“I’m fine. You know you don’t need an appointment to see me.” She put her arm around Doris, giving her an affectionate squeeze, yet at the same time she found herself reaching out mentally for any sign of a dark energy. She hated this. “You know I’m always available for you, Doris, day or night.”
“Well, thank you. Even though I’m watching my diet, I’ve had some trouble regulating my blood sugar, and I thought I’d better check with you about adjusting my insulin dosage.”
“Absolutely. You need to be careful when you’re dealing with insulin.” Kara gestured toward her office. “Come in here. I don’t think we need an examining room for this.”
Doris pulled a small notebook from her purse as she walked into the office. “I’ve got all my glucose readings and my medication log with me.” She always kept exacting records that made Kara’s job of controlling her diabetes much easier.
“I wish all my patients were like you.” Kara settled Doris in a chair facing her desk then went to get her glucose meter and Doris’s chart.
She checked Doris’s glucose level, discovering it was too high. So she adjusted Doris’s insulin dosage and reviewed how and when to take it. Doris carefully wrote everything down in her notebook and assured Kara she would follow the instructions to the letter.
“I’ve also been reading about insulin on the computer,” Doris said as she stood to leave. “I believe in being informed.”
“You and that computer. Have you signed up for an online dating service yet?” Kara teased, trying to convince herself that Doris was normal, that everything was normal.
Doris laughed, her eyes dancing with her usual zest for life. “Certainly not. I don’t want some old man desperate for someone to pick up after him.” She leaned across the desk. “Now you, young lady, should be surrounding yourself with handsome young bucks, although I think they call them ‘hunks’ nowadays. You’re too young and pretty to be devoting all your time to your son and your patients.”
Kara sighed mentally. She was perfectly happy in her roles as mother and doctor, despite the attempts of well-meaning family and friends to steer her back to the dating world. “Doris, you know the only man for me right now is Alex,” she said lightly, despite the tension still stringing her nerves. “I’m very content with my life just the way it is.”
“Being content may be all right for a while, but you can’t stay in a safe little bubble forever, my dear,” Doris continued. “You need to get out and live. The years go by way too fast.”
“I know what you mean,” Kara said. “I can remember when Alex was just a baby, and he’ll be seven on his next birthday. I can’t believe it.”
“How is that young man doing?”
A new concern nagged at Kara, but she firmly told herself she and Alex would deal with the issue of his powers, and successfully put the matter to rest. Damn Morgan for coming into her life and putting all these fears into her mind. She would not live like this.
“Alex is wonderful,” she said evenly.
“Is he still coming on Thursday to help me make cakes for the town hall bake sale?”
Did she dare let Alex go over to Doris’s house? He was so excited about helping Doris bake. But now… Kara felt the strong urge to pull Alex from school and keep him home until the matter of the Belian was laid to rest.
That was her emotional side. Her logical side knew that she and Alex couldn’t live that way. She had to accept the fact that evil resided wherever there was opportunity; there was no place she and Alex could run to that would ever be completely safe. She had to allow him to follow his usual routine as much as possible.
“I’d like to help with the baking, too,” she said. She’d keep life on its regular course, but she would take extra precautions. “Can we both come over Thursday afternoon?”
“That would be wonderful. It will be much easier to make all those cakes with two extra pairs of hands.” Doris leaned over to give Kara a maternal hug. “Thank you, Dr. Kara. I’ll be looking for you and Alex on Thursday afternoon.” She left, leaving behind the airy fragrance of the Liz Claiborne perfume she always wore.
Seeing Doris should have been a pleasant ending to a stressful day, but Kara couldn’t seem to shake the dark cloud of suspicion hounding her. She closed Doris’s file and was rising to put all the charts away when the phone rang. She saw on the caller ID it was from home, and figured Alex was wondering why she wasn’t home yet. Feeling her mood lighten, she smiled and picked up the receiver. “Hello there.”
“We have a problem here.”
Kara’s smile faded at the concern in her combination housekeeper and nanny’s voice. “What’s wrong, Luz?”
“There is a man here at the house. I’ve never seen him before. He came to the door while I was in the kitchen, and Alex let him in. He was talking to Alex, and Alex is very upset.”
“Oh, no,” Kara murmured, certain of the intruder’s identity. “Has this man threatened you in any way? Did you tell him to get out?”
“No threats yet,” Luz said, her voice shaky and her accent thicker than usual. “I told him I would call la policía if he did not leave immediately. He said to call you first, that you knew him.”
“Did he tell you his name?” Kara asked, although she knew.
“Damien Morgan. He is very arrogant. He said I could call the police if I wanted, but he’s staying here until you arrive. I sense that he is muy peligroso. What should I do?”
Kara felt as if a huge hand had closed around her heart and was squeezing unmercifully. “Don’t call the police,” she said sharply. “Mr. Morgan won’t hurt you. I’ll be there in a few minutes. Just keep him away from Alex until I get there.”
She slammed down the phone, grabbed her jacket and purse, and raced out of the building as if a Belian was pursuing her.
A distinct and horrifying possibility.
* * * *
He thinks he can track me, but I’m far smarter than he is. I was able to pick up on his power, even with it shielded. I don’t know who he is yet, but I will find out. I know he was somewhere near the school today. I wonder what he was looking for. Or maybe who he was looking for. I did pick up a second, faint echo of energy. There must be someone else in Zorro with the power.
I will have to investigate that possibility further. Since the Sentinel was lurking near the school, perhaps it’s one of the children. Now, that would be an interesting development—and one I would enjoy remedying. I’ll have to check out the school-aged brats. Discreetly, of course. I’m far too clever to ever fall under suspicion.
Before I’m through with this pitiful excuse for a town, my power will be legendary, and I’ll be unstoppable. The Sentinel, whoever he is, will be just a fading memory in the chronicles of the Sanctioned.
And these bumbling idiots will never even know what hit them.
CHAPTER FOUR
Kara slammed into the house, her heart racing. She wasn’t sure what she had expected to find, but she stopped short when she saw Damien sitting on the sofa, idly flipping through her latest JAMA magazine. Luz stood in the archway between the living room and dining area, Alex’s baseball bat gripped tightly in both hands and resting against her shoulder as if she were preparing to swing at a ball.
Alex stood just inside the hallway leading to the bedrooms, his dark eyes wide and fixed on Damien. His clenched fists were the only visible sign of his agitation. Mac lay on the floor in front of Alex, his gaze on Damien, his ears and his hackles up.
The scene, and this man’s invasion into her home, spiked Kara’s fury to a new level. Damien calmly turned a magazine page, looked up when she stormed toward him. “What the hell do you think you’re doing here?” she demanded, surprised at how hard she was shaking.
He tossed the magazine onto the coffee table, sat back. “I wanted to talk with Alex about his—” he glanced at Luz. “Situation.” His steel blue gaze shifted to Kara, piercing her with its intensity. “And I wanted to continue our discussion.”
She forced herself to take a breath and speak calmly. “I told you Saturday that I don’t want you anywhere near Alex. You’re not welcome here.”
“Then maybe you should have let your maid call the police.” He rose, towering over her, and stepped closer.
Resisting the automatic reflex to back up, she stood her ground. “She’s not a maid. Get out. Now.”
He didn’t move. “Did you check on David Thornton today?”
The doubts flooded her again. She glanced at Alex and Luz. The young woman reached over to the dining room table and picked up the portable phone. “I can call the police.”
“No, Luz, that won’t be necessary. Mr. Morgan is leaving. I’m going to see him out. Alex, get started on your homework.” Kara looked back at Damien, jerked her head toward the open front door. “Outside.” She whirled and strode through the doorway, certain he would follow.
The pulsing waves of energy behind her were the only indication that he was behind her. Absurdly, she wondered how so large a man could move with such utter stealth.
The cool afternoon air flowed over her, and she shivered, thinking she might never be warm again. Over her shoulder, she watched Damien close the front door behind them. Mentally bracing herself, she turned to face him. The relentless electrical static that surged between them only agitated her more. “Can’t you shut that off?”
“Shut what off?”
“That damned energy. It’s…disconcerting.”
His brows arched. “Is it now? Well, I suggest you go with the flow here, and acclimate yourself to it. You should know I can’t do anything about the conductor/Sentinel reaction.”
“I know you can stay the hell away,” she snapped, wanting to advance on him like a boxer on an opponent, to crowd his personal space and throw his own tactics back at him. But she knew that would be a bad move, so she opted to stay where she was.
He stood motionless on the porch, his duster draped over his arm. He was dressed in a black turtleneck and black jeans and boots. His midnight hair was tied back, denying any relief to his stark features. In the fading sunlight, he looked dark and menacing, like a secret agent for Satan.
He appeared oblivious to the chill in the air, radiating a body heat she could feel even across the three or four feet separating them. Richard had been like that, too, with a superhuman metabolism and higher body temperature.
“You checked on David Thornton,” he said.
There was no sense lying to him when he could readily obtain the information. Telling him she knew the truth, but still had no intention of helping him, might be a stronger offensive tactic than playing dumb. “I tried to locate an autopsy,” she said. “One was never ordered.”
He didn’t appear surprised. “Who made that decision?”
She didn’t want to have this conversation, didn’t want to consider the ramifications. But what she wanted didn’t change the facts. “The police chief, Tom Greer, decided it was an accidental drowning, and that an autopsy was unnecessary.” That would put Tom at the top of Damien’s list of suspects.
“So now you know I’m right about Thornton.”
“All I know is that an autopsy was never done. There’s still no evidence David was murdered.” But her words were sheer bravado, because she knew on an intuitive level that Damien’s suspicions were correct.
“My psychic visions are never wrong,” he said. “A Belian killed David Thornton. I need your help to track it.”
She rubbed her chilled arms, kept them folded protectively across her chest. “I won’t do it.”
He watched her a moment. “You’re stronger than you realize, Kara.”
“Yeah, I’m familiar with the Sanctioned company line.” She turned away from the eerie blue glow of his eyes. “Tell me, is there some sort of pain meter you Sentinels use as a gauge? Do you compare notes to see which conductors can endure the most pain, the most stress, the most horror? Who’s strong, and who’s weak? Who can take on the most powerful and terrifying demons from hell? I’ve got a news flash for you, Morgan. I’m no longer on the list of candidates.”
Not that she owed him an explanation. She’d already paid her dues. She had faced unspeakable monsters and a shadowy void so immense, she could only pray God was strong enough to win, that the light could prevail, and the world wouldn’t be plunged into the abyss of darkness…
The state trooper laughed as Richard struggled to get to his feet, slipping on the blood from his wounded leg. “What’s the matter, Wayman? You letting a little thing like a bullet keep you from saving this human here? Maybe this will help.”
He pressed the gun barrel to the terrified woman’s swollen abdomen, oblivious to her pleas to spare her baby. Before he could pull the trigger, Richard flicked his hand toward them. The gun jerked away from the woman and fell, skidding between lifeless bodies.
With a roar, the trooper threw his victim aside and went after the gun. Richard channeled more energy to send the gun flying further away, and the Belian charged him. They both hit the ground, rolling. Sparks flew in the air as each battled to manipulate and direct energy. Kara could only watch, knowing they were locked in mortal combat.
Her breath hissing out, she forced away the memory—and those that followed.
“Turn around, Kara. I don’t want to have this discussion with your back.”
The way Damien said her name in that husky voice of his was reminiscent of intimate, whispered conversations in the heat of the night. She refused to fall under its spell. “There’s nothing more to discuss.”
With a sound of exasperation, he grasped her shoulder, pulled her around. His touch sent tendrils of sensation spiraling through her. She damned the innate chemistry that existed between certain Sentinels and conductors, damned the fate that had visited such a curse on her.
She jerked away. “Don’t touch me.”
“Then don’t ignore me. And look at me, damn it.”
She lifted her chin, glaring at him. “I’ve heard what you have to say, Sentinel. I’ve already made my contribution. I conducted for two years. The Sanctioned have gotten more than the designated pound of flesh from me.”
“You haven’t heard everything. There’s a lot more at stake here than you realize.”
“And you haven’t been listening. It doesn’t have anything to do with me. Even if you’re right, even if there’s a Belian in Zorro, I won’t help you.” She wouldn’t watch anyone else she loved die, lying in a pool of blood.
“What about Alex?”
Everything inside her froze. That was the million-dollar question, wasn’t it? “I don’t know. I have to think about that situation some more.”
“He was broadcasting today, as he came out of school and got on the bus.”
Adrenaline churned through her. “He couldn’t have been. We had a long talk about it last night, and he promised to be more careful—”
“I told him I’m a Sentinel, and that he’s one, too.”
His words had the impact of a physical blow. Staggered, she reached out to brace herself against the house. He definitely knew how to pull the trigger of an emotionally shattering weapon. Fury rose swiftly.
“Damn you!” She swung at him.
He grabbed her arm before she could land a punch and dragged her to the wooden bench glider at the east end of the porch. She tried to dig in her heels, but his superior strength won out.
“Sit,” he ordered, backing his words with a small push. Making contact with the hard seat, she glared up at him, debating the wisdom of leaping back up and kicking him. It might be crazy, but she had no doubt it would be very satisfying.
“Don’t do it,” he warned. “Stay there and calm down.”
She clenched her fists. Was the man a mind reader as well? He took his duster off his arm, shook it out, and tossed it over her. She didn’t realize she’d been shivering until the first wave of warmth hit her.
The consideration of his action diffused some of h
er anger, but didn’t diminish the intensity of the situation. She huddled into the garment, breathing in the tantalizing scents of sandalwood and male, and tried to collect her racing thoughts. What should she do about Alex?
The glider jolted and swung backward as he settled next to her, his large body sending another source of heat her way. The wood creaked as he sat back. She glanced sideways at him.
He stared straight ahead, his jaw tensed. He probably hated dealing with overly emotional females as much as she hated acting like one. Normally, she was calm, the logical voice of reason. But after the seismic shocks of the past few days, she’d been batting zero.
“Are you always this emotional?” he asked.
“No, I’m usually very rational,” she shot back. “But arrogant, domineering men tend to bring out the worst in me. Are you always such a bastard?”
“Yes, actually, I am.”
“I already figured that out,” she muttered.
A movement at the corner of her eye caught her attention. She saw that the blinds in the large picture window were raised; Luz stood there, still holding the phone and baseball bat. She looked at Kara questioningly, held up the phone. Kara shook her head in the negative, mouthed “It’s okay.”
Damien turned his head, stared at Luz, who gave him an evil-eye look. He shrugged dismissively, and the glider shimmied as he shifted back to face Kara. “Calmer now?”
Her anger flared at his condescending remark. “How would you feel in my place?”
“You need to put aside your personal feelings about Sentinels and let me help you and Alex.”
“I don’t want your help.”
“How are you going to protect Alex? Keep him in an insulated, underground chamber?”
Doubts plagued her. “How strongly was he broadcasting today?” she asked. A terrifying thought occurred to her, and she leaped to her feet, the duster sliding to the porch. “What if a Belian has already picked up on him? I can’t let him go to school anymore!”
“Whoa! You’re getting ahead of yourself. Alex is definitely broadcasting, but it’s not very strong yet, and it’s still on the higher chakra frequencies. I’m probably the only one who can pick it up right now. But if he gets excited or feels threatened, the signal will project more. As he gets older, his projections will become stronger and more erratic—unless he learns how to control them. Eventually, it will only be a matter of time until a Belian can sense him. Then he’ll become an easy target.”
Touched by Darkness – An Urban Fantasy Romance (Book 1, The Sentinel Series) Page 5
