Into The Spirit
Page 103
Noelle’s eyes began to fill with tears as she nervously played with her necklace. She shifted her eyes, looking to Alex for help.
“Easy, it’s okay. Answer your mum, she deserves the truth,” Alex suggested.
“Yes.” Noelle wiped the tears with the back of her hands.
“Oh, honey.” Eve reached out and pulled Noelle to her. “Of course it’s okay. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I thought you might get mad. Gran says you don’t like seeing medians, that they scare you.”
Eve pushed Noelle back. “Does Gran know you see medians?”
“Yes.”
“That old coot.” Eve shook her head. Noelle giggled.
“That’s what she calls you.”
“Well, not quite.” Eve rolled her eyes and grabbed Noelle’s hands to stop her from tugging on the necklace. “I never want you to hide something that important from me again. Okay?”
“Okay, Mom.”
“Good, now it’s time to go.” She gripped the round charm hanging at the bottom of Noelle’s necklace and dropped it inside her shirt. “Get your bag. It’s in the front hall.”
With Alex’s hand on her elbow, Eve stood.
“You’re pissed?” he ventured.
Eve really didn’t know what she was feeling, she hated the idea of Noelle having this curse, having to go through the rest of her life seeing medians and there was the added kicker that she might be able to see the dead too. What bothered her was the fact that Alex had known that Noelle could see him but he hadn’t said anything to her, her own mother. It also bothered her that she had been excluded from their secret. That hurt more.
“You should have told me.” The brown of Cade’s eyes began to flicker and change to blue. His hair was becoming darker too.
Alex was plainly visible when he finally answered her, “I promised I wouldn’t. She was very worried you would be upset with her.”
“Of course not. I don’t want her to have this, but I would never get upset at her because she did. It’s not her fault.” She stopped and blinked, surprised. “I can’t believe you kept a promise to an eight year old.”
Scowling he informed her, “A promise is a promise. Age has nothing to do with it.”
“Ready, Mom.” Noelle hopped past her and down the porch stairs.
Alex joined Eve and Noelle as they walked to the bus stop. He waited next to Eve as Noelle joined her friends on the bus. She sat at the window closest to them and waved as the bus pulled away. The strangest thing happened then, Alex found himself waving back. He suddenly dropped his arm. This was beginning to feel very domesticated. The family breakfast, walking the kid to the bus, waving goodbye, walking with the wif… He stopped himself from thinking about it. It would not happen. He was not domesticated, not any more, that’d ended the day his parents were killed.
Eve looked up at him. “Alex, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing, why?” he snapped. She moved around him, walking back towards the house.
Sighing, he caught up to her and grabbed her hand. The second he touched her she tried to pull away but he held tight. “I didn’t mean to snap at you.” He waited, wondering if he should tell her what he was thinking about, then decided against it. “We need to get moving. We’ve only got a few more hours before Miles is back.”
“Where are we moving to?” She tried to pull her hand away, again.
“I’m not letting go, so stop it.” He kept walking as he spoke. “We’re going to my apartment. I need to get a few things.”
“You’re taking me and Noelle to stay at your apartment?”
“No. You are coming with me. Noelle is going to go to your Grandmother’s.”
She stopped and whispered, “No.” She shook her head, concern on her face. “Noelle has never been away from me, not even for one night. I don’t think—”
“She’ll be fine. It’s only for three or four nights.”
“She will be fine.” She began walking after he gently tugged on her hand. “It’s not her I’m worried about.”
They reached the house and Alex pulled her up the porch steps and through the door. Closing it behind her, he asked, “Why so scared? You won’t be alone, I’ll be with you.”
“It’s not that.” She moved into her office and stopped in front of the old picture with the tartan border. “Noelle is all I have, besides Gran. I can’t protect her if I’m not with her.”
Alex stood beside her as she stared at the photo. “Noelle will be safe. Do you want to know why?”
“Yes.”
“One, I’m sending her to a place that Miles doesn’t know about yet. Two, when he does find out about it, he won’t bother wasting time by going out there. Three, I’ll make sure both Noelle and your Gran are protected. Does that satisfy you?”
She shrugged. “What other choices do I have?”
“None,” he informed. “I will not risk taking Noelle with us, just so you feel better.”
Eve pulled her lips into a straight line and turned from him. “Fine. How long will I be gone for? I need to rebook my appointments and pack some clothes.”
Chapter Twenty
“So, you’ve found yourself a new body?” Gran had blurted out the question the second she’d opened the door. Eve had known Gran would notice. She’d known right away that Alex was the soul resting inside Cade’s body. But did she have to be so snippy about it?
“Gran,” she sighed, marching past the older women and into the house.
“There’s my wee girl. Come give your Gran a kiss.” Eve turned back in time to see Noelle fly into Gran’s open arms.
“Come in, come in.” Eve watched as she ushered in Noelle, then glared up at Alex with narrowed eyes. “You too.” And walked inside turning her glare on Eve when she passed. “You should know better.”
Eve shrugged at Alex as he closed the door and was about to apologise, but there seemed to be no need. Alex was chuckling, clearly enjoying Gran’s rude behaviour.
Eve walked into the main sitting area that normally felt like a nice sized room but suddenly decreased in size when Alex entered behind her. He sat next to her on the old pink Victorian chaise longue and watched nervously as he scanned the room.
“Mom says I get to stay here for a few days,” Noelle said excitedly.
“Yes. Your mum told me when she called at the last minute.” Gran’s sarcasm was lost on Noelle but not Eve. She shook her head. Alex grinned. “Come with me and we’ll have tea and cookies before your mum and Alex have to leave.”
Noelle skipped ahead into the kitchen but Gran looked back and pointed at Alex. “That blond hair and those eyes don’t fool me. I can see through that mask you’re wearing.” Alex chuckled again as Gran left the room to find Noelle.
He examined the room again. He knew something was different about Gran’s house, how could he not tell. Coming into this room was like travelling back to the 1880’s. Eve’s heart started to race but froze in mid beat when he finally commented. “Your Grandmother has a lot of antiques. Why do I have the feeling these are all originals?”
Eve looked around the room, anywhere but at him. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Let me put it this way.” He leaned into her side, his arm resting behind her. His breath was warm against her ear. “Is your Grandmother the origin—?”
“Tea’s ready,” Noelle called from the kitchen.
Holy cow that was close! Smiling at Noelle as she came back in the room, Eve could feel Alex grip the back of her neck. Not tight, just enough pressure to let her know that their conversation wasn’t over.
Damn it! Why does he have to be so persistent? His grip changed and he ran his fingers lightly along the base of her neck. The tender touch didn’t fool her—he wouldn’t just let it go. He was going to find out eventually.
Noelle placed a plate of cookies in the centre of the table. Alex stood when Gran entered carrying a tray—he took it from her and gently positioned it next to the cookies.
&nbs
p; “Well, at least you have proper manners,” Gran said approvingly. Sitting back down, Eve saw that he was studying the cups and saucers, a white china teapot with delicate pink flowers and matching cream and sugar bowls. And to top it all off he picked up a silver spoon and twirled it in his fingers.
Alex raised a dark blond brow, giving her a sideways glance. “You know we should probably get going,” Eve blurted out.
“No.” Alex clamped his hand around her arm and pulled her back down. “We have time for tea.”
“Good.” Gran sat across from them in one of two identical Victorian parlour chairs. The material on both was in great shape, considering Gran had bought them brand new. Sitting forward, Gran began pouring the tea. The movement made her Sinclair medallion swing foreword. Eve felt her eyes grow wide when the sun caught the pure silver and brought it to life.
Please don't let him notice. She silently prayed.
“That’s an interesting charm on your necklace, Dawn,” Alex commented as Gran handed him a cup and saucer. Eve shifted her gaze to Gran. Oh no!
“Thank you. It’s been in my family a long time.” Gran passed her a cup and gave her a confused look. She must have seen how panicked she was. She took a slow breath and tried to calm down.
“I have one just like it,” Noelle said proudly, showing Alex. He held it in his fingers and lightly stroked the handcrafted silver medallion. “It used to be Mummy’s, but she gave it to me to wear. I have to wear it every day.”
Eve groaned inward.
Alex smiled at Noelle. “Is it for luck?”
Noelle gave him an honest answer, “It protects me.”
Gran looked at Eve, asking without words if Alex knew about the Sinclair secret. She shook her head, hoping Alex wouldn’t notice.
Thankfully, Gran stepped in, offering Alex a cookie and changing the subject. “So how long will I have Noelle here for?”
Alex sat back with his very girlie cup and saucer and eyed both women suspiciously. He might not know what her family’s secret was right now, but she had a feeling he would know shortly.
* * * *
Sitting four cars back Miles watched as the cop, Cade Taylor and Eve Sinclair weaved their way through the city. Keeping his distance wasn’t a difficult task although he was certain Taylor knew he was there. He dropped back another two car lengths and watched as they took another right. He followed them for another ten minutes until they entered an area he was quite familiar with.
They turned into the underground parking garage of The Platinum Galley—a modern glass and silver building on the expensive side of the city, where playboy hockey players and mistresses of the well-to-do lived. Every apartment claimed to have the same luxuries as a penthouse and were said to be twice the size. It was for the very stylish, and the very elite.
There was only one person that lived in this building that wasn’t a millionaire and he’d blended in perfectly with the rich, which had most likely been due to his upbringing. You learnt to work the rich when you had wealthy parents. So he’d never had to fool the other tenants into believing he was one of them, because really he was one of them.
Pulling a U-turn, Miles parked on the main road in front of the building. He had a clear view of the lobby and waited to see if Taylor and Eve would come and ask for help. They would have to. There was no other way to get up to the apartments unless you had a pass code for the elevators.
Waiting, he looked at the giant building. He had always been jealous that this identity had been assigned to Ace. He’d wanted to live the good life, even if it had been for appearances. But he would never have been able to pull it off. The rich always seemed to know he wasn’t one of them.
Five minutes had passed since they’d driven into the underground parking lot and he still hadn’t seen them in the lobby. How in the hell did this cop get a pass code? He mumbled to himself as he switched off his engine. “And what do you want in Ace’s apartment?”
Eve didn’t get a chance to get a good look at the building, but it seemed very upscale. Her suspicions were confirmed when they entered the garage. There were high end cars in every stall. BMWs, Mercedes, Porsche, a few old muscle cars in pristine condition and a couple of new sports cars as well. If the cars were any indication about the people that lived in Alex’s building, he had some very wealthy neighbours. He pulled into a numbered stall, shut off the engine, and got out. Eve followed, not knowing what else to do. He hadn’t talked to her much on the way here. He was stewing over something, she could tell by the annoyed look he kept giving her. She hoped it wasn’t about the medallions. Yet what else could it be? He’d recognised Gran’s medallion, then studied the one she had given to Noelle, running his finger over it like he had on the tattoo version on her hip. Now he was probably trying to figure out what was special about them.
She opened the back door and reached for her bag.
“Leave it, we’re not staying.”
“Oh. Okay.” She shut the door. “Should I stay here then?” she asked with her hand on the car.
“No.” He shook his head. “I want you with me, I’ll need your help.”
She nodded and joined him at the end of the car. He turned from her and began walking towards a set of elevators. She saw him punch a code into a pin pad and the doors slid open.
Holding the door, he waited for her to enter and stepped in behind her. He hit the button for the fourteenth floor and leant back against the mirrored wall. Eve moved to the other side and tucked herself into the corner. She felt him staring at her, but couldn’t face him and focused on the floor numbers. There was a strange vibe between them right now and it unnerved her. Was it going to be this way until he asked her about the medallions or was he waiting for her to tell him? The idea of both made her nervous.
The doors slid open on the fourteenth floor and she followed him down the hall where they passed only one other apartment, before rounding a corner where a single door stood. Eve looked back down the hall, judging the distance between the doors. Wow! These apartments were huge.
As she turned back to Alex she noticed the fire exit was opposite his door. “That’s handy,” she commented.
Alex looked over his shoulder and then at the fire exit where Eve was pointing. “That was on purpose.”
Of course, someone like Alex would need multiple exits.
After entering a code into a second number pad, the door to the apartment opened. Alex stood to the side waiting for her to enter. Her jaw dropped open when she walked in. A wall of windows, floor to ceiling, covered the entire outside wall of his apartment.
She slipped out of her shoes and asked, “May I…?”
“Go ahead.”
She walked over to the windows and blinked, surprised. “What a beautiful view.” She could see the canal and the paths that ran beside it, the fall colours spreading through the trees. The low lying mountains and ski hills were visible in the distance. “I would love to see this every day.”
“It’s okay.” He stood beside her, inspecting the view. “The novelty wears off after a while and you begin to take it for granted.”
“I wouldn’t. My view is old Mr Moyer’s house. He sometimes comes out only wearing his boxers.” She looked up at him. “He’s seventy-five. It’s not a nice view.”
Alex shook his head fighting to hide his smile. He was trying to stay pissed at her. She was hiding something important from him, something that had to do with the tattoo on her hip. But it was nearly impossible to remain angry when she looked at him or talked to him… Talk. He narrowed his eyes, scanning her face. Was she trying to use her voice to ease the tension between them? He took a breath. No. He didn't feel that seductive pull which normally accompanied her words. There were no tricks this time. It was just Eve.
She moved away from the windows and walked around, inspecting the apartment. “This is really nice. Very sleek and modern. Why all the grey?”
“It came this way.”
“You bought it like this?”
She glanced back over her shoulder as she found the hall to the bathroom and bedroom. She stopped and turned to face an oversized mirror that hung on the wall opposite the bedroom door studying it. “Issued? What does that mean?”
“When you join the military you’re issued kit,” he explained, watching her. She knew there was something odd about the mirror. Would she guess what it was? He watched her closely. “Boots, clothes, guns. Once my service is over, this apartment will be re-issued to another serving member.”
Shaking her head, she turned to the bathroom and peeked inside mumbling, “Guess I should have taken the recruiting guy that came to my school more seriously.”
He followed her to the bedroom watching the sway of her hips and stopped behind her in the doorway.
“Wow! This is quite the boring room.”
“It’s used for sleeping. I don’t want it exciting.”
She walked over to the long black dresser and picked up a business card with a pair of lips created out of bright red lipstick smeared on it. She held it up and waved it at him. “Not only sleeping I see.” She flicked the card with her fingers. “One of many conquests I assume.” Then dropped the card back on the dresser.
“Not so many.”
He grinned when he heard her snort, “I doubt that.”
She sighed and went to move past him. He shifted his body blocking her escape. “Well then you would be wrong. The women I date want exactly what I want…sex. Nothing more, nothing less.” He kept pace with her when she backed away.
“I’ve made certain of it or I wouldn’t have been with them. I can’t be with a woman that has a family or wants a family, so that limits the playing field.”
By the time Eve was done backing up, he had followed her clear across the room and pinned her against the window. He placed a hand on either side of her head. “I have a family,” she pointed out.
“Yes.” He stared at her lush mouth. “I’ve met them.”