Page 33 of Tiger on the Prowl

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Jay followed Olivia into the hotel room and closed the door behind him. He removed his earpiece and shoved it in his pants pocket. Olivia had never looked lovelier, and for a moment, he drank in the sight, regretting that it was over between them. Still, he owed her an explanation so that she wouldn’t disclose to anybody what she’d witnessed him and Yankee doing.

There was a moment of silence between them, and they simply stood a few feet apart, facing each other. He wasn’t sure how to start. He wasn’t prepared for this, because he hadn’t expected Olivia to recognize him, but there was no use lamenting it now. Olivia wanted answers.

“How did you know what Dirk was planning?” she asked, her voice calm and collected now, though her breath had still not settled back into its normal rhythm, her chest rising under the silk fabric of her bridesmaid’s dress.

She looked like a nymph or a mermaid, beautiful, petite, and vulnerable.

“I saw it.”

She shook her head. “You saw him when you entered the ballroom? But why are you here in the first place? And disguised as a waiter. I don’t get it.”

“What I meant is that I had a premonition of what was about to happen here.”

Her lips parted on a breath. “Don’t lie to me, Jay. Don’t I deserve the truth?”

“It’s the truth,” he said calmly, knowing it would take a while for her to understand.

“Are you saying you’re a psychic?”

“We don’t really call it that. I’m a precognitive. I see future events, almost always visions of doom, of terrible events, just like I saw Dirk.”

She furrowed her brows. “You saw him in a vision? Showing up here with a gun?”

“I did. But it didn’t end there. I saw the shooting. I saw the people who died, and recognized Grace from a picture you have in your cottage. You’d invited me to the wedding as your date. That’s why I knew where it would take place.”

“Who died in your vision?” He noticed her lips tremble. “My sister and her husband? Dirk killed them both?”

Jay shook his head. “Her husband survived. Grace didn’t. Neither did the two people who they danced with.” He met Olivia’s gaze. “I couldn’t let that happen. You would have lost everybody in your life. Everybody you love.”

Olivia’s eyes widened. She didn’t move, didn’t speak, only swallowed hard, before she took a breath. “Dirk killed Grace and my parents?” She blinked her eyes shut for a moment, before looking back at him. “My parents encouraged Grace to get a restraining order against him. For a while, she even moved back in with them, because she didn’t feel safe. Dirk must have found out.”

It made sense why Dirk had targeted them too and not just Grace. “I’m sorry, Olivia. But it’s over now. I was able to prevent it. And Dirk won’t be back. My friend and I will make sure of that. I promise you that.” He inhaled. “I have to leave. Can I trust you to keep my secret?”

“You can’t just leave now.”

“I can’t stay. I’ve risked too much already.”

Olivia put her hand on his forearm. “You haven’t told me anything yet. Who are you really? And don’t tell me you’re a yoga instructor. Because the way you took down Dirk, the way you handled yourself, that’s not something you learn in yoga. Where did you learn this? You knew Dirk had a gun, and from what I can see you’re not even armed. You went up against him with your bare hands.”

Jay closed his eyes. He wanted to shake off her hand, and ignore her questions, but being near her did something to him. He wanted her to know that he wasn’t a bad guy, even though he’d betrayed her trust.

“Jay, please, talk to me.”

Slowly he opened his eyes and looked at her. “Just by being here with you, I’m putting you in danger. You should run as far away from me as you can.”

“I can’t do that, Jay. I need to know who you are. Damn it, Jay, we made love, and you can’t just pretend it meant nothing to you.”

“It didn’t,” he lied, knowing that it was the only way she would let him go.

She shook her head, scoffing. “So you risk your life to save the families of all your one-night stands from armed stalkers? I don’t buy it.”

Apparently his skill to lie convincingly wasn’t as sharp anymore. Or Olivia’s bullshit detector was first rate.

“All right. You win. But before I can give you an answer to your questions, I have to ask you something.”

“What do you want to know?”