The Curse Servant (The Dark Choir Book 2) by J.P. Sloan Read Free Book Online Page A

Ches my hand, leading her to the hallway.
    “So, this is the rest of the house.”
    Ches paused, then snickered. “This is it?”
    “Well, there’s upstairs. But that’s just my bedroom, and I didn’t want to come off like a complete sexual predator.”
    “I appreciate that.”
    “Mostly I just needed to get away from Princess Tongue in there.”
    “She’s adorable. Reminds me a lot of me when I was her age.”
    “No kidding?”
    “Well, yeah. I had three older brothers, and I had to yell at the top of my lungs if anyone was going to hear me. Learned how to throw a football, all of that.”
    “You like football?”
    “Yep. Go Dolphins.”
    Sports. Great.
    She gave me a sidelong glance and dropped her chin. “You’re not a big sports fan, are you?”
    “I never really understood sports. If I’m going to pour that much sweat, blood, and money into something, I’m going to need something better than a trophy to show for it.”
    “The trophy isn’t the point, though.”
    “What is?”
    “It’s the experience. Deciding to make that moment life-or-death. It’s a lot like religion.”
    “I never understood that, either.”
    She laughed.
    “What?”
    “I don’t know. It’s usually the other way around. I mention football and guys I date end up going on for hours. And I lose interest.”
    For whatever reason, I didn’t really care for the way she said “guys I date” in the present tense.
    “Maybe we should move on to cars or politics, then?”
    “Yeah, that Audi outside?”
    “Right?”
    “Yours?”
    “Sometimes I think I belong to the car.”
    “See, now we’re getting somewhere.”
    So, she liked sports and cars. Never in a hundred years would I have assumed I would end up on a date with a woman like this.
    I leaned against the steel door leading to my basement. The cold of the metal seeped through my shirt, just reminding me it was there, not three feet from Ches.
    “I need to check on dinner,” I stated, brushing past Ches toward the kitchen.
    “Smells homey. What is it?”
    “A dish my Aunt used to make in her restaurant. It’s a cassoulet.”
    “A what with the what?”
    “White beans, some duck and pork, onion and carrots. I wasn’t bullshitting you about the family recipe. Aunt Viv ran a restaurant on Long Island for most of my life. I picked up a dish or two when I moved in with her after…”
    Her eyes wrinkled a little, and I regretted mentioning Aunt Viv. Time to change the subject.
    “Uh… let’s check that oven.”
    I made a big fuss over opening the oven door and checking on the dish in order to compose myself. I didn’t want to look like one of those needy guys who has to have everything approved by his… whatever Ches was. Besides, based on the look that crossed her face when the aroma from the cooked spinach filled the kitchen, I had a feeling Ches was going to opt for the sandwiches.
    I spotted Elle peeking around the corner at us.
    “Out of whiskey, Elle?”
    “What?”
    “You finished your straight Glenny?”
    Elle cocked her head at me histrionically and made a gagging noise.
    Ches leaned in and said, “You two act like brother and sister.”
    I shrugged. “I suppose so. Never had a sister, so I wouldn’t know.”
    “Brothers?”
    I shook my head.
    “So, what about your parents? Are they local?”
    I bent down and checked the oven again. “We’re from New York.”
    “The city or the state?”
    “City. People from upstate say ‘New York State.’ The rest of us just say New York.”
    “What do they do?”
    “My father was an investment banker. My mom wrote freelance for a few local magazines.”
    “Are they retired?”
    This was getting painful. “They’ve passed away.”
    “Oh.” She held a hand up to her eyebrow and scowled at the floor. “I’m sorry. I keep thinking you’re my age.”
    “I’m not so old. It happened during my senior year. It was a long time ago. How’s that wine looking?” I swept across the kitchen to open the