Page 45 of Petty Deadly Gorgeous

“Are you saying you know me?” I laughed, still finding the idea of reincarnation absurd.

He stood up and tucked a hand into the pocket of his jeans. “The first time you almost gave into your predilection, the second you fought it.” He turned and opened the door. “This time, you’re embracing it.”

I felt the blood drain from my face. How could he know about my dark side? I mean the sex part he knows, but all of it?

“We’ll put a plate of dinner aside for you for when you get home.” He walked out and closed the door behind him.

I watched him leave, then finished putting my things away and propped the door open for the next person.

I had a young girl to speak with and no time to waste.

Chapter Fourteen

Anna

My tarot reading with Maddie left me feeling dirty.

Jon wasn’t home. He went to distribute flyers for the next past-life regression class he does. The crazy ghost hunters were asleep because they claim ghosts are easier to film and find at night.

Left alone to my own devices, I pulled my Book of Shadows out and scrutinized every spell looking for one that would be perfect for Detective Sean Riley, but I had yet to find one that had the right pain level.

When I first sat down with Maddie, she told me about meeting Dom and what a gentleman he had been. Then she clammed up and said she needed to know what the cards had to say.

I owned several decks, but I had one deck that remained my favorite. They were well used, so the colors weren’t bold and bright on them anymore. But the artwork always held my interest. When looking at them each on their own, I could still find new things that amazed me.

The deck created by Aleister Crowley could be brutal, and over the years of study with them I’ve learned that each card works together to paint the reading for me. Just because I see a death card doesn’t mean a death. It could symbolize a new beginning or the end of something.

Something this deck excelled at? The truth. I mean, they will tell you how it is without a sugar coating. Some people liked that. That’s what they needed from the reading, but most touristy people only wanted fluff and good things.

I shuffled the cards to clear them and then handed the deck to Maddie to shuffle, and I watched her as she focused. For a young woman, her aura appeared muddled and broken. She finished shuffling and handed them back to me.

The moment I flipped the first two cards, I saw the broken heart and betrayal of someone in power. Flipping the next four, I saw her trying to do something good and having it backfire, which filled her with fear. I laid the last four out and saw a “knight in shining armor” coming to her rescue.

Tapping my fingers against the table, I looked her in the eyes and asked the obvious question I had. “Who hurt you?”

A single tear fell down her cheek, and she shook her head.

“Well, here’s what I see. You feel betrayed by someone in power because you were trying to do something to help someone you care about. That backfired, causing you to be hurt and you’re afraid.” I reached for her hand and held it in mine. “Sweetheart, you need to tell someone who hurt you. If you keep it silent, nothing can be done.”

“I know.” She wiped the side of her face on her shoulder. “Do you remember Trina?”

A young girl with long blond hair, rosy cheeks and bright blue eyes popped into my head. “I do. She works at your grandpa’s diner.” I snapped my fingers. “Hey, didn’t she win Miss Pumpkin at last year’s fall festival?”

“She did.” She took a deep breath. “Well, she went to the movies over in Kilton. It was an afternoon matinee. She loves old movies.” Maddie smiled at me for a moment, then frowned. “She said an old man came in and they talked before the movie.”

“I’m following along so far.” I gave her hand a squeeze.

She took a deep breath in and let it out slowly before continuing. “Well, he stepped out about twenty minutes into the movie and when he came back, he changed where he was sitting so he could sit next to her.”

“And they were the only two in the theater?”

She nodded. “It was fine for part of the movie. Then he put his arm around her, and you know how the arm rests move? He put it up and touched her. She said he covered her mouth with his hand.”

“You mean from the one he had around her?” I felt my face scrunch up uncomfortably.

“Yeah. The other hand touched her all over.” Tears flowed from her eyes.

I knew she was in pain sharing this with me, and I hated seeing her hurt.

---