My Immortal by Erin McCarthy Read Free Book Online

with modern style. And she was curious about Damien, she had to admit, way more than she was comfortable with.
    The night before, she’d rented a car, extended her stay at her hotel until the weekend, and had made a last-ditch effort to find Lizzie by calling their cousin Rachel to see if she’d checked in. Lizzie hadn’t called Rachel, and Marley had spent a restless night staring at the textured ivory hotel ceiling, the light in the sprinkler head flicking on and off as she worried. In ten days she had to be back at work for the start of the school year, but how could she possibly go home without her sister?
    It wasn’t possible, that was the problem.
    In the morning, she made herself maps using her laptop and the printer in the business center of the hotel, and drove to the police station. They were polite, but unconcerned, especially since she had no real proof Lizzie had been in New Orleans. She filled out the necessary missing person forms, then headed out to River Road, past half a dozen other plantation houses. If she’d been there for pleasure, she would have stopped at each and every one and explored.
    But this wasn’t about pleasure, and she was going to stay alert and smart. If Damien knew anything about Lizzie, she was going to have to convince him to tell her.
    When she reached the end of the drive and parked in front of the house, Damien came out of the pigeonnier , which she thought he used as an office. He was wearing jeans, a T-shirt, and hiking boots, but not the rustic kind. When she looked at him, she didn’t see an athlete going climbing, or a workman on his way to fix something. What she saw was wealth, confidence, and a slight European flavor that was the influence of his French ancestry.
    Marley had never attracted a lot of men, good-looking or otherwise. That had been Lizzie’s specialty, and Marley had never minded her sister’s popularity. She herself had never fantasized about or coveted the cream of the social crop. Her goal had always been to find a nice guy who was intelligent and kind and respectful. Never once had she wavered in that desire, that conviction, that certainty. No bad boys for her.
    Which didn’t explain why the sight of Damien du Bourg made her mouth go dry, her palms sweat, and her inner thighs pulse with interest.
    He didn’t look upset or surprised to see her, or anxious to get Marie’s letter from her. Unconcerned described him best. And he looked tousled, sexy, hair wet, like he’d just stepped out of the shower. His smile was casual, relaxed, as she got out of the car.
    “Good morning, Marley.”
    “Hi.” He wasn’t wearing bells as promised, but he still looked pretty darn chipper. Marley felt hot and sticky, and her night of tossing and turning was catching up with her. Patience was not going to be her word of the day.
    “Would you like to come in? Have a drink? Give me the letter?”
    Marley glanced over at him, not sure if he was joking or not, and irritated either way.
    “No?” He shrugged with a smile. “Well, it was worth a try. And just so you know, it’s very possible your sister won’t show up at my next little gathering. There’s nothing I can do about that.”
    “Then why am I here?”
    He gave her a mocking frown of disapproval. “So negative this morning. You’re here so I can gather facts about your sister, so I can be accurate in what I’m telling people. In order to find someone, we have to know whom we’re looking for.”
    “What do you want to know?” She got the sense he was toying with her, and it made her frustrated and angry.
    “Let’s get inside, relax, have a seat, and we can talk. Did you bring Lizzie’s picture? I’ll scan it and send it to some friends.”
    “I have it but you’ll have to cut Lizzie out. I don’t want Sebastian’s picture shown around.” Or hers, for that matter.
    “Whatever you say, Miss Marley Turner.” He opened the door and swept his arm out to let her enter.
    While he was polite and