The Power (20 page)

“I ran from Ewan’s cabin as if the devil himself were after me.” Lillian’s elegant hand-writing read in swift, angered markings.  “My dress was in shreds and splattered with blood, but I was heedless to anything but my escape. I had to find Gina. I had to tell her what had happened to me and to the cabin boy. I had to beg her to forgive me, to… Tears were streaming down my face as I ran out onto the deck, and came crashing into a hard, male body.  A terrified scream lodged in my throat as I threw back my head expecting to see Ewan standing there, grinning at me in triumph, but I was met by a pair of concerned, amber eyes.

“
“Are you all right, Miss? What is going on? Have you been hurt?” his deep, soothing voice asked all at once, but all that I could think was that I wasn’t far enough away from Ewan’s cabin, not yet. I considered jumping overboard for an insane second, but I shook myself.

““I…”
I couldn’t speak, not yet. Strong, steady hands caressed my bruised arms. He bent so that he could look into my eyes.

“
“Someone has hurt you?” he asked in angered concern, and I cupped my trembling lips.

“
“We can’t stay here. He’ll come. He’ll hurt you too!” I blurted out between sobs, and the man pulled me into his warm, reassuring embrace. I could hear the beat of his heart. He was mortal. How could he, a mere mortal, protect me against an all powerful immortal? How could he protect himself? Still, the warmth of his strong arms surrounding me made me feel safe, secure and even cared for?

“
“Shush. It’s all right now. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” He promised, but I knew better. Leading me aside, he set me down on a wooden bench, and he crouched before me. His hand reached to wipe my tears away, but I shrank back, and his hand halted mid-air, and then fell back to his side.

“
“I should get the magistrate.” he said lowly, and he started to rise, but I grabbed him back by the arm and shook my head madly.

“
“No. Please. No.” I shook my head. “It will only make things worse.” I begged, and he nodded, unsatisfied, and crouched back down.

“
“Perhaps, you should tell me what has happened to you, then?” he said, and I met his amber eyes finding comfort there in his concern for me. I shook my head. I swatted at my watery eyes with the back of my hand and sniffled. I hurt everywhere, but I was still in shock at what had happened as well. Was Ewan watching me even now, I wondered, and I tossed a look back over my shoulder. Nothing but shadows. I clasped my hands together in my lap and focused on the jagged, torn nails. I seemed to become lost, but the man before me, took my hands in his and cradled them. Gently, he examined my nails. We could both see the blood, the skin beneath them. I shuddered. “If someone has hurt you he should be brought to justice.” I could hear the anger in his deep voice, but also the extreme concern. I looked up, meeting his gaze. I swiped at my eyes again, and drew on my swollen bottom lip.

“
“No.” I whispered. “He’s too dangerous. You don’t understand.” I stood slowly on wobbly legs, and the kind man followed suit.

“
“He should not be allowed to get away with this!” he argued, but I shook my head again.

“
“Please.”  I whispered in concern for his well-being now as I looked all around me. “Please, could you just walk me back to my door?” I wanted him far away from Ewan. I had no idea to what Ewan would do to the nice gentleman if he saw him with me. It was safer for me to get indoors, to get this kind man indoors as well.

“
“Yes. Of course.” he took my arm, and I looked back over my shoulder once more. “I won’t allow him to harm you again, Miss. I swear that I won’t!”

“
“I know.” I replied, not knowing what else to say, and he pulled me close so that I might lean upon his shoulder as we walked back toward my cabin.

“At my door
he paused before he knocked. “You are staying with a guardian?” he asked carefully, and I nodded.

“
“My cousin.” I relented in a shaky tone, wanting to get inside more than anything. “Please sir, you should go now. Thank you for your kindness, but please, I beg you, get inside your cabin and stay there until daybreak.” I warned. He appeared confused then, but he nodded all the same.

“
“As soon I get you inside yours, safely with your cousin.” He said, and he lifted a hand to knock, but Gina swung the door open before he could. She took one look at me, and fury seemed to take over her face. Tears welled in my eyes.

““You were right.” I thought to tell her. “
About everything.”

““
It matters not that I was right.” her voice came to my mind. “I should have forced you to stay at my side!” She was blaming herself, and that made me cry all the more. Gina grabbed my arm and pulled me inside the room. She thanked the kind gentleman at the door, and was closing the door when the man grabbed the door to halt its closing.

““
I found her up on deck.” he told Gina in deep concern. “It’s obvious that something terrible has happened here. Should I call the magistrate?”

“
“No. Thank you, but we will take care of this privately.” Gina voiced in a tight, well-mannered tone.

“
“But?” the man protested.

“
“Do you want her ruined?” Gina snapped, and my eyes went back to the man who was standing there, now looking perplexed.

“
“No.” he conceded at last. “If you need anything, anything at all.” He said, meeting my gaze in concern and sympathy. “My name is Sloan Jackson. I’m on deck 3, cabin 3B.” he said, and he bowed his head. “Anything at all.” he met my eyes once more, and I nodded that I understood just before Gina gave her thanks as well and promptly shut the door.”

“Jax.” Nicole whispered as she set the journal in her lap. She knew the story well. It was a sad one. Jax had tried to save Lillian, and she had tried to save him by warning him to stay away from her. Regrettably, Jax had not listened, and Lillian had not been able to resist his much-needed company and support. “Poor Jax.” Nicole whispered, and she set the journal back on top of her cluttered coffee table, vowing to clean the table and the rest of the apartment later.

Chapter fift
een

The hospital was quiet when Jack and Bordello exited the elevator for the third floor. Miss. Helen Rogers was being kept in room 213. An elderly nurse, who looked like she should be staring as the head evil witch on
The Wizard of Oz
had griped at them that visiting hours would be over in ten minutes.

“We may be in a little late.” Bordello had said with a wicked grin as he had flashed his badge in the bossy, old woman’s face. The woman’s name had read, Joy. How ir
onic, Jack thought with a grin. She was anything but.

Jack followed Tony into Miss
. Rogers’ hospital room. They found her strapped to the bed, unable to move her arms or legs, but not really trying to either. She appeared groggy and a bit disoriented, but she was awake, Jack thought as he came around to stand at the foot of the bed.

“Miss
. Rogers, I’m Detective Stone. This is Detective Bordello. We wondered if it might be a good time to ask you a few questions concerning what occurred at your apartment last night?” he asked, meeting the dark, bloodshot eyes of the frail-looking woman in the bed. Her light brown hair was a stringy mess, overly thin in places and in tangled balls of frizz in others. Her skin was pale and pasty, and her lips were dry and cracked. A light blue, wool blanket and a sharp white sheet covered her to her chest, but Jack could see her silhouette beneath the blankets and he could tell that she was a tiny thing. Too skinny, he thought, thinking that she wasn’t much more than skin and bones.

“
Miss. Rogers?” Jack called when she continued to stare at him, or rather right through him.  

“She’s out of it, man.” Bordello waved a big hand in front of the woman’s face. She barely blinked. Damn! Jack frowned heavily. Well, so much for their interrogation!

“I’ll talk with her doctor.” Bordello offered, and before Jack could reply the big man was out of the door.

Jack was left alone with M
iss. Helen Rogers now. Frowning, he shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and glanced up at the television which was on, but muted to sound. An old episode of
I Love Lucy
was playing. Lucy’s face was covered in molding clay, and for some reason she was pretending to be a sculpture as Ethel was doing some quirky song and dance for a gentleman who had obviously come there to purchase Lucy’s would-be sculpture. Jack had seen the episode before. It was a funny one.

“Did you see her?” The woman’s voice, small and barely above a whisper came from the bed, startling Jack out of his thoughts. Slowly, he turned back to the bed to see M
iss. Rogers dark eyes were almost dilated. Maybe there was some hope after all, Jack thought, and he came closer to the bed.

“Her?” he asked carefully, not wanting to startle the woman back into her comatose state.

“The devil.” Miss. Rogers replied swiftly on a high-pitched whisper. “She came for me, but it wasn’t my time.” she shook her dark head almost madly.

“No?” Jack went along with i
t, trying to keep his voice low and soothing in order to get the woman to continue talking to him.

“Oh no, but she said that she would be back though. I have to get clean, get these drugs out of my system. Have to take care of my baby, or she’ll be back. The devil will be back for my soul.”
Miss. Rogers’ eyes were wide in unspoken terror. It was obvious to Jack that the woman had been through an ordeal, but he wanted the details. He needed them.

“She told you this?” He was standing perfectly still as not to frighten the woman, but the woman had already slipped back into whatever fog she had surrendered to previously. Jack waved a hand in front of her face after a moment of silence. Nothing. She was gone to the world again, he thought with a frown just as Bordello came back through the door.

“The doctor won’t be here until morning. May as well call it a night, Stone.” Bordello said in disappointment. Jack nodded in agreement. There was nothing else they could do tonight, he reasoned. There had been no witnesses to the murders this time around besides Miss Rogers, and she was so out of it that they were likely never to get anything coherent out of her, at least not tonight. There were the two cops that had seen the woman, or so they had claimed, jump to the wall of, and climb up a five story building, but Jack and Tony had already gotten all they could out of them.

Jack would pay Dr. Harold a visit in the morning. She hadn’t called him with a report as of yet, but he was sure she would have more than enough to say if he just popped in, Jack thought as he followed Tony Bordello back toward the elevators. Glancing at his watch, he saw that it was just after nine. Would Lilly still be at the coffee shop? Was he too late to see her tonight? She had sounded hurt when he had brushed her off earlier, Jack thought as the elevator doors closed and they began to descend downward. At the street, Bordello opted to catch a cab home, and Jack proceeded on in his Mustang. Within minutes, he was driving in front of their coffee shop, but Lilly wasn’t inside. In fact, it was empty except for the night manager, who was looking pretty tired and bored, Jack thought. Damn.

Scooping up his phone, Jack pulled along the curb and killed the engine. Without thought, he dialed Lilly’s number, but it wasn’t Lilly who answered. It was the butler again. Reginald?

“Miss Lillian isn’t in at the moment, sir. May I tell her who is calling?” The English accent dripped like gold from the man’s voice. What was it about the English that made
them sound so much more proper and elegant than the rest of us, Jack thought in self-disgust as he gave over his name?

“Tell her I’m sorry
I missed her tonight. Tell her…tell her I’m at our place now, and I’ll wait for a while. Tell her I hope she can make it.” he said in a forlorn tone that made his stomach turn.

“I will do so, Mr. Stone.” Reginald assured, and Jack gave his thanks, and ended the call. He had no more than stepped out of his car when he felt
, or rather sensed that Lilly was there, and his heart sped up quickly. Looking up though, he saw only a dark sidewalk before him, and he frowned in disappointment, but then, a tall, striking woman dressed in black came around the corner. “Lilly.” he breathed out, and she looked up and smiled.

“I thought you were working late?” she said, walking to meet him half way.

“We hit a bump in the case, a pause button, if you will.” Jack grinned happily, and he took her hands pulling her to him. She didn’t protest. Her arms came around his neck, and she pulled him down to her, meeting his descending mouth with the softness of her lips. She tasted like heaven, Jack thought as his stomach tied in knots. Was this what it felt like, he wondered as she surrendered to him, and moved in closer to his body. Jack wrapped her long, slender frame in his arms, and he pulled her flush against the heat of him. His mouth moved over hers in an urgent, reconnecting kiss. It had seemed like ages apart. He had missed her. He had thought of her nearly every hour of every day apart. This was crazy, he thought as he tasted her mouth again. This is crazy, but it feels real. It feels strong. Oh, where have you been all my life, Baby, he thought as she nestled close to him. Jack pulled back. He smiled down at her pale, beautiful face. He kissed her forehead. “Is it possible to miss someone that you hardly know as much as I have missed you, my sweet Lilly?” he asked, and she seemed to stiffen in his arms. He was laying it on too thick, Jack worried suddenly, but he felt it. He felt it stronger than he ever had before. This woman, this lovely woman with the amazing blue eyes, and full, luscious lips, with her physical beauty and quiet, almost shy way of being, God, what was she was doing to him?