I shake my head. “No clue.”
Another engine, this one familiar, rumbles nearby. A second later, Cooper’s beige station wagon glides around the bend in the road, driving considerably slower and more safely than the pickup did a few moments ago. He pulls up to the gate beside the truck. He’s not alone. Jack’s in the front passenger seat, his arms crossed and brows pinched. They exchange a few words before Jack climbs out, slams the door, and mutters to himself as he makes his way up the garden path. Cooper heads straight to the truck’s driver’s side and extends his hand to help Taneea clamber down from the giant vehicle.
Is she kidding? It’s not that high. If she can’t get out, she’s got no business driving it in the first place.
Stomping up the porch steps, Jack stands between me and Miss Delia. “I’m sorry, Em. He called me early this morning to go out on the boat. On our way there, she called wanting to go car shopping. The next thing I knew she was in the front seat and we were driving her to every dealer in Charleston.”
“Don’t worry. I get it.”
He shakes his head. “No, I don’t think you do.” His voice wavers with apprehension.
Taneea opens the door and extends her bare legs from the cab, setting her matching hot-pink espadrilles on the running board. Standing straight up, she slings her ugly purse over her shoulder and loses her balance, squealing as she totters into Cooper’s awaiting arms. Nestled securely in his sturdy biceps, she throws her head back and erupts in peals of laughter. The sound is like the tinkling of a thousand tiny shards of glass.
Supersonic rage ignites in my gut and then explodes through my body. My fists clench, toes curl, and cheeks burn as my vision literally flashes red. I tremble, straining to contain the deep scream that’s working its way up my throat. Jack doesn’t need his twin sense to know I’m about to blow.
He grabs hold of my arms, boring into my eyes. “Don’t give her the satisfaction.”
Somehow the cool blue of his eyes penetrates the lava swirling through my mind. I take a breath and realize it’s the first I’ve drawn since she fell out of the cab. Jack’s right. I can’t go crazy in front of her. Later, when I’m alone with Cooper, most definitely. But not now. It will only make her feel like she’s won. Dragging a few deep breaths into my aching lungs, I work to screw my lips into a smile and watch as Cooper sets her on the ground, steadying her once again because evidently she can’t take a step without falling. Which of course is another load of crap designed to make her look weak and defenseless and in need of Cooper’s aid. Pathetic.
Giggling, she adjusts her black corset top and miniskirt, then waves. “Hey, did you see my new truck?”
“How could we miss it?” The astronauts can probably see it from the space station.
Miss Delia’s nostrils flare. She’s rounded the bend past irate, and is now at full-on seething.
Cooper and Taneea finally make their way up the porch.
“So what do you think?” Taneea asks.
“I think you’re going to call whoever let you borrow that eyesore and tell them to get it off my property.”
She scoffs. “I didn’t borrow it, Great-gran. It’s mine.”
“Really? And how’d you manage that?” Miss Delia asks.
“I just picked it up at the dealer. Cooper helped me choose the color. I couldn’t decide between this or a black one with pink running stripes.”
He smiles. “I figure if you’re going to get a truck like that, you might as well go all out.”
“Is that so?” I plant my hands on my hips.
He nods. “Yeah.” His eyes are nearly colorless, a frosty gray that reminds me of ice. And from the oblivious grin on his face, he doesn’t seem to have the faintest clue of why I might be upset.
My jaw drops as I stare at him, transfixed by the strange hue of his irises. His eyes have always appeared to change shades, but I’ve never seen this one, ever. It’s cold. Lifeless. Perhaps even soulless. A chill ripples through me. Is this proof that the Beaumont Curse has begun to set in?
Cooper turns his attention back to Taneea, as if I’m not even here.
I glance at Jack who looks equally perplexed. He leans over and whispers, “I don’t know what to tell you. He’s been like this all day.”
Miss Delia tilts her head. “How’d you buy the truck, Taneea?”
Jutting her jaw, she meets her great-grandmother’s gaze. “With money.”
Narrowing her lid over her good eye, she points her gnarled index finger at Taneea. “Where did you get the money?”
A stiff breeze whips around the front yard, shaking the bottle tree. The branches bend and sway, causing the bottles to swing farther then I’ve ever seen. A few slam together, smashing on contact, their broken pieces crash to the ground. A fat crow squawks, then zooms off one of the low-lying branches, nearly grazing the porch roof on its escape.
Taneea’s shoulders tense as she spins to look at the front yard. “What just happened?”
“The beginning of something far worse if you don’t start talking,” Miss Delia answers.
I gulp. I didn’t know Miss Delia could control the elements with her mind. I thought the weather stuff was just a side effect of doing magic, not a part of it. Jeez, every time I think I understand hoodoo, I realize I don’t know the half of it.
Taneea shakes her head as a nervous laugh escapes her lips. “You’re bluffing. You can’t make the wind blow.”
“Oh no?” Miss Delia looks out onto the lawn and turns her eyes skyward. Thunder booms above the bottle tree.
My heart jolts. I clutch my chest but stay rooted in place while Cooper steps back and grabs the porch railing.
“I’m out of here.” Jack throws open the porch door and races into the living room.
Taneea cowers, inching backward.
“You going to answer me?” Miss Delia levels her gaze at her great-granddaughter.
“I don’t have to tell you. All that matters is it’s mine.” Taneea tugs her purse straps over her shoulder. The alligator-foot key fob dangles from the chain connected to the purse.
Miss Delia’s eyes bulge. “An alligator foot! You’ve been gambling. And you dipped into my spell book to do it.”
So that explains the powder caked in the spine.
Taneea lifts her chin. “So?”
Miss Delia flicks the joystick on her wheelchair and zooms close. “So? Do you think I don’t know where you’ve been playing cards and dice? Backroom clubs and other secret places filled with shady characters. Not to mention, tricking hard-working folk out of their money.”
“Please, most of the dupes are rich tourists who come down from Hilton Head looking for some action.”
“You don’t know what you’re playing with, girl. Forces you couldn’t possibly understand.”
Taneea stands her ground. “And whose fault is that? You won’t teach me.”
“This is my house. I alone choose to whom I’ll pass my mantle.”
“But you haven’t given me a chance. How do you know I couldn’t be great at it?” Taneea’s voice breaks.
“Hoodoo isn’t for everyone. It’s not enough to want it. You’ve got to be ready for it, mind, body, and soul. You’re not there, yet, child. You may never be.”
Taneea lets loose a humorless laugh. “Oh but she is? She’s not even family.” She thrusts an accusing finger at me.
Why the heck is she dragging me into this? I’m not the one who broke the rules and worked magic on the sly. Technically.
Miss Delia leans forward. “She doesn’t need to be. Her heart is pure.”
Taneea recoils as if she’s been slapped across the face. “You don’t think mine is?”
Miss Delia shakes her head. “No.”
Taneea’s eyes flood with fluid. Though she deserves all the trouble that’s coming her way, my heart can’t help but crack a little for her pain. Miss Delia’s words are harsh, and though true, still sting. But Taneea’s not about to give in. Throwing her shoulders back, she looks indignant. “How can you say that? You don’t know the first thing about me.” Her lip trembles.