Carrying the Torch: Complete Trilogy

by Dinia Steel

  “All right. I'll be sure to do that. See you this coming Thursday afternoon about 6 then?”

  Reggie answered yes and said goodbye, then looked up at Vivian. “In two days time, they'll be in my office after 6 pm and you'll be able to view firsthand what they can do.” Reggie continued to gaze into her eyes. “I want one million dollars apiece for them and a percentage of the fees you get for their…work for you.”

  Without hesitation, Vivian nodded. “If they are everything you say they are, there'll be no problem with those fees. After the demonstration, I'll have the paperwork for you to sign. Is that acceptable?”

  Nodding, Reggie stood to leave.

  Vivian didn't offer to walk Reggie to the door because she knew the way out.

  Reggie called James as she drove away. She wanted to see if she could get him to drop his Dudley Doright persona long enough to have sex with her! Yeah, that's a plan. I really need to get laid tonight, to celebrate.

  ~o0o~

  Chapter 17

  Reggie and James – Together?

  Reggie

  Reggie decided to try her luck with James one more time. I'm in a very good mood and a little bit horny; that and I've wanted to get him in bed ever since he first walked into my classroom. Reggie tapped on her phone lightly to her teeth smiling. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

  “Hello?” James answered his phone with a question in his voice.

  Reggie laughed. “Not sure how to answer a phone call James?”

  He laughed too. “Got me there. I just got out of the shower and wasn't sure I heard it ringing.”

  Perfect! “I'd like to see you James. Mind if I swing by your condo?” Reggie held her breath waiting for his answer.

  “Sure. No problem. Do you know where it is?”

  “

  Silly boy. “Yes, I do. It's in your file remember?”

  James

  Hurriedly, James and got dressed. He could tell from Reggie’s mind what she wanted. To be honest, he wasn't sure he could turn away from her desire yet again. She'd been a guiding presence in his life and a personal hero since he’d read that first book. The chance to really get to know her had been daunting, and then the challenge of not having the offered up sex...

  The doorbell rang.

  James threw on an old ratty Grateful Dead tee shirt, he thought went well with the holey jeans he already had on—then he realized he was barefoot as well as commando.

  Shit!

  Reggie stood there looking as if she'd just come from a lecture wearing a black pencil skirt, a red silk blouse and black hose. Oh…and 3 or 4 inch black heels.

  God, she's beautiful.

  Sexy.

  Hesitatingly Reggie came inside as if there was a conflict raging inside her…just as there was in himself.

  He wanted her desperately. Reaching out, James gently pulled Reggie in, closing the door. “Have a seat on the couch while I go get us each a glass of wine.’ He watched Reggie walk the short distance from the door into the living room. She has such a beautiful walk. Those beautifully shaped hips swaying from side to side. She could have been a runway model.

  Yes, he really, really wanted this beautiful woman, right now. Just before Reggie turned around to sit, James walked into the kitchen space to get the promised wine. Today, I'm going to make love to Dr. Regina Adams because I want to.

  Not because Reggie wants me to.

  I'm doing so because for so long, I have had extremely intense feelings for her.

  I cannot be Dudley Do-Right today.

  Always following the rules.

  Even if I get caught, I know it'll be worth it.

  Setting their wine glasses on the coffee table, James knelt in front of Reggie. He placed his hands on the sides of Reggie’s face, holding it still.

  They kissed.

  Reggie returned the kiss and it deepened it.

  James’ tongue gently swept across her lips seeking permission into her mouth.

  She opened it, ever so slightly, touching his tongue with her own.

  Here I go, into the Heart of Darkness - willingly. All the pent up passions James had felt from the first moment he’d seen Dr. Adams broke free of their tenuous boundaries. He carried Reggie Adams into his bedroom.

  Reggie

  Victory!

  This boy is mine!

  I've been wanting him for so long...

  Wanting to run my fingers through that wild red hair of his. Copper top. That expression comes unbidden. Like the battery. Wonder if he’s anything like the Energizer Bunny...

  Holy Shit! I knew he'd be big, but oh my!

  This feeling is way past...`

  Blending my mind with his...

  I've never experienced this level before...

  It's too much!

  I see a blonde tall man with brilliant blue eyes. Steady, confident, strong. Father...

  A red haired beauty, whose love and devotion is unflinching. Mother...

  Reggie saw in his mind, how James perceived her.

  Reggie: Do I look like that?

  James: To me you do...

  Reggie: I didn't know.

  James: That's okay, you do now.

  Reggie: You're in love with me?

  James: Yes. I always have been.

  ~o0o~

  Chapter 18

  Danger is Coming

  Reggie pulled back a little and looked at James. “You have always been in love with me?”

  He nodded. “Yes. I knew when I saw that picture of you on the back of your first book. I knew that I had always been in love with you.”

  “You really think I'm beautiful James?” Her bottom lip disappeared between her teeth.

  She looked so much like a little girl James pulled away from her and sat up. When she looked like this, she seemed so vulnerable, so exposed. A Regina Adams he'd never seen before. “Yes, Reggie, you’re very beautiful, but it was your mind and our shared passion for metaphysics that I was attracted to at first. It was because of you I decided to come to this University and sign up for your lectures and classes.”

  She sat up and pulled the sheet around her chest just under her arms to cover her breasts. Then she ran her fingers through her hair. Slowly, all the bricks were replaced from the rubble that had been her mind shield. Reggie was no longer there with James…. Dr. Adams was there now.

  James knew their “moment” was over. He rose, found his clothing, went to the bathroom and dressed quickly.

  Reggie sat on the bed, her mind awash with emotions. She couldn't let James, one of her students, derail her plans. They couldn't be together like this again. This had been a mistake. This was dangerous for her, for her plans. “James...” Reggie began, “I think I’d better leave.”

  “I know,” was all James replied from the bathroom. While in there he heard, in his mind, Reggie raging against herself, but not for the reasons she should’ve been. She was worried about Dudley Do-Right discovering her secrets about Mike and Pat. From what he'd gleaned they were very young. Much too young to be participating in Reggie's testing program. He caught some of it…Reggie had plans for them, that concerned Vivian, Josephine and Leo...separate from the research he was doing with Reggie.

  It was...dangerous.

  Could it be Mike and Pat against Josephine and Leo?

  They were dangerous to each other.

  What the hell?

  It concerned a great potential for large sums of cash for Reggie?

  What are you up to Dr. Adams?

  ~o0o~

  After a while, James walked into his kitchen to fix himself a sandwich. As he was absently wolfing down the last bite, his cell phone buzzed. He looked at the name of the caller and pressed the green button. “Hey Josephine, what's up?” He listened and answered, “Sure I'll be happy to meet you. Where?” He listened, “Now? Ok. It'll take me about fifteen minutes to get there. You'll be inside, or where? Ok. I'll see you there in fifteen.” He disconnected the call, and wondered what Little Miss Torn
ado had 'seen'.

  ~o0o~

  Fifteen minutes later, James pulled up in front of the Starbucks nearest the campus. Josephine was standing there, all motion suspended, holding three Starbucks coffees in a cardboard holder. She opened the car door and climbed in. “Let's go to Leo's as this concerns him too.”

  James asked how to get there. The short trip was made in silence. He knew Josephine would speak when the three of them were together at Leo's, although he already knew. James would let her tell him when she was ready.

  Ten minutes later, they were standing in front of Leo's apartment door waiting for him to let them in.

  Soon, they were seated around Leo's little kitchen table, drinking the coffees Josephine purchased and brought with James.

  “Okay Josephine, now tell us. What's up?” James asked, becoming impatient.

  “First James, let me ask you this...” James nodded. “Were you just with Dr. Adams?”

  “Yes,” he answered almost flatly not wanting to give anything away. Most psychics worked with the hints they got from people's voices, body movements, eyes; the many 'tells' people have when talking about personal things. Experience however, had shown James that Josephine actually saw visions.

  “Did you have sex with her?” Josephine's voice was soft and worried.

  “Yes.” Again, James’ voice gave nothing away. He was far too experienced an interviewer of psychics.

  Josephine paused and her eyes teared up. “Did she say anything to you about Leo, or me?”

  “Say anything? No.” James would give her a little and see where she went with it.

  Leo just sat there and looked back and forth between the two of them, with a very confused look on his face.

  Josephine closed her eyes as one tear leaked down onto her cheek.

  “Why Josephine? What's wrong? What have you seen?” James was genuinely concerned now.

  Josephine turned to Leo, “Do you remember when I almost fainted when we first met while we were having lunch at the Campus Snack Shop?”

  Leo smiled at her. “Yes, you scared the hell out of me. We'd just met in person for the first time.”

  Josephine explained to James how she was following Leo to his table in the Campus Snack Shop when she experienced flashes of the same scene twice but with different scenarios and both involving herself, Leo and James. In one, the three of them were laughing and having a great time while in the second, James was kneeling next to Leo who was lying on the floor with blood seeping from his eyes and ears. Josephine was hysterically screaming at James to do something. As a result of the visions’ impact on her, Josephine had stumbled when the second and last vision flashed before her. Leo seeing that Josephine was about to fall caught her.

  Josephine told James exactly what she said at the time…she'd just had a flash of their futures and something either wonderful or terribly wrong was going to happen involving the two of them and James Franklin. “I don't know when it's going to happen. It felt like we were hurtling towards something monstrous that we were unable to stop.”

  Both James and Leo looked expectantly at her for her to continue.

  “It’s upon us now, and unless we work to prevent it, Leo will die.” Josephine sat there with tears streaming down her cheeks.

  ~o0o~

  Chapter 19

  Research

  James

  Leo and James sat stunned.

  Finally, James found his voice. “This has to do with Reggie—Dr. Adams?”

  Through her sniffles, Josephine faintly answered, “Yes.”

  Then the pieces all came together for James. He remembered Reggie thinking of him, Josephine and Leo as well as Pat and Mike... and her old school chum, Vivian. “I have this feeling, mind you, just a feeling, that it has to do with showing her friend Vivian some experiment with two other people called Mike and Pat. She really shuts down hard and fast when she starts thinking about those three.”

  “Who is Vivian and who are Mike and Pat?” Josephine asked quietly.

  “Well, Vivian is an old college friend and as far as I know, Mike and Pat are a pair of twins who display remarkable psi talents. I believe the twins are seriously under age…I don't really know because, as I said, she really locks down when thinking about them.”

  Josephine frowned. “I have seen only shadows and mists that refuse to form into much of anything, but I hear myself screaming about Leo being dead, and seeing him laying on the floor...as I've already described.” Her small body shuddered violently.

  “So, Leo appears to be the only one of the three of us who's injured?” James asked her quietly.

  Josephine's head snapped up and she glared. “Isn't that enough!”

  “Josephine, I don't want him injured. I'm only trying to make any sense I can from what I've picked up from Reggie and what you've seen.”

  Josephine dropped her eyes…Fresh tears spilling over onto her cheeks. “I'm sorry James. This just has me so upset. I can't believe that Dr. Adams would deliberately set out to harm any of us. It's just unthinkable! She holds such a responsible position at the University...”

  Leo moved to pull Josephine into his arms. She went willingly and dissolved into sobs, as she clutched at him.

  Leo’s simple loving act made James’ heart hurt for the both of them. He moved around the table and put his arms around both of them. I need to protect them. They’re innocents who have been caught up in something that smacks of evil and treachery. I must find out what I can about Mike and Pat. “Josephine, please try to calm yourself. I can't think well when you’re broadcasting psychically this way. I think I have an idea on how to find out who Mike and Pat are. If we can do that, maybe you'll be able to see more?”

  Josephine nodded and pulled away from Leo, but she made sure to grab one of his hands which she held in both of hers on top of the table once she was seated again. “What are you going to do James?”

  “Well, I think Reggie's secretary would tell me if she hasn't been specifically instructed not to. I just need to figure out how the best way to ask her would be.” He calmed himself with several deep breaths, took his phone out, and flipped through his contacts list. He pressed the correct buttons and waited.

  “Dr. Adams's Office,” a crisp female voice answered.

  “Hey Susan, it's James Franklin.” He tried to sound businesslike and friendly at the same time.

  “Oh, hello James. Dr. Adams isn't in the office right now. In fact, do you know where she is?”

  I'm in luck, I hope. “Darn! I was hoping you could tell me. She'd asked me to compile some information on Mike and Pat, but she forgot give me the files.”

  “Oh, I can help you there James. I'll send the file to your email right now, if that'll help you. In fact, I'm doing it right now. OK. It's on it's way to you.”

  His Android vibrated. “Hang on a moment Susan, let me make sure it arrived uncorrupted.” He looked at the screen, and the file was there. “Got it. If there's any problem, I'll get back to you. And, Susan, please don't tell Dr. Adams I had to get it from you. You know how she can be,” I said shyly.

  “Boy do I! It'll be our secret James. We slaves have to stick together!” Susan laughed.

  “Thank you so much Susan. You're a peach!” He punched the end button, and put the phone on the tabletop. His hands were shaking.

  Josephine placed her hand on his.

  “I'm okay Josephine. Being a slave driver will bite you in the ass.” He was referring to Reggie’s constant hard driving nature with those who worked under her. “Now let's see what's in that file...”

  About a half hour later, the three of them were astonished. What these twins were capable of was unnerving to say the least. Leo would be injured if their combined powers were unleashed upon him unaware. No wonder Reggie was expecting a large finder’s fee for their discovery. Who would want abilities like theirs? Let's see, only the CIA, NSA, and FBI to say nothing of private or foreign agencies who delve into all kinds of spy activities.

&n
bsp; Sitting back in his seat at the kitchen table, Leo asked, “Josephine, knowing these facts now, does that clear anything up for your sight?”

  Josephine was still for a little while. It was so unnatural to see her not moving, the guys were afraid something was wrong with her.

  When she finally moved, she spoke slowly, “Not really, but—it's not nearly as murky as it had been.”

  “Okay then, let's logic this out if possible. According to these files, Mike can make people's pain go away, while Pat has the ability to cause great pain mentally. Leo can adjust moods. What if Mike caused you, Leo to be unable to move and Pat attacked your mind. What would that do to you?”

  The three of them had no medical training. What they needed was someone who understood how a person’s mental state affected the physical body. James reached for his phone and called his father telling him the gist of what they needed to know.

  “I don't pretend to understand your fascination with parapsychology and metaphysics, but I respect the work ethic you've established. I also understand you are well thought of in that community.” Same conversation his dad and he usually had on the subject of James’ chosen field of study and research. Sighing, Jack finally gave James a name and phone number of a professor who would probably be able to answer their questions.

  James called the number his father had given him and made an appointment to see him right away.

  “Come on, you two. We're going to see the professor of psychology my father told me about.”

  An hour later, they were sitting in Professor Banner's office explaining to him what they needed to understand to carry out the lab experiment for their newest testing round.

  “So you’re Jack Franklin's boy. You look more like your mother I think, but you're tall like your father.” He smiled. “Sure, I think I can help you.” He stood and walked to his wall of books and pulled down three volumes. “I think these three will be of the most help.” He handed them to James, and dismissed them all by saying that he had a lecture he needed to give in ten minutes but invited them back if they had any further questions.