Dream - Dream Specter Part 6

The sun was setting. The only window her prison offered was lit with the crimson glow of sunset. Nothing but the simplest of blinds covered the opening in the wall. Moving towards it, she reached for the plastic rod that would allow her to open the slats.

Her eyes drank in the beauty of the forest. This house stood surrounded by it. Rosh.e.l.le couldn't have ever imagined a more perfect home.

Reaching for the latch, she pushed the sliding gla.s.s pane aside. The evening breeze sailed into her, surrounding her with the scent of the mountains. Pulling in a deeper breath, she held it. There was nothing so sweet as the fir trees. Goose b.u.mps ran down the length of her arms making her frown.

Her body was too sensitive. It defied her attempts to understand. How exactly did she develop such an attraction to a man she didn't know? Her temper stirred but it changed nothing. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s actually rose as the memory of his touch played in crystal clear perfection across her brain. Her nipples ached as she recalled exactly how hot his mouth was when he applied it to the little sensitive nub.

Rosh.e.l.le shook her head as the ache traveled straight into her belly. She'd never been so acutely aware of her s.e.xual needs before. Her body pulsed in a warm wave of desire that made her shudder.

Rosh.e.l.le tossed her head in disgust with her body. She had to get out of here before her overactive hormones got her into trouble. Dark images of him moving across her body drifted across her mind. He wanted her and the ideas were drifting from his mind into hers.

Spinning on her heel, Rosh.e.l.le glared at the door. Fear had a funny way of heightening a person's senses. Every sound came through with amazing volume. Each time that door shut she remembered. Not once had she noticed a lock clicking into place.

Well, it was time to find out! Her hand grasped the doork.n.o.b, while her wrist gave it a twist. The door pulled inward granting her the freedom she sought. The only light that burned in the house was in her room. It seeped out into the darkened hallway. Nothing moved, no order to return to her cell was issued.

Setting her shoulders, Rosh.e.l.le took the first few steps into freedom. Nothing but the house greeted her allowing her hope to burn brighter. Her captors were relying on her own fear to keep her imprisoned. It was embarra.s.sing to discover just how correct they were.

Well, she was out of that d.a.m.n room and Rosh.e.l.le fully intended to walk right out the front door of the house. The structure itself was very small. The hallway she was in connected with a living room. Just beyond that her eyes spied a glimpse of a kitchen. As she came closer to the front door, she stood by the fireplace that sat facing the door. Nothing but a sofa sat in the room.

A double door sat just in back of that sofa. Rosh.e.l.le stood and stared at it. Despite the fact that it was closed she knew exactly what lay behind it. She could smell him on the air in the room. That was the master bedroom. His room.

Just now it was empty. She could almost taste the man on her tongue but her feelings told her she was alone for the moment.

Not for long! Rosh.e.l.le had spent too many hours worrying over her friend. Now that she had discovered her freedom she intended to find Christina. Her memory of the night they arrived reminded her of the second house. Moving towards the front door, it came into view.

It was the only other structure in sight. Christina had to be there.

Rubbing her hands over her arms, Rosh.e.l.le forced herself out into the night. She wore nothing but a thin pair of jeans and cotton top. Once the sun set in the Was.h.i.+ngton mountains, the temperature dropped dramatically.

Longing for her fleece-lined jacket, she pushed herself out into the night. The second house was only a few hundred yards away.

"Life seems to have become rather complicated."

Shane's words were far too close to the truth for Jared's comfort.

"That blonde send you packing from your own house again?"

Dropping down beside his friend, Shane considered the comment.

"Looks like an angel, but I suggest you wear gloves to prevent frostbite when handling her."

Casting his eyes over the man next to him, Jared gave him a grin. Ms. Christina Faulkner was most vocal

in her negative opinion of the current situation. Just like a matched pair of shoes, Rosh.e.l.le's continued

defiance was preventing Jared from bringing this case to a conclusion. He grunted with frustration. The main problem was he wasn't getting any closer to solving anything. Rosh.e.l.le was telling him the truth. There wasn't any way for her to lie to him. That just complicated the situation further.

If they turned the women loose, they were as good as dead. Moving his eyes back to the source of his displeasure, Jared blinked a few times to clear them. She was calmly walking right across his front drive. Shane just couldn't keep his amus.e.m.e.nt silent. He had wondered just how long the little doctor was going to stay put. Jared leapt from his spot and was rapidly closing the distance between them. That amus.e.m.e.nt died abruptly as the woman jerked to attention. Jared was still a good forty yards from her. Jared had the cover of night to aid him; with the yard lights illuminating her there was little possibility that the woman could see her adversary. Yet she turned her body to face her approaching company. Shane shook his head. He'd worked with psychics his entire life. Rosh.e.l.le had more than her fair share of gut instinct. She trained her eyes on Jared even though she couldn't possibly see him. She could feel him and it explained a little too much about Jared's mood. Complicated? b.l.o.o.d.y mess sounded a whole lot better. * * * * * That d.a.m.n fear was trying to rise again. Rosh.e.l.le thrust it down. She was going to find Christina! She could feel those green eyes on her. Despite her determination to seek her goal, there was no way she could disregard her sense of self-preservation. This was not a man to turn your back on. "Return to your room." That deep voice sailed at her out of the darkness. He stopped just short of her field of vision. "I want to see Christina." "No."

His voice carried a note that indicated he expected complete obedience to his order. Setting her eyes on the night, she searched for him. Her eyes couldn't find him, but her mind could. Her brain stung with the knowledge of his company. She had made it this far by calling his bluff, maybe it was time to call another one.

He melted from the darkness 'til less than three feet separated them, forcing her to tip her head back to lock eyes with him.

"I was the victim. Not the enemy. I won't stay locked up like some prisoner."

The d.a.m.n thing was her brown eyes looked so honest. Jared ground his teeth together again.

"That being the case, I wouldn't advise leaving this compound."

Rosh.e.l.le jumped as a new voice issued that warning. She had been completely intent on her opponent. The second man must have stepped up from behind her. Swinging her head about, she felt her jaw drop open in response to the sight that greeted her.

Shane stood as Rosh.e.l.le gaped at him. Six-foot-ten wasn't something most people could resist staring at. At five-foot-six, her head only reached him mid-chest.

"Save your concern. Christina and I will be just fine."

"Those torn-up wrists tell you that?"

The bandages covering her wrists were a blatant reminder of just how helpless she had been. She just wasn't sure she was any better off now. These were not the kindly neighbors that a girl could feel at ease relying on.

No, it was a little more like discovering grizzly bears in your backyard. Coexistence was completely out of the question!

"I'm sure the sheriff's department can handle it."

Jared considered his opponent. They had unfinished business. Keeping her neatly secured on his mountain sounded just right to his ears. A slow grin split his face as he considered his prey. To get to the sheriff, she would have to get off his property. No one crossed the border without Shane's or his approval.

"Benton is twenty-six miles south."

Just like that? The grin that sat on his face reminded her of a crocodile as it waited for lunch to venture too close to its jaws.

"Don't mind the border patrol. Their orders are to keep anyone from crossing the border. As long as you don't do that..."

He stepped closer with each word. Her face flushed with shame at her cowardly retreat from him. She really tried not to ask just what would happen, the pure joy expressed on his face told her he was setting her up for a fall.

But she had to know...

"What?"

"They won't shoot you."

Chapter Six.

Lately Rosh.e.l.le had noticed just how slow time could move when you were waiting for a nightmare to end. Despite her numerous self-directed lectures, she still drew the line at testing his latest threat.

Maybe it was the very real fact that she had recently discovered just what being shot at felt like. More than likely it was the sight of those "boys" as they changed s.h.i.+fts every twelve hours.

The men in question would load into a truck with their rifles cradled in their arms just like babies. Hard-cut faces coupled with bodies that long ago bid farewell to childhood. In fact, the type of males that inhabited this mountain was causing Rosh.e.l.le to redefine her concept of just what "men" were. The doctors and friends she thought of as men just didn't fit into this category.

Maybe it had been the lack of sleep. But Rosh.e.l.le suddenly knew exactly what the difference was about this bunch of captors.

They were not planning on killing her.

While there was still a lot of room for unpleasant alternatives, the fact that she wasn't facing a bullet anytime soon lifted an amazing amount of tension from her shoulders.

Unfortunately, as soon as her fear of impending death was appeased, doubt rushed in to fill her mind. Maybe these people didn't have an unmarked grave picked out for her but they were far from friendly.

Especially him.

A frown crept across her face. The man must have a name. Considering just how familiar he had made himself with her mind, it seemed rather unfair not to know his name.

A short laugh escaped her throat. Fair? Life was anything but fair to her lately. So... If it was a name that she wanted to know, Rosh.e.l.le doubted that she would find the answer inside this room.

No, if she wanted something from these people, she would have to go after it. Even something as simple as a name. Weakness wasn't something that earned rewards here.

Rosh.e.l.le stood with her body in the doorway. Conforming to the rules of her current companions wasn't sitting in her stomach very well.

Thrusting her chin forward, she set her feet into motion. She may not like the house rules, but there was no way she would ever get back to the real world if she didn't face him again.

In an odd way, she was almost looking forward to another encounter with her dream specter. Each time she faced up to him, he lost a bit more of his nightmare edge. Maybe it was a little too much like a child checking under her bed before turning out the light, but Rosh.e.l.le would take what she could get.

She would go out and look her monster in the face. Just maybe she could find the courage to spit in his eye while she was at it!

"I sure hope that sweet thing is looking at me."

"Well, just as soon as she looks me over, you won't have a prayer."

"Think those t.i.ts are real?"

"Who the h.e.l.l cares?"

Good grief, was there some law of nature that just insisted that men be larger at this elevation? Rosh.e.l.le had run across tall men before in her life but every single one she faced was over six feet! It wasn't just the height. Their chests were coated with thick muscles that made them more imposing.

Forcing herself forward, she stuck to her course. He was sitting among a group of six men, all of which seemed to be employed with the task of cleaning the ever-present rifles. The black weapons were firmly held across their laps, with a piece or two neatly laid aside, while fingers worked at the open barrels.

Jared dug his fingers into the weapon he held. The fact that she had gathered the courage to seek him out almost made him nod in approval. But his men's comments rubbed him wrong. Rosh.e.l.le did have the sweetest pair of t.i.ts under that top, but it sure as h.e.l.l wasn't their business.

Coming to a halt, Rosh.e.l.le stared at the object of her dilemma. The men that surrounded him she ignored. They plastered over bright grins to their rough faces, as she came closer. It didn't take a beauty queen to know just what was on their minds.

But she didn't need maturity to tell her what he was thinking. Her cheeks flushed with heat as his mind connected with hers. Blatant arousal hit her stomach as she felt her nipples bead and lift. Heat spread down her body 'til it reached her belly. A grin lifted the corners of his firm lips as he raised a single eyebrow at her.

The men surrounding him suddenly sat up straighter. Their grins brightened even more brilliantly as their eyes mirrored their increased interest. It was a look that Rosh.e.l.le had committed to memory. Spinning about, she let a smile cross her own face. Christina was scrambling up the hillside in her direction.

Thank G.o.d! Rosh.e.l.le swung around in relief. A harsh laugh rumbled out of his chest making her temper fume. But Rosh.e.l.le didn't dare turn around. Most men only guessed that a woman was turned on. This one knew without a doubt how weak her body was. But the worst part was the way he let his own emotions flow between them. His desire fed her raging needs, making it impossible to resist the urge to get closer to him.

Joy was the only way to describe the embrace the two women shared. Rosh.e.l.le completely dismissed him as she sprinted to her friend's outstretched arms. Jared s.h.i.+fted as his pants cut into his erection. Her sweet little bottom made his mouth water. The link between their minds made the need painful because it was impossible to ignore. Rosh.e.l.le was running from it and all he wanted to do was chase her.

It was a harsh and primitive urge that rode him hard. A psychic mated on more than just the physical level. Rosh.e.l.le offered him a true partners.h.i.+p in intimacy. Their minds could mingle as completely as their bodies.

The women walked away as Jared resumed cleaning his rifle. He should just let her go back to her civilian life. His staff throbbed so he stood up. He shouldered the gun as he let his legs carry him away from the men. His body was pulsing with need. Hunger gnawed at his principles as he forced himself to walk away from Rosh.e.l.le.

Life could be a real b.i.t.c.h at times.

"What's burning?"

Pulling her friend further into the house, Christina sent her another smile.

"I'm cooking."

"Christina dear, last time I checked, you can't even define the word cook."

Dropping into a chair, Rosh.e.l.le regarded her friend. Christina gave a familiar toss of her head before she

turned her attention to whatever culinary masterpiece she was creating at the kitchen rangetop. Multiple

pots sat atop the burners and she lifted lids as she surveyed her work.

"Yes, but Shane Jacobs doesn't know that. Nor does the brute." Her friend sent her an evil grin before tossing a wooden spoon into the sink. "Shane suggested I keep myself busy in the kitchen. Lord forbid I try and disagree."

All right, so she was a coward. But when faced with a choice of her friend or him, Rosh.e.l.le tucked tailand ran away. Well, she'd take her friend's company over him, any day. "So what now, Doctor?" "Why are you asking me?"

Dropping a lid back onto its pot, Christina swung her blue eyes around to her companion.

"Your track record is a lot better than mine. All I managed to do was get myself kidnapped. For a modern woman, you haven't done too bad at getting us out of it."

"Right up 'til we ended up here." Pus.h.i.+ng to her feet, Rosh.e.l.le surveyed the view the kitchen window offered. While the men still sat with their weapons, he was not with them any longer. The hair on her neck rose slightly, there was something comforting about keeping that man in her sights.