Nausea and dizziness hit like a basketball to the stomach, knocking the wind out of her. She opened her eyes and quickly closed them as the world tilted. Blindly she grappled for something solid to steady herself. Her knees were starting to buckle when her hand landed on a hard, warm chest. Rob’s arm went around her and she felt herself guided and then lowered to a seat.
Rob started to move away and she gripped his shirt. Suddenly she feared his contact was all that kept her anchored in reality. He must have sensed her uneasiness because he covered her hand with one of his and stayed close. She knew he was talking because his chest rumbled under her hand. Slowly his aura started penetrating the intense hatred surrounding her. Like warm water, his spirit wrapped around her, blocking the evil threatening to consume her.
The lightheadedness and queasiness faded enough that she braved opening her eyes. Stark blue eyes stared back at her. “You’re frowning.”
“Because you scared the life out of me. What the hell happened? You were totally unresponsive.”
Eris started to raise her hand up to move hair away from her eyes, but the effort took more strength than she could muster. “I haven’t a clue.”
“Well, you’ve got time to think about it on the drive home.” Rob gently brushed the wayward strands out of her face as if he knew they were bothering her. His kind action and soft touch were in direct contrast to his harsh words and cold tone.
Eris allowed him to support her as they made their way to his car. She really liked his vehicle, she thought as she made herself comfortable in the passenger seat. The driver’s door opened and closed and moments later, soft music filled the interior. The tension left her body as she felt herself sliding toward unconsciousness. “Call Mom, I need to talk to her.”
* * * * *
Eris woke to sunshine bleeding through her bedroom curtains, the smell of coffee and voices drifting to her from the other room. Sitting up, she pushed the covers down and tried to remember how she’d gotten into her pajamas then into bed. Blurry images of Rob helping her up the stairs and into her room filled her mind, but beyond that she didn’t remember a thing. The only thing she could think of was he’d helped her change. She blushed at the thought, even though she was alone.
Laughter from the kitchen pulled her attention away from her thoughts and she froze. She first thought the noise was coming from the television but it wasn’t. She recognized those voices. There seemed to be a party going on in her house and she wasn’t even a guest.
Standing, she made her way to the bedroom door and into the living area. Silence greeted her as she shielded her eyes from the blinding sunshine that filed the room. When she could finally open her eyes, she found herself staring at Rob’s chest.
“Morning, princess, you okay?”
She lifted her gaze to his and found herself looking into eyes that saw too much. She turned her head toward her small kitchen and spotted her parents.
“Eris, look at me.”
She took a deep breath and put on her best “I’m okay” face before meeting his gaze. “I’m good.”
He studied her for a heartbeat then shook his head. “We’re going to have to work on your poker face. You don’t lie worth a damn.”
With a hand at the small of her back, he guided her to the kitchen table, where he seated her. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Her mother placed a mug of coffee in front of her as Rob returned to the stove. Eris sipped the hot liquid and let her eyes drift to where Rob stood with his back to her. The black t-shirt he wore was stretched over wide shoulders and appeared to ripple with each little move he made.
“Rob called this morning and said you wanted to talk?”
Eris turned at the sound of her mother’s voice and caught both her parents studying her. She felt her face flush despite the fact she had no reason to be blushing. “Actually, I told him to call you last night.”
“That wouldn’t have done any good because you were so out of it. I barely got you into bed before you passed out.” Rob continued to work as he talked.
“I was tired.”
“Eat,” Rob growled as he put a plate, silverware and a glass of orange juice in front of her. “She couldn’t stand on her own and her coordination was all but gone.”
Eris glanced at her mother and quickly added, “I wasn’t that bad.”
“Really?”
Eris glared up at Rob, hoping he’d take the hint and shut up in front of her parents. “No, I wasn’t.”
“Why don’t you eat that fine omelet Rob made while he tells us what happened. Rob, have a seat and fill us in on the details.” Her father’s tone was soft but demanding.
She looked over to her father. “I can tell the story.”
Her father shook his head. “Don’t even bother trying to explain, honey, you always tell us what you think we should hear.”
Her father’s accusation surprised her. “No I don’t.”
“Yes, you do, dear. You’ve done it since you were little. Now eat.” Her mother waved a hand toward her plate.
“I don’t lie to you. I wouldn’t do that.”
“We didn’t say you lied to us,” her mother continued. “You just don’t always tell us the entire story. I think it has to do with you being the middle child, peacemaker and only girl.”
“I’ve noticed the tendency also.” Rob settled into the chair next to hers, pushed the plate closer to her and launched into his version of yesterday’s events.
Rob’s arm settled across the back of her chair and his hand lazily stroked her upper arm. She glanced toward him to see if he realized what he was doing but he appeared totally engrossed in the conversation with her parents. She wasn’t sure how to take that but decided not to make too much of it and turned her attention toward her plate.
She listened to the easy way her parents and Rob conversed. It amazed her how quickly they seemed to accept him as a family friend and constant in their tight-knit group. She cut her eyes toward her mother and wondered if the woman had picked up on anything about Rob. If her mother had, she wasn’t talking.
Growing up with a mother who could see the future was stressful to say the least during her teenage years, but overall her mother kept her insights to herself. Eris’ broken engagement was a perfect example of that—even though her mother knew the relationship was doomed from the beginning, she never said a word. Evelyn DuBose felt life was something people should experience and make their own, not follow a predefined roadmap through.
Her father turned toward her and drilled her with a look that normally was directed at one of her brothers. “Why don’t you tell us what happened to you—and don’t sugarcoat it.”
Eris shoved the last bite of omelet into her mouth in an attempt to buy herself another couple of seconds. She wiped her mouth with her napkin and dropped both it and her hands into her lap. Rob squeezed her shoulder in a reassuring way that communicated the silent support she needed. “I was attempting to find the killer’s aura when I came across one that was vaguely familiar to me.”
“Was it the killer’s?” Rob’s voice was soft, yet it carried the tone of a seasoned professional.
“No.” Eris rubbed her forehead. “I’ve felt it before, I just can’t remember where or who.”
“Don’t fret over it and it’ll come to you.” Her mother’s words lifted a burden from her shoulders.
“You’re right, it will. Anyway, I started to follow this aura, hoping to figure out who it belonged to, when suddenly I walked into a wall of hatred so intense I froze.”
“What do you mean by ‘froze’?” Her father leaned forward.
“It was like being paralyzed. I remember telling my feet to move because I wanted to get away from the rage but they didn’t respond. This sensation was so strong it overrode my ability to function. The next thing I remember is hearing Rob calling my name, but it seemed as if he were miles away. Then as I came out of it, I was seated in the booth where Rob had been and he was next to me.
The rest you know, Rob got me home and I passed out.”
“Has anything like this ever happened before?” Concern and frustration etched her father’s face.
“Not to this extent. I’ve run into some strong feelings before but nothing on this level.”
“Well, I don’t like this, not at all.” Eris prepared herself for one of her father’s lectures, but thankfully her mother intervened.
“I know, honey, neither do I, but Eris is a grown woman now and she has Rob watching out for her, so you needn’t worry.” Evelyn patted her husband’s hand before continuing. “I am curious about the people you interviewed at Mannies, Rob. Did any of them become upset?”
Eris turned to Rob and noticed the void of expression on his face. “Good question, Mom. So what did you find out?” She felt his arm tense across her back, but that was the only clue something was bothering him. “Well?”
“None of the people I talked with remembered Orbit.”
Eris glared at the man. “Okay, but how about answering Mom’s question. Did anyone get angry?”
Rob shifted uncomfortably in his chair and Eris wondered what was troubling him. “I wouldn’t say angry.”
“Then what would you say?” Eris prodded.
Rob sighed like a man being forced to admit he liked eating quiche. “Jealousy. I’d say the woman was jealous.”
“What woman? Jealous of whom?” His answer piqued her curiosity as to what had transpired while she wasn’t around.
“You.”
“Me? How could anyone there have been jealous of me? I didn’t talk to a soul the entire time we were there. Could someone’s anger really be so great it would cause me to freeze up like that, Mom?”
“Yes, considering there wasn’t time for the aura to dissipate any and the person was still giving off those feelings. Your system simply couldn’t handle the overload. Now I’m still thinking there’s more to this story?” Evelyn pinned Rob with a not-so-happy motherly look.
Rob turned away from Evelyn and looked at Eris. “Okay, here’s the deal. This tall, lanky blonde was hitting on me. She wasn’t the type to take no for an answer. So I told her you were my fiancée.”
For a total of three seconds the room was perfectly silent and then her father busted out laughing. Eris shot him a glare and he managed to contain his amusement to a small amount. Her mother had the graciousness to smile sympathetically at Rob before standing and quickly ushering her husband out of the apartment.
As the door closed behind her parents, Eris turned and pinned Rob with a look that took most government-trained agents years to perfect. Lord, he’d screwed up and he knew it. The words that were floating around in his head didn’t sound sufficient enough to fix the wrong he’d done.
His cell phone rang and he answered it, grateful for the momentary distraction. Eris continued to stare at him through the entire conversation and it was quite unnerving.
“That was Magen, one of the waitresses from Mannies. She would like to talk to us and asked that we be there at three when her shift ends.”
Eris pushed back from the table. “What time do you want to leave?”
“Two fifteen.”
“I’ll be ready.”
Eris walked to her bedroom door and then turned back to him. “I know you didn’t know this, but I was engaged at one time. My fiancé Jeff used me, and my family’s name, to open doors all over town for him. Ever since then I’ve been very touchy about people using me for any reason.”
She entered the bedroom and closed the door so softly he wished she’d slammed it. The silence that descended on the apartment was heavy and depressing. Rob reached for the dirty dishes and made quick work of cleaning up the table and kitchen. He then seated himself in front of his computer. He knew by keeping busy, he could avoid thinking about the fact he hadn’t a clue how to fix this mess.
* * * * *
“It’s time to go.”
Rob still held his cell phone pressed to his ear when he looked up from the file he was scanning. Eris’ voice was as steely cold as it had been hours ago. “I need to get going, Paul. Thanks for the information. Later.”
He closed the laptop, grabbing his jacket as he crossed the room to where she stood by the door. “If I’d known it was Goth Day, I’d have worn black.”
“I have to close the store tonight for Mom and Dad, so I dressed appropriately.”
“What time do you need to be there?”
“Eight.”
Rob closed and locked the door behind them. “That shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Good.”
He followed Eris to his car and, despite his effort, his eyes drifted to her form. Low-rise jeans, bright red hair and a skimpy tank top which proudly said PMSing and Packing. Approach at Your Own Risk.
He had the feeling the outfit most definitely fit her mood.
The tension that filled the car was palpable as Rob turned off the highway onto the two-lane road that would take them to Mannies. He racked his brain for a way to break through the barriers between them but was failing miserably. When her phone rang, he said a silent “thanks” for the distraction and listened to the one-sided conversation.
Eris ended the call and, out of the corner of his eyes, he could see she was scared. “Who was that?”
“My mom.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Rob turned into Mannies, parking next to a sleek black sports car, and cut the engine as Eris opened the passenger door. He caught her left arm, holding her in place. “I can tell everything isn’t fine. What did your mother say? Has something happened? Is everyone okay?”
“Everything is fine.”
“Stop lying to me and tell me what your mother said that has you so unnerved.”
Her face was ashen and her eyes haunted when she turned to look at him. “She said you were going to die.”
Chapter Twelve
Rob guided Eris to an empty booth and ordered them cups of coffee. She scooted as far away from him as possible and clasped her shaking hands tightly in her lap. He didn’t believe Evelyn’s announcement that he was going to be pushing up daisies soon, but Eris had and it terrified her.
The waitress delivered the mugs of steaming coffee and he put one in front of Eris. “Drink, it’ll help settle your nerves.”
She looked vulnerable and fragile, so unlike the Eris he was used to. He wanted to tell her everything would be okay, but he didn’t. The truth was something bad could happen at any given moment to either of them and they both knew it
“You must think I’m a fool.” Her voice cracked when she spoke.
“No.”
“But you don’t believe what my mother said.”
He reached up and turned her face toward him. “I’d be lying if I said I did and you know it. I will say I’m less of a doubter than I was a few days ago, but believing your mother can see the future is a huge stretch for me.”
When she would have started talking, Rob kept on, not giving her a chance. “What I do know is, you trust your mother’s instincts and that’s what matters here.”
Taking one of her hands, he laid it on his chest over his heart. “I’m here and I’m healthy, nothing is going to happen to me or to you. Got that?”
“Yeah.”
He could tell she didn’t believe a word he said. “After we’re done at the store tonight—”
“Mom told me not to bother. Lance is in town and will handle it tonight.” She talked right over his words.
“Then after leaving here we’ll grab some takeout, rent a couple of movies and head home for the rest of the night. How does that sound?”
Eris gave him a wobbly smile as her hand dropped. “Wonderful.”
He wished he had the time to convince her nothing was going to happen to either of them, but it was straight up three and he wanted to get this interview over with because her “wonderful” didn’t fool him one damn bit.
Eris watched as Rob grilled the
truck stop owner one more time about his employees. He leaned back against the seat and pinched the bridge of his nose as the man walked away. Eris dug a couple of aspirin out of her purse and placed them on the table in front of him. “You look like you could use these.”
Without a word, Rob took the pills and washed them down with cold coffee. “I hate being led on a wild goose chase. There isn’t a waitress working here who goes by the name of Magen and never has been.”
“I’d think after all those years in the FBI you’d be used to it.”
“I never got used to the waste of time, manpower or energy, but I finally learned to accept it as part of the job.”
“Couldn’t you trace the number Magen called from?” Eris asked.
“Already done and it came back to a pay phone in the Garden District. I talked with LD and he’s sending someone over to check it out, but I’m not holding my breath that anything will come of it.”
Eris was gaining insight into his job. “I’m beginning to understand how frustrating this can be. What now?”
“We’re going to stick to our plan.”
“Good, but before we hit the road, I need to use the facilities.”
Rob stood so she could get out. “Don’t touch anything in there.”
Eris laughed. “Believe me, I’m not planning on it.”
She looked back over her shoulder toward Rob when she was only steps away from the bathroom door. His head was resting against the back of the booth and his eyes were closed.
In that split second she made her decision and a slight adjustment to her course. Instead of entering the restroom, she entered the storage room and kept on walking. The room wasn’t large but the outside door was open and it was all she needed.
Fishing her phone out of her pocket, she flipped it open and dialed. She darted across the gravel parking lot to a small group of trees, hoping to be out of the general line of vision. As the phone rang, she positioned herself out of sight from the road and the truck stop.
Bayou Heat Page 16
