Touched by Lightning [Dreams of You] (Romantic Suspense) (16 page)

She hung up, leaning her forehead against the phone.
Adrian, who are you really? Why are you here?
Nothing added up with him. He was a photographer from New York, that much was true. Then there were the visions he’d told her about. She shivered, still hearing his words as he told her about getting struck by lightning and seeing the images of her, and then going inside her. It sounded so bizarre, and yet, it could explain the pull she had felt for him even that first time she saw him.

She hurried back to her van parked in the Ft. Lauderdale Hilton’s lot. Devlin could have told Adrian about the sandcastle, though she couldn’t think of a reason he’d pick that particular incident. What about her loneliness? No one knew how lonely she had been in that wealthy, privileged world. Yet Adrian had.

She closed her eyes, feeling such an immense pain shiver through her body. He said he’d been there when the car exploded. Her fingers traced the network of scars on her shoulder that would forever remind her of that horrible day. She could still see Adrian touching her shoulder at the beach, kissing the scars on the back of her hand. That hand went to her mouth, to lips that could still feel his kisses. Her eyes widened.

“Oh God, I’m in love with him. No, I can’t be.” Her heart told her differently. “No, I am not in love with him. He lied to me. No matter what he said about his visions, he still lied. I can’t trust him.”

At the sound of her voice, Crackers got up from the bed she’d made for him and hobbled over. When she started scratching his head, he curled up beside her and sighed contentedly.

“You’re the only male I can trust, besides Ulyssis. Even if you do like that…that man. At least I know you’re legit.”

The pup licked her finger, then closed his eyes. When she had walked him earlier, after her flight from Palm Beach, she’d noticed him looking for Adrian. She was searching for him, too, but for other reasons. He’d never find her here. Maybe after a few days of not seeing her, he’d give up and go back to New York and his cranky agent. Crackers was due back at the vet for a checkup in a day or so, but Nikki planned to wait another two days before returning to the area. She’d go to another vet, but she didn’t have the money; the checkup was included with the first visit.

Now that her suspicious mind was at work, she wondered if Adrian hadn’t paid for that bill. Probably out of guilt. As well he should, she thought, lifting her head. If he hadn’t been sneaking around, he wouldn’t have hit Crackers.

She stroked the pup’s soft fur, wondering how she was going to put him back out to the streets when he healed. Though her life was definitely not set up for having a dog, she had to admit she enjoyed his company. Especially during those lonely nights. Against her will, she thought of the time Adrian held her at the beach. She gave Crackers a squeeze. It wasn’t the same, but it would have to do. She couldn’t let Adrian near enough to do that again.

For two days Adrian pored over the entire Palm Beach area looking for Nikki. He decided that she had picked the best place to hide from her brother, even if he was only a few minutes from there. The people of the street blended into the background—because people wanted them to be invisible.

Adrian used to feel that way, too. He didn’t want to see them because they reminded him of what he was once afraid of becoming. For a while, he had been one of them. They weren’t just nuisances or blotches on the face of society; they were people, human beings who had run out of luck. He would never look at them the same way again, not here or in New York.

Adrian parked outside The Lord’s Shelter. It was a bright, sunny day, and he felt like a completely different man than the Adrian Nash who had gone there to spend the night. He looked different, too, with crisp jeans and a bulky sweater he’d picked up in France a year ago. His hair was combed straight and tied back, and his face clean-shaven. Strangely, he didn’t feel as out-of-place as he looked.

When Dave saw him walk inside, his friendly expression turned curious, then to that hostile tone it had the last time Adrian was there. He walked to where Adrian stood, just inside the front doors. Before Dave could say anything, Adrian held out his hand.

“Hello, I’m Adrian Wilde.” He handed him a business card, turning Dave’s expression back to curious. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

Dave looked him over, then shrugged. “Follow me to my office.”

Adrian remembered the office well, though they’d gone in a different way. He could still see Nikki standing there with the orange light all around her, making her look like an angel. Dave took a seat behind his battered desk and read the business card, but Adrian remained standing.

“You’re here to take pictures of the homeless? Is that what this has been about?”

“No, not at all. I told you the truth when I said I was looking for a woman I had known. Nikki is that woman. I don’t know what she told you about me, but she’s right about one thing: I did lie about who I was. It’s not because I’m on some devious mission. How much do you know about her?”

Dave shrugged. “Not much. Most people who come in here don’t volunteer much about themselves.”

“I suppose not. But there’s something different about Nikki. I’m sure you’ve noticed.”

Dave’s light skin blushed at that. “Of course. She’s a lovely girl who certainly doesn’t belong here. But she’s never asked for help, and our policy here is not to push it on anyone.”

“She wouldn’t have taken your help anyway. She’s in danger. I can’t tell you much more than that, because I don’t know all the details. All I do know is that I have to help her.”

“She knows you lied about your identity.”

“She now knows who I really am and why I’m here. Whether she believes the latter part, I don’t know.” He wasn’t about to explain it all to Dave. “I’ve looked all over for her, but I can’t find her anywhere. I’d like to help out here, so if she comes in, I’ll be able to talk to her. That’s all I want to do, is see her and try to help her.” At Dave’s hesitation, he added, “I know you have no reason to trust me, but I’m all Nikki has right now. You’ll be here to make sure I don’t throw her over my shoulder and haul off with her.” The thought did have some appeal. Adrian raised his hands. “I can ladle soup real good.”

Dave seemed to contemplate the whole thing, tapping his fingers on the desk top. Finally he said, “Okay. But if there’s even an inkling of trouble—”

“I know, the cops respond quickly when you call them.”

Both men smiled, and Dave said, “Okay, you got the hint last time.” He looked at his watch, getting up. “It’s about lunch time. Let’s see if we can find you an apron.”

“I’ll risk my jeans, thank you.”

As the line of familiar faces filed past him, Adrian’s gaze kept drifting toward the door. He smiled at the people with whom he’d spoken, but they only gave him curious glances. Adrian wasn’t sure that they’d even recognize him without the beard, but he didn’t much care. There was only one thing he cared about. Well, two. One was small and fuzzy.

Nikki had finagled the phone number to the rental house under the pretext of having left an item there while friends had rented it a month ago. Though the agent insisted they’d never found a camera, she sweet-talked the man into letting her call the current resident just to take a quick look in one of the upstairs rooms where the cleaning people may have missed it.

No one had answered the phone in two days. When the machine picked up, a generic voice announced the guests were out seeing the sights and would she like to leave a message? She realized she’d hoped to hear Adrian’s voice, and shook her head in disgust.

She didn’t dare drive by the house, but even calls late at night yielded no answer. She wondered if he’d given up and gone back to New York. For some odd reason, that thought made her feel lonely, not safe. He could have been some madman, or a murderer. Still, the words he’d spoken at the beach haunted her:
It felt like I was going into you, right before you experienced whatever put those scars on you. I was there with you. I felt everything you felt
.

She shivered, wondering if his voice would ever go away. He had described her experience. Maybe he’d guessed what it was like to get caught in an explosion, but knowing that she thought only of her mother, and seeing the man who had mugged her, taking her wallet and leaving her feeling violated, how did he know that?

It was late afternoon before she got the courage up to drive into West Palm Beach. She parked behind the veterinarian’s office and walked inside with Crackers. The same pretty blonde was behind the counter, and she greeted Crackers and gave him a dog biscuit.

Nikki leaned against the counter. “Did the man who was with me pay Crackers’s bill?” The blonde seemed to weigh her answer, and Nikki added, “You can tell me the truth. I won’t tell him.” That much was true.

“Yes. He even came back in and paid the balance.” The woman smiled. “He’s gorgeous. He was in a few days ago to see if you’d brought the puppy back for his checkup.”

Nikki’s face went pale. “He was just in?”

“A couple of days ago.”

The doctor walked out to bring them back to the examining room.

Crackers got a clean bill of health, another dog biscuit, and the good news that in two weeks the cast would come off. She didn’t make an appointment, in case Adrian was still in town and came in again.

“I’m parked out back. Is there an exit there?”

The woman gave her an odd look, then nodded. “Sure. Follow me.” When she opened the door, she added, “And good luck with your fellow. You’re one lucky lady.”

After looking around for Maudine, Nikki decided to check The Lord’s Shelter for her. It was getting late, and the nights got cold. Nikki was pretty sure Maudine would be sleeping at the shelter if she got there early enough. A bowl of chicken noodle soup might help the chill in Nikki’s heart, too. It helped everything else, didn’t it?

She wrapped her arms around herself as she hurried up the front steps to the shelter. It had been a while since she’d been there, and it gave her an odd sense of comfort as she pushed the heavy door open. The line of hungry people nearly reached the entry, but she wanted to find Maudine first.

When she walked past the kitchen, she nearly fainted. She couldn’t believe what she saw, and blinked her eyes several times. Adrian stood behind the counter, dishing out bowls of soup. Or at least she thought it was Adrian. At first she thought her mind was playing tricks on her.

He was clean-shaven, and his hair was straight, pulled back in a ponytail. His rich burgundy sweater hugged the width of his chest. But it was his eyes that solidified the fact that it was, indeed, Adrian Wilde. She’d never forget those gorgeous brown eyes. As she stood with her mouth agape, she saw his eyebrows knit together a second before he looked in her direction.

She ducked out of view before he saw her, leaning against a bookcase in the now deserted reading area. Her heart was pounding like a jackhammer. After taking a second to catch her breath, she slipped down the hallway to Dave’s office. It was dark and cold, but she was glad it was unlocked. She shut the door and locked it, leaning against the wood. Her hand was pressed against her heart as though that could calm its frantic beating. After a time, she let herself feel some amount of relief that he hadn’t seen her.

The last time she’d been in this office, Adrian had been with her, carrying an injured Crackers. She remembered how concerned he’d been, and realized that was guilt. She had seen it again at the beach. Whether it had been concern or guilt, she knew it was real. Her heart whispered that a killer wouldn’t have felt either for a dog, but she ignored it. How could she have let him get so close to her? How could she have trusted him?

She already knew the answers to those questions. The way he’d made her feel, the way he’d listened to her talk. He’d told her that she was too pretty to be on the streets, and she knew, deep in her heart, that he’d meant that. She wrapped her arms around herself, remembering how wonderful it felt to have his arms around her. She knew she should run far, far away from here, somewhere he could never find her. If only she had enough courage to leave.

“You’ve got to go to school. You don’t want to spend the rest of your life here, do you?”

Pedro vehemently shook his head, sending his silky black hair spraying. Adrian had seen himself in the Cuban boy and had gathered the courage to face the ghost of what he might have been. Pedro’s mother was fired from her domestic job as housekeeper, where she and her son lived. Now the boy was out of the school district and not attending at all.

Adrian heard Dave’s angry voice at the door and started walking over to help. The front door closed, and Dave balled his fists up in silent fury.

“What’s wrong?” Adrian asked as he approached, but Dave shook his head.

“Nothing.” He looked at a few of the homeless who had gathered at the sounds of a confrontation. Shaking his head again, he headed down the hallway to his office. Adrian followed, too stubborn to ever take the hint.

“Tell me what that was all about.”

Dave gestured for him to close the door. “The city officials want to close us down. We have two weeks to fix our code violations. This isn’t the first time they’ve been here. The problem is, we barely have enough money to get by as it is. Why do you think we only serve biscuits and soup? I’ve been trying to keep it all together on a dime budget, but this is going to sink us. There’s nothing I can do about it.”

“What will happen to all the people who eat and sleep here?” Adrian was thinking about Pedro.

“They’ll go back to the streets, sleep in cardboard boxes and alleys. The city figures if the shelter goes, so will the homeless. It doesn’t work that way.”

“What needs to be done?”

“The two biggies are a better roof and a bigger kitchen. Heck, this kitchen was made for little church functions, heating coffee, things like that. But it’s all we have.”

Adrian looked out the window through the coating of grime. If he never saw Nikki again, he would worry about her night and day. Was she safe? Well fed? He wouldn’t be able to help her with the first concern, but if the shelter was here, she would at least have a place to go, get a hot meal. He thought of Seamus, Charlie, and all the others who relied on The Lord’s Shelter. If he were homeless, this would be a place of solace and comfort. He wanted to make sure it was there for them, now and always.