Just in Time: Portals of Time (26 page)

“She can come back to him.”

“Maybe. But he’s a man…” Alisha shook her head. “Anyway, you can’t afford to get emotionally, or physically, involved with Dr. Lansing. Especially given what you’re going to do to him.”

“The thought of what I must do saddens me.”

“All the more reason to hold back. Don’t open yourself like you just did on Skype. You’re fully capable of blocking people and you’ll have to implement that technique with him.”

“I will, Lisha. I promise.”

Again, Lisha showed her softer side. That was happening more and more. “Dorian and I will be there to help. Just try to set your mind in that direction before we go, all right?”

“I’ll try.” She stood. “I’m going to go ask Helen to take me shopping tomorrow for suitable clothes. Would you like to come?”

“No. I’m want to stay here and see if I can find more out about the Lansings. Knowledge is power.”

Celeste nodded. Her heart was heavy as she climbed the steps.

DORIAN WAITED IN
bed for Luke to come to her. He’d left the house after the discovery about Jess, and the reiteration that her days with him would end soon, and hadn’t returned when she’d gone to bed for the night.

A soft knock.

“Come in.”

In the dim light from the lamp in the corner, she could only see the outline of his shoulders as he stepped inside and closed, then locked, the door. Quietly, he approached the bed.

For a moment, he simply stared down at her, then he sat on the edge of the mattress. Gently, he took her into his arms and held her against his chest. His heart beat a slow, strong rhythm. His woodsy male scent encompassed her. “We’ll talk. Later.” He cupped her cheek, kissed her nose. The underside of her jaw and her neck were his next target, where he spent time kissing her, giving her small love bites. His tender ministrations made her moan. Her hands went to her gown.

“No, let me.” His voice was rough.

For some reason, the unfastening of her long silk nightshirt by his big masculine hands, the gentle slide of the cloth off her shoulders was almost as sensual as his touch. He kissed every inch of the skin he bared. Dorian was overcome with the gentleness and his actions. Lying down on the mattress, he pressed his mouth to hers and Dorian stopped thinking altogether.

THEY
CUDDLED
TOGETHER
in bed, with the sheet pulled up, after spectacular sex. She’d learned a lot in a few months, and so had he. Now, as Luke held her close to him, he wondered how to begin. How to convince her she belonged with him. He could think of only one way.

She whispered, “I don’t want to leave you.”

He hadn’t expected an opening. “Then don’t.”

“Oh, Luke, you know I have to go tomorrow.”

“I didn’t know it would be that soon.” His throat got tight at the thought, and his eyes burned.

“Please understand. My love is yours, so much, but I have responsibilities.”

He waited a bit. “Marry me, Dorian. Be my wife.”

Moisture leaked from her eyes and he felt the wetness on his chest. “I will. But not now. After we’re done in Virginia, I’ll come back.”

He couldn’t believe she’d still go after saying she’d marry him. Anger pushed him to say, “That’s not good enough.”

Raising herself up on her elbow, she looked at him in the dim light. Her hair was messy from his hands, and her lips swollen from his mouth. “Why can’t you be more reasonable?” she asked, sounding irritated. That in itself didn’t sit well.

“Why can’t you? You don’t seem to understand how rare what we have is.”

Her laugh was sardonic. “Much more than you do, I’m sure. You don’t know how to compromise.”

“Maybe. Okay, fuck it, Dorian, there’s more. I’m can’t stop worrying about you. And the other two. You have to tell me what you’ll be doing.”

“As I said, many times, we promised the Guardians that we would not trust anyone, even if we thought we could. The nature of our mission is too important.”

“That shouldn’t include me. You made a commitment to me when you said you loved me. Would marry me.”

“I seek your forgiveness, Luke, but I can’t waver in this. When we’re finished with our task, I’ll come back.”

Her calm incensed him, when he was feeling so much turmoil. He drew away, slid out of bed, donned his clothes and walked to the door. When he reached it, he stopped and turned around. “Don’t bother,” he said as he stormed out of the room.

Dorian cried.

ONCE AGAIN, ALISHA
approached the church. She’d never get used to these huge buildings that were houses of prayer. She climbed the steps and opened the heavy, ornate door with the big brass handle. When she stepped inside, she marveled at the details in the open space—the beautiful stained-glass windows, the real metal called brass everywhere, the precious wood that was made into what they called pews.

She knew David Ryan’s office was in the back, so she hurried through the house of a god who’d forsaken the future.

I sent you here, didn’t I?

Hellor, now she was hearing the voice of this godhead. She knew believers experienced the same thing, but she accepted none of this. Instead, she believed people simply talked to themselves and called it god. She moved quickly in the opposite direction of where they held services.

David’s office door was ajar, but the space was empty. Glancing around, she saw him through the window, bouncing a ball on a paved section of the lawn. Above him, a hoop with a net hung off of a space to house cars. A garage. She let herself out the door to the back and crossed to the pavement.

He didn’t sense her presence, so she watched him. He’d removed his shirt, and the play of his muscles along his back when he propelled the ball through the air mesmerized her. Lowering her gaze, she watched his buttocks in the short pants he wore. They were toned, too. Clearing her throat, she called out, “David?”

He turned. His soft brown, curly hair was damp, and his hazel eyes sparkling. “Alisha, how nice to see you. Helen already called me. I’m so relieved about Jess.”

“Yes, we are, also. Our task in New York is completed.”

When he came closer, she was pleasantly assaulted by the scent of his sweat. All kinds of emotions swirled inside her. Picking up his shirt off the ground, he wiped his face with it, then poked his head through the neck and arms through the other holes. It fell to his waist but not before she got a glimpse of gleaming, dark blond hair all over that chest. Something she’d never seen on a man up close and in real life. Nice pectorals. A flat abdomen. Men of her time did
not
look like this.

“Let’s sit.” He led her to a wooden table, constructed oddly. She had to climb over on the bench to sit on it, opposite him. “You know, I’m already used to these seats that are not conformers.”

“It seems like you’ve all adapted.”

“Celeste the most. I’m worried about her.”

“Why?”

“We leave tomorrow for Virginia to complete our second task.”

Clasping his long, and now a bit dirty, fingers in front of him, he held her gaze. “You can talk about that to me, Alisha. I’m bound by my ministry to keep it private. Your feelings…your next task…anything.”

“No, thank you. But I do feel bad about forcing Dorian to leave Luke. I’m not sure I can identify the emotion.”

“Explain it to me.”

When she did, he said, “You feel guilty about taking her away from Luke. It’s human.”

“There isn’t much guilt in our time.”

“Lucky you. But then you don’t have religion.” For some reason, he chuckled at his own statement.

“No, we don’t.”

“What will you do when you’ve finished in Virginia?”

“Come back here, probably, if Dorian makes a life with Luke. I hope she does.”

“True love will find a way.”

She chuckled. “That sounds more like the
LifeLine Television
Celeste watches than a minister’s perspective.”

“I can be a romantic and a man of God.”

“I suppose.” She watched him. She’d never noticed how his eyes seemed to change color depending on the surroundings. The bark of the trees made them darker.

“Is that the only reason you came here, Alisha?”

“That, and to say good-bye.”

“Ah.”

“And maybe to get some comfort.”

His even, white teeth showed when he smiled. “Did I give it to you?”

“Talking with you helps calm me. Clear my head.”

“What a wonderful compliment.”

“Except when we argue about religion. Then you muddle my mind.”

He laughed heartily. “I’m convincing you of its value.”

“I doubt that.” Though she wasn’t much of a toucher, she reached out and squeezed his hand. “I must leave. Good-bye, David.”

They both stood and started toward the front. But before they got far, David grasped her shoulder, turned her around, and gave her a full body hug. No one, not Luke or Jess, had ever hugged her like this. Huh! Alisha liked it.

HELEN AND JESS
were sitting on the porch when all three women walked out of the house. Dorian’s heart was in horrible pain at the loss of Luke, and now she had to leave these two people she’d come to care about deeply.

“All set?” Jess asked, standing.

“Yes.” Dorian frowned. “I am sad to leave you.”

Helen came to his side. “It’s only for a little while, right?”

“If we complete our task and return here.”

“Oh, I just assumed…”

Celeste crossed to Helen. “What, Helen?”

“You can’t go back to your time, right?”

“With the probability at ninety-eight-point-six that it won’t happen, we’re operating on the belief that, no, we can’t.”

“Then we’re the only family you have in this time period. I assumed you’d come back to Brooklyn and settle near us.”

Dorian averted her gaze. Jess said, “He’ll come around, Dorian. He’s pigheaded, but my guess is he’ll come to his senses and wait for you.”

“I was hoping to say good-bye to him, too.”

“I’ll say it for you.” He took her in his arms and hugged her. She remembered how she’d thought the male and female contact between people who weren’t joining was odd when she first came here. Though they’d only been in this time period for nearly six weeks, it seemed as natural now as using their language and terminology.

They embraced Celeste warmly and even hugged Alisha.

Helen said, “I’m not coming to the train station with you. Car rides make me sick.”

Celeste put her hand on Helen’s stomach. “I hope we’re back when the baby is produced.”

Jess laughed. “Born, honey.”

Helen gave Celeste one last hug. Dorian knew, of all of them, those two had gotten the closest.

After they climbed into the automobile, Dorian stared through the window and her throat closed up. She’d had no idea what would happen to her in this time period when she arrived.

And she felt so bad, so angry and sad all at once, she almost wished none of it had transpired.

“YOU’RE AN IDIOT.”

“Thanks,” Luke said sulkily. He was sitting on the front porch with his brother, who’d just returned home from the train station. Helen was inside resting. “Next time you need your life saved, go find somebody else.”

Jess took a seat on the swing, which overlooked the yard. Luke had been out here for the hour Jess had been gone. He’d come back, maybe to see Dorian, maybe not. When he arrived and they’d already left, he considered that a sign.

His brother shook his head. “All three of them are furious at you. Even Helen’s mad.”

“Women.” The reply was curt. He didn’t have much to defend himself on.

“The Sisters of Doom have to go, Luke. And keep their task a secret. It’s not like you to behave so childishly.”

Ignoring the slur, Luke said, “I could find out what they’re doing on the Internet.”

“We’re not supposed to know.”

“And look for who their next victim is.” His fist curled on his knee. “Police databases can trace the women.”

“They use cash.”

“Everybody leaves some kind of trail.”

A long silence stretched out. Those things used to be common and comfortable between them. Finally, Jess touched his arm. “Why did you come here this morning?”

“To check on you.”

“That’s bullshit. You know what I think? That Dorian scared the hell out of you and you’re using her refusal to confide in you to split with her.”

Because Luke was feeling bad, because he was frustrated and because he’d begun to understand that exact thing last night, he answered, “Maybe.”

“Luke, there hasn’t been anybody serious in your life since your divorce five years ago. It’s time to move on.”

“Jesus, did I have to pick somebody from the fucking future?”

“So, I am right.”

Restless, Luke stood and moved to the railing. He stared at the lawn where he’d found Dorian the night she’d gone out with Carson. It reminded him of all they’d been through in these past weeks. “Yeah, you’re right. She turns me inside out, Jess. I never know what’s going on in her mind.”

“Celeste could tell you,” his brother joked.

“Which is another thing that burns me up. How do we know
she’ll
be safe? It’s
her
task. Or even if Dorian and Lisha will be when they assist her? It drives me crazy to think they’re going to complete whatever task it is alone.”

“We have to trust them. They succeeded with me.”

“It’s not like we’d tell anybody.”

“No, but one night when you get pissed all over again that she’s gone, you’d charge down to Virginia and find them. You could spoil everything. Besides, they swore to their Guardians they wouldn’t reveal their task. They take their vows seriously.”

Because he’d accused her of breaking a vow to him and felt bad about the harsh words between them, he said, again, “Yeah, maybe.”

“Of course, it’s too late to do anything about it now,” Jess said evenly. “She’s probably on the train.”

“What time does it leave?”

He glanced at his watch. “At two. They wanted to get there early to acclimate themselves.”