Dream - Dream Specter Part 17

It was really strange the way her abilities just seemed to respond to her commands. Now that she'd witnessed the precise manner that Jared and his family used to apply their own skills, she felt like the junior member of the team, envious of the clearly more advanced members.

Jealous and resentful. It was all milling about inside her head. Should she be grateful for the fact that her abilities had led her to Jared? Maybe not, but she's a;lso not bitter, either.

Tipping her head back, she studied the night sky. She was so very tried of fighting. Tonight there seemed to be nothing more appealing than surrender. There were far worse places than this mountain.

It was really strange the way she was learning to focus in on one person at a time. At the moment she could clearly sense Jared as he searched about her feelings. Forcing her attention away from his, Rosh.e.l.le tried to point her talents onto another target.

Controlling the image forced Rosh.e.l.le to apply brutal self-control over herself. She could feel it, almost taste it but identification was refusing to become clear. The mental picture was far too fuzzy for her to make out. s.h.i.+fting her aim she sought to simply feel the image, opening her mind to the complexities of the human soul.

Her body jerked violently away from the reminder of evil. The thick stench of self-centered greed invaded her mind as she found herself facing her captor again. More skilled at interpreting her feelings, Rosh.e.l.le found another layer to the man's depravity. She recoiled from the horror but forced herself to hold onto the image.

She could see him if she just forced the image to become clearer. All she needed was a name, maybe an address anything that would provide a way to find him.

She never got it. Jared snared her attention as he plucked her from the chair by her biceps. Knowing the brutal precision of his mind didn't lessen its bite as he probed her thoughts in search of her vision. Pain snaked through her body as she simply tried to prevent herself from slipping into an oblivion that would shelter her from the agony.

"Jared, release her."

He heard his mother, but Jared just couldn't let it go. He could feel the b.a.s.t.a.r.d. If he just pushed harder he'd form the link that would allow him to track him down.

Grace wanted that link almost as badly as her son did, but the processes of pulling it from Rosh.e.l.le's mind would be traumatic enough to send the girl into shock. Not an advisable course of action when the girl was pregnant. Jared was too intent on his course to consider the physical consequences. The fact that her son was twice her size didn't deter Grace from attempting to separate Jared from his quest. One solid sidekick sent him cras.h.i.+ng over the porch railing. Jacobs made it onto the porch in time to snag Rosh.e.l.le before she collided with that same railing.

"Put her down a moment."

As Jacobs complied with her request, Grace settled on her heels in front of Rosh.e.l.le. Her eyes were still gla.s.sy and unfocused as she hovered on the edge of her vision. The pain inflicted on the young woman's body was too much for her to ignore and the interference was breaking her emphatic link. Reaching forward, Grace ran a hand over Rosh.e.l.le's cheek as she gathered the remaining pieces from her mind. A scent, the feel, nothing much more but it was still a place to begin.

Confusion spun her about on its head as Rosh.e.l.le tried desperately to keep her eyes open. Her body seemed almost disconnected from her brain as she tried to decide just where she was. Her vision darkened dangerously as she tried to keep her grip on reality.

Grace surveyed Rosh.e.l.le's battle for a moment before she moved away to investigate her own findings. The girl was stronger than she looked, most people would be out cold.

"Come on, Rosh.e.l.le, fight for it."

Jared. Yes, Jared had been looking for something. Jared was stronger than she was! Snapping her eyes open, Rosh.e.l.le found him standing over her. She thrust her feet beneath her body as she rose up to search his eyes. The emerald intensity was exactly the same as the night they'd met. The sharp-edged intensity glittered in their depths as his face betrayed his aggression.

"Can you find him?"

It wasn't a question. Rosh.e.l.le demanded it in a voice that had him raising his lips in appreciation. She wanted her pound of flesh as badly as he did.

"I'll try to."

"Good."

Watching her body crumple into the chair once again caused Jared to hesitate. But distraction was fatal to his abilities. Helping her now wouldn't matter if their problem escaped. Turning towards his mother, Jared forced his mind back to the business at hand. Neither of them had a clear link, otherwise they would already be on the move. But between their two minds it was possible that there was enough evidence to box their prey in.

Waking up never seemed so very difficult before. Rubbing her hands across her eyes, Rosh.e.l.le tried once again to force the heavy folds of skin to rise enough for her to discover just where she was.

The pre-dawn light greeted her as her eyes fell onto the bedside clock. Four-fifteen? Good! That meant it was perfectly acceptable for her to roll back over and sleep some more.

Remind her to have a very long talk with Jared about the way the man seemed to be able to sap her energy. Tugging the coverlet up over her shoulder took extraordinary amounts of her strength. Yes, she needed to talk to that man about wringing her out to dry...

"Sh.e.l.ly? You're beginning to worry me. You really need to get up."

"Believe me, I've tried."

Christina smiled in relief. Even if the voice was pitifully groggy, any sort of response at least made her stop worrying that it was time to call in some medical help. She knew that the solider that'd brought her friend back was lying about her fainting but Rosh.e.l.le had been sleeping for close to twenty-four hours now. Maybe Rosh.e.l.le was the doctor but Christina did know when to begin worrying!

"I brought you some coffee."

"Caffeine?" Rosh.e.l.le lifted her head as she sniffed at the air trying to catch the scent of fresh, hot coffee.

"Not a chance, pregnant one."

Pus.h.i.+ng herself up, Rosh.e.l.le stuck her lip out in response. She caught the scent of the beverage and

relented as she eyed the steam rising from the mug in Christina's hands. Maybe it was decaffeinated, but it was hot and her body seemed to have been cold for a very long time.

"Actually, it smells wonderful."

It tasted even better! Rosh.e.l.le found herself savoring the slide of the hot liquid as she considered hiking up the hill for more. Deciding not to push her luck, she settled for a shower instead.

Standing under the water, she searched for a way to relieve the ache that seemed to have settled into her flesh. Stretching her arms above her head, she tried to force her muscles to relax.

Where was Jared?

He had pulled something from her mind. Her memory might still be fuzzy but she remembered the disorientation from her first encounter with him. She just hoped it was enough for him to find their captor.

Rosh.e.l.le should have been distressed about what Jared would do at that meeting. Instead she found herself more concerned that he might not find the man. Ending someone's life still clashed with her basic morals but this man's evil was like an infection. Sterilizing it was simply necessary.

Pulling her clothes on, she set her day's tasks before her. Pregnancies didn't wait for missions to end. It was far past time for her to see to her pre-natal care. Simple as it was, attention given in the first trimester was essential to a healthy baby.

Just how to go about that was her quest for the day. Shane seemed to be in charge of a great deal of things but the man also disappeared whenever Jared did. That left Colonel Jacobs but Rosh.e.l.le had no idea how to contact the man. She had never seen a single phone in either house.

Cell phones seemed to be the only form of communication used on the mountain. Rosh.e.l.le often saw Shane or Jared using the small devices.

The morning was fresh and she found herself enjoying the sounds of the mountain. You could actually hear the breeze as it pa.s.sed through the trees. As she stood listening, her ears picked up another sound, this one clearly manmade. As it came closer the noise rose to almost a deafening level.

"Take cover!"

Rosh.e.l.le stared at the sentry trying to decide just why he was shouting at her. Her eyes caught the approaching aircraft as they cleared the forest. Brown and green camouflage in color, the helicopters swung into the clearing as they angled back around to hover just twenty feet from the ground.

The aircraft began a slow descent into the clearing. Reaching out she searched for Jared but whoever these people were, Jared wasn't with them. There were no weapons in Jared's house but it was just possible there might be in Shane's.

Scrambling up the steps, Rosh.e.l.le cast another look at the men who were jumping from the aircraft. They angled high-powered rifles in front of them as her ears picked up the popping sounds of them being fired. Her mind was trying to tell her that this could simply not be happening but the reality of the last few months told her that it definitely was.

"Sh.e.l.ly, what is going-"

"Come on!"

Pulling her friend behind her Rosh.e.l.le ran for the back of the house. The only instinct she had was to place as much distance between those soldiers and themselves. The sound of the front door cras.h.i.+ng in sent terror right through her; without any form of protection, they had little hope of defending themselves.

The hallway filled with the sounds of their pursuers. The firing of a rifle was deafening as it echoed between the walls. Rosh.e.l.le flung herself to the floor as the bullets embedded themselves into the wall in front of her. Christina stumbled over her ending up with her blue eyes staring into Rosh.e.l.le's frantic ones. The glazed look in her friend's eyes caused terror to erupt. Christina's face was losing color as quickly as her s.h.i.+rtfront began turning red.

"Hold your fire. We need her alive."

"Don't need the blonde."

Rosh.e.l.le thrust her fingers onto the girl's neck searching for a pulse. She never found the rea.s.surance of life. Her body was pulled from the floor and held up for inspection.

"This one."

They dragged her towards the front door. Rosh.e.l.le fought her captors all the way. Her blows made solid contact, but the sheer size of the men still pushed her out the front of the house. Once in the open, her body was quickly hoisted from her feet and shoved into one of the waiting aircraft.

She was dropped into a seat but immediately pushed away from it. A solid blow ended her efforts as it sent her reeling. Her head collided with the solid frame of the aircraft, causing the pilot to bark some comment at her tormentor. Whatever the man said it traveled through his helmet and into the slim radio attached to the helmet of her captor. With the helicopters blades still in motion, her ears didn't catch more than a few m.u.f.fled sounds.

The motion of the craft as it lifted away from the surface caused her to struggle in panic. Her efforts gained her nothing as her captor leaned his body weight across her, pinning her into the seat. The close contact with Christina's killer made her gag in horror.

But she had to keep hope. Christina might survive. Some wounds looked fatal but were in fact more bl.u.s.ter than life-threatening. Lying to herself wasn't bringing any of the relief that she'd thought it might. Without medical attention, her friend wouldn't live very long.

It was very possible that they would share the same fate.

Chapter Twelve.

"Dr. Everitt, how very good to see you again."

His voice still held the chill of new snow but it didn't cause a rush of fear inside her anymore. Red-hot rage rose up as Rosh.e.l.le met the eyes of her enemy.

"Nothing to say?"

"I prefer not to waste my time, thank you."

"Now, now. There's no need to be rude. After all we may be spending a great deal of time together."

"How very revolting."

That frigid smile touched his face as he inspected her. The way the man moved his eyes reminded her of a chef as he considered a fish about to be filleted. Everything about him was far too perfect. From the starched tips of his collar to the manicured fingernails.

But if they were going to be spending time together then he wasn't going to have her shot. Perfect. Rosh.e.l.le fully intended to best him again and cheat death for another few years. A sharp rap on the door caused him to look up with clear interest.

"Dr. Moosavi requires a blood sample from you. Feel free to tell him anything you wish. I a.s.sure you he is being compensated enough to relieve him of any morals he might have suffered from."

Rosh.e.l.le didn't think the man in question had lost a moment's sleep. He radiated the same stench of disparity. His hooded eyes didn't spare her a glance as he pulled a pair of latex inspection gloves onto his hands. His motions were razor-sharp as he pulled the specimen from her arm.

"Fifteen minutes, Mr. Thyssen."

The door swung closed on the man's heels as she considered just what that blood was for. Not many tests could be run in so short a time span. The way Thyssen continued to contemplate her almost made her nervous. Rosh.e.l.le firmly thrust the emotion aside. Her composure was the key to her survival.

"Babies are wonderful creations, so very unspoiled by either morals or even opinions. When proper training is applied from birth, they can be formed into the most effective of weapons."

Her composure dissolved like sugar. The implications of his words a.s.saulted her on too many levels to identify.

And it all made sense. Horrible, sickening, logical sense.

"My client is very excited that we are so close to providing his merchandise. It will be most interesting to see if the offspring is genetically similar to its father."

They wanted to turn her baby into a monster. Not her baby, Jared's baby. A child who carried his psychic abilities that they could use or sell when and where they pleased. Rosh.e.l.le had never wanted to kill someone before. The desire to snuff out this creature's life was so overwhelming she was halfway to her feet when the handcuffs that bound her to the table stopped her.

"Thank you, my dear. Being so close to success, I must confess that the waiting was becoming unbearable. I appreciate you confirming the pregnancy. Most men can not resist mating with an available female. Once Jared Campbell took you home, it was simply a matter of time."

"You will not have my baby." The words were low, laced with the venom of a mother intent on protecting her young.

"Your voice betrays your maternal instinct. Emotions can be such c.u.mbersome things. You have very few options. I doubt that even given the chance you will not willingly end your pregnancy. You will eat because you don't have the mental strength to deny your child. There is no way for you to prevent its growth or birth.

"Take heart, my dear; you will help to create one of the most perfect examples of logic and training that the world has ever seen. Your intelligence level will be greatly appreciated. The original female I selected to take up residence in your home was far more beautiful but not nearly as accomplished."

Her hand curled over her abdomen as Thyssen left the room. He was right. d.a.m.n him! She could not destroy her baby even to keep it out of his hands. Whatever horror they planned for her son, there was still hope if there was life.

And she had seven months. She must be patient. Information was the key. They knew about Jared but not about her. Well, she wasn't too sure how her own abilities might help except to give Thyssen another selling perk.

But they weren't going to shoot her; in fact, keeping her healthy would be vital. There must be a way to use that to her advantage. Rosh.e.l.le s.h.i.+fted her options about as she tried to find a course of action. Surrendering her child was out of the question. Jared would find her.

Despite the number of times that Rosh.e.l.le had resented his ability to probe her mind, she longed for it now. Jared could find his way into her thoughts but could he actually find her? The secrets of his life seemed to be her greatest enemy at the moment. Jared had told her he was an operative but just what did that mean?

Rosh.e.l.le found herself with the time to ponder that question. She just hoped she could discover an answer that might protect her son.

Shane didn't wait for Jared tonight. Instead, he left his unit with its operative while he went in search of his own home. There were reports to file and the two men he'd left on guard duty needed checking up on. Pulling into the front drive of his house, he took in the light s.h.i.+nning from the kitchen.

Christina needed checking upon too. A deep chuckle came from his chest as he considered just what opinion Ms. Faulkner would have about that. He just might mention it to her for the entertainment value.

A frown began to replace his amus.e.m.e.nt. The man on duty better have a good reason for not investigating his arrival. Moving from the truck, Shane let his eyes adjust to the night as he slowly searched the surrounding cover.

His eyes picked out the body of his fallen Ranger. A single arm was visible but no man of his would be lying like that unless he was dead. Jerking his gun from its holster, Shane moved forward to confirm his suspicions. The body was still warm but beyond any help.

Jared's house stood dark and silent. Shane considered the single light from his own house as he watched for movement. His fingers punched in the code that would bring reinforcements. Giving the light another glance, he moved towards the rear of the structure. If the women were inside, he held a better chance with surprise on his side.

He found his second Ranger on the back porch. Rage slowly burned along his spine. The complete silence of his home caused his rage to increase. Pus.h.i.+ng the door open his eyes scanned the hallway. Christina lay across the floor like a broken doll. The head of blonde hair confirmed her ident.i.ty before he moved forward to face the reality of her death. His stomach twisted as he took in the blood covering the young woman's chest. The red stain drove home his failure to protect her.

Her eyes snapped open, causing Shane to jerk his gun up in defense. The blue orbs focused onto the weapon before they moved on to his face. "Just what I need, another gun in my face." A curse slipped from his mouth as Shane dropped to a knee beside her. She was covered in her own blood. The floorboards were smeared for at least fifteen feet, betraying her struggle to find a.s.sistance. "I really wish your house had a telephone." Despite her attempt at humor, the sound of approaching aircraft caused her eyes to register panic. Her arms flailed at him trying to escape from the terror the helicopters inspired. "Easy. They're here to help." "No, they took Sh.e.l.ly." Christina's half-panicked comment told him exactly how someone breached his security. They must have flown in low, right on top of the tree canopy. Otherwise his father's compound would have registered the approaching aircraft.