Seven

Prologue

Pearls of rain trickled down Cassie Harbor’s supple skin as she ran to her car. The rain began to fall out of nowhere and quickly turned into a relentless storm—the heavy drops, flooding the street within seconds. Growing up in Groverton, North Carolina, she had never experienced a rainstorm like this. It almost seemed unnatural.

“Is this rain cloud following me?”         

Once in her car, Cassie glanced up to the gravel-gray clouds, which pulled over the lush, green mountains. A crackle of lighting sounded in the distance, and this made her heart jolt forward and her body shudder from the loud boom. Startled, she placed the key in the ignition and set off toward the interstate. As a storming array of clouds chased behind her like a ravenous beast out for blood, she sped up; the windshield wipers worked furiously to clear the blur of rain.

“What is happening?” She struggled to scream as tears began to form in her eyes. The fear, a noose around her neck.

Panic mixed with the uprising fear flooded her veins, when the car steered off the highway, completely out of her control. Her foot was heavy against the pedal. She couldn’t move it. Cassie’s teardrops quickly turned into streams, the harder she yanked on the steering wheel. The tires squealed against the wet pavement as her car continued down a dearie dirt road. Stalking trees closed in around her. A dead end.

“Sh—”

BOOM!

The young Cassie Harbor didn’t see her fate coming. Similar to a person crossing the street without looking…They’re hit by a car. Unfortunately, that is how the world works – sometimes in inexplicable ways.

Even with all the power I possess, I am not allowed to intervene. Yes, even a being like me has a boss to answer to.

People aware of the inner workings of this complex universe refer to me as the Light. An all-knowing being. I see everything you see. Hear everything you hear. Feel everything you feel. I'm an immortal empath and the keeper of souls. The one humans seek guidance from.

You see, we are all connected. Every plant. Every animal. Every human being. Every soul. Connected by an invisible thread, to me, the light. Sadly, only a few will come to understand this fact and their true purpose in this universe. Only a few.

But I see potential in one soul. A woman. I have, ever since her first incarnation. And back then, her name was...Drina. And unfortunately, like most inspirational stories, hers started in the darkest of all places. Drina was a tortured soul in her first life. A life, which has come to shape her soul now.

Where are we in incarnation thirteen you ask? Well, let me show you...

Xandra Kallan

Cassie Harbor, missing girl number seven, was the only thing on my mind when I snuck into the old and stalky warehouse. My hell-bent determination to solve our current case triumphed over the fear that crept up my spine. The warehouse had a tainted past. A past I refused to let myself dwell over because it would’ve affected my decision to come here alone.

Seven teenage girls disappeared without a trace, days apart. All these girls had two things in common (besides living in Groverton), they were all virgins, and it happened during thunderstorms. This put a damper on retrieving any kind of impression evidence from the crime scenes.

When I made my way around the corner, I looked up to find rain, dripping in from the crack in the ceiling. I glared. Rain was not my friend.

I will find those girls. No one fucks with my town or the people in it!

The rattling noise reverberated through the air, jarring me out of my thoughts. My hands immediately reached for the gun I had cocked at my side, and I started moving forward down the dark, moldy corridor with caution. A muffled voice was echoing from somewhere and I inched closer to the source. At the end of the corridor was a rusty metal door. My heart was pounding as I reached for the metal handle, leaning against the cement wall next to the door. Taking a deep breath, I slowly opened the door, not sure what to expect.

Here goes nothing.

I carefully opened the door and shone my torch around the room. My pulse racing, I began to move forward. Then I heard someone coming towards me with heavy steps, not the kind of footsteps a five-foot redhead named Cassie would make. As a hand reached out to me, I swiftly seized their wrist and swung them around, pushing them up against the wall. They groaned in pain as the lights of the warehouse suddenly came on, I had inadvertently pressed them into a light switch. Why does this place still have electricity? I thought as I looked up.

I squinted my eyes and peered back at the person I was holding onto, and I could feel the heat begin to swell up in my body.

When he lowered his head to meet my gaze, his mouth curved up in a tense smile and he said, “Hey, babe.”

Really? Hey, babe? That's the best you can do after scaring me half to death.  “Asshole,” I groaned, as I jabbed him in the kidney and shoved him aside.  The was no time for games.

“Ouch,” Hendrik said. He grabbed his back, mocking me as if he was in pain.

“Don't ever do that again, I could've shot you.” I glared with my hands on my hips.

“Lighten up, will ya? It's your fault. You decided to run off alone in the first place.” He laughed, turning to me.

He was the one who suggested I come here. Did Liam Hendrik have an ulterior motive? If so, he should have known better than anyone that I don't like surprises. 

As usual, his hazel eyes, gorgeous smile, and that damn hair of his had me in a trance, distracting me from any sort of rational thought.

I'd almost snapped out of my moment of weakness when he raked his fingers through his hair. The shiny brown hair he always had slicked back. Hair I wanted to pull, because I knew it would drive him crazy. I tried to glare, and my eyes found his muscles, outlined by a blue, long-sleeve dress shirt that hung over black slacks.

Damn.

Snap out of it, Xandra!

“I knew you would take the bait, Miss Determined.” He seemed rather pleased with himself.

“Ha! Very clever, douchebag.”

Hendrik laughed—even his laugh was sexy. “Well, I believe a birthday spanking is in order, after pulling a stunt like that and calling me names.” His smile equaled the mischief in his hazel eyes. “Twenty-seven, is it?” Hendrik asked, eyes bright, stalking forward with a devious grin.

Before I could protest; I was up against the wall. My heart raced, and I tingled warmly in all the right places, especially between my thighs. For a brief moment, with his chest shoved against my back, his hand tightly gripping my ass, I wanted him to spank me. To feel the pleasure that followed the sting.

I craved his touch, but like always, I pushed him away.

I didn't trust men, not even my own partner. Plus, in my mind, work always came first.

“This is a potential crime scene, and we need to search for clues.” I booty-bumped him in the crotch. He groaned and released me.

“God, what is your problem?”

I gave him the finger and began my search from one end to the other. We had a lot of ground to cover, and this was no small warehouse. “All right...what do we know about our latest victim?”

Hendrik could memorize a case file better than anyone I knew.

He sighed. “Our latest victim is a 16-year-old Caucasian female: five feet, two inches tall, one hundred and sixteen pounds, with short red hair and blue eyes. And probably got more action than I ever will.”

I punched him in the arm. “Shut up,” I glared. I was in no mood for his bullshit. “Continue.”

“All right, all right. She was last seen leaving her job at the public library around ten p.m. Her mother reported her missing at midnight after several phone calls to her daughter went unanswered. “

“I spoke to her mother-”

“Surprise, surprise.” He frowned.

“Look, I am sorry. But I was already on that side of town.”

He hung his head. “Yep.”

“Anyway, Mrs. Harbor explained that Cassie was a well-behaved teenager: a straight-A student who was punctual, played softball, and always checked in when she was supposed to. Her red, Toyota Camry was found ten miles from her work, on that road off the interstate.

He perked up. “Yeah…officer Gibson said the front end of the vehicle had smashed into the railing, but the driver door was wide open…” He paused to rub his face. “Only one set of tire tracks, and evidence belonging to her, were noted when canvassing the area.”

“I don’t get it…why did she pull off the interstate?” I put my hands on my hips. “I mean; she has lived here her whole life. Wouldn’t she have known that road was a dead end?”

He shook his head. “Yeah, you would think so. It is so bizarre. The tire marks indicated she had lost control of the vehicle at one point and was going at least 75mph. Do you think she was trying to get away from someone?”

“If so, I’ll find them,” I groaned and attempted to walk away, but he placed a firm hand just below my chest. The heat from his hand had uprooted the insatiable need to feel his hands all over my body.

“Hey...” His hand moved down to my waist as he pulled me into his strong arms. “…You never told me the story about what happened here.”

I let out a breathy sigh. “It was shut down…six workers died because of poor management.” My chest tightened, and I blinked to force the tears back. “My uncle was one of them.”

“Holy shit, I’m—”

“It’s fine.”

He let go of me and nodded. “The basement is being converted into a nightclub.”

Hmmm…night club you say?

When we hadn't found anything of importance, he rushed me to the parking lot. The whole way, he made several attempts to hold my hand. I refused. We stopped halfway to his car and stood underneath a lamppost, fixated on each other—invisible fire forming between us. At that moment, I thought about giving in to temptation. About letting him be in complete control of my needs and wants. But out of nowhere, a cold breeze blew past, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe. And oddly, the coolness on the back of my neck, evaporated what lust I had burning inside me.

I immediately shook off my confusion and glanced back to the warehouse. “We need to check the basement. What if we are missing something?” I didn’t know why, but the basement had this undeniable pull on my gut, and it was giving me a stomachache.

A low grumble slipped from his lips. “No, Xandra. You're losing your damn mind over this case. I think you need to take a little break." He touched my shoulders, “Plus, it’s your birthday, babe. We should be celebrating.”

Celebrating, his keyword for fucking. I rolled my eyes. “Don't call me, babe. And the answer is no.” I backed away and continued walking to his black Chevelle. “I want to go home. Take me to my car, please.”

“Okay, fine.” He ran ahead of me to open my door. “My lady,” he smirked.

“You just don’t give up, do you?” I raised an eyebrow.

He laughed, “Never. Now, get in the car, woman.”

I got in. Hendrik closed the door and went to the front of the car to show off his cool, sliding-over-the-hood technique before hopping in next to me.

“Was that necessary?”

“Don’t deny it, you love my smooth moves.” He popped his collar up. I tried to hold back my laughter but failed miserably.

“Conceited ass,” I giggled.

“Speaking of ass...do you remember that one time in the backseat?” He wiggled his eyebrows up and down. “Well, do ya?”

I glared. “Oh, how could I forget? You remind me every time we get in this damn car.”

He leaned over to me. “I gave you the ride of your life.” Hendrik then weaved his hands through my hair so quickly, I didn’t have time to react. He tugged my head over to him. His breath, hot up against my ear. “Your admission never expires. Remember that.” He let go of me, stuck the key in the ignition and the Chevelle roared to life. The power vibrating my thighs brought up the memory of us in the backseat. I was riding him like there was no tomorrow while he bit into my shoulder, my hair wrapped tightly around his wrist. I forced my thighs together, unable to stop flow the of juices to my sex.

The charge of the car going forward snapped me out of my lusting daze. I hoped he didn’t notice, but the devilish smirk he wore on his face told me otherwise.

After I'd seen Hendrik off, I slipped into the driver’s seat of my black Dodge Avenger, realizing how light my jacket felt.

Shit, my phone.

I double-checked my suit pockets again, hoping my phone would magically appear. It didn't. I sighed as my back met the seat, thinking of the last time I'd used my phone. A vague vision of me texting my sister and talking to Hendrik this morning popped into my head. Damnit, I had left my phone on my desk at the station.

Stepping into my office, I flipped on the lights. A sudden movement made me gasp with my hand over my heart. That instant, my cheeks felt like they were on fire. And before I could take a breath and ask what the hell they were doing in my office, the crowd yelled, “Happy Birthday” in unison. Someone, probably Hendrik, had orchestrated this whole thing, and although the gesture was sweet, I couldn't help but be a bit upset. I specifically told him; I had no interest in celebrating my birthday this year.

My sister then appeared from the masses and the sight of her shifted my embarrassment to elation. I hadn't seen my sister, Sasha, in months; she’d moved to New York to attend NYU and was currently in her fourth year, majoring in Anthropology.

Before she had moved away to college, Sasha and I had been inseparable. We did everything together. Not only was she my sister, but she was also my best friend. Unlike most siblings, we rarely fought, and when we did, we would make up almost instantly—laughing about how ridiculous we were, for fighting in the first place. It’s been hard being so far apart; we had made it a priority to talk to each other on the phone or via Skype whenever possible.

She was draped in designer wear from head to toe, showing the city of New York was treating her well. Her dark-brown, layered bob swept over her green eyes. Her light-brown skin glistened inside a purple, lace dress, which accentuated her voluptuous curves. Her pair of silver open-toed sandals lengthened her legs and pulled the outfit together with perfection.

She moved in for a tight hug while her eyes fell upon Hendrik in a lustful way. His met hers’ for a moment then glanced back to me; probably hoping I hadn't noticed the silent game they were playing. I found her flirtatious behavior unusual, considering she was aware of my complicated relationship with Hendrik. But I decided to swallow down my rising jealousy and brush it off; the last thing I wanted was to cause a scene in front of my co-workers, who were mostly men.

Yeah, I will never live an outburst like that down…

Riley, a first-grade detective (highest ranking detective), swooped in behind Sasha to bring a beautifully designed, floral cake into view, with twenty-seven lit candles carefully placed around purple roses.

“Hey there, little lady,” he said, with the smell of whiskey on his breath. The party just started, and he already had one drink too many.

I let go of Sasha, to thank him and everyone. “Oh, you guys shouldn't have, thank you.”

Hendrik leaned in to whisper in my ear, “You're very welcome, now make a wish.”

“You’re going to pay for this, Hendrik,” I mumbled under my breath so only he could hear my threat.

He smirked and whispered, “Hurt me good, baby. Hurt me good.”

Unable to refrain from an eye roll, I shook my head slightly and leaned in, wishing I could return those girls back to their homes unharmed, as I blew out the candles.

Hours flew by, and at the end of the night, Sasha couldn't stand, let alone talk. Hendrik helped her to the car, his arm around her slim waist. Giggles escaped from her lips as he put her into the passenger seat of my car with such care. I couldn't help but roll my eyes when he placed a chaste kiss on her cheek. In a jealous rage, I slammed the car door shut.

“What the hell is going on between you and my sister?” I asked, with my hands in tight fists.

“Jealous?”

“Answer me.” My eyes narrowed.

I could see his muscles tighten underneath his shirt, while my eyes continued to burn into him like hot pokers.

“Nothing is going on. Just some innocent flirting. What does it matter to you anyway? You have no interest in picking up where we left off.” From his expression, I could tell the wall I had put up between us, was destroying him on the inside. I swallowed hard to hide my desire for him.

“And you think, flirting with my sister is going to make me reconsider?” My question made him nervous, as he ran his hands through his hair. An excruciating silence fell between us. Anxiety began to invade me as I waited for him to speak.

“I'm sorry, it was not my intention to upset you. I—”

“I what?”

“I miss how we used to be. The distance between us is killing me.”

My posture softened at the sound of his words. I'd missed it too; we were inseparable. Unstoppable. A force to be reckoned with.

“It's complicated.” I leaned my back against the car and broke eye contact to hide my true feelings. I wanted nothing more than to reach out and pull him to me. To feel his rock-hard body pressed against mine again. The truth is, being romantically involved with Hendrik had begun to cloud my judgment. I couldn't afford to make another huge mistake and jeopardize both of our lives. He might have forgiven me, but I was having a difficult time forgiving myself.

Hendrik’s tan skin became tinted with red as he threw his hands in the air. “Xandra, that's your excuse for everything. How long do you expect me to wait? It's been months since I've been able to touch you.”

“I need more time. I almost got you killed for Christ’s sake!”

“I can't do this right now. I'll see you tomorrow...partner.” Hendrik mumbled curses under his breath as he walked to his car, sped past, and left a cloud of dust in his wake. I'd never seen him so upset. I was the reason, and the guilt started to swirl around in my stomach.

A sudden chill swept over my body once again, but this time, I knew I was being watched. The parking lot was dim, however, a silhouette of blackness caught my eye on the far side of the building. I walked closer to investigate, but the shadow mysteriously disappeared. I shrugged, figuring my lack of sleep lately was causing me to hallucinate.

***

The image of the shadowy figure haunted my dreams. And no matter how hard I tried to avoid it, there it was…around every corner, stalking me. I’d spent the entire night, tossing and turning.

Who the hell was that?

Although I suffered from a severe case of insomnia, I popped out of bed eager to start my day, and the thought of me being on call all weekend didn’t bother me. I was grateful to be one of those people who loved their job. And the most rewarding part of my job was, knowing I would make a difference in someone’s life. To have a mother cry tears of joy instead of sorrow when I brought home her child. Those were the moments I lived for.

I will find them. Even if it’s the last thing I do!

I got dressed, threw my wavy hair in a bun, and ran downstairs to make a cup of joe before work. The dark roast coffee with Belgium chocolate toffee creamer poured smoothly into a thermos I secretly loved, because Hendrik bought it for me for Christmas, and not for the simple fact it was my favorite color. Purple. The man was incredibly sweet and thoughtful, I thought to myself. I took a generous sip of my coffee and savored the energizing aroma as the smell lifted to my nose. While I indulged in a few more sips, I looked over to Sasha. She was still passed out on my black leather sofa with drool seeping from her mouth. She was definitely going to feel the effects of those vodka martinis when she woke up.

In bumper-to-bumper traffic on the interstate, I played my fight with Hendrik over and over inside my head. I debated with myself about giving us another chance, but was it worth the risk? I've always been about my career and never about romance. Hendrik however, surprisingly, was a man who could maybe change all that, despite his well-known reputation as a womanizer. Behavior, I certainly didn't tolerate; I was quite the feminist. But for some unknown reason, I felt so drawn to him. He had weaseled his way underneath my skin, and I couldn't shake the overwhelming feeling of him.

I arrived at the station on time, surprisingly, in light of the morning congestion I had encountered on the way. Headquarters was full of commotion from the early morning hustle and bustle. On my way in, I nodded to Marietta, our dispatcher and the woman who also happened to be Detective Somers's ex-wife.

What a shame...they were so cute together!

She was always impeccably dressed, and that day was no exception. Her blouse was made of silk—a gorgeous shade of teal and she had a red beaded necklace that blended perfectly with the shade of her glasses. Her eyes were radiantly blue, and her red hair was pulled back in a low ponytail. She responded to me with a warm, welcoming smile, her teeth were dazzlingly white. 

Hendrik was leaning up against a partition and talking to Officer Gibson when our eyes met as if he had a built-in Xandra radar that could sense my presence among all the chaos. Although last night he left royally pissed off at me, he smirked. His eyes were fixed on my curves. My cheeks felt hot. For I was quite familiar with this look—he wanted to do things to me. Bad things. It was too much for me to withstand, so I booked it to my office. And as I sat down at my desk, Hendrik appeared in my doorway, looking like he just stepped off a runway with his hair slicked back. My breath caught in my throat.

Damn! You look so handsome in that gray suit!

I lusted him but refused to show it. He politely knocked on my door. While I put my thermos on my desk, I motioned for him to enter with my other hand. Hendrik smiled, knowingly eyed the thermos, entered, and turned to close the door behind him.

“Hey, babe—”

I immediately put my hand up. It was only seven am, and he'd already managed to piss me off!

“Do not call me babe when we are at work. It's unprofessional,” I pointed my finger at him.

He chuckled in amusement and settled himself into the chair on the other side of my desk. He relaxed, leaning to one side, his arm resting on the arm of the chair and his left foot perched on his right knee.

“You're quite feisty this morning, pussycat.” His hazel-eyed gaze smoldered in my direction, full of unspoken desire. My cheeks grew hot as I tossed a crumpled ball of paper at him which he effortlessly caught, the corners of his mouth twitching with delight.

“I forgot...you have to put up a front as a heartless bitch, so this sea of pricks will take you seriously.”

I rolled my eyes in annoyance, then started to glance over the case reports taking up residence on my cherry wood desk.

“You're so cute when you're annoyed,” he said, as he shot the ball of scratch paper into the trash can, by my office door.

“Do you have anything important to discuss, or did you just come into my office to irritate me?” I asked as I put the first stack of files into a black filing bin, at the right-hand corner of my desk.

He looked around the room obviously trying to figure out his next words. “Hmm...well, you should probably know, we have a meeting with the rest of the division in an hour. But yes, I do have something important to discuss.” “The look” reappeared, accompanied by a cunning smile. that made me want to bite my lip firmly.

“Okay...shoot.” I crossed my arms, trying to appear unmoved by his gorgeous smile.

He hesitated briefly to rub his forehead in a circular motion. “I was hoping...we could do dinner and a movie tomorrow night?” He leaned back and exhaled a breath.

Was he holding on, to that one question for days?

I was torn. I wished I had the courage to tell him how I really felt. To tell him that he meant the world to me. I just knew myself, and when I let my guard down around him, his love consumed me whole. I had convinced myself that watering down my love for him was the best for both of us. I leaned back into the comfort of my leather chair to contemplate what to say without hurting his feelings.

“I'll make you a deal...”

He shot straight up in his chair, eyes wide, “I'm listening...”

“Once we solve this case...we can go on as many dates as you want! We need to focus on finding those teenage girls.”

He groaned, letting his face fall into his hands. The dreadful silence between us seemed to go on forever.

Please don't give up on me!

At last, his eyes met mine and searched them with such concern. “Xandra, I know you haven't forgiven yourself for blowing my cover on the DeMarco case...”

I hate that he can see right through me, am I that transparent?

“…I reassure you; it wasn't your fault. I was a dead man walking the minute I stepped into that building. DeMarco was going to kill me after the drop was done. I certainly didn't want you getting involved, but somehow you figured it out, anyway. I owe you, my life; you saved me from a dangerous situation. I would be dead if it weren't for you.”

His words sent a rush through me. I desperately wanted to believe that was true. However, something about that traumatic day still plagued me. The flashback created an eruption of tremors pulsing throughout my body. We lost two of our best officers, and Hendrik took several bullets to the torso. By luck, the penetration of the bullets bypassed all his vital organs. I even managed to apprehend DeMarco without a single scratch.

How was that possible?

I struggled to hold back my flood of tears.

Hendrik kneeled next to me without warning. “Look at me please,” he said as he took my hand in his. My skin tingled all over from his delicate touch. I took a deep breath and gave myself a pep talk before my watery eyes met his loving gaze.

Don't you shed a tear in this building. If the rest of the staff catches wind of this, you'll be the laughingstock of the bureau. Pull yourself together, you fool.

“Please stop beating yourself up over this and come back to me.” He ran over the top of my hand with his thumb and leaned upward ready to place a luscious kiss upon my lips but came to a halt when there was a bang on the door. The door opened, and Detective Riley appeared in the doorway, his brown eyes darting at us. Detective Riley was the closest thing I had to a father. And from his expression, I could tell he was beyond livid. So livid, the redness underneath his chocolate-brown skin was almost visible.

Great, now both he and Somers hate Hendrik...

Somers's reason was unknown; neither of them cared to elaborate on the situation. I just knew when the two of them were in the same room; the tension was so thick you could choke on it.

Hendrik stood up in a swift manner, adjusting his black tie while swallowing hard. “Umm, sir—”

“Move it you two, or you'll be late for the meeting,” Riley's voice boomed and sent vibrations through my bones. He glared between both of us one last time before he slammed my office door shut. I glanced up at Hendrik in complete mortifying shock.

How embarrassing!