Chapter 8 #3
Gregory’s smile brightened his peach-freckled complexion. “So do you want to try reading my palm and see if you can get anything that way?”
She knew he was teasing, playing a game in front of Stephanie. “I have to warn you. If I do this for you and I see something that’s hard to witness, I won’t hold back. I don’t believe in giving fluffy readings.” For the most part.
“I’m game.” He didn’t believe her. He kissed her hand, then rested his in hers. “Ready.”
Actually, she’d fibbed. She gave fluffy readings at the Worthingtons’ party for some guests when she didn’t have anything to share that wouldn’t upset anyone, because she wanted to return.
But like with Katrina and Prescott, she didn’t believe she should hide the danger if she sensed anything concerning this deadly matter with Gregory.
His back stiffened with tension before she gave the reading. Was he worried she might be able to really see his future?
“Okay, Gregory, you need to relax.” Only because it was making her tense. She hesitated as she refocused her thoughts. “You’re thinking about…” She paused her speech as her gaze met his. “Naughty things.”
He burst out laughing.
He was! He was thinking about being in bed with her, between the sheets, making love to her!
Stephanie crossed her legs. “Anyone would know that a hot, red-blooded male would be having thoughts like that.”
Ignoring Stephanie, Sascha studied him as she drew an image of the scene in her mind. “You were…you were going to a grocery store to get a special birthday cake for your sister.” Sascha glanced at Rose. “Your birthday was two days ago?”
Rose smiled. “Yeah.”
“Well, happy birthday.”
“Thanks.”
“You already knew that,” Stephanie said.
Which she hadn’t. She had never associated with the Landrys before this.
“You had a dragon cake made special just for her. You didn’t want your chef to make it because you were afraid Rose would learn about it because she’s bad about being able to wait for surprises.”
“Yes.”
Rose laughed. “I did look all over for it. Chef Paul had made a faux birthday cake for me. I mean, it was real, but it was the typical old birthday cake in my favorite colors of purple and blue. It was hidden in the kitchen, but I found it.”
Sascha thought that was cute of him. But then she closed her eyes and frowned.
“You had picked up the cake, and it was sitting on the front passenger’s seat when one of those monster trucks tried to run you down.
Why?” She took a deep breath and answered him before he could say a word.
“It did a PIT maneuver like the police do on criminals they’re in pursuit of, and your car went spinning out of control.
It rolled once, but thankfully, you were okay, just bruised. ”
“That was on the news,” Stephanie said.
“I don’t watch the news,” Sascha said. “The dragon cake was turned upside down, and when Gregory finally made it home, he made a joke about it being an upside-down dragon cake, but it was just as delicious as it looked, though slightly smooshed. It was all chocolate, with gold scales, and had orange flames coming out of its mouth. And Rose loved it, though she was more upset about you being in the accident and glad that you had made it out alive.”
Rose looked at Gregory. He was watching Sascha, silent, trying to figure out how she knew all that, when none of that would have been in a news story.
Stephanie was silent.
“Three days earlier, you thought you heard a prowler in the house and went to investigate. The security alarm activated, and the police arrived moments later. But no one found anything.”
Gregory stared at her in surprise, his mouth slightly open.
Sascha smiled sweetly and patted his knee. “Anyway, sounds like a great story, doesn’t it?” She looked over at Stephanie, whose small eyes widened.
Sascha had really goofed this time. It was all true, of course. And how would she have known about any of it? Then she figured Stephanie’s response meant she must have been there when it happened, but Sascha hadn’t seen Stephanie in her vision. Why not?
Had she been staying the night? Maybe it was earlier in the evening. Sascha could see it was dark out in the vision when the alarm went off.
Then she frowned and looked back at Gregory.
Had she become linked with him when she held his hand to do his reading?
She rubbed her temple. She hadn’t ever done such a thing, and she had no idea how it felt.
Was that how she knew so much about what had happened?
She assumed she received only a glimpse of what he thought at the time.
Not something that would tie his thoughts to her for an indeterminate period.
When Katrina had linked with Prescott, neither of them knew how to get rid of that condition. Though in retrospect, they were glad for it.
What was Gregory pondering now? Her mind grew muddled. She couldn’t think clearly. She’d compromised herself.
“Listen, maybe I need to go home,” Sascha said.
“Yeah,” Stephanie said.
“I don’t want you to go, Sascha,” Gregory said.
“I think I need to.” She needed to sort out her feelings about all this and even talk to Kat about it.
“Have you read the book?” Gregory said.
“What book?” Sascha realized he was trying to find out whether she had seen more of what had happened that night.
“The one I read the night the alarm went off. I was sitting on the—”
“Couch. Oh…” Sascha frowned. “Stephanie was there. Rose and Marvin were playing dominoes, and Stephanie was waving her leg up and down, like she’s doing now. Annoyed. Bored.” Now that Sascha couldn’t have known.
“I was reading the true story about the murderer of migrant workers.”
She concentrated on Gregory’s thoughts. Certain he tried to trick her up, she wasn’t sure what to say. He thought of another story, not the one he’d read that evening. She just knew it.
Running her hand over the couch, she shook her head. “No, not that one. You were reading one about pirates on the high seas.” The time had arrived to change the subject again. Back to the one that she had to focus her attention on more importantly. “Did he do anything else?”
“What?” Gregory was still thinking about the book.
She took a deep breath. She had to think before she spoke. “You said twice before he tried to kill you. How?”
“Sascha…” Gregory’s tone of voice was meant to dissuade. He undoubtedly didn’t want to speak about that subject right now, either.
“Do you want me to figure out who it might be?” Sascha ran her fingers over his hand. “Have you received any threatening letters? Anything at all that would give some clue to his identity?”
“I thought you were leaving.” Stephanie tapped her hand on the arm of the loveseat. “The police have the evidence, and they’re doing the investigation.”
“So you have received threats.”
Gregory nodded. “Two cryptic notes. They didn’t make any sense at all.”
“What did they say?”
Stephanie frowned. “Don’t tell me you’re a police detective under the guise of being a gypsy fortune teller.”
“You never know, now do you? How do you fit into all of this, by the way?”
The look on Stephanie’s face was precious. Like she’d just swallowed a goldfish. Her eyes narrowed as her face scrunched into a scowl.
Gregory wrapped his hand around Sascha’s.
“Okay, two weeks ago, I received a note. All it said was ‘It’s time to even the score, Gregory. Soon. Your friend, Bill.’ Then, the next day, a car nearly ran over me in the parking lot of the country club.
A few days later, I received another note.
Similar message. This time, a monster truck chased me down. ”
“The last time it was a red pickup. Did you get another note?”
Gregory shook his head. “No, I didn’t. And there’s no consistency in the times when he tries to make the hit.”
“What about the prowler?”
“I couldn’t find a thing that set off the alarm.”
“And the vehicles he drove? Were they stolen, perchance?”
“Yeah, they were. The police found them abandoned a few days later. The guy is careful though. He never left any evidence behind.”
If she could, she’d put a curse on the man. But she needed to have touched him or something of his. And she had no clue as to who he could be. “Is it a he for sure?”
“No, nobody could say who drove any of the vehicles.” He cleared his throat. “How did you know about the book I read and the alarm going off, Sascha?”
She smiled and tried to make the best of a muddled situation. “Camden told me.”
Gregory smiled back at her. “He wasn’t here.”
“So you have an internet service?” Sascha hadn’t meant to say it that way. Of course they did. But she meant whether he had a computer she could use to do a search.
“Doesn’t everybody?” Stephanie scoffed.
“Of course,” Sascha said. “I need to use Gregory’s computer. I conveniently left mine at home.” She’d finally gotten a computer, necessary to schedule her party dates and advertise the entertainment she did. She turned to Gregory. “So can I?”
“What do you have in mind?”
“Hmmm, well, maybe we could find Stephanie a date online.”
Gregory chuckled.
Sascha desired to find a date for herself. Her interest in Gregory was just wrong, and if she didn’t watch herself with him, she would lose her powers all over again for another five years. She had to find her soulmate, and quickly, to get her mind off the man sitting so comfortably close to her.
Stephanie shook her head. “I have no problem getting dates.”
“Oh? Why are you here then?”
“Listen, you…you, gold digger. You’re the one who shouldn’t be here.”
Gregory stood. “You wanted to see my computer. I’ll show it to you.” He faced Stephanie. “Stephanie, leave. Rose, you can join us.”
“I’ll tell your parents about this,” Stephanie grumbled under her breath, rose from the chair, crossed the room, and then stomped out of the house.
“You’re in trouble now.” Sascha fought laughing.
“Yeah, I’m shaking in my boots.”
She glanced down at his loafers.
“If I were wearing any.” He took hold of Sascha’s hand.