Wildest Dreams (Dreamers Series Book 1) (17 page)

***

Ember was in awe of the view as Reece pulled up the long driveway to the cabin. Any other time she would have loved to be here. The cabin was set back in the trees on the edge of the mountain ridge. She wasn’t certain, but she thought she had seen a sign that mentioned Colorado. Ember had never been to Colorado before, and if she made it out of this, she would come back for a real vacation, one that she planned and could enjoy with Kaylen.

The door swung open, and a tall young lady with long, wavy brunette hair ran out to meet Reece. She jumped up and threw her arms around him like she had been waiting all day to be with him. She kissed him hard then pulled away, smiling, and looked over at Ember. “So this is Ember?” she said in a voice like honey.

This must be Eve
, Ember thought bitterly. Eve looked around them toward the SUV then back to Reece with obvious disappointment.

“Where’s the girl? You said you would bring me the little girl.”

“That didn’t go quite as planned, baby. I’m sorry. She wasn’t there.” Even if Ember didn’t already know him, his tone made it clear he wasn’t really sorry. “Let’s go so we can get Ember settled in; then we’ll begin making some arrangements.” He grinned down at Eve, and Ember knew she was aware of the “arrangements” Reece was referring.

Inside the cabin, Reece led Ember to a back room. “This is your room. Get comfortable; you’re going to be here awhile. If you want to take a shower, you’re going to have to wait. I don’t have time to watch you yet.”

Her eyes went wide, “Watch me? I know why you did that at the gas station, but why would you need to here?”

He sneered at her and ran his finger down her arm as he said, “I don’t have to, but I’m going to.”

Ember shivered. He was still a gorgeous man, but the thought of his honey eyes on her now made her queasy.

“I’m fine. I don’t need a shower right now.” Honestly, she would have loved a shower, but she wasn’t about to tell him that. Besides, she didn’t want to wash off the last lingering bit of Blake that she had to help keep her calm. “I think I would just like to lie down for a little bit; I'm still groggy.” She looked at the small bed in the room and groaned inwardly. The cabin would have been a nice place to stay if the rooms had been cleaner. She just prayed there weren’t bed bugs.

“Suit yourself. I’m going to make some calls. I’m sure I don’t need to say this, but don’t leave this room for any reason, or you'll regret it.” He grabbed her chin and gently tugged it to make her look up at him. Leaning into her, he whispered, “You really shouldn’t have ever left me.” He took her lips in a hard and almost painful kiss then stopped abruptly. Standing up, he shook his head and walked out of the room. She heard a click and knew he had locked the door from the outside.

Ember went to the bed and looked it over; cringing she sat on the edge. She had so many emotions running through her at that moment she wasn’t sure where one stopped, and another started. She pulled her knees up and hugged them to her, trying to hold herself together. Rocking back and forth, she was too weary to fight off the tears anymore, so she let them fall. She wasn’t sure if she was going to make it out of this alive or not. The one thing that gave her hope was that no matter what happened to her, Kaylen had a family now. She lay back and curled into a ball and tried to concentrate on Ridge, Blake and Kaylen.

As she thought of them, she was able to pick up the faint scent of the ocean reminding her that she had to remain strong and not give up. She had to get back to the ones she loved.
Loved?
Was she saying that she loved Blake?
Doesn’t matter
, she thought quickly;
He’s a much-needed distraction
. No matter how she felt about him, she needed his memory to pull through this, and she was going to use it. If and when she got out of this, she would move on and put her emotional ties to Blake behind her.

***

Ember wasn’t sure what time it was when she woke up, but it was dark outside. She heard banging in the other room, and then her door swung open. Reece walked in with a sour look on his face. “If you need to pee, do it. You’re going to be chained to the bed for a while.”

Ember hurried into the restroom as fear pulsed through her veins. She took her time washing her hands and slowly walked back to the bed. He yanked her arm, pulling her over to him. He growled, “Get on the bed.” She recoiled at the thought of what he planned to do to her, and a tear escaped her eye. He sighed and pushed her onto the bed then took her wrist that wasn’t broken and raised it above her head. He handcuffed her to the headboard and stood up looking down at her. “I won’t lie and say I haven’t wanted you like this, but I don’t have time for that right now. I’ll be back soon.” She knew his threat was also a promise, and it made her cringe. Reaching the door, he turned to say, “I think you should know that I’ve decided you’re not going home. If I can’t have you, there’s no way in hell I’m letting anyone else have you.”

Ember watched him walk out, and as he locked the door from the other side, she began to panic.
He’s going to kill me
.

CHAPTER 26

She heard the front door open as Reece walked outside, and then everything began to happen so fast that she wasn’t sure exactly what was going on.

She could hear someone yelling something, and Reece started yelling back. She thought she heard the other voice say something about a gun; shots rang out and everything went quiet.

Ember lay back on the bed in shock, not certain what had just happened. Someone was shot, she was sure of that, but was it Reece or the man shouting at him. Then there were voices outside again, but this time, they weren’t yelling. She prayed they weren’t just another part of Reece’s dark world. She couldn’t keep from trembling.

The door to the cabin opened, and she could hear the movement of several people in the next room. If these people were out for revenge or retaliation on Reece, did they know about her? Would they let her go if they found her? Then she realized they probably wouldn’t let her go if she could identify them. She heard the doorknob rattle, and she tucked her face into the crook of her elbow. Maybe if she didn’t see their face, they would just leave and let her be.

The door flew open as someone on the other side kicked it in. The sound made Ember flinch, and she felt the hot tears roll onto her arm.

“Ember Tatum?” a firm but gentle voice asked.

Ember risked a glance in the direction of the door. She didn’t think Reece would have given her name to anyone who was at odds with him. She wasn’t sure if she should trust the voice until she saw it was a member of the SWAT team. He had a comforting smile as he walked over to the bed and reached down to uncuff her.

Looking at Ember carefully, he said, “You are Ember, right?" She nodded. "My name is Jeff; I’m the SWAT team commander. He didn’t hurt you did he?” She shook her head as he removed the cuff from her arm. “Okay. Let’s get you out of here.” He led her toward the back door to the cabin while the other members of the team continued looking through the house. Ember began to think she was not the only reason they were here for Reece.

Ember turned to follow him thinking it was strange they were going to the back door until it dawned on her; Reece was out there, and she wasn’t sure if he was alive or dead. She didn’t want to know right now, though. All she wanted was to get out of the dreadful cabin and back home. She would ask questions later.

Ember was surprised that Ridge was already at the station waiting for her when she got there. Jeff had told her that he was going to tear the station up if she hadn’t been found soon. He took her to an office off to the left side of the entrance. When he opened the door, Ember ran in, hoping to find Ridge, but ran into Blake’s arms instead. Hearing the door open, he had jumped up from the small sofa he had been waiting on and grabbed Ember as she ran in. His eyes were red and swollen, and his hair was all messed up like he had been running his hands through it again. He looked pitiful.

Jeff looked apologetically at Ember and said, “I’m sorry, I forgot to mention that Mr. O’Neil had come with your brother. I hope you don’t mind.” Ember caught the sly grin and wink he gave Blake as he started to leave. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to get you some water, Miss Tatum.”

“Ember, it’s just Ember please.”

Jeff nodded. “Ember.” Then he turned and shut the door behind him.

“Where’s Ridge?” Ember was surprised he wasn’t waiting for her, but she was more relieved than she thought at seeing Blake.
Remember, he’s just a friend
, she told herself, but she knew that he would never be just a friend to her. His memory alone had given her strength she didn’t know she had when Ember thought she wouldn’t make it.

“He just stepped out for a few minutes, to call your family and Jenna.” He sounded weary, and Ember wondered how long he had been up. His eyes filled with tears as he watched her, "Please tell me he didn't hurt you?"

She shook her head, "Not much," she whispered.

“Ember, I need to tell you something, something important.” He had a troubled look on his face. “I want to say this before anything else happens, and I don’t get a chance to.” He pulled her closer and took her cheek in his hand. She closed her eyes and leaned into his soft palm as he caressed her face with his thumb. “I lied.”

Ember’s eyes popped open, and she stared at him in confusion. “What? What do you mean?” Her voice was just a little above a whisper, afraid of what was going to come next.

“I didn’t actually lie to you I guess, but I didn’t tell you the truth, so it’s like I lied to you—but mostly I lied to myself.” He was rambling, and she was becoming even more confused.

“Blake?” He stopped talking and just stared at her for a moment and sighed.

“Sorry, I’m not good at this,” he said softly as he moved his hand away from her face and put it around her waist too, pulling her even closer. Touching his forehead to hers, he whispered, “I love you, Ember. I’ve been in love with you since you blew into the tower, and no matter how hard I tried to fight it, I can’t.”

Ember watched him, but as soon as he had admitted to fighting the feeling, she was terrified. She didn’t want him to fight it. “I’m so in love with you, Blake, and I don’t want you to fight it.”

He chuckled at the sound of panic in her voice. “Don’t worry. I don’t want to fight it either. I like how I feel when I’m with you.” He pulled back, still gazing into her emerald green eyes. “I know this is going to sound a little cliché, but you make me happy. I don’t want just to have memories of you and I having fun. I want to know that there's a future full of it.”

“What about Kaylen?” Ember glanced down and closed her eyes, waiting for it.

Blake kissed the top of her head. “You know she’s kind of cool when you get to know her. She’s just really short.” Ember looked up at him in shock.

Furrowing her brows, Ember tilted her head to the side, “You don’t like kids.” She sounded confused.

“Who said I don’t like kids?”

“I thought you did…I thought you never wanted kids. The lady at the tower, she told me you don't like them.” She was extremely confused at this new bit of information.

He shrugged. “I’ve never told anyone I don’t like kids. I’ve just never been with someone I would consider having any with, or even settle down with, for that matter. That’s part of the reason I never dated anyone who had kids. Once children are involved, it’s a whole new ballgame. If things don’t work out, you take a chance on hurting someone a lot more impressionable. I’m actually a sucker for kids, and Kaylen, with those big green eyes just like yours, I was a goner the first time she looked at me.” His smile was genuine, and she knew he was telling the truth. “Jade has been at the apartment all day while we waited to hear something. She brought Kaylen up, and I got to spend some time with her. I called her and told her you were going to be coming home soon when they let us know you were on the way here. They’ll be there with your parents when we get back.” Ember didn’t know what to say.

There was a knock on the door, and Ridge, Jeff, and another older man entered. “Can we come in now? Thank goodness you’re back. Blake was insufferable.” Ridge walked over to Ember and pulled her away from Blake to give her a big squeeze. When he stepped back, she felt Blake reach back around her and pull her into him again, and Ridge shook his head and grinned.

“Jeff said you were tearing the station up, and you call Blake insufferable?” Ember grinned at him.

Jeff shrugged as both men turned to look at him. “I merely left out one small detail. I knew from listening to the two of you that Blake had some unfinished business to attend to, and I didn’t want Ember to know he was here until he was able to talk to her.” Ember looked at Blake who winked at her, and she blushed.

“This is the incident commander, Todd. Jeff was telling us about what happened.” Ridge’s expression turned serious as he said, “It’s over, Ember. Reece won’t be around to hurt you anymore.”

Relief flooded Ember, causing her knees to buckle. Before she knew it, Blake scooped her up into his arms and sat on the sofa with her on his lap. She tucked her face into the crook of his neck and inhaled his calming scent. She was surprised by her reaction to the news but then decided it was probably because of the release of pent-up fear, and her body was finally getting to relax. It felt good to have Blake hold her. She knew it was true, that everything was going to be okay now.