Free Deadly Double by Adrianne Byrd Page B

down.
    “Shh,” he said. “I’m going to take care of you,” the voice promised.
    Josie believed him. Something warm brushed against her face, and she sighed with contentment.
    Soon a question nagged at the back of her mind. Who was promising to take care of her and why should she trust him?
    You can never trust anyone again, she warned herself.
    She struggled to open her eyes. It was hard; her eyelids were so heavy. Her lashes flickered, and she was able to make out something in the blurry light.
    A shadowy figure hovered above her. Through sheer determination, she brought the image into focus. Within seconds, a familiar pair of deep blue eyes crystallized.
    Josie sucked in a startled gasp of surprise. “William?”
    A wide smile curved onto his handsome face. “Yes, Josie. It’s me.”
 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter 13
    Josie studied the man above her and struggled to make sense of this apparition. It couldn’t be, she reasoned, and squeezed her eyes shut. Her mind had to be playing tricks on her. It wouldn’t have been the first time, she reasoned, but this was too cruel to be true.
    The cold returned. She shivered and grasped for the covers though it was like grabbing a block of ice to keep warm.
    “It’s all right, Josie,” William said. “Your body is going through withdrawal. You’re going to be okay.”
    She clamped her jaws tight and trembled violently.
    “It’s going to come and go, but you’ll be all right.”
    Josie didn’t feel all right. In fact, she was nauseous.
    “You want to throw up?” he asked gently.
    She nodded and was instantly scooped out of the bed. Seconds later she was hanging over the toilet bowl and emptying her stomach. When she finished, her abdomen ached, and her head spun.
    As before, a cool compress was placed against her head and a geyser of gratitude erupted inside of her and flowed from her lips.
    “Calm down. It’s okay. It’s okay.” William cleaned her up.
    Josie desperately wanted to believe that, but wasn’t at all sure he was who he claimed. A lot had happened since the loss of her career: the death of her father, Michelle, and her emotional breakdown.
    In such a short time, she went from being a strong independent woman to someone who was afraid of her own shadow.
    And then there was the accident. She curled into a fetal position against the bathroom’s cold tile.
    Splashes of a memory teased her from behind her closed eyes. She was knee deep in water while trying to scrub blood from her hands. And there was laughter. Who was laughing?
    “What have you done, Michelle?” a woman’s voice had asked.
    Josie continued to scrub at her hands. “I didn’t do anything.”
    “How can you say that, Michelle? You just killed Daniel!”
    Josie shook her head. No, she didn’t. She couldn’t have.
    Quivering, she remembered a flood of lights blinding her. “I didn’t kill him,” she croaked. “I didn’t.”
    Josie clawed her way out of the gloomy memory, desperate to seek refuge from the heinous accusation and confusion. She woke with a start and found herself back in bed and surrounded by darkness.
    “William?” Josie sat up.
    “I’m still here.”
    His voice drifted from her right, and she swiveled toward it. Her eyes grew wide as she struggled to make out his outline.
    With a soft click, a low glow of light revealed the impossible.
    “This isn’t happening,” she whispered, and clutched a hand to her chest. Her gaze roamed over him. “I don’t understand.”
    He waited until their gazes locked before he took a deep breath, and replied, “That makes two of us.”
    She frowned and glanced around the room again. “Where’s Ecaterina, or did I imagine her?”
    “She went home hours ago.” He crossed his arms. “You gave her quite a scare. Of course that’s my fault,” he admitted. “I didn’t tell her the truth about you.”
    She drew in a breath, and then proceeded with trepidation. “The truth?”
    He hesitated