Authors: Cheryl Kaye Tardif
Now Zane's face swam before her, his pleading eyes, his outstretched hand. She couldn't help him back then. She realized that now.
You made your choice, Zane. Now I'm making mine. I'm letting you go once and for all.
In her mind, she saw her hand reach out toward him, but instead of trying to save him, she pulled her hand back and watched his head dip below the surface.
Goodbye, Zane.
"Penny for your thoughts."
Her eyes flared open.
Brandon was watching her from half-hooded eyes. "I hope you're thinking of me."
"How'd you know I wasn't sleeping?" she asked.
"You breathe differently when you're sleeping." He grinned and kissed her on the nose. "So…have you got anything to eat? I'm starved."
"There's one thing you should know about me. I don't do domestic."
"I should've known. Martha Stewart's granddaughter you're not." He chuckled and threw back the blankets. Scooting to the edge of the bed, he pulled on his boxers. "I could make breakfast. Providing you have something edible in that fridge of yours."
"How about breakfast out?"
"We need to talk first." His voice was ominous. "And I'd prefer to do it here."
"What, as opposed to in public?" She bit her lower lip.
Here it comes. The brush off.
He studied her intently. "I'm leaving my job in Kelowna."
Her heart fluttered, then sank.
"Don't go," she said in a quiet voice. "I was wrong before. I thought I'd be better off alone. But I'm not."
"Jasi, I―"
"I
need
you in my life, Brandon Walsh. I
want
you in my life. You…you…"
"Complete you?" Brandon grinned.
"Stop making jokes," she demanded. "This isn't funny."
He grabbed her hands and lifted them to his lips. "I'm not leaving you. I'm moving here. To Vancouver."
He took a visible breath and she wondered what he could possibly say that would make him this nervous.
"Jasi, I had a meeting with Matthew Divine."
Confusion scored her forehead. "Why?"
"I told him that every talented Pyro-psychic needs a trained arson investigator on her team."
She gaped at him.
"You can close your mouth, Jasi."
"But you're not…"
"Psychic?" He grinned. "I knew you'd say that."
She couldn't help the smile that crossed her face.
"No, you're right. I'm not psychic. But I have a lot to offer. I'm trained in arson profiling. You and I together will make an unbeatable team."
Jasi was stunned. This turn of events was the last thing she expected. With Brandon joining her team, she'd see him every day. They'd work on the same cases. He'd be taking orders from her.
For a second, she experienced a surge of doubt.
He kissed her. "Don't worry. We can make this work."
"Does Matthew have a rental for you?"
Brandon shook his head. "There's nothing vacant yet."
Jasi hitched in a breath. "So where will you stay?"
The smile he turned on her made her melt.
"Well, my little pyro-psychic, I was kind of hoping I could stay here. At least until something comes available." He cupped a hand against her cheek. "Besides, I think you'll need someone here to help you extinguish the fire."
"What fire?"
Brandon's head lowered. "This one."
Hot lips seared hers, and she welcomed the flames of desire that consumed her. This was one fire that could take some time to put out.
But we'll have fun trying.
Epilogue
Emily emerged from the shadows of Jasi's closet. She
drifted forward, her feet barely touching the floor. Her head lolled at an awkward―strangled―angle.
In this dream, an adult Jasi gasped in surprise.
The pink skipping rope noose was gone.
"You're ready, Jasmine."
"Ready for what?"
"To start looking for me."
Jasi stood still, mesmerized by the bruises around the girl's neck. They were fading before her eyes.
"The skipping rope is gone," she said finally. "And your bruises are disappearing."
"Yours will too," Emily said.
"I don't have any bruises."
Emily led Jasi to the mirror. When she peered into it, her image shifted from a young Jasmine back to her adult reflection. One arm was bent in front of her, throbbing as though someone was squeezing it hard then letting it go. Old yellow bruises dotted her arm.
Emily tried to smile. "In time all your bruises will fade. But first, ya have to set things right."
"And how do I do that? Oh, right, I have to find you."
"Yes. Find me." The dead girl floated backward.
"Wait!" Jasi cried out. "Why did your bruises fade?"
"Because you're one step closer to finding me."
"How? I don't know anything more than I did before."
Emily blended into the shadows. Before they swallowed her, she said, "You may think you aren't any closer to finding me, but trust me, you are." Darkness closed in around her.
Jasi took an anxious step forward. "Emily?"
Silence greeted her.
And a mystery.
She took a deep breath. "I'll find you, Emily."
~ * ~
If you enjoyed this book, please consider writing a short review and posting it on Amazon, Goodreads and/or Barnes and Noble.
Reviews are very helpful to other readers and are greatly appreciated by authors, especially me. When you post a review, drop me an email and let me know and I may feature part of it on my blog/site. Thank you. ~ Cheryl
Message from the Author:
Dear Reader,
As with my other novels, I have used authentic Canadian settings. Shirleys Bay
is
actually a research facility, one with a rich history of research projects, including the real
Project Magnet
.
According to Wikipedia, "
Project Magnet was an
unidentified flying object
(UFO) study programme established by the
Canadian
Department of Transport
(DOT) on December 2, 1950, under the direction of
Wilbert B. Smith
, senior radio engineer for the DOT's Broadcast and Measurements Section. It was formally active until mid-1954, and informally until Smith's death in 1962."
I found it int
eresting that Canada has been involved for decades in UFO investigation and communication satellite technologies. I never know what I might unearth when researching a novel.
Paragon
Research Corporation and their specific research projects are entirely fictional.
Project Chrysalis
does not exist.
Or at least, I hope it doesn't...
~Cheryl Kaye Tardif
Novels by Cheryl Kaye Tardif
Whale Song
The River
Children of the Fog
Series by Cheryl Kaye Tardif
The Divine Series:
Divine Intervention
Divine Justice
Short Stories by Cheryl Kaye Tardif
Remote Control
Skeletons in the Closet & Other Creepy Stories
Novels by Cherish D'Angelo (aka Cheryl Kaye Tardif)
Lancelot's Lady
More Praise for Cheryl Kaye Tardif
CHILDREN OF THE FOG
"A chilling and tense journey into every parent's deepest fear."
―
Scott Nicholson,
The Red Church
"A nightmarish thriller with a ghostly twist,
CHILDREN OF THE FOG
will keep you awake...and turning pages!" ―Amanda Stevens, author of
The Restorer
"Reminiscent of
The Lovely Bones
, Cheryl Kaye Tardif weaves a tale of terror that will have you rushing to check on your children as they sleep. With exquisite prose,
Children of the Fog
captures you the moment you begin and doesn't let go until the very end." ―bestselling author Danielle Q. Lee, author of
Inhuman
"Ripe with engaging twists and turns reminiscent of the work of James Patterson, Tardif once again tugs at the most inflexible of heartstrings…
Children of the Fog
possesses you from the touching beginning through to the riveting climax." ―Kelly Komm, author of
Sacrifice
, an award-winning fantasy
SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET & OTHER CREEPY STORIES
"Tonight I read Cheryl's
SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET
. My hands turned to ice, my blood ran cold, and my body shook with the shivers. Cheryl writes scary stories." ―Eileen Schuh, author of
Schrodinger's Cat
"Cheryl Kaye Tardif had me gasping with fright...many times over. These stories are shocking! Frightening! Original!" ―Betty Dravis, author of
Dream Reachers
"A thoroughly entertaining and unabashedly Canadian collection of horror shorts - a straightforward, in-your-face, goosebump raising, skin crawling creep fest with brilliantly conceived endings..." ―Paul Weiss, Top 1000 Amazon Reviewer
"If you like Stephen King's quirky short stories or are a fan of the Twilight Zone, you will enjoy '
Skeletons in the Closet
.'" ―John Zur
WHALE SONG
"Tardif's story has that perennially crowd-pleasing combination of sweet and sad that so often propels popular commercial fiction…Tardif, already a big hit in Canada…a name to reckon with south of the border." ―
Booklist
"
Whale Song
is deep and true, a compelling story of love and family and the mysteries of the human heart...a beautiful, haunting novel." ―NY Times bestselling novelist Luanne Rice, author of
Beach Girls
"A wonderfully well-written novel. Wonderful characters [that] shine. The settings are exquisitely described. The writing is lyrical.
Whale Song
would make a wonderful movie." ―
Writer's Digest
THE RIVER
"Cheryl Kaye Tardif has once again captivated readers in her third novel and latest suspense thriller,
The River
. Set in the wilds of Canada's north,
The River
combines intrigue, science, love and adventure and is sure to keep readers clamoring for more." ―
Edmonton Sun
"Exciting and vivid…A thrilling adventure where science sniffs harder, desperate to find the fountain-of-youth." ―
Midwest Book Review