Between Darkness and Daylight (22 page)

Zane thought about that for several moments, remembering how he'd rushed out of the house the other morning and left them alone.

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"Ran'll take care of you.”

At the time he hadn't thought much of it, figured they both could take care of themselves and each other. Now he wondered what all had transpired between them once he'd left.

He turned his attention back to Nova. She neared the top of an overhang, her body supple and strong as she swung and caught the heel of one climbing shoe on the edge before pulling herself over the top of the cliff.

He watched her lift her arms over her head, humming the theme from

"Rocky" as she bounced up and down. She stopped only long enough to do the Ali shuffle and give the air several swift punches, to the decided pleasure of Ransom, several of the center's trainers, and spectators below, who applauded and laughed as she kicked up her heels.

"Want to come on down now, Balboa?" Zane called up and she giggled before starting her descent.

Once she made it back down and she and Ransom got out of their gear, the teen ran over to Zane, face aglow with enthusiasm.

"Did you see me Uncle Zane? Did you see me belaying?"

Zane laughed at the boy's walking the walk and talking the talk of a seasoned climber, his envy quickly replaced with pride so sudden and pervasive, his chest hurt.

Served him right for committing more than a few sins in one day: envy, pride… He'd been coveting Nova and having impure thoughts about her since he met her and thought he was already well on his way to the trifecta.

* * * *

Nova treated Zane and Ransom to lunch at a nearby food court.

Famished, sitting across from them at a Formica table after her climb, she polished off two hot-dogs within a few minutes.

Zane gawked. "Is that what rock climbing does to a body?"

"Oh please, this is light."

Ran stopped wolfing his food long enough to ask, "Can we go skating?"

Nova chuckled. "Haven't you had enough for one day?"

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"Never!"

"Another day, okay? If it's all right—"

"Yeah, yeah, with my uncle…" Ransom turned to Zane. "So Uncle, can we go skating one weekend?"

"You've still got some more work to do on Nova's house."

"I know, but after that."

"We'll see."

Ransom rolled his eyes and turned to her. "He always says that. Or his other favorite, 'I'll think about it.'"

"But you eventually get your way." Nova winked at him, liking the game, liking the cozy compatibility she shared with the teen.

She hadn't thought it possible after the other morning, when he'd confronted her over breakfast. Hadn't thought anything close to understanding or cozy could ever be a part of her relationship with Ransom.

Overall, he'd taken her tale quite well, swallowing his food and asking her sharp, relevant questions between each ravenous bite. Whether he'd believed everything she'd said or not was another story, but he hadn't rebuked or totally discounted her story.

What worried her most was whether or not he'd tell his uncle.

She was a little worried but didn't think he'd violate her confidence that way, felt they had forged a bond of trust that would prevent his disclosure. She believed, deep down, that Ransom Youngblood was an honorable young man who'd keep his word. Unless, of course, he felt that his uncle's wellbeing was threatened.

"Don't tell me skating's not your 'bag' either?" she asked Zane now.

"Oh, he's pretty good at skating," Ransom jumped in. "And he uses the in-line skates, not those old-fashioned four-wheeled metal jammies."

Nova giggled as Zane playfully cuffed Ran upside the head.

"He is
such
a smart aleck."

"That would have been my next question, though."

Zane arched a brow.

"About whether you were into the modern contraptions yet or still stuck in the past with ball bearings."

"I suppose you grew up on in-line skates?"

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"Don't insult me. I had the homemade scooter made from salvaged skate wheels and the wooden milk crates just like every other kid. Had to hide it in the garage from my mom, though."

"Oh, what did I start? You guys are taking a trip down memory lane now."

Nova and Zane just looked at each other and laughed.

Impulsively, she reached across the table and caught his hand in hers, then suddenly froze.

She didn’t know if it was the warm, skin-to-skin contact with him or the excitement of the day that prompted the sudden vision, but goose bumps popped up on her arms to warn her of one’s approach.

Nova closed her eyes as an image flashed in her mind. She gasped, closed her eyes against her second sight, and moaned.

"Nova?" Zane tightened his grip on her hand when she didn't respond.

"Nova, are you okay?"

She opened her eyes and stared at him, but didn't see him. What she saw terrified her more than seeing that girl's mother come at Zane with the carving knife, more than seeing Ransom plummet from the wall, more than her own fall.

What she heard was a blast. What she saw was Zane's death at the end of a bullet.

* * * *

Would it have been better to see her own death? After all, she was used to it now, having died and come back once; it was old hat to her. But Zane…

She couldn't describe the emptiness if someone had paid her a million dollars to, but she recognized the void from someone who was there and then suddenly wasn't. A void in her chest, her soul, a void where Zane's essence resided beside her own, and then instantly didn't.

Their bond. It was stronger than she'd ever imagined. Aside from hearing his thoughts, she felt his emotions—his pain, his joys, his worry and concern. She'd experienced it most intensely when she and Ransom had been climbing. Perhaps that was why she'd had a problem focusing on Ran. Zane's thoughts had reached out to her, penetrating her concentration, 154

Gracie C. McKeever

merging with her thoughts whether he was aware of his broadcasting or not. Ripples of heat had ridden her spine all the way up to her head, then there was that buzz that wouldn't go away, the one that preceded her

"hearing" Zane's thoughts. She'd sensed his feelings—tension, pride, fear, all of it—right before they heard Ransom whooping in delight. Nova hadn't recognized Zane’s feelings then because she'd thought they were hers alone. But she realized now she had been experiencing each and every one of his highs and lows, that the two of them were emotionally linked.

"I'm taking you home or to the hospital. Take your pick."

"Let's not get drastic."

"What drastic? You were doubled over in pain."

"It was just the dogs. I think I ate them too fast."

"Don't forget the chili," Ransom piped up.

Zane's eyes narrowed as he stared at her, obviously not believing a word she'd said. She could tell, not just from the skeptical expression on his face or his bossy body language as he stood in front of her—feet planted, legs slightly parted, arms akimbo, as if her were ready to throw her over his shoulder any minute—but from the telltale ripples. She felt the heat again, starting at the base of her skull and moving up along her head before crystallizing in her cerebellum, several full-blown emotions and thoughts at once.

"C'mon." She grabbed Zane's hand, led him towards the exit. "I'll be fine."

"Nova." He pulled back, planting himself. "You scared me."

"Scared us."

She smiled at them both, squeezing Zane's hand. "I'm
fine
. I just need a little rest and I'll be as good as new."

They both looked at her doubtfully before Zane finally allowed her to lead them out to the parking lot.

Where they bumped smack-dab into Manuela Diaz.

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Chapter 14

Nova's antennae slipped into place too late. They were almost upon the girl before she realized something was out of place.

She felt Zane when he, too, spotted Manuela standing several paces from her SUV. The teen's long brown hair was blowing in the fall wind as she burrowed into the folds of her coat, hands jammed in her pockets against the cold. And Nova felt his lack of panic, knew he wasn't afraid. A little taut, a little wary, but there was no fear in him.

She admired his calm, because she was scared pretty much shitless seeing the girl whose mother had tried to make Swiss cheese out of them outside Ransom's school. Maybe her feelings were irrational. The girl had done nothing to them; it had been her mother. Nova, however, saw Manuela as guilty by association.

"Mr. Youngblood—"

"What's
she
doing here?" Ransom asked.

"Don't." Zane put a hand on his nephew's shoulder, held him back when it looked like the teen was ready to jump the young woman.

"I'm with Ran. What
is
she doing here, Zane?" Nova wondered if this was why she'd had the episode inside. Had she sensed Manuela nearby?

Did the girl have a gun somewhere in that coat, and did she intend to exact some sort of sick revenge on Zane for her mother's incarceration?

She sidled closer, positioning herself a step in front of Zane so that if anything looked like it was about to happen, she'd be able to at least make an attempt to stop it.

"You're both overreacting." Zane eased in front of Nova to confront Manuela himself.

No fear.
There is no fear in him
.

Nova comforted herself with this thought. He trusted the girl, his heart and mind wide open to whatever she had to say. And just beneath the trust 156

Gracie C. McKeever

and fearlessness she sensed something more elemental, something that made her heart catch: devotion. It wasn't lust or anything so ungallant and mundane. Just pure and simple devotion.

If she could experience one-tenth the sort of affection Zane felt for Manuela, Nova thought she would die a happy woman.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you. I just…I just needed to see you Mr. Youngblood, to speak to y—"

"Did you follow us?"

"No! I would never do something like that. I was here at the skating rink with some friends and I saw you…"

Nova sensed Zane dropping his guard after he'd automatically put it up at the implication that his student might be a stalker, but he still wasn't afraid. Still trying to ease herself between him and Manuela, she was afraid enough for both of them.

Zane approached the girl, putting an arm around Manuela's shoulder, and the teen broke down, tears sliding out of her eyes as she leaned her head on his chest.

Manuela wailed, "I am so sorry for what my mother tried to do to you."

"Don't, Manny. It's okay. Everything's going to be fine."

She raised her head to look at him. "I didn't mean you any harm by coming here, Mr. Youngblood. You have to believe that."

"I do believe you. And don't worry, I don't blame you." Zane gave Nova and Ransom pointed looks over her shoulder that plainly said,
and
you two should be ashamed of yourselves for blaming her and making her
feel so bad.

Nova felt duly chastised, but remained as close as she could to the pair. She didn't want to be taken by surprise if Manuela's contrition was all a ruse and the girl decided to try to finish the job her mother had started.

As an afterthought, she opened and searched her bag for a tissue, handing it over to Zane when she'd found one.

He took it with a grateful smile and wiped Manuela's tears.

"I didn't mean to disturb your outing." Manuela included Nova and Ransom with her gaze, then stared up into Zane's eyes. "I just wanted you to know that I…I couldn't do it."

"I know."

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"You're not angry with me?"

"Angry? Of course not. The final decision was always yours to make, Manny. I just wanted you to be sure you were making the right one."

She smiled, a sad little girl smile, wrapped her arms around Zane's middle and hugged him tight.

Nova's heart did a funny little twitch in her chest, and she immediately recognized her reaction as jealousy. Her face warmed with color and she hoped her blushing wasn't too obvious. She'd made enough of a fool of herself today.

Zane pulled away and tipped Manuela's head up to look into her face.

"How's your mother?"

The girl sniffled, blew her nose into the tissue, and shrugged.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you at the precinct."

"I understand. You were the victim. It would have made things a little awkward."

Zane smiled and hugged her briefly. "Are you on your way home now? Because we could give you a ride."

"Oh, that's not necessary. I'm going back into the center with my friends." Manuela pulled away. "I just happened to see you and wanted to catch you before you left."

"You're sure? About the ride?"

She grinned. "I'm sure."

"Be careful in the rink. You've got a little one to think about."

"I'm not doing too much skating. More watching than anything."

"Good…" Zane hesitated, as if unsure of how to leave things.

Which Nova found amazing because up until then, he'd been as composed and glib as the most gifted salesman she'd ever seen. He could have easily given several of the traders at her job a run for their bonds and securities.

"I'm going to be all right, Mr. Youngblood," Manuela assured him.

"I know you will. You haven't disappointed me yet."

She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a peck on the cheek, then as suddenly as she seemed to appear in the parking lot, she left.

* * * *

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Enrique could have done something to the car, could have really screwed with its mechanics, something much more damaging and dangerous than just spray-painting nasty messages on the windshield for the world to see.

He'd had plenty of time and opportunity. Until that girl from the school came along.