The Naked Truth (18 page)

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Authors: Natasha Rostova

BOOK: The Naked Truth
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She opened her eyes and looked at Adam, then began easing the handle out of him. He was lying there panting, his eyes closed and his hands still lashed above his head. Tess smiled and deposited a kiss on his damp forehead.
‘You precious dear,’ she murmured. ‘I have so much to teach you.’
Chapter Eight
 
L
ogan shoved aside a pile of papers and stood up. He had a splitting headache. He was supposed to attend a Sunday brunch at the home of one of his partners, but he’d called to cancel. Not only did he not feel like socialising, but he especially didn’t feel like answering questions about Callie’s whereabouts. He suspected that several people thought he had something to do with her disappearance and not in a pleasant manner.
He downed two aspirin and went into the kitchen to pour himself another coffee. What a mess this was turning out to be. And what the hell was Callie’s problem? He’d never seen her as worked up as she was on Friday night. And he had definitely never seen her as wildly unrestrained. He winced as his jeans tightened. He didn’t even know how all that had happened. All he remembered was fury oozing from every pore, a blind rage at the thought of his wife with another man. And the way she’d been standing there, her dark eyes flashing and chest heaving as she swore at him and told him to go to hell.
Logan dragged a hand through his hair and sighed. He hadn’t known that Callie had the potential to lose control so completely. Moreover, he disliked the reminder that he, too, possessed that same potential. Jesus, he’d actually spanked her. And then he’d wanted to fuck her like an animal. He frowned as a wave of self-disgust rose in him. He’d spent far too many years cultivating control to lose it now, even with his wife. It had felt good, though, he had to admit. Damn good.
The telephone in his study rang. Logan left the kitchen and picked up the receiver on the fourth ring.
‘Logan Waterford.’
After a moment’s silence, a woman’s voice came over the line. ‘Well, well, well. I knew I’d track you down sooner or later.’
Dread like a thousand icy fingers clutched suddenly at the back of Logan’s neck. He sat down and reminded himself that he was the one with the advantage now.
‘Elenore.’
‘Why, yes. I’m surprised you remember me.’
‘How could I forget you?’ Logan muttered. The image of a tall, slender woman with jet-black hair and a sophisticated bearing appeared like a ghost in his mind.
‘Did you get my letter?’ Elenore Lawrence asked. ‘I sent it to your law firm. Congratulations, by the way. I hear that you’re one of the best lawyers in the state, if not the country.’
‘I got your letter,’ Logan replied. ‘As you must have realised, I ignored your request to contact you.’
‘And as you must have realised, I don’t give up that easily,’ Elenore replied smoothly.
‘What do you want?’ Logan’s voice tightened.
‘I want to speak with you,’ she said. ‘I have a business proposal to discuss.’
‘I’m not interested.’
‘You haven’t even heard it yet.’
‘I don’t care. I’m still not interested.’
Elenore was quiet for a moment. ‘Well, Logan, you’ve certainly become disagreeable over the years.’
‘No, just smarter.’
‘Really? I’ve got smarter, too, you know.’
‘If there’s nothing else, I have a lot of work to do,’ Logan said. He hated the sound of Elenore’s voice in his ear.
‘I’m coming to Savannah on Wednesday for a few weeks,’ she explained, as if he hadn’t spoken. ‘I’m in the process of refurbishing a nineteenth-century riverboat so that I can turn it into a floating hotel and gambling casino.’
‘Good for you.’
‘Heavens, Logan, don’t be so unpleasant,’ Elenore said. ‘We’re old friends, remember? You might at least show a little interest.’
‘I’m
not
interested, Elenore, all right?’
‘It would be a good investment for you.’
Logan knew well about Elenore and Gerald Lawrence’s ‘investments’, which were usually financed by black-market money laundering and insider trading. He didn’t have the slightest intention of getting involved with that kind of thing.
‘I’m not interested in bankrolling your enterprises. And I am especially not interested in resuming contact with you. Don’t call me again.’ He was about to hang up when Elenore’s voice came over the line once more.
‘I wouldn’t dismiss this quite so easily, Logan.’
Logan frowned. ‘What does that mean?’
‘Nothing in particular,’ Elenore replied airily. ‘By the way, are you still moonlighting, or have you dedicated yourself solely to your law firm?’
Logan’s blood went cold. The tone of her words was too insidious for his liking. ‘I’m a lawyer, not that it’s any of your business.’
‘Of course not. I was simply wondering if you were for hire.’
‘Not to you.’
‘Well, perhaps we can set up an appointment to discuss this.’
Logan suspected that Elenore wouldn’t leave him alone until he agreed to meet with her. The thought made him sick to his stomach, but he knew that Elenore and Gerald Lawrence were capable of anything. Including blackmail and extortion.
‘Logan, I dislike being ignored,’ Elenore continued. ‘I think you know that already.’
Logan rubbed the back of his neck and closed his eyes. Why did his world seem to be unravelling all at once? Only a couple of weeks ago, everything had been secure and intact. Now, his life was threaded with cracks threatening to break it all apart. First Callie and now this bitch.
‘One meeting,’ he said. ‘But I’ll tell you right now that I’m not giving you a penny.’
‘All I’m asking is that you hear me out,’ Elenore replied. ‘I doubt you’ll regret at least doing that.’
‘I regret even picking up the telephone,’ Logan said curtly.
Elenore chuckled. ‘You have become ill-tempered, haven’t you? I have a few appointments Wednesday morning, so why don’t we meet in the afternoon? Say around three? We sold the house a few years ago, but I’ll be staying in our penthouse.’
‘Fine. Goodbye, Elenore.’ Logan hung up the phone before she could respond.
He sat there for a moment with a disgusted feeling in his gut and unpleasant memories pushing at the back of his head. Fifteen years ago, he’d wanted to be free from the Lawrences so badly that he’d even vaguely considered the idea of black magic before dismissing the idea as ridiculous. He had known deep down that nothing could get the Lawrences out of his life. Apparently, he’d been right. His thoughts returned to Callie. He didn’t want her to know anything about Elenore Lawrence. Things were tenuous enough without his own wife giving him trouble. It was as if he’d spent years building a solid sand castle, and now wave after wave was washing up on shore to erode all he’d worked for.
Callie looked at the scarred doorway that rested at the base of some cement steps. A faded, wooden sign hung from a chain. Tess grabbed Callie’s elbow and urged her down the steps.
‘Come on, Callie, it’ll be fine.’
‘Tess, I wasn’t exactly lucid when I made this decision,’ Callie reminded her. Come to think if it, she still hadn’t regained all of her cognitive abilities after her confrontation with Logan.
Tess sighed and shook her head. ‘Callie, I know you haven’t been able to stop thinking about Logan. If you want him to continue torturing you, then we can turn around and go home right now. But if you want him out of your life, then Abiona can help you. Personally, I think Logan is a right bastard who could use a good black magic spell, but Abiona won’t do that.’
‘She’s not going to sacrifice a goat or anything, is she?’
‘No, that kind of thing only happens at the group ceremonies.’
Callie chuckled, assuming that it was a joke. One look at her friend told her that Tess was completely serious.
‘Oh, Tess –’
Tess grabbed Callie’s hand firmly and knocked on the door. ‘Now, come on. Keep an open mind.’
The door opened to reveal a large, attractive black woman dressed in an extraordinarily colourful robe and turban. She had a deep twinkle in her brown eyes and a smile that caused dimples to form in her cheeks. Callie relaxed a bit, taking immediate comfort in the woman’s amiable, calm demeanour.
‘Hello, Pemba. It’s wonderful to see you again.’ Tess reached out to hug the other woman.
‘Come in, children, come in.’ Pemba stepped aside and ushered them inside. Her home was decorated with African masks hanging on the walls and shelves full of books and relics. Brightly coloured, woven rugs lay on the floor with matching cushions scattered over the furniture. The strong scent of incense lingered in the air.
‘You must be Callie.’ Pemba turned to clasp Callie’s hands in hers. She had a marvellous voice, throaty and rich with a lilting accent. ‘I am so happy to meet you.’
Callie smiled. ‘Thank you. I’m happy to meet you, too.’
‘May I offer you some tea?’ Pemba gestured for them to sit down as she poured two cups of milky tea. She settled her large frame into a chair across from them and looked at Callie. ‘My daughter will be joining us shortly. Tess tells me you have some trouble.’
‘Yes, a little bit,’ Callie admitted. ‘I left my husband about a fortnight ago, but I seem to be getting somewhat obsessed with him. And he with me,’ she added.
‘Logan hired someone to find her,’ Tess said. ‘He’s refusing to let her go. I think he might even be psychotic. What if he hurts her?’
‘He’s not psychotic and he’s not going to hurt me,’ Callie said, then wondered why she always felt the need to defend Logan.
‘I see.’ Pemba leaned forward slightly and began to gesture gracefully with her hands. ‘Let me explain something about voodoo, Callie. It is not only a religion, but also a form of philosophy and a way of life. Devotees of voodoo serve what are called
loas
. These are spiritual beings, and forms of the
Bon Dieu
. These
loas
must be properly honoured to maintain our well-being. That is what we do; we serve the spirits.’
Callie glanced at Tess. ‘I’ve heard that it can also harm people.’
Pemba spread her hands. ‘Yes, of course. If one is confronted with evil, sometimes one must fight back with black magic. After all, we must know evil in order to fight it. The
loa
is . . . how shall we say, the mediating force between good and evil magic.’
‘I don’t want evil magic,’ Callie said. ‘Logan isn’t evil by any stretch of the imagination. I simply want him to leave me alone, both in my mind and in my life.’
‘If his presence so disturbs your harmony, then you must take action,’ Pemba replied. ‘And remember that, while there are invisible forces in the world designed to harm people, for every one of those forces there is a
garde
, which serves to protect the individual.’
She stood in a fluid movement. She was surprisingly graceful despite her bulk. ‘Come into my other room. I will help you banish this man.’
Callie glanced towards the other room. A beaded curtain hung in the doorway between the two rooms. Then the beads clicked together as a young woman came into the room. Callie couldn’t help staring at her. She was incredibly beautiful; tall and curvaceous with smooth skin the colour of mocha and thick, curly hair. She wore a simple white shift that reached her knees and flowed in graceful lines over her body.
‘Hello.’ She smiled, revealing even, white teeth. ‘I’m sorry I’m late.’
‘This is my daughter, Abiona,’ Pemba said. ‘Abiona, you remember Tess, of course. This is her friend, Callie Waterford.’
‘A pleasure.’ Callie shook the other woman’s hand. Her skin was smooth and dry.
‘For me as well. Please forgive me, but I must take care of something first.’ She glanced at her mother. ‘
Maman
, could you come, please? This is about Lucia’s
lave-tet
.’
‘Will you please excuse me for a moment?’ Pemba asked.
‘Of course,’ Tess said. ‘We’ll finish our tea.’
Callie looked at Tess after the two women had left the room. ‘Abiona is beautiful.’
‘Isn’t she? I’d ask her to get involved in
Sexology
if I wasn’t worried about offending her.’
‘Are they both mim . . . I mean, mambos?’ Callie asked.
Tess nodded. ‘Abiona does most of the work now. Her mother is more of an advisor, but she often helps at rituals and ceremonies.’
‘What did she say she had questions about?’
‘It’s called a
lave-tet
, a cleaning of the head. It’s supposed to get rid of impurities and junk so that a spirit can possess a person.’
Callie gave Tess a derisive look. ‘You don’t really believe all this, do you?’
‘Of course I do.’ Tess frowned. ‘You know, you are so uptight. Can’t you give a little credit to these people? I’ve been to voodoo ceremonies, Callie. The people truly are possessed by other spirits.’

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