Satisfaction: The Collection

by Tori Scott

  Exhausted, moving took every ounce of willpower she could summon. She forced herself out of the car and into the condo, locking the double deadbolt behind her. A quick peak through the living room curtains showed no unusual activity on her street, no cars she didn’t recognize.

  She started to shake as the adrenaline wore off. Or maybe it was the icy cold from her damp clothes. She kicked her shoes off and went straight to the bathroom, locking the door behind her and putting her cell phone within reach. Then she shed her clothes and tossed them in the hamper.

  The hot water felt like bullets against her sensitized skin. She scrubbed until her skin burned, trying to wash the fear down the drain with the soap. The residue of ash rinsed easily enough from her hair and body, but there was no way to scrub away the pain. God knows, she tried. When the hot water turned cold, she gave up and grabbed a towel.

  Dried, moisturized, and dressed in gray sweats, thick socks on her feet, she headed for the kitchen. A glass of wine to calm her nerves, some crackers to settle her stomach, and Gage’s gun were all in that one room. Peace and Security, as the President was so fond of saying.

  "Your panic is a good sign."

  Caitlyn came to a dead stop. Her skin prickled. What the hell?

  "You hear me, don’t you? Like your brother, you have the gift. A gift they need. They will ask you to take his place, and you must agree. You must finish what your brother started."

  She yelped and spun in circles. No one. The kitchen was empty. The cabinet doors were closed. The pantry. Closed. Someone could be hiding there. Should she run? But what if they were outside, waiting? The voice could have come from anywhere. Inside her house. Inside her head.

  Sucking up her courage, she braced herself against the wall beside the pantry and threw the door open, leaning around the corner to look inside. Empty. A sigh of relief escaped and she sagged against the door to steady herself.

  She’d hidden Gage’s Glock inside a box of his favorite cereal. She grabbed it, crept into the foyer with the gun cocked and ready, and looked out the peephole.

  Shadows. All she could see were damn shadows. But someone, or something, was out there. It was the absence of light near the steps that clued her in. Caitlyn raised the gun, aiming for the middle of the door. "Who are you? What do you want? I’ve already called the police." She yelled loud enough for the neighbors to hear, though his voice had been only a whisper through her mind.

  "All in due time. I’m leaving now, but I will be around, watching. Waiting."

  She looked through the peephole again, but light now flooded the entire porch. The voice faded like fog burned away by the morning sun.

  Caitlyn was too frightened to sleep, too exhausted to stay awake. She had to be at work early, since it was her day to open the library. Finally, dizzy with fatigue, she checked the locks and went to her room.

  She put the gun on the nightstand for protection and turned off the light. After a moment’s hesitation, she closed the bedroom door and locked it. Better to have a few second’s warning than to have someone sneak in while she slept.

  She climbed into bed fully clothed and pulled the down comforter to her chin.

  ***

  Jacob Littlejohn parked in front of Caitlyn’s condo and settled in for the night. He could see her shadow cross the front window as she paced back and forth. He’d hoped she’d begun to heal by now, but it seemed she still had trouble sleeping. She always used to be in bed by ten, but since Gage died, her lights stayed on late into the night.

  As long as her life was in danger, he would watch over her, try to keep her safe. But he’d waited as long as he could to get the necklace. It wouldn’t take the General long to figure out Caitlyn had the amulet, that it hadn’t been destroyed in the explosion, and then he would send someone to take it from her.

  And it was all Jacob’s fault. He’d been responsible for boxing up Gage’s personal effects and sending them to Caitlyn. He hadn’t thought anything about the necklace at the time, assuming it was a trinket Gage had bought as a gift for his sister. He’d just been glad it had survived the explosion and the resulting fire and had carefully boxed it up along with Gabe’s dog tags and what ashes they could recover. But Indigo had intercepted chatter about Gage’s murder and had learned of the amulet’s existence—and what it meant.

  Now it was his job to get it back, and to make sure Caitlin stayed safe until he had it in his possession. Until they made it known that the amulet had been recovered and destroyed, her life wouldn’t be worth shit. Jacob had lost his best friend because he hadn’t been there to watch Gage’s back. But he would be there for Caitlyn. Not even an Executive order would stop him from protecting her with his life.

  ***

  "Gage! Where are you? I’m scared. Strange things are happening to me, and I don’t know why."

  Her brother smoothed her hair back from her face, as he had so many times when she was a child and had awakened from a nightmare to find him sitting on the edge of her bed, talking to her, calming her. "You will find the answers inside you, Cate. Listen, learn. Use the gift and you will find the truth. But the truth may not be what you want to hear."

  "Gift? What gift? Gage, I don’t know what you’re talking about."

  "I know, Caitlyn. You will find out soon enough. But be careful. The world is full of evil men claiming to do good. And some of them may be after you."

  Caitlyn woke with a start, her sweat suit plastered to her body, the sheets and comforter in disarray. It had only been a dream. Her brother wasn’t there.

  How many times could her heart break before it finally gave up?

  She glanced at the clock and saw it was almost five o’clock. Might as well get up and go to work, get a head start on the day. She shut off the alarm and showered and dressed for work. She hesitated over taking the gun with her, but decided to break the rules just this once. She needed to feel safe for just one day.

  Gage had insisted she get a concealed carry permit when she turned twenty-one, and had made sure she knew how to use a gun and care for it. She’d thought it sweet at the time, big brother worried about her safety. She’d never followed through and bought a gun of her own, though. She’d thought it seemed dangerous, paranoid. Now she realized it was practical, smart.

  She arrived almost an hour early. The sun glinted off the pool in front of Milliken Library, inviting her to sit and reflect as she often had since Gage died, but she pushed on past the sparkling water to the doors. Surprised to find them unlocked, she hesitated. Someone else had probably also arrived early. Or the Cal-Tech students had been up to mischief again. Milliken Library was a frequent site for their pranks, the roof being a favorite spot for mischief.

  Once inside, she turned on the ground floor lights and took the stairs two at a time to the third floor. She’d never worried about being alone in the building before, but her imagination was working overtime as she hurried down the empty hall to her office. She stashed her purse in the bottom drawer of her desk and locked it, then realized she still wore the necklace. She didn’t like to wear it at work because it drew attention, so she pulled it over her head and dropped it into the top drawer.

  When she left her office, she locked the door behind her, then went down to the lounge to start a pot of coffee. Soon others started to arrive and she relaxed as she was drawn into the safety of her routine.

  It was after ten before she escaped from the library and made her way back to her office. Jenny was late--again--and Caitlyn had to man the reception desk until she arrived. As she pushed through the third floor door, the first thing she noticed was sunlight pouring into the hallway from her office.

  The door stood open, though she was positive she’d closed and locked it when she left. From the hallway, she could see the room was empty. She stepped inside and closed, then locked, the door behind her.

  Her office was small, but well-organized. She’d made the generic space hers with the addition of artwork and knick knacks from home. A picture of G
age sat on her desk. Facing her. It should be facing her chair. She stood dead still and looked around--at the shelves where books were no longer perfectly aligned, at the prints on the wall that were slightly askew. At the chair angled away from her desk instead of perpendicular to it.

  Moving slowly, she inched around the furniture. Her heart pounded, perspiration dampened her forehead. She leaned sideways to peek under the desk. All clear. She swallowed, fighting a bout of nausea, and collapsed in the chair.

  She unlocked the bottom drawer to see if her purse was still there. It was. She checked the center drawer. At first glance, it appeared untouched. Then she realized the necklace was missing. Damn it! It was the last thing Gage had bought her, and though it wasn’t worth much, just a reproduction, it had a great deal of sentimental value.

  Hands trembling, she called campus security. They’d think she was crazy when they came in and saw that everything was still neat and tidy. Only she could see the evidence of a search, and only she knew about the necklace. She had no proof of its existence.

  Restless, she stood and paced the office. What was taking them so long?

  She lifted a corner of the mini-blinds and looked out over the campus. Students rode past on bicycles or walked between the buildings on their way to class. An occasional teacher or staff member hurried past the pond on their way to offices and classrooms, but they were faces she recognized.

  A movement caught her attention and she watched as a man in a long black coat stopped to light a cigarette, his cupped hands shielding it against the brisk winter breeze. Though he appeared casual, she recognized the studied carelessness from years of being around Gage. Always on alert, always checking things out. This man did the same, his gaze taking in the front of the library, the sidewalks, the parking lot. When the campus police arrived, he glanced up at her window, nodded, then turned and walked away.

  "How much do you know, I wonder? Don’t have time now to ask. I’ll be back, when we can talk privately," she heard him murmur.

  The voice again. But it was different this time. Deeper, less formal, devoid of accent. Instead of scaring the wits out of her, the timbre of it was oddly reassuring. Was he the one who had taken the necklace? Now she wished she hadn’t been so quick to call security. Otherwise, he might have come up to her office and explained who he was and why he was here.

  And why she was hearing voices.

  Reviews for Superstition

  "The more I read of Tori Scott's work, the easier it is to understand her meteoric rise up the e-book bestseller lists. Too many indie publishers overlook the most important element - a well written and compelling story. Even a few typos can be forgiven when the story grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go till the end, as Superstition does. It's an engrossing read with so many red, white and blue herrings that you don't know who's on whose side. It doesn't hurt that Team Indigo members have powers to rival the X-Men. I was particularly pleased that their civilian counterparts have skills of their own and are not afraid to use them. No, "Captain, I'm frightened" ladies here. Instead it's all, "Wham, bam, call me ma'am."

  "Tori Scott switches genres to paranormal suspense with a little bit of romance in it, and she does it well. This is an interesting first book with enough twists and turns to make my head whirl--think of a combination of Rebecca York (without the sex) and Tony Hillerman, with a little Raiders of the Lost Ark thrown in, and what the heck, add a little Andre Norton. I'm looking forward to the next in the series."

  "I have truly enjoyed this book. It was so well written that I was able to visualize every scene as if I was watching a movie. The characters were just amazing and I like how Tori blended the romance with the action. I am eagerly anticipating book #2. On my way to get more books to get better acquainted with her. A Must READ!!!"

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