Perceived Love (A Finally Ever After Story)

by Viki Lyn

  Cover

  Title Page

  Perceived Love

  A Finally Ever After Story

  Viki Lyn

  ...

  An imprint of

  Musa Publishing

  Copyright Information

  Perceived Love, Copyright © Viki Lyn, 2012

  All Rights Reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission of the publisher.

  ...

  This e-Book is a work of fiction. While references may be made to actual places or events, the names, characters, incidents, and locations within are from the author’s imagination and are not a resemblance to actual living or dead persons, businesses, or events. Any similarity is coincidental.

  ...

  Musa Publishing

  633 Edgewood Ave

  Lancaster, OH 43130

  www.musapublishing.com

  ...

  Published by Musa Publishing, December 2012

  ...

  This e-Book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of International Copyright Law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines and/or imprisonment. No part of this ebook can be reproduced or sold by any person or business without the express permission of the publisher.

  ...

  ISBN: 978-1-61937-461-4

  ...

  Editor: Elizabeth Silver

  Cover Design: Kelly Shorten

  Interior Book Design: Coreen Montagna

  Content Warning

  This book contains adult language and scenes. This story is meant only for adults as defined by the laws of the country where you made your purchase. Store your books carefully where they cannot be accessed by younger readers.

  Chapter One

  A SUDDEN BURST OF NOISE tore the air. Nate pivoted around in time to spy a figure wearing an orange baseball cap dashing through the crowd, a silver object glinting from the shadowy hand. Metallic odor wafted under Nate’s nose. Blood.

  The scene transformed, images melting as though he’d stepped into a surreal painting. Eerie silence fell over the park. The crowd had vanished, and he stood alone in the middle of the bandstand. Nate was dreaming, but the realization didn’t calm the hammering in his chest. Something evil had taken place, and he could taste the bitter aftermath.

  Then he saw the reason for his dread. A lifeless form lay in a crumpled heap on the stage. Nate’s legs felt as if they were tied down by weights as he trudged toward the body. Blood leaked from the man’s chest, his head bent down, hiding his face. Fear swept through Nate, and when he lifted the chin and peered into the lifeless face, his heart plummeted. William.

  Nate fell to his knees, shaking William’s shoulders, crying out his name over and over. But William didn’t stir. He lay still as the air smothered them. What good was Nate’s psychic ability if he couldn’t save the man who meant everything to him?

  Nate woke with a start, his heart pounding. He reached for the water glass on the nightstand and almost dropped it. Rarely did he dream of death, but when he did, he heeded the warning. That it was William he’d seen in his nightmare made it more complicated.

  Nate grabbed his sketchbook from his nightstand. He picked up a charcoal pencil and sketched the dream images before they vanished from his mind: the gunman had worn an orange baseball cap, shadowing his face; Nate recognized the oval-shaped plaza with its pruned elm trees and classical bandstand. William and Nate used to jog the trails riddled throughout Golden Gate Park, and Speckles Temple of Music had been one of their favorite places to see a concert.

  There would be no reason for William to be on a stage, and especially a bandstand in San Francisco. He had moved after their break-up and now lived thousands of miles away in London. Yet, Nate couldn’t shake the dread that hung over him. Maybe he had substituted Speckles for a place in London? Sometimes his dreams were hard to interpret. Images were often metaphors.

  Nate finished his drawings and tossed the sketchbook and pencil on the floor. Next to him, Lulu napped on a pillow. Snuggling the furry body to his chest, the cat’s warmth eased his anxiety. Lulu meowed at being disturbed as she sprawled into Nate’s arms; he’d taken in the ginger kitten when he found her on his stoop, and only a bowl of milk had convinced her to become his constant companion.

  He scratched the underside of Lulu’s chin. “What should I do? He doesn’t even live here. And even if I did find his number, he’d laugh me off the phone.”

  Lulu tilted her heart-shaped head and blinked those expressive green eyes, as if to say he was crazy to even consider calling his ex-boyfriend.

  “Yeah, yeah, you’re right, I’d be insane to open myself to his ridicule.” The last words spoken between them still carried a sting. William, a scientist through and through, would never listen to Nate’s warning. William only believed in what he could prove in a laboratory.

  After his shower, Nate dressed and went to his neighborhood coffee house for his usual double shot of espresso. He took a seat at his favorite table by the window, scanning the local news on his tablet, but he couldn’t concentrate. The nightmare stuck in his gut. Thousands of miles separated William from Golden Gate Park and a gunman. Nate had no reason to worry, but dreams that vivid always held a seed of truth.

  Then he read the next headline and almost choked on his coffee:

  Dr. William Ryner Guest Speaker at Golden Gate Rally

  A spasm of fear squeezed his heart as the coffee in his stomach soured. William was in London, not San Francisco. He had to be. Nate’s dream suddenly became an ominous warning.

  Nate looked up from his tablet, half expecting to see William walk through the door. Nate shoved aside his cup and went back to reading the article. What the fuck? William was a new director of SynGen, a company located in Palo Alto. That meant William had moved back to the States and now lived and work just a few miles away.

  He Googled SynGen, not surprised it involved genetic research or that William was their new Director for Research Development. He’d always known William would go far in his career. The man was a genius at microscopic life. And his clean-cut appearance didn’t hurt, even in the world of science and research.

  He stared at the black-and-white picture of William, handsomely dressed in a suit and tie. The man looked every inch the successful professional. Nate smiled at the memory of teasing William that he was creating Frankenstein’s monster in his lab. God, they had laughed a lot. For all of William’s need to see things in black and white, he had a wicked sense of humor. And he’d had a way of cutting through Nate’s pessimism and showed him that life held wonderful surprises.

  Love. William had shown him how to love.

  He certainly hadn’t learned it from his mom who had bitterly clung to her hurt, or from his dad who’d left when he was eight. Nate’s ability to trust in another person had been hard-earned, but William had never given up on him. And in the end, it had been Nate who had walked out the door. One of the hardest things he’d ever done.

  Nate shut down his tablet. That relationship was behind him. William probably had a partner, maybe was even married by now. He’d wanted to be settled by the time he reached thirty, which had been this month last year.

  Nate packed up his tablet and walked the few blocks to his office, agonizing over what to do about the dream. Ignore it? But what if something happened to William at the rally? He’d never be able to forgive himself for keeping quiet.

  Nate strolled into
the foyer of the Victorian house located on a quiet residential street. Sidney, the owner, lived upstairs and had converted the first floor into spacious offices dedicated to the psychic arts. According to Sidney, there were too many kooks giving mediums a bad name. So he’d handpicked each tenant by their credentials, and Nate had been honored to be one of the chosen few.

  The foyer reminded Nate of a medical office decorated to put a person at ease with pale walls and comfortable chairs and sofa. Sidney insisted the tenants maintain a professional office, as well. A client wouldn’t find crystals hanging from the windows or burning patchouli oil. Not here.

  Neatly dressed in a pink polo shirt, Evan greeted Nate. “Hiya, Nate. You have two messages.”

  “Anything urgent?”

  “Nah, just the usual. Hey, there’s a new Italian restaurant on Upper Fillmore. Why don’t we go tonight?”

  “I’m busy.” He grabbed the message slips from Evan’s hand.

  “Hon, at least be honest with me. Come on. Get out, live a little. When’s the last time you had a date?”

  “You know how I feel about dating co-workers.” His “no dating colleagues” policy was true, but Evan’s age was also a factor. Nate couldn’t see dating a twenty-two year old.

  “So, how’s Queenie?” Nate asked. The other day, the Golden retriever had spied a male lab and darted across the street in mad pursuit. A split second later, a car had appeared; the driver had hit the brakes, the car bumper nicking Queenie in the leg.

  “That slut, chasing after tail. But she’s better, thanks. She’s at my mom’s house, where she’ll be treated like the princess she is.”

  “Glad to hear it.” Nate glanced at the closed door to the left of his office. “Does Sabrina have a client?”

  Evan rolled his eyes. “It’s her ex, probably asking for money again.”

  Good. She would want to be rescued. Nate knocked on his friend’s door and opened it as she called out for him to come in. From her desk, Sabrina raised her thin reddish brows at Nate, a signal he recognized as relief.

  Her ex-husband sat hunched in a chair. “Hey, Nate. How’s it going?”

  Nate nodded at Joe, admiring the lovable jerk’s muscular chest shown off in his tight wool sweater. “I’m good.”

  “Glad to hear it.” Joe stood, pocketing a wad of bills. “I’d better be off.” Joe patted Nate on the back, then scurried from the room and closed the door behind him.

  “So how much this time?” Nate asked.

  “Don’t give me any shit. Not today.” She looked him up and down with cat-like eyes similar to Lulu’s. Nate shook his head. Now he was comparing his friends to his cat. Man, he had to get a life.

  Sabrina pursed her lips. “You don’t look so hot yourself.”

  “I had one of my dreams.” He rubbed his temple. “More like a nightmare.”

  She picked up a well-worn Tarot deck on her desk, one of three she used for her consultations. “Sit.” She pointed to the empty chair where her ex had resided just moments ago.

  Nate sat and got comfortable, the seat still warm. He twisted his hands in his lap, suddenly nervous what the cards would reveal.

  “What’s your question?”

  “It’s about William. I had a dream he was shot.”

  She smirked. “By you?”

  “Hah, hah. By a gunman at the park.”

  Her smile vanished as she straightened her shoulders. Her eyes took on a determined glint. “A precognitive dream?”

  “Yeah, I think so, but I’m not sure what to do with it. It turns out he’s moved back to the States. He works in Palo Alto now, and he’s going to be speaking at a rally. Just like my dream.”

  Sabrina got to work, shuffling the deck.

  “So do I warn him or not?”

  “You’ve already decided,” she pointed out. “But let’s see what the cards say.”

  Nate concentrated on his question as Sabrina divided the deck into three piles, stacking them into one. She then laid out a five card spread.

  He recognized the cards – Emperor, Seven of Swords, and the World cards made the top row. The Nine of Pentacles and King of Rods were the two cards below. He had mixed feelings about the Tarot, but believed in Sabrina’s psychic nature. She had an uncanny ability in interpreting the myriad of symbols embedded into the mystical deck.

  Sabrina studied the cards, then looked up at Nate, her face composed. She had once told him that she masked her emotions so as not to alarm her clients. Nate scanned the spread but had no idea if he should be alarmed or not. At least she hadn’t drawn the Death card.

  “The Emperor represents William, a man in charge. He’s your past, but very much in your mind. The seven here—” she pointed to corresponding card showing a man carrying a bundle of swords on his back with a few scattered swords lying at his feet “—represents how you feel, this sense of helplessness about the situation. But you must remember that your life purpose is guiding others. You must trust in your abilities. The World means you are at the right place at the right time.”

  “So I should tell him?” As Sabrina had already said, Nate had made his decision, but to see it solidified in the cards encouraged him.

  “Yes. The Nine of Pentacles is you in this moment, in a position to act on your decision. And the future you is the King of Rods. See how he’s looking toward the past?”

  “Will he listen to me?”

  “That I can’t predict, but you must confront him in order to move forward. Maybe that’s what the dream really means. It’s time for you to let go.”

  Chapter Two

  OUTSIDE THE IMPRESSIVE GLASS BUILDING, Nate removed his leather jacket and slung it over his shoulder. He’d forgotten how it could be warm and sunny just a few miles away from San Francisco’s cold and fog. He took several deep breaths before walking into SynGen’s glass foyer. According to the website, the company boasted state-of-the-art labs and cutting-edge research that changed the world. William worked in an environment of science and reason, where theories were tested and documented—clear cut, above-board, and most of all, explainable.

  Nate didn’t live in that world. He couldn’t tell a person why he knew things; he just did. And that was the insurmountable problem between them.

  As Nate approached the front desk, the receptionist looked up and politely smiled. “May I help you?”

  “Nate Coleman to see Dr. William Ryner.”

  “One moment, please.”

  As Nate waited for the receptionist to make her call, he strolled over to a massive sculpture that was a replica of the double helix. The model reminded him of a conference seminar he’d attended about 12 Strand DNA. The speaker had proclaimed the extra strands housed the records of the soul. William would have called it pure bunk, but quantum physics was shattering scientific perceptions every day. So why not believe in the existence of ghostly strands that connected every human to something greater in the universe? Not every truth could be proven.

  “Nate?”

  He jumped at the sound of his name spoken in that low, deep voice. He pressed his hand to his chest as he slowly turned around. They met eye-to-eye, and William’s gaze sent Nate’s heart racing. He blinked and stepped back, but it was too late to buffer against the nostalgic ache of seeing William again. He had imagined this encounter a hundred different ways; what he hadn’t expected was the deep sense of loss overwhelming him.

  Nate smiled at the perfectly knotted tie peeking from William’s lab coat. Nate would bet the tie was silk. William always dressed in the best. A true Taurus, William was a man who loved luxury and sex, and not in that particular order.

  Damn. Nate shook off his thoughts of sex. Not good to think of that.

  It didn’t help that William’s broad shoulders and chest filled out the lab coat quite nicely. Nate glanced at William’s left hand, relieved to see his ring finger bare. So maybe William didn’t have a husband, but why should he care? He wasn’t here for that. But fuck it. William had aged well—too well. />
  Nate cleared his throat. How to tell an ex-boyfriend that someone was out to kill him, especially someone as skeptical as William?

  Nate forced a smile, trying for casual. “William, it’s been a while.” A while—more like an ice age, but his brain had decided to take a vacation.

  Nate shifted his feet and had no idea what to do with his hands, so he shoved them into his pants pockets. By the look of that rigid mouth, William wasn’t going to make this easy on him. Then William brushed his hand over his hair in a familiar nervous gesture, and Nate let out a breath. At least his ex was as unsettled as he was.

  “I need to talk with you.” Nate looked over William’s shoulder, trying to spot a quiet location. “In private, if that’s okay. I don’t think you’ll want others to hear what I’m about to say, and well…”

  Fuck, he was babbling.

  William crossed his arms. “There’s nothing you can say to me that needs saying in private.”

  Finally, the great man speaks. Irritation crawled up Nate’s spine. “Even if I tell you someone is trying to kill you?”

  William’s eyes narrowed. “What kind of game are you playing?”

  “I don’t play games. You know me better than that.”

  “I thought I did, but you proved me wrong.”

  “For god’s sake, would I come here, knowing how you feel about me, if it weren’t serious? Just let up for once, and listen to—”

  William cut him off mid-sentence by walking away. Nate gnashed his teeth so tight, pain shot across his jaw. He started to leave, then stopped himself; what he had to say was too important to blow off. William would just have to hear him out.

  William said a few words to the receptionist as she glanced at Nate. A moment later, William nodded for him to follow. Nate was led through a maze of halls until they reached a closed door. William didn’t speak to him as he waved his employee badge over the security lock and walked inside the conference room.

  Nate sat in one of the stiff chairs and stretched his legs under the long narrow table. A shiver passed over him when William closed the door behind him. So it would all come to a head in here. Heated emotions were not allowed in a cold place like this.