by Jill Sanders
He made it back to his place in record time and before she had a chance to talk, he’d pulled her out of the car and hoisted her up into his arms.
“I’m the second person you’ve carried tonight,” she joked.
He chuckled as he kicked his shoes off at the back door and continued down the hallway to his bedroom.
Chapter 7
Okay, she could get used to being carried. Being carted around made her feel so… sexed. She ran her fingers over his impressive biceps and they jumped under her fingertips.
Could it get any better than this? He shifted slightly, allowing her head to go in the door first, then stopped inside the bedroom and covered her mouth with his. Okay, now it couldn’t get any better.
He laid her down gently on the bed and, with his eyes on hers, slowly removed every scrap of her clothing. He stood over her as his eyes scanned her body.
“Beautiful,” he whispered.
When she reached for him, he leaned back, away from her. He chuckled when she made a sound and reached out again.
“My turn,” she said, but he just shook his head and started to slowly pull off his shirt. He moved slowly and kept his eyes locked with hers. Only when her mouth watered did she peel her eyes from his and watch the light play over every ripple of his chest.
God! He was beautiful. When he pulled his jeans down his hips, her mouth went dry. She watched his every move. The way the denim slid over his hips, how his sexy trail of dark hair ran from the bottom of his belly button to below his jeans. God!
She reached for him again, but his chuckle stopped her once more. Her eyes burned into his.
“Remember, you were the one who asked for some time, not me,” he said, stilling his hands. His jeans hung low on his hips, low enough that her eyes kept returning to the spot.
“So, you’re going to torture me because I needed some thinking time?”
“No, I’m going to torture you because being without you the last few days has been pure hell for me.” He ran a finger over the hem of his jeans. She couldn’t stop herself from licking her lips as she watched the movement.
“What if I like this form of torture?” She smiled up at him.
“Then, I guess I’ll have to try something else.”
He moved to the bottom of his bed and knelt between her legs, using his hands to nudge them wider. She felt completely exposed.
When his hands slowly made their way up her inner thighs, she leaned back and closed her eyes with a sigh. “You can do better than that,” she teased.
Then his hot mouth followed the trail his hands had taken, and she gave up the fight. Her fingers sunk into his hair, holding him to her as he ran his mouth up the insides of her thighs.
When he settled his lips on her, she bolted up and cried out with pleasure.
“This should teach you a lesson,” he joked as he used his mouth and fingers to send her over the edge quickly.
“Yeah.” He shifted up and looked down at her. “I’ve learned that if I take a few days off from this”—she smiled—“you’ll do that to me.”
He chuckled. “Okay, maybe not the lesson I’d planned on.”
He reached down and ran a finger over her erect nipple as she reached for his jeans. This time, he helped her pull them off his hips.
She sighed when he was finally naked, above her.
“Tell me you don’t need any more time to think about us,” he said, holding himself from her.
“No.” She’d tried to fight it, but in the end, all she’d been doing was prolonging the inevitable.
She’d had a few days to reflect and had decided that if being with Jacob had changed small things, it was worth a shot to change the big thing. She could only hope.
When she reached up for him, he came down willingly. She wrapped her legs around him and felt power surge throughout her as he entered her slowly. His mouth covered hers and she poured everything she had into the kiss.
She held onto him as he took control, pleasing them both to the point that she lost sight of the future and the past. All she knew at that moment was him.
He filled her, surrounded her, completed her. And she didn’t want the feeling to end.
When he drifted off to sleep, his arms wrapped around her tightly, she laid awake a few minutes more, thinking about what had changed.
When she closed her eyes and let her mind open, she saw the changes as if she was standing there, experiencing it, like she had since the day before her parents had left her.
As always, things flashed quickly, so she had to take stock.
She saw Brea and Ethan holding hands in a field, walking slowly, enjoying one another. Then, in the next minute, Ethan was running towards Brea, screaming her name. Brea stood, looking up at the sliver of a moon, and disappeared.
Something shifted and, suddenly, Brea stood at the edge of a dark tunnel. She screamed and raced through the tunnel, falling on the sharp rocks, cutting her hands and knees. She got up quickly and ran, but before she reached the silo, total darkness.
Then the scene flashed to the lake. She’d seen Jacob and her there once before, making love on a blanket under the moonlight. But now, the vision was of Jacob, in full uniform, running around the lake, desperately searching for someone.
Another flash and she was back in the silo. She held her breath as the same scene she’d seen her entire life played once more behind her eyes. The black beast, the searing pain, the screaming, and then silence.
When she finally opened her eyes, it was morning and Jacob was moving around in the bathroom.
“Morning,” he said a few minutes later when she walked in and jumped in the shower he had just vacated. “I thought I’d head down to the station after breakfast and deal with some things.” He pulled on a pair of jeans and a shirt.
“I thought it was your day off?” She ducked her head under the water and sighed at the water pressure. Her place was old and she was lucky to get a dribble on a good day.
When she climbed out of the shower and dressed, she could smell bacon. Following her nose and her stomach, she walked into the kitchen and found Jacob cooking breakfast.
Sitting at the bar, she watched him move around the room. How had she gotten so lucky?
She took in every move, every little habit of his as he cooked. When he turned around, he was surprised to see her sitting there and almost dropped a pancake.
“I didn’t know you were there.” He recovered from the surprise and set the pancake on a plate. “Hope you’re hungry.” He flipped another pancake onto the plate and turned off the burner.
“Very.” She smiled as she tried to remember every detail of the perfectly normal situation in her mind. How many more of these days would she get? Was the heartbreak worth it?
Jacob surprised her halfway through breakfast by turning the subject to her parents.
“Have you tried looking for your parents?” he asked, causing her to almost choke on the orange juice she’d just swallowed.
“No,” she finally said after taking a deep breath.
“Why not? I mean, they couldn’t be that hard to find. Especially with everything being on the internet nowadays.”
“No,” she said a little more firmly, keeping her eyes on her plate. “I don’t care about them.”
“When was the last time—”
“Jacob,” she broke in, reaching over and taking his hand. “I don’t want to look for them now or a year from now.”
“Why?” His eyebrows furrowed.
“They left me. Not the other way around.” She took up the last piece of bacon and crunched it.
“Did you ever find out why?” he asked.
“No, and I don’t care to.” She grabbed her half-empty plate and walked into the kitchen, hoping the conversation was over.
Instead, he followed her, caged her against the sink, and held her firmly in his grasp.
“Jess, according to everyone…”—he paused—“they may have something to do with all this.�
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“If they do, then I can pretty much guarantee that we’ll get no help from them. That is, if they ever care to be found.” She ducked under his arm and walked to the door, slipped on her shoes, and grabbed her jacket. “I’ve got some errands to run.”
“Jess.” He tried to stop her, but she shook her head.
“Please, Jacob, let it be.” She met his eyes until he finally nodded.
“Will you be home for dinner?”
She thought about spending a night alone in her apartment, then sighed. “Sure.”
As she drove into town, she let her mind wander to her parents for the first time in years. Where were they? Were they still alive? Did she care?
The fact that her eyes were wet as she parked outside of her place answered the last question for her. She climbed the stairs and banged on Carla’s door.
When the woman opened the door, she barged in and moved into the small living room that matched her own.
“Honey, what’s wrong?” Carla looked worried as she tied her bathrobe.
“When was the last time you heard from my parents?” Jess’s question seemed to put Carla back for a moment. The older woman blinked like she’d been hit in the gut. Then, after she took a deep breath, she sat on her sofa and patted the spot next to her.
Jess sat down and waited as the woman’s eyes ran over her.
“Why do you want to know?” Carla’s question surprised her.
“They’re my parents. Don’t you think I have the right to know why they disappeared and where to?” She stood up and started pacing across the small space.
“You know they have been sending me checks every month for your rent and other necessities. Ever since they left.”
“Why? Why have you supported this?” She stopped in front of the woman and looked down at her. “Why did they leave?’
“They had to, sweetie.”
“Why?” She almost shouted it.
“It’s complicated.”
“You’ve said that since I was thirteen. I think I’m old enough to know more.” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the woman.
Carla was silent for a while. “Very well, but we have to make a short journey first. Let me get dressed.” She stood up. “Then I’ll tell you everything.”
Chapter 8
Jacob hated lying to Jess, but he needed some time alone to do some research. First, he tried on his computer at home, but after almost an hour of dead ends, he drove down to the station and used his official computer.
He searched for anything on Rachelle and Larry Sorenson. Two more hours and he was even more frustrated. Then he remembered that Ethan might have more options than he did.
It was just past noon when he drove out to talk to his brother. Just saying that gave him pause.
As he pulled up, he glanced over at the bigger house and almost headed there first but then stopped himself.
Mike and Xtina had dealt with enough in the past few weeks. Maybe Ethan and Brea could combine his military experience and her journalistic abilities to help him.
The driveway was empty, and he was about to leave a note when he heard a car pull up.
After parking, the couple started moving closer together. Jacob realized that he was going to witness more than he’d planned for, so he walked over and knocked on the window.
It wasn’t the first time he’d broken a couple in a car up, but it was the first time he’d done it to a brother. Smiling, he watched the couple jump apart.
When Ethan opened the door, he apologized as best as he could, without laughing at the scowl Ethan was giving him.
Brea rushed into the house while Ethan motioned for them to sit on the porch.
“So?” Ethan finally said after a moment of awkward silence.
“So,” Jacob repeated. “I need your help with something.” He decided the best tactic was full honesty.
“Shoot.”
“It’s about Jess.” Jacob pulled out a piece of paper. “More to the point, her parents.” He handed him the paper. “I looked myself, but I just kept hitting dead ends.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Jess can’t find out we’re doing this. She’d kill me.”
“My…” Ethan shook his head. “Our brother is better at this sort of thing. He is a PI of sorts.”
“Yeah, but he’s got his hands full at the moment.” His eyes moved back to the big house.
“Why are you so concerned about finding them?” Ethan asked.
“Jess doesn’t think they have anything to do with all this, but…” He paused, wishing he could explain everything, but something told him to hold some information back.
“Yeah, sure,” Ethan finally said after a moment. “I’ll see what I can come up with. Have you heard anything more on the group that kidnapped Xtina and shot Mike?”
Brea came back outside and for the next hour, Jacob filled them in on everything.
When he could see that his brother had used up his energy, he stood up and made an excuse to leave. As he held out his hand for his brother, Ethan shook it, and a shock traveled up his arm.
Suddenly, he was standing at the base of a silo. Ethan, Mike, and Xtina were all standing in a circle, and the heavy doors were completely opened as the full moon shone down on them all.
He glanced around, looking for Jess, who stood in the middle of the circle. He noticed that Brea wasn’t there. His eyes moved back to Jess, and he watched as her eyes turned up towards the sky.
There was a bright flash and, suddenly, Brea was there, standing next to Jess in the middle. Jess pushed her towards Ethan, who took up her hand quickly as she got into place. Jess’s eyes went directly to his.
“I love you,” she mouthed. He wanted to break the circle, to go to her, but she shook her head and he held fast. They all lifted their arms as Jess started chanting something in a different language. From the sounds of it, it was Latin.
Then another woman appeared and Brea stepped towards her.
Someone screamed and when he glanced up, a fireball was falling from the sky, directly towards them.
The vision disappeared when he dropped his hand and took a step back.
“Whoa,” Jacob said, shaking his head. “What the hell?”
Ethan disappeared quickly after that, but he was positive that his brother had seen what he had. Jacob sat on the porch with Brea until he could catch his breath, then he made some lame excuse and left as quickly as he could.
He drove away and decided one more stop wouldn’t hurt. There was at least one woman in town who might know something about Jess’s parents. But when he got to the cafe, he found out that Carla had the day off. He swung by the garage apartments and noticed that Carla’s car was gone, so he gave up and headed home instead. He didn’t know where Jess was, but maybe he had enough time to do a little more research before she came home.
Jess followed Carla’s car out towards Marshal Lake. Instead of going to the public parking area, she turned down a dirt road and stopped to pull open a single iron bar gate. She waved Jess to follow her down the long drive.
The house on the lake was old but beautiful. It looked completely empty, as if it had sat so for years.
Carla parked in front of a two-car detached garage. Jess pulled in beside her and got out. The fresh air hit her and she could tell that rain was coming later tonight. The smell of grass and water mixed with dead leaves sent a calmness over Jess.
“Whose place is this?” she asked when Carla walked around the car.
Carla tilted her head. “Your grandparents gave it to your parents the day they died. Your parents will leave it to you.”
“Are they dead?” She stopped in her tracks, causing Carla to glance over at her. Carla reached up and put a hand on her shoulder.
“No, honey, they’re alive and well.” She smiled. “Come inside.” She motioned for her to follow her up the stairs and onto the wide front porch.
Carla stooped down and pulled up a wooden plank from the deck, then took a key
chain from a hidden hook. If she hadn’t seen her do it, she would have never found the hiding spot.
The smell of dust hit her first, then the smells of spices, herbs, and oils. Something stirred deep in her memory.
As if in a trance, she walked into a room she could vaguely remember being in when she was younger.
Carla stood back as Jess walked into the great room. High arched ceilings lead to a huge wall with windows that faced the water. For as far as the eye could see, water filled the view.
When she peeled her eyes from the beauty of the water and the dark clouds rolling in from the distance, she glanced around the room.
There was a stone fireplace along one wall. Old furniture that had seen better days filled the space. There was a large kitchen off towards one side, and a circular staircase leading up.
“Go on,” Carla suggested, putting her hand on her back. “See.” She nodded to the main room.
She moved over to the middle of the large room, and the memories hit her full force, almost knocking her on her ass.
She didn’t remember her grandparents. She’d been told they had died shortly after her sixth birthday, but now, images of them filled her mind, much like the images she usually had.
She saw her parents at a younger age, years before they left her. But this time, instead of seeing through youthful eyes, she watched and took everything in.
She focused on one particular memory. She must have been around six or seven. She was watching Sponge Bob Square Pants on the old television set, sitting cross-legged in her pink unicorn pajamas. She ignored everyone in the room as Patrick went crazy because he hadn’t gotten a Valentine’s gift from Sponge Bob.
Her mother stood looking out the window, her arms crossed over her chest, worry behind her gray eyes.
“Rach.” Her grandmother walked over and wrapped her arms around her daughter. “Maybe it will pass by her?”
“No, Mom.” Her mother shook her off and turned towards the room. “Don’t you see, Larry and I have been trying… for another child.”
“Honey—”
“You know what this means.” Her mother glanced over to look at Jess in front of the TV. “She’s all we’ll ever have. It’s in her. I can tell.”