Page 28 of A Charming Touch of Tarot (The Gin & Tarot Club #2)

28

Ten of Wands

The moment Corinne and Natalia had left my house, I called in an SOS to Nina, telling her I needed her help. Thankfully, she and Lanie had just landed in Boston and were headed home to Knox Harbor.

I didn’t give too many details, thinking it best to have that conversation in person. I explained that Nick and I were going to check into a hotel in Falls Haven and that big things were about to go down. She promised she’d be to my room first thing today, and in true Nina fashion, she didn’t let me down. Seeing that Lanie had joined her was a surprise.

“You two are the best, seriously,” I say, pulling my two friends into a group hug.

“She didn’t really give me a choice,” Lanie deadpans. “I was threatened with my life.”

Nina pulls away, rolling her eyes at Lanie, who winks in return.

I smile, grateful for this moment of levity before we get into the heavy stuff.

“What made you come back so soon?” I ask, directing the question to Nina.

She shares a glance with Lanie, who shakes her head. “Nope. You get to tell her.”

Lanie crosses her arms over her chest, and my eyes ping-pong between the two.

“Someone tell me what’s happening,” I say, starting to feel as though whatever I’m about to hear, I won’t like.

Nina sighs. “We have more important things to worry about, but since you asked…”

“Spit it out, Enamored Nina,” Lanie teases.

“I’ve come back to find an apartment or house for rent and arrange for a moving company to pack up my things. It’s time.”

I smile, nodding my head. “That’s great news.” I turn to Lanie. “But why are you acting a bit salty over it?”

She looks at Nina, pursing her lips and tilting her head as if to say, You’re still up .

“I’m heading back to New Orleans for the next month or two. I want to spend time with Chase…and Ian.”

“We all know you won’t come back,” Lanie says, and I hear the sadness in her tone more than the bitterness.

“You don’t know that,” Nina says, but it lacks conviction.

Lanie’s probably right. Chase attends Tulane, and Ian works there. They’re settled, whereas Nina isn’t. It would only make sense for her to move to them.

“I’m happy for you,” I say, offering my most sincere smile to my best friend.

She leaps forward, crushing me to her chest. “Thank you, Ally.”

When we’ve all had a moment to process the fact that Nina is leaving, it’s finally time to discuss what’s happening and why I called Nina in the first place.

I’m sitting across from my two best friends, sharing what I learned from the brief encounter with Chelsea Grayson. The entire time I share what she said, Nina sits enraptured and visibly shocked by it all, whereas Lanie seems tense, almost paranoid, and it occurs to me that this isn’t the first time she’s gotten strange at the mention of the Order.

“I need to ask you something, Lanie. But I need you to not get defensive,” I say, holding her gaze. Her eyes narrow in on me, and she bites her cheek. “Do you know something about the Order of Providence?”

She runs her tongue along her bottom teeth, hard eyes trained on me.

She’s not happy with my line of questioning, which just further proves she’s keeping secrets.

Nina peers at the side of Lanie’s head before turning to me, a look of confusion marring her face.

“Why would you ask something like that?” Nina asks, but I don’t address her, refusing to look away from Lanie’s cold stare.

Never in my life have I been on the receiving end of that glare.

“Because two different times when the Order has been mentioned, Lanie has gotten weird,” I explain, turning away from my stare-down with Lanie. “We have the ability to save a young girl, but we can’t go running into this with a half-assed plan that could get us all hurt. If she knows something, she needs to speak up.”

“Do you know who this group is?” Nina asks.

Lanie takes a deep breath and huffs out a humorless laugh. “I am familiar with the legend of the Order of Providence, but I only know it from whispers among criminals as being a society that pulls all the strings on the East Coast. If they exist, they have been said to have had a hand in some of the biggest events that have occurred on our side of the US.”

My head moves back slightly, not following Lanie.

Lanie sighs. “If something happened in Washington or New York that was big news, we as civilians might not know the truth behind that event,” she explains. “Maybe certain things didn’t play out the way the public was led to believe. Maybe there is truth in the crazed conspiracies that float out there on numerous happenings.” She shrugs. “The Order of Providence was positioned as a thing of myth…not reality.”

“And how were you hearing about it?” Nick asks, voice smooth, but I don’t miss the subtle hint of accusation as he enters the room carrying a tray of coffees. “I’m a detective. My father is former FBI, and this is the first I’m hearing of such a society.”

Lanie’s eyes close on a long exhale. “Pre–Knox Harbor, I was a different girl. I ran in a bad crowd and got pulled into some shit I never meant to get involved in.” She takes a deep breath and looks at me and then Nick. “I’m asking that you don’t press on the specifics, as they’re not relevant to this. But mark my words—if the people I was tied to were scared of what they deemed lore, the knowledge that it’s real should scare the shit out of all of us.”

I see the way Lanie’s hands shake and the sudden concern in Nina’s eyes.

“If this changes things and you don’t want to get involved, knowing the risks, I understand,” I say to both my friends. “I don’t want to put you in harm’s way.”

“I said I’d help,” Nina states. “Just tell me what I need to do.”

“Me too,” Lanie parrots.

We spend the next hour running down everything that Nick knows about Haven’s Bard, the bar we believe is one of the drop points.

“Every dream or vision I’ve had, it’s been dark outside, so we need to be there and in place before nightfall,” I say, picking lint off my black joggers. “Nina, your objective is to locate a spot at the bar next to the man with the tattoo sleeve, assuming this plays out like my dream.”

“Got it. Touch him and concentrate on uncovering who he is and who he works for,” she recites her part for tonight.

“If you’re unable to make it happen for any reason, just protect Ashley. Keep her in the bar at all costs. As of right now, we have nothing to hold the guy on, which means we need to focus on keeping Ashley alive.”

Lanie and Nina nod.

“Lanie, you don’t have to do this,” I say, because she still looks a little pale from all the talk of the Order.

“I’m going.” It’s all she says, and I leave it at that.

Tonight, we could use all the help we can get.

“Remember, this isn’t official police business,” Nick says, meeting each of our eyes. “I have nothing substantial enough to take to Chief Skiver. We’re on our own. We have to do this carefully. The guy is innocent until we have proof that he’s up to no good.”

We all nod our understanding, moving to get ready. To anyone at the bar, we need to look like three friends out on the town for the night. Nick will try to remain in the background unseen, so if he needs to intervene, the suspects won’t see it coming.

“Lanie, what the hell?” I say, looking down at her feet.

Nick and I left the hotel early to scout out the bar while it was still daylight, leaving the room open for the girls to get changed. I’d told Nina on my call to dress for a night out on the town, so they came prepared with a change of clothes.

Nina has on a pair of black leather Spanx and an oversize, off-the-shoulder cream sweater with a pair of black booties. Lanie, on the other hand, looks like she missed the memo that it’s nearly February and we’re trying to save a life, not spend the night line dancing.

“We’re not in Nashville,” I say incredulously.

“What?” she says, curling her lip. “We’re going to Haven’s Bard, and these are my shitkickers. Anyone gets out of line, I’ll take them down easily with these bad boys.”

I take a deep breath, closing my eyes. “I said to dress for a night out on the town, but to be inconspicuous. You will not go unnoticed.”

She shrugs. “I never do, love.”

“Okay,” Nina drawls, “we’ve got work to do.” She turns to me. “Ready?”

I nod, moving forward and pushing open the door.

As we step into the bar, my heart sinks.

This isn’t the place.

Haven’s Bard is huge, flooded with harsh fluorescent light, completely opposite of the dimly lit bar I saw in my dream.

The place we need is smaller. The bar in here spans the length of the back wall, wrapping into a half-moon. High-top tables are off to the right, while a large dance floor takes up the left all the way to the start of the bar tables.

To Lanie’s credit, she dressed perfectly. The dance floor is filled with women dressed similarly to Lanie, dancing the tush push.

“This isn’t it,” I say dejectedly.

Nina furrows her brow. “Are you sure?”

“Positive. The place we’re looking for is smaller. Darker.”

Nick glances around the room, scanning the crowd. “I don’t see anyone that matches your description of the guy, or the photo we found of Ashley online either.”

The music shifts, and the sound of screeching women scratches at my senses. I have to get out of here.

A woman walks by, and Nina’s hand darts out, stopping her. “Excuse me,” she says, smiling sweetly at the twenty-something blonde decked out in rhinestone shorts and white cowboy boots. “Is there another bar in town that’s a bit smaller? Maybe with less lights?”

The girl narrows her eyes in on Nina, nodding her head. “I get it, girl. Just work on blending; you’ll get to a point where you won’t be afraid to show your face.”

Nina drops her hand from the girl’s arm, blinking rapidly, hand lifting to her face.

“You’re probably wanting Muddy Mermaid. It’s a dive bar close by. Good luck.” She offers a toothy smile before heading to the dance floor to a group of girls that cheer when they see her.

“What the F…” Nina’s words trail off. “Is my makeup bad?”

“No. You look great.”

“I’m not even wearing foundation. How the hell could I blend better?”

I chuckle. “The girl is already a bit past drunk, Nins. She’s probably seeing two of you.”

“Yeah, well…I wonder if her girlfriend knows she’s been in the bathroom making out with the redhead sitting at the bar.”

My eyebrows lift into my hairline. “Any other night, I’d say raise the roof on this place, but we have more important things than to get back at Little Miss Drunk-and-Confused.”

“What do we do?” Nina asks, her nose scrunching up as her head shakes.

I glance in the direction she’s looking and find Lanie in the middle of the dance floor, leaned back, the entire top half of her body gyrating to the music.

“Good grief,” Nina says. “I’ll go grab her while you two plan our next move.” She takes off toward the dance floor, eyes trained on Lanie and her antics.

I pull my phone out and start searching for bars close by. Muddy Mermaid comes up, but so does another that sounds like it’s just as much a dive bar.

“There are two within five minutes of Haven’s Bard, but in opposite directions. It’s a coin flip, and we’re out of time. It’s nearly sunset, and we’re not in position,” I say, panic rising as Ashley’s life hangs in the balance. My head drops with a groan. “I don’t know what to do,” I admit to Nick. “I’d just be guessing, and what if I choose wrong?” I shake my head. “I think we should split up.”

“Not happening,” he says, voice stern. “We’re talking about a murderer, Lyss. I’m not leaving you.”

I step toward him, grabbing his hands. “We have to. Otherwise, that girl is going to die. I can’t live with that.”

“Do you remember what Natalia said? You can’t save them all, Alyssa.” Nick’s eyes lock on to mine with intense focus, but I notice a crack in his armor that reveals his vulnerability. He couldn’t bear the thought of her dying any more than I could. The first chance he gets, he’ll be rushing out of here to try to intervene. He’s only trying to protect me.

“Trust me, Nick. Please.”

I watch as he appears to war with himself before nodding. “Do you promise you won’t do anything that puts you in danger? If you see her, you’ll do what you can from inside to keep her from leaving. But under no circumstances do you leave that bar.”

“I promise,” I say, willing to make that compromise.

She might not even be there to begin with.

He sighs. “Who’s going with me?”

“Lanie,” I say, knowing that I can’t worry about corralling her tonight.

He lifts a brow, frowning. “Sticking me with the wild card.”

“She’ll listen to you,” I say. “I can’t be worried about her and finding Ashley. I know you’ll keep her safe. Nina, I don’t worry about. She’ll be by my side the whole time.”

He bobs his head. “I think it’s the best plan. Where are Lanie and I headed?”

“Muddy Mermaid.”

He grins. “Sounds shady. I think we have the winner.”

I smirk. “I’m not so sure. We’re off to Rebel Roost.”

“Is that a biker bar?” he asks, pulling out his phone, likely to search it up.

I shrug, not having a clue. Neither has a website, as far as I could tell.

“Yeah…no,” he mumbles. “We’ll take Rebel Roost. I remember that place. There was a double murder there a couple years ago. Rival biker gangs. You’re not going there without me.”

“All right,” I say, not apt to fight when we just need to make moves. “I’m going to grab Nina and head to Muddy Mermaid. Keep me posted on what you find,” I say. I turn to leave, but he reaches out, stopping me.

I’m pulled into his strong embrace, melting into him.

“Be careful, Lyss. I mean it.” He places a hard kiss on my lips before pulling away and stalking toward Lanie, who’s still on the dance floor.

I know he hates this. I can tell by his posture that he’s not comfortable with the arrangement, but he’s a good man, and he won’t allow Ashley to die if there’s a chance that we can stop it.

As we step outside, the cool night air hits me like a slap in the face, the realization of what we’re about to do washing over me. I have no idea what’s to come, and that thought is more than a little unsettling.

Nina speeds down the road, driving like I’ve never seen her drive before. She’s weaving around slow traffic and honking for people to get out of her way.

We’re pulling up to Muddy Mermaid in record time, and I know immediately that this is the one and we’re not too late.

Ashley’s black car is parked in the corner, just where I saw it in my dream.

“She’s here,” I say, quickly sending a message to Nick, telling him to head this way.

“I don’t know about this,” Nina whispers, her eyes wide with apprehension.

I twist in my seat, placing a hand on Nina’s shoulder. “We’re in this together. I won’t leave your side, and we won’t do anything that puts us in danger.”

She takes a deep breath, nodding her head once. “Let’s go be heroes.”

I grin, loving Nina’s positive outlook. We’re going to be fine. Ashley is going to be fine.

I’ll keep repeating that in my head until it’s reality.

We push through the creaky door of the lounge bar, and it’s exactly as I remember. The low light casts a golden glow over the place. There is a row of booths off to the side, but it’s hard to make out the faces of the people occupying the seats. The lighting in here is not great.

We stand just inside the door, scanning the area for any sign of Ashley. She’s perched on a stool almost dead center of the bar.

“That’s her,” I whisper, pointing to her back.

Except it’s not a man with a tattoo sleeve sitting next to her, but a girl. They’re chatting animatedly, only the back of the woman visible. She has stick-straight black hair that hangs to the top of her jeans, only the sleeves of her white T-shirt visible.

The woman turns to look over her back toward the door. It’s hard to tell her age from this distance, although it’s clear she’s younger than me. Her full, pouty lips, heart-shaped face, and nose with a slight dorsal hump are hard to miss. Her catlike green eyes land on me briefly, but she doesn’t seem to give me much thought, turning back toward the bar.

I’m about to suggest to Nina that we head that way, when the door opens behind us, and in walks the man with the tattoo. The octopus surrounded by roses stands out starkly against his alabaster skin, running from his shoulder to his wrist, inky vines slipping onto the top of his hand.

The woman turns, subtly tilting her head in a gesture that might escape notice by most, but not me.

“That’s him,” I whisper into Nina’s ear. “And that woman is involved.”

Nina’s eyes narrow in on the girl with Ashley, eyes turning hard.

“It takes a special kind of evil to be involved in this,” Nina says under her breath.

She’s right. Whoever this woman is, she’s vile.

We both watch as the woman rises from her seat, exchanging words with Ashley, who responds with a smile, looking over her shoulder at the man. It’s obvious that Ashley finds him attractive, her eyes sparkling and her smile widening with a hint of mischief.

“Oh my god,” Nina says, pulling my attention toward her. “She just dropped something into her drink while her head was turned.”

The woman strides toward the restroom, leaving Ashley alone at the bar. The tattooed man slides into the now-vacant seat. Ashley says something to him about it, because he feigns ignorance, making to move, but she stops him, tapping the seat, signaling for him to sit.

That’s when my dream plays out in front of us.

“Let’s go,” I say, pulling Nina away from the door, realizing we’ve been standing here for too long.

The last thing I want to do is draw attention to us.

We move to the far end of the bar, where I send another text, checking in with Nick.

Me

Where are you? He’s here.

Nick

About to pull in. I’ll keep watch out here.

I give his message a thumbs-up and wave down the bartender.

“Can I get a gin and tonic?” I turn to Nina. “What do you want?”

“I’ll have the same,” she says. “Make mine a double.”

The orange-haired man laughs. “Rough night?”

“You could say that,” Nina admits, and I don’t miss the way her hand shakes at her side.

She’s nervous, and I don’t blame her. I’m surprised by how calm I am considering a murderer is right down the bar from me.

We stand at the bar watching the man closely for several minutes, the woman never returning.

“What do you think that woman’s doing?” Nina asks, taking a sip from her glass. “She’s been back in the bathroom for some time.”

“Unless…” My words trail off as the thought crosses my mind.

I wave down the bartender. “Is there an exit back by the restrooms?” I ask, and he nods.

“Yeah. You can use it. There’s no alarm.”

Nina and I share a look, and I quickly send off a text to Nick.

Me

Female suspect may have left out a side exit.

Long black hair, white T-shirt. Did you see her?

Nick

No. Haven’t seen anyone.

Where did she go?

I’m lost in thought about the whereabouts of the woman, and I almost miss the most crucial moment.

The man spills his drink right onto Ashley, and she yelps as the contents soak through her forest-green dress. She jumps up, swaying a bit, showing signs that the roofie is kicking in.

That’s when I piece together how this all works.