Paranormally Yours: A Boxed Set Page 2

  Unease settled like lead in my gut. No way was I revealing myself to this strange man. He was loaded to his teeth with danger and seeing that ring only made my alarm bells ring louder. Damn, how in hell did he know I had anything to do with that ring? I’d never shown it to anyone. Ann had been out of town at the time so I’d never gotten the chance to show it to her.

  I straightened the neck of my sweater nervously. Clearing my throat, I smiled sweetly. “Can I get your name in case I see her?” my voice squeaked. “I’ll be happy to tell her that you came by.”

  He studied me. His intense gaze was so penetrating it made me feel like I just had an X-ray. Eyes narrowed, he finally said, “Yes, my name is Seth. Seth McPhee. Please give her my card and tell her to call me as soon as possible. My staff is available at any hour.” As if in slow motion, he reached into the breast pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small black card. I watched as he reached across the bar and placed it into my hand. His fingers brushed mine, sending an electric shock to my toes. The card had a single phone number printed in silver. It was a little hard to read unless you turned the card from side to side to let the light hit it.

  “I’ll be sure to give it to her as soon as I see her,” I lied with a smile, hoping it looked more natural than forced.

  He considered me for a moment. A strange look entered his eyes, then he turned and faded into the crowd.

  “What the hell have I gotten myself into?” I breathed. One thing was for darn sure, he scared the hell out of me. Anyone with half a brain would give him anything he wanted. Apparently, I had less than half a brain. Damn, he was beautiful, powerful and rich. Leave it to me to screw it up by being a complete and total coward.

  Shortly after his departure the cloud in my brain dissipated. The room became louder. The lights were harsher and the sour bar smells rushed me in a revolting cloud of cigarette smoke and body odor. The abrupt and unpleasant change in atmosphere made the evening trudge by for what felt like an eternity.

  The bar was empty by a quarter to three, which was strange considering it was the weekend. “Well,” I sighed as I approached Debbie at the end of the long bar, “let’s close her up.”

  Not surprisingly, this was the first time we’d spoken all night. Not counting her outings to the back lot, she tends to ignore me. I get more tips than she does and I think it rubs her the wrong way. Debbie was one of those women who craved attention. Every outfit she wore was several sizes too small allowing her flesh to spill out all over. Her face looked like badly molded wax from too much Botox and her lips were artificially enhanced which she further amplified with shining red gloss. To me the look was less sexy and more like she’d been feeding on a gazelle carcass.

  “Seems odd, getting off before the sun,” I tried again. This was our nightly routine. I would attempt conversation and she would pretend she was alone. She surprised me by smiling. I smiled back, trying to hide my astonishment. I rinsed out the cloth I used to wash the filthy slot-machine glass. It was a real bitch getting dried schnapps off the buttons.

  Debbie wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. “I’m not one to complain.” I smirked, hiding my eye roll as she continued. “But I gotta’ get home and soak my poor feet. Whatever possessed me to wear these shoes, I’ll never know.” She plopped down on a stool and pulled a shockingly high red patent leather pump off her abused foot and rubbed it gingerly. The shoe was about two sizes too small and her foot was all swollen and purple. “Anyway,” she continued, “I’ve had enough of this place. I don’t know if you noticed, but it was a pretty strange night.”

  I just nodded and kept on cleaning the glass. I didn’t feel like sharing my opinion on that subject.

  THREE

  The air outside was cool and smelled like rain, probably the best smell in the world. I walked the short distance to my car, my keys poking out from my knuckles like spikes. This was a habit, honed from years of working in the armpit district of our fair city. I’ve always parked underneath the security lights. It may seem a little paranoid, but I figure a bad guy might think twice before attacking if I’m under a spotlight. I could be wrong. Hopefully I’d never find out.

  I turned the key in the ignition several times until my poor car coughed and choked to life. I decided to hold off on purchasing a new one. I wanted to keep my newfound savings account a little longer. Who knew when a real emergency might come up? I put the car in gear and began the short jaunt home.

  My neighborhood is pretty quiet, which is strange considering I live near the university. My little cottage is small and tucked away behind a much larger house. It was previously used as the owner’s guesthouse. My landlord brought it up to code so he could rent it out for a little extra money, and now it’s home sweet home. I don’t even mind living behind him. It saves a stamp and I never have to worry about maintenance.

  I pulled into the small lot behind my place and let myself in through the back door. I don’t have any pets, only my little fish, Floyd. It’s a little lonely. I sometimes wish I had a dog to greet me when I got home. But I’ve had too many dogs bark at empty rooms and joyfully leave toys at the foot of something I couldn’t see that I would never consider adopting a new one. The world is a strange place and living alone, I get a little spooked.

  I grabbed a bag of popcorn from the pantry and tossed it into the microwave on my way to the bathroom. I pulled off my scratchy wig and the flimsy nylon cap that kept my long hair plastered to my skull. My sticky sweater pulled at my skin as I slowly peeled it off. Thank goodness my skirt was made of heavy denim or my thighs might have gotten an impromptu waxing. I turned on the shower, ready to scrub off the sweetness.

  I love my little cottage. I always feel so relaxed and calm when I walk through the door, but not so tonight. My shower, normally a very efficient way to get clean and get going, was a traitorous cubicle of sensation. The water, so warm and inviting, flowed across my heated skin like a lovers tongue. My mind, still raw from the events of the night, kept up its steady stream of erotic visions as I soaped my body. Seth, it kept saying as I mentally slapped myself for not investing in a shower massager. Seth and his long hair, wet and hanging in messy tangles as he grabbed my… Okay! Time for the cold portion of this shower. Needless to say, I was finished in about one minute. Freezing, I jumped out in favor of the warm terry cloth towel and my favorite robe. I plucked the popcorn from the microwave and sat down in front of the TV for an hour or so of old monster flicks.

  The moment I got comfortable, the phone rang.

  “Who the hell?” I mumbled to myself, then shot up and ran for the phone. No one called me at this hour unless something was very wrong.

  “Hello?” I answered on the third ring.

  “Miss Allen?” It was a male voice I didn’t recognize.

  “Yes, speaking.” I was instantly wary. I’ve never had a strange man call me so late, or at all for that matter. He was either a real sicko, or worse, someone telling me a loved one was hurt or dead.

  “I received your number from a friend of yours, Ann. Very lovely, your friend, but not as lovely as you are, I’m told.”

  Okay… this was a bit weird. Should I say thank you? I shook my head and dismissed the compliment. “No one calls this late, who is this?” I asked, a small amount of panic lacing my voice. “Is there something I can help you with?”

  “Yes, as a matter of fact there is. I need to speak with you regarding a matter that I’m sure will be of great concern to you. I must meet with you tonight. Can you meet me in half an hour?”

  “You want me to meet a complete stranger? Is this a joke? You must be nuts!” I shrilled. “Who is this? Why are you calling me so late? Has something happened to Ann?”

  “No Miss Allen, I assure you, Ann is quite well. I merely inquired about you and found her to be very accommodating. I can’t tell you what you need to hear over the phone. Your friend said that you are a bit of a night owl, so I knew you would be awake. I wouldn’t have called, but the situation is of the
utmost importance. I had to reach you without delay.”

  I felt a mixture of relief for my friend and trepidation for myself. I was also getting a little grumpy at the fact that this man’s voice was standing between my television and me.

  “Look, whoever you are, I don’t go traipsing around alone in the wee hours of the morning to meet up with strange men who may or may not be serial killers. I hardly think anything you have to say could be important enough to put myself in such obvious danger. I don’t know you, and this is just too suspicious and weird. If you had something to say to me, why didn’t you just come speak to me tonight?” I thought about that. “Probably because there were too many people. You were at The Edge, you had to be because that’s where Ann was.” I felt a chill, “I’m going to hang up now.” I slammed the phone down and took a deep breath.

  A second later it rang again. I picked it up. “Really? What is this shit? Don’t you know what no means? Are you some sort of fucking stalker?”

  “Miss Allen, please, you didn’t give me a chance to explain myself,” he said urgently. “Please allow me to get a few words in before you decide to cut me off. I need to see you in private because I believe you may be in danger. I can’t go into any detail, but I can tell you this, you are being hunted. Please, I need to get you to a safe location so that I may explain to you the urgency of the circumstances.”

  Whoa, this guy was off his rocker. “Are you drunk?” I was speeding past annoyed and heading straight for pissed off. “Understand this,” I said slowly, “I am not going to meet with you! Do you think I’m stupid?”

  “Please Grace, you must listen to me.” He sounded desperate. “Meet me tonight at the church near your home. I’ll wait as long as you need.”

  “Yeah, okay, I’ll be sure to run right over there,” I replied, my sarcasm dripping. Then his words clicked. “Wait a second, you said the one near my house? You know where I live?”

  “Never mind that. I told you, your friend was very obliging. You just need to get here. Tonight.”

  “Hold on a freaking second. Ann would never give a total stranger my home phone number and especially my address. What the hell did you do to her? Who the hell are you?” Questions and doubts rolled around in my mind. Did he have Ann? Who the hell was this asshole? “Well?” I demanded.

  “Lucian,” he said. “My name is Lucian”.

  Then the line went dead.

  Shit!

  I picked up the phone again. I was so frantic that it took three tries to get Ann’s number correct. Her voicemail picked up on the fourth ring.

  “Ann, honey, are you home? This is Grace, call me back as soon as you get this!” I waited a few seconds, my voice shaking. “Ann, please call me as soon as you get this, I don’t care what time it is, I thi…” The phone cut off. “Damn it to hell!” I shouted to the ceiling.

  I had two choices. One was to go to the church and hope Ann wasn’t there. If she was, then humor this nut-job and get her the hell out of there. My second choice was to drive the forty miles to her house and bang on her door. That idea would take over an hour to accomplish, which could be crucial time I was wasting, so off to church I go.

  I ran to my room and pulled on an old pair of jeans, a sweatshirt and my pointy boots. Just in case I needed to kick something soft. Nothing hurts worse than a cowboy boot to the balls, or so I’ve been told.

  Jumping in my car, I prayed it would start. “Oh, thank heaven,” I sighed in relief and then slammed it in reverse and peeled out of the drive.

  The First Baptist Church sits on a small hill about two miles from my house. Although beautiful by day with its gleaming white walls and lush landscaping, at night it was a very different story. The church loomed like a menacing temple of doom. Then again, it was a church, which should have led me to believe that everything was going to be okay. Somehow though, I knew I was deluding myself with that one. I whispered a quick prayer and marched up the steps.

  The door to the church swung open on well-oiled hinges. Stepping inside, I was instantly enveloped in darkness. Well crap. I should have figured that would happen. I didn’t bring a flashlight, which in hindsight was pretty stupid. I sighed and mentally kicked myself for not calling the police first. I decided that rather than groping around in the darkness, I would just wait outside. Screw him. If he wanted to speak to me, he could damn well come outside. There, at least, I could see my hand in front of my face.

  I turned and reached for the door, but before I could open it, I heard my name.

  “Miss Allen, is that you?”

  I turned back around to see a candle bobbing towards me. It paused for a moment at a small dark blob, which I could only assume was a table. Candles began to glow. Presumably, my serial killer didn’t like the dark any more than I did. I watched warily as the room began to fill with dim light. It was a spooky glow, casting strange shadows on the walls. Okay, this was not an improvement.

  I took a step back, instinctively readying myself for a full genital attack when a masculine face came slowly into view. I was...confused. I was expecting a scholarly type, some nerd with weak wrists and too many allergies or something. He was nothing like that at all. I pulled in an appreciative breath and willed my hormones to quiet their cheering. Heat filled my belly a moment before realization hit me causing my heart to skip a beat. If this man was Lucian, I had a serious problem. Not only would my puny boots have little effect on him, but he could probably pick me up and shake me like a chicken.

  I let my eyes roam his impressive body, merely to assess him for the possible presence of weapons. Honest. My eyes swept from his sharp jawline to the solid V of his torso. His arms were thick and corded with muscle. His long legs were enveloped in dark jeans that fit him like a glove. His skin looked like velvet gold; but then, that could have been the candlelight. The white, button-down shirt he wore was stretched nicely across his powerful chest. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows in a casual and sexy way. A small cross attached to a thin gold chain graced his masculine neck.

  “Miss Allen?”

  “Hmmm.” I moaned in a daze, “What?” I shook my head and looked up, “Yes, I’m Grace Allen,” I sputtered, meeting his eyes as my cheeks burned with embarrassed heat. “Are you Lucian?”

  He took in my obviously flustered state and an arrogant smile spread across his full mouth. His dark eyes raked me from head to toe and back again, forcing me to fold my arms across my chest in defiance.

  “Well, are you Lucian or not?” I snapped. I was hoping he wasn’t because I still thought that Lucian was a couple beers short of a six pack, and this guy was just finger-lickin’ good.

  “Yes,” he said, a smile still plastered on his smug face. “I‘m Lucian.”

  Crap. “Well,” I leaned forward placing my face close to his, “I’m here now, so where the hell is Ann? You said it was urgent.” I fisted my hands on my hips and took a step closer. “Now spit it out so I can take Ann and get the hell out of here!”

  His smile disappeared, replaced by a look of confusion. “Miss Allen,” he said calmly, as though he were speaking to a toddler. “I never said I had your friend. If you’ll remember, I said, very clearly that I only asked her about you, and she was very helpful.”

  Then it dawned on me. Ann was so accommodating to this guy because he was a freaking god! Her list of weaknesses was pretty small, but beautiful men were right at the top. I felt a rush of relief. Ann wasn’t a hostage. She was probably staying with Jared. Nice and warm between his safe cop sheets.

  I smiled a not so friendly smile at my new bud and growled through clenched teeth. “Why am I here? And it had better be good.”

  I jerked as he placed his hand on my shoulder. The warmth from his touch oddly soothed and I automatically relaxed my muscles. Leaning in, he spoke close to my ear, “We are on consecrated ground,” he whispered, “I had to ensure you were safely inside and weren’t going to run out.” His breath on my cheek sent a little thrill through my stomach. Damn, I needed som
e major kryptonite around these guys. I couldn’t seem to stay focused.

  I allowed Lucian to take my hand and lead me to a pew toward the back of the church. He left me sitting alone while he lit more candles. I watched him with more interest than I should have. I noticed how the fabric of his pants moved over his tight butt; how the muscled contours of his back were evident through the thin fabric of his shirt. His golden blond hair was shoulder length and fell in soft waves. It looked healthy and clean. I wondered what kind of shampoo he used. Would it be floral or woodsy?

  I closed my eyes. My head was too full of sensations. For most of my life the men I’d been exposed to were normal, average, every day men. From the bar hoppers to the college guys to the boy next door. I thought I had seen them all. Tonight I’d been completely blown away. Seth was so unbelievably beautiful that I had doubts he was even human. Now this man. Two impossibly gorgeous creatures in the same night? I was seriously doubting my sanity.

  Lucian came back and sat down, looking directly into my eyes. I swallowed my thoughts and tried to concentrate. Scooting closer, he leaned in and I bit my lip at the rush of heat at his closeness. “You’re in grave danger,” he said.

  My shoulders fell, “Yeah, you said that before.” Too bad he was nuts, I thought as I slid away from him.

  He spared me an irritated glance and continued. “Have you noticed anything or anyone strange in the last few days? And please concentrate, this is very important.”

  I thought for a second. “Well, there was this guy who came into the bar looking for me tonight. He was a little scary.” Scary how I wanted to jump his bones, but I left that little detail out. “I didn’t let him know who I was. I felt that was safer. He had a sort of animal look about him that put me on my guard.”

  I was startled as Lucian abruptly grabbed me, his vise-like grip tightening around my upper arms. “What did he look like, exactly?” he snarled.