Chapter Ten
“Brace your wrist with your left hand. Haven’t you ever seen cops on television hold a gun? Watch” Cassie took aim and shredded the center of the paper man, just about where his heart would have been.
“Now you’re just showing off,” Kris told her. She copied her friend’s stance and shot several times. It was easier with both hands. One hole appeared in the white outline around the black paper figure, near the top corner.
“That’s better; at least you hit the paper that time. Try it again.” Cassie watched as Kris closed her eyes and pulled the trigger.
“Wait a minute. Are you shooting with your eyes closed?” Cassie looked at her incredulously. “Never, ever, ever pull the trigger with your eyes closed. How do you expect to hit anything if you can’t see it?” She shook her head; Kris looked sheepish. “Try it again, this time with both eyes open.”
Kris did as instructed, and managed to hit the white part three times. “Hey, I’m getting better.”
“It’s amazing what you can do if you actually look at the target. Try it again.” Cassie spent another half hour helping Kris line up shots and get comfortable with the gun. By the time they left the range, Kris was hitting the black outline with each bullet. Arm, gut and leg shots mostly, but still within the outline.
“Let’s grab dinner, what do you feel like?” Cassie asked as they left the range. “I’m thinking Italian, sound good?”
“Sure, I could eat it again. I had lasagna last night.” Kris still hadn’t told Cassie about Nick, even though she was bursting to do so. “Nick made it for me.” She dropped it casually, and then waited for Cassie’s reaction.
If Cassie had a question about who ‘Nick’ was, all she had to do was look at her friend’s face. She was smiling with the glow reserved for only one man. “Nick, Nick? And you’re just telling me now? Spill,” she demanded.
“I’ll tell you everything, but not here. How about we pick up something and take it back to your house? My treat.” She nearly laughed out loud at the look on Cassie’s face.
“No way, that will take too long. We head straight there now, I’ll order in pizza. It can still be your treat,” she grinned.
“I’ll call Roni on the way, see if she can join us for dinner. Via Skype, of course. I’d rather share this only once.”
~~~~~
“So, do we take out a hit on Marla, or do we do it ourselves?” Roni asked after Kris had finished her story.
“I say we do it ourselves. Much more satisfying.” Cassie was furious. “We all knew she was a bitch, but did you have a clue she wanted Nick?”
“No, not even a hint. Not that I blame her for wanting him, who wouldn’t? But stooping so low to get him is straight out of some soap opera. That scenario never entered my mind when she told me they were engaged. I just thought he was going after the future he wanted. And that I had been a fool.” Kris looked down, it still pained her to think of that time. “But that’s in the past. The present is much more interesting.”
“I’ll say. Nick Evans, buying the house next door to you. Talk about kismet.” Roni smiled. “How does he look? I bet he’s even more handsome; men are so lucky, they seem to get better with age.”
“He’s still gorgeous, but now he’s got an air of confidence that’s sexy as hell. Not that I noticed.” Kris grinned.
“When are you going to see him again? Not as in ‘Hi neighbor’, but as in see him again.” Cassie asked.
“I’m not sure, he asked about tonight, but I couldn’t, obviously. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”
“I feel better, knowing someone is living next door to you. Especially since that someone is Nick. Wow, life can sure play tricks on you.” Cassie shook her head.
“I know, right? Just when you think you’ve got everything all figured out, BAM, something slaps you in the face.” Roni laughed. “At least this time, it was a good surprise.”
“That remains to be seen. I’m happy to know that he really is the man that I thought he was back then, but I’m not jumping into anything.” Kris sounded adamant.
“Well, at least jump into bed. You know you want to. Your dry spell has lasted longer than mine, and that’s saying something.” Roni said, and they all laughed.
“What about me, I’m living in the Sahara. I guess we’ll both have to live vicariously through Kris. Remember in collage, we didn’t see them for days at a time.” Cassie poured another glass of wine, settling in for a small torture session. She knew Roni would jump on board.
“How could I forget. Whenever they did surface, Kris had that dreamy look she gets and Nick always had a goofy grin on his face. Disgusting.” Roni and Cassie were just getting started. Kris decided to nip it before things got out of hand.
“We are so not discussing my sex life, then or now. Not that the subject applies now. What I mean is I am not jumping into bed with Nick. For goodness sake, I haven’t seen the man in ten years and only had one dinner and you two have us rolling around like monkeys. Whatever happens, it will happen slowly.”
“Slow is good.” Cassie grinned.
“Slow is real good.” Roni agreed. Their laughter was contagious, Kris couldn’t help but join in.
~~~~~
The drive home gave Kris time to think. No matter how wonderful it felt to have Nick back in her life, she knew that taking it slow was the right thing to do. She remembered the heat that exploded each time their eyes met over dinner last night. How she managed to keep her cool was anybody’s guess. She was still smiling as she gathered her things from the car. The lights were off next door, but Nick’s car was home. The thought of him sprawled out on the bed, covers scattered everywhere the way he always used to sleep, made her feel warm inside. Still smiling, she went to the trunk to retrieve her gun; South Carolina was serious about carrying concealed weapons without a proper license. The vision hit her as soon as she touched the gun case.
Her body was pressed against the wall, with barely a breath escaping. She gripped the cold, heavy, metal with both hands, tight against her chest but pointing into the darkness. The only light shimmered from a sliver of moon peeking through the kitchen blinds. The sounds of heavy breathing and soft footsteps were coming closer; she felt fear rise up as she stepped away from the wall and faced the dark figure. As the shot shattered the night, she felt as if she was falling.
Kris came to holding onto the back of the car for dear life. It had been months since she’d had a vision, and she had never had one about herself. Shaken, she quickly went into the house and locked the door behind her.
The darkness was strangely reminiscent of the scene from the vision. Moonlight streamed in through the curtain in the living room, not the kitchen window. It was still too early; the moon wouldn’t reach the other side of the house until almost morning. At least I have a timeline, Kris thought as she flipped on every light she passed. Pegasus jumped onto the coffee table, nearly giving her a heart attack. “Hey boy, sorry I’m so late. I bet you’d like a treat.” She tried to keep her voice even and her breathing under control. It wouldn’t help anything to freak out now. It was just a vision, it could mean nothing.
The vase of roses sitting dead center of the kitchen counter captured her attention as she flipped the kitchen light. “That’s funny, I thought I left those over there.” Kris looked at the counter directly above the garbage can. She had intended to trash the flowers, but never got around to it. She looked around, but nothing else was out of place. Peg was doing his puppy impression; following her around like she had a plate of food. He
seemed to wobble as he moved. “What’s the matter boy, did you miss me?” She asked as she filled his bowl. “You must have been hungry today, all of your food is gone.” He continued to dog her as she went upstairs to her room. After checking all of the rooms, Kris gathered him in her arms and stretched out on the bed. She needed the comfort.
She began to dissect the images and the feelings that slammed her outside. She had been having visions since she was a little girl. At first, she thought they were normal. It wasn’t until she told her Mother where to park so that the truck wouldn’t hit their car that she found out that they were anything but normal. Five minutes after she and her mom went into the grocery store, they heard screeching and the unmistakable sounds of a crash. They, like everyone else in the small town grocery, ran to the window. A semi was sitting in the very spot where her mom had almost parked. Cars on both sides of the space were crushed.
As she grew older, the visions became more frequent. The only consistent aspect was that they were always about someone else. The few friends and family who knew about them teased her about lottery numbers and stock picks, but they never doubted her warnings. Or her congratulations.
First, she tried to make sure that she was actually the one holding the gun in the vision. The fear was the same as in the dream and the house was definitely hers. The gun felt like hers, same weight, same grip. Did she get shot, or did she shoot? There was no pain before the falling sensation, but neither did she remember squeezing the trigger.
She bolted up from the bed, startling Pegasus who had almost fallen asleep. Where was the gun? She raced downstairs to find it right where she had left it, on the table in the foyer, next to her purse. As she opened the case and slid in the cartridge, she breathed just a little easier. She knew better to ignore her vision, too bad she couldn’t pinpoint more details. Like which night or who was shot. The longest period of time from vision to reality in the past was two months. Somehow, she didn’t feel that this one gave her that much time. “Forewarned is forearmed,” she told herself. Literally, she thought as she looked down at the gun. Maybe it was a warning to be more careful with the locks and to remember to use the alarm. Just like with the semi-truck incident, heeding her visions could change the outcome of events.
She set the alarm, double checked the locks on all the doors and windows, left the light on in the kitchen and went back upstairs. Her cell phone began ringing as she reached the top. Fortunately, it was still in her back pocket, not downstairs in her purse.
The word across the screen read ‘Restricted’. Normally she let those go to voice mail. Since it was too late for a sales call, she answered.
“Hello.”
Nothing.
“Hello,” she tried again with a bit more impatience in her voice. Still nothing. She disconnected the call. “Must be a wrong number,” she said aloud to Peg. He was less than interested. Kris got ready for bed while trying to ignore the shivers tap dancing up and down her spine.
~~~~~
Damien watched the lights go off in the house, one by one. All but the kitchen light. He held the phone close to his heart and imagined hearing her voice again. It had been a good day, but she had missed their dinner date again, which pissed him off, but not enough to spoil the day. Getting inside her house had been exhilarating. Once the damned cat stopped trying to kill him, he had enjoyed himself immensely. Getting that tranquilizer was a stroke of genius, he thought. It worked as advertised too; the damn cat didn’t know what hit it. Next time, he’d bring a pistol. Maybe a tranquilizer pistol and maybe one with bullets. It depended on Beauty. Either way, he wasn’t getting close to that animal again. He pulled the silky swatch of lace from his pocket and rubbed it against his cheek. She would feel like this, he thought. Smooth, cool, perfect. The undergarment was the only thing he had removed from the house, though he did rearrange the roses. He watched from the dunes for a few more minutes, before strolling back to his car. It was time to check the system.
The glow from the computer screen illuminated the front seat; if anyone was around they could surely see inside, even with the darkly tinted windows. As Kris’s bedroom came into view, he could make out the shape of her body on the bed. She was turned onto her side, Satan’s spawn curled up against her back.
As he watched, she rolled over and tucked the cat close. He could almost make out her facial features; too bad the camera didn’t have a zoom. He intended to place one in every room, tomorrow would be the living area. If he had known she would be late tonight, he could have placed more cameras today. He also had to wait for the bastard next door to leave. It wouldn’t do for him to notice Damien through the window.
It was only an hour later that he decided she had slept enough. He dialed her number again.
Kris reached for the phone on the bedside table without opening her eyes. “Hello,” her voice was almost a whisper.
Silence.
“Hello,” she said, louder this time. She opened her eyes to see the incoming number. Restricted. “Who is this,” she demanded.
More silence. Then the sounds of a soft chuckle chilled her to the bone. “Wake up, Sleeping Beauty. This is your Prince Charming.” The voice was deep and smooth, but too quiet to distinguish. Cringing from the man’s menacing tone, she quickly disconnected the call.
Her whole body was shaking; she slipped her hand beneath the pillow next to her. The gun was still there. She noted the time, 12:45. She had barely fallen asleep before the phone rang; her vision had left her on edge which made going to sleep difficult. Now this.
She turned the phone on vibrate and slid it beneath the pillow, next to the SIG. She lay in the dark, trying to calm her heartbeat and slow her breathing. You’re home, you’re safe, she chanted softly. The alarm is set, the doors are locked. Nick is right next door. Peg is here too. Everything is fine. She talked to herself for over an hour before she drifted off to sleep. She never even heard the vibrating phone.
Hours later, she woke up screaming. Images of the same long hallway, the same blazing movie, still with Nick added to the cast, replayed in her mind. On trembling legs, she went to the bathroom sink and splashed water on her face. Thank God tomorrow is Saturday, she thought, I can at least sleep in.
It was some time before she fell back into a dreamless sleep, Pegasus curled close beside her.
Chapter Eleven
It was nearly ten a.m. before Kris dragged herself out of bed. Thank goodness it’s Saturday, she thought as she splashed water on her face. She slept fitfully at best, but not for long enough at a stretch for the dream to come. “Blessing in disguise,” she mumbled as she made her way down the stairs.
A short time later, she stood on the back porch, drinking coffee while watching the gulls dive-bomb the sand. Even though she knew that something was going on, everything always looked better in the daylight. Should I call the police, she wondered. No, after all, what would she tell them? ‘Officer, I had a crank call after a vision and someone sent me roses.’ She could hear them laughing now. Okay, no police, not yet. “I could tell Nick,” she whispered. He knew about her visions, and used to respect them. Surely he hadn’t changed that much. But what could he do? And did she really want to involve him in her drama? No, she thought, get to know him again before you drag him into the crazy.
She jumped slightly as a noise came from outside the porch. Someone was hammering something. She ambled back inside for another cup of coffee and couldn’t resist looking out of the living room window to see what was going on. Nick had his back to her house as he repeatedly hit a board stretched across two wooden horses. Wearing only a pair of khaki shorts, the sun glistened off of his bare back as his mu
scles moved in rhythm with the hammer. She felt the familiar heat work its way up and down her body as she watched him. Mercy, she thought, the man looked as good going as he did coming.
Almost as if he felt her eyes on him, Nick turned and looked straight in the window. Kris jumped back, grateful that her coffee cup was empty. She knew he couldn’t see her, the sheers were closed and the lights were off. Besides, the sun had to be in his eyes when he was facing this direction. Feeling a little guilty for watching him, she quickly went into the kitchen. She heard the hammering start up again.
~~~~~
Nick could swear that Kris was behind him, but when he turned, he was still alone. “Must be wishful thinking,” he mumbled to himself. He returned his attention to the board he was distressing. Not only was beating the hell out of it therapeutic, he would eventually have a nice table for the deck. Made with his own two hands. Being the CFO of an international insurance firm didn’t give him a lot of time to work on projects like this. When the company sold and his stock tripled, he decided to take an extended leave and try to find some enjoyment in his life again. It was the best decision he had ever made. It had led him back to Kris.
Just thinking about her made his heart beat faster. It was all he could do to not go over there, grab her up and take her straight to bed. It had been too long since he held her. Really held her, and loved her the way she was meant to be loved. They fit together perfectly, always had; the years hadn’t changed that, he was sure of it.
He replaced the board with another one, same length, same width. As he pounded away at the treated wood, he was grateful for the outlet.
~~~~~
“What did that board ever do to you?” Nick stopped mid-strike and turned to watch Kris saunter toward him. Wearing jeans and a t-shirt, the woman looked like sin on a bun. He had missed her long legs the other night; they were covered up by the fullness of the long skirt. He eagerly reached for the cold bottle of water she had in her outstretched hand.
“As it happens, this board will join with the rest of them to make one fine, vintage-inspired outdoor table.” He nodded at the pile of distressed lumber before downing half the water.