Page 14 of Bargain with Fate
“Very well, then,” Vanessa said. “Lucky number seven it is.”
Valerie inhaled deeply, breaking her concentration. “Should we be concerned, Maya?”
“I wouldn’t recommend venturing out alone until we’ve resolved the issue.”
“That’ll be easy for us,” Valerie said. “Good luck, Maya. I hope whatever this is, it isn’t as dangerous as it seems.”
From her lips to the ears of the gods. If only they were willing to listen.
Chapter
Three
Iarrived home, feeling lower than I would’ve liked. It didn’t help when I discovered the trail of litter Jinx had left across the floor.
“They’re not breadcrumbs, you know. You don’t need to leave them to find your way back.”
The black cat spared a glance for me before returning to the important work of licking her paws.
I rummaged through the pantry for a dustpan and brush and cleaned up the mess. “I guess we’re both a work in progress,” I told the cat. It wasn’t her fault she didn’t know how to use a litter box. She’d been the island stray for years. I thought of my own journey from my previous life to this one—scary, messy, and uncertain, much like Jinx’s.
As I dumped the debris into the trashcan, my phone lit up with Zachariah’s name. Actually, the screen readHold Me Closer Necromancer, although I’d stopped short of adding the Elton John song as a ringtone, mainly because nobody used ringtones anymore. I’d been sorely tempted, though.
“Zachariah. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Maya,” he said in his usual clipped manner. “Would you mind stopping by my office at your earliest convenience?”
The tone of his voice gave me pause. “Is there a problem?”
“This isn’t a social call, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“I’m asking whether there’s a problem. Pretty straightforward.”
“I’m uncertain, which is why I’m requesting your presence. Trust me, it isn’t the pleasure of your company.”
“If there’s one thing I appreciate about you, Zach, it’s your brutal honesty. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
“Faster would be better. I’m not sure how much longer we have.” He hung up.
Well, that wasn’t ominous at all. I refilled Jinx’s water bowl and grabbed a small bag of peanuts to devour en route. I would’ve preferred to eat a meal before I left the house, but “I’m not sure how much longer we have” suggested I light a fire under my ass.
I chose my bicycle over the golf cart. I could pedal faster than the golf cart was allowed to go, and the breeze was too strong for wings—too much resistance would slow me down.
I noticed a tailback on the trail up ahead and pulled my bike alongside the last golf cart in the line. “What’s going on?”
The driver held her phone in one hand and the steering wheel in the other. “According to my friend, Didi Hasselmeyer is trying to parallel park at the square. It isn’t going well.”
“Clearly.”
“Want to watch the video? Greta’s live streaming it.”
“No thanks.” I couldn’t contribute to the poor woman’s humiliation.
I zigzagged through the long line of golf carts, and a couple drivers honked at me.
“What’s the emergency, Maya?” someone yelled.
“She probably needs to pee,” another voice said.
