Emily (Dreamcatchers Romantic Suspense Series Book 1) Page 14

  “Emily!”

  The voice was now a terrified scream, the sound unlocking her limbs. She couldn’t ignore her, no matter how much she wanted to flee. She could do nothing more but turn and run toward the voice. The mist slipped away from her ankles as she ran, and a sliver of the previously absent moon showed a figure running up ahead of her.

  “Hey!” she called out, but the figure didn’t turn. They were hunched over, but there was no way to tell if they were male or female. She quickened her footsteps and ran after the shadow. As she grew nearer, they turned and she caught a glimpse of their face.

  His face.

  It was that face that made her stop dead. She knew this man.

  A scream echoed again, but this time, it seemed much closer. Was it coming from the voice before, or from her?

  The scream faded, and she found herself standing back in the familiar alley. It was the same alley from every dream before this.

  She knew that man, she knew his face. She turned, and a hand reached out, grabbed her neck, and squeezed.

  She screamed.

  “Emily!” she came awake with a start as she heard Reece calling to her. Someone was shaking her shoulder as she fought the monster that tried to kill her in her dreams. “Emily, please wake up,” Reece was saying, his hand gentle but firm, gripping her shoulder. Emily struggled to separate herself from the subconscious world as her eyes blinked open. Reece’s fingers brushed a lock of hair from her face, and she stared up at him in confusion, her brain taking a moment to register that she was safe in her bed and not fighting for her life in the alley.

  “You OK?” he whispered. Emily sat and swung her feet over the end of the bed. Her voice was quiet in reply.

  “I think so.”

  She watched as Reece pulled on his boxer briefs before jogging to the kitchen, returning with a glass of water and handing to her. “Small sips, OK?”

  Emily looked through him as she tried to remember the face from her dreams.

  “I know him, Reece,” she said, plunking the glass of water on her bedside table.

  “Yes, you know me,” he said, pushing the glass back into her hand. “Drink,” he said while frowning at her, fussing over the damp hair that still clung to her face.

  “No,” she clutched at his cheek with a clammy palm. “I know him!”

  Emily watched as realization dawned on Reece’s face, and his eyes widened. She put the water down again and stood, running her hands through her hair.

  “So you saw him?” Reece asked, a grim smile flashing across his face. “You can ID him? Who is it?”

  Emily’s heart plummeted. She had seen him, she knew him. Her subconscious mind recognized him. But now, in the real world, his identity was lost to her. She shook her head, trying to dislodge the memory, but it was lost to the fog in her dreams. No! She wouldn’t forget this. She struggled with her memories, tried to push herself back into her dream world, but it was no use. For now, at least, he was gone.

  Emily growled. “I don’t know,” she said finally. “But I know I know him.”

  Reece’s frustrated pacing in front of her bed did nothing but frustrate Emily too. Hours had passed and the morning sun floated in through the windows. The clock beside the bed told her she’d be late for work if she didn’t get a move on. Emily didn’t move. She felt completely hopeless. Helpless.

  This was more than just another dream. It was becoming an ongoing cycle, and the knowledge that Reece was now depending so much on them too made her want to scream. It was always the same, and even now that she’d seen a glimpse of the killer’s face, she was no closer to being able to identify him in the waking world. Emily punched at the mattress beneath her. Completely. Hopeless.

  Reece stopped pacing. He sat next to her on the bed and picked up one of her hands, holding it in his own and turning it over to trace her palm with his fingers. “OK, let’s backtrack,” he said softly, and she smiled at his efforts to keep the anger out of his voice. Yep, Reece was pissed. Not at her, she knew, but at the asshole who was still stalking her nights.

  “Where do you regularly go , appointments, memberships? If he’s familiar to you, then maybe you’ve seen him in one of those places?”

  Emily paused. She’d hadn’t stopped to think about where she knew him from. A split-second later she knew why.

  “I go to work, I eat at Cathy’s diner, and outside of my home the only other place I’ve been to recently is the bars that Lily invited me to,” her voice choked at the reference to Lily. “Other than that it’s just random stuff, milk from the convenience store when I realized at midnight once I’d run out, the farmer’s market one weekend on a whim,” frustration eked back into her voice. “I don’t plan any of this stuff.”

  In every dream, the killer had been cold and calculating. Methodical. He didn’t make any noise and seemed to know exactly where his victim would be at any moment. The only time he’d seemed surprised was when Emily had clued in at the last moment the night he’d attacked her. When she’d run. Other than that, she’d never seen him move in any other way than a determined, even pace. Until last night’s dream, that was. Her dreams were where he showed himself, revealed his motivations the most. If they were going to catch him anytime soon, it would be because of her dreams.

  Sure, no pressure there at all.

  Reece’s hand moved from hers to wrap his arm around her shoulders, no doubt worried by the frown she now wore. He rubbed her back before pulling her in for a long hug, kissing her again. His lips pressed gently against hers as his tongue traced her lower lip, begging entrance. She opened and he deepened the kiss, his tongue stroking almost lazily with hers as his hands tangled in her hair. Emily melted into his hard body, his touch calming her once more. He pulled her tight against him again, breaking the kiss and then tucking her against him, kissing her on her forehead. “We will figure this out.”

  He stood then, and dressed in his clothes from the day before, pulling his jeans over the now noticeable bulge in his boxer briefs. Emily forced herself to drop her eyes. She didn’t have time to take advantage of that, not if she wanted to get to work anytime this century. As much as she felt the need to hide away from the world right now, she also knew that work, keeping her regular routine, was what she needed. She needed the interactions to keep the darkness swirling through her head at bay. She’d be careful, but if she spent all day in her apartment, then Emily was worried the darkness would carry her away.

  That was it. She was going into work. She threw on a robe and walked into the kitchen, finding Reece brewing coffee. He handed her a mug, and she sipped at the hot liquid that tasted way better than any coffee she’d ever made. She pulled out a chair at her small table, and while she sipped silently, Reece opened her refrigerator and dug out a carton of eggs and whatever fruit was still good, and then found half a loaf of bread stashed in her freezer. When he also managed to locate her fry pan and crack an egg in a neat line without losing half of it over the bench, she left him to it. He’d already got her beat with the coffee.

  Showering quickly and shoving on the first work-appropriate outfit her hands touched, she walked back into the kitchen to find her coffee refreshed and a plate with a warm egg sandwich and sliced fruit waiting at her place. When she didn’t immediately sit, Reece pulled out her chair and guided her into it. “Eat,” he ordered her, and although she had absolutely no appetite, she lifted the sandwich to her mouth and took a bite.

  Oh my god. What did he put in this? Was that bacon?!

  She should dig through her freezer more often. While she ate, he leaned against the kitchen counter, sipping on his own coffee. He even went so far as to pack her lunch to take with her. She loved the way he looked there in her apartment.

  God, she could really love this man.

  And now that the thought had entered her mind, Emily couldn’t deny it any longer. She wanted, no she needed this. No matter everything else that was going on in her life, she owed it to herself to explore whatever this cr
azy connection between them was. Reece handed her the packed lunch, her fingers tingling where they brushed against his.

  “Take this with you, and please don’t leave your office building today. If you absolutely have to go somewhere call me and I’ll escort you wherever it is.”

  Boom. And there was her reality. She might be leaving her apartment today, but that didn’t mean she was free. She was just trading the view for another four walls until it was time to leave and Reece would once again bring her home. She might be falling for him, but she didn’t want to live in a self-imposed prison, no matter how nice the view might be.

  He frowned at her again, perhaps detecting her mercurial moods. “I’ll get a sketch artist to come visit you today, see if he can shed any further light on what you saw,” Reece reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He was always touching her, holding her if he could, as if he needed to be as close to her as possible. Emily welcomed it; his touch made her feel safe. But she still felt like she was letting him down somehow. She snuffled up tears that were threatening before they could fall. It was ridiculous, she knew that. Still, she couldn’t help but feel it anyway.

  “I’m sorry. I wish I could remember…” she trailed off into a whisper, closing her eyes to prevent more tears. Emily wanted to cry but damn it, she flat out refused to give this guy one more thing.

  Reece came around and hugged her again, pulling her back to his front and leaning forward to rest his head on her shoulder. “It’s OK,” he whispered against her cheek before brushing it with a reassuring kiss. Her legs trembled and he held her tighter, holding her against him until she could stand steady once more.

  “I’ll stay and take you to work.”

  “No, go!” Emily told him. “I’ll be fine, and I don’t want you to be late because of me. Go meet up with your team and hunt this prick down.”

  He smiled at her before slipping on his jacket and dropping a light kiss on her lips. “Call me anytime today, even just to say hi. I’ll be checking in on you too. Can’t go a whole day without hearing your voice, you know,” he winked at her before kissing her once more and then reluctantly walking away. Emily followed him to the door, stretching to hold onto his hand until his fingers at last fell from hers as he walked out the door. She wanted him to stay, but she wouldn’t tell him that. He needed to go, and when he did she felt lighter knowing at least that he was out there keeping watch.

  The next twenty minutes were a blur as she rushed to get ready to leave. She pulled a brush through her still damp hair, wincing as it caught on a snag. Swiping on a finger full of lip gloss, she finally managed to unearth her keys from inside one of her shoes—what the hell were they doing in there? —before slipping on a pair of ballet flats and running out the door. As she caught a cab to work Emily steeled her nerves and opened her mind. She had one task today, and damn it if she wasn’t going to do it. Anyone she passed on the way to work, any couriers that stopped her office, the man who sometimes pushed a coffee cart through the building; she’d be watching everyone, taking in their faces and forcing her mind to unlock what she couldn’t see. If she knew this killer, then Reece was right, she’d seen him before and she was damn well not letting him pass her by today without seeing him. Really seeing him.

  Despite her grim determination the trip to work was uneventful, and as she exited the elevator and made her way her cubicle the second surprise of the day was waiting for her. On her desk sat a huge bouquet of roses and tulips. Emily’s heart fluttered, but then she clamped it down. Surely Reece hadn’t had enough time between leaving her apartment—she looked up at the clock on the wall—nearly an hour ago and now to have ordered these and for them to be delivered? Still, maybe he’d called it in on his way to the office? She smiled. It was a beautiful gesture though a little overboard even for him. She searched through the blooms, but there was no card with the delivery.

  “Wanda!” she called to her friend who never seemed to leave the building. Even if Emily worked late, Wanda was the last remaining behind. If she came in early, Wanda was always already sitting at her desk.

  “Yes, Emily?” she answered in a flat monotone. Most people thought Wanda was being rude and brushed her off in return, but Emily had learned it was just her voice.

  “Did you see who delivered these flowers? Did they leave a note at all?”

  Wanda shrugged, and then turned back to her computer screen. OK, so that was a no. Emily didn’t mind the non-verbal response. Heaven knows she’d spent the bulk of the last few months hiding as deeply in her metaphorical shell as she could, too. It wasn’t until all this started that she’d found people who truly cared; Cathy, Lily, and now Reece. Her world was expanding, and Emily was learning that not everyone was only out for themselves. Not like her mother.

  There we go. Emily turned back to the flowers. It was a gorgeous bouquet, and when she stopped to think about it, the perfect modus operandi of her mom. Whenever she knew her daughter was mad at her, she’d never apologize. Instead, she’d send Emily something, something large, expensive or grandiose, all just to avoid saying the words. And it was a ploy that had worked in the past. Emily let her get away with whatever it was, thanking her mother for the ‘thoughtful gift’ and they never spoke of the argument again. Until they barely spoke period, it seemed now. She hadn’t heard from her mother at all in the more than two weeks since she’d hung up on her last phone call. Hating herself for giving in again even as she did it, Emily punched her mother’s number into her cell and placed the phone to her ear, bracing herself.

  “Hi Mom,” she said when her mother answered.

  “Oh, so you do remember that you have a mother?” the older woman asked her as a dog barked in the background. When had her mother gotten a dog?

  “Actually, I was wondering if you’d remembered you have a daughter.”

  “Sometimes I forget,” her mother laughed. As usual, the joke was inappropriate, and given Emily’s mood also incredibly insensitive, but she let it go. Emily wouldn’t have survived this long if she hadn’t learned to ignore her mother’s ill thought out comments. They weren’t designed to hurt, mostly that is, but just statements said without thought. That didn’t mean she had to stay on the phone a moment longer than necessary. Emily cut to the point.

  “Did you send me flower Mom?”

  “Are you in the hospital and forgot to tell me, dear?” It was another attempt at a joke though it fell as flat as the last one.

  “I’m serious, Mom.”

  Her mother must have picked up something in Emily’s tone of voice because she dropped the usual attitude. Huh, maybe she did care after all.

  “No honey, I didn’t. Are you OK?”

  Emily mentally sighed before answering. “I think so Mom. I’m staying safe.”

  There was silence on the other end of the phone as she listened to her mother breath in hesitantly, before releasing the breath, as if she was about to say something but then decided against it.

  “I love you, Mom.”

  “I love you too, honey. Come home anytime if you need to, OK?”

  Murmuring goodbye and hanging up the phone, Emily knew she never would, but the words hit her squarely in the heart. They were barely getting along eight hundred miles apart, if she spent more than a few hours in close quarters with her mother the woman would drive her crazy all over again. But right now, with those words from her mom, Emily wished that maybe she could turn back time to when she was tiny again, and still had an excuse to cuddle up in her mother’s arms or run to her bed late at night when her dreams frightened her.

  Dreams. Ha!

  Emily snorted. Her child-self had nothing on her recent nightmares. She frowned at the flowers. First random text messages and now flowers from strangers. She had a feeling something was escalating, and quickly. The sense of danger tasted bitter on her tongue and nagged at her gut, and despite the warm, busy atmosphere of the office, she couldn’t shake it. She placed the flowers on the floor of her cubicle and shov
ed them into a corner, but they still bothered her. Maybe she should have locked herself in her apartment and never come out.

  “Nice bouquet!” her boss exclaimed, walking by her desk. “Are they from your new boyfriend at the FBI?” she teased.

  Emily blushed at the reference as memories of the night before with Reece flooded back to her, but she said nothing. Surely if Reece had sent them, she’d have heard from him by now. The man enjoyed spoiling her, he’d made that clear that morning, but he also wanted to see her smile in return. She had no clue who the flowers were from. It was an hour later when Emily had all but decided to move the glaring bouquet to the trash that she decided. If Reece wasn’t calling her yet, then she needed to call him. He needed to know.

  Dialing Reece’s number, Emily waited for him to answer, but it rang out. She stared at the clock for ten minutes and then called again. When there was no response to her third call small doubts started trickling into her mind. This was a first, Reece had never let her calls go unanswered. Perhaps last night mattered more to her than it had to him, or perhaps he’d now just gotten what he wanted. Embarrassment washed over her, followed quickly by guilt. No, that wasn’t Reece. He’d taken his time in the beginning sure, but when push had come to shove he’d literally yelled his feelings and they were—no he was—as passionate as her. There was no mistaking his groans of ecstasy last night, the way he’d held her as he’d thrust inside of her. How he’d stilled against her while his cock pulsed deep inside her body, pushing himself so deep inside her that not an inch of space existed between where she ended and he began.

  No, Reece felt it too. It was strong, and sudden, and took Emily’s breath away, but whatever was building between them had taken hold of them both. It was real. There was some other reason why he wasn’t answering. Emily just hoped it wasn’t because the killer had found Reece first.