Free Final Cut Miami Voodoo You Love? by Belinda McBride

son, and then over at Antonio. “He’s still angry with you.”
    “It’s understandable. I hurt his pride and marked him.”
    She huffed out a disgusted little noise. “You hurt his libido, that’s all. I don’t think he ever really loved you at all.” She turned another card. “And his looks were only a tool to hurt others. You simply took away a weapon.” Her voice was waspish, and Antonio sensed the rising anger in the other man, but he kept his self-control. The fiery, arrogant Ramon of the past had learned to temper his heat. If he had continued on the path he’d taken, Ramon Vega might be a very dangerous man.
    Once again, a few tangled threads of the mystery began to resolve. He looked openly at Ramon, who met his gaze calmly. He nodded in the direction of the bar and Antonio turned, seeing a tall, slender vampire doing his best to mesmerize Coco. To his amusement, her elbow smacked into a glass of beer, splashing it on his clothing. The vampire left in disgust.
    “It is difficult to hypnotize the village idiot.” His accent was thick and unschooled. Ramon grinned at Antonio, who ruthlessly pushed down an angry growl. Instead he turned back to the old witch.
    “I’m actually looking for information about Coco. I believe someone put a hex on her.”
    “Really?” Tia Nicola lifted an elegant brow and turned another card. “Because if someone in this area had done it…” she glanced at Ramon, “…I would have known.” She abruptly scooped her cards into a stack. “Bring her over. Her hair’s a mess. I’ve wanted to fix it for weeks now.”
    Antonio turned, intending to gesture her over. Thinking twice, he returned to the bar and took her by the hand. Thankfully, she’d managed to remain fairly intact.
    “Did you spill his beer on purpose?” She grinned and nodded. “Good girl.” He kissed her again. “The lady back there… Have you seen her around?”
    “Yeah.” She wasn’t smiling anymore. “Voodoo lady.”
    “That’s right. I know her and her son, who’s sitting in the booth nearby. They were in my neighborhood.”
    “You told me… Macumba.” She gripped his hand a little harder.
    “Yes, my family never believed she was evil, but were still afraid of Tia Nicola. I don’t trust her son Ramon. I know him a little too well. We used to spend a lot of time together as kids.”
    “Spend time?” She nudged him, and he flushed. “No, there was no sex, though that’s what ended our friendship. I didn’t reciprocate his… desire.”
    “Not love?” She pulled him to a stop. She frowned as she focused on her words. “You grew up together; maybe he had deep feelings.”
    “Not Ramon. He had a dark streak as a kid. He didn’t hesitate to try and force the issue with me. At that time, he didn’t know what I was.”
    “But he does now.” She smiled wickedly.
    Yes, Ramon had tried to force Antonio, shoving him over the side of a car and ripping off his ragged jeans. That day he’d learned there were more frightening things in the world than his mother’s charms and spells.
    “They involved in this?”
    “I don’t know, kitten. But if we’re lucky, they’ll point us in the right direction. Tia Nicola never works for free, even for friends and family. And I think this is Ramon’s forte. So we’ll see.” He tugged her hand, leading Coco to the table in the back. In place of the cards, an array of scissors and combs lay on the table. A satchel sat open on the floor. He’d have suspected more nefarious contents, but it contained spray bottles and a rolled up cape that she whipped out and spread open.
    “Sit down, Coco.” Nicola waited behind a chair while Antonio gaped in surprise. “What? I had to have a marketable skill to come here. I went to beauty school.” She pushed Coco into the chair and tied the cape behind her neck. “I visit people’s homes… the sick and the old. That way I don’t have to pay booth rent and taxes.” She picked up a comb with a long,