Chapter Four

Miles slowly sipped his coffee as he studied the police reports.

Detective Cade Taylor remains in I.C.U at Memorial. Resident Doctor reports that, although Cade is in stable condition, there has been no sign of improvement. The severity of his injuries will in all likelihood result in a permanent state of vegetation. Detective Taylor’s wife, Mrs Justine Taylor, 30, was killed instantly. An autopsy was performed, cause of death resulting from impact of a moving vehicle. Her remains are currently located at Memorial, until such time as a family member steps forward to claim her body.

Unlike the first report filed three days before, this new report included the details of the autopsy. No mention of a pregnancy. Miles sighed. He had killed the wrong woman. And a cop. Shit. This complicated things. The locals would be raining down a shit storm until they locked someone away for trying to kill one of their own. He would have to walk a little softer until the investigation was over.

Gripping his hands behind his head, Miles remembered how the driver had fought to keep the truck on the road. He was the only one who knew the old-timer had been fighting a losing battle. As he had watched from a distance, Miles’d had full view of the accident, which was what it appeared to be—nothing more than an accident. Just like he had planned it.

* * * *

As Eve walked Noelle to the bus, the grey guy decided to tag along. Waving goodbye to Noelle, Eve felt him standing behind her. Of course she felt the stares of the other mothers too. At least that was normal. Standing next to a man that could possibly be…dead was not normal. Is he dead? Her stomach dropped, terrified at the thought. No, he can’t be dead. She didn’t see the dead.

“Why are those women staring at you?” he asked.

Ignoring him, Eve folded her arms over her stomach and marched back to the house. With a man, who could very well be dead, following her? Nope, definitely not normal. She wanted to run, get as far from him as possible and fast.

Eve ran up the steps, reached the door first, and opened it just enough for her to slip through, and then quickly shut it behind her. Holding it closed, she could see him standing on her porch watching her through the window in the door.

“You can’t stay here. Go back to your body.”

He cocked his head, studying her briefly, then slowly shook his head.

Eve rested her forehead against the door. “Please,” she moaned. “I can’t help you. Why won’t you listen?”

“Because you haven’t given me an acceptable answer.”

The answer came from behind her.

Startled, Eve whirled to face him and snapped. “What are you doing?” She was shaking from fear, anger and suddenly frustration. “Go. Go. Go. Go.”

She almost yelled the last ‘go’ and, embarrassed, stepped back from him.

Locking eyes with him, she waited for him to do something, but he just stared at her. No anger, no frustration, no amusement. It was getting kinda weird…and kinda scary. “What?” She threw her hands up. “Are you just going to stand there staring at me?”

This time he smiled. The pull of his lips was slow and she couldn’t help but stare back. The look, described in one word…sexy. No wait, I mean evil. No! Not sexy. What the hell. Not sexy. Just evil. Plain old evil.

“Yes,” he clarified. “I am, until you answer my question.”

Her shoulders slumped as she sighed. “I told you, I can’t help you.”

“That’s not the question I want an answer to. Why were those women staring at you? Do they know what you do?”

“Oh!” She hadn’t been expecting that and wasn’t quite sure if she should answer him, it was none of his business. But…if she did answer him, maybe he would disappear. She placed her hands on her hips. “Do they know if I’m a Physical Therapist? I have no idea and don’t care. And I have no idea why they stare, they just do. Now please go,” she asked politely. Maybe nice manners would help her cause. “I don’t have time for this. Go find someone else to help save that secretary.”

His eyes drifted over her face. “There is no one else, only you.”

Actually there was at least one other she knew about with the same ability, and she knew, that person would not appreciate any name-dropping, especially when this guy was the median.

“Please try to understand I…” She stopped when she heard a car pull into the driveway.

“Who’s that?”

Eve blinked and found him standing only an inch away from her, his gaze directed at the car parked outside of her house. His strength and power vibrated through her body, it caused her muscles to tingle and her stomach to clench. The intensity was so strong she had to take a step away from him. She wanted to take another when he looked down at her. She sucked in a breath. His eyes were glowing again. Like miniature blue lights.

“Evening.” His voice was low, just above a whisper. “Who is that?”

Opening her mouth didn’t make the words come out, she just gawked up at him. She couldn’t believe this was happening. Since when did medians have glowing eyes and when had she become such a coward?

Anger over her own cowardice rose quickly when the question popped into her head. She was not a coward. This was her home, not his, she would not allow this…this…soul with beautiful, glowing eyes to scare her.

“That is my first patient of the day.” She reclaimed her original spot.

Raising dark eyebrows, he looked down his nose at her. It was the look of someone used to getting their own way.

“Who is he?”

“That’s none of your business.” She moved to the door.

“Make it my business.”

“Why? It’s not like he can see you. What difference does it make?”

How could Alex explain his need for control to this woman? She had no concept of the man he was. The years spent training with the military had sharpened his mind and strengthened his body. Yet, it was the years he’d spent with the Guardian Project that had developed his natural desire for control. Controlling all aspects of the world around him was a simple fact of living and dying. That control had also saved many lives. But she wouldn’t know that, no one would.

Alex inhaled slowly, struggling to find patience he wasn’t sure he had.

Eve brushed past him as she moved to the door. He knew he wouldn’t feel her touch, yet he felt…something when she passed.

She turned as she reached the door. “Go. Please,” she implored again. The look on her face caused him to frown. Not because she had recited those words, yet again, to him but because he was actually considering giving her what she wanted and leaving her alone. He wished he could give her that, but he wouldn’t.

Besides, he didn’t like it when people lied to him and she was lying. She was capable of putting him back into his body—he read it on her face, in the movement of her hands and body.

The Guardian Project had spent long hours and millions of dollars teaching their soldiers how to read and interrupt body language. After all, if the people he hunted were on his kill list, they’d been good enough to avoid traditional police and military forces and he had to be better in order to stop them. So it was easy for him to recognise Eve’s fear and anxiety, just as it was easy for him to recognise when she was lying.

Though he didn’t like the lying he could handle it, now the fear…that was unusual for him to deal with. Never in his life had a woman been so afraid of him. That fear puzzled him. Deep in his gut he knew there was more—she wasn’t telling him the whole truth. Shit she wasn’t really telling him anything. It didn’t matter—he would not walk away just because Eve was scared. He would not let Miles kill Jillian. She and her baby would live.

He shook his head. “No.”

She closed her eyes and drew a deep breath. “I won’t help you.”

“Yes you will.” He took a step closer to her. “And I’m going to haunt you until you give me what I want.”

“Haunt me.” Her eyes grew wide as a shiver shook her from head to toe.

“Mmm.” He winked. “I’m not leaving your side until you put me back in my body.”

Heavy footsteps echoed on the front porch.

“No,” she whispered, her eyebrows pressed together. “I won’t help you.”

“Yes. You. Will.” Then, nodding towards the door. “Want me to get that?”