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The fridge was empty; the pantry nearly so. All the dishes had been washed and put away. The flowers he'd given Olivia were in the litter bin. Not a good sign.
He ventured into the parlor. It was dark inside with all the windows shuttered. Still, his superior vision allowed him to see the small room. The furniture had all been covered with bedsheets.
"I got it!" Carlos entered the parlor from a hallway. "I found something of vital importance in Olivia's bedroom."
"What?"
With a smirk, Carlos dangled some blue cotton bikini underwear from his fingertips. "A little memento for you, bro."
Robby snatched the underwear away. "That is no' what I was referring to."
"Oh." Carlos's mouth twitched. "In that case, I'll put them back."
"Piss off." Robby stuffed the underwear into his jeans pocket and stalked back into the kitchen. Something white snagged his attention. A wad of paper underneath the kitchen table.
He leaned over to fish it out.
"What did you find?" Carlos asked.
"I'm no' sure." Robby smoothed the paper out. It was a card with a message typed on it.
Dearest Olivia, I will always find you.
"This is it," Robby whispered. "This is what scared her."
"A note?" Carlos leaned close to read it. "Who sent it?"
"A bastard who's stalking her from prison." Robby stuffed the note into his hoodie pocket. Part of him was relieved it wasn't him that had scared Olivia. But another part was still angry. Angry that Otis Crump was terrorizing her. And angry that Olivia had run away. She should have stayed and let him help her. She should have trusted him to protect her. "Did that woman in the tavern mention any apples?"
"No. But she did mention taking some food from here."
"I need to talk to her."
"No problem." Carlos headed out the back door. "I'll take you."
They locked up the house, and then ten minutes later they strolled into the taverna in Grikos. Robby was surprised when the locals greeted Carlos like he belonged.
"This is Alexia." Carlos gave a gray-haired woman a kiss on each wrinkled cheek. "If she wasn't still in love with her husband, I'd steal her away."
Alexia laughed and swatted Carlos on the shoulder. "You silly boy. You just come here for the moussaka."
Carlos looked properly chastised. "What can I say? You are the best cook on the island."
Alexia beamed. "And who is this friend of yours?"
Robby inclined his head. "A pleasure to meet you. I'm Robby MacKay."
Her smile vanished and a wary look glinted in her eyes. "What would you boys like to drink?"
"I'd like to ask you a few questions, if ye doona mind," Robby said. "About Olivia Sotiris."
Alexia lifted her chin. "Olivia would have been perfect for my son, Giorgios. It was a shame she had to leave so quickly."
"Did she leave you some apples?" Robby asked.
"Yes. A box of very nice apples."
Robby nodded. It was just as he thought. "And did she mention me at all?"
The wary look flitted over Alexia's face once again. "Why would she?"
Robby focused a blast of vampire mind control at the old woman. She stumbled back, her face going blank.
Carlos grabbed her arm to steady her. "What are you doing, bro?"
"Getting answers." Did Olivia say anything about me before she left? Robby asked telepathically.
"Yes." The woman pulled a small envelope from her pocket. "She left a note for you."
"Thank you." Robby stuffed the envelope into his jacket pocket, then released Alexia from his mind control.
The woman shook her head with a confused look. "What - oh, I was going to get you drinks."
"A beer for me." Carlos checked his pockets. "Oops, forgot my wallet. Looks like you're paying, bro."
"Fine." Robby reached into his jeans pocket and dug out a few coins. When he pulled out his hand, Olivia's bikini underwear slipped out and tumbled to the floor.
Alexia gasped.
Carlos snickered, then gave Alexia a wistful look. "I just can't take him anywhere."
She sniffed. "Olivia would be much better off with my Giorgios."
Robby stuffed the underwear back into his pocket and handed the coins to the old woman. "I'll be going now." He stepped outside and ripped the envelope open.
Dear Robby, I'm sorry I had to leave so suddenly. You can contact me at the FBI office in Kansas City. I'll miss you and remember you always. I hope to see you again. Love, Olivia.
She still loved him. His heart swelled with relief. I love you, too, sweetheart. You will see me again.
CHAPTER 10
One week later...
Olivia stepped off the elevator onto the second floor of the FBI Field Office in Kansas City and strode toward her work area. She passed empty desks. Most of the special agents were out, working on assignments. A few remained, catching up on paperwork. They glanced up and smiled.
She waved and kept going before anyone could stop her. Most of them hated paperwork and would have welcomed an interruption, but she wasn't in the mood for chitchat.
How was your vacation? they'd ask. Ruined by a serial killer. She could only hope her relationship with Robby wasn't ruined, too. It hurt more than she'd expected to be separated from him. There was a constant ache in her heart, as if she'd lost her best friend, along with a nagging fear that she'd never see him again.
The family reunion in Houston had not gone well, so she'd left early. Her parents were upset with her, claiming she'd brought a psychotic killer into their lives. She'd assured them that Otis Crump was securely behind bars, but she could hardly refute the fact that he was successfully stalking her.
Her parents wanted her to resign, but how could she? She loved this job. And she'd worked hard to be accepted as a contributing employee. At first she'd suffered a bit of an inferiority complex, surrounded by all the special agents. She hadn't met the qualifications to be "special," since she'd joined straight out of college and didn't have the required years of work experience. Officially, she was labeled as a criminal psychologist on the professional staff. The FBI wasn't about to admit they'd hired her for her secret paranormal abilities.
She reached her work station, stashed her handbag in the bottom drawer, and glanced over the cubicle wall to see if J.L. was at his desk. Nope, gone. She wouldn't have minded talking to him. He was her best friend at work. Unlike most of the special agents here who had worked previously as lawyers or accountants, J.L. Wang had been hired for his linguistic abilities. They'd both felt like the odd ducks, so they quickly bonded.
She smiled at the plaque hanging next to her monitor. J.L. had proudly presented it to her on her twenty-fourth birthday. With his love for initials, he'd come up with the plaque's message: OLIVIA SOTIRIS, APA, FBI, HLD, WACC. He'd translated the last two acronyms for everyone. Human Lie Detector, Weird-Assed Crap Consultant.
After that, everyone in the building had decided it was perfectly acceptable to ask her about any weird-assed crap that popped up on their assignments. Finally, she belonged.
Dammit, she didn't want to quit.
"Olivia!" Yasmine Hernandez rushed toward her. "What are you doing here?"
"Gee, that makes me feel welcomed." Olivia smiled wryly.
Yasmine waved a dismissive hand. "I just meant you're not supposed to be back till after Christmas."
Olivia shrugged and gave a purposely vague response. "Stuff happens." Yasmine was a wonderfully competent office manager, but unfortunately she was equally talented at snooping into everyone's personal life.
"Didn't you go to Greece?" Yasmine asked.
"Yes." When Yasmine opened her mouth to dig for more information, Olivia quickly added, "I need to talk to Barker. Is he in?" She glanced at the glassed-in corner office of her supervisor, Patrick O'Shea Barker. The door and the window blinds were closed, but the light was on inside.
"He's in a meeting right now." Yasmine's mouth thinned. "With Special Agent Harrison."
Olivia nodded. She felt a brief spurt of anger from Yasmine, no doubt caused by Harrison, who could be overbearing and rude. Yasmine's emotions were usually steady and cheerful, and Olivia had always sensed that her nosiness was not caused by malice but rather by curiosity and a sincere desire to help. Harrison, on the other hand, took pleasure in being a jerk.
