Garda - Welcome to the Realm (21 page)

“So what’s it like working with Joe?” she asked and casually laid her hand on my leg. The muscles bunched on their own under her touch, she squeezed gently.

“It’s never boring.” I picked up the new bottle the bartender had just delivered and took a swig.

“No, I guess it wouldn’t be.” Her hand ran up my leg a few inches. The lack of fulfillment in my life took full notice at the movement.

She used her other hand to lift her beer to her lips, a drop ran past her lips and down from the corner of her mouth. Her tongue slipped out to catch it with a little giggle. I took a deep breath.

“You wanna get out of here, Mitch?” she said softly, peering at me under her thick lashes.

I turned away from her and scanned the bar. Joe was standing on the other side talking to some guys from another department. He raised his bottle to me and mouthed, “Go for it” before smiling.

Screw it.

I turned back to Rebecca, “Yeah, let’s get out of here.” Tipping my beer back, I guzzled about two thirds of the bottle and then set it down on the bar, stood up, and waited for her to get off her stool.

I walked out behind her, not looking at Joe, but feeling like he was watching me and laughing.

When we stepped out the door, the cooler night air wrapped around us and she slid her hand into mine. She pulled me to the side of the building, one of the lights was out in the parking lot putting us in deep shadows.

She turned suddenly and pushed me up against the building, not hard, but forcefully enough that it startled me.

Her lips connected with mine a brief moment later and her tongue pushed for entry. All at once, the need to feel, feel anything, rushed over me and I wrapped her in a strong embrace, taking from her what I needed, what my body craved.

She threw her arms around my shoulders, pulling me close, deepening the kiss even more. I spun her around, pushing her against the wall. I felt the growl she released inside her chest. I swallowed it, I wanted it, and right that second, I needed it. My hands went to her butt, and I lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around my waist, pushing against my hardness.

She pulled her mouth back and tipped her throat to me, I nipped, bit, and sucked on the soft flesh all while she softly moaned and rubbed harder against me.

Mitchell, no!

I froze like someone had poured a bucket of ice cold water down my back.

Rebecca pushed against me, “Come on, Mitch, baby, come on, don’t stop now.”

Mitch, don’t do this.

How much had I had to drink tonight? I pulled back from Rebecca, almost dropping her to the ground before she could get her feet under herself.

“What’s wrong?” Surprise and a little anger were evident in her voice.

I swallowed. What the hell am I doing? I shouted into my own mind.

Go home, Mitch, you need to sleep.

Why was I all of a sudden hearing Corey’s voice in my mind? Was it my subconscious trying to protect me? Was I going crazy?

I stepped back from Rebecca, “I’m sorry. I can’t do this.” I wiped my hand over my face, trying to clear my head. What the hell had I been about to do?

She stepped closer to me, grabbing the front of my shirt, “Come on, Mitch. I know you want me, just let go, take me. I’m here for you.”

I grabbed onto her hands and yanked them off. “No, Rebecca, I’m sorry, but I can’t do this.”

I spun around and made my way to my car, digging into my pocket to grab my truck keys. I climbed into my cab, wiped my mouth with my forearm and put the key into the ignition after several failed attempts with my shaking hands.

~ Brock ~

I sat in the sand, lifting handfuls of it up and letting it sift slowly through my fingers. I had screwed up. I knew it.

I had to find a way to talk to Coralenna and get her to understand. I froze when her legs materialized right before my downcast eyes.

I blinked. The hurt that was visible in her expression sent pain directly to my heart. I had caused that. I was afraid to speak.

“You need to explain to me why you did what you did, Brock.”

“I will. I know you deserve the truth,” I said solemnly.

She crossed her ankles and sank to the soft white sand in front of me, Indian-style. She watched me.

“I’m sorry, Coralenna. I never meant to hurt you. I was trying to protect you, protect all those that you loved and those that loved you.”

“What were you trying to protect everyone from?” she tipped her head sideways, her hair swinging gently away from her face. I wanted so much to caress her cheek and feel her soft skin.

I swallowed, “The day I brought you home, you were supposed to have been hit by that car.”

“Okay,” she nodded sluggishly.

I inhaled slowly, “Everyone is right, the original plan for your life was for you to continue living, but I made the decision to bring you home.”

She appeared to be trying to control her emotions, forcing herself to take a deep breath. When she released the air she opened her eyes, “Why did you,” she cleared her throat, “why did you do it?”

Finally free to tell her the truth, I let the words rush out of my mouth, “Because if I had not, you would not have had a life. Corey, you were supposed to live in a coma for months before you finally succumbed to death.”

She blinked and sat up straighter, “A coma? But maybe I would have woken up?”

I shook my head quickly, “No. The plan for your life was for you to live for a short time after your accident, but you would have died before you woke up.”

She looked at everything but me. Finally pushing up from the sand, she moved away from me and stared out over the water, her arms crossed tightly over her body. I saw her shiver.

I stood up slowly, dusting the sand from the back of my pants.

“You didn’t tell me why you did it,” her voice cracked on emotion.

“I did it so you and the ones you loved wouldn’t suffer. You would have lain there, conscious enough to know what was happening, but unable to communicate. Your family would have stood by your side and watched you struggle to fight for a life you would never have. Their constant prayers would have gone unheeded, and everyone would have suffered far longer than they did.”

She absorbed the words. A tear slipped down her cheek, but she swiped it away before it could reach her chin.

“So you didn’t do this for yourself?” she peered over her shoulder at me.

I shook my head forcefully, “No. I did it for you. I knew you would hate lying there knowing the people you cared about were suffering. I did it for you.” I stepped up behind her, close enough that the light scent of sunflowers floated over my senses. I wanted to touch her. Would now be a good time?

She stepped away, “Don’t touch me, Brock.”

Her words sliced me.

“I’m not ready for that. I know about the connection. David explained it to me.” She turned to face me, dropping her arms to her sides.

Well, it seemed David had been rather busy. I guess I shouldn’t give him a hard time; he did talk her into coming to me to talk.

“Okay, I won’t.” I slipped my hands into the pockets of my cargo shorts.

“Do you believe in it?” A soft gust of wind carried strands of her hair into the breeze and over her face. I wanted to push them back behind her ear, but clenched my hands instead.

“Yes, I do believe in it,” I swallowed around the tightness in my throat.

“Why? How can you believe in it? How can you know that with one touch we could be connected so strongly that nothing could come between us?”

I stepped closer to her, staring down into her beautiful features. “Because that’s what we do, we believe.

“I was told about this connection years ago, just after meeting you. At first I didn’t believe it. I didn’t want to be connected to anyone. I had been ruthless when I lived, not caring about people or what I did to others, yet, somehow over the years, I started paying more attention to the good things that you did, how hard you worked for others.” I turned away.

She walked around me to stand in front of me again, “And?”

“And I saw the good you did. It made me think a lot about things I had done before I’d died. Seeing how good you were, how happy you could be helping others made me want to be more like you.” I tossed my hands up in the air, “I have no idea how I got here, how I got to be a Garda, not after my track record, but when I watched you, I had to believe that the reason was because of what we would have one day. I had to believe that.”

I watched her face as her gaze traveled over mine. She searched it, hunting for some great clue or maybe just trying to see if I gave her a straightforward answer. I had told her more than I had planned, but I needed to be honest. If Corey was to trust me, then I had to be honest with her.

“How did you die?” she asked almost casually.

I blinked and was confused for a moment, “I had an inoperable brain tumor.”

“Did you suffer long?”

“No.” I cleared my throat.

“How long would I have lived?” she asked softly.

“Four months, you would have lived for four more months.”

We watched each other, the gentle winds tugging at our clothing, pulling her hair out and around her head. My hand slipped from my pocket, slowly moving towards her.

Then we both felt it. Her body vibrated deep within. She blinked rapidly and stepped back from me. “I’m being summoned.”

“Corey, wait!” but I was already too late, she had vanished. “I’m sorry, Coralenna.” I whispered into the space she had just emptied.

~ Corey ~

I listened to David, and then he left to allow me to think. Maybe I was being unfair to Brock. Maybe he did have a good reason for doing what he’d done.

There was only one way to find out, so I reached out for him. I was so attuned to his energy that as I moved to stand before him, I felt his pain internally, like my own.

I sat, afraid to hear what he would tell me, but knowing that I needed to hear the truth.

To learn that I would have been left as a lifeless body while I was able to still process what was happening around me left me chilled. I stood up suddenly, the need to know I was in control strong.

Brock was right. I would have hated knowing my family was praying for me and watching me suffer. I couldn’t fault his decision even though I hated it, hated knowing that I had been ripped away from the people I loved earlier than I should have been.

Maybe I could have found a way to say goodbye, though. That thought surged through my mind as Brock stepped up behind me. As he moved, I remembered the connection that David had explained, and I stepped away.

“Don’t touch me, Brock.” I felt the sting of my words. The only way to make him understand them was to explain that I knew about the connection.

I didn’t know if I could believe in such a rare occurrence, especially in one that said I would be connected with someone so strongly, someone that I barely knew.

Could my life had made such a difference to the man who stood before me? Could I have helped him to become a better person?

I observed him closely. He was so very handsome, and I felt I did know him in a way. His features seemed so familiar, but that was probably from staring at him so often recently.

He died from a brain tumor. That seemed like a painful way to die. Would I have been in pain lying in a coma?

“How long would I have lived?”

His voice was husky as he replied, “Four months, you would have lived for four more months.”

Four months. I would have had four more months with my family, four more months with Mitch. Four months to watch my family struggle with my pending death.

I decided then as I examined his light green eyes that he had indeed made the right decision. I knew he was about to reach for me, and suddenly I wasn’t afraid. He had protected the ones I loved in a way that I had not been able to.

Would it be so bad to be connected with such a strong man, a man who appeared to actually have a great deal of compassion? Obviously, he was good deep inside, or he wouldn’t be here.

Just before he lifted his hand, I felt the rumbling deep within my soul. I was being pulled to the Maker against my sudden desire to stay where I was.

I heard his fading words as he called out for me to wait, but I had no choice.

I blinked at the bright light. The sudden stillness of where I was felt almost oppressive to the soft breeze of the shore.

“Welcome, Coralenna.”

I cleared my throat, “Thank you.”

“You seem upset that I have brought you here,” the voice echoed around me.

I shook my head, “No, not upset, just,” I bit my lip, “just seemed like bad timing.”

A vibration of laughter filled me, “It is not time for you and Brock yet.”

I glanced around, “Then what time is it?”

The voice grew serious, “It’s time for you to return.”

My heart sped up. Return where? Return to Earth? To Mitch? I wet my dry lips.

“Relax, my child. You are needed in the living arena. Your friend is having trouble with your death, and you need to find a way to help him.”

I struggled to say his name, “Mitchell?”

“Yes. Do what you must do to help him deal with the situation. The evil ones are barking closely at his heels, and I do not wish to lose him. I have plans for him.”

“Not anytime soon I hope?” I whispered, afraid to know that his life was in jeopardy.

“That, dear child, is up to you.” A whisper of a breeze floated over me. “Now go, you must only think of what you might need to succeed in your mission, and it will be yours—within goodness that is.”

“But what do I have to do?” Suddenly I was afraid. What if I could not save him? I had no idea of what to do once I got there.

“You are one of the strongest we have had here. You have proven that over and over again. I believe in you.”

“You believe in me?” tears blinded me momentarily.

“No tears are needed, my dear, go. Your friend is in dire need of your assistance. The path has been opened for you.”

A chill raced down my spine and I felt as if I were falling. My stomach dropped as if I was on a roller coaster, and I opened them to a dark parking lot.