Cursed Hearts (A Crossroads Novel) (5 page)

A
subdued kind of silence descended over the car as they drove on quietly into
the dimming afternoon. A question was niggling at the back of Aria’s mind, and
she finally couldn’t ignore it any longer.

“Do
you really not think you have magic?” she asked.

“I
just think someone’s confusing what I am.”

“And
what is that, exactly?”

Rome
sighed.

“I
can’t just snap my fingers and make things happen.”

“How
do you know what you’re capable of if you never even try?”

He
hit the brake, pulling over to a viewing point near the water. Gravel kicked up
under his tires, pinging against the back window.

“Can
I ask you something?” he said, twisting in his seat.

“I-I
guess.”

“Are
you just doing this because you think I have magic, or is it because you want
me to stay?”

Ariahna
took a moment to reflect on her motivations. The answer, in her mind, was
simple. She was asking him to stay because she wanted him to; but telling him
that was simply out of the question. How could you turn to a complete stranger
and say:
I don’t want you to go, I need you here with me
?

It
sounded insane.

“Why
can’t it be both?” she muttered offhandedly.

“…I’ll
think about it, okay?”

Aria
looked up at him, trying to hide a smile.

“Maybe…
Never mind,” he mumbled.

Rome whipped back onto the road, pulling out onto the old
two-lane highway. The engine roared loudly through the surrounding hills
, taking them into town much
faster than the speed limit would have permitted. He weaved through traffic,
smiling over at her when he noticed her clutching the armrest.

“Do
you want to see how fast this thing can really go?”

He floored it, grinning at the horrid squealing sound
coming from the tires. They got up to nearly double the speed limit before the
frame of the car started rattling. Air whistled loudly through the doors and
the hood started to shake so bad it looked dangerously close to ripping off. He
wasn’t sure why he
was driving that fast; but as he looked over at Aria,
with her eyes clenched
shut and her shoulders wound tight, he realized it had
something to do with her.

“You
should slow down, before we hit someone,” she said.

Rome
let off the gas just as he saw that familiar red and blue flashing in his
rearview mirror. “Shit,” he cursed, slamming his palm against the steering
wheel and pulling over. He shouldn’t have been trying to impress her like that.
The lanky policeman stepped out of his car, hitching up his pants as he
strutted over to the driver’s side door. The officer bent at the waist, peering
through the window and shining a light right into his eyes. “You know it’s
still like the middle of the day, right?” Rome asked, blinking back the sting
of being abruptly blinded.

“Navarro,
I knew that was your piece of crap. Honestly, it astounds me you can even get
this hunk of metal flying down the road like that.”

“Yeah, well, this hunk of metal just put your shiny new
waste of tax dollars to shame, considering you couldn’t even get close enough
to kiss my ass.”

“Do
you have any clue how fast you were going, or were you just going to wait until
shit started breaking off to slow down?”

Rome
smirked. “I’m pretty sure I was doing the speed limit.”

The
officer glared at him, hard. “I’m pretty sure you weren’t. Let’s see your
license and registration, son.”

Ariahna crossed and uncrossed her arms, sinking down in
the
seat and trying
to hide behind Rome’s shoulder. The movement drew the officer’s attention, and
she jumped when his light swept over her.

“Who’s
that you got in there with you? Aren’t you Richard’s girl?”

Aria
was too anxious to speak.

“Stanley,”
he introduced. “I was at the scene on that weird case he helped out on last
month. I think I saw you down at the station once, right?” She nodded weakly.
“What are you doing running around with trouble like him, huh? Your daddy
wouldn’t be pleased if he knew.”

“He
doesn’t have to know though, does he? You know how busy he can be. In fact, he
got stuck with this really tough case recently and he’s been a little on edge.
I’m really just worried for you,” she said, “having to be the one to tell him.
You know what they say about killing the messenger.”

Stanley
exhaled, glancing down at the pavement.

“Right,
well, you might want to choose your company a bit more carefully. I’d hate to
see you starting to get in trouble because you were hanging out with the wrong
sort.” He stood up to his full height, scribbling out a ticket before shoving
it through the window. “Consider this a warning. I should be hauling you in for
reckless endangerment.”

Rome
caught his license as Stanley tossed it back at him, dropping his wallet in the
process.

“By
the way, you should get that taillight fixed.”

Rome
frowned. “…What taillight?”

The
sound of shattering glass rang out in reply.

“
Dick
,”
he breathed, twisting in his seat to stare over the headrest. The officer
climbed into his cruiser and pulled back onto the highway.

“I
can’t believe he did that…”

“I
can,” Rome sighed.

He
gathered his things off the floor, noticing that the small, worn photo of his
mother was missing from his wallet. It was the only picture he had; all the
others had been lost in the fire that had taken his childhood home. They’d lost
everything, in fact, and all because his father had been too drunk to put out a
cigarette. He looked under and around his legs before realizing Aria was
holding it carefully in her hands. If it had been anyone else, he would have
snatched it back without warning.

“I
miss her,” he whispered.

Aria
examined the photo. It was of a girl, about her age, with blonde hair and blue
eyes. She felt more than a little foolish looking at it. Of course he had a
girlfriend, she thought. “Are you still dating, or…?”

“What?”

“Your
girlfriend. She went to Vardel, right?”

“She’s
not my—” Rome leaned in, bending over the center console. Aria was right; his
mother was wearing the same uniform as her. It was the same short-sleeved
blouse and striped tie. “I never knew,” he mumbled.

“You
didn’t know where she went to school?”

“It’s
an old picture of my mother, not…”

Aria was completely abashed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have
assumed.”
She handed him back the photo, humiliated.

“It’s
okay,” he laughed.

Rome
was snickering so badly he could barely speak.

“You
really shouldn’t be laughing right now, you know. You could have just gotten in
serious trouble.”

“I
get in serious trouble for leaving my house in the morning.”

Rome
started thinking about what Stanley had said.
Aria’s
father was a cop. It made him wonder, had he ever come banging down his door?
Had he slapped a set of cuffs on his wrists or thrown him in the back of a
squad car?

“Your father… he’s never mentioned me before?” he asked.
“No, stay away from that one, he’ll cut you up and bake you into a pie?”

“I
was being serious,” she smiled, trying to conceal her amusement. “How am I
supposed to lecture you if you keep making me laugh?”

“I
don’t know,” he grinned. “But the thought that you think you can lecture me in
the first place is…”

“Is
what?”

“Laughable,”
he said, pulling back out into traffic. That was not the right thing to say,
and Rome knew it. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“How
else could you have meant it?”

“I
just meant—why would I listen to you?”

Now
he was just sticking his foot in it.

So
much for making her feel better
,
he thought.

The conversation died off, and Ariahna watched the trees
disappear, giving way to street signs and houses. The soft sound of humming
drew her attention back into the car, and her eyes turned to Rome as he began
singing softly. It took the sound of his gentle, soothing voice for her to
realize that he didn’t have a stereo. There was just a big gap where you might
have expected one to be, occupied instead by a tangled mess of gnarled wires.
She watched his lips move, listening to the emotion in his words as they
drifted into the surrounding air. You wouldn’t need a radio, she supposed, if
you could sing so well.

Main
Street came and went, and she finally had to speak up.

“Can
you pull over?” she asked quietly. “You can let me out here, I just—that was
kind of my stop back there.”

Rome
turned to look at her in something akin to shock.

“I’m
sorry. Apparently I was just ready to take you home with me,” he laughed.
“Don’t worry; my dad would never let me keep you.”

He
circled around the block, pulling into a slanted parking space along the side
of the street. Ariahna clambered slowly out of his car, trying to buy herself
time. She really hadn’t thought this through, and it was only now that she
realized how little thought had actually gone into this request.

Rome
watched her disappear behind the reflection of the glass door, the chime of the
shop bell ringing gently in his ears. He sighed, smiling
slightly when he figured out that he was her only
way back. He leaned over the dash, looking up at the old sign above the shop,
which read:
Now You See It
. The words were spelled out in
flickering, vermillion-colored bulbs, and an upturned top hat hung from one
edge of the sign. There was even a black and white magician’s wand poised over
the top of it.

“You’ve
got to be kidding me…”

The
sound of the bell rang out again as Rome sauntered into the shop. The glass
counter, like much of the store, was cluttered with gag items; the
type street performers or Las Vegas magicians
might use.
There were decks of cards, metal rings, wands, and several
cheesy looking books on the subject. He was really starting to wonder if she’d
meant to walk into this place.

“
Hello
,” the store owner said theatrically. “The
Great Geraldo, at your service.” He smiled, taking an elegant bow.

Rome’s
jaw dangled dangerously low to the ground.

The storeowner was dressed head to toe in an over the top
magician’s outfit. White cuffs and dazzling blue cufflinks poked out from
beneath his split tailcoat. A matching satin blue bowtie was held tight at his
collar, and a tall black top hat completed the bizarre ensemble.

“Um,” Rome said, trying not to laugh. He looked away
, attempting
to
calm himself. He end up gazing down at the man’s
shiny, pointed black
shoes. “I was looking for the redheaded girl that
just walked in here.”

“Ah,
yes. Your lovely assistant wandered into the back, just behind that curtain
there.” The man smiled, sweeping his arm out in a wide flourish. “Will the
hands of destiny permit you to follow, or does your journey end here?” he said
cryptically. “A hush falls over the crowd, the audience waiting with bated
breath for the outcome.”

Rome
turned and ran over to the curtain before he was forced to laugh in the guy’s
face. He snickered loudly, covering his mouth as he whipped the curtain back
and reached for the handle. A sign on the door read:
You must be at least
this magical to enter
. He ripped it open and rushed inside, doubling over
as he howled so hard his sides started to hurt.

 “Oh
god,” he breathed, “I think I’m dying.”

Ariahna
peeked around a shelf, taking in the sight of Rome as he practically fell onto
the floor in a fit of giggles.

“I
see you met Jerry,” she said, smiling widely.

“Don’t
you mean ‘The Great Geraldo’?”

“He’s
a really nice guy. You should probably stop laughing.”

“That’s
alright. My husband lives to entertain.”

“Sorry,
Mrs. Jacobs,” Aria apologized.

“I
told you, you can call me Jessica, dear.”

Jessica
glanced at Rome who was trying desperately to compose himself. “I’ve never seen
you in here before. Aren’t you Donna’s boy?”

“Sorry,”
Rome said, schooling his features and ghosting over her question. Apparently
she’d known his mother. That didn’t mean he wanted to talk about it. He was
just glad she didn’t press the issue and had decided to leave them to it.

“So,
what are you doing in here?”

“Well,
I gave this really nice girl a ride into town, and I realized that without me,
she was kind of stranded. You haven’t seen her, have you? I could have sworn
she came back here.”