Cursed (24 page)

Adrienne tugged her iPad free and turned it on. Tears formed at the additional emails that had stacked up in her inbox. She scrolled down to find her mother’s message then pushed the device to Candace and rested her forehead on the table.

Candace was quiet for a long moment before speaking. “Can I email this to myself?”

“Sure.”

Rene placed the tea set down on the table.

Adrienne lifted her head. She stretched forward to pour tea, but her hand shook.

Rene rolled his eyes, but did it for her.

“Thank you,” she murmured, clutching the warm cup close to her.

“My goodness.” Candace was staring at the iPad. “I’ve never seen this level of cyber bullying.”

Adrienne nodded blandly.

“Curses tend to go in three waves. I’d say your voice was the first stage, these emails the second. I think we can at least stop this one before the third.”

“I need my voice, Candace. Please.”

“Drink your tea, sweetie.” Candace closed the iPad and pushed it across the table.

The
mambos
lit incense and traced the shape of Papa Legba on the table with a white mixture from a squeeze bottle. She murmured in French and placed a small rock in the center, wafting incense over the rock.

Adrienne sipped her tea. It was warm and soothing, and she felt herself relaxing.

“Your boyfriend stand up for you today?” Rene asked from the corner where he’d sat down.

She ducked her head.

“Guess not.”

“He knew about the curse. I don’t think he was ever my boyfriend,” she whispered.

“I told you, didn’t I?”

“Rene, that won’t help her,” Candace said, glancing up from her prayers.

“She needs to toughen up.”

“Or someone to step up and protect her.”

“I ain’t no warrior.” Rene shrugged.

“The warrior is among the most sacred duties in our religion, Rene. It’s an honor and your destiny, from what our ancestors tell me,” Candace chided.

“Not happening.”

“I just want to go home to
Georgia,” Adrienne said. “But I can’t until I find out how to lift my family curse.”

“Take me with you,” Rene grumbled.

“Ignore him. He’s upset because I told his mama he was meant to be a warrior, and now she won’t leave him alone about it,” Candace said. “Adrienne, you have time before you and your sisters are old enough to bear children. If you return to Atlanta, we can continue to work on the family curse.”

Adrienne hesitated, debating internally. Finally, she pushed away the thick band of her tank top to reveal the mark of the curse.

“I don’t know if I can do that,” she said. “This shouldn’t be there.”

Candace’s eyes widened, and Rene rose, leaning on the table to see.

“You’re marked, Adrienne,” Candace said.

“I don’t understand how,” Adrienne responded. “Mama said the curse takes firstborns.”

Candace said nothing. She stood and walked to the front of the store, returning with a piece of paper. She unfolded it and set it down.

Adrienne leaned back, recognizing the Red Man and words she’d drawn the other day while under the trance Candace put her in.

“You know. Somewhere inside of you. You know,” Candace said. “The spirits spoke through your sister and are trying to speak through you.”

“But I don’t know.” Adrienne’s tears rose again. “I don’t know who he is. I don’t know what he wants. I don’t even know what these words mean. I just want my voice back, Candace!”

“Calm, child.”

The bell at the front door rang.

“Stay here and drink tea,” Candace said, standing. “Rene, behave.” She disappeared through the curtain separating the store from her private shrine area.

Rene sat down across from Adrienne at the table. Adrienne ignored his look, staring at the paper. She drew a deep breath.

Candace was right. Therese’s journal was filled with this nonsense, but it meant something. If the spirits had tried to warn her sister, maybe they were trying to warn her now, too. The sight of the man in red made her want to run away, but she forced herself to pick up the paper with one hand.

“If your brother would give me back my journal …” she said, glancing at Rene.

“Not happening. You’ll have to figure this out without it.”

Adrienne didn’t expect any other response. She traced the robed man with her finger. The simple movement sent a chill through her, as if drawing the man gave him some sort of life.

“He’s bad,” she said. She wiped her face again with Rene’s t-shirt. “Are you really a voodoo warrior?”

“No.”

“Want me to ask my cards?”

“Definitely not. Just because everyone else thinks I should be something, don’t mean I will be. I’ll take care of you and no one else and that’s because you’d be dead by now otherwise.”

“I understand. Thanks.” Adrienne sighed and focused. She needed her voice back. She needed to lift the curse. Why was everything on her shoulders and not those of her mother? Her father?

“
Table and boredom great shoes
,” she read a few of the words she’d written. “It doesn’t mean anything!”

“Like Candace say. Maybe it means something else than the words,” Rene reminded her. “Why is this capitalized?”

Adrienne picked up a pen and circled the capitalized letters in the first few words.

“A, B, B, D, E, A, E,” she said aloud. “Not all vowels, not all consonants.”

“But they’re the same letters,” Rene said, pointing to the next line of text she’d written. “You don’t see any capital S’s or R’s.”

“No, you don’t,” Adrienne said pensively. She circled the rest of the capitalized letters and sat back with a gasp. “Rene! I know what it is!”

“That makes one of us.”

“It’s musical notes. It’s a song!”

“Seriously?”

“Omigod! I’m such an idiot! It makes perfect sense. My sister was a singer, too. The spirits were trying to talk to us through songs. Or a song. I don’t know.” Thrilled, Adrienne rose and ducked outside the private room.

“Addy?”

She froze, staring at her father, who was leaning over the counter his hands clasped with Candace’s. He straightened, breaking contact with Candace. His smile faded.

“You’re
that
Candace?” Adrienne asked the calm woman in African dress, astonished.

“What’re you doing here, Addy?” her father asked, frowning. “You get out of school early?”

“Um … yeah,” she managed. “I, uh …”

Her daddy didn’t know Candace was a practicing
mambos
, or he wouldn’t be seeing her.

Adrienne’s intent gaze went to Candace. Twice today she’d been betrayed by people she trusted. Was Candace the third?

Her daddy was looking at Candace, too, and Adrienne saw the happy glow fade from his face.

Whatever she thought of Candace right now, her daddy really liked her. Adrienne sought something smart to say about why she was there while grappling with the realization that her racist father was falling in love with a woman straight out of Africa. What were the chances? Would that make him more likely to let Jayden in to study with her?

Right now, she needed an excuse as to why she was hanging out with the woman her daddy hadn’t wanted her to meet yet in a neighborhood he’d warned her to stay away from. God help her if he met Rene, a certified gang member! She’d be sent packing to Georgia.

“Mama asked me to send her something,” she said finally. “I didn’t think you’d approve and didn’t want to tell you.”

“Something … voodoo?” he asked, glancing at the supplies that lined one wall.

“I import herbs from Africa,” Candace added. “Some are rare.”

“I was having tea while Candace looked through inventory.” Adrienne’s gaze narrowed. “Daddy, why didn’t you tell me about Candace?” She crossed her arms.

Her father appeared uncomfortable suddenly.

Adrienne didn’t say what she wanted, that he’d forbidden her from seeing anyone darker than her and treated Jayden like crap when he came over the other night.

“We’ll talk about it later,” he said gruffly. “I’m on break. I can take you home real fast.”

“I’m not ready yet,” Adrienne said quickly. “I mean, the herbs aren’t ready yet.”

“I’ll make sure she gets home safe,” Candace promised warmly.

Her father didn’t appear pleased. Adrienne offered a smile.

Inside, she was stewing. Today was filled with surprises, most of which she wished she could just forget.

“All right,” he said at last. “Be back by dark.”

“I will, Daddy,” she assured him.

He hesitated again then glanced at Candace and left.

Adrienne kept the smile plastered on her face until the door closed behind him before she turned on Candace, hands on her hips.

“You didn’t tell me you knew my daddy!” she exclaimed. “I’m so sick of people lying to me today.”

“I believe in respecting the privacy of others,” Candace said. “Your business with me is between us. My business with your daddy is between him and me. When the time comes for that to change, I wanted him to be the one to talk to you.”

“But you lied to him.”

“So did you.”

Adrienne pursed her lips. Uncertain what to say, she swept aside the curtain and went back to the table. She snatched the paper from Rene.

“Wait, Adrienne,” Candace said, following. “I really do want to help you. I think you need my help.”

“Not anymore. I figured this out,” Adrienne said, waving the paper. She jammed it into her bag, furious at herself for trusting people who didn’t deserve it. Didn’t the cards warn her of that?

But who else could help her?

“You’re upset. I understand. When you’re calm, come back,” Candace said. “Take these with you.” She held out the rock she’d been praying over and a small baggy of herbs. “Drink the tea every morning and keep the rock with you. It’ll prevent the curse from getting worse and gradually remove it.”

Adrienne hesitated then took the items. She placed them in her bag then dropped the cross-body carrier over her head. She grabbed Rene’s shirt, turned and left without speaking.

“You ain’t walking alone,” Rene said firmly, trailing.

“Leave me alone, Rene!” she snapped. She shoved the front door open and paused on the sidewalk, orienting herself.

“So you had a bad day. Don’t be stupid,” he said. He took her arm.

Adrienne shook him off.

Rene snatched her and yanked her in front of him hard enough to jar her out of her swirling emotions.

“You don’t get it, girl,” he warned. “You wanna stay alive, you stop playin’ the fool.” His grip was harder than his gaze, his muscular frame tense enough to scare her. “You got it?”

She nodded.

“You don’t walk nowhere alone and you don’t walk out on me again,” he added.

A dark, haunted emotion she wasn’t able to define crossed his features.

“Ow,” she murmured.

He released her.

“What’s wrong, Rene?” she asked.

“Nothing. Let’s go.” He moved away.

“Rene, I’ve had the worst day ever. Everyone has lied to me or worse! Why won’t you tell me what’s going on?” she pushed, refusing to move. “Did you know Candace and my daddy were dating when you took me to her?”

Rene turned, tense once more, and glared at her.

“I can’t trust anyone,” she said, throat tightening. “I’m scared, Rene.”

“Shut up and walk, Adrienne.” His tone was softer. He walked away.

Even her reluctant guardian was hiding something. She sensed it.

The whole world is against me.
Defeated, she followed him.

At least she had a new clue about her sister’s journal. She had a piece of the song in her bag. Her eyes settled on Rene, and she trotted forward to draw abreast of him.

“Rene.”

“What.”

“If you can’t get my sister’s journal from Jax, can you copy it?” she asked. “Even if you just take pics of the pages with your phone or whatever.”

He was quiet for a moment, his brooding mood giving her no insight into which way he’d be swayed.

“You just don’t know when to give up,” he said finally.

“Would you give up on Jax?” she challenged.

His jaw clenched. He stopped in place for a moment, and a tortured look crossed his face.

She gazed up at him. Accustomed to him being moody, she was startled to see an emotion that was far more than indecision. Something was wrong, and it wasn’t about Jax and her journal.

“Did you guys get in another fight?” she asked.

He shook his head and started walking once more.

“Rene!” she all but shouted. “Will you help me?”

“I’ll try,” he grumbled. “But you best stop bugging me.”