“I’ll move it for you if you’ll tell me what this is all about.”
“You’ve got yourself a deal.”
Kent shifted and tugged the armoire until it was centered in front of the door. His dimples and the small dents on either side of his forehead stood out on his sweat dampened face. The man’s so hot, thought Rebecca, wishing she could focus on that instead of explaining the terror she’d just experienced.
Rebecca walked across the room and sat down on the hard mattress, resting her chin on her hand.
Kent plopped down beside her so close their hips touched. He slung an arm around her shoulder and turned toward her so their faces were just inches apart. “Now tell me what happened that got my Bec so upset.”
Rebecca sighed, hoping he’d believe what she had to say. “Right after the lights went out, the door opened and I heard footsteps. It sounded like there was an invisible person in here.”
Kent’s eyes widened and a frown crossed his face. “An invisible person? Are you sure you weren’t dreaming.”
“Oh, it happened all right. I wouldn’t be in this kind of shape if it wasn’t.” Her heart raced as if she’d just sprinted a long distance. If Kent hadn’t returned when he did . . . She shivered, not wanting to think about it anymore. “I know it sounds crazy. But when that specter-like thing entered this room, I heard it walking across the floor and felt like it wanted to do something terrible to me.”
Kent angled his body toward her and pulled her into the comfort of his chest. “No one is going to hurt you—I’ll make sure of that.”
Rebecca knew he’d go out of his way to protect her. But if he thought she was just being hysterical, he might not recognize the risk. As he held her and skimmed his strong hands over her back, she looked up at his face.
Familiar facial tics showed he was worried and analyzing the situation at the same time—his cheek dimples deepened, he double blinked, and he rubbed the side of his nose. If only he understood what we’re really up against.
* * * *
Rebecca’s story baffled him. He’d tried to hustle her off on the first available plane not because he’d doubted her abilities, but because what had started as a routine mission had transformed into a nightmare.
Beyond coping with the everyday dangers, including a fifty-five kilometer hike through a jungle crawling with wild animals and rappelling and climbing wet cave walls, she’d bandaged a gunshot wound, survived a near drowning and helped him rescue Bunny from the kidnappers. So why is she so freaked out about a power outage?
Maybe stress had pushed her over the edge. This whole idea that ghosts were haunting the place sounded like a bit too much. He’d seen people act unstable underground from time to time—darkness could affect people in a bad way—but Rebecca had almost always seemed coherent and they weren’t even below ground.
Sure, she’d grabbed Bunny around the neck once when she was moaning and complaining and Kent had had to pry her hands loose, but he’d wanted to wring the whiny woman’s neck himself on dozens of occasions.
Still, he wondered if the mysterious incident was in any way related to the smugglers.
Despite Bunny’s hysterical tendencies, she’d been astute enough to overhear a conversation about hieroglyphics in the cave when she’d been kidnapped. But her story sounded like bad math—a situation of two plus two equals five.
The kidnappers had stashed mountainous piles of raw rubies and sapphires in an underground cavern near Mountain River Cave. If the kidnappers were about to flee the country with millions of dollars of precious gemstones, why the hell would they care about some random scribbles? It just didn’t make sense. Bunny had said the sketches showed people displaying special powers. Okay, so some cave visitors smoked some potent herbs and thought they could fly.
Kent turned his attention back to Rebecca, who stood trembling in his arms. Regardless of how far-fetched her story sounded, he hated seeing her agitated and upset. It was his job to make her feel protected and safe.
He leaned in and kissed her gently on her cheek. “Everything’s going to be just fine, don’t you worry.”
She nestled in his arms and her quick breaths warmed his neck.
“Take a deep breath and try to relax. I’m here to take care of you.”
As he skimmed his hands over her back, her breathing slowed and he felt the tension in her shoulders ease.
“Thank you for being so understanding, Kent. I feel so much better now that you’re here.”
“I’ll try not to let you out of my sight for even a minute if I can help it until we get through all this.”
He conjured up the most seductive look he could muster. “Since there’s no power and breakfast is pretty much out of the question, there’s only one other activity I can think of that’s available to us.”
She raised an eyebrow and gave him a one-sided smile. “And what would that be?”
“Playing innocent are we? Raise your arms over your head and I’ll show you.”
A playful laugh erupted from her lips. “So you want to play strip poker without the cards?”
“Something like that.”
“First you have to catch me.” She leaped off the bed and darted away.
He jumped up and ran toward her. She stepped behind the table and he chased her, but she kept shifting directions. “So you want to play hard to get, do you? I guess I don’t have any choice but to—well, you’ll find out soon enough.”
Surprise registered in her eyes as he leaped up and over the table and grabbed her around the waist. “If I were you I would get your cute butt on the bed before I have to resort to desperate measures.”
“Desperate measures sound interesting.” She punched him playfully in the biceps and tried to wiggle free.
Before she had a chance to react, he hefted her hips up on his shoulders and carried her toward the bed.
“Let me go,” she said, kicking her legs.
He gave her a playful swat on the butt.
“Stop that, Kent.”
“I rather enjoyed that, although it would be even more fun if you had your pants off.”
“You won’t be getting them off unless you put me down.”
He flipped her over his shoulders and controlled her fall onto the rigid mattress. She lay on her back looking up at him, breathing heavily. Her lips looked even more delicious and kissable pursed up in a pout. He fought to control his mounting arousal.
“Are you ready to give in to my demands?”
“That depends on the demand.” A playful sparkle appeared in her eyes.
“Oh, I see. Would the lady be willing to raise her arms so I can remove her shirt? I’d really like to fondle her beautiful breasts.”
She sat up and lifted her arms, her chest heaving from exertion. He couldn’t wait to see her out-of-breath and flushed during a more intimate activity.
He pulled her T-shirt over her head, admiring her creamy, succulent breasts. Thank goodness undergarments in the jungle are ill advised. Goodbye skin fungus and bra strap hassles.
He massaged a breast with his fingers, relishing its plump roundness and how nicely it fit inside his palm.
He pressed his lips against hers, kissing her gently at first, but as a visceral need to take ownership of her surged through his body, he devoured her mouth—nibbling and sucking on her lower lip.
“Mmm,” she said.
He parted her lips with his tongue and met her tongue in a mating dance. He hoped her body was as on fire as his. He felt like his burgeoning penis was going to tear right through his pants. As he slid down the zipper on her jeans, a loud crash made him jerk his eyes away.
“Oh, no, what was that?” Rebecca’s eyes widened and she whipped her head in the direction of the sound.
“I have no idea. Maybe another guest broke a chair—they’re pretty flimsy.”
“Only if two people sit in them.” She smiled briefly, but then her expression turned scared again.
He wished he could wipe
the fear lines from Rebecca’s face. “Don’t worry, I’m sure it’s nothing, but just in case I’ll go check it out.”
“Please don’t leave me alone,” she wailed.
* * * *
“I won’t if you don’t want me to.” He picked up her T-shirt and dropped it on her bare belly. “Put this on and follow me. We can’t have the ghost family checking out your merchandise.”
Rebecca zipped her pants and yanked her shirt over her head. Great, he thinks it’s funny. He doesn’t believe my story at all.
Kent turned toward her. “We’re going to have to move this back, okay.”
“Sure thing.” She strode toward him. Shoulders touching, they dragged the armoire back across the carpet so he could open the door. Then Kent stepped toward the bed and grabbed his pistol from the nightstand.
“Stay right behind me, okay? I think those sounds came from Tom’s room.”
“Oh, no, really?” Amanda was probably in there with him. What if that horrible thing went in there and got them?
“Don’t worry—they’ll be all right.” Kent held her hand behind his back as they slowly crept down the hall.
Tom’s door pushed open when Kent knocked on it. His grip on her hand tightened to nearly bone crushing.
She winced, afraid that if she made a noise, something or someone in that room might launch an attack. Her throat tightened. She didn’t feel ready to face another bout of terror. Under normal circumstances, she’d hear Amanda’s good-natured laugh. Instead, she heard only eerie silence and her heartbeat drumming away inside her eardrums.
“What the hell?” Kent shoved the door open until it banged against the wall. He leaped inside the room and pointed his gun around. The rattan chairs were tipped over and an empty glass lay on its side in the middle of the room.
Kent crouched to look under the bed and then stepped inside the tiny bathroom. “No one’s here.”
She sighed, initially relieved that no one jumped out to attack them. But then fear for Amanda’s life jumped to the foreground and her eyes welled with tears. “Oh, Kent, this looks bad. Do you think they were kidnapped?”
He turned and faced her, gripping her arms with his strong hands. Compassion radiated from his warm blue eyes. “I’m not sure, but it looks that way. I understand how frightening this is for you. My friend Tom’s in danger, too. But we’ll find them—don’t worry. Let’s go check on Bunny first.”
They ran toward her room and knocked on the door.
“I think she’s in there,” Rebecca whispered. “I hear her crying.”
Kent’s booming voice broke into the eerie silence. “Open the door—it’s Kent and Rebecca.”
Kent heard the sound of furniture scraping across the floor. “What is it with women and blocking doors with furniture?” His plump lips curled up in a smile, deepening his dimples.
She traced a finger over one of the sexy grooves in his cheeks. “Hey, it keeps people out, doesn’t it?” Or whatever the hell it was . . .
The door opened with a creak and a red-eyed Bunny peered out. “Are you all right?” Kent asked.
Bunny’s voice shuddered and she sobbed in between words. “No, they almost got me. I know they took Tom and Amanda. I heard them.”
“You heard who?”
“The smugglers. They busted into Tom’s room and then Amanda screamed. The men told her to shut up and threatened to kill them if they didn’t cooperate.”
“Kill them? Oh, my God. This is all my fault—it was my idea to come back here.” A wave of nausea assaulted her and she reached for Kent’s arm to steady herself.
He leaned in and grazed her cheek with his lips, speaking in a gentle tone. “Bec, it’s not your fault. You told me earlier Amanda wanted to be here with Tom. Those two are tough—and they’re more likely to survive together than alone.”
He pursed his lips and scratched the side of his broad forehead. “Now let’s get going—we need to go after them now.” He strode into the hallway, pointed toward the exit door and started walking.
Rebecca gripped his arm. “How do we know where they’re headed?”
He slowed and turned toward her. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to track their footprints outside since the ground’s so wet. But before we go, let’s grab some supplies. Bunny, I’ll call a taxi and have them take you someplace in town where you’ll be safer until I can book you on another flight.”
Bunny pursed her lips together and wiped her tear-stained eyes. “Are you sure you don’t mind going to all that trouble?”
“No—I think it’s best. This whole situation is completely out of control and I don’t want Bec in the middle of this either, but she’s too stubborn to listen.”
Bunny gave him a grateful smile. “Yeah, well, she loves you way too much to leave you on your own in this mess. But if I could go someplace crowded, I’d feel much safer. Being in this place alone is creeping me out.”
“Okay, so pack up your stuff fast and meet me in the lobby. I’ll call a car for you.” Kent scratched the tip of his broad nose.
Once Bunny disappeared down the hall, he turned his attention to Rebecca, the look on his face all business. “Grab some clothes and put on your hiking boots. I’ll gather the supplies we need, give Rich a quick call, and then we can soak our boots in DEET when we meet up.”
“What could be more exciting than wetting our feet together?”
Still walking, he turned his head back toward her. “I can think of many, many things.”
Chapter Seven
While Bunny rode in a taxi to the Dong Hoi Sheraton, Kent and Rebecca set out in pursuit of their friends.
Falling rain slapped against the leaves as they slogged their way through the muddy jungle, following the trail of wet footprints. Rebecca tightened the strap on the hood of her rain jacket to keep water from dripping down her front.
Rebecca clung close to Kent, focusing on each breath to take her mind off her fear. Still, she jumped when Kent’s boot cracked a twig, and her neck muscles constricted when leaves rustled nearby.
Maybe it’s just rain dripping from a tree, she told herself, before an invading thought suggested it could be a ferocious jungle animal, poisonous viper, or one of those terrible men. Even a shrill bird’s call made the hair on the back of her neck prickle. Maybe it’s a signal and not really a bird.
She wanted to talk more to Kent about the ghostly presence she’d sensed in the room. But the whole scenario sounded so unbelievable, even to her. How would she convince him? He needed to know what they faced was much worse than what he’d originally anticipated.
Still walking, Kent held his satellite phone to his ear. Then he shook his head and stuffed it back in a pocket. “Damn, I still can’t get Rich on the phone. I asked Bunny to try a few times today, too, so hopefully she’ll have better luck.”
She huffed out a breath, wishing she could stop trembling. “I hope they weren’t ambushed.”
“Yeah, me, too. Hey, love, what’s the matter?” Kent rubbed her arm.
“Nothing, I’m fine. Just a little shaken by what happened earlier. Hey, look at that.”
Footprints dented the muddy ground near where they walked. “The men must have stopped to regroup. I wonder why they stopped here?”
Kent’s face was slick with rain. He scratched his chin and wiped water from his lips. “I don’t know. Maybe there was some kind of altercation. Let’s scan the area.”
Rebecca shivered, realizing the subtext behind what he’d said. He wants me to be on the lookout for bodies . . . Her stomach clenched at the thought that the men might have hurt her friend. Please just let her be okay.
“I don’t see anything suspicious. Maybe it was just a rest stop. Let’s keep moving.”
“Wait, what’s that?” Rebecca pointed to a small plastic vial that lay on the ground, spattered with mud.
Kent bent over and picked it up. After wiping off the mud with his bandana, he popped off the lid and looked inside. “That’s weird. It looks like
some kind of powder.”
“Powder? What do you think it’s for?” Rebecca’s face brushed Kent’s cheek as she peered inside the container. Prickly electricity numbed her face, making her forget her fear for an instant.
“I’m not sure.” Kent tipped some of the powder into his palm.
“Holy crap.” Rebecca jumped back, blinking again and again to see if her eyes were tricking her. But still she saw nothing except empty space.
“What’s wrong?” Kent’s voice seemed to project from nowhere. “God, it feels like ants are crawling on me.”
“It’s not that—the powder made something happen.” Rebecca wanted to pinch and slap herself. “I can’t see you anymore. Oh, Kent, I’m so freaked out. That must be what those men had when they snuck into our room. I heard them, but I couldn’t see them.”
“What do you mean, I disappeared?” He paused and then spoke again, this time his voice registering alarm. “What the hell?”
His body was no longer visible. He ran a thumb over his palm and felt its pressure, but saw nothing but empty air. His skin continued to feel prickly and not quite right.
“Something in that powder made you invisible, Kent. But that’s just weird. Where would those men get their hands on something like that?”
“I’m betting somewhere in the cave where Bunny was kidnapped. She overheard the men mention hieroglyphics depicting people with unusual powers. They must have found the source of it. I’ll run some simple tests on this powder to see if I can learn anything.”
Kent unzipped his backpack and removed some tools. He poured some hydrochloric acid on the powder. “It’s reacting to the acid so more than likely it’s some kind of cave rock. But I’ve never seen cave minerals with that eerie shade of blue before. Once we get back to camp, I’ll run this thing under my X-ray fluorescence machine.”
“Okay, fine. But for now, will you please pour that stuff back in the vial? I’d like to see you in the flesh again instead of floating around like some ghost.”
The Unseen Page 6