.”

  He watched me for a moment, then handed me the bag, but he didn’t release his grasp. “Ellie, do you plan to pawn these or sell them?”

  I wasn’t sure why he cared, but his face had softened again. It was as though his façade had dropped, and he let me see the real him for a moment.

  God, I’m a pushover. “Sell them.” I looked away. “I’ll never be able to buy them back.”

  Collin’s voice lowered with a tenderness I didn’t expect. “You can pawn them for ninety days, Ellie. Then you get sixty more to pay them off. That’s five months.”

  I looked into his face, shaking my head. “Can you imagine the interest? Oscar charges twenty-two percent. I’ll never come up with the money to pay it off.” I shoved them back at him, ordering the tears in my eyes to dry up as I walked around to the truck’s passenger door.

  Collin slid in the truck and set the bag on the seat between us. “You don’t have to do this.”

  “I don’t have anything else.”

  He didn’t start the truck, instead staring out the windshield. “No. There’s another way. I can get the cup. Why don’t you stay here and wait for me? I’ll be back in a few hours.”

  I shook my head. I couldn’t believe he was being so nice. If you could call offering to steal from some unsuspecting woman nice. Strangely enough, with Collin, it was. “No, it’s my cup, and you’re right. I shouldn’t have pawned it. I need to accept responsibility and fix this myself.”

  He nodded, then started the truck.

  We drove in silence until we hit the bridge. Collin slowed down and cast a worried look at me, but the blood had already rushed to my feet, leaving me lightheaded.

  Dead birds covered the pavement. Hundreds of them.

  Yesterday we’d seen seagulls but today there were multiple species. Doves, pigeons, gulls, wrens, owls, ducks, and several hawks.

  The combination of seeing the birds and leaving the island tightened my chest, and I gasped for air.

  “Ellie?”

  “They’re getting stronger, Collin.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “No it’s not! They’re getting stronger, and Okeus is going to come after me.” I grabbed the dashboard and the door. “How am I supposed to protect myself?” I sounded hysterical. I was hysterical. This was proof that I was as good as dead. It was only a matter of time. Days. Especially after last night.

  Collin pulled over to the side of the road, the sickening thuds of tires rolling over bird carcasses making me want to vomit.

  “Why do you think Okeus is after you?”

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  “What aren’t you telling me, Ellie?”

  Collin knew more than I did, which is why, logically, I knew I should tell him what happened last night with both messengers. He might be able to protect me. But it burned in my gut that I was dependent on him for protection. Besides, Collin was hiding things from me. He’d told me himself that he couldn’t be trusted. For now, I’d keep the information to myself and see if I could re-create the symbols around my window. And if Collin proved himself trustworthy before then, I’d tell him. “You told me that they would come after me. On Evelyn Abernathy’s porch.”

  He tilted his head, distrust in his eyes. “How do you know about Okeus?”

  “A simple Internet search.”

  “Simple?”

  I turned to look out into the sound. “Okay, not so simple. It took some digging.”

  “Why did you decide on Okeus? Why not Ahone or a windengo or the Great Spirit?”

  “Because Okeus is evil.”

  Collin sighed. “Okeus isn’t pure evil, Ellie, just as Ahone isn’t pure good. I told you, just like people, they’re a mixture of both.”

  “But the Internet—”

  “Ellie, so much about the Croatan beliefs and rituals was lost that most people have no idea what they are talking about. Sure Okeus can be wrathful, but he can also be good to his people. He’d come in handy in a time of war.”

  “That’s good, if you’re on his side.”

  “It’s no different than warring countries invoking God to help them.”

  Collin seemed to be defending Okeus too much to suit me. More reason not to tell him about Okeus’s warning. Had Okeus made Collin the same offer? Had Collin accepted? “You said that the symbols of protection kept me safe last night. What kept you safe? You left my apartment when it was getting dark. Did you come across any spirits?”

  His face hardened. “No.”

  “Nothing? Weren’t you worried?”

  He turned away. “No.”

  “What? The spirits won’t mess with Big Bad Collin?”

  His jaw tightened. “I know how to protect myself.”

  “So teach me.”

  He inhaled and pushed out his breath in frustration. “Fine. If we get the cup back your way, then I’ll teach you how to protect yourself.”

  I cocked my head in disbelief. “If we get the cup back my way? Why wouldn’t you just teach me? It’s like you want me to get killed.”

  He shook his head and turned toward me. “You don’t know anything, Ellie.”

  “So teach me.”

  “You should already know this. It’s not my job to teach you. Which parent was the Keeper before you? Why don’t you ask him or her to fill you in?”

  My breath caught in my chest. “I can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  I didn’t want to tell him about Daddy. “My momma’s gone.” I purposely left my family’s Keeper line vague. The less Collin knew about my family, the better.

  That gave him pause. Finally, he said, “I’m sorry.”

  I shrugged. “She left years ago. I’m over it.” Mostly.

  Shifting the truck into drive, he shot me a glance before turning his attention to the road. “It’s nine in the morning. We have eleven more hours of daylight. Let’s focus on getting the cup; then we’ll deal with the rest.”

  I needed the cup whether he helped me or not. I knew there were words of protection, thanks to Daddy’s mumbling. If Daddy knew them, Collin was sure to know them too. That meant I had eleven more hours to get him to spill. I might have to resort to my own bag of tricks. “Okay.”

  “We need to sell your candlesticks first.” No-nonsense Collin was back. It was probably better this way. At least I knew where I really stood with him. When he was nice, I felt like I was part of a con job.

  “Yeah.”

  “I know a guy who will give you top dollar for them, but only if you sell. Are you sure you want to sell them? Five months—”

  “Sell.”

  He turned south on Highway 12. We rode in silence all the way to Rodanthe. I gaped as he drove through the town.

  “Wait.” I turned around to watch the town disappearing behind us. “Where are we going? Where’s your guy?”

  “Cape Hatteras.”

  “Cape Hatteras? But Cape Hatteras is farther than Kill Devil Hills.”

  “I know a guy in Buxton.”

  “And I know a guy in Kill Devil Hills. Oscar.”

  Collin’s face remained expressionless. “I don’t like your guy.”

  “I don’t care if you do
n’t like him. They’re my candlesticks!”

  He turned toward me, lifting his eyebrows. “Are they?” His gaze returned to the road.

  The realization hit me like a Mack truck: He was protecting me. He thought I’d stolen the candlesticks, and he assumed Oscar would turn me in if he found out. Just when I thought I’d figured him out.

  Damn him.

  Collin drove into Buxton and pulled up in front of a thrift store. The building was completely run down, with several massive metal buildings behind it, all surrounded by a dilapidated wooden fence.

  “Really? You’re going to get a good price here?”

  Collin opened his door. “Trust me.” He got out and looked through the open window. “Stay here.”

  The hell with that.

  I followed him to the front door.

  His mouth puckered into a frown of disapproval. “I told you to wait. I mean it, Ellie.”

  I put a hand on my hip. “Yesterday, you told me not to trust you. This is me not trusting you.”

  He shook his head and a cocky grin spread across his face. “Me and my big mouth.”

  We entered the store, and I nearly gagged from the smell of decay. I leaned close to him, whispering, “You can’t be serious.”

  The oldest, most broken-down crap I’d ever seen filled the store. And if the inventory didn’t make me doubtful, the ambiance did. Concrete walls and floor, dim lighting. It looked like a scene from some horror movie.

  Collin shot me a look of warning and then walked toward the back room, lowering his voice. “Let me do all the talking.”

  I pinched my lips together in an exaggerated manner and made a face at him.

  He snorted. “Mature, really mature.”

  A teenage girl sporting a goth look stood behind a counter but didn’t say anything as we slipped behind a curtain hanging over a doorway. Collin must have been here before because he seemed to know where he was going, heading for a room in the far back corner. He maneuvered through a maze of odds and ends in the storage room, then opened a closed door without knocking.

  This room was better lit, but not by much. Tables lined the walls, covered with multiple electronic parts and pieces. An obese man who appeared to be in his forties sat at one of the tables, turning a tiny screwdriver inside the torn-apart computer in front of him.

  The guy looked up, saw Collin, then turned his gaze to me, staring at my face, then sliding down to my legs and lingering there. I was used to guys checking out my legs, especially since I wore a lot of skirts, but this guy creeped me out.

  “What can I do for you, Dailey?” he asked, but kept his gaze on me.

  “I’ve got something to sell, Marino.”

  Marino turned back to his computer. “I’m not sure you have anything I’m interested in. Not after our last deal.”

  Collin pulled a candlestick from the bag and set it on the table next to the computer.

  Marino lifted an eyebrow. “Where’d you get it?”

  “A guy down in—”

  Shaking his head in annoyance, Marino waved to the door. “Never mind. Get out.”

  I took a step toward him. “They’re mine.”

  Collin cursed under his breath.

  Marino spun his office chair around to face me, crossing his arms over his gut. His eyes widened in amusement. “Yours?”

  “Why do you think I’m here with Dailey? He’s helping me.”

  Marino’s belly laugh filled the room. “Helping you? Sweetheart, Collin Dailey doesn’t help anyone unless it helps him.”

  I tilted my head and gave him a saucy look. “I’m not stupid. I figured that out less than five minutes after I met him.” Fear set my nerve endings on edge, but my hand didn’t tingle. I suspected this guy might be dangerous, but he was a human threat, not supernatural.

  Marino laughed again. “I like you. You’ve got spunk. You I’ll work with.” He picked up the ornately detailed silver piece and spun it in his hand, examining every square inch. “How many you got?”

  “Two.”

  “And how much do you want for the pair?”

  Collin tensed next to me. He really didn’t think I knew what I was doing.

  “Twenty-five hundred.”

  Marino looked up. “Twenty-five hundred? Are you insane?”

  “I’m hanging out with Collin.” I waved toward him. “What do you think?”

  Marino laughed again, bracing his hands on his legs. “Now I really like you. I’ll give you one thousand.”

  “Two thousand and not a penny less. If you don’t want them, I have a guy in Kill Devil Hills who does.”

  Marino leaned back in his chair and rested his hand on the table, studying me. I really didn’t like the way his eyes lingered. “Mikey? He won’t pay you more than eight hundred.”

  I lifted a shoulder in a half shrug and gave him the barest hint of a smile. “I’ll take my chances.” I moved toward the table with an outstretched arm.

  “Eighteen hundred. Final offer.”

  I paused for a second. “Deal.”

  Marino heaved out of his chair, huffing as he moved toward a safe in the corner that I hadn’t noticed earlier. He opened it, counted a small stack of hundred dollar bills, then handed them to me.

  I moved to take the cash, but he held the bundle tight. Marino narrowed his eyes at Collin. “You can leave.”

  Collin tensed. “Sorry, I’m not going anywhere without the lady.”

  “Lady?” Marino chuckled, eyeing me again. “I’ll give you that considering your usual acquaintances. It makes me all the more intrigued. Give us twenty minutes.”

  Twenty minutes? I didn’t even want to consider what Marino wanted to do for twenty minutes. My skin crawled being this close to him.

  Collin grabbed the candlestick. “Ellie, let’s go.”

  I needed the money. How else would I get the cup back? “Mr. Marino, I think there’s been some kind of misunderstanding here.”

  “The only misunderstanding is Collin’s refusal to do as I say.”

  I released my hold on the cash. “Collin has nothing to do with any of this. These are my candlesticks, and it’s my transaction. Either you buy them or you don’t, but that’s the only exchange going on today.”

  He sighed and his forehead wrinkled as he considered my words. “Five minutes.”

  I hesitated.

  “Ellie,” Collin growled.

  I lifted my chin. “Two.” What could happen in two minutes?

  “Ellie!”

  Marino smiled. “Deal. If you like, I’ll give you the cash now.”

  I snatched the money from his hand before I changed my mind. Marino laughed as I spun around and handed it to Collin while jerking the candlestick out of his tight hold.

  Anger radiated off of him. “What the hell are you doing—have you lost your mind?” he hissed as he leaned close. “Marino is not a guy you can fuck with.”

  The gravity of what I had just agreed to hit me full force, but we needed the cash. “I have no intention of fucking him,” I whispered. “Look, I’m not as innocent as you seem to think. I can handle this.” I forced a confidence I didn’t feel into my words.

  Collin gritted his teeth and turned to Marino, the veins on his neck bulging. “I’m waiting for her outside this door, and if I get the slightest inclination she doesn’t want to be here, I’m coming in to get her.”

  Marino laughed and waved his hand to the door. “The time starts as soon as you leave.”

  Collin stood with his hand on the doorknob, searching my face.

  Go I mouthed, my back still to Marino.

  Collin stormed out and slammed the door shut behind him, and the force caused a faded picture with dogs playing poker to shake against the wall.

  I spun around, my heart hammering a staccato of fear. “My two minutes starts now.”

  “No need to worry, Ellie. I only want to talk. I’m curious.”

  Talking was good. I could do talking. “About what?”

  “
What is Collin Dailey’s interest in you?”

  “It’s a family thing.”

  “You’re related then? You’re not together?”

  “Not exactly.”

  “Not exactly to which question?”

  “Both.”

  He grinned and moved closer. “You’re telling me that you’re not fucking Dailey?”

  I flinched. “That’s a rude way to put it.”

  “Ellie, Collin only fucks women. He never gets into a relationship with them, and he sure as hell never loves them. So why is he so protective of you?”

  None of what Marino said surprised me, but his bluntness caught me off guard. “I told you. It’s a family thing. He feels obligated.”

  Marino shook his head. “The only person Collin Dailey feels obligated to is Collin Dailey. If he’s not fucking you, and he’s keeping you with him, then you must have something he considers valuable.”

  While that was true, I was sure Marino would never guess what Collin really wanted, and I wasn’t going to be the one to tell him.

  “One minute,” Collin shouted through the door.

  Marino turned his head to the side, narrowing his eyes. “Fascinating.” Excitement filled his eyes.

  My breath hung in my throat. “What?”

  “The man outside that door is not behaving like the man I know. Why?”

  “I have no idea. He’s only helping me sell my candlesticks.”

  He laughed. “You’re a liar. A good one, but Collin gives you away. If he wants you so badly, that makes you incredibly desirable.” He reached his hand to my cheek and slid it down to my throat.

  I took a step backward. “You think he loves me?”

  He laughed again. “Hell no. I told you Collin doesn’t love women. He’s only capable of loving himself, but you have something that he’ll risk his own life for, and that, my darling, is intriguing. I want to know what it is.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Dropping his hand, he studied me again. “I think you do. This is about the Ricardo deal, isn’t it?”

  My eyes widened in surprise. What was he talking about?

  Marino’s grin spread across his face. “I knew it.”

  The door burst open and Collin filled the doorway. “Time’s up. Let’s go, Ellie.”