“That actually doesn’t sound attractive.”
A smile danced across her lips. The first one he’d seen in awhile. Was she even more serious than he was? “Maybe not, but it’s obvious he’s in love with you.”
She shrugged. “He thinks he is, but he isn’t. Mark falls in love ten times a day. And, trust me, none of them look like me.”
“Believe what you want. Do you feel that for him?”
“Why do you want to know?”
He dropped his arm back to his side. “Because I think I’d like to get to know you better, but I’m not going to interfere in an ongoing relationship.”
“We’re just friends.”
“Then I can do this.”
Without using his hands, he leaned into her and captured her lips in a sweet kiss. She trembled, but didn’t break away. His hormones agreed that she had experience kissing and he was rock hard with no preamble.
When he stopped she brushed past him, her face flushed. “I have to go,” she mumbled and failed to close the door behind her.
Grace’s heart hammered in her chest her whole ride home. She couldn’t stop touching her lips. Zach had seared his mark on them. That kiss had been more powerful than a lightning strike. Her emotions were getting stronger. Oh God. The sinking feeling in her chest told her she’d fallen in love with Zachary Holten.
Was there ever a more unlikely pair? He didn’t believe her gift. She was about to lose it before she could save Dolores. How’s that for irony?
Getting out of the car she stared up at the stars. If she didn’t save Dolores, she could have Zach. Not willing to entertain that thought she shook herself, mentally and physically.
Her mother had told her it would be a sin not to use her powers, but her mother hadn’t when her father had been killed. Grace didn’t understand until she became an adult that her mother had no choice. Her powers were waning and she didn’t want to disrupt her only daughter’s life.
No lights shone in Grace’s apartment.
Mark only murmured in his sleep on her sofa bed. Where was she supposed to sleep? Guess the chair would be it tonight.
But Dolores had several empty beds at her house tonight.
Grace crept out of her apartment and found a spare key. She slipped into Dolores’ house and chose a bed in the guest bedroom. The upstairs bath smelled of blood, still, but she was too weary to clean it.
“First thing in the morning.”
Only in her underwear, she slid into cool sheets and was asleep in seconds.
A noise woke her. When she didn’t hear it again she assumed it had been part of some dream. The clock on the nightstand read three. She snuggled further into the pillow.
Another noise had her on high alert.
Grabbing for her clothes she kept one ear cocked for another noise. Glass broke, but she couldn’t tell what room the sound came from. She wasn’t that familiar with the house layout.
With her clothes back on, she crept out into the hallway. Then she remembered her cell phone. Crawling under the bed, she dialed 9-1-1 then Zach who didn’t answer.
“Damn.”
Someone moved towards where she hid under the bed. Her phone rang. The footsteps stopped. She shut down the offending noise and held her breath.
The intruder didn’t make a sound.
She couldn’t see shoes under the bedroom door, but sensed someone on the other side of the door. Her heart pounded in her chest and only her self-control kept her from gasping for air.
The door creaked open. She hadn’t remade the bed so the intruder would know someone had been there.
Without a plan, she waited for a siren. Her teeth chattered as her hands sweat.
Two shots rang out sounding like puffs of air, then the footsteps retreated. A siren in the distance had Grace sliding out from under the bed.
The room went a hazy and she sunk to her knees hoping she could stay conscious. Relief sapped her strength. Her breath came out in rasps.
Footsteps again, but she had no will to move.
“Grace?”
Zach.
“I’m in the bedroom.”
Mark was on his heels. Zach knelt beside her and gathered her into his arms.
The colors danced, but Grace reveled in his warmth as she began to shiver. She clung to him as if he stood between her and death. Mark remained silent in the background. “The killer.”
“Did you see him?”
“Only his shoes and not a good look at them.”
“The back door has a broken pane of glass,” Zach said.
Grace blinked. That wasn’t right. Dolores had let her killer into her house. “But Dolores knew her killer.”
“What?”
“There was no sign of forced entry when she died. And the killer set the house on fire.”
Zach sighed and pulled her close. “Can you talk to the police?”
“Sure.”
“Don’t mention all this stuff. By the way, what were you doing here?” he asked.
Grace looked over his shoulder to Mark. “Someone was sleeping in my bed.”
Chapter Eighteen
Zach paced outside in the warm night while detectives questioned Grace.
Mark had disappeared when the police arrived. Zach thanked his stars for that. He found the squat man annoying and wondered how he ever thought Grace would be his lover.
His phone rang.
“Holten.”
“Zach.”
Dolores. What was she doing up in the middle of the morning? The time on his watch surprised him. He’d been here for two hours.
“Lors.”
“I heard there’s some trouble at my house?”
“How’d you find out?”
“I know other cops besides you. What happened?”
A crime scene tech dusted the back door for prints.
“Someone broke in and tried to kill Grace.”
“Grace? Who’d want to kill her?”
“Maybe they were looking for you.”
“Me? In Grace’s apartment?”
“They broke into your house.”
“Was anything stolen? Is Grace okay?”
“Slow down. Grace is fine,” he said.
Grace walked out of Dolores’ house looking as if she’d been run over by a truck.
“Lors, let me call you back. In fact, I’ll come by later and I’m sure one of the detectives will be by to talk to
