* * *
Emily nodded, snuggling close to Derek. She wanted to spend another few minutes with him before they took off for the condo. She needed a little more time to feel him. Not just his beautiful body on the outside, but what was inside, too. Her emotional connection with him was an addictive drug, something she knew she couldn’t live without. She needed her Derek fix before life got in the way again.
Derek turned his head and looked at her, gently running his fingers across her back. She let the psychic connection splay open, making a wide path for his life force to travel across. It did, pouring into her with the clarity of a mountain stream, bringing with it a sense of wonder and harmony. At that moment, he seemed happy and content. His calm warmed her heart.
At times her talent to read someone’s emotions became disconcerting, like when it latched onto someone evil or filled with hate. But not this time. Derek’s aura was soothing, and somehow it was helping her recover from her post-jump symptoms faster.
Her sixth sense, as she called it, was a direct result of The Taking—the night in 1985 when Emily and her mom were abducted and tortured. The night Emily lost her mom. The night Emily started jumping forward through time. The night her innocent life came to an end and was replaced by a wicked nightmare. She’d been jumping ever since—two years subjective time, about thirty years objective time.
“You ready?” Derek asked, running his fingers across her cheek.
“No, but we can leave.”
They stood up and walked the last few blocks to the new condo complex. When they arrived, Emily realized where they were. The location brought up a horrific event from her past. She yanked on Derek’s arm, then pointed across the street.
“Sweetie, I can’t be here. This spot brings back a lot of awful memories. I watched Jim get shot over there. This is where he almost died because of me.”
“I know, Em, but listen—you need to rest. This is the best choice we have.”
“But—”
“I know you’re concerned, but I used to sneak into places like this all the time. No one is ever around at night. You need sleep, and I need to know you’re safe before I head out. Trust me on this, okay? They’re just memories from the past. They can’t hurt you. I need you to be strong and push through it.”
“Okay. You’re right. I need sleep. I’m exhausted.”
“Yeah, but you look beautiful.” He leaned in to kiss her, but she pushed him away.
“Not so fast. You want me to jump again?”
“Oh yeah, that. I keep forgetting.”
“I know. It sucks. Just don’t pressure me, okay? I can’t deal with anything more right now.”
“Whatever you want,” Derek said with a half-smile. “Now, follow me. I know how we can get in. See that sign?”
Emily looked up and read the advertisement with tired eyes:
Tired of Commuting?
Make your move today! Downtown living, walking distance to work, shopping, and nightlife! Churchill Crescent Luxury Demo Units Now Available for Viewing.
By appointment only.
(602) 555-3770
“Okay, how?”
“One of my roommates works for the cleaning company that just got hired for this complex. I know for a fact that their crew leaves the back door propped open while they’re loading up the cleaning equipment and supplies after their shift. All we have to do is wait for a chance to slip past them and we’re in.”
“It pays to have friends.”
“Well, not a friend, exactly. I can’t stand the dude, but he does like to talk. I figure since he’s volunteering the info, might as well take advantage.”
“Makes sense. But what about clothes? As much as I love this blanket, it’s just not doing it for me.”
“We can probably find something in their van. A cleaning jumpsuit or some clothes that one of them might have changed out of.”
“Assuming it fits.”
He nodded. “If nothing else, I’ll bring you something tomorrow when I see you.”
Emily smiled. “Just make sure it’s not pink, ‘cause this girl don’t do pink.”
“Got it,” he said, laughing. “What about shoes?”
“That would be nice. Although, my feet are so calloused now, alligators are starting to get jealous.”
He continued to laugh, not responding this time.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Two hours later, Emily was standing alone in front of the huge master bedroom window of a luxury condo unit on the top floor, wearing a one-piece jumpsuit they’d lifted from the cleaning van. It was several sizes too large and an ugly orange color, but at least it wasn’t pink. It had pockets everywhere and smelled like cigarettes, but it would do for the night. New clothes and sneakers would be first up on her agenda in the morning.
Derek had been right—there was a fully decked-out demo unit, complete with TVs, appliances, and everything except food and personal items, like clothes. However, there were pastel-colored linens in the bathroom for decoration, which she made quick work of after taking a long, hot bath. The residence was her own little taste of heaven with clean sheets, thick carpeting, and a plush bed. She loved being surrounded by all the lavish space. It made her feel like royalty; if only there had been a world-class chef and a willing butler to cater to her every whim. A handsome butler, she thought. Someone as cute as Derek, but not as complicated. She smiled, thinking of the new love in her life.
Earlier, she’d snuggled next to Derek on the leather couch before he took off for the group home. Missing curfew would have been a violation of his early release, and even though he wanted to stay longer with her, she wouldn’t let him. She almost had to turn into a total bitch and force him to leave, but he finally got up and left. They shared a quick goodnight kiss in the hallway and he was gone.
At first, Derek wanted to return in the morning with clothes and shoes for her, blowing off school for the day, but she wouldn’t let him. It took some explaining, but she finally convinced him she had it covered. They’d made plans to meet at the Burton Barr Public Library the next evening, after Derek finished school and his homework. His rigid schedule seemed like a good tradeoff to her: get out of jail early but be forced to go back to school like a normal person. Derek wasn’t exactly normal, but she figured he could fake it long enough to graduate. He needed to take advantage of the program offered by the state and make something of himself.
When she asked him about what he thought he might do with his life, he told her he wanted to be a sports writer. That, and of course, stay alive and out of jail. She figured each of those goals would prove to be more difficult than he thought since they were forced to live on the streets around Glassford Park or in group homes. Not exactly the proper environment for study and achievement. Yet, she was supportive of his dreams, making sure he knew she was behind him one hundred percent. Having a career or going to school was something she could only dream about. If she couldn’t have a normal life, then he’d better find a way to make it happen. For her and for him.
The master bedroom was a little too warm, so she used the twist handle to open one side of the window near the bed. A powerful rush of night air smacked her in the face, sending her hair whipping about. She hoped it would only take a few minutes for the brisk wind to lower the room’s temperature to where she wanted it. Winter in Arizona wasn’t blistering cold, but the nights could get chilly, especially on the twentieth floor of a high-rise as dawn approached.
She stood motionless for another five minutes, looking through the sparkling glass, letting the stunning view of the cityscape and its sprawling sea of lights dazzle her vision. The moon was crisp and bright, floating halfway up from the horizon, showering downtown Phoenix with an eerie backlight, making everything appear medieval.
The room’s window was an impressive pair of rectangles that extended from two and a half feet off the floor all the way past where she could reach up with her hand, giving her an incredible wide-angle view of everything
. Across the street was one of the city’s tallest buildings—seventy floors at least. It was an office building, if she remembered correctly from something she’d read in the library about its unique construction challenges. It rose up like a twisted DNA strand, reaching for the heavens with every story.
On one of the twisting sides facing her, some of the lights were on. They loosely formed the letter C. She smiled, thinking of her mother, Candi. Then sorrow tried to creep into her heart, but she wouldn’t let it. She turned it away in a second, wanting to enjoy the quiet moment and the picturesque view.
She leaned through the window opening and looked down at the intersecting streets, searching for signs of movement. There were none. The city was asleep for the night, resting until the new dawn arrived. She took her hands off the window frame and put her arms out like a preacher getting reading to bring it home at the end of a Sunday service. The breeze rocked her, making her heart race as she thought about what it would feel like to let herself fall. If she did jump, would she splat on the pavement before the jump process could carry her away to safety? Sometimes the jump happened quickly, and other times it was slow and methodical. Since she couldn’t control it either way, she decided to take one last refreshing breath of air and step back inside. She used the handle to shut the window, though she didn’t close it completely. The room’s current temperature was close to where she wanted it. She hoped that by cracking the window open an inch, it would remain that way all night until it was time to make an early exit before the staff showed up for work.
Emily focused on a wooden interior ledge that stuck out along the window’s bottom edge. It extended into the room about four inches and would be the perfect place for a few miniature houseplants, and maybe a stuffed animal or two. A little more greenery was all the place needed, channeling something her deceased mother had once said.
She studied the decorative, thick-grained wood frame around the window. It was a stunning accent to an already impressive design, though it needed a window covering. Not enough privacy, with all the creepers around with their telescopes. She switched off the lamp on the nightstand, removed the jumpsuit and let it fall to the floor, then climbed into bed. The silky-soft sheets slid past her bare feet and legs with ease, making her feel like a princess.
The lamp’s artificial luminance was replaced by brilliant moonlight piercing the glass as it danced its way through random patches of clouds in the night sky. It cascaded across the room, filling her eyes with a soft glow. She wondered if its intensity would keep her awake.
Her mind quickly wandered, thinking of what it would be like to sleep next to Derek every night in a bed like this. If she had a home of her own someday, she wanted grass in both the front and back yards, a vegetable garden on the side, and lots of trees everywhere—huge shade trees to keep the Arizona summer heat at bay. Maybe even a red and white Siberian husky named Sheena that she could teach to play fetch with a tennis ball. She knew none of it would ever happen, but still, she let herself relish the idea of living a normal life with Derek.
Twenty minutes later, her dreams were cut short when she heard a man’s voice that she didn’t recognize coming from outside the bedroom. Whoever it was had a gruff voice with a thick accent full of twangs. It sounded like he was just down the hall from her room, placing him in the central living area of the condo.
She sat bolt upright in bed to listen. Her hands and knees were shaking, but not nearly as fast as her heart was beating. It felt like she had a turbocharged piston in her chest and it was trying to break itself free.
“Marco, you and Slick spread out and grab all them appliances. Tex, you and I got da electronics. Fucking developer thinks he can skip a payment. When will dese assholes learn? Take everything dat’s not nailed down. It still won’t cover what he owes me, but it’s a start.”
Emily slid out of bed and put her jumpsuit on while she continued to listen, hoping to formulate an escape plan.
“When yur all done, trash ‘da place. We gonna send a strong message.”
“Should we call Rico and tell him to bring the truck around back? It’ll make loading up all this shit a lot easier.”
“Go ahead. I wanna check out da rest of the place. I’m sure there’s more stuff we can fence in them bedrooms.”
Emily gasped when she heard those words, feeling the jump tingle ignite inside of her. She was already weak from the recent pair of jumps, and worried that her body couldn’t handle another one so soon. Nevertheless, she didn’t want to stop the blue fire, hoping to escape the condo unharmed.
A moment later, footsteps made their way down the hallway. She froze, looking for someplace to hide, but the bedroom door flew open before she could decide what to do. A towering, skuzzy-looking biker-type came through wearing a chain vest, a tattered white undershirt, leather wraps on his wrists, dirty jeans covered with what Emily assumed was automotive grease, and a gold earring hanging from each ear.
“Well looky here,” the giant growled, pulling a knife from a sheath on his belt. He smiled, showing a disgusting set of missing and stained teeth. He stood at least six feet tall and probably weighed three hundred pounds. His black and gray-colored beard was frizzy and wide, and traveled down past his flabby chest and pair of man-boobs. Despite its length, the facial hair couldn’t hide the intruder’s massive belly that hung several inches below his waistline. He stood with an arch in his spine, tilting back on his hipbones to support the enormous weight he was hauling around the middle.
“Tonight’s my lucky night—I get revenge on an asshole who owes me money, and to top it off, I get you. You picked da wrong night to crash here, little lady. Whatta you, a runaway? Just some street trash with a horrible wardrobe problem?” He laughed. “A junkie no one’s gonna miss?”
Emily took a shuffle step to her left.
The intruder countered her move with his hands wide and knife at the ready. “Don’t even try to run. You ain’t gettin’ past dis old dog.”
When the ugly man took a step closer Emily backed up, pressing her body against the wall next to the closet. She stared into the man’s eyes as his smile seemed to grow wider and even more sinister with each passing second. Emily had seen a sadistic smile like that before when she was strapped naked to the storage shelves in Jim’s restaurant, and what had followed that night wasn’t pleasant.
She flashed on the fat man, hoping to gain an advantage by reading his thoughts and emotions. It only took a nanosecond to connect with the monster and feel his intense cruelty, violence, and hatred for everything female. His ex-wife had had him convicted and thrown in jail for ten years for the beatings he gave her. What nobody else knew was that he’d recently tracked down his ex-wife, beaten her unconscious and thrown her broken body into a deep mine shaft in the Arizona desert. Emily gasped when those memories entered her mind. She could see the woman’s bloody face and mangled body as he rolled her into the hole and smiled, watching her plunge to her death.
His evil continued to flow into her, turning everything inside her brain upside down and red like blood. Her head felt as though it was being pressurized from the inside out, bringing with it a surge of pain from the growing sickness he shared with her. She tried to terminate the connection, but she couldn’t. His psychic force was too strong, flowing into her with the power of a hydraulic press.
She couldn’t take the insanity of his thoughts or the throbbing misery that came with it. As the psychic pressure continued to mount, she slid down the wall and curled herself into a ball, with her hands wrapped around the sides of her head. She screamed in pain, feeling the jump tingle give way to the agony and fade away.
Just then, one of the other intruders came through the door and took the fat guy’s attention away from Emily. At that moment, her connection with him dropped and the pain vanished equally as fast.
“What’s going on in here?” the second biker-type asked. He was a tiny, trailer-trash looking man, maybe five foot four and half the size of the first guy. “Looks
like we’re not alone tonight.”
“Found me a little honey.”
“Nice.”
“Something wrong with her, though.”
“What do ya mean?”
“Might be sick. In the head type thing.”
“What does that matter, Big Mike? I’ll do her for ya,” the skinny man said, taking a step toward Emily with fire in his eyes.
Big Mike moved his girth in front of the other man with an outstretched arm. “Hold on, Slick. This one is all mine.”
Mike curled the sausage fingers on his free hand to make a fist just as his jaw went stiff. His face turned a deep shade of red, and Emily could see the artery on the side of his neck stand at attention like a twisted length of rope.
She knew he was about to beat her senseless, and God only knows what else after that.
“I’ll guard the door, in case she makes a run for it,” Slick said.
“No need. I got this. You and the rest of da boys finish up and get everything to da truck. Dis won’t take long.”
Slick didn’t respond. He left the room, closing the door behind him.
Emily crawled to her knees and looked around the room, but there was nothing to use as a weapon. She was defenseless and out of options now that the jump process had been squashed and hadn’t restarted.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
The behemoth of a man took a short step toward her, his knife glistening in the light streaming in through the window. His eyes cut into hers, but she was prepared this time. The connection couldn’t force its way inside since she had erected a psychic shield capable of withstanding his mental force. It was something she hadn’t done before, but necessity had forced her skills to evolve, and evolve they had.
He twisted the blade in the air like he was screwing it into the ceiling. The room’s ambient light allowed Emily to see clearly, as if they were standing outside in the middle of a cloudy afternoon.
Glassford Girl: Boxed Set (Complete Series) (Time Jumper Series) Page 26