Dark Visions by L. J. Smith Page A

Joyce opened her aquamarine eyes and beamed.
    "Trust you, Kait," she said. "Now, where's a phone?"

    Gabriel didn't stay to hear the call.
    He went into his room and shut the door behind him. And then, tired but too restless to even sit down, he began to pace.
    Images kept floating through his mind. Kaitlyn lying in the moonlight-with some maniac on top of her.
    What if he hadn't come along just then?
    The maniac had been right about one thing-she was reckless. She shouldn't be allowed out alone at night.
    She didn't have the right instincts for danger, she wasn't tough enough to protect herself....
    So ... what? his mind asked. So you're going to protect her?
    Gabriel flashed one of his best disturbing smiles at nothing. Hardly.
    He was going to keep away from her, was what he was going to do. She was a nuisance-and she was stuck on Kessler. Gabriel could see that, even if Kessler was too stupid.
    Keep away from her. Yes. And he'd bet-he smiled again-that after what she'd seen tonight, she'd keep away from him.

    Two hours later Kait was lying in bed, trying to calm down enough to go to sleep.
    There had been a lot of fuss with the police, who'd gone down into the backyard but had found nothing.
    They'd promised to have a cruiser patrol the area, and Joyce had told the kids to check the door locks and keep a dose lookout for strangers from now on.
    "And I don't want you going anywhere alone," she told Kait firmly. "Especially at night." Kait was happy to agree.
    But now she couldn't sleep. It had all been too weird, too disturbing. Why would some cult guy from the airport follow her home? Was he some cult guy? If not, why had he been wearing the robes? A disguise?
    A stupid one.
    What did he want?
    And beneath all her other thoughts ran a continuous whispering thread....
    Gabriel was a murderer.
    The others didn't know. Except Rob-Kaitlyn felt sure Rob knew. But even not knowing, they'd treated him pretty badly tonight. No one had said anything complimentary about him saving Kait. Lewis and Anna had kept their distance, as if they expected him to pull a switchblade on them at any minute, and Rob had watched him with steady, smoldering fury.
    Rob-she wouldn't think about Rob now. She couldn't take the agitation.
    Anna was breathing peacefully on the other side of the bedroom. Kaitlyn glanced at her, a motionless shape in the darkness, then very carefully and quietly got out of bed.
    She shouldered into her robe and slipped noiselessly out the door.
    The study was dim. Kait sat on the window seat in the alcove, her chin on her knees. Outside, a few lights shone through waving tree branches. Then she noticed that light was also shining through the curtains in Gabriel's room.
    What she did then was born of sheer impulse. If she'd thought about it, she never would have gone through with it. But she didn't give herself time to think.
    She jumped off the window seat and went to knock on his door.
    A very quiet knocking, in case he was asleep with the light on. But after only an instant the door opened.
    He was wearing a rather sleepy scowl.

    "What?" he said ungallantly.
    "Come into the study," Kaitlyn whispered.
    The scowl disappeared, changing into a dazzling bared-teeth smile. "No, you come in here."
    He was daring her, Kaitlyn realized. All right; great. She'd prove she trusted him.
    Head very high, back straight, she swept by him. She sat down on the desk chair. She glanced around unobtrusively-the room was as nice as Lewis had said. Huge bed, matching furniture, acres of space. It seemed bare of personal possessions, though. Maybe Gabriel didn't have any.
    Slowly, watching her, Gabriel sat down on the bed. He'd left the door a little ajar. Kaitlyn, motivated by she didn't know what, got up and closed it.
    "You're crazy, you know," Gabriel said unemotionally, as she resumed her seat.
    "I wanted to say thank you," Kaitlyn said. And that I'm not afraid of you, she added silently. She still couldn't figure out what she felt about