"Tell me what you saw in your vision," Hailey said after she'd put on some music, the cheery tones humming softly through her apartment.
After the amazing sex they'd gotten dressed and went back to the car. She'd decided to let James drive, since he'd been so tense when she'd driven them to the park. And even though she really didn't want James to go all vigilant bodyguard annex soldier on her, she'd let him check her apartment before they'd entered.
The entire idea of her death was so strange, she found she could compartmentalize it quite easily. It didn't scare her as much as it probably should.
Then again, you have the opportunity to change the outcome.
Determined to do exactly that, she turned around from the music installation and watched her Arrow. James was lying sprawled on the sofa, his posture more relaxed than she'd ever witnessed it, but his jaw tightened at her question. Hailey sat down on the coffee table and braced her elbows on her thighs.
"Stop trying to protect me," she chastised him. "It didn't work out well the last time you tried." Her heart clenched at the memories of her numbness but she wasn't going to avoid what happened. She wouldn't hold it against him, still, it wasn't something they could ignore either.
A small frown appeared on his handsome face, shadows in his azure eyes. "I already told you."
Hailey reached out and touched his cheek, the stubble slightly stinging her fingertips. "You need to tell me every detail you can remember. It's the only way we can try to do something about it," she caressed him again, soothing the storm inside him.
It felt so good to be able to touch him again, and she knew it was the changeling part of her heart that craved the contact, even though a whisper of hesitancy slithered through her. Standing by her choices didn't mean she wasn't scared.
On the other hand, she'd always been a sucker where James was involved, and her need for him trumped her apprehension. Their connection had always been intense and his absence hadn't changed that, so Hailey gave in to her desire and stroked her fingers through his hair.
James sat up straight and faced her, his movements beautifully fluid. "Visions aren't set in stone; the future is subject to change. My lower gradient makes for a lesser accuracy level of the glimpses I catch."
Hailey shook her head. "You've told me they all had the same outcome." She straddled his lap, her hands resting on his wide shoulders. "I don't know about you, but I'm not finished with corrupting you just yet." She kissed him, soft and coaxing. Tell me.
He stared at her. She stared back. His eyes narrowed the tiniest fraction before he spoke. "The one thing all the visions have in common is that you are ambushed. You start fighting and you're able to fend off two attackers." His hands clenched on her hips.
"Go on," Hailey whispered as she ran her fingers through his hair. I need to know.
Azure blue darker than she'd ever seen it, he continued. "After you incapacitate them, a third attacker takes you down. You fall. The vision is unclear about the next part, which indicates certain decisions aren't made yet."
Hailey gripped his hair, demanding his attention. "How do they do it?"
James' lips were bracketed with white lines, the tendons of his neck standing out stark. "You're taken to a different location and they either telepathically or telekinetically hold you down. They hit you first, ask you questions. You don't answer. They keep hurting you until you're no longer conscious. After that, they snap your neck." Each word was grit out, and Hailey now understood how agonizing it must be for him to relive the inevitability of her death over and over again.
"James," she whispered as she cupped his face. Darkness in azure, his face grim. "I'm right here, love." She brushed her lips over his. "We need to discuss this." With a small kiss on his chin, she pulled him into the present. "Tell me about the details. Do you know when it'll happen?"
He shook his head as Hailey sat up straight again. "It will happen soon."
She frowned. "Did you see that, or do you know?"
"It's a knowing. I'm certain it won't take long anymore." His muscles taut, Hailey petted his chest, stroking her hands from his neck over his pectorals and back. James placed his hands on her hips, tension humming off his body.
"What time of day is it?"
James closed his eyes, as if to bring back the memory. "It's dark." A pause. "Streetlights are on, so it has to be late at night or after midnight."
Hailey nodded. "Okay." She released a breath. "So we can roughly narrow the time down to the maximum of two months?"
"No. It'll be sooner," he said, his eyes flicking open and his lips pressed together in a tight line.
She brushed her fingertips over his jaw. "One month?"
He nodded in verification of her parameters.
Hailey pursed her lips. "What about the place? You mentioned streetlights, so it has to be outside somewhere."
Blue eyes stared into hers, his pupils jet black against the deep azure color of his irises. "I've tried narrowing down the location, but after cross-referencing the images, it could be any of three hundred places in the city." His jaw clenched. "That is, if it even takes place in New York. Besides that, I'm under the impression the visions show shreds of images over a longer timeframe–several hours at least–so it could be multiple locations."
Hailey sighed. "That doesn't tell us anything. I still don't understand the motive, though. Why would anyone want to kill me? My abilities are useless once I'm dead." She turned her head towards the window when rain slammed against the glass, James' Tk slipping. Her features softened as she looked back at her Arrow.
"I've already done a background check." James said, his tone factual. "You have no obvious enemies or ex-boyfriends with psychopathic tendencies."
Hailey's eyebrows rose. "You did what?" She rolled her eyes, pushed herself off his lap and walked towards the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water and to blow off some steam. "That's just insane! You could have, well, I don't know, asked me," she sneered as she raised her voice to cover the distance.
Well Hales, don't be too surprised. You already knew he was protective.
But a background check? Was he serious?
Of course he is.
When Hailey re-entered the living area, she still felt upset by his major invasion of her privacy. "Did you also stop to check if I had any speeding tickets or how much money I've got in my bank account?" her voice snippy and movements jerky, she slammed the glass of water down on the coffee table.
"It is imperative to your safety that every angle is investigated." James' arrogant, matter-of-fact tone managed to piss her off even more.
"Do you think I'm stupid?" Her words were razor sharp blades slicing through the air. "Of course I know people close to you are most likely to commit the crime." She shook her head. "But as you well know, I've been cut off from most people the past few months."
James stood up. "Your absence doesn't eliminate the possibility."
Hailey crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Well, since you already know everything about me, I guess it's no surprise that money can't be the motive. Since I stopped working, the Shine foundation reimburses my funds. I have enough to maintain my lifestyle but I don't have a lot."
James kept quiet for a while and Hailey could tell he was struggling with something.
"Nothing is more important to me than your safety," he finally said.
Hailey felt irritation flash inside her as she stepped back. "That doesn't make it okay. I'm not your assignment anymore." She raised her hand when he wanted to speak. "You need to treat me as an equal." Otherwise their relationship would remain unbalanced, no matter how often she'd stand up against him. "I'm not some empty-headed pretty little princess made from glass; you know this."
"You're not an Arrow either," he growled.
She stuck out her chin. "So, that's what you want?" Hailey knew it was a rhetorical question but she pushed anyway. "Until I'm as lethal as Zaira or Nerida, you'll keep sheltering me from the world?" When she saw James' eyes darken, her heart clenched. She bowed her head and thrust a hand through her hair.
He's trying, Hailey reminded herself. And she couldn't expect him to change his usual modus operandi in tracking down a killer. But he needs to know this isn't right. Not with me.
Hailey tipped up her head and looked at James, who was staring at her with hard eyes. Decision made, she walked over to him and pulled him down before kissing him. His hand clenched in her hair, his other hand on her lower back.
You're mine as much as I'm yours, her telepathic voice was filled with resolve. You can't pull those stunts with me. She bit his lip and met his eyes, watchful and perceptive as his hands moved to rest on the curve of her waist. "Okay?"
The shadows in his eyes remained but he inclined his head. "Yes." He put a lock of hair behind her ear.
"It all still doesn't make sense to me," Hailey muttered as she kept holding him, softly stroking his nape with her fingertips. "What could someone possibly gain from killing me? Especially since I have a modest amount of powers and an Arrow at my side." Her brow furrowed. "It's too much effort, too much of a risk without any obvious rewards." Looking out of the window again, she watched the drops drizzle down the glass as the rain shaded the city in a sober, grey hue.
"Most violent crimes are committed on impulse, but this seems to be organized. At least one of the individuals has Psy abilities and their combined strength is enough to ambush you. It indicates moderate to high Gradient Psy. Possibly trained operatives."
Listening to the information James had already gathered, Hailey found she was out of her depth. James was right. She wasn't an Arrow and she wasn't equipped to deal with a situation like this. So many questions remained unanswered, Hailey felt frustrated by her lack of insight.
It was as if James knew what she was thinking when he spoke. "You won't get the answers to your questions."
Hailey glanced up and asked the one thing that was still bothering her. "Where are you in the visions?"
James looked away, anguish and anger reflected in his eyes, as the rain turned to hail, firmly tapping against the windows. James' mouth was a grim line and his jaw iron tight. "I don't know."
Hailey wrapped her arms around him and rubbed her cheek against his chest. "It's okay. We're going to figure this out."
He said nothing but kept on holding her tightly against his hard body.
Tired from this intense day filled with powerful emotions, Hailey decided to call it a night early, and cuddled close to James as she fell into a deep sleep.