Page 19 of Xavier

“Worried about me?” She snorted. “Most people would be worried about the men who attacked me. Tell me, did you sleep well after we parted?”

He shook his head. “I haven’t slept well in over five years. That little bit of a scuffle didn’t keep me awake.”

“Then what did?” she asked.

His thoughts jumped into the past before he could firmly push them back into the dark place at the back of his mind. “Doesn’t matter.”

“Hmph,” she said. “Well, I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t made it home and back safely last night. You have the answer to your question. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.” She entered the shop, letting the door swing shut behind her.

Xavier had no reason to follow her inside, since, as she’d stated, her presence there gave him the answer to his original need to know whether she’d made it home and back. He couldn’t say what made him go inside anyway. Perhaps he didn’t want to be rude, like the woman who’d insisted she’d rather work with Madame Gautier than with an ex-con.

Whatever reason, for which he was unclear, he pushed through the door into the shop he’d never been inside in all the months since it had opened. Not interested in homeopathic remedies or cooking, he’d had no need to check it out.

The interior was divided into two areas. One side held remedies, and the other held all the special pots, pans, cutlery, preparation tools and spices one might need for Cajun cooking.

Lissette stood in front of a shelf full of brown, blue, red, and clear bottles with corks and glass toppers, rearranging them into neat rows. She wore a bright, colorful skirt in shades of orange, brown, and teal. Her shiny tank top matched one of the bright teal shades in the skirt and shimmered in the overhead light.

Her hair hung straight down her back in a smoky black curtain, all the way to the inward curve of her narrow waist.

“If you’re not here to purchase spices or potions, turn yourself around and leave. I’m not a specimen to be picked apart under a microscope.”

His lips turned upward on each side. “Maybe not, but you’re still interesting.”

“Well, then, go ahead. Ask what most men want to know when they come in here.” She lifted her chin and waited.

“What is it they want to know?”

“It could be one of two things. The first is, Did someone make you their bitch in the slammer? The other is, Do you have anything for when you can’t get it up?”

Xavier laughed and then sobered. “Seriously, men are rude enough to ask you about prison?”

“Sure. I guess they feel like they have the right. You know, let the punishment fit the crime or cons have no couth. Funny that you didn’t pick on the other question.” Her gaze flicked to his groin. “Any problems you want to discuss?”

“No. I’m good,” he said and fought the urge to cross his hands over his crotch. “And is the second question they ask any less rude?”

Lissette shrugged. “Some guys really need help. Others just want to see me squirm, as if I should be embarrassed that they can’t get an erection. It’s the number one reason they come into the shop.” Lissette rolled her eyes. “But my grandmother and I treat all kinds of other ailments.”

“With what?”

Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Primarily with homeopathic gels, lotions and teas.” Her eyes narrowed more.

“And secondarily?” His lips twitched. “That is a word, isn’t it? What do you use when the primary remedies aren’t enough?”

Her lips curled into a dangerous smile. “That’s for secret potions and tinctures known only to practitioners of Madame Gautier’s knowledge and caliber.”

“And are you of Madame Gautier’s caliber?” Xavier challenged, enjoying the way her cheeks reddened.

“Not nearly,” she said. “But I’m learning under her guidance.”

“Would that tutelage be in the art of Voodoo?” he asked.

She lifted her chin and stared hard into his eyes. “And if it is?”

He didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he studied her for a long moment. “What was in the bag you said the men took with them?”

She drew in a breath as if having to physically switch gears. “Something that belonged to my family.”

“And the broken hasp?”