Knock, knock... (14 page)

Despite all that, she wanted to be with this man. And she had wanted that for a long time.

The doorman stepped out to open the glass door for her.

"Good evening, Thomas. I hope you're having a quiet evening."

He beamed as he always did when she spoke to him. "I'm having a wonderfully peaceful evening. Thank you for asking."

"Good." Roman walked to the elevator and hit the up button. Shay raised an eyebrow at Roman.

"I'll see you to your door."

She nodded gracefully. "Good night, Thomas."

"Have a good one, Miss."

She didn't need to look around to know Thomas watched their progress with a curious eye. She hadn't brought home a date in a long time.

Once inside the elevator she said, "You didn't need to see me to my door. Thomas has always looked out for me."

"I don't take a lady out for an evening and not return her home."

Simple, clean, and yet his words seemed...a bit cool. Was he upset? She peeked through her lashes at him.

Their relaxed relationship had definitely tightened, changed in the last few seconds. It had been way too long since her last date. This was awkward. She hated awkward.

"Good to know."

The elevator slowed to a stop. He held the door open for her. She walked to her apartment, searching in her bag for her keys.

Finally.
She pulled them out and went to slip the key into the lock. That was when she realized the door was ajar. And froze.

"What's the matter?"

She took a deep breath. "My door is already unlocked."

***

Roman hated Shay's nervous fumbling, and especially hated that her nervousness intensified the higher the elevator rose. He didn't think she was aware of it. She'd relaxed over dinner, her wariness easing before finally disappearing altogether. He'd loved watching her settle and open up.

So what made her so nervous? He'd thought they’d enjoyed dinner and that they were past the initial nervous stage. Bernice had shared a lot about her favorite goddaughter, as she called Shay. She’d told him, ‘She's been hurt. Badly. Now she is wary. You'll have to work hard. But she's worth it.’

At the time, he hadn't been too worried. He'd been communicating with Shay daily and knew her, but that was before he moved back to Portland. From the instant he’d seen the first series of ‘Shay’ photos, he'd been interested. Time and online dialogue and painting had strengthened the bond. Whether she knew it or not. But at this moment in time they were barely friends – certainly not looking like lovers.

Roman knew he really wanted to be lovers. And so much more.

She'd been a delight all evening, full of laughter and great conversation and passion that simmered under the surface – until they got out of the car and she realized he wasn't just going to give her a casual ‘good night’ and walk away.

Hell, he didn't want to walk away at all.

Now, as she pulled her keys out of her purse and fitted them to the door, he realized her composure was firmly back in place – like a protective coating, keeping the world at a safe distance.

Shay’s composure disappeared as she stared at her front door.

"What do you mean?" he questioned cautiously. "Did you leave it unlocked?"

Her beautiful chocolate eyes stared up at him, confusion clouding them. "I locked it before we left, didn't I?"

He had to stop and think. "You went to lock it."

"But did I?" She sighed. "Just another glitch… Goes along with my day. Sorry. I'm trying to avoid being paranoid these days."

Something about her tone of voice had him gazing at her intently. "Do you have a reason to be paranoid?"

Something moved in the back of her gaze. His senses sharpened. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Shay?"

"No, of course not." She laughed, but it sounded forced. "Nothing more than being a single female who lives alone." She pushed her door open and walked inside.

He followed her and reached out to flick on the lights. Bright light filled the living room and entranceway as she strode further into the room, her back stiff, her head turning from side to side. "Everything appears normal."

"I'll search the place to make sure."

She gave a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

If there was a little too much nervousness in her voice, he ignored it. She did live alone, and if someone had broken in, that was nothing to fool around with. He closed the front door and opened the hall closet. He searched through the long coats. "Nothing here." Systematically, he moved through the classy apartment and checked cupboards and corners. He couldn't help but admire the queen-sized bed and its thick duvet dressed in chocolate and gold. There was something especially compelling about the colors and the intimate setting. And he approved, imagined her bedding as a perfect contrast to her chestnut hair and smooth creamy skin.

Ignoring his clamoring body and the visions in his head, he checked under the bed and opened up the double closets.
Nothing.
He closed the last closet and turned to face her. "The apartment is empty."

She nodded. "Thank you."

He looked at her closer. "Shay, are you going to be okay?"

She collected herself and smiled up at him. "I am. Sorry. Thank you so much for checking. I'm sure it's nothing." Crossing her arms she walked to the front door and opened it for him.

No goodnight kiss or hug. Nothing.

An unmistakable message.

Having made sure the place was safe, he walked over and smiled. "Sleep well."

He walked out of her apartment and into the night.

Downstairs, he stopped beside Thomas. "Did Shay have any visitors tonight? When we got to her door, she found it unlocked."

Thomas's eyebrows shot up. "Oh dear. There's been no one in or out that doesn't belong."

"We'll assume then that she forgot to lock up on our way out. Thanks."

Roman walked to his car, deep in thought. He hated leaving her alone. Especially after finding the door unlocked. He'd wanted to stay and watch over her. But she wouldn't have welcomed his presence. Though he'd done a thorough search of her place, and was confident no one lurked in there, something had unnerved him. Something
had
felt off.

But what?

***

Shay closed her door behind Roman and locked it. She turned back and leaned against the closed door and studied her living room. It
looked
normal.

It didn't
feel
normal.

Then she dropped her barriers to look more closely. Energy filled the room. Hers. Roman's. Yes, even Stefan's soothing energy hovered. He'd obviously checked in on her earlier.

And so had someone else…

She blinked. And checked again. Definitely traces of another presence.

Then she identified it.

Recognized something so familiar it scared the crap out of her.

Her breath caught in the back of her throat, choking off the cry ready to spring forth.
Oh God. No.
That wasn't possible. There's no way this energy could be here. Absolutely, no way.
He
was dead.

Shivers raced down her spine and her teeth started chattering. She crossed her arms across her chest. Nothing helped. Stepping forward, she snatched up her shawl from where she'd dropped it on the couch and wrapped it tightly around her.

This is not possible. Stefan, please tell me this isn't happening,
she whispered. There was no comforting answer in her mind. Stefan wasn't responding.

Stefan!

Jesus. What? Can't a guy get any sleep around her,
he grumbled.
What the hell is wrong?

Because it would save time and explanation, she opened her mind so he could see her thoughts, feelings and impressions through their telepathic link.

Tell me this isn't his energy. Tell me he's dead and forever gone. Please.

Him?
Stefan's voice shifted as he shook off the sleep from his mind
. No, it's not possible. It can't be Darren.

Are you sure? My door was unlocked when I came home tonight. And it shouldn't have been.

That doesn't mean it was him.

No, but the energy was so similar to his – as if he's changed form slightly.
She gave a strangled laugh, tears starting to course down her cheeks.
And yes, I know how unbelievable that sounds. Please tell me that he's dead and gone.

Shay, he's dead. I killed him. You killed him. He can't ever hurt you again.

She sniffled.
Are you sure?

Positive.

Sunday morning…

W
hen Shay opened her eyes the next morning, recognized her bedroom and breathed in the soothing morning light, a sense of relief washed through her. It was finally morning. And her apartment felt...normal.

It had taken an hour last night, with Stefan`s help, to cleanse and secure her apartment. She still had no idea what had gone on or who her intruder was. But she'd know that energy again if she ever saw it. The cleansing process had her simply walking around and ushering out the old energy – and refilling the space with warm, loving, protective energy.

And it appeared to have worked. She had slept.

Dragging her sorry ass out of bed, Shay made her way to a hot shower. Something needed to energize her. It felt like sandpaper had been rubbed over her insides, leaving her raw – edgy. She had a crappy day ahead to go along with the night.

Another funeral. And burial at the same cemetery. This time for David Cummings. She didn't have to go, but knew she should. Besides, her consciousness prodded at her to check it out. To make sure all was well.

She stumbled through getting dressed and ate a muffin for her breakfast then headed out the door with a few minutes to spare. For a Sunday morning, there was a surprising amount of traffic. She drove up the winding road to the cemetery and parked. Walking swiftly, her head bowed against the gray skies, she joined the small, private group for the ceremony at the gravesite. David's preference as she understood it.

Staying unobtrusively in the background, she tried to look around at the other mourners. She only recognized one or two of the people, David’s office staff. That wasn't unexpected. His family was at the left and a row of strangers mingled. Several appeared to be crying – also not unexpected. She looked at their energy as they stood in their own quiet spaces. Most were contained and solemn. Holding tight, their energy snug against their bodies. She'd expect that in this setting. She took a casual look to the others at her side. Again, the energies were calm, slow and contained.

No surprises here.

Several other people had joined the throng, coming up behind her. She'd stepped around, letting them come closer to the gravesite and taking her place behind them. Standing behind them gave her a better view of all assembled. Still nothing explained her intuition's insistence that had compelled her to come here or the overwhelming need to check out the energy of those around her. A thin layer of energy on the coffin remained, most likely from the workers who'd handled it.

She shifted her position for a different angle. And still nothing. Shrugging inside, she waited until the eulogy was over before slowly approaching the widow.

"I'm so sorry for your loss," she murmured gently to the weeping woman. "I worked with David for several years. He was a good man."

The widow smiled through her tears. "Thank you. I will miss him."

As Shay walked back to her car, she pondered the issue. There'd been a definite sense of loss and grief from the widow and the sister-in-law. There'd been an odd melding of their energies, but that wasn't necessarily anything important, just strange. But it had a caring to it. She hadn't seen anything that spoke of hatred, relief, or that proclaimed any ill intention – and that had been good. If there'd been foul play suggested in their energies she'd have to say something to Ronin....

Still, there'd been nothing there.

Back at her car she gave all the people a final examination as they walked slowly away from the service. Now that it was over, there was no reason for the individuals to keep quiet. At least not verbally. Their energies eased outward. One mentally sniped at another attendee's lack of decorum, thinking she was wearing a low-cut dress more appropriate for a night on the town than a funeral. Another was worried about the time away from his job and resenting that he'd have to stay later that day to make up for lost time. Another marveled at the beauty and simplicity of the grounds thinking it a beautiful spot to rest for all eternity. Shay smiled to herself – the human spirit revitalized itself very quickly. Once the sense of propriety was observed, everyone loosened up. And became their so-normal selves.