Visions
Page 103
“Olivia,” he called. “We need to go.”
“I’ll be right—” I began, but James yanked me back.
“He’s dangerous,” he said.
I sighed. “Yes, I know. I got the file and your message. It doesn’t matter. I—”
“No, Liv. You don’t understand. Walsh has a plan. An agenda. He’s going to use you, and he’s going to hurt you. He’s a psychopath. You know that, don’t you? Will Evans tried to warn you.”
“Will Evans helped cover up the murder of his own son. He lied about Gabriel to cover—”
“Evans didn’t kill anyone. He got caught up in—” James shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. You need to believe me. I’ve been warned about Walsh, what he’ll do to you.”
“By who?”
“Men who know what they’re talking about. Men who can give us what we want, you and me, the kind of life we want.”
I tugged from his grip. “Are they Cwn Annwn or Tylwyth Teg?”
“What?” His face screwed up.
“They’re lying. That’s what they do. Tell lies and sell dreams. You need—”
“Olivia?”
I glanced over the balcony. Gabriel tapped his watch.
“We have work to do,” he called.
“Coming,” I called back.
I started for the door. James grabbed my arm. I yanked, but he yanked back, pulling me off my feet. I hit the wall, the wind knocked out of me, and I struggled to my feet, staring at him.
“What the hell are you doing?” I said.
“Protecting you,” he said, advancing.
He caught my arm as it swung to ward him off. He dragged me to the balcony railing, and then there was no railing and I was standing on a ledge outside Gabriel’s apartment, fifty-five stories above the street. Below, I could just barely make out the Jag, under a streetlight, and Gabriel beside it, his arms waving.
“Olivia!” His shout reached me. “No!”
James gave me a tremendous shove, and I went over the edge.
CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
I jolted upright in bed, shouting, “No!”
Beside me, I heard a gasp as Gabriel leapt from his chair, eyes wide, fists raised.
We stared at each other for a second, both yanked from sleep.
I recovered first and laughed softly. “Well, I’m glad I was out of punching range when I woke you this time.” I’d made the mistake of waking him once, when he’d slept on my couch.
He rubbed his face and fell back into the chair. “Did you cry out?” he said.
“Hmm, I think so. Bad dreams.”
“What about?”
I stifled a yawn as I stretched. “I was arguing with James about you, something about what he said yesterday, and . . .” I shook my head. “That’s all I remember.”
“How do you feel?”
“Like a train ran me over, followed by a steamroller and then a herd of wild horses.”
I shifted to get comfortable and winced as every muscle screamed in a wave that threatened to knock me back onto the bed again. Gabriel rose and pushed pillows behind my back to keep me upright. He reached for a water pitcher on the bed-stand, saying the doctor wanted me drinking as much as I could.
I resisted the urge to joke about his nursing skills. If I did, he’d be back in that chair in a second, and I wanted to hold on to this a little longer, these few moments where he wasn’t quite fully awake. I watched him pouring the water, hair tumbling forward, face smooth, gaze open. That’s when I noticed the gouges under his dark stubble.
“Ouch. Did I do that?” I reached out, fingers stopping an inch from his cheek. Look, don’t touch.
He pulled a face. “Just a scratch. You were delirious.” He handed me the glass of water. “Drink up.”
Rose appeared in the doorway. When she saw us, she started to retreat. I would have let her, but Gabriel turned as if sensing someone there. He paused and it seemed as if he was going to pretend he hadn’t noticed her, but then he cleared his throat and called, “Rose?”
She returned.
“I was going to ask Olivia what she remembers from her vision at the house,” he said. “You should be here for that.”
“I’ll make tea and toast,” she said. “Get some food in you.”
I wanted to tell her yes, go on, give us a few more minutes alone, but my eyelids were flagging, lethargy pulling me under. “We’d better do this now, before I fall asleep again. I don’t want to forget it.”
—
I told them about the vision. When I finished, Rose left, saying she’d check her books.
“I’ll see what I can find online,” Gabriel said to me when she was gone.
“I can do—” I couldn’t stifle a yawn, then tried again. “I can do that.”
“Normally, I would be quite happy to let you,” he said. “Right now, the best thing you can do is sleep.”
“We need to talk about the rest first. About Cainsville. Rose has to know.” I glanced over. “If she doesn’t already.”
Gabriel’s expression betrayed him then, a tightening of his lips, and I knew this was the part he’d been dreading. Not telling Rose about Cainsville, but finding out how much she already knew. How much she’d kept from him.
“I can do that,” I said. “Why don’t you go get some rest—”
“I’m fine.”
“Clothing, then.” I glanced down at the satin chemise wrapped around me. “While this is lovely, I really should . . .” Another yawn.
“Take a minute,” Gabriel said, tugging the pillow out from under me so I slid down onto the bed.
I struggled to smile. “Thought you weren’t allowed to say that.”
“Only when I don’t mean it. Close your eyes.”
“Just for a moment,” I said, my lids dropping as if obeying a summons.
I fell asleep.
—
I awoke to find myself staring into a pair of eyes. Yellow eyes.
“TC?” I croaked, lifting my head from the pillow.
He blinked in response.
“I brought him over,” Gabriel said from the chair. “I was picking up your clothing, and he seemed concerned about you. I thought he might help you feel better.”
“I’ll be right—” I began, but James yanked me back.
“He’s dangerous,” he said.
I sighed. “Yes, I know. I got the file and your message. It doesn’t matter. I—”
“No, Liv. You don’t understand. Walsh has a plan. An agenda. He’s going to use you, and he’s going to hurt you. He’s a psychopath. You know that, don’t you? Will Evans tried to warn you.”
“Will Evans helped cover up the murder of his own son. He lied about Gabriel to cover—”
“Evans didn’t kill anyone. He got caught up in—” James shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. You need to believe me. I’ve been warned about Walsh, what he’ll do to you.”
“By who?”
“Men who know what they’re talking about. Men who can give us what we want, you and me, the kind of life we want.”
I tugged from his grip. “Are they Cwn Annwn or Tylwyth Teg?”
“What?” His face screwed up.
“They’re lying. That’s what they do. Tell lies and sell dreams. You need—”
“Olivia?”
I glanced over the balcony. Gabriel tapped his watch.
“We have work to do,” he called.
“Coming,” I called back.
I started for the door. James grabbed my arm. I yanked, but he yanked back, pulling me off my feet. I hit the wall, the wind knocked out of me, and I struggled to my feet, staring at him.
“What the hell are you doing?” I said.
“Protecting you,” he said, advancing.
He caught my arm as it swung to ward him off. He dragged me to the balcony railing, and then there was no railing and I was standing on a ledge outside Gabriel’s apartment, fifty-five stories above the street. Below, I could just barely make out the Jag, under a streetlight, and Gabriel beside it, his arms waving.
“Olivia!” His shout reached me. “No!”
James gave me a tremendous shove, and I went over the edge.
CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
I jolted upright in bed, shouting, “No!”
Beside me, I heard a gasp as Gabriel leapt from his chair, eyes wide, fists raised.
We stared at each other for a second, both yanked from sleep.
I recovered first and laughed softly. “Well, I’m glad I was out of punching range when I woke you this time.” I’d made the mistake of waking him once, when he’d slept on my couch.
He rubbed his face and fell back into the chair. “Did you cry out?” he said.
“Hmm, I think so. Bad dreams.”
“What about?”
I stifled a yawn as I stretched. “I was arguing with James about you, something about what he said yesterday, and . . .” I shook my head. “That’s all I remember.”
“How do you feel?”
“Like a train ran me over, followed by a steamroller and then a herd of wild horses.”
I shifted to get comfortable and winced as every muscle screamed in a wave that threatened to knock me back onto the bed again. Gabriel rose and pushed pillows behind my back to keep me upright. He reached for a water pitcher on the bed-stand, saying the doctor wanted me drinking as much as I could.
I resisted the urge to joke about his nursing skills. If I did, he’d be back in that chair in a second, and I wanted to hold on to this a little longer, these few moments where he wasn’t quite fully awake. I watched him pouring the water, hair tumbling forward, face smooth, gaze open. That’s when I noticed the gouges under his dark stubble.
“Ouch. Did I do that?” I reached out, fingers stopping an inch from his cheek. Look, don’t touch.
He pulled a face. “Just a scratch. You were delirious.” He handed me the glass of water. “Drink up.”
Rose appeared in the doorway. When she saw us, she started to retreat. I would have let her, but Gabriel turned as if sensing someone there. He paused and it seemed as if he was going to pretend he hadn’t noticed her, but then he cleared his throat and called, “Rose?”
She returned.
“I was going to ask Olivia what she remembers from her vision at the house,” he said. “You should be here for that.”
“I’ll make tea and toast,” she said. “Get some food in you.”
I wanted to tell her yes, go on, give us a few more minutes alone, but my eyelids were flagging, lethargy pulling me under. “We’d better do this now, before I fall asleep again. I don’t want to forget it.”
—
I told them about the vision. When I finished, Rose left, saying she’d check her books.
“I’ll see what I can find online,” Gabriel said to me when she was gone.
“I can do—” I couldn’t stifle a yawn, then tried again. “I can do that.”
“Normally, I would be quite happy to let you,” he said. “Right now, the best thing you can do is sleep.”
“We need to talk about the rest first. About Cainsville. Rose has to know.” I glanced over. “If she doesn’t already.”
Gabriel’s expression betrayed him then, a tightening of his lips, and I knew this was the part he’d been dreading. Not telling Rose about Cainsville, but finding out how much she already knew. How much she’d kept from him.
“I can do that,” I said. “Why don’t you go get some rest—”
“I’m fine.”
“Clothing, then.” I glanced down at the satin chemise wrapped around me. “While this is lovely, I really should . . .” Another yawn.
“Take a minute,” Gabriel said, tugging the pillow out from under me so I slid down onto the bed.
I struggled to smile. “Thought you weren’t allowed to say that.”
“Only when I don’t mean it. Close your eyes.”
“Just for a moment,” I said, my lids dropping as if obeying a summons.
I fell asleep.
—
I awoke to find myself staring into a pair of eyes. Yellow eyes.
“TC?” I croaked, lifting my head from the pillow.
He blinked in response.
“I brought him over,” Gabriel said from the chair. “I was picking up your clothing, and he seemed concerned about you. I thought he might help you feel better.”
