“Listen, I don’t like the idea of you driving home alone right now. Let me follow you. I’ll make sure nothing happens.”
She studies me carefully before replying,“That would be good. Just in case another tire blows out or something.”
“I checked the last one and it looked okay. But yeah, let me grab my bike and we can head out right away.”
“Okay. Let me call my friend and let her know not to come and get me.”
As I head toward my bike, I watch her start her car. Her hands grip the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles turn white. She’s obviously terrified. I’d hate to think of what might have happened if she hadn’t made it into my bar tonight.
My motorcycle roars to life beneath me. As I strap on my helmet, I make a silent vow that I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe.
On the drive to her house, I can’t shake the tension in my body. I’m constantly scanning the surroundings for any sign of danger. Each time a car passes by or a shadow flits across the road, my heart skips a beat. I’m ready to spring into action if needed, but we reach her house without incident. It’s a single-story bungalow in the oldest neighborhood in town. Trees and bushes crowd the sidewalk, partially blocking the view from the street. I don’t like it. A clear line of sight is a lot safer. She needs to cut these back so she can see who might be lurking outside.
As Jessica parks her car in the driveway, I pull up beside her and kill the engine on my bike. We walk up to her front door, and that’s when we see it. A voodoo doll, its grotesque form twisted and contorted, is nailed to the wooden door. A red, viscous liquid—which looks a hell of a lot like blood—drips onto the light green welcome mat beneath it.
“Oh, God!” She covers her mouth with her hand.
“Fucking hell,” I mutter.
I glance at Jessica to gauge her reaction. Her eyes are wide, and her breath’s coming in short, shallow gasps as she takes in the horrifying sight. I quickly go to her side and wrap an arm around her waist. Pulling her close, I hold her against my chest.
She wraps her arms around my torso then looks up at me with tears in her eyes.“Who would do this? Why would anyone try to scare me like this?”
“I don’t know,” I whisper, tucking her head under my chin.“But we’re going to figure it out. You’re not alone. I’m here, and I’m not leaving you until I know you’re safe.”
I study the dark corners of the yard, searching for the perpetrator. We appear to be alone, but I’m not completely convinced that’s true. A creepy-crawly sensation tiptoes down my spine, setting me on edge. Now, I fully understand what she means about feeling watched because I feel it, too. Someone’s out there … watching … waiting.
Chapter 4: Jessica
I stare at the voodoo doll nailed to my front door. My heart pounds and I’m suddenly lightheaded. If Talon wasn’t holding me up right now, I don’t know if I could stand properly. When I left work today, I never expected to end up in a big, burly man’s arms, but here I am. I’m grateful I’m not going through this alone, but I’m still shocked to the core. I’ve never been the kind of person who had enemies. But clearly, someone’s out to get me. If only I knew who …
The voodoo doll is a terrifying sight. Its eerie resemblance to me is undeniable. It has the same violet-colored eyes as mine. Its long, honey-blonde hair is cut into face-framing layers, just like mine. Even its skin color matches mine. During the summer, my skin turns a deep tan from all the hiking I do. The doll’s fabric has been died to match perfectly. It’s an awful little doppelgänger.
My stomach churns as I notice dried blood staining the cloth, along with strange symbols scribbled all over it. I’ve never seen that type of writing before. I’m not even sure if it’s a real language. I didn’t study religious symbolism while getting my business degree. Now, I wish I’d taken one of those esoteric classes. Knowing something about voodoo might be useful now. It could help me understand why someone would nail this to my door.
“Jessica, are you okay?” Talon’s voice is filled with concern.
“Y-yeah,” I stammer, unable to tear my eyes away from the horrific creation.“I just … I don’t understand what any of these symbols mean. Should we call the cops?”
“We could, but then they’d take the doll, and we wouldn’t have anything to go on.”
“Maybe the cops will figure it out. I have to report this anyway, right?”
“I’m not going to stop you if you really want to make that call, but I doubt they’ll be able to help you. I work with a lot of domestic violence and stalking cases, and let’s just say the police are less than helpful, especially when you haven’t been hurt yet.”
“This isn’t enough?” I point at the doll.
“Unfortunately, no. All they can do is take a report and lock up the only direct evidence we have that someone’s stalking you.” Talon steps closer, studying the doll for a moment before pulling out his phone. He snaps a quick picture, then looks back at me.“There’s another chapter of the Underground Vengeance MC in New Orleans. One of the guys there goes by Bones. He’s a voodoo priest. Maybe he can tell us something about this.”
“Bones? Really?”
“Yep.” He types a message into his phone.
“Okay.” I’m surprised by his admission. The fact that someone within Talon’s club knows stuff about voodoo is unnerving. How can I be sure he’s not involved somehow?
“Let me send this photo to him and see if he can give us any insight,” Talon says, hitting send.“He’s a bit of a night owl, so I don’t know if he’ll get back to us right away.”
His words bring a small measure of comfort, but the fear lingers, gnawing at the edges of my soul. I can only hope Bones has some answers for us because I can’t come up with one person who’d want to harm me. What if it’s nobody I know? It could be a complete stranger.
