Page 42 of Deadly Sights

“That sounds more like what I need.” He reaches for the laces and hooks on my bustier. When I’m naked, he pulls the covers on the bed back and reaches for me.

I eagerly join him, facing him while sharing the same pillow. I stroke his shoulder, trailing my hand until I touch the ink on his body. I trace the letters. The message takes on deeper meaning after the past few hours with Julian, but it also brings doubts. “Are you disappointed that I didn’t save myself for you?” I keep my gaze locked on my hand, afraid he won’t be able to hide the truth from me if I stare into his eyes.

But this is Julian. When I need truth from him, he delivers it whether I want to hear it. He tilts my head until his face fills my vision. “Why would you have? You had no memory of me, and I see no point in dwelling on something neither of us could control. The truth is, your body is a gift worth cherishing, regardless of how many came before me. What matters most is who we are now, and that no one else will come after me.”

I search his eyes, amazed by his conviction. “How can you be so certain of your feelings for me? Haven’t I changed since we were kids?”

“Absolutely, but all the changes endear you to me more. After all, you smile more now, and you don’t reserve them for when you’re killing people. And when I look into your eyes, there’s life there that you no longer try to hide from. You’ve always been generous with the people you take under your wing, but you rarely let them get too close. I was one of two exceptions. Now you have more. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re getting soft in your old age.”

I poke him for his little dig. “I’m still younger than you.”

“And you’re still my hero. That will never change.”

CHAPTER 19

A LOVED LITTLE GIRL

One Minute

Five more minutes.

The usual ask once the alarm blares

Its monstrous cry to leave the dreams for a reality less sweet.

Five more minutes…

It seems too much when I’d settle for one.

One to relive the love, the warmth, the joy of being a child well loved.

One to hear sweet voices dripping with nectar to nourish my heart.

One to see my likeness in glossy golden orbs filled with warmth no fire can replicate.

One minute to live a life I’ll never have but yearn for after waking.

— JANINE MCFARLANE

Creative Gifts

Dark clouds obscured the sky long before the sun set and the moon took refuge behind the dark canopy. Rain was inevitable, but for the passengers of the BMW X5, the weather wasn’t their immediate concern.

“Daddy,” the little Black girl sitting in the car seat behind the driver called out. “There’s a weird noise.”

The man turned down the radio he and his wife were singing along to and listened for the noise his daughter warned him about. An odd sound from a wheel came and went. While trying to identify the exact location, he jerked the steering wheel.

“Dammit,” he cursed.

“Honey? Something wrong?” his wife asked.

“I’m not sure. The car’s not riding as smoothly as it should. I thought it was because the road was just bad, but now with the sound Yolanda heard, I’m not so sure.”

“Well, if it isn’t the road, what else could it be?” Her tension filled the car, and the man rushed to reassure her.

“It’s probably the tire. I could have driven over a nail or something that’s causing a slow leak. Don’t worry, there’s a gas station about five miles ahead. If I’m right, I’ve got what we need to get back on the road and on the way home in no time.”

“I hope that’s what it is. I don’t like the look of the weather and wouldn’t like to be stranded this far away from home.”

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