Keila (Dreamcatchers Romantic Suspense Series Book 2)

by Jamie Garrett

  As he stepped back outside his apartment, the city was already starting to stir. Newspaper vendors with papers loaded up on motorcycles were making their rounds, some nearly buried under their piles. Early risers, or perhaps late bed-goers from some of their outfits—pink glittered spandex at 6 a.m.??—were filling the streets, and the smell of coffee reached his senses. He snagged a cup on his way past a vendor and gulped it down, not tasting it. He’d need the caffeine if he was going to be searching the city all day.

  “Where are you, Keila?” he asked on the wind. Maybe her psychic powers would pick him up if he was near enough. He could only hope. A young mother passing with a jogging stroller caught his eye as she turned off to the park he and Keila had walked through before she did her thing and called out to Meathead. She’d seemed more relaxed there, even talked a little about her future. Would it be somewhere she’d go if she needed to gather her thoughts? As quickly as the thought occurred to him, his feet were jogging, and then running toward the secluded area with the pond and ducks. He passed a lone jogger on the way down the trail, but the area was empty when he got there.

  Damn it.

  He combed through the grasses at the edge of the pond, even getting down to his knees on the damp earth to look under the bench. Nothing. There were a few footstep impressions left in the mud from the previous day’s drizzle that were sized about right for Keila, but that was it. He frowned. What did he expect? The woman had fled his bed in the middle of the night. It wasn’t as if she’d leave him a note at the duck pond telling him where she’d go next. But he felt some connection to her still, there in that spot.

  He sat down on the bench, catching his breath. In the distance, he could see a group of women in a Tai Chi class, some with babies playing together on a rug. Even with one of the babies outright screaming, the moms still looked relaxed, mostly. Was that the kind of life he and Keila could have someday? Jason was jolted out of his daydream, the thought surprising him. He’d never given kids a thought before, but there he was. . . .

  And Keila is still missing. Get off your ass.

  Striding away from the pond, he crossed the park and headed in the direction of the hotel she’d been staying at when he first met her. The streets were busy, and he dodged morning runners and people in suits, already on their way to work. The roads were clogging up with rush-hour traffic, cars bumper to bumper with a motorcycle dodging in between every now and then. He passed a food truck that was an old favorite of his, roadside breakfast being common when he came off shift. He’d barely thought about work, including checking with his partner Alan, since Keila had agreed to come home with him that first day. He loved his job, and the built-in family that came with working on the front line, but if it came down to it, it was an obvious choice. Keila needed his help, and that mattered more. The heart wants what it wants, and all that. Jason grinned, his first true smile of the day. Even Alan would understand his taking off after a woman. After all, Jason had taught him everything he knew.

  Passing the hotel’s cross streets, his thoughts swung back again to his mission.

  Okay, Keila, you can figure this out, Baby. Somehow, tell me where you are.

  He had no idea how her powers worked, but he’d well and truly seen enough to know she was telling the truth. She’d been able to communicate with Emily, and so if she was stuck or trapped somewhere and there was any way, she’d find a way to do it with him, too.

  But then, if she doesn’t want to be found. . . .

  If she wasn’t trapped somewhere, but had just taken off on some misguided attempt to protect him, where would she have gone? What would have made her so determined to ditch him?

  God.

  It was so obvious, Jason nearly slapped himself on the head. She was going after Meathead. Nothing else made any sense. He needed a cab, immediately. He didn’t have the patience to book one on his cell, but fortunately it was early in the morning and there would still be enough available on the street. Standing on the curb, Jason spotted one just down the block. He held up his hand and let out an ear-piercing whistle and the taxi pulled up alongside him seconds later. Jumping in, he directed the driver north then pulled out his cell and swiped around on the map for an exact address. He remembered what suburb they’d been in, but he hadn’t exactly stopped to record the house’s address. Death threats and then Keila practically going into shock right in front of him had taken priority. Going against the rush-hour traffic, the cab made the trip quickly enough that Jason managed to refrain from telling the driver to hurry the fuck up, directing him to an address a few streets away from his end location on purpose. Ignoring the dirty look the driver gave him when he pulled out his credit card—his spare cash didn’t cover the charge, and he’d worry about going to the ATM when no one’s life was in danger—he hopped out of the cab and waited for the driver to leave before making his way across the street and down the block.

  Coming at the property from the back, Jason lined himself up with the hedges that boarded the fence line and then peeked over. The backyard was empty of everything except a few birds pecking through the grass, and so he hefted himself over the fence, dropped low to the ground, and skirted the fence line back to the same window he and Keila had listened at before. Daring a quick peek inside the room, he ducked down as a breathtakingly gorgeous woman stepped through the doorway. Was she the owner of the voice they’d heard the last time? Jason grimaced. She could be the most beautiful woman in the world and she wouldn’t measure up to Keila. Beauty was only skin deep, and that woman’s soul was black.

  “So you have her secured?”

  “Caught her coming in the basement door. How predictable.” Meathead chuckled and Jason’s hands curled into fists.

  “Good, keep her there. Send the doctor in to subdue her. The minute she’s under control, I want her and Payton ready to ship to our Asia facility.”

  Shit, did they already have Keila? And what the hell is in Asia?

  If whoever the woman was managed to smuggle Keila out of the country, they were all royally screwed.

  “We’ll be testing all the girls there for admission to the program?”

  “You let me worry about the program; just keep the girls quiet and controlled.”

  Jason’s heart skipped a beat as the woman’s heels tapped out of the room. Sure, Keila had warned him how dangerous those people were, but he hadn’t stopped to think that it could be such a massive organization. Shit, it sounded like they were global. Was that woman even in charge overall, or was she just a cog in a bigger wheel, like Meathead was? He had to get Keila out, immediately. As their voices disappeared, Jason flattened himself against the side of the house, quickly checked to make sure the room was empty, and then slipped his fingers under the mechanism to release the window screen. Thankfully the current tenants were more concerned with world domination that home repairs, and it slipped off easily. He threw a leg over the window sill and climbed in, dropping as quietly as he could on the floor inside. Moving swiftly to the doorway, he peeked through the next room, but was not prepared for what greeted him.

  “Hello.” A gun barrel was pointed at his face, and behind it the woman with the black soul. “Jason, is it? I was wondering when you’d get here.”

  Jason turned to run, but his chest came into immediate contact with two more suited goons. He heaved in a breath and turned to face the woman again.

  “Nice to meet you. What’s your name?”

  The woman chuckled. “I like this one,” she said to Meathead, “so only hurt him a little bit, okay?”

  Before he could reply, two sharp metal points poked into his side before a cramping, crippling pain flooded his body. His legs collapsed beneath him, and he fell to the ground. His hands were wrenched behind his back as every muscle screamed from the movement, and his feet were bound before a gag was shoved in his mouth and Meathead picked him up and threw him over his shoulder.

  Oh, shit.

  32

  Keila awoke with a slap to her
face. The room spun a little before it finally settled enough for her to notice Zero’s grinning face looming mere inches from hers.

  “Did you really think you could outrun me? I’m nearly disappointed in you, but then, I’ve learned what to expect.”

  Keila struggled, trying to wrench her face away from his, but she could barely move. Her hands were secured behind her, and then locked into some contraption securing her to the bed she lay on. Her feet were free, but it would do her little good unless someone got close enough to kick. Damn it, she’d been so close!

  When he’d greeted her on the other side of the basement door, she’d managed to dive between Zero’s legs, surprising the big moron, but when she’d made a break for the stairs, something hard had slammed into her back and hands had wrapped around her throat. She’d kicked and fought for all she was worth, and had even managed to get someone’s flesh between her teeth at one stage—God, she hoped that had been Zero—but there she was, tied to the bed and helpless. Keila tightened her jaw as Zero leered at her. Not that any of that meant she was giving in. She may have walked willingly into the lion’s den, but she’d never let him see an ounce of pain or defeat in her eyes. She refused to give him even the barest hint of satisfaction.

  Keila heard a snuffling sound on the other side of the room and wrenched her neck around. On another bed against a wall, a small woman lay, trussed up just like she was, except that she was also gagged. Keila saw the olive-green t-shirt before she saw the girl’s face. Payton! Refreshed fear along with added guilt slammed into her. She should have been able to save her! She should have gotten there in time.

  “Payton! I’m here.”

  One of Zero’s massive feet punched into Keila’s cheek and her lip split open. She spat blood, taking a grim satisfaction at the bit that sprinkled onto his boots.

  “Shut up, bitch, or I will end you now.”

  It probably wasn’t wise to push him much further, not while she was still bound and he obviously wasn’t against gagging too. Payton looked like she had been drugged and her eyes were closed. Keila had no idea if the girl had even heard her. She shut up and Zero grinned again.

  “So you can learn if it suits you, Girl.”

  Fuck keeping quiet. Keila was about to respond when she heard a rush of feet and someone calling Zero’s name from the corridor. He swore loudly and then left the room, slamming the door behind him. The noise outside the door receded, and a hell of a commotion started downstairs. Whatever was going on out there, it clearly wasn’t good for someone. She could only hope whatever was going on was bad for Zero’s side and not hers, but she sure as shit wouldn’t waste the distraction. Feeling around behind her, she took in a sharp breath when her finger caught on something. Great, that was what she needed—to bleed from somewhere else. She twisted her head around and could just catch sight of an old piece of copper gas line, left exposed and with cut end. Trying to suppress her wince just in case Payton came to, Keila maneuvered her hands behind her back until she felt the part that was stuck in her skin rip through.

  “Shit!”

  She hadn’t been able to hold that back, but fortunately it all stayed quiet both inside and immediately outside her temporary prison. She shuffled down a little until the flexi cuffs holding her wrists together hooked over whatever the object was.

  Please don’t be a rusty nail. Last thing I need is to die of tetanus before getting the hell out of here.

  Biting her lip to stop any more curse words escaping, Keila worked her body back and forth, dragging the hard plastic cuffs over the mystery object. Her frown of concentration turned into tipped-up corners of her mouth when she felt small plastic shavings fall into her hands, and then grew to a large grin when she felt a snap. One wrist fell back onto the bed. Her whole arm throbbed as blood flowed back into the limb and her grin made her split lip pull, but Keila didn’t care. Time to get out of this room and kick some ass.

  First things first. Payton. Keila crept to the other bed and examined the girl. Her eyes were still closed, and although her breathing was even, she showed no signs of knowing Keila was there or even that she would wake anytime soon. Keila briefly considered trying to slip inside her head and trying to wake her, but she’d never tried it with someone who was unconscious before. Besides, after what her last experience inside Payton’s head had been like, she couldn’t risk falling unconscious again herself. In the park had been dangerous enough; there it would be suicide. Instead, Keila reached around and rolled Payton over. One of Payton’s hands was restrained behind her back with a zip tie, but fortunately, Zero had decided she was only trouble enough to attach one arm to the bed.

  “Okay, Payton, sorry if this hurts.”

  Positioning Payton on her side and making sure she could still breathe, Keila lifted Payton’s arm up as high as she could without dislocating something, then positioned her knee resting lightly on the bed and slammed Payton’s hand down hard, the tie landing against her knee. The first time Payton’s arm bounced back off, but with a second try, the zip tie broke and pinged across the room. Payton’s arm dropped with a soft thwap on the bed, but she didn’t stir. Keila was about to try to wake her again when she heard footsteps and then muffled words at the door. She quickly rolled Payton on her back and silently begged her to stay unconscious for just a little longer, then flew back to her own bed and grasped her wrists behind her back.

  The door opened and Zero was once again in her face. “So have you thought on your sins long enough yet?”

  Keila looked him in the eye, and for what seemed like the millionth time just that week, wondered what the hell she’d done in a past life to be forever linked to that idiot. True, he hadn’t killed her yet, but there was still plenty of time for that. What cursed star had she been born under to attract the attentions of that man—if he even was a man? It wouldn’t surprise her in the least if he turned out to be a demon. Her foster parents were always ranting that there was one inside of her. Maybe they’d been half right after all.

  Keila stared at him, but refused to reply. Better to let him ramble on than attract his scrutiny and have him notice her restraints were gone. Zero laughed at her silence.

  “Gone soft, Little Girl?”

  Keila clenched her teeth but stayed silent. She watched as Zero paced around the room, his actions almost manic, the fast pace of his movements clashing with his physical size. Keila kept still but moved her head just enough to keep him in her sights at all times. Zero kept talking about how she had ruined plans and upset his mistress, and she could almost see the madness reflected whenever his eyes met hers. A wave of sadness washed over her unexpectedly. She was going to have to kill him; there was no other way out. Why did that upset her? Keila had known death more times than anyone should already, and God knew she was no saint, but she’d never killed anyone. Injured, fought back, sure, but to actually kill another person? Despite what her foster parents had thought lived within her, was she ready for that? Could anyone ever truly be? Zero paused in his track around the room and grabbed Payton’s limp body, shaking her as if just for emphasis. Payton’s head hung back as her neck snapped back and forth in a sickening motion, and Keila tensed her body, ready to move when Zero realized Payton was no longer restrained, but he dropped her back on the bed, too consumed with his own rantings.

  Yes, she’d never taken a life with her own hands before that night. But just sometimes, people deserved to be removed from this earth. She hissed at Zero through clenched teeth.

  “I’m going to kill you, you son of a bitch.”

  An arrogant smile spread across Zero’s face. “You should have run away when you had a chance, Girl. But you just had to save this one”—he gestured to Payton—“and now your fate is sealed.”

  God, he was almost gleeful. What the hell was he talking about?

  “You understand now, that no matter what, not everyone you care about will come out of this alive?”

  She stared back, time to bluff a little. “So I can’t save
Payton. She wouldn’t be the first.”

  “Oh, you care about her; you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t. But she’s not the only one, is she, Keila?”

  Keila’s heart froze. No! He couldn’t mean. . . . Jason didn’t know where she’d gone.

  “You thought just because you’d survived a few close calls and made acquaintance with the FBI, that made you invincible? I can break you anytime I want, and you are going to die. How fast or slow depends on you telling me where the others are.”

  “So why not just kill me now, you bastard? I’m not telling you shit.”

  Zero smiled and stepped back out of the room, talking quietly to a guard for a moment before turning back to Keila. “Oh, you will talk, one way or the other. If my visitor can’t encourage you to share, then I’ll have to show you my special surprise.”