ChasingShadows (20 page)

Frightened by Dr. Miller’s research, she thought if her mind
latched onto Alex, she could endure the visions on her own. It had worked for
others, according to Dr. Miller. But the experiences in the cottage scared her
to death. She didn’t know if Alex in the flesh pulled her out of the
kidnapper’s mind, or if her subconscious did.

* * * * *

Alex fingered the keychain as he strode toward the back
entrance to the PD. His dread shadowed him like a stalker. He feared leaving
Juliana alone. Feared what she might do despite her promises to the contrary.

He hoped he got through her thick skull. If she attempted to
invoke another vision without him, he didn’t think she’d come away unscathed.

Damn it! It was the most crucial case of his life, and he
couldn’t solve it without her. Alex felt the twin pulls of Lisette and Juliana,
and it plagued his every second, every move. He had to trust that Juliana knew
what she was doing. It didn’t mean he had to like it. As long as she played by
the rules.

An inner torment gnawed at his stomach, inching upward. He
hardened his heart against the invasion. It was far easier to turn the
investigation into a strictly police matter. Otherwise, his tightly-roped
emotions would sink him into the black muck threatening to engulf him
completely. At this point, he was only in it up to his knees.

Smoke enveloped the city—a typical summer, with grass and
forest fires raging throughout the state. The haze echoed the avalanche of
emotions crushing him since Juliana had walked back into his life, which then
intensified when that monster snatched Lisette.

He prayed that Juliana’s life wouldn’t have to be sacrificed
to save Lisette.

Nothing mattered more to him than chasing the shadows away
from Lisette and Juliana like the refreshing breeze chasing the suffocating smoke
back toward the foothills.

* * * * *

As soon as the war room cleared, Alex gave James a nutshell
version of Juliana’s latest visions.

“So we got a ransom note.” James ignored the thunderous
glare Alex threw him. “We’ll handle it.”

The stench of stale coffee made Alex’s gut churn. He prowled
the room. “We’ll be screwed if the entire PD crawls up this guy’s ass. Can’t
take the chance.”

“We finalize our strategy after we receive the drop-off
instructions.” James marked a timeline on a whiteboard.

“He won’t leave Lisette at the drop-off.”

“You don’t know that.”

Alex slammed a chair against the wall. It bounced and
crashed against the steel-legged table. Surprisingly, the chair landed upright.
The sight jolted sense into him and he checked his anger before he spoke. “A
smart kidnapper will get the money before releasing the victim.”

“We’ll tail him.” James capped the pen and turned around. “Nothing’s
gonna go wrong.”

“Easy for you to say. She’s not your niece,” Alex barked.

James scowled, but Alex was in no mood to sweeten his words.

“No, I’m not her uncle,” James retorted, throwing the felt
marker on the table. “Doesn’t mean I don’t love her.”

Alex shot James a brief mad-dog glare, but cushioned his
expression after seeing James’ distressed eyes. He stopped pacing and sank into
a chair. “Update me on the other leads.”

“We’ve confirmed the Douglases are in Romania adopting a
six-year-old girl.” James jangled keys in his pocket. “They return on Wednesday.”
He picked up a folder from the table and reviewed the contents. “The customer
lists from the Celtic jewelry shops are trickling in. A few stores aren’t well-organized
and lists are incomplete. The item was popular; Campbell’s a massive clan. But
we’re honing the lists down.” James perched a hip on the table and flipped to
another page. “Your research on Grant Chamber, the son, pans out. He’s
definitely in Barcelona.”

Alex scanned the duplicate list of Celtic stores. “Shelby?”

“Still have a tail on him. His place is staked out. Nothing
yet.”

Alex shoved back from the table and stood. “What about
Bremley and the Chambers?”

James slid a file across the table toward him. “See for
yourself. No unusual activity.”

Alex ignored the folder. “Anything on the Jag?” A muscle
throbbed in his arm, matching his pulsing scar. He rubbed at his arm, wishing
he could soothe his other aches and pains.

“We’ve pulled a list of dealers within a hundred-mile radius.
We’re researching customer lists of black sport convertibles for the last five
model years. If the perp has that kind of money, you can bet he bought it new.”

Alex curled his hands into balls on the top of the chair
arms. The investigation efforts devoured time they didn’t have.

“We’ll have final lists on the Jag by end of day.”

“Where’s Jasmine?” Alex stood and paced, halted mid-stride
before a flip-chart. Suspect names and probability statistics covered the top
sheet in multicolored inks.

“No luck.” James scanned his notes. “We tracked down her
parents in Boston. They haven’t heard from her in a month. Jasmine followed her
boyfriend to San Francisco last year, then he dumped her. She enrolled at State
in a child development program, of all things.” James pulled at his shirt
collar, loosening his tie. “She kept regular contact with her mom until a month
ago. Her mom’s worried.”

“Did she mention anything to her parents about a new
boyfriend?”

“No. Her mother said Jasmine’s been tight-lipped for a
couple of months.” James slammed his notepad on the desk, his frustration
evident as an empty coffee mug rolled to the floor unimpeded. He kicked it
savagely under the table.

* * * * *

After he wrapped up with James, Alex stepped out into the
cool night. The coastal breeze had chased away the smoky haze, invigorating
him.

On his way home, he made a detour to update Andrea on the
case. His sister was inconsolable. He made her take a sedative before she
stormed out into the night in her own pursuit to find and kill the bastard who
took her only child.

Tears dried on her cheeks as she lay on the couch, her head
in his lap. It shredded his insides to see the havoc the kidnapping inflicted
on her. Life had been hard on both of them. They couldn’t afford any more
grief, any more losses.

Alex thought himself immune to love’s tribulations. He had
deliberately deadened his heart against loss when Juliana vanished. But her
reappearance awakened him as if he’d been reincarnated. Her return changed
everything.

Up to this point, Alex had survived homicide police work
with cold detachment identical to the way he treated the women who tried their
hardest to get close to him, to get him to open up. He dated few women, neither
loving nor trusting any of them. He never wanted the pain of loving a woman who
would leave him. Instead, he buried himself in his work and gave his love and
attention to Andrea and Lisette.

And he felt like he was failing them now, at a time when his
heart was more alive than ever.

Anguish ripped through him. Need for Juliana burned through
him, and he ached fiercely to hold her close, to ensure she was safe.

Alex waited for James’ arrival before he set off for the one
place that gave him pleasure, escape. The short drive to Juliana’s house was
interminable.

Juliana’s house loomed in the dark. Soft light seeped
through the downstairs blinds, summoning him. The porch was dark and ghostly,
the deadbolt stiff. He made a mental note to exert some official pressure on
the builder.

A familiar rousing in his groin intensified as he took the
stairs two at a time. He scowled at the scattered nightlights and the reason
for their existence. He wanted to replace the light and never let Juliana fear
the dark again.

“Jewel,” Alex called in a low voice as he entered the
bedroom. Longing increased inside him as he studied her angelic face, the halo
of blonde hair arrayed across the pillow. He didn’t want to frighten her again,
so he kept his distance.

“Alex?” Her eyes flickered, opened.

“Expecting someone else?” he kidded as he crossed the room
and sat next to her on the bed. He trailed his fingers up her arm and rested
them on the side of her neck. Petal-soft skin and her intoxicating floral scent
intensified his arousal. His eyes roved boldly and lazily over her half-exposed
breasts.

“I’m not used to men sneaking into my bedroom.” She offered
a shy smile.

“Get used to it.” Wistfulness toyed with his tone.

Her face darkened as she sat up and leaned against the
heavily carved headboard.

Scooting closer to her, he took her hand in his. “Don’t give
me that look. And don’t say another word about it.”

She appeared to struggle within herself, ready to argue. “Anything
new on the case?” she asked.

Alex hopped off the bed. He shrugged out of his shoulder
harness, checked the safety catch on the revolver and set it on the night table.
Despite the widening of Juliana’s eyes, he stripped while he updated her on the
case.

Stretching out on the bed, he rolled on his side facing her.
“Thank you.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her palm. Her
delightful shudder added firewood to his desire. “We wouldn’t have made it this
far if not for you.” He combed through her golden tresses. Her hair felt like
live silk on his skin.

“You don’t have to thank me.” Juliana settled on her side
beside him and traced his scar with her index finger.

He burned from her touch. “You suffer, and you want no
thanks?” His fingers grazed her arm, causing goose bumps to rise in the
aftermath. “You’re amazing.” Her hand moved to the back of his head, burrowing
softly into his hair. “How are you feeling?”

“Better, now that you’re here.” She gave him another shy
smile, then tugged his face to meet her mouth in a fervent kiss. He tasted mint
on her sweet breath. And he tasted a deep hunger, a powerful desire.

The kiss was all the invitation he needed. Not another word
was spoken while they rediscovered how well they fit together, how much a part
of one the other was.

* * * * *

Snuggling into Alex’s arms, Juliana thought how right her
life felt in his strong embrace. She had discovered a half of herself
previously buried with her past. She clutched him to her and held on, afraid to
let go. No worries reared up while his presence chased away the dark that had
held her in its grip far too long. It was so easy to fall back into a
relationship with Alex. He made it effortless for her as if no time had elapsed
since they’d been together. But old doubts plagued her.

Loving Alex was both the easiest and the most difficult
thing she’d ever experienced.

Tears glided down her face. She couldn’t just walk away
after they found Lisette. They had to give it a shot and see where it led. If
she didn’t, she’d never forgive herself for this second chance. If he could
live with a psychic and trust her abilities to block out his thoughts, she’d
surrender to their love and see where it led them. She should just go with the
flow for now. Shouldn’t she? Thinking Alex asleep, she was startled when his
voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Jewel, what’s wrong?” He lifted his head to peer into her
face, but she buried it in the hollow of his shoulder.

“Nothing.” To her dismay, her voice splintered. “I’m just
confused. About you, me.” She had vowed to herself earlier that there would be
no more secrets, no more hiding.

“Don’t.” His voice was satin-smooth. “Just go with it. Leave
the past behind.”

“I’m trying.” Her arms tightened around him. “I have too
much baggage. You’ve seen who I am.”

“Stop.” Lifting her chin, he peered down into her face. The
moon cast an incandescent glow in the room and his eyes sparkled with desire. “Don’t
you understand how much I want you? All of you. Just the way you are.”

“Oh, Alex.” Hot tears of joy and sorrow dropped on his
chest.

“Shh.” He brushed her forehead with a kiss. “Did you mean
the inscription in the book?”

The question caught her off guard. How could he not know she
meant every word? “I wouldn’t be here with you now if I didn’t.”

“Okay then. Let me hold you, keep you safe.” Not even a
doubt could slither between them as he held her close.

Wanting to change the subject and learn more about Alex’s
life, she asked, “Tell me about Lisette. What’s she like?”

Tension hummed through Alex, his muscles stiffened. She
smoothed her hands over his back, leveling his anguish. She kissed the hollow
between his throat and collarbone as he relaxed.

“She’s smart, beautiful, open, trusting.” His voice grew
rough. “She’s talkative, inquisitive, sometimes too much.” Alex shifted the
pillows to lean against the headboard and gently pulled Juliana against his
chest. “She loves everyone and everything. Animals, insects, lizards—you name
it, she’s not afraid of it.”

“She sounds wonderful. From the pictures I’ve seen, she’s
going to be a knockout.”

“Yeah, with more of Ethan’s features than Andrea’s.”

Juliana heard a touch of irritation in his voice. Maybe
talking about Lisette wasn’t such a great idea.

“If I recall from high school, Ethan wasn’t such a bad-looking
guy.” She trailed a finger across his chest, feeling the heat where her touch
inflamed his skin.

Alex groaned. “I’d spank you if I had the energy.”

“Promises, promises.” Seductively, she planted kisses along
his throat and jaw, giving in to temptation. “Do you have a little energy
left?”

He sucked in a sharp breath as her hand reached lower. “Enough.”

* * * * *

The moon waned around the edges. He stared at the
luminescent globe through the wall of windows, waiting in anticipation. Arrogantly,
he remembered the night he’d kidnapped Lisette, how the moon became his friend
rather than his betrayer.

Anger had seethed in him all day as the green-jeweled
eyes became more than a mere annoyance. They haunted him, chilled him. He knew
another mind had entered his own, watched him and sought his identity.