“Apparently, Branson made it his business to keep in touch.”
Oh great, John thought. But then he supposed if you had a police department full of informants, you couldn’t control who was giving out information to whom.
“You need anything else?” his contact asked.
“Can you find out if Branson has used his credit card recently? Maybe I can get a line on where he went.”
“Okay.”
“Do you want him arrested?”
“For what?”
“He’s down here using an assumed name. We could have him brought in for questioning.”
“Yeah. That might be good. If you can find him.”
“There could be an accident while he’s in custody.”
“Even better.”
Stephanie knew she was dreaming, but there was nothing she could do about it, and no way she could stop the course of events her mind had conjured up.
The dream started at her father’s house. She and Craig climbed out the window and down to the ground. Then she rounded the corner and ran into the two thugs with the guns. Only this time was different. This time she was alone.
They hustled her to the van, and she kept crying out in her mind, crying out for Craig, but he simply wasn’t there. She was totally alone. The way she had been all her life. Only now sheknew what it was like to be bonded with her soulmate. But he had vanished. And she couldn’t go on alone. Not after what she’d found with him.
The two thugs were there, but they weren’t her only captors. John Reynard stood over them, telling them to tape her hands and feet. He was telling them to take her away, to a place where Craig could never find her.
His eyes met hers, and she felt ice forming in her chest and throat.
“You betrayed me with that man.”
“No,” she lied.
“You belong to me,” he said. “I’ll take you back, but only if you promise never to see that other guy again.”
Her mouth worked, but no words came out. How could she make that promise? How could she say she would never see Craig again? That would be as good as death.
CHAPTER TWELVE
In the dream, the two thugs were holding her down in the back of the van, and she struggled against them, knowing that if they drove away with her, she would be dead. Desperate to escape, she kicked out with her foot, making one of them gasp.
Good.
Someone was calling her name, and it didn’t sound like either of the men who had taken her captive, or like John.
“Stephanie. For Lord’s sake, Stephanie.”
She heard the words in her ears—and in her mind. They finally penetrated through the dream.
It was Craig. He was here, calling her, holding her.
Her eyes blinked open, and she stared up at him, catching his relief.
Stephanie.
Craig,she answered. I was so scared. I was dreaming those men had me, and John was there.
