Rare Find (11 page)

She walked closer and almost reached his side when she felt it again.

The hunter. Searching for his prey.

"Shit," she whispered. "He's back."

"Who?" Ronin immediately stepped to her side. "And where?" He turned around in circle, his eyes searching for the predator.

She shuddered as her spine froze. Inside, she felt as if a spotlight shone down on her. "He's found me."

"Hide," Ronin ordered, his gun once again in his hand as he stepped protectively in front of her. He searched the area. "Where is he?"

"Everywhere," she whispered. "He's everywhere."

Ronin spared her a single look. "And so how do I find him?"

"I don't know." She spun around. "He's not showing an energy signature." Knowing Ronin wouldn't understand but not having time to explain, she studied the air in the room. But there were no strange energies.

Then another wave reached for her, over her. This time it was so strong. Even as she stood in place, the emotions hit her.

Fear.

Panic.

Hatred.

She cried out as she dropped to her knees.

Ronin dropped beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "What is it? What can I do to help?"

"It's him." She screamed and slapped her hands to the sides of her head as the same claw-like sensation dropped inside her skull.

She struggled to set a bolt of energy, her ground, deep through her house, deep into the earth beneath her – as strong and as deep as she could manage. And just like last time, it was almost impossible to hold on. She struggled against the fear, knowing that fear was the most debilitating. Her fear. Ronin's fear. Her attacker's fear.

The combined energies were enough to kill them both. Maybe all three of them. Oh God, had she put Ronin in danger too?

"Tabitha?"

"I'm trying..."

She bent over, trying to shut out the roaring buzz that was increasing by the second, she whispered over and over again, "Stay centered. Stay grounded. Stay balanced."

She had to survive this.

Don't fight.

She didn't know where that thought came from, but she realized she was going about this the wrong way. She was trying to fight off the attack. When she should be giving in to it, then detaching from it.

Observing it.

She straightened slowly, hearing Ronin cry out in the background. "Tabitha? What are you doing?"

"I'm going to try something," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Don't touch me while I'm doing it."

And she sank within herself, emotionally, physically and psychically. She slipped into her own energy, feeling her way through the heat of her body to the heat of her soul and grounding herself inside.

Another wave of emotion whipped at her, closing in on her soul. It grabbed on and gave her energy a good shake.

She lost her center of balance, scrambled to get it back, then lost it again. Panic swept through her, crying out to her, calling, pleading, begging, for something...someone...to help.

She gasped.

They wanted help.

A scream of anger blasted through her mind. And the pain in her side near her belly region made her want to cry out at the top of her lungs. Something else pricked her side. She barely felt it with everything else that hurt. After a moment, the pain eased.

Only to be replaced by a rage that wouldn't quit.

She felt it at the DNA level.

Then it got worse. That same hand reached deeper into her psyche, deeper into her soul, latched on...and yanked.

Just like last time, she was pulled up through the top of her head.

She screamed as her body collapsed to the floor while from her waist up, she was lifted up and free of her body.

No!
She was desperate to stay.

Ground. Ground. Struggling against her own panic, she poured energy deep inside her body and through it to the ground below. She could do this.

As if enraged at being thwarted, she was given a second hard yank... and she was pulled higher up.

There was so much rage behind the energy assault, she could hardly deal with it. Emotions swamped her as she was bombarded by colors and emotions. The pain was so extreme that she was buffeted on all sides even as she shuddered deep inside. She couldn't get a coherent thought to stay long enough to understand it.

And then it was buried under the pain of the next wave.

There was so much fear, it crippled her. She had no time to adapt. To accept. To detach. She couldn't adjust. She wasn't used to this level of panic or this pain. And she definitely wasn't used to the overwhelming sensation of captivity. Imprisonment. Death.

Another heavy yank and she was pulled higher until her knees were now at her waist. She screamed her own scream, a sound of horror and inevitableness. He was too strong.

Too desperate.

And he grabbed hold harder and ripped one more time.

And pulled her loose.

The last thing she saw was her body folded in half on the floor, with Ronin hovering helplessly at her side, his arms wrapped protectively around her. He was trying to save her – but he was trying to save the wrong part of her.

Then she knew no more.

***

Helpless, Ronin could only watch as Tabitha slumped to the floor. She'd been in the same position for a few minutes already, but this last change was shocking. As if she'd been suspended by some kind of string that had been cut, and her lifeless body collapsed to the floor.

He checked for a pulse.

And couldn't find one.

His heart ripped open. Dear God. What was going on?

How could this be?

It was not possible.

Instantly Tango started roaring, the sound loud enough and haunting enough to raise the hairs on the nape of Ronin's neck. Tripod appeared at Tabitha's side and sat on his haunches. He tilted his head back and howled, the sound slicing through the atmosphere with shocking clarity.

Tabitha was in trouble.

Big trouble.

This was so bad. Tabitha wasn't just out cold... She appeared to have moved out permanently. That couldn't be.

She'd be dead if that was the case. And maybe she wasn't dead yet, but she was most definitely dying.

"Stefan? Where the hell are you?" he yelled to the empty room. He pulled out his cell phone to dial when a tired cranky voice answered him – in his head.

Does no one sleep anymore?

"It's Tabitha," Ronin said starkly. "She's gone. This time it looks really bad."

Stefan never said a word. The air around Ronin warmed, moved. Like, what the hell? Ronin hovered protectively over Tabitha as he caught movement out of the corner of his eye.

"Jesus. What is that?"

What?
Stefan asked.

"Movement. I swear I can see something moving off to one side but it's not there when I turn my head. As if it's not really there."

It's me. Close your eyes, realize I'm here in spirit form, then open your eyes again.

Ronin followed the instructions even as his mind said he was crazy. When he reopened his eyes he saw a deep blue cloud at Tabitha's side. "Jesus." His mind balked and as it did – the cloud disappeared. "Hey, where did it go?" He spun around. "Where did you go?"

I didn't go anywhere. Your belief system kicked in and changed your perception. Work on it later. We have to help Tabitha now.

"And how do I do that?"

She needs to go back to the hospital. Get Dr. Marsden. Have him meet us there.

"That I can do." Ronin called for an ambulance. "Can anyone else help her?"

Yes. I'm calling them. You calm the animals while I help Tabitha.
Stefan, in a somber voice, added,
this time, I don't know if I can save her.

***

"How bad is she?"

Fez pulled on his gaping neckline and tried to school his face to project a confident smile. His boss narrowed his gaze on him.

Rushing into speech, Fez said, "She's had a rough trip, no doubt about it. But I'm sure she'll pull out of it."
Like hell.
He prayed she didn't do anything major like try to escape or die on his watch. Counting on Roberts to handle this stuff before had been way easier. He didn't like being responsible. Especially when it wasn't his job.

"Is she eating and drinking?" His voice, so cold and clipped, cut off Fez's hopes instantly.

"Not when I left. If Roberts would show up, he could fix her." The boss's gaze turned flat, dead looking. Ah shit.

"Roberts won't be back. You'll have to handle it."

No. No.
Where was his partner? What the hell had happened here? And Fez didn't know how to do Roberts’s job. Shit. Shit. This was not good. Could Roberts have booked it like he'd suggested he might? Or had the boss ‘taken care’ of him.

Shit. He shouldn't have mentioned his missing partner. But now he was starting to worry about his own skin. Especially if he was expected to look after the cargo without Roberts. He didn’t show his concerns – instead smiled brightly. "I'm sure she is drinking and eating now."

"I'm not. Go back and watch over her." That gaze became lethal. "Or else..."

Oh crap.
"I came to get my pay—" Fez, perspiring heavily, wiped his brow with his sleeve.

"You'll get paid when I get paid and that will be when she's delivered safe and sound," the boss said flatly. "If anything stops me from getting my money, you can be damn sure you won't be getting yours either."

And that nervous feeling since Roberts went missing deepened to much more. Somehow this gig had gone south and this job was bad news. And he wanted no part of it. Well, no further part in it.

He hadn't gotten this far in life by being stupid. He knew when to listen to that gut instinct. Too bad his instincts hadn't kicked in earlier. He could have left with Roberts.

His partner must have some money stashed to have pulled off his disappearing act. Fez wished he'd asked more questions because Fez was broke. He needed this payday.

And pushing for money right now just might be the stupidest thing he'd ever done.

Better he did as he was told and keep this female alive. At least long enough for the sale to go through.

Then the boss could eat his dust.

Sunday, wee hours of the morning

H
unger. Fear. Panic.

Emotions rolled through Tabitha as she was buffeted from side to side by her experience. She beat back at the pain and struggled to retain consciousness.

It was all too impossible.

But at least she was still alive.

Or was she?

Could she have died?

And was this....death?

No. At least not any form she'd understood death could take.

Another sound of rage rippled through her. She shuddered but the agony was at a visceral level. She couldn't escape. This agony had become hers. Not her attacker's.

Something was happening to her.

To her body. To her soul. To something that was an inherent part of her.

She couldn't move away from either the attacker's or her emotions, but she didn't feel a physical pain. It was there, but in the distance as if it was a cloud away. A cloud? Listen to her. She was talking as if she were dead. And that so couldn't be.

Why couldn't it be?
her conscious mocked.
What's so special about you that death wouldn't find you? He found your grandfather and so many of your friends.

I'm not ready,
she whispered. Too damn bad. And something tugged at her. That same grabbing sensation. As if someone needed her. Or wanted something from her.

She tried to identify it, but blacked out before she could identify it.

***

The smell hit Tabitha first when she stirred back to consciousness. Rank, old and stale. Cigar smoke. Animal odors. Feces. Of many kinds. Fear. The dominant smell was...blood.

Instinctively, Tabitha wrinkled up her nose.

Memories flooded her. She'd been attacked again. Hadn't she?

She'd only surfaced a few minutes ago. But surfaced to what? Where was she? And if she could move her nose, was she here physically? She desperately wanted to stretch. Her body felt cramped, imprisoned in some way. It was a horrific feeling, but she didn't know if the sensations were physical sensations or psychic ones.