"I-I want to believe it."
She didn't believe him? Damn, that hurt. He grabbed a pen and a pad of paper. "I will help you, Olivia. Tell me everything ye can about this Otis."
"I - don't worry about it. I've got it covered."
"Ye doona want my help?"
"I...appreciate the offer, but I'll take care of it."
He ground his teeth. Why would she reject him? She didn't mind accepting help from J.L. "What has happened, Olivia? Why can ye no' trust me?"
"I want to. I really do. But it's hard when I can't read you, and it seems foolish for me to go on blind faith."
He rose to his feet. There was nothing he hated worse than being considered untrustworthy. "Ye were happy on Patmos. Ye trusted me. What has changed?"
She hesitated, then made an exasperated, groaning sound. "The apples came. Whoever sent them knew where I was."
He tossed the pen onto the desk. "Fine. Who knew ye were on the island?"
"My family, a few people at the office."
"If yer family is as loyal and protective as yer grandmother, ye can safely rule them out. Is there anyone suspicious at yer office?"
"There is someone who lied to me. J.L. is checking him out."
J.L. again. Robby groaned inwardly. "What about this J.L.? Wang, was it? Could it be him?"
"Oh no. He's always been honest with me. I can read him easily."
And she couldn't read him because he was Undead. Robby kept a tight grip on his growing irritation. "So ye're going to check Otis's mother? How would she know ye were on Patmos?"
Olivia sighed. "I don't know. I'm clutching at straws now."
"There has to be another explanation." When she didn't respond, he knew she was holding back on him. "Tell me."
"I can't. It'll upset you. It upset me something awful."
"Tell me!"
She groaned. "My supervisor thought Otis might have hired a professional to follow me."
"With yer training, I think ye would have picked up on someone trailing you."
"Maybe," she whispered. "Unless he was so good at hiding in plain sight that he had me completely fooled."
The quivering sound of her voice sent a chill down Robby's neck. Had she met someone on Patmos who could have fooled her?
He stumbled back as if he'd been suddenly struck in the chest. Bloody hell. "Ye thought it was me?"
"Robby, think about it," she said quickly. "You're a professional. We knew each other less than a week - "
"We bared our souls to each other! How could ye - " He screamed inside his head. His heart twisted in his chest.
She thought he'd betrayed her? Him? He'd never betrayed anyone in his life. He dropped the phone on the desk and clenched his fists.
"Bloody hell!" He slammed a fist through the wall behind him.
Breathing heavily, he scowled at the gaping hole in the Sheetrock. He didn't usually lose control like that, but dammit, how could she suspect him? Was it always to be this way? Would no woman ever believe in him? Or stay loyal to him?
"Dammit!" He grabbed a napkin off the credenza where the day guards kept their coffee machine and pressed it against a cut and bloody knuckle.
"Robby? Robby, are you there?" Olivia called from the phone.
He groaned. No doubt the other MacKay employees would notice the hole. They would have fun tormenting him.
"Robby!"
He collapsed in the chair and picked up the receiver. "I'm here."
"Are you are okay?" Her voice trembled, and he wondered if she was crying. "I heard a terrible crash."
"I was...redecorating." He glanced at the hole. "I believe it's called an art niche."
"I heard you cursing. Are you all right?"
"Nay. I'm bloody well angry. I canna believe ye suspected me. I would never harm you."
"I was afraid it would upset you. That's why I didn't want to tell you. I know how much it hurts. It nearly killed me when I first thought about it."
He tossed the bloody napkin in the litter bin. "Why would ye think of it at all?"
"My supervisor asked me if I'd met anyone on Patmos who could be a P.I. It made sense - "
"Nay! Olivia, I would never betray you. Ye must know how much I hate betrayal."
She sniffed. "I didn't want to believe it. I cried and cried. My heart was breaking."
"If it hurt so badly, why did ye consider it? What did I do to make ye doubt me?"
"It wasn't you. It was me. I was freaked out because I couldn't read you. I've never had to rely solely on instinct before, and I was afraid I couldn't trust it. And I just had trouble believing that someone like you could actually fall in love with me in less than a week."
"Are ye kidding? I canna understand why every man in the world is no' in love with you. Ye're beautiful, clever, brave...ye're everything I've ever wanted."
She made an odd, strangled sound that sounded like a stifled sob. "Oh, Robby."
"Olivia." It took all his self-control not to teleport to her and pull her into his arms. He heard a sound in the distance. She was blowing her nose.
"That's why I didn't answer your letters. I-I threw the first two away. It hurt too much to see them."
"And that's why ye dinna call." He took a deep breath and let it out. "So how do ye feel now?"
"I believe you." Her voice shook with emotion. "I heard your reaction. It sounded like the pain I went through. Robby, I'm so sorry."
"It's all right, sweetheart. We'll be fine." Until the next disaster. Sooner or later he'd have to tell her the truth about himself.
Not now. Their relationship was too young and fragile. First, they'd had to survive an abrupt separation, and now a crisis of doubt and suspicion. He didn't want to test their relationship any further at this point. He needed time. Time to prove how well he could be trusted, and how much he loved her.
Their romance had happened so fast, Olivia hadn't gotten a chance to know him well enough. Even though he was tempted to teleport straight to her and sweep her off her feet, he knew he needed to proceed slowly. She needed time to get to know him and trust him. The physical attraction was strong, but it wasn't enough. He couldn't reveal his secret until she'd gained a complete trust in him.
"I don't want to lose you, Robby," she whispered. "I've never felt this way about anyone before."
"Ye willna lose me, sweetheart." He collected the pen and paper. "Now tell me everything ye know about Otis, so I can help you."
For the next thirty minutes he took notes and asked questions. She promised to call the next evening to let him know what had transpired.
She yawned. "I'd better get to bed. J.L.'s picking me up early."
Robby gritted his teeth and made a note to check out J.L. Wang, too. "All right. Stay safe, sweetheart."
"You, too. Thank you for understanding." She paused. "I wish I could touch you."
He closed his eyes. "I wish I could kiss you."
She sighed. "I'll call you tomorrow. Good night." She rang off.
Robby set the phone down in its cradle. He'd come so close to losing her. How would she take the news of him being a vampire?
He dropped his head into his hands. She might accuse him of lying to her. And she would be right. He was purposely withholding the truth while he courted her. If he told her now, he would lose her. If he waited, he could still lose her. She might not be able to forgive his deception.
He groaned. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
Robby was relieved when Olivia called him Saturday night as promised. She reported that Otis's mother had passed the lie detector test. Mrs. Crump knew nothing about the apples, but she was delighted to meet Olivia. Otis had told her that he and Olivia were in love and destined to be together forever.
"Did ye tell her the truth?" Robby asked.
"I tried to, but I don't think it registered. She's convinced Otis is innocent and that he'll be set free someday. She's in major denial."
"Well, it may be the only way she can cope," Robby suggested. "Who would want to admit that they'd raised a psychotic serial killer?"
"Exactly," Olivia muttered. "Anyway, when the mom didn't pan out, we decided to try the brother. He lives in Indianapolis."
"So ye drove there?"
"Yeah. We saw him about an hour ago. He was so full of rage, his aura was bright red tinged with black. He was angry at us, angry at his mother, angry at the whole world. Afterward, I called the local police to warn them to keep an eye on him. The guy's about to explode, and I think he's capable of being extremely violent."
Robby winced. This was bad. If the brother blamed Olivia for Otis's incarceration, she could be in danger. "Did he know anything about the apples?"
"Zilch. He knew nothing, and it was the truth. As raw as his emotions were, he was very easy to read."
"Are ye still in Indianapolis?"
"Yep. It was getting late, so we checked into a hotel. We'll drive back tomorrow."
He gritted his teeth. "Ye're in a hotel room?"
She laughed. "Separate rooms. So did you make any progress on your end?"
"I have a few ideas. First off, we have to assume everyone in yer office knew ye were on Patmos. The few who did know could have talked to others. So, ye need to check everyone, from yer boss to office workers to the night janitor."
"Okay."
"I'm going to check on Otis's lawyer," Robby continued. "He may have received long range instructions from Otis years ago. And we need to figure out if Otis has a way of communicating with the outside world that the prison doesna know about. Could he possibly be psychic?"
"You think he's communicating telepathically?"
"I think we need to consider every possibility, no matter how bizarre." Robby talked to her for another ten minutes, then rang off when she wanted to shower and go to bed.
He decided that since she was obviously away from home, this was the perfect time to visit her apartment. He called her home phone number, and when the answering machine kicked on, he used her voice as a beacon. Within seconds he materialized in her dark apartment. His eyes quickly adjusted, taking in the small living room. It contained a green love seat, a coffee table, and a television set on a small entertainment console. A table for two was tucked into a tiny eating area next to the kitchen.
He made sure the blinds and curtains were all shut before turning on a light. Then he retrieved the bug detector he'd stashed in his sporran. He doubted Otis or his alleged accomplice had managed to bug Olivia's apartment, but he wanted to make sure.
He checked the living room and kitchen, then ventured into her bedroom. He couldn't look at the queen-sized bed without imagining Olivia lying naked on the cool blue sheets. Now that he'd teleported to her apartment, the location was embedded in his psychic memory. It would be awfully tempting to pop in at night to join her in bed. Unfortunately, the popping in part would probably make her more frightened than romantic.
Her bedroom, bathroom, and closet all checked out. No bugs. He turned off the lights and peered out a window. He was on a second floor, overlooking a landscaped area and parking lot.
He spotted a dark, shadowy area where the bushes were overgrown, and teleported to it. Now, the next time he returned, he would have the option of arriving outside her apartment.
He retrieved his cell phone from his sporran and called Olivia's work number. He materialized in the FBI building in Kansas City. Before the night guards could become aware of him, he teleported away, going back to Romatech.
He felt much better now with all three locations in his psychic memory. If Olivia needed him, he could be there within seconds. He'd only started his investigation the night before, but had learned enough to be worried.
Otis Crump was sick and dangerous, a truly evil man. And even though Crump was apparently locked away for life, Robby knew that evil should never be underestimated.
CHAPTER 16
As the month of February wore on, Robby stayed in contact with Olivia, either by phone or e-mail. She told him all about her job. They were busy investigating an adoption scam that had her working overtime. Then, in March, a series of drug-related kidnappings and murders monopolized her time.
Her investigation of Otis had to be postponed, but she claimed it didn't matter since she hadn't received any apples since November. Her supervisor had insisted Otis would stop harassing her if she ignored him. It looked like it might have worked.
She admitted that sometimes her job left her completely exhausted and frazzled. She was bombarded with the painful emotions of victims and their families. She could even feel the stress and angry frustration of her fellow colleagues. Since she couldn't feel anything from Robby, talking to him was like taking a vacation. She looked forward to it at the end of every day.
By mid-February they both installed webcams on their laptops so they could see each other as they talked. Robby knew she was stressed from work, so he did his best to cheer her up. He told her about his friends - how Jack threw a rowdy bachelor party and the police had come to shut it down, and now he was marrying the pretty police officer. How Phineas was in love with a girl who had slipped hot sauce into his drink. Seeing Olivia and hearing her laughter was the highlight of Robby's evening. Of course, he left out the pesky fact that some of his friends were Undead.
A few times their late night conversations turned sexy and flirtatious, but Robby tried to keep that to a minimum. He would always take his laptop and webcam to a nearby conference room, since there was no privacy in the office at Romatech. Even so, the guys enjoyed barging into the room to tease him. He couldn't afford to get too excited, or he'd be stuck trying to do his job all night with a conspicuous lump in his trousers.
