by Nina Crespo
Chapter 14
Lauren paced in front of an empty row of blue vinyl seats in the hospital waiting area. Standing at the top of the incline, horror had seized her heart. All she could do was watch Reid and the girl tumble away. She’d prayed for a miracle. Then he’d appeared on the road holding the girl. How had they gotten there so fast? Shock. That was it. She’d zoned out and didn’t see him climbing up. See? A simple, reasonable explanation.
The slide and flip of turning pages snagged her attention. An impeccably dressed blond-haired man in a blue suit and tie sat in the corner reading a magazine. His snowy white dress shirt stood out against his tanned skin.
Slide, flick. Slide, flick. The sound of the pages seemed magnified times ten. He couldn’t read that fast.
She closed her eyes, trying to think of something else to block it out. A vision of Reid, glowing on the side of the road, appeared. Dirt, pollen, some chemical he’d picked up while saving the girl? A good explanation existed for that, too. Right?
The soles of heavy shoes thudded on the tile flooring. Reid came down the hall. Mud stained his clothing and boots. His gaze bore into hers.
Tears welled and she blinked. Who cared what happened? Run to him. Let him hold and kiss her until the questions didn’t matter. But her feet remained stuck in place.
“Lauren.” Reid swallowed hard as he took her hand. “I know you’re probably freaked out, but let me explain.”
Finally. He’d clarify the situation, and she could put her overactive imagination to rest.
Dried blood stained his ripped sleeve.
“Are you okay? Did you have to get a lot of stitches?” She lifted the fabric. She saw only smooth, unmarred skin underneath. “But you were hurt.”
“I’m fine.”
No. She’d heard the EMTs say he needed stitches. They’d also mentioned a possible fractured rib, too. That’s why they’d taken him away in the ambulance.
Reid’s gaze held hers as if imploring her to understand. What was he going to tell her? “Ms. Blake, Mr. Montgomery.” A thin, balding man in a law enforcement uniform approached. “I’m Deputy Halstad. If you don’t mind, I’d like to get your statements about Jenny Landon’s accident.”
They sat down. As Lauren and Reid recounted what happened, Reid’s thigh touched hers. She battled with the urges to lean into him or move away. He was going to tell her something terrible.
“That should do it.” The deputy looked over his notes. “I just need an address and phone number where I can contact you in the next few days if I have questions.”
Reid tensed.
That’s right. He wouldn’t have an address, at least not here. She laid a hand on his thigh and forced a polite smile. “One eighteen Hollows Road.”
“Is that where I can reach both of you?” The deputy’s gaze moved between her and Reid.
Slide, flick, slide, flick.
Her heart beat in time with the turning pages. “Yes.” She gave Halstad her phone number.
They all stood. The deputy turned to Reid. “That was a tough save. The rescue squad said if you hadn’t gotten Ms. Landon out before the car slid, she probably wouldn’t have made it.”
Reid gave Halstad a nod. “I just did what needed to be done. How’s Jenny doing? Is her family on the way?”
“She’s headed to surgery to take care of a fractured leg. Her mom’s flying in.” Deputy Halstad smiled. “The drugs they gave Jenny kicked in while I was talking to her. She kept saying an angel saved her.”
The deputy left.
Was Reid an angel? As heavenly as it was in his arms, she wouldn’t call it an angelic experience. An image of Reid widening her thighs with his shoulders, intent on giving her pleasure, flashed in. Her face heated. Another vision of him appearing on the road with Jenny replaced it. Who had she spent the past few days with? Why did she sense that finding out would break her heart?
He grabbed her hand. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
She didn’t want to talk about it, not now, not tomorrow. Lauren jerked back her hand. “I should get in touch with Celine. I talked to her earlier. She asked about coming to the hospital, but I told her not to. I hate that we ruined her and Thane’s afternoon, but maybe we can reschedule. So I should call her back to do that, shouldn’t I?” Lauren reached for her purse lying next to her in the seat.
Reid caught her arm. “Don’t.” Determination sharpened his jawline. “You can’t ignore what you saw.”
Oh, yes she could.
He glanced at the guy reading the magazine. “We can’t talk here.”
“We can’t leave. You heard what the deputy said. Jenny is going in for surgery. Her mother isn’t here yet. She shouldn’t be left alone.” Her throat clogged. No. She had to keep talking. “What if Jenny wakes up and no one’s here? I’ll stay. You go.” Her voice faded to a whisper. “You go, Reid. Maybe it’s better that we don’t discuss what happened at all.”
Reid cupped her cheek. “No. It’s not.”
When she’d woken up in his arms this morning, she’d looked forward to a perfect day with their friends. How had it all gone so wrong? But what had she expected? A whirlwind romance with a stranger who showed up on her doorstep. Did she really believe it would all end nicely wrapped with a bow?
“Don’t push me away.” He settled his forehead on hers. “Please. Give me a chance to help you understand.”
The sincerity in his tone, the warmth of his palm, the gentle stroking of her cheek sliced through resolve. “All right.”
A middle-aged couple escorted an older woman to a seat. The couple huddled around her in comfort. A physician in scrubs took the seat across from them. Another woman stood nearby.
Reid tugged her arm. “There’s a chapel down the hall.”
They entered the cool, quiet room and sat in a pew. Blue stained glass added color to the spiritually neutral place, a sanctuary built to soothe the mind and soul. It wouldn’t provide a refuge to protect her from what was to come.
“This is going to sound unbelievable, but hear me out.” He took her hand, frowning with a look as if he struggled with what to say. “Thane and I aren’t just in a band. We know each other from the army. We served in a Special Forces recon unit together. On the way back from a mission, our helicopter took a hit. Back then, I was almost cocky enough to believe I’d live forever. I wasn’t scared. Instead, I was pissed about going out that way. I’d started to resign myself to things being over when everything stopped.” His gaze took on a faraway look. “This guy appeared out of nowhere. It was Dalir. He’s an ancient warrior with powers. He gave us a choice—die or follow him.” A sardonic smile hitched up the corner of his mouth. “Since I hadn’t planned on dying that day, I went. So did Thane and the team. In exchange, he gave us the power to manipulate time.”
An involuntary flinch jerked her hand, and he intertwined their fingers
Please. Tell me anything but this. A lightning strike. An experimental shot or a pill.
But disbelief prompted her to know. “Manipulate time. What do you mean?”
“Time travel is the easiest way to define it. I can jump into the future, but I can also move from one place to another really fast.” His gaze held hers. “Before I showed up at the cabin, I was on a mission and something went wrong. Instead of jumping back two and a half years to what I know as present time, I only jumped six months. Then I landed myself here. I didn’t remember any of it. The accident today jarred my memory.”
Reason fought with Lauren as she fumbled through his explanation. “So, you’re saying for you, this is the future?”
“Yes.”
“And Thane came with you?”
“No. Thane was already here.”
“But—”
“I know it’s confusing. I have to take care of something with Thane, but afterwards, I’ll tell you everything.” He gripped her hand tighter. “But first, I want to make sure things are good between us.”
When she’d decided to help him
, she’d acknowledged possible complications. She’d thought him getting his memory back would free the doubt. They’d have a chance to move forward. But, according to him, they were already into the future. Strangely, it made sense.
“How can it be good? You’re not supposed to be here. You’re supposed to be in…” The insanity of it wouldn’t let her repeat it.
He tightened his grip. “The important thing for you to remember here or the present or in some other future is that you matter to me, Lauren.”
“The present…the future. What are you saying? That you’ll just hook up with me some other time and we’ll do this all over again?”
A tinge of apprehension clouded his expression. Reid shifted in his seat.
Realization dawned. “We’re already doing it again, aren’t we? What am I, some convenient sidepiece you visit whenever you’re in town? Am I waiting for you someplace else?” She pulled away.
He grabbed her hand. Anger darkened his eyes to a deep brown. “We spent one night together. That’s how I knew about the cabin. You had a sketch on your wall.” His nostrils flared with an exhale. “Damn it, Lauren. I don’t know how to make you understand. I wasn’t anxious to leave that night.”
“But you did, and you’re leaving again. Aren’t you?”
“I have to finish the mission. Lives are at stake.”
Today this mission, tomorrow, another cause. Just like her father, Reid wouldn’t walk away from duty. She snatched her hand away. “You should go.”
“Lauren, I can’t leave with you angry. I didn’t plan this.”
The stain glass blurred. A time traveler? She hadn’t seen that coming. He was leaving her for a mission. Just like it had been with her dad, she didn’t have a place in Reid’s life. She couldn’t go through that again. As she forced herself to meet his gaze, she defied a stab of pain so sharp it made her shake. “Don’t look for me here or anywhere else. Stay away from me.”
“You have a right to be upset.”
“Don’t tell me what I have a right to be. I’m not some toy you can throw away and leave behind when you’re done with it. Just go! I mean it. I want you out of my life. Forever.”
He sucked in a breath as if she’d struck him. His expression turned neutral. “Fine. If that’s what you want.” In a shower of golden light, he disappeared.
It wasn’t a crazy, mixed-up dream. He was really gone. Air conditioning added to the numbness chilling her to the bone. She hugged herself, shivering, hurting, wanting to scream at the world. A time traveler? Was Thane one, too? Did Celine know?
“Excuse me. Ms. Blake?” A middle-aged version of Jenny walked into the chapel. “The nurse said I might find you here. My name is Kate. I’m Jenny’s mom.”
Lauren stood. “You made it. I know Jenny’s happy you’re here. How is she?”
Bumps, bruises, and a cast on her leg. That’s it.” Kate’s eyes grew wet. “She’s alive thanks to you and your boyfriend. If you two hadn’t have been there, we would have lost her.” Jenny’s mom sobbed as Lauren hugged her tight.
Lauren recalled the car starting to slide down the incline with Jenny trapped inside and Reid on top it. For a moment, she’d thought they weren’t going to make it, and then…
“You’re heroes.” Kate swiped away tears. “That’s what I told the police. Where’s your boyfriend? I wanted to thank him, too.”
“Reid?” She forced lightness. “He had somewhere to go.”
“I hope I get to meet him.” Kate laughed. “Jenny’s still woozy from the anesthesia. She keeps telling everyone a wonderful, shiny angel flew her out of the car.”
The glow. Jenny had noticed it, too. “I’m glad he was there.”
“So am I.” Kate’s face brightened further with a tremulous smile. “He saved my baby.” She squeezed Lauren’s hand. “You’re lucky to have a guy so brave and selfless. He’s rare. Hold onto him.”
Lauren’s throat grew tight. This is what Reid gives people. He’d given Kate her daughter and Jenny another chance at life.
Kate’s smile faltered. “Are you okay? You’re pale.”
“I guess it just hit me.” She faked a relaxed expression. “I’m fine.”
Kate squeezed Lauren’s hand. “Tell him thank you for me. I should get back to Jenny.” She gave Lauren another hug and left.
Lauren sank to the seat. Her heart ached. The things she’d said to him. She’d lashed out at him in selfishness, fear. She’d even compared him to her father in the worst way. She hadn’t considered Reid or her father serving a greater good. Only how she’d felt.
The door to the chapel opened.
She searched her purse for a tissue. Whoever came in would think she had a good reason to cry. Stupidity didn’t fit as a qualification.
“Here.” The impeccably dressed man from the waiting room held out a white handkerchief. The intensity of his gaze, one blue eye, the other brown, startled her. His handsome features had an unnerving, ethereal quality.
“No, thank you.” She rifled through her purse. “I have tissues someplace.”
The man sat beside her on the pew, almost invading her space. “Why are you crying?”
How rude. Didn’t he know better than to ask that type of question in a hospital? She scooted away. “I’d rather not talk about it.”
He placed his arm behind her on the back of the pew and slid closer.
A cloying, acrid scent like roses and burning cloves assaulted her senses.
“Don’t you like talking about your boyfriend?” A harsh grin turned the perfection of his face into a mask of pure malevolence. “I’d like to hear all about him.”
Lauren curled her fingers around the stun gun. Her heartbeat pushed out of her chest. One push to his hip or torso should take him down. She whipped it out.
He disappeared.
Where did he go? Pain exploded in the back of her head. The world tunneled into darkness.
Lauren peeled her eyelids open. She was lying on the backseat of a car. Her head pounded. A cloth gag robbed moisture from her mouth. Fear and sweat trickled down her spine.
Where was she? Where was the man who’d taken her? What did he want? She squirmed. A tingling ache radiated through her shoulders from the strain of her hands tied behind her.
The back door opened. The blond man from the hospital chapel peered in. “You’re awake.” He pulled her into a sitting position. “I’m removing the gag, but if you scream, you’ll regret it.” His brow rose with an indulgent expression. “Trust me. You don’t want that.”
He tipped a bottle of water to her lips, and she greedily chugged. “Who are you and why are you doing this?”
His gaze narrowed as if considering the questions. “You’re my insurance policy.”
She swallowed hard, forcing water past the tightening in her throat. “For what?”
“I need your boyfriend”
“He’s not my boyfriend. I don’t mean that much to him.” She prayed for that. Reid had more important people to save.
He chuckled. “We both know that’s a lie. Time to go home.” He stepped aside and let her get out.
Dirt crunched under her wedge heels as they walked through the trees. They were east of the cabin. Chances were she knew the area better than he did. She could fight and get away. Lauren pretended to stumble and sagged heavily.
His hold loosened.
She spun and kneed him in the balls.
He let go and Lauren ran, kicking off her sandals in the process. She sprinted in the direction of the pond. Twigs snapped. Gravel dug into her soles. Please! Let someone be there.
Full body contact slammed her to the ground. He crushed her ribs as he fisted her hair. His exhalations heated the tears on her cheek. “Try that again, and I will hurt you. Permanently.”
Her captor hauled her up so hard her shoulder popped. Lauren sank her teeth into her bottom lip, stifling a yelp. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of hearing it. “You won’t win.”
He yanked her
back against his chest. His cologne mixed sickeningly with the scent of sweat. “Yes. I will. I’m what’s least expected. He won’t see me coming when I take back what’s mine, and your boyfriend will help me do it.”
As she looked into his eyes, cold slithered through her. Fair trade didn’t exist in his DNA. He’d hurt Reid. “Who are you?”
His arrogant grin didn’t reach his eyes. “My brother’s worst nightmare.”
Chapter 15
Thane and Reid materialized in the woods near the cabin.
Reid triangulated his position according to the sun and pointed left. “This way.”
“You sure about that?” Thane adjusted the backpack hanging from his shoulder.
“Definitely.” Reid’s past and present had sorted itself out clearly now.
“Are you sure you don’t want to change?” Thane eyed Reid’s torn and muddy clothes. In contrast, Thane, dressed in cargo pants, boots, and a T-shirt, appeared ready for an afternoon trek.
“No. Let’s get this done.”
They climbed uphill. Reid filled Thane in on Dent and Project Samson. “After Dent crashed, I grabbed the canisters. I knew something was wrong as soon as I phased. I couldn’t control it.”
He led Thane past the clearing where he and Lauren had stopped on their hike. He’d let impatience get in the way. If they’d only hiked a bit longer, he may have remembered. He would have left, and Lauren wouldn’t hate him.
“I’d phased to the cabin once in the future. When I realized I wasn’t going to make it back to the team, I focused on getting to a safe place. At the time, coming here made sense.” He stopped near a cluster of trees. “It felt like I was splintering into pieces. I barely remember burying the canisters and marking the tree.” He pointed to his shirt tied to one of the limbs. “I passed out. You know the rest.”
Thane unzipped the pack and took out a folding shovel. “Your story tracks so far. Let’s see if it’s here.” He dug into the damp earth. The dirt he piled near the hole grew higher and higher.
It has to be there. Reid resisted the urge to drop down and scoop dirt out the hole.