Keeping Watch
In her dreams, police sketch artist Adelaide Charboneau is haunted by violent images of crime scenes–as they happen. Her extraordinary gift becomes a curse when a string of murders raises suspicion against her. Then the danger targets her and she's forced to depend on a practical-minded detective for protection.Royce Beckett has always relied on pure human instinct and skill to bring criminals to justice. And he knows firsthand that it's not always enough. With Adelaide under his watch, he soon realizes that her abilities are just as genuine and powerful as the desire between them. But as much as he wants to give in, staying alive means staying alert…despite the gut-wrenching temptation.
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âAdelaide.â
Her eyes flicked open. She reached out for him.
âMake them stop, Royce.â
âWhat, Adelaide? What do you want me to stop?â
She didnât answer as he stroked the nape of her neck, feeling her go pliant in his arms. Streams of heat entered his body and burned in his veins. There it was again, that inexplicable hypnotic edge of desire present every time he touched her.
âYouâve got to tell me if you want my help.â
âItâs here.â She motioned to the drawings on the floor with a slight tilt of her head. âThey wake me up from a dead sleep and Iâm compelled to come down here and draw theseâ¦theseâ¦â
âPictures?â
âYes.â
His mouth went dry and he released her to pick up the nearest one, trying to conceal the creeping layer of revulsion the sadistic image churned in his gut.
âI donât know where theyâre coming from.â She turned misty green eyes on him and he couldnât resist.
He reached out for her and pulled her against him, feeling the silkiness of her skin under his fingers. Smelling the sweet spicy scent of her hair. He closed his eyes for an instant to absorb the sensations, but the only thing he saw was the image of a disturbing murder.
To the Protectors out there
who stand in the gap every day. Thank you. To my husband, who patiently puts up with Jan-on-deadline. I love you. To my wonderful editor, Allison, who liked this idea enough to buy it. Thank you.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jan Hambright penned her first novel at seventeen, but claims it was pure rubbish. However, it did open the door on her love for storytelling. Born in Idaho, she resides there with her husband, three of their five children, a three-legged watchdog and a spoiled horse named Texas, who always has time to listen to her next story idea while they gallop along.
A self-described adrenaline junkie, Jan spent ten years as a volunteer EMT in rural Idaho, and jumped out of an airplane at ten thousand feet attached to a man with a parachute, just to celebrate turning forty. Now she hopes to make your adrenaline level rise along with that of her danger-seeking characters. She would like to hear from her readers and hopes you enjoy the story world she has created for you. Jan can be reached at P.O. Box 2537, McCall, Idaho 83638.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Royce Beckett âHeâs the New Orleans detective assigned to protect the police departmentâs beautiful sketch artist, Adelaide Charboneau, after an attempted abduction.
Adelaide Charboneau âShe uses her unique abilities to expose evil by sketching composites of criminals for the NOPD. Can she and Royce find answers in time to save her from the fate in her own drawing?
Detective Hicks âHeâs the lead investigator in the case, and one of the good guys. Isnât he?
Chief Danbury âHe comes off as a hard-nosed cop, but at heart heâs a true believer in Adelaideâs abilities, because she produces results.
Officer Brooks âHeâs bucking for a promotion, but is he willing to do almost anything to get it?
Professor Charles Bessette âHe helped Adelaide understand her gift.
Miss Marie âSheâs the owner of Spells-4-U, Voodoo and More, but will Adelaide and Royce heed her warning?
Vincent Getty âHeâs bad all over.
Kimberly Beckett âShe was abducted as a child. Now sheâs a grown woman with the mind of a five-year-old. Could the images locked inside her head help her brother, Royce, find the truth?
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Epilogue
Chapter One
A brilliant flash of lightning jolted Adelaide Charboneau awake from a dead sleep.
She rolled over and stared up at the ceiling, praying this wasnât the beginning of another bout of insomnia, leading to a late-night drawing session in her art studio downstairs.
Thunder rumbled close by and vibrated the house, but her attention focused on the mini-blind as it clanked against the open window frame.
A storm was coming. She could smell it on the air slicing through the two-inch crack at the bottom of the sill. A storm and something more. Something she couldnât quite grasp.
Chills skimmed her bare skin and prickled the hairs at her nape.
She pulled back the covers, climbed out of bed and walked to the window, determined to shut out the uneasy sensation clawing through her, right along with the torrent of rain she knew was coming.
It was hurricane season on the Gulf Coast. An edgy time for the residents of New Orleans who instinctively turned their attention to the southern horizon, and their TVs to the weather channel.
She brushed aside the billowing sheers, pulled up the blind and locked it in place.
The sky lit up again, casting a white-hot glow like a net directly overhead.
Her focus riveted on movement in a cluster of azaleas near the gazebo.
The flash fizzled, but the image was burned on her brain. There was a man standing in her backyard.
