The Power (25 page)

“What the hell? Who are you? What are you doing?”
Troy had shouted as she had slammed him up against the side of the car, but then his dark eyes fell upon her, and he recognized her face. “Miss. Lillian.” he had said with a grin, and his disoriented eyes had begun to look around him. “Where are we?”

“Walking home.” she had said, and she had jerked him forward by his shoulder, only to have the boy fall to his knees and vomit on her boots. It had been difficult, but she had managed to push, shove
, and pull Troy back to the manor that night, where Reginald had fussed over the boy and called his mother to let the woman know that Troy was safe. When Troy had awoken on the sofa the next morning, he had asked his grandfather over Lillian. Reginald, seeing that the boy needed some guidance, had pleaded with Lillian to give the boy a job as Lillian’s gardener. It had been push and pull over the next three years with Troy working as Lillian’s gardener, attending NYU and still longing to play with the boys. Troy hadn’t known through those years of the truth concerning Lillian, but as smart as Troy Meisner was he soon discovered everything.

“You helped me and my family more than you will ever know.”
Troy said, rubbing her arms curiously. What was this? Lillian stepped back. Troy smiled awkwardly. He lowered his dark head, but she could feel in him what she had never bothered to search for before. He was in love with her! Shocked, she took a step back.

“Troy.” she backed further away.

“Don’t worry, Lillian.” Troy smiled as he lifted his head, but his eyes were liquid. “I know you can read it of me, what I feel for you, what I’ve felt for years.” he chuckled in sarcastic amusement. “It about killed me when you told us the story of your Jack.” he met her gaze. She could hear his heart pumping in strong determination, could feel his anguish.

“I did not wish to cause you pain.” she said, feeling guilty for something she knew she could have no control over.

“I know that.” Troy nodded. “I know that.” he said more firmly, and he met her gaze. “I want to help you. I want you to be happy. You deserve to be happy, Lillian.”

Lillian was at a loss for words. How could she respond to such unselfish devotion? She couldn’t.
Troy was the first to speak. He grinned. “Well, let’s go and read some minds, see who’s been naughty or nice?” he joked, and Lillian didn’t know if to smile or reply.

“Come on.”
Troy grabbed her arm. “Let’s get this done, and get you back to your Jack.” he led her along the darkened street. Ahead on the sidewalk, a group of young men in baggy jeans that had slipped around their mid-groins to reveal a variety of colored boxers were standing and talking boisterously. Lillian set her gaze on a dark haired, young man about seventeen years old. He was thinking of their rivals, another gang, and how he wanted to bust some heads. Someone named Ricky had taken a shot at him last week. Lillian shook the useless thoughts, and turned to another boy, a blonde haired, blue-eyed boy.

“What am I doing here?” he thought. “
I’m fucking up my life with this shit.” His remorse was hefty. Lillian shook those thoughts as well. She looked to Troy.

“Just some teenagers with minor offenses.” she told him, and
Troy shrugged, and led her on.

“How does it work, Lillian?” He asked curiously as they walked the practically deserted sidewalk toward the more seedy side of town.

“How does what work?” Lillian was distracted reading the mind of a lone man standing with his foot propped back against a store-front window. Homeless, she thought. He regrets leaving his wife and son. He longs to see them again.

“The mind reading?”
Troy peered over at her. Lillian frowned.

“I’m not sure. It just does.” Lillian replied in distraction.

“You hear everyone’s thoughts?” Troy pressed.

“Not all at once.” Lillian frowned. She met
Troy’s curious gaze, and her frown deepened. She wasn’t used to sharing her personal thoughts. “I guess I have to concentrate. It has been so long since I have had to think about how it is actually done.”

“So you pick someone out of a crowd and listen to their thoughts?” Troy nodded to a tall, black woman in a short
, black, leather skirt, tall, red pumps, and a torn, half shirt held up at the right shoulder by a safety pin. Lillian met the woman’s dark chocolate eyes, pretty eyes with flecks of gold, she thought. The woman stared right at her.

“Here comes the freaks.”
the woman thought in distaste. “I’m charging double for this shit!”

“She believes we have come to pay her for sex.” Lillian voiced, not missing when
Troy ducked his head, and seemed to blush. “As a couple. She thinks we’re freaks.” she added, and Troy chuckled in embarrassed amusement.

“Look straight ahead, Lillian, straight ahead.” he said beneath his breath, and Lillian couldn’t help it, she smiled.

Chapter
nineteen

They had been working the case for months and had gotten absolutely nowhere. The only almost evidence that they had secured were the statements from would-be witnesses and the ramblings of a deranged Medical Examiner. At none of the scenes had any fingerprints been recovered, nor were any blood or skin samples belonging to their murderer found. Baffled and frustrated, Jack tossed back a beer, and closed the dark folder on the table before him. His hands in his sandy blonde hair, he tugged and groaned out loud. It was late, Wednesday night, and he was at his brother’s restaurant, having just consumed a meal that would have been to die for if he had actually paid attention to what he was shoveling into his mouth.

“No luck?” Garret slid into a chair opposite of him, and Jack’s amber gaze lifted. He frowned in response, and Garret smiled. “These things take time.” Garret’s voice resembled a pat on the back, a pat that Jack didn’t want.

“That’s what I hear. I also hear words like incapable…incompetent. Of course those come from the pricks at the FBI, who by the way, haven’t made a dent in the case either.” Jack downed the rest of his beer, and motioned for a waitress that was passing by to bring him another.

“Well, that proves it then. It isn’t you.” Garret said as if reading his thoughts. Jack leaned back in his seat. He was so tired that he could go home and fall out, he thought, imagining doing just that. It would feel great, and he needed sleep right about now like he needed to breathe.

“Tell me about Sheila. When is this wedding going to take place?” Jack needed to get his mind off the case.

“We’re, uh, still working on that.” Garret was the one nursing his beer now.

“Not getting cold feet, are you?” Jack’s brow lifted.

“Of course not! You know women;
they have to have it just right, the right dress, the right caterer. I tell you all these plans are driving me batty!” Garret complained with a chuckle.

“But it will be well worth the hassle in the end, right?” Jack inquired.

“Right.” Garret didn’t sound too convincing. Jack grinned. “What about you, Brother? Who is this mystery woman I’m to meet Friday night?”

Jack took the bottle of Guinness
when it was handed to him, and he took a long, bitter swallow. “Well?” Garret pressed.

“I don’t
know.” Jack shrugged. “She’s…she’s amazing.”

“Amazing? How?”

“How isn’t she? She’s beautiful, stunningly so. Wait until you see her.” Jack gushed. “She…I don’t know, she just does something for me that no other woman ever has.”

“Oh
that
?” Garret joked, and Jack tossed his bottle cap at his brother, who chuckled at his expense. Jack grinned.

“We haven’t gotten to that part yet.” he confessed. “But God, Garret, I can’t stop thinking abou
t her. Amidst all of this chaos, and murder, and everything.”

“Sounds like she may be the one?” Garret cocked a dark brow. Jack looked up, his amber gaze connecting with Garret’s suddenly serious stare. His heart seemed to pause in his chest at the thought. 

“Maybe.” Jack replied, and he thought it over. Maybe, he thought again. When Lilly had called him back the other night, they had stayed on the phone for hours. They hadn’t discussed the case or even about the business she was conducting in Boston. She had asked him over his family and his life, and he had ended up telling her his entire life story, or so it had seemed. There had been plenty of content sighs, and rich laughter, and Jack had been mesmerized by the low, hypnotic sound of her voice. God, she had a sexy voice! This thing between them was growing fast, moving fast. How could that be? He was up to his forehead in blood, gore and murder for Christ’s sake! The last thing that he should be thinking about was a relationship! His mind should be on the case! But damned if he wasn’t tempted to hand this one over to the Feds just so he could spend more time with Lilly! What was it about this woman that had grasped his attention so completely? Yes, she was beautiful, but it was more than that, so much more. His heart panged in his chest just thinking of her. He missed her, he realized, very much so.

“Where did you go?” Garret asked knowingly.

“Heaven?” Jack raised a dark blonde brow. Garret chuckled, and took a swig of his beer.

“That’s it, Brother! I’ve got to meet this woman and soon.” Garret ordered.

“Friday night.” Jack promised, and he grinned.

“Just don’t beat me to the alter.” Garret pointed the neck of his beer bottle warningly at Jack. Jack’s grin fell, and Garret laughed at his expense.

“Now who has cold feet?” he accused, making Jack swallow. He had barely known Lillian a little over a month, but already he felt as if he didn’t want to live his life without her. How insane was that? Jack nursed his beer. He had a lot to think over, he decided, and he tipped back his beer again, finishing it off.

Chapter twenty

The scent was fresh like flowers or freshly spun silk. The soap that she washed with was pleasant and appeasing, he thought as he drew it in. He watched her as she walked from an older model car toward a stone, apartment building. It was dark and the parking lights were dim, but he could see her as if it were as clear as day. She was tall. He had known that she would be so, for even as a child she had been lengthy. Her legs, though incased in baggy, tan slacks, he could see were slender and shapely. Her waist was tiny and her breasts small, but adequate. Her hair was her greatest treasure, a strawberry blonde like a burnt sunset that he had not seen for hundreds of years. He imagined its warmth wrapped firmly around his fingers and the thought pleased him immensely. She had done well for herself, Nicole Harold. He had kept track of her over the years, waiting for just the right moment to reintroduce himself. She had studied like a busy little bookworm, had graduated college with honors, and had gone on to medical school at Harvard, only to return here to New York City to take care of her ailing aunt. She worked now as a Medical Examiner, the top in her field. She was intelligent. He liked that about her. He liked her independent spirit as well. He would own her, and she would worship him. He had decided this long ago. It was as it should be. He would possess her, and perhaps that would make up for his loss of the other.

He heard when the keys in her hand dropped to the pavement, and moving more quickly than the human eye could comprehend, he made it to her side, and bent to retrieve those keys before her pale slender hand could clasp them. A startled yelp escaped her, but when she looked up, and those beautiful blue eyes fastened on his face, a look of calm awe came into them.

“Good evening.” he said, and a slow smile lit her face. “Here. Allow me.” he placed her keys in her small hand, and all she could seem to do was smile up at him as they both rose to their feet, he standing a few inches over her. “These lights are so dim. Someone should complain about that to the manager of this place. It isn’t safe for beautiful, young ladies such as yourself to be out in these shadows. Who knows who or what could be lurking about?” His feigned outrage over the lights, or rather lack of, had her smiling from ear to ear. He watched as she tucked flyaway strands of long curls back behind her ear.

“And who is to say that you are not the one lurking?” she asked in a flirtatious manner. He smiled then. He had her right where he wanted her, he realized.

“Actually, I have just come from visiting a client of mine.” he nodded back toward her apartment building. “When I saw you out here all alone, I couldn’t just walk away. I came to see if you might allow me to show you safely to the door?” he allowed a dark brow to rise curiously.