Blood in the Marsh (9 page)

Lyra’s face hardened in a frown and Leopold smiled. “Have I embarrassed you? Please, forgive me. I know how sensitive you are about your love life.”

“Come on.” Lyra took Chelsey’s arm.

“See you later Count Cutie!” Chelsey teased.

Leopold’s smile faded as he watched them walk out the door. They got in Chelsey’s car and pulled off.

“What’s with you and the Count?” Chelsey lit a cigarette and offered one to Lyra.

“No, thanks.” Lyra declined the cigarette. “The other day he was in my room when I got out of the shower.”

“You’re kidding? What did you do?”

“I threw him out.”

Chelsey giggled. “You know, he’s really handsome in an exotic kind of way. Maybe you should have let him hang around a while. Find out why Lexi’s so hot for him.”

“Chelsey, you’re really sick.”

“Totally.” Chelsey laughed and accelerated. “So point me in the right direction. I’m ready for some I and I.”

“I and I?”

Chelsey grinned mischievously. “Intoxication and intercourse.”

Lyra groaned. “Why did I ask you to come with me?”

“Because you’re lost without me.”

Lyra chuckled and shook her head. Twenty minutes later, they turned onto the road where Nick lived. Lyra wasn’t sure which house it was so they took a chance and stopped at the house with a yard full of cars.

They walked in looked around. Lyra didn’t see Nick at first but Chelsey spotted him across the room. There were three women with him and all of them were looking at him as if he was the night’s dessert.

Nick looked up and saw them.. As he was making his way through the crowded room, Michael walked up to Lyra and Chelsey. “Well, I have no idea who you are, but I’m very glad you could make it.”

At the sound of his voice, Lyra whirled around. Their eyes met and suddenly all sound ceased. It was as if the rest of the world had suddenly fallen into a black hole and nothing existed but an overwhelming sensation of “knowing”. She could not begin to understand, but she will filled with a certainty that the man standing before her was someone she already knew—someone very important to her. She was seized with an unreasonable longing to throw herself into his arms and never let go.

Suddenly she knew. Her dreams. This was the man from her dreams.

“Hi! I’m Chelsey Quarterman and this is Lyra Seville.” Chelsey’s voice shattered the moment.

Lyra dropped her eyes, embarrassed to be staring at the man so intently and more embarrassed by the longing that had her in a tight-fisted grip.

“We’re guests of…”

“Nick’s,” Michael finished her sentence, still looking at Lyra. “You’re the mystery woman. I can understand why he’s been keeping you to himself, Ms. Seville. I’m Michael Santera, Nick’s roommate.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” Lyra tried to shake the feeling that still held her captive. It didn’t make any sense but she felt as if the answer to her prayers was standing there smiling at her. And that’s couldn’t be. He couldn’t be the man from her dreams. How cruel would that be? To have a dream come to life and it be the roommate of a man she now wished she was not involved with? No, she had to be mistaken. She mentally shook herself. “Please call me Lyra.”

“Lyra.”

The way he said her name made a thrill race through her. She couldn’t help staring. Michael was tall, well over six feet, with short black hair and sapphire blue eyes. He was undoubtedly one of the most handsome men she had ever seen and very well built. But it was more than his looks. There was something about him that called to her on an emotional level.

“Well, how about calling me a bartender!” Chelsey drew Michael’s attention to her. “Cause I’m dying of thirst.”

Nick reached them and leaned down to kiss Lyra lightly. “You look incredible.”

“Thank you.” She lowered her eyes, trying to stem the stab of jealousy she felt at the way Chelsey was smiling at Michael.

“Hi, Chelsey. You look beautiful.” Nick smiled at her. “I see you’ve met Michael.”

“Yes, and your handsome roommate was just about to show me where I could get a drink and then he’s going to tell me every little thing about himself.” Chelsey wound herself around Michael’s arm, giving Lyra another swift jab of jealousy.

Michael smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “Duty calls.”

Lyra watched them as they made their way to the kitchen. Michael turned to look back at them and their eyes met. Once more, she was seized with the disturbing feeling that she was right. She was meant to know him. Not just in her dreams but in real life.

Nick took her hand and she felt her heart sink. As attractive as he was, she didn’t want to be with him at that moment. But she wasn’t ready to tell him that. He’d think her crazy if she was honest with him. .

They walked outside. “I was beginning to think you’d changed your mind about coming,” he said.

“No, it just takes a little longer when Chelsey’s around.”

“What’ve you been up to the last couple of days?”

Lyra forced herself to shove thoughts of Michael to the back of her mind. She was wrong about him, she told herself.

“Let’s see. Well, you remember me telling you about Lucius leaving me his estate? His attorney called yesterday and told me that everything was finalized. I went to his office this morning and signed the papers and now it’s all mine.”

“That’s great. I know you didn’t want his things sold.”

“No, I didn’t. And now they won’t be. But the offer still stands for you to look through his props and see if there’s anything you want to use for your magic act. I know he kept all kinds of things stored in his attic. In fact, most of the rooms on the second floor are crammed with all his old props and things.”

“That’d be great. When can we get in and look around?”

“I called the power company this morning and they promised they’d have the power on tomorrow.”

Nick took her hand and led her around to the backyard. They walked to the back of the yard and sat down in an old swing attached to a low limb of an old oak.

“That’s a lot of trouble to go to just to let me ramble through his stuff.”

“What is?”

“Having the utilities turned on.”

“Oh, well, to be honest, I’ve decided to move into the house.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It’s about time I got out of Lexi’s. And I always loved the house.”

“I think it’s great. Hey, I think I hear the band cranking up. You want to dance with me, beautiful?”

“Sure.” She wasn’t sure she was really in the mood, but let him pull her to her feet.

Nick held her close as they swayed to the music. After a few moments, she relaxed. She should be thrilled to have someone as sexy as Nick interested in her. She couldn’t let some childish dream ruin what might be something good.

He smelled the freshness of her hair and felt her breasts pressed against him and was seized with the urge to take her into his room where they could be alone.

She pulled back from him with a nervous little smile. “If I remember correctly, you promised me some magic tonight.”

He thought about the kind of magic he’d like to show her. It had nothing to do with sleight of hand. The look on her face told him it wasn’t going to happen. With a smile, he gave in. “And I always keep my promises.”

It was almost three in the morning before Lyra and Chelsey left. Lyra was driving since Chelsey had been drinking steadily all night. Another girl, Patty, was in the back seat. Lyra and Chelsey had both been surprised to see her at the party. She had gone to high school with them but they hadn’t seen her since graduation.

Patty was working part-time as a waitress in the restaurant where Nick performed, and was putting herself through college. She had gotten married right after high school and moved to Texas but the marriage didn’t work so she came back to St. Simons.

Chelsey and Patty were going to sleep over at Lyra’s then they planned to go horseback riding. Lyra listened to Chelsey and Patty chattering as she drove along. It was a dark night with clouds forming a blanket across the sky, obscuring the stars and periodically hiding the moon.

They crossed over Frederica Road on the Sea Island Causeway. After the intersection the land became less and less developed, eventually giving way to empty marshland. A mist blew in from the river, drifting over the road like snaking vines.

Lyra slowed as she saw red lights blinking ahead of them. “What’s going on?” Patty asked from the back seat as Lyra came to a stop behind a car with its emergency flashers on.

“Looks like someone’s broken down.” Lyra looked out of the window trying to see.

Chelsey stood up in the seat of the convertible, balancing unsteadily. “Hey! You need some help?”

A woman stuck her head around from under the opened hood of the car. “It won’t start!”

“Want us to call a wrecker?” Chelsey wobbled so bad she almost fell.

“Chelsey sit down!” Lyra turned toward her, trying to pull her down in the seat before she fell out of the car. Chelsey screamed at the same moment Lyra felt someone grab her arm. She jerked around and saw a man dressed in black with a ski mask covering his face. His gloved fingers gripped her arm painfully.

Lyra yelled and tried to break away, at the same time trying to put the car in reverse. But Chelsey was dancing all around the front seat, trying to avoid another man who was grabbing at her. She kicked Lyra’s hand and it slipped off the gearshift.

Patty screamed from the back seat as Chelsey grabbed her can of mace from between the seats and started spraying it everywhere. The man trying to grab her yelled as he was blinded by the liquid and stumbled away from the car.

Lyra was fighting to hang onto the steering wheel, to keep from being pulled from the car. She kicked out as the door opened and for a moment thought she was free. Then a fist smashed down on her fingers.

She lost her grip and they dragged her from the car. She could see Patty disappearing into the darkness between two men. A dark figure sprinted past her and she knew he was heading for Chelsey.

“Chels, get out of here! Now! Get help!”

Chelsey hesitated for a split second before jumping behind the steering wheel. Not bothering to close the door, she jammed the car in reverse and stomped the accelerator to the floor. Blue smoke boiled from the tires as the car fishtailed out of sight.

Lyra screamed and fought as hard as she could as the black figures dragged her off the shoulder and into the marsh. She could hear muffled sounds from up ahead but couldn’t see anything in the dark and the fog. It seemed like an eternity before the men finally stopped. They threw her to the ground and she looked around.

Patty was lying on her back on the ground. Blood from a nasty cut on her forehead was running into her eyes. Lyra scooted over to her and wiped at the blood with the hem of her skirt. One of the men walked up beside her and she looked up at him.

“What do you want?” She fought to keep her voice from trembling, trying to remember what she had been taught in the self-defense classes she took in college.

He didn’t answer but pointed to Patty. Four men moved forward. Lyra tried to fight them, but one of them backhanded her and sent her sprawling. She could taste blood on her lips and her head was spinning. She was close to blacking out. It took a moment for her to realize what was happening.

By the time she did, she screamed. The men had Patty held down on the ground. Her arms were pulled out tight to her sides and her legs were spread wide. One man was kneeling between her legs, unzipping his pants.

“No!” Lyra stumbled to her feet and lurched toward them. “Stop!”

Someone tackled her and she went down face first. The breath whooshed out of her and she sucked in loose dirt and debris as she tried to get air back in her lungs.

The man turned her over and pointed a gun at her head. “Shut up!” His voice was a whispered hiss. “If you want to live.”

Lyra looked at the gun and started shaking violently. The man sat on her chest, making it difficult to breathe. She could hear Patty crying and wailing in pain and she knew that as soon as they finished it would be her turn.

“Please, just let us go. We won’t say anything. Just don’t hurt us.”

The man pulled the hammer back on the gun and Lyra closed her eyes, knowing that any moment she would be dead. But a moment later, she felt his weight leave her chest. She greedily sucked air into her burning lungs and rolled over, thinking that maybe she could just run.

She got to her hands and knees and started to push herself up. That was a far as she got. Someone grabbed a handful of her hair and jerked her up, pushing her in the direction of the cries.

Lyra saw Patty. She was bleeding from numerous cuts and her face was dirty and swollen on one side. The men held her spread out on the ground and Lyra could see the terror in her eyes.

Lyra was pushed forward, her eyes tearing as she was pulled by her hair. She opened her mouth to scream as the gunman pointed the weapon at Patty. A hand clamped over her nose and mouth as a flash issued from the barrel of the gun.

Patty’s body jumped as her chest exploded. Lyra gagged and the man moved his hand, holding onto her hair. She retched until her body shook with dry heaves. The man shoved her down on the ground.