Epoch (Transcend Duet #2)(27)

“The bag broke,” I say in a monotone voice, unblinking. “And I saw Doug Mann. Then I backed into a lady’s car.”

“Jesus …” He sets the bag on the table and pulls me into the place I need to be more than anywhere else in the whole world. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did he do anything to you?”

I’m safe. In the arms of this man, I’m always safe. He is my lover, my protector, my place in this world where I can lose myself and find myself.

“Swayz?” He puts me at arm’s length. “Are. You. Okay?”

I blink several times, nodding, but not meaning yes. I’m not okay. I don’t think I’ll be okay as long as Doug Mann is free.

“What if I get close to him? What if we catch him before he kills again?”

Griffin shakes his head. “What are you talking about? Get close to him? Are you fucking kidding me?”

“I can’t live like this.” I take a step back, shaking my head. “I know you can’t completely understand, so I’m asking you to trust me. He’s a murderer, Griff. He’ll do it again. And he has his eyes on me because he knows I know. Living my life looking over my shoulder is no way to live.”

Griffin releases a heavy sigh while scratching the back of his neck. “Let’s move.”

“What? No. Are you crazy?”

“I can look for an opening at another dealership. We can go somewhere where there’s more job openings for you. We’re young, Swayz. We can go anywhere and do anything we want.”

“I’m not running away.” My voice escalates. “He could follow us. He’s a murderer. A dangerous man. We can’t just walk away. What if he takes another life? I can’t have that on my conscience. We need to—”

“Swayze!” He laces his hands behind his head while looking up at the ceiling, baring his corded neck. “I’ll go over to his apartment right now and end his life, but I will not let you put yourself in harm’s way. Just …” He shakes his head with another frustrated sigh. “What did he say to you?”

“He said we should get together for a drink and toast to Erica. Who says that? She wasn’t his friend. He was nothing but a creepy neighbor. And he knew my name. I never told him my name!”

“He probably heard me say it the day Erica died and you accused him of being a murderer.”

I dig my teeth into my lower lip. “No. What if I misheard him? What if he said Daisy and not Swayze?”

“Fuck … not this—”

“Yes. THIS! This. This. This! You have to accept this, Griffin. Like it or not, the only explanation for what I know and the memories I have is that I’m her. She’s me. The idea of reincarnation might not make sense to you or a whole helluva lot of other people, but it is, in fact, the only explanation. This is a bone-deep feeling I have about Doug Mann. I see things in my mind. I hear his voice. I hear her voice. The memories of Nate’s past. The images I have of seemingly complete strangers … Gah!”

I throw my arms up in the air. “My whole past! This is the reason I knew more than I should have known of very specific things. I knew what she knew. All those stupid tests. All those wasted years. No one even thought to consider I brought forth pieces of another life. It’s like young prodigies, only I’m not a prodigy. I’m just a girl who was murdered by some sick bastard. My soul wasn’t finished.”

His jaw relaxes as his gaze clouds over.

I wait. It’s a lot to process. Maybe if I keep feeding this to him in manageable doses, he’ll come to terms with it and accept me for who I am and who I was.

“Salmon, green beans, and sweet potatoes.”

Okay. Maybe I gave him an overdose of it tonight.

He blinks, refocusing on me for a split second before turning back to his dinner preparation.

We eat in silence.

We get ready for bed.

We find the comfort of each other’s arms.

We do it all without sharing another word.

I guess sometimes life has to figure itself out.





CHAPTER THIRTEEN





“I saw you pull in. Nice truck.” Nate grins.

Slipping off my jacket, I blow a kiss to Morgan rolling around on a blanket with a dozen toys. “Looks like you’re feeling better.”

He butters a piece of toast. “Better? Yes. Awesome? No. But I don’t like missing class.”

I grunt a laugh. “I think expecting an awesome day is just flat-out greedy. Yesterday was a terrible day. I don’t need awesome. I’m good with not terrible. You should be too.”

Morgan grins when I get on all fours and nuzzle my nose into her neck.

“If I recall correctly, I was the one groaning in misery yesterday. How did your day go down the drain between leaving my house and going to bed last night?”

Sitting back on my heels, I draw in a big breath. “On my way home, I stopped by the grocery store. The guy who murdered my friend, Erica, was in line behind me. I hurried out to my car and one of my bags broke. Then I dropped my keys. He picked them up and taunted me with them. Then completely flustered, I backed out and hit another car. When I got home, I tried to explain to Griffin why I need to draw Doug in and catch him so he doesn’t do to another girl what he did to Erica and Daisy.”