Possession

by Linda Mooney

  “I love you, J. I’ll always love you. Please, don’t forge—”

  He was begging her not to forget him. J would swear her life on it.

  “Yeah. I’m afraid you’re right. It was Kiel Stark’s body. He still had his shield in his pants pocket. But the lab will have to confirm it before we can make any sort of announcement. Miss Laurent, off the record, here, who killed all those people? Do you have any idea?”

  If she lowered her head, she couldn’t see the man’s almost sky blue aura. And if she couldn’t see his aura, he couldn’t see her face.

  “Some man. Kiel and Sam said his name was Conader.”

  “Cracker Jack Conader?”

  “I think so.”

  “But the man’s dead! My God, he was the victim of a gangland killing, we thought.”

  “He was killed, Captain.” She lifted her face. “It was his spirit that came back to get its revenge on those who had set him up and had him murdered.”

  There. She had told him the truth. And if he chose to put her under a lie detector, it would continue to be the truth. Let the man think what he wanted about her, but at some point he would have to face the awful fact that there was more in this world than could be detected with five puny senses.

  The man remained silent. Thinking, weighing his options, testing his gut response. His next comment surprised her.

  “And Kiel? Was he dead, too?”

  She must have given him a puzzled expression because he clarified himself.

  “The coroner said the body had been somewhat preserved in the concrete, but he guessed the man had to have been dead at least three to four weeks. At first, I didn’t believe him. I mean, I spoke to Kiel today. I saw him yesterday. The man was alive, wasn’t he?”

  Slowly, J shook her head. “No, Captain. He was dead. He’s been dead for the past month.”

  “Then explain to me how…I mean…sweet Jesus, he was dead?”

  This time the hands were removed from hers, and she sensed him backing away. There was a loud sigh.

  “Then he must’ve been killed that night he was carried away during that sting operation. What about Sam? Did Sam suspect his brother was dead?”

  J glanced around the room to see if anyone was listening in on their conversation. The room was empty save for her and the captain.

  “He already knew. He tried to deny it at first. Then after a while he accepted it…sort of.”

  “Sort of?”

  “I’m guessing he was prepared for the day when Kiel wouldn’t show up. When he would really be dead dead. We didn’t get the chance to talk about it much.”

  “Why was he able to come back from the dead in the first place?” the captain asked. “Did it have anything to do with Conader?”

  This time she felt good knowing there was one puzzle piece she could fit in place for him. “Yes. Conader killed Kiel by accident. The Shredder was really after the two men who had been instrumental in his death. The ones who had kidnapped Kiel. That’s who Conader went after, those two men and all the people who had worked for him who’d gotten greedy and wanted it all for themselves. They found a way to get Conader’s formula for the drug he was manufacturing. Once they had that, they didn’t need Conader anymore, so they killed him. They never believed the man would come back to get his revenge.”

  J sniffed and wiped the wetness from her cheeks. She needed a tissue badly, but had no idea where to find any. A moment later a box was shoved into her hands. She thanked him and blew her nose before continuing.

  “But if Conader killed Kiel…”

  “Kiel said the guy told him he’d killed him by mistake. Funny, isn’t it? A dead man apologizing to another dead man. Kiel told me the man had told him that killing him had been a mistake, so he was going to fix it. The next thing he knew, Kiel said he woke up, alive but dead. After that, Kiel knew his purpose was to find out where his body was. He was sure that once he found it, his existence on this earth, whatever kind of existence it was, would be over, and he could finally rest in peace.”

  It felt like a cleansing of her soul, talking about her time with Kiel while letting the captain know the whole story. She could almost hear Kiel’s voice now, whispering to her, telling her everything as they lay together in her double bed, bodies pressed tightly to each other. His soul had needed cleansing, too.

  Whether or not the captain believed her no longer mattered.

  The room was quiet, even though she knew the man was standing a few feet away. She started to add the fact that Kiel had saved her life by facing down Conader, when someone stepped through the doorway.

  “Miss Laurent? Visitation is open now, but the doctors have restricted Mr. Reese’s visitors.”

  “I can’t see him?”

  “Fifteen minutes only.”

  Captain Redd stepped forward and took J’s elbow. “Miss Laurent is blind. I’m Sam’s precinct captain. May I escort Miss Laurent inside?”

  “Are you family?”

  “We’re all the family Sam has left,” J bluntly responded.

  The woman—Nurse? Hospital staff?—paused. “The patient is restricted to one visitor at a time, but in this instance I’ll allow you to lead her in. But you’ll have to wait outside for your turn.”

  “I’m okay with that,” the captain said.

  “Follow me, please.”

  They went down a long hallway and though two sets of double doors. J didn’t attempt to keep track of where they were going or how many steps she took from one landmark to another. Her body remained in a state of numbness. She hadn’t grieved, or had the chance to come to terms with the loss of Kiel. Worse, she had yet to face Sam’s death.

  If she could run down the middle of a street while screaming at the top of her lungs, she would.

  Captain Redd led her into the small room where Sam’s body was hooked up with wires and tubes, and machines that squeaked, and gasped, and rattled irritatingly. He placed her left hand on the railing, gave it a pat, and told her he’d be right outside. Then he left her alone.

  Sam was being kept alive by artificial means. She didn’t need to see all the paraphernalia to know how damaged he was, or how close he was to death. She could see it for herself. Sam was holding on by the thinnest thread no stronger than a spider’s web. His aura barely circled his head. It no longer encompassed his body. Whatever had been Sam Reese was gone, yet the spirit continued to fight until the very end. Until it could no longer remain with the broken, mangled shell now being sustained with chemicals and a pump.

  J reached over and found a hand. Grasping it, she leaned over the bed to kiss it. It was cold and unresponsive.

  “Sam, I’m here. You’re not alone.”

  She had no idea if he could hear her or if he was aware of her being there. Maybe he could. Either way, she needed to be with him. She needed to stay with him for as long as she was allowed. It was the only way she could live with herself and her conscience afterwards.

  “Sam, you know I love Kiel. I’ll always love Kiel. I knew we wouldn’t have much time together, but I’m glad for the time we did have. I’m glad I got to know you, too. You were like a brother to me.”

  She tried to focus on him and prayed she could get some sort of response. A spark. Anything that would let her know he was dying in peace.

  She sensed nothing.

  A pale, hazy, nearly nebulous ring of watery light settled over his forehead. J stared at it as it wavered. Then, like a whisper in the wind, it was gone. At that same instant, the machines around her went off, blaring their alarms.

  Pounding feet entered the room at a run. She was pulled away from the bed as nurses and doctors tried to resuscitate Sam.

  Pain unlike anything she had ever felt before in her life ripped through her. Gasping for breath, J hit the opposite wall with her back and slowly slid to the floor as scalding tears rolled down her face. She called out Sam’s name, but the others in the room couldn’t hear her over the noise of the alarms and the shouting back and forth.


  Someone yelled to get clear. There was a buzz and clashing noise, a second of silence, and another order to try again. J held her hands over her face and sobbed.

  At least she had been there for him. He hadn’t died alone. Kiel would be proud of her, knowing she had done at least that much for his brother. More importantly, she could live with herself.

  It suddenly got very quiet. Someone went around to shut off the machines and their racket. A voice said, “Time of death, eight fifty-eight p.m.”

  Slowly, one by one, people left the room. Something on wheels and carrying equipment was rolled out the door.

  Someone came over and touched her on the shoulder.

  “Miss? You’ll need to leave—”

  “No! No! Please.” The tears came faster, nearly drowning her. She fought the heat and pressure squeezing the life from her. Finally, J managed to take a deep, shuddering breath. “Please. Let me say goodbye. Give me a moment, please. I promised…I promised his brother I would stay with him until…” She dragged her sleeve over her eyes. “Please, he was all I had left in this world.”

  The woman paused to make her decision. “Listen. I need to leave the room for a bit. But when I come back, you’ll have to leave. Okay?”

  J nodded and allowed the woman to help her to her feet and lead her back to the bed. Once her hands touched the mattress, the woman gave her hands a little pat and left the room. The world became utterly quiet.

  Slowly, carefully, J searched the sheet and the still form beneath it, following the cloth until she reached the head. The wires were still attached to him. The tubes and everything had not been removed. She guessed they would get around to doing that when they came back.

  Pulling back the sheet, she lowered it enough to where she could touch his face. It was still warm, and for a split second hope flared. Then her senses reminded her the heart no longer beat. Sam Reese was gone.

  She leaned over and lightly kissed his cheek. “Goodbye, Sam. I’ll never forget you, and I’ll never forget Kiel. I promise, and I always keep my promises.”

  Pressing her forehead into his shoulder, J silently prayed as exhaustion settled over her. She ached mentally, emotionally, and physically. More than that, she ached in a way she knew she would never ache again.

  Everything in her world was gone now. Every time she had loved, it had been taken away from her. It was as though she didn’t deserve any kind of happiness. That she wasn’t worthy of love. Didn’t God already prove that fact to her when He took away her sight before she ever had the chance to experience His beauty in the world?

  The tears were back. She felt sick, like she wanted to throw up.

  It wasn’t fair! Why should other people be allowed to love and be loved in return, but not her? It isn’t fair!

  “What have I done to be punished like this?” she murmured, clutching the sheet. “Why did you have to take him away from me? Why? Kiel. Oh, Kiel.”

  Pure, black rage boiled up inside her. She was divided into two selves. One of them bemoaned the fact that she didn’t deserve to be happy. That there had been something she’d done wrong that she didn’t know she had done, which had ultimately sentenced her to live the rest of her life alone. Unwanted and unloved.

  The other half screamed she deserved love. To love and be loved in return. That she was innocent, or at the very least, deserving of a second chance. And that everyone was worthy of being cared for.

  “I am worthy!” she cried out, beating a fist on the mattress. “I am worthy! I am! I’ve done the best I could, so why am I being punished? Why am I being punished?

  “You brought Kiel into my life. Why? Why? How could You be so cruel as to let us have such a short and meager time together?

  “Please, if you have any mercy, Lord.” She leaned back over the bed. All the energy had left her. There was nothing in her anymore. Not hate, or anger, or grief. Not even sadness. She was a mere shell with nothing to go home to, and nothing to look forward to.

  “If there is any mercy in You, Lord.”

  The sheet moved slightly.

  J gasped and jerked back. A muscle spasm. She had heard about corpses still moving because of all sorts of scientific explanations. Yet…

  The sheet moved again. J involuntarily looked toward Sam’s uncovered face.

  She blinked. Rubbing her eyes with the backs of her hands, she looked again.

  A faint glow surrounded Sam’s head. Faint and barely perceptible, but it was there.

  J literally trembled as she stared at the impossible.

  The glow wasn’t purple. It wasn’t Sam’s aura. It was white. Almost pure white, tinged with a little gold.

  Like Kiel’s.

  “He was wrong.”

  J gave a little shriek at the sound coming from behind her. She whipped around to see the immense black figure standing a few feet away. Its shape seemed to swallow the room as it filled the small area.

  There was nowhere to run. The darkness was between her and the door. J could only stare in growing horror at the thing that had killed everyone but her.

  Everyone but her.

  He’s come back to finish what he left behind.

  “He was wrong,” the Shredder repeated. “He was not to be. I fixed him now.”

  It held out a dark arm and pointed at the bed.

  “I fixed him,” it repeated.

  The blackness wavered in place a moment longer. J remained staring in stunned silence as the inkiness began to lighten, turning gray, then off-white, and then it was completely gone. Dissipated.

  “I fixed him.”

  She forced herself to turn around, hoping, praying she understood what Conader meant.

  Yes. The brightness was there, and it was steadily growing brighter. Stronger. It was a white aura, tinged with a hint of yellow like chrysanthemums in the autumn. But there was also…

  J blinked again. No, she wasn’t imagining it. There was some purple in there, too. Not much, not a lot, but unmistakable.

  The sheet under her hand moved slightly, and she heard a soft sigh.

  Tentatively, she reached out to touch his face. It was Sam’s face. It was Sam who was opening his eyes.

  “J?”

  It was Sam’s voice.

  Fresh tears burned her face. “It’s okay, Sam. I’m here. L-let me go call the doctors and tell them you’re awake, okay?” There was no way she was going to leave him. Instead, she fumbled for the controls on the side of the bed, when his hand stopped her.

  “Why are you calling me Sam?”

  Her heart nearly stopped as the truth came to her, wide and sparkling like the first morning of the world.

  “J?”

  “K-Kiel?”

  “Yeah, honey. I’m Kiel. Are you okay?”

  It was all she could do to lean over him, wrap her arms about his neck, and hold on for dear life. Her senses confirmed what she believed. Only, it was too much to believe in. Too much to hope for. And yet, he was here, alive, breathing and speaking to her.

  “Am I in a hospital?”

  “Yes.”

  “I fixed him.”

  J trembled. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. What did I do?”

  She giggled at his obvious confusion. The giggle brought more tears. “I’ll tell you later. Promise.”

  “Oh, just like you’ll tell me one of these days what J stands for?” he softly teased.

  His aura was so bright, she would swear it lit up the whole room.

  Nuzzling his cheek, she giggled softly. “I already told you, silly. It means I love you.”

  He thought for a moment, long enough to let her kiss his cheek. His warm cheek.

  “French, huh?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “So how do you say ‘I love you’ in French?”

  “Je t’aime.”

  “Je t’aime. The J is short for Je t’aime?”

  “You got it,” she whispered. “Kiel?”

  “Yeah?”

&nb
sp; “You’re not dead anymore.”

  “I, uhh, sort of figured that out. Want to tell me how?”

  “Not now. Later.” She gave him another hug, knowing the nurse would soon return. Only this time the woman would be in for the shock of her life to discover the patient was back among the living.

  After that, J would have to be here for him when he found out his brother was dead, and that he had been given his own life back in the only way Conader could manage it. Forget the how, but she could guess at the why. Why Conader had buried Kiel’s body beneath the fresh cement patch. It was because he was ashamed of his mistake. Ashamed he had taken an innocent life. That’s why he’d hidden Kiel, and why he had returned once the hiding place had been discovered.

  That was why the Shredder had been determined to fix his mistake.

  “I fixed it.”

  Of course, it was merely a guess. No one would ever find out the real reason, and J no longer had any desire to pursue it further.

  Kiel was alive. He was here, back with her. And once they managed to grieve for Sam, to accept the impossibility of what had occurred, and put that part of their lives behind them, they would have the chance to share, to love, and to be happy.

  They both had earned it. She had no doubt they both deserved it.

  Today would be the start of a new beginning.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Linda loves to write romance with a fantasy or science fiction flair. Her technique is often described as being as visual as a motion picture or graphic novel. By day she is a kindergarten teacher, wife, and mother of two who lives in a small south Texas town near the Gulf Coast. But at night she delves into alternate worlds filled with daring exploits and sensuous, erotic romance.

  Included in her accomplishments with Whiskey Creek Press Torrid are ten consecutive Number One Bestsellers, and in March 2010, Linda was named the Whiskey Creek Press Torrid Author of The Year.

  For your reading pleasure, we invite you to visit our web bookstore

  WHISKEY CREEK PRESS TORRID

  www.whiskeycreekpresstorrid.com

  Table of Contents

  Other Books by Author Available at Whiskey Creek Press:

  Prologue