ChasingShadows Read Free Page A

abruptly as the touch landed, it vanished. Electricity tingled
along her arm, and she knew without turning that Alex stood behind her.
    Noise in the squad room decreased to an oppressive stillness.
She sensed a dozen pairs of eyes watching her as if she held a live grenade.
    She turned slowly. “Detective?” It was difficult to remain
coherent when he stood so close.
    “You appear out of thin air and drop a bombshell on me.” His
voice dropped for their ears only. “Just like that.”
    “What more do you want me to do?” she whispered through clenched
teeth. Her stomach contracted into a tight ball.
    “By the way, it’s Lieutenant .” His mouth tugged at
the corners.
    “What?” She blinked rapidly.
    “Forget it.” He shrugged and scowled.
    He stood so close, her gaze bound by the magnetism of his
extraordinary eyes. His eyes didn’t mask his inner fire, but the rest of his
face was as unreadable as the dirty taupe carpet under his feet.
    Without thought, she skimmed her fingers over the whitened
scar on his face. “What happened?”
    “Busted up a street gang fight.”
    “I’m…sorry.” She dropped her hand and stepped back.
    The spell dissolved and regret zigzagged oddly through her. “Alex,
call Captain Jamison. He’ll verify my work with the NYPD.”
    By tacit consent, they both turned and walked away.
    “You know how to reach me,” she tossed back as she practically
fled the confining squad room to the steps outside.
    Under the bright August sun, she forced herself to walk with
calm, purposeful steps to her BMW. Once she was inside the car, long-hidden
guilt crashed into her full force. Pain washed over her heart, seeking a
crevice, pinching and prodding. The premonition took a backseat as the
nightmare from twelve years ago swamped her.
    Juliana and Alex had been eighteen years old, nearing high
school graduation and the road to college. They’d been in love, ready to tackle
the world together.
    Instead, two weeks prior to graduation, they stood dressed
in dark funeral clothes, staring at each other across a six-foot deep hole in
the ground. A pine coffin housing Johnny Cates’ mangled body sat next to the
dark cavity. Alex’s best friend.
    The result of a premonition she screwed up.
    The funeral service had reached a dismal end, grieving
family and friends had departed. Without warning, unusual and puzzling thoughts
collided with hers.
    Something had clicked in her psychic awareness. For the
first time in her life, she’d been able to read someone’s mind.
    Alex’s mind.
    What she had interpreted shocked her more than the confusing
looks his pain-shrouded eyes hurled at her. He had directed resentment, anger
and uncertainty at her. The array of emotions had devastated her.
    She buried a large part of her heart along with Johnny that
horrible afternoon. It had been the last time she’d seen Alex, when events out
of her control forever altered her life.
    Wiping away a lone tear, Juliana corralled her drifting
thoughts. She concentrated on the short drive to her office tower.
    She would deal with the merciless premonition like all the
others she’d experienced. But how could she expect to cope with Alex, the pain
and the memories at the same time?
    * * * * *
    Gratefully, Juliana sank into the high-backed chair behind
her desk. She glanced at the schedule printout her assistant had left on her
desk. Back-to-back appointments would keep her busy through lunch.
    An acquaintance and prospective client from New York was
first on her agenda. He could potentially bring her several high-dollar
referrals. Plenty of money flowed in the high-tech world of Silicon Valley, and
her solo practice would get its share. Having the right clients upped the ante.
She couldn’t let the day’s events distract her from establishing essential
business contacts.
    A sigh escaped her as the busy workday loomed ahead. She
swiveled the chair around to gaze through the glass wall behind her desk, a
moment’s respite