After Moonrise: Possessed\Haunted (20 page)

“Are you trying to tell me Lana is…dead?”

“Do you think she is?” Peterson countered. Great, they’d been
stuck with the paranormal equivalent of a shrink.

“She isn’t. And you’re not the one we need,” Levi said. “Let’s
go.” He reached for Harper, intending to stand. “We’ll knock on every door in
the building until we find someone who can actually help us.”

“What do you need, then?” Peterson asked, seemingly unconcerned
by his threat. “Exactly. Lana mentioned a few details, but I want to hear
everything from your point of view.”

He relaxed, willing to take a moment to test her out, and
nodded to Harper. “Tell her.”

She explained about her blackouts, the changes in Levi’s
apartment, about the painting she usually only worked on while she was sleeping
and the fact that she’d just filled in Lana’s face. As she spoke, Peterson
finally softened, her features radiating something akin to sympathy.

“Let me see the painting,” she ordered.

“Can you help us?” Levi asked.

“Maybe.”

For now, that was enough. Levi lifted the canvas from its perch
on the floor, keeping the back to Harper despite the fact that a sheet draped
the front. A long while passed in silence as Peterson studied the thing from top
to bottom. She would stare, then write a note, stare, then write another note.
Finally she returned to her reclined position and sighed.

“I’ve spoken to Lana hundreds of times, but I never pictured
her like
that
.”

“What do you want to know about the painting?” Harper asked as
he re-covered the source of her nightmares and lowered it to the floor. Shifting
nervously, Harper licked her lips. “Did I paint the future?”

A decisive “No” cut through the tension. “Definitely not.”

“You’re sure?” she asked, relief already dripping from her.

“Didn’t you catch that ‘definitely’?”

Defensive, Harper said, “But how could I not have painted the
future when what you saw hasn’t happened…to my knowledge?” she added
reluctantly.

“Well, how do you know I’m actually sitting here in the room
with you?”

Her brow furrowed in confusion. “Uh, I just do.”

“Bingo. I just know, too. It’s my job, and I’m very good at my
job.”

That time, Harper accepted what she’d been told and fell
against the back of her chair. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

Though he hated to ruin that relief, Levi couldn’t let the
facts slide. “What else could it be? Like she said, what’s in the painting
hasn’t happened yet. Lana claims she hasn’t lost days of her life, not like we
have, and Harper never saw any injuries on her. Are you saying the painting is a
figment of Harper’s imagination?” He knew it wasn’t.

“No, that’s not what I’m saying, but thank you for putting
words in my mouth,” Peterson retorted. She massaged the back of her neck,
murmured something that sounded like, “I have my temper under control, I have my
freaking temper under control,” and said loudly, “Look. Did the two of you
recently move into an apartment building near Oklahoma City’s Brick Town?”

“Yes,” he replied with a frown. “Both of us. How did you know
that? Lana?”

“I told you. Lana was in a hurry and left out quite a few
details. But I want to look around both of your apartments before I tell you
what’s percolating in my brain. And don’t try to talk me into telling you now,
’cause it’s not gonna happen. I need to do a little research before I turn your
worlds upside down, so do yourselves a solid and go home. You’ll see me sometime
tomorrow—and you’ll probably wish you hadn’t.”

CHAPTER NINE

Back at King’s Landing, Harper fixed a late lunch while
Levi made some calls. He’d already packed his bag, and now planned to spend the
rest of the day and all of the night with her. She could have put him in Lana’s
room—a sharp ache lanced through her chest—but she wanted him with her, as close
as possible. And he seemed to want to stay with her, so she wasn’t going to
allow fear about tomorrow and Peterson’s dire prediction to interfere.

And why think about the negative, when she could think about
Levi and the things he would try to do to her tonight? Oh, she knew beyond a
doubt he would try something; he wouldn’t be able to help himself, and a shiver
of anticipation nearly rocked her off her feet.

How she’d gone from never wanting to be touched to wanting to
be devoured by one specific man, she would never know.

The sounds of popping and hissing echoed, drawing her attention
to the stove. Levi didn’t yet know it, but they were having breakfast for
dinner. Lana had been the last one to go to the store, and she’d purchased only
her favorite foods. Regular bacon, turkey bacon, thickly cut bacon, thinly
sliced bacon and eggs.

“Well,” Levi said, sitting down at the counter. “Lana hasn’t
reported to work, used a credit card to get a room anywhere or withdrawn any
large sums of money. My friend Bright is checking your old home.”

“Why would she be there? We sublet it to move here.”

A curious gleam filled his eyes. “Is that what she told you?
Because I hate to be the one to bust your best friend, but no one else has moved
in.”

No way. Just no way. “I’m telling you, the house was
sublet.”

“Bright checked just this morning. It’s her name on the lease.
The only change that had been made recently was your name being taken off.”

Harper’s blood went cold as she fixed Levi a plate. “But…” If
that were true, Lana had lied to her. Again. “She couldn’t afford to pay the
full rent there
and
half the rent here.”

A pause. Then, “Why did you move here, princess?”

A distraction. She knew the question was meant as a distraction
from the wave of betrayal sweeping through her, and yet she grabbed on to it
with a kung fu grip. “We—” Wait.
Princess,
he’d
said.

He knew her first name.

She swung around to face him, teeth bared in a scowl and the
fork she’d planned to give him stretched out like a blade.

He was grinning from ear to ear, the jerk. Oh, yeah, he
knew.

“Don’t you dare call me—”

“Aurora? Or Sleeping Beauty?”

“I will
gut
you.”

His laugh boomed through the room. “Why? I like it. It’s
cute.”

“It’s humiliating!” she said with a stomp of her foot.

“It’s adorable.”

“It’s
precious.
” She sneered
disgustedly. “What, do you want me to call you my very own Prince Charming?”

His laugh cut off, and his smile vanished in an instant. “Do
it, and I’ll shoot you. No guy on earth will convict me of a crime, either.
They’ll all say I did my civic duty.”

“Just so we understand each other.” Pretending to consider a
weighty issue, she tapped a finger against her chin. “But you certainly have
come to my rescue, haven’t you?” she couldn’t help but add. “All you lack is the
white horse.”

He was the one to scowl this time, and she was the one to
laugh.

“So what’s with the portrait of the nail and the portrait of
the limp noodles with spikes?” he asked, changing the subject. He’d obviously
been nosing around her home as she’d nosed around his. “Every other picture is
of you or Lana or the two of you together and quite…
amazing,
I believe is the word you used, and don’t get me wrong, the
nail is cool, too. The details are awesome. I can see the scratches and the
rust. But the noodles? It sucks. Sorry.”

“I’m surprised you noticed.”

“What, did you expect me to notice something else?”

“No. I just wasn’t sure if you would see my apartment the way I
see yours. But anyway, the nail and the thornbush, not limp noodles with spikes.
Lana and I decided to paint each other. Only, we were to paint the other’s inner
self rather than outward. I painted the nail, and she painted the thornbush. We
laugh every time we look at those.” But she wasn’t laughing now.
Oh, Lana. What’s going on with you?

She placed Levi’s food in front of him, and settled beside him
with her own.

“Thanks for the meal, princess. It smells good. But, uh, I
don’t think a thousand men could polish off all this bacon.”

“One manly man could. After all, Lana always did. Now eat it,”
she quipped, ignoring his use of the hated endearment. Otherwise, she’d have to
brain him with the frying pan, and she wasn’t sure how much more abuse he could
take from her without bolting.

“Sir, yes, sir,” he teased with a salute. “But while I do, you
need to tell me why you guys moved here. You never said.”

She released the sigh that had been bottled up inside her.
“Because I couldn’t
not
move here. I saw the place,
was drawn to it and felt as if I was finally home. How about you?”

“I’m not sure.” He popped a piece of bacon in his mouth,
chewed, swallowed. “I just woke up in my apartment one morning, all my things
unpacked. I freaked, made some calls and found out I’d sold my place and
moved.”

“All during a blackout?”

“Yeah.”

Understanding his pain, she patted his hand. “Has anything this
weird ever happened to you before?” She tried to take a bite of her own food,
but her stomach felt knotted and heavy. Guess she wasn’t man enough.

“No. You?”

“Never.”

He took another bite of bacon, followed by a healthy mouthful
of eggs. Obviously he had no problem with his appetite. “Maybe the rest of the
tenants are blacking out, too. Maybe it’s something in the building. Like
mold.”

Ugh. Now she
really
couldn’t eat,
she thought, and pushed her plate away. “You’re the cop. I’ll let you
check.”

“Actually, I’m the detective.”

“Like there’s a difference.”

He glared at her, but there was only amusement in his tone when
he said, “I’ll show you the difference later.”

Later. The word echoed through her mind, followed by
in bed,
an addition that was all her own. She shifted
nervously—and horror of horrors she chewed on her fingernail. It was the worst
habit of all time, but now hardly seemed like the time to quit. What if, while
he was showing her, she had another blackout? What if she—

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” he said, knowing exactly where her
head had gone. “I’m prepared to deal with any type of freak-out this time.”

“How?”
You can’t think negatively,
remember?

He snorted. “Like I’ll tell you and ruin the surprise.”

His tone was teasing, engaging, and she wondered how she had
ever considered him grumpy. He was a cream puff.

When he popped the last bite of food into his mouth, she pushed
her plate in his direction. “I cooked, you clean.”

“I’m not sure I like that rule,” he said, but he stood,
gathered the dishes. “What will you be doing?”

“Making a few calls of my own.” First up, her old landlord. If
Lana had wanted to keep the house, Harper would not have protested. She would
have worked harder to sell her paintings to help pay the two rents. The thought
of leaving this building unsettled her more with every hour that passed, yes,
but she also wanted her best friend happy.

“Shout if you need me,” Levi said.

“Will do.” Harper headed to her bedroom. She turned the hall
corner and—

Unleashed a blood-chilling scream!

Someone loomed just in front of her.

Acting on instinct, Harper kicked the intruder in the stomach.
A girl—the dark-haired girl who liked to spy—hunched over, trying to make
friends with oxygen. But Harper’s instincts were still raging, and she punched
the girl in the jaw, sending her smashing into the wall and sagging to the
floor.

Footsteps pounded, and then Levi was there, right beside her
with his gun drawn. He shouldered her behind him, using his big body as a
shield.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded of the girl. Before she
had time to answer, not that she could have formed the words, he stepped on her
chest to hold her down, crouched and patted her down with his free hand. “You’re
lucky you’re not packing.” He holstered his gun and removed his foot, though he
did his best to remain in front of Harper.

The girl’s expression smoothed out, becoming as serene as if
she’d just woken up from a peaceful nap. “He always keeps his promises,” she
said. “I hope you know that.”

“Who?” Levi snapped.

“He wants her,” she replied as if he hadn’t spoken. “Wants his
naughty girl. He’ll have her, too. He always does.”

Harper, whose heartbeat had yet to calm, pushed forward to
glare down at her, ready to start giving another beat down to finally get some
answers. “You better start talking in English or I’ll—”

The girl vanished, on the floor one moment, gone the next.
Harper gasped. Levi lost his balance and stumbled forward.

“What just happened?” she rasped out.

“Don’t know,” he growled. “That ever happened to you
before?”

“Never.” Surely the girl hadn’t…couldn’t be… Had to be a trick
of the light, she told herself. An illusion. Surely.
An
illusion you and Levi shared?
“A…spirit, maybe?” But…how could that
be?

“I’ve never been able to see spirits.”

“Me, either.”

He stood, his scowl only growing darker. “Pack a bag. We’re not
staying here tonight.”

“Okay.” Harper rushed to obey, trying not to think about what
had just happened while only throwing the necessities into a duffel. A duffel
that turned out to be twice the size of Levi’s. He didn’t complain, though, just
took it from her after gathering his own and escorted her to his car. He locked
her in and returned to the apartment, only to stalk out a few minutes later with
her painting and supplies.

“Thank you.”

“Welcome.”

He lapsed into silence and drove to a nice hotel across town.
But every mile farther away from King’s Landing caused an ache to intensify
inside her. The need to go back bloomed…and spread…and consumed. He must have
felt it, too, because his knuckles were white on the wheel.

Clearly his willpower was superior, because he managed to
procure a room and maneuver Harper inside of it, even though she attempted to
pull from his hold several times. He threw their bags on the floor, marched into
the bathroom and started the shower. Then he was in front of her, backing her
up, shutting her inside with him.

Steam enveloped him, creating a dreamlike haze. “What are you
doing?” she rasped. The need to return to the apartment took a sudden nosedive
as nervousness blended with excitement.

“What do you think I’m doing?”

“Seducing me.”

“Smart girl.”

Her nail found its way to her mouth. “’Kay.”

“We’ll figure all of this out,” he promised, forcing her hand
to her side.

“’Kay,” she repeated.

“And just so you know,” he said, the corners of his mouth
twitching, “a cop would fine you for your insults now and kiss you later. A
detective will fine you now, kiss you now, then do a little detecting to find
his way to all his favorite parts.”

“’Kay” was said with a tremble this time. The nervousness was
taking over, dominating.

He arched a brow. “That’s all you’ve got to say?”

He wouldn’t like the thoughts tumbling through her mind. Or
maybe he would. He reminded her of Lana, all honesty, no tact. He’d be glad
she’d put her fears out there—so that he could put them under his feet, where
they belonged. “Well, I’m thinking that this is a big step, and trying
not
to think about the freak-out I had last time. I’m
thinking we just had the scare of a lifetime, and probably need a nap instead of
sex.”

“Big steps, big rewards. Freak-out, meet solution. Me. And for
two committed people like us, there’s nothing better than sex after the scare of
a lifetime,” he said, a layer of desperation entering his voice. “We’re alive.
Let’s prove it.
I need to prove it
.”

In that moment she realized this wasn’t
just
about desire. Her scream had scared him. He’d expected to find
her hurt, or worse. Then, when the girl had vanished, he’d realized he couldn’t
protect Harper from that kind of unseen force. Now he needed to assure himself
that she was here, that she was okay, and deepen the connection between them so
that she wouldn’t somehow slip away.

“Harper.” He gave her a little shake. “Pay attention to me.
Class is in session.”

“’Kay,” she said. She was right about his reasoning. She knew
she was right—because, when she looked deeply enough, the same need swirled
inside of her.

His hands fell away from her. “If you’d rather wait, we’ll
wait. I won’t pressure you.”

She placed her palm on his chest, just over his heart. The
hard, fast rhythm proved just how desperately her answer mattered. “I don’t want
to wait.” He was right, too. They needed to prove it. “I’m into you, this. I
just hope—”

“Nope, no worries,” he said, and the force of his relief was
almost tangible. “I told you. I know how to handle you now.”

“And that is? You can tell me. Honest. I won’t tell anyone
else.”

“Nah. I’d rather show you.” He cupped her cheeks and kissed
her, a gentle kiss of comfort and exploration…that soon intensified, becoming
something far better. Something passionate.

Soon she was clinging to him, kissing him back with everything
she had, rubbing against him, moaning. He stripped her and then himself, and
even then the kiss never stopped, their tongues dancing together, tasting,
giving, taking, rolling.