Do something.
I got out of the truck. My back hurt.
People walked by the parking lot. They glanced at me and waved.
I nodded, and they continued on.
I turned toward the main road, looking at the renovated buildings, the shops with lights on inside.
There was a garage, the doors open, loud music playing.
I gave it a wide berth, my throat constricting.
I didn’t know where I was going.
People stared at me curiously, and I reached up to scratch at the beard on my face. It was unkempt, and I hadn’t showered in a couple of days. I probably looked awful. I kept my head down.
I was walking past an open doorway that smelled cloyingly of burning candles when a hand shot out and grabbed me by the wrist, squeezing tightly.
I barely kept my eyes from flashing as I jerked my arm back.
A young woman stood in a doorway, her skin pale, her ey
es a strange shade of green. She had a shawl wrapped around her shoulders. Her hair was styled in a thick black Mohawk that bisected her skull, and she had feathers hanging from chains in her ears.
Black feathers.
“From a raven,” she said, answering a question I hadn’t asked.
I turned to walk away.
“You’re looking for something.”
I stopped and glanced back at her.
Her head was cocked. She looked me up and down before nodding. “Yes, definitely looking for something. Why?”
“Lady, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“American,” she said. “West Coast? Yes. But not California. You don’t look like a Californian.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“I see things,” she said. “Part of my job.” She pointed toward a neon sign in the window. A large hand with an eye in the middle. Above it were the words MADAM PENELOPE PSYCHIC.
I snorted.
She rolled her eyes. “So dismissive. You would think one such as you would know better.”
That caught me off guard. “One such as me.”
She squinted at me. “Yes. You do know who you are, don’t you?”
“Do you?” I snapped, tired of her game already. I had no use for whatever scam she was running.
“I think so,” she said, leaning against the door. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
“I doubt that.” I turned again.