by A. D. McLain
David lifted his hand and ran his fingers along the edge of her hair. She instinctively pressed her face closer to his stroking hand, and goosebumps erupted in all directions from the contact. She was amazed at what he could do to her with such a simple touch.
David sighed. If only she knew what she did to him. “But I know how stubborn you are.” He leaned in, resting his forehead against hers. “If you see that man again, or anything else happens, I want you to call me. Anytime, day or night. Promise me you will.”
“I promise,” she whispered, her heart beating faster. His breath was warm against her skin, mingling with her own breath when he spoke.
He reluctantly removed his hand from her face and stepped back. She admonished herself for wishing he would never move away. She knew nothing about his past. He never talked about his family or where he was from. She couldn’t do this to herself anymore. She had to have some answers. “Are you ever going to tell me something about your past.?”
David gave her a tired smile. It was time he told her something about himself. In the beginning, he hadn’t planned on staying around for long, but now… she deserved some information. “I you could say I’m sort of a security consultant.”
Nicole’s jaw dropped. He’d actually told her something. “A security consultant? How did you get into that business?” she asked hesitantly.
His smile broadened. He could see how excited she was, yet she seemed afraid to reveal it, afraid she’d be disappointed, and he’d clam up again. It amazed him that he could pick up on all that, but he knew it was true. He felt as if he knew her so well, and it was time she had a chance to learn about him. “I guess you could say I had a unique perspective to provide.” He wasn’t sure if it was wise to tell her the truth, but now was as good a time as any. And this part would be a lot easier for her to believe than most of his past. “I used to be a thief.” He waited a moment, trying to gauge her response. She seemed surprised, but he didn’t see any condemnation in her eyes. “You see, I left home when I was very young. I’d had a falling out with my folks, and I decided to try and make it on my own, set my own rules. You probably know how it is.”
She offered an understanding nod. It reminded her of what had happened to Billy. No wonder they got along so well. She leaned in closer to listen to his story, endeared by the emotion in his voice, the way he said certain words, as he spoke about his past and his family.
“I ended up living on the streets for a while,” he said. “It wasn’t pleasant. There was never enough to eat. The winters were cold. The other kids, mostly orphans or runaways, like me, were bitter and cynical. We learned that if we stole things, we ate. Eventually, I tried to rob this one rich guy, but he caught me. I thought I was dead, but he ended up hiring me. He put me in charge of making sure his home was burglar proof, and in return, he let me stay there for free. He figured a thief would know how other thieves think, and therefore, I’d be perfect for the job.”
“He wasn’t afraid you’d try again?”
“No.” David shook his head. “He knew I was terrified of him.” He chuckled. “He knew.”
“How old are you?”
“Huh?” She’d caught him off guard again and he stared into her soft eyes. They were so gentle, so kind.
She smiled at him. “I asked how old you are. You’ve been through so much, and yet you don’t seem very old.”
“Looks can be deceiving.”
“And are they, in this case?”
He wanted to tell her everything, but he couldn’t bring himself to do that just yet. “You could say that,” he hedged.
“So how old are you?” She leaned forward, resting her chin on the palms of her hands.
He swallowed hard. Her movement had brought her upper body closer to his, giving him a perfect view of her cleavage. He inhaled sharply and caught the fruity scent of her shampoo which only made things worse. She was killing him, and she didn’t even know it. She smiled up at him innocently and he could feel his pants grow tighter while he fought to focus on the conversation. “Older than some, not as old as others.”
“What kind of an answer is that?” She fisted one hand and punched him in the arm, then sat back.
“A truthful one.” He shrugged.
“Okay, well as long as we’re being truthful…” She smiled mischievously.
He groaned. “I don’t like the sound of that.”
Nicole laughed, and he glowered at her, which only made her laugh even more. “Are you older than me?” she asked after her laughter subsided.
“Yes,” he answered easily.
“Are you older than John?”
He didn’t like this game. “Yes.”
She saw the muscles tensing in his neck and the wary expression in his eyes and decided to cut him a little slack. “Are you older than… Dick Clark?”
He laughed. “No one’s older than Dick Clark.”
Nicole’s smile broadened and she was pleased to see that he’d relaxed a little bit. “Well, however old you are, you certainly have a lot of time to spend hanging around with me.”
“Are you complaining?” He tried not to show how important the answer was to him.
“No. I’ll admit, you have come in handy a time or two.” And every day, I look forward to seeing you, she added silently.
“Now, now, we wouldn’t want you going out on a limb. You might fall.”
“If I did, you’d just catch me.”
They both laughed. Nicole was glad to see him more relaxed again. Maybe now she could get some more answers out of him, or would it be wise not to try again right now? Nicole didn’t want to push him too far, but curiosity finally won out. “Seriously…” she began.
“I hate that word.”
She ignored him and continued. “How do you have so much time available to spend with me?”
“Do I spend a lot of time with you?” He smiled, his eyes wide with innocence.
She glared at him, but it quickly morphed into a grin. Even though he aggravated her, she enjoyed it. Before she could think of a response, the phone in her bedroom started ringing.
“Your phone’s ringing,” David announced, and she offered him a wry grin.
“Saved by the bell.” She bounded up off the couch and headed in the direction of her bedroom.
“Hello?”
“Hey, it’s Meg. How ya doin?”
“Oh, I’m fine.”
“Oh, really? Is that why you didn’t tell me about your car accident?”
Nicole sighed. She’d completely forgotten about what happened with her car when she went to the diner to meet Meg for lunch. She’d been too preoccupied with the man following her, but she couldn’t tell Meg that. It would just make her worry even more. “There’s nothing to tell. My brakes didn’t work. You know how old that car is. It’s older than me.”
“Is that what the police said?”
“I haven’t heard from them yet.”
“So, you don’t really know what happened, do you?”
“Well, no.” Nicole pushed back her own fears and speculations. She couldn’t let herself dwell on them right now, or she wouldn’t be able to leave the apartment.
“Nicole, this isn’t a one-time thing. You know that! Someone is trying to hurt you, maybe even kill you!”
“I know, I know, but I’ll be okay. Stop worrying so much.” she said, hoping to convince herself as much as Meg.
“You know I won’t, but I guess I’ll back off for now. Just promise you’ll be careful.”
“I promise. Look, can I talk to you later?”
“Yeah, I guess”
“Bye.”
“Bye.” She put down the phone and walked across to the bedroom door. David was sitting on the couch with his back to her, his ankle resting on his knee, and his arms were crossed. He turned to her when she stepped into the living room and smiled, and she rested her crossed arms on the back of the couch. “You know, until just now, no one but me has ever heard that phone from in here
, because of how quietly it rings. It’s kind of a running joke between my friends and me. But you did? How?”
He shrugged. “The same way you do.”
“Why do I get the feeling you’re keeping something from me?”
David got to his feet. “Because you’re a very smart person. I have to go.” He walked over to the door with Nicole following closely behind. “I’ll see you later.”
She lifted one eyebrow. “You’re just going to leave?”
“Yep.” He grinned. “Bye.” He leaned forward and pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead. He pulled back slowly and removed his hand from her shoulder, then slipped out through the door, leaving before Nicole could say another word.
“You didn’t see the look in her eyes. Someone tried to make it so she wouldn’t remember, so she couldn’t remember.” David turned away from the patio doors and started pacing the floor.
Mark sat in a leather chair in the corner of the room, watching David pace. “Is that possible?”
"Richard told me stories of those who managed to manipulate memories, but he said it takes someone with a great deal of power to do it.” This was just what he needed – another threat to Nicole. Who could it be? Whoever they were, they knew exactly who she was, and knew her family – but that didn’t narrow the field down much.
“Yeah, I seem to remember hearing some stories about the ability, now that you mention it, but why would anyone want to make Nicole forget she’d seen them? Why would anyone be approaching her at all?”
“I don’t know. Do you think it’s got anything to do with the threats Richard received before his death?”
“It’s a possibility.” Mark contemplated who could have been behind those threats. After all these years, he was no closer to an answer than he had been back then. And if these two incidents were connected, he couldn’t begin to know where to start.
“She also said the guy’s eyes seemed as if they were changing color.”
“Hmmm, that sounds like some type of illusion. If anyone was powerful enough to get into a person’s head and manipulate memories, it would only be a small chore to make someone see what they wanted them to see.”
“I guess that makes sense.”
“Either way, there’s not much you can do until he shows himself again, and for goodness sake, stop pacing! It’s like watching a tennis game.”
David plopped down into a nearby chair. “Sorry. I feel like I should be doing something.”
“I know, but aimless worry and guesswork isn’t the answer. Maybe Mara knows something. She was friends with Richard’s father, before Richard was even born. She’s known their family for a long time.”
“I didn’t realize she was quite that old.” Despite his worry, David’s interest was piqued by the prospect of learning something from Mara.
“Oh, I think that’s barely scratching the surface where Mara’s concerned.” Mark thought back on snippets of conversation he’d heard over the years. From conversations which stopped abruptly when he entered the room, to vague references to situations past, he’d heard his fair share of names from the history books, as along with other hints regarding the vast complexity and longevity of Mara’s past. “I overheard a conversation once when she was talking to Richard about political situations in fifteenth century Europe. She seemed extremely well informed about the topic.”
“Really?” It could certainly explain how she was so knowledgeable about everything. “I’ll go and talk to her.”
15
Mara finished lighting the lavender incense and turned the door handle. She opened the door and smiled at David’s surprised expression. His hand was raised, but he hadn’t knocked on the door yet. “How did you know I was here?” he questioned.
She shook her head. “All the years you’ve known me, and you still have to ask? Come on in.” She motioned for him to sit on the couch.
David smiled and shook his head, settling onto the couch. “When are you going to teach me how you do that? I didn’t even tell you I was coming by.”
Mara sat in a nearby chair. “I’ve tried. You just don’t have the patience to learn.”
He fidgeted. Sometimes he still felt like the kid he’d been when they first met. He occasionally felt like that with Mark, too, but not as often. “I suppose you know why I’m here then, too?”
“Yes.” Her expression darkened, her eyebrows drawing together, creating several creases in her smooth forehead. “I’m afraid I don’t know who this person is that you seek. I have sensed his presence for a short time, but he’s very guarded. He’s found some way to block himself from my mental probing. I sense his powers are strong, yet somehow false.”
“You mean, he’s not as powerful as he seems?”
“Not exactly. He is exceptionally old and extremely powerful. Never doubt that. But there’s an unnatural strength in his abilities. I have yet to pinpoint what it is.” Mara was certain it had something to do with the dark presence she’d sensed, but she didn’t tell David that. There was no sense in worrying him even more. She’d almost missed sensing this other person David sought. The dark presence was occupying much of her time and energy. If this man hadn’t attempted to use his powers on Nicole, he would probably still be hidden from Mara.
“I need to find out who this guy is, before he hurts Nicole. Is there anything else you can do?” David was even more worried than he’d been before. If this person was strong enough to evade Mara’s powers, and he was after Nicole it wasn’t good.
“I’m doing all I can. I’ve only been aware of him since he first approached Nicole, and he has strong barriers in place to protect himself. It will take some time to get through them. I’ll keep trying until I learn something useful. I’m also making some inquiries among our community. So far, they haven’t yielded any useful results, but that could change. I’ll let you know if I learn more. In the meantime, you should be very careful, David. This man is not what he seems. I don’t think he’s an immediate threat to Nicole. This other enemy of hers is the one you should focus on for now, but keep your eyes open all the same.”
David let Mara’s words sink in. This wasn’t the kind of news he’d been hoping for. He released a disappointed sigh and stood to leave.
Mara looked up at him, wishing there was something more she could do. There was so much worry in his eyes, and she imagined even more worry was hidden from view. She couldn’t remember him showing this much emotion since Richard’s death. The few times she’d seen him since then, he’d been an emotionless shell, everything shut off.
Now, everything was different. He was more like the person he’d been before, and it wasn’t hard to figure out why. “You have feelings for Nicole, don’t you?”
He looked into her eyes and offered her a weak smile. “Yeah, I do.”
Mara got to her feet and took his hands in hers, staring deeply into his eyes. “Things have a way of working themselves out. You just need faith. It’s a very powerful force, you know.” She prided herself on being able to say those words with conviction. But then, it was always easier to inspire faith in someone else than it was to make oneself have faith.
“I know. I need to be going. I don’t want to leave Nicole unguarded for any longer than necessary.” He’d already been gone too long, and he needed to fill Mark in on Mara’s advice. He wondered if Mark would be at home or at work. He didn’t have time to go searching for him, but there was another way. He hadn’t done that in a long time, though.
“All right. I’ll let you know what I learn.”
“Thanks.”
Mara shook her head dismissively. “It is nothing.”
David took his leave, hurrying down the stairs and getting into the car. He sat back in the seat and leaned his head against the headrest, closing his eyes. If he was going to try this, it might as well be now. Taking a few deep breaths, he concentrated on Mark’s face, calling his name silently in his mind. He repeated it a few times, before he exhaled loudly and opened his eyes. This was
hopeless. He was obviously too out of practice to make it work.
“No, you’re not. You’re just impatient.”
David straightened up. “You heard me?” he thought.
“Yeah. Don’t sound so surprised. Now, what did you want?”
“I wanted to tell you what I learned from Mara. She doesn’t know who this guy is. She hasn’t been able to break through his mental barriers. She doesn’t think he’s an immediate threat to Nicole, but she told me to watch out for him.”
“Understood.”
David was a little relieved. The more people watching out for Nicole, the better. He couldn’t let anything happen to her. He suspected he might be falling in love with her. It was so soon, but she made his desire flare with just a look. Just thinking about her made him crazy.
“David.”
“Yeah?”
“You really have been away from other people for far too long. You’re not paying attention to where your thoughts are going. Unless, of course, you wanted me to know what you’d like to do to Nicole.”
David suffered a surge of embarrassment.
“I didn’t think so,” Mark continued. “Have you forgotten everything we taught you?”
David rubbed the back of his neck. He remembered those lessons all too well. They had been ground into him.
“Then try using them. With this powerful werewolf after Nicole, you can’t afford for your thoughts to be out in the open.”
“I know – and will you stop doing that! I didn’t like it when you two used to do that to me, and I certainly don’t like it now.”
“Then do something about it. Block your thoughts. You know how to do it. Now, if that’s all you need, I have work to do, and I can only concentrate on two conversations simultaneously for so long.”
“That’s it.”
“Okay. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay.”
David carefully closed the connection and turned the key in the ignition. Still, as he drove away, he made sure to watch out for what he thought.