Viator (The Viator Chronicles Book 1) (27 page)

“That’s always possible,” Michael said. “You’d better go. Now you’re late.”

“Thank you for lunch.” She leaned over and embraced him, kissed his cheek.

He smiled. “Walk with care.”

“
Et tu
,” she said as she opened the door and stepped out of the car. She realized that was the second time she had said that to him. “
Et tu
?” Where had that come from? She walked into the store.

“Long lunch, baby?” Gary said from where he stood leaning against a counter. He grabbed her arm and pulled her into her studio, kicked the door closed, and kissed her.

Chapter 37

When he let her go, Erin stepped back and bumped into the wall. This was too sudden.

“I didn’t know you were coming,” she said.

“Obviously.” He turned away and played a few notes on the piano. “Who was with you in the car?” He faced her; his eyes looked sharp, his smile forced.

“A … friend—a local author and customer—he invited me to lunch today,” she said. She sat down at her table.

Gary rested his hands on the table and leaned toward her. “Was it a date?” he asked.

She looked him straight in the eyes. “No, it wasn’t a date. He is simply a friend.”

He held her eyes for a minute and then sat down on the piano bench. “I was a little worried there.”

Erin raised her eyebrows and said, “I could tell.” She slid out of her chair and gave him a brief kiss, then opened the door. Ed called out to her, “Erin, are you back from lunch?”

“Yes, I’m back.”

She sat down again. “What are you doing here today?”

“I had some business in Anacortes, and I thought I’d stop by and say hello. I was hoping to take you to lunch, but I guess I missed my chance.”

“I’m sorry. I wish I had known you were coming. How long can you stay? Can you come over for dinner after I’m off?”

Erin saw his face relax. “I could do that,” he said.

“I’ve got a student coming in a few minutes. You could stay here or go shopping or something until I get home. Or you could go ahead to my house, if you want.”

“I’ll meet you at your house later. I’ll let you get back to work.”

“Okay.” They stood up, and she took his hand and squeezed it. “Bye.”

He kissed her. “Mmm. You smell good.”

He went out the door to his car. She watched him from the window, and after he drove away, she collapsed into the chair. She picked up some sheet music and stared at it but didn’t even know what she was looking at. What a shock—Gary waiting in the store. He must have seen her in the car with Michael. He must have seen her kiss him. No wonder he was upset. And what about that strange lunch with Michael? She didn’t know what to think about all he had said, and she didn’t know what to think about him. He made her feel on edge. One minute he was soothing, the next he unsettled her again. What he had said about their dreams was so farfetched; did he really believe it? But if he was right, if these dreams were in some way real, then they were doubly frightening. And what other explanation could there be for her scar?

When the workday finally ended and she was on her way home, Erin took a few minutes to turn off the highway into the cemetery. She drove to William’s spot and got out of her car. She sat on the grass covering his grave and stared at the cold gray headstone. His face came into her mind, laughing, teasing, joking. A tear slid down her cheek, but she didn’t brush it away. The wind rose and blew her hair away from her face, and she closed her eyes. The face of a little boy came into her mind from the photos at lunch, Michael’s son, Colby. She could easily imagine Michael’s grief-stricken face bending over his son’s grave. She looked out over the horizon, then got back in her car and drove the rest of the way home.

Erin saw Gary’s black SUV parked in her driveway as she drove up the street toward her house. A large black sedan was parked further down the road, a little past her driveway. There were two men sitting in it, but she couldn’t see who they were.

She pulled into her driveway, bouncing over a few potholes as she made her way through the apple trees toward the house. Gary wasn’t in his car, and she didn’t see him outside. Matt and Gwen should still have been next door at Edna’s. She parked and looked around. Seeing no one, she passed through the hedge to Edna’s.

Edna opened the door. “Hi, dear,” she said. “Is everything all right?”

Erin frowned. “Aren’t Matt and Gwen here?”

“No, they went home when Gary got here. He came over, and I let them into the house. He said you knew he was coming.”

“I did. I was expecting him—I didn’t realize he would get the kids, though.”

Edna’s face grew concerned. “I hope it was all right for me to let him into your house like that. I just assumed …”

“It’s fine,” Erin hastened to reassure her. “Of course it’s fine. I’ll just go back home—I haven’t even been in the house yet.”

Edna breathed a sigh of relief.

Erin walked home and looked up the street at the black car. It was empty now; the men must have gotten out. She looked around but didn’t see where they had gone. Her heart beat faster and she rushed back to her house.

The front door was locked, so she got out her key and went inside, calling out, “Anybody home?”

“We’re in here,” Matt answered. Erin walked down the hall to the dining room and saw Gary, Matt, and Gwen sitting at the table playing cards. “Hi, Mom,” the kids said, looking at her expectantly.

“Hi, guys,” she said. “What a surprise.”

Gary stood up. “I hope you don’t mind me getting the kids and coming inside.” He grinned. “How was your afternoon?”

“It was good.”

He turned to the kids. “Are you guys getting hungry? Now that your mom’s home should we put the pizza in the oven?”

“Yeah!”

Gary walked into the kitchen. “I picked up a take-and-bake pizza on my way over. I hope that sounds good.” He glanced at her face, opened the oven door, and put a large pizza into the oven. “Want a glass of wine?”

“Yes, I’d love one.” Erin watched as he got a wine glass from the cabinet and poured her some red wine from a bottle on the counter.

“Gary’s teaching us how to play poker,” Gwen said. “It’s really fun—I already won a game.”

“Oh, great.” Erin laughed.

When the pizza was ready, they took it outside and ate dinner in the garden. The sun was setting, but the air was calm and not very cold. Afterward, Matt and Gwen washed the dishes while Erin and Gary walked the short trail to the beach. The tide was high and small waves lapped against the driftwood. They climbed onto the uprooted stump of a large tree that had washed ashore years before. The wood was whitened and polished smooth from the salty wind.

“I’ve got to get back to Seattle soon,” Gary said. “I shouldn’t have stayed this long—Henry’s got some documents he needs me to look at before morning.”

“How’s he doing?” Erin asked.

“He’ll be all right.”

“Do the police have any leads?”

Gary looked at her with a glint in his eyes and answered her slowly. “Not that I know of. I think Henry was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Erin frowned. “And what about those men we saw yesterday? Any sign of them?”

He grinned, his dimples deepening. “Don’t worry about them.” He bent down and kissed her slowly. She wrapped her arms around his waist, and he put his hands on her shoulders, then around her back, pulling her tight. He slid his hands down her back and pressed her backside close. He kissed her again, and her heartbeat quickened.

She whispered, “It’s getting late. I’d better get those kids to bed.”

“Yeah.” He kissed her again. They climbed off the tree stump and walked back to the house.

Matt was finishing his homework at the dining room table, and Gwen was playing with her dolls. The kids wanted to play one more game of poker with Gary before bed, so Erin let them while she tidied up the living room. She built a fire in the fireplace and poured two glasses of brandy, and after Matt won the game, she walked upstairs with the children to say goodnight. She felt warm and safe—she hadn’t felt such a sense of calm since William had been alive, and she savored it. What a wonderful evening it had turned out to be.

Gary was standing facing the fireplace, his brandy in one hand, when she came back downstairs. His blond hair gleamed in the flickering light, and he turned around and smiled at her. He put down his drink and pulled his shirt off over his head. Erin gave him a questioning glance and sipped her own brandy.

“Are you too warm?”

“No. I’m very comfortable.”

She bit her lip.

He approached her and took her glass from her hand, setting it on the table. He touched her cheek with his fingers and kissed her softly. “I want you more than ever,” he whispered.

Erin closed her eyes and slid her hands over the smooth skin of his chest and around his back. He was so warm. He took a deep breath and let it out again.

“Let’s go upstairs,” he said.

She hesitated.

He pulled away from her and studied her face. His eyes were sharp, but when he spoke again, his voice was gentle. “It’s all right. I want you more than anything … you are beautiful and luscious. And … mmm … you want me, too.” He kissed her and whispered, “Feel me.”

She did want him—his smooth skin and the strength of his whole body. She knew she wanted him. He took her hand and led her up the stairs to her room. He sat on the bed and watched as she took off her shirt, her pants, her bra and panties. His eyes, the blue barely showing behind his huge black pupils, stayed on her, his smile faint and his breathing ragged. He touched her tentatively, gently, and kissed her body slowly. She was entranced, caught up in each minute sensation, every nerve alert and sensitive to each breath, every touch of his lips, his tongue, his hands.

She unfastened his pants and pulled them off, then kissed him slowly. He lay back and moaned as her long hair caressed him while she spread kisses along his body.

Suddenly he sat up, grabbed her arms and pushed her flat on the bed, pressing his own body on top of hers. In an instant he was inside her, and she cried out. He kissed her. His urgency was overwhelming, and she was overcome as her own desire reached its peak, and she grasped him harder and tighter. He groaned and pressed ferociously into her, knocking the breath from her.

He slowly stopped, his breathing rough, heart pounding. Erin gasped, and he eased from her. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. They lay still for a few minutes. A breeze had arisen outside, and Erin listened to the sound of the wind through the trees and the waves on the shore. Some crows called in the distance.

Gary sat up. “I’ve got to go.”

Erin was startled. “Right now?”

He smiled as he looked at her. “Yeah. I should have left a long time ago. I’ve got to meet with Henry tonight, and it’s a long drive.”

He pulled on his clothes, and Erin stood up and wrapped her kimono around herself. They went downstairs, and Gary kissed her once more before he dashed out the door. Erin stood outside and watched him as he drove away. She glanced down the road, and saw that the black sedan was still there, empty. She shivered and went back inside, closed and locked the door. After turning out the lights, she climbed the stairs and stopped in front of the picture of William. She lit the candles and sat on the floor for several minutes before getting ready for bed.

Chapter 38

Erin peered over the edge of the hole that opened into a cavern deep below, but she was unable to see anything in the scattered twilight. Ragged clouds raced across the sky. She drew her sword and dropped down to the floor ten feet below. Landing softly, she crouched low, holding her sword out to the side. She stayed low and listened. All was silent except for the sound of water dripping deep in the cave.

This was familiar. Erin knew she had been here before, and she remembered the tormented dreamer—a man chased by far too many shadows.
Was he here tonight?
She straightened up and searched the gloom of the cave, where she had first encountered Michael. But that night there had been five mortifers hiding in this darkness. She strode around the edges of the chamber, sensing its emptiness tonight. The dreamer must be in one of the many tunnels branching away, so she paused to allow her mind to reach out to him. His fear leapt toward her, and she nearly staggered from the blow of his terror but knew which way she had to go. Choosing her path, she ran through the tunnel in the dark.

She hadn’t gone far when she heard scuffling and murmuring ahead. Slowing, she continued without making a sound. The air became very cold, and the voices grew louder.

“I’ll get it, I’ll get it,” said a trembling voice. “If you kill me I can’t get it.”

A rumbling voice answered, “If I kill you, your friends will make sure we have it. We’re tired of waiting.”

Erin clung close to the wall. This was no mortifer—this was another man.

“No! I’ll get it. Arthur has it.”

A blow was struck, and Erin moved. She rounded the corner into the room and saw an enormous man lift up the dreamer by the front of his shirt. His feet kicked helplessly in the air, and he gasped and choked. The giant flung him to the corner of the room where he crumpled and cringed against the wall. As the huge man turned, Erin recognized him—the same man who’d attacked Gary in his dream. He saw Erin, and with a loud growl he lunged at her and tackled her to the ground. She smacked her head on the floor and lay there, stunned. With a snort, he sat on top of her, knocking the air from her lungs. She gasped and coughed, and clenching every muscle she told herself to move. She curled her knees and feet to her body and thrust her hips upwards. As the giant tumbled over her head, she rolled away, grabbed her sword, and rose to her feet, gulping for air. He staggered up. Erin whipped her sword around and pressed the point against his throat. He stopped.

“It’s time for you to leave,” she said through gritted teeth, and pressed her sword tighter against the skin of his throat. “We’ve met before, remember?”

His face twisted in a snarl, and he lunged sideways, reaching out to grab her. Erin ducked and swung her sword upwards, slicing his torso open. His eyes went wide as he watched his blood spill out onto the floor, hovering for a moment as if held up by strings, before he collapsed in a heap.