GODDESS OF THE MOON (A Diana Racine Psychic Suspense) (35 page)

“
The thought of you killing someone over me
makes me want you more,
because no one satisfies me the way you do.
Am I not enough for you?”

He took in the beauty of her form. “
You’re worthy of the gods.”

She
stood
and stretched him on the sofa, tugg
ed
off his trousers
,
and tickl
ed
her fingers over the length of his now naked body
.
T
easing his erection
, she watched
him shud
der.
He reached for her.
“Not yet, baby
.
”

She strolled to a chest against the wall and opened the top drawer. Along with a pair of handcuffs, she extracted a ring-like contraption
and a flogger
. She smiled at the look of anticipation on his face
when s
he
turned him over
and
c
uff
ed his wrists be
hind him.

“Now I’ll make you forget everything else, including your wayward daughter.”
S
he began w
hat would take hours to finish.

The Agenda

“I
’m not surprised the reading
will
take place on the night of the crescent moon,” Lucier said, placing a bowl of vegetable pasta in front of Diana. “Th
e
obvious
timing
seems more like a warning to stay away than a temptation for you to go.”

“
W
hy?”

“I don’t know, but
if you insist on going, you’re not going without me.”

“Don’t worry. I wouldn’t.”

Lucier emitted an under-the-breath scoff.

Spearing a wedge of zucchini, she said, “I know what you’re thinking.”

“
R
ight.
You
trotted off before without backup
.
Twice.
That hardly makes you trustworthy.
”

“
N
ot fair. I had good reason.”

“
What about g
etting into Compton’s car?”

“That…that―”

“Exactly.”

“
These people have already tricked me. It won’t happen again.”

“Damn right,” Lucier said. “I don’t suppose Slater will be there, will he?”

“I didn’t ask, but I wouldn’t count him out. He’d never let me read him, though. He’s never let me touch him.”

“I thought you told me you did. You lied.”

“
A tiny white lie
so you’d leave him alone.” Diana caught
Lucier’s
furtive glance.
He
was jealous of Slater, and
h
er fib didn’t help.
A moment of guilt fluttered through her
for deceiving him
, but another
part of her thought
his reaction
kind of sweet.
S
he
’d
never been jealous before
she met
Lucier,
and
no one had ever been jealous over her.

“You think if I touched him, the same thing that happened with Compton wou
ld happen with him, don’t you?”

“You mean you’d see your hand turn black and skeletal? I don’t know, but I bet he’d pass some
thing
to you, which is why he’s stayed
out of your reach
.”

“He’d have to
let down his defenses
.”

“Compton couldn’t have wanted to transmit to you, yet he did.”

Was Compton so arrogant he
’d
passed his evil to her on purpose? “Maybe he forced the image into my mind to
observe
my reaction. No law officer
in the word
would
or could
act on
an image or vision
, nor would a judge or jury accept them as fact.
M
y so-called nightmare?
I’d have the courtroom in stitches.”

Lucier swirled linguine onto his fork. “I’m going to try to
talk to
Dione Compton. She and her sister are close. If she
’s convinced
something’s happened to Maia, she might talk.”

“Don’t bet the farm. She’s more afraid of Silas than she is of harm to her sister. Or
…
”

“Or what?”

“Or maybe it’s Selene she’s afraid of.” Diana sipped her iced tea. “Something about that woman
gets under my skin
.”

“She was the perfect hostess.”

“Yeah, to you.
She ignored me.”

“So she’s a man’s woman
. Lots of women are.”

Diana kept her silence. Lucier was right. What man wouldn’t respond to a woman who threw her lean, shapely body at him like
Selene
did to Lucier. If she said anything, he’d
call her
jealous
again
. She almost laughed. These were devious people, and they brought out the worst in Lucier
and
her.
Jealousy, suspicion, subterfuge.
If they were playing Compton’s game, they were
sure
learning fast.

“Besides,” Lucier continued, “Compton lassoed you as soon as you got through the door.”

“I think they followed a
divide and conquer
agenda.”

“
They won’t
the next time.
When you’re not reading
one of them
,
I’
ll be right by
your side.”

* * * * *

G
etting through to Dione Compton was like tracking down the President of the United States on his Blackberry.
Lucier
convinced the
operator at Compton International that he was an old friend from Tulane in town for the day
and wanted to surprise Dione
.
S
he
took the call.

“
Very sneaky, Lieutenant
.
”
Dione
said when Lucier identified himself
.

“
Sorry, I didn’t think
it was a good idea to leave my name
.”

“
That depends
. What can I do for you?”

“I’d like to talk to you about your sister.”

A beat of silence.
“M
aia
is in the Middle East taking care of a problem for the company.
”

“I don’t believe she
is, and
I don’t believe you think
so
either.”

“I really have to go, Lieutenant. I shouldn’t be talking to you. If you think Maia is in trouble you need to speak to my father.”

“You know that’s exactly who I shouldn’t speak to, Ms. Compton. M
aia’s life could be in danger.”

A
long
er
silence.
Lucier thought she hung up
.

“
Café du Monde
,
nine-thirty tomorrow morning.
”

The line went dead
.

* * * * *

L
ucier
strolled through Jackson Square, teeming with tourists even at the early hour. He
arrived at the Café du Monde
before the arranged time
, took a chair outside, and ordered coffee and a beignet. After dusting off some of the powdered sugar and sinking his teeth into the doughy confection, he
spotted
Dione Compton striding toward the café. She was a little shorter than her sister and possessed the same good looks
―
long blonde hair, lovely figure. The man following her never let his eyes wander from his prey. Lucier tossed a bill on the table, sprang up, and headed in her direction to ward off any obviously planned contact.

He spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Why, Ms. Compton
,
how nice to see you again.”
W
ithout changing expression, he said sotto voce, “You’re being followed
. S
ay hello and go inside the restaurant as if nothing unusual happened.
D
on’t turn around. I’ll be in touch.”

“Nice to s
ee you, too, Lieutenant
…
Lucier, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” He tipped his head.
“Time to go to work.
Bye now.”

“Goodbye,” Dione said, and went inside without missing a beat.

Lucier clicked a mental photo of Dione Compton’s shadow. Six feet, thinning hair, average
looks,
medium build, off-the-rack suit
―
nothing to set him apart from hundreds of others. Unfortunately, there was nothing average looking about Lucier. His mixed-blood skin, hazel eyes
,
and light brown hair left an image easily remembered.
T
he Shadow
returned the same scrutiny
as he passed.

Damn
.
The last thing he wanted was to get Dione Compton in trouble.
Best to go on the offense.
When he got back to the
station
, he called Silas Compton.

Lucier’s name must have been on a list of acceptable callers because
the operator
transferred
him
to Compt
on’s private line.

“Lieutenant, what can I do for you?” Compton said.

“I wanted to make sure
you were okay with me
accompany
ing
Diana to your house for the reading. Between you and me, she’s been a
bit clingy since her
nightmarish experience
. I’m sure you understand.”

Compton let his prolonged silence answer. No, he didn’t understand. More specifically, he didn’t like someone trapping him, but he
wouldn’t
say so
.

“Of course,” Compton said, “although I can’t imagine
why
she
’d be uptight around us
. Actually, I assumed you’d be with her. Since each reading will be private, you’ll have plenty of company.
I
f the men bore you, Selene will see you’re entertained.”

I’ll bet
.
“
Great. Thanks
.
Is
Edward Slater
coming
?”

“I
invited him
, but he declined. Even though Edward’s interests are eclectic, he’d never let himself be exposed in that way. He keeps his life pretty close to his vest.”

Lucier presumed that Compton executed a complete background check on Brother Osiris before he parted with his money.

“Oh, by the way, I bumped into your daughter this morning at Café du Monde. You have two beautiful daughters, Mr. Compton. You must be pleased with their accomplishments. I’m sure you rely on them.”

“I do. They’re exceptional young women. I’m proud of them.”

“
A
ny idea when Maia will return?”

“She’s still in negotiations.
Maia
hasn’t taken a vacation in
a couple of years
and
mentioned traveling a little
after she settles our business
. She may be gone
for a fe
w months. Dione will take care of her duties.”

“I see,” Lucier said. “I never asked, and if I’m out of line, just say so, but I
don’t recall
you and Mrs. Compton
mentioning
children. Do you have any together?”

Compton’s voice lowered
.
“My wife miscarried a few times. We
decided
not to pursue trying further due to
the risk
on her health
. It’s our greatest regret. Any children of Selene’s would
be
quite special.”

“I’m sure. She’s a beautiful woman.”