Revisited (Redemption Series) (20 page)

“I’m sure it wasn’t your idea.”

“Not at all.” Lily attended to the nearby machine as it beeped and the spinning stopped. She took a sample from each vial and placed it on a microscope slide. “I ended up being able to work on the creation of several vaccines and traveled extensively before I went back for my master’s degree. That’s how I ended up as the head of research and development for Manchester. We did so much. It’s still a tad overwhelming to think about how many lives have been affected by the work we’ve done.”

“The work
you
did.” Ryan took one of the slides from her hand and placed it under the microscope.

“Yes,
I
did.” She smiled as she peered through the microscope. The sight of the cells on the slide brought all her training and experience to the forefront of her mind. The procedure was almost rote when she went about mixing each element in precision. Marla’s white cells, Monte’s red cells, and Lionel’s plasma bonded together, forming the perfect essence of life.

The sight of the tube holding this special mixture gave her a tremendous sense of pride. All the months of trial and error forty years before made the process that day so much simpler.

“Will it work?” Ryan asked, placing the vial in a secure refrigerator.

“Only one way to find out.”

As Becca slept beside him, dressed in a shirt made of thin, gauze-like material, which showed her creamy skin underneath, Gideon eyed her intently. The dip at the base of Becca’s spine enticed him to spread warm, wet kisses there. He ran his fingertips up and down her backbone and stopped once he came to the crescent shaped scar in the middle of her back. The methods Gideon had utilized over the years to keep her in his life brimmed to the surface of his mind and he was taken back to the first day he met his Rebecca.

Gideon had just taken over a police detective with the Boston PD in the hopes of getting some more information about The Manchester Group. Little did he know he was about to hit the jackpot.

“Hey, Campman? Is that you?”

Gideon turned to another detective as he approached. He rolled his eyes internally at the happy expression the detective wore. “Yeah. How’s it going?” Gideon asked the man, his identity a mystery.

“Great. I just transferred back to this division. God, what’s it been . . . nine years?”

“About that.” Gideon nodded as the detective put a hand on his shoulder.

“Man, that was a tough time back then. It’s obvious Max is still missed around here.”

Gideon had no idea what the man was talking about and was about to make an excuse to leave when the detective spoke up again.

“You know Anne’s been working over at Manchester since then. Thank God, I know she wouldn’t have survived for long on Max’s benefits.” The detective laughed a little at his own joke.

“I haven’t seen her in ages.” Gideon’s interest was piqued and he wanted to know more. “You wouldn’t happen to have her number? I’d like to get back in touch with her.”

The happy detective came through and after a few more moments of casual conversation, Gideon left with Anne Swift’s phone number.

With a little research, Gideon discovered the man he had entered used to be partners with Maxwell Swift, who had been killed in the line of duty and left his young wife, Anne, behind. After Max’s death, she went to work for The Manchester Group as a records clerk. 

Gideon was sure that was not her official title and decided to find the truth. He set up a meeting with her as Campman. They arranged to meet at a small restaurant. Campman didn’t show, but Gideon did. He quickly took over Anne’s body.

Gideon went to Anne’s apartment where a portly woman greeted him at the door.

“She’s had her bath and her homework is done. There’s a list of books on the fridge she needs to choose from and read to get her reading grade up. Sorry, but I’ve got to run.” The woman kissed each of Anne’s cheeks and took off.

Gideon searched Anne’s memories, trying to figure out what the woman could possibly be talking about, when he saw someone peek up from the couch.

“Hi, Mommy,” a little voice called.

Gideon sat on the couch in complete awe of the small creature, all of about eight years old, who sat beside him. He could tell she was his complete opposite. She was beautifully innocent and he was immediately enamored with the purity of her spirit.

“Hi . . .” He cleared his throat, giving himself a second to find the little girl’s name in Anne’s memory. “Rebecca.”

“Mommy, am I in trouble?” Her tiny brow furrowed in worry.

“No. Why?”

“You only call me Rebecca if I’m in trouble. I’m always just Becca.”

Gideon laughed. “No trouble. Just a Rebecca day. How was school?”

At that point, Gideon realized he would never live another day without thinking about the irresistible goodness within her. 

Gideon felt Anne’s body weaken over the months he inhabited her. When he knew he could no longer remain in her body, he wiped her memory and walked away. He watched Anne and Becca from afar for weeks before Anne died. He had never before regretted taking over a body, but when Anne passed away because of what his presence did to her, Gideon felt overwhelming remorse. From that moment on, he became bound and determined to make it up to the little girl whose mother he had taken away.

Over the years, he watched Becca become a young woman. As much as Gideon had cherished her as a child, he adored her even more as an adult. She was strong, independent, and breathtakingly beautiful.

Several failed attempts at winning her favor had left Gideon frustrated and had him reverting to his evil ways. When he learned she had moved to Portland, he made the city his home base.

The decision to become a serial killer had served more than one purpose. It gave him the intense satisfaction of squeezing the life out of weak humans and gained Becca’s complete attention. By some twist of fate, Abe came to him, pleading for information. Gideon promised his full cooperation, but only if Becca met him face to face.

Without hesitation, Gideon assimilated Abe’s body and took Becca for his own, torturing her in the process. In those weeks, he saw how strong and unwaveringly brave she was. It made him want her even more, to devour everything she was and make her his forever. He wanted the image of Abe hurting her in those horrific ways burned into her brain. In Gideon’s mind, Abe was in no way worthy of her. His attempts at ridding Abe from her life were successful, but at Gideon’s own peril. He became selfish and wanted a part of his own body inside of her, which gave Abe the slight opportunity to take her away.

Gideon promised himself his next plan would not fail, and after two years of waiting, although it hadn’t turned out as expected, Gideon now had Becca at his side. He raised Becca’s shirt from her back and placed a soft kiss on her scar. “We will be together,” he whispered. “No one can stop me now.”

Jefferson walked toward Becca and Ian’s room with a tray full of delicacies.

A soft knock at their door caused a slight commotion on the other side.

“Jefferson?” Gideon asked. 

The caretaker smiled and wondered why Ian was surprised. “Ah, I saw the two of you didn’t make it down for the meal. Both of you need to keep your strength up, so I brought the food to you.” Jefferson lifted his brow and smiled.

“Of course.” 

Gideon opened the door wide enough for Jefferson to step through. 

“But please be quiet. Becca’s still sleeping.”

“Not a problem, Ian.” Jefferson set the tray down on the small table.

Gideon made sure Becca was in a deep sleep, then turned back to Jefferson.

Don’t you dare!
Ian shouted, realizing what Gideon aimed to do with Jefferson.
He’s an innocent.

Gideon disregarded Ian’s inner musings. Feeling antsy in the waning hours and overcome with a desire to stretch, he felt the need to slip into a new skin for a while. One touch later, and Ian’s body dropped to the floor as Gideon passed to Jefferson.

Gideon stretched his new arms above his head and cracked his neck before picking Ian up. He placed him on the bed next to Becca, hoping she was out for the night. He gazed at the sight of the two bodies side by side. It made him uncomfortable to see her with someone besides himself, but he had promised never to hurt her again. Knowing he needed to sate his desires elsewhere, he grabbed Ian’s cell phone and slipped out the door in search of an adventure.

“Becca?” a faint whisper called to her as she sat beneath a large shady tree.

“Over here,” Becca called and dipped her toes in and out of the cool stream below. She looked around and noticed she was sitting in her favorite spot in Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden in Portland.

Ian slid down beside her. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

Becca smiled and placed a kiss on his cheek. “If you ever lose me, this is where I’ll be.”

“I can’t ever lose you. Not now.” Ian took her in his arms and held on for dear life.

“What’s wrong?” She tried to squirm out of his embrace, but he only held her tighter.

“I don’t know how much time I have. I’m not sure if he’ll know what’s going on in a dream.”