by Rachel James
Chapter 12
FRIDAY — MIDNIGHT
For the fifth time in as many minutes, Adrian found his gaze straying from the printed text to the white brocade sofa where the women sat. His gaze centered on brilliant colored hair then dropped to view high cheekbones tinged with a musk-rose flush. If only he could explain this tendency he had to stare at Janice. Even now, he couldn’t stop thinking how arresting her face was in the glow of the off-white lighting. How the blue of her angora sweater heightened the translucence of her neck and face. It was insane to go on this way, a slave to an unknown prickling along his scalp.
Still, he couldn’t seem to budge his mind from thoughts of Janice. His gaze raked her face again, tracing the ridge of her Grecian nose, to the full lips rounded over even white teeth. Her eyes were hidden from him at the moment as she sat poring over the stack of books in her lap. Still, it didn’t matter. He didn’t need to see to recall their color. He had memorized those eyes the moment their glance had locked across the rim of the shattered glass in his hand. He would always remember their color, even when this hell they were currently experiencing was over. He would always remember her eyes, not because of her per se, but because they brought back the same stirring he felt as a child when he gazed at the sea-green water of Rocky Reef Cove.
Adrian let his gaze drop to her fingers as they skimmed each book edge with the expertise of a Braille reader. She was scanning three books to his one and it was apparent by the growing stack at her feet that she possessed an extraordinary talent in her hands. With just the delicate touch of flesh to paper, she was tuning into some long ago memory of the book owner. He wondered if she knew how transparent her face was in relaying the emotions she sensed beneath her fingers.
Adrian drew his gaze back to the book clasped in his own grip. Inwardly, he gave a sigh and willed his mind back to its task. His mind obeyed for a few moments, then it wandered off, choosing instead to drift into a vague, shadowy fugue of its own.
In his mind’s eye, a picture formed. He stood on one side of a large chasm, Janice on the other. The chasm was steadily breaking apart, taking her from his sight and from his life. The vision made his stomach curl as if an army of snakes were slithering in its pit. He scowled, wondering how he came to be acting like a love-struck fool. He — a man recently crowned the darling of Las Vegas — brought so low as to moon over the beauty of a woman. He clenched his jaw tighter. Next, he’d be down on all fours, baying like a lonely hound dog.
Taking himself to task again, more harshly this time, Adrian forced his mind into accepting reality. He had no woman to complicate his life. That was that. So what if for a few moments he had fantasized that Janice was his? A good fantasy never hurt a male ego. And what did it matter if he had allowed himself to hope that Janice’s abrupt arrival into his life meant an end to his empty, meaningless existence wowing crowds and indulging in wild parties? That didn’t mean a thing either. Hadn’t his life been empty and meaningless twice before? And hadn’t he come through both holocausts with the minutest of scars?
Pensively, he looked out across the room. Was his life empty? Yes, at the moment it appeared to be. Was it meaningless? No. Somewhere there was a woman for him, and she would be his life preserver on his stormy sea. With a will of its own, his glance again found Janice’s shapely form. Was Janice that woman? He didn’t know and not knowing rattled him. His gut instinct told him she mustn’t be and that worried him. Why, he wasn’t sure. He only sensed that when she returned to her life in Colorado, he would feel an extraordinary void worse than his present one.
Out of nowhere, Adrian felt a muscle spasm in the small of his back and grimaced. Damn the useless, wooded chair! He shifted on the padded cushion to release the kink. If only he could drown his aches and doubts in a good, stiff drink.
Snapping the book in his hand closed, he slid it along the tabletop and reached for another from the stack to his right. Flipping it open, he wondered if the others were experiencing small fugues of their own. Did they feel as drained as he did? He gave a cursory glance at each of their faces. Yes, they appeared tired, and worse, on edge. Who would be the first to crack under the strain of their captivity?
He slid his gaze right and studied the woman seated cross-legged on the floor, rubbing her back against the edge of the sofa. She was flipping through a stack of pages, and as she did so, her face collapsed into a complex set of wrinkles, her mouth puckered into a tiny rosette. Instantly, he realized Ginger was the one who would crack under the pressure. And soon. As he watched her begin to nibble at her lower lip, he once again felt that reptilian army marching in the pit of his stomach. Damn Lloyd for inviting him here and damn his own arrogant cowardice for coming. He hadn’t wanted to face the weekend reunion alone and in his self-absorption he hadn’t even given the briefest thought to what Ginger wanted.
Adrian shifted in his seat again, trying to stem the shooting pain that had now traveled to the middle of his back. How many more hours could he endure reading these damnable pages? He’d like nothing better than to hurl the stack of books to the floor and indulge in a drink, a smoke, and a woman.
As if conjured from his thoughts, a book sailed through his line of vision, hit the floor, skidded a few yards and then rammed the leg of the table where he sat. Adrian blinked in surprise, sure he was crossing over into some mind dementia where inanimate objects came mysteriously to life.
“I can’t do this anymore!” The whine was brimming with distaste. Around him, heads shot up, as startled as he by Ginger’s emotional outburst. She scrambled to her feet and stared at each one of them in turn, seeming to dare them to object to her words. “I want out!”
Her words were said in a rush and Adrian realized she meant to storm from the room in a huff. Knowing it wasn’t safe for any of them to travel alone at the moment, he bolted from his chair, intercepting her as she came round his table.
“You’re tired, Ginger. We all are. Use the couch over there. Get some rest.”
Her eyes iced over immediately.
“I want out of this house now, Adrian,” she declared, pursing her lips.
“It’s not possible at the moment,” Adrian reminded. “You know that.” She made a move to shove past him but he threw out his arm. Her face paled in anger.
“Let me by, Adrian.”
Adrian stood his ground, not about to let her pass. The snakes in his stomach inched up and around his ribcage.
“It’s not wise for any of us to split up, Ginger. Now, stay put.”
Her eyes took on an even more ferocious glitter.
“Get out of my way, Adrian, or I’ll hit you again, I swear it!”
A chill, black silence descended as her words sank in. Rapidly, the group came out of their seats, intent on warding off another ugly confrontation. Adrian should’ve been pleased by their concern but felt angered instead. Their hovering made him lash out at Ginger, the last thing he intended to do.
“Dammit, Ginger, you are not going out that door. I’ll tie you down if I have to!”
The threat pushed her over the edge and she flew at him like a shrew. Using both hands, she shoved him hard. Adrian stumbled back, knocking his hip against the table edge and emitting a muffled “oof.” It was all the time Ginger needed. Rocket-like, she was past him and dashing out of the library.
Stumbling up, Adrian swung about, ready to charge after her. Something snatched his elbow back roughly, halting his flight. Sharp fingernails dug into his sweater sleeve as Janice called sharply to Lloyd.
“Go after her, Lloyd. She’ll never find her way back to the main chateau alone.”
Adrian felt rather than saw Lloyd’s nod as he bolted past the table. He disappeared through the doorframe, calling sharply for Ginger to hold up. The rich timbre of his voice faded away along with receding footsteps and Adrian felt his stomach heave. Those snakes were having a picnic in his
stomach now, hissing and coiling, preparing to strike. Janice’s voice cut through their din.
“Calm down, Adrian. Lloyd will see to Ginger. Her outburst is understandable. She’s scared.”
“Well, who the hell in the room isn’t!” he snapped.
“It’s different for her and you know it. She didn’t grow up in our kind of world.”
“Babying her won’t help the situation!” Adrian countered.
Janice’s accusing retort stabbed the air.
“A little understanding from your heart instead of your mouth would be a welcome relief to us all, Adrian. My God, why can’t you have some compassion for Ginger and look at this nightmare from her side? She must feel like an animal in a cage, who, even if the door was open, wouldn’t dare come out. We talk of ghosts and spirits the way she talks of music and composers. To her, we must resemble creatures from another world.”
“Or hell,” Adrian commented wryly.
Janice shot him a cold look, rancor sharpening her tone.
“Give your mouth a rest, Adrian. It’ll thank you for it.”
With a sweep of his hands, Adrian returned her sarcasm.
“Ginger’s got to stay tough and brazen her fears out with the rest of us. I don’t know what Lisette has in mind next for us, do you?”
“Of course not!”
“Well, my gut instinct tells me things are going to get tougher, not easier. If you weren’t so busy coddling Ginger just to spite me, you’d sense that!”
“Spite you!” Janice’s eyes flashed green ice. “I resent that remark from you, Adrian, I really do. I genuinely like Ginger. And if I’m coddling her as you say, it’s because I do feel sorry for her. Not because we’re trapped here like mice in a maze, but because I remember what it’s like to hang around an insensitive bastard twenty-four hours a day!”
Her words were meant to sting him to the core, Adrian realized, but it had the opposite effect. She was obviously comparing him to her ex-husband. The snakes in his stomach quieted, infusing him with an unexpected streak of honesty.
“I’ve been ugly to you, Janice. I don’t deny it. If I had a heart of stone, it wouldn’t be so bad being here with you, looking at you, wanting to make love to you … ”
He cut off his sentence in mid-stream as startled as she by the confession. Her confusion quickly turned to subdued anger. One look at the fiery glint in her eyes and Adrian knew she had misinterpreted his words. She thought them another of his ploys to be especially nasty to her. She stepped back and he guessed she was about to deliver the second stinging slap to his cheek in one night.
Inwardly, Adrian groaned, a part of him hoping she would hit him. If she struck him, there would be an end to the mounting dislike between them. If she hit him, both of them would be released — free to concentrate on getting rid of Lisette’s hold over them.
Adrian waited for the blow, his eyes locked in a silent battle of wills with Janice. Like cunning dogs defending their turf, they both assessed the other’s anger, neither giving way. When the silence between them deepened, Janice put out her hand, palm up to him. Adrian glanced at it, confused.
“My compass,” she said quietly.
Adrian nodded. She was leaving the room like Ginger before her. But she was going away in quiet dignity. Knowing he couldn’t allow her to go off on her own either, Adrian dipped his fingers into his shirt lining pretending to search for her compass. He came up empty and shrugged in dismay at her.
“Sorry. Must’ve dropped it in the solarium in all the excitement.”
Her face fell in disappointment and she withdrew her hand. Adrian heard a small sigh escape her lips as she took a step around him and headed for the doorway. Lightning-quick, he grabbed her elbow and spun her back around.
“We’ve got to stay together. You know that.” Her withering glare set the snakes in his stomach hissing again and he let loose her arm. Clenching his teeth, he swatted the air impatiently. “All right, go ahead. Get lost out there.” She remained motionless and he repeated his gesture. “Go on. Take your tight little ass out of my sight!”
She was gone with a graceful spin before he even finished the sentence and her retreat had him groaning aloud this time. Smooth, real smooth, he congratulated himself.
Staring at the empty doorway, Adrian parked himself along the edge of the table and wondered what to do now. His damnable luck when it came to women was still holding and then some. He reached into his shirt lining and withdrew Janice’s compass, curling his fingers around the cylinder. He sensed her life force immediately. Abruptly, his subconscious tossed up a single word. Anna. He tightened his hold on the compass, seeking Anna’s identity. Nothing came, only the word Anna singed in his mind. Anna. Anna was everything to Janice. Quickly, he shut the memory out, stared again at the empty doorway.
“Way to blow it, Adrian, old buddy,” he chided, mimicking Todd’s usual catch-phrase. “You never thought she’d walk out, did you?”
A discreet cough sounded behind him and Adrian sprang from the table, casting a furtive glance over his shoulder. Dammit all to hell! He had forgotten the Grisombs were even in the room. He groaned aloud. Sweet Jesus! They had heard every word between him and Janice.
Rapidly, his mouth went dry and he sought some witty comeback to cover his discomfort. Finding none, he re-parked himself along the edge of the table and began tossing the compass into the air and down again.
Mercifully, the pair kept silent, sparing him further embarrassment. Their silence allowed him a moment to regain his composure and, forcing a remote dignity to his tone, he finally dipped his head.
“I think I handled that rather well, don’t you?” Muriel’s laugh gave him a small, satisfying victory and he shrugged his shoulders. Seconds later, his gaze floundered under Jasper’s keenly observant stare. “I know what you’re thinking,” he stated. “I should go after her.”
Jasper heaved himself from the sofa at once, coming to rest alongside the table.
“No. Actually, I was thinking how well suited you and Janice seem to be.”
“Well suited! She can’t abide the sight of me!”
The older man grasped Adrian’s shoulder and shook him firmly.
“Nonsense. If you rub two sticks together long enough, you’re bound to ignite a fire.”
Muriel echoed his sentiment.
“Jasper’s right. Conflict is a natural state of affairs and the wonderful thing about conflict is that it stimulates one to new insights about themselves.”
Adrian gave a busted laugh.
“Insights! You saw her leave. She’d rather take her chances with a ghost than to stay in the same room with me.”
Muriel gave his forearm a pat.
“Yes, well, as a Don Juan, you have about as much finesse as a sloth on Librium.”
Adrian threw his head back, a genuine laugh spilling over. Muriel was a priceless pearl. She had coined a phrase out of his own barbed wit. Touched by her warm support, Adrian reached out and gave her an exuberant hug.
“You’re so like my foster father. I could never fool him for a minute either.”
She was obviously pleased by his words and squeezed his arm affectionately.
“There must’ve been a wonderful little boy inside you once, Adrian. What happened to him?”
“He got lost somewhere … like a bead from a broken string.” The admission was dredged from somewhere beyond logic and reason, and Adrian was astonished at the sense of fulfillment he felt in admitting it. A gentle caress raked his forearm and when he turned, Muriel’s eyes were filled with compassion. Before she could speak, he pocketed the compass and hopped from the table. “Too drained to explain further,” he supplied as he made for the door. “Let’s find Janice. I’m feeling uneasy all of a sudden.”
In two steps, they were at his side, re
ady to help in his search. Adrian signaled Muriel out first and she went quickly. About to follow, Adrian was halted by a clamp on his wrist. Instantly, his mind collided with Jasper’s and he heard the question as clearly as if it had been spoken between them.
“What really happened between you and Janice when the glass shattered at dinner?”
For a second, he thought of evading the question, then realized the futility of it. If Jasper really wanted to, he could find the answer by simply diving deeper into Adrian’s mind. But it wasn’t his style, Adrian realized. He didn’t intrude where he wasn’t invited. Their eyes met as the two exchanged a pact.
“A mind meld. A memory. An image of rough, raw lovemaking … ” he said aloud, then paused, aware that Muriel had returned and was staring at him curiously. “I don’t know what it was,” he finished lamely.
Jasper released his wrist, nodding with a hesitant shrug.
“Are you afraid the vision you saw is about to happen with Janice?”
“Worse. I’m afraid it’s not going to happen.”
His candid reply shocked both of them, but he didn’t wait around to see the look on their faces. Instead, he whipped past and strode down the corridor. A short moment later, he heard their footsteps tapping on the oak floor behind him.
Reaching an intersection, Adrian signaled the Grisombs.
“The main staircase is just beyond there. I’m going to circle back through the wing and pick up Janice.”
“You’re sure she’s back there?” Jasper asked with a tilt of his lips.
“Yes, because she’s blind as a bat without her compass.” Seeing Muriel’s mouth open, Adrian lifted his hand. “You’re right. It was a despicable thing to do, letting her leave without it. I’ll apologize as soon as I see her.”
