Vengeful Shadows

by Bronwyn Green

  She scanned the neighborhood around the shelter. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. No suspicious strangers skulked about. The usual array of litter blew down the street and chased after the homeless.

  Her attention returned to the envelope. She carefully removed the packet and got into her gray Saturn. Realizing that someone might be watching her, she feigned indifference and followed Annie’s directions to the Holbrook campus. Once there, she pulled into a parking space and opened the package.

  Wear this tonight, and think of me.

  Her stomach leapt into her throat as she peered inside the envelope and removed a wide, white satin ribbon. It smelled faintly of cigarette smoke and expensive cologne. She shoved the slippery fabric back inside and fought to keep her hands from trembling.

  Previously, she’d received letters only in the shelter’s mail. Whoever had given her the gift had watched her closely enough to know her car. And worse, the shelter’s pathetically out of date surveillance system focused on the front and back doors to the building. Her car would have been out of the camera’s range.

  Her stomach twisted in a painful knot. Did he know where she lived, too? How many times had she walked by this person? Was it someone she knew?

  Swallowing the metallic taste of fear, she shoved the parcel in her bag. She refused to show the anxiety that pounded inside her chest. If he watched her now, he wouldn’t get any satisfaction from her rattled emotional state.

  Tessa locked the car door and scrutinized the area. Young, twenty-something students milled around the buildings, taking advantage of the nice weather. It looked like any other college campus in Michigan at the beginning of fall term. No maniacal stalkers were evident. But in her experience, people were rarely what they appeared to be. She’d learned that the hard way.

  Hopefully, she could get her errand done quickly and leave. The unsettling messages troubled her, and being on a college campus at this time of year only made it worse. Pushing away the ugly memories, she focused instead on the directions to Watterson Hall. She found the squat, limestone building right where Annie had said she would. Professor Greer’s office was supposed to be right around the corner from the entrance.

  Tessa welcomed the noise of students between classes as she walked through the front doors. The sounds of laughter and half-heard conversations helped chase away any lingering apprehension.

  Avoiding a rush of people, she turned left and scanned the room numbers of the offices. Seven female co-eds leaned against the wall outside the door she needed. They must have recently doused themselves in their favorite perfumes. The hallway smelled like a department store fragrance counter.

  “Are you all waiting for Professor Greer?” Tessa asked.

  “As if,” a could-be cover model answered. “We’re here for Dr. York.”

  Zander? Couldn’t be.

  “They share an office,” the girl volunteered sullenly.

  A rich, velvety voice drew her focus from the pretty brat. Zander, gorgeous Zander, stood in the doorway and tried to disengage himself from the grip of another young woman. His, chestnut hair flopped across his forehead, and he wore the green sweater she’d given him for Christmas last year. It matched his eyes almost perfectly. With his broad shoulders and easy grace, he was perfection in a package, as far as Tessa was concerned. Except for the fact he was completely wrong for her.

  “Please, Dr. York,” the girl breathed. “Isn’t there anything I could do for extra credit? Anything at all?”

  Oh give me a break.

  “I don’t give extra credit, Tracy,” he explained as if he’d said it far too many times already.

  Plainly irritated, the girl cleared her throat.

  “Lacy,” he corrected himself. “But you can reread chapters seven through ten. That should help your grade on the next exam.”

  Lacy flounced away in a cloud of expensive perfume, giving Tessa the once over as she passed. In her conservative linen sheath, Tessa got the distinct impression she’d been found lacking.

  Zander sighed and looked at his clipboard. “Okay, who’s next?”

  The cover-girl pushed by Tessa, looking as if she were about to press her chest against Zander as she entered his office. He stepped away from her and glanced up.

  “Tessa?” A grin slid over his face and brightened his features. He took her hand. The combined warmth of his smile and his skin rocketed through her as he drew her inside his office and shut the door. He nodded to the girl waiting at the empty desk. “Courtney, I need to have a word with my colleague. I’ll continue office hours in a few minutes.”

  Courtney glared at Tessa as she exited, leaving the door ajar. Zander pushed it closed, and Tessa bit back a smile.

  “Your fan club is going to be angry that you gave me cuts.”

  “Fan club?”

  “See? I’m not crazy,” a heavily accented voice behind her said. He sounded as though he were Irish or perhaps Scottish. Something sort of British. She turned as a darkly attractive man rose from his seat behind another desk.

  “He actually thinks those girls flock outside during office hours for help with their class work,” the man continued.

  Tessa laughed. “You must be Professor Greer.”

  “Which would make you Tessa. Please call me Aidan. Annie rang me a bit ago and said you’d be stopping by in lieu of Cat.”

  “You’re here to see him?” Zander asked. Struggling to mask his annoyance, he drank in the sight of her. She’d pulled her honey-blonde hair into a tight bun. He preferred the silky looking, shoulder-length strands loose and framing her face. Tilting her head, she studied him. Her blue eyes sparkled with amusement, and he wondered if his infatuation was obvious.

  Smiling, she shrugged. “I had no idea you shared an office.”

  The untouchable neighbor he’d fantasized about for longer than he cared to admit had finally walked into his office—to meet with his co-worker. Jealousy tasted bitter in his mouth.

  Aidan looked meaningfully between them. “You know one another, I take it?”

  “Zander’s a friend,” Tessa said.

  “Lucky Zander,” his so-called-friend murmured.

  Tessa smiled at Aidan, and Zander’s gut tightened. For the first time, he regretted agreeing to share office space with the other man. It wasn’t his problem the university had hired more adjunct professors than they had room for.

  “What did you say you stopped by for?” he asked, hoping to draw her attention away from his friend. Aidan was a great guy and all, but he didn’t deserve Tessa.

  Okay, Zander could admit it. He didn’t deserve Tessa either, but Aidan…? No way. There wasn’t a pedestal high enough for the angel next door. He and Aidan generally preferred the same type of date—wild, willing and with no interest in permanency. None of these classifications fit Tessa—which reminded him… He still needed to talk to her about the tenure situation. She turned her smile on him, and for a moment, he couldn’t think clearly.

  “I’m picking up some pictures for Annie.”

  He nodded, vaguely remembering the gallery showing. “What time does your library shift end?”

  “Six o’clock. Why?”

  “I need to talk to you. Can you come over when you get home?”

  Concern dimmed her smile. “Is everything okay?” she asked, her voice lowered.

  “Yeah but it’ll take longer to explain that either of us has time for, right now. I’ll make dinner,” he added.

  “Okay. I’ll head over as soon as I get home.”

  An impatient rap from the hallway rattled the door. She pressed her full lips together as if trying to stifle a laugh. “I’d better grab those prints and let you two get back to your office hours.”

  Aidan pulled some large frames, cocooned in cardboard and bubble wrap, from behind his desk. “Can I carry these out to your car?”

  She smiled at Aidan, and Zander wondered if she was as susceptible to that damned Welsh accent as nearly every other woman on the planet. He wasn
’t about to lose precious time with Tessa simply because he had to compete with exotic pronunciation.

  “I can do it,” he blurted.

  Tessa took the package from Aidan’s hands and moved close enough for Zander to see the midnight-blue flecks in her irises.

  “I’ve got it,” she said. “Besides, I think your fan club is planning a sorority-style lynching out there.” Her eyes shone with mirth. “I need to get out of here while I still can.”

  She stepped forward as if to move past him. The spicy-sweet, floral scent of her perfume wrapped around him, and her teasing words wriggled under his skin. Vanilla, cloves and some flower he couldn’t place enticed him closer. Before he could think to stop it, he lifted his arm and circled her waist, halting her movement toward the door. Her eyes widened in surprise, and her lips parted on a breath.

  His fingers convulsed briefly on her hip. What was he doing? Awareness bounded between them like ricocheting bullets. Her drowning gaze held him suspended, and he fought the insane urge to back her against the wall and kiss her.

  “Shall I cancel the rest of your office hours, then?” Aidan asked, with poorly concealed amusement.

  Zander relinquished his possessive grip and glared at his friend. With the spell broken, a flush bloomed across Tessa’s cheeks and she retreated. For a moment, he thought he’d seen something in her eyes. A smoldering heat. If it had been there, she’d smothered it before he could be sure.

  “Bye. Thanks for the pictures. Nice to meet you, Professor Greer,” she stammered. “See you later, Zander.”

  He watched as she walked out the door. Her steps slowed as she reached the hallway. She turned, confusion and embarrassment etched clearly in her face. He met her eyes over the heads of his students, and her expression changed. Smiling, she waved and headed toward the front door as if his behavioral aberration hadn’t occurred.

  “That’s your neighbor?” Aidan gaped as he watched Tessa leave the building. He moved as though to follow her, but Zander gripped his shoulder, stopping him. If anyone went after her, it sure as hell wouldn’t be Aidan.

  Chapter Two

  “Seriously?” Aidan said. “That’s the librarian?”

  Zander glowered, but the other man continued undaunted.

  “Here I’ve been picturing you living next door to some ancient spinster, and instead, you’re—”

  “Excuse me, a moment.” Zander shut the door on his waiting students and turned to his friend.

  Aidan’s expression grew thoughtful. “I imagine she’ll be at the show tonight.”

  “So?” Resentment and irritation tore through Zander’s gut.

  Aidan shrugged. “She seems a bit of a priss, but I bet underneath all that, she’s a wild woman just waiting—”

  “Stay away from her,” Zander practically growled.

  “Down, boy.” The other man laughed and walked to his desk.

  Zander sighed. He could see the headlines now: Criminal Psychologist Murders Colleague. That would take him off the tenure track for sure.

  “Clearly, there’s more going on here than you’re willing to admit,” Aidan said.

  “Go to hell.”

  His friend raised his brow and studied him. “So why haven’t made your move? What’s stopping you?”

  “I think you’re a little confused. I analyze people. You take pictures. That’s how it works.”

  “Avoid and deny all you want, mate. It’s your life, not mine.”

  “I hear they’ve got office space in the Math Department,” Zander muttered as he opened the door to admit the next student.

  He wasn’t in denial; he was practical. He wanted to keep Tessa in his life. Starting a relationship with her would eventually drive her away. Besides, she deserved someone who could offer her love. That wasn’t something he was prepared to offer any woman. He’d seen the devastation love left in its wake. Ending up like his older brother wasn’t part of his life plan.

  He wasn’t an idiot. He knew not all relationships ended that badly, but he also knew Niko hadn’t been the same since his wife had died. Zander had loved Julia like a sister. He could only imagine Niko’s pain. He pushed aside any lingering fantasies of Tessa. It was better for everyone involved if he kept it light.

  * * * *

  Tessa surveyed her to-do list. Two more boxes of books to inventory, and she could go home and get ready for Annie’s gallery party. And find out what on earth Zander wanted to talk to her about. Remembering his odd behavior reminded her of the notes. She wasn’t sure which unsettled her more.

  Sighing, she tried to focus on unpacking and shelving books. Rather than the titles in front of her, she saw the heat in Zander’s eyes. He’d looked as if he’d wanted to kiss her. Actually, he’d looked as if he’d wanted to do a hell of a lot more than that. Her nipples tightened and ached at the thought of Zander’s mouth on her. The expression on his face and the way he’d stared at her mouth was burned into her memory. She’d definitely be calling it to mind later when she went to bed. He was her favorite fantasy. She’d lost track of the number of times she’d made herself come thinking of him.

  Sighing, she pushed the thoughts away. She had work to do, and fantasizing about Zander wasn’t getting it done. Tessa scanned the shelves, and a regular patron winked at her from the other side of the double-sided bookcase. A chill crawled across her scalp. Great. Mr. McFeely. Okay, that wasn’t his real name, but the guy had as many arms as an octopus, and they all moved constantly. His MO was to ask the female employees for help finding books on human sexuality, then attempt a less-than-subtle grope.

  She placed several books into the empty spot blocking him from her vision. She should concentrate on honing her reflexes to better avoid McFeely’s tentacles. Instead, she fantasized about the shape of Zander’s mouth. His lips begged for a woman’s kiss—but not necessarily hers. She’d seen the women he dated. Gorgeous, secure and carefree—everything she wasn’t.

  Idly, she wondered how many of his students he’d slept with. The answer came before she’d finished forming the question, and guilt assailed her for thinking it in the first place. He had more integrity than to abuse his position as an educator. He loved teaching. Besides, she thought with a smile, she wasn’t convinced he actually realized why so many of girls had set up camp outside his office.

  Tessa returned to the front desk. What was with him today? The phantom weight of his hand still settled on her waist. Her body clenched with long suppressed desire at the memory of his warmth heavy against her skin.

  This isn’t helping.

  She should just chalk up his weird behavior to the fact that he hadn’t been seeing anyone lately. Months, if she remembered correctly.

  More important than what was wrong with Zander, what was wrong with her? Getting worked up over a guy wasn’t something she allowed herself to do. Of course, her usual dates were about as intimidating as milquetoast. Zander didn’t fall into that category. Therein lay the problem. He was the first man in years who’d threatened the death grip she held on her self-control.

  A shadow fell across her vision. McFeely. She’d almost forgotten about him. Predictably, he approached the information desk and rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet until she acknowledged him.

  “Can I help you?” she asked.

  “I can’t find A Woman’s Erogenous Zones.” His nasal tone grated on her nerves.

  I’m betting you can’t, buddy. She tried to stifle a smile.

  “Can you help me?” he asked.

  Tessa typed the title into the computer. “Sorry, it’s been checked out.” She scrolled down. “It’s due back next Monday.”

  “Do you have anything similar?”

  Sighing, she stood and pointed. “Far left-hand corner.” She’d learned the hard way that walking near him was a huge mistake and stayed safely behind the desk. She didn’t need to add being groped to today’s list of weirdness.

  Tessa’s errant thoughts vanished at the haunted expression of the yo
ung woman approaching the desk. It was Karen, one of the girls she mentored at the shelter. Tessa usually met with her once a week, but Karen had missed her appointment Wednesday.

  “Are you busy, Tessa?” Her voice wobbled as though she held back tears.

  Concern for Karen eclipsed any worry she had about McFeely or her misbehaving hormones. “I’m just finishing up. Why don’t we go into my office?”

  Tessa called her assistant, Emily, to the front desk. “I have to take a meeting, and Jessie’s repairing books in the back room. Can you take over here?”

  Emily nodded, her short pink dreads bobbing like rows of dancing mushrooms. “Sure thing, boss-lady.”

  “Be careful,” Tessa cautioned. “McFeely is in the back section.”

  Her assistant sighed dramatically, and her multiple facial piercings glinted under the fluorescent lights. “When isn’t he? Doesn’t he have a job or anything?”

  Tessa shrugged then led Karen into her office. Turning, Tessa noticed that the girl’s eyes were wide and troubled as the girl followed closely behind her. Tessa knew that look. She’d worn it before. For a moment, she saw herself at eighteen—self-assured and trusting. That had all changed in the space of a few, nightmarish hours. Now, at twenty-eight, most of her confidence had returned, but she doubted her trust ever would.

  Karen paced the small office, her arms wrapped around her middle, tension radiating from her thin body. She walked to the window and peered around the blinds before she turned to check that the door was securely closed. She looked more like a little girl than the poised college student Tessa imagined she’d once been.

  “Do you want some coffee?” Tessa asked. “You look exhausted.”

  “I can’t sleep,” the girl said. “I feel him. I smell him.” Her voice trembled. She stopped speaking.

  White-hot rage and memories filled Tessa, but she maintained an outward facade of calm. In her volunteer work, she faced her past on a regular basis. Particularly difficult cases would give rise to occasional flashbacks, but she’d moved beyond the victim stage long before she became an advisor. Nevertheless, the creepy notes she’d started to receive and her compassion for Karen set her nerves on edge and brought the bygone turmoil bubbling to the surface. Burying her past, she took a deep breath and focused on the young woman.