From A Dream Read online

  Brody raised his hands in an exasperated move. “Hey! I’m trying to be cool here. But it’s not easy to pull off.” He motioned to Dom. “With him as an internal intercom and now you’re Miss Satellite-Dish . . .”

  Dom stood up when Tess looked like she was going to hit Brody. “Okay, we don’t have time to take potshots at each other.” He sent Brody a warning look.

  Brody shrugged and with a loud sigh put his hands in his pockets.

  “I need you to get all the information you can on that lowlife from the prison. His name is

  Lester. . . . I don’t know the last name, but there can’t be too many Lesters who were recently released from Wyestate.”

  Brody nodded and pulled his phone from his pocket as he went out of the kitchen. Dom turned to Tess. She was looking over the map. She paused and looked up at him.

  She shrugged with a smirk. “Uncle Mike knows what I can do. He knows about you, too, Detective Palmer.” She bit her bottom lip, a focused look returning to her face. “Can you still reach her?”

  Digesting that his captain knew about his ability, he stared at her for a moment, and then glanced at the wall over her shoulder. “Jennah?”

  “I’m here. We’re sitting in silence. Do you want me to touch the other one? I don’t think he likes me much. His face is in a sad state now.”

  He shook his head. “Not just yet. I just wanted to see if we could still connect. We’re working something out here.” He nodded to Tess.

  “Work quickly, and please don’t leave me for too long. If they put me back in that hole, I can’t reach you. I need to know your there.” She whispered inside his mind.

  “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. Brody is already getting the team and this time we’re taking back up so no one gets away.”

  Tess tapped the notebook. “This hole must be beneath the ground completely. Lid is probably steel to keep it cool down there and hard to access . . .” She tapped the pad again. “When she’s sealed in, that’s probably why you can’t reach her. Earth is pretty dense to go through.”

  Dom considered what she was saying. “So what are you getting at?”

  She chewed her lip and looked back at him. “See if she can get them to leave it open if she goes back down. I need you to be able to contact her.”

  Dom studied her for a moment and then focused on Jennah’s path. “Jennah, can you get them to leave the door to the hole open if you go back down? We should be able to reach each other then.”

  “I can try. I’d really prefer the cavalry arrive and not have to go back down there. What are you thinking, Dom?”

  He paused for a moment, trying to explain it to her. “Tess has an ability. Like us, babe.”

  “Tess?”

  He smirked at her sudden, harsh tone. “Captain Wild’s niece—a mean little redhead—she threatened to take Brody out.”

  “I like her already.”

  He grinned. “She was able to show us what Lester looked like when you touched him.” He waited for an answer.

  “Tell her to stay on standby. I’ll find a reason to touch the other one.”

  “Just try not to provoke them, honey.”

  “Provoke them?” Her tone was icy.

  “Jennah.”

  He heard her sigh. “Okay. Tell her I’ll try to get them to keep the door open a bit.”

  From A Dream

  Chapter Four

  Jennah looked from the one holding snow on his nose to the one she now knew as Lester. “Am I just to sit here?” She kept her voice soft and nonthreatening.

  Lester turned and looked at her from the window ledge he was leaning on. “I thought you’d be happy to have some light and be out of the hole.”

  “Oh, I am. Thank you.” She kept her hands clasped in her lap, even though she wanted to break his nose as well. “Speaking about that, I wondered . . .” She tried to look hopeful. “If I do have to go back down there, could you leave it open a bit, or propped up, or something? Just to let a bit of air circulate down there?”

  The other one snorted, then winced and cradled his nose again.

  Lester smirked. “It’s pretty rank down there, huh?”

  She nodded.

  He looked at the other man who sat there glaring at her and shrugged. “I guess we could. It’s not like you could jump up out of there.”

  She shook her head. “Thank you.” The smaller man got up, went over to Lester, and spoke quietly to him. “Dom, it will be open.” She felt his touch over her cheek and down her throat.

  “That’s good. Have they said anything yet?”

  Lester looked over at her and shook his head to the other man. The other man turned and snarled at her. She didn’t like the expression on his face. Training and instinct told her to steer clear of him. Female intuition confirmed the feeling. The smaller man said something else she couldn’t hear.

  “We feed her, watch her, and wait for him—that’s it!”

  Lester’s tone scared her, and she hoped that it did the same to the other man.

  “Babe?” Dom’s voice softly crooned inside her head. “What’s wrong? I can sense you’re upset.”

  Should she tell Dom? She didn’t think it would help him at all, so she had to avoid answering him. She wanted out of here. Now. Every muscle in her body was tense, and she knew if the short, slimy one got the opportunity to be alone with her it wasn’t going to be . . .

  “Jennah?” Dom’s voice, filled with worry and panic, boomed inside her head.

  “I’m hungry. There was mention of eating. Hopefully it’s a better menu than earlier . . .”

  “They better feed you!”

  She tried not to smirk at the tone he used. “I’ll be fine, just use that brilliant mind and get me out of here—soon.”

  “Working on it. We’ve got a few more possibilities to check out. Wherever you are, it’s well out of the way.”

  * * * *

  Food turned out to be a can of something that was meant to be pasta, and then later a meat sandwich—and not any sort of meat she cared to attempt to identify. She had eaten it without complaint, having thought only of the fact that, if she were pregnant, the baby needed it more than she disliked it. She glanced up at the hole in the floor. They had left it propped open roughly a foot. It was enough to let a bit of light into her dark space, although it didn’t make it any less creepy to be able to see the filthy space she was being held in.

  “Dom, how long has it been? I can’t grasp any sense of time in here.”

  “It’s close to midnight, babe. How are you doing?”

  “Would it be awful if I said I was bored? There is nothing to do but lie here and think.” She heard his chuckle.

  “I can relate to that.”

  She smirked. “I guess you can.”

  “Listen, Tess wants to know where they are and if they can see you right now.”

  She looked back up at the hole and listened. There was no movement. “I think they might be sleeping. Why? What are you planning?” She heard him snort in disbelief.

  “You wouldn’t believe me if I even attempted to find a way to explain it. Just keep talking to me. Tess wants to try something.”

  “Uh, okay. I’ve decided I want to break this Lester guy’s nose, as well, Dom. It’s only right. Sure, he left the door open for air or so he thinks, but I still need to break something on him for making me stay in this pit of mildew—” She stopped and bolted up on the cot when a sound in the corner broke the never-ending silence. Squinting, she thought she could see the outline of someone. Like people just appear out of nowhere! Great! “Dom? I’m starting to hallucinate.” His chuckle sounded like it was in the space with her instead of inside her head.

  “It’s not a hallucination, babe. I’m three feet away from you, and you’re looking like a doe in the headlights. Tess is here with me.”

  She moved so fast to get off the bed, she almost fell face first into his warm body. She clutched at him, wrapping her arms so tight around him a
nd squeezing hard enough that her arms strained. “I can’t . . .” She paused and looked at the hole in the ceiling. “How?”

  He was running his hands up and down her back and rubbing his face against her hair and neck. “I really don’t understand the how. Actually, I thought she was completely insane when she tried to explain it to me.” He paused and kissed the top of her head. “Brody is still pouting that he didn’t get to try it.” He leaned up as much as he could in the short space and looked at the small woman beside him. “She’s tapped into our internal discussion still. We thought that would be easier than making any noise.”

  Jennah looked up at him and nodded before she turned to the serious-looking woman. “Thank you.”

  “No, problem. Now, I can only keep this up for about a half hour. I’ve never been able to figure out how to hold it for longer.” She glanced up at Dom. “This is a test run. Tomorrow I need you to get them to let you have a shower or something to keep you in the bathroom long enough for us to get back here.”

  Jennah nodded. “Okay, I should be able to manage something.” She leaned into the warmth of Dom’s chest and sighed at the feel of his arms holding her tightly. She didn’t want to stay here. If they were here now, why did they have to go without her? She pushed her body against Dom’s. “You can’t take me back out with you?”

  The other woman sighed. “No. I can only do one besides myself. I’d take you and leave him, but then I can’t get back to get him without brining you. Your connection is the only path I can follow. Sometimes I can do it by phone connection, but . . .”

  Jennah tried not to feel disappointment. He was here right now, even for a short few moments. “Okay.” She looked up at the dark, brooding eyes drinking her in. “So, is there a plan?”

  Dom slid down the wall, bringing her across his knees. “Tess can’t bring anything steel with her, or I’d be armed to the teeth.” He reached into his pocket and pulled something out. He put it into her hand. “The penlight made it. I guess it’s mostly plastic and this knife is mostly silver, so it survived the trip, too.” He motioned to Tess. She nodded and went over to the hole in the ceiling. “Tess has a transmitter. It’s encased in plastic with only a bit of wire so we’re going to leave it here too. I don’t think we can pick it up down here, but it’s worth a shot. If it doesn’t, then tomorrow we’ll bring another one”

  “That’s why you want me above ground in the bathroom?”

  He nodded and reached around her to his watch. He hit the light on it and looked at the time. “First thing in the morning, you get to that bathroom and I’ll have you out right after that!” He closed his eyes, pain showing on his face. “We only have a bit of time left. Jennah, if I could get you out of here right now, I would. We thought of storming out and catching them off guard, but we have no way of knowing what lies outside”

  She could feel the pain that is was costing him to leave her behind. It brought tears to her eyes. She nodded and grasped his face between her palms. “It’s enough that you’re here right now.” She could make out his eyes searching hers in the dim light. He rested his forehead against hers for a second and exhaled. His lips touched hers, hesitantly, like he was uncertain. She grasped his face, turned her head, and kissed him back. That was all the encouragement he needed. His mouth began to devour hers like he wouldn’t survive another second without it.

  “You have to be okay for me, baby. I need you too much.” He grasped the back of her head and took over the kiss, showing her how much she meant to him.

  She slid onto his lap more, needing to feel him as close to her as he could. He lifted his head, crushed her into him, and held her as if he was never going to be able to let go of her.

  Tess’s voice filled her head, and she realized Dom had stopped because she had come back over to them.

  “We have to go. Getting trapped down here isn’t going to get Jennah out of here tomorrow.”

  She felt Dom’s chest expand as he took a shaky breath. “Okay.” He lifted his head and looked down at her. “Try to get some rest.”

  Jennah nodded. “I don’t have anything else to be doing right now.” She felt him tense and knew he was having to work really hard at not plowing his way through the opened hatch and beating the two idiots upstairs within an inch of their lives.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He nodded and reached around her. He pressed something into her hand and she realized it was his watch. He didn’t want her to sit down here and wonder how much time had passed.

  “Thank you.” She moved off of his lap, clutching her three precious items to her chest. He stood slowly, hesitantly, looking at her. “Go, Dom, you have to be able to get back here.” She hoped her thoughts sounded more assured of things than she felt.

  His warm hand cupped her cheek. “When this is over . . .” He stopped, the pain he was feeling clear on his face even in the dim light.

  She nodded and looked from his eyes before she begged him not to leave her here alone again. The other woman gave her a sympathetic look. She inclined her head and stepped backwards toward the cot. She didn’t take her eyes off them. Dom was standing there one second, hunched and watching her, and then they were both gone.

  She backed up a few more feet until her legs hit the metal frame of the cot, and then she sat down. Glancing quickly at the small opened space to make sure she wasn’t being watched, she grasped the small flashlight and clicked it on, aiming to where Dom had been. There was no sign anyone had been there.

  Lying back, she curled onto her side and held his watch tightly in her other hand. She fumbled with it until she found the button on the side. She checked the time so she would know how long she had to wait until morning. It was going to be a very long night, but she had to try to get some sort of rest so she could be useful tomorrow.

  * * * *

  Dom’s stomach lurched and he realized he was back in Jennah’s kitchen. His head felt a little fuzzy, but other than that, he was okay. He blinked a few times and looked over to see Brody pacing by the door. He stopped and looked at him, and then rushed toward him. Dom frowned and then looked beside him to see Tess standing bent over the counter, clutching her head.

  Brody was beside her. “Tess? Are you all right?”

  She hissed out a quiet breath. “Yeah. This is normal. A small price for being able to be the fantastic freak that I am.”

  Dom glanced over her back to Brody. He looked as helpless as Dom felt. “Do you need anything?”

  She hummed for a few seconds. “Nope. Well, a pillow for about an hour and a drink—anything.”

  Dom straightened and opened the cupboard to get a glass. He turned to see Brody scooping the tiny woman into his arms.

  “Come on then, little genie, let’s find that pillow for you.”

  Dom shook his head and smirked as he watched him carry her out of the kitchen. Brody didn’t know it yet, but he was soft on her, even if he did growl at her more than not. “Babe? You okay?”

  “Yes. I’m going to try to sleep a little, though. I’m just exhausted, probably from boredom.”

  He filled the glass with water and turned toward the door. “You do that. If you are pregnant, babe, you need to look after my child.” He heard her soft chuckle.

  “Are you going to be one of those over protective men when a woman’s carrying his child?”

  “You bet your sexy ass I am.”

  “Good, I look forward to getting annoyed by you.”

  “Get some rest, Jennah. I love you.”

  “’Kay, love you, too.”

  In the doorway, he stood there, holding the water, and felt like his heart was being crushed inside his chest. They had to get her out of there. He wouldn’t survive without her now.

  From A Dream

  Chapter Five

  “Hey, beautiful.”

  Jennah smiled. “Hey.” She looked around her and recognized her own bedroom. As much as she wanted to believe she was tucked in her own bed, her conscious side knew better. They wer
e in a dream. “Aren’t you supposed to be rescuing me?”

  His chuckle filled her mind and vibrated through her. “That is the plan. I wanted to let you get some rest before I disturbed it.”

  She smiled and rolled over on the pillow. “You’re allowed to disturb me anytime you want. How much rest have you gotten?”

  His touch burned a trail down her back. She tried to snuggle back into it, but he wasn’t really there. She didn’t understand it. Usually, when they were in a dream together, she could touch him. The only thing she could think of was he wasn’t truly asleep. “An hour, or as long as it took to fall asleep and be here. The transmitter in the hole didn’t work, babe. I need you to wake up shortly and see about getting into the bathroom—the team will be here soon.”

  She exhaled slowly. “We’ll rest together when you get me out of here.” She sighed. “I wish you were here in the dream with me.”

  He was silent for a few seconds. “Me too, babe. I couldn’t rest completely so I’m only in a dopey state. I couldn’t sleep without you beside me.”

  She frowned. “I miss you, too. I think it was sheer boredom that helped me fall asleep.”

  “No movement from above?”

  “No.”

  He let out a long breath. “Good. This is hard enough knowing they have you—if they were . . .”

  “Don’t. I’m okay. Really peeved they got the drop on me, but as you saw earlier, I’m fine.”

  “Baby . . .” His voice was filled with anguish and longing. “Nothing can happen to you. You’re my whole world now.”

  Her heart ached at his confession. What could she say to something like that? “You’ve given me so much, Dom.” She pictured touching his cheek. “I just want to be held in your arms.”

  “I can’t wait any longer. Wake up, Jennah, and get to that bathroom.”

  She rolled over. “Give me a bit of time.”