for letting
us barge in on you like this. I'm sure—" She
hesitated, hating to lie, but feeling it prudent to play
this down. "I'm sure that whatever happened at our
house was nothing."
"And I'm sure you're in very good hands." Doris
gave Damien another look, leaned close and
whispered, "What a specimen! Now that's the type
of hunk I was talking about the other day."
"Oh, uh, no." Kara drew back. "He— I— It's not
what you think. He's just an... associate."
Doris looked at her over the rim of her glasses.
"Whatever you say."
"Thank you again," Kara said, well aware that
Damien possessed superhuman hearing and had
probably heard every whispered word. "You're
always here when we need you, and it means a lot."
"Any time." Doris stepped back. "I know you
usually work until four. Is five o'clock tomorrow
afternoon a good time for you and Alex?"
"Sounds great."
"See you then." Doris smiled at Damien. "Good-
bye, Mr. Morgan."
He nodded and closed the storm door behind Kara.
"Is it safe to go home?" she asked in a low voice.
"I wouldn't allow you to return if it wasn't." He
turned and strode after Luz and Alex.
She got her truck and drove it back to the house,
while the other three walked over. When she pulled
into the driveway, she saw Max was in the fenced
back yard. He stood at the gate, barking to let them
know he didn't appreciate being left behind. She
told him to hush, joined the others on the front
porch.
They entered the house, Damien going first, then
Kara. Alex and Luz entered warily behind them,
looking toward the hallway leading to the
bedrooms. Alex moved a few steps closer to
Damien. While Kara hated being dependent on
Damien in any way, she had to admit she was glad
he was here. She knew he wouldn't let anyone—or
anything—harm them while he was around.
Damien took off his sunglasses and slid them into a
pocket, then removed the duster and tossed it on the
sofa. "Take the boy into the kitchen until I call
you," he instructed Luz. He looked down at Alex
and the harsh granite of his face seemed to soften a
fraction. "It's all right to be here now," he told her
son. "Your ghost is gone."
Face pale, eyes wide, Alex stared up at him. "Will it
come back?" he asked, his young voice quavering.
"We'll work on that later. You go to the kitchen with
Luz and wait there." Damien turned to Kara. "You
come with me."
She put her purse on the end table, apprehension
tingling through her. She didn't like being
frightened in her own home, or knowing that Alex
might not be safe there. So she focused on
Damien's attitude instead.
"Boy, you sure know how to influence people and
win friends," she muttered, unbuttoning her jacket
as she followed him down the hall.
Beside Alex's bedroom door, he turned to face her.
"Meaning what?"
"Meaning you're rude and abrupt. You snap out
orders like a general. Has it ever occurred to you
that you can catch more flies with honey than with
vinegar?"
The corners of his sensual mouth twitched ever so
slightly. "Now why would I want to catch flies?
Pesky things."
Kara was taken aback. Had she just detected a trace
of humor? Surely not. Most Sentinels were deadly
serious at all times, and Damien appeared to be
straight from the master mold. She pulled her
attention back to the ghost. "Now what?"
"No we go in and let you 'see' Alex's visitor."
Her heart leaped in her chest and she took a quick
step back. "Oh, no. I am not doing a conduction."
"I'm not asking you to," he said, exasperation
evident in his tone. "This was not a Belian, but it
was a discarnate entity. I didn't sense any
malevolence, though, no evil. I’m not sure what it
was doing here."
Relief flowed through Kara. She felt like she'd been
on an emotional roller coaster the past four days;
first on a peak of tension and fear, then plummeting
to a valley of respite or at least the feeling another
fire had been put out—if only temporarily—then
starting
us barge in on you like this. I'm sure—" She
hesitated, hating to lie, but feeling it prudent to play
this down. "I'm sure that whatever happened at our
house was nothing."
"And I'm sure you're in very good hands." Doris
gave Damien another look, leaned close and
whispered, "What a specimen! Now that's the type
of hunk I was talking about the other day."
"Oh, uh, no." Kara drew back. "He— I— It's not
what you think. He's just an... associate."
Doris looked at her over the rim of her glasses.
"Whatever you say."
"Thank you again," Kara said, well aware that
Damien possessed superhuman hearing and had
probably heard every whispered word. "You're
always here when we need you, and it means a lot."
"Any time." Doris stepped back. "I know you
usually work until four. Is five o'clock tomorrow
afternoon a good time for you and Alex?"
"Sounds great."
"See you then." Doris smiled at Damien. "Good-
bye, Mr. Morgan."
He nodded and closed the storm door behind Kara.
"Is it safe to go home?" she asked in a low voice.
"I wouldn't allow you to return if it wasn't." He
turned and strode after Luz and Alex.
She got her truck and drove it back to the house,
while the other three walked over. When she pulled
into the driveway, she saw Max was in the fenced
back yard. He stood at the gate, barking to let them
know he didn't appreciate being left behind. She
told him to hush, joined the others on the front
porch.
They entered the house, Damien going first, then
Kara. Alex and Luz entered warily behind them,
looking toward the hallway leading to the
bedrooms. Alex moved a few steps closer to
Damien. While Kara hated being dependent on
Damien in any way, she had to admit she was glad
he was here. She knew he wouldn't let anyone—or
anything—harm them while he was around.
Damien took off his sunglasses and slid them into a
pocket, then removed the duster and tossed it on the
sofa. "Take the boy into the kitchen until I call
you," he instructed Luz. He looked down at Alex
and the harsh granite of his face seemed to soften a
fraction. "It's all right to be here now," he told her
son. "Your ghost is gone."
Face pale, eyes wide, Alex stared up at him. "Will it
come back?" he asked, his young voice quavering.
"We'll work on that later. You go to the kitchen with
Luz and wait there." Damien turned to Kara. "You
come with me."
She put her purse on the end table, apprehension
tingling through her. She didn't like being
frightened in her own home, or knowing that Alex
might not be safe there. So she focused on
Damien's attitude instead.
"Boy, you sure know how to influence people and
win friends," she muttered, unbuttoning her jacket
as she followed him down the hall.
Beside Alex's bedroom door, he turned to face her.
"Meaning what?"
"Meaning you're rude and abrupt. You snap out
orders like a general. Has it ever occurred to you
that you can catch more flies with honey than with
vinegar?"
The corners of his sensual mouth twitched ever so
slightly. "Now why would I want to catch flies?
Pesky things."
Kara was taken aback. Had she just detected a trace
of humor? Surely not. Most Sentinels were deadly
serious at all times, and Damien appeared to be
straight from the master mold. She pulled her
attention back to the ghost. "Now what?"
"No we go in and let you 'see' Alex's visitor."
Her heart leaped in her chest and she took a quick
step back. "Oh, no. I am not doing a conduction."
"I'm not asking you to," he said, exasperation
evident in his tone. "This was not a Belian, but it
was a discarnate entity. I didn't sense any
malevolence, though, no evil. I’m not sure what it
was doing here."
Relief flowed through Kara. She felt like she'd been
on an emotional roller coaster the past four days;
first on a peak of tension and fear, then plummeting
to a valley of respite or at least the feeling another
fire had been put out—if only temporarily—then
starting
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