“I’m scared, but that doesn’t mean I can’t protect myself.” I made the decision as she looked at me curiously. “Isn’t there a store in the mall that sells self defense equipment?” She caught on immediately and smiled, “Yes, there is. Perhaps we should stop by.”
An hour later, we strolled out of Self-Defense loaded with shopping bags. I was thankful for Paw Paw’s mad money, because it bought me a stun gun, pepper spray, and the down payment on a Taser. I hadn’t realized Tasers were so expensive, and wasn’t going to get it, but Jules forced me to borrow the difference from her, saying it was better to be safe than sorry.
Jules decided she could use a stun gun also. She had been well trained in self defense by her brothers and carried a concealed weapon, but thought the stun gun was a good non-lethal choice to have as well.
“You need to learn to handle a gun. We’ll go shooting this weekend and get you signed up for a concealed carry class when you turn eighteen,” Jules said confidently, and I nodded in agreement, eager for the opportunity. If there was any chance that my dream was prophetic, I wanted to be prepared to stop our killer. I wouldn’t stand by as he killed us, frightened and weak, the paralyzing fear from my dream becoming my reality.
We got back to the apartment to find Jake and Connor pacing the floor.
“Where have you been?” Jake roared, his panic and terror overwhelming me as I felt his fear that our guy had gotten to me. My initial anger at his yelling quickly dissipated at the rush of his emotions. I could hear Jules as she fussed at him, waving her phone in his face. “They have this thing called phones! You could have called.”
Jake ignored her, keeping his eyes locked on mine, and I watched the fear slowly disappear from his hazel eyes as he registered I was safe.
The repentant twist of my lips caused a reluctant smile to cross his face. I pulled my dead cell phone from my pocket to show him, and he shook his head in exaggerated disappointment. He was across the room a second later his arms engulfing me in a rib cracking hug. “Please don’t ever do that to me again.” I heard the hesitant break in his voice. “I understand you have the right to go wherever you want, but when I couldn’t reach you and didn’t know what happened ...” His words were choked, and I squeezed him tighter. “I couldn’t bear it. Ok?” I nodded jerkily, my head still pressed into his chest because it seemed that his embrace wouldn’t be ending anytime soon.
I was ashamed because I hadn’t thought to leave a note or check that my cell phone was charged when I left with Jules. I knew the danger we were all in, and if Jake had done that to me I would be beyond pissed. I inhaled the faint scent of his body wash as I snuggled into his arms. The onslaught of his emotions when he asked me where I had been had caught me by surprise. It wasn’t the first time I had felt someone else’s emotions when faced with a question but never had they been so strong. I didn’t know if it was our feelings for one another or if my ability was becoming stronger as I demanded more of it.
“I’m sorry I asked that question when you walked in. I was losing my mind. Are you okay?” His seeming ability to read my mind made me smile. I turned my head and looked at him. “I’m okay. Your reaction took me by surprise. I’ve never felt someone else’s emotions so strongly before.”
He nodded, looking thoughtful. “I wondered. Your eyes darkened, and you looked terrified. I thought I’d frightened you with my yelling, but you’ve never acted frightened of me even when I tried to intimidate you.”
Jake set me away from him, and I noticed Jules and Connor had made themselves scarce. My bags were still dangling from my hand to my surprise. Our greeting had completely driven my purchases from my mind.
Connor peeked his head around the corner, “You guys done making out in here?” Jake growled at that even as I cracked a smile and Connor laughed. “Jules wants to show off what you got.”
I grabbed Jake’s hand and tugged him into the kitchen, plopping my bag down on the counter. Connor rubbed his hands together looking at the bright pink bags. “Lingerie, by chance? Bikinis?” He looked hopeful as Jules smacked him and said, “Perv.”
I raked the stuff out of the bag, and Connor whistled as Jake raised his eyebrows at the sight of the Taser, stun guns and pepper spray. The guy at the store had taken the time to show us the difference between the two. I appreciated the long range of the Taser, but still wanted the backup of the stun gun for close encounters. Jules figured her gun worked fine in most instances, but if an attacker overpowered her she could use the stun gun.
“They’re pink,” Connor said, his finger gently poking the two pink stun guns on the counter.
“Yeah, just ‘cause it can bring your ass down doesn’t mean it can’t be pretty,” Jules fired back, hands on her hips.
“It looks like a ...” Connor started before I waved my hand at him. “Don’t say it unless you want to feel it.”
They all busted out laughing at my warning and Connor mimed zipping his lips. Jake gave me a questioning look as he picked up the Taser.
“Just in case.” My words were quiet, but they still caught everyone’s attention. “I want to be prepared. I will fight back.” I was fiercely determined to protect myself and the ones I loved. If nothing else, the events that had led to this moment taught me you couldn’t take anything for granted. Being prepared might be the determining factor in surviving or dying. “Jules is taking me to the shooting range this weekend too.”
“Oh, she is?” Jake questioned, draping his arm around my waist. Jules smirked at him as she said, “You know I’m the better shot.”
“Ooohhh, sounds like a challenge has been made.” Connor looked gleeful as I pressed my lips together at Jake’s look of consternation. I had a feeling Jules was the better shot, but now he had to save face.
“We’ll see.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
A few days later, I woke up with a sense of foreboding. My night had been restless with dreams of running through a forest, alternating between chasing and being chased. My body ached as if I actually had been running, and I winced as I flexed my toes. I stilled as Jake shifted next to me, but his eyes stayed closed, and I took the time to study him. We’d been sleeping together since the first night. Strictly sleeping. Jules demanded it, even if we hadn’t already made the decision to wait until I was eighteen. Jules had taken it upon herself to make sure no one could question that propriety was upheld. She’d moved in the day she discovered I was staying with Jake, with the understanding that she had been there the entire time. As frustrated as it made Jake, I appreciated the efforts she went to protecting him. I would do the same in her shoes. It hadn’t stopped Jake from slamming the bedroom door in her face though when she tried to protest him sleeping in here with me. I’d laughed while trying to keep a stern face.
“She’s trying to protect you!” I told him.
“She’s meddling in things that aren’t her business is what she’s doing,” he retorted angrily. “I don’t want her here placing herself at risk.” And that was the heart of the issue. Jake worried he couldn’t keep us safe. He and Connor had spent the last several days going through the list they’d created of warehouses, trying to find any hint of evidence that would tie Jason Hart to the drug trade or even one of the murders he’d committed. So far, they’d come up empty-handed and frustrated at the lack of results. I knew a drug shipment would be coming into the warehouse on Second Street, but not when. Jake’s theory was that the date and time was a last second decision in case of discovery, hence my inability to know the answer.
I watched his chest rise and fall evenly. He slept on his back with one arm hooked behind his head. I marveled at his body, his muscles toned and clearly defined, his bicep bulging from his upraised arm. I’d never considered myself the most beautiful of girls, average at best, but this gorgeous man loved average me. I pulled my brown hair over my shoulder, working my fingers through it, trying to get the tangles out. He never gave any indication of being awake, so his words startled the crap out of m
e. “It’s rude to stare.” I jumped and rested my hand over my racing heart when I heard him.
“Oh my God, don’t do that!” I shrieked slapping him lightly on the chest. He grabbed my arm and dragged me over him, giving me a quick peck that quickly became a long slow kiss that wore at our resistance. He flipped me over, his mouth moving lower as I ran my hands over those well-defined muscles I’d been eyeing. He pulled away with a groan.
“Woman, you tempt me beyond all reason.” He sat up giving me a mock frown as I grinned up at him. “Now, I’m getting up before I do something I’ll regret.” I pouted, and he tugged on my lip that was sticking out. “Gonna get stuck like that,” he warned, before leaning down to brush a kiss over my lips.
He stroked my face with his other hand, pushing my tangle of hair out of my face. “Sleep,” he told me, watching as I snuggled into the comforter that smelled like him. My eyes slipped closed, utter relaxation turning my bones to liquid as sleep quickly pulled me under.
I woke up a few hours later, the sun shining brightly through the room. Jake was gone, probably trying to find an answer with Connor. Jules had to work today, so I was sure she was gone. Based on the position of the sun, I’d slept extremely late.
I pushed myself out of the bed, feeling unaccountably anxious for some reason. I got dressed and wandered to the kitchen for food. I was starving like Marvin, so I grabbed a banana while I dug around for something else to eat. I caught sight of the note out of the corner of my eye.
Connor and I had to go into the precinct. A tip was called in about a body in the woods. There’s a good chance it’s Ripper. This may be our break.
Jake
The note drifted to the floor as the memory of last night’s dream came back to me.
I was running after Jake, desperate to stop him and Connor. The leaves crackled under my feet as I ran, branches scratching my arms, the sudden sound of gunshots slowing my feet. Birds flew up, their raucous caws an omen of what was to come.
I walked to the clearing ahead of me, already anticipating what I’d see. Their bodies were sprawled on the ground, blood pooling beneath their heads. I met his eyes as he raised the gun to me, turning to run as the first crack sounded.
My back tingled as I anticipated the sharp pain of a bullet piercing me. I heard him cussing as he crashed through the forest behind me, my feet feeling like they had wings as I ran for my life, the burning ache of breathing nothing compared to the agony in my heart from seeing Jake lifeless on the ground.
My cry was violent as the singular thing I needed to remember came rushing back to me. The man I saw kill them wasn’t Jason Hart, it was their captain.
Chapter Twenty-Five
My fingers were desperate as I grabbed my phone, fumbling with the screen as I attempted to warn Jake he was walking into a trap. His phone went straight to voicemail as did Connors. I sent a text to both of them, hoping they would see it in time. I had no idea how long they’d been gone or if I was already too late.
I paced, desperately trying to decide what to do next, knowing the danger we were all in now.
I decided to call Jules to pick me up. I knew where Ripper’s body was, and if their captain had sent them there, I could find them.
“Jules! Thank God. Can you come pick me up? I can’t reach Connor or Jake and it’s urgent that I get to them,” I cried desperately, as soon as I heard her pick up. I could hear the concern in her voice as she tried to calm me down. “What’s going on? I can pick you up. Do you know where they’re at?”
Her questions brought a swirl of images and sensations causing me to drop the phone as I grabbed my head. Ripper’s body flashed in my mind, followed by feelings of fear and betrayal and the forest from my dreams, along with the scent of fishy water. I couldn’t make sense of any of it. I only knew there was a chance they were lured to the scene of Ripper’s murder by a man they trusted implicitly.
The apartment door burst open, and Jules pulled me into her arms, rocking me gently. I could feel the rapid beat of her heart against my ear and knew she was terrified.
“Are they in danger?” she asked quietly. I moaned and clenched my eyes shut tighter at the rush of pain that shot through me with her question. My nod was helpless as my emotions attempted to pull me into a pit of darkness. She shook me hard, forcing my eyes to snap open. “You have an idea of where they might be? DO YOU?”
I stared at her, pulling myself together. I couldn’t afford to fall apart. I was the only one that could save them now. The only thing I knew for sure was where Ripper’s body was and that was where we’d go. I nodded as I pushed myself up and grabbed the weapons we’d purchased days ago for this instance.
The ride was tense, our exchanges terse as I muttered directions. I was thankful Jules didn’t ask questions of me. I couldn’t deal with her disbelief at the moment. It was enough that she trusted I knew where to go. I directed her to a state park. It was the closest piece of civilization to where I felt Ripper’s body was. She parked in a corner of the lot, both of us scanning the parking spaces for Jake’s car. We didn’t see it, but I wouldn’t let myself be disappointed. He might have left already or come in a different way. I checked my phone for the millionth time, hitting redial hoping this would be the time he answered.
Jules watched me, her face hopeful, but I shook my head. He didn’t answer. Her face hardened into a mask of determination, and I was positive mine was a match to hers. We would find them, alive. I knew it, because I couldn’t survive anything else.
“Do you have ...” I started to ask when Jules interrupted patting her shirt. “No worries. Annie’s got her gun.”
My smile was faint, but there. I would make every effort to change the outcome of my dream, including dragging Jules into the middle of our mess.
We stayed silent as we hiked. She didn’t even protest when I veered away from the marked trail to forge my own. It took about twenty minutes of hiking before the smell hit us.
“Oh my God. What is that?” Jules broke the silence as she lifted a hand to her nose. My stomach roiled at the stench as I told her, “Death.”
I knew we were close then. Ripper had been dead over a week, and I could imagine what he’d look like if the smell was any indication.
We moved forward slower now, and I turned to indicate for Jules to take her gun out, but saw she already had.
The clearing was empty, but had clearly been disturbed recently. We saw broken branches and footprints in the muddy ground. I was drawn to the pool of liquid I saw on the leaves. It was dark and thick, and I knew without touching it, it was blood. If the reek of Ripper’s body hadn’t been so strong, I was sure I’d smell the sharp metallic tang of blood.
“What happened here?” Her voice was hushed, her horror apparent as she glanced around the clearing. Her question triggered the clearest vision I’d ever had.
Their captain sent them here on a tip he received about a dead body in the woods. They were eager to go, believing it was Ripper and they would have a chance to collect evidence tying him to Samuel’s murder. But it was a trap. Jake was shot when they arrived. Then Jason Hart put a gun to the back of Connor’s head and forced them to follow him.
I spun around slowly seeing the events play out before my eyes. I didn’t see Jules watching me with a considering expression or realize I was explaining the events as I saw them happen.
“Where are they now?” she asked softly, trying not to disturb the trance I seemed to be in.
“The warehouse,” I replied, my voice husky with emotion as I snapped out of whatever state I’d been in.
“There’s a whole lot more to this, isn’t there?” Jules asked slowly, her words thoughtful as she scrutinized me. I examined her equally hard knowing the only way we could save them was if we worked together.
“Will you trust me?” I asked, motionless as I stood in the clearing with Jake’s blood at my feet.
She nodded, “I already do. Will you explain when we have them safe?”
My
nose twitched as I fought back the tears that came with my gratitude at hearing her words. I only nodded though, keeping myself under control as I said, “We need to go. We have to prepare.”
Time distorted on our race back to the apartment, moving quickly at times and then almost seeming to stop when I thought about Jake. I knew what was coming, and I could only hope we’d be in time, that I wouldn’t watch Connor and Jake die.
Back at the apartment, I grabbed Jake’s laptop, knowing we needed to find the building where they were holding them. Connor had told me two cities had a Second Street that would fit the criteria of having a warehouse. None of the buildings on their original list were anywhere near a Second Street though. They’d started doing a systematic search of buildings in both towns, trying to narrow down the possibilities. I rejected the town forty-five minutes away as being too far and focused my attention on the next town over. We’d run out of time, and I was betting their lives that I was right about this. I printed a list of addresses on the street and handed it to Jules.
“Go down the list. Read off each address, and ask me if Jake and Connor are being held there,” I told her tensely. She didn’t hesitate, even though I could see the perplexed look in her eyes.
It was the seventh address on the list, but now I knew exactly where they were. I could slap myself for not having done this sooner with Jake. Maybe this would have been prevented if we’d found the address before now.
“Ask me who owns the building, where are they being held in the building. Any detailed question you can.” I had a plan in mind, but it was based on the circumstances of my original dream, the one where they died in the warehouse. I couldn’t help the feeling that everything that happened led us to this moment. That no matter how prepared we’d tried to be, this set of events would need to play out. I prayed harder than I’ve ever prayed that what we did would be enough to change the outcome.
Hidden Truths (The Hidden Series Book 1) Page 15
