Sea Haven 02 - Spirit Bound

she’d thought about—and had planned for the last five long years. He could be the instrument she used to destroy Jean-Claude. He was more than capable of killing the Frenchman.
    Her right hand crept toward her left hand, to that mark itching in the center of her left palm. Elation swept through her. She could finally punish Jean-Claude, exact revenge. See him tortured and killed, just as he’d done to Paul. All she had to do was call Stefan back and she knew she could call him. He would come for the microchip and she knew where the microchip was. Jean-Claude wouldn’t find it, but she could use it to get Stefan to do what she wanted.
    She took a deep breath, her thumb pausing over the center of her palm. She just needed to press down hard and call to him telepathically. If he had already left and was too far away to hear her, he might still feel her.
    “Damn it, Judith,” Jean-Claude thrust the bedroom door open. “I’m getting impatient.” He yanked at her to drag her farther down the hall. “Where the hell is the painting?”
    She was filled with so much hatred for this man she hadn’t been able to see straight. She was tired of living that way, with so much anger and rage. She’d been happy with Stefan—genuinely happy—and she had pushed the memories of Jean-Claude’s sickness away from her, refusing to allow it to taint her life. She’d be damned if she allowed it to taint her love for Stefan. And she did love Stefan whether he returned the emotion or not. Her feelings for him were very real and she would not give in to the temptation of using him for revenge.
    Instead of pressing down on that mark already faded until it was just below her skin, she brushed her fingertip lovingly, even protectively over it.
    “That painting is in the studio right there,” she said quietly. “I keep it locked. The key’s on a chain around my neck.” She pulled out the thin chain so he could see she was telling the truth.
    Jean-Claude let go of her hair and took the key from her with a quick smile. “I knew you’d come to your senses, ma belle. ”
    He bent his head to kiss her. She turned her face away and his kiss landed on her sore cheek. He laughed and patted the blossoming bruise before turning to insert the key into the lock.
     
     
    STEFAN stood in the middle of the living room almost frozen. Judith had completely, utterly shut off, closing him out so effectively he couldn’t reach her. For one moment there had been a flare of anguish and pain. The emotions had burst through him like a rocket, settling into a jagged knife through his heart and then . . . nothing. The feeling of dread had been building for some time, settling around him like a heavy cloak. He’d felt doom in the air the moment he’d gotten out of the car.
    He felt as if he was drowning. She believed everything he’d said to her, everything he’d done with her—including making love to her—had been nothing but a pack of lies. He’d been waiting for her, holding his breath for her, all of his life. He just hadn’t known it until he found her and now, just like that, he’d lost her. He was alone again. In the dark and shadows with pieces of his heart scattered all around him. He had no idea how to put it all back together. Relationships were something he had no clue about, no experience to fall back on.
    She’d looked so shattered. So utterly devastated. He knew what she thought of him. He’d been playing games, seducing her to get close to her in order to find the microchip. His life suddenly seemed so wrong, everything he’d done to get his work accomplished. She lived such a different life. She’d gotten touched by evil, brushed shoulders with it, but she hadn’t immersed herself in it, she wasn’t covered in it.
    He swore in Russian and stood there, feeling helpless, something a man like him couldn’t stand. He was a man of action. What was worse, waiting it out, let her have a little space to realize he’d stood there with his heart in his hand telling her the stark ugly truth of his life, admitting he loved her, or going to her and demanding she see the truth.
    His brother’s advice to tell the truth quite frankly sucked. Evidently drugging her wasn’t as bad as omitting certain facts. She’d forgiven him that mistake, but not this one. Not when he was standing there trying to do the right thing. He was at a loss, a state he’d never thought he’d ever find himself in.
    He closed his eyes. He wanted to