Darlings of Paranormal Romance (Anthology) (93 page)

"To tell you the truth, I think I did
talk to him."

Sam's stomach curdled. "Oh." She ran
her fingers through the loose curls at her temple, the weight of
her braid hot and heavy in the sun.

"Is that a problem?" He leaned
forward watching her.

She grimaced. "If I show up dead,
look to him first."

Brandt stopped and stared at her –
his cup stalled mid-air. "Seriously?"

It was all she could do to meet his
eyes. Eventually, taking a deep breath, she said, "We had a
difficult last meeting." She ran her fingers across her neck. "As
much as he hated me, he believed in my skills. It's just he wanted
them solely for his use. I ended up taking off. Yes, running away
and hiding from everyone. It was better than letting this asshole
control my life. He threatened to kill me if I ever told
anyone."

"But he was a cop."

"Deputy, actually. And a drug dealer
on the side."

He glanced over the cup at her. "Are
you sure?"

She nodded.

"Are you saying he could have been
behind the wheel of the truck that tried to run you off the
road?"

Her shoulders slumped. "I don't
know," she half-wailed. "He hated my guts and..." She stopped
talking, unable to tell him the whole story. Tears clogged her
eyes, emotion clogged her throat. She couldn't believe that after
all this time this deputy still had the power to destroy her.
Surely, she'd moved past that. "I disappeared and hoped he'd forget
about me."

"But once I called him, then he knew
where to find you?"

She nodded again.

His gaze was intent on her face. Sam
felt heat rise that had nothing to do with the sun.

He stirred his cup until Sam reached
across and stilled his hand. "Go and get a second cup so you have
something to stir." Even as she picked up her own cup, relief
slowly spread through her limbs. Relief to have someone to share
this burden with. Relief that she was no longer alone.

A smile twitched at the corner of his
mouth. "Do you want another?"

"No, not if we're heading to Stefan's
house soon."

Brandt glanced at his watch. "Let's
head out then. We'll talk on the way."

"Great," she muttered.

"You'll be fine. We'll figure this
out."

They crossed the street to his truck.
He walked to her door and unlocked it before walking around to the
driver's side. The small concession to old-fashioned courtesy made
her feel good.

Getting into the truck was a
different story. Her truck was lower to the ground. His had huge
tires and no running boards. Fine for a six-foot male, but she
barely crested five-foot-four and struggled to get up to the seats.
Flustered, Sam finally managed to shut the door and get settled. A
sidelong glance at Brandt's face didn't help. He was trying to hold
back a grin.

Sam harrumphed and refused to look at
him again.

As they passed the town's welcome
sign, she ventured to break the silence. "How long have you known
Stefan?"

Brandt glanced at her quickly. "Close
to ten years now."

Sam raised her eyebrows at that.
"That's quite awhile. Is he your age?"

That question brought a frown to his
face. "I don't know how old he is. I'd say he's mid thirties. Then
again, he doesn't look a day older now than when I met
him."

Older would be better than younger,
in this case. Sam could only hope he had decades of experience
handling what the psychic life dished out. She needed to talk to
someone who'd already figured this stuff out.

Brandt took a left turn off the
highway and drove further into the country. Peace surrounded the
area. Heavily treed on the left and rolling hills on the right.
Stunningly beautiful and something she hadn't expected to
see.

"He lives just a couple of miles
further."

She nodded. "And he prefers to live
away from people, just like I do."

"Yeah." Brandt snorted. "Stefan is
different. There's really no other way to describe him."

Pursing her lips, she thought about
that. In a way, the same description applied to her too. Better to
wait and see just what that meant to Brandt. Maybe it would give
her an idea of how he saw her.

3:00 pm

Brandt navigated the last turn onto
Stefan's twisting driveway. The man had chosen a hell of a spot for
a hideaway. Now that Brandt lived closer, he had a chance to visit
and not just talk on the phone. Stefan didn't like phones. Then he
bordered on antisocial at times.

Brandt regarded Sam's profile.
Something was bugging her. In typical Sam style, she sat worrying
on something instead of outright asking him.

The house winked at them from between
the trees. Brandt drove around to the far side and parked. One side
was glass that twinkled like diamond facets in the light. The rest
was built of logs – huge logs. Evergreens surrounded the house on
three sides. Stunning in colors, the air almost vibrated with an
otherworldly appeal. Birds approved as they flitted and dipped
between the foliage, chirping happily.

Sam appeared awestruck. Remembering
how he'd felt the first time he'd arrived, with the sun bouncing
off all the glass, he could fully understand her
reaction.

"Ready?" He couldn't wait. Putting
these two together in the same room should be interesting. Stefan
wasn't the friendliest of males. But all women reacted to Stefan –
one way or another. Over time, Brandt had come to understand the
type of woman each was, by her reaction.

For that reason alone, he'd wanted to
be on hand when Sam met Stefan for the first time. He needed to see
Sam's reaction and see into the depths of who she was.

3:18 pm

Sam shut the truck door gently.
Turning, she tried to take the scene in. She couldn't imagine being
the man lucky enough to own such a place.

Brandt, several steps ahead, turned
to her, one eyebrow raised. "Coming?

They walked toward the front door.
"How long has he lived here?" Sam couldn't help it. Her head
swiveled from side to side at the spectacular foliage, and unique
wooden carvings peering out amongst the brighter-than-believable
plants. The strong scents blended and fused into a fresh woodsy
smell. "Everything appears like it's on drugs, for God's
sake."

"Or you are." Brandt grinned at her.
"He's got plants from all over the globe. Everything about Stefan
is unique and indefinable."

"I'll say." Sam stopped at the front
door. It was made from one solid block of wood with faces pushing
out of the wood grain. Some laughing, some crying, yet all of them
glowing with life. "Christ." She didn't know if she was praying or
swearing, but there was no way not to react. Everything she'd seen
so far came under the heading of stunning. Maybe not comfortable,
yet undeniably thought provoking.

"Quite the place he's got,
huh?"

"That's an understatement. I can't
wait to meet our host."

Sam barely caught Brandt's sidelong
glance. She wondered at it as he pounded on the door – stalling any
chance of asking.

"Come in." The shout came from deep
inside.

Brandt pushed open the door. "Hey
Stefan. It's us."

"Yeah, I caught that. Let me just
wash up. I'll be right there."

The voice came from the far left. Sam
noted that in a distant part of her mind, as she stood in the front
foyer, her mouth hanging open. The inside of the house shone with
warm yellow sunlight bouncing off wood floors and ceilings.
Streaming light struck and highlighted vivid paintings hung on
every wall. The room had a surreal energy. The entire house was an
artist's canvas.

"Hey Stefan. Good to see you." The
two men slapped shoulders. Brandt's large shoulders blocked Sam's
view.

Brandt stepped slightly to the side
and motioned between the two people. His voice light and easy.
"Stefan, meet Sam. Sam, Stefan."

Sam stared at Stefan. Her soul
stirred. Overwhelming love and warmth flooded through
her.

Stefan gazed into her eyes, his
gentle lips curved into a welcoming smile. That same warm loving
smile from her vision, that same man from Louise's car accident.
Then he opened his arms. Without warning, she burst into tears and
ran into them. They closed securely around her.

3:20 pm

Brandt's mouth fell open. He didn't
know what to think or even how to jumpstart his brain. He was on
shocked standby.

He'd never seen a woman react like
Sam had. Ever.

Without trying to be too obvious, he
tried to assess the clinch they were in. It didn't look lover-like.
Neither did they resemble two strangers. He didn't know what the
hell was going on. He'd sure like to though.

Interrupting them was out of the
question. Whatever was going on was intensely personal. Even
standing in the same room was uncomfortable. He walked over to
stare out the huge window. The acreage around the house was as wild
and impressive as the rest of the property. He heard soft voices
behind him. He turned around to see the two smiling in a strangely
intimate way.

He took several steps in their
direction. "I gather you two know each other?"

They both stared at him in
surprise.

Sam's answer stunned him. "What? No,
we've never met."

3:25 pm

Brandt motioned toward Stefan and
then at her. "Is that how you greet all strangers?"

Feeling heat rise on her cheek, Sam
glanced over at Stefan, who stared at Brandt, an odd twist to his
features. Christ. Stefan was as gorgeous in person as he was in her
vision. A charming smile graced the model face. She turned to
Brandt. "Oh that."

Brandt made a choked sound. "Yeah
that?" He stared between Sam and Stefan. "So an explanation,
please."

Sam glanced at Stefan to find him
watching her.

"Go ahead."

Sam glanced down at the floor,
knowing she was rocking slightly in place. Making a decision, she
looked up to find Brandt's suspicious gaze firmly planted – on her.
"Remember the car accident that I told you about. Louise Enderby?
What I didn't tell you was that I saw a man in that vision. Not the
killer, but a man who...at the time...I thought might have been
someone close to Louise that had already died. Like her husband, a
long-time lover, at least someone like that. He was trying to help
me...her...get out of the car and cross over."

She
glanced over at Stefan who had a benevolent smile on his face. "The
guy left a very strong impression
because
there was so much love in his
face. It radiated throughout his energy. He glowed like an
angel."

Stefan snorted.

Sam smiled and continued. "I had no
way of knowing who he was. Still, it isn't uncommon for a loved one
to show up at the time of death to welcome the dying person. Except
this guy had an incredible impact on me because he had such loving
energy – and it was directed my way."

She gazed into Stefan's eyes. "That
man in my vision was Stefan."

Brandt reeled backwards as if from a
blow. "What?" He stared at Stefan, searching for confirmation. "Is
that possible?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't know how, but
it happened."

Stefan stared at them both. "It's a
first for me too. I've never come across another psychic in my
visions."

Brandt focused on Sam. "You're saying
that you recognized Stefan here from your vision. And the emotions
from that vision were so strong that when you saw him, you burst
into tears and walked into a stranger's arms?" Hands on hips, head
titled sideways, he stared at her in disbelief.

Sam knew how important her answer
was. It was also important to her that he believe her story. She
hated to admit it, but she'd come to enjoy his acceptance and now
wanted his respect. "It is hard to understand. You have to consider
the circumstances.

"I was caught in a horrible vision
inside a burning car and a dying woman. Stefan appeared – yes, I'll
say it again – almost angelic in appearance, and he saved me. The
emotion that existed at the time was overwhelming. This man cared
about Louise. I don't understand that part."

She
glanced sidelong at Stefan who was listening casually. "But for me,
it was as if he loved me, cared about me, and was trying to
save
me
." She
implored Brandt to understand. "It was pure instinct to cry when I
saw him again. I thought he didn't exist...that he wasn't real.
Then suddenly he's here, in front of me." She shrugged. "I just
reacted."

Brandt shook his head, his fingers
running raggedly through his hair. "Wow."

"Precisely." Sam found little
satisfaction in his comment. She hadn't had time to adjust to this
scenario either. Questions crowded her mind. She didn't know where
to start and her energy levels had dropped alarmingly. "Stefan, can
I go and sit down?"