It's too soon, his head screeched. Jilly stil needed him.

Her hand came up and patted his cheek. "I'll be okay, Daddy."

Cullen caught her hand in his, and he squeezed it gently. "Of course you will. You're my girl. You're going to be more than okay."

She grinned, and for a minute she was just a little girl, with a mischievous smile and big, sparkling eyes. "That's not what I meant. I'll be fine with Grandpa while you go help Miss Taige. I don't want to go to Ireland, though. Not yet. Not without you. It's too far away."

She curled up against him and whispered, "I like Miss Taige. She's always had the nicest voice."

"How do you know her voice, sweetie? You were asleep when Taige led me to you."

Jilly snuggled closer. "I heard her voice a lot. She talks to me in my dreams."

Apparently today was just going to be another very unsettling day, Cul en decided.

Resting his chin on her head, he asked, "How long has she been doing that?"

"Always."

Always. Cullen squeezed his eyes shut.

"Daddy?"

He opened his eyes and met Jilly's level green gaze. "Yeah, baby?" he asked, his voice hoa.r.s.e.

"It's going to be all right," she said softly. She puckered up her lips and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. "I see her sometimes in my sleep, but she looks happier. She's so lonely, but she's just been waiting for us."

"Waiting for us to what?"

Jilly smiled once more and said simply, "To be her family." Then her eyes darkened.

"But you two have to stop him first."

THE sound of the doorbell came far too early, as far as Taige was concerned.

She rolled out of bed with a groan and staggered to the door, grabbing a pair of jeans from the floor. Her weapon was still sheathed in its holster, slung over the bedpost at the foot of the bed. For some reason, she stumbled back to the bed and grabbed it. It took three tries to get the d.a.m.n thing in place, and she almost didn't mess with it. On her way to the door, whoever was at the door rang again. And again. And again.

"What in the h.e.l.l are you doing?" she grumbled. "Leaning on it?"

She undid the locks without checking the Judas hole. Grumbling, she jerked the door open, something suitably cutting on the tip on her tongue. But when she saw who it was, the words froze in her throat. Son of a b.i.t.c.h. Without saying a word, she grabbed the door and went to slam it shut, but Leon reached out and caught it, then used his foot to wedge the door open.

He gave her a pious look and produced a piece of paper from inside the somber black sport coat he wore. Though he wasn't Methodist or Catholic, Leon Carson dressed more like a priest than anything else, all black, from head to toe, no matter the season, no matter the occasion. "We're having our annual revival," he said, his voice deep and serious. "Seeing as how you aren't out practicing your evil on the innocent and the weak, I thought it would do you well to attend. Or are you still beyond salvation?"

"Your idea of salvation?" she returned. "Absolutely."

He shoved the paper at her once more, and she flicked it a disinterested glance. "You wave that at me once more, Uncle, and I'll make you eat it. I'm not coming to your revival."

"You don't even care that you're d.a.m.ning yourself to h.e.l.l," Leon stated.

"Well, if you're going to be in heaven, then I want no part of it." With an irreverent smile, she added, "But I really don't think you're going anyplace other than h.e.l.l yourself."

"Blasphemy," he hissed, lifting a hand to shake a finger in her face.

Taige was tempted to reach out and grab it, twist it just to see how much she could make him squirm before she either let him go or broke the bone. "It's not blasphemy, Uncle. It's a fact. If He welcomes you into the pearly gates, then everything I've been taught about G.o.d and Jesus is a lie, and whatever He offers, I don't want it." She glanced down at his foot and then gave him an angelic smile. "If you keep your foot there, you just might lose it."

Leon curled his lip in a patronizing sneer. "Are you so far gone that you'd threaten a man of G.o.d?"

Taige's own mouth curled into a sneer, but she suspected hers wasn't so much patronizing as downright mean. Staring into his eyes, she drew her gun and without looking away from his eyes, she leveled it at his foot. "If you were a real man of G.o.d, Uncle, you and I wouldn't be as we are. Would I threaten you? Absolutely. But here's another question you should ask. Would I shoot you? h.e.l.l, yes."

Slowly, Leon retreated, and she noticed something she hadn't noticed before: he'd aged.

A lot. It seemed every single second of hate showed in his face, and hate had aged him far faster than time ever could. He didn't seem as big as she remembered, but he was still larger than life, and she could remember in acute detail how strong his hands were, how he knew exactly where to hit to make it hurt the most without leaving much of a mark.

In a soft, solemn voice, she promised him, "The next time you come near me, I'm going to leave a mark on you. Think of how many you left on me, Uncle, and know that I mean it. Sincerely."

She watched him pull away before she closed the door gently. Then she turned around and leaned against it. Her lids lowered, and she heaved out a harsh sigh. Then, slowly, she headed back down the hal , intent on a shower and at least a half pot of coffee. Maybe even the whole d.a.m.n pot.

It wasn't until thirty minutes later when she was standing in front of the cabinet that she realized. d.a.m.n it. She'd forgotten to buy more coffee. With a groan, she bent over and let her head thunk against the counter. d.a.m.n it. She desperately needed her coffee.

SOME days . . . Taige thought miserably as she climbed out of her car to see her uncle coming out of the Winn-Dixie. She almost climbed back into her Jeep, but the thought of retreating from him, even from an unwanted confrontation, ate at her. So instead of climbing back into the car, she locked the doors and pocketed her keys.

"Just walk by him and don't say a word," she mumbled under her breath.

Leon, though, couldn't resist an audience. He'd always saved the beatings for private, but deriding her in front of others had been almost like a hobby to him. He reached out as she walked past. His skeletal white hand landed on her arm, and she doubted the people pa.s.sing by could tel how he dug his fingers into her flesh.

"It would seem as though it's G.o.d's wil that you and I spend some time together today, my dear niece," Leon said, lifting his voice so that it carried.

He did have a compelling voice, almost mesmerizing. Taige could see why his church congregation was twice the size it had been ten years ago. When he wasn't dealing with his niece, Leon had a charismatic quality that was undeniable. But Taige didn't consider him the sharpest crayon in the box. After all, he honestly thought she would behave since she was surrounded by people.

Jerking her arm back, she glared down her nose at him. "Maybe the Almighty is putting you in my way just to see if I can withstand temptation."

Leon sighed and shook his head. "Beloved child, you never could withstand temptation. That is why you walk this evil road."

"Spare me." Rolling her eyes, she went to push past him. She glanced around, trying to keep it casual, and she saw easily five people pretending not to watch him. Apparently Leon realized he had a good audience, because he wasn't going to let her push him aside so easily.

His pale hand closed around her arm, and bony white fingers once more dug into tender flesh. "You can't keep walking this evil road, Taige. It wil destroy you-and everyone you touch."

Without missing a beat, she tossed back, "Oh, yeah? It hasn't destroyed you yet, and I keep waiting for that."

With a theatrical sigh, he shook his head. "You would even bring down destruction on a man of G.o.d, if you could. Are you so far gone that I cannot reach you?"

"s.h.i.t. Are we back to that song and dance again?" Dropping her voice, Taige leaned in and said softly, "Are you so d.a.m.n stupid that you've already forgotten what I said I'd do?

Take your hand off of me, Uncle. Now. Or you just might have to say this week's sermon through a straw."

He smiled. It was faint, there and then gone again, and n.o.body but Taige had seen it.

Slowly, he let go of her arm. "Your reckoning is coming, girl. Coming fast."

"No faster than yours, Carson."

The voice from behind her was both welcome and unwanted. As Leon's hand fell away, she turned to see Cul en standing there, his thumbs hooked in his waistband, legs spread wide, and his eyes narrowed on Leon's face. He looked like a boxer ready to brawl, she thought. She stared at him, but he hadn't so much as looked at her yet.

No, he was totally focused on Leon. He closed the distance between them and stared down at the shorter, skinnier man. In his youth, Leon had probably had a strong, wiry build. She knew well enough just how strong he was, but all the years he'd spent practicing his fire and brimstone spiel had softened his body, and now, standing in front of Cul en Morgan, he looked weak, almost frail.

"You know what I'm going to do to you if I see you touching her again?" Cullen asked, his voice pleasant, almost friendly.

Leon sneered. "Even after all these years, that harlot niece of mine has control over you, doesn't she? You succ.u.mbed to temptation, and now you're as d.a.m.ned as she is."

Cullen's hand shot out, and he fisted the st.u.r.dy black cloth of Leon's shirt. Jerking Leon forward, he said in a soft, deadly voice, "You want to watch how you speak of her, Carson. You might have half the town thinking you're a benevolent, G.o.d-fearing man, but I know better, and I'd sooner knock your teeth down your throat than look at you."

He gave Carson a hard, fast shake before he turned the older man loose. "You don't want to touch her again, old man. You do, you're going to deal with me."

Anger did a bad thing to Leon's common sense. Dropping the pretense he always used in public, he lifted a bony hand and pointed a finger at Cullen. "I've tried to warn you, tried to keep you from the evil you want to surround yourself with. But you're no innocent lamb led astray. You seek out the evil, embrace it. You'll burn with it when the time is right." Muttering under his breath, Leon stormed away.

"Why didn't you just hit him?" Cullen asked, his voice cold and flat as he turned to face Taige. "He needs it."

"Yeah, but I don't need the headache." She frowned at him. "What are you doing here?"

Lifting a brow, he replied, "I'm looking for you."

"Why?"

"Unfinished business." His voice softened as he looked her over from head and toe, and Taige had to suppress a shiver. Nearly a hundred degrees and so d.a.m.n muggy breathing was a ch.o.r.e, and he could make her shiver with just a look.

Then she focused on what he had said, and she felt something dig at her heart. "We don't have any unfinished business, Cul en." d.a.m.n, he wasn't going to try to pay her or something, was he? A niggling suspicion wormed through her, and she narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't want any money from you."

A reluctant grin tugged at the corners of his lips as he shook his head. "I'm not here to pay you." That hard, s.e.xy mouth of his flattened out into a thin line, and his eyes scanned the parking lot. He held his hand out to her and murmured, "We need to talk."

Taige really, really didn't want to touch him. She'd worked hard to avoid doing just that as much as possible in the few hours she'd spent with him last month, but there had been a good excuse for avoiding physical contact. Now? There was no logical reason for refusing to put her hand in his. Other than the fact that she really didn't want to touch him.

"Scared of me, Taige? Or just p.i.s.sed at me?"

Yes. No. In that order. But was Taige going to tell him that? Oh, h.e.l.l, no. She took a deep breath to steady herself and then reached out, placed her hand in his. Instinctively, she braced herself for the onslaught of memory flashes that came with physical contact, and just as quickly, Taige forced herself to relax. She hadn't ever been able to pick up anything concrete from Cullen, and now wasn't any different. When she lowered her mental shields, she caught a few faint flickers, but none of them were solid. None of them of were defined.

"Where to?" she asked and hoped he didn't notice the way her voice shook just a little.

THEY ended up at an oyster house that Cul en remembered from his summers there.

The red and white striped awning hadn't changed, and the restaurant stil had the best salad bar and excellent fried oysters. Too bad he had next to no appet.i.te. He sat pushing the food around on his plate and wondering why he'd thought getting a bite to eat would break the tension.

"Where's Jillian?"

He looked up to see that Taige had eaten about as much as he had: next to nothing.

Her eyes glimmered against the warm gold of her skin, framed by long, spiky lashes.

Cullen's mouth went dry as he stared at her. Seeing her had the same effect on him as it had twelve years ago: hot need and a tenderness that turned his bones to mush. He was torn between wanting to pul her against him so he could cuddle her close and wanting to strip away her clothes so he f.u.c.k her brains out.

Only with Taige had he ever experienced anything besides l.u.s.t. She hadn't been the first girl he'd slept with, but she'd been the first girl to really matter to him. The first one he'd loved. The only one he'd loved.

"Cullen?"

He blinked and realized she'd asked him about Jillian. And was still waiting for an answer. "With my dad."

"How is she doing?"

Shrugging restlessly, he leaned back from the table and crossed his arms over his chest.

"She has good days. Some not so good. Nights are hard on her. She doesn't want to be left alone." He grimaced and added, "Hard on me, too, because I have a hard time leaving her alone."

At that, Taige lifted a brow. Her mouth, soft and kissable, bowed upward in a gentle smile. "Then why are you here? You need to be home with her. She needs you right now."

Cullen pushed his plate out of the way and then leaned forward, reached out, and caught her hand. He laced their fingers and said, "I'll be honest; a huge part of me needs just that. But . . . she needs to feel safe more. There's only one thing I can do to give her that."

"Ahhhh." Understanding came into her eyes, and she squeezed his hand, gently, and then pulled back. She didn't like him touching her. It was almost impossible to miss that.

She'd hesitated before putting her hand in his earlier. As soon as she could, she'd pul ed away, and now she was doing it again, all the while giving him a false, bright smile. The smile faded from her face, and she said, "You need to understand that nothing you can do is going to help her nightmares. Nothing you do can undo what happened. Even if he'd been there that day, and you kil ed him then, she'd still have a hard time. The only thing that works is time."

"Putting that degree in psychology to good use, aren't you?" he asked grimly.

Now both brows arched. "How did you know about that?"

Lifting one shoulder in a shrug, Cullen said, "There's nothing you've done in the past twelve years that I don't know about. If it's public knowledge, I found out about it. What wasn't public, I learned through al those dreams." He paused and then softly added, "You trust me more in those dreams than you do now."

Taige shook her head. "It doesn't have anything to do with trust. I do trust you."

"As far as you trust anybody?" he said ruefully.

"More than I trust anybody," she corrected. With a scowl, she demanded, "What in the h.e.l.l do you care what I've been up to the past twelve years?"

The look on his face did bad, bad things to her insides, Taige decided. There was a lambent, lazy look in his eyes, and her skin heated under the warmth of his gaze. She knew that if they were someplace private, he'd probably be trying to do more than look.

There were twelve years between them, but those years might as well not have existed, thanks to the dreams that had kept them connected. She knew him better now than she had when they had been together, knew when he was mad, when he worried-when he wanted.

And now he wanted-oh man, did he want. She hadn't ever had a man look at her quite the same way Cullen did. His lids drooped low over his eyes, and he murmured, "You know why I care, Taige. You might not let yourself see it, but you do know."

Averting her eyes, she asked quietly, "Why are you here, Cul en? Exactly what do you want from me now?" I found your daughter. I gave you my heart, my soul, my body. I don't have too much left to give you.

She kept that latter part quiet, although she suspected he already knew most of that, just like she knew that if he asked, she'd probably give herself up to him all over again.

"Your help."

"Help with what?"

Bracing his elbows on the table, Cullen leaned forward. His blue green eyes pinned her in place, and she couldn't have looked away from him if she had to.

Softly, he said, "Finding him."