Death Cursed (Death Touched, Book One)

Chapter 7

They walked onward past rows and rows of concrete columns and fancy vehicles. Jack stopped them at a particular black sedan. He guided her to the front passenger seat and opened the door. Jack swept his arm toward the interior. "Ladies first."

Nena couldn't hide a smile as she slipped into the leather seat. Jack shut the door and walked around to the driver's side where Peter and he faced off. Peter had his hand on the door handle and an arched brow above his eyes. "You wish to drive?"

Jack shrugged. "Why not?"

"You do not know how to drive."

Jack shrugged. "There's a first time for everything." Peter's face fell. Jack slid up beside him and lowered his voice. "Come on, Pete, just this once." Peter sighed, but stepped back away from the door. Jack grinned and patted him on the shoulder. "You won't regret it."

Peter watched him slip behind the driver's seat and pursed his lips. "I hope not."

Peter took a spot in the back seat and Jack started the car. The engine roared to life and Jack backed them out in spurts and jumps. Nena grasped the handle above the door and her wide eyes flickered to the driver.

Jack smiled at her as he drove forward with only a few hiccups. "I've been a little spoiled with Pete driving me around, but I'll-" he stepped a little too hard on the brakes and the car came to a jerky halt. He sheepishly grinned. "It's been a long partnership."

Jack navigated the car around one corner and to the entrance with its two drop-down gates and small booth. He gave a wave to a shadowy figure in the dark booth. The right-hand gate rose and they drove out into a dark night.

The garage and a tall manufacturing building attached to it were surrounded by a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire. They drove down a paved driveway, but either side of them was covered with gray gravel. There was another booth with a gate, but they also were allowed through that exit without a fuss.

A large sign stood to their right as they left the compound. Nena turned in her seat and looked back at the large neon sign. There was an image of a red pepper with the words 'Devil's Delight' in flashy text.

She arched an eyebrow and glanced at Jack. "The agency is a pepper factory?"

"Yeah. They're advertised as hotter than hell," he told her.

She rolled her eyes and sat properly in her seat. "That's just awful."

"Not in the advertising business?" he wondered.

She shook her head. "Not even close."

"So what did you do before you were lucky enough to fall in with me?" Jack asked her.

Nena rolled her eyes. "I was around people with almost as much ego as you."

He flashed her a grin. "I doubt that. I'm an original."

"You're something. . ." she muttered.

"But all kidding aside, what did you do?" he persisted.

She sank down in her chair and shrugged. "Not much. Cleaned a hospital for a living and hung out with my only friend and my dad."

"A normal life. . ." he mused as he turned onto one of the city's busier streets. The roads were lit with streetlights and crowded with vehicles.

Nena glanced out the window. The flashing lights of the city and the noise, once nuisances, were now welcomed to her. She pressed her palm against the window. The glass should have been cold, but she hardly felt any temperature.