Good lord, the guy had dimples, and her insides flipped as he threw that lethal smile at her. It took almost sixty seconds of staring at him for his words to make it to her brain.
She blinked. “I’m sorry, what?”
“I am the one who pulled Theodore Beckett three hundred years into the future.”
Great, she thought, another good-looking lunatic, this time with a penchant for breaking and entering.
“Okaay.” She edged away from him, all the while reaching for her phone. “I’m just going to call my friend Jake.”
“Don’t bother.” He shrugged. “I’ll be gone long before he gets here. Besides, you and I need to have a conversation and believe me, it’s best done in private.”
He disappeared from his place at the counter, only to reappear seconds later directly in front of her. She stumbled back, her phone falling from her fingers clattering to the floor.
“What the…” she murmured. “That’s not possible.”
“Really, Olivia? With all the things you can do with your power, you think there aren’t other things in this world that defy conventional logic? We walk apart from this world, you and I. There is so much more for you to discover. All I ask is that you listen to what I have to say with an open mind.”
“Who are you?” she asked.
“A friend,” he replied softly.
“I don’t know you.” She frowned. “How can I trust anything you say?”
“I’m not asking for your trust. All I’m asking for is your attention. Trust will come with time.”
“Fine,” she conceded, still wary but she sank onto a nearby stool regardless.
“Thank you. As I said, Theo is telling you the truth. I pulled him out of time and brought him here.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re going to need him,” he answered, his tone grave. “These murders are just the beginning.”
“You know about the murders?” Her head tilted as she studied him.
“Yes, and they are just a small piece in a much larger puzzle. Something big is coming, something that will shake the foundations of this world, and you and your family are caught right in the middle of it.”
“What the hell? What’s coming? And how is this guy supposed to help?”
The stranger winced. “I know it’s frustrating, but I can’t give you all the answers. Some things you will have to figure out for yourself. I have limitations, you know. I can’t risk polluting the timeline any more than I already have. Haven’t you heard of the butterfly effect?”
“But you’ve already polluted it by pulling him through time,” she replied wondering who the hell this guy is. “I’d say that’s a pretty big damn butterfly.”
He smiled.
“Stop throwing those dimples at me,” she snapped irritably. “I’m having enough trouble concentrating as it is.”
“Olivia,” his tone gentled. “I pulled Theodore out of a burning barn at the exact moment the beams gave way and it collapsed. As far as history is concerned, Theodore Beckett died in that fire. That timeline is now closed. It’s not perfect, but it’s as close as I could get it. Theodore Beckett is meant to be here, he’s meant to help you. Do you remember when he said he dreamed of you?”
“Do you make a habit of listening in on other people’s conversations?” She scowled.
“Only when it’s important.” He chuckled. “Theo has been having dreams about you since he was a child. He has been looking through a window into your world for the last thirty years. He just didn’t realize at the time how important those dreams were. He was taught that anything out of the ordinary was witchcraft.”
“You’re saying that he has some sort of preternatural gift?” she mused. “Like precognition?”
“Yes, but he has denied it for so long, denied his true nature, that he has no control over it. He doesn’t know it yet, but he needs you as much as you need him.”
“Seriously?” Her tone was deadpan. “I’m supposed to teach him how to switch on his visions?”
