seen her sleeping in her bed, seen her as clearly as if he stood in the room. She slept on her left side, one hand pillowed beneath her cheek, her hair splashed like gold paint upon a white pillowcase. He had inhaled and drawn her fragrance into his nostrils, into the very essence of his being, absorbing the smell of her shampoo, her toothpaste, the soap she had bathed with, and, overall, her own feminine scent.
Knowing it was wrong, he had probed her mind, curious to know what dreams kept her company while she slept. He had been unprepared for the link that had formed between them, startled to discover that, even as he was probing her thoughts, she was delving into his. Scattered images of his past lives had been woven into her dreams, though she had not been aware that it was his past she was dreaming about. And then, before he could close his mind to hers, before he could erase the growing horror that filled her mind like a dark plague, she had come awake with a scream on her lips.
And still he had lingered in the dark, waiting. He had seen the lights go on in every room of the house, and then he had seen her peering into the darkness. Their gazes had locked for one brief instant, and then he had turned away, feeling as though he had left a vital part of himself behind.
By morning, Adrianna had convinced herself it was all just a bad dream.
She got ready for work, ate a quick breakfast, and left the house. She paused at the end of the driveway, staring at the old oak tree where she had imagined she sawNavarre . She moved to stand under the tree, then felt her skin prickle as if she had received a mild electric shock.
Alarmed, she jumped onto the sidewalk, then glanced up and down the street, wondering if anyone had seen her behaving so foolishly.
Clutching her handbag in a death grip, she hurried up the driveway, opened the garage door, slid behind the wheel of her car, and drove to work.
She still felt a sense of pride when she saw her name on the door. She had bought the bookstore a year after she graduated from high school. For Adrianna, it had been a dream come true, made possible by the inheritance her great-grandmother had left her when she passed away. Still, it had been scary, going into business when she was only nineteen. But it had been good for her, giving her a feeling of self-confidence she'd never had before.
Sitting in her office helped put everything in perspective. She had met a rather odd man. She'd had a scary nightmare, and that was all.
Adrianna heaved a sigh as she opened her checkbook. It was time to put the night's foolishness behind her and get down to business.
But, try as she might, she could not putNavarre from her thoughts. No matter how often she pushed his brooding image away, it sprang right back up again. What secrets was he hiding behind those fathomless gray eyes? Why did he keep such peculiar hours? Why had he kissed her with such passion, and then sent her away with a warning?
What did the V stand for? She had the most peculiar feeling that if she could discover his first name, she would unlock the mystery that wasNavarre .
Like a sleuth on the trail of a killer, she went to work. She called her friend, Nancy, who worked at the DMV and asked her to checkNavarre 's records.
"V. Navarre,"Nancy said a few minutes later. "Says he was born inNew Mexico on September first, nineteen-seventy. He's six foot, four inches tall, has black hair, gray eyes, weighs two hundred and twenty pounds."
"Why the sudden interest in this guy?"Nancy asked. "I've never heard you mention him before."
"Nothing, just curious."
"Uh-huh."
"Honestly,Nancy . I just wondered if the V stood for anything."
"Why don't you just ask him?"
"Because I'll probably never see him again."
"Navarre?Navarre ? Say, isn't that the name of the guy who owns the antique store out onOld Piney Branch Road ?"
"Yeah. I bought a bed from him last weekend."
"I see."
"No, you don't. Listen, I've got to go."
"Sure, well, keep me posted."
"All right, I will. Bye."
Frowning, Adrianna hung up the phone and went out to wait on a customer. Apparently, there was no mystery to be solved. The letter V didn't stand for anything.
Part Three Chapter Four
A week