Instinctual

by Amanda Mackey

  “Yes?”

  “Thanks for the weapons and for getting me to Vernazza as quickly as possible. I appreciate it.”

  “I’d only do it for you, Rob, you know that.”

  “You’re a good friend, Gary. I’ll keep you up to date and call you straight away if we find her.”

  The two men hung up. By that stage Robert was puffing and panting from the exertion of the climb. They came to a dimly lit narrow street where The Gladiator stopped short.

  “What is it?”

  “This was the last point of contact with your daughter, sir.”

  “Here?”

  “That’s correct, sir.”

  Robert looked around, searching for anything that would solve the riddle in his head. An even smaller gap between the long row of houses was the only way to duck out of view and disappear quickly. Had Kate sensed she was being followed by The Gladiator and escaped down the narrow opening? But why? What was she afraid of? Why run? Why not enter a shop and call the local police? He was hopeful that Carlos hadn’t abducted his daughter if he truly cared for her, but more likely his connection to the Organization had sealed her fate. It made sense.

  “I’ve door knocked the whole area and so far the outcome has been negative.” The Gladiator watched as Robert’s lips twitch with restrained anger. “Sir, is it possible your daughter has been visiting a friend?”

  Robert shook his head at that notion. “I’ve thought of that, don’t worry. I’ve wondered if pulling you all the way here from Rome to watch Kate because my gut instinct has told me that her not so squeaky-clean boyfriend has been up to no good has all been a waste of time. Now that I know that Carlos is involved with The Organization, my suspicions have been justified. All I wanted for you to do was keep her safe. You were given limited information because I had limited information about Carlos Santini. I’ve been watching the crime syndicate for years. I’ve had a spy giving us inside information. These boys are dangerous. Something has happened to my daughter, I just know it.”

  Dismissing the tiny aperture they stood adjacent to, eyeing the water at the end of the ledge, Robert decided they needed to keep looking elsewhere. “Let’s keep moving. We’re nearly at the top of the town. I want it checked first and then we’ll re-assess our search. Figure out what we’re missing.”

  They moved upward and onward, turning sharp corners, climbing steps and getting lost in the tangled mess of layered villas.

  ***

  Jake was absorbing as much information as he could garnish from his two allies, already having gleaned firsthand information that only he was privy to from Kate herself. Or more to the point, her ghost. If he’d been asked six months ago if he could imagine being out of his own body, being kept alive by machines, searching for Kate’s body back in Vernazza, the answer would have been, never in a million years. But here he was doing just that. How things had changed. His heart was still bleeding. He was broken into millions of pieces, grieving for a woman that had always existed at the crux of his being.

  Tonight though there was no time to dwell on his crushing heartache. There was a body to find. He had to try and focus. To see if he could seek her out even in death.

  Little did he know that at the end of the small alley that intersected the buildings they had stopped in front of moments ago, was the stony ledge that had swept Kate over the edge.

  Chapter Thirty

  Kate was getting antsy. Waiting wasn’t one of her strengths. It had been over two hours since she’d returned to her villa and discovered her father’s arrival. She had expected him to return a while ago. Checking the clock on the living room wall which read 11 p.m., Kate was getting concerned. It wasn’t like her father to be out so late anywhere, let alone in a strange town he’d never been to before. She got up and started pacing, trying to figure out what could have led him here in the first place. He’d traveled fairly light, so it appeared his stay was going to be short. Kate’s mother hadn’t accompanied him so it would seem that he was here on business. Is that why he was out so late? What business would keep him out so soon after his arrival? He hadn’t even had time to unpack.

  Still forgetting that she was out of her body, she floated into the kitchen, hoping to find her cell still scattered on the floor where she’d left it. She’d call her father and find out where he was and why he hadn’t waited to see her.

  The floor was clean. There was no sign of her cell. She checked the table and benches of the kitchen but it wasn’t anywhere. Had her father found it and picked it up? Maybe he’d seen her cell splayed all over the floor and worried that something had happened to her. Maybe he was out looking for her.

  As these thoughts skimmed across her mind, suddenly it hit her. Looking down to see a shimmering glow emanate around her ethereal form, everything came flooding back again. The fall. Lying motionless. Bleeding. She grabbed onto the chair for support and then staggered back out into the living room, sitting on the sofa, her head in her hands.

  Her body lay at the foot of some remote cliff on the outskirts of town that would be virtually impossible to find. She was in danger of dying.

  “Dad isn’t even going to be able to see me, is he? He’s here and I’m not going to be able to hug him or talk to him. Or maybe he will be able to see me. After all, Jake could. Damn it! Everything is so fucked up at the moment, I don’t know which way is up or down.”

  The hopelessness she’d felt previously now took on a whole new level. There might be no happy reunion with her father. Maybe ever. No reminiscing. No joking around like they always did. He’d never be able to send her treats through the mail, like her favorite red licorice or cookie dough that arrived like clockwork every month. She’d never hear him call her Katie Bear or rub his knuckles on the top of her head until her hair stood on end from the static. She’d always hated when he did that but now she craved it more than she did his annoying habit of twitching his right eye when he was angry. He couldn’t help her. It was too late. How could you help someone you couldn’t see?

  Things were just so messed up. Crazy messed up. Her fist pounded into the sofa, leaving an indentation as fury surged through her into her hands. Carlos was oblivious to everything that had happened and was un-contactable. Her father, who was now in Vernazza, might not be able to even see her. And Jake! That part of her life was even more screwed up than being a ghost.

  She closed her eyes and tried to think. All she could come up with was the feelings Jake’s kiss had left on her mouth. The burn from his touch. The ache where her heart should be. She shouldn’t have kissed him. Her resolve hadn’t been strong enough to resist. It angered her that she had let her guard down. What was even more perplexing was, how had Jake been able to feel her, touch her and kiss her when she was technically not even a person? How? It just wasn’t possible. Was the bond so strong that nothing could ever sever the connection? Did he have her gift? She had to find him.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Once outside, Kate tried to focus her energy on finding Jake. If they truly were hot wired to each other, surely he would be easy to pinpoint. Where would he have gone after leaving her apartment? A motel? Was he even still in Vernazza?

  There was no time to let herself feel bitterness or anger. There would be time for that after he helped her. She wasn’t done yelling at him. She would make him pay for sealing her own fate. All roads led back to Jake, and whether he meant any of it didn’t matter. It was all his fault.

  What they’d shared in her apartment had been a mistake. A weakness. Nothing more than a release of all the pent up emotion that had been plaguing her for days. That’s all it had been. It wouldn’t happen again. She couldn’t let it. No. She was stronger than that. Once she had used him to her advantage she would discard him the same way he had tossed her aside without so much as a sideways glance.

  Kate relished the night air, listening beyond the faint talking and noises coming from both inside and outside residents’ homes as Vernazza settled.

  Feeling a
chill wash over her, knowing it must be around midnight or after, she decided to see if she could utilize her newfound talent to her advantage.

  Squeezing her eyes shut, she concentrated as hard as she could on some warmer clothes.

  “Let’s see. What would I wear if I had an endless supply of the best clothing on earth?”

  A smile came to her face as she focused on a pair of high-end Italian leather pants and fitted jacket with some matching black, chunky heeled, knee-high boots.

  A giggle escaped her as she opened her eyes to see herself transformed. The black attire fit perfectly, of course, accentuating her long legs and full breasts. In a silly way she felt more feminine than she ever had. Never in a million years would she dress in full leather to go anywhere. It was so… naughty. She was a jeans and t-shirt kind of woman, normally.

  Seconds later she was decked out in light blue 1900’s style full gown with petticoat and corset, spinning around and around, watching the wind catch the dress, causing it to billow out fully.

  The possibilities were endless as she changed into a cowgirl and can-can dancer before finally settling on the original leather outfit.

  Much more appropriate for Italy, she thought, before realizing that it really didn’t matter because no one could see her anyway. No one except Jake.

  “Well, it’s time to start playing a little dirty, Jake Alexander,” Kate muttered out loud. “Let’s see your face when you see me in this!”

  She already knew what his reaction would be and it ignited tiny sparks of fire in her soul. She wanted to make him beg and grovel for forgiveness. She wanted to feel and see his desire for her, knowing that it was too late now. He’d had his chance and let it go. Too bad. So sad.

  Pulling her thick hair from under the leather collar, she let it cascade down her back and over her shoulders. She shook it freely, letting some tendrils fall over her face wildly before levitating across town to a place she knew would bring them together.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  When the three men reached the top of Vernazza they stopped and looked out across the town and down to the inky water. They were each wondering what the next plan of attack was after fruitlessly searching every street they came across on their ascent.

  Robert and The Gladiator were exhausted but neither were willing to give up until the entire town had been searched. Neither had eaten for hours and as Robert ran a hand over his weary face, he made a decision.

  “We need to re-fuel quickly and grab a coffee. It’s going to be a long night so we’re going to need our energy. I spotted a café still open down in the Piazza. Let’s head down there and then we can search the Doria Castle and surrounds. I haven’t heard from the Italian police so I’ll check in with them while we are down there.”

  The Gladiator agreed. “Sounds like a good plan, sir.”

  ***

  Jake didn’t need anything. Food and drink weren’t necessary. What was necessary was finding Kate’s body. He hoped Robert and The Incredible Hulk standing beside him were fast eaters.

  His thoughts were fixated on Kate. She was all he could think about. Even needing to now stay focused, it was impossible to forget the way he had felt when they’d kissed. Her touch. God, what he wouldn’t do to be back in her arms right now. It had nearly killed him to pull away. He’d wanted nothing more than to give in to his deepest desires. She’d wanted him just as much. He’d never felt so alive, even though physically that couldn’t be further from the truth. Their bond would never die. It was greater than both of them.

  As the men were descending down the mountain of steps towards the Piazza, Jake stopped abruptly, as if hitting a brick wall. A sensation washed over him, causing him to inhale deeply and crane his head sideways, as if that would reveal what it was that had him immediately on alert.

  Robert and The Gladiator led on but Jake couldn’t bring himself to follow. He closed his eyes and let the giddiness seize him. There was a familiarity about the pull. The scent. The complete inability to resist the captivating allure. He shook his head as if to try and shake the feelings that had started to inch him slowly forward. It wasn’t possible.

  Having lost his allies around the next sharp turn, Jake focused on connecting with the heady spell that had taken over him.

  He came to a crossroads and wasn’t sure which way he should go, but as soon as he started down one long, thin alley the spell wore off and he knew he needed to turn around. As soon as he picked up the scent in the other passageway he knew he was onto something.

  He felt like a sniffer dog on a trail but it didn’t matter because he knew it was imperative to keep following it.

  “Find me, baby!”

  What the heck? Why did I even say that? Kate’s dead.

  He’d seen her vanish with his own eyes. Her spirit had disappeared into thin air. He knew what that meant.

  Jake stopped near the entrance to the piazza and leaned up against a ruddy wall, grasping at the broken stonework on a small souvenir shop that had closed hours earlier, trying to gather his fragmented thoughts. A slow throb vibrated through him. It felt like blood surging through his veins, spurred on by adrenalin, but that wasn’t possible. It was something else. His hands were clenched into the wall so hard that a piece of stone crumbled off in his right hand like chalk.

  Faintly floating on the fresh breeze was a sound that spoke to him. Anyone else would have missed it. He was thankful for his enhanced senses that being out of his body brought.

  “Jake! Where are you? Jake!”

  He stood erect, eyes wide open in shock, not waiting to see if he had been imagining it. If his heart had been in his body it would have been palpitating. Instead his energy pulsated almost to the point of self-detonation.

  “Kate?”

  Dare he fuel the flicker of hope?

  Without another moment to overthink it he was off in a blur into the piazza, almost crashing into the wall that framed the small harbor. He held onto it, turning his head left, then right, watching and waiting, quelling the urge to climb up on the wall like some raving lunatic, hollering until he had nothing left.

  He screamed out once, knowing no one alive could hear him but praying with everything that he had that Kate would be able to.

  “Kate! Kate, where are you? Can you hear me?”

  Fuck! Where is she?

  “Jake!”

  He was spinning around and around, trying to determine where her voice was coming from. It was hard to tell with the wind blowing in off the shore. It sounded like he was surrounded by her voice. No direction in particular, but through him.

  He grabbed at his hair in frustration. “Kate!”

  Could she possibly be trying to connect with me from the other side? To tell me she’s safe? It sounded more like an urgent plea. A cry for help.

  Jake felt helpless. Should he stay put or should he keep searching, hoping that her voice found him again?

  In his frantic state he barely felt a couple walking hand in hand pass through him and stand against the low wall, looking out over the water. It wasn’t until a strange energy overtook him that he realized the female’s emotions were inside him. Terrible guilt, mixed with sadness. The smile the woman had on her face masked deep emotions that her partner knew nothing about. She was in great turmoil over something she had done that she could never tell anyone about. Jake quickly stepped back, releasing himself from the grief of the stranger, instantly freeing an added weight from him that he didn’t need.

  He struggled to understand the insane world he was now existing in. Ghosts had never been a topic he’d believed in and now he was one, trying desperately to track down his beloved Kate, who was also one. It was insanity at its best.

  Looking over towards a late night trattoria, Jake could see Robert and The Gladiator huddled in discussion while Robert keyed in a number onto his cell phone. Probably the police. He was fighting a losing battle trying to save his precious daughter. They’d searched everywhere but to no avail. Robert still thou
ght his daughter was alive but Jake knew different.

  As he turned towards the northern end of the piazza he was struck heavily with an image of Kate. Flickering visions of their special place. She was standing near the tree with their initials carved into it. Her fingers were tracing over the bark. Her mind was calling to him, trying to connect using their bond. It was as if the tree was linking their minds together as she touched the inscribed initials. Something tangible that they’d shared.

  He could see her clearly. Dear God! She’s back.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Kate knew the moment Jake appeared without having to see him. The change in her energy had her grabbing the tree for support, soaking in the amazing change in atmosphere that was becoming an addiction.

  Everything south of her shoulders pulsated to a rhythm that wasn’t hers. Heat pulled at her nipples, making them instantly full and hard. Wonderful sensations of need coiled in her belly, urging her to fight the stubbornness in her head and give in to temptation. It was a hard call. It took her a moment of mental arguing before she composed herself somewhat, trying hard not to give away how he affected her so.

  Jake looked taken aback, as if stunned to see her. She wondered if her leather body suit had him at a loss for words. Her libido did a little happy dance at the victory while Kate turned to find out why Jake hadn’t said a word yet.

  He appeared to be paralyzed, standing rigid like an ancient Greek statue. His eyes were wide with shock, yet laced full of lecherous need. His hands were balled at his side.

  In a low, carnal voice he managed to growl out, “Kate?”

  A self-satisfied smirk eased onto her face as she kept trying to play it cool. “Jake. You came.” The words drizzled out like warm honey. She didn’t have to be psychic to know how she affected him.