Free Old Ghosts: Gypsy Riders MC by Honey Palomino

the chair next to me.
    “Would you please read my friend’s fortune?” he asked.
    She turned to him, drinking him in slowly as she sized him up. At first she looked suspicious, but then she must have found what she was searching for, because she grinned hugely, her eyes almost disappearing into her face.
    “You’re a very handsome man!” she said to him. I laughed, and when I looked over at Mike, I saw him beaming back at her. He could have charmed a snake with that smile.
    “Why, thank you, ma’am. You are very beautiful yourself!” he replied sweetly. Like I said, a charmer.
    “You can both call me Lady Sylvia,” she said. “I’d be honored to read your cards, child.”
    She turned her attention to me, slowly shuffling the tarot cards in front of her. Lacey and I used to read our tarot all the time back home to pass the time. We’d squeal with laughter at the different outcomes we could get each time, and scream in fear if they seemed to hit too close to home.
    “Pick three cards, child. One will represent your past, one will represent your present, and the final one will represent your future. I want you to focus on each one as you pull them. Pull the cards that speak to you, child. If you are quiet, and listen carefully, you will hear them. Don’t turn them over yet, just lay them on the table in front of you.”
    “Okay, sure,” I said, as I began. Since I wasn’t at all keen on focusing on the past, I picked that one quickly, before taking a little more time with the other two. Once I had the three cards set out in front of us, we waited quietly as she turned over the first one.
    I gasped when I saw it.
    “Ah…the devil, but reversed.” She peered into my eyes, studying me silently. “This is a very interesting card, child.”
    “You have a devil in your past.” She said it so simply, but it gave me chills. I immediately thought of Todd, and quickly glanced over at Mike who was looking at me curiously. I had only hinted of my past, but I knew eventually I would have to tell him everything.
    I laughed nervously, trying to break the awkward silence.
    “Um, okay…” I murmured as the old lady continued.
    “This card represents someone very dangerous in your past life. An old ghost that is haunting you. Someone who only thought of himself, and was trapped by his own desires for accolades, awards and sexual fulfillment. Like the devil, he impersonates an angel, hides his evil behind the word of God. This represents a relationship with someone who only treated you as a possession. An object to be controlled and used. This person cared nothing about your own desires or goals, child, only what they could get from your existence. I’m very glad to see this card represented in your past and not your present, girl.”
    I could feel Mike’s stare without turning to look at him. I wondered what he was thinking as Lady Sylvia turned over the next card.
    “Ahh…your present. Death.”
    “Death?!” I exclaimed.
    “Oh, don’t worry, dear child. This is a good card, it really is. This tells us that the difficult time you have been enduring is finally coming to an end. It might not be quite over, but the end is near, rest assured. Major changes lie ahead, child. Be prepared, and don’t fight them. I have a feeling they will be changes for the better,” she said as she threw a flirtatious glance Mike’s way.
    It was at this point that I began to feel sick. Sure, I wanted changes, but she had just said I wasn’t done with the hard times, and I so desperately wanted it to all be over. Once again, Todd’s face flooded my mind, and I shuddered.
    “Ah, yes! Yes! Now, see I was right,” she said as she turned the last card over, revealing a bright orange sun. “The sun! This may just be the best card of all, child. Your future looks bright, darling. Happiness will enter your life soon. You will find happiness in your work and your relationships, and you will find happiness deep within. You will find