Curse of the Egyptian Goddess Read Online Free PDF Page A

pulled my shirt back over my head. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “How far will you go? If I demand sex first, will you do that too? Slut,” he taunted in a whisper.
    Squinting, I cocked my head. “I’m not a slut.”
    “Oh, that’s right,” he mocked, nodding slowly like he was remembering something. “There haven’t been any unexplained murders in Madison, Wisconsin lately.” He leaned into me then, his eyes boring holes through me. “It sucks, doesn’t it? Not being able to touch anyone. Growing up and never having that first experience. Getting laid is out of the question for us, isn’t it?” he asked bitterly.
    “You bastard! You knew where I was all this time and you never once called or tried to find me? I know you were there. The PI I hired told me you were there for a week before you came to Egypt. Why didn’t you call me?”
    He stared down at me, unaffected by my rant. “What do you want exactly?”
    Bravely, I crossed my arms over my chest and stared back at him. “Why did you lie to me and tell me you weren’t Calvin? And why are you acting like such a prick?”
    “I’m just trying to have a little fun. You remember what that is, don’t you?”
    Words of retaliation failed to form so I closed my mouth. My idea of a good time lately was dancing without touching and then drinking until I passed out. Fun hadn’t been factored into my way of life. Brushing the thought away, I smoothed out my shirt. “Real fun. Can we talk now?”
    “Fine.” He sprawled out on one of the large cushions, feigning a yawn. “All right. What’s so important that you had to come all the way to Egypt to talk to me? They have phones here, you know.”
    “You’re right,” I said, striving again for politeness. “The police tried to arrest me last week.”
    “Why didn’t they?”
    The uncaring tone in his voice shook me for a moment, but I tried not to let it show. “Not enough evidence. I wasn’t supposed to leave town either but I had to find you.”
    “Why?”
    “Remember those stories my mother used to tell me? I think they’re the key to our curse. In the story she told me, the cat goddess killed the evil snake. I think that’s why the necklaces were beside each other. They’re connected. You know what I mean?”
    “Yes. I know exactly what you mean,” he said, throwing his head backward to look up at the ceiling. “They’re connected…we’re connected. I get it. I get it every single day .”
    I moved closer to the bed, trying to catch a glimpse of his expression in the dim room. “So you also see that you’re the key. You can break the curse.”
    He looked up at me, his eyes shaded with doubt. “You think that if that snake comes, I can just turn into a cat and kill it? It won’t work.”
    “Why not?”
    “Christ, most of the time I turn into a fucking kitten! Big hit with the ladies, yeah, but it’s humiliating.”
    “I’m sorry,” I said softly, feeling affected by his sadness. Even little things like losing that bug when we were kids, mattered because it upset him. I couldn’t relate to what he was going through, but I felt it just the same.
    He narrowed his eyes. “What about mine?”
    Startled by his mood shift, I shook my head to try to clear my thoughts. “What do you mean?” I stumbled backwards a step when he jumped up quickly and grabbed my upper arms.
    His hot breath lingered on my forehead as he spoke. “If I do kill your snake and your curse is lifted, what about mine? You will get to go on about your happy life but I’ll still be stuck with my curse. Do you think that’s fair? Did you once consider me before you jumped on a plane to Egypt with the intention of saving your own skin?”
    The brutal accusation made me wince. “I…I assumed that both of the curses would be lifted if––”
    “You assumed?” he roared, cutting me off. “No research, no investigating, you just assumed?”
    “There wasn’t time––”
    “It’s been ten years,”