Third Eye Watch (A Serena Shaw Mystery) (17 page)

“I did. But the text did say it was from her. And…” She broke off when she saw the thunderous look on his face.

“Ok, don’t be angry. I know I should have called you before I went to meet her. But it was Lena, and I wasn’t in any danger after all.”

She placed her hand on his chest, trying to mollify him but he wasn’t having any of that.

Pushing her hand away, he said, “You should have insisted on calling me when you…. Hell, you should have called me the minute you received the text from her. What if it was someone else, using Lena’s name? Serena, I don’t understand, WHY ARE YOU NOT WORRIED ABOUT YOUR OWN SAFETY?”

He was furious now, and he lifted her off his lap and pushed her down next to him on the couch, then got up and left the room, returning a minute later with another bottle of beer.

Damn, he’s not going to be so easily pacified today.

“I, uh you are right, I shouldn’t have gone to see her.” She tried another tack.

“You’re just saying that now because you know I’m angry. But I know for a fact that if she texted you again, you’d meet her again. Tell me I’m wrong.”  He stood glaring down at her, and Serena thought it was déjà vu all over again.

“Ok, look, I already apologized. You are overreacting. I didn’t have a choice when I received the text from her.”

She was standing now too, poking him in the chest with her index finger as she yelled back at him.

He took a step back, realizing that he had never seen her mad before.

“If you would just stop yelling and try to understand why I had to go? And yes, if she texts me again, I will meet her again. You aren’t the boss of me.” She continued, as she poked him again.

Hearing that, he threw back his head and started laughing.

“Why are you laughing, you big……bully?” She was unable to come up with a more appropriate adjective and in her frustration she pushed him on the chest, with both hands.

He laughed harder, then tried to pull her into his arms, but she wouldn’t let him and evading him, she sat down on the couch with her arms folded across her chest, glaring up at him.

He sat down next to her and said, “Serena, honey, maybe I overreacted. I’m sorry.” He tried to pull her into his arms, but she wouldn’t let him, turning away from him, her chin set in a stubborn line.

He knew she wouldn’t stay angry for too long, or at least he hoped she wouldn’t. He began stroking her silky hair; a slight smile teasing his lips as he once again saw her flashing eyes as she poked him in the chest.

He kept stroking her hair, and a few minutes later he felt her scooting closer, and a few moments later she rested her head on his shoulders. Everything was right again with the world, he thought, smiling as he put his left arm around her and pulled her closer. She shifted, and turned her face, letting it rest in the crook of his neck.

“Sam?” She said in a soft voice.

“Yeah, honey?”

“I also have something to tell you, something no one else knows.”

His heart thudded.

She lifted her head to look at him, then said, “I don’t know how to say it, so I’m just going to say it.” He laughed, remembering that those were the same words he had used when he had told her about his visions.

“I can hear people’s thoughts.”

He was trying to come up with an appropriate response, not wanting to lie, but also not wanting to let on that he already knew this, when she repeated what she had said to him once before; “I don’t know how, but you know this already, don’t you?”

He met her eyes; then nodded slowly, not wanting to lie to her. She arched her eyebrows at him, and he told her, bracing himself for the anger that was sure to come.

“In addition to the visions I get, I also have the ability to scan people’s minds. It only gives me superficial information, information that is sort of in the checking account of their brain. I don’t have the powers to go deep into memories or learn in depth information about someone.”

She placed her hand under her chin and gazed at him for a moment. Then she said, tongue-in-cheek, “Oh, so you’re bragging now.”

“Bragging?” he asked, perplexed.

“You’re showing off, telling me that your abilities are so much greater than mine.” She mock-pouted, but he could see laughter lurking in her eyes.

He laughed; then grew serious, and said, “Can you tell me more about your abilities? But first, aren’t you mad at me? For scanning you without your permission?”

“I should be mad, but I’m not. Besides, I’ll think of some way to make you pay later for the unauthorized intrusion.” She grinned at him wickedly, and he found himself smiling back.

She told him everything, starting with the night Sofia had disappeared, not surprised to hear him laughing as she described the fall, the bump on her head, and the constant buzzing in her head. When she told him her life had changed, she had had to get a new masseuse, he felt torn between laughter and an insane desire to find the man and beat him to a pulp.

She rested against his shoulder and said, “I feel so much better, now that someone else knows my secret.”

He kissed the top of her head; he understood exactly what she had been going through, keeping her abilities a secret from the entire world. He was glad she had trusted him, and that she now no longer had to deal with it on her own.

“Someone, whom
I
can’t read.” She added softly. His jerked his head towards her, finding her watching him intently.

He had guessed that she couldn’t read him but hadn’t been sure because he had stopped the scan the minute her thoughts had touched upon him.

“I’m not sure why you can’t read me. I use some blocks, to protect against unauthorized intrusions; I know that’s quite hypocritical of me,” he laughed mirthlessly, then continued, “That’s the only thing I can think of. I was waiting for you to tell me your secret so that I could show you some ways to protect yourself from intrusions too.”

“Oh, so then you wouldn’t be able to scan my mind again without my permission?”

He took her face in his hands and said earnestly, “Serena, honey, I promise you, I will never ever scan your mind again. I had to do it that one time because I knew you were hiding something and I was concerned. I don’t scan people’s minds at random, I only use my powers to find out information so that I may protect them danger.”

“Ok.” She nodded, believing the promise in his words and eyes. Sam rested his head on her forehead overwhelmed by the trust she offered. 

They ate their lukewarm pizza on the couch, sharing a beer, and talking about lighter things, not allowing Fredrik, Sofia, or Lena to intrude.  After dinner, they sat watching the news when Serena’s phone rang, and she answered, mouthing “Mom” to him. Sam let his fingers trail down her bare arm. She pushed it away but he kept doing it, laughing softly as she glared at him. He suddenly grabbed her by the waist and nuzzled her, causing her to squeal.

“Nothing mom, it was just a bug.” He grinned hearing her explanation, her voice breathless; then laughed in her hair when she added, “It was big mom, and it was crawling over my arm.”

He shifted away, allowing her to continue her conversation with her mom, while he watched the news, or rather read the closed-captioned news on the muted channel.

He sat up as a sudden idea came to him, then texted Audrey, asking her if she was free to meet.

“Why, did Serena dump you already?”

He scowled at his phone. “Very funny. Pick me up in an hour at her apartment. Text me when you are on the way.”

Serena hung up the phone, and launched herself at him; he caught her with an oof; laughing as she grabbed his shoulders and tried to shake him.

“Do you know how suspicious my mom is? My brother and I call her Mamma-Hound.”

He held her and said in a husky voice, “Kiss me, Serena.”

He held her gaze as she slowly lowered her lips towards him. A few minutes later, he placed his hands behind her head; then twisted his body so that she was lying on the couch, and his body covered hers.

His phone buzzed and he reluctantly got up, pulling her up to sit beside him.

“Audrey is picking me up soon. We’re going to go check out the Criket Club.”

“Oh. Can I go with you?”

“What? No, you cannot go with me.”

“I can help, you know? Maybe I can become a consultant to the FBI, read people’s minds, and help…….”

“Absolutely not!” He thundered. “You are a civilian, and Serena, these are dangerous people, they’re killing women, and men; are you not even scared one bit?”

“Are you scared?”

“Yes I am scared, and I am a trained agent for the United States of America. I know how to protect myself. You, you are a civilian…”

“It’s not like I’m asking to go undercover or be on the front lines.” She pouted. “I just thought I could help; I’d be your secret weapon.”

“Stop. You are not coming with me. And don’t even get any ideas about using your abilities to find criminals. Oh my God woman, you, will be the death of me.”

“You are just being pigheaded.”

His phone buzzed. Audrey was on her way. He turned away, and picked up his holster, and then his jacket, not trusting himself to respond to her. He wasn’t being pigheaded. He was trying to protect her. Why didn’t she understand? The people who killed Sofia and Fredrik were dangerous criminals, and she wanted him to allow her to be put in danger?

“Fine, then I’ll tell Audrey about my ability. She may be more receptive to my offer.”

He faced her, his eyes flashing.

“We’ll talk about this later. Until them, I want your promise that you will not do anything without telling first.”

He saw the stubborn set of her jaw and knew she bristled at his tone but better that she stay mad than get kidnapped or worse, dead.

“I promise.” She told him and some of the tension left his face.

He searched her face and then satisfied with what he saw, dropped a bruising kiss on her mouth, saying; “Lock up I’ll call you in the morning.”

LATE NIGHT REVELATIONS

“Took you long enough, I’ve been waiting here for ten minutes,” Audrey grumbled when he opened the passenger door and got in.

He ignored her and put on his seatbelt.

“What, there’s trouble in paradise already?”

“Not now, Audrey!”

She whistled at his irate tone, then jerked the vehicle forward, asking, “Where to?”

“The Criket Club.” He had looked up the address and gave it to her now.

“Why?”

He told her about Lena texting Serena, and her plan to work as a waitress at the Criket Club.

“And?”

His partner was like a dog with a bone. He sighed then told her that what he had to say required a better venue, and a little more quiet.

“And I need some time to cool down.” He added, looking out of the window.

xxxx

Audrey shut off the headlights as the Criket Club’s pink neon sign became visible, then drove past it without slowing down, and turned into a side street and doubled-back, pulling into an alley, which gave them a good vantage point; offering a clear view of both, the back and front entrances.

Audrey turned off the engine; then turned on her dashcam, and adjusted it to point to the back entrance. Then she reached into the back seat and grabbed her go-bag, pulling out a brand new Cannon DSLR camera.