Psychic Link (Linked Inc. Book 2) (3 page)

“I don’t have a crib,” he answered.

“You should look into that,” Cara said, easing out of the chair. “This little guy needs a room.”

“Why?” Cooper asked. Folding a blanket, he then tossed it over the couch. “He doesn’t live here.”

Cara glanced down at the sleeping angelic face. “But he has your eyes.”

“So does my sister. She’s the reason I came to your office. She’s the one missing.”

“So Adam here is your nephew?” Cara asked, trying to keep the surprise from her voice.

“Mine too.” A deep voice Cara knew all too well came from the direction of the door. Her ex, Eric, stood in the doorway, holding a pizza box in one hand and a six-pack of beer in the other. Cara’s heart twisted as she tried to bite back an angry retort.

“And that’s my cue.” Cara gave a tight-lipped smile up at Cooper and gently placed the baby in his arms. “I’m sorry about your sister.”

Cara grabbed her keys and headed for the door. Eric blocked her exit. “If you’d dressed like that when we were together, I never would have strayed.”

“Apologize,” Cooper demanded, coming to stand next to her.

“That’s okay. He’s right. Your brother is only attracted to sluts, and I look like one.” Cara turned back to Eric and masked her inner turmoil with deceptive calm. “The thing is, I can go home and wash mine away. Can’t say the same thing about your girlfriend.”

“Wife.” His brow rose. His eyes twinkled as if he was trying to turn a knife no longer in her chest.

“Even better.” Cara grinned. The joke was on him. “You’re saddled for life, or at least half of the equitable assets, whichever comes first. Good luck with that.”

Cara slid past Eric, careful not to touch him. She’d moved past hate into acceptance a long time ago. She was still plenty pissed, but it was more at herself. Seeing him again just kind of confirmed it. Dating him had been a colossal mistake. Even colossal mistakes helped a spirit grow.

She opened her car door just as Cooper slowly approached. “I’m sorry for Eric.”

“Don’t be. You aren’t your brother’s keeper,” she said, remembering her sister’s words. Thank God Cara wasn’t Quinn’s.

“Please help me find her.” His voice cracked in desperation, and his eyes pleaded. “I’ll do anything; I’ll pay you anything. You name it. Just touch her stuff and see if you can give me any clues where she might be.”      

“I don’t want your money.”

“If not for me, then for Adam. He deserves to have his momma.”

She should have seen the kid card coming. Cara let out a lengthy sigh. “Fine, I’m going to need something personal of hers.”

“I can do better. I can take you to her house tomorrow, and you can touch whatever you want.”

Cara nodded. She could do this, not for Eric, but for Cooper and Adam. The quicker she was about helping, the quicker she could forget. Maybe she’d be rewarded with a halo to go with her horns. It could happen. “Pick me up at eight. I live at 544 Rhodes Avenue.”

“Thanks.” He went to touch her arm, and she eased away. His brows dipped, and he dropped his hand. “Sorry, I forgot.”

Cara slid into her car, shut the door, and drove down the street. She glanced in the rearview mirror to find Cooper still watching. Unease swept through her body, as she thought about what answers she’d find.

“Please don’t be dead,” she whispered into the silence of her car.

Chapter
3

Cooper parked outside the yellow beach house. Sheer curtains drifted through the open windows and danced on the wind. He hadn’t expected her to live on the beach. He’d thought her the more practical type, maybe a brick one-story in town near her office, or even something with a flashing sign that said Psychic On Duty. This place was normal, even quaint. He ran his hand over his face, half in anticipation and half in dread. He’d asked for this, even though he didn’t believe her capable.

He got out of the car, headed toward the front door, and rapped his knuckles against the wood. He lowered his sunglasses to shield his eyes from the early warm sun as the beach breeze kissed his skin. He heard the movement inside and saw a tall figure approaching, making him do a double take at the house numbers again.

“Aye?” A tall man, wearing nothing more than a Scottish kilt, answered the door.

“Uh…does Cara Thornton live here?”

“Who’s asking?” The man crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head.

“Special Agent Cruz,” Coop answered.

“Aye, you must be her ex. Quinn told me you might be sniffing around.”

“Who is it?” Cara hollered from somewhere in the house.

“Cruz,” he hollered back with his Scottish lilt. “Want me to challenge him to a dual and win back your honor?”

“What?” Cara’s voice squeaked as she stepped around the corner dressed in a flowered sundress. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Her sunglasses were perched precariously on her head. Her hazel eyes sparkled as she smiled. “No need. This is the
other
Cruz, but I appreciate the offer.”

Cara slipped past the big guy and out onto the porch. “I’ll be back in a while. Don’t eat my brownies while I’m gone, or your ass will be sleeping on the beach tonight.”

Cara shut the door and followed Coop to his SUV. “Who was that guy?”

Cara opened her own door. “That’s Laird Ian McDougall.” She smiled. “And he was serious about a dual, so don’t ever agree.”

They both got into the car and he started the engine. “He’s a laird?”

“Yeah, he’s got the big castle and an even bigger ego. Oh, and he’s a horn dog too, but he brought me brownies, so I’m letting him stay.”

As if that should have explained everything. Cooper didn’t know why he expected a normal conversation with Cara. The laird was a big guy. One of his arms was almost twice the size of Cooper’s, and that was saying a lot. “So you let anyone stay that brings you dessert?”

Cara chuckled. Her eyes sparkled with amusement, and a sweet tinge of pink covered her cheeks. “So where does your sister live?”  

He didn’t miss the change of conversation. He was trained in the art of understanding body language, and judging by Cara’s, it was as if she was going to Sunday brunch with a long-time friend. 

“About ten minutes away.”

“Great. I have time to meditate.” She lowered her sunglasses to cover her eyes and turned on the radio.

Cooper didn’t touch the buttons. There was no need; the radio was on his station. The music did little to ease the knots increasing in his stomach the closer they came to his sister’s house. He knew what to expect. He’d scoured the home, as if it were a crime scene, looking for any clues that might take him to his sister, and he’d found nothing. Nothing in her phone records, credit cards, or anywhere else he’d looked. It was as if she’d walked away from her life, leaving her child behind. When he’d gotten the call from daycare, as the next person to contact in case of an emergency, he’d been told his sister hadn’t shown up. That alone tipped him off that something was severely wrong. No way would she trust Cooper with his nephew’s welfare. Not by choice.

He pulled up outside his sister’s little house surrounded by the white picket fence. Cooper killed the ignition. “This is it.”

Cara let out a deep exhale. “Cooper, I have to warn you. You might not like whatever answers I can give you.”

“Any answers are better than none.” That was the truth. If this had been a case he’d been working, it would have gone cold.

“Okay.” She gave him a grim smile. “Let me explain some things before we go in.”

Cooper held her gaze.

“Nothing I tell you will be admissible in a court of law.”

“Okay.”

“If I see a face, we have our own forensic sketch artist, and I’ll call her in so we can do a composite for anyone you’re looking for.”

“Okay.” His skeptical tone had her raising a brow.

“How I work is that I touch something your sister either used every day, or that meant something important to her, or even something she recently bought. I tap into her energy and get flashes of her life. It’s kind of like flashes of pictures taken with a camera. If there are any important ones that look out of place, I’ll tell you.”

Cara opened the door, and he followed, thinking she was done. “And whatever you do, no matter what I tell you that I see…don’t touch me. It breaks the connections and will make me see yours.”

“Got it. No touching.”

She slid out of the car and moved to stand beside him on the sidewalk. “And one more thing.”

“There’s more?”

“Yeah. When I see those pictures, I’ve been told I….” She shook her head. “Never mind.”

“You what?” he asked, opening the gate and letting her pass.

“I may…I kind of….”

“Just spit it out,” he said, sliding his key into his sister’s lock.

“My body is sensitive to the vibrations, so much so that it looks like I’m on the brink of an orgasm, even though I’m not.”

His mouth parted, and he paused with the doorknob in his hand. What did one say to that?

“It’s easier to show you than explain.”

He gave a single nod, walked into the small house, and stepped out of her way, not wanting to taint his sister’s energy with his own. Goosebumps rose on his arms as he watched Cara walk around the living room. She kept her fingers clasped behind her back as she examined the home like someone visiting a museum. “Can I see her bedroom?”

“Yeah. It’s this way.”

He walked into Angela’s room and stepped out of the way. Cara did the same thing she’d done in the living room. She walked around the space and even peered into the closet before stopping outside the bathroom. “Are you sure nothing’s missing?”

“Positive,” he answered, swallowing around the lump in his throat.

Cooper followed Cara into the bathroom. Her smile widened as she pointed to the toothbrush. “May I?”

“Knock yourself out.”

“Toothbrushes hold a lot of energy. It’s touched every day by the owner, but this one”—she pointed to the wrapper in the trash—“is new, so it should help me see only the recent events.” Cara set her phone on the counter and hit Record.

“Good luck.” The words sounded as though he’d swallowed chalk. Cooper braced himself, not sure exactly what to expect.

He watched as Cara picked up the toothbrush and closed her eyes. Her chest heaved as her breaths came out in pants. “Are you kidding me?”

He didn’t know if he should answer, so he remained silent. She tossed her head back and moaned as her head moved from side to side. He didn’t know how long they stood there. Every nerve in his body clenched tight as each minute ticked by. Cara clutched the sink counter with her empty hand and squatted in front of it, as if the toothbrush was draining her energy.

He moved closer. His hands hovered around her in case she lost her grip and he needed to catch her.

“She’s alive,” she breathed out as her erratic breathing slowed. Her eyes slid open, and she licked her lips. She picked up her phone and stopped the recording.

“What did you see? Do we need to call your sketch artist?”

“No.” Cara’s lips thinned, and her eyes narrowed as she moved toward him. He stepped out of the cramped space to avoid accidently touching her. “I know who she’s with.”

“Who?” Cooper demanded.

Cara held up her finger to stifle his questions before punching in numbers on her phone and holding it to her ear. “This is Cara. I don’t have time to explain, but I need you to pull up Becca’s credit cards and see if she’s used them recently, then pull up her company cell phone and email me any recent calls she’s placed.” There was a pause. “Never mind why. Cancel all of my appointments this week. I’m going to be out of town.”

“What the hell is going on?” Cooper asked as Cara slid the phone back into her pocket.

“Oh, she’s clever. She must have known that I’d pick the toothbrush to work from. Of course, she would.” Cara practically sneered as she tossed her hands up in the air.

“Cara, tell me what you saw.”

Cara crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head. “Does your sister believe in mediums and psychics?”

“Yeah, she’s called your company before. So?”

“Soooo. When I picked up the toothbrush, I was given two pictures. One of your sister looking down at the toothbrush and the next looking at a woman holding up a sign. More specifically, that woman was my sister, Becca.”

Cooper ran his hand through his hair. “Are you saying Angela is with Becca? Where? What did the sign say?”

“The sign read... No time to explain. Had premonition. Angela is in danger from her ex. We ran. Take Adam to Mom’s and meet us where you lost your virginity. Her ex will be tracking us. Be careful.” Cara cleared her throat and shook her head.

“Her ex is serving twenty in the state pen. That doesn’t make sense.” Coop pulled out his cell and sent a message to his partner to check in on his sister’s ex to verify his latest activities.

Cara shrugged. “Be grateful we got that much out of my sister and she didn’t try to leave the message in braille. Becca is the flower child. She’s all about peace, love, and light. There’s no way she’ll be able to keep Angela safe, so we need to find them fast.”

“That should be easy enough. Where did you lose your virginity?”

Cara cringed. “A resort on a little island off the East Coast.”

“That sounds easy enough. What’s the name and I’ll book our flight.”

“No need. We’ll take the company jet. I don’t like crowded, confined spaces. There are too many opportunities to touch people. Who’s watching Adam?”

“He’s at daycare.”

“You need to drop me off to pack and pick him up, then meet me at my mother’s. Her address is—”

“I know her address.” Cooper watched the confusion cross her face.

“You do?”

“I did a background check on you.”

Her eyes widened in astonishment. It was probably best that he left off the fact that he’d invaded her privacy when Eric and she started dating. He thanked his lucky stars that she didn’t know that Cooper had been the one trying to talk Eric into breaking things off.

“I don’t know if I should feel violated or impressed,” she said, slipping past him and out of the room.

He pressed his lips together to keep from saying anything. The less she knew about his motives, the better.