Page 49 of Cursed
“It did that to me,” she whispered.
“Did what?”
“Messed with my mind. Made me reach for my gun and almost shoot you.”
“Unfortunately, you may be right,” he said as he led her outside the fence and closed the gate.
She gulped. “I saw another one today.”
He whirled toward her. “Another charm? Where?”
“On the road into town. Near where you rescued me from the flood.”
“And what happened that time?” he demanded.
“I felt like the water was sweeping me away. Even though I was safe in the car.”
His face turned fierce. “Merde!”
“Is it the priestess?”
“Who else has that power?”
She shook her head. She hadn’t believed in supernatural power at all. Now it looked like she had no choice.
“You should go back to the house,” he said.
She knew he wanted to protect her. She was also pretty sure he was looking for an excuse to withdraw behind the wall he’d built since she’d arrived.
“This time, stay and talk to me,” she whispered. “Why are you so different from the man I thought I knew?”
His gaze burned into her. “What do you mean—the man you thought you knew?”
She forced herself to speak frankly. “I mean—when we sent e-mail messages back and forth. You … you seemed friendly and open. We exchanged a lot of information. Not just about the case. Personal stuff. Then, as soon as I got here, you started being … evasive.”
He clenched and unclenched his fists. “The first thing that happened when you got here was that men from town threatened you in the bayou. I realized I’d put you in danger by asking you to come to Belle Vista.”
“But not giving me information doesn’t help!”
“I’m trying to figure out what to do!”
“Well, you can’t do it on your own! You hired me to do a job. Let me do it.” She struggled to get control of her own emotions. Fumbling her way back to a less threatening topic, she said, “tell me about the graveyard.”
His face contorted. “My ancestors are buried here. But I don’t visit them often. I tend to neglect the place.”
“You could hire someone.”
“There aren’t many people around here who would work for me.”
The flat way he said it tore at her. She had told him they must speak frankly. But she needed more than words. Reaching out, she wrapped him in her arms.
“You should stay away from me,” he whispered.
“Why?”
“Like I said, I’m putting you in danger.”
“From whom?”
