There would be more, she knew, in the future—as there had been in the past.
She was due to go into the academy in about a week.
She was exactly where she wanted to be.
Griffin had vacation time on his hands; they could have gone anywhere. But they didn’t want to go away. They wanted to settle in. She’d have to be in training soon, and then their time together would be limited. It was wonderful to stay home, to add her touches to the apartment, to go to sleep every night at Griffin’s side, to wake there every morning.
While the end of the Poe murders case had been terrifying, it had also taught her that she was really ready for the Krewe, and that she was ahead of the game. She knew so many things already that were incredibly important. It wasn’t just all right to be frightened—it was smart. Fear kept one alert, aware—and prepared. It was all right to rely on other people. That was what Krewe members did—they had one another’s backs. She didn’t have to be a power unto herself.
And she and Griffin could make it with both of them being agents; it was fine, too, that you feared for your partner. That was human. How you learned to use your fear was paramount.
She woke up one beautiful fall morning in his arms and marveled at the way her life had changed, and how that change had really begun so many, many years ago; it had begun when a serial killer had first come after a young woman who was babysitting and the spirit of the baby’s brother had been so strong, he wouldn’t let harm come to them.
She’d learned to speak with the dead. And now she knew that talent meant so much, had an important purpose.
She smiled, rolling slightly to her side.
The dead, of course, could really be a pain in the ass!
But for now Dylan and Darlene were back up with the Ballantine family. Dylan would do what he had always done—spend his time between watching after his mom, dad and brother—and Vickie.
He had the train schedules down pat. He far preferred the train to flying!
She suddenly felt warm and she realized that Griffin was awake, that he was watching her. He smiled slowly. “And...you’re smiling because you’re thinking of me?” he asked.
“Of course,” she murmured.
“Liar.”
“Okay, I was thinking about the kids.”
“The kids? Our kids? Are we having kids? How many?”
“Well, I’d like to think that we will at one point, but at the moment, I was thinking of Dylan and Darlene.”
“Lovely. And I thought that smile was for me.”
“Oh, but it was, you see. I was thinking how wonderful it was that we have absolute privacy since the kids are up with Dylan’s family.”
“Ah.”
“And you’re looking stern and perplexed,” Vickie said.
“Sadly, I was thinking that I’ve just got you moved in—and you’ll be moving out. To the academy.”
“We won’t be far away.”
“The academy is serious,” he said.
“I know.” She stroked his face, as always slightly amazed that he was the man he was—and that he loved her so deeply.
“So...to that end!” She rose suddenly, straddling him. “I’m all settled in, the apartment is quite in order and, therefore, we need to use our time to the very best advantage!”
He smiled, reaching up, and lowered her against him.
There was such an incredible spark of heat and urgency just in the touch of their naked skin.
Especially when a man and woman were aware of just how fleeting life could be, and just how fragile all that was created of bone and blood was.
It was hours later before they rose; these days were definitely precious days.
And it was late afternoon when Vickie stepped out onto the back porch, surprised to see that they had a visitor there, a man with dark soulful eyes, who sat on one of the antique wicker rocking chairs there and looked out on the beauty of the lawn and the trees that stretched out before him.
He rose, seeing Vickie.
“Edgar! What are you doing here?” she asked him.
He smiled very slowly, studying her, and then she realized that his smile was somewhat sad.
“I’ve come to say thank you and goodbye,” he told her.
“Well, you already thanked me, and we did say goodbye,” she told him. “I’m afraid that there is no historical board who will say that what I saw happen to you was the truth, that history can be rewritten to change what it says.”
“It doesn’t matter—I know. And those I loved, well... I’m not with them yet, but they know. Maybe the truth is just something that we need to have for ourselves, and truth is what we see in our hearts or souls. Not sure if I have a heart these days, but I know I have a soul.”
“A beautiful soul,” Vickie assured him.
Griffin came out to the porch; he stood behind Vickie, his hands on her shoulders, drawing her back against him.
“Mr. Poe,” he said.
“I’ve come to say a final farewell. It’s time that I take my own dark journey, ever praying for the light. Having belief in the beauty of both life and death, and leaving behind the shroud that seemed to cover me while I drew breath.”
“Oh!” Vickie said.
He walked to her, taking her hand, kissing the knuckles with a breath. He looked at Griffin where he stood behind her. “Know, sir, that you hold in your hands the most precious of all lovers, a sweet Lenore—none of my sirens who would taunt and tease but a brilliant beauty encompassing the purest love of the greatest light.”
Griffin smiled. “I’m not at all sure I could say it that way, but rest assured, my friend, that I do indeed cherish this woman with every bit of life and breath within me.”
Poe nodded, pleased. Vickie smiled.
And then he stepped away.
It was that time of day when the sun was just beginning to set. When streaks of gold tore through a sky that was pink and mauve, both pastel and brilliant.
Poe smiled a jaunty smile, tipped his hat and started off the porch.
And for once, Vickie thought, he walked entirely into light.
The sun seemed to flare; he was gone.
For a moment, she and Griffin just stood there. And then she turned into his arms and told him, “Poet or no, my love, that was quite beautiful.”
“Thank you,” he told her, and kissed her lips. He looked off into the yard. “I pray he finds peace,” he said. Griffin set an arm around her shoulders to lead her back into the house.
But he paused, and she looked at him, and he shrugged a bit sheepishly.
“‘Quoth the raven,’” he said. “‘Nevermore!’”
* * * * *
“Graham is a master at world building and her latest is a thrilling, dark and deadly tale of romantic suspense.”
—Booklist, starred review, on Haunted Destiny
If you loved Dark Rites, make sure to catch up on the complete Krewe of Hunters series, featuring the FBI’s elite team of paranormal investigators:
Phantom Evil
Heart of Evil
Sacred Evil
The Evil Inside
The Unseen
The Unholy
The Unspoken
The Uninvited
The Night Is Watching
The Night Is Alive
The Night Is Forever
The Cursed
The Hexed
The Betrayed
The Silenced
The Forgotten
The Hidden
Haunted Destiny
Deadly Fate
Darkest Journey
Dying Breath
Dark Rites
Wicked Deeds
“Exceptional character development and worldbuilding...suspenseful elements that will leave you guess
ing until the end.”
—RT Book Reviews on Darkest Journey
Looking for more suspenseful reads from New York Times bestselling author Heather Graham? Don’t miss out on the New York Confidential series, packed with deadly intrigue, exhilarating romance and heart-pounding suspense:
Flawless
A Perfect Obsession
“Intricate, fast-paced, and intense.”
—Library Journal, starred review, on Flawless
Discover the electrifying Cafferty & Quinn series, where an antiques collector and a private investigator are drawn together in New Orleans as they investigate the city’s most unusual crimes:
Let the Dead Sleep
Waking the Dead
The Dead Play On
“Dark, dangerous and deadly! Graham has the uncanny ability to bring her books to life.”
—RT Book Reviews on Waking the Dead
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ISBN-13: 9781460398852
Wicked Deeds
Copyright © 2017 by Heather Graham Pozzessere
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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Heather Graham, Wicked Deeds
(Series: Krewe of Hunters # 23)
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