Man of her Dreams

He would be the stronger one.

Not bothering with the interior stairwell that would lead to their apartments, he scaled the vine-covered trellis. He braced one foot on the edge of his balcony and the other on hers so that he could peer through the window of her bedroom.

To his surprise the window wasn’t even closed, much less locked. He pushed the window inward a bit and surveyed her room. The bed stood across the room directly in front of his position. Her hair spilled across the white pillowcase. It looked longer than he’d expected. In the recent photos he’d seen, she’d worn it up in some fashion. But now it was down and splayed over the pillow next to her like a veil of silk. Her long legs looked golden against the white linens that barely draped her body.

Eve was no longer the little girl he remembered. She looked very different…very attractive. His mouth parched as if he’d been many hours without drink. But he had not. This was a physical reaction to her beauty. Just as the hardening sensation in his muscles was. She was beautiful…even more so in repose. An almost overwhelming urge to touch her seared through him. But that would be a mistake.

He watched her a while longer, then climbed onto his balcony and unlocked the French doors the old fashioned way—with a credit card.

Sleep was essential for now. When daylight came, he would make his presence known to her. His profile was simple, a cover she would no doubt trust without second thought.

He did not anticipate that Operation Prophecy would take long. Assessing her skill and memory imprint should be simple. He looked forward to learning about this new Eve.

Aidan stripped off his clothes and climbed into bed.

Sleep came quickly and so did his dreams.

DARBY SAT bolt upright in bed. Her breath rushed in and out in labored gasps. Perspiration beaded on her skin.

Dreaming…she’d only been dreaming.

Of a man. Not the horrible man she’d led the police to, but another stranger.

He’d stood in shadows but she’d felt him watching her. His gaze had moved over her skin like a lover’s caress. She shivered even now, wide awake. The darkness had prevented her from making out the details. But she sensed something familiar about him.

But that wasn’t possible.

She shivered again and her gaze locked onto the window.

Had she left it open that far?

Rubbing her arms against the sudden chill of the autumn night, Darby climbed out of bed and crossed the room. She peered out over the courtyard that had drawn her to this place. It was so beautiful. She’d always wanted to live in one of these old houses but didn’t see the need for the expense. After all, her parents’ home sat completely empty.

But everything had changed now.

She doubted it would ever be the same.

The memory of the men in white lab coats made her shiver yet again, and this time she reached for the window’s lock. She had to train herself to be more careful now. She had to be aware of her surroundings at all times…aware of those around her at all times.

With a wistful sigh, she turned away from the window and started back toward the bed. She paused midway, her attention inexplicably drawn to the wall that separated her apartment from the neighboring one.

All her senses buzzed to life, drew her to that wall as if it were a flesh magnet.

She moved closer…closer…until she could reach out and touch it. She gasped and drew away, as if the satiny white plaster had somehow burned her. Frowning, she pressed her hand there again, this time without drawing away. A kind of energy flowed through her, excited her on a startlingly primal level. The feeling made her giddy, made her afraid, somehow.

Shaking off the foolish sensations, she climbed back into bed. Too early to start the day yet. With that thought came an uneasy feeling…it followed her back to her dreams.

Chapter Four

“Mr. Yeager, I don’t understand why the board is doing this.”

Darby’s contract had been terminated. This was the reason for Mr. Yeager’s call this morning. She’d hoped that he wanted to see her because the board had changed its mind about her continuing to work. But that wasn’t the case at all. They wanted her off the school’s staff—permanently.

“Ms. Shepard, I know this is difficult.” Mr. Yeager had always been kind to her. Despite the pressure she felt sure the board had put on him, he looked sympathetic to her plight. She sincerely regretted that the weariness in his expression was a result of having to deal with her situation.

“Please try and understand the board’s position on the matter.” He gestured toward the wall of windows across the room. “Look out there. The reporters are circling like vultures. They know you’re in here. What kind of environment is that for our children as they come and go to school?”

He was right. She couldn’t pretend this away and after three days, it apparently wasn’t going away anytime soon. Why couldn’t they just leave her alone? She’d told the police all she knew.

Jerry Lester had killed Christina Fairgate. He’d also killed six other children from surrounding communities over the past three years. No one had connected those murders to each other or to him because no bodies had been found. The children were listed as missing. But Lester had a plan. He wanted life in prison, didn’t want to face the possibility of a death sentence. He was using the bodies as leverage. Cut him a deal for life rather than death and he’d tell where the bodies were buried.

Darby knew nothing of Lester’s work prior to the four New Orleans children who’d gone missing. The media didn’t seem to understand that. Those supposedly in the know about clairvoyance called her a liar, claimed she had to know. But she didn’t.

Maybe she’d spent so many years blocking that she couldn’t see as much as she needed to. Who was she kidding? She wouldn’t have been able to focus her “gift” at all without Madam Talia’s assistance. That, thankfully, was still her secret. Madam Talia had told no one.

Oddly, until last night, dreams had not come even without the aid of medication. It was as if Madam Talia had helped her to see what she needed to and the show was over. She saw, felt, nothing else…until last night. A frown nagged at her brow. She’d awoken in the wee hours of the morning in a cold sweat. She’d dreamed of a dark man…touching her…watching her. He had made her feel things she’d never felt before. Her body tingled even now at the memory.

“Don’t you agree, Ms. Shepard?”

Darby dragged her attention from the troubling thoughts. “I’m sorry. What were you saying?”

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