Dream - Dream Specter Part 19

But the possibility of failure loomed far too close to ignore.

The engine came to life, causing Rosh.e.l.le to grin. The door was once again slid into place to keep her from being seen. Today she intended to use that to her advantage. She'd spent hours on the bunk staring at the tiny compartment. It was nothing more than particleboard and plastic. The only exception was two long thin vents that opened to the outside to allow fresh air inside. Each vent was a mere four inches wide but both together would allow enough room for her to get out of the compartment.

That was if she could pry the fixtures from the wall of the motor home. Rosh.e.l.le intended to try. Pulling her knife from its hiding spot, she applied it to the screws that held the vent in place. Not knowing just how motor homes were a.s.sembled, she wasn't sure what removing the screws would gain her.

Working with the sharp instrument while in a moving vehicle wasn't a wise undertaking. Her hands began to wear the marks of her frantic efforts. Wiping the blood away, she curled her hand more firmly about her tool. Her son kicked in approval as she struggled for his freedom.

The last screw pulled free, causing the entire framed unit to fall away from the wall. Rosh.e.l.le stared in wonder at the three by one foot hole it left open. To her desperate eyes, it looked as wide as a barn door.

Smoothing a hand over her distended tummy, she measured the hole with her eyes. She could make it. She would make it!

Her eyes took in the road as they traveled. Luck was finally smiling on her today. They presently were winding their way along a narrow tree-studded road. The sun had long since set and her eyes didn't detect any other cars on the road. The sharp curves of the road forced the driver to a slow pace that would decrease its pace as they neared another hairpin bend in the highway.

Rosh.e.l.le refused to waste a single second considering the risks. By some miracle she was being granted this one shot at freedom. She intended to take it. Laying the vent aside, she pulled a blanket with her as she squeezed through the opening. The driver reduced his speed as he rounded another corner and she simply let go.

Her legs crumbled under her falling body weight. One ankle bitterly complained but she raised her head in time to see the taillights of the motor home disappear from sight.

It was one of the sweetest sights she'd ever seen.

Grabbing up the blanket from where it lay, she moved into the trees and the cover they could provide her. Time and distance were her greatest enemies now. Sometimes the guards would check on her, sometimes they didn't. There was no pattern to their duty. Placing as much distance between herself and them would be her only defense.

How to do that was the question. She could try to hitchhike. Rosh.e.l.le discarded that idea. Along with being dangerous, it could leave a witness to where she had gone. A lone pregnant woman hitching a ride would not be easy to forget.

But she had a more immediate problem.

Walking away from the road seemed to be the most logical course of action. But Rosh.e.l.le wasn't sure which state she was in, let alone just how close the nearest town might be. She would walk for a week if it meant deliverance from Thyssen but her sole provision was a blanket. Without water, she could end up dying in a very short time.

Pus.h.i.+ng her way further into the trees and brush, she set a determined pace. With nightfall upon her, dehydration would not become an issue for many hours. Rosh.e.l.le would just have to hope she found civilization before that happened.

Draping the blanket around her shoulders, she used the stars to guild her north. Her son firmly kicked her causing a true smile to cross her face. Her child was not for sale!

"Montana."

That single word received a hard nod of approval from Jared. All they needed was a place to begin. Now that he knew who stood between him and Rosh.e.l.le, he would find a way around him. Shane would already be searching for just who this Miller was. If luck were on their side then there would be a neat file on the man.

Jared was still waiting for that information when his Unit pulled away from the landing pad. All six of the black helicopters sliced into the night. Distance was the only thing working against them now. Traveling by road, there was no way for them to move Rosh.e.l.le fast enough to outrun their aircraft.

Brice Campbell sat in the pa.s.senger seat as he contemplated the phone in his hand. His father's eyes were trained on the landscape but he kept a hand wrapped firmly around the cellular device.

Sometimes a son could be grateful for the fact that apples didn't fall far from the tree they grew on.

Americans wasted far too much food.

Today Rosh.e.l.le was grateful for that truth. Rummaging among a diner's garbage would have disgusted her normally. At the moment fending off starvation seemed far preferable to her sensibilities.

Staying free was her only goal. She had to eat or collapse. The small diner seemed the only civilization for miles about. She had walked all day and the fact that her absence must have been discovered was screaming at her to increase her speed of travel.

But first she needed to eat.

A clerk tossed another couple of bags into the dumpster before returning to the back door of the restaurant; after eighteen hours of walking even half-eaten hamburgers sounded good.

She didn't have any money and walking into that dinner would leave plenty of people for Thyssen to ask about her. It was leftovers or nothing. Tearing the plastic aside, she investigated what might be eatable. Half-eaten sandwiches sat still wrapped in their paper while cups were still half full of ice. Pulling the plastic lid from a cup she gulped greedily at the ice. Whatever soda had been held in the cup still clung to the ice but the crystals melted inside her mouth, bringing relief to the parched tissues.

Grabbing up more of the precious cups, Rosh.e.l.le went back into the forest before giving in to the need to eat. Desperation was driving her. Escape seemed within her grasp, she could not allow squeamishness to allow her to be captured again.

There would not be a second chance.

"Keep your pants on! I'm just going to take a leak. It's a two-hour drive you know!"

A door slammed in response. Moving along the trees, Rosh.e.l.le stared at the pickup truck that sat with its driving lights on while the driver impatiently waited for his companion. The bed of the truck was full of furniture. A refrigerator, sofa and other household goods sat tied down to the sides of the truck.

With its engine pointed towards the road and away from her, Rosh.e.l.le measured the distance between her cover and the tailgate. Gathering up her dinner, she moved forward and crawled straight into the truck. With an end of the sofa sticking out over the b.u.mper, that tailgate was not secured in its upright position. With all of the other furniture, there were plenty of places for her to hide.

Lying among furniture might not be the safest method of travel but for now Rosh.e.l.le just smiled. She was completely hidden and a two-hour drive would gain her that distance she was lacking. Wherever the two men were bound for might just provide her with another opportunity to protect her child.

"You fools."

Icy cold, Thyssen almost whispered his judgment. He was the best! That was why his clients came to

him. Failure was not acceptable.

"Find her. Without that baby, our client doesn't pay."

His men moved away at top speed. They weren't eager to find Rosh.e.l.le, just impatient to escape his

anger. Picking up Dr. Moosavi's most recent report, he inspected the image of the devolving fetus. It was perfect. A male child, bred with its father's psychic ability and hopefully its mother's intelligence. Thyssen actually smiled. Dr. Everitt was a worthy opponent. Although she looked pathetically normal, the female was very cunning. While she was no great beauty, he felt a rise of desire in response to her ability to outmaneuver her opponents. She would hate him for selling her baby but hate could be so very...stimulating. * * * * * Desperation kept her feet moving. Exhaustion kept her brain from wandering in circles. Too desperate to stop, Rosh.e.l.le continued on her course. Maybe stopping would relieve some of her aches but it would also allow the cold to seep further into her skin. She mustn't be caught. She had to keep moving. Those words turned themselves over in her head 'til nothing else was able to penetrate the wall they formed.

The numbing chill couldn't break into her thoughts. Neither could her hunger. But suddenly she stood in her tracks as her mind screamed with one horrible fact. Thyssen was here. Right here. She could practically touch the man with her fingertips, he was so close. His stench slapped her across her face as Rosh.e.l.le looked at the wilderness she had been wandering in for what seemed endless hours.

Fool!

She had to think! Every direction seemed to be closing in on her. Her tired brain couldn't sort out which way to go. She suddenly collapsed into a purely emotional response.

Greed seemed to drift on the night air as Rosh.e.l.le felt Thyssen edging closer to her. Protectiveness burst inside her brain 'til nothing mattered but bringing a final end to the thing that was stalking her baby.

It was a burning need that seemed to radiate from the very structures of her cells. That creature wasn't going to inhabit the same planet with her child!

She didn't even try to ignore her instinct to find the man. It seemed to be embedded far too deeply for that. There was nothing but reaction for her and Rosh.e.l.le intended to make sure it was the final round to this game.

This time he would be the prey and Rosh.e.l.le intended to come home with her kill. There was simply no other choice. Once her son was born, it would be far too simple to capture him. It would be far too many years before Jared could train him to protect himself. So the duty fell to her. Rosh.e.l.le just couldn't bring her child into such a perilous life.

She would protect her offspring even if it meant taking a life.

She could smell the evil of her enemy. Rosh.e.l.le opened her mind and let his perversions wash away the last remaining bits of conscience she clung to.

The chance to end her nightmare sat within her grasp. Rosh.e.l.le drove herself forward to capture her goal.

"There was no sign of her in the station."

"Then go back to town and find out where she went. How hard could it be to find one pregnant, travel-stained woman?"

Rosh.e.l.le dropped to her knees a split second before she caught Thyssen's attention. She slapped her palm over her mouth to stifle the sound of her breathing. She was so very foolis.h.!.+

She'd forgotten the very important fact that she lacked practice in this art. Jared's edges were honed into razor-sharp effectiveness. She was just a novice.

She'd found the target...and practically walked right into the man. Her body was hunched over less than six feet from him.

"Miller took off."

Thyssen clenched his fingers into a fist. "Coward."

"What a pity." Muttered under his breath, Thyssen's words held an odd amount of warmth. It was almost like he enjoyed being outsmarted.

"The operation is a stalemate. We will withdraw."

"I thought you said we don't get the money without that kid."

"Correct. Without Miller, we are sitting ducks. Jared will track her down." Thyssen turned and came up short as several of the men blocked his path. Their faces were twisted into ugly greed. "You fools! Do you intend to make a frontal a.s.sault on their compound? Failing to buy that land resulted in this! My plan was perfect in its simplicity! Everything that I know about Jared Campbell indicated that he would take the bait I offered. He was never to know about the baby. It is a complication that cannot be overcome. We will have to dispose of him before returning for the baby. If we are fortunate, he just might plant another one in his partner's womb."

"What do you mean?"

"It is simple enough. Set up the right trap and we eliminate both mother and son. When they can no longer track their own blood, we can return for the child. But they will be on guard for some time now. We will wait. Besides, he is currently nesting with that female. You may like to believe you are so very much more evolved but humans are quite similar to most mammals. Jared Campbell has a new mate. He'll spend some time ensuring that his genetic code is being pa.s.sed on. In a few years there should be a full nest for us to harvest."

Thyssen considered his men as they nodded their heads with satisfaction. What limited idiots they were. They were blinded with the hypnotic pull of money. There was so much more to an a.s.signment like this one. Outfoxing a man like Jared Campbell held its reward in sheer genius. First you find the perfect piece of land next to his lair. Next a compatible female dangled just in front of his nose. What man wouldn't take a taste of such a tempting treat? The true beauty of his plan was that Jared Campbell most likely would have been happy when his newest plaything packed her bags and left. His genetic code would have traveled inside her body without his knowledge.

But that was before Rosh.e.l.le Everitt returned to Benton County. Well, that wasn't something he'd lament. He was going to enjoy her. Just as soon as he disposed of her current protector. It wasn't always the strongest fighter that got to mate. Many times, it was the most cunning male that managed to cut the female from the herd.

The hot curl of l.u.s.t hit her like a physical blow. Rosh.e.l.le recoiled from it. Linked into Thyssen's emotions, her flesh shrank away from his interest. With her body so swollen with her son, her balance failed. She fell, landing in the dirt. The dry leaves that littered the forest floor crunched under her weight. The sound was horrifyingly loud.

"s.h.i.+t!" The eerie sight of moonlight was.h.i.+ng over gun barrels greeted her eyes just a second before Rosh.e.l.le was yanked from her hiding place. The soldier sent her body forward with a vicious kick. She clutched at her belly as gravity slammed her into the ground. A piercing beam of light hit her face. Her eyes closed in pain but the damage was done. Opening her eyes again she searched frantically about but her night vision had been destroyed by the light.

"Lookie here, it must be our lucky day!" Maybe she couldn't see them, but the joy of her capture was strong enough to feel.

"There is no such thing as luck." Thyssen lowered his eyes to rake over Rosh.e.l.le. Curling his fingers around her arm, he pulled her in front of his body.

"How did he figure out our plan?"

Rosh.e.l.le wasn't too certain what Thyssen meant but the arctic tone of his voice stirred her temper. "I found you."

"Ah... But of course." Thyssen dropped his voice to a low whisper. His grip tightened as he pulled her body closer to his. Being forced into bodily contact twisted her stomach with nausea.

"It is all so very simple. Jared Campbell found a mate of his own blood. How very wise of you to keep that to yourself." A s.a.d.i.s.tic smile lit his face as he laid a hand over the mound of her belly. "With both parents being psychic, I can double the price of this infant."

To h.e.l.l with being a lady! Rosh.e.l.le rammed her knee into the man's genitals with every ounce of strength she had. Thyssen grunted as he stumbled back from her body. The oddest popping sounds. .h.i.t her ears. The waistband of her pants was caught and yanked backwards.

Off balance she stumbled before a tree broke her fall. The impact shook her entire body as pain raced through her pelvis and spine. A solid connection of human flesh on flesh filled the air. Jerking her face up, she stared at the fallen men that littered the ground. Their bodies were boneless heaps and deathly still. Some lay hunched over their guns with their fingers still curled around the triggers.

Another blow landed and she stared at the only two men left standing. Even in the dark, she knew her dream specter. Jared drove Thyssen across the forest with brutal force. He attacked with vicious intent. Rosh.e.l.le clutched at the tree behind her but glued her eyes to the deadly scene in front of her.

She had to know. Needed to see with her own eyes the end of this monster. Thyssen fell to his knees and raised his cold eyes to look at her. That s.a.d.i.s.tic smile floated across his face a second before Jared's foot connected with his jaw. The sound of shattering bone hit her ears as his body twisted up and away from Jared.

The body fell to the earth and lay sprawled like a broken marionette. Rosh.e.l.le moved her eyes over the man's chest seeking any movement. Death sat on Thyssen in stillness. Her breath escaped her lungs in a rush. Rosh.e.l.le pulled a deep breath in as Jared turned his eyes onto her.

His boots didn't make a sound as he moved towards her. His hand slid over her face, and into her hair, before curling firmly around the back of her head. "It's over."

"I know." Her voice was nothing but a shaking croak. Reaching out, she placed her hand over his neck searching for rea.s.surance of his life. His arms pulled her into an embrace that was almost painful. Rosh.e.l.le squirmed closer, desperate to be held.

Jared held her body and shook in relief. He'd never been afraid of anything before. Watching Thyssen lay that hand over their child chilled him to the core. Her body shook and he smoothed his hand down her slim back.

"You'll be lucky if I don't tether you to the bedroom wall." Jared growled the words out and Rosh.e.l.le grinned. His voice was the sweetest thing she'd ever heard.

"Use a chain or she'll chew through it and make sure you set the bolt into the foundation."

Shane Jacobs' voice startled her. Rosh.e.l.le pulled her head up and looked for the giant. She caught the slight s.h.i.+ne of moonlight being reflected off the man's eyes. A sharp whistle hit the night before he reached up to his neck and peeled something off his head. The shadows surrounding them came to life as his Rangers in turn peeled away their own masks. Her eyes flew back to the slumped forms of Thyssen's men. Sudden understanding dawned on her. What her civilian ears registered as popping was in fact the deadly fire from these men's rifles.

The men seemed to flow together in some common rhythm. Jared merged right into step with them. It was hauntingly familiar yet foreign. Uncertainty consumed her as fatigue seemed to wrap around her like a blanket.

Shock and exhaustion lifted choice from her hands as Rosh.e.l.le felt her body slip towards the forest floor. Strong arms bound her to the length of a man that her body recognized too well.

Chapter Fourteen.

Rosh.e.l.le opened her eyes to pitch blackness. She blinked and rubbed at her eyes but there still wasn't single ray of light. Turning her head, she stared at a ruby glow. Bedding was piled and tucked around her. The bed was wonderfully soft but her son was squirming directly on top of her bladder making it rather necessary to leave the comfort in order to find another form of relief.

Her memory was clear. Rosh.e.l.le left the bathroom light on as she stepped back into the bedroom. There wasn't a single identifying mark anywhere. It looked like a hotel room but lacked the emergency exit information posted on the wall next to the front door.

Walking across the bedroom, she reached for the edge of the curtain. Someone had overlapped the edges so that not even a thin gap was left to admit light into the room. Sunlight hit her face the second she moved the heavy fabric. Rosh.e.l.le blinked and looked out of the window.

Someone stared right back at her. Rosh.e.l.le gasped as she watched the soldier consider her with his sharp eyes before giving her a nod and turning around to watch the area in front of her window. His broad shoulders were covered with green and brown army fatigue fabric. The muzzle of his high-powered rifle showed over one of those shoulders.