Page 16 of Cursed
“Hey, over there,” Seth said with a nod.
Evan followed his line of sight and saw a man standing at the edge of the food park. Nothing about the way he was dressed set him apart from the diners or the passersby, but he just stood and stared at the people without appearing to be particularly listening to the music.
“The ghosts don’t like that guy,” Evan said in a low tone. “I’m picking up on some kind of magic, not witch-disciple level mojo, but he’s not a mundane.”
“I wonder if he’s here to keep an eye on Pax,” Seth replied. “I’ve got an idea. Cover me.”
With that, Seth grabbed a handful of flyers for discounts at the various trucks from the end of the table and headed toward the stranger. Evan watched closely, ready to spring into action if it looked like his partner needed backup.
Seth approached the dour stranger with a big grin. Evan couldn’t hear what was said, but Seth tried to foist off coupons on the man and invite him to try the trucks; the man backed away, looking annoyed and angry.
“No idea whether he’s working with Vernon, but at least he left,” Seth said as he came back to the table. “I don’t like being stared at while I eat, and I figure other people don’t either.”
“Just because he’s a creep doesn’t mean he’s connected to one of the disciples,” Evan said quietly enough not to be overheard. “Maybe he’s looking for someone to rob. Or he just hates music.” He didn’t really believe either option.
“Coincidences are never coincidental,” Seth said.
“You should put that on a T-shirt.”
Seth rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean. We come here to protect Pax, and there’s a creepy stalker guy hanging out and staring at him. It’s got to mean something.”
Evan only realized that the music had stopped when Tony walked up to their table. “Pardon me, but I saw what you did, making that jerk go away. Thank you.”
Seth gestured for Tony to join them, and he sat down on the end of the bench. “He gave me the creeps staring at everyone, and so I figured offering him coupons would move him along without starting a fight.”
Evan knew that Seth had a few weapons hidden on him if it came to needing to defend himself, but he felt grateful that the situation hadn’t escalated.
“He keeps coming around, and he never buys anything,” Tony confided. “But since there’s no law against standing there and watching people eat, we can’t call the cops. Everyone’s seen him, but no one knows who he is or why he’s interested.”
“He comes every day?” Evan asked, and Tony nodded. “Same time?”
Tony shook his head. “Times vary, but it’s always the same guy. Started about a month ago. I don’t remember seeing him before that.” He sighed. “I’m sorry. Pretty sure you two are first-timers. I didn’t mean to make you think we’ve got a creeper problem.”
“Don’t worry, we’ve already fallen in love with Savannah,” Seth assured him. “And we enjoyed your music last night at Mystic.”
Evan could see the moment Tony made the mental connection. “I thought you looked familiar. I saw you talking with Pax. I love playing there. Nash takes good care of us.”
“Are you from the city?” Seth made small talk even though they knew the answer.
Tony hesitated, as Evan expected he would. From what their intel told them about the pair, both Tony and Pax had fled bad family situations to strike out on their own in Savannah, meeting once they were in the city.
“No, but it’s definitely home to me now,” Tony said with a smile that reached his eyes. “Crazy musician chasing a dream and all that. So far, it’s been working out—cross your fingers for me!”
“The trucks do a good business,” Seth observed. “Is it this busy all the time?”
“Pretty much, except when it rains. We’re not in peak tourist season now, it’s even busier then. They work hard. It’s hot in those trucks,” Tony said.
“We really loved the barbecue, especially the peach one,” Evan added.
Tony flashed a proud smile. “That’s Pax’s family recipe. He left home with that and a couple hundred dollars in his pocket and did all right for himself. Of course, I’m probably biased. He’s my boyfriend.”
Tony hesitated as if waiting for their reaction, and Evan knew not everyone in Savannah was open-minded. To set Tony at ease, Evan moved his hand to brush against Seth’s knuckles.
“We didn’t really introduce ourselves. I’m Evan, and this is my partner, Seth.”
“Business partner?” Tony gave them an assessing look.
“That and life partner, too. Package deal,” Evan replied with a smile.
