Dream Phantom

Chapter Eighteen

"You are beautiful. You are strong. You are powerful."

Lilah Reeves stared at her reflection in the full-length mirror that was attached to the door of her one bedroom apartment. She was naked. While most people might feel a bit nervous seeing themselves naked, Lilah was the opposite. She was her least vulnerable when she was stripped of her clothing. Men loved her body with its ample curves and soft skin. It had always been like that.

Growing up, Lilah had learned from her mother that men could easily be manipulated with some slight coaxing or a blinding smile. It was how, at the age of fifteen, she got her boyfriend to give her his allowance every week even after they had broken up. It was how she had convinced her college professor to change her final grade from failing to passing and it was how she planned to get Jax Michaels to help her.

"If you know he's married, why are you trying to touch him?"

His wife's words echoed in her mind. Had she really been that jealous? Lilah cupped her breasts and sighed. Of course, she was jealous. Women had always been jealous of her. It wasn't her fault that she was beautiful. It wasn't her fault that she got along better with men than women. It definitely wasn't her fault that men wanted her.

It hadn't been the first time that an angry wife had become upset with her. Lilah was used to dealing with jealous wives and girlfriends. She always turned their own insecurities back on them without admitting to anything.

Her words had been practiced and calculated.

"Don't you trust your husband? Or does my presence around him threaten you?"

She had expected Jax's wife to become flustered but she didn't. If anything, she became even more upset and had responded with an answer dripping in disdain, "Of course I trust my husband but that's neither here nor there. If I had a dog, I'd trust him to not want fleas but that doesn't mean they still won't jump on him. "

His wife had compared her to a flea and that bothered her. Lilah bristled at the memory. The waitress wasn't even as pretty as her. It had been an awkward moment but eventually, Lilah took her leave.

She began to dress and her mind wandered back to Jax Michaels. She needed his help. It was the only reason she joined this police force. She needed to catch the man that ruined her life. Surely, he could help her. It would be a dangerous mission but he was the detective known for catching the Maestro. He would help her. He had to help her. Even if it meant giving him everything that was left of her, she would convince Jax to help her. She needed him.

~~~

"You know that wasn't my fault, right? You know she tried touching me all on her own, right?" Jax's voice held a hint of worry as he glanced at Dani from the driver's side of his Escalade. "You married a handsome man. It comes with the territory."

Dani rolled her eyes, "Just drive, Jaxass."

"So she is mad."

"I'm not mad."

"Then you're jealous?"

Dani's eyes narrowed as she turned to him, "You weren't exactly pushing her away."

"How do you know I wasn't just about to? I was there to meet Roberto. I don't know how she found us. Once he comes back to work, I won't have to deal with her anymore."

"Is she always like that?"

"Like what?" Jax asked, pretending not to understand her question.

"Like a cat in heat."

He chuckled, "What?"

"Doesn't the police department have a dress code? Is she undercover as a prostitute? I could see her bra through her shirt!"

"No, you couldn't'."

"Were you looking?" Dani gasped. "Jax Michaels, you are seriously ticking me off right now."

"Panda Eyes, you know you're the only woman for me. The only bras I want to look at are yours."

"That sounds creepy," Dani muttered.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

Jax shrugged, "I don't know but I'm sorry."

"You're an idiot."

"I know I'm probably making things worse but are you about to get a visit from Aunt Flow? You've been really moody lately. Do you need some Midol or something? I'm not embarrassed to buy you some from Walgreens if you need it."

"No, that's not it."

"Then you're really upset because of Detective Reeves?"

Dani shrugged, "No. I don't know. I've been feeling out of whack lately."

"Maybe you should go see a doctor."

"No, I think it's because I haven't been sleeping and Oliver being in a coma has me so stressed out. He hasn't woken up. That can't be normal, right? The doctors originally said he would be fine. Being in a coma is not fine. Then there are Helen's predictions about me being hurt by some dream phantom man."

"Dream phantom man? What are you talking about?"

Dani sighed, "Did you already forget?"

"I've had a lot on my plate with the murders and Roberto, remember?"

"I'm sorry," Dani whispered. "I've just been worried about myself." She reached over and grabbed Jax's hand which had been resting on the steering gear. "You know, I always figured that once we were married, we'd live a normal life. Despite my nightmares, I thought for sure everything would be okay."

"It is okay," Jax said, squeezing her hand lightly. "Whatever life throws our way, we can handle it. Do you want to know why?"

"Why?"

"Because you have me and I have you. Together, we can face anything from serial killers to kidnappers, and even this dream phantom man or whatever Helen called him." Jax lifted her hand in his and kiss it. "Now let's get home. I'm tired."

That night, Dani was restless as she slept.

A small child stood in the center of a spinning merry-go-round. He was a sullen looking boy with a teddy bear in his hands. The merry-go-round began spinning faster and faster but the boy wasn't afraid. Maniacal laughter filled the air until a screeching cry stopped everything. A growling sound took over the laughter and the boy looked behind him to see a wolf with his teeth bared at him. The boy's mouth opened slightly as the wolf pounced towards him.

Dani awoke with a start. She looked to her side to see Jax still sleeping. She had another dream about a wolf. Was Helen's prediction coming true? She placed a hand on her stomach and sighed. Tomorrow, she would buy a pregnancy test.