Bayou Heat (16 page)

“What are you looking at?” Eris asked as she reached over
his shoulder to scroll down the webpage he was browsing.

“Here.” Rob stood so she could take his place at the
computer. “From what I’ve found, Orbit started researching crystals and their
powers a couple of weeks before she died. Was she into that type of thing?”

“Not that I knew of, but what makes you think she was
researching them?”

“I’ve found over fifty different crystal-related sites she
visited prior to her death and I haven’t even finished searching the history
file on this computer. I don’t think she ever cleared it, which is good for
us.”

“There must be thousands of entries, how will we ever get
through them?”

“Don’t worry, I copied the file, sorted it by date and I’m
working from the last entry backward.” Rob reached around her to take the mouse
in hand and caught a whiff of the vanilla scent she wore. “I bookmarked the
websites for you so you could look through them later.”

“Thanks.” Eris started looking at the current site.

He stepped back before he buried his face in the crook of
her neck and devoured her here on the spot. He knew she wouldn’t appreciate it
and would most likely kick his butt to the curb. “How about we head out to
Mannies? I’ll pack up the laptop and you can look at the websites later back at
your place.”

Eris stopped what she was doing and turned to him, flashing
a smile that let him know she wanted to do more than search websites later.
“Sounds good to me.” Her voice was low and sultry as she stood. “I’ll go gather
my stuff.”

She moved out of his way, but as she did, her body brushed
against his. Fire exploded in his body with such intensity it shocked him. He
watched her leave the room and wondered if he’d read her wrong all along. He
was certain she now wanted him on the case. On a physical level he could have
sworn she was done with him, she’d gotten her taste of him and that had been
enough. After all, he’d figured after one night his lust would have been
satisfied, and hers also.

Rob gave a sharp, bitter laugh as he closed the computer and
started packing it into its case. He’d been sorely wrong about that because he
wanted her ten times more today than he had that night and he couldn’t help but
wonder if the same hadn’t happened to her.

* * * * *

Eris rubbed the back of her neck as she studied the display
of outdated paperback books. Mannies wasn’t one of those modern truck stops
that consisted of hotel, chain restaurant, gift shop and clean restrooms. Nope,
Mannies was a barren spot of land that had gas pumps, truck wash, an outdated
diner-gift shop and dirty restrooms. Those facts didn’t seem to stop the trucks
from rolling in though. For the last fifteen minutes a steady stream of them
had been pulling in for gas and maintenance.

She moved to the next display and studied the dusty
knickknacks. She wished she knew why Orbit had visited this place. They’d
already been here for over an hour and nothing was happening. This was crazy,
she thought as she glanced toward Rob. He’d left her alone as soon as they
walked through the doors and now was seated in a booth drinking a cup of coffee
and eating a slice of pie. He glanced up as a tall blonde approached and
flashed the woman a brilliant smile. The smile didn’t reach his eyes, Eris
noticed with more relief than she cared to think about. She turned her back to
them and opened her senses.

Waves poured through her and slowly she sorted through them,
looking for anything resembling the ones she was looking for. One aura kept
brushing up against her senses like a cat rubbing against her leg. It wasn’t
the one she was looking for, nothing like what she felt last night, but
something about it intrigued her.

Finding nothing else of interest, she grabbed hold of the
irritating aura and tried to remember if she’d run into it elsewhere. She
couldn’t decide if she’d encountered this one before but followed it anyway.
She made her way across the gift shop and into the diner. The aura began to
change as she crossed the room. At first it felt hurt, followed by anger before
transforming to fury. The feelings were so fresh and strong they swamped her.

Nausea and dizziness hit like a basketball to the stomach,
knocking the wind out of her. She opened her eyes and quickly closed them as
the world tilted. Blindly she grappled for something solid to steady herself.
Her knees were starting to buckle when her hand landed on a hard, warm chest.
Rob’s arm went around her and she felt herself guided and then lowered to a
seat.

Rob started to move away and she gripped his shirt. Suddenly
she feared his contact was all that kept her anchored in reality. He must have
sensed her uneasiness because he covered her hand with one of his and stayed
close. She knew he was talking because his chest rumbled under her hand. Slowly
his aura started penetrating the intense hatred surrounding her. Like warm
water, his spirit wrapped around her, blocking the evil threatening to consume
her.

The lightheadedness and queasiness faded enough that she
braved opening her eyes. Stark blue eyes stared back at her. “You’re frowning.”

“Because you scared the life out of me. What the hell
happened? You were totally unresponsive.”

Eris started to raise her hand up to move hair away from her
eyes, but the effort took more strength than she could muster. “I haven’t a
clue.”

“Well, you’ve got time to think about it on the drive home.”
Rob gently brushed the wayward strands out of her face as if he knew they were
bothering her. His kind action and soft touch were in direct contrast to his
harsh words and cold tone.

Eris allowed him to support her as they made their way to
his car. She really liked his vehicle, she thought as she made herself
comfortable in the passenger seat. The driver’s door opened and closed and
moments later, soft music filled the interior. The tension left her body as she
felt herself sliding toward unconsciousness. “Call Mom, I need to talk to her.”

* * * * *

Eris woke to sunshine bleeding through her bedroom curtains,
the smell of coffee and voices drifting to her from the other room. Sitting up,
she pushed the covers down and tried to remember how she’d gotten into her
pajamas then into bed. Blurry images of Rob helping her up the stairs and into
her room filled her mind, but beyond that she didn’t remember a thing. The only
thing she could think of was he’d helped her change. She blushed at the
thought, even though she was alone.

Laughter from the kitchen pulled her attention away from her
thoughts and she froze. She first thought the noise was coming from the
television but it wasn’t. She recognized those voices. There seemed to be a
party going on in her house and she wasn’t even a guest.

Standing, she made her way to the bedroom door and into the
living area. Silence greeted her as she shielded her eyes from the blinding
sunshine that filed the room. When she could finally open her eyes, she found
herself staring at Rob’s chest.

“Morning, princess, you okay?”

She lifted her gaze to his and found herself looking into
eyes that saw too much. She turned her head toward her small kitchen and
spotted her parents.

“Eris, look at me.”

She took a deep breath and put on her best “I’m okay” face
before meeting his gaze. “I’m good.”

He studied her for a heartbeat then shook his head. “We’re
going to have to work on your poker face. You don’t lie worth a damn.”

With a hand at the small of her back, he guided her to the
kitchen table, where he seated her. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Her mother placed a mug of coffee in front of her as Rob
returned to the stove. Eris sipped the hot liquid and let her eyes drift to
where Rob stood with his back to her. The black t-shirt he wore was stretched
over wide shoulders and appeared to ripple with each little move he made.

“Rob called this morning and said you wanted to talk?”

Eris turned at the sound of her mother’s voice and caught
both her parents studying her. She felt her face flush despite the fact she had
no reason to be blushing. “Actually, I told him to call you last night.”

“That wouldn’t have done any good because you were so out of
it. I barely got you into bed before you passed out.” Rob continued to work as
he talked.

“I was tired.”

“Eat,” Rob growled as he put a plate, silverware and a glass
of orange juice in front of her. “She couldn’t stand on her own and her
coordination was all but gone.”

Eris glanced at her mother and quickly added, “I wasn’t that
bad.”

“Really?”

Eris glared up at Rob, hoping he’d take the hint and shut up
in front of her parents. “No, I wasn’t.”

“Why don’t you eat that fine omelet Rob made while he tells
us what happened. Rob, have a seat and fill us in on the details.” Her father’s
tone was soft but demanding.

She looked over to her father. “I can tell the story.”

Her father shook his head. “Don’t even bother trying to
explain, honey, you always tell us what you think we should hear.”

Her father’s accusation surprised her. “No I don’t.”

“Yes, you do, dear. You’ve done it since you were little.
Now eat.” Her mother waved a hand toward her plate.

“I don’t lie to you. I wouldn’t do that.”

“We didn’t say you lied to us,” her mother continued. “You
just don’t always tell us the entire story. I think it has to do with you being
the middle child, peacemaker and only girl.”

“I’ve noticed the tendency also.” Rob settled into the chair
next to hers, pushed the plate closer to her and launched into his version of
yesterday’s events.

Rob’s arm settled across the back of her chair and his hand
lazily stroked her upper arm. She glanced toward him to see if he realized what
he was doing but he appeared totally engrossed in the conversation with her
parents. She wasn’t sure how to take that but decided not to make too much of
it and turned her attention toward her plate.

She listened to the easy way her parents and Rob conversed.
It amazed her how quickly they seemed to accept him as a family friend and
constant in their tight-knit group. She cut her eyes toward her mother and
wondered if the woman had picked up on anything about Rob. If her mother had,
she wasn’t talking.

Growing up with a mother who could see the future was
stressful to say the least during her teenage years, but overall her mother
kept her insights to herself. Eris’ broken engagement was a perfect example of
that—even though her mother knew the relationship was doomed from the
beginning, she never said a word. Evelyn DuBose felt life was something people
should experience and make their own, not follow a predefined roadmap through.

Her father turned toward her and drilled her with a look
that normally was directed at one of her brothers. “Why don’t you tell us what
happened to you—and don’t sugarcoat it.”

Eris shoved the last bite of omelet into her mouth in an
attempt to buy herself another couple of seconds. She wiped her mouth with her
napkin and dropped both it and her hands into her lap. Rob squeezed her
shoulder in a reassuring way that communicated the silent support she needed.
“I was attempting to find the killer’s aura when I came across one that was
vaguely familiar to me.”

“Was it the killer’s?” Rob’s voice was soft, yet it carried
the tone of a seasoned professional.

“No.” Eris rubbed her forehead. “I’ve felt it before, I just
can’t remember where or who.”

“Don’t fret over it and it’ll come to you.” Her mother’s
words lifted a burden from her shoulders.

“You’re right, it will. Anyway, I started to follow this
aura, hoping to figure out who it belonged to, when suddenly I walked into a
wall of hatred so intense I froze.”

“What do you mean by ‘froze’?” Her father leaned forward.

“It was like being paralyzed. I remember telling my feet to
move because I wanted to get away from the rage but they didn’t respond. This
sensation was so strong it overrode my ability to function. The next thing I
remember is hearing Rob calling my name, but it seemed as if he were miles
away. Then as I came out of it, I was seated in the booth where Rob had been
and he was next to me. The rest you know, Rob got me home and I passed out.”

“Has anything like this ever happened before?” Concern and
frustration etched her father’s face.

“Not to this extent. I’ve run into some strong feelings
before but nothing on this level.”

“Well, I don’t like this, not at all.” Eris prepared herself
for one of her father’s lectures, but thankfully her mother intervened.

“I know, honey, neither do I, but Eris is a grown woman now
and she has Rob watching out for her, so you needn’t worry.” Evelyn patted her
husband’s hand before continuing. “I am curious about the people you interviewed
at Mannies, Rob. Did any of them become upset?”

Eris turned to Rob and noticed the void of expression on his
face. “Good question, Mom. So what did you find out?” She felt his arm tense
across her back, but that was the only clue something was bothering him.
“Well?”

“None of the people I talked with remembered Orbit.”

Eris glared at the man. “Okay, but how about answering Mom’s
question. Did anyone get angry?”

Rob shifted uncomfortably in his chair and Eris wondered
what was troubling him. “I wouldn’t say angry.”

“Then what would you say?” Eris prodded.

Rob sighed like a man being forced to admit he liked eating
quiche. “Jealousy. I’d say the woman was jealous.”

“What woman? Jealous of whom?” His answer piqued her
curiosity as to what had transpired while she wasn’t around.

“You.”

“Me? How could anyone there have been jealous of me? I
didn’t talk to a soul the entire time we were there. Could someone’s anger
really be so great it would cause me to freeze up like that, Mom?”