She opened her eyes and gazed, unfocused, into the distance. "I have a sister and brother, both younger than me. We were very close, growing up, 'cause all we had was each other. My dad works for the State Department, so we grew up in a lot of foreign countries."
"Such as?"
"Poland, Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus."
Roman exchanged a glance with Connor. "What exactly does your father do?"
"He was some kind of aide, but he never really said what he was doing. He traveled a lot."
Roman tilted his head toward his desk. Connor nodded and moved quietly to the computer. "Your father's name?"
"Sean Dermot Whelan. Anyway, my mom had been a schoolteacher, so she home-schooled us. That is until … " Shanna frowned and tugged the chenille blanket up to her cheek.
"Until what?" Roman heard Connor tapping away on the keyboard. The investigation of Sean Dermot Whelan had begun.
Shanna sighed. "When I was fifteen, my parents sent me to a boarding school in Connecticut. They said it would be better for me to have some formal school records, so I could get into a good university."
"That sounds reasonable."
"I thought so, too, at the time, but … "
"Yes?"
She rolled over onto her side, facing him. "They never sent my brother or sister away. Only me."
"I see." She was the one chosen to leave. Roman understood that more than he wanted to admit. She twisted a chenille fringe around her finger. "I thought I must have done something wrong."
"How could you? You were a child." Memories filled Roman's mind, memories he had thought long dead. "You missed your family."
"Yeah, something terrible at first, but then I met Karen. We became best friends. She's the one who first wanted to be a dentist. I used to tease her about wanting to stick her hands into people's mouths for a living. But when it came time for me to make a decision, I chose to be a dentist, too."
"I see."
"I wanted to help people and be part of a community, you know, the neighborhood dentist who sponsors the local kids' softball team. I wanted to set down roots and have a normal life. No more moving all over the world. And I wanted to treat children. I've always loved children." Her eyes shimmered with moisture. "I don't dare have children now. Those damned Russians." She leaned over, grabbed the whisky off the floor, and downed another gulp.
Roman took the glass from her hand while she coughed and sputtered. Damn. He wanted her relaxed, not drunk. He glanced at the clock. Laszlo would be calling in eight minutes. "Tell me about the Russians."
She settled back down on the chaise. "Karen and I shared an apartment in Boston. We used to go out every Friday night to this deli. We would scarf down pizza and brownies and curse men because we didn't have a date. Then, one night-" She shuddered. "It was like an old gangster movie."
Roman wondered why she didn't have a date. Mortal men had to be blind. He took her hand in his.
"Go on. They can't hurt you now."
Her eyes filled with tears again. 'They do hurt me. Every day. I can't sleep without seeing Karen dying in front of me. And I can't function as a dentist anymore!" She leaned over to grab the glass of whisky. "Sheesh, I hate self-pity."
"Wait a minute." He moved the whisky out of her reach. "What do you mean, you can't function as a dentist?"
She collapsed back onto the chaise. "I might as well face the facts. I've lost my career, too. How can I possibly work as a dentist when I faint at the sight of b-blood?"
Oh, right. Her fear of blood. He'd forgotten about that. "This fear of yours-it started that night at the deli?"
"Yes." Shanna wiped her eyes. "I was in the bathroom when I heard the awful screams. They were shooting all over the place. I could hear the bullets hitting the walls. And I could hear the screams when they hit … people."
"It was the Russians?"
"Yes. The gunfire stopped, so after a while, I sneaked out of the bathroom. I saw Karen lying on the floor. She … she'd been shot in the stomach and the chest. She was still alive, and she shook her head at me like she was trying to warn me."
Shanna pressed her hands to her eyes. "That's when I heard them. They were back behind the pizza oven, yelling in Russian." She raised her hands to look at Roman. "I don't really know Russian, but I recognized the cuss words. My brother and I used to have this competition going-who could learn the most cuss words in different languages."
"Did the Russians see you at the deli?"
"No. When I heard their voices, I hid behind a mess station and some big potted plants. I heard more gunshots in the kitchen, then they came out. They stopped by Karen and looked at her. I saw their faces. Then they left."
"Did they stop by the other victims like they did Karen?"
Shanna frowned, trying to remember. "No, they didn't. In fact-"
"What?"
"They opened her purse and looked at her driver's license. Then they got mad, cursed like crazy, and threw the purse down. It was so strange. I mean, they killed ten people in that deli. Why would they bother to check Karen's ID?"
Why indeed? Roman didn't like the conclusions he was drawing, but he didn't want to alarm Shanna until he was more certain. "So you testified against the Russians in court, and you were given a new identity?"
"Yes. I became Jane Wilson and moved to New York about two months ago." Shanna sighed. "I don't really know anyone here. Except Tommy, the pizza guy. It's kinda nice to have someone to talk to. You're a good listener."
He glanced at the clock on the mantel. Only four minutes to go. Maybe now she would trust him enough to let him into her head. "I can do more than listen, Shanna. I … I'm an expert in therapeutic hypnosis."
"Hypnosis?" Her eyes widened. "You do past life regressions and stuff like that?"
He smiled. "Actually, I was thinking we could use hypnosis to cure your fear of blood."
"Oh." She blinked, then sat up. "Are you serious? I could be cured that easily?"
"Yes. You would have to trust me-"
"That would be great! I wouldn't have to give up my career."
"Yes. But it would require you to trust me."
"Well, sure." She gave him a suspicious look. "You wouldn't do any of those weird posthypnotic suggestions,would you? Like making me strip naked and crow like a rooster whenever someone yells taxi."
"I have no desire to see you crow. And as for the other- " He leaned closer and whispered, "It sounds most intriguing, but I would prefer any stripping to be totally voluntary."
She ducked her chin, her cheeks blushing. "Right."
"Then you will trust me?"
She lifted her gaze to meet his. "You want to do it right now?"
"Yes." He willed her eyes to stay trapped with his. "It will be so easy. All you have to do is relax."
"Relax?" She continued to stare at him, but her vision dulled.
"Lie back." He gently lowered her into a reclining position. "Keep looking into my eyes."
"Yes," she whispered. Her brow puckered. "You have unusual eyes."
"You have beautiful eyes."
She smiled, then winced as a pained expression crossed her pretty features. "I feel cold again."
"It'll soon pass, and you'll feel fine. Do you want to conquer your fear, Shanna?"
"Yes. Yes, I do."
"Then you will succeed. You will be strong and confident. Nothing will stop you from being an excellent dentist."
"That sounds wonderful."
"You're feeling very relaxed, very sleepy."
"Yes." Her eyelids flickered shut.
He was in. God's blood, it had been so easy. She'd left the door wide open. All it had taken was the proper motivation. He'd have to remember that, in case he ran across other difficult mortals in the future. But as he settled into Shanna's thoughts, he knew there was no one else like her.
On the surface, her intelligent mind was well organized.
But just beneath that well-structured exterior, strong emotions swelled. They surrounded him, pulling him in. Fear. Pain. Grief. Remorse. And beneath the storm, a stubborn will to persevere no matter what. The emotions were all familiar to him, yet so different, coming from Shanna. Her feelings were fresh and raw. His had been dying away for more than five hundred years. God's blood, to feel this way again. It was heady, intoxicating. She had so much passion just waiting to be unleashed. And he could do it. He could open her mind and her heart.
"Roman." Gregori checked his watch. "You've got forty-five seconds."
He shook himself mentally. "Shanna, do you hear me?"
"Yes," she whispered, her eyes still closed.
"You will have a wonderful dream. You'll find yourself in a dentist office. A new and safe dentist office. I'll be your patient and ask you to implant a tooth. An ordinary tooth. Do you understand?"
She nodded her head slowly.
"If there is any blood, you will not flinch. You will not hesitate. You will continue, calm and confident, till the procedure is done. Then you will sleep soundly for ten hours and forget what happened. You will awaken, feeling happy and refreshed. Do you understand?"
"Yes."