Page 11 of City of Love

He didn’t remember seeing her name on the guest list. Of course, he’d barely had a moment to glance at the thing, but this was a perfect example of the kind of bullshit Matthew had been pulling lately. Neither an artist nor academic, Lexi was a casual invitee of Margot, Matthew’s girlfriend. A plus one’s plus one. Fantastic. Another sign he’d been slowly losing control of the portal one week at a time.

Still, if she truly had psychic abilities, Gideon could understand why Margot might bring her over. When the rare person from the other world had been granted such gifts, they often struggled with lack of understanding and control of their talents. And with her blanking out like that in public, she was vulnerable. Which concerned him on a personal level in a way he couldn’t explain.

His hands clenched into fists at his sides.

Margot’s tug on his arm pulled him forward. “Gideon, did Lexi tell you about her visions? Do you think you can help her?”

Lexi shifted forward, her lips parted slightly.

He nodded in response. “I’ll see what I can do.” Though with this possibly being the last time the portal was open, they couldn’t do much to help her out. And what exactly were her psychic talents? His evening had been full of unexplained sensations. Was she somehow doing this to him?

He glanced at the grandfather clock across the room and shook his head. He had a serious job to do tonight and needed to pull his head out of his ass. Compounding mysteries aside, he had more guests to greet, and his last possible chance with the Egyptian artifact.

“Miss Cross, it’s been a pleasure meeting you, but unfortunately I have an appointment I need to keep.” He began to offer his hand again, and she lifted hers in return, but the memory of what touching her had done to him before—if that’s what had indeed caused it—forced him to pull his away. He clasped his hands behind his back instead.

“I’ll send someone over to you about your gift of sight,” he offered with a slight bow. “In the meantime, ladies, if you leave the salon tonight, make sure you have an escort. And remember to keep an eye on your wrist timers. You’ve got less than four hours left before you need to be back in the study room for your return home.” He fixed Margot with a serious look. “Do not be late again, Ms. Gillette. It’s becoming a habit with you.” He nodded one last time to Lexi before taking his leave.

The look on the beautiful brunette’s face as he turned and walked away sent an ache through his gut. Abandonment. That’s what he saw in her cornflower blue eyes. That’s what he felt he’d done to her, deep down in his bones.

And he didn’t understand any of it.

CHAPTER 5

Four hours? Cure her psychic curse in four hours? Explore an alternate universe in four hours? How could anything be accomplished in four freaking hours? Hell, the man of her waking dreams was currently giving her his broad back as he walked away.

Lexi’s prescience had somehow veered way off the map. And tonight, there was no relief in that thought.

She checked her wrist. Now more like three and a half hours. “I don’t understand. Why are we limited to a four-hour visit?”

“Because that’s how long the effects of the musical tones will last.” Margot led the way toward the front of the club. “Somehow the music changes our body’s vibrational frequency to match this universe. For four hours we’ll be in phase with this world, and out of sync with our own.”

“Kind of like that episode in Star Trek where two of the characters were out of phase with everyone else and no one could see them.”

Margot rolled her eyes. “I don’t watch Star Trek, Lex.” She stopped to check her lipstick and hair in the closest wall mirror. “Now, ask me anything about The Bachelor and I’m your Google.”

Lexi examined her hands, spreading her fingers and flipping her palms over a couple times. “So, we’re really physically standing here? It’s not just our minds that are traveling? Like astral travel or something?”

“Yes, yes. You with your curious brain.” Margot looped her arm through Lexi’s and continued their stroll through the club. The sounds of Beethoven floated from one of the study rooms—her favorite symphony, in fact. “Look, if someone were to walk into Taco Shots right now, they’d find an empty bar. When the tones started, and our bodies began vibrating in tune with this universe and not ours, our world slipped away, and we crossed over to… the other side.” She wiggled her fingers with spooky glee in Lexi’s face. “Of course, to the people here it’s just their own regular Philadelphia, and we’re the otherworldly visitors.”

“So, what happens when time’s up? Do they send us back with more music?”

Margot became distracted and restless, and her attention shifted toward scanning the room. “They can do it that way. Usually they just let us fade back naturally when the vibrations wear off. They’ll chime three bells, reminding us to go back to the study room we came in from so we’re in a safe spot.”

“Safe spot?” Margot’s inattention began to grate on Lexi’s nerves. She touched her arm. “Hey.”

“Sorry.” She whipped her head back toward Lexi. “I’m watching for Matt to show up. He always comes over after everyone else once he’s had a chance to lock down his end. But yeah, the layout and architectures of the two Philadelphia’s aren’t the same, at least not anymore. The really old buildings tend to match up, but the histories have diverged over time. You might be standing in a meadow here, but fade back into a four-lane highway on our side. Not so good.” She shrugged, but the thought sent a chill up Lexi’s spine. “There’s a couple places in the two clubs—the study room where we entered, and Matthew’s and Gideon’s offices—that have been purposely designed to match up for smooth portal travel. You won’t slam into any furniture or random people that way.”

A sudden smile lit Margot’s face. “I heard that once, one of our people stayed too long in a shop here and didn’t make it back to Gideon’s club in time. He faded back right into someone’s bedroom in our world. Got the cops called on him. I can’t imagine what story he gave them.”

Lexi shook her head, the idea both amusing and horrifying. It also reminded her that there was a whole world outside the salon’s doors for her to see, and she was running out of time to do so.

“What’s the plan? Can we go exploring now?” Even to her own ears she sounded like a little kid tugging on her mom’s sleeve, but time was fleeting. She planned to cram as much sight-seeing into this fantasy night as possible. And she had no intentions of being late for her return to the club.

A memory of her recurring vision, the one where she looked at her wrist timer and knew she was late, flashed before her mind’s eye. She pressed her lips tight and silently vowed to make it a non-issue. She had to have control of that much, at least.

Margot checked her platinum wristwatch for the umpteenth time and began to pace. “We can, but I need to…” She stopped, swiveling her head toward the front doors, then back toward the depths of club, squinting her eyes as she peered through the crowd.

“Are you worried about something? Is it Matthew or—”

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