Hear No (Hidden Evil, #1) (12 page)

“You’ll think I’m crazy.
I
think I’m crazy,” she said, breathing faster.

“Promise. I won’t.”

A car door slammed from the parking lot nearby. Kaylee jumped, clearly on edge.

Nathan didn’t give himself the chance to ponder why Shadowman showed itself to her. Instead, he focused on the gorgeous woman before him, enthralled by her face in the moonlight. How long had it been since someone had made him feel alive, just by standing close to her?

“I deal with … supernatural things for a living.” As he spoke, he instinctively cupped her cheeks, wanting to comfort her.

Kaylee’s look was tortured, her gaze riveted to his. She
wanted
to believe him, if she could get over her reliance on the limited reality she knew.

Nathan wasn’t certain what compelled him to do what he did next, except that he felt almost like he had fallen under her spell.

He leaned forward and touched his lips to hers lightly, briefly. She didn’t seem like the kind who would hesitate to tell him, if she wasn’t interested. Nathan pulled back enough to see her face.

She didn’t push him or yell. She was gazing up at him, lost. The vulnerable expression disturbed him. He dealt with first gens who gave him a similar look all the time. They were like little sisters who just needed a nudge in the right direction and an occasional shoulder to cry on. He never thought more of them.

He wanted to do much more than just comfort Kaylee. He wasn’t going to be able to hand her a snow globe and walk away. No, he wanted her to trust him the way others did automatically and wasn’t certain why it bothered him so much that she didn’t. He felt the urge to help remove the emotions upsetting her and ensure they never returned, to run his hands down her body and listen to her sighs of ecstasy after they spent the night together.

Did she feel the strong connection between them?

Keeping his hands off her suddenly seemed unnatural. He liked the way her body felt next to his too much. Nathan risked her anger and kissed her again, this time more than a simple brush of their lips.

He expected a knee to the groin. Kaylee hesitated then kissed him back, not the mechanical response of someone going through the motions but with intensity and longing, a physical expression of just how much emotion lingered beneath her façade.

Nathan shifted closer, his arms circling her. She leaned into him. His desire stirred, deep and intense, his need to feel the warmth of her skin against his almost inhuman, almost like she belonged to him on some level he didn’t yet understand. By her passionate response, she felt the same.

“Your place or mine?” he whispered, withdrawing enough to speak. “Mine is a few blocks away.”

She was silent, under his spell for a moment. Finally, she shook her head and backed out of his embrace.

“I can’t,” she said uncertainly. “I won’t.” This was firmer. “You’re still on trial, Nathan. You can buy me a drink. That’s it.”

He snorted. “Too late. It’s a matter of when, not if.”

“You’re a cocky son of a bitch. You know that?”

“So I’ve heard,” he replied. “Give me the keys. I’ll drive.”

“You’re not driving my car,” she objected in a voice that was still husky from his kiss.

“You wanna talk about the boogeyman or not?”

He held her gaze, not deterred by the death stare. Thus far, he really enjoyed interacting with her. He didn’t know exactly what would come of their exchanges, but he was betting she’d end up in his bed before this whole thing was over. The attraction between them was too intense.

Kaylee fished her keys out of her pocket and tossed them to him, clearly displeased. She whirled and led him into the parking lot, stopping beside the vehicle he assumed was hers. He unlocked the doors with the remote.

“If you try anything funky, I’ll call the police,” she said, waving her phone.

“You’re safe with me, Kaylee.”

The way he said it – with a mix of amusement and daring – didn’t do much to reassure her of anything except there was no possibility of doing things on terms other than Nathan’s. He could kidnap her and take her anywhere, where no one would look for her.

Or he could answer her questions. Right now, she had some leverage, because he seemed to think she’d lead him to Mike. She was scared enough of Shadowman that she didn’t question what happened when she had no leverage.

Her stomach in knots, Kaylee got in the car.

Nathan was silent as he pulled the vehicle out of the parking lot and onto the quiet streets.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“To my place. I’ve got a full bar. I think we both need a drink.”

Kaylee silently agreed. She gripped her phone, her lifeline, even though she suspected she’d probably have no time to act, if Nathan turned out to be some sort of murderer or monster.

He drove them to a trendy part of Clarendon and pulled the car into the garage of a four story townhouse then closed the garage door behind them.

Kaylee expected he had money. Knowing he lived in the upscale neighborhood seemed to prove it.

Nathan paid no attention to her but got out and walked through the door leading into the townhome.  

She followed him, irritated when he pocketed her keys. He walked up a set of stairs to the main level, an open space that consisted of modern, minimalist décor in dark colors. Along one wall was the full bar he promised, complete with bar stools and counter in dark, aged woods.

Nathan went behind the counter and poured whiskey into a tumbler.

“Vodka cranberry?” he asked without looking up.

“Yeah. And my keys.”

He ignored the words and poured her a drink. Kaylee took it, her self-control almost at a snapping point. She gripped and released the tumbler with one hand, senses too scattered from the run in with Shadowman and the stress of dealing with Nathan.

“Drink that one down, and we’ll talk.” Nathan leaned against the counter.

Kaylee considered resisting. A glance at him reminded her that – no matter how much she hated him for it – she was at his mercy. Relenting, she tossed the drink back. It burned her throat on the way down. She swallowed then set the glass on the bar, wincing.

“That was strong,” she muttered.

“Yeah.” He poured her another drink then picked it up, leaving the bar area for the living room.

Kaylee trailed. With the amount of alcohol he put in her first drink, she’d be spilling her life story by the time she made it through the second. It didn’t help that the meds Evan gave her made her more of a lightweight.

She sat down in the oversized chair across from him.

Nathan was relaxed after his stay at the prison, his intensity remaining. He sipped his whiskey, eyes never leaving hers.

The silence irked her, but not as much as giving more ground to the stranger who knew too much about what was going on.

Nathan smiled faintly. “All right. You’re at your max. I’ll start.”

“I hate that,” she muttered. “Am I that easy to read?”

“You’re a bitch to read. But I’m not your average monkey, either,” he replied. “You know what a medium or psychic is?”

She raised her eyebrows, not expecting the question.

He waited.

“You’re serious?”

“Very.”

“Yeah, but they’re not real.”

“You know Shadowman. You think he’s of this world?” Nathan challenged.

“No, that’s just …”
A nightmare. One Nathan can see.
Kaylee picked up her glass and downed it. The relaxing warmth of alcohol from her first drink had started to spread through her, loosening her muscles and softening her rationale.

But she still didn’t believe in people who could talk to the dead.

“My line of work is along that vein,” Nathan continued. “I’m what’s called a spirit guide. Basically, a spiritual case worker for humans and incarnated angels.”

“Incarnated angels,” she repeated. “Okay.”

“You’re not buying any of this,” he guessed.

“Not really. But go ahead. If you want to be a psychic, I’ll humor you.”

“This works better if you believe in something supernatural,” he said. “Think of a memory from childhood. Something only you know.”

She started to smile.

“Really,” he said, sitting forward. “I’ll tell you exactly what I’m going to do. We are all connected by energy that originates from the Other Side. One of my gifts, which not many people can do, is to be able to tap into that energy and yours and interpret it in a way that no one else can. That’s how I’ll know what your memory is. If I’m wrong …” He pulled out her keys and put them on the coffee table between them. “And when I’m right, you’ll tell me where Mike is.”

“I want to know about Shadowman,” she said.

“I’ll tell you what he is either way.”

“Okay,” she said. “I’ll just take these.” She picked up her keys.

“Fine. Now, close your eyes, take my hand and envision whatever it is.”

Kaylee rolled her eyes then took his hand and closed her eyes. She drew a deep breath and sifted through her memories, wanting to find one that only she recalled or at least, one that it was impossible for Nathan to guess. His heat moved through her, up her arm and into her body. It was comforting and gentle and made her want to sink into his body like she might a hot bath.

She settled on an image of her grandparents’ backyard, from one of the annual trips she took to visit them before at their summer home in Tubac, Arizona, just south of Tucson. At the age of seven, she’d spent the vacation in awe of the saguaro cacti that looked just like cartoon cacti. They had a small cactus garden in the backyard hedged by stone. The rattlesnakes had been particularly bad that season, and she recalled her accidental run-in with one.

“Interesting,” Nathan’s ultra-low voice was soft. “I live in Tucson. You know saguaros are protected? If you cut one down you get fined.”

Kaylee wasn’t certain what to think. Maybe he got lucky guessing where she was thinking of, seeing as how he lived there.

“The rattler got in through the drainage hole in the fence,” Nathan added. “You didn’t see it until you almost stepped on it. It was a diamond back, young, and was stretched out on the stone walkway your grandpa built, sunning itself. You’re lucky you didn’t step on it. You weren’t scared, though, but … worried. Your grandpa would kill it, if he found it, and that bothered you, because despite that shell around you, you’re sensitive, sweet. Gentle.”

She opened her eyes, staring at him. Nathan’s eyes were closed, his head tilted, as if he was listening or watching something she wasn’t able to see.

Kind of like how Amira talked to the Shadowman in a way Kaylee couldn’t hear. This memory she didn’t want to recall and pushed it away.

Nathan frowned for a second then shook his head, opening his eyes.

“Convinced?” he asked.

“How did you do that?” she demanded.

“Like I said. I’m a spirit guide, someone whose job is to take care of other guides and angels and sometimes, humans,” he explained. “I do that by reading your aura, talking to your angels, communicating with those on the Other Side, channeling energies.” He shrugged. “Whatever it takes.”

“So my … energy told you about my memory. You can’t read my mind.”

“No, but I can read your aura, and right now, you’re freaking out.”

“Yeah.”

“For the record, that snake would’ve killed you. The next time you see a rattler, kill it,” he advised.

She studied him, wondering if he was walking about a real snake or about someone like him. Someone dangerous who appeared deceptively harmless.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she said, shivering.

“Mike’s whereabouts.”

“Shadowman first.”

Nathan sat back, and she sensed he wasn’t entirely pleased that she kept putting him off.

“All right,” he agreed. “Shadowman is a fallen guardian angel.”

“Like Satan?”

“Not
the
fallen angel. There’s a three-tier structure to the Other Side, with guardian angels at the top, under archangels, and the rest of the angels forming the third tier. But same concept, yes. He chose evil for some reason. Guardian angels are the elite and they usually take their responsibilities to humans as sacred.”

It was almost too much to comprehend. Almost. But it made sense on some level, too.

“Guardian angels … are they always around?” she asked.

“Not always. They can be anywhere, multiple places or nowhere at will. If you call to one, he’ll come. Some people smell comforting scents when their angels are around or see flashes of light. Some sense their presence through other means, a warm touch, a mini-hug … it just depends on how sensitive you are to them.”

Or like a hot blanket you can’t shake.
Some part of her was relieved to know what Shadowman was.

Nathan was a legitimate medium and Shadowman was a demon.

“Angels are assigned at birth and stay with you until death,” Nathan added.

Shit.
Was the same true of Shadowman?

“I’m ready to go home,” Kaylee said, standing. The world spun sickeningly, and she started to fall.

“Careful!” Nathan exclaimed. His arms wrapped around her, grounding her instantly with warmth and heat. His scent tickled her nose while the sensation of his body against hers jarred her, made her wonder what it would feel like if they didn’t have clothing between them.