by Leah Brooke
Jonathan smiled knowingly, irritating Alastair even more. “Besides the fact that she’s gorgeous, and has the most compelling sadness in her eyes that I’ve ever seen?” Sobering, he leaned forward, opening his folder again. “She’s an artist. She lives in a small community on the coast in North Carolina, and never leaves it, not even to do a showing. As a struggling artist, she should welcome the chance to do a showing, but she absolutely refuses to do one. According to my sources, she rarely even leaves her house except to walk on the beach. All of her supplies and groceries are ordered online.”
Lifting the picture, he sat back, staring at it. “So now she’s coming to New York to go to the wedding of a cousin she hasn’t seen since her mother’s funeral, over eight years ago. Why? She’s flying in today and hasn’t booked a return flight. Looking at her phone records, I found out she got a call from her cousin last weekend. Before that, nothing. No visits. No e-mails. No calls. Suddenly, a recluse is coming out of seclusion to visit a woman she hasn’t seen or heard from in years. Why the hell would she do that?”
Careful to keep his unwarranted annoyance at the way Jonathan kept staring at Serena Abbott’s picture from showing, Alastair sat back, steepling his hands over his stomach, fighting the urge to open the folder and stare at her picture again. “Maybe they write letters the old-fashioned way.”
Even as he said it, he knew he didn’t believe it.
Jonathan was already shaking his head. “Serena Abbott does everything online, and her cousin has moved around a lot in the last several years, flitting from one rich man to another. I don’t buy that, but it’s possible. Elise Sandstrom is the type of woman who cares about no one but herself. I’m sure you’ve met her. She attends all the right parties and has been trying to hook every man with an impressive bank account. Hell, she even tried to get her claws into me. She doesn’t like other women around. Why would she invite one as beautiful as her cousin? Especially now?”
Alastair thought of the time Elise had made a play for Ian. His brother had set her straight right from the beginning, telling her in his own crude way that he wouldn’t take Elise to bed if she was the last woman on earth.
Hiding a smile at the memory, Alastair met Jonathan’s gaze. “So if there’s no love lost between the two of them, why doesn’t Miss Abbott have a return flight booked? Maybe she decided to move up here. Perhaps she’s decided this would be the best place to live if she wants to sell her work.”
He snapped his mouth closed when he realized he was defending her.
Life had made him a suspicious man, his work reinforcing his suspicious nature.
Yet, here he sat—defending a woman he’d never even met.
Eyeing him thoughtfully, Jonathan shook his head. “Doubtful. She’s a loner. She also hasn’t spoken to anyone else in New York except her cousin. If she wanted to move here, I’m sure she would have spoken to people at the galleries, a real estate agent…someone. No, I’m wondering if her cousin’s fiancé, our dear friend Anthony Carello, has anything to do with her coming here. If so, we may have a problem.”
Something in Jonathan’s tone made Alastair’s stomach clench. “What kind of problem?”
Jonathan sighed, a small smile playing at his lips. “Serena Abbott is rumored to be psychic, and damned good at it.”
Alastair stilled. “Excuse me?” Nothing Jonathan could have said would have surprised him more.
Jonathan shrugged, gesturing toward the folder on his desk. “According to people she went to school with, she sees things, knows things. Evidently, when she was very young, she saw nothing wrong with telling her classmates about the things that she saw—things that came true. When they shunned her, and started calling her a witch, and other kinds of nasty names, she started keeping things to herself.”
Picking up the photo again, Jonathan leaned back in his chair, and studied it thoughtfully. “Suddenly, she had no friends and became very much a loner—a tough thing, I would imagine, for a little girl. Her mother homeschooled her until Serena graduated two years early. That was eight years ago. Serena Abbott started painting, seldom leaving the house and then only with her mother. After her mother’s funeral, just a few months later, not at all except to walk on the beach.”
Intrigued, and filled with anticipation of meeting this woman, Alastair lifted a brow. “Do you believe in psychics?”
Jonathan looked up from the picture, frowning slightly. “Absolutely. There are a lot of things out there we don’t understand, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. I’ve learned not to discount anything.”
He paused, studying the photo, irritating Alastair even more. “Whether or not Miss Abbott is psychic is anyone’s guess, but her cousin must know of the rumors. After all, their mothers were sisters. If Elise Sandstrom mentioned it to her fiancé…”
Alastair grimaced. “He would have to check her out to know for sure. If she knew about his illegal activities, she could go to the police, especially if she knew where to find evidence. She could do more damage than we’ve been able to do in almost a year.”
Inclining his head, Jonathan looked at the photo again. “Or if Carello discovers she is, he may want to have her on his payroll.”
Either scenario churned Alastair’s stomach. Coming to his feet, he held on to the folder. “And if she says no—”
Jonathan sighed and tossed the photo onto his desk. He leaned back in his chair again, his eyes following Alastair. “Her life could be in danger. So you see, she’s a complete unknown. Maybe she’s not psychic at all, but whether she’s psychic or not, I have a feeling she’ll be in over her head with Carello.”
Alastair moved to the window, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck where the muscles knotted. “But even if she says she isn’t psychic, would Carello believe her?”
Jonathan sat back again. “Or she could just be here for her cousin’s wedding and none of this matters at all.”
We’d better find out. If she is psychic, maybe we can use her.
Alastair nodded, so shaken he almost answered his brother out loud. “It looks like I’d better get to know Serena Abbott. I’ll cozy up to her at the reception.”
Jonathan grinned. “Don’t get distracted. I know your reputation with the ladies. She’s a beautiful woman, but she could be in bed with Carello.”
He knew Jonathan had purposely worded it that way in order to see his reaction. Keeping his expression bland, Alastair started for the door. “I never get distracted.”
You always get distracted by a beautiful woman, little brother.
She’s more than just beautiful. I think I’m already in love with her. Christ, Ian, I want her. Badly.
* * * *
Studying her pale reflection, Serena grimaced. She knew damned well she shouldn’t have come to New York.
She knew just as well that she had to be here. The chance to have a family again was an irresistible lure, one she couldn’t ignore.
She also couldn’t deny more than a little excitement to meet her dream man. It couldn’t last, and would more than likely cause her heartbreak, but if fate decided that she should meet this man, she’d prefer to do it when she was prepared.
Sighing, she applied a little more of the blush she’d ordered online, hoping it would do something to make her look less washed out.
Still slightly nauseous from the flight and the crowds at the airports, she’d spent the afternoon alone in her hotel room trying to recover. Most of the nausea had passed, but she still had a headache that just wouldn’t go away, and had no idea how she would make it through the wedding reception.
She wished she could just see her cousin and go.
Biting her lip, she turned away from the mirror, knowing she couldn’t leave until she met him.
The thought of meeting the man in her dream tonight terrified her, but made her feel alive as never before.
She’d had an uneasy feeling all day as though something menacing loomed that had nothing to do with him, but she didn’
t know more than that.
She could do nothing about it until it showed itself anyway. She could only deal with what life threw at her.
At least she’d been warned.
Doing her best to shake off the almost oppressive darkness surrounding her, she turned back to the mirror and studied her reflection critically. The long gown looked as good as it did online, the violet-blue almost exactly matching her eyes.
The dress had no adornment at all. Its strapless design prevented her from wearing a bra with it, but at least the shirring in front made it impossible to see her nipples. Slit to just above her knee, it allowed her to move with ease, but her high heels would take a little getting used to. She usually dressed in either shorts or sweatpants and hardly ever wore shoes at all.
She’d spent far more on the dress than she ever spent on clothing, but the second she saw it, she’d just known. Smiling to herself, she slipped on her shoes. Sometimes it saved time to just know.
She looked down at the watch that had belonged to her mother. Taking a deep breath, she smoothed a hand down her dress, loving the way the material slid over her skin. It was time to go.
She picked up her small purse, went to the door, opened it, and on shaky legs, stepped out to meet her destiny.
* * * *
“There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you. What on earth are you doing hiding out here on the terrace? I should have known you’d be off in a dark corner somewhere. Come on. Tony wants to meet you. Hurry up. He doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”
Inwardly wincing at the disgust in her cousin’s tone, Serena struggled not to jerk her arm away, shivering at the jagged ice Elise’s touch sent up her arm. Still reeling from the look Elise had given her when she’d spotted her, Serena eyed her cousin, who didn’t look at all happy to see her. “I was surprised to be invited, especially since we haven’t even spoken in years.”
“Then why did you come?”
Serena blinked at her cousin’s hostile tone, not expecting it so soon. “You sounded so insistent. I assumed you wanted—”
Elise laughed coldly, her eyes sparkling with hate. “You assumed wrong. My mother had a little too much to drink one night and told Tony about you, and about your stupid claims to be psychic. Ever since he heard about you, he’s been asking all kinds of questions about you and what you can do. He’s fascinated with you for God’s sake. He practically ordered me to invite you.”
Serena hid her shudder and carefully extricated herself from her cousin’s grip, knowing there was no practically about it. Through the riot of thoughts and feelings hammering at her from all sides, Serena knew that Anthony Carello had made it an order—one her cousin didn’t dare disobey.
Elise’s fear of her husband’s wrath came through loud and clear.
Reluctantly following her cousin back into the ballroom where the wedding reception was in full swing, Serena nodded, careful to keep the hurt from showing. “I’ll just be going then. I came to see you, not to satisfy your new husband’s curiosity.”
A look of panic crossed Elise’s features before the cool mask slipped into place again. “Nonsense. You can’t leave until Tony’s had a chance to meet you. Then you can get out of here as soon as possible and go back to your backward town and your delusions.” Smoothing her hand over her elaborate updo, Elise smiled coldly. “My husband seems a little obsessed with you. Don’t try to pull anything over on him. Nobody crosses Tony.”
Even as a child, Elise had been cold, mean, and spiteful.
Serena had hoped the years would have changed her cousin and made her appreciate family again, but evidently, she’d been mistaken.
Serena kept her expression bland, not wanting to give Elise the satisfaction of knowing how much she’d hurt her.
“Congratulations, Elise, on your marriage. You always said you wouldn’t marry anyone who wasn’t rich. It looks like you got what you wanted. Good-bye, Elise.” Her spine turned to ice, the sensation so painful she froze, her breath catching at the jagged stab of agony that nearly debilitated her.
Elise smiled brilliantly at something over Serena’s shoulder. Keeping her voice low, she gripped Serena’s arm again. “Once Tony gets the chance to meet you, I don’t care what you do.” Raising her voice, she released her grip on Serena and held out her hand. “Darling, come meet my cousin, Serena. Serena, this is my new husband, Anthony Carello.”
The tall, dark man came into her line of vision. He smiled, but his eyes remained cold and calculating as he slipped an arm around Elise and held out his hand. “Serena Abbott, it’s wonderful to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot of intriguing things about you.”
Serena’s slowed reflexes didn’t allow her to move fast enough to keep him from taking her hand in his. Her vision went black, bile rising in her throat. Desperate to break contact with the overwhelming evilness, she pulled her hand none too gently from his grasp, not caring at all if she appeared rude or not.
Ignoring his narrowed gaze, she forced a smile, gripping the back of a nearby chair for support. “Hello, Mr. Carello. Congratulations on your marriage. You and Elise belong together. Now if you’ll excuse me, I really have to be going.”
Anthony Carello caught her arm before she could move away, the evil coming from him making her even colder and slightly nauseous. “I’d like for you to stay with us for a while. Elise tells me you don’t have anyone at home waiting for you. My house is plenty big enough. I understand that you’re an artist. I’ll be happy to sponsor a show for you. After all, we’re family now. We’ll talk about it later.” Leaning close, he murmured softly. “We can also talk about that gift you claim to possess. You might be very useful to me. I’m very generous to people who are useful to me.”
Fighting dizziness, Serena tightened her grip on the back of the chair, wanting nothing more than to escape. She swallowed heavily and managed a shuddering breath. “I appreciate the generous offer, but I don’t do showings, and I don’t need a job. I’ll be going back home tonight. Congratulations again, Mr. Carello. Good-bye, Elise.” Yanking her hand back, she shivered at the wave of ice that washed over her. Stumbling slightly, she quickly put as much distance as she could between them, holding on to the backs of chairs for support as she worked her way in the other direction.
Being bombarded from all sides had already worn her out, making her even more defenseless against the pounding to her senses. She had to get out of here fast. She’d never been so completely out of her element before and wished she’d never left home. She wanted nothing more than to go back to her room, change, rent a car, and head back to North Carolina.
Both relieved and disappointed that she wouldn’t be meeting the man from her dreams tonight, she kept struggling through the crowd toward what she hoped was an exit, finding it difficult to just keep putting one foot in front of the other. On unsteady legs, and getting weaker by the minute, she moved carefully, rubbing her temple against the headache just above her eyes, one that made her even more nauseous and blurred her vision.
With the intention of finding the fastest way out of here, Serena lifted her eyes, squinting against the light.
Her breath caught when she spotted him, her entire body stiffening.
He was here.
Fate wouldn’t be denied.
Her skin prickled with awareness, the jagged ice stabbing at her slowly being replaced by a warm strength that soothed as it poured over her.
His appearance never failed to startle her, the power emanating from him alarming, but also provided a steadying presence that somehow wrapped around her and made her feel safe and secure.
The evil around her suddenly became distant and less threatening.
Others surrounded him, but they blurred and dimmed until she saw only him.
In contrast, he remained sharply in focus, so sharply it hurt her eyes to look at him.
But she couldn’t look away.
The veneer of sophistication did nothing to disguise the tightly leashed power beneath it
—power even more pronounced in person.
Even knowing in advance she would meet him, she couldn’t believe he was actually here.
Her heart pounded furiously, her stomach muscles tightening as she watched him move almost effortlessly through the crowd. Her nipples pebbled and she squeezed her thighs together against the tingling awareness in her pussy and clit, a new addition that surprised her. Her dreams had never made her feel quite like this.
Seeing such a compelling man in her dreams hadn’t prepared her for the impact of seeing him in person.
Unable to look away, her eyes followed him around the room.
Power. Strength. Confidence.
He exuded those characteristics like no one she’d ever met. It drew the eye of everyone around him even as they moved aside to get out of the way of his powerful stride.
His black tuxedo had been tailored to mold his tall, powerful frame to perfection, but did nothing to conceal the barely leashed power of the man beneath. His height and breathtaking presence made every other man in the room pale in comparison.
His shoulder-length tawny hair and the grace with which he moved made her think of a lion stalking its prey. Smooth, powerful, but very controlled strides with those long legs glided him smoothly across the room.
A look of impatience crossed his face as he bent to the woman who rushed up to him. Tilting his head in an apparent attempt to hear her, he didn’t appear to be interested in whatever she had to say. His hooded gaze swept the room continuously, his eyes sharp, as though searching for something.
Her. He was looking for her. She knew it as well as she knew her own name.
Even standing this far away, she could see that his polite smile didn’t reach his eyes. He said something to the woman and straightened, removing her hand from his sleeve with a careless gesture that had the other woman stepping back, the hurt on her face plainly visible. He moved several feet away from her until he stood alone, his formidable posture and expression causing others to give him a wide berth.