Somewhere I'll Find You (11 page)

Only Michael couldn’t tell her, and that bothered him.  For the first time in many years
,
he wanted to tell the truth
. . . all of it . . . and let the rules be damned.  A low, bitter laugh escaped.  The problem was
,
he didn’t have the answers.  Whoever had taken the shot had meant only to scare them.  If it had been a professional, Michael thought grimly,
one or both of them would be l
ying in pools of blood
, and he couldn’t have done anything about it
.

Turning at the sound of
Paige’s
footsteps on the stairs, he carefully schooled his face
even as he appreciated the view before him
. 
Her
dark hair swept low across her jawline, her amber eyes seeking his.  Soft denim
now
covered her legs, while a sweater the color of plums hugged every curve.

In her absence, he had
quickly returned to his rental and his
overnight bag now occup
ied
a space near the stairs.  Seeing the direction of her glance, he carefully shrugged his shoulder. 
“
You might say that I’m a man who plans for the unexpected.”

“I hope th
at doesn’t include staying here,” she cut in coldly.
 
“
The storm has let up enough for you to safely reach your hotel.  I see no reason for you to . . .”

“No reason?” His voice was deadly quiet, his eyes flaring with disbelief.  “You . . . we’ve been shot at.  Unless you called the constables while you were upstairs . . .”

“Police,” she corrected absently.  “They are called police in my country.  And I can assure you that I’m quite capable of taking care of myself.
  I have no need to involve the authorities.
”

“Really?” he asked dryly.  “Then perhaps I need you to take care of me.  In the meantime, I can bunk on the sofa if it will make you feel more at ease.  But rest assured
,
it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve slept in my car.  Either way, I’m not leaving you unprotected until this is settled.
”

A movement at the window caught his attention as curtains fluttered.  For a moment, he sensed something . . . or someone . . . in the room
,
aside from Paige.
 
But there’s nothing there
… I’m
jumping at nothing again.
 
Michael drew a deep breath and exhaled it, barely resisting the urge to draw his hands wearily over his face.
  I need a shower and a drink – possibly not in that order.
 
Shrugging
his shoulders,
he turned
to grab his valise.
 
There’s nothing there but shadows, in this house full of secrets.  Are they her secrets, I wonder, or is there something else going on here?  If it concerns her, it concerns me – but if not …
He scowled and turned for the stairs
, pausing as he caught sight of the stubborn scowl on Paige’s face
.
 
In response, h
is eyes locked
with hers
as
he tilted his head, intending to stare her down.

A dim gleam lit the room just beyond the shadows of the firelight
, a low, humming light which neither Paige nor Michael could see as their eyes locked in silent battle
.  The light twisted, rising in a swirling stream. 

Again, Erik Fletcher stood
, watching grimly. 
Blast it, what is going on here?

Shoving away the sense that he was intruding on a matter
that
did not concern him, Erik focused on the tangible tension in the strange man before him.  His keen dark eyes narrowed on M
i
chael’s back as the man turned for the stairs.
 
There’s danger all arou
nd – and this man knows it, too. 
Frowning, Erik thought once more of the image that had called out to him the night before.  Shaking his head, the ghost cursed softly before breaking out into bitter laughter, soundless to all but him. 
I don’t see why
I’m
being called to step in
.
 
It isn’t as if there’s anything
I
can do …
But his mirth was drawn to a swift halt
at the sound of Argo’s growling, and on the heels of that sound, the room chilled even to Erik’s non-corporeal form as approaching danger threatened his beloved home … and the woman who now lived there.
 
Even Argo senses it.  There’s no help for it, then.  I have to lend my aid.

The spirit knew the limits of his power, but
he knew he had to do something …
even it was simply by influence rather than physical change.  But
,
outside of the house and its immediate grounds, he was only allowed to visit places that he had known in life.  Places that
,
ages ago
,
had lost their appeal.

Still, I’m not quite helpless.
I have to get these two to work together, but how do I work that miracle?
He considered his options carefully before smiling faintly. 
They always said that music soothes the savage beast
;
perhaps a little distraction is in order.
  Glancing down at the dog, he briskly snapped his fingers, “Come on
,
old boy, it’s time we
performed
some special effects of our own.”  Unnoticed by the two that glared at each other, the light, and Erik, gradually faded from the room.

It was the sound of music that
broke the stalemate between Michael and Paige.  Exchanging puzzled glances, the
y
listened to the soft sound of as an o
ld love song filled
the room.  It was a
melody that
seemed to bring back emotions of a love that soared
past all earthly restraints
– of twin souls finding their way to each other.  Paige watched in disbelief as
her hand came away from the ba
nister to reach out for Michael.  For a moment, her mind struggled against the notion that she would
ever
reach for a man like him and then . . .

Between one beat and the next, the house went utterly
black, even while the music continued to play.

Michael cursed fluently
, exploring his command of Russian and then French, before settling into English
.  Outside of the light from the fireplace, the room was pitch dark.

Finding her way to his side, Paige shook her head in confusion.  “What’s happening now?”

“I don’t know,” he answered harshly, “but I’m sure in the hell going to find out.”

Reaching out, Paige found herself clutching at shadows.  “You’re not leaving me here alone.  I’m coming with you.”

Silence was her only answer.

Inching into the kitchen, Michael was grateful for the thorough reconnaissance he had done of the house earlier.  The basement door stood to his right, and the stairs, although old, were in decent enough condition not to betray him when he edged his way down.  Mentally, he ran through the limited number of passageways, remembering the location of the antiquated fuse box.  He was easing down the final step when he heard his name whispered softly
from no more than an inch away from his ear
.

“Angel,” he hissed, “why in the hell didn’t you stay where it was safe?”

Her voice was a wisp of a sound.  “Because this is my home, and I’m not about to wait
around
while you discover who or what is down here.”

A creaking sound to their right had his fingers tightening on her hand.  “Stay
put!”

“But you can’t possibly know . . .”

“Stay!”

Grinding her teeth, Paige glared into the close blackness, knowing the direction of his path even though she hadn’t felt him slip away.  “
Woof
,”
she muttered under her breath.  “Well, forget you, Michael Sinclair.  I’
m not the well-trained little lady you seem to want of me.”

Crouching in the darkness, the unwelcome idea of death and betrayal crept into her thoughts, bringing with them whispers of ghosts, past and present.  Of a sad and lonely man named Erik Fletcher.

But even as Paige shook the thoughts away, he
r senses were screaming while her nerves stretched to breaking point
.  The hiss of a match being struck perhaps fifteen feet ahead of her made Paige jump; through
the neatly stacked
r
ows of bottles, she could
ma
ke
out a shadowed figure bent over one of the wine racks. 

She was inching closer when s
he heard bone strike flesh, and a moment later, t
he wine racks shivered with the impact of that blow. But there were no sounds, no voices at all. 

Only
later,
would Paige realize t
he significance of that silence; it was
the mark of two professionals who gave nothing away
even in the direst circumstances.

Paige didn’t stop to think of what to do next.  In her mind, she recalled each and every inch of the basement. 
There’s three rows of claret here, and a row of Madeira beyond that…
The muffled thud of bodies grew louder as Paige worked through the darkness.  She felt the ridge of wood at her feet, a small wooden step stool pushed out of reach
of the battling men
.

Perfect!  It’s still here …
Her hands closed around the heavy wooden legs.  It would be h
efty
enough to strike a stunning b
low …
if only she could figure out where Michael was.

She took a deep breath just as she heard a painful gasp break the silence.  Close by, a harsh voice, raw with pain, grated out a grunting curse.  By the sound, she knew that Michael was close by, near another rack.  She waited, praying
,
before throwing the stool with all her strength.