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| IMPOSTER BY MARIQUA |
CHAPTER 86 |
Sherry's head shot up -- her black hair dragging across the front of her face, and her lips parting with the shock of being caught. Trying desperately to recover, she tossed her hair back quickly and met his accusing gaze with feigned boldness.
"That was quick...where's my water?"
"I asked you a question," he said coldly, and her heart began to beat frantically within her.
"My purse, of course...what else would it be?"
Nick walked over to her where she still sat on the edge of the bed -- her skirt pushed up high on her thighs and her open blouse rumpled and strangely twisted.
"You tell me," he said softly but not gently.
"Not that you need an explanation," Sherry said stiffly, "but I wanted to get some...some breath mints."
"Really?" Nick said and bent down with slow, calculated movements to pull out her bag. "Let's see...maybe I can find them for you."
As his hands rummaged through her purse, he commented snidely as he looked. "No...not in there...or there...funny, you don't seem to have any breath mints in here."
Sherry clutched her blouse closer to her. "Well, I thought I did."
"Let me look," she said bravely as she made a decision to act out her charade. Handing the bag to her, he watched silently as she dug around in it -- all the while pretending that she was hunting down the missing mints. Nearly cursing out loud, and feeling her throat constrict, she realized that something else from her purse was not there.
"You wouldn't be looking for this, would you?" he asked, and one arm that she had not taken notice of appeared from behind his back producing her cell phone.
Trapped!
The word blared into her brain as her face tingled with red-hot humiliation. He knew what I would do!
"What are you doing with my..." she began weakly.
"Phone?" he filled in the missing word with obvious relish. "What an intriguing question! Maybe you can help me with the answer."
"No! I have no idea what you're doing with it!" she fired back at him -- completely upset and undone by the fact that he had thwarted her.
Nick's other hand reached out, and he lightly touched her hair -- watching the rapid progression of her unease. "You haven't known me long enough to know how much I value loyalty, but you ought to understand it now. I'm going to give you another chance, Sherry...to convince me that you're not going to turn on me."
"I don't know what you mean."
Again, his fingers glided randomly through strands of her hair. "This is me...Nick...I'm not clueless like Slider, and you should have known better than to treat me as if I was. I count on you, Sherry...if you only knew how much."
Staring brazenly at her, he suddenly demanded to know something else.
"What exactly do you fear? Is it me...or yourself?"
Sherry cast her eyes on the open door and actually contemplated making a break for it and running past him, but she knew that there was really no escape. He would find her again and again -- some part of her had already accepted this.
"I'm just not...ready, Nick...to..."
Smiling as if he knew far more than her, his eyes settled on the rise and fall of her breasts as she breathed in and out, as well as noticing how very startling her reddened lips looked in contrast to her milky skin.
"Sherry...Sherry...you were made for me...down to the last, perfect detail . I couldn't have dreamed up anyone like you, and you know what? I'm really good at dreaming up stuff."
****
Slider looked at the other three and then reversed a decision. This has to be handled so carefully...one wrong move and Z is finished...
"Tea...Viki, it's going to be just Sam and me going in right now. I need you to stay here in the car until one of us calls you. We can't all spring on him at once."
Sam eyed him questioningly, but recognized the experience talking behind Slider's words. Better to let him run the show. He was certainly no psychologist, although he sometimes felt he had been exposed to more of the field in his practice than he cared to acknowledge. If I had been more in touch with psychology, I would have figured out that there was a Nick years ago...
Tea looked at Viki who nodded back at her. "Fine, Slider...we're okay with that."
"You're all going to be my backup," Slider said with authority after Sam turned expectantly back to him. "...because...I don't know what I'll find in there. Sam...all set?"
"Sure...what can I do?"
"Nothing until I tell you. Just hang back until I signal you. You remember the house, don't you?"
"Well...some."
"Then...when we go in, find some place...a room...to lay low in until I need you."
Sam reflected on what he could remember of the house. There is one room I'd like to visit again...
"What...what about you, Slider? What are you going to do?"
Slider half closed his eyes in thought. "I'm going to start the process, Sam...the process of bringing Todd back."
****
Del was still not done with his anger. Hearing Tea's voice again had been a relief, but it had also uncorked his temper which had been on a low, steady steam since she had disappeared. So, obviously she thought she was calling the shots now. It rankled him that she had seemed so cavalier about what she had done, and all the worry she had caused him.
After the phone call from the FBI lookout, he had rushed to get dressed and headed out in his car to find the old home of Todd Manning, the one that evidently still belonged to him. Never did he imagine that his phone would ring and that the person on the other end would be his cagey sister. Of course, he had gone into a tirade with her, but what else could she expect?
Two hours and then I'll get to the bottom of this. There was still one item that was forthcoming. His man had told him that he would get the license numbers to the cars that had pulled up across the street from the Manning home.
"Yeah...have you got those numbers yet?" he asked after answering his phone.
"No...sorry...are you ready for this? The main system is down. Everything is at a standstill. Some virus that's affected the entire works."
"What's the point of having all this technology if it's going to get flubbed up by these hackers?" Del snarled into the phone. "We can't operate like this!"
"Don't I know it!" the agent agreed. "Well, I'll keep checking on it. What do you think? Should I go back over there?"
"Not just yet," Del said. "Just stay on alert status should I need you."
"Right. Okay...later."
****
Loyalty...he's talking about loyalty...and me turning on him...
Raising herself up a little but shrinking back from his touch, Sherry's hand turned palm up.
"Nick, I'll take my phone back now, if you don't mind."
"But I do mind," Nick said -- still cupping the phone tightly in his hand and dismissing her gesture.
"This is ridiculous, Nick," Sherry tried reasoning with him. "I think I should be insulted that you are acting like you don't trust me."
Nick smiled sardonically. "Where I come from, Sherry...trust is a very dirty word."
"Then you have a real problem," she said with disdain. "I'm your doctor, remember -- the one who helped you. I'm also your friend and..."
"...and what, Sherry?" he drew closer to her and spoke a word in a deep, hushed tone.
"Lover?"
"Nick...please," she lowered her lashes as she saw his eyes lingering on her body.
"Denial is futile, isn't it, Sherry? You came with me...you knew what you were getting into, and you're still wildly curious about me...I can tell that. The sensible part of you wants you to leave...to go back to your safe, little world, but the other part ...your dangerous side...is hungry for someone like me."
I want to scream! This man looks into my mind and pulls out my deepest fantasies with ease...
****
The two men crossed the street like moving shadows while Tea and Viki got back into their car. Each woman seemed lost in thought as if silently weighing everything that could possibly happen.
"I'm worried," Viki said as she watched their forms walking up the steps of the house.
"Count me in on that," Tea pursed her lips in a frown. "This is all just too..."
"Unreal," Viki supplied the word. "Here I am...after speaking at his memorial service. Todd always did do things the odd way."
"There's one thing I am sure of this time around," Tea said and stared at the house that had once been the home of her husband. "I'm not leaving here without him."
Both men stood on the front porch in a state of disbelief -- both of them reliving the past privately. A strong gust of wind blew up around their legs, and Sam looked around suspiciously. "I don't know what it is...but this place still gives me the creeps."
It's just the memory, Coach...we've got to stay focused...
Even with the pleasant, cool breeze, Slider's palms were sweaty as he drew out his keys.
"You have a key?" Sam asked.
"Yes...the same one I had years ago. Z...Todd gave it to me...I guess I never got rid of it."
Hoping that he looked more confidant than he felt, Slider inserted the key into the lock.
"It's already open, Sam," he said and began turning the knob.
Slider winced as the door made a slight noise, and all at once, he heard his own voice in his head lecturing him...you really think you can outfox Nick? He's never really been conquered, and you have the supreme audacity to think you're going to take him on?
Another voice inside his head answered the doubting voice, and this time he felt a surge of confidence that both amazed and mystified him. Yes...I believe I can...and I promised myself that I would help Z this time...I have the means to do it...and...reinforcements...
The door opened with an almost audible sigh, and they walked into a pitch-black darkness that stopped them like a solid wall.
