Black Orchid Excerpt – Nate

Nate sat on the dusty ground and leaned his back against the trunk of a tree as he stared at the house through the brambles and bushes. Then he heaved a sigh and popped another piece of chocolate into his mouth and tried not to gag. Something was seriously wrong with this candy. He normally loved M&Ms, but every bite seemed tasteless and mealy in his mouth. Although, come to think of it, so had most of his food lately.

Nate sighed again, fidgeting with the strap on his backpack. He’d always had too much energy to sit still for long, so hanging around waiting was not his idea of fun.

He’d spent the last four days keeping an eye on the small house where Adelaide was supposedly hiding. So far no one had come in or out, but at night the lights came on. Someone sat in a large picture window for hours, but he’d yet to make a positive ID.

I hope Maddox’s sources are right and I’m not just spinning my wheels here, Nate thought. He was anxious to get his assignment fully underway. But he couldn’t do that until their intelligence proved correct.

He no longer worried about Adelaide using her telepathy to sense him, not after the first day when she obviously had no clue he was there. Assuming that was her in the house. At least the news that she no longer had her abilities might be correct. Maddox was counting on that fact. That, together with her lack of memory, was vital to this plan.

A green M&M followed the red one as Nate continued his surveillance. I really need to bring better snacks if this is going to last much longer.

A good hour later, Nate was about to give up. His shift was almost over and his replacement would arrive any minute. Suddenly, he caught the flash of lamplight softly glinting off golden blonde hair as someone passed by a window. Nate’s pulse jumped. He waited, staring intently until she suddenly reappeared at another window. But her back was to him now. She stood there for a little while, but he couldn’t tell what she was doing.

“Come on, sweetheart, just give me a little glimpse,” he muttered. And then she walked away. Nate quickly checked all the windows he could see, but after a good ten minutes, he gave up on seeing her face.

“Dang it!”  He fought the urge to get up and kick the tree. With his mood he’d probably misjudge the force and bring the entire thing crashing to the ground. His frustration was doubled this evening. He’d had the dream again.