a Touch of Revenge (Romantic Mystery - book 6): The Everly Gray Adventures Read Online Free PDF

even during the week of the funeral. I still wasn’t ready, but I relentlessly ignored the panic building in my gut.
    When I reached the top of the stairs, the panorama of rolling hills and forested land took my breath. It always had. Autumn colors highlighted the deep green of evergreens with brilliant hues of red, orange, and gold, and for a minute I was able to avoid looking at the sakura tree that marked the…place where Mitch was buried. Jayne and I had chosen the Japanese cherry tree because it symbolized the evanescence of human life. Fleeting. Exactly what Mitch’s life had been, to say nothing of our life together. At least the darn tree wasn’t in bloom. I could almost handle bare limbs. Almost.
    I spun away from the view, my breath hitching. Time to face Mitch’s lair. Closed blinds covered the huge picture window so I couldn’t see inside. No way to sneak a quick peek to prepare myself before I walked in.
    Reaching for the doorknob, I stopped short. No telling what images lurked behind the sparkling brass, but there was no way I could avoid touching it. I touched the diamond in my navel instead, my talisman, closed my hand around the knob, and was almost flattened by the sudden, furious flash of images that sucked my breath away.

 
    FOUR
     
    I JERKED MY HAND OFF the doorknob, and frantically rubbed my palm over my thigh. So that was what happened when a person attempted to shut off their psychic gifts. I closed my eyes to stop the spinning images. Not that it worked. There were too many, and they moved too quickly for me to see anything but a blur of hazy colors.
    If I had any hope of discovering Mitch’s secrets, I’d have to ease into the transition from dormant touching to active fingertips. I spun away from the door and crossed the deck to the railing where I’d first seen Mitch being attacked by the thugs who killed his friend, Tony Civitelli. Those images had probably faded long ago, but maybe there was something more recent to prime my fingers on.
    I hesitated, my hand a mere inch from the wood, and then stepped back. The anger and guilt still churned deep in my belly and in my thoughts—not a good thing to combine with ESP fingers. I hadn’t practiced much yoga since Mitch was killed, preferring to run until I was exhausted instead of searching in my soul for any semblance of peace. Standing in the middle of the deck, I concentrated on the view, on the tranquility of the rolling hills, and slipped into a comfortable yoga routine of half sun salutations.
    Five minutes later I managed a full breath. Another ten minutes, and the rich scent of sun-warmed wild grass permeated my senses, and dulled the panic I’d shuffled so successfully into the back of my mind that I hadn’t realized it was there. Yes, I was afraid to face Mitch’s secrets first-hand. I’d seen the proof of his spy-on-Everly assignment when Annie had hacked into his email and files, but there was more, had to be, and when I touched the things in his lair I’d learn about them.
    I stretched tall, arching my neck to watch a cluster of fluffy clouds meander across the pale blue North Carolina sky. It had never truly been my home, this house that Mitch had created, and it was time for me to let it go.
    Dropping my arms, I crossed the deck, and without hesitation reached for the doorknob, safe in the knowledge that there would be no lingering images after the onslaught that hit me with the first touch. I’d absorbed all the energy from them and still had the roiling stomach to prove it.
    I turned the knob. Locked. Odd that Jayne hadn’t given me the key. I shrugged it off. She was a new mom who’d been away from her baby for the first time. Seeing the way he’d grinned at her, and raised those chubby arms to be picked up had probably killed any thoughts less important than cuddling the baby. I dug in my handbag for my lock picks and made short work of getting inside.
    Dust and stale air. There were no remnants of the cologne