vittanos willow (25 page)

stepped onto the porch.

Down the five steps, CJ halted as a voice reached her. “Your de-

termination always did add to my attraction for you. But even you

should know better than attempting to run wearing such thin clothes.”

That voice sent tremors through her. Like caught up in slow

animation, CJ looked over her left shoulder. The wool blanket fell

gently into dark folds on top of the crisp crust of the blinding-white

snow.

CJ took in the man who seemed to be so at home on the porch of

the cabin. Dark blue jeans covered long legs and a black leather coat.

Stubble adorned the lean face, adding charm and handsomeness to it.

One of his shoulders rested against the rounded pillar as he

watched her. His hair was like usual, perfect. She knew the man staring

at her but at the same time she didn’t; the eyes that raked across her

were a different color than she recalled.

Instead of the dark blue she was used to, CJ found herself being

appraised by a pair of pale green eyes. Standing there watching her,

waiting for her next move, the man had a rifle next to him. It was a man

she had believed a friend. Gordon Blake.

“No,” she mumbled. “It…it can’t be!”

Like it was a normal day, Gordon tugged up his gloves and

trailed one leather-covered finger through the snow on the porch

railing. “Come on, Chantoya. Come back inside.”

She moved backwards, taking her further from the man. In a

flash, the eyes grew to pale shards of ice. “I mean it, Chantoya. Do
not

make me chase you.”

She didn’t stop. In fact, she began to pick up speed. The blanket

lay where it had been dropped and even the cold air didn’t seem to

affect her. Her mouth moved but nothing came out.

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“Where are you going to go? Look around, CJ. There isn’t any-

where for you to go. You can’t take a vehicle. You don’t even know

where you are.” He waved a hand around. “Nothing but miles and

miles of deep snow and freezing cold. And I don’t want to have to bring

you back.”

While it might not have been the smartest thing to do, running

was the only option she had. Chantoya was off the steps and into the

snow at the bottom. She could now feel the cold spiking into her feet

and spreading up her legs.

“CJ. Don’t you see we belong together?!” He moved a gloved

hand between them. “Now, come back here before your feet get frost-

bite.”

“Marvin? What about Marvin? I thought…he…you…”

Gordon pushed away from the wood column he had been lean-

ing against and moved to the top of the steps. “Ah, yes, Marvin. Well,

he did bash my face in, but he was trying to keep me from you. He’s

dead now.” He shrugged like it was nothing. “Come inside and I will

tell you what’s going to happen.”

When she stood there glaring up at him in disgust, his eyes nar-

rowed. “Don’t make me tell you again, CJ. Come up here.”

Like her feet weighed a thousand pounds each, she slowly

reached down for the blanket as she passed it and took each step like it

were harder than the last. And it was, for Chantoya knew Gordon Blake

held her future in his hands. He would decide whether she lived or

died. She was in his world now.

Ever the gentleman, Gordon opened the door for her and al-

lowed her to enter first. Chantoya shoved down the revulsion she felt at

the touch of his gloved hand along the small of her back. He took the

blanket from her, folded it, and replaced it back along the backrest of

the couch.

“Sit down, CJ.” His command made tears fill her eyes but she

did as told.

“How could you do this, Gordon? Kill Marvin? Kidnap me?

Why would you do this?” CJ asked as her feet started to get warm.

“It is fate. We were meant to be together.” Gordon pulled off his

gloves and wriggled his fingers. “You will come to accept that fact,” he

stated like he was talking about the weather.

“You have a wife, Gordon. We aren’t meant to be anything, ex-

cept at one time fellow teachers.”

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Aliyah Burke

“No!” His shout reverberated through the cabin. “You were

made for me.” His eyes swirled with barely controlled emotion. She

could see the effort it took for him to calm down. “No,” he said again,

softer this time. One hand ran down his face before it reached out

toward her.

The motion was almost agitated as he moved his fingers. “We,

Chantoya, we belong together. Don’t you see? You have to see. We are

perfect complements of one another.”

“What about your wife, Gordon? She’s not going to want to

share you with anyone.” A wave of his hand made her heart plummet.

“What
happened
to your wife, Gordon?”
Dear Lord, I know I shouldn’t ask.

His gaze glazed over as he pursed his lips. “She…she is happy.

She is in Virginia Beach. And knows that you,
you
, Chantoya, are my

soul mate.”

Shaking her head, CJ couldn’t help but blurt out, “I am not your

soul mate, Gordon. You can’t kidnap people and think they will want to

be with you. You don’t know me, and I don’t—!”

He jumped up. “Don’t say it! Don’t tell me you don’t love me.

Don’t lie to me!” His hands made fists at his sides as he glared down at

her.

CJ swallowed her fear.
This man is seriously unstable.
“Okay,

okay,” she tried placating him. “I just mean that I am still freaked out.”

Gordon sat back down, apparently appeased for the moment.

“Look, I don’t want to keep drugging you. I want you to be able to have

freedom while you are here. But if you push me,” his voice dropped to

a low growl, “I will have no problem doing just that.”

Drugs?

Her throat was once again dry as could be. He wasn’t a man to

trifle with. There was not a single remaining thing that reminded her of

the man whom she had taught beside. The caring man had been wiped

away, leaving her with this doppelganger.

CJ scanned the interior of the cabin before allowing her gaze to

focus back on Gordon. The man was staring at her. Dezarae telling her

about the Roofie came flooding back to her mind. “Did you drug me?”

A perverse smile crossed his normally handsome face, twisting

it into a grotesque mask of falsification. “I had to. I would’ve had you if

you had just gone home that day. Why did you go to the park? You

could have hurt yourself?” He admonished. “I know this was a little

rushed. I was going to wait until school was out…”

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165

Chantoya realized she most likely would be safer if she kept him

talking. “But you didn’t wait, why?”

“I couldn’t see you anymore.”

Baffled, CJ fought off a shiver and asked, “You saw me at school

everyday.” School. Her students. In a rush, they became first and

foremost to her mind. “What about school, Gordon? We have an

obligation to the kids. What day is it?”

He waved off her question. “You won’t be going back to teach-

ing for a while. Not until after we get married.”

Married? Married! Hell, no!
Biting the inside of her lip to keep her

comments inside, CJ battled back tears of despair.

“I even have your dress picked out for you. Don’t worry, it’ll fit

perfectly. I know. You haven’t gained any weight since college.” He

smiled as if she should feel honored by his thoughtfulness.

“You can’t keep me here!” she gasped, outraged.

An eerie fire rose in Gordon’s eyes briefly before he contained it.

He watched her and spoke, “That’s where you’re wrong.” Gordon

leaned back in his seat, still watching her. If not for the scary look in his

eyes, CJ would have easily imagined this conversation in the teachers’

lounge.

“See, CJ. My original time would have made it so I had to keep

you, tied, drugged or both. I don’t want that. With the weather you can

roam the cabin because I would hope you aren’t dumb enough to try

and leave wearing what you are.”

CJ’s heart sank. Gordon was right, without a lot more clothes

and something on her feet she didn’t stand a chance.

The look on his face told her he had known the train of her

thoughts. “Oh, yeah, as long as you behave, CJ, you can keep those

clothes. If I have to tell you something more than once, you will lose an

article.”

Why can’t I wake up?
Parading around naked wasn’t even up for

consideration, not in front of Gordon.

“In time you will learn how we are meant to be. You will come

to my bed willingly. Pleasure me. Service me. And even enjoy it, for
we

are meant to be.”

A Herculean effort was required to keep the revulsion off her

face. Death had begun to look like a better option.
This man is
nuts
!

“I can’t wait to show you what our future together will be like. I

know you are willing to be freaky in bed.” He ran a hand along his jaw

line. “Hmmm. Maybe I should send that Osten a thank you.”

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Aliyah Burke

Osten?
“What does Osten have to do with this?” CJ was as-

tounded.

Gordon stood and chuckled. “I watched you with him. I saw

how you enjoyed being ordered around in bed.”

Heat flew into her face. How could he know this?
He’s lying, CJ.

Don’t let him goad you.
As she tried to appear indifferent by his words,

CJ noticed a flush to his body and an increase in his breathing.

“Of course, that bastard deserves to die for touching you and

you had to be cleansed. But still…” he trailed off and fondled the

obvious ridge in his jeans, “you are beautiful to watch as you orgasm.

And when it is because of
our
love for one another, it will be even

better.”

CJ squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head as the sound of a

zipper being lowered reached her ears. Gordon’s voice slithered into

her ears.

“When I get to see all that supple black leather on you, your

body bent over a fur-covered table…” his breathing grew raspy. Push-

ing up from her seat, Chantoya kept her eyes on the floor. She wasn’t

about to sit there and listen to this. “No!” he shouted. “Look at me, CJ.

Look at me!”

Squeezing her eyes shut, she raised her head until she knew her

eyes were above his head. Then and only then did she lower her gaze,

not daring to go past his face. “What?” CJ knew there was pure loathing

and disgust in her voice but she couldn’t help it. He repulsed her.

His face was glazed over with passion. Those green eyes, though

on her, seemed to picture something only he could see. Gordon didn’t

answer her and as his eyes drifted closed, she ran back to her room. The

sound of her name falling off his lips chased her back to her new

sanctuary.

CJ sat in front of the door considering there was no lock.

Wrapped in a blanket from the bed, she shivered and let the tears fall.

T w e n t y - O n e

Osten stood behind the man at the computer. His fists were

clenching and unclenching as he waited for the search to end. The other

people milling around in the room were totally ignored.

*0 RESULTS FOUND* Flashed in the middle of the screen.

“Sorry, man.” The young tech shrugged without turning to face

Osten behind him.

“Keep searching. Find me something.” Osten ground his back

teeth as he moved away from the computer.

His pager vibrated and he pulled it off, glanced at the number

and headed for the door. Osten could feel Special Agent Marks’s gaze

on him, but he didn’t slow in his departure.

Climbing into his car, Osten drove to just inside the base, got

out, and climbed into the back of the minivan that was waiting for him.

Jayde Kincade was driving the van and Scott Leighton’s wife,

Lex, was riding shotgun. “Sorry it had to be this way, Osten. But we

figured the FBI will be tailing you,” Jayde’s soft voice said.

He didn’t know what to say, so he waited. After he had gotten

the page he’d called the number once in his car. Tyson had said only,

“Meet Jayde at the base,” and then had hung up.

Jayde drove to a Mexican restaurant, parked, and then she and

Lex got out. Osten followed and escorted them in establishment.

The women headed to an empty table at the back and sat down.

Unsure, Osten made to sit as well before a familiar voice reached him.

“Osten,” Tyson spoke. The women barely looked at him as he left.

Tyson led him to a small backroom. Inside, Osten was con-

fronted with two men he didn’t know. His dark eyes met Tyson’s hazel

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Aliyah Burke

ones. Tyson explained, “These are two men I worked with when I was

in the counterterrorism unit. Ethan and Willie. I called in a favor.”

Both men reached out a hand to Osten. As he shook them, they

supplied their name again. Willie was a thick Asian man and Ethan

looked…a lot like Aidrian.

His shock must have been on his face, because Tyson imme-