I’d try to see if we can start a fire or something, but I’m sure the management wouldn’t appreciate it if we burned this place down.
You think?
Finally, he knew they were just stalling. She caught the thought because she said,We both know Smithson is going to find him here soon. We should make him think I’m alone and vulnerable. You have to leave. Maybe you need to fill up the car with gas or something.
He felt his insides clench. “No.” He heard himself make the objection aloud as well as mentally.
She came out of the bathroom and walked to him. They embraced again, holding each other tightly. Things were moving rapidly in more ways than one. It was mindboggling that they had developed so many abilities so quickly. Maybe they had done it out of desperation—to protect themselves. And probably Rachel’s psychic talents had given them a head start. But at the same time, they had to be realistic about their chances of survival. If things came out wrong, that this might be the last time they embraced each other. He tried to keep his mind away from those dark thoughts, but he knew she picked them up.
Needing to reassure himself–and her as well--he brought his mouth to hers for a kiss that heintended to be warm and gentle. It quickly turned hot and urgent. His mouth moved over hers as he tried to show how much he needed her, how much he wanted her.
They were both breathing hard when he finally tore his mouth away.
“I’d better get out of here while the getting’s good,” he gasped. “I’ll go down the road a few miles, then turn around. I won’t be gone more than twenty minutes.”
“Okay.”
He dragged in a breath and let it out. “You’re sure you’re up for staying alone?”
“No. But it makes sense.”
Before he lost the will to leave, he walked out the door and closed it behind him.
Outside, he kept up the communication with her.
You’re still here.
He walked slowly to the car, feeling the link between them stretch. By the time he’d got in, he had lost the contact, which gave him a jittery feeling, along with a profound sense of loss. With his teeth clenched, he pulled away from the space in front of their cabin and headed up the gravel road. When he reached the highway, he turned toward the main road. But his mind was spinning, calculating the time he would be away from Rachel.
Rachel had tried to put on a brave face while Jake had been here. And she knew she had partially succeeded in keeping him from overhearing her darkest thoughts. Now that she was alone in this dingy cabin, it was impossible to keep up the act. When her knees felt weak, she sat down in the lumpy easy chair and gripped the arms.
“Stop it,” she muttered to herself. “You volunteered to stay here. You wanted to prove to yourself that you were steady enough to do it. And that Smithson guy wasn’t right on our tail. We would have seen him if he had been. When Jake gets back, we’ve got time to plan what we’re going to do.
When she had willed herself to calmness, she got up and went into the bathroom where she splashed cold water on her face.
Out in the bedroom again, she peered through the window.It was dark under the trees, making the landscape look spooky. She felt more alone and isolated than she ever had before in her life, and she knew it was because now that she had found Jake, breaking the connection with him was almost more than she could stand. She hadn’t known how hard it would be once she’d sent him away.
The seconds ticked by, and she tried to reach out to him. He was much too far away, and she couldn’t locate him at all. It was like he didn’t exist.
But he would be back soon. She had to cling to that.
Her shoulders were so tight that she was starting to give herself a headache.
Again, she reached toward Jake and found nothing. This time, she couldn’t stop a spurt of fear from slicing through her.
What if they’d gotten it all wrong? What if Smithson came after him while he was in the car? That might make sense. If the stalker disabled the man, he’d have free rein with the woman.
As a graphic image leaped into her head, she shuddered and started pacing the room again.
Did she hear footsteps outside? She wanted to look out the window, but that would only expose her to view if their stalker was skulking around outside.
When the doorknob rattled, she jumped. Her heart began to pound as she sent her mind to the other side of the barrier, searching for Jake, even when she was pretty sure she wasn’t going to find him there.
Instead, the door burst open. Smithson crashed into the room and advanced on her, gun in hand.
Before she could scream, he clamped a hand over her mouth.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
