Man of Her Dreams

by Debra Webb

  Eve was no longer the little girl he remembered. She looked very different…very attractive. His mouth parched as if he’d been many hours without drink. But he had not. This was a physical reaction to her beauty. Just as the hardening sensation in his muscles was. She was beautiful…even more so in repose. An almost overwhelming urge to touch her seared through him. But that would be a mistake.

  He watched her a while longer, then climbed onto his balcony and unlocked the French doors the old fashioned way—with a credit card.

  Sleep was essential for now. When daylight came, he would make his presence known to her. His profile was simple, a cover she would no doubt trust without second thought.

  He did not anticipate that Operation Prophecy would take long. Assessing her skill and memory imprint should be simple. He looked forward to learning about this new Eve.

  Aidan stripped off his clothes and climbed into bed.

  Sleep came quickly and so did his dreams.

  DARBY SAT bolt upright in bed. Her breath rushed in and out in labored gasps. Perspiration beaded on her skin.

  Dreaming…she’d only been dreaming.

  Of a man. Not the horrible man she’d led the police to, but another stranger.

  He’d stood in shadows but she’d felt him watching her. His gaze had moved over her skin like a lover’s caress. She shivered even now, wide awake. The darkness had prevented her from making out the details. But she sensed something familiar about him.

  But that wasn’t possible.

  She shivered again and her gaze locked onto the window.

  Had she left it open that far?

  Rubbing her arms against the sudden chill of the autumn night, Darby climbed out of bed and crossed the room. She peered out over the courtyard that had drawn her to this place. It was so beautiful. She’d always wanted to live in one of these old houses but didn’t see the need for the expense. After all, her parents’ home sat completely empty.

  But everything had changed now.

  She doubted it would ever be the same.

  The memory of the men in white lab coats made her shiver yet again, and this time she reached for the window’s lock. She had to train herself to be more careful now. She had to be aware of her surroundings at all times…aware of those around her at all times.

  With a wistful sigh, she turned away from the window and started back toward the bed. She paused midway, her attention inexplicably drawn to the wall that separated her apartment from the neighboring one.

  All her senses buzzed to life, drew her to that wall as if it were a flesh magnet.

  She moved closer…closer…until she could reach out and touch it. She gasped and drew away, as if the satiny white plaster had somehow burned her. Frowning, she pressed her hand there again, this time without drawing away. A kind of energy flowed through her, excited her on a startlingly primal level. The feeling made her giddy, made her afraid, somehow.

  Shaking off the foolish sensations, she climbed back into bed. Too early to start the day yet. With that thought came an uneasy feeling…it followed her back to her dreams.

  Chapter Four

  “Mr. Yeager, I don’t understand why the board is doing this.”

  Darby’s contract had been terminated. This was the reason for Mr. Yeager’s call this morning. She’d hoped that he wanted to see her because the board had changed its mind about her continuing to work. But that wasn’t the case at all. They wanted her off the school’s staff—permanently.

  “Ms. Shepard, I know this is difficult.” Mr. Yeager had always been kind to her. Despite the pressure she felt sure the board had put on him, he looked sympathetic to her plight. She sincerely regretted that the weariness in his expression was a result of having to deal with her situation.

  “Please try and understand the board’s position on the matter.” He gestured toward the wall of windows across the room. “Look out there. The reporters are circling like vultures. They know you’re in here. What kind of environment is that for our children as they come and go to school?”

  He was right. She couldn’t pretend this away and after three days, it apparently wasn’t going away anytime soon. Why couldn’t they just leave her alone? She’d told the police all she knew.

  Jerry Lester had killed Christina Fairgate. He’d also killed six other children from surrounding communities over the past three years. No one had connected those murders to each other or to him because no bodies had been found. The children were listed as missing. But Lester had a plan. He wanted life in prison, didn’t want to face the possibility of a death sentence. He was using the bodies as leverage. Cut him a deal for life rather than death and he’d tell where the bodies were buried.

  Darby knew nothing of Lester’s work prior to the four New Orleans children who’d gone missing. The media didn’t seem to understand that. Those supposedly in the know about clairvoyance called her a liar, claimed she had to know. But she didn’t.

  Maybe she’d spent so many years blocking that she couldn’t see as much as she needed to. Who was she kidding? She wouldn’t have been able to focus her “gift” at all without Madam Talia’s assistance. That, thankfully, was still her secret. Madam Talia had told no one.

  Oddly, until last night, dreams had not come even without the aid of medication. It was as if Madam Talia had helped her to see what she needed to and the show was over. She saw, felt, nothing else…until last night. A frown nagged at her brow. She’d awoken in the wee hours of the morning in a cold sweat. She’d dreamed of a dark man…touching her…watching her. He had made her feel things she’d never felt before. Her body tingled even now at the memory.

  “Don’t you agree, Ms. Shepard?”

  Darby dragged her attention from the troubling thoughts. “I’m sorry. What were you saying?”

  Mr. Yeager looked uncomfortable. He cleared his throat. “You didn’t just have one of your visions in my office, did you?” The color drained from his face. “I apologize, Ms. Shepard. I shouldn’t have asked that question.”

  She held up her hand to ward off this new regret. “No, Mr. Yeager, that’s okay. I was just lost in thought, that’s all. What were you saying?”

  “I thought it would be best if you slipped out the back through the cafeteria while I distract the vultures out front.”

  Some sense of relief came with that offer, ushering a weary sigh past her lips. “Yes, Mr. Yeager, that would be the best.” She stood and reached for his hand. “Thank you, sir, for all you’ve done. It’s been a pleasure working for you. I’ll…” She swallowed back the emotion rising in her throat. “I’ll clear out my desk and take the personal things from my room later…after some of this has died down.”

  He shook her hand firmly, placed his other one over their clasped hands. “I truly hate to lose you, Darby. Please take care of yourself and let us hear from you now and again.”

  She nodded, uncertain of her voice at this point.

  Darby didn’t miss the sympathetic looks directed her way by the other teachers, but she didn’t slow down long enough to talk. She had to hurry. The ladies working diligently to prepare the day’s lunch barely noticed her zip through their territory. One or two offered her a grudging smile.

  How could saving those children have caused such extreme complications? Instead of being a hero, she was looked at as a freak. Not that she’d done it for any sort of personal gain, certainly not hero status. She’d never wanted to draw attention to herself. But this total shutout was the last thing she’d anticipated. It seemed every friend she’d had was now too busy to even offer condolences for her dire straits. She’d just lost her job, had been forced to move from her home. Even her cat Wiz wouldn’t sleep in the bed with her anymore. He preferred the leather sofa in the new place. She was completely alone in this.

  As she hurried across the playground at the rear of the school, someone called her name.

  Darby turned to find several of the children from her former class racing toward her.

  Oh,
no.

  She should just keep going…shouldn’t…

  But she just couldn’t walk away like that. They wouldn’t understand that she was no longer welcome here, that no one wanted her close to their children. Though Anna’s parents had been thankful at first, they, too, had feared her continued contact with their child.

  It pained Darby deeply. She had no one with whom she could share this hurt, no one to hold her as she cried.

  Forcing a smile, she squatted down and offered open arms to the children. They hugged her, a half dozen little voices chiming all at once, asking where she’d been and when was she coming back.

  Hard as she tried, she simply could not hold back the tears. She loved these children. This was so unfair.

  “I’m afraid I’m going to have to be gone for a while, boys and girls,” she said when she recovered her voice. “But you’ll have a new teacher and she’ll take really good care of you.”

  “But we want you,” little Lisa Andrews said. “We miss you.”

  “Miss you, too, sweetie.” Darby hugged the children closest to her once more. “I’d better be going.”

  She didn’t miss the uncertain looks being cast her way by the other teachers monitoring the playground. They had their jobs to consider, she understood that. It wasn’t personal, at least she prayed it wasn’t.

  Darby stood and waved a final goodbye to the children before striding toward the gate. She couldn’t look back, couldn’t bear to see all that she’d worked for slipping away from her.

  “Darby!”

  As she reached the gate, she turned to face the woman who’d called out to her.

  Sandra Paige. Her closest friend at work. The one person she’d expected to be on her side fully in all this. It still stung that she hadn’t gotten so much as a call from her friend in the last three days.

  Darby bit back the hurt that wanted to well. She would not question her friend. It wouldn’t be fair. On some level, she actually understood the reactions she’d encountered.

  Sandra hurried to where she stood. Her eyes looked suspiciously bright and Darby had to look away.

  “I don’t understand why they’re doing this,” Sandra said, her voice reflecting genuine despair. “I wish there was something I could do.”

  The words…whispers in her mind…hit Darby with all the force of a hurricane. No one from this school is to have contact with her. Is that understood?

  Yeager had given that strict order. He, of course, had been ordered to do so by the board. She’d felt his sincerity during their meeting only minutes ago. He hadn’t wanted to do this.

  “I’m so sorry, Darby.”

  Sandra hugged her and Darby felt immense relief because now she understood. Her friends hadn’t deserted her; they were simply protecting their jobs. She couldn’t hold that against any of them.

  She drew back and looked into Sandra’s eyes. “I’m okay now. Really. I’ll be fine. But thank you for offering. That means a great deal to me.”

  She left, not wanting to risk the media circus out front getting wind of her sneaky departure.

  That her friends had not turned their backs on her made the reality of her life at the moment much more tolerable.

  She might just get through this after all.

  Aidan watched Darby Shepard hurry across the street that flanked the rear of the Iris Goodman School. He didn’t have to see her face up close to know that tears spilled down her cheeks. Pain twisted in her chest and she wanted to get away from all of it.

  He stayed far enough behind her that she wouldn’t feel his presence. Though, he imagined, that if she tried, she would feel him on the other side of the world. Their connection was stronger than he’d expected. He’d felt her reaching for him this morning. Had marveled at the feel of her touching him that way, but he had severed the connection before it went too far. He had to protect his true identity, no matter how tempting her lure.

  Darby Shepard knew the back alleys and all the little shortcuts between the school and her new apartment off St. Charles. Aidan considered the trouble he’d run into last night and decided that New Orleans in the daylight was a much less bothersome place.

  Just before she moved onto the side street that would lead to the rear courtyard of her building, Darby hesitated, surveyed the pedestrians on the street. Aidan ducked into a doorway a split second before her gaze lit on him. He could feel her searching the crowd. She’d felt his presence. A ghost of a smile tugged at his mouth. She knew he was there on some level, though she might not be certain just yet what the sensations meant.

  He would need to be very careful now. She would be cruising for him even when she didn’t realize her mind was doing just that. Their bond was too strong to ignore. Even O’Riley would be startled by the strength of the connection. He had warned Aidan to tread carefully. O’Riley knew more than he was telling. Touching the director’s mind was strictly forbidden. Perhaps he should have taken the risk, but his training had long ago become instinct. It was second nature for him to obey the director. But there were things the director didn’t have to know. Such as just how close he got to Eve…Darby, he reminded himself.

  As long as he didn’t blow his cover, he could get as close as he wanted and no one had to know.

  All day he’d struggled with the dilemma she represented. Part of him wanted to proceed with caution, but another part of him needed to explore this bond between them. After all these years, how could it still exist? That was the part that baffled him, intrigued him. Sixteen years stood between them. Her memory had been wiped. And yet she still drew him like a moth to the flame. The heat was incredible…burned through him as nothing else ever had. Reason told him it was simply genetic manipulation; they were designed for this bond. But the less rational, more human side of him wondered if part of it could be pure chemistry. A volatile mix just waiting to explode.

  He felt her move on. A few moments later, he followed. She hurried across the courtyard and through the rear entrance of the building. Maybe thirty seconds later, she moved onto her balcony, the cordless receiver in hand. He watched until she’d gone back inside, then he crossed the courtyard and entered the building. When he opened the door her cat, Wizard, scampered out without giving Aidan so much as a second look.

  He took the stairs two at a time, reaching the third-floor landing in less time than it would have taken to summon the ancient elevator.

  Aidan unlocked the door to his apartment and went inside. He moved through the cool, dark interior and paused at the French doors. Opening them wide, he stepped out onto the balcony. He surveyed the grounds, appreciating the fact that the media apparently had not discovered her new place of residence. His next move would be to make her acquaintance. He wondered if she would remember him on some long-buried level. Not likely.

  Minutes later, a car sporting a pizza delivery logo pulled up to the back gate. The driver got out and waited to be buzzed in. As Aidan watched, the guy, pizza box in hand, opened the gate and strolled into the courtyard.

  A rush of raw energy surged inside him and he knew instantly that it was her. He looked to his left, toward her balcony, just as she breezed through the French doors.

  “Up here,” she called to the deliveryman. “Take the lift to the third floor. I’ll be waiting in the hall. Oh, and let my cat in, would you?”

  “No problem,” came from the man striding across the courtyard.

  Darby suddenly stilled. For three long beats, she didn’t move. Slowly she turned her head in Aidan’s direction. Their gazes locked. Electricity crackled between them and for a time they could only stare at each other.

  “Hey lady! You gonna buzz me into the building or what?”

  She blinked, stumbled back a step.

  Before Aidan could speak, she’d vanished into her apartment.

  Aidan did the same, shedding his leather duster and tossing it onto the sofa as he moved toward the corridor entrance to his apartment. He opened the door and leaned against the frame just to wat
ch her. She paid the pizza guy and he thanked her before heading off.

  Her gaze shifted to Aidan and he straightened. “I didn’t mean to startle you on the balcony,” he said quietly. He moved away from his door, taking a step closer to her. “I’m Aidan.” Another step disappeared between them. “Your new neighbor.” He thrust out his right hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  She was still searching his face, scrutinizing him, when she shifted the pizza to her left hand and placed her right in his. The skin-to-skin contact created a sizzle that made her gasp before she quickly drew back her hand. Startled him just a little as well.

  “Darby Shepard. I…didn’t know anyone had moved in,” she said, her eyes clearly telegraphing her confusion. Her cat strolled up to her door, then wound around her legs before vanishing inside.

  “I just moved in last night.”

  She blinked and thought of how she’d felt his presence this morning. He smiled. Couldn’t resist.

  “It’s quiet around here at night,” he noted. “That’s good.” Considering the rest of the city, it was very good.

  She nodded. “Most of the time.”

  “Well.” He glanced at the box in her hand. “I don’t want to keep you.”

  When he would have turned away, she stopped him.

  “I’m sorry.” She shook her head and laughed softly. “Where are my manners?” She produced a smile in hopes of shielding the awkwardness. It made his heart beat faster. “Please join me. I can’t possibly eat all this by myself.”

  He declined with a wave of his hand. “I wouldn’t want to impose.”

  “No, really.” She backed into her apartment to clear him a path. “Come on in.”

  Aidan closed his own door and moved through hers, ignoring the bombardment of sensations sent his way from merely entering her private residence. He focused on maintaining the mental wall he’d erected. He didn’t want her, subconsciously or not, trying to read him.

  As she put the pizza box on the table in front of the large overstuffed sofa, she glanced up at him and said, “I just moved in a couple of days ago myself. The apartment belongs to a friend who’s living in France for a year. I’ve been checking on the place for her from time to time. I might as well live here.”