Touched by Lightning [Dreams of You] (Romantic Suspense) by Tina Wainscott Page A

getting to his car before she saw him anywhere near it. His plan was to take off as she disappeared around the corner. Then he would drive in the opposite direction, keeping a careful look out for dogs.
    The man ambled up, purposely intersecting Adrian’s path on the cracked sidewalk. Adrian glanced at the storefronts to his right, considering walking into a store before reaching trouble. The entire strip was vacated, the only sign of life being the piles of newspapers the homeless used when they slept in the alcoves at night. Rearing up to his full height of six foot two, much taller than the man, he charged ahead.
    “You want crack,” the man stated. “I got the best, the purest. Come ‘round back with me.”
    The man was close enough for his week-old sweat to taint the air. He started to touch Adrian’s arm, as though to escort him around back of the building he’d indicated with a nod of his head.
    Adrian lifted his arm, giving the man a look that made him back away. “Don’t touch me. I’m not interested.”
    He raised his arms. “Sorry, man. The girl said you wanted something.”
    Adrian glanced up at Nikki, who was now reaching the alley where his car was parked. He nodded in her direction. “That girl?”
    “Uh-huh. You a cop or something?” The man backed further away, tensed to run.
    Adrian was too baffled to care. He looked at Nikki again, who was staring into the alleyway, her posture stiff. Damn, she’d seen his car. Why had she even bothered to look, especially if she was telling drug dealers he was interested so she could get away from him? Glancing back at him, she looked startled, then continued across the street.
    It bothered Adrian that she was that afraid of him. What had he done to produce that kind of distrust? The second she rounded the corner, he shot into action, turning down the alley and jumping into his car. The van was still parked there, but he scarcely took note except to assure himself he hadn’t blocked it in.
    He quickly combed his hair into a ponytail and slipped on his sunglasses before pulling out. Instead of staying on the main street, he went a block west, into a lower-class neighborhood, and then south. Most of the houses in the area where tiny, smaller than his studio back home. The bars on the windows and patched wooden fences attested to the safety of the area. It was with great relief that he drove over the bridge leading to prestigious Palm Beach a few minutes later. Freshly painted plazas were filled with shops and people carrying designer shopping bags.
    This is crazy, Wilde. She obviously doesn’t want you around. It’s a god-awful place to be. Go home. Forget about her.
    As he drove down the street of perfectly trimmed hedges and swaying palm trees, he muttered, “I wish I could.” The decision was already beyond his control.
     
     
    The bells tinkled as Nikki slipped into the Garcia Gallery later that day. Ulyssis was studying something on the counter but looked up and smiled when he saw her.
    “I didn’t expect to see you so soon, Nicolina. You didn’t spend all that money already, did you?”
    “No, I…I don’t know, I’m just restless, I guess.”
    She walked over to inspect the next collection of photographs by the mysterious Nicolina. Ulyssis had framed them beautifully, as always, using an understated gray with white matting. They always sold for reasonable prices, and Ulyssis only deducted the cost of the frame. That was something she insisted on, otherwise he would have given her all the money. She always took Maudine out to dinner at the Seashell Diner with the first of the profits, sort of a tithe. But Maudine hadn’t been around lately.
    “They came out nice, yes?”
    “Yes.” She turned to him. “Has that man been back? The one who bought the last collection.”
    “No sign of him. It was probably nothing more than my suspicions, as you said.”
    “I have a pet,” she said, wanting to change the subject. “A puppy.