Captivated by Nora Roberts

voodoo doll and jammed a pin through its heart.
    “See how you like it, bub.”
    He tossed it aside, jammed his hands in his pockets and decided it was time to get out of the house. What the hell, he’d go to the movies.
    *  *  *
    “It’s your turn to buy the tickets,” Morgana told Sebastian patiently. “Mine to spring for popcorn, and Ana’s to choose the movie.”
    Sebastian scowled as they walked down Cannery Row. “I bought the tickets last time.”
    “No. You didn’t.”
    Anastasia smiled when Sebastian appealed to her, but shook her head. “I bought them last time,” she confirmed. “You’re just trying to weasel out again.”
    “Weasel?” Insulted, he stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. “What a disgusting word. And I distinctly remember—”
    “What you want to remember,” Anastasia finished for him, tucking her arm through his. “Give it up, Cousin. I’m not passing on my turn.”
    He muttered something but started walking again, Morgana on one arm, Anastasia on the other. He really wanted to catch the new Schwarzenegger flick, and he was very much afraid that Ana was going to opt for the fluffy romantic comedy in theater two. Not that he minded romance, but he’d heard that Arnold had outdone himself this time, saving the entire planet from a group of evil, shape-shifting extraterrestrials.
    “Don’t sulk,” Morgana said lightly. “You get to pick next time.”
    She liked the arrangement very much. Whenever the mood or their schedules allowed, the three cousins would take in a movie. Years of bickering, seething tempers and ruined evenings had resulted in the current system. It wasn’t without its flaws, but it usually prevented a heated argument at the ticket booth.
    “And no fair trying to influence,” Anastasia added when she felt Sebastian pushing at her mind. “I’ve already decided.”
    “Just trying to keep you from wasting my money.” Resigned, Sebastian glanced down at the smattering of people forming in line. His spirits lifted when he spotted the man who was strolling up from the opposite direction. “Well, well,” he said. “Isn’t this cozy?”
    Morgana had already seen Nash, and wasn’t sure whether she was annoyed or pleased. She’d managed to keep everything on an even keel during their meetings. No mean trick, she decided, considering the sexual sparks that crackled through the air whenever they got within two feet of each other.
    She could handle it, she reminded herself, and offered Nash a smile. “Busman’s holiday?”
    His gloomy mood vanished. She looked like a dark angel, her hair flowing around her shoulders, the shortred dress clinging to each curve. “More or less. I always like falling into someone else’s movie when I’m struggling with one of my own.” Though it took an effort to tear his eyes from Morgana’s, he glanced at Sebastian and Anastasia. “Hi.”
    “It’s nice to see you again.” Anastasia stepped into line. “It’s funny, the last time the three of us hit the movies, we saw your
Play Dead
.”
    “Oh, yeah?”
    “It was very good.”
    “She’d know,” Sebastian put in. “Ana watched the last thirty minutes with her eyes closed.”
    “The highest of compliments.” Nash shuffled his way down the line with them. “So, what’re you going to see?”
    Anastasia shot Sebastian a look as he pulled out his wallet. “The Schwarzenegger movie.”
    “Really?” Nash hadn’t a clue why Sebastian was chuckling, but he smiled at Morgana. “Me, too.”
    Nash figured his luck was in when he settled down in the theater beside Morgana. It hardly mattered that he’d already seen the movie at its Hollywood premiere. He’d probably have ended up choosing it anyway. It was a hell of a show, as he recalled. Fast paced, with plenty of humor to leaven the violence, along with a nicely twisted coil of suspense. And there was a particular scene that had had the celebrity audience on the edge of their seats. If his luck held,