Fatal Dreams (COBRA Securities Book 17)

by Velvet Vaughn

  “Nothing.”

  “No, Ethan, I want to pay.” She wasn’t rich by any stretch of the imagination, but she had money in a trust and her shop did well. She could afford the repairs.

  “How’s your day going?”

  “Nice change of subject,” she laughed.

  “Are you free for dinner?”

  The laughter died in her throat and her heart stopped. It just completely ceased beating. She was on the verge of passing out when it kicked back into rhythm. “Yes,” was all she could manage. She’d been so shocked by the question, she forgot to insist on paying him back.

  “How about I pick you up at six. I need to discuss something with you.”

  “I’m at work right now. I need to run home and shower.” And figure out what to wear. Did she have anything suitable in her closet? She couldn’t even picture one outfit she owned. Her mind had blanked.

  “Give me the address. I’ll pick you up there.”

  “Okay.” She rattled off the information, already locking up the register and grabbing her purse. The shop hadn’t been open all week. They were still mourning Femi’s death, so closing took no time at all.

  “Great. See you then.”

  #

  Every infamous villain needed a nickname, one the media could use to frighten the public. Ed Berkowitz had been known as Son of Sam. Charles Manson had been tagged with Helter Skelter. Gary Ridgway’s moniker was The Green River Killer. With a case involving the telling of fortunes, what better nickname to use than Oracle. The name always sounded so freaking cool.

  Though just getting started, Oracle planned on a long, prolific career. There were several scores that needed to be settled, but none as important as the first name on the list.

  The inaugural operation was barely underway, but all signs pointed to a successful venture. It’d taken years to get to the point where revenge could be exacted. Plans had to be made. Supplies gathered. Now that the time was here, Oracle could barely contain the excitement. Things would start happening quickly. And lives would be shattered.

  Chapter Seven

  Esme debated on what to wear on her date with Ethan for forty-five minutes. Should she go casual or dressy? Jeans or a skirt? Heels or tennis shoes? He didn’t mention what type of restaurant and having been totally blindsided, she didn’t ask. She settled on a gauzy green blouse that accentuated her eyes, paired with a black skirt and her favorite knee-high black Tory Burch boots. It was a look that could go either way. It was informal and fun, but stylish and classy at the same time. She left her hair down and applied a touch of makeup to finish the look. She’d just stuffed her cellphone into a small bag when the doorbell rang. She shot a panicked glance at the clock on her bedside table. Damn, he was early. Butterflies took flight in her stomach. She almost fled to the bathroom and locked the door. She wasn’t sure she could handle someone like Ethan Addison. He was six-foot four inches of virile male wrapped in the sexiest package Esme had ever laid eyes on.

  She’d never been a coward and she refused to be one now. Steeling her spine, she walked to the door and whipped it open. Her smile dropped. “Hi, Sophie.”

  Her friend’s brows creased. “Jeez, that was a horrible greeting. What did I do?”

  Instantly contrite, Esme smiled. “Nothing and I’m sorry. I was expecting someone else.” She hugged her friend. “It’s good to see you.”

  “You, too.” She stepped back and eyed Esme, one brow arched. “You look spectacular so I’m guessing the person you were expecting was of the XY chromosome variety?”

  Esme fought a blush. “Possibly.” She hadn’t told her friend about Ethan, mostly because the last week was filled with tense moments and extreme sadness after Femi’s body had been found.

  “Who is he? What does he do for a living? How good is he in bed? I want all the details.”

  “His name is Ethan and I’ll tell you all about him tomorrow.” She flashed Sophie a disgruntled look. “And I just met him, so I wouldn’t know how he was in bed.” She didn’t know, but she bet he was dynamite. Set the sheets on fire fantastic. She checked her watch. “He should be here any minute.”

  Sophie glanced over her shoulder, but the driveway was empty. “I’ve got to get ready for my shift, so I won’t keep you, but I want to hear all about the date when you get home. Be prepared for a pop quiz.”

  Esme hugged her again. “Okay, Teach.” With a wave, Sophie disappeared into the unit next door. Sophie was her third tenant and by far her favorite since she purchased the house. They’d bonded instantly. They were about the same age and they’d both lost their parents when they were young. While Esme had been raised by her aunt, Sophie’s grandparents had taken her in after her parents’ deaths.

  Thinking about Ethan in bed had her throat suddenly parched. Esme darted for the kitchen. She’d just tipped back a bottle of water when the bell jangled again. She replaced the bottle in the fridge and headed for the door. This time when she whipped it open, her breath caught in her throat. Ethan wore a light blue button-down shirt that hugged his muscles and emphasized his eyes, and khaki dress pants. She had to force her lungs to inflate before she passed out.

  “Wow.” His gaze raked her from head to toe. “You look incredible.”

  She ran hands down her skirt, suddenly shy. She’d never been shy a day in her life. “Thank you.”

  Ethan handed her a colorful bouquet of wildflowers. “These are for you.”

  Esme’s heart skipped a beat. He’d brought her flowers. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone gave her flowers. She took the bouquet from him and ducked her head to sniff the sweet fragrance and hide the sudden sheen of tears. “They’re lovely. Thank you. Let me put these in water.”

  She didn’t have anything fancy, just a plain crystal vase. She added water and arranged the blooms in the container before placing them on her table.

  Ethan held out an arm. “Ready?”

  No. “Yes.” Accepting it, she let him lead her out the door to his waiting SUV. She felt eyes on her and knew Sophie was watching out the window, checking out her date. She had no doubt Ethan impressed her. He was magnificent.

  He helped her inside his black Escalade. The interior was spotless, and the dash looked like something out of a science fiction movie, or something Captain James T. Kirk would pilot in the Starship Enterprise. There were gadgets and knobs and buttons galore. Obviously, she hadn’t paid attention the last time she rode with him. She’d been too shocked and excited at seeing him again.

  He slid inside and the masculine scent of his aftershave and something uniquely him wafted to her. She wanted to breathe him in until his essence enveloped her. She’d have to snoop in his medicine cabinet to find out what he used. If she could recreate the fragrance, women would arrive in droves to snap up Eau de Ethan candles and soaps.

  He’d chosen a trendy restaurant located close to the town square. After escorting her inside, he waited until the waiter took their drink orders before he leaned forward. Her heart bumped against her chest. Was he going to tell her he’d thought of her constantly since their first meeting, as she him? Would he wonder at the chemistry that detonated between them? Admit his undying love? She mirrored him and leaned in until they were mere inches apart.

  “I spoke with the mechanic who looked at your car. There was no damage to the tires. No punctures or anything.”

  She flopped back against the booth. So much for hoping he asked her out because he was interested in her. He only wanted to talk about her tires. She sighed. Soul mates were so very trying. “It seems a pretty big coincidence that both would go flat at the same time.”

  “My thoughts exactly. The mechanic said it was possible you were stuck with a bad batch of tires.”

  He sat back as the waiter placed their drinks on the table.

  “Are you ready to order?”

  Esme hadn’t even looked at her menu. “Can you give us a few minutes?”

  “Certainly.”

  With a bow, the wait
er departed. Ethan took a drink of water. He’d declined any alcohol since he was driving. Because she wasn’t, she’d ordered a glass of the house Cabernet Sauvignon and it was delicious.

  “A faulty sensor caused the warning light to fail, so he fixed it.”

  His talk about the flats made her remember her dream. What if her subconscious was the reason her tires deflated? Her dreams seemed to be premonitions of things to come. If she’d taken it more seriously, she could’ve checked the tire pressure before she left her house. Still, no way she was opening that can of worms with Ethan, the most wonderful man she’d ever met. He’d think she was truly batty. Heck, she wasn’t totally convinced herself. She’d confided in Lyra and for now, that was enough.

  “I’m finding it hard to believe they would go flat and the warning light would short out at the same time,” Ethan admitted.

  Esme’s eyes widened. “You think someone sabotaged my car?” He’d mentioned something along those lines yesterday, but she hadn’t taken him seriously.

  “It’s a possibility we need to consider. I want to check things out, make sure you aren’t in any danger. Let’s start with any known enemies.” He whipped out his phone to take notes. “Anyone who would want to do you harm?”

  Three names popped into her head as she took another sip of wine. “There are people who don’t like me very much.”

  Ethan was instantly alert. “What are their names?”

  “One is Merle McDougal, the pastor of the Church of the Chosen Disciples.”

  He looked up from his phone. “Seriously?”

  She smiled. “Yes.”

  “What did you do to piss off a pastor?”

  “Rejected his declaration of love?”

  His fingers stilled. “He’s in love with you?”

  “Ethan, I’d known him all of thirty minutes when he dropped that bombshell.”

  “Fast worker,” he grunted. “Tell me what happened.”

  She recounted the story of meeting him in the coffee shop and then the subsequent lunch date from hell.

  “Now he thinks you’re a witch?”

  “Oh yeah. He’s been trying to close my aunt’s business down, unsuccessfully I might add.”

  “Okay, Merle’s the top of the list. Who else?”

  “Marge Earnshaw. She used to work for my aunt until she was caught pocketing credit cards from her customers. She was arrested and spent time in jail. She’s out now and swears she’s changed. She wants her job back. My aunt told her she unequivocally would not hire her back.”

  “And that set her off?”

  “I guess. We weren’t friends, but I’ve never been mean to her. I didn’t even testify against her at the trial. After Lumi turned her down, she called me a bitch and accused me of thinking I was better than her, but I’d soon learn that I wasn’t.”

  “That sounds like a threat.”

  “Maybe, but I think she was upset, and the words tumbled out in the heat of the moment. I don’t think she’d try to hurt me.”

  Ethan made a noncommittal sound. “Who else?”

  “Bernie Gorman. His mother owns Crystal Ball Fortunes. She’s a rival of my aunt and he’s asked me out for years. I’ve turned him down every time, but he keeps asking anyway. I don’t think he’d want to hurt me, either, but you never know.”

  “Constant rejection might be a trigger,” Ethan agreed as he typed notes. “When was the last time you talked to him?”

  “At Femi’s funeral a couple of days ago.”

  He looked up from his screen. “Who’s Femi?”

  “She’s the coworker and friend I told you about yesterday.”

  “Right. I remember. How did she die?”

  “She was murdered.”

  Ethan gaped at her as the waiter returned. She still hadn’t picked up her menu. “A few more minutes?”

  “No problem. Can I get you a refill?”

  She glanced at her glass, surprised to find it empty. “Please.” He disappeared and she refocused on Ethan. “The reason I was headed to find my aunt in Chicago last week was because Femi had gone missing.”

  Ethan’s brows raised. “She disappeared?”

  “Yes. She was scheduled for work but didn’t show up. I tried calling her cell and when I couldn’t reach her, I drove by her house. She wasn’t there. I returned to work, but later that day, the phone rang. I almost didn’t pick up because I didn’t recognize the number. Then I was worried it might be my aunt, so I answered. I recognized Femi’s accented voice right away, but she sounded labored and all she said was to beware, that danger was imminent.”

  “You don’t know where she was calling from?”

  She shook her head. “I didn’t get a chance to ask her anything before the line went dead. I tried calling the number back, but it wouldn’t go through. Then I tried contacting the police, but they couldn’t help since not enough time had passed since she disappeared. I didn’t know what to do, so that’s when I headed to Chicago to find Lumi.”

  She glanced over to see the waiter hovering. “We’d better order soon before they kick us out for loitering.” Everything on the menu looked scrumptious and she had a hard time narrowing down her choice. After deciding what she wanted, Ethan indicated he was ready. She signaled the waiter and they both placed their orders. Her wine glass was half gone already. She’d better slow it down or Ethan would be carrying her home. Hum, maybe not such a bad idea.

  “You said Femi was a colleague. Did she work in your shop?”

  She blinked and refocused on the conversation. “No, she told fortunes with my aunt.”

  “Her readings were accurate?”

  “Scarily so.”

  “How was she murdered?”

  The waiter returned with their salads and she waited until he left before she picked up her fork and answered. “The autopsy concluded that she’d been poisoned, but they’re waiting for toxicology reports to determine what drug was used. Her body was found in a park by a group of teenagers.”

  “Any idea who might’ve poisoned her? Did she have enemies?”

  “My aunt thought it might be Bernice Gorman because she’s always been jealous of my aunt’s success, but I don’t think she’d resort to murder. There was a strange man who used to come around asking Femi out, but he suddenly stopped. I’m not positive, but I think Femi threatened him with certain body parts shriveling up and falling off or something.”

  Ethan choked on a piece of lettuce and took a drink of water to clear his airway. “That’s a pretty effective way to get rid of a man.”

  Esme grinned. “It surely worked.”

  “What’s his name?”

  “Vernon Watson, but I don’t know anything about him.”

  “I’ll check him out. Have there been any other threats that you can think of?”

  “No.”

  He polished off his salad quickly and shoved the plate aside, reaching across the table to clasp her hand. After an initial shock that felt like she’d touched a live wire, her body instantly felt at peace. She wondered if he felt it too. Judging from the confused look in his eyes, he did. It took a moment before he spoke.

  “I’m not going to beat around the bush, Esme. I think you could be in danger.”

  Her heart stuttered. “Me? Why?”

  “The problems with your vehicle. By itself, it might not seem like anything, but coupled with the disappearance and death of your coworker, I’d say that someone is out to cause you harm. I intend to find out who.”

  #

  Ethan barely managed to refrain from rolling his eyes. He intended to find out who? Could he sound more melodramatic? His only rationale was that being this close to Esme, holding her hand, staring into her emerald green eyes and all he could think about was keeping her safe at any cost. He’d slay the biggest dragon to make sure not one raven hair on her head was harmed. It’d suddenly become the most important thing in the world to him—keeping her safe.

  He didn’t understand why, but she seemed to g
round him. When he touched her, a warm sense of calm settled over him after an initial shock that almost singed off his fingerprints and had him jerking his hand away. It was as unsettling as it was comforting. Strange.

  And, damn, she smelled amazing. The scent was barely detectable, so he needed to lean close to inhale the aroma. Sexy and alluring. A mixture of dark and mysterious, yet floral and earthy, conjuring up images of sultry Moroccan nights, desert sands and—oh for the love of…someone slap him. He sounded like a freaking travel brochure.

  “No one has any reason to want to harm me,” Esme argued. “I don’t have enemies…well, except for Merle, Marge and Bernie. But I don’t pose a threat. I haven’t purposefully or unintentionally wronged anyone that I know of, so why me?”

  “I’m going to figure that out.”

  Pastor Merle, Sticky Fingers Marge and Clueless Bernie were the top of his suspect list. He was shocked at the overwhelming stab of jealously he felt when Esme revealed that Merle was in love with her. He didn’t want any man even looking at her, let alone professing his affection for her. The feelings were irrational, and he knew it. He had no claim on her. But the thought of some other man touching her, holding her, made Ethan want to slam his fist into the unseen man’s jaw.

  He’d conduct background checks on Marge, Merle and Bernie and see what surfaced. Either man could be upset that Esme kept turning them down. Ethan felt a small burst of pride that she hadn’t turned him down.

  This dinner was supposed to be about finding out who tampered with her vehicle, but Ethan was having a hard time concentrating on work. The blouse she wore was made of some kind of gauzy material over a spaghetti strap top in a color that accentuated her sparkling eyes. He tried as hard as he could to avoid looking directly into them. Once he did, she sucked him in. It was almost as if she hypnotized him. He could stare into the shimmery green orbs for hours. To be fair, she seemed just as dazed when she looked into his eyes. He wasn’t sure how long they gazed at each other. The waiter delivering their dinners broke the spell.