The Book Waitress (Book 1, The Book Waitress Series) (9 page)

Satan’s
Saber had a
leather-wrapped
hilt and a
silver,
curved blade about eight inches long.
The Demon’s Chalice appeared to stand about a foot tall and had encrusted jewels around the goblet
and stem
. And then she glanced at the Mark of the Damned.

Her
blood ran cold
.

Chapter Six

Derek returned to the
leather bench
and stared, imagining the worst and knew it could have been beyond that.
Camille had every right to be freaked out. Evil existed in the world, and here sat a prime example of how inhumane a person or people could be.

Deciding
to explore the basement
in an organized fashion, he started at one wall and methodic
ally examined everything until r
eaching the other
,
snaking
his way back
again
. No
more
blood was found on the floor underneath or around the
seat
, so it must have been used elsewhere and stored here.
Noth
ing
else of interest lay hidden anywhere, and the black light
didn’t
reveal
anything
more either.

“Time to close up shop.”
It was well past midnight and Camille hadn’t come down to ask him to leave yet. The treatment
she’d been getting
by her
co-workers
perplexed
him, j
ust as his feelings for her did, too. She
moved him beyond distraction, but
obviously
, she
had no interest
in him
. She’d given
him
the
royal
brush off upstairs.
But maybe that was just her defense system at work. Maybe she liked him but didn’t know how to show it.

He knew they were both misfits in a plastic society
. She hid behind her books, like he hid behind his reporting. He somehow needed to create a strong connection between them so he could ask to see her again. Even if she left the island. He wouldn’t be
on it
forever. He had a real home, with land. He didn’t roam through his life like other investigative reporters. He liked his roots planted firmly in the ground.

Putting his equipment away, he heard footsteps on the stairs. He peered up and saw Camille, ghostly white, holding a book close to her chest. He immediately stood up and hurried over to her.

“What’s wrong?”

She looked at him, shock in her gaze, and offered the book to him
with trembling hands
. “Turn to page 336.”

“Okay, but
maybe we should
go back upstairs first.”

“Turn to the page!”
He flinched as her words set off tiny pin pricks along his arms. Something had definitely pushed her over the edge. He countered her manic mood with calm.

“Okay, Camille, I’ll do it.” He looked at the cover first-
The Devil’s Handbook
. This can
’t
be good, he thought
ominously
. He turned to the requested page and found a table of
photographs and descriptions of each item photographed.

“
These are all items to be used in a sa
crifice. This is great! Camille, t
hank you. This will really help me narrow down what I’m looking for.”

“L
…
l
ook at how a person is ide
ntified as a sacrificial lamb.”

He did. “The person has to have something called a Mark of the Damned. Awesome! So, now I can interview the parents of the missing and ask if their kids had a mark like this. You’re amazing. This is a huge lead for me. I can’t begin to tell you.”

“
Derek, l
ook.
” She unbuttoned the top of her blouse.

“Whoa! What are you doing?”

“Look!
” She unbuttoned one more and spread her collar wide.

Just below her collarbone and above
the swell of her left breast, was a birthmark. Pale brown in color, its shape stunned him.

“Camille…
.
”

“I know.”

“It looks just like
—”

“I know
, damn it
!” She grabbed the book away from him and tossed it to the floor.
“I’m sorry.”
She placed both hands on her mouth as if to quiet herself.

He picked up the book
and put his arm around her shoulders. “Come back upstairs with me. We’ll talk. We’ll sort it all out. Okay?”

She didn’t answer, but she didn’t fight him
either
when he gently turned her to
go
.
Not
a word
did she utter
as they took each step
up the stairs and toward
the sofa and chairs in the reading lounge
.
He
sat her down next to him.

“First, tell me where this book came from.”

“
Betina
or John put
it
in on a table for me to find.
It’s one of a set.
”

“The ghosts?”

“Yes, one of them put it on the table opened to page 335.
You should read that page, too.
It talks about ritual sacrifice. It’s rather interesting and horrific at the same time.
Your suspicions about a pattern are
right
. This particular cult is looking for a male child of six years every six years to sacrifice. He must have the Mark of the Damned to be considered.
”

“Have you always had that mark by your, uh
…
?”
He pointed to her breast.

“Yes,
and I never gave it a second thought until now.
Should I be glad I’m not a boy?
” She
threw that needling question out into the ethos
,
her
color returning to her face.

“I’m a bit concerned, I don’t mind saying.”

“
I am, too, a little.
The likeness shocked me, but
my fear is most likely paranoia
.
O
n its own, it doesn’t look like much to me.
I mean
I always thought it looked somewhat like an eye, b
ut after seeing it in the Devil’s Handbook, of course it now looks
just
like
it
.
All these years I’d thought it to be a simple birthmark. Now, this picture tells me I’m not the only one to have it, and that I’m one of the Marked Ones. What the hell am I supposed to do about that?
”

“How old are you? Please don’t be offended. It’s for professional reasons only.”

“Twenty-four. Why?”

“
Hmm.
This year is a multiple of six for you. And you have the mark.”

“But I’m a girl, Derek. Do you really think I
somehow
factor into this craziness?”

“I’
m not sure yet, but I’m not liking the coincidence
. And you, being fresh on the island
.
I
need to know more about you
and
about this cult. Maybe I should start with this book. If one of your ghost friends thought it was important enough to show you, there may be more inside that I should be reading.”

“
Good point
.
But
I’m still gone as soon as possible. This island
creeped
me out before I even stepped onto the ferry. Next time, I should trust my gut. Seems pretty damn accurate.”

“What does your gut tell you about me?” He raised a brow.

She blushed
, bit her bottom lip,
and turned away. “My gut tells me you’re a very nice guy who does interesting work and champions the downtrodden.”

“Well, it should also be telling you that I
’ll
do what I have to in order to keep you safe and out of harm’s way.”

She gasped,
raised her hand to her mouth as she held her breath
, and then blurted out, “Did you know that pupils dilate the closer your face is to another’s?”

“No, I didn’t.
Fascinating.
” He cupped her chin and turned her to face him.
“
Let me see
.” He inched his way closer and closer
still
, peering steadily in
to
Camille’s eyes. Ever so slowly he moved
toward her
to catch the change in pupil size.
“Well
,
I’ll be. They do. Wonder what happens to them when I kiss you.”
With his heart pounding in his chest,
he didn’t stop to think,
he just acted on
the
impulse
that had plagued him since he’d seen her.
Leaning
in the rest of the way
,
he
placed a whisper of a kiss on her
quivering
lips.

They
were supple and
tasted of berries
,
and
their
vulnerability
nurtured an eagerness in him that would
n’t
be denied.
How long had it been since he felt compelled to kiss a girl? Long enough
not to
remember.
And when had he ever found anyone as intriguing as she? Never. Wanting to taste more of her sweetness, h
e
deepened the kiss,
and
feeling the need to protect,
enclosed her in his arms
. Her
body
tensed, but
turned
pliant and needful
as
she shifted impossibly closer to him. Her
delicate
hands
slid
about
his waist and up his back
, sending streaks of chills racing across his skin
.

Opening his eyes, h
e
rel
eased
her lips
and
leaned his forehead against hers
. "Darn.
My eyes closed.”

“
Mine, too.
Maybe we should try again, then, huh?” A sheepish grin
crawled
across her face.

“
Most definitely,
but
not here. Let’s wrap things up. I’ll take you home and we can try this experiment again.
”
She leaned into his palm as he caressed her cheek.

“
What a great idea. I’ve had enough of this place for today. You know, I don’t have to be here tomorrow because my moving boxes are arriving. Rather silly now isn’t it?
But
at least
I get to sleep in.
” She paused,
and
then continued.
“
Gotta get my backpack, lock the back door, and then we can go.”

The invite did
n’t
go unnoticed. She cloaked it well enough, but he’d gotten the message. Stay over. As she went about her business, he ran his fingers through his hair and spritzed some breath spray in his mouth. Had he thought about it a little more, he would have done that
before
he kissed her. But that would have requ
ired him to be something he couldn’t be
—
a player.

“I’m so ready,” she said as she returned and sighed. He grabbed her hand in his, brought it to his lips, and kissed her knuckles.

“Your chariot awaits
,
mademoiselle
.” She smiled
and curtseyed.

“
Merci, monsieur
.”

***

The phone rang so shrilly as to shake the toupee nearly off his head.
Darting
up in his bed
,
he
grabbed the receiver nex
t to him on the nightstand. Squinting
at the alarm clock
,
he
cursed.

“This had better be good.”

“
Victor
.
Victor
!” A hushed, frantic voice greeted him over the phone. “It’s me, Susan Northrop.”