Duality (Cordelia Kelly #1): Empath Urban Fantasy (12 page)

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Two days later and still no word from Sol. Thankfully, the police hadn’t come knocking again, and I hoped feverishly I’d dodged that bullet. I’d paced my house, called his phone, bit my nails, and ate gallons of chocolate ice cream. I’d taken numerous baths, strolled the streets during the day, and trolled the bars at night looking for him, trying to follow his auric beacon, but he seemed to have shut me out. I needed him to come to me. To tell me everything was okay. I needed to know he was all right.

I picked up the phone and dialed. I’d gotten his voicemail again.

“It’s me. Please call me. I need to know you’re okay.”

Click.

Later, I called again and left another voice mail. “I miss you. Please call me.”

Two more days went by, and I started to finally see. Maybe he’d run. Maybe I’d scared him away. Maybe he didn’t want me. I mean, what did I really know about him anyway? He could have a family somewhere, dozens of mistresses who needed servicing. Hoards and legions of…

I trailed off because I was driving myself insane. I needed to get out of the house and out of my own head for a while. He’d come back. He had too. He was mine, and I was his.

By the morning of the fifth day, I was going stir crazy. I had to get out of the house pronto; otherwise, I’d start climbing the walls or redecorating or rearranging my furniture. Again. Sol was off someplace living his life, doing his thing, whatever the hell that was, and I needed to return to the land of the living. The pity-party was over.

I threw on some clothes, grabbed my purse, and headed out the door. I stepped into the hall and suddenly remembered I’d left my keys on the kitchen table. I rushed back inside, snatched up my keys, and turned around to literally bump into Aunt Bea standing inside the door I’d left open in my haste.

“Good morning Cordelia.” 

“What the fu-iddlesticks,” I stammered.

Her eyes twinkled. “I’m sorry, dear. I didn’t mean to startle you. I was just coming back from my morning exercise walk at the mall. You know us old folks have got to keep moving, or we’re going to wake up dead one day. Anyway, I saw your door open and considering all the commotion going on over here lately, I thought I should check to make sure you were all right.”

I bit my lip and choked back a snarky reply. I hate it when people invade my personal space, but she was right about the commotion. Thanks, Sol.

“I’m sorry about the noise, Aunt Bea. It won’t happen again. I appreciate your concern, but I’m fine. I’m on my way out. I forgot my keys, and I had to come back in. That’s why the door was open.” 

She let out a low, throaty laugh like she knew something I didn’t and stepped farther into the room. “Okay, dear. I worry about a young, good-looking woman like yourself, living alone without a man to watch out for her. The city can be a dangerous place. If you need anything or just someone to talk to, I’m only across the hall.”

For some reason all my senses started firing at once. Bea’s sickly sweet perfume mixed with the sweat from her morning walk permeated the space and gagged me. The air around us heated up, and my shirt stuck to my back. My own breathing sounded loud and harsh in my ears. I tried to read her emotions, but only my sudden apprehension bounced back at me.

Fuck, something wasn’t right.

I took a tentative step back and eased into a defensive stance, my legs spread apart for balance. “As I said, I’m fine and I’m going out now. I apologize again for the noise, and I’ll make sure my friends don’t disturb you again.”

She didn’t move, she just stared at me, not saying a word.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m late for an appointment.” I lied to get her to leave.

Her grey eyes locked with mine, not blinking and time stood still. My arteries drowned in a surge of adrenaline, and Delia flared up in me in a rage.

I held my ground and Delia at bay.

“All right, Cordelia. I hope you have a nice day. I’ll be seeing you.” She gave me one last appraising look from top to bottom, as if she was evaluating a piece of steak. Finally, without another word, she turned and walked out the door.  

I stood there in stunned silence, waiting until I heard Aunt Bea’s door open and close, but I couldn’t hear anything, except my heartbeat pounding between my ears.

A loud thud shook me out of my stupor. I eased toward my still open door and peeped around the edge. No Aunt Bea.

Whew, what the hell was that all about? She was just a nosy old woman, right?

I’d been cooped in this house too long, my mind was playing cruel tricks on me, and so I quickly locked the door and took off down the hall in a fast trot.

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I walked on autopilot to the coffee shop, and my mind was a swirl of conflicting thoughts. I tried to figure out if I was going nuts or if there really was something threatening about Aunt Bea. Lately, I wasn’t having much luck determining what was real or just my imagination.

Great, now I was horny, lonely, and fucking nuts too.

The seats by the window where Sol and I had sat were empty. His residual energy called to me, and my feet steered me directly to the spot where he’d sat. I plopped down on the couch, and my body sank into the plush cushions. An overwhelming sense of peace washed over me, and I could almost feel Sol’s presence next to me.

I fought back the tears brimming behind my eyes and turned to look out the window. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, and I was determined not to make it rain on anybody’s proverbial parade.

“Excuse me, Ms. Kelly.”

I spun around to see the redheaded barista standing by my table with a tray in her hands. Her eyes were bright enough to burst, and her grin was nearly bigger than her face. The same barista my empathic insight had told me was going to commit suicide.

Shit, I’d totally forgotten about her in my depressed reverie. I’d meant to come back and talk with her. “Huh?” Well, wasn’t that intelligent of me.

“I’ve brought your coffee for you. I hope I’ve prepared it right…ice, a splash of coffee, Ovaltine, and chocolate syrup. I’ve also brought you two bananas and two croissants from the bakery down the street. The chocolate croissants are fresh; I picked them up this morning. Actually, I’ve stopped and bought fresh croissant every morning for the last three days, waiting for you to come into the shop,” she said it all in an excited gush of words. “When you didn’t come, I ate them,” she said in a conspiratorial stage whisper, beaming her thousand-watt smile at me.

My mouth open and closed because my brain wasn’t telling me what to say. I gave her a look I normally reserve for criminally insane and repeated, “Huh?”

“Oh, you have no idea what I’m talking about do you? Sol told me how to prepare your coffee, and he told me to buy the croissants. He described you perfectly, and he said I should expect you to come into the shop around this time of day.”

“You know Sol?” Sharpness crept into my voice.

For a moment, she forgot me—and hope and love filled her eyes. “Yes, I know him,” she said, her secretive smile setting my teeth on edge.

“You have no idea how happy that makes me.” I couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of my voice. “How do you know Sol? When did you meet him?”

“Hmm? Oh, my name is Chrissie.” The dreaminess in her voice made me want to punch the pretty dazed smile of her face. “Do you mind if I sit down for a moment?”

My heart’s excited pumping made it hard to sound casual. “Nice to meet you, Chrissie. Sure, please have a seat.” I wanted to mock, but I also wanted to know when she’d last seen Sol. Maybe I’d glean where he was or where he went.

She placed the tray in front of me. Then she pulled a chair over and sat down across the table from me.

I reached for the cup of coffee and took a long swig to settle my raging nerves. Hmm, perfect. I could almost hate her at the moment.

“Well, I commend you on your coffee making; this is exactly how I drink it.”

Her eyes shone in a way that melted my heart just a teensy bit. “Oh, Ms. Kelly. You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say those words. I’ve been a nervous wreck, worrying that I wouldn’t make your coffee just right and disappoint Sol.”

I sighed inwardly. “Yes…Sol, tell me about Sol.”

Her eyes were soft and warm. “Sol told me I could trust you. A few days ago I was so depressed I’d lost my will to live. I’d gotten pregnant a few months ago, and the no good piece of shit who was the baby’s daddy didn’t want anything to do with me anymore. If my parents had found out, they’d have disowned me. I have one more year before I graduate from college. Then I plan to go to medical school.”

When my only answer was an impassive stare, Chrissie sighed and started talking again.

“I’m ashamed to admit it, but my boyfriend tried to talk me into getting an abortion. In fact, he told me if I didn’t get an abortion, he’d kill me and the baby, and I believed him. He’s a very powerful man. When we first met here at the coffee shop, I was enchanted that an older, more sophisticated man of his means would be interested in a girl who worked in a coffee shop. He was a rough lover, but I kinda liked it rough, and he took me to some of the finest restaurants in town. He bought me new clothes, treated me like a Princess in public, and his sex toy behind closed doors. But there were times when he scared me. He liked to do breath play, and once I thought he was going to strangle me to death. Well, the blush wore off the bloom quick after he found out I was pregnant. I told him I’d rather give the baby up for adoption than abort. He didn’t care for that idea so he beat me one night, and I ended up in the emergency room. I lost the baby.” She looked away and drew in a deep breath, letting it out slow before meeting my gaze.

Tears welled up in my eyes and red-hot anger made my stomach muscles clench. “Asshole,” I growled.

Chrissie laughed at my outburst. “It’s okay; he is an asshole. The doctors said I wasn’t damaged internally and that most likely I can still have children. Well, as you might imagine, I was emotionally fucked up after losing the baby the way it happened. He swore he’d kill my whole family and me if I told anyone what happened. I became paranoid he’d kill us all anyway and the guilt of allowing myself to be used and discarded as if I didn’t matter weighed on my mind.” She spoke calmly as though she were talking about someone else’s life. Her story seemed so scripted.

“A few days ago I planned to kill myself. I figured he wouldn’t have a need to hurt my family if I was dead. I’d gotten some sleeping pills from a friend, and I was going to take all of them then slit my wrists in the bathtub. I’d planned for weeks. Then I met Sol. He was sitting right were you are now when I came over to serve him on my last day of work. I’d wanted my parents to have my last check to maybe help with the burial. I took one look into his eyes and found myself lost and found. I swear a faint pop and sizzle sped along my nerve endings when he caressed me with his eyes.”

  “Yeah, Sol has that affect on people.” I chuckled with mirth as I interrupted her love filled diatribe.

Her eyes sparked at me with a little anger. “Yes, he’s something else for sure. Anyway, when I got off work, Sol was waiting for me. He just walked up to me as if he’d known me all my life and said ‘let’s go for a walk.’ He took me by the hand and off we went down the street as if we were boyfriend and girlfriend. He held my hand.” Chrissie paused a moment and shuddered, closing her eyes for a brief second in rapture. “When his flesh touched mine, a feeling of contentment flowed through me—it was surreal. I don’t remember much of what he said while we walked, but before I knew what was happening, I was telling him my life story.” She stopped talking and looked at me, gauging my reaction to her words.

The icy claws of jealousy raked down my back. “Sol is a good man,” I muttered.

“Oh, yes, he is.” She clapped her hands together. “We talked for hours that night. He took me to dinner then put me in a cab to send me home. By the time I got in bed that evening, I couldn’t remember why I thought my life was so terrible, and I flushed those sleeping pills down the toilet. I’m happy to be alive, and I owe it to Sol. He came here the next morning, and that’s when he told me about you and your special order. He gave me enough money to buy croissants for the next six months, but he said I should expect you to come by sometime this week. I haven’t seen him since that day. Do you know how he’s doing? He didn’t even give me his phone number, but I feel a connection with him. I know it’s strange, but that’s how I feel.”  

My cheeks heated as the impact of this woman’s words sank into my addled brain. He left me and came here, wined and dined this barista. My fists clenched at my sides, and I had to work very hard not to growl. To remember my purpose on earth was to save people like Chrissie. Sol had acted on my insight and drawn the negative energy from her soul. He’d done what I should have done. I was ashamed of my jealousy, and yet, the green sludge oozed in my veins regardless.

I cleared my dry throat. “I haven’t spoken to Sol in a while, but I’m sure he’s okay. If I hear from him, I’ll tell him you asked about him and tell him how well you made my coffee.” I took a long swig of the delicious sugary concoction to show her how much I really liked her coffee.

She reached over to touch my hand and smiled. “I could tell by the way he spoke about you he has strong feelings for you. You’re a lucky woman. Okay, I’ve got to get back to work. Have a nice day… Oh, before I forget. Sol wanted me to remind you to eat all your food. He said something about needing to put ten pounds on you. Take care, Ms. Kelly. If you come in tomorrow, I’ll have your order waiting. See you later.”