Rachel couldn’t help but laugh. Thank goodness she’d found a therapist who could make her do that.
So she told Hadley about the clown attacking her in Chattanooga, leaving out the whole werewolf thing, but being honest about the endless nightmares, visions, phantom smells, and her sudden aversion to mirrors.
“I’ve known for a while I was experiencing symptoms that are probably associated with PTSD, but yesterday at the courthouse, it all came to a head,” she added. “Right in the middle of an assassination attempt on an ADA by four highly trained killers, I saw the scary-ass clown from my nightmares. I froze. Actually, I pretty much lost it. That’s why I’m here.”
Rachel thought she’d done a good job of summarizing the situation, but Hadley asked a lot of questions about things she hadn’t included, like what the clown looked like, how bad her injuries had been after the attack in the graveyard, and whether she’d talked to a psychologist when she’d still been at the Chattanooga police department. Although she didn’t like thinking about the clown, they were all easy enough to answer. But then Hadley wanted to know how she usually dealt with the stress of her job, what her sex life was like, and about her relationship with her family. Rachel didn’t think of herself as shy, but Hadley seemed to have no problem digging into parts of Rachel’s life that were usually off-limits.
“You said before you’re worried you’ll kill someone you care about,” Hadley said, changing the subject so quickly Rachel almost got whiplash. “Is there anyone in particular you think is in danger?”
Rachel considered that. “My teammates on SWAT. The civilians who trust me to do my job. And Knox, of course.”
Hadley sat forward, resting her forearms on the desk. “Is there some reason why you think Knox is in more danger than the other people you mentioned?”
She shrugged. “I suppose because Knox always seems to be the one around when I have an episode. On the bright side, he’s also the only one who seems to be able to put me back together when I lose it, so maybe I shouldn’t complain.”
Hadley regarded her thoughtfully for a long time, and Rachel could practically see the wheels spinning in her head. What the hell had she said that was so interesting? She was about to ask when Hadley tossed her another question out of left field.
“You used the termepisode,” the therapist finally said. “Could you describe what one of these episodes is like and exactly what you’re doing right before it occurs?”
Deciding she didn’t even want to try and explain the impossibilities of her and Knox chasing down a speeding SUV in a mall parking garage or how she’d ripped out a few throats in the basement of the Dallas County Criminal Courthouse, Rachel instead decided to go with a trimmed-down version of what happened in her apartment the other night. But that wasn’t what Hadley was looking for.
“Now, tell me the story again, this time in detail.”
“What kind of detail?” she asked, afraid she already knew.
“I want you to close your eyes and walk me through the episode from the moment you walked into your apartment until it ended. Do you think you can do that?”
Rachel groaned silently. She wasn’t thrilled about the idea, but she supposed she could handle it, especially if Hadley thought it might help. So she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, then plunged right in. It wasn’t long before she realized why Hadley wanted her to close her eyes. It definitely forced her to go deeper into the memories than she would have done.
She described the smell that had hit her in the shower and how much it rattled her, the way she’d rushed out of the bathroom expecting to find something dead right there in her living room. Of course, the worst part of rehashing the event in that level of detail was the way it brought the events rushing back with a clarity that was almost eerie. For a moment, she imagined she could actually pick up the rancid odor right there in Hadley’s office. She shook it off, knowing that wasn’t possible.
As she was relating what had happened in the kitchen, Rachel felt goose bumps along her arms, then down her back, like cold air had brushed across her body. Distracted, she stumbled to a halt with the story, but when Hadley didn’t say anything, Rachel got it back together and kept going.
She’d reached the part where she saw the clown’s face in the glass door of the microwave when a sudden, familiar chuckle made her jump out of her skin.
She opened her eyes and just about died. Hadley was gone and in her place was the clown she knew all too well sitting behind the desk. A split second later, the clown was out of the chair, launching himself across the desk, his hands going for her throat.
Rachel screamed.
* * *
“I think the receptionist is interested in you,” Knox said softly as he and Diego sat in the waiting room of Dr. Delacroix’s office. The room was surprisingly large, with potted plants everywhere and a water feature against one wall that gave the room a tranquil feel. “She’s been eyeing you since we sat down.”
The dark-haired Diego casually glanced at the pretty, blond receptionist at the desk near the entrance. The woman must have noticed the surveillance because a smile immediately curved her lips even though she was going out of her way to keep her eyes focused on her computer.
Diego wordlessly turned his attention back to the wall in front of them, but Knox didn’t miss the slight grin tugging at the man’s lips or the way he kept looking at the receptionist out of the corner of his eye. Knox opened his mouth to inquire whether Diego was going to ask her out, but the other werewolf spoke before he could.
“So, you’re a hunter who became a werewolf,” Diego said in a low voice, not looking at him. “You realize how incredibly ironic that is, right?”
Knox had been wondering when the guy would bring up the hunter thing. “Yeah, Rachel made the same observation. She also grilled the hell out of me concerning every stupid decision I’ve ever made, of which there were many. But in the end, she must have decided there was something redeemable about me, since she agreed to help.”
Diego seemed to consider that answer for a moment before nodding, his mouth twitching again. “Rachel’s pretty sharp when it comes to judging people. Which is why I was shocked when I found out she’d gotten close with you. I’d assumed that, given your background, she would have reacted differently.”
Part of Knox wondered if Diego was pissed Rachel hadn’t slapped cuffs on him and dragged him off to jail, while another part of him wondered if the other werewolf was jealous. Rachel might have said she and Diego were just friends, but it seemed like there was more to it than that.
Since he sure as hell wasn’t going to ask, Knox decided to go with the truth—for his part at least. “To be honest, I was a little surprised when she said she’d help me. Considering I assumed the best I could hope for was a little advice on how to keep this werewolf thing under control, I definitely never expected all this.”
“All what?” Diego asked, still not looking at him.
