by Jaycee Clark
He froze.
No.
No.
God, no.
Breath squeezed from his lungs and the blood iced in his veins. “No!”
Someone ripped the phone away from him.
“You can find my muse at the old mission cemetery off...” He heard part of what St. Cyr said, but not all.
Movement scuffled all around him.
“We’ll go—”
“I’m going.” He blinked and focused on his partner. “She’s mine. I’m fucking going.”
St. Cyr held his gaze then nodded. “Fine. You ride, we’ll check it out and...”
“I’m going,” he said already jogging for the door.
St. Cyr cursed. Riggio followed them.
They and a couple of state troopers piled into their vehicles and took off, while he punched the location in the navigation system.
He looked again at his phone, the text still up on the screen, the tiny photo chilling everything in him.
“Hold on, babe. Just hold the fuck on,” he whispered.
It took forever, or seemed to take forever, as St. Cyr drove and ordered an ambulance and units out to the old cemetery. The radio squawked and sputtered, but he ignored it all.
Too damned long, it was taking too damned long.
“Can you drive faster?” he asked St. Cyr. They needed to hurry, time was running out. He knew it.
“I’m pushing ninety now,” St. Cyr muttered.
Let them get there. They had to get there. God, what had he done to her?
Please let her be alive.
The exit off the interstate took them down into bayou country.
“I hope to hell we don’t need a damned boat,” St. Cyr said.
Mike checked the navigation. “We won’t. Should be there in fifteen minutes.”
They beat everyone else there.
He was out of the car before anyone could stop him. Even with the limited light, he saw her, as he cemetery wasn’t that large. The posed women were near the front gate. Pale and dressed in white lying on the ground against an old tombstone.
“No!”
Mike ran, jumped over a grave and another tombstone. He lost his footing as the ground was damp, but kept going.
“Killian!”
He ignored the shout and slid to his knees beside Paige. She was pale, so pale. So still. “No. No. God, baby, no.”
He reached out, noticed his hand trembled, and settled his hand on her chest.
It took about two seconds, but he felt it. Felt the rise on inhale, the quick beat of her heart. He then pressed two fingers against her neck. Yes, her pulse pounded there as well.
She was alive. He gathered her into his arms and rocked her. Thank God. Thank God. Thank you, God.
He frowned. “Baby. Come on. Wake up.”
“Killian?” Someone asked.
“She’s alive.” He rolled her onto her back as someone crouched beside the other woman.
“This one’s cold,” Riggio said.
This one was not. His girl was not cold.
She was warm. Breathing.
“She’s alive,” he repeated.
He heard her moan and it was the sweetest sound he’d heard. He held her until the ambulance finally arrived. Once the EMTs were on the scene, they took over. He fought with them over him riding back to New Orleans with Paige in the ambulance. He didn’t want to leave her. She still hadn’t awoken and he didn’t want to leave her. Couldn’t leave her, couldn’t let her out of his sight.
The local sheriff and state boys wanted to talk to him, but he didn’t have time. He didn’t.
“Let them do their job, Mike,” St. Cyr told him, his hand on his arm.
“I can’t leave her alone,” he muttered.
“You won’t. Follow the ambulance into town. I’ll take care of this.”
He couldn’t let his partner do that, but he couldn’t just…
“I’ll drive you back,” Nick Riggio said.
He nodded.
They left St. Cyr there with the local sheriff’s office and raced behind the ambulance. It was an even longer drive back to New Orleans.
“You think he meant to leave her alive?” Riggio asked.
“No idea. Don’t care. Only glad she is,” he answered. He’d damn well make sure she stayed that way.
* * *
The faint hush, quiet beeps pulled her awake.
Where was she?
Carefully, she opened her eyes.
Where was he?
Something beeped faster.
Darting looks to the corner of the room, she didn’t see… Didn’t see…
Cohen.
The sounds filtered through from outside her room and she glanced to the side, noting the IV stand. She followed the line down to the needle in the back of her hand.
Hospital. She was in the hospital?
Her head ached, and it was dark.
There were dark shadows on the end of her bed.
“Shhh,” a voice said beside her.
Paige turned her head to the right. She frowned and tried to focus. The other women stood there.
“Thank you. We’re safe now. We’re all safe. You’re safe,” the woman in white said in her soft echoing voice. “You were right. We worked together.”
She still wore a red scarf but it was brighter somehow. Other women were standing with her. The woman in a forties outfit, another who looked like a Harvey Girl, and one dressed like a Victorian woman. A dark shadow shimmered in the corner behind them, seeming to draw all the energy from the room.
She shivered.
“We took care of him. No one ever has to worry again,” the woman in white whispered.
The lady. The ghosts. Cohen. His ramblings. The fear. She remembered it all. How did she get here?
She was alive. Alive and in a hospital, but how had she gotten here?
Her breath came faster.
What if she was dead and didn’t know it, like they hadn’t known at first?
The woman smiled at her. “You’re not dead. You’re safe. We are all safe now. He’s gone...”
They all stood quietly in the corner.
“What are you going to do now?” she asked them.
They smiled. “Move on.”
“Go into the light?” she asked.
Soft laughter filled the air.
“Probably,” one of them answered.
“Have fun over there,” she told them.
“You have fun over here,” the lady in white told her. “Enjoy your life. Do not take it for granted. You never know when it’ll end.”
“Okay,” she whispered with a nod.
A warm breeze filled the room and the women were gone.
“Paige?”
She knew that voice. Mike.
“Paige?”
She turned to look at him. “I think it’s over.”
His green eyes held her. She really liked his eyes. “Depends on what you’re talking about, babe.”
She blinked and looked again at the corner. “How did I get here? Why am I here?”
For a long minute he didn’t say anything. Then he stood, lacing his fingers with hers, and leaned in. Just at her mouth, he said, “Because I’m very, very lucky, baby.”
His lips softly kissed hers and something tense in her settled, loosened, eased.
She pulled back a bit. “We’re okay, aren’t we?”
“Oh yeah. Better than okay now that I can see your beautiful hazel eyes.”
She smiled at him.
“No I mean, we’re all okay.”
“Whoever is all okay? You’re okay, that’s all that matters to me.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “God. God. Just. I need a minute.”
She reached up and cupped his cheek.
“I’m all right, Mike. I’m okay.”
He didn’t say anything for a long, long minute. Just pressed his forehead to hers, his hand squeezing hers.
“I’m warning you now. Chances ar
e, I’m never, ever letting you out of my sight.”
She smiled. They’d see about that.
“They helped me, you know.”
He leaned back and sat on the edge of her bed. “Who helped you?”
“Them.”
His brows arched. He didn’t ask who, he knew.
“They’re okay too, now. We’re all fine.” She knew it. Felt it.
She’d learned something. No one was alone. Sooner or later even those who had passed on spoke. The trick was to listen.
From now on, she’d be listening.
“Love you, babe,” Mike said, his eyes bright, a muscle bunching in his jaw.
Her heart tripped. She licked her lips.
“Love you too.”
The End
About the Author
Jaycee writes romantic suspense whether it’s in a contemporary setting, a historical setting or a paranormal one. When she’s not writing, she spends time with her family, enjoys snow skiing and just getting outside. You can visit her website at http://www.jayceeclark.com.
Also by Jaycee Clark
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The Deadly (Kinncaid Brothers) Series
Deadly Shadows
Deadly Ties
Deadly Obsession
Deadly Games
Deadly Secrets
The Raven Books’ Complimentary Material
The following material is free of charge. It will never affect the price of your book.
Retribution (Ghost Cats) by Jaycee Clark
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The Savage King (Lords of the Var 1) by Michelle M. Pillow
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Getting kidnapped by King Attor, she's left in the Var harem to await his return. But, when the King dies in battle and doesn't come for her, she's stuck dealing with his son, the new savage King of the Var. This is one complication Ulyssa didn't need.
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The Var Princes were raised by a hard man who put no stock in love-especially love with one woman. Bred to never take a life mate, these men will do everything in their power to live up to the dead King Attor's expectations and never fall in love.
Kirill is a man who must do his duty, only he didn't expect to do it so soon. When his father dies, he knows it's his destiny to be King. What he didn't expect is the troublesome mistress that's now his to deal with.
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To find out more about these books or to read other books from The Raven Books visit www.TheRavenBooks.com
Table of Contents
The Dead Tell (Magical Temptations Collection)
Magical Temptations Collection
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
About the Author
Also by Jaycee Clark
The Raven Books’ Complimentary Material
Retribution (Ghost Cats) by Jaycee Clark
The Savage King (Lords of the Var 1) by Michelle M. Pillow
Immortal Ops by Mandy M. Roth