were waiting for me or if that’s just the line you use to pull customers in, but I have a lot to do today. Tell me what I owe and—”
“Have you always run away from them?” Alice asked, unfazed.
“From them, who?”
“Your battles. Is that why you want to be blind? You are here, now, because you won’t fight. But this card . . .” She tapped the last card with her blue fingernail. The card showed a man lying on his stomach with ten swords sticking out of his back. “This represents the loss of all you value. It means that in running away, you destroy yourself.”
Danni pushed back her chair and stood.
“The spirit that follows you—he wants that. His aura is changing even now. I can see it. It makes him happy. He wants you to run away.”
Danni looked desperately around the store, not wanting to hear what Alice might say next. Not wanting to think of the gleeful spirit over her shoulder. “How much? How do much I owe you?”
Alice stood as well. “You have the power to change everything,” she said softly, and her eyes fluttered closed again. Her face was serene, but it seemed a fine static hovered around her. If Danni were to reach out and touch her, the spark of it would snap against her skin.
Danni’s mouth was dry, her stomach tight as she took a step back. “Thank you for your time,” she said, fumbling her wallet from her purse.
“Take off the blinders, Dáirinn,” Alice whispered. “Face what you fear.”
“What did you call me?”
Alice opened her eyes and looked at her without answering. For a moment that seemed to stretch like a timeless void, the two women stared at one another. But what Danni saw was the fanning pages of the Book and the dark red that seeped from between them. If that was the thing she had to face, Danni didn’t think she could do it.
“Everything all right over here?” a poised woman in a shimmering lilac dress asked. Danni had noticed her behind the cash register when she’d walked in. “Alice, are you okay?”
Alice blinked and then came out of her trance. She smiled pleasantly. “Yes, I’m fine.”
Hesitantly, the woman looked back at Danni, who still held her wallet in a tight grip. “How much do I owe you?” Danni insisted stubbornly, wanting to pay—to eliminate any debt between them and get the hell out of there as fast as she could. Alice had pried loose something deep inside her, and Danni was afraid it would be blown free now. And who knew what would come out?
“Alice charges forty for a reading,” the woman said in a wary voice. She was looking over Danni’s right shoulder, just as Alice had. Great. Could everyone in this place see the invisible spirit?
Danni pulled her money from her wallet and set it on the table. Without another word, she turned and hurried from the store, aware of the eyes following her. She stepped into the bright sunshine with a feeling of escaping. But the cloying scent of the shop clung to her skin.
Focused only on reaching her car and getting far away from Pandora’s Box, Danni didn’t see the man watching her from the other side of the parking lot. But she sensed him, and it pulled her gaze from the ground and forced her to look around. She scanned over the people on the walkway, not even registering the familiar face until she’d passed him. She spun back around, searching for the face again. For a moment, she’d thought she’d seen her father—or at least a man who looked a lot like he had in the picture. But that was impossible. . . .
She’d almost convinced herself she’d imagined him when he appeared again. For an instant their eyes met across the busy parking lot and Danni stilled with surprise. Slowly, he smiled, and Danni was struck by the way it transformed his face. He didn’t just look like the picture; he looked like he’d stepped out of it. It had to be her father. For reasons she couldn’t begin to guess, her father was here in Arizona and Sean didn’t want her to know it.
She
“Have you always run away from them?” Alice asked, unfazed.
“From them, who?”
“Your battles. Is that why you want to be blind? You are here, now, because you won’t fight. But this card . . .” She tapped the last card with her blue fingernail. The card showed a man lying on his stomach with ten swords sticking out of his back. “This represents the loss of all you value. It means that in running away, you destroy yourself.”
Danni pushed back her chair and stood.
“The spirit that follows you—he wants that. His aura is changing even now. I can see it. It makes him happy. He wants you to run away.”
Danni looked desperately around the store, not wanting to hear what Alice might say next. Not wanting to think of the gleeful spirit over her shoulder. “How much? How do much I owe you?”
Alice stood as well. “You have the power to change everything,” she said softly, and her eyes fluttered closed again. Her face was serene, but it seemed a fine static hovered around her. If Danni were to reach out and touch her, the spark of it would snap against her skin.
Danni’s mouth was dry, her stomach tight as she took a step back. “Thank you for your time,” she said, fumbling her wallet from her purse.
“Take off the blinders, Dáirinn,” Alice whispered. “Face what you fear.”
“What did you call me?”
Alice opened her eyes and looked at her without answering. For a moment that seemed to stretch like a timeless void, the two women stared at one another. But what Danni saw was the fanning pages of the Book and the dark red that seeped from between them. If that was the thing she had to face, Danni didn’t think she could do it.
“Everything all right over here?” a poised woman in a shimmering lilac dress asked. Danni had noticed her behind the cash register when she’d walked in. “Alice, are you okay?”
Alice blinked and then came out of her trance. She smiled pleasantly. “Yes, I’m fine.”
Hesitantly, the woman looked back at Danni, who still held her wallet in a tight grip. “How much do I owe you?” Danni insisted stubbornly, wanting to pay—to eliminate any debt between them and get the hell out of there as fast as she could. Alice had pried loose something deep inside her, and Danni was afraid it would be blown free now. And who knew what would come out?
“Alice charges forty for a reading,” the woman said in a wary voice. She was looking over Danni’s right shoulder, just as Alice had. Great. Could everyone in this place see the invisible spirit?
Danni pulled her money from her wallet and set it on the table. Without another word, she turned and hurried from the store, aware of the eyes following her. She stepped into the bright sunshine with a feeling of escaping. But the cloying scent of the shop clung to her skin.
Focused only on reaching her car and getting far away from Pandora’s Box, Danni didn’t see the man watching her from the other side of the parking lot. But she sensed him, and it pulled her gaze from the ground and forced her to look around. She scanned over the people on the walkway, not even registering the familiar face until she’d passed him. She spun back around, searching for the face again. For a moment, she’d thought she’d seen her father—or at least a man who looked a lot like he had in the picture. But that was impossible. . . .
She’d almost convinced herself she’d imagined him when he appeared again. For an instant their eyes met across the busy parking lot and Danni stilled with surprise. Slowly, he smiled, and Danni was struck by the way it transformed his face. He didn’t just look like the picture; he looked like he’d stepped out of it. It had to be her father. For reasons she couldn’t begin to guess, her father was here in Arizona and Sean didn’t want her to know it.
She
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