Chapter 3
Noon
Jotting down the time and date for her notes on the soil sample she was testing, Kateri felt as if she was moving forward while stuck in reverse. Her limbs heavy, every movement was lethargic and difficult. Like the entire world was out of synch and she was caught between two competing forces. And no matter how hard she tried to focus on her work, she couldn't stop her mind from replaying her crazy dreams.
What did I eat last night?
Banana ice cream.
That's it. From now on, it's off the menu.
After hours of internal argument that left her doubting her very sanity and condemning her own flagrant stupidity for even thinking otherwise, she'd finally managed to convince herself that everything she'd imagined until she'd gone into the bathroom to brush her teeth had been a dream brought on by too much stress, ice cream, and ...
Something in retrograde. She'd have to check with her cousin later. Sunny always kept up with that weirdness. If anyone could tell her what planet or astrological sign was playing havoc with her life, Sunny was she.
Still, Kateri couldn't get the image of that dark-haired warrior out of her mind. Of course, it would help if the man would keep a shirt on whenever he came into her unconscious mind. What kind of person didn't have enough decency to keep himself clothed while barging into her dreams?
A little modesty went a long way.
Yeah, but clothes on a body so fine was its own form of obscenity.
Shh, mind, have some decency yourself.
But it was hard when all she saw was the pain in his dark eyes as he held her in arms that were warm and welcoming. As his breath tickled her skin. Even now, she could feel his heart pounding against her shoulder and feel the slight trembling in his arms. Almost every time she dreamed of him, he'd press his cheek to hers while he seemed to savor being near her. In those moments, she was always so serene. So happy.
Until he killed her.
It's just a stupid dream.
She really did believe that now. When she'd gone back into her bedroom to dress, the mirror had been free of writing and there had been no sign of the dolls, the raven mocker, or anything else out of the ordinary.
Thus proving her imagination was as active as ever.
And friends wonder why I never experimented with drugs. With her family history, she didn't dare. She had enough insanity without them. Last thing she needed was more.
Ever since her grandmother's death, she'd seen "visions" she couldn't explain. Caverns in the desert and ancient hieroglyphics that were painted on stone walls. Animals that would charge her. But the one thing that had always been constant in all of them was the dark-haired man who either fought by her side or who ...
Stabbed her dead.
Suddenly, her lab door opened to show her grad assistant, Enrique Martinez, coming in with a giant package in his hands. At twenty-three, he was gorgeous and well aware of the fact. Something he took full advantage of with female coeds whenever they needed "tutoring." His list of ever-revolving girlfriends was so long that Kateri had quit trying to keep up with it weeks ago.
"Hola, Dr. Avani." He set the huge box down on the table next to her.
Sitting back on her stool, she smiled at him. She'd told him repeatedly to call her Teri or Kateri. But for some reason, he could never bring himself to be so formal. "Hi, hon. How did your date go last night?"
He made an unhappy sound with his tongue. "Not as well as I'd hoped. She threw me back into the river. Oh well. I'm not too trashed over it. She wasn't exactly what I was looking for either."
"How so?"
He flashed a dimpled smile. "She complained about her food so much to the waiter that I was afraid to eat mine. You never know when an irate cook is going to spice your meat with something extra special. Last thing I need for a woman is a harpie, know what I mean?"
Laughing, she reached for her package to open it. Dang, it was heavy. Had someone mailed her a stack of bricks? She now had a new appreciation for Enrique's strength.
"You laugh at misery, Doc, but Montezuma's Revenge is nothing to play around with."
She gave him a peeved glare. "You're never going to let me live down Gus Guatemala's, are you?"
"You're not the one who lived in the bathroom for three days, Doc. Thanks for that birthday present, by the way."
She snorted. "Yeah, well, at least you'll always remember it. Never let it be said that I don't know how to make a lasting impression."
This time he joined her laughter as he pulled a butterfly knife out of his back pocket, twirled it open, then sliced through the tape on her box.
Arching a brow, she was rather impressed with his knife skills, and didn't want to contemplate why he, a geology grad student, had them. "Aren't those illegal?"
His expression would make an angel weep at his innocence. "Are they?"
She loved how he always answered questions he didn't like with another question. Deflection had its place in the world and he was a master manipulator. Shaking her head, she opened the box to expose a ton of Styrofoam peanuts and something wrapped and taped as if on a dare.
Great. Just what she wanted. A broken nail and tape burns.
Enrique slid his knife into his pocket before he lifted up her notebook from the desk. "Nice drawing, Doc. Is this your boyfriend or something?" There was a strange glint in his eyes. If she didn't know better, she'd swear it was a light of recognition.
Heat radiated from her cheeks as she realized what Enrique had in his hand. Why didn't I close it?
'Cause she'd been a little preoccupied with convincing herself the subject of her drawing was a delusion brought on by one rom-com too many.