ChasingShadows (21 page)

Wanting to destroy him, like others had tried, to no
avail.

But soon the world would give him the notice due him.

And they would pay for it.

He gripped the bottle of amber liquid and drank a healthy
swig. The leather couch cooled the flush prickling his naked body and the heat
rising from the alcohol.

First things first. He needed to uncover the enigma
behind the jeweled eyes.

“Where are you tonight?” he asked in a low voice. “Come
out, come out, wherever you are.”

Minutes ticked by. Nothing.

He closed his eyes, tipping his head back against the
couch. Two more days, and he was home free. Free to leave behind the world that
shunned him. Free to return to the world that welcomed him with open arms.

Anticipation flowed through him like a river of gold,
cresting in his groin with an overpowering need for release. “Jasmine! Where
the hell are you?”

“Jasmine!” he called again. The need and excitement
increased. He lurched off the couch and dropped the bottle, spilling the tawny
liquid on the carpet. The smell of Scotch whiskey permeated the air. He cursed,
then stumbled down the hall until he stood in the open doorway to the captive’s
room.

Lisette stared at him, horror in her eyes. He laughed
derisively and glanced at her.

“What’s the matter, little girl, haven’t you ever seen a
grown man naked?”

Jasmine jumped off the bed, tossing aside the book she
was reading to Lisette. The reproachful expression on her face was almost
comical.

She blocked Lisette’s view with her body. “What are you
doing?”

“I need you, now!” Anger replaced the excitement, his
lust reaching another summit.

Green eyes bored into him. A slow grin extended his mouth.
He didn’t taunt the eyes or fear them this time. Instead, he let them roam at
will.

He grabbed Jasmine’s arm, tugged her out of the room and
pulled the door shut with a bang. He yanked open her satin robe, her body naked
underneath. Filling his hands with her round ass, he lifted her off the ground
as she hooked her legs around his hips. He kissed her, biting her lips,
grinding his mouth hard against her. Whimpering, she tried to turn her face
away from him. But he forced her mouth open, his tongue demanding entrance and
lashing around her quivering tongue. The spicy taste of her mouth incited him
further.

He entered her forcefully, heedless of her resistance. She
was tight and dry as a desert. A sob erupted from her and he swallowed it as he
continued to ravish her mouth. The green eyes watched with a fusion of fear and
horror.

Hammering into Jasmine with brutal abandon, he paid her
little heed when she began crying. Her pain was exquisite and served to egg him
on. He filled her to the hilt, slamming her repeatedly against the wall with
each savage thrust. Growling like an angry bear, he came in a fierce explosion.

Breathless, satiated beyond reason, he realized Jasmine
wasn’t responsible for the exquisite release.

It was the woman with green-jeweled eyes. A blonde. Haze
still shrouded her other features, but her hair was unmistakably blonde.

Chapter Twelve

Tuesday, August 15

Juliana’s moaning and thrashing jerked Alex out of a sound
sleep. He gripped her arms and shook her gently. “Juliana, wake up.”

His heart beat an erratic, guarded tempo. A vision had
trapped her and he couldn’t wake her. She was inside that bastard’s mind. Her
skin was clammy, and she panted as if she ran for her life. Hatred filled him
and he wanted nothing more than to put that bastard in front of a firing squad.

“Sweetheart, I’m here. You’re safe.” He rained kisses from
her forehead to her chin, trying to erase the vision’s impact from her ravaged
face.

“Please, Jewel. I love you, I need you.” The words came
unbidden. He felt glad to voice his mind and heart, even though she might not
remember it after she awoke.

Her eyes flew open and her gaze latched onto Alex’s face. Violent
trembling seized her, and he enfolded her into the security of his body. Alex
kissed her temples, forehead and eyelids. “Say something so I know you’re
okay.”

She tried to push him away. “I’m sick.”

In a repeat of yesterday, he picked her up, barely cognizant
of her naked skin against his own. Gently, he settled her on the bathroom floor.
Holding her hair in a ponytail, he rubbed her shoulders while she knelt over
the toilet. Dry heaves purged the nightmare from her system.

Spent, Juliana sat back on her heels and gulped in great
draughts of air.

A raging river of worry flowed through him. “Will you be
okay while I get you a soda?”

She nodded listlessly. He yanked a purple robe off the hook
on the door and draped the satin around her tense shoulders. He sprinted away
and returned as if the hounds of hell were after him. A reflective silence
surrounded her as she accepted the soda and aspirin.

When he bent to help her stand, she brushed him away. “Leave
me alone for a few minutes.” Her voice was savage, raw.

“Not done?”

Her face remained lowered. “Alex, please, just go.”

“Come back to bed ‘til you feel better.” Was the dream so
awful? Was she afraid to tell him?

“No.”

“Jewel, why are you resisting me?” he demanded.

She exhaled and said blandly, “He knows I’m a woman with
blonde hair.”

Fear filled every cell of Alex’s body. With brute strength,
he shoved the raw emotions inside, refusing to allow Juliana to see his
vulnerabilities.

Finally, she relented and let him pick her up. Cradling her
to his chest, he carried her to the bed and wrapped the comforter around them.

“Tell me about it.” He kissed away the tear trickling down
her cheek.

Juliana wound her arms around his neck and told him every
detail.

Fury joined his fear and turned his insides into black ice.
He wanted to torture then destroy that beast for everything he’d done to
Lisette, for even walking the face of the planet. What kind of sick fuck had no
clue how to act in front of a child? Rage seethed inside him. Only Juliana’s
touch kept it in check.

Nothing had prepared him for the lunatic’s substitution of
Juliana while engaged in sex with Jasmine either. He rested his lips on
Juliana’s forehead and tightened his arms around her.

Slowly, she lifted her head and eased it back. “Look at me
long and hard. And tell me,” her voice caught, “why you want to stay with me.”

“Because I need you and you need me.” Tenderly, Alex caught
her face between his hands and kissed her hard, unrelenting at first. The
joining of lips turned into a kiss of need and of a soul-deep passion.

Juliana didn’t question him further.

* * * * *

A short time later, with a possessive arm wrapped around
Juliana’s waist, Alex led her into Andrea’s condominium. Andrea greeted them
with hugs and a forced but warm smile.

Alex gave Juliana a quick kiss and a stern admonition to
keep out of Lisette’s room and stay put until he returned. Alex’s concern
filled her with warmth. She didn’t mind his control, as she was too confused
and tired to fight it. Besides, he was right.

Andrea fidgeted with her watchband as soon as the front door
closed. She gave Juliana a tenuous smile. “Would you like something to eat,
drink?”

“Water sounds good.” Uneasy and shy, Juliana set her purse
on the coffee table and glanced toward the back of the condo. “I’ll get it. Let
me do something for you.”

“Juliana! You’re already doing so much.” Andrea laid a warm
hand on Juliana’s arm. “I can’t even imagine what you’re going through now, or
what you’ve gone through.”

How much had Alex told Andrea about the past twelve years? “I’ve
learned to live with it.” Juliana offered her old friend a timid smile. “Now
what would you like to drink?

As Juliana walked toward the kitchen, she spied a familiar
brown envelope and stopped short. Her life lay on the kitchen table as if on
parade.

Andrea knew everything. Uncertain relief walked a fine line
down Juliana’s back.

From behind her, Andrea said, “Alex told me. I hope you
don’t mind.”

“I’m glad.” Juliana chewed on her lower lip and spun around
to face Andrea. “You’re not mad at me for not returning home sooner?”

“To face your father?” She snorted. “No way. But we could
have helped you.”

“I had to learn to live with this on my own.” Juliana
hitched her hands in the pockets of her shorts and shrugged. “No one likes
being around a telepath.”

“You didn’t need to worry about us.” Andrea crossed her
arms. Her mouth opened as if to speak and then closed while her face colored.

“I wish.” Wistfulness creased Juliana’s heart. Her gaze
drifted to the grape ivy hanging in the corner of the dining room.

“You don’t understand, Juliana.” Andrea closed the distance
between them, her face stained scarlet. “Alex and I have a deeper connection than
most twins.”

Juliana’s eyes widened half in anticipation, half in dread. “What?”

“Didn’t you ever wonder how we used to communicate without
talking to one another?”

“I chalked it up to your closeness with each other.” A
strange feeling seized hold of Juliana.

“After our father left, we figured out how easy it was to
communicate without anyone else knowing.” Andrea smoothed back her hair. “In
the last couple of years, we’ve even learned how to block our thoughts from one
another.”

Shocked, Juliana’s mouth gaped open. Alex knew how to block
her telepathy. Could he read her mind too?

As if reading Juliana’s thoughts, Andrea said, “We can’t
read other people’s minds, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“I had no idea.” Juliana sagged onto the nearest dining room
chair. “My doctor mentioned that some twins have limited ESP. But I never
imagined you two did.”

“By the time you met us, we had pretty much quit reading
each other. You know, for privacy.” Andrea began to gather the articles strewn
across the table.

Juliana sat in stunned contemplation. Why the hell hadn’t
Alex told her he had the ability to block her telepathy? He knew telepathy and
its ramifications was a big part of the Westwood curse! Excitement sliced
through her frustration.

“I think you could use that water.” Andrea grinned and
rushed into the kitchen, returning with two bottles of ice water. “God, I’m so
glad you’re home. I missed you so much. Alex might not ever admit it, but he
never gave up hope that you’d return.”

“Could’ve fooled me.” Juliana grimaced as she opened the
cold bottle. “If he had access to the daggers his eyes flung at me that first
day at the PD, I wouldn’t be here now.”

Andrea gave her a wan smile. “Can you blame him for the
initial shock?”

“No.” Juliana guzzled half the water to quench the arid
desert in her mouth. “A cannon could have ripped through me and it wouldn’t
have surprised me any more. I never expected to find Alex working as a cop, of
all things.”

Andrea shrugged. “It suits him.”

Juliana always knew he’d succeed in life despite his
upbringing in a poor, broken family—or in spite of it. He possessed the
eagerness, the drive. She loved that about him.

“Yes, I think it does,” Juliana said reflectively. With a
dismissive wave of her hand, she said, “Forget about that, Andrea.” Alex was a
subject she’d dissect later. Juliana rose and pushed in the chair. “Tell me how
you’re doing.”

“I’m okay, I guess.” Andrea ran her fingers through her
shoulder-length hair. The gesture reminded Juliana so much of Alex. “But I’d
rather talk about anything else.”

Curiosity burned in Juliana, and she couldn’t resist asking,
“Tell me how in the world you and Ethan got together.”

Andrea slivered her eyes and frowned wryly. She motioned for
Juliana to follow her into the cozy living room.

The cinnamon and apple aroma filling the air from a
potpourri dish on the coffee table evoked memories of the candles Juliana’s mother
scattered around her childhood home. So many memories had crashed back over the
last few days. Some good, some bad. Despite the circumstances, being there with
Andrea was comfortable, promising that future friendship was still possible
between them.

Andrea sat on the couch, pulled up her knees and hooked her
arms around them. “I’ll give you the peapod version. You already know what a
crush I had on him in high school.”

Juliana dropped into the recliner facing the couch. “Yeah,
you and every other girl but me.” Alex was the only one Juliana had ever
wanted.

“A year after graduation, I met him at a party. We dated. I
got pregnant. Stupid condom broke.”

A pained expression flicked across Andrea’s face. “His father
was ticked off at him, but Ethan loved to rebel. We did the right thing and got
married.” Andrea glanced at the crystal framed wedding photo on top of the TV. “Of
course, I was crazy in love with him. We were excited about the baby.” She
hesitated, her voice lowered. “But I lost her in the fifth month.”

Juliana sent her friend a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry.”

“It was a bad year.” Andrea gulped her water. “First the
baby, then Mom died.”

Juliana flinched, knowing how it felt to lose a mother. She
lifted a picture of Ethan, Andrea and baby Lisette off the small table beside
her chair and studied it.

Andrea continued, “We stayed married. I loved him, and in
his own way, he loved me. But things went bad. He did everything possible to
defy his father, who constantly bullied him. ‘Go to business school. Come work
at GC Publishing, dump that white trash wife.’” Andrea waved her arms around as
if to dispel Grantham Chamber’s image. “Ethan wanted none of it. He was
determined to follow in his brother’s footsteps and get away from his father as
fast as he could.”

Andrea swiped a hand across her forehead and rubbed her eyes.
“Anyway, he started drinking and doing drugs. He’d clean up for a while. Then
the pattern would repeat.” A tear skated down her cheek and she brushed it
aside. “I wound up pregnant with Lisette during one of the lucid times. She’s
the only good to come from our marriage.

“Lisette worshipped her father, even though he wasn’t around
much. I guess I hung in there for her. One day, I got a knock on the door.” Her
mouth tightened in a grim line. “The police. Ethan had OD’d at a party the
night before.”

Juliana returned the picture, stood and crossed the room to
sit next to Andrea. A stab of guilt sliced through her breast. She wished she’d
been there for Andrea during her troubled times.

“In hindsight, I was young, stupid, hoping his family would
accept me.” Andrea clasped Juliana’s hand. “Lisette made it all worthwhile,
though.”

“She’s beautiful.” Photographs of Lisette peppered the homey
condo, and Juliana perused them. With her blonde hair, her looks favored Ethan,
yet with Andrea and Alex’s eyes.

In renewed friendship, they spent the afternoon reminiscing
about high school and the last twelve years. Andrea brought out photo albums,
and they were both misty-eyed by the time they flipped the final page.

They ordered a pizza and turned on the TV to watch the early
evening news. It wasn’t long before the news centered on the abduction. “San
Jose Police are continuing their search for Lisette Chamber and suspect Jasmine
Webley. New evidence has come to our attention that SJPD are following a trail
of evidence brought to them by psychic Juliana Westwood—”

The newswoman’s voice faded away. A buzzing began in
Juliana’s head. Shock plastered Andrea’s face. Juliana willed herself to
concentrate on the news report.

“Juliana Westwood, a successful financial planner, recently
relocated to San Jose from New York where she aided the NYPD in numerous
high-profile police cases. Our SJPD source informs us that Ms. Westwood has provided
false leads including accusations that Grantham Chamber may have abducted his
own grandchild.”

Juliana existed in a dream world, far, far away, where real
life and nightmares overlapped. A white-hot rage threatened to choke the
stagnant air out of her lungs.

Chilling memories of the last time the press got wind of her
psychic abilities dominated all other thought.

* * * * *

Evidence, charts and fast-food wrappers cluttered the war
room. Team members entered and exited. Alex waited for the room to empty before
divulging Juliana’s latest vision to James.

“Lisette’s still alive. I feel it. Juliana sees it,” Alex
concluded. He picked up his coffee cup, sipped and grimaced at the stone-cold
brew. He tossed the cup in the trashcan, splashing coffee on the floor. The
aroma battled with the persistent reek of leftover hamburgers gone cold.

“Don’t disclose the decoy plan to anyone until we work it
out.” Alex turned around as the door opened, startled by Juliana’s silhouette
in the doorway.

The heated glare and condemning expression on her face sent
a bolt of lightning through him.

A handful of wary police personnel had followed her stormy
path through the PD. Someone recognized her enough to let her inside, but
obviously didn’t trust the murderous gleam in her eyes.