“I do. I’m heading down there soon. I just…”
“Is everything okay, sweetie?” Her mother placed an arm around her shoulders and guided her towards the exit. “You didn’t have a fight with Harrison did you?”
Gemma rolled her eyes. “No, Mom… and you don’t have to look so pleased about the idea.”
Her mother blushed with a smile.
“Sorry.” Penelope dipped her head. “You just look a little… agitated?”
“Nope.” Gemma shook her head. “I just, you know, thought I’d pop by and say hi before heading to work. I didn’t see you this morning so…” Her sentenced trailed to a stop as she nibbled on her lip.
“Gemma.” Her mother’s head tilted with that knowing look.
Pulling her gaze away from the floor, Gemma forced her eyes to meet her mother’s, searching for any signs of deceit. All she could see was concerned love.
Gemma felt the relief build inside her as a wide smile crossed her face.
That Gabe guy is full of it.
“I love you, Mom.” She stopped and wrapped two strong arms around her mother’s neck. All her fears from the morning dissipated as she listened to her mother’s surprised laughter and felt the embrace returned.
Gabriel Hunter was a liar with ulterior motives. She didn’t know what they were and she didn’t care. All she needed to do now was make sure he stayed away from the people she loved.
She stood tall. “I better get to work.”
“Sweetie.” Her mother looked confused. “Are you sure you’re okay? I’ve got time to grab a drink if you need to talk.”
“No, that’s okay. I don’t want to be late.”
Her mother frowned and folded her arms.
“Really, I’m fine. I’m great!” She beamed and placed a swift kiss on her mother’s cheek before heading out the door.
By the time she returned to her original park Harrison was pacing the sidewalk.
“Where have you been?” He raised his hands as she brought the bike to a stop.
Gemma switched off the engine, but kept her helmet on.
“I went to see my mom.”
Mild surprise swept through the worry as his eyebrows rose.
“And?”
“And I’m fine. That guy’s a liar. My parents are not bad people, Harrison.” She shook her head. “I don’t know what that Gabe guy is up to, but we’re going to stay away from him.”
“Are you sure you want to do that?”
She felt a shock wave ride down her body as she looked at her boyfriend.
“What did you just say?”
He ran a hand through his hair and cleared his throat. “I just think you need to find out a little more.”
“Are you saying you believe him?”
He looked to the pavement for a second then met her gaze.
“Look Gem, I know this sucks. I know this revelation throws your whole life out of balance, but…” he shoved his hands into his pockets, “I believe him.”
An incredulous chuckle spat from her lips. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him. The one person in the world she felt closest to was willing to write off her family after a fifteen-minute conversation with some ripped jean, scruffy headed, middle-aged man! Her hand gripped the throttle. The urge to fire up the engine and leave him standing on the sidewalk was strong, but she knew she’d regret it later and just end up coming back for him under a cloud of humiliation.
Summoning her self-control, she switched off her emotions and looked at him with bland eyes.
“Well, I don’t. I want you stay away from him, Harrison.”
“Gem, he only wants to talk.”
“And fill my head with lies!”
Harrison’s face pinched with a flash of anger at her tone. She could see him working his way to control before saying anything. “He told me you can-”
“I don’t want to know!” She cut him off before the talons of doubt, which she thought she had unhooked, dug in any deeper. “I’m not going to talk about this again.”
She could tell he disagreed with her decision, but he could obviously tell she wasn’t going to let up either. They stared at each other in a silent stand off for what seemed an eternity.
“Are you coming?”
Unable to bear it a second longer she gunned the engine. Without a word Harrison grabbed the spare helmet and shoved it on his head as he joined her. The satisfaction she usually got from feeling Harrison’s arms glide around her waist was not there.
Chapter Ten
St Augustine, Florida – 2011 AD
The day had been long and painful. Harrison sensed his mother notice the small rift between him and Gemma as soon as she entered the garage. She tried to raise it with him over lunch, but he had fobbed her off. He didn’t want to talk about the fact his girlfriend was being ridiculously stubborn.
Gemma knew he was a good judge of character, but was refusing to believe him. Did she not trust him enough to know he would keep her as far from danger as he could? There was no way he’d be encouraging her to talk to Gabe if he didn’t think the guy had some valid information.
He let out a grunt as he wrestled with the radiator cap of the archaic Cadillac Fleetwood Bryan had just purchased.
You’re just as stubborn as my girl, you stupid…
“Need a hand?” Gemma’s voice was quiet behind him.
He sighed as he stood tall and wiped his hands on the grimy rag from his back pocket.
“I’ll get it eventually,” he mumbled, not quite ready to turn and look at her. He knew the effect those eyes had on him and he wasn’t in the frame of mind to bend on his stance just yet.
“Please don’t be mad with me, Harrison. Please,” Gemma’s voice wobbled making him spin.
His heart wilted as he took in her expression.
“Gem, don’t cry.” He raised a greasy thumb to wipe at her tears.
“I don’t know how to handle this.” She sniffed. “You don’t get what you’re asking me to do.” She wiped at her face and stepped back from him. “My parents love me. They’ve spent their lives raising me and teaching me and… I know they can be hard work and their expectations are high, but they’re just trying to protect me. And now you’re asking me to write them off because of a five minute conversation with a man I’ve just met?”
“Gem.” Harrison chucked his rag on the floor and leaned back against the car. “I’m not asking you to write them off. I’m just saying you should hear this guy out.”
“And feed off his lies?” She threw her hands in the air. “Harrison, I don’t want him to make me believe my family are capable of murder and kidnapping! I love them. As it is, I’ve put myself at odds with them over you and it’s been worth it.” She touched his arm. “But this guy… I mean what’s he trying to do?”
Harrison watched two fat tears roll down her smooth cheeks and felt a tinge of regret. He had been expecting too much. Just because he could swallow this man’s theories didn’t mean she could. It wasn’t his parents’ virtue that was being slathered with mud.
“And now he’s made you mad with me and it’s killing me, because I… I need you.”
Her voice was so little. His heart began to spasm.
“Gemma, I’m not mad with you,” he kept his voice soft. “I’m sorry. I know it’s a lot to take in. I just had a good sense about the guy, that’s all.” He shrugged.
Her large eyes studied him for what seemed an age. He waited through the silence, forcing his gaze to remain on hers.
“Please don’t make me talk about this again. Please.” Her child-like begging pulled at him and he knew she was past her threshold as a fresh wave of tears built on her lashes.
“Okay.” He nodded and stepped towards her.
Right now he’d agree to anything in order to wash that look from her face.
“Come here.” He reached for her and smiled as she stepped into his embrace, placing her soft lips onto his.
His hands glided up her bac
k and into her hair as the fire tore through his body. A short snort of disgust had the flames petering out as Gemma tried to pull away from him. He held her close as Rosie called over her shoulder.
“Seriously! Get a room!”
* * * *
The natural light in his room was beginning to dim as the sun said farewell for the day. His fingers paused on his guitar strings to look out the window at the darkening horizon. The sky was a deep navy, spotted with the first stars of the evening. It was his favorite time of night.
He turned a smile to Gemma who was lounging in cat-like comfort on his bed, her head propped on a pillow, her lazy smile luxurious.
Leaning back over his guitar he resumed his play, fiddling with the notes of a few of his mother’s favorite classical pieces.
The evening had been better than the day. As soon as he’d relented on the Gabe issue, Gemma had been set free. She had bounced back to cleaning cars and he had finally managed to win over the radiator cap.
He was still struggling with losing the battle over Gabe. An imminent sense of foreboding was brewing in his gut, but he chose to ignore it. Gemma needed his support and he just hoped that silently biding his time was the right move.
“What are you playing?” She sat up.
“Um…” Harrison looked back to his guitar and re-played the last rift. “It’s a song by Emilie Clayton.”
Her eyes grew distant as she smiled. “That’s what he hummed to those two children.”
“Who?”
“Nathaniel Clay… Clayton.” Gemma’s eyes grew round with pleasure. “Do you think he was somehow related to her?”
Harrison propped his guitar on the stand and dragged his chair back to the desk. Fueled by Gemma’s excitement, he opened his laptop and began a hasty search.
“I wonder if he was directly related to Robert, Emilie’s husband.”
“That’s so gotta be it.” Gemma leaned over him.
A couple of Google searches later and his eyes were skimming over a historic account of the life of Lord and Emilie Clayton.
“It mentions something here about him having a twin brother,” Harrison murmured. “Here we go.” He sat forward, feeling the thrill of discovery. “Nathaniel was a writer. He never married, that’s unusual.”
“Not if you saw the expression on his face when we talked about this woman. I can’t imagine him ever being in love with anyone else.”
“I know how he feels.”
Harrison felt a warm fuzz shimmer down his collarbone as she kissed his neck. His lips formed a goofy grin as his eyes kept scanning.
“There’s not much here. I’m surprised he doesn’t have a page of his own.”
“Wait a second.” Gemma tapped his shoulder. “Scroll down a bit further, what’s that link down the bottom?”
Harrison followed her finger to the word witchcraft and clicked on the blue letters.
“Whoa.” His eyebrows rose as he read through the document. “Do you think he was in love with a witch?”
“It might explain why she had to leave him. Did they still kill witches in the 1800s?”
“I’m sure they wouldn’t have been practicing that in the 19th Century.”
“Even so, a witch and a gentryman? Probably not the most accepted combination.”
“That’s true.”
Harrison clicked back to the previous page and finished reading the few paragraphs. His eyes scrunched with disappointment.
“What is it?”
Gemma’s hand tightened on his shoulder as she followed his pointing finger.
“In 1821 Robert Clayton’s brother was found dead.”
“Dead? As in murdered?” Gemma slumped onto his bed looking heart broken.
“It doesn’t say.” Harrison swallowed. “I can try looking into it some more if you want me to.”
“No, it’s okay. Maybe some other time.” She shook her head. “That’s so sad. He was such a nice guy.”
Harrison moved from his chair to the bed so he could put his arm around her. “I’m sorry, babe.”
“It just sucks that he never got to see her again… find out why she left. I mean, he sounded so in love and just hollow without her.” Gemma glanced up at him before dropping her gaze with a blush. “I could imagine that that’s exactly what I’d feel like without you.”
Harrison put his fingers beneath her chin and raised her gaze.
“You’ll never need to feel that way. I’m not leaving you. And don’t even think about leaving me, because if you do I’m gonna follow you.”
A slow smile spread over her lips.
“Like a mangy little mutt who doesn’t have a home.”
His belly shivered with a chuckle.
“I prefer to think of it like a body guard who will never leave your side.”
“A body guard?” Gemma’s eyes gleamed. “A body guard who could get his butt whipped by the woman he’s protecting?”
“Hey.” Harrison drew his arm around Gemma’s neck in a quick headlock. Her laughter grew as they tussled on the bed, but quickly died as she let out a groan.
“I have to go.”
Harrison hid his frown and kept his reply casual. “I’ll be waiting.”
“Okay.” She slapped his knee as she rose from the bed.
He grabbed her wrist as it swung past him. “Just do it here.”
“No!” She twisted out of his grasp, indignant. “I don’t like you watching me return. It’s embarrassing.”
“Would it help if I took my clothes off too?”
“Harrison!” Her musical laughter filled the room as she threw back his door and headed for the bathroom.
He lay back down, his head resting on his hands, and stared up at the ceiling with a smile. It soon slid from his face. As much as he didn’t want to, he found his mind wandering to the dark haired man in the café with his coaxing eyes, his dazzling smile and his much too plausible warning.
Chapter Eleven
Italy - 58 BC
Gemma opened her eyes. The night was peaceful, the naked expanse above them uninterrupted by streetlights or city traffic. The grass beneath her feet was damp with fresh rain; she could still feel moisture lingering in the air. Taking in a deep breath, she drew in the scent of fresh pine and wild flowers around her.
For the first time in record she would have been quite happy to stay naked. There was a sense of peace in these woods. If she had been alone she could imagine herself dancing beneath the stars then running to the distant waterfall she could hear.
Harrison, I wish you were here right now.
“Gemma!” Her father’s voice was a sharp slap and had her whirling around to face him.
“Hey Dad.” She smiled sweetly trying to ignore the flashing image of him cradling a newborn child in his arms while running away from a dying body.
“You okay?” He looked concerned.
“I’m fine. Why?”
He shrugged then smiled. “You just seem a little distant, that’s all.”
“No, I’m good.” She nodded. “You got any clothes for me?” She held out her hands and felt her heart sink as they remained empty.
“We’re only observing tonight guys. We can stay hidden in the trees.”
“What? Dad!” Ruby’s complaint was loud. “Do you have to bring us along for these ones? You used to go on your own.”
Her father raised an eyebrow. “Problem, Ruby? I wasn’t disturbing anything important, was I?”
His question was innocent enough, but the look of shame that crept over Ruby’s face gave her away.
Gemma and Dom tried to quell their chuckles. She had spent a good ten minutes on her cell phone listening to Ruby argue with herself about what she should wear for the extremely hot date she had that night. Gemma could only guess what her sister had been busy doing when she was disturbed. If the college guy was as gorgeous as Ruby described, she was sure it would have been smokin’.
“At least I’m not past my curfew like some people are.”
Ruby’s attempt to take the heat off her worked. As two stern sets of eyes swung towards her, Gemma shot her sister a black look.
“I was just about to leave before you pulled me away.”
Her parents looked skeptical.
“I swear I’ll be home on time.”
“Gemma, this Friday night was a privilege. Don’t push your luck. Leaving your departure to the last minute then driving home at the speed of light is not a good idea.”
Gemma shone them an innocent smile then began gnawing on her cheek.
“Well, at least he’s not here, that’s one thing we can be grateful for,” her father muttered.
Gemma rolled her eyes. Would they ever trust her again? No matter how many times she argued that Harrison and her had not yet slept together, they did not seem convinced. She was sure whenever they pictured her with her boyfriend they were imagining two naked bodies locked in a sweaty embrace. She may as well sleep with him, if that was the case, but she wanted her first time with Harrison to be on her terms. She’d know when it was right and resisting the urge to sometimes devour him was giving her pride in her sense of control. As much as they wanted to, they didn’t need to right now; it would just be an added bonus somewhere down the track.
And what a bonus it will be.
Gemma smiled, her cheeks rising with a flame she was glad no one could see in the dim light.
“Okay, shhh, here he comes.”
The family followed their father’s lead and crouched down in the foliage. Gemma strained her eyes to see the figure approaching. She assumed he was a man. As he drew closer she could see the masculine shape of his fingers, the wide breadth of his hand clutching the gnarled wooden staff. His gait was awkward and the sound of his breathing as he passed them was labored. The way his body hunched suggested he was elderly. Gemma wished she could see his face, but it was covered by the large hood of his woollen cloak. He looked like a monk.
Once he had shuffled past, her father stood and indicated they stay here while he followed in silence.
What?
Gemma felt the disappointment sear through her. She had been entangled in a very delectable tussling match with Harrison and to be called all the way over here to do absolutely nothing was just plain mean!
Black Blood (Time Spirit Trilogy, #2) Page 6