Dealers of Light Read Free

her fingertips and into her chest to course through her entire body, invading her limbs. Unlike receiving the Light, no tingling surge of energy accompanied this, just the heavy heat that faded in a passing wave as it settled, resonating in her core. She drew her hand back, staring at Emmie’s dear face. The hint of a smile on her lips was Cara’s only solace.
    Emmie was gone. Silent sobs bent Cara double. She hugged her chest, rocking back and forth on her haunches as the loss swept through her. A tidal wave of grief.
    A muffled moan escaped her lips and she sucked in a breath that steadied her. She used the arm of Emmie’s chair to push to her feet, knees aching from kneeling so long. Two steps brought her to the counter, and she gripped the edge until her knuckles protested. She reached for the tissue box, but tears ruined her vision, and she knocked it to the floor.
    “Damn it.” She pressed her palms against her eyes, fighting to regain her composure in the haze of grief. When her vision cleared, she grabbed the tissue box and yanked out a handful to blow her nose. A ragged sigh stuck in her throat. She went to the sink and splashed cold water over her face. The streams of icy liquid shocked her back to the moment. She remained there, resting her elbows on the counter until her breathing returned to normal.
    Emmie .
    Cara straightened and rubbed her hands down the sides of her blouse and pants. She’d witnessed death numerous times, but this was different. Emmie was a friend—a Dealer. Sniffing, she rubbed her nose and went to the door.
    T hree nurses paced the hall, hands on hips. Cara cleared her throat and they froze.
    “ Emmie?” Regina whispered.
    When Cara shook her head Regina bit her bottom lip and turned away. The three women rushed past Cara into the room. She palmed the wall to steady herself, Emmie’s warnings ricocheting through her brain.
    Nicki .
    She hurried to the exam room, but only a cotton exam gown piled on the floor remained. Damn it . Her heart sank.
    M aybe Nicki went to the waiting room . Cara rushed out of the room to the right and ten feet to the door that separated the public area from the clinic. She pushed through the door and stopped, stone still, one hand on her chest.
    No Nicki. 
    A gray-haired man and a teenage couple holding a baby sat in the straight, blue plastic chairs lined against the walls. They shifted in their seats and gazed at her, brows raised. She paced past the patients and out the glass door. She had to squint in the bright sunlight, but a cool fall breeze dispelled the heat. Two cars in the lot and three parked on the narrow street. No Nicki.
    Buildings in this older part of Norfolk were packed close together so even if Nicki had only walked a half a block, she was out of sight from here. Cara bit her lip and, after a last scan of the parking lot, surrendered, returning to the waiting room.
    Back in the clinic area, she le aned over the counter where Rosa, the check-out receptionist, typed away on the computer. “What happened to Nicki? I asked her to wait for me until I finished with Miss Emmie.”
    Rosa paused in her typing and pushed her glasses higher on her nose. “Not long after Emmie came in, Nicki rushed out. She didn’t say anything to anyone.”
    Cara pressed her lips together in a firm line. She’d already lost one patient today, she wasn’t about to lose another. Dammit, Nicki, what did you see?

 
     
     
    Chapter Two
     
    “Sean?” Rolf Van Harding paused on the threshold of the foyer with its glistening white marbled floor. He glanced at a massive brass and crystal chandelier suspended from the two story ceiling. Then his gaze went to his favorite medieval tapestry hanging on the side of a sweeping marble staircase, and across to the rich tones of his Rembrandt on the opposite wall.
    He let out a deep breath, thankful his loyal staff had readied his new, temporary home so quickly.
    “Here, sir.” His right-hand man strode into the foyer