Emily (Dreamcatchers Romantic Suspense Series Book 1)

by Jamie Garrett

  Emily slipped into the nightgown and then tiptoed into the kitchen. The rain was easing off, but still fell against her windows and she could hear the distant rumble of a storm. It was definitely a night to be spent in bed with something warm. Hopefully, the someone warm would come later. She heated up a mug of milk and then added a liberal dash of cream liqueur to warm her up. Taking her nightcap back to bed, she tucked her quilt around her and picked up Hannah’s book. If she couldn’t be exploring a new relationship of her own right now, this was the next best thing. This time, with thoughts of Reece in her head, Emily slipped easily into the book. The soft pitter-patter of rain and the slight buzz from her nightcap made time slip away and soon she was turning the final virtual page on her e-reader. Hannah had created such a vivid world Emily could picture every scene in her head, and she almost teared up when the FBI agent hero rescued his girl and she told him she loved him. Maybe, just maybe she could have that one day with Reece. She had already fallen in love with him, even though he could be the most infuriating man she’d ever met. She glanced out her bedroom window through the streaks of rain just as lightning light up the room. It seemed the storm had well and truly arrived while she’d been lost in Hannah’s words. Wherever Reece was that night, she hoped he was staying safe.

  And preferably dry.

  Emily almost felt sorry for him. Until she imagined Reece soaked to the skin, his tight t-shirt and jeans sticking to every part of his strong body.

  On second thought, let’s hope it storms all night.

  She chuckled to herself and turned off her e-reader. As the backlit screen powered down and the room darkened a yawn escaped her. The time on her bedside clock read 2:09, definitely time to try and get some sleep before work in the morning. It was already going to be a very long day with only four hours before she needed to get up. She rose to check the locks on her door one last time. The moon cast long shadows throughout her apartment and a shiver went through her as she moved through the darkness. The man who hunted her rose up in her thoughts again, but Emily forced him from her mind. Multiple nights with little sleep had caught up with her, and even as she crossed her living room exhaustion was hitting hard. She checked the door and then barely made it back into bed before sleep took over.

  Standing outside the door to the shrine hiding in her office building, she could hear the rain beating against the window. The smell of incense still wafted through the room, but something had changed. This was different. She slowly pushed the door to the room open, and the sounds of chanting reached her ears. It was a man’s voice, pitched low and coming from the back corner. Pulling her duty weapon, she crept silently into the room. As she stood still, braced against the wall, a sudden chill filled the room. She looked left and then right, quickly assessing the scene. There were no open windows to explain the breeze, but still it swirled around her, blowing out the flames from the candles that provided the only light inside the room. The moon still hung high in the sky outside.

  Holding the gun to her side, she stepped carefully toward the man. His back was toward her and he stood in front of the shrine. The man took small items into his hands, whispered a chant over them, and then placed them back in the same, specific order. She looked down at the photo that now lay inside the hand drawn pentagram and an image of a very familiar face stared back at her. That was her, but then …

  A scream of denial hit Emily’s lips. The dream turned back on itself and the face of the man she loved jolted her subconscious mind.

  “No, no, no!”

  This was not a dream! She wasn’t simply dreaming of the killer from earlier that night. She was watching him real time through someone else’s eyes. Through the eyes of the man she loved. And there was nothing she could do to prevent what was coming next.

  Emily’s mind splintered as she split from Reece and became herself within the dream. She could do nothing but watch. Watch as the man completed the ritual. Watch as the swirling winds caught the door and a loud bang sounded behind Reece. Watch as Reece turned toward the door, his gun drawn high and tactical vest on.

  Watch as the killer stepped up behind Reece and placed his knife at his throat.

  “Welcome Special Agent Knight. I’ve been expecting you.”

  25

  Reece slammed the folder shut on the last piece of paperwork needed on the report for that morning’s raid. The whole thing had been a disaster from start to finish. His office had received a tip telling them the guy who was killing women was holed up in the basement of an old building on the south side. When his team had scouted the scene, they’d found a large red building standing on an overgrown lot. Occupied and nearly identical homes stood nearby in neat rows on blocks devoid of any trees or hedges, and directly across from the abandoned monstrosity sat another large empty block that had already been cleared. There was a tree or two on the median, but that was it. There hadn’t exactly been a lot of cover.

  The building itself was three floors high, with most of its windows either boarded up or just gone, leaving gaping holes for someone to enter and exit from multiple points. Tall columns now covered in city grime seemingly stopped the upper floors from tumbling to the ground, and greenery grew out of cracks in the masonry and along the gutters at every opportunity. Pity, some of that couldn’t make it down to street level. All the grew along the ground level was bushy grasses and weeds.

  They’d parked their operations van several blocks away and set up a perimeter in the predawn hours, with agents stationed around the border, dressed to blend in. He’d wanted to be out there, but Reece had been held back as part of the breach team. True, there was no photographs or clear surveillance footage of this guy, but Reece had been working this case for months and the SSA in charge of the operation wanted him there when they entered the premises. Hell, if he were honest with himself nothing would be able to stop Reece entering the building anyway. As well as perhaps understanding the perp’s motives better than anyone else on the case he also had Emily’s description to go on. Not that he could tell his boss or any of the other higher-ups where he’d gotten the information, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t use it to ID the fucker. The time for this to end was long overdue.

  He’d hated not being able to call in to check on Emily or let her know where he was going, but the operation was strictly need to know and most of his unit was on lockdown from the time the warrant was issued. No one wanted this guy to catch wind of what was going down before they were on the scene. He’d asked one of the support staff stationed back at the field office to check on Emily, let him know if she needed anything or left her office building. The only way he would have been able to go into that op was if he knew she was safe. At least tucked away at work he could ensure she was protected when he couldn’t be with her.

  Now, he sat at his desk on an otherwise empty floor kicking himself in the ass for being such a colossal idiot. When he’d got back to the office and found out Emily had disappeared he’d lost it. After frantically trying her cell more than a dozen times he’d thought to call Luke and when he found out what Emily was up to, well he’d lost his temper. Reece threw his pen down on his desk and shoved his fingers through his already messy hair. It wasn’t the first time in the last hour he’d performed that action. There was no excuse for the way he’d spoken, but he’d never met a woman who drove him crazy the way Emily did either. The thought brought a smile to his face. She was ninety-nine degrees of crazy, that was for sure, but he loved how passionate she was. In fact, it was a crazy that he was finding it hard to go a day without. She was different from any other women he’d met before. Emily had had a hard life, and despite that was holding herself together through a situation that would terrify most people he knew. She was doing a damn good job of it too, a better job that he was at times, yet he had almost lost her because he was behaving like an idiot.

  The thought of her in danger was enough to make him see red, and when she’d come barreling around the corner, hair flying and face as white as
a sheet, he’d lost it. He had to keep her safe, even if he had to lock her in her apartment and put a guard at the door. Sighing again, Reece lead back in his chair. Even if she survived, Emily would be the death of him. He’d never felt so angry and scared in all his life, and then the need to protect her had quickly morphed into the need to hold her, to touch her, kiss her and…

  God.

  He was so screwed. And not in a good way. If he was ever going to get back to her tonight in the right frame of mind to take advantage of the almost constant hard-on, she inspired then Reece needed to check out her office building so he could relax, knowing she’d be safe tonight and back at work there tomorrow. He stood swiftly and took his duty weapon from his drawer, adding his backup to a holster at his ankle then donned a ballistic vest. Their raid that morning had turned up shit all, the building’s basement was empty and undisturbed as the rest of it. Emily had told him the killer was inside her office building, and she’d been so sure. There was no way he would have left her alone at the scene earlier to check it out, but he could go back there now. He owed her that much.

  He called Gabi as he was heading out the door. She didn’t answer, but he wasn’t expecting her to. She’d put in a day just as long as him today and it was a few minutes after 3 a.m. He left her a message detailing where he was going and hoped that he wouldn’t actually need the help once he got there. There was no way he was calling it in officially. His boss was already wary of using the task force’s resources to chase after psychic visions, and unlike this morning, he didn’t exactly have a warrant. It had taken Reece awhile to believe in her dreams, but what he’d seen now, coupled with Emily’s tears of frustrations when she couldn’t help those women, he knew different. No, Emily was truly wracked by those women’s deaths. She was the real deal, and he’d bet his career on her being right this time.

  Taking a bureau car that could be tracked if everything went to crap, he drove to Emily’s office building and parked out front. If the building had any night guards, they were gone. He approached the revolving front doors and spotted the high tech alarm system securing the entrance. Maybe they thought they didn’t need guards? Reece paused to double check both his Glock and Smith and Wesson backup were loaded and ready, the weight of them reassuring. It might be the age of technology like this security system, but he wasn’t giving up his gun anytime soon. He walked around the building’s perimeter to Emily’s exit point. How the hell had she gotten inside without tripping the alarm? Turning the corner with his gun drawn and extended in front of him, he saw why. A little red box was positioned next to the door at ground level. A rusted padlock lay on the ground next to it and wiring hung loosely from inside. Whoever had done this was a pro. The box was mostly hidden by hedges, and anyone not specifically looking for a security breach would have missed it entirely. So much for technology.

  The rain began to drizzle again, and a wet droplet slid down the back of his neck. Reece cursed under his breath and made his way through the door that would lead him to the basement. Once he was through he immediately flattened himself against the wall, peering through the darkness. What he wouldn’t give for an NVD right now. Signing one of those out would just raise way too many suspicions. He hadn’t wanted to use any light and give away his position, but it was either that or stay plastered to the wall until sunrise. Reece stopped breathing and stood dead still, listening. Nothing reached his ears except the low buzz of distant traffic, and so he snapped on his flashlight and held it out with his weapon. Finding the stairs, he climbed each one slowly, pausing every few steps to recheck his surroundings. Emily had said the killer shot at her, and so he wasn’t about to take any chances. Knives held a special ceremonial meaning to this guy’s killings. If he’d given them up and swapped to guns, then it was yet another sign he was changing, devolving. He had to stop him before he became a spree killer and took out half of downtown Chicago.

  As he reached the top of the stairs and stepped onto the landing, his boots kicked something. The subtle tink of a shell casing rolling across the floor made him stop in his tracks. Emily had been right, the bastard had shot at her. Fuck, if that wasn’t enough to set his teeth on edge again. Reece didn’t want to stop long enough to pick it up, and he hadn’t brought along any evidence bags on his unscheduled outing, and so he made a note of where it had landed before switching his light off and proceeding cautiously down the narrow, dark hall. Only one room showed any signs of life. A dim red light glowed from inside, and he could hear low chanting sounds. He couldn’t make out the words, but the cadence sounded very like the videos shown at the BAU briefing.

  The light shifted slightly as something crossed in the door’s path. There was definitely someone inside. If it was the killer, then it had been sheer luck that Emily had escaped. After he made it out of here, he’d be having a long talk with her about keeping herself safe and not going out on any more vigilante missions. Yep, he’d get right on that after he’d made love to her so many times neither of them could move.

  The chanting continued as Reece approached the door, and then pushed it open just enough to look through with one eye. When there was no reaction to the movement, he pushed the door open further and silently stepped inside. The room was completely contained with no other doors and only one non-opening window positioned up high in the room, but still the breeze that whipped around him froze him on the spot. The man standing at the altar straightened but did not turn around or cease his chanting. Reece took another cautious, quiet step, his gun drawn. The wind inside the room picked up, and a loud bang sounded behind him. Reece turned toward the noise, his arms extended and gun ready, but he saw no one there. The room had grown darker and completely quiet and still. Reece went to turn but stopped when he felt the cold press of steel against his throat.

  “Welcome Special Agent Knight,” a gruff voice acknowledged Reece’s presence. “I’ve been expecting you.”

  Something hit Reece on the side of the head. Hard. Blinding pain burst through him, and then he knew no more.

  26

  Emily woke while already pushing back the covers. Something tickled at her face and she swiped at her cheeks. They were already wet with tears. She nearly fell to her knees struggling with the sheets while fumbling for her phone at the same time. Managing to dial Reece’s number, she put the phone to her ear while stripping off the nightgown. Nothing. Not even a single ring. The call went straight to voicemail.

  Damn it! He’s fine. Besides, the killer likes women in alleyways. Not men inside buildings.

  Her dream still simmered in her mind, and fear overwhelmed her again.

  Unless of course you’re a federal agent and just happened to stumble onto a serial killer’s secret hideout.

  God! Why had she told Reece why she’d been there? He’d found her and the insane asshole had stopped chasing her. She could have told him she’d had a fight with a co-worker, or that she was sneaking in to use the photocopier, looking for evidence of corporate espionage. Anything would have been better than the truth, which had sent him chasing after a deranged killer. Emily shook her head in disgust. She was so rattled she couldn’t even come up with a good cover story to keep Reece from charging in after the man with a gun. Yeah, yeah, it was his job. That didn’t mean she had to help send him into danger. Seeing Lily’s death had been bad enough, gut-wrenching even, and she hadn’t been able to do anything about that. If something happened to Reece, if the man in her dreams got a hold of him, she’d never forgive herself.

  Emily paused half way through pulling on her jeans. Maybe that was it? Was she dreaming of Reece simply because she loved him? She knew what his reaction would be if she went chasing after him and he turned out to be totally fine. He’d been her knight in shining armor once already tonight. If he found her going after the bad guy on her own again tonight he might just keep his promise of putting her under house arrest. But why the hell wasn’t he answering his phone? She tried again, and voice mail picked up. Until now she’d avoided callin
g him at work, trying to avoid his boss. God knows his partner had been scary enough. Right now, though, alone in the middle of the night, fear for Reece overrode anything else. Fishing around in her bag for his business card Emily dialed his direct number and then sat and waited, refusing to give into the temptation to dig through the pile of clothes on the floor to find her shoes at the same time. She sat, fingers tapping out on her knee, counting the ring tones as they echoed in her ear. When she got to ten, the phone switched to a more formal voice message than the one on his cell, asking her to press 1 to leave a message or 2 to return to the main switchboard. Emily chose neither, hanging up and slipping her phone into her front pocket before it became the latest victim of her fear and frustration. When this was all over—and he will be alive, damn it! —she was going to insist on some kind of implanted tracking device. If she had to keep herself safe, then so did he. Yeah, his job was dangerous, and yeah he loved it anyway, she got that. But god, just for tonight could he stop chasing after a mass murderer and just be with her? This madman had already taken so much from her, did he have to take Reece too?

  He took a lot more from Lily, and the other women.

  Emily stopped her pacing and pressed a hand to her mouth, suppressing a sob. Tears filled the corners of her eyes again. God, she was being so selfish! If he dreams told her anything, it was that this guy wasn’t going to stop until someone did it for him, and right now Reece was seemingly the only one that could do that. Her dreams would be ridiculed by most, but he’d believed her and now she knew they were exactly what they appeared to be. A chance to stop this guy for good. Each time she entered the world in her head, Emily swore it was as real as the solid world during the day. She could just about reach out and touch the swirling mists, she felt every pebble beneath her feet. They had to be real, everyone. They were too vivid to be anything else.