Heart of Shadows

by Joyce

  Al started the car. “Are we going back to the house?"

  Steve shook his head. “Since it's crawling with FBI agents, I made a reservation at the Dorchester while you were in the mall."

  "Yeah. Good call.” Al pulled the car into traffic.

  "Jeff says your friend wants to question me about the kidnapping."

  "That's not surprising. It's what I expected from Lynn. She doesn't waste any time."

  "What about Bryce?” Steve looked at her in the dim light.

  "I don't know.” If she couldn't make contact with the girl again, they'd have to wait and see if Duke released her. “I'm like the GPS right now. Offline."

  The Dorchester was an old building that had been maintained as a hotel for over a hundred years. Elegant rooms sat squarely above a foyer that had come directly from a Victorian mansion. All the modern conveniences waited to pleasure its pampered guests.

  Rae was exhausted. Her legs barely held her as she waited for Steve to check in. She felt like she'd been running a marathon for the past few days. The terrible part was that it might have been for nothing. They were no closer to finding Bryce than when she came. Feeling Bryce so close inside her was going to make it unbearable if they found her too late. The icy fingers of darkness clutched tightly at her. Not another one. Not another dead child.

  The hallway from the wrought iron elevator was hushed with deep carpet and gilded scrollwork. They didn't pass anyone. Rae wondered if Steve thought to register under a different name. If the police or the FBI decided to look for him, he would be easy to find.

  Rae walked into the huge suite with Steve behind her. The air redolent with fresh flowers and some scent the hotel used in the rooms. It was too warm. A window was open. It looked out on a park that would be green and beautiful in the summer. Lighted trails led past fountains and century old rose bushes. She collapsed into a chair and dozed off.

  * * * *

  Steve came back into the room. He had showered and shaved. His hair was still wet, slicked back from his lean face. His eyes were startlingly blue when he looked at her.

  "I think I fell asleep.” She smiled at him.

  "That's okay. You looked tired.” He poured himself a double whiskey, downed it, and then poured another. “You know, you're right about this feeling of emptiness. It's addictive."

  "Getting drunk isn't going to find Bryce or bring David back.” She watched him warily.

  "Neither is sitting here sober, pretending that the world is okay."

  "If you have something you want to say—"

  Steve slammed the empty glass down on the black tile bar. “You took a helluva chance today."

  "There's nothing left to do but take chances."

  "How about waiting to see if Mary is going to let her go as she promised? How about not acting like some demented mercenary?"

  "I'm leaving.” She turned her back on him. “You're no good to Bryce or yourself like this."

  He put his hand on her shoulder and spun her to face him. “You're not leaving me again!"

  Rae stared at him blindly, not seeing his face or hearing his words. His spirit cried out to hers. “I don't want to leave."

  He groaned and covered her mouth with his own. They clung to each other, kisses deepening until neither of them had breath to go on.

  "I wish I could believe that this nightmare has an end.” He held her close to him. “I used to believe that. I don't think I do anymore."

  "You can't give up now.” She took his hand in hers and kissed his fingers. The visions were still there. They melded in words and pictures as she touched his face.

  "Why?"

  "Because Bryce is still out there and she still believes you're going to rescue her. You're her hero. She's depending on you. David's depending on you."

  Steve didn't buy it. “I wish I could get drunk enough. There isn't enough alcohol in the world to make me forget. Maybe all of this is my fault."

  "What are you saying?"

  "Solutions was like a game that was fun to play and I didn't want to stop. I took Bryce to work with me so that I didn't have to spend real time with her. I put her in this position. If I were a software salesman, this wouldn't have happened. But because I wanted the company to get bigger and make more money, she became a target for every idiot out there with a grudge against me. Maybe the same thing happened to David."

  "Maybe you didn't spend as much time as you should have with her,” Rae argued with his logic. “But software salesmen aren't perfect parents either. At least you tried. No one's perfect."

  "I can't help Bryce when she needs me. I couldn't tell the police the truth and take a chance on the kidnapers killing her because of it. I couldn't help David. He knew enough to try to get out. It was just too late."

  "We have to think, Steve. I believe both occurrences are linked. Who would want to do this? Who hates you enough to hurt Bryce? The company takes a nosedive and people profit but who really wins?"

  "Any number of people."

  "Then who could do it? Mary's taken care of her. Duke provided the inside source and expertise. But someone provided the funding. Someone with a bank in the Cayman's and a powerful hatred of you. Someone who stands to win more than they're putting into the project."

  Steve couldn't help. “My mind is blank. I don't know."

  Rae persisted. “There has to be someone."

  He put his head in his hands. “I can't think anymore tonight. I can't plan anymore. I don't know how to fight this. Everything I try, they come back at me from a different way. I was sitting in that room and listening to them speculate about me killing my brother. My brother, Rae! And I knew the speculation was going to turn to me kidnapping his daughter. Do you have any idea how that felt?"

  Pain lashed at her from him. She could feel it like a knife, twisting inside of her. She was bruised with the force of it. Instinctively wanting to comfort him, she put her arms around him and pressed her lips to his. “I'll help you. You aren't alone."

  Like wraiths they moved together, silently becoming one. He groaned as she took him inside of her. She arched her back as he took her breast in his mouth, worshipping it with his tongue.

  He stared at her then pulled himself away from her embrace. “Are you doing that? Can you feel it too? It's like I'm making love to you when I touch you. I can see us together."

  "What do you see?"

  He closed his eyes as she traced the outline of his cheeks and chin with her lips. “I'm inside of you. You're so hot. So right. You're moving and I'm losing control. I'm going to explode. It's like nothing I've ever experienced. I can feel it but I can see it like it's not me."

  "I see it too,” she whispered.

  "What about feeling it, Rae?” He opened his eyes and slid his arms around her. “What do you feel?"

  His mouth was on her throat, gliding down to taste her waiting breasts. “You're kissing me, tickling my toes with your tongue. Your lips on my thigh and ohhh, there!"

  "Do you want me there now, Rae?” he asked even as he matched the physical act to the vision.

  Her body thrashed against the heat of his mouth and tongue. “You're so hard."

  "Yes.” For you. You're so ready for me.

  "Yes.” Ready now. Steve?

  "Yes.” I'm here, angel. We're here together. Let it go.

  Rae wasn't sure when her moans became real. Or when they were naked on the soft carpet and he was inside of her. She called out his name as she was overcome by the vision and the reality of them making love. He held her and their bodies rocked together until they slumped, exhausted, to the floor.

  Later, he touched her face with a gentle hand. “Have I told you how beautiful you are?"

  "No.” She laughed as he tickled her nose.

  "And how I love the way you smell and the way you laugh and the way your eyes flash when you're on to something?"

  She studied his face. “Not in so many words."

  "Or how I love those little noises you make when I k
iss you. Your skin feels like satin against mine.” Steve continued until she felt her blood begin to boil again.

  He whispered things into her ear as they walked towards the bedroom. His lips tantalized her senses. Her heart pounded fiercely in her chest.

  "I want you so much I hurt.” He nipped her earlobe. “I want to bury myself inside of you again."

  They finally made it into his bedroom. The full moon was beginning to dim the night sky, flooding the room with pale light. Rae helped him into bed, then went to close the drapes against the light.

  "No, don't. Let me look at you in the moonlight."

  She couldn't deny him. In a trance not of her own making, she did as he asked. She could feel the pull of his psi drawing her to him. The moonlight glazed her face and gilded her breasts. His hungry gaze made her body grow taut and needy.

  "Let me love you,” he whispered, opening his arms and inviting her to him. “Love me, Rae."

  She slid a long leg across him until she was astride him. He groaned when she fitted him inside of her. Then she kissed him. There was no stopping the tide of pleasure. It was like a wave crashing down over her as he filled her again and again—until she couldn't tell where he ended and she began. She arched her back to give him what he needed and the two of them found ecstasy and beyond.

  Rae thought she must have slept beside him for a short time. She awakened with the moon in her eyes, her heart pounding. They were coming for Steve!

  Chapter Fifteen

  "We have to get out of here.” Rae shook Steve as she searched for her clothes on the floor.

  "What's wrong? Is it Bryce?"

  "No. They're coming for you."

  Steve was on his feet at once, searching beside her for his pants and shoes. “Who is it?"

  "Police, I think. They have a warrant and they're close. Maybe downstairs. Did you register under a different name?"

  "No. Why would I?"

  "Because you can't afford to be in jail until we find Bryce. We don't have much time. We know who has her. We can figure out the rest."

  Steve snagged a t-shirt from his suitcase. “All right. We run. What then? They'll be looking for me. Maybe it would be better with me out of the way."

  "No! I need you. It's important for you to be there. There are questions you need to answer. Something you'll need to do.” Rae looked at him feeling dazed and full of the sight. So many things spinning inside of her. She was having trouble distinguishing them all.

  "I trust you,” he assured her. “If you think this is best, that's what we'll do."

  They were at the door to the stairs as the elevator parted. The mixed group of Atlanta PD officers and FBI agents were there to arrest him. Al gave Steve enough time to get away. He realized what was going on and met the officers at the door to the suite. Steve was gone when the police invaded his room.

  "Where is he?” A detective turned on Al with his quarry gone. “Helping a fugitive is a felony."

  Al put his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you."

  "They took Al in for questioning.” Rae could see it happen as they hurried down the stairs.

  Steve took out his cell phone. “I'll call my lawyer."

  "No!” She put her hand on the phone. “They'll have to let him go. And we need time."

  Steve put away the phone. “You look ... strange. Pale. Are you all right?"

  Rae tried to reassure him. “I think so. I feel strange. Connected. I've never experienced anything like it. I shouldn't be able to see what happened upstairs. But I did. And I know that Duke and Mary are getting ready to move Bryce one last time."

  "I'm not doing this again with you.” Steve stopped walking. “Tell me where you see her. Guide me on the phone. I'll go by myself. You could get hurt again."

  "There isn't time for this discussion. They're moving her again. If we don't go right now, she'll be gone."

  "All right. Tell me where to find her."

  "It's not that easy. I can see her but I'm not sure where."

  Steve swore softly. “You stay in the car, no matter what?"

  "I'll stay in the car.” She lied to him outright. “But let's go."

  "You're lying, Rae. I can tell."

  "If you don't want me to lie to you, don't ask me to make promises I can't keep."

  "Then I guess we go together. Where are they?"

  "I'm not sure. I can't tell where I'm going until I get there. It's like following a map in my head."

  They were on the street in the cold night air. Steve hailed a cab and they crawled inside. “Just drive."

  The man behind the wheel glanced back at him in the rearview mirror. “Where to?"

  "North,” Rae whispered.

  "North.” Steve tossed him a hundred dollar bill.

  "Okay. Why didn't you say so?"

  Rae felt like the moon was in her brain. A bright light was illuminating everything inside of her. Thoughts and words floated through her. She was unreal and yet more alive than she'd ever been. She gave Steve instructions as they left the city, following a quiet country road. The night clouded over and the dark sky threatened rain. The trees were skeletal against the backdrop of the sky.

  "How much further?” The cab driver looked back at them.

  "Not far.” She was holding on to that small, frail line that linked her to Bryce. “Turn here."

  Steve told the driver and he turned sharply down a narrow, rutted gravel road. There were no visible houses along the route. A few dirt driveways crept up between the trees but no lights illuminated the darkness. It was a far cry from where the Barneby's were staying in Atlanta with Bryce. Obviously, they weren't taking any chances on being found again. There was no way for them to know that it didn't matter to her where they went as long as they took Bryce.

  Rae didn't know how long the link between them would last. She could feel Bryce's presence as clearly as if she was sitting beside her in the car. But she knew from the other times that she could lose that link in a heartbeat. “The next drive."

  The car bumped up and down in the barely maneuverable path. Trees grew in close together. The driveway looked like no one had been there for years.

  "Are you sure about this?” The driver was uneasy.

  "Very sure."

  The drive opened up into a small clearing. The headlights lit up the night. The house was barely a roof and four walls with a coat of paint holding it together. It was doubtful that it had ever seen better days. There was a hand pump for water in the yard and a ramshackle dog pen along the side of the house.

  "I don't see a car.” Steve scanned the yard carefully.

  "I don't either. What are you doing?"

  He took a gun from his pocket. “If they're in there, they've probably got guns. I'm not going in there unarmed."

  Rae put her hand on the weapon. “Bryce could be hurt in the crossfire if you both start shooting."

  Steve held on to the gun. “Bryce could be killed if we don't find her and bring her home."

  Rae started to argue further but there wasn't time. Steve was already getting out of the car. They crept up to the house. There was only one small window facing the road. Rae hoped Duke or Mary weren't looking out of it when they pulled up. If they had any possibility of rescuing Bryce, it was going to be because they were able to surprise them.

  "I think there's only one door.” Steve walked around from the back of the house. “I don't know what else to do but walk in."

  "Since there's no car, Duke probably isn't here. Let me knock on the door. You stand to the side. If Mary looks out, she won't be as suspicious. You can always come out quickly if there's trouble."

  Steve thought over the plan. “All right. Just be careful."

  Rae knocked on the shaky wooden portal. When there was no reply, she knocked again a little bit harder. The door swung wide, leaving a dark opening into the room. She walked into the house. It was tiny, barely two rooms with little more than an outhouse in the
back of the building. “They're not here. We missed them."

  "Are you sure?” Steve moved carefully into the back rooms.

  The floors sagged and the walls showed chinks of light between the boards. The backroom held an open toilet that made them both gag.

  "My God, I can't stand to think of them keeping Bryce here.” Steve gulped in fresh air from the porch.

  Rae canvassed the kitchen. There was a small coffee pot on the stove. Two cups sat on the table. A third—a childproof cup beside them. Duke and Mary hadn't been gone long. There was nothing else left behind. They were traveling light now. Only taking with them what they needed. “They're keeping her healthy, taking care of her. They aren't abusing her. That's a good sign."

  "Can you see where they've gone?” Steve scrounged for clues that might help them.

  "I can't tell until they get there. Bryce has to get some sort of clear signal to me. Most of the time, she's probably too upset to think straight."

  "Why did they move her again?” Steve queried out loud. “This place was pretty remote. Why move her now? They're supposed to give her back to Sharin in a few hours."

  "There's got to be something that we're missing. A link that exists that keeps pulling everything together."

  "Isn't Duke enough?"

  "I don't know.” She put her head in her hands. “We've got to find someplace safe to sit down and go over every possibility. And we need access to a computer."

  "Just before we took this turn-off, I saw a motel with computer access in the rooms. I have enough cash that we shouldn't have to use credit cards to give us away."

  "But we don't have a computer."

  He took his Palm Pilot from his pocket. “Always be prepared."

  Rae had the cab driver drop them off on the ramp coming up from the Interstate. That way he couldn't say exactly where they went. The chances were that he'd be questioned about picking them up as soon as the police figured out what happened. The driver shrugged and glanced around at the empty road then took off without any questions.

  "Something's been bothering me since I talked to Al about your affair with Sharin.” Rae opened the uneasy subject as they walked down the road.