flattened his lips. “I’ll stay with you.”
“No, that’s silly. I know my client and I’ll lock the door.”
His expression remained stony.
“I promise. I’ll be fine.” She grabbed her purse and climbed out of the car before she could change her mind. Fishing out the key, she headed to the door then went inside and turned off the alarm.
Her client knocked on the door just as Jilly flipped on the light switch. After she let the man inside, she locked them in and caught a glimpse of Zander’s taillights as he left the parking lot. She allowed herself a secret smile that he’d waited to leave. Shouldn’t matter. She had no right to her romantic thoughts about him.
Half an hour later she finished up the reading and walked her customer to the door. “See you next month, Stan.”
He waved as she bolted the door. She checked Valiente’s food and water bowls then returned to the back room to blow out the candles and grab her purse. Her eyes landed on her tarot cards. It had been ages since she’d done a reading on herself. With all the recent events in her life, a heads up on what lay ahead might calm her nerves. She needed to know if she was making a huge mistake with Zander. Maybe the tarot would offer guidance.
Sinking into her chair, she concentrated on divining her own fortune. She shuffled then cut the deck and laid out three cards. When she turned over the first one—the Knight of Cups—she knew instantly it represented her late teenage years and her early twenties, filled with a rollercoaster of emotional upheavals and wildly shifting passions.
Next she uncovered the eight of cups. Nodding at the validity of the reading so far, she pondered its meaning in her life. The picture showed a man walking away from eight cups toward the moon. For her it was the sobering moment when she realized she’d made an awful mistake by getting involved with Jamal. Her own judgment couldn’t be trusted when it came to men. She’d always fallen for the ones who were bad for her, just as her mother had.
She flipped over the seven of cups next, the third in a row of the suit that related most to feelings and matters of the heart. The card warned her not to let herself be carried away by her emotions. She had to soberly consider any relationships.
Well, one in particular. No doubt in her mind that so far the reading dealt with her love life. She turned over more cards but stopped when she gleaned the hand’s meaning. Someone aimed to hurt her.
The hair on the back of her neck prickled with dread.
Suddenly an explosion of breaking glass shattered the quiet.
What the hell? Her heart slammed against her ribs. Her first thought was that the cat must have knocked something onto one of the display cases. She drew a steadying breath as she rummaged in her purse for her cell and the pocketknife she always kept with her then returned to the main room.
All the counters were intact and there was no broken glass anywhere. Valiente was nowhere in sight.
A heavy thud had her spinning toward the storage room. Then the unmistakable creak of the floorboards.
Her blood pounded in her ears. Had Jamal found her? She tightened her grasp on the knife.
The frightened girl who’d endured so many beatings threatened to take over. No, damn it. She wouldn’t be victimized ever again.
A door squeaked somewhere, sounded as if it came from a faraway tunnel. Then silence.
Fight for your life!
Yes, she could do it. She wasn’t that young, frightened woman anymore. She was strong now. And armed. Gripping the edge of a table, she willed her legs to work. Dizziness threatened to overtake her but she refused to give up.
She slipped off her shoes, trying to make as little noise as possible.
A shadow moved outside the door.
She couldn’t breathe. Her fingers shook as she hit nine-one-one. She begged the Goddess to protect her.
* * * * *
Zander was almost home when the call came over the radio. The instant he heard Mind’s Eye
“No, that’s silly. I know my client and I’ll lock the door.”
His expression remained stony.
“I promise. I’ll be fine.” She grabbed her purse and climbed out of the car before she could change her mind. Fishing out the key, she headed to the door then went inside and turned off the alarm.
Her client knocked on the door just as Jilly flipped on the light switch. After she let the man inside, she locked them in and caught a glimpse of Zander’s taillights as he left the parking lot. She allowed herself a secret smile that he’d waited to leave. Shouldn’t matter. She had no right to her romantic thoughts about him.
Half an hour later she finished up the reading and walked her customer to the door. “See you next month, Stan.”
He waved as she bolted the door. She checked Valiente’s food and water bowls then returned to the back room to blow out the candles and grab her purse. Her eyes landed on her tarot cards. It had been ages since she’d done a reading on herself. With all the recent events in her life, a heads up on what lay ahead might calm her nerves. She needed to know if she was making a huge mistake with Zander. Maybe the tarot would offer guidance.
Sinking into her chair, she concentrated on divining her own fortune. She shuffled then cut the deck and laid out three cards. When she turned over the first one—the Knight of Cups—she knew instantly it represented her late teenage years and her early twenties, filled with a rollercoaster of emotional upheavals and wildly shifting passions.
Next she uncovered the eight of cups. Nodding at the validity of the reading so far, she pondered its meaning in her life. The picture showed a man walking away from eight cups toward the moon. For her it was the sobering moment when she realized she’d made an awful mistake by getting involved with Jamal. Her own judgment couldn’t be trusted when it came to men. She’d always fallen for the ones who were bad for her, just as her mother had.
She flipped over the seven of cups next, the third in a row of the suit that related most to feelings and matters of the heart. The card warned her not to let herself be carried away by her emotions. She had to soberly consider any relationships.
Well, one in particular. No doubt in her mind that so far the reading dealt with her love life. She turned over more cards but stopped when she gleaned the hand’s meaning. Someone aimed to hurt her.
The hair on the back of her neck prickled with dread.
Suddenly an explosion of breaking glass shattered the quiet.
What the hell? Her heart slammed against her ribs. Her first thought was that the cat must have knocked something onto one of the display cases. She drew a steadying breath as she rummaged in her purse for her cell and the pocketknife she always kept with her then returned to the main room.
All the counters were intact and there was no broken glass anywhere. Valiente was nowhere in sight.
A heavy thud had her spinning toward the storage room. Then the unmistakable creak of the floorboards.
Her blood pounded in her ears. Had Jamal found her? She tightened her grasp on the knife.
The frightened girl who’d endured so many beatings threatened to take over. No, damn it. She wouldn’t be victimized ever again.
A door squeaked somewhere, sounded as if it came from a faraway tunnel. Then silence.
Fight for your life!
Yes, she could do it. She wasn’t that young, frightened woman anymore. She was strong now. And armed. Gripping the edge of a table, she willed her legs to work. Dizziness threatened to overtake her but she refused to give up.
She slipped off her shoes, trying to make as little noise as possible.
A shadow moved outside the door.
She couldn’t breathe. Her fingers shook as she hit nine-one-one. She begged the Goddess to protect her.
* * * * *
Zander was almost home when the call came over the radio. The instant he heard Mind’s Eye
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