Page 45 of Loki
“Rest, and afterwards we need to talk,” I said, as I escorted her to the bed.
“What about?” she asked, as she finished getting undressed along with me.
“Rest, Nikki, and we’ll talk later,” I said, pulling the covers back.
She huffed but slid under the covers. “You’re going to have to stop trying to boss me around.”
Chuckling, I slid into the bed beside her, then pulled her into my arms. It had been a long three weeks being away from her, but it was necessary. I was gathering information on Owen Decker and trying to decide what to do next.
“You love it.”
She huffed again but didn’t say anything else. I laid there as her breaths evened out. We had some serious shit to talk about because there was no way she was not going to be in my life again. Now I had to convince her that New Orleans was where she belonged.
Chapter Sixteen
Joshua “Loki” Ledet
The smile on Wiresand New York’s faces had hope surging through me. It was like Decker had fallen off the face of the earth. Numerous calls to his office either went unanswered or whoever answered relayed the message that Decker would be out of the office indefinitely due to a family situation.
We all knew what that situation was. His ass was on the run, and I still hadn’t been able to find shit on him. Even Brian Hamm had been collaborating with Wires trying to find out where the hell he’d disappeared to. And so far, nothing had panned out.
“Please tell me you’ve got good news.”
I ran my hand through my hair, sighing. I had a long conversation with Nikki about her publishing her story and more importantly were I stood with what happened between us after I fucked her a couple more times. Did I regret the conversation we needed to have? Fuck no. She needed to know where I stood, because I was all in when it came to her.
I was starting to agree with her friend, that maybe subconsciously, I couldn’t move on with other women becauseshe was the one who I always wanted to be with. I didn’t know how true that was, but I knew she was something I wanted back then, and I wanted her now. Time, circumstances, nor distance changed that.
I wanted a relationship with her. A genuine relationship. Now she had to decide if that was what she wanted. I gave her space to make a decision about us and get her story about Decker together.
She claimed she had a few more sources to confirm things with before she was ready to publish it, but as long as she kept the boys around for protection, I’d back whatever she decided to do.
She now had a target on her back not only from Decker, but other powerful people who were at that auction. And I definitely wouldn’t make the same mistake with her, I made with Monica.
“I do have good news,” Wires said, plopping down in the chair in front of my desk while New York took the other chair. “Samantha Decker has been spotted. Apparently, she’s superstitious as fuck and you’ll never guess who she goes to see to read her fortune?”
Wires and New York laughed, and I knew immediately who he was referring too.
“Let me guess. The self-proclaimed, Voodoo Queen of New Orleans herself, Bloody Mary,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“The one and only,” New York said with a smile.
I shook my head. “Fucking quack.”
Sheila Ledet, or Bloody Mary as she called herself these days now that she had finally fell off her fucking rocker, was my father’s youngest sister and a fucking nut-job who catered to tourists and misinformed people who had no claim to Voodoo. For the right price she’d sell you a potion, somemagiccrystals, and a pile of dogshit. And I hated to admit it, but she was fucking good at it. People ate that shit up no matter how ridiculous it was.
I’d been around the real shit most of my life being friends with Reggie. His and Nikki’s grandmother was a practitioner of Haitian Vodou. She was amanboor a priestess if I wasn’t mistaken. And when I was younger and hung out at their house, people would come from everywhere, even fly in to see their grandmother.
My aunt was no priestess like she claimed to be and definitely had no blood to lay claim to it, but she was one of the best con artists in the fucking state.
“Alright,” I sighed, dreading having to talk to the crazy bitch, “let’s go pay my delusional aunt a visit.”
As I pulled open the door, the small silver doorbell hanging over the entrance ofSpiritual Awakeningschimed softly. The overpowering aroma of incense invaded my nose, and the gentle melody of light music played in the shop’s background.
The flickering candlelight created an eerie ambiance, casting a haunting glow over the assortment of trinkets, potions, candles, and voodoo dolls my aunt passed off as the real thing, but I knew better.
I walked closer to the counter, while New York and Wires flanked me on either side.
“My name is Mandy,” the young woman said from behind the counter. “How can I help you?”
