by Leah Brooke
Surprisingly, it did.
“So, you think of me as a predator? You’re definitely my prey, darling. I caught you and I’m not about to give you up.” His teasing didn’t fool her for a minute. Worry still lingered in his eyes, eyes that sharpened as if searching for any further signs of distress.
Feeling stupid for letting her own imagination frighten her and worry him, she touched his hand and smiled.
“The man you’re talking about is behind me. He’s tall, dark, and incredibly handsome. Blue eyes. He’s surrounded by beautiful women, all vying for his attention. If you stay here with me, he’s going to steal all of your action, playboy.”
Turning in his seat, he blocked her more fully from the crowd, reaching out to trail his fingers over her breast. “I’ve got all the action I need right here, and don’t you even think about going near him.”
Serena smiled at the jealousy in his growl, pleased with herself and her skill in getting the information he’d asked for. Confident now, she reached up to cup his jaw, thrilling at the flare of possessive hunger in his eyes.
“He’s interested in jewelry.” Dropping her hand, she smiled ruefully. “But you knew that, didn’t you?”
Grinning, he captured her hand and lifted it to brush his lips over her fingers. “Very good. Of course I know. I’ve been having fun with him for years and have made a lot of reward money because of him.”
“If you know what he’s doing, why don’t you just get him arrested?”
“He will be. Soon. Someone is trying to tempt him to steal something more dangerous. Stay away from him.” Leaning back, he kept a hand at her back and looked over toward the man in question. “You know, Serena, we’re going to make a hell of a team.”
Something alerted her, a sensation of dread that sent a chill up her spine, compelling her to turn her head just in time to see her cousin walking across the dance floor toward the ladies’ room.
Elise had her head lowered, and she looked as if she was crying.
Remembering the fury she’d felt from Anthony Carello only minutes earlier, Serena pulled her hand from Alastair’s. “I need to use the ladies’ room. I’ll be right back.”
She didn’t mention her cousin, knowing that Alastair would keep her from going after Elise.
Her cousin was a selfish woman, but she was still her cousin, and Serena could only imagine how much hurt a man like Anthony Carello could inflict.
Ignoring Alastair’s barked demand that she wait for him, she darted through the crowd, rushing into the ladies’ room only seconds after her cousin. Catching Elise’s shoulder, Serena spun her, sucking in a breath at the cold shiver that slithered up her arm like an icy snake.
Forcing back her panic, she yanked her hand away, rubbing her arm to erase the chill.
“Elise. What is it? Look, I know you just married him, but no man is worth this.”
Elise whirled, her lip curled back in what looked suspiciously like a snarl, fury hardening her eyes, still wet with tears.
“What are you now, an expert on men? I don’t know what the hell you did to get Wyn interested in you. Even my husband is ignoring me because he’s so fascinated with you. You make me sick! You’re nothing but a small-town freak who plays at being able to know things she shouldn’t.”
Serena blinked. “So, I’m not psychic now. I wish to hell you would make up your mind. You and your mother have gotten me into a hell of a lot of trouble. You know your husband’s going to try to kill both me and Wyn, don’t you? He’s evil, Elise.”
Now that Alastair wasn’t around, Serena had only herself to depend on to keep the other voices out, but the mental block kept slipping, making it increasingly difficult to focus on her cousin, and the evil surrounding her now.
Elise laughed, a hard, cold laugh that sent chills through Serena, her cousin’s demeanor making it even more difficult to concentrate. “So dramatic! My husband is a businessman who goes after what he wants.”
She smiled coldly. “Now he wants you. I can’t have that, Serena. It took me two years to get him to marry me. I’m not about to lose that because he wants you. You intrigue him. I can’t afford to have you around.”
Serena stilled, the evil coming from her cousin like a cold, black curtain closing around her. The shock of it made her drop her own mental defenses, allowing the emotions and thoughts of the people filling the ballroom to begin to trickle through. The hard, cold menace of Elise’s thoughts hit her hard, the evil so intense it nearly debilitated her.
She felt more, but couldn’t concentrate. It came from somewhere outside. Some evil intent and it had to do with her. It disappeared almost as soon as it started to come into focus. Struggling to get it back, Serena opened her mind wide, almost debilitated by the torrent.
It took tremendous effort to speak, to find the words. “Elise, I’m not interested in having an affair with your husband.”
Shaking her head, Elise smiled coldly. “You really are stupid. Do you think he cares if you want him or not? Tony takes what he wants and he doesn’t let anything or anyone stand in his way. He can’t stand the fact that Wyn is going to use your abilities to see the future to make even more money in the stock market—all the while fucking you whenever the mood strikes him. Tony wants that for himself, and he’ll take you, Serena, whether you want him or not! When he’s done with you, he’ll throw you away like yesterday’s garbage.”
“Is that what you think he’s going to do to you?”
Elise stuck her hands in her pockets, clearly agitated, but Serena had trouble concentrating. “I won’t let him do that to me! I’ve earned it. If he thinks he’s going to get rid of me and hook up with you, he’d better think again.”
Like a dam bursting, the voices in her head rushed forward, bombarding her. Holding a hand to her head, she fought off dizziness and the monster headache that started to form.
“Elise.” Serena closed her eyes, gripping the edge of the sink. “I’m no threat to you.”
“Damned right you’re not!”
Shocked at the sting in her shoulder, Serena turned, clumsily grabbing for it as her vision blurred. Horrified at the needle in her cousin’s hand, she struggled to speak.
“Elise?”
This couldn’t be happening. She couldn’t believe her cousin would do something like this to her. She didn’t even know what had been in the needle. She could even now be dying—just when she’d begun to live.
“What are you doing? What did you give me?” Panicking when her legs turned rubbery, Serena tried to grip the sink again and missed.
Falling to her knees, she fought the blackness closing in and started to crawl for the door.
Elise cursed, her nails digging into Serena’s arm as she lifted her to her feet. “Just a little something to knock you out. Don’t worry about Wyn. You would have lost him soon anyway. You really didn’t think you could hold a man like him, did you? Hell, you don’t even know how to dress. You don’t even know how to walk in heels, for God’s sake. You’re like a little girl playing make-believe. You’ll never be woman enough for a man like Wyn. Let’s go, cuz. I’ve got big plans for you.”
Slumping against the wall, Serena watched her cousin open a window, struggling to keep her eyes open.
A man came in, one Serena hadn’t seen before. The icy gleam in his eyes terrified her. She didn’t need her abilities to tell her he was dangerous, but the realization of how much her abilities had faded scared her even more. He started straight for her, his expression cold and hard, and when she tried to focus on his features, they blurred.
Elise stood by the door. “Let’s get her out of here before anyone sees us.”
Serena tried to scream, but it came out as no more than a rush of breath, something she knew would be impossible to hear over the loud music. She tried to fight the man holding her, but she couldn’t get her body to obey her.
“Alastair!” It came out as a sob, her voice so low she knew no one could have heard her.
H
e would be frantic with worry when she didn’t come back.
He would blame himself.
Her dream had come true. She’d met her lovers.
Now, it was over.
It was her last thought before darkness claimed her.
Chapter Ten
Ian swiped a hand over his face. “She’s not here. I covered every fucking inch of the grounds outside and there’s no sight of her. She went to the damned bathroom! How the hell could you lose her?”
Alastair understood the fury and fear in his brother’s tone, consumed by both emotions himself. “I only turned for a minute or two when Carello approached, asking where she was. She went to the damned bathroom!”
Clenching his jaw, he glanced at his brother, still furious at Carello’s proposition.
“He said he would give me a million dollars if I delivered her to him by the end of the week. He said he didn’t care if I fucked her or not. Ian, he wants her to use, in more ways than one.”
Ian spun, his eyes cold with fury. “That fucking bastard! I’m going to enjoy pounding his face in.”
Rubbing his arm, which had begun to ache, Alastair clenched his jaw. “She’s so little.” He ran his hand through his hair, trying to ignore the pain in his arm. “Completely helpless. Fuck. I don’t know what the hell her cousin has planned. The security footage only showed her going into the bathroom right before Serena, and then neither one of them came out. The camera right outside the window of the bathroom was broken a half an hour before Serena walked into the ladies’ room.”
Alastair paced, rubbing his aching arm. “She saw something before she jumped up. I can only assume it was Elise. She looked worried. Frantic. Then she pulled away from me.” Running his hand through his hair sent the band holding it flying. “Christ, I’ve never been so fucking scared.”
Hearing voices from the other side of the hedges, he stilled, turning to Ian. “You’d better get the hell out of here before someone sees us together.”
Ian nodded. “If it means saving her life, I don’t give a fuck about our cover.”
Alastair knew he should have been shocked at how easily they’d both throw away all they’d built in order to save her.
Since the moment he’d looked down at the photo of Serena, he’d been a goner.
The realization that he’d risk everything to save her hit him hard.
Ian rubbed a hand over his arm, keeping his head lowered. “She wouldn’t be stupid enough to take Serena home. She’s too jealous of the way Carello looks at her. No, she’d want her cousin as far away from her husband as possible. The fact that Elise disappeared before Carello says a lot.”
Alastair nodded. “I was already searching for Serena, but I saw Carello get a call. He looked furious when he stormed out.”
He tried to push back the almost paralyzing fear that Elise Carello had already killed Serena, but it was there, and kept forcing its way to the forefront.
“I haven’t felt her since she disappeared. I didn’t realize how much I felt her until I couldn’t do it anymore. We’re connected to her, Ian, and in more ways than one. I can’t feel her anymore. I’m so scared we’ve already lost her.”
Ian’s icy eyes became even colder. “If Elise killed her, I’ll strangle her with my bare hands. They’ll never find the body.”
Oh, shit, that hurts. Alastair stilled, whipping his head around. “Did you hear that?’
Ian’s eyes widened. “Serena’s alive. That’s her. I can feel her. Jesus, I can feel her. I wonder if she can hear us.”
Remembering how she’d heard what he’d been thinking earlier, Alastair felt a ray of hope. “If we do it forcefully enough, she can. Be quiet a minute.”
Focusing on Serena, Alastair mentally screamed at her.
Serena! Where the hell are you?
His heart leapt that he could actually feel her shock, his adrenaline kicking into overdrive.
Alastair?
Ian cursed, his eyes glittering. “She’s hurt and scared. I can feel it. What the hell’s going on?”
Alastair headed for his car. “I don’t know. Either her abilities are sharpening or she has no idea what she can do. All I care about now is finding her.”
Ian nodded. “I’m right behind you.”
Not even waiting for Ian to finish, Alastair rushed to the car, whipping off his jacket to toss it inside, reaching out again to Serena. Yes, honey. It’s me. Where are you?
I don’t know. Is this really happening, or am I imagining it? Why do my head and arm hurt?
Alastair stilled, realizing with a start that the pain in his arm wasn’t his at all, but hers. I don’t know, baby. You’re not imagining it. Ian and I can hear you. We need to know where you are. Are you hurt anywhere else? Is your head bleeding?
No. Just hurts. Bad. Nowhere else. Hell, I’m imagining this.
Alastair tamped down his impatience. I was awake all night, thinking about fucking you. I want to bury my face between those creamy thighs and feast on you.
Aware of her shock, he gritted his teeth. Do you still think you’re imagining it?
Um, no. I can’t believe you just said that.
I had to convince you. I don’t know how we’re communicating, and I don’t know how long it’ll last. I need to find you, Serena. You have to help me.
What the hell happened—Elise! She gave me a shot of something. I’m still woozy. Oh, my God! Somebody’s coming. I hear someone calling my name.
Wondering if her relaxed state allowed her to communicate like this, Alastair forced himself to remain calm in order to get as much information from her as he could before the effects started wearing off.
Don’t answer. We don’t know who it is. Stay out of sight until we get to you. Look around. What do you see?
I don’t know. Dirt. It’s dark. I’m holding on to a big rock. It’s cold. There’s something here, but I can’t see it. There’s lights above, and a fence. Oh, God, I ache all over. I can’t think. Oh, God in heaven! A lion! Oh, shitohshitohshit. It’s not real. It can’t be real. I’m dreaming. It’s a vision. I’m thinking about Alastair and Ian. Oh, hell. Am I dead?
Alastair fought back panic as her terror, and that of Ian’s blended with his. Changing direction, he raced toward the zoo. Ian, she mentioned a lion earlier, but she saw it while looking at me. She said she saw a predator. Christ, I thought it was about us. I’m sure as hell going to listen more in the future.
Ian cursed inventively. Serena, you’re not dead. Babe, can you hear me?
Ian! I’m in a lion pit! Elise actually dumped me into a fucking lion pit. They see me. There’s two lions and they’re coming toward me. Oh, God. I’m dead.
Stop it. Calm down. What did you do to the dogs?
What?
Alastair knew that Ian was close behind him, the two of them racing into the night toward Serena. Remembering the way she’d been with their watchdogs, his heart started pounding faster with excitement. Yes! Serena, how did you get the dogs to respond to you?
I don’t know! I talked to them, I guess. In my head. But that’s just dogs and cats. These are friggin’ lions! Oh, God. Let me try. I have to try. It’s okay, kitty. I’m hurt. I won’t hurt you. Nice kitty. Don’t you fucking eat me.
Racing toward the zoo, Alastair placed a call to Jonathan, who answered on the first ring.
“Grimes.”
“Serena’s in trouble. I’m going after Carello tonight.”
“What do you need?”
“Wait ten minutes and call in the troops. They’ll find all they need at the zoo.”
“Wyn, you’re too emotionally involved. You’re going to give yourself away.”
“I don’t care.” Nothing mattered except getting to Serena in time.
“Damn it, Wyn! We’ve worked too hard on this. What do you mean, Serena’s in trouble? Does Carello have her?”
“No, but he and his wife kidnapped her and threw her in the lion pit. Kidnapping and attempted murder.”
He
couldn’t think about the possibility of not reaching her in time.
“What? Where?”
“The zoo. Wait ten minutes.” Alastair disconnected, impatient to listen to Serena.
Ian, it’s Anthony Carello. He and his men are looking for me. They left. Please come and get me.
We’re here.
Alastair squealed tires as he pulled into the parking lot of the zoo, not bothering to look when he heard and felt Ian pulling in right behind him. Slamming on the brakes, he brought the car to a screeching halt, his door already open before he even put it in park. His hands shook as he got out and raced to the back of the car, just as Ian threw open his own door. He popped open the trunk and rushed to gather the rope and gloves he had inside.
Within a few minutes, he and Ian had gone over the wall, and raced toward the lion pit. “She can’t believe her cousin would do this to her. She’s not just shaken. This has devastated her.”
“Yeah, I know. I’d like to strangle that bitch with my bare hands. This way. Hurry up. We’ll get her home and take care of her.”
Less than a minute later, both men stood at the fence to the lion pit, looking down in horror at Serena’s attempt to keep the two lions at bay.
One male, one female, both sat staring at her, tilting their heads to the side as if listening to whatever she said to them.
Alastair quickly tossed one end of the rope to his brother to tie off and tied the other around himself. “She’s closed us out again, probably to concentrate on the lions. Wish us luck, Ian.”
“Damn it, Alastair. Move. I’ll go.”
With his heart pounding furiously, Alastair went over the fence, stilling when one of the lions roared.
Serena’s voice came from directly under him.
“Alastair, don’t come down here.” The usual lulling quality to Serena’s voice was absent, replaced with a tense fear that turned his stomach to ice.
“Just stay as calm as you can and don’t make any sudden moves. I’m on my way.”
He started down again, this time more slowly than before, his pulse racing with the need to hurry.
