Undeniably Yours Read Online Free PDF Page B

newfound psychic ability to see scenes through scents (a bizarre mash-up of clairvoyance and clairalience); managed only a small smile during my anecdotes about Boobalicious Annie and ghoulish Dr. Paul of the Diviner Whiners; and appeared extremely troubled at the level of deception orchestrated by the arsonist. Yet Aiden said almost nothing in the hour-long trip into the city.
    As he moved up in the reception line, I found myself worrying for him. He was a good man. Honest, decent, hardworking, and caring. I hated seeing him so…derailed. His life had gone off the tracks, and I had the uneasy feeling that he hadn’t seen the worst of it yet.
    After we were done here, we planned to search Kira’s house and interview her neighbors. It was her home I was most eager to visit. With my new ability to read scents, I should be able to find Kira fairly easily by sniffing an item of hers. A pillow. A blanket. Something . Through her scent, I’d be able to see through her eyes—if she were still alive.
    At this point, it was a big if.
    The towering walls of the Channel 3 lobby were filled with massive photos of its broadcasters, and it didn’t take long to find Kira’s image among them. Dressed in a sporty black skirt suit, she leaned against an old brick wall, her arms folded across her chest. A flash drive dangled in her hand. She was notorious for keeping all details of her investigations on the techy tool, taking it with her wherever she went, and never letting it out of her sight. The station played up the quirk. It had become something of a gimmick.
    A heavy-handed edit had heightened the green coloring of her hazel eyes and added a bit of a mischievous sparkle to her irises. Her head was tilted in an I-dare-you kind of way. Her hair was styled in perfect waves around her shoulders, and her full lips were pressed into what seemed like a smile resulting from a private joke. Printed in big letters at the top of the poster was her name. And at the bottom was her tagline.
    Uncovering the truth on what matters.
    “Lucy?” Aiden touched my elbow. “Ready?”
    If he’d noticed Kira’s photo, he didn’t comment on it as he led me to a bank of elevators, slowing his gait to match mine as I crutched along. As the heavy doors slid closed, I couldn’t help but feel that Kira’s hazel gaze was watching our every move. It was a creepy feeling, and I shuddered.
    “Cold?” Aiden jabbed the button for the fifth floor as others joined us, going up.
    “A little,” I lied. I didn’t want to sound like a complete nutter telling him the truth.
    As the elevator rose slowly, stopping and starting at each floor, my heart beat a little faster. Sweat dampened my hairline, turned my hands clammy. I was trying my best to breathe normally.
    The city wasn’t the only thing that had been to hell and back recently. I had been as well.
    Yes, my foot would heal, but I was afraid my emotional recovery would take longer than I ever imagined. Because, with each stop of the elevator, the dings of arrival, and the sliding of the doors, more and more anxiety crowded out rational thought.
    Inhale, exhale .
    It was in an elevator at Valentine, Inc. that I had come face to face with the demented arsonist who’d almost killed Sean and me. There had been a life and death battle. Good versus evil.
    Even though I’d ultimately won, it was not without acquiring a few scars, both physical and emotional. Scars so deep I was afraid to fully explore them. Afraid to discover exactly how painful they might be.
    81/9 is 9.
    Lately I’d been doing so well trying to break my habit of turning to simple math problems in times of stress. It was an idiosyncrasy I’d had since childhood and was proving to be a stubborn trait.
    I shouldn’t have been the least bit surprised. Valentines were nothing if not stubborn.
    As the elevator stopped on the fourth floor, I silently told myself to get a grip. Squishing my eyes closed, I focused on breathing instead of math and