Loving Night: Dream Catcher Series ~ Book 2 (19 page)

“I’m going to miss you,” he said
softly with his mouth mere inches away from hers

“I know.” She kissed him very
lightly. “I’m going to miss you, too.”

“Then, you won’t object to me
making the most of tonight?”

“I’d object if you didn’t.”
Stephanie dropped light kisses over his chin, neck, chest, and shoulder until
he groaned and his lips demanded she stop teasing him.

Delicate. Deliberate. Delicious.
Every touch and motion was something to be savored.

Stephanie had a wicked thought that
she didn’t really need to leave at 9:00 the next morning—Karen wouldn’t mind. Stephanie
was going to spend as much time as she wanted enjoying her husband. Maybe she’d
take a nap at dawn; she thought that might work. A moment later, she wasn’t
thinking at all as her husband consumed every ounce of her attention.

~
~ ~ ~ ~

Driving north on I-71 at shortly
past noon, Stephanie was tempted to call Chaz. Or maybe she should call Steve
since the vision that popped into her head as she was passing Columbus was
about him. The problem was that she couldn’t tell whether the situation was
good or bad, or whether it had anything to do with any of his cases.

She saw details, but couldn’t focus
on the conversation when Steve was approached as he sat at in the cafeteria at
work. Roy Gifford plopped onto a chair and leaned across the table as if he
didn’t want the conversation to be overheard. He was animated but not angry.
Steve was pensive but not upset while he listened and occasionally nodded his
head. An air of anticipation surrounded them, but Stephanie once again didn’t
get the impression that it was related to Chaz or the investigation he was a
part of.

That was odd.

Why would she have a vision about
Steve that didn’t connect to Chaz in some way? As she checked her side-view
mirror before changing lanes, Stephanie’s brow wrinkled in confusion. Should
she say anything to anybody? It wasn’t like her to be hesitant, but her
instincts were telling her to hold on to this bit of information for a couple
of days. Even Chaz didn’t need to know right away, despite the fact that they
had agreed that she would immediately tell him about any vision about him or his
job. Did this meet the criteria since it was about Steve? While she didn’t feel
that the situation was urgent, she did sense that it was important. Again, her
hesitancy baffled her.

The drive to Erie was otherwise
uneventful. It was a good thing, because Stephanie couldn’t shake the vision or
her instincts about it.

Karen picked up on the
indecisiveness right away and suggested she and her friend talk over a cup of
tea and a plate of lemon-rosemary cookies.

“Of course, if you’re hungry, we can
have dinner early.” Karen offered even though her husband wouldn’t arrive home
from work for a while.

“No. Cookies will be fine. I was
telling Chaz the other day that this baby has given me a sweet tooth.”
Stephanie linked her arm through the other woman’s and headed toward the
kitchen.

“How is my goddaughter doing?”
Karen placed a hand on Stephanie’s stomach and leaned down to talk directly to
the child inside. “We’re going to have such fun, Amanda. You’re going to look
like your dad but be smart like your mother. And you will get along wonderfully
with your cousin Victor.”

“Amanda? Chaz and I don’t even know
that we’re having a girl—but Amanda is a pretty name. And, speaking of your
son,” Stephanie slid onto a stool at the breakfast counter, “are we going to
call him Little Victor for his entire life? That would suck.”

Karen laughed and moved to the
stove to grab the tea kettle. While she did that, Stephanie sent her husband a
text letting him know that she had arrived safely.

“It’s funny that you should mention
that. We’ve decide to call him Victor and switch to calling his father V.D. for
Victor David.”

Stephanie laughed so hard at her
friend’s wicked grin that her side hurt.

“You are NOT going to call your
husband V.D.!! That’s awful! He is not a venereal disease.”

“I think that would be hilarious
and awesome. Unfortunately, he agrees with you. We’re going to call him Big Vic
and let our son answer to Victor.”

“That’s better.” Her lips spread
into a big smile. “I’ve missed your crazy sense of humor. Chatting online isn’t
the same as being face-to-face.”

“Of course not. We feed off of each
other much better when we’re together.” She finished filling the kettle with
water, set it on the stove, and turned the oven on to pre-heat. Stephanie
watched her friend pull a pot from the window sill, cut some herbs into tiny
pieces, and retrieve a roll of sugar cookie dough and the canister of flour.
Karen always swore that rolling the refrigerated dough onto a dusting of flour
helped to make sure the cookies didn’t spread too thin. She did that, sprinkled
the herbs on top before pressing them lightly, and rolled the dough into balls
that she then flattened.

The result, after 10 minutes in the
oven, was a plate of fragrant and delicate cookies that held their shape as
well as ones made from scratch.

“Now, tell me what’s on your mind,”
Karen demanded after they’d spent sufficient time talking about raising babies.
“Your aura is still a little dull.”

Stephanie shared the details of the
vision she’d had earlier.

“What about it is bothering you?”

“The vision isn’t the problem. I
don’t usually keep this stuff a secret from Chaz, but I feel like I should this
time. That makes me a little uncomfortable.”

“I can understand that, but your
instincts are usually correct. Don’t think of this as keeping a secret. You’re
just delaying the conversation until you can have it in person.” Karen set her
cup of tea on the counter. “It just occurred to me that, even though you feel
off kilter, I don’t. Lately, you haven’t disrupted my sleep or distracted me
during the day. I figured that everything was quiet in that brain of yours.”

“No.” Stephanie shook her head. “The
déjà vu is back in full force, and I’ve been having dreams and visions. They
just don’t seem to be significant right now. Well, let me rephrase that—they
don’t seem to impact Chaz as much as they involve Steve. Maybe I’m not anxious
because of that.”

“Maybe. Well, whatever is going on,
it’s a relief to me.”

Stephanie could definitely
understand why her friend would say that. None of them liked having Karen worry
about Stephanie’s gift. That was a new development that she was glad was
easing, but in the back of her mind, she wondered why.

The women chatted about Karen’s job
and the co-workers that also use to be Stephanie’s co-workers. It seemed that
not much had changed at Caledonia Financial Services. From there, the
conversation drifted to other friends they had in common. Karen’s vivacious
sense of humor was alive and well as she shared one anecdote after another
until Stephanie was in tears and her jaws ached from laughing.

“I see it didn’t take any time for
the two of you to start cutting up.”

Both women turned at the intrusion
of Victor, or Big Vic, into the conversation. He immediately handed his son to
his wife and scooped Stephanie into a bear hug, telling her that she looked
great and reminding her that Karen isn’t her only friend.

“I’ve missed you, too.” Stephanie
smiled before opening her arms to accept the baby who was nearly a year old.
Her godson. He was sweet, and round, and alert with his mother’s bright eyes
and red hair. Stephanie couldn’t resist squeezing and kissing him.

She was happy to be back with her
friends.

The drive and the excitement of
being back in Erie tired her out. Around 9:00, she laid down to take a nap
before Chaz would call. She had no idea when he’d be getting home from work. 
It didn’t take long for her to drift into a light sleep.

And it didn’t take long after that
for a dream to interrupt her rest. Again, it was about Steve. It didn’t seem related
to the vision she’d had while driving, and she again didn’t feel anxious about
Chaz—so she was pretty sure that he was safe. Maybe the fact that she’d seen
two incidents involving Steve in the same day meant that her earlier vision was
more relevant than she’d thought. She sighed and pulled out her phone to text
Steve McDaniels.

Stephanie:
I had a vision today.
You were in the cafeteria having an animated conversation with Roy Gifford. It
didn’t seem like anything was wrong. Then I had a dream a few minutes ago. You
were in a meeting with Roy and two other men. It was a telephone conference
call. Someone on the other end of the phone was describing a murder scene but I
couldn’t hear the words, only had that impression. When the call ended,
everyone in the room was silent. Then, one of the men I don’t know said that
whatever you heard was how someone deals with snitches. The other said that he
was positive it was your man. No one said his name, but I felt like you were
talking about Paul Watkins. Then Roy made a comment about increasing the
manhunt before your friend is found. Was he talking about Chaz?

Steve:
The vision happened this
afternoon. The dream hasn’t happened yet. And you know I can’t confirm names.
Try not to worry. I’m working hard on this situation. Goodnight.

Stephanie set her phone on the
nightstand and stretched out on her side. That was a déjà vu moment. It
reassured her that she needed to trust that Steve would take care of the
problem.

Soon Chaz would call and have a fun
conversation with her sexy husband followed by a great weekend with friends who
knew how to make her life all right. She smiled at the thought that she was a
very fortunate woman.

The moment Stephanie walked into
her house, she wondered whether the time had come to talk about the vision
she’d had on her way to Erie, the dream she’d had before going to bed that
first night, and the brief dream she’d had on Saturday night that she hadn’t
yet told anyone about. She wondered because Steve McDaniels was seated at her
kitchen table in an obviously very serious conversation with Chaz.

“Hey, baby.” Chaz rose, gave her a
heartwarming kiss, and held her for a long time as if his team leader wasn’t a
couple of feet away. “How was the drive?” He dropped another kiss onto her
forehead as his hands roamed across her back and shoulders.

“Everything was fine: light
traffic, almost no construction, and only three bathroom stops.” She kissed her
husband’s chin before looking around his shoulder at their guest. “Hi, Steve. How
are you?”

“I can’t complain.” His eyes always
seemed to smile at the affection Stephanie and Chaz showed toward each other. He
pushed some papers together and tamped them so that the edges were straight.
“We were going over the newest developments in the Paul Watkins case. Arrest
warrants will be ready in the morning.”

“So, you found him?” She kept an
arm around Chaz’s waist as they stood side by side with their backs against the
counter.

“Yes. He’s in Cincy. In fact, he’s
staying about 15 minutes from here.” He paused to let that sink in. Stephanie
had always known that they might be in danger, but until that statement, it had
only been hypothetical. Those words made it real. She swallowed hard when it
occurred to her again that the phone conference in her vision was about this
man. “We have a team watching him. I’ll know if he steps out of his house to
wash the car in the driveway. But, after tomorrow, you won’t have to worry.
He’ll be in a federal holding cell facing thirty-seven charges. After that, we’re
planning on sending him back to Chicago since that’s where the majority of his
activities were conducted.”

“Good.” She smiled in relief, but
she was also distracted by a thought that suddenly made everything else sense.
“Let’s sit,” she said to Chaz. When they were all at the table, she took a deep
breath and asked Steve, “Will you be leaving us permanently?”

He gave a half smile to indicate
that he wasn’t surprised by the question.

“No. I’ll only be gone for about a
month while we make sure all of the paperwork and affidavits have been
collected.”

“And when that’s done?”

“I’ll be back in Cincinnati while
the prosecutors and lawyers argue over what charges will actually stick, work
out plea deals, and verify any information Watkins is willing to provide
against his colleagues. Given the fact that there are persons in the Chicago
organization who were trying to push him out, we’re pretty confident that he’ll
expose a few minor operations. If nothing else, he’ll want to send a message
that he can still be a force to be reckoned with even if he’s behind bars. Chaz
and I will have to travel to testify, but that won’t be for a while and it
should only take a week or two.”

Stephanie nodded. The previous
night’s dream rushed to the front of her thoughts: Steve being congratulated by
the Director of their FBI Field Office. She had a suspicion that the
conversation with Roy, the news about a murder and a manhunt, and the
recognition that Steve would receive, were all related to the case against Paul
Watkins. What wasn’t clear was how they all affected her husband—because she
was almost certain that they did.

Her next words were considered very
carefully. “Then, that means your promotion will be here?” She held her breathe
while waiting to see whether her guess was right.

Chaz turned to her, but she didn’t
look at him. She watched Steve’s face for the tell-tale flash of admiration in
his eyes. Her heart fell.

“Nothing is final.” His tone was
meant to soothe her nerves.

“Okay.” She turned to her husband
with an apology. “You know that I would tell you more if I could, right?”

“Of course I do.” His fingers
tightened reassuringly around the hand that he was holding against his thigh.

“This really feels weird—talking to
Steve about something that I can’t tell you.”

“Yeah, it’s definitely a new
experience, but don’t worry about it. Everything will work out like it’s
supposed to.” Those were the words she so often said to him. She nodded very
slightly and Chaz realized how tired she must be. “Are you hungry? Dinner is
ready; we’ve just been waiting for you.”

“Oh? What did you cook?”

“Meatloaf, garlic mashed potatoes,
and sautéed green beans. It’ll only take a few minutes to reheat everything.”
The smile she gave as he rose from the table made his heart beat faster. It was
another of those moments where her eyes held his and it seemed like no one
existed in the world besides the two of them.

“I’m going to freshen up.” The men
watched as she excused herself and headed upstairs.

“Before you say anything,” Steve
said, cutting off the question in his friend’s eyes, “I can’t tell you until
she does, and she can’t tell you until she feels it’s absolutely right. Like I
told her, nothing is final. But I guarantee you that what you’ll hear later
will be good news.”

“If you say so.” Chaz couldn’t help
but feel confused as he moved to the cabinet to get plates for the meal.

~
~ ~ ~ ~

The arrest of Paul Watkins went as
predicted. An FBI S.W.A.T. team swarmed the street and crashed through the
front door of a two-bedroom house he was using as his temporary home while
searching for something more suited to his tastes and status. He was caught
completely off guard as he unpacked groceries. Steve McDaniels happily walked
past the prone bodies of several of Watkins’ cohort to confront the crime boss
who was handcuffed and seated at the kitchen table.

“I’ve been following your exploits
for a very long time,” Steve announced with a grin, “and nothing makes me
happier than being the person to read you your rights and haul you off to a
Federal jail.” With that, he mirandized the man who had, among his many
misdeeds, ordered the shooting of Special Agent Chaz Lawson a.k.a Chaz Winters
in Erie Pennsylvania.

Chaz was able to watch the arrest
via a video feed from one of the FBI camera men who was recording the event.
Finally. He heaved a sigh of relief, turned off his computer monitor, and
headed home to his wife.

“It’s over,” he said as he set a
bottle of non-alcoholic champagne on the kitchen counter. “No more worrying, no
more hiding, no more having his path cross my investigations.” He kissed
Stephanie and rested his forehead against hers. “Paul Watkins is in custody.”

“Thanks to my wonderful husband.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck to hold their position. “This is a
significant arrest, isn’t it?”

“Very.”

“Good. You deserve all of the
credit you’re going to get.”

Chaz leaned back and studied her
face. The confidence in her eyes reassured him.

“What did you see?”

She shrugged before answering.
“Let’s just say that a lot of people in positions higher than yours are hearing
your name and applauding your contribution, as an analyst as well as a field
agent.” Her smile faltered only slightly. “This will be good for your entire
team.”

“Will it be good for us?” he asked
quietly.

“Anything that’s good for you is
good for us.”

“Hmm.” Chaz studied her for a
moment longer before dropping the conversation in preference for the
celebration. “Champagne?” He smiled and moved to the cabinet to get glasses.

Stephanie wanted to tell Chaz
everything she had seen not long before he’d arrived at home, but she couldn’t.
Roy Gifford was going to get promoted, partly because of the excellent way that
his team handled the Damien Granger case and coordinated all of those other FBI
offices with the pursuit of Paul Watkins. That’s what the conversation in the
cafeteria had been about. Steve McDaniels was also going to get promoted. She’d
seen that in a dream while she was visiting Karen. She wasn’t sure yet what
those two events meant for Chaz beyond the fact that he would also receive
special commendations. Whatever the deeper implications, they weren’t going to
be immediate. She was positive that she’d have another dream or vision when her
husband would be directly affected.

She returned to the stove to stir
the cream into the chicken and vegetables mixture that she would pour over
penne pasta and listened to Chaz talk about the details of that day’s arrest.
The fact that this was another déjà vu moment assured her that she was making
the right decision by delaying what to say to her husband.

Of course, she didn’t think the
delay was going to be as long as it turned out. While those conversations she’d
seen had happened soon after she’d known about them, the actual promotions took
more than a month to officially announce.

The impact on Chaz wasn’t made
known until the third week of May, just one week before their wedding.

On a Thursday night, Stephanie
dreamed a scene she definitely hadn’t been expecting. Roy held a meeting with
his entire office. At that time, he announced that he was being promoted and
that Steve would be taking over as the supervisor of their office. Immediately,
there was speculation and joking about who would take over Steve’s duty. Roy
looked at Chaz and informed everyone that he would be acting in that capacity
until a final determination was made. Chaz was too shocked to comment and the
meeting ended a few minutes later. Everyone filed out of the conference room
after words of congratulations and good-natured teasing that Chaz was getting
what he deserved—Steve’s job was an unenviable one—leaving Roy, Steve, and Chaz
alone.

“I’m glad that you have faith in
me, but this isn’t what I want,” Chaz objected.

“It’s not your decision.” Roy’s
voice was kind, somewhat sympathetic. “We’ve had this conversation before, so I
know how you feel. But, the Bureau needs me and Steve elevated as soon as
possible. You’re the only one who can immediately step into his shoes.”

“And, you’re the only one I want,”
Steve added. Stephanie had never heard him use that particular tone of voice
with her husband. It was unwavering.

“And if I don’t accept?”

“You’re an FBI agent, Chaz. You’ll
follow orders even when you don’t like them.” The words were firm but not harsh.
Steve was a friend, but he was now going to be the boss; he couldn’t afford for
Chaz to disregard that fact.

Stephanie was hit with the extreme
sense of resignation, almost defeat, coming from Chaz. Other than him being miserable,
she didn’t know the significance of the meeting and she didn’t understand the
look that passed between the three men. Chaz ran a hand over his face and then
through his hair and sighed.

“When?” he asked.

“As soon as you return from your
honeymoon.” It was Steve who spoke. Chaz clenched his jaws but said nothing as
he rose from his seat and left the conference room.

Stephanie woke from the dream and
looked at the man sleeping beside her. She couldn’t tell him something that
would make his so obviously unhappy. So, why then, had she had this dream? The
truth hit her hard.

While her dreams were always for
other people, to help them or to warn them, this dream was for her. It was her
warning.

Something
she
wouldn’t like
was coming. After the honeymoon. Something that would upset her husband. She
kissed his chest and resolved that whatever it was, they’d face it and come out
just fine. After all, these past few months had taught her that they were
strong as a team. In the meantime, she’d do everything to keep him happy. She
kissed his chest and went back to sleep.

~
~ ~ ~ ~

On the Sunday before Memorial Day,
Chaz and Stephanie, along with their immediate family members, arrived at
Phailin’s house for brunch and a Tea Ceremony. The couple had chosen the Asian
custom as a way of honoring their parents and affirming the purity, stability,
and fertility of the marriage. The private event would also serve as one
additional opportunity for the families to bond since they were meeting for the
first time that weekend. Of course, Karen, Victor, and their son were also
included.

A very pregnant Phailin, whose baby
was due to be born at any minute, led the ritual. She took time to make sure
everyone understood the significance of the order in which the tea was offered
and to say blessings over the couple and their families.

When the ceremony was complete, but
before anyone was invited to partake of the buffet brunch, Chaz and Stephanie
had an announcement to make.

“Actually, we have a confession.”
Chaz smiled down at his wife before addressing their parents. “Traditionally,
the tea ceremony happens after the wedding. So, now is the perfect time to tell
you that this is not our wedding day.”

At the confused expressions,
Stephanie clarified. “For several reasons, Chaz and I got married in November.
We kept it a secret because we didn’t want to deprive any of you of having this
day with a big wedding and reception. Because we love and respect you so much,
we didn’t want you to feel left out of our committing our lives to each other.
So, you can consider today’s event as a renewal of our vows.”