Page 86 of Xavier

Two big men in combat gear escorted Lissette into the building and across the expanse, passing open crates filled with cardboard boxes and plastic bags, each marked with a name and a location.

The stolen reliquaries.

Some still had the ornate boxes.

At that point, Lissette couldn't care less about them. She’d begun to realize these items weren’t good luck charms that protected families. Oh, they might give families comfort to think they did, but the truth was, losing them hadn’t caused anyone to be cursed.

The incidents that had happened had been nothing more than a string of unfortunate events. Bad luck, not magic.

At the far end of the building, a dais had been erected, and a large, velvet-padded, gilded throne-like chair stood. A man sat in the chair with his hands on the gilded arms like a king, ready to meet his subjects.

“Ah, my dear Lissette, so good of you to join us.”

“Like I had a choice?” she muttered beneath her breath.

Étienne Benoit rose as she neared. “I thought you’d never arrive.” He clapped his hands and waved her closer. “Come. Come. We don’t have a great deal of time.”

She remained where she was and demanded, “Where’s my grandmother?”

“If you come with me, I’ll show you,” he said. “Please. We need to hurry.”

Anxious to see her grand-mère, Lissette followed the mafia boss.

In the closest corner, a daybed had been brought in and fitted with sheets, a blanket and a pillow.

Her grandmother sat on the bed, her wrists zip-tied, a gag tied over her mouth.

“You see? We’ve taken good care of your dearly beloved grandmother.”

“Grand-mère.” Lissette stepped toward her.

The two men who’d escorted her through the building gripped her arms, keeping her from going to her grandmother.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

Her grandmother nodded.

“Now, Ms. Gautier, you need to perform your end of the bargain. Once you have, you can have all the reliquaries from Bayou Mambaloa and your grandmother.”

Wind blasted the sides of the building, making a mournful, wailing sound.

“The sooner we get started, the sooner you can be on your way.”

Lissette had no idea how to make a reliquary. She’d seen a few. Each had been different, containing various items, none the same from one family to the next.

She couldn’t be certain whether they were magic, but Étienne Benoit believed they were. If she wanted to get out alive with her grandmother, she had to make a reliquary or at least put on a show of making one sufficient to convince the mafia boss.

“I’ll need three candles, matches to light them and the container in which you will store the items that will symbolize the protection and bring you good luck.”

Étienne nodded. “I have matches and candles for power outages and a container I had specially made for the Benoit family. Once the reliquary is blessed, I will move it to my family’s tomb in New Orleans.”

Lissette needed props for a ceremony, anything she could lay her hands on in a camp out in the middle of the bayou. “I’ll need representation of all the elements: dirt for the earth; candles will represent fire; water for the lifeblood of the bayou; and we’re surrounded by wind. Oh, and I’ll need salt for purification, pepper to banish evil and a bowl.”

“We have salt and pepper,” Étienne said and snapped his fingers at a man standing nearby. “Get the salt, pepper, bowl, candles and matches for our guest.” To one of the two men who’d escorted her in, he said, “You, go outside, take two cups and bring back dirt in one and water in the other.”

The man performed an about-face and hurried back across the building, slowing only to grab cups from a table where a coffeemaker had been placed.

Lissette nodded. “As soon as we have those items, we can begin.” She tapped a finger to her chin and lowered her brow as if in thought. “One more thing,” she said. “We’ll need something personal, perhaps something belonging to the family, like a war medal, money clip or special coin—something passed down through the generations. Also, a couple items that mean something to you, that you hold precious.”