Read The Muse (Interracial Mystery Romance) (Dark Art Mystery Series) for Free Online Page B

his thumb, and buzzing out an incomprehensible tune. If I did, I would lose it. I’d been dealt crazier things in life. Besides, the art world incited madness everywhere an enthusiast looked. However, dead bodies, a seer voodoo grandma, dark prophetic visions, and a bizarre responsive artist were just too much for my head to contain. I could take two or less, but all together was too much.
    Now where will I go? I can’t go back home or to Dad’s. You counted on that. Didn’t you, Michael, me not knowing where to go? Well, I won’t be going back to you.
    I bit my lip, picked up the bag I’d dropped outside of Hex’s studio, and continued down the pebbled path outlined in lilies. Alvarez stayed a few feet behind me with his hands resting in his pants’ pockets. A few of the gardeners eyed me and whispered to the person next to them as they continued to take care of the flowers. Once I got out of the gates, I would pull out my phone and call the cab.
    I glanced over my shoulder. “Are you making sure I’m leaving?”
    “I haven’t decided yet.”
    “Meaning?”
    “I’m not sure if I want you to leave or not.”
    “That’s weird. Earlier, you seemed certain that I should only stay a week and no more.”
    “My grandma said you weren’t in any danger. I think she’s right.”
    “Why?” I rounded the corner and started up the path that headed to the many banyan
    trees in the front of the castle. Sunlight peered through the branches above us. Far off, I spotted their grandma with her hands raised as she yelled foreign words at the sky. Brownish shrubs surrounded her feet. Is that the rotting garden she’s talking about? It did look like it could’ve been a garden weeks ago.
    “Grandma said you’re our light and part of our salvation and that you’re not in any danger.”
    “You said her visions were ridiculous.”
    “I didn’t want you or Hex to worry.”
    “Well, too bad. I am.” I adjusted the strap on my shoulder. “Your grandma said
    something about dead girls.”
    “She saw them in a vision. Minutes ago while she was weeding her vegetable garden, she had another vision where there was a dead girl. Then she claims the whole garden rotted before her eyes. She screamed and hurried to find me, which would have been fine if it was only me, but instead you and Hex were around.”
    I huffed. “Well, I’m glad I was or I would’ve never known that I was in danger.”
    “You’re not.”
    I paused and glared at him. “How can you even say that because of some vision your
    grandma had? And by the way, she scares me.”
    “She scares most people.”
    “Do you believe her?”
    “About what? The garden?”
    “Well, that’s a good start. Did the garden look like it was rotting before?”
    He looked away for a second. “It seemed pretty normal earlier, but I wasn’t exactly focused on how ripe the vegetables appeared.”
    “You’re avoiding my question.”
    He met my gaze. “I answered it to my best ability.”
    “Whatever.”
    “Stay.”
    I raised my eyebrows. “What? Why do you want me to stay now?”
    “Because there are no problems that will—”
    He silenced as I raised my finger. “I don’t know how you usually do things around here, but I like the truth.”
    He pulled his hands out of his pockets and rubbed his face. I was starting to think that he was either extremely stressed out or rubbing his face was a nervous tell.
    It could be both.
    He let go of his face. “As you can see with Hex right now, he doesn’t take tense
    situations very well.”
    That’s an understatement.
    Alvarez continued, “Hex has a collection due at the end of summer. He should be focused on finishing it. We’ve already been paid. There can’t be any delay or extensions. If you’re here, I think he’ll be able to keep his mind focused on you. He seemed inspired earlier. After an hour with himself, he’ll return to his creative mania and forget about this . . . problem.”
    I tapped my foot. “So