by Lynne Stevie
“Why don’t you let me worry about that now?” His deep voice was calming. He was wavering on which way to go—get the work done or comfort me; I could see it in his eyes.
“Okay,” I answered numbly. He took a breath and rolled up his sleeves, exposing his huge muscles. I could just see the faint edges of a tattoo on his upper arm. I almost tripped on the brick walkway. Man, I had to get a hold of myself!
I tore my gaze away and looked at the destruction again. How could he fix that gaping hole and wrecked room with just his bare hands?
“Don’t be alarmed if you hear a loud crash, and stay away from the back of the house until I call for you. Got it?”
I nodded my head and then said “got it” more to myself than to him. I hurried into the house and upstairs. The shower started out cold, always good for clearing out the cobwebs in my mind. I was a mess. My nails were caked with dirt and blood and there was grass in my hair. Thankfully, I keep a nail brush in the shower for days when I work in the garden. I washed my hair carefully to rinse out the tiny bits of glass and watched as they sparkled on the floor of the shower and flowed down the drain. When the water finally warmed up, my muscles loosened up some, but I hopped out before I could completely relax. I was anxiously awaiting a crash and didn’t have time to lollygag in the shower.
Just as I stepped out of the water, the house shook with that promised crash. I hastily dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, grabbed my phone and dirty clothes, and headed to the stairs with wet hair and bare feet. No point in getting dressed up now. I doubted if I’d make it to the office, anyway. Crap, I didn’t even know what time it was. I needed to call in and check up on everyone.
Ben caught my arm as I dashed through the kitchen and headed to the sun porch. “Give me your clothes,” he ordered.
I handed them over and watched as he threw them through the doorway. The smell caught me before I noticed the flames. “What the hell have you done? Why did you start a fire?” I dashed toward the sun room to do something—what, I didn’t know—to put out the fire. But he easily restrained me before I could get close to the flames.
“We need to burn the blood evidence. Besides, if lightning had struck the tree that crashed into the house, a fire would be a natural occurrence. It won’t take the house, just the sun room and all the evidence. You’ll have a perfect insurance claim.” He turned me away from the doorway and pulled me back a little. “This is a block structure with a wood facade. Don’t worry, this isn’t my first fire.”
He smiled down at my shocked face. “I need to get the Hummer back to the compound, and you need to call in the fire. Can you handle this?” His big hands still encased my arms.
“Yeah, I can handle it. It’s just that, well, the sun room was my favorite room. It reminded me of my mom.”
Why was I sharing so much of my personal life with Ben? I straightened my spine and said, “No problem. Take the car back to B, and I’ll call it in. I was working at the house and I heard a crash and then saw the fire. Got it.” I looked down at his hands and he released me, looking satisfied at my conviction.
“Good. I’ll wait for the sirens to get close before I take off. You should be safe enough once the firemen get here. I doubt anyone will attack with so many humans around. The story is that I drove you home earlier, because you were upset with your grandmother. I’ll be back soon with your Jeep to keep an eye on you and complete that story.” He turned and headed out the front door.
“Hey, what do you mean, ‘you doubt they’ll attack’? Zeke just killed the guy who was after me!” I yelled after him.
Who else wants me dead, and why don’t I know about it? With sweaty palms I dug out my cell and looked at the screen. Ten messages, they’ll have to wait.
I took a deep breath and dialed 911. This would kill me. I never lie, because nothing good ever comes from it. But unless I want to be charged with murder or put away in an asylum, I don’t see any other choice.
With that thought, I closed my eyes and channeled my inner actress. Panting, I yelled, “Hello, hello!” at the dispatcher when he answered. “My house is on fire!”
Chapter 12
Limoncello
The fire fighters were only a few minutes away and arrived before the fire could spread into the main house. Just as Ben had predicted, the rest of the house wasn’t burnt. I’d shut the large exterior doors to help contain most of the smoke outside the main house, but the place was still a smoky mess.
As I grieved over my loss—no acting required—the fire fighters listened to my tale. I told them the story Ben had concocted, and they happily bought it. My insurance agent came by, more out of curiosity I think, and instructed me to cut the trees around the house for safety and a discount on my insurance. Neighbors came by to check on me and nose around the fire.
Alan had been working a couple of hours away, so it took him a while to get home. When he arrived I was thankful to let him take over. I went up to our room to call Dennis and let him know that he’d have a nice insurance job to tide him through the holiday season.
Hearing his voice and having Alan home reminded me that some normal people still cared for me and I had a life beyond the craziness that was obviously a curse of my heritage. I curled up in the oversized chair in our bedroom and glanced across the room to the wall of pictures, a collage of history and memories. One photo had been taken when the house was first built. Seraiah and Evangeline were posed in front of the house, their expressions cold. No one ever smiled in pictures from those days—even children looked serious and sad.
The noise from downstairs finally quieted, and I closed my eyes for a moment. Foremost on my exhausted mind: how was Evangeline different? Had she understood what she was? What am I, really? Is there a name for it? And where is the body of the guy Zeke killed? He’s a dog—would he bury it?
The sun through the windows was warm on my skin, and with the house open, I could smell the salt from the bay in the air as it mingled with the tartness of…lemons. Dismissing the strange sent I took a deep breath and tried to relax.
“Buon pomeriggio, che cosa posso ottenere per voi perdere.”
My eyes flew open at the sound of the unfamiliar voice and language. The waiter looked handsome in his crisp white uniform. I knew he was speaking Italian, but I didn’t know what he’d said. I sat up and my eyes drank in the vision of a beautiful cliff-side city on the water. The vibrant fuchsia bougainvillea contrasted against the pastel stucco of the homes built against the steep hillside. Twisting and turning roads cut a path to the top of the town.
I was seeing Positano, on the Amalfi coast of Italy. I recognized it from a vacation Alan and I had taken several years ago. The sound of waves breaking against the hull of a boat triggered the memory of a day we’d spent out on the water. However, this boat isn’t rocking like our vacation rental boat, which also hadn’t had any waiters. I looked around.
Oh, my God. This boat is huge, nothing like the one we rented for the day on vacation. This boat is more along the lines of the big yachts we drooled over while we swam in the cold blue water of the ocean. I started to stand to get a better view, but a deep, gravelly voice stopped me.
“My Qadesh?”
My body immediately softened at the sound of his voice. Each muscle seemed to wait for his touch. I turned to see him sitting in the steamer chair next to me, as if we were a couple on holiday enjoying a day in the sun. At least he was mostly dressed this time, although the tight swimming shorts left little to the imagination. I found myself appreciating his muscular build entirely too much. The intricate detail of the tattoo that lay like a necklace around his neck fascinated me. I imagined running my fingers over that ink-darkened skin and learning every intricate detail of the design. I was grateful that he wasn’t within touching distance, because I was overwhelmed with the idea of touching him.
He spoke then, breaking my concentration and drawing my eyes back to his. “The waiter is asking if you desire anything further from him. I believe that
you would enjoy another fresh limoncello. Would you like me to order for you?”
“Another? What…How did I get here? Why am I here?” I was confused and I sounded like an idiot. He waved his hand at the waiter, dismissing him for the moment.
“Qadesh, I could feel your unease and fear. I am eternally grateful you survived the attack.” His voice took on a menacing tone as he continued. “This minion who attacked you was a rogue. Please accept my apologies. I would have ended him if I had known of his intentions. I would never willingly let another harm you.”
He pulled his sunglasses down and let his eyes rove over my body as if I were a prize, then met my gaze. “I must admit, your resourcefulness surprised me, and I assure you, I am very rarely surprised.” His eyes were such a deep brown that they almost looked black. Even without the black liner as decoration, they were magnetic. I was frozen and wanted to just melt back into the seat while he looked into my eyes.
A sudden breeze made me tingle, and I broke his gaze to look down at myself. My skin was as deliciously tanned as it would be in the middle of July. Shiny gold chains and bangle bracelets draped my arms and wrists, and a delicate gold belly chain graced my navel. A skimpy bikini bottom covered only my most delicate parts.
Then another breeze passed over me, and I realized that I was topless, to boot.
“Stop messing with my mind!” I pulled my legs into my chest, making myself as small as possible while trying to shield my body. Shit! No wonder he was looking at me as if I were a yummy jelly donut.
I put my hands against my temples and closed my eyes. Wake up, wake up, wake up I chanted to myself.
“I can feel your fear and confusion as if it were my own. I only wanted to provide you with a sabbatical. You seemed to enjoy this memory so much; I sought to give you a moment of peace and happiness.”
“Honey?” Alan’s voice called as if from a great distance. I kept chanting, Wake up, wake up, wake up.
“Qadesh, my name is Ellasar Terrimun Antonius Creticus. I am a very patient man. I have waited hundreds of years for you. I will release you from this reverie now, but remember: I can help you understand who you are.”
He was gone.
“Honey, wake up!” Alan’s voice again. Slightly closer this time, but still out of reach. “Honey, are you all right? Lexie, answer me!” He shook my shoulders until my head felt like a bobble doll.
“Stop shaking me. I’m awake.” I pushed his hands off. The look in his eyes was a mixture of fear and exhaustion. Alan didn’t need to know any of this. “I’m fine, just tired. We haven’t gotten much sleep in the last couple of days and now the fire.”
He still looked like he thought he should call the hospital shrink. I guess I couldn’t blame him. “What’s up? Do you need me downstairs?” I tried to sound normal.
He stared into my eyes for a moment longer than necessary and shook off his concern. Whether he believed I was sane or he just wanted to forget the last few days, I didn’t know.
“Ottie’s on the phone for you. He wanted to check in since you didn’t show up at the office today. Do you want to talk to him now, or do you want to call him back?”
I’m sure my expression matched his. I forced all my fear and confusion down into a deep hole so I could look up at him with a clean slate.
“Thanks, hon, I’ll take it now if he’s still on the phone.” I threw in a stretch and a yawn for good measure before I pushed to my feet. My acting seemed to convince him. He picked up the phone from the nightstand beside the chair.
“I doubt if he’s still there. It took me five minutes to wake you up. I think he was at the office if you want to call him back.” As he handed me the phone he added, “Lexie, we need to talk about calling Dr. Beacon. He needs to know about these dreams.” He turned to go back downstairs and added, “Did you get any answers from B today?”
“Nah, not really. Just more BS. Ha!” I chuckled for effect. “You know, same old B. Besides, it was just a dream last night. Too much stress, that’s all.”
Tears threatened as I understood why B had told me not to tell Alan anything: he wouldn’t believe me. He’d think I was crazy and try to have me medicated. I couldn’t really blame him. If he tried to convince me that dragons were real, I’d use all my power to get him help.
“Thanks for handling things downstairs. I’ll be down to help as soon as I talk to the office.”
“Sure, Lex, you can take over once you’ve taken care of everything at the office.” He yelled back as he went down the stairs. Poor guy, he’s probably exhausted, too.
Maybe I am crazy. I sat down, put my head in my hands, and took a deep breath. I could still taste the limoncello on my breath and smell the salt from the ocean on my skin. Shit! If I looked, would I have tan lines from the bikini bottom? That might come in handy in January when I needed a little color.
That’s it, baby, make lemonade. I could hear my father reminding me to stay positive. He’d always found the positive in any situation. How about limoncello, Dad?
I stood and stretched. That little nap really had helped. I felt much better, especially considering I’d been a human battering ram earlier. I dialed the office, catching a glimpse of the photo Alan had taken of me during our Italian vacation. I’d been sitting on the deck of the boat we rented in Positano. I really do love limoncello. Thanks for the visit, Ellasar.
Chapter 13
Writing On The Glass
Ottie burst on the phone with his usual flare. “Damn girl, you try’n to set some kind a record for the most shit that can happen to a person in one week?”
I smiled into the phone. “Yeah. Do you think I need to get my hair done before they take my picture for the Guinness book?”
His laughter filled the line and then he turned serious. “How are you hold’n up? The guys at the station called me and filled me in about the fire.”
“I’ll make it. I can’t say the same for my sun room. Hey, at least Dennis will have a great insurance job to tide him over the holidays.”
I heard dad in my head again: That’s it, baby, find the silver lining.
“So what’s going on at the office?”
Ottie told me that the police had gotten nowhere with their investigation into the Janeck murders. They hadn’t located any relatives to identify the bodies. They hadn’t found a head for the female torso. And they didn’t have much in the way of ideas.
One theory was that maybe Philip had been cheating. Mrs. Janeck found them there and killed them, taking the head and leaving the necklace so everyone would assume the victim was her. I knew that theory was a waste. But what did it hurt to let the police chase their tails? If he was busy, at least Maloran would stay off my back. Besides, I had enough to do without worrying about the police.
Ottie mentioned that Riley was doing great and that the details were fading some now that he’d had time to process it all. At first I was relieved to hear it. Then I remembered what B had said this morning: Maybe the memory is already fading from his mind. Had she been speaking literally when she said that? I’d have to ask her.
Devon had had no luck tracing my phone. Imagine that. I told Ottie to tell him to just let it go. I wondered how much information Ellasar could get from my phone. A simple password wouldn’t stop someone who’d found my middle name and could visit me in my dreams. He said that he’d been waiting for me. How long had he known about me? Had he known my mother? Hell, did he know what I am? Maybe I should ask him some questions the next time I see him. He did say he had answers.
I shook my head. Nope. I hope I never see him again. He’s too tempting. Why did his voice affect me so much?
The sun was setting when Alan came to check on me. “Hon?” His voice was timid.
“What’s it looking like down there?” He must have seen the apprehension on my face because his answer was delicate.
“It’ll be fine, babe. We needed to replace that old glass anyway. Dennis will make it better than before. You know he can’t do anything
halfway.” He’s right. My brother is an all-or-nothing kind of guy. He’ll want to make the room bigger and add a fancy stone floor or expensive cabinets or something.
“I’ll try to keep him reined in.” I smiled up at Alan.
“Come on. I’ll take you out to dinner.” He reached for me, and oddly, I hesitated to touch him. Just being oversensitive, I guess. I brushed off the feeling and placed my hand in his so he could pull me up and into a big hug. “Where to, my lady?” he said when he released me.
“Now that you mention it, I’m starving. I’d love some pasta. How about Tony’s?” My eyes lit up at the thought of gnocchi with pesto sauce, and my stomach growled in anticipation.
“It sounds like your stomach has decided. Get cleaned up and I’ll see if Enzo can fit us in.” He took the phone and shooed me off toward the bathroom. I heard him speaking to Enzo as I closed the door.
I didn’t really need to get clean, but a shower might help me get out of the funk I was in. I turned on the hot water, enjoying the hot mist of the spray, and got undressed. Then my hand went to the foggy glass, and I watched as my finger traced a word in the steam.
Qadesh.
I pulled my hand back and in a low voice snarled, “Get out of my head!”
“What? Hon, does your head hurt? Do you need some Motrin or some migraine meds?”
I hadn’t realized that Alan had come in. “No, I’m fine. Just talking to myself, you know me.” I threw in a giggle to hide my fear. I was grateful that he couldn’t see my eyes—he’d have noticed the fear and dread. I put my face into the hot spray and leaned my hands on the wall until the tremors that washed through me could pass. Just as I felt in control again, Alan joined me. His hands went directly to my tense shoulders.
“Lex, you really need a massage. Do you want me to schedule one for tomorrow? You don’t have to do everything yourself, you know. Why don’t you let me take care of you more?”
The tension in my shoulders eased as Alan’s hands worked their magic. I was thankful that he didn’t seem to notice my tears as they mixed with the hot water. His arms encircled my waist and as he pulled me back into his body, I could feel the long, strong length of him, silky smooth and hard as iron. Desire fogged my mind. Lust surged through me, leaving my fear and anger in its wake. Nothing else mattered but the touch of his hands and the heat created by our skin.