(Psychic Visions 01) Tuesday's Child (29 page)

Then he'd gone on to the care center with his dogs. The dogs had been great, the staff had been great – the people however... What was with those old people? They all had a gambling problem for one thing. And for another, they were a bunch of busybodies. Like that one old geezer. Apparently, he knew something about the ring the media had flashed on the television. Those damn old folks were betting on when he was going to remember just what it was. Who could have predicted such a problem? Well, he'd had no choice, had he? The guy couldn't be allowed to remember anything about him – ever.

That little bit of violence had been just enough to whet his appetite, to rouse the beast inside, yet not enough to sate either. It had been too fast, not well planned…and that bothered him a bit. Yet, he'd had few options. Prudence said he should be home and out of sight right now. He'd actually been driving in that direction when he'd seen her.

She was perfect.

He pulled off the road to a small parking lot so he could watch her sashaying down the sidewalk.

The glare shining through the windshield irritated him. It limited his view. Rummaging in the glove box, he finally came up with a scratched pair of sunglasses. Better than nothing. Putting them on, he quickly searched the area in front of the drugstore that she'd walked into a few minutes earlier.

There. She was laughing at something someone had said, her head turned as she walked out the door. She strode with confidence in the sunshine. God, he loved that. Loved to see a woman sure of her sexuality, sure of who she was.

And she was so wrong.

That was the best part. Stripping away their innocence and teaching them about the real monsters of the world.

He leaned forward for a better view. She turned left and moved smoothly down the sidewalk. Look at her walk – liquid honey. He grinned.

Perfect.

He hopped out of the truck and followed behind at a steady pace. When she entered a small clothing boutique, he found a bench on the sidewalk and sat to enjoy the sunshine. He had nothing better to do, except follow her around. She loved her little boutiques and before the month was out, he'd know every one of them.

2:20 pm

The afternoon was gorgeous. Sam felt like shit.

Leaning against the front doorframe of her cabin, looking out to the rest of the world, Sam mentally ran through the various options. She still had a couple days before she started working with Stefan. In the meantime, she had some homework to do. If these visions would stop, she might actually have the energy to work on them.

Her phone rang. Butterflies took flight in delight at the number on her phone display. He'd slid into her consciousness like he'd always belonged there. When had he gone from a cop to a friend, and now to mean something so much more? "Hi Brandt. What's up?"

"I need to see you today. There's something I need to go over with you and it's better to do this in person. Are you going to be home this afternoon or evening?"

Sam's stomach dropped. In person would be great, except nothing about this sounded good. Now what? "I'm here all day and night. I'm going to work on Stefan's exercises this afternoon, then head to the lake for a swim." She hesitated for a moment. "What's this about?"

"Deputy Brooker came into the office today. His story is a little different than yours."

She snorted. "What? He's in town?" Sam gripped the cell phone in her hand, her knuckles turning white. "When did he get here and what is he driving? I think I saw that same black truck yesterday."

"What? Why didn't you say something?"

"I didn't know if it was the same vehicle or not. I was still in town, so took off around the corner. I never saw him again."

"He is driving a black Dodge truck, but that doesn't mean it was him. We're running a check on him now. You stay there and just be careful. If anyone shows up, but me, hide unless you know them. I'll get there in a couple of hours – earlier if I can."

She shook her head. Not good enough. Not even close, only what were her options at this point? None. "Then you damn well better show up soon, or I'll be coming in after you."

The phone closed with a snap. Sam let out a shaky breath. Okay. Another problem. She was good at those. She snorted. Like hell. In the past, she'd run. So what did she do now?

Stick around and fight.

5:45 pm

T
he late afternoon sun danced on top of the glassy lake. Sam studied the inviting landscape. Yeah. That's exactly what she needed.

"Hello, Soldier." She smiled at the dog lying so peacefully in the sun. Healthier now, his coat was thick and although still grimy, it was no longer covered in blood. Most of it had dried and fallen off. She'd love to get him into the lake, except he still had stitches. The last thing she wanted was to have to manhandle the dog into the truck and back to the vet's office. Soldier accepted her presence as a necessity, but only as long as his independence and freedom never came into question.

Soldier surged to his feet and started growling.

Sam frowned. "Soldier?"

The dog turned to face the wooded area behind the house and growled again.

Sam peered into the trees, but couldn't see what bothered the dog. He growled again at the bushes behind her. The woods appeared calm, and should have been teeming with life. None of it showed.

The energy had a peacefulness to it. Then maybe it was the energy she was projecting. Stefan's exercises had a phenomenal effect. It was what she was imagined meditation could do for a person. A sense of ease, comfort, had slipped under her guard. It's not that she felt she could do anything, because she knew she couldn't, however she did have a better understanding of just what she could do. The exercises were basic. She had to start at the beginning, according to Stefan. Working on seeing energy, understanding the colors around people, animals, even plants. Then to understand what the markings and colors meant.

Sure she was tired, but a good tired. Her energy muscles, something she never knew existed, had been well and truly flexed.

It felt great.

So many things in her life felt great – especially Brandt. She had no idea where the relationship was going, or when. All she could think about was where it would end up – in bed. At least she hoped she was reading the signals right.

Delight wiggled in her belly. She hoped he felt the same way.

With Soldier on guard in the late afternoon sun, Sam headed for a swim. It was the perfect temperature for a cool, relaxing dip. Feeling physically stronger than she had in years, Sam stretched her abilities to the limit, swimming strong for thirty minutes before rolling over onto her back and floating. Calm and filled with peace, she waited for her breathing to return to a calm gentle rhythm. It took longer than she expected.

With a groan, she realized she may have overdone it.

In the aftermath of exertion, her body chilled quickly. Turning over, she fluttered her hands enough to propel herself gently in the right direction.

The silkiness of the water slipped over her skin, making her sensitized skin come alive. The chill quickly morphed into heat as she moved through the water under the setting sun. Now, if only Brandt were here with her. His hands sliding across her skin instead of the gentle waves. She stretched, reveling in the freedom of the night.

"Sam. Goddamn it, what the hell are you doing?" The yell stormed across the water.

What was that? She raised her head.

"Get over here."

Well, that was hard to miss. She rolled over in the water and searched around the house and the dock. Brandt strode toward the water. Even from that distance, she could see his grim face. Her pulse sped up at the sight of him. Even if he was mad at her.

"Sam, you're too far out."

Too far. Sam twisted around her and realized she'd unintentionally floated out even further. Still, she wasn't in trouble. At least, not yet.

Striking out strong, Sam headed in. Her energy petered out before she managed a dozen strokes. She shifted to breaststroke and continued shoreward. When she made it to roughly fifteen feet from the dock, Sam slowed and treaded water.

She watched Brandt's loose-limbed stride carry him to the end of the dock, heard him yell, "God damn it, woman. Get your sorry ass in here."

Tall and lean, he looked incredibly good with a gentle wind ruffling his hair. Moses whined beside him. Now, if only she hadn't spent the last hour imagining him in the water with her.

"Sorry buddy. It's not you I'm mad at – it's her."

Moses sat down.

Sourly, Sam watched their interplay. Moses may not have anything to worry about. Obviously Sam couldn't say the same thing. She felt like hissing. Damn it. She was swimming in the nude.

6:55 pm

Brandt couldn't believe it. The last time he'd seen her, she'd been caught in a heavy vision and experiencing huge blood loss. Now she was out there swimming in the middle of the damn lake. She'd have been better off relaxing and regaining her strength. He watched as she struggled the last few yards. She was worn out, but if he jumped in to help her, she'd be royally pissed. Go figure.

He scowled at the dog at his feet. Even Moses knew better than to swim right now.

Jesus. She needed a babysitter. She was as bad as his mother.

Watching Sam swim closer, he realized he'd probably overreacted here. Swimming would help rebuild Sam's strength and endurance. Exercise had many benefits and as long as she didn't overdo it, then swimming was a good way to go.

Somehow, that logic didn't matter because he was still pissed. Scary. He stopped suddenly, hands fisted on his hips. And all because he was worried – about her. He blew his breath out in a gust. Oh, God, this was getting bad.

The balmy evening breeze wrinkled the water before smoothing it flat again.

He frowned. The cabin was a long way from everything. Not only that, if she were to run into trouble, no one would know for days. Not until she didn't show at work. Damn it. His frown deepened.

The bushes rustled behind him. Instinctively, he dropped and spun around.

Deep yellow eyes glowed in the darkness.

That damn watchdog.

"Hello there, Soldier. How are you feeling? I see you're moving better." Keeping his voice even and calm, he kept a wary eye on the dog's reactions. He wasn't exactly growling. On the other hand, neither was he wagging his tail with joy.

The two males glowered at each other. Both silent and watchful. Both waiting for the other to move. Brandt knew better than to break his gaze first. The alpha male was the one who held the gaze the longest. If he were ever going to get close to Sam, then the watchdog had to accept his presence.

Splashes alerted him to Sam's approach. Keeping his eyes trained on the dog, he called out, "Are you okay, Sam?

She coughed gently, then again a bit stronger. "I'm fine." Her voice was reedy and thin. "I'm just getting out now."

Brandt stared at the dog, relieved. "You sound exhausted. You should never have gone for a swim. Or at least not for so long," he admonished.

"Like I'm going to listen to you," she scoffed. "You're arguing with a dog."

Brandt started. Indignantly, he said, "I am not."

Sam brushed past him, a towel wrapped around her body, droplets of water flying off with every step. She deliberately walked between the two males. Both sets of eyes immediately switched to the distraction.

Brandt swallowed. Her towel snuggled around her curves, shifting to accommodate the gentle movements as she walked. Water had soaked into the thin material, making it almost transparent. Brandt's imagination fired up. The towel hung loosely down the center of her spine. There were no straps on her shoulders.

He swallowed.

The towel cuddled her bottom, just barely covering the gentle curves. He couldn't see any sign of a bathing suit. The tantalizing thought both enraged and delighted him. Didn't she realize that anyone could have come down here?

This lady was just asking for trouble.

Yet, the thought of all that female flesh floating sensuously free in the cool water was a huge turn on. And gave him an intimate insight into her true character. Watching her walk ahead of him and not knowing whether or not she was nude, was an even bigger aphrodisiac.

The bushes rattled again. Soldier, now in front of Sam, turned. His lip curled, his spine humped up and the hair on the back of his neck stood straight up.

Samantha stopped.

Brandt instinctively freed his gun, staying close to her as he peered into the woods. "What is it?" he whispered.

Sam shrugged, her eyes searching the woods. "I can't tell." Her voice was low, balanced. "Soldier doesn't like it …and neither do I. Something doesn't feel...right."