Keila
Dreamcatchers Book 2
Jamie Garrett
Wild Owl Press
Contents
Copyright and Disclaimer
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Also by Jamie Garrett
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright and Disclaimer
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2016 by Jamie Garrett
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. All requests should be forwarded to [email protected].
Editing by Jennifer Harshman, Harshman Services.
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1
Keila stood across the street, staring at the old building in front of her. It was probably heritage-protected or some crap like that, by those who cared about such things. She snorted. Some things were just so ugly they weren’t worth keeping. The building was long past its prime. In fact, she didn’t really like any of the entire goddamn town, and she’d run from it as soon as she’d been able to, many years ago. She’d been there for nearly five days so far this time, and it hadn’t stopped drizzling the entire time. It never actually started raining properly, nor did the sun show itself. Just constant drizzle. Even the rain couldn’t decide whether or not it wanted to be there.
“Excuse me, Dear.” An elderly voice pulled Keila out of her musings. A stooped old lady walked into her path and Keila stepped to the side, avoiding a splodge of water trying to become a puddle on the sidewalk, like it couldn’t decide whether to bunch up or just drain away. God, the whole damn town was so indecisive, just like she was. She’d been standing outside the ugly building for nearly half an hour, and still hadn’t worked up the courage to enter.
The old woman smiled warmly as she passed, and Keila smiled in return. The woman’s face was so expressive and open Keila could almost hear the thoughts streaming directly from her mind. She was no mind reader, but she could get a small taste of someone’s live thoughts every now and then. If only she’d been gifted with seeing the future, or actual full-blown telepathy, then this mess wouldn’t exist. She probably wouldn’t have failed her way through high school. Hell, maybe she would have had the good sense to just run the day her foster parents had tried to murder her. She raised her eyes to the skies and huffed. It wasn’t like the universe had helped any before. Why would it suddenly start sending her the whole story now?
Alone again, she closed her eyes and concentrated on locating the other one. Emily. Keila had been tracking her for months and she’d finally nailed down her location, mostly thanks to the agent turned resident psycho, Juan. They had screwed him up royally, and she couldn’t believe that after the killing spree he’d gone on, he’d been allowed to live. She would have put a bullet in his head, and then burned his body for good measure. Psychopaths like him, even if someone made him that way, didn’t deserve to keep living while others more innocent weren’t granted that privilege.
“Damn it!” Try as she might, Keila couldn’t lock onto Emily’s signal. She needed to find her immediately, and if she couldn’t sense which apartment was hers, she’d need to start going door to door, something she really didn’t want to do. She glanced over her shoulder. Whatever happened would be her own damn fault if she didn’t keep constant track of her surroundings. She had fled Ohio with Zero hot on her heels, and it wouldn’t be long before he found her again. He always did. Keila was getting sick and tired of doing all the work, only to have Zero’s boss kill every girl she found. The fact they’d sent an agent after Emily before Keila had even known of her existence told her one thing: She was important. There was only one thing worse than being found and then killed by the corporation, and that was if they decided to keep you. Keila knew all too well that in some situations, death was a luxury you could only hope you were afforded.
Come on, Emily! Show me where you are.
She concentrated on each floor of the building. Sweeping the first floor gave her nothing. Climbing the stairs with her mind’s eye, Keila got a tingle of something. Time to head up. Bypassing the stairs, she went directly up to the apartment above, and she hit the jackpot. There was Emily, and better yet, she was asleep. Keila didn’t know why, but she was able to communicate with Emily alone that way. God knew she’d tried every way she could think of with the other girls, but nothing had ever worked. It was yet another sign to her just how important Emily was.
Keila pushed against the barrier guarding Emily’s subconscious and entered her dreams. She was dreaming of the beach, mojitos, and the gorgeous sex-on-a-stick man who lay asleep beside her.
“Emily! Wake up!” Keila called to Emily in her dream. She didn’t like invading someone else’s thoughts, especially when she saw how at peace Emily was. God knew the woman needed something to go right for her, but then so did Keila. For the first time in months, she’d found another one, and this one could talk back. Emily mumbled something in her sleep and rolled over but didn’t wake. Keila pushed back again. It would be better if Emily woke up and met her alone, leaving sex-on-a-stick asleep. Keila didn’t have any room for dead weight, no matter how good-looking it was. When there was no response from a third mental shove, Keila was out of options and out of time. She opened her eyes, steeled her jaw, and stepped across the road. Her heels clicked along the pavement, matching the subtle sway of her hips and the confidence that went along with it. A man entering the building stopped at the sight of her and held the door open, removing the need to bypass any locked doors or security measures. It still amazed Keila what a pretty face could do. She nodded to the man as she passed, and felt his eyes hot on her back as she climbed the stairs. Had her mission been less important, Keila would have taken the time to stop and toy with him. It had been a long time since she’d felt a warm body beside her. She knew she was gorgeous; her blonde hair was full and thick, and her heart-shaped face and natural blood-red lips had gotten her out of more than one sticky situation. With a body to die for, she found that both men and women would often do what she wanted if
simply asked with a smile.
It was a pity that her mind would likely be what actually killed her in the end.
2
Keila turned and left the man with a last smile, before heading up to the third floor. Now that she was inside, she could feel Emily more strongly than ever, and locating her apartment was easy. Getting in the door, however, was likely to be a bit more of a challenge. From all the eligible bachelors in town, Emily just had to fall for an FBI Agent: Special Agent Reece Knight. Keila liked the name, but she could do without having to deal with the man. She knew he was a skeptic, and although he might have come to believe in what Emily could do, Keila was a whole different game. Plus, after what they’d gone through with Juan, he wouldn’t take kindly to a stranger knocking on their door at 6 a.m. announcing that she’d found her through psychic abilities, and there were more on their way. They were never far behind when Keila used her abilities to locate another girl. Another one just like her. She’d considered avoiding Emily altogether when she’d first sensed her, getting the hell out of Dodge and leaving Emily’s safety to fate. God knows the bitch probably had better luck than Keila ever did. But she couldn’t make herself go through with it. Reece might view her as a threat, but the ones who were sure to follow her were decidedly less friendly. Keila had to scoop Emily up and get the hell out.
Keila threw out her mental beacon as far as she dared, trying to find Zero. The man was sure living up to his name, because all she got was a big fat nothing. It didn’t mean he wasn’t nearby. Zero’s boss might not be as good as Keila at finding the girls, but he was an expert at hiding away. Keila would almost admire the skill, if it hadn’t been what had nearly gotten her killed.
She stopped outside Emily’s door, sucked in a deep breath, and knocked. Three hard raps that she hoped would tell them that whoever was outside their apartment before the sun was even up meant business.
“Who is it?” the question from the other side came a few moments later. It wasn’t Emily talking. Reece’s deep voice was husky, and he sounded less than enthused at being woken.
“Open the door and you’ll find out,” she replied. Despite thinking for months about her first meeting with Emily, she hadn’t thought about how to identify herself once she was actually there. Her thoughts had been consumed with how she was going to make Emily believe her. Perhaps a little more thought on getting through the door in the first place might have been a good idea.
Keila wasn’t good at small talk. Mostly she didn’t need it. She usually first met the others when she grabbed their arm after smacking Zero over the head with whatever was on hand, and then bolting for their lives. It tended to make introductions obsolete. Or, sometimes when she hadn’t gotten there first, she found the girl already dead, no longer able to respond to her at all. The situation with Emily was a first, but she hoped one that might become more common if there were two of them together.
She really needed to work on her conversation skills.
The door stayed closed, and Keila heard Reece’s voice again. “Identify yourself or get the hell out. I’ll only ask nicely once.”
Keila chuckled. Reece wouldn’t hurt her, well, not unless she was a direct threat to Emily. Then all bets were off. Keila was glad Emily had a man like him protecting her, loving her. Emily deserved it. Keila, on the other hand, was yet to ever have that. Sure, she’d been with a man before—several, actually—but she never stuck around in the same place for long and a relationship was so not in the cards anytime soon. Not with her life.
“My name is Keila,” she called back through the door. “Emily knows me, and I really need to talk to her.”
She heard Reece’s footsteps track away, and Keila then felt the last vestiges of sleep fall away from Emily’s mind. Reece had no doubt woken her to check Keila’s story. Law-enforcement officers were so predictable, but they were no use to protect Emily against the war Keila was fighting. Her enemy attacked out of nowhere and without question, killing whenever it served their purpose.
Moments later, she heard several bolts slide back, and the door opened inward. Keila didn’t wait to be invited in. As Reece appeared in her line of vision, she pushed the door wide open and stepped across the threshold.
“Good morning, Lover.” She smiled at Reece, who stood before her in all his barechested glory. Keila ogled him unapologetically. Yep, Emily had definitely won the lottery with that one. She’d gotten a general impression of him from Emily’s dreams, but the reality standing half naked in front of her was so much better. His blue eyes locked onto her, and his brown hair fell forward as he glared down at her. He kept it a little longer than most law enforcement Keila encountered. If he hadn’t been taken, Keila would have already started dragging him toward the bedroom.
“Tell me what you want, or get out.” Reece picked up a t-shirt hanging over the back of the couch and pulled it over his head, hiding his gorgeous abs from view. Damn it. She wasn’t going to touch, but you couldn’t blame a girl for looking when that was in front of her. Or drooling.
“Come on now, that’s no way to treat the cavalry.”
Reece’s frown deepened. Okay, so he wasn’t interested in playing any games. She could respect that, given what he and Emily had been through.
“Listen, I need to see Emily. She’s in serious danger, and as well intentioned as you are, you can’t protect her. Not from this.”
Shock first displayed on Reece’s face as her words registered, followed quickly by disbelief and then anger, but Keila wasn’t going to give up. By all accounts, Zero was running late. He usually showed up much faster once she’d made the mental connection with another girl, and Keila had no idea where he was. She hadn’t been able to get a lock on him for days, and for all she knew, he was coming up those same steps right then, or about to burst through the thin windows in Emily’s run-down apartment.
“And who the hell are you?” Keila saw Reece’s eyes dart toward where his gun rested on the counter. Shit, she was running out of options and time.
“I mean Emily no harm, Reece; she’s safe with me. But the man who will be here soon is entirely different. He’ll kill her without a second thought,” she paused, then sighed. “I just need to see her, speak to her. Please.”
Reece wasn’t budging. He reached for his gun and held it up, pointed directly at her. “Sorry, Sweetheart, but I’m more likely to put a bullet in your head than let you past me. So let’s try this again. Who the fuck are you?”
Crap. It was not going well, and they were running out of time. Time to play her wild card and go straight to the source.
“Emily!” Keila yelled out. “I know you can hear me! I’m just like you, and there’s a man named Zero coming after you. Whether he’ll kill you or take you hostage is anyone’s guess, but I don’t want either of us to be here to find out.”
Reece’s gaze hardened further at her outburst, and his finger resting near the trigger twitched. Keila’s hands went up and she took an involuntary step backward just as movement across the room caught her eye. Emily peeked around the corner to the living room, her eyes widening as she took in the scene before her.
“What the hell?”
Keila watched as recognition dawned on her face. Emily was a lot taller than she’d thought, but looked just as fragile as she had through her dreams.
“Hi,” Keila said, and edged her way over to sit on Emily’s sofa, keeping as far away from Reece as possible.
Emily stepped over to Reece, and then placed her arm on his, pushing to lower his gun. “I recognize you,” she said, barely above a whisper. “Ho-how is that even possible?”
“Because we’ve met before. Only you were asleep. I need your help, Emily.”
“That’s what you said, in the dream. But I don’t understand.” Emily sat down opposite her.
“I’m not here to hurt you. But I can promise that there are others out there who now know you exist and will not hesitate to kill you if you pose any sort of threat.”
“Wha
t the hell are you talking about?”
“Juan just found you first, and he wanted you. I can assure you, he won’t be the last. They’ll keep coming until you’re either under their spell or dead.”
“But I can’t even do anything! I can’t control my dreams, they just happen.”
Emily’s face was nothing but confusion, and Keila really didn’t have the time to explain. “Not yet you can’t, but you will. You have no idea what you’re capable of. There are more like us, but we’re either killed for our failures or enslaved until we’re dead anyway.”
“Oh, sweet Jesus,” Reece muttered off to the side. He reached for a bottle of vodka and poured himself a large shot.
Emily spoke again. “So I was never going crazy, I’m not alone? My dreams are a real thing?”
“Yes,” Keila said, “and now you need to come with me.”
“And that is not happening,” Reece interjected, stepping between them. “I don’t know what asylum you escaped from, but you can go back there now. Emily is not going anywhere with you.”
Keila shook her head. Even she couldn’t compete against the bullets in his gun. “Okay, Reece, but when they come for her, you’ll only have yourself to blame.”
A loud crash echoed from the landing. Looked like Zero was right on time after all. The door to Emily’s apartment burst open and dropped forward, left hanging only on one hinge. Zero’s large bulk filled the space, his usually pale face red from exertion and his darkened eyes narrowing at the sight of Keila. He roared and charged. Keila pushed up and jumped over the back of the sofa, but not before his fist caught the bottom of her chin. She stumbled as she landed, and fell back against the wall.
“There you are,” Zero said with a smile. Keila pulled herself up, using a table for leverage, watching Reece quietly stepping up behind Zero before stepping around him and landing a solid punch across his face. Zero fell back from the unexpected attack and swung at Reece. Reece punched Zero again, and Emily screamed as the man flew across the room and smashed into the table Keila had just been using.
Keila (Dreamcatchers Romantic Suspense Series Book 2) Page 1
