Page 8 of No Room to Breathe
Her earnest tone wasn’t enough to erase his suspicions.“For what?Where?”
“Let’s just go into the park.”She pointed toward an open bench along the path.“We’ll sit down for a minute and talk like normal people.”
“Normal?”He scoffed.“You owe me answers.”
“Maybe I do.”She sounded almost as irritated as he felt.“It’ll be easier to provide the answers I can if you aren’t passed out on the sidewalk,” she grumbled.
Giving in, he walked with her into the park, plopping down on the bench.“I am tired.”
“You haven’t been sleeping.”
“No.”
She swore and he thought he laughed.The day was too warm and his mind too hazy to sort it out for sure.
Chapter 3
Devyn swore again.Of all the people she could feel sorry for, why did it have to be this man?Her psychic source pushed at her, urging her to hurry, and she knew better than to resist.
He might not believe it, but he needed her assistance.
They reached the bench just in time for him to crumple onto the seat as if she’d drugged him.“You need an intervention immediately, Detective Laurier.”
That and a month of sleep would be a good start.Well, she couldn’t do anything to enforce his sleep habits, but she could tune up a few things here and now.And she had to be quick about it, before he came around enough to start arguing again.
Sitting beside him, she scooted closer than she would’ve liked, considering his utter disdain for her.She’d known going to the police station was a mistake and she’d fooled herself into thinking it was only about the Archer case.Clearly, the universe had a bigger plan, putting her exactly where she was needed.
Her psychic abyss was filled with extra-connections and benevolent helpers that frequently put her in the right place at the right time.Some instances were enjoyable and far more rewarding than this one was likely to be.
Detective Laurier was in serious emotional and physical trouble.Whatever war he waged inside himself was taking a toll on his body.Someone close to him should’ve noticed and intervened already.From her limited acquaintance with the man, she guessed someone had tried.He’d likely been too angry or stubborn to accept help.
“I want to give you a choice, but if I do, you’ll push me away too.”She promised herself to do the bare minimum and then he could choose to keep making progress, or slide back into this husk of a man.Gingerly, she took his hand, waiting for him to protest.He didn’t.That only worried her more.In moments like this, she longed for gifts of healing.Something quick and fast that would fix him up so she could get on her way.And far out of range of his temper.
Instead, she had to hope and trust that the answers he was seeking would come to her.Quieting her mind, she waited for the awareness to lift from that internal well, carrying the information Detective Laurier needed.Sometimes her intuition arrived as softly as fireflies winking in and out on a summer night and other times it rushed in with all the speed and energy of a thunderstorm.
Of course, the detective would be more like a tornado.Depleted as he was physically, emotionally he was all over the place.Insight pelted her from all sides, too quickly to sort out effectively.All she could do was hold firm against the onslaught.
