Authors: Lori Perry
"I don't believe we've met, and I didn't fly in from Sydney. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, no reason." She lied, trying to shake off her shock. "I really need to get to work Michael. I'm sorry." She needed to get him off the phone.
Work must be getting to me
.
"Well that's why I called actually. I was wondering if you needed any assistance in your search. I'm usually an excellent sleuth." She could hear the smile in his voice which calmed her to a degree. There was something in the smoothness of his voice that caressed her inside, soothed her nerves. But still, she needed to keep him at a distance.
"I work alone, but thank you for the offer." No way was she going to share this case with him. Especially since she was picturing him with fangs and a large package pressed to her rear!
"You're quite sure? Remember, I find people as well. And if you have a little help, then we can find the man you're looking for sooner."
"I can't pay you." Where did that come from? Could she really be considering this? Spending a little extra time with the stranger was sounding better and better.
"Dinner with you would be payment enough. Of course, we should have a pre-search dinner as well, just to plan our attack." He chuckled, sending goose bumps up her spine and she found a smile inching across her face. She searched her intuition for a good reason to skip the date, but there was nothing; no warning bells were going off.
"All right," she breathed out a heavy sigh, "how about lunch?"
"I would love nothing more, but unfortunately I have a few things I must attend to before I'm free."
Disappointment flittered through her. After all his persuasion, he was going to make her wait? She supposed it was part of his game; a handsome P.I. vacationing on an island, picking up women.
"We can meet at dusk, you pick the restaurant."
She was frustrated with herself for giving in, yet too curious to say no; Danielle needed to figure out why she was dreaming of this man and where he came from quick, before she committed herself. There was a Vanuatu travel guide on the telephone table and she flipped through it.
"How about Trader Vic's?" It was the first place that popped into her line of vision once she could concentrate on actually looking for a place to eat.
"Sounds perfect, Danielle. I look forward to seeing you tonight."
After saying good-bye and plopping the receiver back into place, she scrubbed her hands across her cheeks and eyes trying to wake up from this creepy situation. Concentrating seemed to be a monumental feat but she forced the thought of him to the back of her mind; business was her priority. There would be plenty of time during dinner to dwell on the craziness.
With shaky hands, she shook out a lemon drop and tossed into her mouth. She felt like a junkie with these stupid lemon sugar candies, but the calming effect, the comfort they gave was worth it.
Chapter Four
The day proved unproductive as Danielle wandered through the streets of the
happiest country on Earth
looking for a rat in a haystack, and finding nothing. Orlando was tucked away somewhere on this island, and soon he would make a mistake; they always did, and Danielle hoped she wasn’t distracted when that happened. Dinner was fast approaching and she found the butterflies in her stomach going nuts as the thought of sitting across from her dream man festered in her mind. Trying to ignore the great mystery wasn’t happening. In less than an hour she hoped to figure out the
what's
and
whys
of this whole situation.
Giving up on her search for the day, Danielle headed back to her cottage to throw together an appropriate outfit to see him. A flash of the huntress from her dream popped into her head; dressing like her would be fun. But would he sit across from her and think she was just a wacko, waiting to flag the waitress for the check?
As she stood in front of her mirror adjusting the sundress she finally decided on, she strained her mind trying to think of any clue as to why she knew him. Perhaps they’d met during another hunt? Yes, they had obviously met before, that was the most reasonable explanation for why she had known his face and name prior to their encounter on the beach. But apparently, she had found their meeting more significant than he did.
Why was he a vampire in her dreams that she
wanted
to loathe, but failed miserably? He was a beautiful, mysterious man on a tropical island, and happened to be giving her attention she was usually closed to, that's why. Frustrated she grabbed her forehead with both hands and squeezed just wanting it to all go away. This dinner was pointless; he was a wildly attractive man probably just looking for a little action, and her dreams were just manifestations of a hot guy she glimpsed somewhere, nothing more.
Walking to the phone, she set her mind to cancel the dinner when a light tapping made her trip.
Shit, he's here.
"One minute." There was no turning back now. Danielle took one last look in the mirror, grabbed her bag then opened the door. What she saw took her breath away. Michael towered on her porch wearing a long-sleeved white shirt unbuttoned and revealing an ample amount of his perfectly sculpted chest. It was loose over dark blue-jeans that seemed to be made for his long, lean body and flip flops adorned his feet.
Her heart raced and she swallowed hard, secretly asking for the strength his Ana possessed in her dreams. He wanted her, was drawn to her it seemed.
What am I thinking?
"Hello." He said with a cheerful grin. "You look beautiful." His eyes swept up and down her body and she felt the heat of his gaze over every inch of her skin.
Move over Ana, Danielle just got the once-over.
"Hi, thank you." Her dress suddenly felt too small. "You look good too." The awkwardness she knew would be there was much worse than she had expected.
Please let this be over with fast.
She tugged at the hem of her dress and looked past him at some kids playing Frisbee.
"Well thank you." With his arms open wide, he glanced down his own body with a half bow. "Are you bringing the files?" he said after a long pause.
"Oh, of course." A perfect distraction, though she hated giving up any information, it would hold off the inevitable conversation of her dreams and their prior meeting she knew she would get into. Spinning on her heel she rushed back toward the bed and grabbed the folder. The night might just go by fast with his mind occupied on learning the facts of her case.
Once they arrived at Trader Vic's, Danielle's nerves smoothed a bit. She desperately wanted to let go of her training, forget about her commitment to work and relax. Nothing but her own dedication to the game kept her from enjoying herself. When they left the taxi, she noticed the way he walked, smooth and fluid, exactly the way he did in her dream. Before she was locked away on shutter island, she needed to let it go; at least for now. She glanced at Michael as he breezed in and requested a table for two, and then guided her to follow the waiter. Confidence glowed around him, and as heads turned following his sexy stride, she felt a pang of pride that he was there with her, no matter the reason.
Michael pulled the chair away from the table and waited for Danielle to slide in then took the seat next to her. The table was nestled in the corner, away from most of the crowd and the glow of one candle illuminated them. Once Danielle felt settled, she pushed the file across the shiny wood table to Michael, and watched as he flipped through it.
"A kidnapping, huh?" The way he sat leisurely scanning the file, captivated her. She tried to keep her thoughts straight, but the way his hair scattered across his brow and how he bit his lower lip when concentrating, made heat flow through her limbs and she almost forgot the purpose of their date.
"Outwardly, yeah. But I think there's more to it than that." The waiter brought ice water and took their drink and appetizer order, forcing her to pause in her explanation.
"Do tell." He probed once they were alone again.
"Well, the parents gave statements that on several occasions their daughter would sneak out to see this guy." She rustled through the papers and pointed to his picture. "I know it's a little blurry, but can you see that little blonde by the phone booth back there?" She pointed to a small figure off in the distance. "I think that's our "
victim
" calling mom and dad after she disappeared." The photo was a bit grainy taken from a convenience store security camera, but with a trained eye you could make out a suspect.
"I think you're right." Peering closely at the photo he took a full minute to respond. As long as he was busy investigating, she could hold off on quizzing him over her vampy dreams. She watched him as he combed through her paperwork, flipping back to the photo every so often, and decided he was the most handsome man she'd ever seen. Something about the set of his features and the graceful way he moved had her mesmerized. If she started up her insane ramblings about dreaming of him before they met, and seeing him as a blood-sucker she wanted to hate, he would probably politely excuse himself to the bathroom and run for the nearest airport, thinking she was either a mental institution runaway, or lying to manipulate him in some way. At least that's what she'd think.
"Find anything useful?" She asked as she drained the last bit of her water. The waiter rushed up to set a fresh glass in front of her and Michael thanked him before he spoke again.
"I'm sure we'll find this guy trying to hide in plain sight. I just wish I knew his motivations." When he reached the end of the folder, he found a handwritten note from the girl and quickly grabbed it. "This is from the girl?" He glanced up waiting for her reply.
"Yeah, the girl's parent's found it on her pillow after she left but they don't think she really wrote it. And if she did, they think he forced her to."
Michael began to read the note aloud.
Dear mom and dad,
Please don't worry about me. I'm really happy with Orlando. He's so nice to me and we have big plans. I'm going with him but I'll call you all the time. Please trust me; I know what I'm doing.
I love you guys and will miss you so much!
Cassie
"I think she wrote this." Michael's brow furrowed as he slowly swiped his fingers across the writing.
"I agree. They haven't analyzed the writing, but my gut tells me she's perfectly fine." Michael slowly nodded agreeing with her. The waiter set their drinks and a plate of Crab Rangoon in front of them. They sat in silence as he finished up the packet of information, then tucked it neatly back into place. She realized the time for her dream conversation was here and suddenly wanted a drink stronger than the coke in front of her.
Michael needed to concentrate on that handwritten letter to know the scene behind it. But to do that in front of anyone would just make him look crazy; fondling a young girl's good-bye note to her parents didn't exactly fit into first date etiquette. Later, when she went home, he could trace to her bungalow and retrieve the letter. Michael wasn’t fond of the feelings he got when he traced, but being a vampire's easiest mode of travel, he endured it.
Michael set one of the appetizers on his plate and watched Danielle do the same. It had been centuries since he had eaten food other than blood; hundreds of years since he felt so normal. Lifting his glass to his lips, Michael swished the cool bubbles around his tongue then swallowed. It definitely felt foreign sliding down his throat, but he didn't want Danielle to be suspicious. Anything he ate or drank tonight would need to come back up later, not a terribly pleasant experience, but one he would happily endure for the sake of finding his Ana.
He had what he needed to help him find Orlando, but needed a distraction so that he could swipe that letter without Danielle knowing it.
"So, have you had anymore of those dreams?" As the words left his lips, he could hear the thrum of blood in her veins rush faster. This was a touchy subject it would seem.
"I've had a couple more, one not half as bad as the others." She averted her eyes to the surrounding room, avoiding eye contact with him.
"Tell me what happens in them? They sound pretty interesting." The tension in her shoulders doubled and she waved for the waiter. After ordering a mixed drink she folded her hands on the table, bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut briefly. He wanted to comfort her and though he didn’t really know why, he felt guilty for prying into her personal life. "If you'd rather not…"
"No, no it's OK. I actually have wanted to tell you." When her drink arrived she gulped a few swallows then let out a deep breath. "Have you ever had déjà vu? But so strong you swear it really happened?" Another gulp.
"Yes, lots of times."
"I mean like you're really seeing something you've done, in the past?" She was trying to tell him something, without coming right out and saying it. And whatever it was made her very uncomfortable.
"Hmm, perhaps not that strong. Why Danielle, what are you seeing in your dreams?" As she opened her mouth to start the explanation, something at the front of the restaurant caught her eye. Spinning in his seat, he scanned in the same direction and froze. Orlando leaned against the door frame staring at Michael; taunting him with his arms crossed over his chest.