Bayou Heat (7 page)

Eris smiled back. “Believe me, it was no trouble at all.”

She rested her head against his shoulder and Rob marveled at
how perfect she felt next to him.

His mother required a lot of comforting and hand-holding
while she was alive. He could still remember the feeling of being trapped when
she’d toss her arms around his neck and cry on his shoulder and then ask him to
fix whatever it was she had messed up this time.

Eris tried to stifle a yawn but failed miserably.

“I’m going to go down to my car and retrieve my gym bag
before everyone is gone. It has some items in it I need. Why don’t you go take
a shower and then crawl into bed? When I get back up here I’ll send your family
home. It’s been a busy day for both of us.” He gently nudged her toward her
room.

Eris wasn’t like other women he knew, he thought as he
watched her walk away. She didn’t ask the impossible of him. In fact, she
didn’t ask anything of him. That fact bothered him more than he cared to admit.

He made a point of avoiding needy women like the plague. As
soon as a woman became clingy, he scraped them off and disposed of them. Eris
was not the type to latch on to another and expect that person to make life
easy for them.

He couldn’t remember ever being with a woman who didn’t want
something from him. The only thing he figured Eris wanted was for him to be
long gone, and from the looks of things, that wasn’t about to happen for a
while.

* * * * *

Eris stood in the dark doorway of her bedroom and looked
across her small living area at the man who stood in front of her windows.
Moonlight spilled through open shutters and sliced across his body. The
contrast of the light and darker slashes reminded her of the layers to this
man.

At the moment though, she was well aware of a missing layer—his
clothes. Not all of them, but most of them. He stood there like a
broad-shouldered, narrow-hipped, lean-legged, blond Viking in running shorts.
The mystery to what was hidden beneath his suit jacket was at least solved,
Eris thought as she continued to gaze. She might as well enjoy the one perk
this horrid case was bringing her way.

She rubbed her bare arms against the air-conditioned chill
of the room. She’d awakened from a disturbing dream and started to go make
herself a cup of hot tea when she’d stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of
him. There was a part of her that wanted to go stand beside him and enjoy the
simple pleasure of being with him.

That in itself she didn’t understand. They were so
different, as different as she and her fiancé had been. When she’d ended their
engagement, she made a solemn promise to herself that she would never, ever be
with a man who couldn’t understand her and accept her the way she was. Three
years later and the only men she’d dated were those whose talents ran along the
same lines as hers. It was obvious Rob did not have any extra abilities and from
his tightly closed expression whenever hers were mentioned, he obviously didn’t
think highly of those who did.

Even knowing this, she couldn’t stop the desire he evoked in
her body and it unnerved her. Every time she was near him it hit hard and fast.
She was smarter now than she once was and knew better than to think lust was
anything more than just that.

She was also stronger now and contained enough willpower to
avoid temptation. With that thought in mind, she decided to return to bed. She
might be strong, but she was only human—especially when temptation looked so
scrumptious standing before her. She was going to have to work hard to avoid
this man’s pull.

“Don’t leave.”

The words stopped her and she looked back at him. It was
then she noticed him watching her reflection in the glass. She wondered how
long he’d been observing her and figured, with him, it’d been since she
appeared in the doorway.

He didn’t turn, didn’t say another word but continued to
watch her reflection. The true-blue color of his eyes didn’t show in the
window. Instead, two dark pools that held years of loneliness and hurt captured
her attention. His words were a request, not an order. The decision was hers
alone and she was a strong, smart woman.

She was so frigging stupid, she thought as she crossed the
room and stood next to him. Despite her better judgment, she couldn’t leave him
here alone. Something about the way he looked at her. It was as if he expected
her to turn her back on him and had already prepared himself for the rejection
that compelled her to move.

For several minutes she watched the distant lightning flash
across the sky as he studied her face in the window then he turned and watched
the storm. She felt sure she’d just passed some unknown test and a small seed
of warmth took root deep down inside her. It was ludicrous to feel that way,
she told herself, especially when he was the last man on earth she wanted to
impress.

“What keeps you awake?” His deep voice barely reached her in
the silence of the room.

“Dreams.” She kept the answer simple, not wanting to
remember what had wakened her.

“That makes two.”

She waited for him to elaborate, but when it became obvious
he wasn’t going to, she prompted him. “Two what?”

“Two things we have in common. Our choice of weapons and now
it appears we both lose sleep due to dreams. If we aren’t careful we might find
we have even more in common.”

She continued to look out at the storm, refusing to respond
to the comment. She glanced at his reflection and noticed he was diligently
studying the rainstorm. Her lips twitched and she bit the inside of them to
keep from smiling. Tears formed in her eyes as a bubble of laughter built up
then overflowed.

By the time she got control of herself, her side hurt so
much that she wrapped her arms over her stomach. Walking to the couch, she sat
at one end, leaned back against the arm and pillows then pulled the blanket
over her. Wiping the tears off her face with her hand, she looked over at Rob.
“Thanks, I haven’t laughed like that in weeks.”

He turned to look at her. “You’ve got a great laugh. You should
do it more often.”

“Thanks.” The compliment made her feel warm and happy.

He shrugged his large, broad shoulders. “Want to tell me
about the dream?”

“No.” She pulled the blanket up over her head.

All she could hear was her own breathing, not another sound.
It was as if he had vanished into thin air. Logically she knew he wouldn’t
leave her, but a small part of her cringed at the thought of spending the long,
quiet night alone. She buried herself deeper under the covers in an attempt to
avoid reality. She closed her eyes and started to relax only seconds before the
opposite end of the couch dipped and the blanket was tugged away from her face.

“Talk to me, Eris.”

“I don’t want to.” Her voice sounded small and weak even to
her own ears. God, she hated that. She wasn’t either of those things and it
made her feel so incompetent when she felt this way.

“Was the dream about the killings?”

“Yes.” She wouldn’t talk about it. She wouldn’t.

“Tell me.”

“Why?”

“Because sometimes our subconscious remembers things when
it’s relaxed. These memories come to us in the form of dreams. There might be
something there that will help solve the case.”

She chewed on her lower lip, trying to decide what to do. Rob
stretched his legs out beside hers, wedging her between his warm body and the
back of the couch. He covered up as he leaned back and made himself
comfortable.

She was intently aware of the fact he wasn’t pushing her,
that he was letting her take her time, make the decision. He’d done the same
earlier, as if he knew how to make her talk. It was working.

“I keep seeing this person who has two sides.”

“Like the yin-yang card?” Rob carefully watched her face for
the slightest inflection.

“Yes and no. It’s hard to describe.” She ran her hands
through her hair out of frustration.

“Are you sure it’s not two separate people?”

“I’m positive it’s one person.”

“Okay, a single body. Is it similar to Tommy Lee Jones’ character
Two-Face in
Batman Forever
?”

“No, because in the dream I only see one face at a time.
Never both. Have you ever seen the dolls that have two sides? One side is happy
then you flip it over and the other is asleep or crying.”

“I’ve seen those.”

“That’s what it’s like in the dreams, one person but two
sides. First, I’m talking with this faceless person who is nice, kind and
funny. You know—normal. Then the next instant, I’m facing a raging, murdering
lunatic.”

“Is your faceless person male or female?”

“Female.”

“Women serial killers are out there and the number is
rising, but they are generally nonviolent. Pills and poison are the preferred
method for that group. Not to mention the brutality of these would take the
strength of a man.”

Eris waved a hand at him as if she didn’t care about his
facts. “I’ve heard all of that before, every time I say that we should be looking
for a woman.”

Rob rubbed a hand across his face. “Tomorrow I’ll get my
laptop, show you the facts and make you believe.”

Her laugh was low and heartfelt, sending warmth through him.
“Tomorrow I’ll tell you how I work and make you a believer in my ability.”

Rob chuckled and watched as she covered her mouth to hide a
yawn and wondered if she was about to leave him alone. A feeling similar to
panic hit him at the thought she was about to leave. He’d spent most of his
life alone and learned at an early age that the only person he could depend on
was himself, so this feeling was disconcerting.

She shifted and Rob stiffened, preparing himself for her to
go back to her bed. He clutched the cover to keep from grabbing her leg as it rubbed
his. He didn’t let himself touch her because he was scared to death what might
happen if he did. He wouldn’t hurt her, of that he was sure, but he wasn’t so
sure she wouldn’t destroy him.

“What you told Debra, was it true?”

Rob had hoped that they wouldn’t get around to this topic,
but he should have known better. He’d already learned that Eris didn’t miss
anything and didn’t give up easily. She also didn’t do things like others. Like
now, she brought this up in the middle of the night when he couldn’t get away
from her.

He met her gaze and thought about lying then dismissed the
thought. She would only bide her time then ask again, and again if necessary.
He’d never told anyone the truth about his life growing up, not even LD. He got
enough pity growing up from the school counselors and social workers, and he
didn’t want her looking at him that way.

It surprised him how much the thought bothered him, but he
figured he might as well get it over with. “Actually, I sugar-coated the story
I told her today.”

Her eyes filled with sympathy and concern, but he saw none
of the pity he expected. “I was afraid of that. Did any of the men
ever…ever…did they…?”

“No, although I did hear one of them offer my mother money
if she would leave us alone for a few hours.”

“Oh my God. Is that when you stopped sleeping there?”

The look of horror in Eris’ eyes caused the old hurt and
pain to resurface. “Yeah, I figured sleeping on the streets was better than
putting up with one of my mom’s johns going for me instead of her.”

“I can’t even imagine growing up like you did. No child
should have to deal with those kinds of things.”

“Oh it gets better. By age eight I was an experienced
Dumpster diver. I knew where all the good food was dumped. At ten I was one of
the best pickpockets on the streets. Then at sixteen I started dancing in some
of the slimier clubs to pay the rent, electric and put food on the table.”

Eris studied him and he wished he could make out what she
was thinking, but she wasn’t one to keep him waiting. “It’s sad that those are
your childhood memories. Don’t you have a few happy ones?”

Rob thought about that for a few seconds. “I remember being
grateful when Mom didn’t show up at a school function stoned or drunk.”

Eris snorted in disgust and he wasn’t sure if it was meant
for him or his mother. “I’m serious.”

“So am I.”

There was another deep sigh and a short stretch of silence.
“Come on, there has to be something good to remember. Don’t you remember
getting that ‘must have’ present at one of your birthday parties? I can still
remember getting my three-story dollhouse. Dad cussed for hours putting the
thing together, but I was in heaven.”

Rob watched as her eyes misted over and her face softened at
the fond memory. He wondered if he would ever have a memory like that. “I never
had a birthday party, but my fondest birthday memory is when I was twelve. We
were going to be evicted again if we didn’t come up with the money to pay the
landlord by midnight. Mom used what little she had to buy a bottle so she could
forget we didn’t have enough rent money.

“I was really good at saving the money I managed to earn and
steal, but I was short by sixty-five dollars. I went out on the street to
lighten the pockets of a few tourists and managed to come up with the last of
the money by eleven forty-five. I ran all the way home and paid the landlord
with four minutes to spare. That is my fondest birthday memory. Not what most
people remember about their childhoods, now is it?”

He watched as Eris wiped a tear away from her cheek. The
sight of her crying for him eased some of the pain he’d been holding in. No one
ever shed a tear over the little bastard kid who always needed a bath, haircut
and decent clothing.

“You are a remarkable person, Rob Jackson, truly.”

He shook his head. “Don’t glorify my life. There are things
I did that I won’t talk about. Many of those things I’m not proud of.”