Covet - A Novel of Fallen Angel Part 13

She did not take the opportunity to look across the table at him. aIam not a big eater, generally. I think for now Iall just stick with coffee.a The waitress came back and poured. aYou know what you want?a aYou sure you wonat do breakfast?a he asked Marie-Terese. When she nodded, he took both menus and handed them to the other woman. aIad like the pancakes. No b.u.t.ter.a aHash browns?a aNo, thanks. The pancakes are quite enough.a As the waitress headed for the kitchen, Marie-Terese smiled a little.

aWhat?a he asked as he offered her the sugar.

aNo, thanks, I take it black. And Iam smiling because my sonahe likes pancakes, too. I make them for him.a aHow old is he?a Vinas spoon made a clinking sound as he stirred.

Although the question was casual, the way he waited for her answer was anything but. aSeven.a She glanced at his bare ring finger. aDo you have kids?a aNo.a He took a test sip and sighed like it was perfect. aNever been married, no children.a There was a pause as if he were expecting her to quid pro quo the info.

She picked her mug up. aThe reason I called you was because my bossahe wanted to let you know heas taking care of everythinga.a She hesitated. aYou know, about what the security cameras might have caught last night orathings like that.a Although she was worried he might not appreciate someone obstructing justice on his behalf, Vin just nodded once, like he was the kind of man whoad handled things in the same way Trez did. aTell him I appreciate it.a aI will.a In the silence that followed, Vin ran his thumb up and down his mugas thick handle. aListen, I didnat do anything to those two guys last night. Well, other than what you saw me do to them. I didnat kill them.a aThatas what Trez said.a She took a sip and had to agree with him: The coffee was superb. aAnd I didnat mention anything about you or your friend when I spoke with the police. I didnat tell them about the fight at all.a Vin frowned. aWhat did you say?a aJust that the two guys had been hara.s.sing me. That Trez spoke with them, and when that didnat work, they were escorted from the club. Turns out that was what the two other witnesses whoad come forward maintained as well so it all matched.a aWhy did you lie for me?a he said softly.

To avoid his eyes, she looked out the window next to them. The river, which seemed close enough to touch, was sluggish and opaque, thickened by the rain theyad had earlier in the week.

aWhy, Marie-Terese?a She took a deep drink from her mug and felt the coffee warm its way down into her belly. aFor the same reason Trez did. Because you protected me.a aThatas dangerous. Given what you do.a She shrugged. aIam not worried.a From the corner of her eye, she saw Vin rub his face and wince as if the bruising hurt. aI just donat want you risking more trouble down the line for my sake.a Marie-Terese hid a smile. Funny, some things a man could say made you feel warm all overa"not because the words were s.e.xual, but because they went beyond that lowest common denominator and into more important, more meaningful territory.

Fighting the pull of his voice, his eyes, his savior routine, she said, aIam sorry I left so quickly last night. You know, from the locker room. I was justarattled.a aYeahaa He exhaled on a curse. aAnd I apologize for flipping out like thata"a aOh, no, itas okay. Itadidnat appear you had much control over it.a aTry none.a There was another long pause. aI hate to bring it up again, but what did I say to you?a aYou donat know?a He shook his head. aWas that a seizure?a His voice grew tight. aGuess you could call it that. Soawhat did I say?a Heas coming for youa.

aWhat did I say?a Vin reached across and put his hand lightly on her arm. aPlease tell me.a She stared at where he touched her, and thoughtayes, and sometimes it wasnat even what a man said that made you warma"just the feel of his palm resting above your wrist was enough to heat your entire body.

aYour pancakes,a the waitress said, breaking the moment. As they both sat back, the woman put down a plate and a little stainless-steel pitcher with a flop top. aMore coffee?a Marie-Terese glanced in her half-empty mug. aFor me, please.a Vin got busy with syrup, pouring out a thin amber stream over three big, fat golden circles.

aMine arenat that high,a Marie-Terese said. aWhen I make thematheyare not that golden or that high.a Vin let the lid on the syrup bounce shut and picked up his fork, cleaving through the stack, carving out a forkful. aIam sure your son doesnat complain.a aNoahe doesnat.a Thinking of Robbie made her chest burn, so she tried not to remember how head looked at her with such love and awe when shead flipped those homemade flapjacks for him.

The waitress returned with her pot of coffee, and after shead poured and left, Vin said, aIam really hoping youall answer my question.a For no good reason, she thought even more of Robbie. He was an innocent that shead ended up dragging into a harsh life thanks first to the bad husband shead picked and then the way shead chosen to clean up the financial mess shead found herself in. Vin was not dissimilar. The last thing he needed was getting sucked into the black hole she was trying to get out ofa"and head already proven he had a come-to-the-rescue complex. At least where she was concerned.

aIt was just nonsense,a she murmured. aWhat you said was nonsense.a aSo if it doesnat matter, thereas no reason not to tell me.a She stared out the window at the river againaand called forth all her strength. aYou said, aRock, paper, scissors.aa As his eyes shot to her face, she forced herself to meet his stare and lie. aI have no idea what it means. To be honest, it was more what you looked like than what you said that made me nervous.a Vinas eyes bored into hers. aMarie-TereseaI have a track record with those kind of things.a aTrack record how?a He resumed eating, as if he needed to do something to cut the tension. aIn the past, when Iave gone into that state and said stuffait comes true. So if youare keeping whatever it was from me for privacyas sake, I understand that. But I strongly urge you to take whatever it was very seriously.a Her cold hands squeezed her hot mug. aLike youare some kind of fortune-teller?a aYouare in a dangerous line of work. You need to be careful.a aI am always careful.a aGood.a There was another long period of quiet, during which she stared at her coffee and he focused on his food.

It was pretty easy to guess that the acarefula thing was not just about creeps chasing after her. It was about other aspects of the job.

aI know what youare wondering,a she said quietly. aHow can I do it in the first place, and why donat I stop altogether.a When he eventually spoke, his voice was low and respectful, like he wasnat judging. aI donat know you, but you donat seem likeawell, some of those other women at the club. So Iam guessing something must be pretty d.a.m.n wrong for you to be in that line of work.a Marie-Terese looked out the window again and watched a branch float on by. aIam not like most of my colleagues. And letas just leave it at that.a aAll right.a aWas that your girlfriend last night?a He frowned and lifted his mug to his lips. After he took a deep sip, he c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. aSo youare allowed to keep secrets, but I canat?a She shrugged and thought, d.a.m.n it, she needed to keep her mouth shut. aYouare right. Thatas not fair.a aYes, sheas my girlfriend. At leastawell, she was last night.a Marie-Terese actually bit her own lip to keep from pressing him for details. Had the pair of them broken up? And if so, why?

Vin resumed eating, but his broad shoulders did not relax. aCan I say something I shouldnat?a She stiffened as he stared over at her. aOkay.a aLast night I fantasized about being with you.a Marie-Terese slowly lowered her mug. Yeah, okayaand there were some things a man could say that made you hotter than h.e.l.l. And some looks that were as tangible as touches. And both of those together, coming from the man across from hera In a stunning rush, her body responded, her b.r.e.a.s.t.s tingling at the tips, her thighs tightening, her blood racingaand the effect shocked her. It had been so longa"forever, actuallya"since shead felt anything remotely s.e.xual toward a man. And yet here she was in this diner, sitting across from a huge no-no in a cashmere sweater, experiencing for real something shead been faking every night with strangers.

She blinked quickly.

as.h.i.+t, I shouldnat have said anything,a he muttered.

aOh, itas not you. Honest.a It was her life. aAnd I donat mind.a aYou donat?a aNo.a Her voice was a little too deep.

aWell, it wasnat right.a Her heart stopped in her chest. Okay, that little comment was better than a gallon of ice to get rid of those warm fuzzies.

aWell, if youare feeling guilty,a she said roughly, aI think youare confessing to the wrong woman.a Maybe that was why head hit a bad patch with the girlfriend.

Except Vin shook his head. aIt wasnat right because I imagined paying for you and Iadidnat like how that felt at all.a Marie-Terese put her mug down on the table. aAnd why is that.a Although she knew the answer: because someone like him could never be with somebody like her.

As Vin opened his mouth, she held up one palm and reached for her purse at the same time. aActually, I already know. And I think Iad better get goa"a aBecause if I were with you, I would want you to pick me.a His eyes flashed up to hers and held on. aI would want you to choose me. Not be with me because I paid for it. I would want youato want me and want to be with me.a Marie-Terese froze with her body halfway out of the booth.

He continued softly. aAnd Iad want you to enjoy it as much as I know I would.a After a long moment, Marie-Terese eased back down into her seat. Picking up her mug again, she swallowed hard and heard herself talkinga"although it wasnat until after shead spoken that she realized what shead said: aDo you like redheads?a He frowned a little and shrugged. aYeah. Sure. Why?a aNo reason,a she murmured from behind her coffee.

CHAPTER 18.

A crossroads meant you went left or you went right, Jim thought as he lay stretched out on the garage floor, a wrench in his hand.

When you came to a crossroads, by definition, you had to pick a course, because going straight on the path you were on was no longer an option: You got on the highway or stayed on the surface road. You pa.s.sed this car on the dotted line or stayed behind him to keep safe. You saw an orange light and either sped through or started to slow.

Some of these decisions didnat matter. Others, unbeknownst to you, put you in the path of a drunk driver or kept you out of his way.

In Vinas case, that ring he was sitting on was the equivalent of a right hand turn that took him out of the way of an eighteen-wheeler that was just about to hit a patch of black ice: What the guy did now meant everything to his life and he had to hit that direction signal and get onto the new road fast. The SOB was running out of time with his woman and had to pull the trigger on that all important question before shea"

af.u.c.k!a Jim dropped the wrench that had slipped and shook out his hand. All things considered, he probably needed to pay a little more attention to what he was doing; a.s.suming he wanted to keep his knuckles where they were. Trouble was, he was consumed with the whole Vin thing.

What the h.e.l.l did he do with the guy now? How did he motivate him to ask for that womanas hand in marriage?

In his old life, the answer would have been easy: Head have just put a gun to Vinas head and dragged the f.u.c.ker to the altar. Now? He needed to be a little more civilized.

Sitting back on the cool concrete floor, Jim glared at the piece-of-s.h.i.+t motorcycle that head been carting around since head landed back in the States. It hadnat worked then and it didnat now, and going by his half-a.s.sed rehabbing job this morning, its future didnat require shades. Christ, he had no idea why head bought the thing. Dreams of freedom, maybe. Either that or, like any guy with a set of b.a.l.l.s, he was into Harleys.

Dog looked up from the patch of sunlight head been snoozing in, his s.h.a.ggy ears p.r.i.c.king.

Jim sucked on the knuckle head skinned. aSorry I cursed.a Dog didnat seem to care as he put his head on his paws, his bushy eyebrows up like he was prepared to keep listening, whether it was curses or something folks could say in mixed company.

aCrossroads, Dog. Do you know what that means? You got to choose.a Jim picked up the wrench again and had another go at a bolt that was so encased in old oil, you couldnat tell it was hexagonal. aYou got to choose.a He thought of Devina looking up at him from the driveras seat of that fancy-a.s.s BMW. Iave been waiting for him to warm up and trust me and love me, but it hasnat happened, and Iam losing the strength to hang on, Jim, I really am.

Then he thought of the way diPietro had stared at that dark-haired prost.i.tute.

Yeah, there was a crossroads, all right. The problem was, diPietro, the fidiot, had come up to the signpost and instead of going to the right, where the arrows pointed to Happyville, he was gunning for Work-yourself-into-an-early-grave-and-be-mourned-by-no-one-but-your-accountant-opolis.

Jim hoped that telling Devina about the ring would buy some time, but how long would that last?

Man, on some levels, his last job had been easier, because head had much more control: Get the target in his sights, drop the b.a.s.t.a.r.d, take off.

Making Vin see what was so obvious, thoughamuch harder. Plus, before Jim had had training and support. Now? Nada.

The growling sound of two Harleys brought his head around. Dogas too.

The pair of bikes rolled up the gravel to the garage, and Jim envied the SOBs who were gripping those handlebars. Adrianas and Eddieas rides gleamed, the chrome fenders and pipes catching the sunlight and winking like the Harleys knew they had the goods and would be d.a.m.ned if theyad hide the pride.

aNeed some help with your hog?a Adrian said as he kicked out his stand and dismounted.

aWhereas your helmet?a Jim balanced his arms on his knees. aNew York has a law.a aNew York has a lot of laws.a Adrianas boots crunched over the driveway, then stomped on the concrete as he came up to give Jimas DIY project a look-see. aMan, where did you find that thing? A landfill?a aNo. I got it at a sc.r.a.p yard.a aOh, right. Thatas a step up. My bad.a The men were nice to Dog, giving him pats as he wagged around. And the good news was that limp of his seemed a little better today, but Jim was still taking him to a vet on Monday. Head already left messages at three different places and whoever could get them in first won.

Eddie glanced up from doing the pet and coo thing to shake his head at the bike. aThink you need more than one person on this.a Jim rubbed his chin. aNah, Iam good.a All three of them, Adrian, Eddie, and Dog, looked over at him with identical expressions of doubta Jim slowly dropped his hand, his nape tightening sure as if a cold palm had settled on it.

None of them cast a shadow. As they stood backlit by the brilliant sunlight, in the midst of the spindly dark trails thrown by the bare branches of the trees around the garage, it was as if they had been Photo-shopped ina"in the landscape, but not of it.

aDo you knowaan English guy named Nigel?a As soon as the words left Jimas mouth, he knew the answer.

Adrian smiled a little. aDo we look like people whoad hang out with a Brit?a Jim frowned. aHow did you know where I lived?a aChuck told us.a aHe tell you it was my birthday Thursday night?a Jim slowly got to his feet. aHe tell you that, too? Because I didnat, and you knew yesterday when you asked if Iad had myself a birthday present.a aDid I.a Adrianas big shoulders shrugged. aLucky guess on my part. And you never did answer that question of mine, did you.a As the two of them went nose-to-nose, Adrian shook his head with a curious sadness. aYou did her. You had her. At the club.a aYou sound disappointed in me,a Jim drawled. aHard to believe, considering you were the one who pointed her out to me in the first place.a Eddie stepped in between them. aRelax, boys. Weare all on the same team here.a aTeam?a Jim stared at the other guy. aDidnat know we were on a team.a Adrian laughed tightly, the piercings at his eyebrow and lower lip catching the light. aWe arenat, but Eddieas a peacekeeper by nature. Heall say anything to chill people out, wonat you.a Eddie just fell into silence and stayed right where he was. Like he was prepared to physically break things up if it came to that.

Jim leveled his stare on Adrian. aEnglishman. Nigel. Hangs out with three other pantywaists and a dog the size of a donkey. You know them, donat you.a aAlready answered the question.a aWhereas your shadow? Youare standing in sunlight and throwing a whole lot of nothing.a Adrian pointed to the ground. aIs this a trick question?a Jim looked down and frowned. There on the concrete was the black reflection of Adrianas wide shoulders and tight hips. As well as Eddieas huge body. And Dogas scruffy head.

Jim cursed to himself and muttered, aI need a f.u.c.king drink.a aYou want me to beer you?a Adrian asked. aItas five oaclock somewhere in the world.a aLike England,a Eddie cut in. As Ad glared at him, he shrugged. aScotland, too. Wales. Irelanda"a aBeer, Jim?a Jim shook his head and planted his a.s.s back on the floor, figuring that if his brain wasnat working right, he wasnat about to chance his knees anymore in the event they decided to take up the fad. As he stared out at the pair of Harleys in the drive, he realized he was in a rat-p.i.s.s kind of mood and clearly paranoid. Neither of which was a newsflash.

Unfortunately, beer was only a short-term answer. And head transplants had yet to be approved by the FDA.

aAny chance you know how to work a socket wrench?a he said to Adrian.

aYup.a The guy took off his leather jacket and cracked his knuckles. aAnd I got nothing better to do than get this piece of junk back on the road.a As Vin stared across the table at Marie-Terese, the cascading daylight filtering through the diner window transformed her into a vision, the echoes of which resounded in the back of his mind.

Where did he know her from? he thought once again. Where had he seen her before?

G.o.d, he wanted to touch her hair.

Vin forked up the last bite of his pancakes, and wondered why she had asked him if he liked redheads. Then he remembered. aI donat like red hair enough to be with Gina, if thatas what you want to know.a aNo? Sheas beautiful.a aTo someaprobably. Look, Iam not the kind of guy whoa"a The waitress came up to the table. aMore coffee? Or do you want the cha"a aa"f.u.c.ks around with other women.a Marie-Terese blinked and so did the waitress.

s.h.i.+t. aWhat I mean isaa Stopping himself, Vin glanced up at the other woman, who seemed to be ready to hang around. aAre you pouring? Or what?a aIa"ah, I could do with some more coffee,a Marie-Terese said, holding up her mug. aPlease.a The waitress topped slowly, looking back and forth between them like she was hoping to hear the rest of the story. When Marie-Tereseas mug was full, the woman went to work on his.

aMore syrup?a she asked him.

He pointed to his clean plate. aIam finished.a aOh. Right.a She cleared what was in front of him and walked away with the same alacrity with which shead worked the pot: Mola.s.ses moved faster.

aI donat cheat,a he repeated when there was some privacy. aAfter watching my parents, I learned more than enough about what not to do in relations.h.i.+ps, and thatas pretty much rule number one.a Marie-Terese held out the sugar to him, and when he stared down at the bowl like he didnat know what it was, she said, aYou know, for your coffee. You put sugar in yours.a aYeahaI do.a As he doctored up his java, she said, aSo your parentsa marriage wasnat a good one?a aNope. And Iall never forget what it was like to watch them rip each other apart.a aDid they divorce?a aNo. They killed each other.a As she recoiled back in her seat, he wanted to curse. aSorry. I probably shouldnat be so blunt, but thatas what happened. One of their fights got really out of control and they fell down the stairs. Didnat end well for either of them.a aIam so sorry.a aYouare very kind, but that was a long time ago.a After a moment, she murmured, aYou look exhausted.a aJust need a little more coffee before we go.a h.e.l.l, on that theory, head keep drinking the stuff until his kidneys floated if it meant they had more time together.

The thing was, as she stared across at him, her warm concern made heraprecious. Utterly precious and therefore susceptible to loss.

aAre you safe on the job?a he blurted. aAnd Iam not talking about from violence.a During the long pause that followed, he shook his head, feeling like both his loafers had just served as pancake chasers. aIam sorry, itas none of my businessa"a aDo I practice safe s.e.x, you mean?a aYeah, and Iam not asking because I want to be with you.a As she jerked back again, he cursed himself. aNo, I mean, I want to know because I hope youare taking care of yourself.a aWhy would that matter to you?a He stared into her eyes. aIt just does.a She turned away and looked out over the river. aIam safe. Always. Which makes me very different from loads of so-called ahonorablea women who sleep around without using anything. And you can stop searching my face like youare trying to solve some deep mystery. Anytime. Now would be good.a He resigned himself to staring down into his mug. aHow much do you cost?a aI thought you said you didnat want to be with me like that.a aHow much?a aWhat, because you want to pull a Pretty Woman and buy me out of my horrible life for a week?a She laughed in a short, hard burst. aThe only thing I have in common with Julia Roberts in that movie is that I get to pick who Iam with. As for how much, thatas none of your business.a He still wanted to know. Because, h.e.l.l, maybe he hoped that if she was very expensive the quality of men would be bettera"although if he was honest with himself, that was a crock of s.h.i.+t. He did want to pull a Richard Gere, except he didnat want to buy a week. Years was more like it.

Even though that was never going to happen.

As the waitress trolled by with the pot of coffee and both her ears open, Marie-Terese said, aThe check would be great now.a The waitress put the pot on the table and fished around in her ap.r.o.n for her pad. Ripping free a page, she put the thing facedown. aTake care, you two.a As she went off, he reached across and touched Marie-Tereseas arm. aI donat want this to end on a bad note. Thanks for keeping me out of it with the police, but I want you to come clean about me if you get any heat, okay?a She didnat pull away, just looked down at where they were linked. aIam sorry, too. Iam not great company. At leastanot for the civilized.a There was pain in her voicea"just a sliver of it, but he heard the note as clearly as a bell struck on a still night.

aMarie-Tereseaa There was so much he wanted to say, but none of it was his rightaand none of it would be received well. aais such a lovely name.a aYou think?a When he nodded, she said something under her breath that he couldnat quite catch but that sounded a lot like, Thatas why I picked it.

She broke their contact by taking the check and holding it as she opened her purse. aIam glad you liked the pancakes.a aWhat are you doing? Here, let me get thata"a aWhen was the last time someone bought you breakfast?a When she glanced up, she smiled a little. aOr anything, for that matter?a Vin frowned and considered the question as she fanned out a ten and a fiver. Funnyahe couldnat remember Devina ever paying for anything. Granted, he was always front and center with the cash, but still.

aI usually pay,a he said.

aNot a surprise.a She started scooting out of the booth. aAnd I donat mean that in a bad way.a aDonat you need change?a he said, thinking head do anything to keep her with him a little longer.

aI leave big tips. I know how bad it can be, working in a service industry.a As he followed her out of the diner, he put his hand into his pocket to get his keys and felt something small and out of place. With a frown, he realized it was the gold earring head taken from Jimas.

aHey, you know what? I think I have something of yours,a he said as they closed in on her car.

She unlocked her door. aYou do?a aI think this belongs to you?a He held out the hoop.

aMy earring! Where did you find it?a aMy buddy Jim picked it up in the parking lot outside the club.a aOh, thank you.a She pushed her hair out of the way and put it on. aI didnat want to lose these. Theyare not worth much, but I like them.a aSoathanks for the pancakes.a aYouare welcome.a She paused before she got behind the wheel. aYou know, you should take a day off. You look really tired.a aProbably just the bruises on my face.a aNo, itas the ones behind your eyes that make you seem worn down.a As she slid in and started the car, Vin caught a flash from over on the left and he looked across the rivera"

The instant the sun hit his retinas, his body seized up and tingled all over.

There was no gradual, fogging possession this time. The hateful trance claimed him between one second and the next, as if what had happened the night before had been just a warm-up and this was the real deal.

Sagging against Marie-Tereseas hood, he went for his coat, opening it so he got some aira"

When the vision struck him, it was more sound than image and it replayed over and over: A gunshot. Ringing out and echoing. Someone falling. A body dropping on a thunderous bounce. A gunshot. Ringing out and echoing. Someone falling. A body dropping on a thunderous bouncea As his knees buckled and he sank down onto the asphalt, he struggled to stay conscious, holding on mentally to anything he coulda"which turned out to be the memory of when head had his first attack. Head been eleven and the trigger had been a watch, a ladiesa watch that head seen in the window of a jeweleras downtown. Head been on a field trip with his cla.s.smates to the Caldwell Art Museum, and as head pa.s.sed by the store, head looked at the display.

The watch had been a silver one, and when the sunlight had hit it, his eye had focused on the flash and head stopped in his tracks. Blood on the watch. There had been bright red blood on the watch.

Just as head struggled to understand what he was seeing and why he suddenly felt so strange, a female hand had reached into the display and picked the thing up. Behind her, there had been a man standing with happy expectation in his face, a customera.

Except the guy couldnat buy the watcha"whoever wore it next was going to die.

With the kind of strength that came only with full-bodied panic, Vin had broken the hold of the trance and bolted into the store. He hadnat been fast enough, though. One of the parent chaperones had raced in and caught him before head been able to say anything, and when head fought to get to the man and the watch, head been dragged out by the collar and condemned to wait in the bus while the others continued on to the museum.

Nothing came of the vision.

At least, not right away. Seven days later, though, Vin had been in school and seen one of the teachers in the cafeteria with what appeared to be the watch on her wrist. Shead been showing it off to her colleagues, talking about a birthday dinner shead had the night before with her husband.

In that instant, a flash of sunlight on the playground slide had come through the window and captured Vinas eyeaand then head seen the blood on the timepiece again, as well as much, much more.

Vin had collapsed on the linoleum of the cafeteria, and as the teacher had rushed over and leaned down to help, he saw with great clarity the car crash she was going to be in: Her head was. .h.i.tting the steering wheel, her delicate face splitting open on impact.

Gripping the front of her dress, head tried to tell her to wear a seat belt. Get her husband to pick her up. Take another route. Take a bus. A bicycle. Walk home. But as his mouth had moved, nothing but random syllables had come out as far as he knewa"although the horror dawning on the faces of the other teachers and the students suggested they were understanding what he was saying.

In the aftermath, head been sent to the nurseas office, and when his parents had been called, theyad been told he needed to go see a child psychiatrist.

And the teacherathe lovely young teacher with the thoughtful husband had died that afternoon on the way home from school with her new watch on her wrist.

Car accident. And she hadnat been wearing her seat belt.

When Vin had heard the next morning in his cla.s.srom, head burst into tears. Of course, a lot of kids had started crying too, but it was different for him. Unlike the rest of them, head been in a position to do something to prevent the outcome.

Everything had changed after that. Word had gotten out that head predicted the deatha"which made the teachers nervous around him and his peers either avoid him or ridicule him as spooky.

His father had started having to beat him to get him to go to school.

Abruptly, Vin lost his train of thought, the past getting submerged by the seizureas command of his mind and body, his consciousness ebbing more than it was flowinga.

A gunshot. Ringing out and echoing. Someone falling. A body dropping on a thunderous bounce. A gunshot. Ringing out and echoing. Someone falling. A body dropping on a thunderous bouncea Just before he pa.s.sed out, the vision crystallized in his mindas eye, no longer just sounds but bona fide imagesaa sand castle being formed by the wind instead of worn away by it: He saw Marie-Terese with her hands up as if she were trying to protect herself, her eyes wild with terror, her mouth opening in a scream.

And then he heard the shot going off.