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Unease filled Nikki again You don’t know the half of it, she longed to say

They were back at Madah the streets Mitch irl talking to Brent He riting so earnestly She handed Brent so that appeared to be a card froht be agreeing to give her any inforht find

"We should have dinner sooing to beg off That is, if--"

"Nathan and I have the night tour," Patricia assured her "But you et hoirl walked into Mada on the sidewalk "So, what now?" he queried

"Dinner My sto," Mitch said

"Nikki is all in," Patricia told hi with us, but you’re welco"

He looked at Nikki "Maybe I’ Nikki hoht out, and the storm never ca you ho to a place on Royal Street and told Brent to co the hio with thelanced at hie to his voice

"You’re still angry"

"No, of course not"

"Yes, you are"

"All right You have to tell me the minute you see Andrea And it doesn’t ht In the middle of dozens of people, I’ll just wave a hand in the air and say, ’Oh, Brent, here she is, Andy Ciello, the ghost you’re so eager to lared at her

She shook her head and walked past him "Seriously," she called over her shoulder, "I’m fine You don’t need to escort me"

But she couldn’t shake hih the gate and on to the porch, then through her private entrance

It hit her the ain, so was out of place

"What is it?" Brent asked tensely

She shook her head "Nothing"

"It’s so"

"Of what?"

"Of so has been So it’s just another psychotic episode, I guess"

"Let’s check the place out You can h the downstairs, then the upstairs Nikki couldn’t find anything out of order, though the feeling wouldn’t go away They wound up back in the kitchen, Nikki took two Cokes froerator

"Hot as hell out there today," shesuddenly aard

"Yep, N’Awlins in the heat," he said, putting on a perfect accent, causing her to sh There was a little too much char the slight rush of anger through her blood,that there was a burning deep in the very erotic center of her body

"You really can go to dinner"

"We can order in, too Or cook"

She took another step back "Listen, I’ to shower I’ like a salt lick" She didn’t knohy, but she was suddenly sure that the last words had sounded entirely wrong Salt… lick…

"You’re welcome to do the same"

Pop in with ? Or merely what her mind really ," he said, apparently not taking any of her words at anything but face value

"Feel free"

"I’ll tell you what, let’s both shower Then we can wander over to , and we’ll pick up food on the way back here," he suggested

"All right," she said She hesitated "You’re staying here again?"

"That’s up to you"

Her shower felt really good She hadn’t been lying about the heat And she had felt like a salt lick

Hot, sweaty, on fire…

She turned the water on harder, pouring sha her eyes as she stood under the spray, letting it thunder down Then she opened her eyes

And screamed

Chapter 12