Love Uncharted

by Berinn Rae

  “Only the best for you, but I have to go now.” She rushed the words out as he heard Milo return. Frustration edged the boy’s voice. A click and the line went dead.

  Tom pocketed the cell just as Maloney entered the room. “I spoke to the warden of the women’s prison. She wants something in writing of course, but she’ll have Maria transferred to a single cell.”

  “That was fast.” Tom scrambled into his coat.

  Maloney shrugged. “Baldwin pulled his strings.”

  “That explains it.” Tom shook his hand with the detective. “Thanks for all the hard work.”

  “Can’t take all the credit. Your help was crucial to the case.”

  • • •

  Olivia stood glued to the news report on the television. Rosie had fallen to sleep over an hour ago, but Milo kept creeping out of bed and whining to switch the channel back to cartoons. She tucked the remote in the back pocket of her jeans and kissed his forehead. “Enough TV for you today. Your eyes look tired. It’s late. You should be in bed, love. School’s tomorrow.”

  The boy hung his head and headed for the stairs. “Fine.”

  The Hiltorn case, as media now called it, developed with every passing minute. Photos portraying smiling, beautiful and happy Maria flashed on the screen. Media had turned her into a darling at the flip of a dime. Just yesterday they hadn’t hesitated to show her prison pictures.

  “Hi, honey, I’m home.” Tom’s cheerful voice reached Olivia from the foyer, but she could only spare him a quick glance over her shoulder before her eyes flew back to the screen.

  Cameras flashed, microphones were shoved in detective Maloney’s face. Uniformed officers struggled to keep overzealous reporters at bay. Hiltorn stepped out of the police vehicle, his hands handcuffed in front, suit jacket covering his head. Maloney grabbed his elbow and led him through the crowd.

  Olivia clapped her hands, her heart pounding. Had she never lived this life, she would side with her now incarcerated boss and defend his actions, thinking he only wanted best for the corporation and the greater benefit. There had been multiple options to bail out his business. Attempting a murder shouldn’t be one.

  “I missed you, too,” Tom teased as he handed her a glass of red wine. “How long have you been stuck in front of the television?”

  She gulped the tangy liquid, a nice vintage meant for sipping, but with everything happening today, she needed something to steady her nerves. Then she chuckled and pressed her body on his. He took the glass from her hand and placed it on the coffee table. In the next instant, his lips crushed hers, his tongue licked them, coaxed them open. With a sigh, she surrendered to him, holding him tight in her arms. Heat pooled in her core with every flick of his tongue. For all she knew, this could be the last opportunity she’d get to make love to him and she wouldn’t waste another minute. The thought made her frantic and in a strange way horny.

  His hand cupped her rear, and he pulled out the remote to turn off the blaring television. “Enough of this damn thing. What do you say we finish this bottle in our bedroom?”

  He took her hand and led her upstairs, shutting the door of Milo’s room on his way to the master suite. The boy spread over the bed was fast asleep.

  “He couldn’t wait for you to get home, and neither could I.” She unzipped his pants and reached inside. His hard cock sent a rush of wetness between her legs.

  Tom set the bottle and two glasses on the dresser. With a swift movement, he pressed her back against the wall, and gripped her wrists above her head. Soft moans puffed from her mouth with his kissing and licking of her neck. She wiggled one hand free and unbuckled his belt. He spread her robe open, driving her wild with desire.

  His hands caressed down the side of her breasts and slid lower to settle against her waist. “Nice teddy. Love how it covers you in lace.”

  Seeing a fierce desire flashing in his eyes, she was glad she kept the undergarment on. The outfit hardly left anything to imagination, especially the roll on her stomach, which for some reason Tom found very sexy.

  Electricity charged the air around them and boosted her arousal. She pushed away from the wall, backing Tom towards the bed. He slid his tie over his head and she gripped the fabric of his shirt, then yanked it apart, sending tiny buttons in all directions. Her hands glided on his rock hard chest.

  She stripped off his ruined shirt and pushed on his bare shoulders. He dropped to the bed and raised his hips, allowing her to slide his pants off. She straddled him. “We’ll do it my way this time.”

  He teased her nipples through the thin lace by brushing his palms over her hardened nubbins. “Oh, yeah, tonight you take charge.”

  Her breath stuck in her throat and she let out a cry of surprise when he slid his hand to her crotch and pulled the snaps free. His finger found her tingling clit and gave it a satisfying rub.

  She panted, rose to her knees and poised her entrance over his erection. His hands gripped her hips while she eased down until his hardness filled her.

  “Oh … ” Moans overtook her voice as she ground her pelvis against his. He matched her pace with his thrusts, and her cries with grunts. Her climax peeked and passion snapped in her core, releasing the waves of pleasure through her. Tom tightened his hold on her hips, holding her firmly while his plunges deepened.

  “Yes, oh, yes.” Holding the scream in her throat, she threw her head back and surrendered to sweet trembles, hoping they would never cease. The quivers led to exhaustion. She collapsed into Tom’s arms and he cradled her against his chest. He kissed her forehead and brushed her hair. Sleep crept over her and strange images formed before her eyes when she started to doze off, but she shook herself awake. With Tom’s case solved, if she fell asleep, he’d be gone by the time she awoke. No, she must not sleep tonight. She could make it.

  Tom’s slow and steady breathing confirmed he was asleep. Fuzziness filled her head and her eyelids dropped. Damn, it must be the wine. She never should’ve slurped it so fast. The quiet house and soft bed along with Tom’s warm body lulled her to sleep.

  A female’s voice whispering her name woke her. She propped herself on her elbows. “Someone there?” she whispered back.

  “Hmm?” Tom rolled to his back.

  “Go back to sleep. It’s nothing.” But her curiosity drew her out of bed. She grabbed her slacks and a sweater on her way out of the bedroom.

  “This way, Olivia.” The voice coaxed her to follow it down the stairs, through the hallway and into the garage. “There’s something you must see. Get in the car and drive.”

  “Are you the angel I saw overtaking Tadem’s body?” Olivia put on a pair of old runners she kept on the garage shelf.

  “Yes.”

  “Maybe I should leave a note for Tom.” She turned toward the door.

  The voice stopped her. “No time. We must go. Now.”

  The driver’s door to her van opened. Olivia narrowed her eyes. She swallowed a lump forming in her throat. Her feet carried her closer to the vehicle. A nagging deep in her gut told her she must do as requested. No backing out.

  CHAPTER 19

  Olivia gripped the steering wheel in a feeble attempt to steady her trembling hands. The cold air and her shivering assured her she wasn’t trapped inside a nightmare. The angel’s whispers had lured her out of cozy bed and Tom’s embrace. This was the reality.

  Reality? For the past three months, her perception was distorted. She stared at the rearview mirror, hoping she’d catch a glimpse of the angel. “Why can’t I see you?”

  “We only show ourselves to those worthy of seeing us.” The soft voice seemed to come through the car speakers, but the key wasn’t in the ignition and no lights lit the dashboard.

  She licked her parched lips. “Worthy of seeing you? Like Tadem?”

  “Yes, like her and … Tom.”

  Olivia’s blood froze and her heart dropped. “Tom? Why him?”

  What the hell was she doing in this freezing garage instead of snuggled in b
ed with her husband? This was absurd. She grabbed onto handle, but the door wouldn’t open. Jamming her shoulder against the stiff metal produced the same result. The entity had trapped her.

  Her heart sped and she jabbed her elbow at the door panel. Pain ripped through her arm. Wincing, she cupped her joint in her palm. “Are you doing this? Let me out. I’m not driving anywhere.”

  “You must. It’s time.”

  “Time for what?” A strange lethargy set over her, and she leaned back in her seat. She stood powerless against the higher being, and things may get worse if she didn’t cooperate. “I forgot my key inside the house. The car won’t start without it.”

  The engine roared to life and the dashboard lit up. Her hands flew away from the steering wheel. “How the hell?”

  Heat poured out of the vents and for a moment calmed her chills. She watched her hands on the steering wheel reversing out of the garage and onto the road. Her mind screamed to stop, run away, do something, anything, to get back into the house, but her body no longer answered to her commands. “So where to?”

  “You know. You always knew.”

  “I do?” She dragged the words out, but a picture of her destination formed in her head and she shifted into drive. “But what’s there, other than a spot on a winding country road?”

  “It’s where your future begins.” The whisper behind her head rose hairs on her nape.

  Drifting snow blew over the road as she drove on, glancing at the reflection of her house in the mirrors until she no longer could spot its brick siding.

  She drove in silence and merged onto almost deserted highway. “You still here?”

  “Keep going.” The voice filled the interior. If this was God’s messenger, its ways were mysterious.

  “Mind if I put on some music?” No reply came from the angel. Olivia pulled a CD out of the case and inserted the disk. Sounds of pipe-organ from The Phantom of the Opera startled her, but she burst into ironic laughter. How fitting. Hadn’t the heroine believed an angel of music taught her to sing? When in fact the angel was a demented man with disfigured face.

  Maybe the angel in Olivia’s car was some lunatic hiding in shadows. She should sing along to pass the time, hide her fear or scare her personal phantom away. Her stab at the soprano could raise the dead she’d been told. Then there was something to be said about prudent silence.

  Oh what the heck, it just may work. After the opening piano chords, she joined in with the lead soprano. The words tightened her throat and choked her singing. Her voice tapered off. The lyrics hit too damn close to home. Would Tom think of her? Would his love fade? No, they had promised each other many times. She must hold on to the vow. All she had to do was drive to the destination and then … what? What waited for her there?

  Snowflakes whirled in the beams of her headlights, stirring the darkness as her car sped ahead. The last track on the CD played when she took the exit ramp.

  She took note of the road signs and the landmarks. Waterloo County. She was outside the city already. Enter the roundabout and take the first right. The voice boomed in her head.

  “Blair Road.” She read the green sign. After passing a few scarce houses lining the narrow and winding asphalt, her surrounding dissolved into darkness. Her foot pushed on the brake pedal. Her instinct told her to go back. She grabbed the gearstick and tried to shift into reverse, but the transmission wouldn’t budge. Past the point of no return … the phantom’s singing warned her to follow the road ahead and find spot where she could make a wide turn.

  Through the veil of darkness, dense forest loomed over the road. She must’ve passed the last sign of civilization some fifteen minutes ago. The angel remained silent or maybe had abandoned her. The Phantom CD started playing from the beginning. She flipped on high beams. The glistening snowflakes blinded her, and she switched back to regular headlights.

  The heavy snowfall and wiper blades racing at full speed back and forth across the windshield made it hard to see the road ahead. This was crazy. What was she thinking when she left the safety of her home? When would she learn to listen to reason? And now she was hopelessly lost. Served her right.

  If Tom woke and found her gone, he’d be worried and livid with her for heading out into the night alone. She should call him. He’d come to her rescue, or send help considering she was over an hour’s drive away from the city.

  She slid her hand inside her coat pocket. Her fingers grasped the liner, and her breath caught. Impossible, her cell had to be in there. She wiggled her fingers, inspecting the pouch, hoping the phone would appear. Where could she have left the stupid thing? She slapped her leg. “Top of the microwave.”

  That was where she’d placed her cell after talking to Tom. Damn, her head must’ve been in a gutter. What should she do now? The GPS! The device only gave garbled static and displayed squiggly lines. What the hell? It worked a minute ago.

  A pickup truck pulled up behind her. She blew out a breath of relief. The driver could help her turn the car around and direct her back to the highway. She squinted at the intense lights mounted at the top of the cabin roof illuminating the interior of her car. What was going on?

  The vehicle slowed down and its lights sunk in her rearview mirror. Scenes from the horror movies involving the lost women on the abandoned road flashed before her eyes.

  The pickup sped up and came to her rear bumper, flashing those bright lights inside her cabin. Shouts of young males reached her. The guys must be drunk or high, or maybe both.

  “Oh god,” she gasped. Fear sent needles down her spine, stiffening her arms and shoulders.

  The truck’s lights faded into the distance again. Maybe they’d had a bit of fun with her and would leave her alone. Then it began again. At the fast approaching beams and roaring laughter, a scream ripped from her throat.

  The shouts grew louder. A bottle thrown from the truck shattered against her trunk. “City folks don’t belong here.”

  “Please, don’t do this.” Her chin trembled and she barely uttered the words. Her eyes glued to the rearview mirror. The combination of letters and numbers of the pickup’s rust covered license plate on the front bumper stood out in the intense light. Her panic stricken mind screamed to write the plate number. She tapped around the dashboard, hoping she would find a writing instrument and found a marker under her palm. With a shaky hand she scribbled the plate numbers on her forearm, felt tip digging into her skin.

  Three bright yellow signs ahead warned her she was entering a sharp bend. The truck sped to her rear bumper again. A piercing scream tore from her mouth. She slammed on the brake. The truck rammed her car and pushed her off the road.

  A deafening sound of screeching metal ripped through her ears. The van shook and groaned on uneven ground. She cradled her head in her arms. The airbag deployed and the impact knocked her hard.

  Her head swam. She fought to hold on and not slip into inviting darkness.

  “Who will it be, Olivia? Tom or Tadem?” The angel’s calm voice dissolved into silence.

  “I can’t choose. Don’t make me.” She mumbled with the last of her strength, surrendering to oblivion while the Phantom’s voice grew distant, or maybe it was Tom’s.

  • • •

  “Miss? Can you hear me?”

  Olivia’s lashes fluttered, but she couldn’t open her eyes. She coughed. A sharp pain ripped through her chest. Her head was propped. Something stiff was fitted around her neck. At least she didn’t have to struggle to find a comfortable position to relieve the agony. Darkness opened up in front of her once again. She wanted to slip there.

  “Stay with me, Miss Owen.” The woman demanded, clapping her hands above Olivia’s ear. “Stay with me.”

  Olivia moaned. Why did the woman keep addressing her by her maiden name?

  “I’m Amira. We’re from the local EMS. We’ll get you out of here.” The woman’s demanding voice yanked her back to the cold and uninviting world.

  “Medar,” she whispered.
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br />   “I’m sorry?” Amira leaned her ear over Olivia’s mouth.

  Latex covered fingers pulled down on Olivia’s lids. Amira flashed the light in each eye. “Pupils are normal.”

  “I’m Mrs. Medar.” Olivia tried to scan the scene through her lashes. The flashing lights of the emergency vehicles parked on the road above stood out in the dim light of dawn.

  “Your driver’s license identifies you as Olivia Owen.”

  Olivia’s heart sank. She was back in her old, empty world. There was a time she’d give anything for this chance, now she’d give it all away to be with Tom and her children.

  Still, a sliver of hope lived in her mind. “Please, find my husband.”

  Amira patted her arm. “Let us get you out first.”

  A firefighter approached her. “Miss, can I get you to cross your arms over your abdomen? That’s great. Keep them like that.”

  He grabbed her shoulders. “I’m going to sit you upright and my colleague will slide the board behind you. If you experience any pain, let me know right away. Are you okay to proceed?”

  “Yes.” She answered with a weak voice. All she wanted was to find Tom and the sooner she was pulled out of this wreck, the sooner she could start.

  “Easy now.” The firefighter pulled her up. “Any pain?”

  She bit her lower lip and whimpered. “No, I’m fine.”

  “Are you sure?” Doubt crept into the man’s deep voice. “’Cause we can pull the car apart to free you.”

  “I’m sure.” Her words came out with a whoosh of air.

  He studied the writing on her forearm. “What’s this?”

  “License plate of the pickup that rammed me into the ditch.” Good thing her scribbling had not wiped out. She wrote it with Milo’s washable marker. “The road was covered in snow. Airbag hit me hard in the face.”

  “Airbag? Snow?” The man gave a reluctant cough. “Your Mercedes is a vintage. It’s not equipped with airbags. There has been no snowfall in over two months.” He continued to work around her. “I’m glad you kept your wits and wrote the plates down. Catching them won’t be hard. Clever guys have done this before.”