Spirit of Seduction (6 page)

Arnie had them sit around a square chrome
and glass table. “Tell me what you’d like me to find out
specifically.”

Ryan was about to answer but Emily beat him
to it. “The name of the person—or people—who she remembers being
with last. Anything she can give us to lead to him, something we
can take to the police.”

“I’ll try.” Arnie covered his face with his
hands then held perfectly still.

Emily threw Ryan a subtle nod. If she was
okay with the guy, so was he.

Arnie’s head snapped back as if someone had
clocked him, then his expression turned almost serene. He mumbled
something unintelligible then slumped forward.

Ryan’s first instinct was to check to see if
Arnie needed CPR but Emily didn’t seem concerned so he sat
tight.

Finally Arnie’s lids
fluttered then opened. The guy looked as if he just woke up from a
long nap. “Josiah told me that whoever killed your sister was very
close to her—
very
close.”

Ryan glanced at Emily then
back at Arnie.
“Who
said?”

“Josiah. He’s my channel.” Arnie smiled. “My
contact person in the other realm, if you will. You understand that
Becky won’t know the name of her killer, right?”

Ryan nodded. “Emily explained that. But
Josiah will?”

“Perhaps. He understand things most spirits
do not.”

Forty-eight hours ago he’d have dismissed
the guy as a nut, but he didn’t have much choice other than to
believe him—or at least the message. Besides, the cops had told him
that the killer’s MO pointed to someone Becky knew and trusted.

“I’ll try again this evening. Sometimes I
can pick up more on my second attempt.” Arnie stood and gestured at
the door.

“Thanks for your help.” Emily strode into
the store. “Would you call me if you—”

“Of course,” Arnie cut her off.

Ryan followed her through to the front
door.

She dug in her purse for her business card
then apparently changed her mind and shoved it back inside.
Instead, she took one of Arnie’s cards from the counter, wrote her
cell number on the back then handed it to him.

“I heard you left The Spiral Circle and
stopped doing readings last year. What have you been up to lately?”
Arnie asked her.

She darted her eyes around the room.
“Keeping busy, you know.” Taking Ryan’s hand, she waved to Arnie.
“Talk to you later.”

The woman had a habit of avoiding certain
questions. And keeping secrets. Although he had no room to condemn
her since he’d neglected to share with her the sexual part of his
vision before they’d made love. He let her into his truck then
started it up and faced her. “Now what?”

She buckled her seatbelt. “Hopefully Arnie
will have some information for us later, maybe something we can
take to the police.”

“Hope so. What do you say we swing by
Tommy’s place as see if he’s got a black SUV with front end
damage?”

She lifted her eyebrows. “Are you serious?
You want to just show up there? This guy could be a killer, right?
If it is him, he’s already tried to come after us once. Maybe we
should ask the police to check him out.”

Ryan pulled onto the road. “I told you, the
cops won’t do shit to Tommy, not as long as his uncle’s a big wig
on the force.”

“Surely they’d have to call in another
agency under the circumstances.”

He swallowed back the taste of bile from his
throat. “They’re all crooked.”

Her throat twitched with a swallow. “Maybe
this isn’t a good idea.”

He pulled onto the road and patted her hand.
“It’ll be fine. Trust me.” If he found that black SUV on Tommy’s
property, he’d rip the bastard apart with his bare hands.

As they drove away from Raleigh, an uneasy
feeling settled in the pit of Emily’s stomach. She’d had the same
feeling back at Arnie’s store when the three of them were in the
office but she couldn’t pinpoint the source. The landscape looked
familiar and she realized they were close to Becky’s house.

Ryan turned at a mailbox
with the name
Thomas Leeds, Junior
hand written on the side. He negotiated the long,
narrow driveway to a modest log home. Several cars were parked near
an unattached three-car garage next to the house, but no black
SUV.

Ryan stopped his truck and drew a heavy
sigh. “Just because we don’t see the vehicle doesn’t mean he’s not
the asshole who rammed us last night. He could have parked it
behind his house, out of sight.”

Emily jerked back against the headrest as
Ryan punched the gas and headed around the side of the garage. But
there were no cars in back.

He slammed his fist into the steering wheel
then spun the truck around and started around front. “Damn it. I
was sure it was him,” he muttered under his breath.

Before she could respond, a dark-haired man
in his mid to late twenties came outside. “What can I do for you,
Ryan?” he asked.

Ryan stormed out of the cab and rolled his
shoulders. “Where were you last night.”

The other man set his hands on his waist.
“I’m not sure that’s any of your business.”

“Someone hit my truck. Twice.”

The testosterone was so thick she could
practically small it from the cab.

“Twice? How the hell did that happen?” Tommy
asked.

“Good question.”

A sarcastic grin nudged up the corners of
Tommy’s mouth. “Oh, I get it. You gonna accuse me of something
else, huh? Not bad enough you’re spreading lies that I’m some sort
of murderer. Now I’m after you, too. Sounds like you have a little
paranoia problem, my friend.”

Ryan shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. Maybe
having a cop in the family means you get away with murder.

Tommy fisted his hands and the men
approached each other with menacing stares.

Emily couldn’t help but look at the man’s
aura. The bright yellow color only told her what anyone else would
immediately realize—that he was struggling to keep his emotions
under control and trying to get the upper hand with Ryan.

Ryan’s aura burned red, full of rage. “A
black SUV rammed my truck last night.”

“I was home all night. And I don’t have an
SUV.”

Emily prayed the men didn’t come to blows.
She didn’t know what she’d do if they did. One of them could be a
killer. All the blood drained from her face when she realized it
was plausible that either one of them could have killed Becky. She
reached for her cell phone, ready to dial the police if either
threw a punch.

“I had nothing to do with Becky’s murder,
Ryan. Why can’t you get that through your head?”

Ryan shoved Tommy’s shoulder and Emily’s
heart lodged in her throat. Ryan was more muscular and broad but
Tommy had a good twenty or thirty pounds on him. An image of her
mother fighting with her boyfriend filled Emily’s head and her
throat seized up. She struggled to inhale slowly and pray for calm
but the intensity of the scene fired up so many painful memories
from her past.

Somehow she managed to get a grip on her
emotions and she climbed out of the truck. “Ryan, this won’t solve
anything.”

Tommy fisted his hands but
stood down. Emily ran over and grabbed Ryan’s arm. He started back
to his truck then turned toward the other man and jabbed a finger
at him. “I
will
find out who murdered my sister and I’ll kill the bastard.
Mark my words.”

Tommy’s jaw quivered. “I hope you do.”

When they got back into the cab, Ryan leaned
his head back and growled.

Emily slid closer, rubbing his arm. “I don’t
think it was him. I’m not getting those sorts of vibes from
him.”

He whipped his head toward her and and for a
moment she thought he was going to unload on her, but just as fast,
the energy diffused. Relief replaced her fear. She wished she could
get into his head but he was still an enigma to her.

He looked off into the distance. “There’s a
storm coming.” His eyes softened as they landed on her. “What do
you say to a cozy fire later?”

Visions of making love with him by the
fireplace heated her entire body. “Sounds good.”

He drove them back to his place and they
started inside.

Ryan grimaced at the low pile of firewood
outside the door. He handed her his keys. “Hang these on the hook,
would you? I need to chop some wood then I’ll be right in.”

She nodded as thunder boomed in the
distance. Ryan rolled up his sleeves and the glimpse of those
perfectly muscled forearms heightened her burgeoning desire.

Moments after she stepped inside, her cell
rang. She checked the display and her breath caught when she saw
Arnie’s number. She answered immediately. “Hey, Arnie. Any luck
yet?”

“Yes. Are you alone?”

She glanced through the window at Ryan and
watched him disappear behind a dilapidated shed. “Sure am. What’s
up?”

He didn’t say anything for a few seconds.
“How well do you know Becky’s brother?”

She didn’t want to say just how familiar she
was with the contours of his rock-solid body or the taste of his
skin. Still, her stomach fluttered at the memories. “Why do you
ask?”

Another hesitation. “I sense danger around
you.”

Her pulse kicked up a notch. She’d hoped
bringing Arnie into the case would remove the threat to her, but
this was the third time someone had expressed concern for her
safety.

“I need your help if I’m to get any more
information about Becky’s killer. Can you come right now?” he
asked.

She touched the pane of glass, wishing Ryan
would hurry back. “We can be there in half an hour.”

He grunted into the phone. “With Ryan? You
might not be safe with him.”

His statement hit her like a painful punch
as the realization of why he’d inquired about their relationship
settled in. “You couldn’t possibly think…”

“I’m not sure, but I don’t want you to take
any chances. I’m picking up on some bad blood between Ryan and
Becky. I’d feel better if you stayed away from him until we get a
clearer understanding of what happened. With your help I think we
can accomplish that.”

She recalled the uneasy feeling she’d had
when they were in Arnie’s office, then again outside Tommy’s place.
Ryan had told her he and Becky had argued the last time they’d been
together. Maybe she was minimizing the possibility that Ryan was
the murderer because of her feelings for him. Tears filled her eyes
as she allowed herself a final look toward the shed. “I’ll be right
there.” She hung up then grabbed Ryan’s keys. Her instincts told
her Ryan couldn’t have harmed his sister but she couldn’t deny
she’d wondered if he’d had anything to do with Becky’s death.

Quietly closing the door behind her, she
tiptoed across the old, creaky porch but when she heard the whine
of a chainsaw, she quickened her stride. With a backward glance,
she started the engine then gunned it. It wasn’t the first time
she’d run from something that had felt like home. She’d get over
it.

Ryan split the last pine log then started
hauling the wood to the house. A gnawing feeling niggled at him as
he strode to the back of the shed to grab the rest. He glanced
toward the spot where he’d parked his truck and immediately
froze.

What the hell?

He was sure he’d left it right outside the
door but it was gone. Something was very wrong. His heart shifted
into overdrive. He charged toward the house and practically ripped
the screen door from its hinges. “Emily?”

The silence confirmed what he’d already
guessed. She was gone. His chest ached with terror. Not only had he
failed at protecting his sister when he’d had no inkling she was in
trouble, but now he’d let Emily slip through his fingers and
possibly into a life-threatening situation when he knew damn well
that she’d been in danger.

He reached for his phone and dialed Emily’s
number as he raced outside, heading for Becky’s old Toyota. He
hadn’t been able to bring himself to sell or even drive the car
after the funeral but now he had no choice. Reaching Emily trumped
all his reservations about stirring up his grief.

“This is Emily. You know what to do,” her
voicemail said.

“What the hell is going on?” He disconnected
and called the police, told them Emily was missing.

“You and your girlfriend have a fight?” the
officer—one he’d dealt with more than once in the last
month—asked.

Ryan’s gut clenched. “No, it’s not like
that. She drove off in my truck with no warning. She wouldn’t have
done that unless something was wrong.”

“Mm hmm. How long has she been gone?” The
man’s tone instantly set every nerve in Ryan’s body on edge.

“Just a few minutes but she’s in danger.” He
could hardly explain to the cop how he knew but he prayed the man
would believe him anyway.

“Look, Mr. Barnes, you just told me she left
on her own. There’s not much I can do to help you unless she stole
your vehicle.”

He briefly considered reporting the pickup
stolen but time was ticking past and every moment might be taking
Emily closer to trouble. Without explaining himself, he hung up
then drove toward Tommy’s place.

“Tell me where she is, Beck,” he said in the
car. When no response came, he smashed a fist onto the Toyota’s
steering wheel.

Tommy’s house was dark when he arrived and
there was no sign of Emily or of his truck. He drove all around the
property with no luck. Again, Ryan beseeched his sister to help
him. Only silence greeted his pleas.

He jumped out of the sedan and stalked
toward Tommy’s house. The front door jerked open before he reached
the porch.

Tommy stood there wearing a scowl. “What the
hell do you want now, Barnes?”

Ryan stopped a few feet from him. “Where’s
Emily?”