Hidden (New Orleans Temptation Series Book 2) Read online

  When Samantha walks out, I turn to Dixie. “I have to admit, I’m glad that was canceled.”

  “Really, because I was kinda looking forward to it,” she replies with a cocky grin, pushing me on the shoulder. “Come on, you have to admit, you were a bit curious, huh?”

  “Actually, I can tell you, no, I wasn’t. I have been to a few motorcycle parties and that’s pretty much what they do.” I shiver in disgust thinking of the dirty club and all the skanks that hung around waiting for anyone to hit on them.

  “What, what do they do?”

  “They just have sex right there whenever it strikes them. And I find it a bit unnerving. But hey, that’s just me, to each their own.”

  “I just wanted to check it out for myself, that’s all.”

  “I understand, girl, but I’m glad I don't have to worry about it tonight. So now what do we do for the rest of the night?”

  “We can do a girls’ night,” she yells, clapping her hands. Just walk around the quarter and bar hop. Come on, it will be fun. Please?”

  I roll my eyes at her and smile while we walk back toward our lockers. “Get out of your costume, Sunny, we’re going to have some fun tonight.”

  “Alright, but no strip clubs. Take me to see the city. I want to feel the history.”

  Carmella walks in in her typical fashion. “What are you hoes doing gabbing over there and not in the cages?”

  I look up at her with excited eyes and a wide smile. “Samantha said the members complained about the girls in the cages, as of right now we’re on hold. Dixie is taking me on a tour of the French Quarter tonight for a girls’ night. You want to come with us?”

  “Hell yeah, I’m coming with y’all. I know this great voodoo shop that has the best psychic around.”

  “A psychic. You don’t believe in that stuff, do you, Carmella?”

  Dixie chuckles. “We were born and raised here, girl, we all believe in spirits, voodoo, and psychics.”

  I shake my head at the both of them. “Are you all for real? So you’re telling me you believe in ghosts and voodoo dolls?” They shake their heads in confirmation. “This is going to be an interesting night.

  Chapter 9

  After changing out of our costumes and into jeans and a t-shirt, we head out into the night air. The sky is clear and the air is cool.

  “What a perfect night to stroll around the city,” Dixie says, while I take in the views.

  “Okay, so tell me where you’re bringing me?”

  “Well, let’s see, there’s so much to see. We can do a voodoo shop and get a voodoo doll of Rex to inflict some pain on him just for fun. Or we can go to a psychic down at Jackson Square? Whatever you want.”

  “I want to do it all!” I say with wide eyes. Not that I believe in voodoo, but what the heck, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

  Carmella pipes up, “Well, we can’t do a damn thing until we get a drink.”

  “I don't want to sit in a bar,” I complain.

  “Who said we were gonna sit in a bar? We’re going to get a drink and walk around the city.”

  I look at her in confusion. “How are we going to do that without getting arrested? You can’t just walk around with an open container.”

  “Oh yes, you can. This may be one of the only cities you can do it, but that you can. So what do you want to drink,” Carmella ask with her hands planted firmly on her hips as if she has run out of patience.

  “I don't know? I want to be an official tourist, so what would I have as a tourist?”

  “Hum,” Dixie sighs with her finger tapping her cheek. “You would have a hurricane from Pat O’Brian’s if you were a tourist.”

  “Then what are we waiting for? Lead the way. I want a hurricane.”

  As we make our way to Pat O’Brian’s, I take in the atmosphere during the short walk. It’s so relaxing. People are carefree and having a lot of fun. Out of nowhere, my breath hitches and I get an uneasy feeling. I start to look around at the faces as we pass them and turn around to see if anyone is following us. Samantha said to listen to my instincts, and right now, they are telling me to be very aware.

  I hear Carmella whisper to Dixie, “Walk faster. We are about to lose Sunny. She is getting spooked.”

  I look over to Carmella with a fake smile. “I just need a drink. I will be fine.”

  “Did you see something that made you nervous?” Dixie asks just as we reach the bar.

  “No, I just feel like someone is following us, I’m sure it’s nothing,”

  Carmella laughs. “We are being followed, alright. Followed by that group of hot guys back there.” She turns and points to a group of guys standing there waving at us.

  “You see, I knew I was being followed,” I say, laughing to cover the uneasy feeling that still sits in the middle of my chest.

  The feeling does just as Carmella said it would do after a few sips of this very powerful hurricane and goes away. Good Lord, this thing is strong, and I’m not sure if I should drink the entire thing. We leave Pat O’Brian’s with drinks in hand on our way to the first voodoo shop we come to. I look up at the sign. “The Voodoo Queen,” I read aloud. “Come on, guys, this is a bit freaky, don't you think?” They totally ignore me and walk in. I follow them and take in the contents of the store. There are all kinds of weird things hanging from the walls: chicken feet, garlic necklaces, buddy charms, voodoo potions, and last but not least voodoo dolls. They were not kidding me. You can really buy a voodoo doll. I’m looking up at the different dolls when a woman approaches me. I’m thinking she works here by her garb. She’s very eccentric looking. She has on a long colorful skirt, tons of bracelets reaching up half her arm, large shiny earnings, and a wrap on her head that encases all her dark braids.

  “Can I help you find something?” she asks.

  “Oh, I am just looking,” I reply shyly.

  But you know Carmella is not going to let this go. “Oh hell no, we are not just looking. We came here for a reason so tell the nice lady what you want so she can help you.”

  “I don't know what I want. “Y’all,” I say, stressing their term, “You brought me here. I’m not from here. How am I supposed to know what to buy?”

  The voodoo lady puts her hand on my shoulder and shivers run up my spine. She has an aura about her that I can’t quite place. She’s calming, almost hypnotic, when she speaks.

  “Chère, tell me what brings you here? Are you looking for love, fortune, success, or revenge?” Her voice is thick with a Cajun accent. I feel as if I have stepped back in time with her. I just stare into her chocolate eyes like a fool not sure what to say.

  Before I can answer, Carmella, of course, blurts out, “Revenge! Her ex-boyfriend beat the crap out of her and she lives here now fearing he will find her. We need help making sure he stays away from her forever.” She stresses the word forever and gives me the eyes.

  Ms. Voodoo Queen looks back to me. I feel her looking into my soul. She reaches down to grab both my hands wrapping them into hers and holding them up in the air between us over our heads. Her eyes close and she makes some weird chanting sounds. I look over to the girls for help, and they are trying hard not to laugh, as I stand helpless in the middle of the store with this crazy lady chanting.

  They stop as soon as she starts to speak English. My eyes focus on her and listen to what she has to say with a weird sense of anticipation.

  “You need a protection voodoo doll. I see an evil dragon after you.”

  I gasp in horror that she said dragon. I try to pull my hands away, but she has a death grip on them. Her eyes open wide and stare back into my soul again.

  “He’s far away right now, but you have to be alert. Don't let your guard down. If you allow the tiger to help you, good will prevail over evil. But you have to let the tiger in, let him know your soul, child. If you don't allow the tiger into your heart, he can’t save you,” she whispers to me.

  Pulling my hands away, I push them into my pockets feeling the wicked mag
ic on my hands. Her eyes have not moved from mine.

  “There is a dragon, correct,” she states, not really asking but telling me.

  I don't know that I can answer that. I’m in total shock she would even come up with that. Carmella has stepped up with her arm looped around into mine answering for me. “Yes, the asshole we just told you about is in a motorcycle club called The Flaming Dragons. Is he looking for her? Can you see him? Where is he? When will he get here?”

  The Voodoo Queen raises her hand to Carmella in an effort to try to stop the questions.

  “He is not near but he’s looking. I see him looking all over the country following …” She hesitates and scrunches up her eyebrows as if she can’t make sense of it. “Trains, he’s following trains.” I know exactly what she is talking about, but I don't say a word, trying not to let the girls know how dead on this woman is. I pray she stops talking not sure I want to know more.

  “You have to let the tiger into your mind and soul to be safe.” She grabs me by the shoulders again, shrugging off Carmella and pulling me close. “Heed my warning, child, I want you to be safe,” she says with drama in her voice. Her warning sounds so dramatic it’s almost comical, that is unless you know what I know. I try to pretend she’s nuts, rolling my eyes to Dixie, when the Voodoo Queen turns away from me to grab a male-looking doll from the rack. She holds it up in the air and mumbles some mumbo-jumbo stuff we don't understand.

  Dixie whispers in my ear, “I think she is putting a spell on the doll. You need to listen to her.”

  I look at Dixie with a look of disbelief. Is she freaking kidding me? I don't know what the hell she is talking about. But they seem to be under her spell so I stay quiet.

  Once her spell is done, she places the doll in my hand. “You see this pin right here? Every night, you take this pin and you repeat this chant. Dragon stay away, tiger find me and keep me safe. Do you understand me? I feel danger for you. But I also feel safety in the tiger’s arms so make sure you find him.”

  “Him? The tiger is a him?” I mean really, at this point, I don't know what the hell I should be looking for.

  “Yes, he will save you.”

  “How am I supposed to know who he is?” I ask with a confused look.

  “Oh, you will know. He has already found you. You just have not let him in yet.”

  She places her hand on my forehead, repeats the chant, and then walks away from us.

  “Did that really just happen?” I ask the girls with wide eyes and shaky hands.

  Dixie is wide eyed and shaking her head. “Hell yes, that just happened. Now let’s pay for that doll and head to the cathedral because I feel like we need some holy water after that.”

  “What? You bring me to a voodoo shop, and NOW you feel like you need holy water. You just had a Voodoo Queen put a spell on me, and now we have to go to church?” I say in disbelief.

  Carmella grabs my hand and puts my hurricane she has been holding back in the other. “Here, just drink up and stick the damn doll every night. I don’t think we really should discuss this again. Just do as she says.”

  I didn’t tell the girls about Joe putting my clothes on the train cars so there’s no way they could have told her that. Oh shit, this is real. This woman is for freaking real, there’s no way she could have known that. My mind races so fast I can’t keep up with it. I take long fast pulls off my drink in an attempt to stop my mind. When we get to the famous church, I blurt out, “I need to find the tiger, y’all. Please help me find the tiger,” I slur.

  I want them to tell me the Voodoo Queen is nuts and just a tourist attraction, but they don’t. They actually look a bit frightened for me which makes me worry more, which makes me drink more.

  “Come on, a little holy water will make us feel better,” Dixie, says.

  Carmella does not appear to believe her as she looks at her with a raised eyebrow. “It will make us feel better or burn a hole in our forehead?” she asks with a high-pitched voice we all ignore.

  We down the rest of our drinks before we head into the church, which by the way feels really wrong after where we have been, but heck, we have not done a damn thing right yet so why start now.

  We walk in quickly as they are about to close for the evening. This church is absolutely beautiful. There are black-and-white checkered marble floors leading up to the altar with old large wooden pews on each side. It’s massive. Dixie whispers to me, “Let’s get the holy water and go.” We are in and out in less than two minutes with wet foreheads from making the sign of the cross with the blessed water.

  I have washed off some of the voodoo but still feel a bit uneasy about the entire situation.

  “So what now?” I ask the girls, ready to change the subject and forget what the Voodoo Queen said.

  “More hurricanes is what is next,” says Carmella, walking away and expecting us to follow her. I think she’s a bit spooked as well.

  We walk back to Pat O’Brian’s without saying a word to each other. Once we make it there and get another drink, we sit at a small table out in the patio area. I look at the girls and shake my finger at them. “I don't want to discuss this voodoo thing again tonight, do you all understand me? I’m over it, I want to drink my drink, then let’s find a place to dance and have fun. Okay?”

  They both look at me in agreement as they take long pulls from their hurricanes. Once we let half of our second drink sink in, we’re ready to move past the weirdness of what has happened.

  “We need a picture,” Dixie shouts over the music. “It’s the thing to do when you come here to get your picture taken in black and white with the Pat O’Brian’s logo on it. Come on, we have to do it.” She gets up to pay the photographer who’s walking around with a camera. We take our picture all smiles as the second hurricane has us feeling good and the memory of the voodoo incident pushes to the back of our minds.

  Just as the photographer walks away, two very handsome men come up to our table. The tall sexy one points at Carmella. “Hi, don’t I know you from somewhere?”

  “They all say that, doll,” she counters.

  “No, really. My name is Kevin, Kevin Breaux. I think we went to high school together. You went to Lynn Oaks down the road, right?”

  Her eyes shift away from him, and for the first time ever, I see a hint of embarrassment on Carmella face. What the heck is that about? She’s the most confident person I’ve ever met.

  And there is the Carmella I know. She sits up straight looking him right in the eyes. “Yep, I sure did go there, and now that you say your name, I sure do remember you. Funny that you would come say hi considering how much of an asshole you were to me back then.”

  Wow, she really called him out on that. But he doesn’t seem fazed by it at all.

  “That’s the reason I came over. I wanted to apologize for being an asshole and ask for you to forgive my stupid teenage self.” He stands tall waiting for her to respond.

  She’s at a loss for words looking down at her drink. “Yeah, whatever, you’re forgiven. Now walk along and go find the rest of our class that you were an ass to.”

  “Come on, Carmella, I was a stupid kid back then. Please don't be mad. Let me make it up to you. Let me buy you and your friends a drink to prove I’m not an asshole anymore?”

  She gets up from the table and looks back at the rest of us. “Sorry, we were just leaving and heading to Cat’s Meow for some dancing. If you and your friend would like to follow us there, it’s a free world.” We get up and follow behind her, and the guys are hot on our heels.

  Dixie is attracted to the other guy right away and starts chatting him up while we walk. Kevin is dead set on making up with Carmella, and I feel a bit left out, which gives me time to look around a bit. I still feel as if we’re being followed. Once we get to Cat’s, I see how crazy it is in there. It’s a karaoke bar with large windows open to the street, and everyone is dancing, singing, and just having a great time. Kevin is good as his word with buying us drinks.

&n
bsp; After a few more drinks and a few really bad songs on stage, I’m done. Kevin and Carmella are pretty hot and heavy making out, and Dixie is about to put the moves on the friend, John I think is his name. Trying to remember his name makes the room spin. In an instant, I don't feel well. Words won’t come out of my mouth and my limbs won’t work anymore. Everything goes black.

  Chapter 10

  Jackson

  Damn it! I can’t believe the girls let her get this wasted. Not only is she ten sheets to the wind, she’s about to fucking pass out and they have no clue. Thank God, I decided to follow them when they left the club after hearing they were going to walk around the Quarter with just the three of them. I was hoping things would stay calm after seeing them go into the voodoo shop and church thinking they were just showing Sunny the tourist stuff. But no, they had to go back to Pat O’Brian’s for more drinks with two guys in tow.

  Noticing Sunny looks a bit out of it, I close in on the group. Just as I move in, Sunny goes down, and I’m able to catch her before she hits the ground. She’s out cold. I’m beyond pissed because the other girls don't even notice I have her in my arms. This is exactly why they shouldn’t go out without a man.

  I literally pick Sunny up and carry her toward Carmella. “What the fuck are you doing?” I scold, feeling the veins popping out in my neck when I yell.

  She looks up at me with surprise. “Hey, Jackson. What are you doing here,” she slurs.

  “Apparently saving Sunny from hitting the floor since you two drunks haven’t looked her way for the last thirty minutes.”

  “Aw, she’s fine, Jackson, she’s having a good time.”

  “Carmella, she’s not having a good time. She’s passed out drunk and I need to make sure she doesn’t have alcohol poisoning.” Dixie leaves her man to come see what’s going on when she sees I’m cradling Sunny in my arms like a child. I look at them both and try to contain my anger. “Have either of you noticed if she has thrown up?” They both shake their heads no like two little schoolgirls.

  “I’m sorry, Jackson, I had no idea she couldn’t hold her liquor. We all drank the same amount. I swear,” Dixie whines.