Uncross My Heart

by Jennifer Colgan

  Chapter Eight

  “I can’t believe I’m doing this.” Zoe stabbed a finger at the elevator button for the eleventh floor of Bryan’s office building. The whole scenario reminded her of high school, when she used to play messenger for her friends and their prospective boyfriends and girlfriends. Sometimes the smallest off-hand remark required an intervention, a heartfelt discussion or a major argument to set right, and that’s exactly how she felt right now. His snooping around her apartment notwithstanding, the time had come to confront him about Tanya’s feelings and how his every action had an equal and opposite reaction for their mutual friend.

  There had to be a better way to straighten this all out.

  In addition to feeling like she was fifteen again, the weekend security guard had treated her like public enemy number one. He agreed to allow her upstairs only after he’d called Bryan’s office and made a copy of her driver’s license. She was certain the place would be thoroughly inspected for theft after she’d gone.

  Bryan met her at the elevator when it opened on the posh lobby of Gilbert & Jobe, the finance firm where he worked as a head accountant. He wore jeans and a casual shirt rather than his usual business suit. For a moment, Zoe caught a glimpse of the fun-loving weekend athlete she’d known since the fourth grade. Maybe Tanya was overreacting. Not only did Bryan look perfectly fine, if a little tired around the eyes, he even had the decency to greet her with a sheepish grin. “I know why you’re here. You spoke to Tanya.”

  “She was pretty upset.” The plush carpeting seemed to swallow her low-heeled pumps as she followed him across the lobby. The place smelled like leather and money. Sound-proof acoustic panels on the walls helped to keep sensitive conversations private by deadening the slightest echo of their voices.

  “I don’t set out to hurt her feelings, you know. It just seems to happen more and more lately.”

  “Let’s put that topic aside for now and start with what you were doing in my apartment.”

  Once they reached his office, Bryan lowered himself to the plush leather couch. “I’m sorry. I was concerned about you. Something didn’t seem quite right with you last night.” He laughed softly and gave her another apologetic glance. “I know you girls have that secret language. You can just look at each other and have this psychic communication, but it doesn’t seem to extend to me. I just had this feeling that you weren’t alone, and I was afraid someone had followed you home from the shop. When you weren’t home this morning, I got a little nervous and decided to let myself in and look around.”

  “Here’s a tip, next time you’re snooping, don’t answer the phone.”

  Bryan struggled with a contrite expression. “Yeah. I wasn’t thinking. I guess I would make a lousy second-story man.”

  Zoe kept her expression neutral. She hadn’t tried to hide Julian’s presence, but she hadn’t planned on advertising it either. “So what did you find?”

  “You cooked him breakfast, whoever he is, and he slept on your couch.”

  It was a toss-up. She could be angry that he’d snooped or glad that he cared enough to investigate. “I met someone, and he stayed the night. I appreciate your concern, but—”

  Bryan held up a hand. “I know. I’m taking the protector thing too far. You know I’d have done the same for Tanya. The two of you are my family.”

  Oh, everybody had a guilt card. Bryan’s was the family issue. His own parents and younger brother now lived in a trailer park in rural Kentucky and only called when they needed money. They considered his refusal to support them on his “big city” salary to be a personal failing on his part, and they never let him forget it. Now Zoe felt bad for being annoyed at his intrusion into her personal space.

  “Don’t worry about it. Everything is fine. Now, can we talk about Tanya?”

  “Not until you tell me about this mysterious guy. When do we get to meet him?”

  Zoe hedged. “Eventually. Maybe. Tanya met him, so she can tell you about him over dinner. Why don’t we get going? We can get a good table if we leave now.”

  Bryan’s curious smile faded as he checked his watch. “I can’t. I’ve still got some work that I have to finish before tomorrow. I’ll meet you there in a little bit.”

  Zoe frowned. “And that brings us back to topic one. Tanya isn’t the only one who’s worried about you. They’ve been pushing you really hard here, and you never seem to have any free time. Is this really what you want?”

  It was hard not to want the leather couch and foot-thick carpet, the chrome name plate and sprawling vista through the tinted glass windows of his office. Bryan had grown up with next to nothing. Having all this spread out in front of him obviously mattered a great deal.

  He shrugged. “This is the way to get what I really want. Someday I won’t have to worry about paying the bills. I know it seems like I’m never around anymore, and I miss you guys. That’s why I’m looking forward to dinner, but I won’t be able to go if I don’t finish my reports.” He rose, and Zoe recognized the bum’s rush when she saw it. “Give me an hour, and I’ll be all finished.”

  “All right, all right. I’m going. But will you do me a favor and talk to Tanya? One on one? I know it borders on being none of my business, but you need to work out what’s really going on between you.”

  For a moment, Bryan looked a little lost. “There’s nothing going on between us.”

  “That’s the problem.”

  He nodded. “All right. I’ll work it out, I promise.”

  “Good. Then I’ll see you at Milo’s.” She stabbed a finger at his chest. “Don’t be late, because you know we’re just going to talk trash about you until you show up.”

  He laughed, but the sound was strangely hollow. “I know. I’ll be on time.”

  Of course, Bryan was late. At seven-thirty, Tanya and Zoe sat at their favorite table at Milo’s with a half-finished appetizer sampler in front of them.

  “We should call him,” Tanya said while she picked bacon bits off the last cheesy potato skin.

  “Give him time. He’ll be here.” Zoe’s mind was on Julian, not Bryan. She couldn’t help but wonder if Hester had come up with some magical revamping potion or some other vampy proposition. Would he be gone when she finally got home? Wouldn’t it be a relief not to have to worry about him anymore?

  “So tell me why this guy slept on your couch.” Tanya assumed the position, arms crossed, shoulders back, brows low.

  “Would you rather I slept with a guy I just met?”

  “I’d rather you met a guy the normal way, like at a bar, or in church.”

  Zoe studied the remnants of her quesadilla. “Julian isn’t the kind of guy you’d meet at church.”

  “Oh, no. He’s definitely a sinner of some kind. He has the biceps, abs and ass of a god.”

  Zoe stared at her friend. “So I gather you got a very good look, then?”

  “Hey, a girl can window shop.” Tanya’s brief, teasing tone wavered. “And where is he sleeping tonight?”

  Zoe wished she knew. “If he’s still at my place, he’ll be on the couch again. I’m just doing him a favor.”

  “Maybe he could do you a couple of favors too.” Tanya winked. She’d obviously had too much to drink already. She’d forgotten about Bryan and was fixated on Zoe’s non-existent love life. This had to stop.

  “Come on, let’s order dinner and forget about men for a while, okay? So far today, none of them have done us much good.”

  That was worth a toast, and they raised their glasses. By the time Bryan showed up, though, they’d drowned their annoyance at him in piña coladas, spicy Szechuan shrimp and chocolate cheesecake. Mellowed by their feast, they let him off the hook with time served for good behavior.

  It was past ten when Zoe pulled up behind her building. With a Philly cheese steak for Julian from Milo’s To-Go menu in one hand and her keys in the other, she headed for the alley between her place and the tea shop.

  Usually brightly lit, the narrow passageway affor
ded a shortcut home, rather than walking all the way to the end of the block. The moment she set foot between the buildings, though, the spotlights that adorned the side entrance of the tea shop went dark.

  Zoe froze. Clutching her keys like a weapon, she strained her ears for the sound of footsteps or heavy breathing. All was quiet and very still. It seemed like the street light on the next block had gone out, too, and she wondered if perhaps there had been another power failure. The windy spring weather often played havoc with the utility lines in this section of town.

  She pulled her purse closer to her body and continued walking. Fortunately, the alley was wide and clean, maintained by the Asian family who owned the tea shop. She had nothing to fear, as long as she kept moving. Just like in the basement of Dollars and Sense, the dread she felt only intensified if she dwelled on it. Best to keep moving, even if she had to feign courage. At least she’d get through the alley in a few steps.

  Halfway through, though, a cold tingle raced up her spine. Had someone touched her hair? Or sent a cool breath across the back of her neck?

  She spun around and stared into emptiness. Ever since Julian had surprised her, she hadn’t been able to shake the feeling that someone was behind her whenever she thought she was alone.

  “Stay away from him.” The voice was a whisper, a dry rasp like sandpaper on stone, freezing her to the core. The air in the alley stirred where a moment ago everything had been still.

  “I don’t know who you’re—”

  “He’ll use you and throw away the dried up shell of you. He’s evil underneath.”

  “Who are you?” She wanted to turn around, but she was terrified of what she might see.

  “If you help him, he’ll make you regret it. It’s his nature.” A faint cold breeze stirred Zoe’s hair again, leaving her shivering violently. She stood for a full minute, gripping her keychain so tightly it bit into her palm. Her breath seemed to solidify in her lungs.

  A second later, when the spotlights in the alley flared to life, she let out a sharp scream. Now bathed in the soothing yellow glow, her shadow long and dark to the side of her, she knew for certain she was alone. Without bothering to look for the culprit, she ran.

  Television had never amused Julian much, except when it had first been invented. Like the rest of the world, he’d been enthralled with moving pictures he could watch right in his own parlor. He’d grown bored quickly after the novelty wore off, though, and not much lured him to the tube in the last few decades except world news and the occasional documentary.

  Tonight, the news had drawn his attention when, while flipping through a mystifying collection of sitcoms and insipid cartoons, he’d spotted his own face and an inset photograph of his townhouse the way it had looked before the blast.

  “The search is still on for missing businessman Julian Devlin.” The petite blonde anchorwoman delivered her lines with an expression of such seriousness that Julian had to wonder if the entire world hung by a thread due to his disappearance. “The CEO of LAN World, Incorporated, an import business specializing in rare commodities, has not been seen since leaving his office on Friday afternoon. Local fire officials have speculated that the series of explosions that destroyed his Terrace Avenue home early Friday evening were the result of arson. No evidence was found that anyone was inside the three-story town house at the time. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Julian Devlin can call the number listed at the bottom of the screen.”

  Julian shut off the television and sighed. One of his worst mistakes had been maintaining such a recognizable presence in the human community. Anton had taught him to live in both worlds as much as possible and to extend his reach in all directions so that he could hide among humans if the need ever arose.

  Julian had done what he could, running a public company, keeping in touch with human business contacts, but he had never gone so far as to cultivate human friendships. His neighbors barely knew him, and his employees were all vampires, since he’d long preferred the company of those with whom he didn’t have to use pretense. He’d learned a valuable lesson, though, now that he was completely isolated from everyone he might once have trusted. If Enoch could turn on him, anyone could.

  He was contemplating a new business model to be implemented upon his re-vamping, when Zoe burst into the room. Like a blonde tornado, she spun around to slam the door behind her and began flitting from one window to the next, closing the blinds. Her eyes were wide, and her jaw set.

  He closed a hand over her wrist when she reached the couch. Her skin was cold as ice. “What happened?”

  “Someone was out there.” Her voice shook. “I think it was Lambert.”

  Julian shot to his feet, instinctively putting himself between her and the windows before he registered the absurdity of her statement. “Lambert sends others to do his dirty work. It must have been one of his employees. What did he do? Did he hurt you?”

  Before she could protest, Julian swept the golden curls from the back of her neck. The flawless skin of her throat was untouched, but her whole body trembled beneath his hands.

  “You weren’t bitten—”

  “No.” She sagged a little, and Julian guided her to the sofa. “He just appeared. Well, that’s not true. I didn’t see anyone.”

  “Yes, you did. He just made sure you didn’t remember.”

  She turned to stare at him. “He was behind me. I felt him breathing, but when I turned to look, there was nothing there.”

  Julian would have argued, but her fear was palpable. Had he been a vampire, he would have been able to taste her terror in the air and in her blood, and damn him if it wouldn’t have turned him on. Now all he felt in response to her fear was anger and helplessness. If he’d been with her, he could have—

  So this was part of Lambert’s game, to make him feel protective of the girl, to make him feel responsible for more than just his own misfortunes. “I should leave. It’s bad form for Lambert to threaten you. It may mean he’s not playing by the rules.”

  “He didn’t threaten me.” She looked bereft and uncertain. Shadows of fatigue darkened the smooth skin beneath her eyes. “It was a warning to stay away from you, not because they would hurt me, but because you would.”

  Wise. And so true. Lambert was cunning. Rather than attack the girl to play on Julian’s normally nonexistent sympathies, he chose to ransom her trust. Better that she feared Julian than his enemies. “Interesting tack he’s taken. He’s not wrong, Zoe. What I am now is only a shadow of myself. I shudder to say it, but like this, I’m relatively harmless. For your own safety, though, once I transform, you need to stay away from me. It might be in your best interests to do so now.”

  He rose, fully prepared to put as much distance between them as possible. After all, what more could he ask of her? Before he took a step, though, she reached up and threaded her fingers through his. Her skin had warmed and, through the pressure of her touch, he felt her pulse still racing from her recent scare.

  “Whatever you were, or think you were, you’re not that now. I see what Lambert wants. If he scares me off, you’re all alone here.”

  He met her gaze, and a strange sensation gripped his gut. “I’ve never needed anyone before. Don’t mistake my temporary weakness for a permanent change of heart.” He thumped the middle of his chest. “Remember, until two days ago, there was nothing in here but a dry husk. It’s not supposed to be beating.”

  “Well, it is beating, and you’re going to have to deal with it. When and if you become a vampire again, I’ll get out of your way. Until then, my couch is yours.”

  Every bubble-gum-pink-pillowed inch of it. What could he say? “Thank you.”

  So Julian had found himself a paramour. That knowledge warmed the dried-up cockles of Enoch’s long-dead heart.

  How quaint and how useful. Like Julian, and Anton before them, Enoch had never taken a vampire mate. Who needed the baggage, after all? He’d buried his human wife a long time ago. She’d been a proper lady who
had fallen prey to the ills of her time, too young to die and too old to truly live. He hadn’t missed her companionship in half a century.

  Learning now from his newest recruit that Julian had a feisty little ally brought back such memories…and not all of them pleasant. “Keep an eye on this woman,” he told his informant. “She’ll be very valuable, I predict.” Enoch hung up the phone and contemplated this new piece of information. How would he use this against Julian? So many possibilities—all with the same outcome.

  Bringing Julian Devlin to his knees was going to be so much fun.

  Zoe had lain awake most of the night, alternately chilled by the memory of her ghostly encounter in the alley and warmed by completely inappropriate thoughts of Julian.

  Before she’d gone to bed, she’d insisted on examining the wound on his back and changing the bandage. Just like a man, he’d feigned disinterest in the proceedings, but he hadn’t hidden his pain very well.

  The burn looked a little better, though the puckered skin around the wound was tight and pink and probably itched like hell. A fresh layer of Neosporin seemed to relax the set of his corded neck muscles, but running her fingers over his heated skin had done little to calm her.

  Her palms ached, and her belly clenched each time she pictured his naked back beneath her hands. Only a locked door separated them, but the barrier of her conscience was insurmountable. Beyond their proximity, she and Julian had nothing in common, no basis for anything beyond the physical. He was dangerous. She didn’t need a disembodied voice to tell her that. Dangerous men, especially ones who might very well be mentally unstable, had never appealed to her before. So what made Julian so compelling besides his deep brown eyes and dimpled chin, his perfect six-pack and mile-wide shoulders?

  She’d always had a rescue complex. That was it. Julian needed someone, and that made him reliable in a strange kind of way. She’d seen it with her mother. Anna Boyd had felt disconnected from her first husband. Zoe’s father had been a fiercely independent man who loved his family but preferred to handle all his personal hardships solo. He never admitted weakness until it was too late for anyone to help him. When Gregory MacMillan had come along, years after Carl Boyd’s passing, both Anna and Zoe had learned the value of being needed.