He looked as if he needed to sit down. He looked shaken and unstable. His aspect made Lainie nervous. Maybe she was being paranoid. She'd known Drayton for three months, and he'd known she was pregnant from their first meeting, so the sleeping newborn shouldn't seem strange to him or cause him to react this way. Maybe seeing Lainie with a real live baby in her own home had made him jittery. He was a bachelor, after all, who'd said he'd never married, and he was in his early thirties. Lainie suppressed a grin. Maybe now he'd not bug her to marry him. "Hard to get used to, huh? Knowing I have a daughter."
He looked at her and sat next to her on the sofa. "Yes, but I can handle it. It's just that I don't have any kids of my own and never thought to have any, but... " He took her hand in his. "I could get used to it."
That's the way Cade found them, Lainie's hand lying loosely in another man's hands, sitting next to him, leaning forward, and practically lying on the guy's lap. "Who the hell is this, and why the hell is he in the house without my permission?" He narrowed his eyes and glared at their linked hands. "I specifically told you not to open the door to anyone."
Lainie jumped with a start at his first word, and then his words must have sunk in. His harsh demand must have irritated her, because she squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. She stood and gestured toward the man on the couch, and then at Cade. "Cade, this is a friend of mine, Drayton Clausen. Drayton, this is Cade Sheridan. He's Eli's... bodyguard."
Drayton drew his brows together and stiffened. "Bodyguard, humph. You don't need a bodyguard, Lainie. I told you I'd protect you. I thought you'd given up on the idea of needing someone to live with you. Trish said you no longer had a bodyguard and... "
Cade stepped further into the room and put himself right next to Lainie, and between her and Drayton. Cade draped an arm around Lainie's shoulders possessively. She tensed. Too damned bad. "That's none of your business, and why would you be taking care of Lainie?"
Lainie stepped away and sat back down by Drayton. "Yes, it is his business, Cade. He's a friend of mine. He's been kind to me."
Drayton plopped his hand on Lainie's knee, a direct challenge and a blatant male statement of possessiveness. Every muscle in Cade's body went on full alert. It was all he could do to shove his hands in his pockets and keep from wringing the SOB's neck. Drayton glared at Cade and drawled, "I think you can tell him, Lainie."
Drayton didn't give Lainie time to speak. He barreled right on, adding fuel to Cade's inner fire. "We're more than friends, Cade." He turned his gaze to Lainie's shocked face. "Aren't we, babe?"
Lainie's eyes widened. She shoved off the couch in a leap. "I won't be pawed at by either of you cavemen types. Drayton, you need to go. Please. For now. I'll see you soon."
Drayton didn't like that. Pure hatred shot from his strangely green, cat-like eyes. If looks could kill, Cade would be dead. Cade could see the blind rage building in the man's body. Cade squinted. There was something about Drayton...
"I'll leave, but I'll be back." Drayton eyed Cade with suspicion. Turning to Lainie, he yanked her to him, and planted a kiss right on her lips. Lainie's eyes widened as Drayton's lips locked with hers in a rough, sloppy kiss. Cade could tell that she hadn't expected the kiss, but had she wanted it? Had Drayton kissed her before? Cade's heart thudded dully, his blood thick in his veins and loud in his roaring ears.
"I'll call you, and when I do, I want you to meet me. You can bring the baby, or you can leave her with the sitter here." Drayton flipped his thumb in Cade's direction. Cade wanted to pummel him. "Or maybe Trish can make herself useful."
Lainie jolted. Her voice was calm but threatening, in defense of her best female friend. "Get out of here. I'm going to pretend you never said those spiteful things, and I'll assume that you're overly angry right now, but if you ever treat me this way again, or speak ill of Trish or Eli, that'll be it for us. We won't be friends any longer."
Drayton growled and headed for the door, stomping like a rebuked child. The sound of Drayton's voice seemed vaguely familiar to Cade. He narrowed his eyes further in concentration. He narrowed them even further in anger as Lainie locked her bedroom door to him. Suspicion and jealousy rolled through him like muddy, icy water.
Jealousy? The very idea rocked him. Territorial. That's how Lainie made him feel. He didn't want some other man touching her and kissing her. He already knew that. This little scene had certainly confirmed it.
The intense feeling of possessiveness gripped him, and he swore he'd marry her soon, before she could do something stupid like go out on a date with the likes of Drayton Clausen, whom Cade didn't trust as far as he could throw him. He wasn't losing his baby to a sniveling fiend like Drayton Clausen. The weasel...
Chapter Fifteen
Drayton stormed out of Lainie's home and tore up the dirt of the yard with his combat-booted feet. The damned things were too tight, but they'd serve his purpose when the time came. Combat was exactly what he was going into, full force. This meant war.
He spat and cursed the ground the bodyguard walked on. The little shit was getting in his way. How dare he interfere with God's commands? He didn't know who the hell he messed with. The stupid boy.
Drayton ripped open the door to his hummer. He'd spent a mint buying the massive contraption, so he could haul the corpses of the guilty to their final resting places in shallow graves. He threw his tall, lanky body inside and slammed his hands onto the steering wheel. He turned the key, and the gears ground when he held it in the start position too long. He belted out a chain of profanity, and then closed his eyes.
Drayton sat for a moment. "Forgive me, Lord. I know it's a sin to cuss, but that man is getting on my last nerve. He's in my way, and he's trying to stop me from doing as you've asked me to do. Please, God, aid me in my mission. Pave the way for me to succeed. I need the bodyguard gone."
Drayton opened his eyes, and peace settled over him, like a cloud cover on a cool spring day. He smiled and pulled away from the curb. Maybe everything would work out after all.
He eased his way down the street and headed for home and his basement. He'd made a shrine of sorts, not really to worship Lainie, per se, but to keep her fresh in his mind, along with his goal: the slaying of the demon child.
Drayton cringed, and fear flashed through him like a tidal wave. Good God in Heaven above, but the child had snakes for hair. The miniature serpents had slithered all around the crown of horns on the baby's head. She looked like Medusa herself. He'd hardly been able to keep his eyes on the writhing beast, but he'd forced himself to remain calm, or Lainie would have grown suspicious. She might have anyway. She'd looked and sounded awfully funny when he'd stared at the spawn, with nausea rolling through him.
Within minutes Drayton idled into his garage and lowered the automatic door. He'd rented this house for the sole purpose of dwelling in close proximity to the woman he wanted, but he hated living this close to pure, unadulterated evil.
Shivering, Drayton locked his kitchen door behind him. Then he checked all his other doors and windows. One could never be too cautious. He shuddered. Not that locks, glass, wood and brick could keep out what haunted him, but it was worth a try. The shelter made him feel more secure - until he pictured the coal black eyes of the newborn horror staring at him... laughing at him.
The cold seeped into his bloodstream. Could the creature get to him here? When would the terrible thing be able to come after him? How long did he have, before it'd be too late to stop the evil and keep it at bay?
Drayton slammed his fist into his wall. Stepping back, he leaned against the other side of the hallway, breathing a raspy sound that frightened him. He glared at the other holes he'd put in the thin paneling. This house was too old to protect him. Maybe he should've rented a nicer place - a newer one, with thicker walls. Maybe he should've stayed in the monastery in which he spent several months, trying to get closer to God before he carried out his duty.
No, even the monks and priests wouldn't be able to shield him now. This w
as his mess to clear up - his responsibility. God wouldn't let him push this duty off onto someone else.
Drayton's head ached, and a sledgehammer beat a wicked syncopated staccato inside the cavern holding his brain. He put his fingers to his temples and closed his burning eyes. No amount of medication helped anymore. He took pills by the dozens, even more than the allowed dosage. He hadn't been to see a doctor yet, because he couldn't risk having someone pay attention to his whereabouts or monitor his activities. No matter that doctors didn't look into personal lives. Drayton couldn't chance any questions about his daily life or his past, or have someone knowing what he did or didn't do on a daily basis.
He had a hard enough time keeping up with his job requirements as it was. He had several clients - loyal ones that had kept him busy for years. The computer-generated data he compiled for them, and the programs he created, kept them coming back for more. He'd gone to college, and he was intelligent. Why couldn't the Devil have forced himself upon someone stupid and left him alone?
Drayton stumbled into his master bath and took down the migraine medicine with a shaky hand. How many should he take? The instructions on the bottle permitted him two, every four hours. Drayton opened the child-proof top. This jackhammer called for three.
Drayton hesitated. Would he overdose? If he did, he'd go to Heaven...
No, that was taking the easy way out, and God wouldn't approve. He had a job to do, and God would send him straight to Hell if he failed and committed suicide.
He took two and made a mental note to take two more in two hours, not four as designated. Surely that wouldn't do any harm.
Vomit fought its way to his mouth, but Drayton fought its release. His stomach churned and bubbled, and he leaned against the wall a moment before aiming for his bed. He flopped down on top of the covers and closed his eyes to the spinning room. What was happening? What was wrong with him? Why wouldn't the intense pain ease, or go away completely?
After a few moments of stillness, the pain subsided to a level less than incapacitating, and Drayton tried something new. He hesitated, but he figured he had no choice. Would Wayne answer him, if he called out? Drayton shook like a leaf at the thought. If Wayne responded, Drayton wasn't sure how he'd feel about it.
Maybe he should ask Wayne what to think of this new discovery: the ability to converse with someone he'd conjured. Drayton took the leap. "Wayne?"
An echo sounded inside Drayton's skull, and the laughter chilled Drayton to the bone. "Of course, I'll answer you, Drayton. Why wouldn't I? You created me. I won't let you down or leave you hanging. Why would anyone do that to his creator? You wouldn't do it to yours. God, that is."
Drayton wanted to run, but where would he go? How could he escape a voice in his head? A voice couldn't hurt him, but it might scare him to death. "I hadn't spoken, other than your name, Wayne. Are you telling me you can hear my thoughts?"
Wayne cackled. "I can read your thoughts, if you want to call it that. Actually, I am your thoughts. I'm your deepest, darkest secrets. I'm what you've always wanted to be, but never had the guts to be. I'll carry out the sins you've always wanted to carry out, but your conscience - something I refuse to consider since I'm the dark side of your heart - wouldn't let you."
"But I don't want to be bad, Wayne. How can you suggest that I want to be bad? I want to do God's will."
"Bullshit," Wayne snarled. "You want to think you're good, but no one is born inherently good, so shut the hell up and listen to me. You've been listening to the voice you created, thinking it was God, because you wanted to do bad things, and kill those babies and those women. You enjoy the thrill of it and the power of it."
"No. That's not true," Drayton screamed. "God came to me. I didn't create him - not the way I invented you as a kid."
"Yes, you did," Wayne growled. "You created the Devil, too, but your thoughts are twisted. You've given God the power to kill and the Devil the power to save. You're messed up, Dayton. Admit it."
Drayton started to sob. "Of course, I'm messed up, but it's not my fault."
"Always blaming someone else for your failures," Wayne roared. "That's your problem, Drayton. That's the problem of all humanity. Nobody ever wants to accept his own bad. They always want to find a way to ease their guilty consciences."
"That's not what I'm doing. I'm doing God's will. Go away, Wayne. Go away now," Drayton whimpered.
Wayne's voice drifted as he chuckled in a deep, menacing, guttural echo.
Drayton was in serious trouble, and very confused.
No. Not confused. He knew his goal, his duty, his sublime mission.
Wayne was wrong.
Wait, maybe Wayne wasn't Wayne. Maybe the Devil had found a way to penetrate Drayton's psyche and not reveal who he was.
Smiling, Drayton opened his burning, gritty eyes and stared at the ceiling. "That's it, isn't it, God? The Devil is trying to steer me wrong."
God, in the voice of Drayton's father, said solemnly, "Yes, my son. Now sleep. Tomorrow will be a brighter day."
Drayton fell into a deep slumber and dreamed of streets of gold. He couldn't wait to walk them.
Chapter Sixteen
Eli's two weeks old today, Lainie thought giddily, gazing down into Eli's dark-brown, clear-and-sparkling, happy-and-content eyes. Eli lay in her crib, staring at the musical animal mobile dangling above in a myriad of colors and sounds. She followed the movement of the toy as it moved in a circle and played a sweet lullaby.
Eli opened her eyes more now and slept less, and her eyes looked even more like Cade's than they ever had before. Lainie would have a constant reminder of him for the rest of her life. Like it or not.
Lainie folded Eli's clothes, warm from the dryer, and placed them in a stack on her bed. The tension was high in her home these days. Lainie's elevated stress level had been bad enough from the moment Cade had dropped out of nowhere, landed on her doorstep, and sent her body hurtling into labor. The tension had been thick as buttermilk gravy for the past week plus, since Drayton Clausen slammed a sucker punch in her gut by grabbing her and planting a wet one right on her unsuspecting lips.
Lainie cringed at the memory of it. She had no idea what'd gotten into that man. Either man, actually. She could understand jealousy - albeit unwarranted - on Drayton's part. He'd asked her repeatedly to marry him, beginning only weeks after she'd met him at the library. He'd spent almost as much time there, studying for online classes in religious theory, as she had, working on her MBA. Why Drayton had begun pursuing her so relentlessly was beyond her comprehension. She had no idea why he was so attracted to her, yet she had no desire for him at all. Weirder still, he admitted he didn't love her. It was all about logic, he claimed.
Sighing, Lainie picked up the stack of clothes from the laundry room and carried it to Eli's dresser in the nursery. She contemplated Drayton's offer of marriage. She'd asked him once why he wanted to marry her. He'd said she needed a husband, her baby needed a daddy, and she was perfect wife material. He'd be a good father to her child, so it all made sense to him, in his frame of mind.
Was that the way all men thought about marriage and fatherhood? Lainie closed the dresser and flipped on the lamp in Eli's room. Of course, all men didn't think alike. Lainie snorted at the very idea. Many men were more than happy to be sperm donors. Not in the literal sense, of course, but they'd have sex with a woman - lots of women, in fact - and then leave them high and dry.
Lainie hesitated in the hallway, at the entry to her own bedroom, across from Eli's room. Eli kicked, cooed, and watched the ever circling animals float above her. Not all men who left women to raise their children on their own had a choice. Cade hadn't been given an option. He hadn't known he'd unwittingly conceived a child to be raised in a single-parent household.
Lainie took a deep breath and continued into her room, thinking back to Drayton's rhetorical question: why not her for a wife? He'd declared that he'd never get another chance at someone better. Love would come later, he believed, wit
h time spent in each other's company.
Humph. Why not her for a wife indeed? For Drayton? Or for Cade? Lainie pushed the wistful thought to the back of her mind. Cade didn't want a wife. He wanted his daughter, obviously, but he didn't want a wife. At least he sure as heck hadn't made any stellar moves in the direction of letting Lainie in on any secret inclination to marriage, if he'd considered asking her. Then again, he'd stuck around. Of course, he only lingered to protect their baby.
Sighing, Lainie headed for another pile of clothes stacked on her bed. This line of thought would get her nowhere. Anyway, she didn't want to marry Cade. He didn't love her. He only wanted to be with his child and serve his manly purpose. He had an amazing sense of duty and obligation, and he obviously adored Eli, judging by the look of complete adoration in his eyes when he held the infant.
Lainie shook her head and smiled at the picture in her mind's eye. Too bad she'd have to turn him down if he asked, based on the fact of a loveless marriage alone. She'd turned Drayton down flat, each time he'd made a make-shift proposal. They didn't love each other, and she wouldn't marry for any other reason than love. Period.
Still, it seemed to be more than that with Drayton. Shivering, she headed toward Eli's room again. Drayton seemed obsessed with the notion of marrying her, and she'd swear Drayton had an ulterior motive. Lainie winced and opened the middle drawer to Eli's dresser. He'd stared at Eli so strangely. Could it be he was jealous of her infant daughter? She cringed and closed the drawer. She narrowed her eyes. Drayton had always been clingy, but never pushy. She scoffed aloud. Well, he couldn't get any more pushy than he'd been the night he'd laid that possessive kiss on her lips. So much for thinking he was a sniveling little wimp and girly. Now she thought of him as an obnoxious brute.
Cade had annoyed her nearly as badly, the day of that kiss. He'd confused her almost as much. Cade had never looked more dangerous than he had when Drayton kissed her. He'd looked like he might rip Drayton's throat out any second.
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