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OKDeanna's Passions Fan Fiction Forum > Luis & Sheridan Stories > A Hero For Hire: Prologue - Chapter Seven *FFY Sequel* |
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A Hero For Hire: Prologue - Chapter Seven *FFY Sequel* Posted By: OKDeanna - ezOP Posts: 277 Posted At: (10/19/02 7:40 am) Reply |
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A Hero For Hire Sequel to: Falling For You Written by: Deanna (OKDeanna) Email: asjfan@cox.net This story is intended for mature audiences. Parental discretion advised. PROLOGUE "Father." Julian Crane said turning his brandy glass around in his hands. "Relax. Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald is dead. There is no reason to worry." "No reason to worry?" The senior Crane asked his unsatisfied voice filling the air. "You'd better hope there is nothing to worry about Julian, because if you're wrong so help me you will not like the consequences that are dealt to you." "Father." Julian said swiveling his chair around to face the window then finally taking a sip of the brandy in his hand. "What could go wrong? The entire town of Harmony believes Luis is dead, including his own mother and our dear sweet misguided Sheridan." * * * * * He raised his beer bottle to his lips and took a sip then propped his black boots onto the battered cherry red coffee table that sat in the middle of his small one bedroom apartment and cast a glance at the photo that rested in his left hand. He traced the woman's ruby red lips then cursed himself for doing so. He wasn't supposed to be attracted to his target. It wasn't smart. And it damn sure wasn't smart to question the boss' decision. It wasn't any of his business why they wanted such a beautiful woman dead, he thought placing the photo onto the cushion beside him. He wasn't hired to analyze their decisions. He was only hired to carry them out. But what he wouldn't give to have this woman smile at him the way she was obviously smiling at whoever had been cut out of the picture. A man, he thought as an unwanted surge of jealousy sliced through his chest, she was most likely smiling at a man. A lover perhaps? The look in her eyes suggested it was someone she had a great deal of feeling for and perhaps even loved. And there was an extra added something in her eyes that led him to believe... that whoever the person was that she was looking at... well he was one lucky sob. He shook his head then dropped his feet back onto the floor and leaned over to pick up the dossier laying on the coffee table. He supposed he should read it. After all, it would be prudent to learn all he could about his next target. It would certainly make his job of killing her much easier to complete. Too bad, he thought opening the cover of the manila folder in his hands and starting to read the enclosed documents, she was one gorgeous woman and it was too damn bad she was going to have to die soon. At least now he knew why he had said the name Sheridan after his accident all those months ago. It was because he had been hired to kill her. * * * * * "Roger," Pierre said turning to look at his boss. "Do you think the American will go through with it? You don't think he suspects we lied to him do you?" "Of course not, Pierre." Roger said his voice stern and sure. "If the American cop had remembered who we were and why we want Sheridan dead, he would have arrested us. No, he really believes he is a hitman and that we hired him to kill Sheridan. The perfect plan if I do say so myself." "Yes." Pierre agreed nodding. "Us bumping into him the day he was released from the hospital was a stroke of luck. And him having amnesia... well that was just icing on the how do you say? Icing on the cake?" Roger gave his comrade a congratulatory smile. "Yes, him having amnesia was the icing on the cake. But it will be even better once he completes his assignment. How ironic that the man that saved her from us so many times is now the man that is going to kill her. What a stroke of pure genius that plan was." "Yes and by this time next week Sheridan Crane will be dead and all our problems will be solved." "Right you are, Pierre, right you are." He smiled as an image of the American cop being led away in handcuffs flashed in his mind. Poetic justice if he did say so himself. It would serve the cop right for interfering with his business in the first place. Him being arrested for murdering Sheridan Crane would definitely top the whole plan off. It was simply brilliant, a hero for hire, who would have ever thought. CHAPTER ONE Luis raised the binoculars to his eyes then smiled the moment his target came into view. She was even more beautiful in person, he thought as he adjusted the binoculars to bring her into better focus then let his eyes roam over the length of her. She was wearing a very short, very sexy navy blue nightgown that rested about mid thigh and showed off her shapely legs. And those legs, he thought letting out a rush of hot air, those legs were what men's fantasies were made of. He unconsciously licked his lips then let his eyes travel back up her shapely calves and over her hips to her breasts that his hands itched to touch. He could just feel their softness as his roughened palm covered them and the taste... his mouth was aching to taste her. His groin tightened as his eyes continued to linger on her soft delicious looking breasts and he couldn't miss the shot of desire pounding through his blood. He groaned into the humid night air as she lowered one slender hand to rub a spot right above her breasts. He watched her hand move back and forth across her porcelain skin and wondered if she knew the agony that she was putting him through. But then he shook his head as he realized how crazy that sounded. She had no idea he was watching her. If she did, she would have called the police hours ago. He watched her step closer to the window and move her hand until her palm rested against the glass. She appeared to be in deep thought and he couldn't help but wonder what had put that sad look into her eyes. Did she and her lover have a fight perhaps? A part of him wished for that to happen, but then he remembered the reason why he was watching her tonight. He lowered the binoculars in his hand and placed them on the ground beside him then opened the black case in front of him and picked up the weapon inside. He quickly put the sharp shooting rifle together then placed it against his shoulder and looked through the scope. He took a deep calming breath then angled the gun toward the window until he found his target in the cross hairs. He started to press the trigger but then he noticed something as he looked through the scope and he found himself lowering the rifle in his hand. He furrowed his brow then laid the gun back in the case in front of him and once again picked up his binoculars. He'd been right, he thought studying his target's face with a fierce scrutiny, those were tears climbing down her cheeks. He swallowed hard as he felt his chest tighten in response to her tears. What was it about this woman that got to him. He'd noticed it when he'd looked at her picture, but seeing her in person... it only enhanced his reaction to her. "Sheridan." He whispered lowering the binoculars as she raised her arms and began to close the curtains. "Who are the hell are you? And why can't I seem to take my eyes off you?" * * * * * Sheridan Crane rubbed the lower portion of her neck then stared out into the pitch-black night. She had been doing so well these past few weeks, she thought feeling the tears start to trickle down her cheeks, but for some reason Luis was on her mind tonight. It was almost as if she could feel him... like he was close by. Usually feelings like that comforted her, but tonight... tonight it made her edgy and restless. She had this feeling that Luis was thinking about her, even watching over her perhaps. She got feelings like this from time to time, but they had never been as strong as they were right now. The feelings were usually mild and would pass much too soon, but all day today no matter where she went or who she saw the feelings had stuck with her, almost to the point of totally consuming her. She sighed then reached up and pulled the curtains closed. A sudden undeniable chill passed through her body and she wondered it stemmed from the loneliness that was coursing through her heart right now. She missed Luis so much. Her life hadn't been the same since he'd... since he'd disappeared out of her life. She crossed to the couch then lowered her weary form onto it. She'd spent several nights sleeping on the couch because she'd been unable to handle sleeping in the bed that she and Luis had made love in. The bed held too many memories and on days that she hadn't totally exhausted herself to the point where she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, sleeping in that bed was impossible for her to do. "Oh Luis." She whispered falling back against the soft cushions. "Why did you have to leave me?" She closed her eyes as an image of his handsome face appeared in her mind and for the first time in a long time she let herself get lost in the memories. * * * * * Luis entered the cottage through her unlocked bedroom window. In his hand was the silencer that Roger and Pierre had given him just in case he wasn't able to use the rifle. He hadn't been entirely sure he could carry out his orders up close like he was about to be, but then he was a professional. He would just have to ignore those feelings of uncertainty when they arose. After all, he had done this before. It was nothing new to him. He slowly opened her bedroom door then grimaced when it gave a tiny creak. One glance at the woman on the couch and he knew he had nothing to worry about. She was sleeping too soundly to have heard the small sound. He took a small step toward her then froze when her head turned toward him. She appeared to be dreaming and from what he could tell, the dream she was having was tortured. He studied her face for a moment then forced himself to raise the gun in his hand and pointed it toward her chest. The knot in his stomach tightened, but he knew that once he'd done what he had to do the knot would go away. At least, he hoped it would. He began to press the trigger but the sudden chiming of the doorbell had him quickly dropping the gun and moving back out of sight. He heard her give a grunt of unhappiness and couldn't stop himself from peaking around the corner at her. He watched as she crossed to the door, mesmerized by her satin covered backside. His groin tightened at the sight but a second later when she opened the door and a light brown haired man pulled her into his embrace, his heart stopped beating. "Hey, Sheridan." He heard the man say. "I tried calling you earlier tonight but you didn't answer your phone. I got worried and decided to come check on you. Is everything okay?" Luis ducked back around the corner as the man started to enter the cottage. The last thing he needed was for one of them to see him. He slowly backed the rest of the way into her bedroom but he couldn't bring himself to sneak back out the window. Curiosity about the man and his relationship to Sheridan held him where he stood. "I'm sorry, Hank." Sheridan said her voice sounding somewhat sad. "I had the ringer off again. The answering machine was off too. I... I just didn't feel like talking to anyone today." "The memories got to you again, didn't they?" "Yes." He heard her whisper. "I just miss him so much. And today... today I felt him. I felt like he was so close I could touch him. But we both know that's impossible. Still before you woke me, I was dreaming that he was here. It seemed so real. Can you feel him here, Hank?" "Sheridan, I loved him too. He was like a brother to me. I would give anything if he was here right now, but we both know that's impossible. I mean you saw him yourself, right?" The man asked. Luis shook his head. The guy seemed a bit too fake in those statements if you asked him. In fact, he'd be willing to bet that the man he claimed to love like a brother was not someone this Hank liked very much. He certainly didn't sound like he did. At least not to him anyway. "I know you did." He heard Sheridan say. "I know you love him as much as I do. It's just... right before I fell asleep I was looking out the window and... And I could feel him, Hank. I felt him so strongly. All day today I've felt like, like he was watching over me somehow." "He probably is." Hank said in another fake sympathetic tone. "Look at all he did for you when he was alive. No way would he not watch over you in death too." Now that was a bit creepy, he thought furrowing his brow in disgust. He wouldn't want some dead guy watching over him! He shook his head in disbelief. This Hank was a real piece of work. Freak her out by thinking some dead guy is watching over her. What was his plan? Comfort her and chase the nightmares away? Give me a break, he thought his hand automatically tightening on the gun in his hand, Sheridan was too smart of a woman to fall for something like that. Then again, how the hell would he know something like that? He only knew what he read about her and what he'd seen of her today. "I'd like to think he was watching over me. Oh god," He heard her call out. "I still can't believe he's gone, Hank. I still can't believe he left me." "I know. Me either. I miss him every single day." Sure you do, Luis thought rolling his eyes, he probably missed the guy like he missed a toothache. The man was playing Sheridan for a fool and apparently she didn't even know it. "Me too." He heard Sheridan whisper. "I'll miss him every day for the rest of my life." Luis knew she meant what she said. He could hear the sincerity in her voice. He couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of jealously at her obvious feelings for the dead guy. Whoever he was, he was one lucky bastard, one lucky bastard that she was about to be reunited with very soon. CHAPTER TWO Sheridan shivered as a sudden intense feeling raced through her body. She looked around almost positive someone was staring at her but the only person she saw was Hank and he was currently pouring them a glass of water. She glanced toward her bedroom and unable to stop herself she walked toward it. She felt a slight breeze and when she noticed her opened bedroom door, she froze. She had shut that door earlier. She was almost positive she had. She walked further into the room and that's when she noticed the open window and the undeniable evidence that someone had been in her house tonight. She turned searching the darkness of her room but she knew whoever had been in her cottage tonight was long gone. She swallowed hard then walked toward the window and shut it even as she peered out into the trees that surrounded the back of her cottage. Was whoever had been in here tonight still watching her? She turned the lock on the window then quickly closed her curtains. She glanced down and with one finger she picked up the two small blades of grass that sat on the sill. "What are you doing?" Hank asked as he walked up behind her. "Oh... um n...nothing." She stammered. "I was just closing the window. The air was a bit chillier than I thought it would be." "Well you should be used to that by now." He said giving her a boyish grin. "You've been here long enough to know the weather patterns around here." "You're right I should." She nodded, casting a quick glance back at the window. "Sheridan?" Hank asked reaching up and lightly touching her arm. "Is something wrong? You seem a little... I don't know out of it?" "Oh, no everything is fine." She lied. "I'm just getting a little tired is all. Do you mind if we talk tomorrow Hank? My emotions have been all over the place today and I think it's starting to catch up with me." "Sure thing." Hank said giving her a quick squeeze then turning to walk back into the living room. "Just give me a call sometime tomorrow... maybe I can take you to lunch or something?" "Yeah that sounds great." She said following him toward the front door. "Thanks for coming by to check on me. That was very sweet of you." "Well you know me. I'm a sweet kind of guy." She laughed then leaned up and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek. "You're a good friend, Hank. Thanks." "No problem." He said smiling and walking backward down the steps of her cottage. "See you tomorrow." "See you tomorrow." She replied as he turned and walked toward his jeep. She took a moment to peer out into the darkness almost positive that someone else was out there then gave a heavy sigh and turned around to shut the door. She had just locked it back when a strong black-gloved hand clamped over her mouth. * * * * * "Are you positive the American cop said he would kill Sheridan Crane today?" Pierre asked with a touch of uncertainty lighting his voice. "How can we be sure we can trust him? What if -" "What if what?" Roger asked throwing the papers in his hands down on his desk. "As far as Luis is concerned he is one of us. He'll do the job we hired him to do. He's a man of his word, you know that. He will kill Sheridan Crane and when he does, he will call us and let us know." Roger smiled then leaned back in his chair. "All we have to do is wait. Because by this time tomorrow morning Luis will have gotten rid of the thorn in our side and we will be free to conduct business as usual." CHAPTER THREE Sheridan momentarily panicked as the hand clamped over her mouth, but then an image of Luis holding her under the wharf as they tried to escape the gunmen flashed in her mind and she froze. Why would that image pop in her mind at a time like this? She forced the image away then began to struggle against the strong grip that held her. Why hadn't she listened to Luis when he said to keep her doors and windows locked? How many times had he told her that particular lesson? Hundreds, she thought raising her hands to the one clamped on her mouth and trying to pry it loose, he had told her hundreds of times. Why hadn't she listened to him? If she had maybe her life wouldn't be in danger now. But then again even though someone was holding her against her will, she didn't feel the fear she knew she should feel. Instead, she felt... No, that was crazy. She should not feel safe when a man was holding her in this way. She should be terrified. But she wasn't. Something was keeping her from being afraid. What was it? She let out a scream as she managed to pry the man's hand off her mouth, but then it just as quickly covered it again. Only this time, he used his other hand to pull her back away from the door and toward the couch behind them. She struggled to get free but he was just too strong for her. Panic rose in her throat as he pushed her down onto the couch, but then all of the sudden he released her and as she turned to face her attacker, she let out a scream that could have woke the dead. She feared it already had. * * * * * Luis froze as then woman whispered his name. He didn't know how it was possible, but she looked as if she knew him. He held the gun tighter in his hand as his mind filled with question after question. But there was only one that he really wanted the answer to. After all, he didn't remember his name before the accident so how could she know him by a name he picked out afterwards? "How in the hell do you know my name?" Luis asked as he pointed his gun to the terrified woman sitting on the couch. "Ohmigod." The woman said burying her face in her hands. "I'm hallucinating. This isn't real. This isn't real. Luis can't be standing in front of me. I saw him. I saw him. He's dead." "What do you mean you saw me? What do you mean I'm dead?' He asked stalking over to her and dragging her up off the couch to face him. "Were you there when I was in that car accident? Did you cause it? Is it your fault I can't -?" One minute she was looking at him and the next minute her beautiful blue eyes rolled back in her head and he was catching her as she fell. He swallowed hard as his gun clattered to the floor and freed his hands to hold the woman in his arms. Something felt familiar about holding her, but something else said this was wrong. How did she know his name? And why did she seem to think he was supposed to be dead? A sudden knock on the door and a frantic voice cut off his thoughts. "Sheridan? Are you in there? Open up it's Hank. I forgot to tell you something. Sheridan? " Hank. Damn. Why did he keep interrupting his plans? He shook his head knowing he had to get out of there. He would have to come back to carry out his plans. And he would, but before he killed her he planned to find out how she knew him and what exactly she knew about his accident. He took one last look at unconscious Sheridan then quickly made his exit to her bedroom. He had just opened the window and slipped over the edge of the sill when he heard someone bust in the front door. That man has the worst timing, he thought shaking his head as he closed the window again. He had screwed up his plans twice now. Well, he wouldn't get to do it a third time, Luis thought slipping back into the darkness. The next time he met Sheridan Crane, he would find out what he wanted to know and then... and then he would kill her just as he'd been hired to do. * * * * * Sheridan opened her eyes to find Hank staring down at her in concern. She sat up slowly then she remembered and frantically looked around the cottage. "Where is he, Hank? Where did he go?" "Where did who go?" Hank asked raising a brow at her. "Luis." She replied looking at him. "Where did he go?" "Uh, Sheridan, Luis is -." "Don't say it." She said getting to her feet and racing toward the kitchen. "He was here, Hank. I saw him. He touched me. He was here! He was real and he was ALIVE." "Sheridan," Hank said catching up to her and grabbing her by the arm. "When I came in there was no one here." She stopped and looked at him for a second then realization dawned. "He must have left after I fainted. He must have gone back out my window." She pulled her arm from Hank's grasp then raced to her bedroom. Her curtains were still drawn shut just as she'd placed them earlier. She walked closer and moved them back out of the way, but when she saw the window was unlocked her heart rate accelerated. It had been real. He was here! "See Sheridan your window is still down just as you left it." "But it's unlocked, Hank." She said pointed to the silver lock on the top of the window. "I locked it earlier. Don't you remember?" "No I just remember seeing you close the curtains. Maybe you didn't lock it like you thought you had?" "No Hank. I locked that window." "Well how did whoever you saw get in then? If the window was locked how did they manage to get in?" "LUIS must have already been inside the house when I locked the window. He must have been watching me." She frowned wondering why he had looked at her so oddly then tried to figure out where he could have been if he had been in here when she locked the window. Her eyes landed on her closet and she walked toward it and opened the door. Nothing looked as if it had been touched. Nothing except the dress she had worn on New Year's Eve. It wasn't hanging in place like the rest of her dresses. It looked as if someone had pulled it out to look at it then replaced it. Part of the dress was sticking out more than the rest of them were. She fingered the soft material and somehow she knew Luis had been here and he had touched this dress. "Sheridan, I think you were just dreaming that you saw Luis." He turned her around to face him and she saw the worry etched in his features. "I want him to be alive as much as you do, but we both know that isn't possible. You saw him Sheridan. You unzipped that body bag and you saw him." She pulled away from Hank and walked back into the living room, shivering as the image of Luis' lying in the body bag flashed in her mind. She had seen him. But somehow she had always felt Luis was still out there. Somehow her heart had never truly believed he was gone. And now she knew the reason why. He wasn't gone. He was alive and he had been in her cottage tonight. "But someone must have been in here tonight." Hank said in a worried tone from the doorway to her bedroom. She looked at him, hope lighting her heart. "Why do you say that?" "Because they left something behind." He said pointing toward the gun that lay on the floor almost underneath her couch. "Unless that's yours I would say someone else was most definitely inside this cottage tonight. It couldn't have been Luis because he's dead but let's just say for the sake of argument that it was Luis. Why on earth would he have a gun with a silencer on it?" She swallowed hard as the image of him pointing that gun at her chest flashed in her mind. Why did Luis have a gun tonight? And why had he been pointing it at her? CHAPTER FOUR Sheridan listened as Sam explained the precautions they were taking. She knew they didn't believe that it had actually been Luis. She knew they thought she was crazy. But she knew she wasn't. She hadn't dreamed she saw Luis tonight. She had seen him. He was real and he was ALIVE. But her mind kept going back to the way he looked at her and the way he held that gun on her. It was almost as if he didn't know her. He had asked how she knew his name. He had asked how she knew about the accident. He had even asked if she had caused it, which she hadn't but she did blame herself for it. She still had no idea who the two men that had kidnapped her and Luis were and Sam still had no leads on them. It surprised her really because if the drug cartel had been behind that then wouldn't they have already sent someone else to kill her? With Luis dead there had been no one to stand in their way, so why hadn't they come after her? Were they just biding their time? Something told her this thing wasn't over yet. And something else told her there was more going on than what she knew about. Why had Luis seemed like a completely different person tonight? He seemed harder, more...more dangerous. Yet she hadn't been afraid. Even when he had his hand clamped over her mouth, she hadn't been afraid. Had her subconscious known it was Luis? It certainly appeared that way. "Sheridan?" Sam said lightly touching her arm. "Did you hear what I just said?" She licked her dry lips then shook her head. "No, I'm sorry but I didn't. I was... I was just -" "Thinking about Luis, again?" Sam interjected. She nodded then let out a deep frustrated breath. "I know you think I'm crazy. I know Hank does too, but I know what I heard and I know what I saw. It was Luis. He asked me how I knew his name and if I was there when he was in the accident. He even asked me if I had caused it." "Sheridan, I think you're tired and because of that you're mind played some tricks on you tonight. Maybe I should call Eve to come over? Maybe she can give you something to help you sleep." "I don't want to sleep!" She yelled angrily. "I want you to believe me! I am not crazy and my mind is not playing tricks on me. I SAW LUIS. I HEARD LUIS! He is ALIVE and nothing you can say will change my mind!" Sam stared at her for a second then before she realized what he was doing he pulled her into his arms and held her to his chest. "I miss him too. I'd love for what you think you saw tonight to be true, but it's impossible Sheridan. You saw his body after the accident. You were there when they zipped him up in the bag. If who you saw tonight was Luis then who was in that body bag all those months ago?" "I don't know the answer to that." She said pulling back away from him and wrapping her arms around her midriff. "But whoever it was, it wasn't Luis because Luis was here tonight." "Sher -" "No! I am not going to listen anymore. I know it was Luis. I was here and you weren't. I lived with this man, I loved this man, and I would know when this man touches me. It was Luis, Sam. I don't know how. I don't know why, but it was Luis in this cottage tonight." "I believe you." Hank said coming to stand beside her. "I'm not sure how it's possible, but I believe you. Sam, I had to break down the damn door to get in here and when I did Sheridan looked as if she'd seen a ghost. Now it could have been her mind playing tricks on her. I actually thought it was until I saw the gun on the floor. I'm not sure why Luis would have been pointing it at Sheridan, but I don't know... I somehow believe Luis really was in here tonight." Sheridan sucked in a deep breath as Hank grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, trying to show that he didn't doubt her anymore. She turned to him and gave him a bright smile then pulled him into a hug. "Thank you for believing me." "You're welcome." He said returning her hug. "I don't know how in the world it's possible, but if anyone could come back from the dead, I'd say it was Luis. He's too damn stubborn to stay dead for long." Sheridan gave a small laugh just the way she knew Hank had expected her too then pulled back and smiled at him. "You're right. Luis is too stubborn to die and I know he'll be back. I don't know how I know it, but I do." "Okay," Sam said holding up his hand in what appeared to be defeat. "You say you think it was Luis -" "I don't just think it Sam, I know it." "Okay, you know it was Luis. Something doesn't add up with that theory. If Luis came here to see you, why would he be pointing a gun at your chest?" "I don't know." She said raising a hand to her suddenly throbbing head. "It was almost as if he didn't know me. I mean when I said his name he looked at me in such surprise and such suspicion. It was obvious that he didn't know who I was, but if that's the case then why was in my cottage tonight? I mean if he didn't know me then how did he know where I lived?" "Good question." Sam said rubbing a hand over his jaw. "Luis has cop instincts and I guess if he lost his memory during the crash, and I'm still not convinced the man you saw was Luis but if it is, then if his cop instincts are still intact, I'd say someone would find them very valuable." "What do you mean, Sam?" Sheridan asked not sure if she understand exactly what he was saying. "What are you thinking?" "Okay say Luis is alive and he has amnesia. If someone ran into him that knew he used to be a cop, but now knew he didn't know that, they might think they could use him." "Surely you don't mean..." "Yes, I'm afraid I do." He said nodding his head. "If it was Luis then he broke in here and if he had a gun on him, then I'm pretty sure he planned to use it. And since he had it pointed at you, the only logical conclusion is that he planned to use it on you." "You think Luis was here to... to KILL ME?" She froze as an image of Luis pointing his gun at her flashed in her mind. "Oh god. He wouldn't. He wouldn't do that. He wouldn't try to kill me." "Well if you have a better explanation as to why Luis would have broken in here and pointed at gun at you, I'd really love to hear it. Unless you're saying you now don't believe it was Luis?" "No, it was Luis." She said slowly falling back onto the couch behind her. "But to think he was here to kill me? Sam, that's crazy! He's a cop. He's a hero not a killer!" "But what if someone decided they wanted a hero for hire?" Sam asked sitting down beside her. "What better person to hire as a killer than a cop that can't remember he's a cop?" Sheridan leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees then brought her hands behind her neck. Someone was using Luis against her? Someone hired him to kill her? She wanted to say it wasn't true, but something about the way he had looked at her before she said his name kept calling out to her. It had been cold and detached. If he truly didn't remember her or the fact that he was a cop then... then Sam's theory made sense. Luis had come here tonight to kill her. But if that were true then why didn't he do it? He had the opportunity and more than enough time. Why had he grabbed her instead of just shooting her? Did he somehow remember her subconsciously? Is that why he hadn't been able to pull the trigger? And since he hadn't completed the job that he was hired to do then he would be back. But if he did come back then he wouldn't be able to get through all the guards that were posted around the grounds. Unless of course she got rid of them. She knew that would be a miracle in itself, but if Luis truly was alive then she would do whatever she had to do to ensure he came back to her, even if it meant risking her life. * * * * * Luis cursed himself a thousand times over for leaving his gun inside the small cottage. How could he have been so stupid? What had he been thinking? He hadn't been, he thought slowing his walk down to a semi-normal pace. He hadn't been able to think of anything other than the fact that somehow Sheridan Crane knew his name. But he had the strangest feeling that she didn't only just know his name that she knew HIM as well. That thought is what had him gong in circles right now. How did the woman know him and what, if anything, did she have to do with his accident? Luis pulled out the cellphone from his jacket pocket then punched in a set of familiar numbers. "Yeah it's me." "Is she dead?" Roger asked in his usually show-no-emotion tone. "No." Luis answered allowing his irritation to show. "I got interrupted before I could actually pull the trigger. There was no way I could kill her without getting caught so I got out of there, but we have a problem." "What kind of problem?" Roger asked his voice sounding oddly concerned. "She saw me and she knew my name." Luis said his hand tightening its grip on the phone. "Now what I want to know is how in the hell she could have known my name. And more importantly, why does she seem to be under the impression that I'm dead?" A tense silence greeted him, making him realize that Roger had been keeping something from him. Something important. "What is it? What haven't you told me?" "Sheridan was the one responsible for your accident." Roger answered. "She was the one driving the car that hit you." "WHAT!" * * * * * Roger smiled as he replaced the receiver back into its cradle. Luis had bought his story and was now more determined than before to complete his assignment. He had no doubt that by the end of the week, Sheridan Crane would be dead and the American Cop Hero would be in jail for her murder. He laughed then looked over at Pierre who sat in a chair on the other side of his desk. "Wait until the American Cop realizes that he has killed the woman he loved. Not only will our legal troubles be over, but we'll have revenge upon the man that stopped us from ending all this months ago. The perfect plan." "Yes, I agree. Let's just hope Luis does the job we hired him to do." "Oh he will." Roger said turning his chair around to face the window. "He will complete the job, because he's a professional and he gave us his word. By the time he realizes who Sheridan really is, it will be too late, because he will have already sealed her fate and his own too." Roger smiled as the Parisian night came into view. "You know Pierre my only regret is that we cannot be there to watch this play out in person. I would love to see the look on the cop hero's face when he realizes he killed the love of his life. It will be priceless." "Yes I agree." Pierre said from behind him. "The cop hero will fall and his landing is sure to hurt." "You are right. And we have the great pleasure of knowing we caused the fall." He laughed then turned around to face his comrade once again. "Now there is one more thing we need to attend to." "What is that?" Pierre asked furrowing his brows in confusion. "We must decide what type of flowers to send to Miss Crane's funeral." CHAPTER FIVE Sheridan peered out of her bedroom window into the dark, somewhat foggy night. She wanted to believe Luis was out there somewhere watching her, waiting for just the right moment to appear. But how much longer could she believe it? It had been three days since he's been in the cottage. Three days since he'd held a gun on her. Three days since she's sent Sam and the other officers home, throwing a fit at her lack of fear for her safety. Three days of tortured days and restless dreams.... Where was he? Why hadn't he come back yet? Had she just imagined his appearance the way Sam seemed to think she did? No, she thought shaking her head and backing away from the window, she did not imagine anything. Luis had been standing in her cottage and he had been alive. He'd touched her. He'd looked at her. He'd pointed a gun at her. She shivered at that last thought then wrapped her arms around herself. Sam's theory about the drug cartel somehow finding out Luis was alive and convincing him he was hired to kill her, made so much sense and yet somehow she still didn't believe Luis would agree to kill her. He'd spent so much time and energy trying to save her life that it was hard to believe that he would agree to be the one that ended it. But she had to believe it. She had looked into the barrel of the gun he held on her. She knew he had planned to use it, would have used it, had she not called out his name. That one simple fact had probably saved her life. No, she admonished herself, Luis would never have pulled that trigger. He wouldn't have. It wasn't in his nature and memory or no memory he would not commit an act of cold-blooded murder, especially not when she was the intended victim. Somehow, someway, he would remember their love and he would remember the fact that the people he was hired to work for are the very men he'd been trying to protect her from before his accident. He would remember. He had to. Because if he didn't... A sudden noise from the living room sounded and Sheridan froze. She could hear the footsteps as they approached her bedroom door. Oh god, she thought watching the door as the panic started to rise, please let it be Luis. Please let it be Luis and not someone else pretending to be him. Please let me have been right. Just this one please let me have been right in risking my life. * * * * * Luis stood outside the bedroom door reveling in the fact that he'd once again gotten past the security system. This time, however, he was somewhat worried about the ease of that feat. Why hadn't she set the alarm this time? He knew last time it was because she had company that jerk Hank. But this time.... this time she'd been alone, all day, and still no alarm had been set. He had seen the cops here after he left the other night so why had she not kept them around for protection? It made his job easier of course, but it also made him curious. She had seen him point the gun at her. She knew he had been hired to kill her and yet she evidently still was not afraid of him. Why? Why did she seem to think he was not a threat? It did not make sense. Unless, she was off her rocker, which he supposed could very well be the case. "Luis?" A slightly nervous feminine voice called out from the bedroom. "Is that you?" His hand froze on the knob for a heartbeat then without stopping to think about what he was doing, he turned the knob and opened the door. His eyes first landed on her slender bare feet, then traveled up her shapely calves and higher until he spotted the bottom edge of a red silk negligee. He swallowed hard then let his gaze travel further until he lost himself in her tear filled blue eyes. The woman was out of her mind. She stood before him, practically naked, and yet she wore a come-and-get-me smile that was fast wrecking havoc with his libido. Looking at her he realized two things, she was either one very smart woman or one of the most naive. But damned if she wasn't setting his body on fire. "I knew it." She whispered walking toward him, her hips swinging and the open red satin robe flying behind her. "I knew it was you." She stepped closer and reached out to touch him, but for some reason he stepped back before her hand could actually reach his cheek. "You know why I'm here and whatever little game you think you're playing with me is not going to work. I know you were behind the car accident." Her brow furrowed in confusion and all at once the tears in her eyes came traveling down her cheeks like fast moving waterfall. Damn, but he hated to see a woman cry, especially the one in front of him. Why he wasn't sure, but he did. His heart was aching in his chest yet there was no reason for it too. She had tried to kill him, hadn't she? "I was there when the car accident happened." She admitted on a sob. "But I didn't cause it, Luis. They kidnapped us and..." "They?" Luis asked wondering what the hell she was up to. "They who?" "I don't know!" She said vehemently. "If I knew that I would have killed them. I would have killed them with my bare hands. They took you away from me. They took you away from me." "Stop it!" Luis said raising the gun in his hand and pointing it at her. "Stop lying! I know you were behind the accident. I know you were!" "You're wrong." She said walking toward him until the gun touched her skin, right over her heart. "You're so wrong. I would never, could never do anything to hurt you. I love you, Luis. I love you with all of my heart. You have to believe me." "Well I don't." He said his hand tightening around the gun. "I don't believe a word you say. How can you love me? You don't even know me." "I do know you. I know you better than you know yourself. I know the kind of man you are and you are not a killer. They lied to you, Luis. Roger and Pierre lied to you." "No!" He said taking a step back, the gun shaking in his hand. "You're the one lying to me. You are!" Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second then all at once she straightened up and gave him a look full of strength and bravery. "Then shoot me, Luis. If you think I'm lying to you, then pull the trigger and shoot me. If you can, then you really aren't the man I thought you were. But if you can't then you will see I'm telling you the truth. You are not a killer. You're a cop." A cop? Now he knew the woman was telling lies. There was no way in hell he was a cop. Roger had told him all of the killing he had done for him over the years. Unless he was lying... no Roger wasn't lying the woman standing in front of him was. She was the one lying to him. She was trying to confuse him so he wouldn't kill her. That's all she was interested in. She didn't love him like she said she did. She couldn't love him. She couldn't... An intense throbbing pain coursed through his head and caused him to drop the gun in his hand. He stared at the gun lying on the ground at his feet for one terrifying second before following it to the ground. * * * * * "Shouldn't Luis have checked in now?" Pierre asked from behind him. "I mean he said he was going to do it tonight right? He said he was at the cottage when he called and that was over three hours ago." "Relax." Roger said turning from his place at the window overlooking the lights of Paris. "He will call. He won't let us down." "You sound so sure." Pierre said walking to stand in front of him. "I am not so sure. What if his memory came back? What if he remembered Sheridan is the woman he loved?" "There is no chance of that happening, my friend. The doctors told us that his memory would have returned already if it was going to." "Doctors can be wrong." Pierre muttered as he waved his hand dismissively. "I knew we should have just killed him. It would have made things so much easier." "Perhaps," Roger said raising the glass in his hand to his lips and taking a sip of the dark liquid. "But killing him would not be as much fun as knowing he is the man that killed Sheridan Crane for us." Roger finished off the rest of his brandy then sat the glass on his desk and walked over to place his hand on Pierre's shoulder. "Don't worry so much, my friend. The cop thinks he is one of us. His memory has not returned. There is nothing for us to worry about. If he hasn't already killed Sheridan, he will before the night is over. She will not see the light of day." "I don't see how you can be so certain of him. He may think he is one of us, but if he learns we have been lying to him -" "How is he going to learn that?" Roger asked turning and walking back to his desk to take a seat in his chair. "He's too smart to let anyone in Harmony see him. Sure, Ms. Crane has seen him, but what does that matter? He will kill her before she has time to convince him of who he really is. No, my friend, you are worrying for nothing. The cop will become the killer and Ms. Crane will be his victim. Our plan is full proof, Pierre. Nothing will go wrong." "I think you place too much faith in the American cop." Pierre said as he moved some papers out of his way and took a seat of the corner of the desk. "Maybe." Roger said waving a hand through the air "But we will give him a little more time and if Ms. Crane isn't dead by morning then you will go to Harmony and tie up ALL the loose ends." CHAPTER SIX Sheridan wiped Luis' forehead with a cold, wet rag and prayed that he woke up soon. She had no idea how she'd managed to get him up onto the bed, but she knew his coming to for a few seconds had helped. She only wished that he hadn't passed out again. She knew she should have called Eve or at the very least Sam, but she couldn't bring herself to leave him long enough to place the call. And what if the phone was tapped and whoever had been responsible for Luis' "death" in the first place found out he was alive? That could put his life in danger and she couldn't risk that. But he needed a doctor. He'd been unconscious for two and a half hours now. If he didn't wake up soon... What if he didn't wake up at all? What if he... She got up ready to go call Eve, but then a hand clamped over her wrist and she let out a startled scream. She looked down and found herself staring into dark hooded eyes. "Don't go." "Luis!" She said sitting back down on the bed and giving him a relieved smile. "I've been so worried. How are you feeling?" "My head hurts." He said trying to make a move to sit up only to fall back down against the pillow. "What happened?" "You don't remember?" She asked worried that the fall to the floor had caused him to lose even more of his memory. "Not really." He said raising a hand to the side of his head. "The only thing I remember is pointing the gun at you and you walking toward it like some crazy woman. Why would you do that anyway?" "I did it because I knew you wouldn't shoot me." "What makes you so sure I wouldn't shoot you?" He asked staring at her as if he were trying to figure her out. She supposed she did seem a bit unhinged to him. After all, he didn't know her like she knew him. He didn't know all that they had been through together. "I had the gun pointed right at you. I was more than ready to pull the trigger." She shook her head sadly then met his eyes with a stare she could only hope conveyed the trust she had in him. "If you had any intention of shooting me, you would have done it the moment you opened that door and saw me standing there. But you didn't. You didn't because you can't. You could never shoot me. Or anyone else for that matter. Not in cold blood anyway. That's not who you are." "You're nuts." He said shaking his head then groaning as if it hurt. "I came here to kill you. If I hadn't passed out I would have done it." "No you wouldn't have." She said getting up and picking the gun up off the floor where she'd left it when he fell. She turned back to him and watched his eyes widen as she pointed the gun at him. "You could no more shoot me than I could shoot you, Luis. But just to prove how much I trust you. How much I believe in you, I'll give you the gun. It's still loaded. I didn't touch it until just now. If you still think you can shoot me then you're welcome to try. But don't be surprised when you can't do it." She laid the gun on his chest then took a step back and waited. She waited for him to speak or to move. But he did neither. He simply stared at her. She watched him take a deep breath then drew in one of her own as he picked up the gun and pointed it at her chest. She searched her heart for a way to make him truly understand how much she trusted and believed in him then in a move she was sure was either the smartest thing she could ever do or the dumbest, she held her hands out on both sides of her and met his eyes with all the love she had in her heart. * * * * * Luis stared at the woman standing a few feet from the bed and wondered once again about her sanity. Here he was pointing a gun right at her chest, a man she knew had been hired to kill her, and she did nothing but hold out her hands and stare into his eyes. She said he couldn't kill her, but she was taking an awful big chance on that being true. Did she really trust him that much or was this some kind of trick? No, he thought as he continued to stare into her eyes, it wasn't a trick. She really did trust him that much. But why? Why would she trust him when she knew he was hired to kill her? It didn't make sense. Unless what she had claimed earlier was true... "What is my full name?" He asked watching carefully for any sign that said she was playing him for a fool. "Luis Manuel Lopez-Fitzgerald" She said not even hesitating for a second. "I didn't find out your middle name until your-" She broke off suddenly and looked down at the ground. "Until my what?" He asked his stomach tightening for some unknown reason. "Until your funeral." She said raising her head to allow him to see the tears flowing down her cheeks. "I didn't know your middle name until the day of your funeral." His funeral? Was it possible that he was who she said he was? Was it really possible she was telling the truth? Was it really possible that Roger and Pierre had been lying to him all this time? He supposed he owed it to himself to find out, but god help her if he found out she was lying to him. He lowered the gun in his hand and laid it on the bed beside him. "I will indulge you a little longer, but you'd better be telling me the truth." "I would never lie to you." She said walking toward him and sitting down beside him. "I love you, Luis and even though you can't remember, you love me too." He didn't remember, but he couldn't stop the emotions running rampant in his chest as she looked at him with those sparkling blue eyes of hers. He could see the love in them but could he believe in it? Could he trust that she was telling him the truth? He couldn't be entirely sure it wasn't just a trick. Maybe it was some plan she had come up with to save her life. Maybe she really didn't know him like she claimed. Maybe she just wanted to confuse him enough that he wouldn't do the job he'd been hired to do. There was only one way to find out. "If what you say is true then tell me everything that happened between us including how I came to be in that car accident." She took a deep breath then nodded her head. "Okay, but you'd better make yourself comfortable. It's a long story." "I've got plenty of time." He said staring into her blue eyes. "Start at the beginning. Tell me how we first met." She broke out into wide smile as if the memory were amusing to her. "I crashed into your police cruiser." "YOU WHAT?" * * * * * "Father." Julian replied as he poured himself a fresh glass of brandy. "To what do I owe the honor of this phone call?" "Put that glass of brandy down, Julian!" Alistair Crane's voice boomed out from the speakerphone. "We've got trouble. Big trouble." "What do you mean?" Julian asked quickly downing his drink and pouring himself another, fully recognizing the tone in his father's voice. "What trouble are you talking about?" "I just watched the surveillance tapes from Sheridan's cottage." Alistair said in a very ominous tone. "I've haven't been too concerned about your sister for the last few months so I haven't been paying attention to those tapes the way I should have. But I saw something on one of the tapes tonight, Julian, and it has me very concerned." "Why?" Julian asked falling into the chair behind his desk. "What on earth did you see?" "I saw a dead man, Julian! That's what I saw, a dead man!" CHAPTER SEVEN "I saw a dead man, Julian! That's what I saw, a dead man!" Julian felt the color drain from his face as his eyes remained glued to the phone setting on his desk. "Wh... what did you just say?" "You know perfectly well what I just said Julian." Alistair replied his voice stern. "Now I want you to go to your sister's cottage and find out what the hell is going on! If Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald really is back in Harmony and your sister knows it then the Crane Empire is at stake and you know what that means, Julian..." He swallowed hard as the implication protruded through his brain. "But Luis doesn't even know who he is. You heard the doctors...." "I know what the doctors said." His father yelled into the phone, the anger in his voice causing shivers to run down his spine. "But doctors can be wrong, Julian. It certainly wouldn't be the first time. Look at Sheridan. She wasn't supposed to remember anything from that night, but look at the trouble she has caused us! Hell, if the doctors we hired had done the job they were supposed to years ago we wouldn't be in the mess we're in right now! Now I want you to go to that cottage and find out what the hell is going on! If Luis is there you had better take care of things, Julian, because if you don't..." "I'll take care of it father." He said interrupting before his father could finish the threat. "You have my word." "I don't want your word, Julian, I want results!" * * * * * "Let me get this straight." Luis said staring at the blond woman sitting on the bed next to him, her eyes full of laughter. "You hit my police cruiser not once but twice? And now you expect me to believe you weren't responsible for the accident that took my memory?" "Yes." She said the laughter in her blue eyes giving way to uncertainty. "I was not responsible for the accident that took your memory. I was lucky to survive it myself." "You were injured in the accident?" He asked suddenly sitting up straighter in the bed. "How badly were you hurt?" "I wasn't hurt." She said shaking her head, causing a few blond tendrils to fall across her forehead. "But the accident was bad." "If the accident was so bad then how did you manage to escape it unscathed?" Something was seriously wrong here. How was it that he could have lost his memory in an accident that by all intents and purposes should have killed him, while she wasn't hurt at all? She was lying to him, he thought his blood growing cold, she was lying to him about her role in his accident. She'd obviously tried to kill him twice before. So why not go for number three? She might not have killed him, but she damn sure stopped him from remembering what he had been hired to do, which was kill her. He glanced at the gun on the table beside him, knowing he had been stalled long enough. Roger and Pierre had been expecting his call hours ago. He had told them he would have the job done by seven and yet here it was almost eleven. He knew it was time to do what he had come to do. He had his strength back. Yet the longer he stared at the gun the more he didn't want to pick it up. Why? Why was it that he suddenly didn't feel as if he could pull that trigger anymore? He turned his attention back to the woman beside him and sucked in a breath when her eyes filled with tears. "You don't believe me." It wasn't a question but a statement, a statement that sent a tidal wave of emotion running through his bloodstream. He stared into her blue eyes, eyes that held her pain, and knew somewhere deep down inside of him that she was telling him the truth. But if she was telling him the truth then that meant Roger and Pierre were lying... "Roger and Pierre... they lied to me, didn't they?" The look in her eyes told him as much, but her shaky hand reaching out to cover his own told him even more. "Bastards." "I'm sorry, Luis." "You're sorry?" He asked in disbelief. "You have nothing to be sorry for. They're the ones that lied. They're the ones that made me... God, I -" "You didn't know. It's not your fault." She whispered raising her hand to his cheek and lightly caressing it with her thumb. He could tell by the look in her eyes that she meant what she said, but he couldn't find it inside himself to belief it. He kept getting the feeling that he somehow should have known, at least on some level. Deep down he probably did and that was the reason that he could never pull the trigger, when his gun was aimed at her. He turned to the gun on the nightstand then picked it up and turned it over in his hands. He glanced up at her and couldn't believe the look he saw in her eyes. It wasn't fear... it was love. But how did he know that? How did he know that look in her eyes was love? How did he recognize that look, but not recognize anything else about her? It didn't make any sense and probably wouldn't until he got his memory back, which according to his doctors back in Paris was an extremely unlikely possibility. According to them, his memory was gone for good, but somehow he didn't feel that was true. Somehow he knew his memory was still there. It was just waiting for something... for what he didn't know, but he knew that it was. He knew it because his gut told him it was true. * * * * * Sheridan could practically see the wheels turning in Luis' head and had to smile. He was lost in his thoughts, going over things trying to figure them out. It was funny how well she knew his expressions, even now. He might not remember who he was, but she did and everything that had made her fall in love with him in the first place was still inside of him. She could see it in his eyes, but more importantly she could feel it in her heart. He was still Luis... her Luis. But then again he wasn't her Luis. He didn't remember her. He didn't remember their love or all the things they'd gone through to be together. He didn't remember any of it and that hurt more than she could have ever imagined. She had thought their love could survive anything, but how could it survive when he didn't even know it existed? She had told him she loved him and that he loved her, but how could he believe it? He didn't even know her. Not the way he used to. Sighing, she lowered her hand from his face then turned her head to glance out the window on the other side of the bed. The leaves were starting to turn and she couldn't help but think it was a sign of the changes that had occurred between her and Luis, changes she had no clue how to make right again. How did a person deal with the fact that the person they loved more than life itself couldn't even remember them? "You look sad." Luis said, breaking into her thoughts. "Why?" She turned back to look at him and sucked in a deep breath when she met his deep brown eyes, eyes that had once looked at her with love, but now looked at her as if she were a total stranger to him, which now she was. She felt the tears begin to sting her eyes and turned her head before he could see them fall. He wouldn't understand. He couldn't. Memory after memory began to flash in her mind and she wished there were someway she could transfer them to Luis so he would know... so he would remember how much they loved each other. But she couldn't. She couldn't help him and that broke her heart. "Sheridan?" He asked touching her arm lightly. "Are you okay?" She shook her head then stood and used her shaky legs to walk to the window on the other side of the room. She wanted to answer him, but somehow she had lost her voice. He knew she was telling him the truth and she had thought it would make everything better, but it didn't. It didn't make anything better because it didn't really change anything. Granted, he no longer wanted to kill her, but he didn't want to love her either. And why would he, she thought the tears finally escaping her eyes and sliding down her cheeks, why would he want to love her when he didn't even know her? She heard the bedsprings creak as Luis got to his feet, but she still jumped when he walked toward her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She remembered the night he had proposed to her, in the very spot they were standing in now, and the wall she'd built to hide her tears came tumbling down. So much had changed since that night and she didn't know if they would ever be made right again. What if he never remembered her? What if he never remembered their love? What if... Her thoughts trailed off as he slowly turned her to face him. Her head was even with his chest, but his hand underneath her chin quickly corrected the problem and she soon found herself staring into his deep brown eyes, wishing he would look at her the way he used to. But he couldn't, she thought more tears falling down her cheeks, he couldn't look at her that way. He couldn't because he no longer felt that way. She sucked in a deep breath as Luis raised his hands, his palms resting against her tear-stained skin, his thumbs brushing underneath her eyes clearing them of the tears that still seemed to be falling. She tried to stop them, but somehow they wouldn't listen. They just kept falling and the more they fell, the deeper Luis' eyes seemed to get until suddenly she was no longer looking into the eyes of a stranger, now she was looking into the eyes of the man she loved. "Luis?" "I'm sorry." He said his voice crackling with emotion as he pulled her tight against his chest, laying her head against his heart as his hand ran over her back. "I didn't mean to make you cry." "You didn't." She whispered against his chest. "Yes I did." He said his hand caressing the back of her head. "Those tears are my fault. You're crying because I can't remember who you are or what are relationship was." Was, she thought closing her eyes as the pain in her heart grew, was as in past tense. Was as in no more. More tears fell, soaking his shirt, but he didn't seem to mind and she wasn't strong enough to pull away from him. She was right where she wanted to be. She just wished he could remember. She'd give anything in the world if he could just remember one thing they shared together, one thing that would let him know how much they meant to each other. She pulled her head from his shoulder and opened her mouth to say something, but her brother's voice from the living room cut off what she was about to say. "Sheridan? Sheridan? Where are you?" She glanced at Luis and watched him tense then shook her head when he sent her a questioning glance. "It's my brother. Stay here and I'll get rid of him." He nodded then lowered his hands from her waist, making her regret her brother's interruption even more than she already did. She reached up and wiped her tears away then forced herself to take a deep breath and answer her brother. "I'll be right there, Julian!" "Were you talking to someone?" He asked as she finally opened her bedroom door and walked out, closed it quickly when he began to look around her to try to see inside. "Do you have a man in there? I could have sworn I heard..." "Heard what?" She asked grabbing him by the arm and trying to pull him back into the living room only to have him pull away and walk back toward her bedroom. He reached for the doorknob and she froze then narrowed her eyes and his blatant disregard for her privacy. "Julian! What are you doing?" "I know you have someone in here." He said his hand slowly beginning to turn the knob. "I'm curious to find out who." She walked toward him and tried to pull him away from the door, but it was already too late, the door was open. "What is the meaning of this?" Sheridan swallowed hard then closed her eyes and forced herself to answer him. "I can explain." "Well I would hope so!" Julian said his voice clearly showing his irritation. "Why on earth would you have your bedroom window open when just three nights ago someone snuck in that very window?" Her eyes flew open and she peered inside her room. Sure enough her bedroom window was open, but Luis... Luis was nowhere in sight. Once again he had vanished, vanished as if he'd never really been there at all. To Be Continued... Author of over 40 fan fiction stories, some of which include:
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| A Hero For Hire: Prologue - Chapter Seven *FFY Sequel* | OKDeanna | 10/19/02 7:40 am |
| A Hero For Hire: Chapter Eight - Fifteen *FFY Sequel* | OKDeanna | 10/19/02 7:43 am |
| A Hero For Hire: Chapter Sixteen - Nineteen *FFY Sequel* | OKDeanna | 10/19/02 7:53 am |
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| A Hero For Hire: Chapter Twenty-Six *FFY Sequel* | OKDeanna | 8/19/03 7:34 pm |
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| A Hero For Hire: Chapter Twenty-Eight *FFY Sequel* | OKDeanna | 9/6/03 8:36 am |
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