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  He put his hands on both of my arms to sturdy me. “Hi.”

  “Hi.”

  He still didn’t let go. “Nice costume.” His eyes had a faint ring of greenish-yellow color in them that seemed out of place in his brown eyes. I wondered if he was wearing contacts.

  “Oh. Thanks.” I looked at his all black ensemble consisting of a dress shirt and slacks. I guess that was as far as he went to dress up on Halloween. Given a choice, I would have skipped my costume all together.

  “Do you have plans tonight?”

  “None I particularly want to be part of.” There wasn’t a chance I was spending any more time with Shaun.

  “She has plans.” Chad walked over. “We’re all going out.”

  “Come out with me instead.” Duncan looked at me seriously. “I’m going downtown to meet some friends.”

  “Daisy’s not hanging out with you.” Shaun pulled on my arm. Duncan didn’t let go.

  Duncan narrowed his eyes. “Why would you have any say on what she does?”

  “She’s coming out with us.” Reyna said from somewhere behind me.

  “Aren’t you guys going downtown too?” I turned to look at Chad.

  Chad nodded. “Yes, and I promise you’ll have a better time with us.”

  I turned, offsetting one of Duncan’s hands. “Why don’t we all hang out together? Then you can meet up with your friends, Duncan.” That seemed like a nice compromise.

  “No way.” Chad, Shaun, and Duncan all said it at the same time. Why were they being so strange?

  “How about we just do a girl’s night then, Reyna?” I joked.

  She gave me a panicked look which told me everything. She would have agreed to it if she thought I really wanted to. That’s all I needed to see.

  I smiled lightly. “I really want to hang out with Reyna tonight, Duncan. But I appreciate the offer.”

  “I have a better idea. Are you ready to go, now?” Duncan asked.

  “Yeah, why?”

  “Why don’t we go hang out with my friends first? We can meet up with these guys later.” He gestured to Reyna and Chad.

  I thought about it. The idea seemed reasonable enough. If I was having tons of fun with Duncan’s friends I could just stay with them. If not, I had an out. “Sounds good.” I grabbed my purse and double checked I had everything inside that I needed.

  Duncan waited for me at the front door. I hugged Reyna to put her at ease. “Call me when you get down there.”

  “I will… be safe.” She held on longer than necessary.

  “I will be.” I followed Duncan outside.

  From inside I heard Reyna. “Is she safe?”

  Chad reassured her. “Yes. At least I think so.”

  I shivered. Did Chad dislike his roommate that much?

  “Don’t worry about him.” Duncan patted my arm.

  I waited for more of an explanation of why I shouldn’t have worried about Chad’s hesitation, but none came.

  “How are we getting downtown?” I didn’t want to make a scene, but I also didn’t plan on getting into a car with a guy I barely knew.

  “The streetcar. Finding parking on Halloween would be impossible.”

  “Oh, the streetcar sounds great.” Public transportation sounded perfect.

  “You were afraid to get in my car.” He gave me a small smile as we walked.

  “Maybe a little.” For good reason. From what Shaun had demonstrated, you couldn’t be too careful. I figured I’d be safe enough in public though. At least I hoped I was. “Why did you invite me tonight?”

  He looked at me like I was crazy. “Because I wanted you with me, and I thought you’d prefer to spend time with me than Shaun.”

  “You’ve got that much right.”

  He stopped walking. “My offer from last night is still on the table.”

  “Your offer? Wait, about killing him?” I contemplated an excuse of why I couldn’t go.

  He smiled, and I relaxed. Had I really thought it was anything but a joke? “He’s okay. I’m leaving in the morning anyway.”

  “Oh. Leaving to where?” He stopped on the median to wait.

  “To school. This was only a weekend visit.”

  “You want to go back?” He put an arm around me as a group of guys without costumes walked over.

  I assumed it was a protective gesture and didn’t shrug it off. “Yes. I’ve been ready since I got here.”

  “Because of Shaun?”

  “Because of everything. I knew Reyna was into Chad, but I should have predicted just how into him she was.”

  “You’re single.” It was a statement and not a question.

  “Yes. Very much so.” What was with everyone asking me that? Kalisa was obsessed with it.

  “Are you a virgin?”

  If I’d been drinking, I’d have choked. Instead I coughed. “What?”

  “A virgin. Have you had sex before?” He watched me carefully.

  “How is that any of your business?”

  “It’s not, I’m just curious.” He buried his hand in his pocket.

  “I’m not a virgin.” Considering the less than stellar experiences I’d had though, I’d have been better off being one.

  “Good.”

  “Good? Why is that good?” Shaun and Chad were right. This guy was really weird.

  “Because I’d feel guilty having the thoughts I’m having right now about someone untouched.”

  “Uh.” Seriously? He had to get creepy too?

  “Maybe I should just call Reyna.”

  “No.” he removed his arm from around me, but stayed close. “I want you to stay.”

  “Evidently.”

  He smiled. “I promise you’ll enjoy yourself.”

  “No weird, creepy business then?” I knew his word didn’t really mean anything, but maybe it would help me emphasize I wasn’t in the mood to be toyed with.

  “No. Just a fun night out.”

  I needed to keep the conversation going. “What year are you?”

  “Oh, I’m not in school right now. I was at Baylor for a while, but I’m taking a break.”

  Not in school? There went the comfort from knowing he went to college with people I knew. Not that that fact would have changed anything. “How’d you end up living with Chad and Shaun then?”

  “They put up an ad looking for a third roommate, and I responded. The place isn’t great, but I wasn’t allowed to stay where I was living before.”

  “Were you living with your family?”

  “Something like that.” He looked down the road. “It’s coming.”

  Although the streetcar was mostly empty when it pulled to a stop, it was nearly full by the time Duncan paid our fare, and we walked on. He gestured for me to sit in a seat next to a girl. “I’ll stand.”

  I wasn’t sure if he was doing it because he wanted other people to find seats or because for some reason he enjoyed standing, but either way I appreciated having a seat. I still wasn’t used to the jerky stops and starts of New Orleans’ most famous form of transportation.

  By the time the streetcar reached Canal Street, it was filled to capacity. I couldn’t see Duncan when I got off the car from the back. I hadn’t even realized you could do that. He was waiting for me on the sidewalk.

  “Where to?” I asked. It looked like there was a party pretty much everywhere.

  “This way.” He took my hand in his, but I didn’t fight it. Otherwise we probably would have been separated by the endless crowds. I was really glad I’d visited the quarter in the morning so I at least had an idea of what it was like without thousands of people filling every nook and cranny. “I want to take you to one of my favorite bars.”

  “Ok, cool.” I hoped this one was eighteen and up too.

  We wove our way through the crowds. I glanced into the rows of bars and clubs teeming with people dressed in various degrees of costumes. Despite my apprehension of hanging out with someone I barely knew, the excitement seemed to be rubbing
off on me. I found myself moving along to the music spilling out of one club when we were momentarily stopped.

  “Duncan!” A girl with long blond hair yelled and proceeded to wrap her arms around Duncan’s neck. She was dressed as a pumpkin, if a pumpkin was just a skimpy piece of orange fabric. “Come dancing with us.” She was visibly drunk.

  “Oh, hi.” He gave me an apologetic look.

  I shrugged. It wasn’t like we were on a date.

  “Why aren’t you dressed up? It’s Halloween. You’re supposed to be dressed up.”

  He shoved a hand into his back pocket. “How do you know that I’m not dressed up?”

  “Laurie!” The girl yelled. “It’s Duncan, the stripper who did Debbie’s party last week.”

  Wait. What? Did he strip? Wow, that was pretty surprising. He wasn’t bad looking, but I hadn’t met a male stripper before.

  Another girl ran over. This one was appropriately attired. She had an awesome lollipop costume on. She also gave Duncan a hug, so I decided to people watch while I waited. That’s when I saw him. The gorgeous guy from the bar. All six plus feet of his perfectness. This time he was wearing one of those sleeveless white t-shirts that showed off his muscular arms. But it wasn’t his muscles that jumped out the most. It was his beautiful set of black wings. Now that was a costume.

  He glanced up just as he passed, and my chest tightened. He looked at me with curiosity for a second before continuing on. Maybe he vaguely remembered my face but didn’t know why. I wasn’t sure what would be worse, if he remembered the humiliating moment, or if he didn’t.

  I suddenly felt embarrassed of my cat costume. Were the whiskers too much?

  “Daisy?” Duncan called my name and snapped me out of my daze. “Ready?” The girls must have walked off while I was distracted because Duncan was alone watching me. I wondered how obvious my ogling was.

  “Yeah, sure.”

  Duncan towed me along until he turned into a dark and completely unappealing dive. This was his favorite place? I kept my mouth shut. I didn’t want to offend him. Maybe this was one of those hidden gems you always hear about. Just to be safe I texted Reyna the name of the place as inconspicuously as possible, Grounddiggers.

  “Who are you texting?” Duncan asked as we walked through the entrance.

  Evidently I wasn’t as inconspicuous as I thought. “Just a friend.” I’m not sure why I didn’t just tell him who it was. I just felt like it was safer not to.

  He nodded at a bouncer, who like Duncan was dressed all in black. The bouncer grunted something unintelligible to Duncan. Duncan must have taken the grunt to mean enter because he pulled me further inside.

  Chapter Six

  The interior of the bar was no more appealing than the exterior. The faded black paint on the walls looked like it hadn’t been touched in years. The worn wood floors made the stairs at Chad’s apartment look high quality in comparison.

  I tried not to make a face, but with the musty smell in the air, I was having some doubts about whether the place could pass any health code.

  A large, dilapidated bar dominated the room. Otherwise there were a few tables all of which had no chairs. Compared to the other bars on Bourbon Street, this one was mostly empty. The dozen or so customers were all dressed exactly alike. Black dress shirts and matching slacks.

  Black was a popular color for Halloween, but wearing it head to toe seemed a bit much. Then again I was wearing all black.

  “Can I get you a drink?” Duncan asked.

  “No thanks.” I needed a few minutes first. This was not the type of bar I was used to. The bars we’d been at the other night were similar to the ones near East Madison, but this place was something else entirely. I couldn’t ignore the sense of unease spreading through me.

  I took a closer look at the customers. They were all male as far as I could tell. Was this a gay bar? If so, it was probably the worst looking one in the world. I had no problem if Duncan was gay, but why bring me here? And hadn’t he admitted to having inappropriate thoughts about me? The last thing I needed was some confused gay guy trying to use me to experiment or something. That would have fit with the theme of the weekend though—messed up.

  “You brought some company, Duncan.” A deep throaty voice asked from behind me. I turned around and came face to face with a tall guy, maybe in his mid-twenties. He was wearing black like everyone else, but his shirt was satin. “Hello, little one.”

  Little one? What was that about?

  “She’s in town visiting.”

  “Oh. She’s from out of town.” The new guy smiled in that ‘I’m picturing you naked’ sort of way.

  I stepped closer to Duncan. “Do you not like locals?”

  He laughed. “I just like meeting new people. I am Jeryl.” He held out a hand, and I accepted his awkward handshake. He then brushed his lips against my hand. “Lovely to meet you, little kitty.”

  Kitty? Oh yeah, the costume. “My name’s Daisy. Nice to meet you.”

  “Daisy? Isn’t that perfect?” He rubbed a thumb against my cheek. Was he checking to see if the whiskers were real? I stepped back. He was definitely stepping over the socially acceptable behavior line. That also fit perfectly with the weekend’s theme.

  “Perfect?”

  “Yes.” He still held my hand. I wanted to pull it away, but how did I do that without offending him? “You’re named after a flower, a symbol of life.”

  “Oh. Yeah.” My name seemed to always get people talking. Sometimes in good ways, and sometimes in bad ways.

  “Nice find, Duncan.” Jeryl nodded at Duncan.

  “Find?” I looked up at Duncan. What in the world was Jeryl talking about?

  Duncan put a hand on my shoulder. “Isn’t she? I noticed her yesterday, but tonight I couldn’t resist her.”

  “Absolutely perfect,” Jeryl repeated himself.

  Duncan squeezed my shoulder. “Let me show you around.” As weird as he was being, he sure wasn’t getting frisky. That was something.

  “No.” Jeryl put a hand on my other shoulder. “I’ll show her around.”

  The two men stared each other down. Something seriously weird was going on. This exchange caught the attention of several of the other customers who turned to look at us. Or maybe I should say turned to look at me. There went the gay bar question. The looks on their faces left no doubt of what was on their mind. Maybe these guys just didn’t get out much.

  “I will be showing her around,” Jeryl once again repeated himself. This time Duncan nodded. Jeryl didn’t seem particularly bigger or stronger than Duncan, so I wasn’t sure why he caved to him so easily. I also didn’t get why he thought it was okay to hand me off.

  “Uh, I’m going to stay with Duncan. You know the whole rule that you stay with the guy you show up with?” I didn’t know if it was actually a rule, but it was a pretty good attitude to have.

  “Is that some sort of joke?” Jeryl narrowed his eyes.

  “Yeah…” His gaze made it hard to think straight. Agreeing seemed like the only option.

  “Why don’t we both show her around?” Duncan’s hand returned to my shoulder, and although I took some comfort knowing he wasn’t ditching me, awkward took on new meaning.

  My two escorts walked me over to the bar. “Would you like something to drink?” Jeryl asked.

  “Uh, no thanks.” I may have made some bad mistakes this weekend, but I wasn’t going to add getting wasted in a bar full of weird guys to the list.

  “Are you sure? We keep a full bar of liquor, wine, and beer.”

  “Great.” Didn’t most bars? “But I’m fine.”

  “Perhaps something nonalcoholic?” Jeryl gestured for me to take a seat on a stool. “A club soda? Juice?”

  Theoretically, they could drug any drink. “No, thanks. I actually think I’m going to get going.”

  “But you just got here, Daisy.” The way Jeryl said my name was creepy. I would have taken more quality time with Shaun over the shiver inducing
situation I was currently in.

  “Yeah, I’m pretty tired, and I’m not feeling great.” I turned to Duncan. “Thanks for inviting me.” I eyed the closed door like a life boat. I’d have much rather been stuck alone in the crowd outside.

  Duncan shook his head “You can’t leave yet, Daisy.”

  “Yes, I can. I remember where the door is.” I tried to shrug off Jeryl’s hand. Duncan had dropped his.

  Jeryl pushed down on my shoulder slightly. “But we haven’t even finished the tour.”

  “Maybe another time.” I attempted to step forward.

  He turned me so I was looking at him. “Oh, Daisy.” He waved a finger in front of my face. “It’s impolite to make promises you don’t intend to keep. You’re from out of town. You’re not planning to come back anytime soon.”

  He could say that again. No matter how many times I visited New Orleans I wouldn’t be taking a step into this dive. “Ok, nice meeting you. I’m going to go now.” I tried to step away again.

  I was immediately pulled back by Jeryl. “I insist you at least let me finish the tour. There’s so much more to show you.”

  “I suggest you let him.” Duncan wore an unreadable expression.

  “I really need to go.” There was no way I was willingly walking any further into that place.

  “Not yet.” Jeryl wrapped his hand around my wrist. The contact hurt. My whole body shuddered. I was in some serious hot water. What was this creep going to do to me? And why was Duncan just standing there?

  “Are you going to join us, Duncan?” Jeryl now seemed to want his friend’s company.

  Duncan nodded. “Yes.”

  Jeryl pulled me along as he walked toward the back of the bar. His nails dug into my wrist, and I winced. If Jeryl noticed my discomfort he didn’t show it. Somehow I wasn’t surprised.

  “Here, let me show you the VIP room.” He leaned in, and he definitely smelled me that time. “Lovely, lovely Daisy.”

  “You have a VIP room here?” I didn’t bother keeping the surprise out of my voice. I doubted Jeryl would even notice.

  “Of course. Doesn’t any fine establishment have one nowadays?”

  “Fine establishments. Right.”