by Jaycee Clark
For a minute they stared at each other, then Mark turned and waited on the next customer.
Max blew out a breath. What the hell.
Women. And now Alyssa was pissed off at him. Well, what else was new? It wasn’t his fault he cared and it offended her. He and Alyssa seemed to spend more time arguing—or her getting pissed at him and him trying to figure out what had her upset this time—than getting along.
But then the last time he’d been a permanent part of her life, she’d been nine and Timothy had been five. Pain, dulled and mixed with regret, would haunt him for the rest of his days.
He took another sip of coffee and shook off the thoughts. So she’d been scared last night. He’d thought that when she’d come in. But with Alyssa, he knew it could be any number of things to put that look of slick fear in her eyes—memories, nightmares, images she couldn’t readily explain.
But what if this time it wasn’t? What if this time it was real? As real as a semi running a red light and slamming into the side of his ex-wife’s coupe and only one of them barely surviving?
Some evil, he knew, could never be seen. That didn’t make the evil any less real.
Other evils were flesh and blood and just as deadly.
Now that his anger at Lake was passing, he knew it had been stupid on his part. Probably monumentally stupid. He rubbed a hand over his face. Maybe he was more worried about Alyssa than even he realized.
“You think someone hurt her?” Max finally asked, as he sipped his coffee, frowning. “Or tried to?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think so, but something sure as hell spooked her. Terrified her, actually.”
Max just looked at him. “I’ll ask her about it.”
“No offense, but I don’t think she’s gonna tell you anything,” Mark predicted.
“Probably not,” Max agreed, “but I have to at least try.”
Because he’d learned the hard way that not trying at least one more time was unacceptable.
6
Lake paced her apartment. How dare he! The man was insufferable, and to think she’d actually been up half the night with him in her thoughts.
Ass.
Jerk.
Her phone rang.
“What?” she snapped.
“And a good and bright morning it is, too,” Cora said, her voice trying for light and missing the mark.
“I’ve got dibs on pissy-bitch today, thank you very much. Pick another mood.”
For a minute her friend said nothing and then sighed. “Okay, spill and then I get to share.”
“He’s a jerk. A machismo jerk. A know-it-all who doesn’t know anything about…about…anything,” she muttered and plopped down on the sofa, crossing her legs. She swung a foot out and in. A habit she’d had since childhood. She couldn’t freaking sit still especially when she was aggravated or pissed off.
“Do I need to send Rogan down there to kick someone’s ass? He would, you know. He will forever love you.”
It made her smile. Rogan Duran and Cora were perfect for each other and so in love it actually made her jealous. “No,” she said, picking at the stitching on the arm of the microsuede sofa. “No, any ass needs kicking, I’ll gladly do it myself.”
“Okay, if you’re sure. We’re only a phone call away, you know. Oh, hang on…”
Lake heard muffled voices in the background.
“Sorry, as I was saying, if you change your mind, we ass-kick to please.”
This time she chuckled. “Man I miss you guys. I needed this call. Maybe I should just come home.”
“We miss you, too,” Cora said, her voice soft and convinced. “So, what did he do?”
She took a deep breath and tried to let it out slowly, but it didn’t help. She was pissed. Very pissed. “The idiot questioned my conviction in what I do, first of all. He did that last night.”
“Before or after you had him in bed.”
“And then—” She blinked. “God, Cora, there wasn’t a damn bed.”
“With you, there never had to be.”
“Bitch.”
“Back at ya, babe.”
Lake grinned. “Sooooo, as I was saying, he questioned my conviction while we were having dinner. A nice dinner too that he ruined. But we talked about it, ya know?”
“Talked about what?”
“If I really believe in what I ‘sell’, for the lack of anything else to call it.”
A silent beat thrummed over the phone. “I’ll leave that one alone, it’s too easy and you’re not in the mood.” Another humming moment, then, “Okay, so he questioned you, basically what you believe, which by the way, is simply who you are. Then what?”
“Then I said that it wasn’t just a damned mask that I put on when it suited me. It was part of me, reading auras and believing in fate and psychics.” She stood, waving a hand in aggravation. “Or whatever. The point is he questioned, I answered, thought we had it settled, and then he kissed me.”
“The good part.”
For a moment she thought back to the explosive kiss that she had wanted more of. “Yeah, it was good, great in fact, and the man is no doubt superb in bed, but that’s all beside the point.”
“Dear me. Lake just said that superb sex is beside the point.” Cora’s clear laughter rang over the phone as she clearly told whoever was there with her what Lake had just said.
Cora’s chuckles still danced through the phone.
“This is so not funny, damm it. I need some—”
More giggles. “Yes, I’ve noticed. You’re wound so tight…” More laughter.
Frustrated, Lake sighed and said, “When you get done laughing and want to know why I’m so pissed I could smother him with his own drop cloths, call me back.”
She clicked the phone off. Damn it. Where was a—
The phone rang again.
“I’m sorry. Really,” Cora said, not laughing, but Lake could still hear the smile in her voice. “I promise I will remain silent until you ask my opinion. Rogan left so I won’t get in trouble for yelling our conversation at him. He misses you and your stories.”
Yeah, right. “So anyway,” Lake picked up as if never having left off, “here I was, and here he was, and he had a valid reason to worry. About my convictions, ya know?” She took another deep breath. “He’s got a daughter, probably nineteen-twentyish, I can’t remember, college age anyway.” She closed her eyes and sat back down on the couch. “The girl is the most gifted I’ve ever been around, Cora. I mean I not only see her aura, but feel it. Really feel it. And she doesn’t have a clue, at least not that I’ve noticed. Well, to some extent.” She stood again and paced to the window. “So I had mentioned to her that I’d like to talk to her and he’s concerned that I’m merely playing her or scamming her or something, ya know? But I thought we cleared all that up.”
“Last night, right?” Cora asked.
“Yeah, we discussed it over dinner then he kissed me and then I left.”
“Wait. I have to ask.”
“What?”
“This guy you’ve been eyeing for months finally took you out and then he kissed you but that’s it? And it was a great kiss?”
Lake smiled, remembering it, then scowled. “On my old scale, at least a eight, if not a nine.”
“No tens?”
“Ten was years ago, no one’s ever met that one.”
“Another story.”
“Another time,” Lake finished on a smile.
“Yet after you sleep with him, I feel confident he might move up.”
“Possibly. If we ever get that far.” Which she doubted. “Anyway, so we had plans to meet, right?” She went through the rest of it and stopped after she had told Cora about the feeling of darkness and evil that had reached out to the girl.
“What do you think it is?” Cora asked.
“I don’t know. I really don’t. Someone who isn’t well-meaning, that’s for damn sure. So after that I asked her if she wanted to join us and she agreed. No
w this morning he’s pissed because he said no one used his daughter to get to him and he resented that I had.”
“Oh my. Is he still alive?” Cora asked.
“I’m not joking, Cora. I really liked this guy and he just…he’s just…”
“A jerk.”
For a minute neither said a word as Lake looked out her window to the courtyard below and the Taos Mountain beyond.
“But,” Cora started.
“There are no buts.”
“Not really, and it doesn’t excuse his behavior, no, but maybe someone tried to chummy up to the girl before to ‘get’ to him. Face it, we’re not exactly normal to believe in dreams, visions, auras. Maybe both he and his daughter were hurt before because of someone else faking belief in what simply comes natural to us.”
She really hated voices of reason. “I was riding a great wave of mad.”
“And so you should. He should not have jumped to conclusions. And it’s not like the girl is ten or twelve or fifteen.”
“No, but she is vulnerable. Not sure of herself, not really.” And on that, she realized Alyssa was probably waiting on her, but she hated to get off the phone with Cora when Cora had phoned and said she needed to share something.
“What’s up?”
A long silent moment passed. “Be careful, Lake. Just be careful, please.”
“Oh, I will.” She thought about the evil she’d felt. “I’m different here, Cora. Lately I’ve felt off, or back on, whatever, and it’s different. Before, there was a focused, yet fogged, way of seeing people, if that makes sense. But it’s like after Simon and you and everything, I just shoved it all away. I couldn’t trust myself.”
“Lake—”
“I couldn’t,” she interrupted. “But now, here, I feel like I’ve finally found myself. Everything is different, sharper. The glaze is gone, or whatever. I still see auras, yes, when I try, but now I can feel them.”
“Them?” Cora asked.
“Them. I can focus and read anyone if I want. But some are just there.”
Cora cleared her throat. “Like?”
“Well, like Alyssa’s. And whoever the darkness was. I didn’t see his aura, but I felt it. He’s dark, Cora.” She shuddered. “Maybe even worse than Simon.”
“Wonderful, that’ll help me sleep at night.” A breath huffed out. “I don’t know if anyone is worse than Simon and we’ll hope that you’re wrong. I hope you’re wrong.” For a minute Cora didn’t say anything, but Lake waited her friend out. “Lately, I’ve had dreams again, Lake.”
Cora’s gift was dreaming. And her dreams were not to be taken lightly.
“What about? Me?” she asked.
“I don’t…” Cora sighed. “Just be careful, watch your back and forget Max. Either he’s worth it, and you, or he’s not. You can’t ‘make’ him be worth it.”
She smiled. “I know. Thanks, sweetie. I’ve got to go.”
* * *
Alyssa checked her watch. She’d been daydreaming or something because more time had passed than she’d realized.
A door opened at the top of the stairs and Lake stepped out holding a cell phone that she clipped to the side of her skirt in a cute little purple case with copper designs on it.
“Cool phone case.”
Lake frowned. “What? Oh, yeah, thanks, a friend of mine made it.”
“Knew you liked purple did they?”
Lake smiled. “Sorry, got a call from a friend and needed to vent.”
Alyssa knew. “About Dad.”
Those green eyes all but flashed fire. “Yes, about your father, idiot man. Well, don’t just stand there, come on up.”
Lake stepped back inside and left the door open. Alyssa hurried up the stairs and into the apartment. She’d been up here before. She’d helped Mrs. Howard clean it after other renters or weekenders had left, but it had been awhile.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. A peace shimmered around the apartment, slightly rippled—due, probably, to Lake’s ire.
“Feel okay?”
Not feeling, but feel.
“Your anger has disturbed the peace,” Alyssa said, just watching to see what the other woman would say to that.
Lake threw her head back and laughed. “Damned right it did, usually does.” Then she focused those green, green eyes on her. “Do you always read a house? A room?”
Alyssa thought about it. “I guess. I used to but…”
“But?”
Sighing, she sat on the couch and picked on the leg of her jeans. “You’re real, right?” Then she saw it, felt Lake’s aura almost burn, the edges going more orange, almost red around the purple and blues. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be disrespectful, it’s just that some people around here just do it for the money, a fun show so to speak.” She shrugged. “Some locals are real. The Brothers Grimm. They’re real, I think.”
“What?” Lake filled some glasses with water, then sliced a lemon and dropped one in each glass. “There are really brothers named Grimm?”
Alyssa grinned. “No, that’s just what I dubbed them. They have a shop a few blocks down and over, back in the alley. Very dark, leans towards the occult but cool. Lots of materials and stuff, books and research about auras, new age stuff, psychics, whatever.”
“Are they truly knowledgeable or just there to sell to the public?”
She frowned. “I don’t know, the shop seems real, has an energy. Sometimes good, sometimes not.” She thought about it. “Yeah, I think they, or one of them, is more into the dark side of things, though maybe I’m wrong.”
Lake’s brows rose. “Really? Hmmmm…”
“Anyway, they believe me. The younger brother, Jay, he saw me walk into the shop several months ago and then just had some books for me sitting on the counter when I was ready to check out.” She shrugged again, remembering. “He just knew.”
“And you’re wondering which category I fall into?”
Alyssa studied her for a moment more. “No, I guess I know, or I wouldn’t be here, would I?”
She took the glass of water Lake handed her and sipped.
“Your father doesn’t want you here. I don’t think he believes in what I do.”
“That’s not it. There was this fortune teller…”
Lake laughed, the sound husky and real. Alyssa bet the men and boys alike really dug that laugh.
“That’s what they all say.”
“No, really there was.” She twisted the cuffs of her knit jacket. Why was she nervous? Shaking off the anxiety, she said, “The fortune teller was nice. Really nice, actually. Her name was Shannon. She was sweet, brought us dinner and stuff. I’d just moved here and moved in with Dad and things were messed up. He’d been around when I was little. Then, after the divorce, he left and now here I was needing all this help and care and… Well, anyway, Shannon helped out a bit. She was nice, but she wanted to talk, to connect, and I just didn’t want to.” She scrunched her nose. “I think they’d been seeing each other before.” She waved a hand. “It wasn’t lasting, probably due to me. I couldn’t have made things easy. Dad was in a bad place, not just with me but because the accident also killed my little brother. But Shannon tried, I have to give her that, and she was friendly enough, but it seemed fake.”
“And your father figured it out and he wasn’t going to put up with it.”
She thought back to that time. “I guess. I was hyped on pain meds still and confused and…”
“Angry.”
Angry didn’t begin to cover the plethora of emotions that had raged through her. “Yeah, angry.”
“You get counseling?”
Alyssa chuckled and then laughed, laughed until tears came to her eyes and her sides hurt. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
Lake took a slow sip of her water. “Don’t apologize to me, dear.”
“I’ve seen more shrinks than anyone else I know.”
“Ahhh.”
She stopped and Lake had a knowing smile. “Let me gues
s. Parents didn’t understand, teachers definitely didn’t, so thus something must be wrong when you could ‘read’ people. Or just knew things.”
“I saw kids and people that no one else ever saw.”
“That’ll get them every time.” The words were so deadpan that it took a minute to realize she’d been sarcastic.
“You see them?”
Lake shook her head. “No, I can only read people. Not like if they’re lying or feel their pain or whatever, but I can sense some emotions if strong enough, and they have to be really strong. Auras for the most part are my thing. Just auras.”
“You any good at it?”
“God, the honesty of youth.” Lake studied her glass. “I used to be.” She pulled the amethyst pendant back and forth on the chain and whispered, “I used to be.”
Alyssa thought about that and tilted her head. “So to answer your question, yes, I’ve seen many, many shrinks. Who prescribed any drug you could dream up.” She rubbed her arms. “At one point I couldn’t stand it and thought I’d just end it.”
“That would have been a damn shame, Alyssa.” Lake’s eyes narrowed and there was no pity, but anger there. “A stupid, selfish mistake.”
“Yeah, I know that now, but God, I was so tired of no one listening, of no one believing.”
“Your dad didn’t?”
Alyssa shrugged. “He wasn’t around. Only Mom and, no she didn’t.”
“I understand.”
“Do you really?”
She smiled. “My parents haven’t heard from me for years, because that is the way they want it. I’m strange and weird and don’t fit into the family.”
“Huh. Dad was never so…rigid about things like that. I think that was what finally pulled him and Mom apart. He didn’t think I needed doctors. His grandmother was gifted, he said, maybe I got it from her. My mom wanted me to be more normal like my…my little brother, Timothy. He died in the accident with Mom.”
Lake just listened as she suddenly talked, talked like she rarely did except with Dr. Wellbourne. “I’m seeing someone now. A parapsychologist.”
“Is it helping?”
“Yeah, he kind of creeps me out sometimes, but yeah, he’s made me see there’s nothing really wrong with me. I’m just different. My brain is wired differently than other people to pick up things others miss.”
