“You’re willing to face up to a couple of spirits so that you can pursue something you love, but you can’t face my brother because you’re running from someone who could love you and who you could love.”
“Whom.”
“What?”
“It’s someone whom you could love. And anyway, that’s ridiculous. I’m not running from love. It’s … the physical... Whatever. I’m not running.” I shoved my mass of hair out of my face. My semblance of control was slipping.
I can’t handle your brother.
“I’m pretty sure he’d like you to handle him.”
“Stop reading my thoughts!”
The man walking ahead of us turned to check out the crazy lady talking to herself. Damn it. This is why it was better to ignore this goddamn curse.
“Who cares what he thinks? He still sleeps with his teddy bear.” Tish poked her ethereal tongue out, in a wasted but appreciated gesture. I jerked my chin back in surprise. Someone other than my grandmother, willing to stick up for me? Even if she was dead, it soothed my frayed nerves.
The man’s frown turned to a look of appreciation as his eyes travelled down to my legs, exposed in my shorts. I was tempted to karate kick him in the family jewels. Snapping my fingers under his nose to get his attention on my face, I gave him a verbal kick instead. “Hey, mister. How’s Big Ted? Do you still suck your thumb, too?”
Alarm flickered in his eyes before he spun away, scurrying off.
“That’s how you know it’s real.”
“Huh?” My mind searched back through our words, attempting to pick up the lost thread.
“Lee. He gets to you. He has the ability to burrow under those reinforced layers you wrap yourself in. You know it, and that’s what has you crapping your dacks.”
Yep, that’s exactly what I’m afraid of. “Can we not talk about your brother?”
“You promised.”
“I never promised to date him, if that’s what you’re suggesting. You set me up!”
“I may have nudged a little, but you didn’t exactly refuse to move in.”
“What choice did I have?”
“There’s always a choice. There’s the right one, and a lot of wrong ones. I’m here to tell you that you made the right choice.”
“Why doesn’t that make me feel any better?”
Her appearance faded to mist, as she whipped her body around in front of me. “Stop!”
“What? Why?” The panic she emitted spun a web around us.
Her icy palm encircled my bicep, giving it a faint tug. My feet refused to budge. When I looked across the street, I saw what had her attention. My feet moved then, but it was too late. He’d spotted me.
Lindstrom adjusted the button on his suit jacket, as he crossed the road without regard for the oncoming traffic. The leer on his face churned my gut and raised my hackles. I almost hoped he’d get hit, but that wasn’t something I’d ever want to witness. An iron mask dropped over my face, my shoulders pushing back in defiance and readiness for whatever assault was coming. If Flick had been saying things about me …
“Ronnie,” he sneered as he assessed my casual attire.
“Lindstrom,” I replied, putting as much contempt as possible into my voice. “Not doing coffee with your girlfriend this morning?”
“To whom are you referring?” he questioned as he closed in, pinning me with his icy, blue eyes.
His response told me a lot. Flick was telling the truth about her relationship with him. He probably had a harem of girls to toy with. Toying with people was his favourite pastime.
He was attractive, I’d give him that. But the outward appearance was only a thin crust that hid what lay beneath. My curse was great for seeing the hidden, and his insides weren’t pretty at all.
“Don’t let him get in your head, Ronnie,” Letitia warned.
“Uh, I’m late so … yeah.”
“Oh, Ronnie?” he called out behind me as I hot footed it down George Street.
“What?” I snapped, without turning back.
“I’ll be seeing a lot more of you. Soon.” The tone of voice he used was so threatening that I jerked my eyes back. He appeared to be smiling and friendly, but the eyes … the eyes told me it was a warning, and a promise, all in one.
I shuddered as fear snaked up my spine. The sense of foreboding was suffocating. This time, I felt like evil was coming for me.
“What’s that supposed to mean? What is your game?” I spat back, switching to attack mode. The veneer started to slip and his evil leaked out slowly for all to see, turning his eyes almost black. Letitia shoved me from behind, making me stumble forward. Okay, so she could move things.
“Go now!” she yelled at me. I ran down the side street and found a cafe, silently willing Letitia to follow me into the toilets. I needed privacy for this conversation. Checking all the stalls to make sure they were empty, I leaned back against the sinks with my arms crossed, and pinned my stare on Letitia.
“Normally, ‘I don’t want to know’, is my motto. Normally, I’m a stick-my-head-in-the-sand-and-go-the-fuck-away kind of girl. You asked me for help, and I thought, okay, because I liked you and I felt like you wanted to help me, too. I know being an ostrich is not healthy, but it has been my defence mechanism, and my protection from insanity. Now, I feel like a can of worms—no—a can of eastern brown snakes, has been opened in
