FREEFALL (A Megalith Thriller Book 1)

by D R Sanford

“I don't remember coming here.” She glanced around, searching for anything to trigger a memory, but nothing came to her. Confused and struggling to add the missing pieces, Robbie was sure it showed on her face.

  “That is completely understandable. It took me hours to pull you into the dream I manufactured. Normally I can insert myself into active dreams and draw a patient out, but you were locked down pretty tightly. Of course, I've rarely worked with someone with your level of trauma.”

  “But why?”

  Now she was confusing Alex. He seemed lost, as though he'd been provided all the answers up until then. “Why....”

  Closing her eyes, she drew a deep breath and suffered through the web of pain. She was never known for her patience. “There's a whole list of why's, Alex. Why am I not locked in a basement? Why am I not dead? Why am I here if I don't know you? Why am I not in a hospital? Is this a hospital? Can you see that I'm kind of stuck here? To begin with, there's something strange about you. Every bit of me says I should trust you, but that's not at all like me.”

  Embarrassment flashed across Alex's face, and he turned away suddenly. He crossed to a small writing desk, pulled out the chair, and angled it to face Robbie. She noticed the discreet separation he was attempting and waited for an explanation.

  “Forgive me. I rarely press into a patient's subconscious without consent, but let's say I tested the waters and determined that intervention was required before you slipped away.” His body language screamed apology.

  “I'm listening.”

  Meeting her eyes again, he continued, “Okay, from the beginning then. My expertise lies in dream therapy for severely traumatized individuals, usually victims of abusive relationships. I received a call yesterday from one of the gentlemen who rescued you, asking me to evaluate your injuries, both physical and mental.”

  “Yeah, I wouldn't say I'm feeling like a million bucks. What happened to me anyway?”

  “Let's say the rescue did not go off without a hitch. It resulted in a car crash, and their immediate concerns were for possible internal damage.”

  “So this really isn't a hospital?”

  “Oh, no.” Alex shook his head emphatically. “They seem to be well equipped for first aid, but there are very few high-end amenities here. Don't worry, though. You're bound to experience numerous aches and pains, but it should be limited to bruises and muscle strains.”

  “You said 'they'. Not to seem ungrateful or anything, but I know people, and you're not what I would have expected.”

  Alex considered that and questioned her with his eyes, but he'd have to remain in the dark until Robbie was satisfied.

  “Hmm, I'm can't speak for them at this time, but I assure you, Robbie, we have nothing but good intentions for you. To be honest, I'm told rescuing you was not the intended goal. They had someone else in mind, but Cullen refused to leave you there.”

  A snapshot of a man came to mind, a stranger in her cell whom she'd met with clawing nails and bared teeth.

  “I think I might remember him. It's hard to believe he didn't ditch me.”

  Robbie considered the alternatives. Without their aid she'd most certainly be destined for a shallow grave. Considering her current state of health and the fact that someone obviously transported her to safety, they must command significant resources. She found herself wondering just how far their good will extended.

  “As I said, Robbie, I am not permanently aligned with those who rescued you. From what I've learned, however, I have the feeling there's further need of my assistance. They're good people, I'm sure. Some are a little rough around the edges, but I can guarantee your safety while you recuperate.”

  “Speaking of which, just how did you 'insert yourself into my subconscious'?”

  The corners of his eyes crinkled again, some humor returning and affecting his posture as well. “Ah, let's chalk that up to ancient wisdom handed down for generations.”

  Robbie returned his smile. “What, that's all I'm gonna get? You make yourself the man of my dreams and leave me hanging?”

  That only managed to unsettle him again. Clearly, she was crossing a line, drawn between them by their current unfamiliarity and his apparent professionalism.

  “Sorry, sorry, sorry. I didn't mean it that way. Gratitude just doesn't come easily for me. I'm cursed with a brazen nature, I guess.”

  “Not at all. Is there anything I can do for you? Would you like to rest?” He gestured to the bedroom door. “Or you're free to move around, both inside the home and on the ranch grounds. Everyone knows you're here and will treat you with utmost respect.”

  Robbie's heart skipped and reset to a faster rhythm as she considered the world beyond that door. Once resolved to a short-lived existence between cinder block walls, she decided that a few aches and pains would not keep her in bed.

  “I could really use some ibuprofen and coffee.”

  After months of a diet that was closely monitored by her captors, Robbie barely remembered what coffee tasted like, only the memory of its eye-opening goodness.

  Alex, the deceptively young man emanating calm and security, held out his hand once more.

  —Chapter 16—

  THE TEAM

  Robbie's introduction to the group started on a quiet note. Sitting at the dining table, she had living bookends in Erin and a newcomer named Alex. Erin doted on her as a mother would, serving hot coffee with sugar and cream on the side. Alex politely examined her limbs for any breaks or soft tissue damage that may have occurred during the car crash. She came out relatively unscathed except for bruises and some general scrapes.

  Pretending to sleep, Cullen observed their conversation from his fireside chair. Through slitted eyes he gathered parts of her story. Two weeks prior to rescue she gave birth to a baby girl. Short on detail but long on anger, Robbie mentioned something about her father betraying her to impress what she called a 'first-gen' patriarch.

  His mother took great interest in that term, asking, “Robbie, do you belong to one of the bloodlines?”

  Robbie looked to Alex, something unspoken passing between them.

  When she turned back to Erin she answered, “Two actually. My mother was part of the Lugaid family tree, operating under the surname of Heller today. She died, let's see, sixteen years ago when I was twelve. My father is an outsider who married in, and without Mom he was nothing."

  A sip of coffee and she continued, “He turned into a royal ass kisser, even took the Heller name. Malcolm would fawn all over my uncles, and they handed him sleazy work in return. Anyone distributing heroin in the Gulf states did so with his connections. He considered himself to be some sort of kingpin, never realizing that the family looked down on him. Either that or he just didn't care. Personally, I think it worked best for everyone because he's just plain stupid.”

  “Lugaid's family is known for doing the dirty work,” Erin interrupted. “Still, they wouldn't allow one of their own to waste away in a stable.”

  A humorless smirk twitched on Robbie's lips. “Under normal circumstances? No. I think he pulled some strings to accomplish that. See, by my fourteenth birthday, dear old dad re-married to some bimbo from Miami. I dropped off the map, literally and figuratively. I don't think he spoke to me for nearly a year, and I couldn't care less. At the wedding I ran into what we call cousins, a Fergusson, from another bloodline.

  “Within a week I pulled up stakes and took off in one of dad's Lamborghini douchemobiles for a road trip to New Orleans. A Fergusson met me at the port, and the rest is history.”

  “I believed the Fergussons were operating in South America, dealing in weapons,” Erin added.

  “They still are. I accepted their invitation of work and have lived under the radar, up until recently, that is.”

  “What could possibly interest you in working with the Fergussons?”

  Robbie looked quizzically at Erin. “Hold on a sec'. Are you even family? I don't think you'd be asking me that question if you were.”

  �
�Some of us are, but not Alex and myself.”

  “Huh, I knew there was something a little too good about the two of you.” She playfully elbowed Alex and received a knowing smile in return. “Anyhow, family is family. Living alone under Malcolm's roof wasn't half bad, but dealing with the harpy got on my nerves. God, I hope her implants have burst by now.”

  Cullen heard a chime of laughter at that and could see everyone relaxing a little in their chairs. He was happy that she was awake and able to share. Considering his previous experience with Robbie, then a raving prisoner, he expected screaming and scratching claws.

  She continued, “With the next school year daddy would have had me peddling the dragon to classmates. Learning the family business from the ground up, he put it. That was not going to be my life. No way.”

  “Any port in a storm, I suppose,” Alex responded. “If you've been running with the Fergussons for sixteen years, how did you end up in a Megalith stable?”

  Robbie's voice lowered, acquiring an edge. “My father turned out to be more resourceful than I imagined possible. I'm not sure if you're aware, but there are spies in all the families. For the longest time I kept a low profile in the family, but someone must have ID'd me. Three months pregnant, I was kidnapped on the streets of a local market. Next thing I knew I was back in the States, under lock and key.

  She leaned back in her chair, expelling a sigh. “The bastard was going to lock me up, just another trophy. But when he found out I was pregnant, he shuffled me off to the stable network under a false identity.”

  Fire burned in her brown eyes. She looked to Alex. “Am I free to go?”

  He covered her hand with his. “It's not really my call, Robbie, but we have no intention of keeping you here.”

  Erin stepped in. “It's not our business to hold you. The fact that you're family actually makes it easier on us. Just think if we had to explain your predicament to the authorities. We will help you in any way we can.”

  “What is the moon's current cycle?”

  A glance passed between Erin and Alex. Alex shifted uneasily in his seat, answering, “It's full in five nights.”

  Robbie wrung her hands together on the table top. Cullen sat with eyes wide open, watching as the woman calculated her options.

  “I'm not sure if I can get any Fergie's up here in time to head off a full moon ceremony, much less find Amelia in five nights.” Turning back to Erin, tears brimmed in her eyes, her chin quivered. “How am I going to get my baby girl back before her soul is wiped?”

  Erin reached out, wrapping her arms around Robbie. Full of empathy for her, Cullen's stomach tied itself in knots. Laeg entered the room unannounced with bed-head and bleary eyes.

  “Not to horn in on your conversation, but I do believe we have an ace in our hand.” He stood on the threshold of the kitchen and dining room, hands in pockets while everyone's attention turned to him.

  “And that is?” Alex asked.

  Laeg walked to the head of the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down with a yawn. “Sorry 'bout that. I don't get much sleep as Lugh's errand boy.”

  Erin cleared her throat.

  “Oh, well, it's not public information yet, but we have an inside man at Maeve's headquarters in Cruacha.”

  Alex pressed him. “What good does that do? Aren't you working on tracking down Nora before Sunday night? How are we going to find an infant born two weeks ago?”

  Laeg scowled at Alex, then smiled ingratiatingly at Robbie. “You were adopted by the Fergussons, right?”

  “I'm more Fergusson than anything else. In fact, the baby is a Fergusson.”

  Nodding his head, Laeg responded, “Forget the ace. I think we have a full house. Our inside man? That would be Fergus, and there is no way he's gonna let that slide.”

  Robbie's eyebrows rose, staring incredulously at Laeg. “Wait a second. The Fergus? The Fergusson patriarch?”

  “The one and only.”

  Cullen was certainly light on family history, and started to feel left out of the conversation. He shifted his weight, rose to his feet, and massaged the sleepiness out of his hind end.

  Catching sight of Cullen, Laeg sent a wave his way. “Good afternoon, brother. So nice of you to join us.”

  The others studied Cullen as he approached the table and sat down across from Robbie, his back to the afternoon sun. Robbie and Alex inched away for some reason. His mother's face clouded with undisguised anger. At what, he had no idea. Cullen's eyes danced to everyone at the table, begging for an explanation.

  “What? What is it?”

  “I'm going to kill that man,” Erin snapped as she jolted from her chair and stalked out of the room.

  Alex laid a protective hand over Robbie's again. He addressed Cullen in an even tone. “You are covered in blood.”

  ***

  Shocked, Cullen glanced down at his chest and arms. Larkin had shredded his shirt and left scores of bloodstains from superficial cuts.

  “Oh, don’t worry,” he said. “This is all my blood. It took me a while to get the hang of fighting with knives.”

  His explanation did nothing to set the newcomers at ease. Alex and Robbie continued to regard him with suspicion. Laeg spoke up in an attempt to break the ice.

  “I suppose it was Larkin who provided your training? Let me guess, he was channeling either Crocodile Dundee or Steven Segal.”

  “Mostly the former. There’s something seriously wrong with that man.”

  “No argument there. So tell me, are they honestly trying to get you up to speed in three days?” Laeg asked as though it couldn’t possibly be done.

  “I guess so. Ferdiad thinks it’s important that I’m part of this, and trust me, there’s no way I’ll be excluded from getting Nora back.”

  “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea. Breaking in to Cruacha is a lot different than knocking off a few guards at a worship center. And you didn’t even want to carry a weapon at the time.”

  A flush warmed Cullen’s cheeks. Normally so even tempered, lately he found it hard to keep his emotions from boiling over. “Things are a little different now, Laeg. Besides, I seem to remember dragging you out of there and saving your ass on the road.”

  Laeg pointed across the table at Robbie. “None of that would have happened if you had listened to me and left her there. We shouldn’t have even been there in the first place.”

  Robbie looked at Cullen with renewed interest. “The two of you got me out of the stable?”

  “Don’t sound so surprised,” said Laeg. “I happen to have been born and bred for that kind of work. My backup is usually a little more experienced, however.”

  “I don’t recall inviting you,” Cullen retorted. “And why are you getting on my case all of a sudden?”

  “Why?” Laeg’s voice rose, becoming confrontational. “Can you not see what’s going on? Maybe I’m just tired from driving all over the country to deliver you and your girlfriend to the ranch and then heading out again to get her a witch doctor.” His hands spread out, encompassing everyone in the room. “Or perhaps I’ve gotten used to living, and I don’t want Sunday to be my last day on earth!”

  Ferdiad stormed in through the kitchen’s side door, followed by a fuming Erin. “Enough already!” his voice boomed. “I sure hope everyone has had a chance to talk about their feelings, because I’ve had enough.

  “Erin says my training is too hard on Cullen. Laeg is tired of doing his job and is scared to get in a real fight.”

  “I never said that.”

  Ferdiad glared at Laeg. Cullen wisely kept his mouth shut. Occupying most of the dining room’s entryway, Ferdiad turned on the others while Erin stepped quickly to Cullen. She rubbed her fingers across streaks of dried blood on his cheeks, even wetting them on her tongue to clean some of it off.

  He tried to dismiss her, embarrassed by her ministration, but only succeeded in calling attention to more blood on his hands and forearms.

  “I’m fine, Mom, really. Every
thing is healed.”

  She held up his hand, more red than skin toned, and directed her ire at Ferdiad. “How could you let him train with Larkin? The man is crazy. I lock my room at night knowing he’s under the same roof.”

  “Pfah, he’s harmless. To his friends at least. Besides, Larkin is nursing a few wounds himself. Cullen is coming along nicely. I’m more concerned about the girl. She’s not part of the plan. We don’t have enough people to infiltrate Cruacha for Nora and the baby, much less look for an infant in a different part of the complex.”

  Robbie cut in, “You won’t have to worry about me. Just get me in the front door, and I’ll take care of my part.”

  “And jeopardize my operation? Not likely.”

  “I can take care of myself.”

  “It’s not you I’m worried about. You’re welcome to your own funeral. Now, what if you slip up and get caught?”

  “Then I’ll serve as a convenient distraction, won’t I?” She stood up, her lithe figure challenging the mountain of a man before her. “I’m a Fergusson. This isn’t my first bull ride.”

  Ferdiad’s impatience was getting the best of him. He reached out to Robbie’s shoulder, either to keep her out of his personal space or turn her back to her seat. The hand never made it to its destination.

  Quick as a striking snake, Robbie’s hands flew up, grasped his forearm, and hurled Ferdiad over her hip. He crashed into her empty chair, smashing it into kindling.

  Cullen knew Ferdiad to be gruff, demanding, and maybe even sadistic. But for all of his shortcomings the man was fair.

  He rose from the floor, shooing away Alex, and grumbled all the way to the exit. The screen door slammed shut behind him. Cullen watched his retreating back but could easily envision the scowl on Ferdiad’s face.

  ***

  The following two days were a familiar repeat of Wednesday, only harder. Ferdiad tested Robbie on the course, and she performed much better than Cullen initially had. After firing on her, and missing, from the opposite end of the course, Velasco appeared impressed and even introduced himself as Val. Cullen suppressed a twinge of jealousy until he remembered that Robbie had over a decade of experience under her belt, much like the others in this motley crew.