See Me in Your Dreams (18 page)

As she
gathered her long skirts to climb the open rear stairs, she thought about the
boy who had died there. About the father who lost himself in drink to forget.
And as they entered the interior with its sharp smell of new paint and varnish
and the more subtle fragrance of cut wood, she tried to determine whether or
not there was some connection between Harry
Smialek's
death and Cheryl Leighton's kidnapping.

"I don't
know," she admitted a short while later, when they stood at a newly
installed fourth floor window that opened an entire vista all the way to the
city proper. "He was drinking ale like the man who kidnapped
Cheryl..."

"Hard to
pin a crime on a man over a fondness for beer."

She nodded in
agreement as she scanned the surrounding rooftops that lay below them. "If
only he hadn't closed the door on us before I could see inside, perhaps I could
tell better."

"What did
you feel?" Tyler urged, "Take a shot at it."

Keelin shook
her head. "I can only say what I sensed through Cheryl in the dream,"
she told him once again. "I don't have the power to read peoples'
minds."

"She's so
close...I can almost feel her." His voice was raw with worry. "Out
there somewhere...in one of those buildings we can see...sick with fear. A
father should be able to keep his child from harm. I would give everything I
own to have her safe beside me. Damn it!"

Tyler whipped
away from the windows and slumped against the newly exposed brick wall,
shoulders rounded in a gesture of defeat.

"No one
has the power to keep another safe always," Keelin assured him. "We can
only do our best for those we care about."

Light filtered
through the glass, revealing bits of him. Just as he only revealed bits of
himself at any given moment. But Keelin could see his unguarded expression. She
needn't have any special powers to recognize the grief of disappointment that
he could no longer hide inside.

Her need to
heal was greater than her hesitation at getting too close to a man whom she
knew could hurt her at a very deep level.

Keelin stepped
into Tyler's personal space and placed a quieting hand over his heart, as if
she could mute its thunder, could absorb some of his pain unto herself. She
would take all gladly if she could. His warmth captured her even as his fingers
closed around her wrist and tightened like a vise, threatening to keep her fast
until he willed otherwise.

Her pulse
quickened and her breath caught in her throat.

Then he stared
down at her, and she could see that his pale eyes were shiny with unshed tears.
He was hanging onto her lest he break. Unable to help herself, she reached up
with her free hand and threaded her fingers through his thick hair.

Stroking him.

Soothing him.

Feeling her
own insides tremble from the force passing between them.

For a moment,
they stood frozen, staring at one another as if seeing each other for the very
first time. The moment was magical. A turning point from which they could not
retreat. Keelin felt this in her very soul.

Tyler groaned.
"I need..."

"What is
it you need, Tyler Leighton?" she whispered.

His brow
furrowed as if he were fighting with himself. "It's not...right...not when
Cheryl..." He voiced the objection so low she could hardly hear.

"Tell
me," she urged.

He gave it up
with a sigh. "You, Keelin McKenna. I need
you
."

The invitation
too great to resist, Keelin stood on tiptoe and softly brushed her mouth across
his, the light contact searing her lips. Breath quickening, he drew back, his
expression self-accusatory. And though she'd protested the ability to read
minds, she sensed he was thinking he should be concentrating on Cheryl. She
also sensed the truth of his words that he needed her...or at least the comfort
she offered.

KEELIN WONDERED IF IT HAD BEEN LIKE
THIS between Moira and Seamus...this dance between anger and tenderness...doubt
and faith...antipathy and yearning.

She had never
before experienced such a whirlwind of conflicting feelings about any man.
Fondness at best. Irritation at worst. Certainly not these seething emotions
that made her feel alive in every thread of her being.

Emotions that
threatened to overcome her.

She wanted to
be overcome, Keelin realized...like Juliet had been by Romeo...Guinevere by
Launcelot
...
Heloïse
by Abelard.

Like Moira
surely had been by Seamus.

Dreams are not always tangible things, but more often are
born in the heart.

Her
grandmother's legacy stood before her.

They had
nothing in common, not even a country. They might not be together next week, or
even tomorrow. But they could be together now. She'd waited all her life for
this, and she refused to let the chance at love, no matter how brief, slip away
because of doubts.

"If you
need me," Keelin said, her voice trembling. "Then know you have
me."

Tyler fisted
her hair and drew her head back as if to see the truth of her words. Her breath
caught in her throat and she wondered how life could be so confused. How two
people so far apart could want to be so close. And then his mouth covered hers
and he drew any doubts from her. His tongue filled her as she wanted to be
filled in a more tender and aching space.

Her chest rose
and fell against his, their heartbeats seeming to match the same too-quick
rhythm. He slid his hand down along her neck and captured the fluttery beat
through the fullness of her breast. Groaning, he stroked her tenderly, his
mouth never leaving hers.

Her breasts
tightened and her nipples hardened even before he traced their outline through
the cloth. Heat seared her and her head went light. She clung to him desperately,
her arms winding around his neck, fearing that she might fall if she let go.

Breaking the
kiss with an audible groan, Tyler held her cradled against his chest, both
hands winding around her back, pulling her closer. It seemed as if they couldn't
be close enough for him.

Keelin tucked
her head in the space between his jaw and shoulder, let one hand drift down his
throat. His pulse thudded against her fingers and when her palm flattened
against his chest, her palm captured the uneven beat of his heart. She knew he
wanted as well as needed her, just as she did him.

But the time
was not right. Not when emotions at another disappointment over his daughter
were running so high.

Content to
wait, Keelin gave him what she could and hoped that, for the moment, the
comfort of her closeness and caring would be enough to see him through the
terrible hour.

FOR THE SECOND TIME IN HIS LIFE, Tyler
felt emotionally snared. The first time, Helen had nearly destroyed him. Money
had presented a half-assed solution. He'd never really resolved her betrayal,
and he'd vowed never to get so close to another woman that he left himself
exposed.

Now he'd gone
and done it again.

Not that
Keelin was anything like his ex-wife.

He cared about
Keelin McKenna, Tyler realized in amazement. A woman he'd only known for a few
days. How had it happened? How had things changed so quickly?

He slid a look
over at her.

Head resting
against the car seat, she seemed to be asleep, her face in repose. A dapple of
sunlight played over her features, and he found himself memorizing them. He
wondered that he'd ever categorized her looks as ordinary when they were in
fact uniquely lovely.

But her looks
were not in question here, Tyler reminded himself. Any future between them was.
Once they found Cheryl and Keelin completed her family business, she would be
heading home to Ireland, he was certain. He would lose her as quickly as he'd
found her.

A hard truth
to swallow. How many losses could one man endure?

His daughter's
innocent face haunting him, Tyler turned his attention back to the busy street.
He should be concentrating on Cheryl, not on his own needs. He couldn't fail
her. Not again.

Realizing they
were nearing his office, he regretted that he hadn't insisted on taking Keelin
to her hotel. He was finding it harder and harder to focus on what he had to
with her so near him. A flash of her remembered sweetness stirred his insides,
and he shifted in the driver's seat.

From the
first, he'd experienced a restlessness around Keelin that went deeper than the
physical and at times threatened to consume him. Somehow, he'd convinced
himself this was the result of his combined distress and animosity and
suspicion. He'd really believed Keelin either had something to do with his
daughter's kidnapping, or that she was trying to take advantage of his grief.

Now he knew
different.

And almost
wished he didn't.

SHE
COULDN'T BELIEVE IT. Surely they didn't mean to leave her here like this
forever.

Tied up.

Gagged.

A prisoner to game shows on the television he'd left on real
loud to cover any noises she might make.

Ever since he'd hauled her back to the apartment, they'd
kept her locked up in her room. No more pretense. Not after she'd tried
running. Not after she'd told them she knew about the ransom.

Since then, he'd been the only one she'd seen and darn
little of him, at that.

And now she was alone for who knew how long. He'd told her
they couldn't trust her without a guard, not even behind a locked door. So he'd
tied her to a chair in the living room. Her hands were already going numb. And
the cloth tape across her mouth threatened to choke her.

If she barfed, she'd suffocate – she'd seen that happen in
an action movie once – so she wouldn't throw up. She would sit very still and
breathe slowly through her nose.

She would pretend that everything would be all right. That
they would come for her and take her to her dad. That he'd pay anything to get
her back.

She prayed hard that he would as hot tears escaped her eyes
and blurred her view of the church steeple across the street.

A SENSATION ROVING OVER HER FACE and
lingering at her mouth made Keelin open her eyes and meet Tyler's gaze. For the
first time since they'd finished the greasy fast food they'd purchased and had
nearly swallowed whole before leaving the Wicker Park area, she was fully
awake. She stared at him, wondering at his odd expression. When she realized he
noticed, she let her lids drift half-closed, then placed a comforting hand on
his thigh.

"Don't
fall asleep again," Tyler said, his voice a bit gruff. "We're
here."

He turned the
Jaguar into the garage across from L&O Realty and waved to the attendant.

Hesitant, she
murmured, "I...had another dream."

"Cheryl?"
He sounded anxious. "She's all right?"

"I do not
believe they've hurt her."

"What did
you see?"

"The
television." She hoped he wouldn't probe more deeply. She couldn't tell
him the circumstances. He would go mad if she revealed that Cheryl was bound
and gagged. She couldn't do that to him. "Some game show."

"She
hates game shows."

"I
know."

"What
else? Was anyone with her?"

"She was
alone." Waiting. Trying not to panic. Keelin couldn't tell him that,
either. "Tis a pity I could not see more."

"Nothing?"
he asked, unable to hide his disappointment.

Nothing she
could tell him.

Or was there?

The thought
fled as her stomach twirled when Tyler sped up the ramp too fast and jerked
around the corner to his assigned parking spot. She suspected that he was
taking out his inner frustration with his vehicle. By the time he cut the
engine, Keelin was wide-eyed and sitting up straight. She wanted to comfort him
again...if only she knew how.

They left the
car and made for the stairwell.

"So what
now?" she asked softly.

"What is
it
you
think should happen?"

She gazed at
him with empathy. "I know what I wish would happen. I would like to be
able to see the faces of the people holding Cheryl hostage."

"Yeah,
but you're awake, and like you said, you only
see
through dreams," he said, stirring a memory in her.

"Unfortunately,
I can't fall asleep on command or even guarantee a vision when I do." She
was reminded of her disappointment when she'd awakened that morning.

Curbside,
Tyler waited for a break in traffic. "We're amateurs at this. Too involved
to be objective. Damn Jeremy Bryant! What good is having a private investigator
if he's going to be elusive just when I need him. Maybe Pamela's reached him by
now. I'll check on it first thing."