What the Heart Knows (16 page)

Oliver shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he stood on the front porch and waited for Madeline to answer the door.  He glanced up as she opened the door.

“Where’s Juni?
”
she asked.

“Technically she’s working.”

Madeline raised her eyebrows.

“Your wife has made her move.” 

He nodded.  Her face turned grim as she ushered him in. She placed a hand on h
is
arm and led him to the room in the back. They sat down at the teak table and
he
slumped down in his chair. It wasn’t even noon, and he was exhausted.

“We need to do the ceremony tonight. I haven’t gotten a glimpse of the real Juni in close to twenty
-
four hours, and she’s doing a damn good job of wearing her skin.”

“It m
ight
already be too late.”

“I don’t believe that.”  Oliver balled his hands into fists.

“Good.” She gave him a smile and nodded her approval. 

“You’ll need that kind of faith to get through this. You remember what we discussed about preparing her?”

“Yes, she’s ready. Her kindness has returned, and I see recognition in her eyes when I mention things from our past.”

She leaned forward.

“We will perform a Soul Rescue.”

“Where? I can’t bring her here without making her suspicious.”

“
Then I will come to you.
Your place is fine. Better in fact because of the history.”

They spent the next hour and a half hammering out the details before they separated.  As he walked to his car, Oliver sent a prayer up toward heaven.
Please, God
,
let this work.
She would bring all the materials they needed, and he would prepare the house.  Oliver left
Madeline’s house
hopeful and scared out of his mind. This needed to work for all of their sake
s
.

*
***

Hannah frowned as she left Cupa for the day.
How could this girl come here and work every day?
She missed the feel of a camera in her hands and the opportunity to express her vision in an artistic format. The nine to five had never been the career choice for her. Too much time spent in the same place, doing the same thing made her antsy and stir crazy. It was all she could do not to scream as she poured cup after cup of coffee made a million and one ways. She’d be glad when she could tell Oliver who she really was and get back to doing the things she loved.

   She unlocked the door to the house and beamed at the si
gh
t that greeted her. The lights were di
m
med and white candles
were lit
.
It was obvious he was still in love with her.  He got a certain look when he mentioned things th
ey
had done together in the past. S
ome part of him must sense the change.  It made her feel bad for Juniper. The poor girl had no idea she was a replacement model.
Well, place holder now.
Hannah had stood by her man,
even after death. I
t was time she was rewarded for her decision. Anger threatened to creep up, but she shoved it back down.
Nothing was going to ruin this.

“Oli?”

She set her purse down on the end table by the door and glanced around as she called his name.

“I’m on the back patio.”

Her image of wine and a cheese plate evaporated as she stopped short in the doorframe.  A serious look covered Oliver’s face as he stood from the wicker couch. 

“I know it’s you, Hannah.”

The words washed over her, and joy filled her body.

“I knew you still loved me
,
Oli!” She ran to him and jumped into his waiting arms.

“I missed you so much
,
Oliver. It was hell being able to see you, but not touch you or talk to you.”  She stroked his soft hair and nuzzled her face into his neck. She pulled back when she felt drops of water fall onto her neck. His cheeks had turned red, and his body trembled against
her
s
.

“It’s okay. I’m back, and we’re together now.”  She offered up a tentative smile when he shook his head no.

“No what
,
Oli?”

“No, this isn’t right. You can’t just stay in Juni’s body.”

“What?” 

Her voice dropped an octave as she removed her hands from around his neck. “Let go of me
,
you son of a bitch
.” 

She shoved against his chest, squirming when his arms tightened around her.

“I can’t.”

He began to carry her to the far side of the patio where the dark haired fortune teller he’d visited previously stepped out of the shadows.

“A part of me will always love you
,
Hannah, but you don’t belong here any longer.”

“I stayed here for you, and this is how you repay me!”

Her voice was shrill and she lashed out to beat on his chest as she struggled to escape. She heard him groan and pleasure filled her.
She wanted him to hurt the way she did
.

“I didn’t ask you to stay
,
Hannah. I would never have been that selfish.”

“Selfish!”

She broke his grip and shoved him halfway across the patio area.

“I’ll show you how selfish I can be!”

“Stop
,
Hannah! This isn’t you.”

“How do you know what’s me!  You have no idea how dark and miserable it is in the veil! You can’t feel, you can’t taste. You’re dead but there’s no peace.”

“So let me give it to you!”
he said.

Hannah ignored his words
,
moving toward him as he continued to back up.

“This is all your fault! You left me down there in that watery grave.”

“I had no choice!” 

His retreat
ended when she backed him up against the wall.

“Yes
,
you did.”

She gripped his throat and lifted him up against the wall.

“You could’ve stayed down there with me.” 

Glee filled her as his face turned red, and he struggled to breath
e
. His nails dug into her skin as he struggled to remove the vice grip she had on his windpipe.

“Don’t do this.”

“If you do this thing, your path to the light will be bar
r
ed.”

Her head snapped to the right and she growled low in her throat. It was the fortune teller.

“If you kill him, what’s left of your soul will die as well, and once you’ve used up this body you will be left to wander the earth forever. You claim to
love him
.
C
ould you deal with his death on your hands?”

Hannah glanced back at Oliver and gasped.
Wa
s this what she’d become?
She released her grip and stepped back as he fell to the floor and clutched his neck. She’d remained behind because
she thought it would help him. Instead all
she’d done was cause him grief. She screamed and placed her hands on her head as her need for revenge and her re-discovered emotions warred with one another.

“Hannah.”

She looked up to find the man she’d almost chocked to death kneeling in front of her.

“It’s time for you to go where you’re meant to be.”

She shook her head no as fear set in.

“Yes. It’s time to let go of your pain, and be healed.”

“After everything I’ve done… how can there be any forgiveness for me?”

“Far worse people than you have found absolution from our Father.”

Hannah glanced up at him and admitted to herself just how weary she truly was.

“I promise I’ll stay with you.”

“Until I’m gone?”
she asked.

“Yes.” 

Oliver nodded and took her hands in his.

“I’m ready.”

“Madeline, we’re ready,” he said.  He kept his gaze glued to hers.

“Picture white light; see it encompassing you, cleansing you. Release your anger and bitterness. There’s no reason to hold on to them now
,” the Madeline said.

Hannah took deep breaths as she grasped
Oliver’s hands tight and envisioned a soothing white light that washed away all her pain. Lethargy settled over her and she felt her body relax as he
r
lids closed slowly.  She felt Oliver take her into his arms, and cradle her.

“I forgive you,” he whispered.

With those three words she allowed her soul to release its grip on the heart that no longer belonged to her.

Juni’s eyes fluttered open and she
groaned
when her attempt to sit up made her head feel like it was going to split wide open. She squinted and focused in on a familiar pair of green eyes.

“Oliver, what happened?”
she asked.

“What’s the last thing you remember?”
he asked. H
e sat beside her on the large be
d that indicated
s
he was in his bedroom.

“Falling asleep after we came home from Madeline’s, why? Have I been sick?”

“In a way
.
Hannah possessed you again.”

She
gritted her teeth,
pursed her lips and took a deep breath.

“Help me up, please.” 

She winced as he helped her ease into a sitting position and propped her up with pillow.

“How long was I out? Did I hurt anyone?”

“No.”
He shook his head. “We think you were out for about two and a half
d
ays, possibly more.”

She moaned as she tried to remember and drew a blank
. It was like drinking too much and blacking out.

“
I can’t keep doing this,” she said.

“You don’t have to worry about her
anymore
.
S
he’s gone.”

“How?” she asked.

“The
S
oul
R
escue ceremony.”

“You want me to believe she went willingly?”
It was
too easy. Hannah had been a nasty
p
iece of work. She wasn’t naïve enough to
believe
it’d been that simple.

“Not at first.”

His hesitation made her raise an eyebrow as she waved her hand in a gesture that said
and
.  Whe
n he continued to remain silent
she spoke.

“What aren’t you telling me?” she asked.

“She almost killed him,” a feminine voice said from the doorway.

She turned her head and smiled as the olive
-
skinned woman came into view.

“Madeline.”

“You can rest easy now
,
child
.
Y
our heart is now your own.”

Relief flooded through her and she slumped back onto the pillows. It was truly over.

“What happens now?” Juni asked.

“You regain your strength, and continue on with your life,” Madeline said. “My job here is done
.
I will leave you with your young man.”

“Thank you Madeline,” she whispered.  The woman bent down, squeezed her hand and stood.

“I’ll see you out
,
” Oliver said.

  He rose from the bed, and Juni watched them leave. While she rejoiced in the fact that Hannah
was no longer a concern
,
the
hard work had just begun. Even now, being in Oliver’s bed made her nervous. She didn’t know where they stood, or how she felt. No, that wasn’t true. Juni knew how
she felt. What she didn’t know was if
they were truly
her emotions or residue from the ghost whammy she’d been hit with. Juni swore under her breath. They may have gotten her off the same plane, but she still haunted them.

Oliver walked into the room with his hands shoved in his pocket
s
.

“I know you’re probably exhausted, so I’ll let you rest. There’
s
a bottle of water on the nightstand beside you.  I’ll be in the guest room
.
J
ust call if you need anything.”