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attack,” she said. “That still doesn’t prove anything.” She adjusted herself into a straight position and backed up an inch, still fearful of the dogs.
    “Fine.”
    He called out for one of his guards and the bald man appeared in seconds. “Ah, Jack. It seems we have a doubter in our midst. We need a bit of a demonstration. If you will assume a threatening stance,” Mac said to the man.
    The man cast a wary glance at the two dogs. “But, Sir…”
    “Do it,” Mac ordered harshly.
    The bald man balled his fists and assumed an attack stance. He took a step forward and raised a fist to hit Mac.
    Instantly, the dogs leapt to their feet, ears flattened back and teeth bared. They growled as they prepared to jump on the man. Mac stopped them with a whistle.
    “Thank you, Jack, you can go now.”
    The two dogs continued growling and followed the guard with their gaze.
    “Are you certain now?” He smiled at her, turned, and ambled toward the exit of the garden. He glanced at her over his shoulder. “Feel free to explore the island. There are a number of scenic places you’ll enjoy, I’m sure. Just remember, all transport off the island goes through me first.”
    Miranda’s blood boiled. She’d never faced a more arrogant, more hardheaded man in her life. But she would become his nightmare. He’ll regret messing with me and my book . Her skin was damp under her dress. Was it her furious state or had the weather gotten hotter?
    She could leave to the village and continue her research from the bed and breakfast, but Mac had a lot to offer in uncovering the secrets of the case. She was sure of that.
    She had to find a way to crack his layered armor. Miranda was determined to use all her skills to unmask every secret he knew.
     

 

Chapter Five
     
    “You haven’t answered my question,” Mac’s uncle said. He was lying in his bed, helpless. Day after day, the old man’s health slipped away from him like desert sand slipping through open fingers.
    Mac stood by the window and gazed out at Miranda and his dogs. He snorted as they sat obediently watching her as she sipped her tea. Her back hardly touched the chair; she was as rigid as a stick.
    “Sorry, Uncle…what did you say?” A smile curled Mac’s lips as he gazed outside.
    “I said, I hope you haven’t fallen for her,” the old man replied. “She is not Rose.” He coughed, then inhaled with such difficulty the sound made Mac turn his head and study his uncle’s pale face. His uncle Ken knew Mac very well; he knew how much he was haunted by his visions of Rose and how the memories affected his soul.
    “Don’t worry, I won’t.” Mac shifted his gaze back out the window to watch Miranda as she left the garden, the dogs trailing after her.
    He frowned. There was no doubt Miranda had experienced visions of their past life together. But she didn’t seem the type who would believe those visions were the secret of her past life, or that they held the key to many of her questions. During one of her interviews on TV, he’d seen the necklace that had triggered his investigation into every inch of her life. He’d given her that one-of-a-kind necklace more than two hundred years ago. The memories made it feel like yesterday…
    He’d come to Rose at their usual meeting place, a deserted barn beside a lake. He had purchased the golden chain and had their first initials, R.D., engraved on a heart-shaped locket. Inside, he had inscribed: “ Some are haunted by their first lost love; the lucky ones get to find it again .”
    She promised him she would be his, and his only, forever. He understood now the inscription’s true meaning: he was haunted by his first love. He hadn’t forgotten her or the yearning for her touch. Nor had he let go of his hatred for her.
    Deceiver.
    When she first arrived, Miranda had called him Duncan, his name in his previous life. His features hadn’t changed much; they were similar to Duncan’s. She must have many questions in