by L. K. Below
That figure…had he really left?
Lori didn’t like the sinking feeling, but a quick scan of the street didn’t reveal any lurkers to her wary gaze. Reluctantly, she turned to Devin.
He didn’t wear a coat. On this brisk night, the winter breeze brought bumps to his bare arms. His eyebrows knit together over his piercing gaze, as if he knew she contemplated leaving. Upon earning her attention, he dropped his hand.
“I asked the priest to stay a bit later than usual. He’ll be here the whole time. Come on in.”
Was one senile old man supposed to provide protection should Devin intend her harm? Lori nearly snorted at the thought. No, she could handle herself, should it come down to that.
Even so, she wasn’t ready to step inside.
“I don’t have anything to tell you.”
Devin sighed. “I’d rather not have this conversation out on the sidewalk.” Rubbing his hands together, he breathed on them for warmth.
“You want to find Terrence, right?”
Devin nodded.
“Well, I don’t know where he is. I’m sorry. Have you checked his apartment?”
“Vacant. Best anyone’s heard from him is two weeks ago. Lori, won’t you come inside? I just want to talk, I promise.”
What else would he want to do? Arrest her? She sobered at the idea.
“Please,” he added, rubbing his arms.
Lori hesitated, but even through a heavy coat the chill had started to creep into her bones, too. Best to get this over with. It wouldn’t take more than five minutes. “Fine,” she said with a sigh.
Smiling, he led the way.
The church doors thudded shut behind her. Devin continued up the aisle. The church was lit with dim lights and myriad candles at the altar, where the priest kneeled in prayer. Devin continued past. At a door leading to a deeper room, he paused and glanced at her.
The priest halted his prayer to transfix her with his gaze. “You go on, child. It’s much more comfortable. I’ll be only a moment more.”
Warily, Lori took a step. Then another. Eventually, she traversed the length of the aisle with her stilted stride. Unfazed by her reluctance, Devin waited. When she reached the door, he ushered her down a hallway into another room.
This one held a desk, a pair of chairs, and a long leather sofa in one corner. Devin left the door ajar, but turned to her. “If there’s anything you’d like to say to me out of earshot of the priest, say it now. He’ll be joining us in only a moment.”
“I have nothing to say to either of you. I told you, I don’t know where Terrence is.”
Instead of accepting her answer, Devin steered her to the sofa. She sat at one corner, turned toward him. He lowered himself beside her.
“Can you think of any reason he might suddenly leave town? Any place he might go?”
He’s dead. “No.”
She wanted to leave. Sitting here, talking about the very man she couldn’t erase from her thoughts over the past few weeks… It was terrifying. She just wanted to forget.
Narrowing his eyes, Devin studied her. She stiffened her spine. A new persistent suitor was the last thing she needed.
“Why did you become involved with Terrence?” Instead of a flirtatious tone, Devin adopted a pondering one.
“I didn’t.”
He became involved with me. That, in a sentence, summed up the entire two months she’d spent with Terrence. Trying to rebuff him, only to be met with unwavering confidence. Unwavering patience. It had paid out for him eventually. On the night prior to his death. Even thinking back to the passion they’d shared seemed too close to necrophilia.
Confusion flickered across Devin’s face. “I’m sorry, I thought you were a couple.”
Not even close. Though by Terrence’s designs, that might not have been far from the mark.
But denying it outright somehow seemed to dishonor his memory. Opting to compromise, she answered, “We were friends.”
The priest chose that moment to interrupt their conversation. Thank God. Poking his head into the room, he asked, “Would you like a cup of coffee?”
Saying yes would commit herself to staying long enough to finish it. Still, the lure was too strong. At her nod, the priest disappeared in search of the beverages.
Leaving her alone again with Devin. Stifling a sigh, she balanced her boot over her knee.
Devin’s gaze latched onto the stake sticking from the top. She lowered her foot, but not before he raised astounded eyes. For a minute he didn’t say anything. Had a smudge of blood shown on the stake? She’d cleaned it thoroughly, but…
“I don’t understand why you would…associate with someone like him.”
Why was her friendship with Terrence under such scrutiny? What did Devin know that she didn’t?
“It’s none of your concern.”
Surprise flickered over his features. “Of course. Sorry for overstepping. No doubt you saw something redeemable in him.”
Redeemable. Interesting choice of words. Just what had Terrence done before he’d met her? Something terrible, no doubt, for Devin to have such a poor opinion of him. None of it mattered now.
“Did you have anything in particular you wanted to know about him, or were you planning to quiz me all evening about how unbelievable it is we met at all?”
Devin shook himself, slipping a smile into place. He was so easy to read. So unlike Terrence, whose surface moods seemed to consist of determination, confidence, charm, and lust. The contrast was off-putting.
“Forgive me. I didn’t mean to be rude.”
Lori shrugged off the apology.
The priest waddled into the room precariously balancing three steaming cups of coffee. Grateful for the chance to end the conversation, Lori accepted one cup with a smile. How fast could she chug the scalding coffee and dash out?
As the priest took a seat in one of the two nearby chairs, it groaned in protest. He sipped from his cup before he asked, “So what are we talking about?”
Devin’s gaze pierced her, as though weighing how much further he could continue with the conversation while under surveillance. Finally, he said, “We were discussing a mutual friend of ours who has gone missing.”
“What a sad situation. I will pray for their swift and safe return.”
“Yeah,” Devin said, burying his words in the coffee. “Pray for his soul, Father.”
Lori stood. Her cup was only half-drained, and her mouth hypersensitive from the heat, but she didn’t want to stay any longer. Setting the coffee down on the desk, she politely thanked the priest and turned to Devin. “Nice talking with you,” she said, even though she meant nothing of the sort.
He jumped to his feet. “Leaving already?”
For the sake of the priest, she softened her voice. “I have nothing more to tell you. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’ll just have to look somewhere else. You said he frequented Underground?”
She’d said no such thing, but she nodded. “It’s where we met.”
“Did he have any friends there?”
“Not that I noticed. Goodnight Father, Devin.”
Seeming to realize they weren’t alone, Devin turned to the priest. “Forgive me, Father, for keeping you here so late. I’ll take my leave with Lori. Thank you for agreeing to stay.”
Her spine tingled at the thought of staying with him. When would he accept she had nothing to tell him?
Unless he suspected what had really happened.
With her head held high, she marched out of the church. Her stomach churned, likely a product of drinking too much hot coffee too fast, rather than a warning. But she couldn’t be sure. And then Devin pulled her to a stop.
She jerked free. “I told you, I have nothing left to say to you!”
The ferocity in her tone backed him up a step. Night had fully descended, so she could no longer make out his expression. He tucked his hands into his pockets.
“Be careful walking back to campus.” Turning
, he walked away.
Lori remained cemented in place until long after she was the only one on the street.
Was that a threat?
Chapter 4
Lori held her breath as she heard a pounding on the door.
“Lori, are you in there?” Keri again.
No. Go away.
Eventually, the knocking subsided and Keri left. But even that didn’t ease the unbearably tight feeling in the pit of Lori’s stomach. Why had she ever told Keri about her abilities? No good could come of it. And now fate seemed to be regurgitating the past.
Lori stared at her phone. Daylight now, time for some answers. With shaking fingers, she punched in a number she knew by heart.
A thin male voice answered. “Hello?”
“I need your help.”
“Shade?”
Hearing her codename in the Order somehow punctuated just how off-kilter her life had become. Three months ago, she’d been nothing more than a gothic university student who moonlighted as a member of a secret organization. But her slightly eccentric lifestyle had been turned askew when their leader disappeared and a murderer targeted Lori and everyone she associated with.
Byte had been one of those spared, though his partner hadn’t been so lucky. In the Aka Druj Spenta Michos, an organization dedicated to protecting the Spenta Michos from evil-doers, nobody knew more than a handful of other members. Lori had known those in Shark’s circle–but when Shark had been killed, Byte just wasn’t take-charge enough to assume leadership. The Circle had collapsed, with everyone frantic to find the Spenta Michos and no one succeeding. One nineteen-year-old computer nerd had been left to his own devices.
Lori wondered how he’d coped with the collapse of his daily life.
“Yeah, it’s me,” she said into the receiver. “I need you to trace a number. Tell me who it belongs to, anything you can.”
“Sure thing.”
Lori rattled off the unfamiliar number the text had come from.
After a moment and the consistent clacking sound of a keyboard, Byte sighed.
“It’s unregistered, Lori. Prepaid. From the city, but that’s all I can tell you.”
Inwardly, Lori cursed. So whoever texted and left notes wasn’t just a crazy ex-girlfriend. They knew how to cover their tracks. Thanking Byte, she hung up the phone.
What should she do? Should she go to the police? Last night she had been on the cusp of barging into the station, but today she hesitated. Maybe now that she had cut ties with Devin, the threats would stop.
Yeah, and she would be named President of the United States.
Another knock sounded at her door. This time from the one leading to the hall instead of the door to the shared bathroom. “Lori, are you awake? Do you want to get a bite to eat?”
Andrew. Why was he here? While they were friends, he didn’t normally try to keep tabs on her. He was smarter than that.
He sighed. She could picture him perfectly: skinny frame, red hair, glasses, exasperation written on his face. She nearly laughed as she stood, ready to answer the door.
Her gaze landed on the trash can, peppered with torn up bits of an old flyer, on the back of which was her note from two days previous. Instead of seeing that letter, a different one flashed through her mind. Are your loved ones safe?
Andrew. After all she’d been through, he’d managed to emerge without a scratch on his delicate skin. Could she really afford to jeopardize that?
Not until the threats stopped.
God, and she’d thought this was over. Pressing her hand to her mouth, she backed away from the door, trying to make as little noise as possible.
“Lori? Come on, I know you’re in there. Come out. Jen and Hailey haven’t seen you since school started. Heavens, I haven’t seen you for almost two weeks! You can’t just mope in your room all day. Night. Whatever. You need some human contact–and no, working on your thesis doesn’t count. Just come get supper with us–breakfast, for you.”
She wanted to smile, but the ache in her chest refused to allow that ease. Instead, tears sprung to her eyes. Today, this afternoon, she genuinely wanted to take him up on the offer. But her last wish was to endanger him.
So she waited until he sighed again and forged a retreat.
At last, he wasn’t hovering outside her door. She’d best leave, before someone else decided to seek her out. She dressed quickly, slathered on makeup in distraction, and scurried into the hall. When she reached outside unmolested, she paused to gulp in fresh air. But she still wasn’t far enough away to silence the growing hum of apprehension in her belly.
“Is something bothering you?”
Lori nearly yelped at the familiar voice. Trying to muster her cold, caustic demeanor, she turned around and glared at the intruder. Dark eyes met hers, but his question held no concern. She’d half-expected Terrence’s soulful blue eyes.
Unperturbed, Devin waited for an answer.
As she recovered, Lori turned on her heel. Too much to hope that Devin would simply go away. He fell into step beside her.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
He didn’t sound interested, not really. A one-track mind, that man. Only room to speak of Terrence. She stopped.
“I told you everything I knew last night. I have nothing more to say to you, Devin.”
Unfortunately, her cutting tone didn’t hit home. From the corner of her eye, she noticed his smile remained firm.
“I never said I wanted to continue our conversation. We’re two human beings. Surely we can find other things to talk about, can’t we? Come have a drink with me. Or wait, it’s still early, how about something to eat? You do eat, don’t you?”
Lori rolled her eyes, facing him. “You and me, we’re not friends.”
“We could be, if you wanted to.”
“I don’t.”
Even the snide answer didn’t faze him. His hand ghosted over the back of her coat as he attempted to steer her. He pointed to the cafe just ahead.
“Look, how convenient. I bet they even serve coffee. And you must be hungry, since you haven’t eaten yet today.”
Her shoes grated against the sidewalk as he led her onward. Just how long had he been waiting outside her dorm? If the notes hadn’t been warning her away from him, she might be inclined to name him as her new stalker.
They reached a rut in the pavement and she stumbled. Devin stepped closer, touching her more firmly in an attempt to hold her up.
Sneering, Lori backed away. “Hands off.”
Holding out his palms in surrender, Devin said, “I got it. No touching.”
She would rather no talking, either, but she’d take what she could get. Turning, she marched into the cafe.
Could she use the notes as an excuse to sever all contact from him permanently? Unfortunately, if he was as bull-headed a man as she suspected, he would take the affront personally. And no doubt deem her under his protection. One overbearing man in her lifetime had been more than enough.
She ordered coffee, gratefully sipping the black, hot liquid as she contemplated ordering something more substantial. Devin had been right, after all. She hadn’t eaten yet today. She finally decided to order a sandwich. If she had to put up with his presence, she might as well fill her stomach at the same time. If she could keep the food down with the spastic mambo reigning inside.
Devin stared at her. He didn’t even have the courtesy to hide his steady gaze. Didn’t he know that was rude? Fixing a scowl on her face, she tried to pretend he wasn’t there.
Since that was akin to trying to ignore a drooling saber-toothed tiger, she didn’t succeed. Finally, she snapped, “What do you want?”
He tsked. “A temper, Lori?”
Grinding her teeth, she fought to restrain the urge to scream. Normally she was much more patient, even with persistent idiots. But those were days when she didn’t receive threatening texts from unknown senders.
“I told you everything about Terrence I know. Which is very litt
le.”
“Involved–sorry–friends with a man you know so little about?”
“Yes,” she spat. She knew nothing of Terrence’s past, family, or friends, but she knew enough about his personality to bury the continental U.S.. He had been a good man. Relationships were built on less. Seething, she bit into her sandwich. The sooner she finished here, the sooner she could shake Devin’s annoying presence. He grated on her nerves.
And not, she assured herself, in the same way Terrence had.
“Do you always wake up at the crack of dusk?”
Lori glowered at Devin’s chipper tone. No doubt the smile was meant to be charming. “Yes.” She bit off the word.
“Well I suppose I see what Terrence found charming in you.”
Was that sarcasm? Even though her coffee was only half-finished, Lori fished bills out of her pocket as she prepared to leave.
Devin half-stood as she drew on her coat. “You’re leaving.”
“I told you, I have nothing more to tell you about Terrence. If you’ll excuse me, I have other things to do.”
“Wait.”
His hand clasped around her sleeve, holding her steady. If she’d wanted to, she could have easily broken his hold. But a new thought held her immobile.
“I’m sorry I mentioned him. Is it such a stretch of the imagination I might want to spend time with you, no strings attached?”
To be honest, it was. From the very beginning, he had pumped her for information on her former lover. When would that have changed? By his standards, she still hadn’t divulged what he wanted to know. She would give up her secret minutes before her grave, not before. If Devin didn’t already know of Terrence’s death, she wouldn’t enlighten him.
But… Again, the idea struck her. In the past two weeks, she’d been unable to get a vision from anything she touched. Around Devin, anger fueled her instead of grief. Maybe it would provide enough energy to draw a vision.
The fact remained that she didn’t know his intentions. And that made him dangerous. But a vision could clarify the situation. Freeing her bare hand, she slid it over his skin.