by Kasi Blake
In desperate need of relaxation, Nick went for a midnight run. Dressed in his black workout clothes, he cut through the forest and ran around the lake. Sweat molded the shirt to his upper torso with an uncomfortable stickiness that had him ready for a shower. Stopping at the five-mile point, he bent over, hands on knees and tried to catch his breath. Familiar shoes stepped into his line of vision. He recognized the black sneakers on sight. With a wry smile he straightened up and greeted Mike.
“Looking good.” Mike smiled. “How are you feeling, bud?”
“If you’re asking me how I feel in general, I am sick to death of this crap. I can’t take it anymore. Van won’t listen to reason. Maybe I should just go public with the fact I’m still alive.”
“They’ll put you on trial for murder.”
“At this point I don’t care.” Tension returned in full force. An image of Gavin locking lips with Bay-Lee pushed him to the mental edge. “I’d prefer it to being here and putting up with the stares and the whispers. Then there’s Van’s daughter always pumping me for information. She’s on the trail of the prophecy and won’t rest until she uncovers everything.”
“Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to tell her. If she knew, she’d steer clear of you.”
Would she? “I’m not so sure about that. She’s unpredictable.”
“Like you, you mean?”
“Exactly. She told me we’re only attracted to each other because we have so much in common. We both lost people close to us. Even though she doesn’t know the whole story she senses my black soul, I guess. If that’s all it is, it should be easy enough to shake off.”
“Have you given my find-another-girl plan any thought?”
“I called Jordan this morning.”
“Jordan?” Mike made a face. “You’re supposed to find a girl you actually want and get your mind off Van’s daughter. She shouldn’t even be on your radar. What is Jordan going to do for you? I know you only like her as a friend.”
“I can trust Jordan. She’ll keep Bay-Lee away from me. You know how good she is at running interference.”
Mike chuckled at this. “She was good at keeping the groupies away when you didn’t want to bother with them.”
“Exactly. No one gets by her. Besides, you told me you missed her.”
“I do.”
“Well, you don’t have to miss her anymore ‘cause she’s on her way.”
“I would still feel better about it if you got over your attraction to Van’s daughter.” Mike clapped his hands together. “I have an idea. It’s brilliant. Start making a list of her bad habits and weaknesses and the stuff you can’t stand about her. Guys can always find a reason not to like a girl. Come on. What is the worst thing about her?”
Nick thought about it. There had to be something the girl did that drove him crazy. Beyond asking nosy questions, he couldn’t think of anything she did wrong. His gaze drifted along the line of trees bordering the dark forest and found a lonely figure watching them. The guy seemed out of place in his white shirt and dark pants, looking more like a golfer than a hunter. It took Nick a minute to realize it was his cousin... his dead cousin.
Peter put a finger to his lips, signaling for Nick to keep the news to himself. If he tried to point the dead man out and Mike couldn’t see him, everyone would think he’d lost his mind.
Tessa had seen her dead mother, and now he was seeing his dead cousin. There had to be a connection. He wondered if Tessa had been killed by her mother’s ghost. Or was it a death omen with a warning?
His birthday was less than a month away.
He was going to die if someone didn’t figure out what they were dealing with... fast.
Chapter Fourteen
DANCING TOO CLOSE TO THE FLAMES
