Queen of Hearts
Queen of Hearts It wasn’t until I died that I finally saw my life clearly – not until this morning, that is, when I woke up on a cold gurney with a Y-shaped scar on my chest, a bitter taste in my mouth...
View ArticleX Marks the Spot
X Marks the Spot The thing about being dead is that it hurts like hell. When you come back, I mean, like I did, the wounds that put you down are still there—they just refuse to heal. In my case, it...
View ArticleBasic Physiology
Basic Physiology When I came to, the rain was coming down so hard Charlie’s office felt like a submarine in a dive: Water streaked the windows, warping the streetlights—making me seasick. “This isn’t...
View ArticleThe Talisman
The Talisman “You took a piece of my heart?” “Isn’t it romantic?” I frowned. Les Moelleux was clearing out as we drank, and apart from the few dancers that remained, undone in the laps of patrons in...
View ArticleMadelaine
Madelaine “I see that look on your face: You don’t believe me, and I don’t blame you. But I do love you, Sean Brennan—after a fashion. Shh. Don’t interrupt, sweetie. Let me explain: When I came to see...
View ArticleDead Drunk
Dead Drunk I don’t know what made me angrier, that the bitch had killed me, or that she thought she could make up for it with some pulpy story of lust and love. “Listen, cherie,” I said, my words...
View ArticleThe Crucible of Death
The Crucible of Death When I awoke, the golden morning was pouring through tall windows, glowing behind shifting gossamer curtains. Madelaine lay beside me, long and liquid and naked. She smiled. “You...
View ArticleThe Garden District
The Garden District Philippe Bonté had clubs all over town—Carrollton, Gentilly, the Lower Ninth—but it was Sunday morning, and that meant I’d find him at his Garden District hotel, likely sipping...
View ArticleThe Original Sin Inn
The Original Sin Inn The hotel was called the Original Sin Inn, partly because of its location in the Garden District and partly because of its reputation for depraved debauchery. If even half the...
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