The Seven Year Witch: That Old Black Magic, Book 2 (18 page)

Fortunately, she did know a thing or two about one of the victims, Jenny Cavanaugh.

Jenny’s gambling problem wasn’t a secret. She’d nearly lost everything because of it. Judging from Jenny’s current state, it was a safe bet that she
had
lost her soul as a direct result of her addiction.

What had Seven alluded to in her lucid dream? Not only was the sin attracted to you, but you to it? With that in mind, it didn’t take any stretch of the imagination to see how Jenny would have been a sitting duck for several of Seven’s personalities. Greed and possibly even Lust seemed likely candidates.

But that still didn’t explain how Seven talked Jenny into signing the contract. Why would a woman who had just about everything money could buy suddenly—?

The answer slammed into Clarissa with the impetus of an anvil. Jenny had almost lost her entire inheritance. Could it be that Seven reversed her misfortune in return for her soul?

It made sense. She herself had given up rights to her soul in exchange for her father’s. People in desperate situations did desperate things. If her father were in any frame of mind to remember the events that led up to his meeting with Seven, no doubt he’d reveal whatever the creature had bartered his soul with.

Her head spinning from the overload of revelations, she pulled into the coven house’s driveway and killed the engine. Tossing her keys into her purse, she raced up the porch steps. The interior of the house was quiet, which meant she could squirrel away in her office uninterrupted for at least a few minutes. Hopefully long enough to figure out what she could do with the information she’d gleaned about Seven.

She was past saving herself at this point, but if there was the slightest chance she could somehow keep one less soul from Seven’s twisted cache, then by the goddess, she would.

Dropping into her chair, she yanked a pen and a tablet of paper toward her. She jotted each of Seven’s sins on a separate line, leaving room for her notations. The most logical course of action would be an intervention. But in order to do that, she needed to determine the most likely places where Seven would be hunting for victims.

It’s not only what Envy hungers for in you…

Yes. The key didn’t just lie with Seven, but within the potential victims themselves. What sort of places would draw people so desperate and at the end of their rope that they would sign away their soul?

Her focus returned to the list of sins. Greed. Jenny Cavanaugh had frequented the riverboat casino quite a bit—a spot no doubt teeming with prey. Clarissa noted a few other leads before moving on to the next sin. Lust. Well, that was pretty much a no-brainer. Nightclubs and various places that catered to the pursuit of sexual fulfillment would be right up Lust’s alley. There was even a sex club in the city. It wasn’t widely advertised, for obvious reasons, but she knew about it through Constance after her coven sister admitted she liked to go there on occasion to watch the entertainment, so to speak.

Clarissa flipped open her laptop and powered it on. Once the system finished booting up, she ran a basic search for local establishments that might prove to be hotspots. By the time she was done, she’d managed to fill the piece of paper with half a dozen prospects. Armed with that, she hurried outside and jumped back into the Miata. She glanced at the time on the dashboard. A little under two hours before she’d be able to catch the first sailing on the casino cruise. She could hit a couple of bars in the meantime. If she was lucky, Seven would be working under the same game plan.

The first couple of bars she tried were on West Bay Street, practically next-door neighbors to each other. It made for convenience, but unfortunately she didn’t spot any of the sins. By the time she walked into the fourth joint—a small hole-in-the-wall appropriately named Cubbies—her confidence in tracking Seven had started to take a nosedive, but not her determination. She ordered a soda, and with her bladder bemoaning the addition of yet another beverage, found an empty booth tucked in the corner. For roughly fifteen minutes, the only real action seemed to be centered around the group of frat boys trying to score dates with the cute waitress hanging around their table. But then she felt it. An almost imperceptible shift in the air.

Everyone else appeared clueless of the sensation as they continued drinking and laughing and carrying on like a predator hadn’t invaded their idyllic haven. But she’d encountered that magnetic force field enough times to recognize it. Furthermore, she’d been waiting for it.

Inching closer to the end of the banquet seat, she searched the bar’s patrons for her quarry. A tingle of shocked awareness jolted down her spine when she spotted the portly trucker who’d contracted her father’s soul. She followed the creature’s cold, assessing gaze toward the table where a man with thinning salt-and-pepper hair sat, his stooped frame hunched over a pitcher of beer. A long trail of ash fell from the man’s forgotten cigarette as he stared bleakly at the lineup of empty glasses in front of him.

A fierce rage slowly filled her as she took in the similarities between the stranger and her father. Was this what had drawn Seven’s heartless, calculating personality? An individual who’d given up on life and sought solace in booze and nicotine in hopes of dulling whatever pain haunted him?

The trucker started toward the man’s table with a purposeful stride, and she rushed from the booth, her focus glued to the creature’s jiggling potbelly. They reached the stranger at the same time, and she had the distinct honor of witnessing the trucker’s eyes flicker with surprise as she dropped into the vacant seat next to its intended victim. As if suddenly aware that she’d gained some semblance of an upper hand, the sin’s features tightened in annoyance.

“Clarissa. I didn’t realize we were due for a meeting today.” Although the words were delivered in an amused drawl, a distinct warning glinted in those reptilian eyes as the trucker lowered into the opposite chair. “Whatever this is pertaining to, it’ll have to wait. Jack and I have business to attend to.”

She squared her chin, refusing to back down. “Don’t mind me.” She slid her gaze to the stranger, who was gaping at her in bafflement. “Whatever
he’s
promised you isn’t worth it.”

The man blinked, apparently taken aback by either her vehemence or the fact that she knew about his predicament. “How…?”

“Because I’m guilty of the same mistake you’re about to commit.” She covered the stranger’s hand with her own, and was shocked that she didn’t feel even the slightest awkwardness over the gesture. Lifting her scrutiny from their linked hands, she met the man’s confused stare. “Please don’t do this. I’ve seen what happens once the contract is collected upon. Believe me, whatever hell you’re facing now is nothing compared to what that monster sitting across from us has in store for you.”

A tsking noise came from the trucker. “Monster? Must we resort to name-calling?”

“Trust me, that’s the kindest of the names I have for you.”

The sin leaned back in its seat, the creature’s posture hinting at a bored tolerance of her presence. “Whatever you’re hoping to accomplish here is a waste of time. Jack isn’t looking for salvation. The only thing he cares about is wallowing in excess. Alcohol, women, cigarettes. Whatever his drug of choice, I’m here to provide it.”

Jack’s hand went limp beneath hers. His lips trembled, his shoulders drooping even more. “He’s right. Those things are all I need. All I want.”

“No, they’re not.” Desperation clawing at her, she squeezed his knuckles. “They’re a weak substitution for something else. Something that’s lacking in your life. Or that you’re too afraid to face. I know it’s scary, thinking you don’t have any other choice. But you do. You can choose to turn your back on everything that’s ever pulled you down into this bottomless pit. You can turn your back on
him
.”

A fierce tremor suddenly shook through Jack, and he ripped his hand from beneath hers, his features twisting in anger. “You don’t know what it’s like, so don’t fucking judge me, lady.”

His sudden outrage wasn’t entirely unexpected. She’d dealt with similar outbursts countless times with her parents. “I’m not judging you. And I do understand. All too well. I’m only trying to help you.”

“I don’t need your goddamn help.” Jack glared at the trucker. “Where is that fucking contract?”

“Please don’t do this,” she pleaded again. Her heart felt like it was shriveling as the sin smiled and produced the document. She tried to take the pen from Jack, but he only shoved her away and quickly scribbled his name on the bottom line.

“That’s the thing about humans. They don’t truly want to be saved. Might as well accept it.” The sin tucked the contract away and stood. “Well, Jack ole boy, it’s been a pleasure doing business with you. Just one last thing before I run…” A sneer tilting those fleshy lips, the trucker tipped Jack’s chin up and planted a kiss squarely on his mouth. Straightening, the creature sent her a mocking grin. “No need to be jealous. He’s not nearly as good a kisser as you are, from what Envy’s said.” And with that parting shot, the sin vanished.

She stared glumly at Jack, who seemed to be completely uninterested in her presence. When he ordered a fresh pitcher of beer and a round of shots, she stood and headed for the exit, a wave of helpless defeat roiling in her stomach. Once outside, she took a deep breath, her determination returning to the forefront. Yes, she’d lost this battle, but it wasn’t over yet. Not by a long shot. Checking the display on her phone, she quickened her pace. She had less than fifteen minutes before the riverboat left its mooring. Given Seven’s haste in getting that last contract out of the way, she had little doubt that the creature would likely be on that boat.

And so would she.

She made it on the ship with mere seconds to spare. While she caught her breath, she strolled the gaming decks, on the lookout for whichever of Seven’s personalities would be prowling for the next victim. The noisy cacophony of the slot machines provided a frenetic soundtrack as she wove through the crowd. She neared the higher-paying slots and spotted a familiar figure. This personality was female, decked head to toe in a champagne silk sheath and cultured pearls. In other words, the trappings of a wealthy socialite. Greed, perhaps?

Keeping her focus fixed on the sin’s austere ash-blonde bun, Clarissa elbowed past the congested traffic clustered around the Blackjack tables. She reached Greed just as the personality accepted a cocktail from a passing waiter. The creature’s scarlet-painted lips curved in a travesty of a smile. “Persistent little thing, aren’t you?”

“You have no idea.”

Greed tipped back its head and laughed, the sound resembling ice cubes clinking in a glass. “I would have thought your
tête-à-tête
with Gluttony would have cured you of this foolish quest. Your time is limited, Clarissa. Why squander it this way?”

“If I can stop you from contracting even one soul, it will be worth every second lost.”

One blood-red nail scratched along the rim of the champagne flute. “You will never be able to stop me. The sooner you accept the reality of that, the better off you’ll be.”

“What, like Jack? Like
them
?” She waved her arm, indicating the sea of gamblers surrounding them. “They have no idea the reality you have planned for them. I can’t just stand by and let you dupe them with a few years of whatever bullshit you’ve promised in return for their endless stint in purgatory.”

“Why?” Greed’s eyes sparkled with an icy malice. “Tell me,
sweet
Clarissa. Do you think that by saving them you’ll find redemption for your sin? For the pain you brought upon your father seven years ago?”

The question was like a knife twisting in her soul. It took every ounce of strength she possessed not to let her stare waver from Greed’s. “No. Nothing will redeem that.”

“Finally you’re speaking some sense.” Carelessly upending the crystal flute on the pull handle of a nearby slot machine, Greed sashayed down the aisle. Lines of irritation bracketed the sin’s mouth when Clarissa fell in step beside the creature. “Your foolishness is really beginning to piss the hell out of me.”

“I can tell.”

Greed visually gave her a disdainful sweep. “It’s beyond my comprehension why Envy is so besotted with you. Your puny magic is hardly any match for our abilities.”

“I don’t need magic to defeat you. Only faith in humankind.”

A snort fell from Greed. “You might as well sprinkle that belief with pixie dust. They’re both made of the same flimsy illusion. As far as I can tell, you humans are nothing more than hairless apes. Only with less intelligence.” Giving her a dismissive glance, Greed stepped around an enormous slot machine and poofed out of sight.

Panic momentarily getting the best of her, Clarissa whipped her head around, trying to see where the sin might have gone. She stumbled sideways, banging into a token machine. Ignoring the burst of pain in her elbow, she hurried out onto the main thoroughfare. She spied a flash of champagne silk ascending the adjacent stairway. Dodging the steady flow of pedestrian traffic, she dashed after Greed. She reached the ship’s upper level just as the sin disappeared into the lounge area. Her heart still banging from her mad chase, Clarissa tailed the creature to a booth where a young male sat. Greed paused for a moment and looked over her shoulder, her jeering smile indicating that she’d been aware of Clarissa’s pursuit all along. More than likely the sin relished the thought of rubbing a fresh conquest in Clarissa’s face.

Clarissa steeled her spine.
Game on, bitch
.

Greed slid onto the bench beside the man. Hell, if you could call him that. He barely looked old enough to vote. The kid sent Clarissa a perplexed glance as she ducked into the booth on the other side of him.

“Tanner, prompt as always.” Greed’s fingertips trailed up along the young man’s bare arm and snuck beneath the sleeve of his T-shirt in a flirtatious way that gave Clarissa the creeps.

The kid shivered, leading Clarissa to believe that he felt a similar sensation. He swallowed, his wide-eyed gaze still pinned on her. “A-are you one of them too?”