by J. E. Taylor
“I’m sorry,” he said as he approached the media filled gate to the house.
“What’s all this?” Raven asked, shrinking in the seat.
“The lovely media,” CJ said and the snark bled through his tone. He revved his engine and they scattered like a flock of seagulls, letting him drive through the opening gates. As soon as they cleared the metal, it closed on the reporters. “They seem to think we’re newsworthy,” he said and rolled his eyes, turning the car off.
He opened the passenger door and escorted her into the garage, opening the door to the house for her while silently announcing to Tom that he had a guest.
Raven stopped on the concrete floor, unwilling to step into the house. Her skin turned ashen and she backed away. Tom slid to a stop at the entrance, his eyes as wild as Raven’s and he turned to CJ.
“Tanya’s pissed,” Tom signed.
CJ’s expression hardened and he charged inside but Tom grabbed his arm. You can’t stop her, only Dad can.
“Dad?”
Tom nodded and turned a nervous smile at Raven. “I’m sorry I left you with those assholes,” he signed.
Raven nodded and blinked, looking beyond him into the belly of the house. “Do you have any sage?”
“Why?” Both CJ and Tom asked.
“Because, it has a calming effect on spirits.”
“You really are a witch,” CJ said and Tom smacked him in the chest.
“That has nothing to do with it. I just happen to do my research after watching one of those ghost chaser shows. They always use sage to calm the more, um, spirited spirits.”
“Oh,” CJ said and his cheeks burned. “We don’t have any that I know of.”
Raven met Tom’s gaze. “Do you think it will help if I talk to her?”
Tom laughed and shook his head.
Her hands went to her waist and her face pinched in irritation.
“She tried to kill me,” Tom signed.
CJ’s gaze snapped to Tom. “You’re kidding?”
“Afraid not. She seems to have laid claim to me and I really don’t think she’s going to like Raven entering the house,” he signed.
“That’s fucking ridiculous,” CJ said and walked into the house, leaving Tom and Raven staring at each other.
* * * *
“I think I can handle it, Tom,” Raven said, meeting his gaze.
Tom swallowed and shoved his hands into his pockets. He stepped down in front of her blocking the doorway. There was too much going on inside the house and he didn’t want to alienate her, or worse, have Tanya’s ghost harm her.
Raven shifted and sighed, studying Tom. “Look, I highly doubt there’s anything else that could surprise me today.”
Tom raised an eyebrow as a silent you want to bet. He pulled his hands from his pockets. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
She stepped closer and smiled. “Until today, you could have cared less. Besides, what can a ghost really do?”
Tom unbuttoned his shirt, showing her the black and blue mark over his heart.
Raven’s eyes widened and she reached out, tracing the mark.
Her touch was like an electric therapy machine, sending tingles to his core and he wondered just what she would be like between the sheets. He inhaled, driving the inappropriate thoughts out of his head, especially with Tanya in the vicinity.
She lifted her gaze to his and placed her palm over the mark. “She tried to take your heart?”
He shrugged. “Yeah.”
When Raven’s hand left his skin, he felt the mental tug and the resulting emptiness. This feeling of connection was something he never felt with Tanya and he wondered if he even knew what love was. In all his escapades, in his pursuit for something more, this had been missing.
This calm acceptance.
This fire in his soul.
This.
Raven reached for the chain around her neck, pulling a medallion from under her shirt. He stared at the intricate silver knot holding an interwoven circle of diamonds. She kissed the metal and then slipped it over his head.
“I can’t take this,” he signed and reached for the chain.
She pressed the pendant against his skin and he glanced at her hand. The silver lay directly over his heart.
“It will protect you.”
He smiled at her simple faith and the conviction in her eyes. “Then what will protect you?”
She held up her wrist and her charm bracelet caught the light. The same Celtic knot graced her bracelet along with several other charms.
“So are you going to let me in or not?” She waved toward the door.
Tom buttoned up his shirt and nodded. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he signed and stepped aside, allowing her to enter.
Halfway through the kitchen she stopped and shaded her eyes, squinting in the direction of the family room. “What the hell do you have living here? An angel?”
CJ and Steve turned in their direction and so did Ty, his wings fluttering and his gaze landing on Tom.
“She can see me?” Ty asked.
Tom shook his head. “No, just your aura,” he signed and glanced at Raven. “Still think nothing else can surprise you?”
She laughed and it came out higher pitched and laced with nerves. “Aye, and here I thought we were considered odd.” In her nervous state, her Irish brogue wrapped around her words, sharpening them and making Tom smile.
Steve’s lips thinned and his cheeks bloomed, his hard glare landing on Tom.
“At least she’s not running out of the house screaming,” CJ said, breaking down the tension and bringing a smile to everyone’s face.
“So, let me get this straight. You think it’s weird that I’m a Wiccan, and yet, you see ghosts and angels,” she said to Tom and then she nodded toward CJ. “And he can read minds and has telekinetic powers?” Silence filled the room and then she burst out laughing, the same genuine laugh she had in the cafeteria.
“If you only knew the half of it,” Jennifer said, crossing from the family room and sticking her hand out. “I’m Jennifer, welcome to our home.” She offered a welcoming smile.
“Hi, I’m Raven,” she said and clasped Jennifer’s hand.
“How long have you known Tommy?” she asked.
“Today was the first time I spoke to him,” Raven answered, still squinting.
Jennifer turned to Steve. “Can you tell him to go? He’s obviously blinding the girl.”
Raven blinked and looked around, her gaze landing on Tom, and a crease appeared between her eyes.
“He’s gone,” Tom signed.
“Why don’t you come and sit down,” Jennifer said and led her into the family room.
The last thing Tom wanted was for Jennifer and Steve to grill her and he traded a glance with CJ, getting a nod in return before he walked by and grabbed her hand, leading her out the back door into the yard.
“Let him go,” CJ said, stopping Jennifer and Steve from following.
Tom didn’t stop until he got to the rock wall and then he turned, taking a seat on the frigid stones.
“So, who’s the angel?”
“My father,” Tom signed.
“I thought humans couldn’t become angels,” she said and glanced over his shoulder at the water, pressing her lips together. “How can he be an angel?”
He didn’t have a logical answer for her so he kept his hands still and remained patient, waiting for her gaze to come back. After a few excruciating minutes, she turned and took a seat next to him. Silence prevailed and she studied the house.
“Did Tanya know about any of this?” She waved toward the house.
The question struck him and he laughed. “Are you kidding me?”
She met his gaze and he continued to chuckle.
“Tanya would have high tailed it out of here in a blink and then made sure everyone under the sun knew we were freaks.”
Dimples appeared in her cheeks and she pressed her lips against the smile formi
ng. “What about your best friend, Bear?” she asked, using her fingers as quotes when she said best friend.
“Same deal. I think the only reason he stayed my friend after Georgia was some misplaced sense of loyalty. Either that or he knows we’re filthy rich and figured he’d get something out of it,” he offered with a smile. “You asked me why I hung out with those guys, well, nothing has been normal for me since Georgia and being involved in sports helped me feel less like a freak.”
“What happened in Georgia?”
He glanced at her and sighed. “I was carved up by a madman.”
Her eyes slowly widened and her gaze shot from his hands to his face.
“I ue o be orma,” he said. “But that bastard took half my tongue,” he signed. A sudden mist clouded his vision and he looked at the sky, blinking the unwanted tears away. “And he killed my mother, too. Propped her head up at the end of the surgical table where I was chained. So, I’m about as damaged as they come.”
She reached over and took his hand giving it a squeeze and bringing it to her lips.
“If it wasn’t for Steve, I would have died down there.”
“So why trust me with all this?”
Tom dropped his gaze to hers. A single tear rolled down her cheek and he wiped it away with the back of his finger. “I need a friend,” he signed and swallowed the lump that formed in his throat.
“But how do you know I won’t go blabbing to everyone about what a mess you really are?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know,” he signed and then pulled the medallion from under his shirt. “Perhaps it was this?”
Her gaze dropped to the ground but he tilted her chin back so she was looking at him.
“I’m sorry I ever ignored you at school,” he signed and tucked a stray hair behind her ear.
Her eyes glazed with tears and he pulled her into his arms, hugging her tight.
“You’re the first person who wanted to be my friend,” she whispered in his ear. “And it’s only because you’re alone,” she said and pulled out of his grasp, swiping at the tears on her face like they were annoying gnats.
“That’s not true,” he signed.
“You mean to tell me if none of this had ever happened, you would have noticed me?”
He started to argue and then closed his mouth, meeting her gaze. She was right. He would have gone on, being one of the elite star players and walking around like he was hot shit, never giving her a second glance. The revelation brought on a hot flare of shame and he looked at the ground.
“Everything happens for a reason,” he signed and her scoff brought his gaze back to hers.
The sound of the slider drew his attention and he glanced toward the house. Steve crossed the lawn. “I think I should take Raven home now,” he said, leveling a stare at Tom.
Tom glanced at Raven. “Thank you for everything,” he said.
She just nodded and followed Steve into the house.
Tom sat in the cold for a few minutes, mulling over the conversation and the sudden emptiness blanketing him. Like waking to find that everything you believed was a sham and there was no grain of truth to cling to. He stood and turned toward the ocean, shoving his hands in his pockets, trying to gain a little perspective. Her words ate at him, burrowing under his skin and sending chills of despair down his spine.
Chapter 30
The glint of red hair on the bluff caught his attention and he brought the binoculars to his face, scoping out the ridge to their property. The boy leaned on the rock wall, with his back to the ocean, his jet-black hair shuffling in the wind, and his profile just as attractive as the front view he saw on television.
He would make a prize mask and perhaps he’d finally make enough to allow him to move on. He had been in this area far too long and the itch to move to new hunting grounds had started already, but he had to make this last mask.
He had to forever preserve that face.
His gaze moved to the wild red hair and a strange mix of excitement and anger washed over him like an untimed wave.
Was this another acquisition?
He waited until she turned toward the ocean and then he dropped the binoculars in disgust.
Now he understood the anger. She would learn not to flaunt herself to strangers and it gave him one more reason to preserve the boy’s face. A reminder that he was in control.
He glared at the property, an unpleasant taste gathering in his mouth and he spit into the water. A tug on his fishing line drew his attention and he slowly turned the reel, expecting the tug to either release or draw the line taunt.
The line released and he turned his attention back to the bluff. The climb from the water wasn’t that steep. He had climbed worse in his lifetime, but it could be a problem at night, not being able to see the footholds.
A land attack was out of the question. The property lining the road was blocked by a thick fence, along with hoards of reporters, and he didn’t want anything to derail his plans.
So his only option happened to be his favorite. A water approach.
High tide didn’t give him any niches to dock a canoe, but he imagined low tide might garner different results. He pulled out the tide chart, studying it under the bright sunshine. He dropped the list into his pocket, pressing his lips together in irritation.
His preferred timing wasn’t going to work with the tides and he’d have to strike when the moon graced the night sky. The property was secluded enough, but the chances of being noticed on the water were higher than if there was no moon. He pressed his shoulder blades together, scratching the imaginary itch just under the surface.
Unease took hold and for the first time in all his years, he wondered about his motives.
He brought the binoculars to his eyes once again and studied the boy. When the boy turned toward the water, his breath caught in his throat. A bandage covered the boy’s right cheek surrounded by a spreading tattoo of black and blue. Disgust and anger roiled in his stomach. The perfect face ruined and he knew the answer. He wanted that face cast in a deathly scream.
Snarling, he lowered the binoculars, but something that flashed in the viewer made him bring them back to his face. He scanned the area just to the left of the steep bluff until his focus landed on what he thought he saw. A jagged path cut through the thick brush, twisting down the hill and ending with a wooden ladder that dipped behind a big jetty of rocks.
A smile surfaced and he focused back on his fishing line, reeling it in and packing the rod away before he turned the boat back toward the river.
Whistling, he began his mental preparation for the acquisition.
Chapter 31
As soon as the car cleared the sea of reporters, Steve glanced at his passenger. She was a pretty girl, fiery and proud and quite the opposite of everything Tanya had been.
“So what can you do?” Raven asked with more than a hint of sarcasm.
“A little of this and a little of that,” Steve said, being evasive.
She sent a glance in his direction. “Both you and CJ have very complex auras. Auras that are almost identical, except yours is woven with the same light the angel broadcasted.” She paused. “I would expect the same signatures from a biological father and son, but you two aren’t even related by blood.”
Steve sighed, listening to the whirlwind in her mind and as far as he could tell, she only had honorable intentions. However, he had to protect Tom, so he asked, “What exactly do you hope to gain from us?”
Her jaw tightened and she stiffened in the seat, offended by the question. She turned her gaze out the window so she wouldn’t send a wicked glare in his direction.
“Look, I can sense you don’t have an agenda, but I need to be very clear. Tom is in an especially precarious place right now. I’m not just talking about seeing Tanya’s ghost, I’m talking about his entire mental state,” he said and pulled over in one of the parking spots lining the beach. “He’s lost a great deal already and I’m amazed he chooses to still see the g
ood in the world after everything he’s been through, but I’m not sure how much longer he’ll be able to if you decide to play games with him.”
“I never planned on playing games. I just felt sorry for him,” she said.
“All I’m saying is, don’t play games with him. For reasons I can’t fathom, he seems to trust you. He hasn’t spoken about Georgia to anyone, so his telling you what happened was a big deal,” Steve said, wanting to impress the magnitude of Tom’s confessions. “Tom doesn’t have an agenda,” he said and she scoffed, rolling her eyes.
Steve grinned. “Okay, maybe he does, but it’s different with you.”
She raised an eyebrow. “You don’t think he wants to get me into bed?”
Steve laughed. “I’m not sure it’s my place to answer that, besides, if you give him a chance, you’ll find he is a very loyal soul.”
“I don’t want to be a rebound or just another notch on his headboard,” she said. “I just thought he could use a friend.”
“He can. All I’m saying is if you want to be his friend, then be his friend.”
She nodded and he pulled out onto the road.
“You need to take the next left.”
Steve smiled. “I know where you live,” he said. “I don’t need directions.”
“So that’s your talent?”
He grinned and winked at her. “I’m an FBI agent. I know where everyone lives.”
Her chuckle was musical and he understood what drew Tom to her. After several turns, he pulled into her driveway and extended his hand. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Raven. I hope you decide to visit more often.”
She clasped his hand and shook with a firm grip. Before she got out of the car, she scribbled numbers on a piece of paper and handed it to Steve.
“That’s my phone number,” she pointed when he raised his eyebrows.
“I know what it is, but I’m not sure you’re thinking clearly.”
She glanced at the paper and then his face, the confusion clear.
“You wouldn’t happen to have Skype, would you?” he asked, trying to be diplomatic.
