Page 9 of Voodoo Doll
“Hello?”His sleepy voice called from the other end of the phone.?
“Hi, baby!” I greeted him cheerfully. Just hearing his voice put my heart at ease, just a little. I turned the corner towards his home. He may be awake now, but surely a good morning kiss before work would be welcome.?
“Luna… hey…” He sounded surprised to hear from me, but that was probably just his sleep deprivation. Whenever he had a big project at work, he always got weird and cranky. Deadlines and long hours would do that to a person.?
“Hey, sweetheart. I thought that today it might be nice to go grab breakfast together before you head off to work. We could go to that little place we went to a few months ago — Raise a Toast? You remember. It was—”
“Yeah, that’s a great idea, Lune, but listen, I’m already at work this morning. I’ve got these deadlines to hit. You know how it is, baby.”?
I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. It had been too long since I had seen him, and yet…?
Wait—
As I pulled up to the curb outside of his home, I tried to make sense of what I was seeing.?
“You said you’re already at work?” I repeated his statement, eyeing his red mustang in the driveway. It was a cool car, but needed some work. That had never stopped him from acting like some hotshot race car driver.?
“Yeah, I have an early morning meeting. Listen, I just got to my office, so I need to let you go.”?
“Well, maybe we can do lunch. I was thinking of going down to the Vieux Carré this afternoon and checking out—”
“Looney Bear, I said I need to go. Okay? I’m at work. You understand, right?”?
“Um, yeah. Of course,” I muttered, watching as the light in his bedroom turned on. Before I could say another word, the line clicked off.?
He had hung up.?
He had said he was at work.?
His car was here.?
He was here.?
He lied.?
Josh lied.?
The air turned thick in my lungs, each breath hurting more than the last as realization took hold. Had I been right? If he was lying about this, then what else had he lied about? What reason did I have to believe he wasn’t cheating on me??
My tires squealed as I pressed the gas pedal to the floor, tearing off in any direction that would take me away from here.?
With shaky hands, I grabbed my phone, finding Kayla’s number and quickly calling the one person I could depend on for some clarity. After one ring, it went straight to voicemail.?
That was strange. Kay never was one to ignore my calls. Not at this hour, at least.
I drove around, having no real plan or destination, but suddenly the buildings turned to a more vintage feel as I made my way to the Vieux Carré, the French Quarter. I found a parking garage, nearly empty at this hour. Shopping was the last thing I wanted to do, but being alone in my house felt even worse, so I began walking along the streets, trying to stop my mind from wandering to the possibilities I was not ready to truly face.?
Ahead of me, I saw the sign for le Désir Mystique. A flash of burgundy coattails caught my attention as a tall, slender figure slipped into the alleyway between that building and the next.?
Mr. Broussard.?
I had no reason to trust him. No reason to be here.?
And yet, here I was. Something about him made me curious. And nervous.
But perhaps some company was better than no company.
Chapter Six
