Page 20 of Duncan (Irish Mob of Boston #1)

Freyja

“I’m going to Mardi Gras this year. I’ve waited long enough.” My clothes were packed in my suitcase. Moving through my room, I grabbed my cards, my crystals, and my cleansing herbs.

I clasped my amulet around my neck.

I never flew without it.

“You could have gone last year, but you insisted Dimeter had to be married first.”

I stared at my sister Athena as she sat on my bed, her legs crisscrossed in front of her, hands on her knees, eyes closed as though she was meditating.

“Lucille insisted. Now he is married, it’s my turn. Are you still coming with me?”

“Of course I am. But this isn’t going to be as easy as you think.”

“What do you mean? Lucille said I would find my universally chosen intended.”

“And you will.”

“Athena, spit it out.” I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest as I waited. Athena talked in riddles. It was fine for other people, but I was her sister, dammit!

“You think you are just going to go down there to see the man the universe has chosen for you, and he will instantly fall in love? It does not work that way, sister.”

“It worked for Phoebe. It worked for Dimeter.”

“They were different.”

“Why?”

“They aren’t you.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“What exactly did Lucille say?”

I released a frustrated breath.

They all knew what she said.

I had told them a hundred times.

“She told me I would meet the man the universe had chosen for me at Mardi Gras.”

“Meet, dear sister. You can’t force the universe. I would think after Duncan, you would know this. The reason Dimeter got married when he did was because you weren’t supposed to go last year.”

“Which is why this year is so important.” I threw my hands in the air, ignoring what she said about Duncan.

“Meeting him is one thing. Convincing him to fall in love with you is another.”

“I don’t have to convince him. Lucille said he was mine.”

Athena rolled her eyes at me and left the room. She had better be packing her things. We had a plane to catch.

As we boarded the plane and found our seats, the scent of stale air, perfume, and body odor assaulted me. I hated flying. As we sat in our first-class seats, I heard the chatter of companions traveling together as they passed us, arguing over window vs. aisle seats.

Frequent stops as travelers shoved their carry-ons into the overhead bins, before taking their seat, made the loading of the plane slow and tedious. Travelers stood next to our seats, irritated by the wait. Athena took the window seat as I knew she would. Which left me in the aisle seat.

We settled in as the plane took off, and the passenger across the aisle glared at us. Why? I had no idea. Once we were in the air, the light came on, letting us know we could move about the cabin if we so desired.

Athena fell asleep, and I released the tray in front of me and spent the flight getting side eyes from the woman across from me as I dealt my tarot cards over and over. They continued to say the same thing.

The Fool

The Lovers

The Heirophant

The Fool represented a new and exciting adventure. A leap of faith. Mardi Gras was always fun and exciting but I was on a mission.

The Lovers while sounding self-explanatory, had strong implications that a choice was possible. According to Lucille, my intended had already been fated and there was no choice. It didn’t matter what I wanted. It was only him.

The Hierophant was the one that concerned me. It signaled a spiritual journey. Traditions and convention. If there was one thing I didn’t do well with, it was convention. Traditions I could get behind. Everyone had them — families, corporations, tribes, even covens had traditions.

Convention suggested routine. It suggested doing things a certain way. A way someone else required. I had Lucille. She always guided my path and had never steered me wrong. What would I do if the man the universe had chosen for me contradicted what Lucille shared?

As we readied to land, I gathered my cards and replaced the tray in its upright position. I packed up my cards and put them away in my bag that sat under the seat in front of me.

We were in Louisiana.

The place I would finally meet the man the universe had chosen. Not the man I had chosen.

I was known as the bossy sister. The confident one that was always in control.

Except nothing felt in control.

I had no idea who I was looking for. Only that Lucille said he was here. Athena and I sat in our seats, waiting for those ahead of us to leave. There was no point in standing uncomfortably hunched over while we waited for our turn.

“You know it won’t happen as soon as we get there, right?”

“Athena, will you stop? If you can’t tell me who he is, then just let me be,” I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest.

I was anxious.

I knew it. Athena knew it. I was pretty sure the whole damn plane knew it. But this was important. This was my person. I had been waiting for my turn. I had walked away from the first man that ever made me feel like I was important. That I was seen.

As the oldest, I should have been first. But Lucille said I had to wait. Phoebe had Shaw. Dimeter had Henley. Now it was my turn.

I looked at my sister. She would be next.

I wondered about the man who was meant for Athena. He would have to be special. He would have to be tough. Loving a woman who knew everything before you did wouldn’t be easy.

But she was worth it.

Athena was only a few years younger than me, and my best friend. I reached over and grabbed her hand.

“I’m glad you’re here with me. I don’t think I could do this without you.”

Athena just smiled and squeezed my hand. She knew everything. Sometimes I was jealous of her gift. Oh, how great it would be to know everything before it happened.

To not have to wonder or worry about making the wrong decision.

“You’re next, you know. Tell me what you see.”

Athena just shrugged and looked out the window. With a heavy sigh, she muttered, “I don’t.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I can see how things will work out for you and Phoebe and Dimeter. But not me. I’m not meant to. Or maybe I don’t have anyone waiting for me.” She shrugged.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Athena. Of course, you have someone waiting for you.”

“Maybe.” She nodded toward the aisle. “It’s our turn. Let’s go.”

We stood from our seats, pulling the bags from the overhead compartment. I wondered why we flew commercial. Sure, we were in first class, but they still packed us in like sardines.

“Where should we look first? Bourbon Street or Jackson Square? Oh, maybe the Garden District!” I said as we walked through the airport.

Athena laughed quietly beside me. “We aren’t looking anywhere, Freyja. We are going to enjoy Mardi Gras like normal people, and he will find you when the time is right.”

I stopped walking and stared at my sister. Angry people cursed at me as they walked around, trying to avoid knocking into us.

“Lucille said—”

“Lucille said you would meet him. And you will trust me. But we aren’t going to look for him. There are millions of people here this weekend. You have no hope of finding him. Let the universe do what it’s supposed to do.”

She grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the baggage claim.

The cottage we rented was in the heart of the French Quarter. There were two bedrooms with a shared living space between them. It was perfect. I could sit on the balcony and watch the people walking by.

Athena said I didn’t need to look for my future husband, but what if he missed me? What if he was standing right in front of me and did not know we were meant to be together?

I saw his face then.

The man I literally fell for and couldn’t stop thinking about. He was so handsome in his tailored suit. The dusting of gray at his temple signaling a life of experience. Why couldn’t it be him? Why couldn’t the man the universe had chosen for me live in New York?

Phoebe and Dimeter were happy in Rosewood. The small town in the Shenandoah Valley was perfect for them. But I wasn’t a small-town girl. I loved the city. The lights, the bars, the shopping.

Though looking around the French Quarter, I guess this wouldn’t be so bad. At least it never got cold. I didn’t love the snow, but it was a necessary caveat to living in the Big Apple.

“He isn’t from New Orleans.”

Turning at my sister’s voice, I stared at her. I did that a lot. It was unnerving the way it felt like she was reading my mind.

You would think I would be used to her gift by now. Her gift wasn’t new. She’d had it her whole life. I couldn’t tell you the number of times she kept us from getting into trouble. Telling us when our parents were on the verge of catching us doing something we shouldn’t have been.

I smiled forlornly at the memories. I didn’t want to live away from my sister.

“Is he from New York?”

She shook her head. “No, but he does live in a city. The universe wouldn’t put you somewhere you’d be miserable.”

She walked up behind me and grasped the railing. We both looked out over the bustling street.

“What should we do first?” I asked, knowing she knew exactly where I needed to be.

“Tonight, we relax. Maybe see if Devlyn is available for dinner.”

Devlyn Never was my brother Dimeter’s sister-in-law. Originally from Rosewood, she now lived in New Orleans.

“Think Gator will let her out of his sight long enough?” I laughed.

“Probably not. We might need to have dinner at the bar, unless we want a half dozen bikers following us around.”

That I did not want. I couldn’t take the chance I would find my one and he would dismiss me if I were surrounded by other men.

“The Bourbon Bar it is then.”

Athena called Devlyn, and we made our way to Bourbon Street. I wouldn’t overindulge. Tomorrow was the beginning of the last weekend of Mardi Gras. I needed to be awake and alert.

Lucille had never steered me wrong. I had no reason to believe that would suddenly change now.

Waking up in bed with a Bourbon King was not on my freaking bingo card! Thankfully, I still had all my clothes on!

Scrambling from the bed, I went in search of my sister. Finding her sitting at the table in the kitchen, I glared at her.

“What the hell, Athena?”

“Oh relax, nothing happened,” Devlyn explained. “Your virtue is still intact. Well, as much as it was before you slept with Worm.” And while I was happy with that bit of news, I was not happy with the two bitches who were laughing at me.

“Why did you let me drink?”

“Because you need to relax.”

“Relax? How can I relax when everything is riding on this weekend? This is my chance, Athena.”

My sister sighed. Next to her, Devlyn snickered.

“What? What aren’t you telling me?”

The two women I thought loved me looked at each other conspiratorially.

“You may as well tell her. She won’t stop acting like a lunatic until she knows.” Devlyn took a sip of her juice. She kept her gaze from me, so I knew something was up.

“Tell me what?” I demanded.

“If I tell you, will you relax and at least try to have some fun?”

Crossing my arms over my chest, I narrowed my eyes at my sister. “I am your older sister. Tell me what you know.”

Devlyn spit her juice out on the table before throwing her head back and laughing.

“Athena!”

“Oh, alright. You won’t meet him until the ball.”

“The ball? That isn’t until Tuesday! Why did we come down here three days before?”

Athena stood from her chair and walked over to the sink. Rinsing her cup, she placed it in the sink and then turned to look at me.

“Because you need to loosen up.”