I took a deep breath, trying to compose myself and think rather than let my emotions get the better of me.
- Where?I typed.
- Your apartment
- When?I asked.
- Now
She seemed to be one step ahead of me at every turn.I hurried to the nearest window.I looked out at my building.All the lights in my apartment were on.I distinctly recalled turning them off before leaving.At that moment, Avalie materialized on my porch, waving in my direction before going back inside.I ran my gaze over the master bedroom, looking for cameras.Was she keeping tabs on me?Had Vaughn failed to turn off the surveillance system, or was there a second system unknown to him?
I was annoyed.No, I was flat-out pissed off.This type of thing didn’t happen to me.I prided myself on not making mistakes.But Avalie had managed to deceive me, and Vaughn was proving to be a disaster as a handler.Once I made the jump back to my time, I’d make sure this would be the last job he ever handled.
I obviously didn’t need to worry about being cautious.I made my way down the stairs and went straight out the front door, slamming it behind me.
Nosey neighbors be damned.
I was tired of this, exhausted from trying to guess Avalie’s motives.She’d had the opportunity to kill me before but didn’t take it.It was high time for a one-on-one conversation.I wanted to know what the hell she was truly about.
Outside, I crossed the street to my apartment and hurried up the outdoor stairway to the door.I wasn’t at all surprised to find the door left open for me.Evidently, I was to be the guest, and Avalie was playing host.
Before pushing it open, I caught the sound of laughter inside.Two women were having a conversation, with one of them making a comment about liking boxed wine.
Did she seriously bring Nadine here?
I stepped into the apartment and felt the room suddenly closing in on me.
My heart raced as I struggled to comprehend the overwhelming reality of what I was seeing.Disbelief washed through me like a chill wind.That lasted only a second, followed by an intense mixture of grief and nostalgia.I was filled with an indescribable ache for moments I’d lost.For the conversations we never had.For all the important events in my life that I couldn’t share with the woman sitting beside Avalie.There was a lifetime that she didn’t know about me and that I’d never had a chance to learn about her.
In that fleeting instant, time seemed to warp, merging the past and present, and the void she'd left behind in my life yawned like some great unfillable chasm.
“You’re back,” Avalie said, her eyes locking onto mine.“I hope you don’t mind that my friend and I stopped by for a glass of wine.”
My eyes moved back to the young woman, looking shyly at me as I lingered in the doorway.My feet felt as though they were permanently nailed to the floor.
“Reed Michael,” Avalie continued, gesturing to the woman.“Meet my friend, Judy Serra.”
Avalie had brought her here to face me.She was here in the same room with me.
The mother I’d lost when I was ten years old.
ChapterTwenty
Avalie
Reed recognized Judy almost immediately,and his face took on the look of someone who’d just had his insides kicked out of him.
It wasn’t quite the expression I was expecting, and the guilt that washed through me wasn’t exactly expected, either.
Then, his gaze turned to me.
If looks could kill...
That was the best way of describing Reed now.
Unaware of the unfolding circumstances and the duel playing out here, Judy rose from the sofa and extended a hand toward Reed.She clearly assumed this was a friendly meeting, probably expecting the same vibe she’d received earlier in the day when I introduced her to Xander and Nadine.
Reed, on the other hand, looked at her as if he was seeing a ghost.The color had drained from his face as he slowly approached her.Judy’s outstretched hand disappeared in his.To me, his unease was palpable, but I knew him better than she did.Ironic, considering she was his mother.
