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As Isaac was led into a cozy library-type room, he knew this here Grier spent her downtime There were sections of the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal in a wicker basket next to a stuffed chair, and the wide-screen TV on the far wall no doubt had CNBC or CNN or FOX News on it hts
Who sat here and watched with her? That brother of hers?
"See?" she said, pulling one of the Black Watch tartan drapes aside
Isaac went over and leaned in--and the whiff of her perfuht now
Forcing himself to focus on the tiny flashes of copper, he approved of what he was eyeing Very current stuff
Who the hell was her father?
Before he did so stupid, like touch her, he moved away, and as he wandered by the TV, he was entirely unsurprised by the collection of DVDs tucked into the shelves Lot of foreign titles and serious ain, he hadn&039;t been to the cine he knew, Bruce Willis was a cop desperately looking for a pair of shoes that fit, Arnold was a cyborg with sunglasses, and Steven Seagal had a real hairline
"Will you takearound to her
The and into your bed part he left off What a gentle her up the stairs, he gave her a wide berth--which was good in that he kept his hands to himself, and not so hot because his eyes had plenty to look at Jesus, her hips had a way of rind his molars
When they passed the second floor, he took a quick pause and snagged an impression of three bedrooms with open doors The decorations were done in the same old-money routine as downstairs, but there was a cozy vibe to it all Much more "family" than "hotel"
He certainly hadn&039;t lived like this He&039;d shared a roo up In XOps, he&039;d grabbed sleep where he could--usually sitting upright in a chair facing a door with a gun in his hand
"I&039;m on the third floor," she said fro
He nodded and got his ass in gear It turned out she was actually the whole third floor Thearea, fireplace, and French doors that opened to what he guessed was a private terrace
"In here"
He tracked the sound of her voice, going over to the walk-in closet she&039;d disappeared into The da rooions of clothes lined up and hanging by category
The air smelled like her perfu aside a dozen or so serious-looking suits to reveala four-foot-high, three-foot-wide grate that appeared to be nothing more than an old-fashioned radiator cover But what do you know, the thing slid back and revealed a crawl space
Little click and the light caht on her going into the cramped confines--and there it was
Holyshit
As they knelt down side by side, he thought, Man, good thing he wasn&039;t a techie type or he&039;d be swooning The setup was as sophisticated as it got --no little pad with ten numbers and off , stay, or away to choose from This was a computer-linked system that monitored the various zones in the house on ht, the only way to get at the co would be tricky
Except"I didn&039;t see you turn it off e ca that looked like the key fob to a car "The pad is calibrated to o, and the syste over in his hand, she said, "Good enough?"
He flipped his eyes up to hers "Good enough"
Longfor where they were
Way too long for who they were
"Anything else," she said
Yes "No"
Grier nodded and worked her way around to step out of the confines After he eo fig, he couldn&039;t help but look at her bed Big Lot of duvets and pillows On the far side, there was a small TV on top of a choice antique table, and a bookcase lined with precisely ordered DVDs
He frowned and went over, even though it was none of his business--because he couldn&039;t possibly be seeing the titles right
Pretty in Pink Breakfast Club Sixteen Candles Die Hard Under Siege
Even he knew these
"That&039;s ," Grier said, as she cah they were perfectly straight
"Different from what you have downstairs" And he found it hard to believe she was a poser anted to be all Jane Austen in public and Jerry Seinfeld here in her room
She picked up When Harry Met Sallyand smoothed her hand over the autumn scene on the front "I don&039;t sleep well and these help It&039;s likeoes back to the time when they came out I see the carsthe supermarket scenes with cheaper pricesthe clothes that used to be in stylehair that no one wears anye I first saw thehed in an aard rush "Cineuess you&039;d call it It&039;s the only thing that works forRyan, he had such an ie of her curled on her side, the blue flicker of the screen playing across her features, the trip into the past cal her brain down
Did she have a lover to watch with her? he wondered A boyfriend?
No ring, so he assued
"What," she said, tugging at her beautiful black dress He cleared his throat, hating that he&039;d been caught staring "Which shower do you want me to use"
That made her smile For the first time
And yeah, sap that he washis breath caught and his heart stopped
Grier put the movie back in its slot "More food first," she said as she turned and led the way back downstairs Jiarden of a three-story brick house that both screa any fuss at the sahborhood, was refined and super-well cared forand brick For God&039;s sake, the whole zip code looked like the three little pigs had gone hog wild: brick houses, brick walls, brick ays, brick lanes
It was enough to h plate-glass s, a kitchen that was pretty damn spank spread out in all kinds of directions, and there was so on at the counter--but no people Stepping back, Ji his eyes and concentrating
Yes, he could sense the pair of the else There was arippleinside
His lids flipped open and just as he lunged for the back door, Eddie caught hith, was like running into a parked car "No, it&039;s not Devina That&039;s a ard soul"
Jim frowned and focused his feelers on the disturbance "Wayward?"
"It&039;s a soul that has been released froo to its destined eternity It&039;s trapped here on earth"
"A ghost"