I grinned and rolled over. More pangs of protest. That dull throb between my legs. Tender breasts. Even my lips hurt.
Damn that was good.
The patio door opened. Jeremy walked in, pants on, shirt undone, feet bare, cell phone in his hand. Seeing me, he lifted the phone.
"My morning check-in with Elena. I didn't wake you, did I?"
I shook my head and was about to peel the covers back when I noticed that faint wrinkle between his brows had deepened.
"Everything okay with the babies?" I asked, pushing up onto one arm.
"They're fine. But Elena's already read the L.A. news online. She thinks it's just as it appeared in the articles-that you found a body. I confirmed that." A hand raked through his hair as he looked around distractedly for a place to put his cell phone. "I don't like lying to her."
"I know."
"They're going to find out, after this is done. The council has to know and Elena will need to know first. It'll take some careful explaining. "
"Do you want to call Clay in? Or Antonio?"
He shook his head. "The more people we have around you, the less likely the group will reveal itself. If I need help, I have a backup plan."
He laid his phone down on the dresser. I glanced up at his hair, glistening and damp.
"You've showered?"
"Yes. I didn't disturb you, did I?"
"No, it's just-" I motioned to the front of his pants. "Forgot to zip up."
He frowned. Before he could look down, I stretched and caught his waistband.
"Come here. I'll get it."
He moved to the side of the bed.
I undid his button, opened it, then looked at the zipped fly and smiled. "Whoops. My mistake."
I undid the zipper, reached inside and lowered my head to give him a proper good morning.
LRTER, I was curled up against him. "I was just thinking. This is probably the safest place to be."
"Hmm?"
I propped myself up to look down at him. "If I'm in danger, maybe we should just stay here until it's all over."
He gave a low laugh and rose to kiss my neck.
I sighed. "What you're politely refraining from pointing out is that that the problem won't end while I'm in bed with you."
"I'm afraid not."
"So I suppose we should…" I eyed the cold room beyond, "get up."
"Probably."
He pulled me down to him in a kiss that said we weren't going anywhere for a while yet.
IT WAS midmorning by the time I finally got into the shower. As I dressed, Jeremy slipped out. I was pretty sure it was too late to pretend he'd spent the night on the sofa, but that wouldn't stop him from trying.
I'd hoped we could get a complete update from the police, but even Jeremy's polite charm could only win a grudging summary from the young woman guarding the scene. Yes, they'd uncovered a second body. Yes, they were looking for more but, no, she wasn't confirming that they expected to find more.
I'd also hoped to sit out in the garden, maybe find a quiet corner and let the children know I was still there, but the best I could manage was permission to sit on the balcony off my room, and I only got that because-after a brief conference-they seemed to decide there wasn't much they could do to stop me, as long as I wasn't taking pictures of the scene.
We gathered breakfast and went up, leaving the bedroom door open so no one could accuse me of holing up with my lover while I was supposed to be "on the set." Not that I had anything scheduled yet. I'd passed Todd Simon in the hall and he'd only blathered, "Plans, big plans. Be ready for my call, Jaime." My guess? He had this big opportunity and no idea how to use it.
Grady was doing the morning-show rounds. As for Angelique, I'd looked for her, wanting to make sure she didn't feel left out, but I must admit, with the case and Jeremy on my mind, I hadn't looked very hard. I'd make it up to her at that revival in Nebraska.
As Jeremy ate, sitting on a patio chair, I watched the scene below. There wasn't much to see. Two technicians were working on the spot near where we'd found Rachel Skye. Tools and equipment scattered about indicated there were more people involved, maybe taking a coffee break.
"The children aren't making contact," I said. "I don't know if they can, with me being up here. Maybe they don't know I'm around. Or maybe they're gone. If they move the bodies, the ghosts might go with them. And then-"
"When this is over, Eve will find them. But, as you both said, it's more likely they'll stay here."
I nodded, staring out over the yard. "Do you think they know what's happening? Can they see what's going on?" I nibbled my lip. "I've never been able to tell how well they see or hear things on this side of the veil. Maybe they're watching their bodies being dug up-"
He'd moved up behind me, hands going to my hips, pulling me close. His lips tickled the back of my neck. I leaned into him.
"Stop worrying, right?" I said. "There's nothing I can do about it."
"Yes, there is. We can catch whoever is behind this. Then you'll free those souls-"
"What if I can't?"
His kisses circled to my ear. "You will. Once we know what was done to them, you can free them. Eve said-"
"Maybe she's just saying that to calm me down, so I don't freak out-"
He turned me around to face him. "Does that sound like Eve?"
I shook my head.
"The children are fine," he continued. "It's unlikely they will leave, and if they do, we'll find them. It's also unlikely they understand what's happening, and if they do, they'll get over it once they're freed, which you will do just as soon as you're able to." His lips brushed my forehead. "Now come inside. Hope's probably wondering why we haven't called-"
"Ms. Vegas?" A rap at the open door. It was one of the guards. "Are you in here?"
I called an invitation and we stepped back into the room as he entered.
"Do you know a May Donovan?" he asked. "Lawyer? Works for some paranormal group?"
"Sure. What's up?"
"She was here this morning. Demanded to speak to you. Started off nice enough, but when I said you weren't available, she got pushy. Came right inside looking for you. We stopped her before she got far, but then she went out back and questioned the police…"
Jeremy stepped up beside me, frowning. "Did she seem upset?"
"Pissed off. Like we were hiding something. She wants you to call her. That Simon guy doesn't want you to-didn't even want me giving you the message-but that didn't seem right."
THE LESSON OF THE NYMPHS
"DAMN IT," I said as I sat on the bed. "She must think this is some kind of scam. A publicity stunt."
"If she didn't lob accusations, she may only want to speak to you," Jeremy said. "There could even be some benefit in doing so."
I looked up at him. "How?"
"The longer we keep this in the news, the more worried the group will become. Having you claim further 'messages' from the victims may not be wise. But working with May Donovan's group…?" A graceful shrug. "Put the right twist on it, downplaying the spiritualism and playing up the ritualistic aspects of the killings, and she's likely to be quite willing to help."
"To uncover the worst kind of paranormal scam-one with real bodies."
"Perfect. I'll call now, tell her I want to talk."
I phoned the number May had left. The phone rang four times, then voice mail picked up. As I listened to her inviting me to press one to connect to her secretary, I stopped, finger over the button. Then I hung up.
I laid the cell phone on my lap and thought. Then I thought some more. And while I did, Jeremy didn't question, just waited.
"May Donovan," I said finally. "Her accent. It sounds British, doesn't it?"
"I'm not very good with accents, I'm afraid. My language skills come from books, not conversation."
"But it could be British, right? I was just thinking about what Eve said-that Rachel's killer was a woman with a British accent. And I know that seems like an enormous leap, but…" I took a breath, slowing my thoughts and organizing them. "Zack Flynn said May had it in for Botnick. Imagine if she was part of this group and knew Botnick was searching for them. What better way to keep tabs on him? Purely professional interest. Even he wouldn't be suspicious."