Dreams~Shadows of the Night (4 page)

“What have you been up to besides going to the
movies?”

He shrugged.

“Not much – working
mostly.
How about you?”

“The same, but it’s not enough. I can’t help missing Josh.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean. His absence does tend to leave a big blank spot.”

“He told me you’ve been friends since you were kids. Do you ever get a sense you might lose him when he takes off like this
–
that he’ll want to stay away for good?”

“Nope. I believe he’s like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz
.
One of these days he’ll realize everything he needs is right in his own backyard.”

She wondered if Josh realized how wise his friend was. “Maybe you ought to remind him of that fact.”

“I have plenty of times, but I’ve seen Josh take off on too many escapades to know I could
n’t
stop him from going to play Tarzan
B
elieve me I did try.”

“So did I. It’s so frustrating that we can’t have any contact with him.”

“I don’t like it either. It’s like having him drop off the face of the earth. But I bet he’s counting the days until he can get back to you. Just think about the great reunion you’ll have. You’re his soul mate.”

“Am I? Men and women often have different interpretations on what that means.”

“I don’t know much about women, but
I'm
right about Josh’s feelings for you. He’s kind of hard to understand
sometimes, but if you’re patient it’ll be worth the wait.”

“
I’m trying.” She took a sip of tea. “
Josh told me you’re shy around girls.”

His face reddened and he shifted uneasily on his chair. “Josh has a big mouth.”

She
chuckled softly
. “Have you ever had a steady girlfriend, Tom?”

“Not really. I kind of came close a couple of times, but they didn’t work out.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t be
–
they weren’t any big deal. One treated her cat better than me
,
and the other one baked me fruitcakes. What kind of a girl gives a guy fruitcake for Pete’s sake?”

“Maybe one who likes to bake?” she said, smothering another laugh.

She studied him from beneath her lashes. Hair the color of dirty straw hung over his forehead in scattered waves and his brows hovered above his eyes like a pair of dark slashes. His
slenderne
ss made him appear
frail
and
his
modesty
added to the illusion.

He and
Josh
were so dissimilar that Catherine found it hard to believe they’d become close friends
. It wasn’t
only Josh’s superior physique
that set them apart;
there was also his
powerful persona. She couldn’t imagine Josh being unable to get just about anything he wanted. She was a perfect example; one minute she was telling him she never dated patients and the next thing she knew she’d agreed to have dinner with him.

“Your familie
s must have been quite friendly with you two growing up together.”

“Not really. My parents weren’t what you’d call sociable.” His hand tightened on the glass he held. “I’ve always thought the concept of a family unit is a good one, but it has to have proper nurturing to
develop into something meaningful. Sometimes there are too many gaps and missing pieces for things to work the way they should.”

She sensed too much unspoken pain to ask more.

“Is Josh close to his family?”

“Very close, but I expect you’ll find that out for yourself when he gets back.”

”I know Josh had his share of women before we began dating. One of them sent me a nasty warning note that I was encroaching on her territory. No signature, of course.”

“Really? Well, obviously he’s not lived like a monk, but that’s in the past. With you, it’s not just physical. There’s real emotion involved. What’s your family like?”

“You’re evading my questions. It seems males have their own code of ethics when it comes to discussing their buddy’s old girlfriends with the current one.”

“I don’t know enough about any of them. I’d really like to hear about your folks.”

She hesitated, swallowing down the familiar sick feeling that always came when she had to repeat how they’d died. “There’s not much to relate. My parents drowned in a boating accident with my uncle when I was seven.” She heard his sharp intake of breath. “I was an only child. My aunt raised me. She and my mother were sisters.”

“God, I had no idea. I’m so sorry, Catherine. That must have been awful for you being so young. Do you remember very much about them?”

“Bits and pieces. It’s been twenty years since the accident, but I do recall they laughed a lot and liked to hold hands.” She had always hoped they’d been able to reach for each other in the end. Her cruel dream hadn’t given her even that small comfort.

“I’m glad you have your aunt.”

“I’m also close
to
her daughter. My aunt used to say if it hadn’t been for the responsibility of raising two little girls she might not have gotten through the tragedy.”

“Friends are nice, too. They can help make things easier when you’re lonely.”

It disturbed her to see his quick flicker of vulnerability. But even more disturbing was the look that suggested a need for intimacy. She couldn’t allow that.

“Most of the time a friend is a friend, family is family, and a lover is a lover. Sometimes you can combine the three, but only
to a
point. It’s usually not a good idea to confuse them.”

Bright color flamed in his cheeks.

“Hey, I didn’t mean to give you the wrong impression. I’m not hitting on you or . . . or anything like that,” he said, stumbling over the words. “Josh is my best friend. He asked me to look in on you and maybe keep you company now and then. I’d never step into his personal arena.”

“I’m sure you wouldn’t, but it’s important you realize where I’m coming from, too.” She smiled to ease his discomfort. “What do you think he’s doing right now?”

“Knowing Josh, he’s probably swinging from some jungle vine having the time of his life.” He looked at his watch and stood up. “It’s late. I’d better let you get some sleep. Thanks for the tea. Is it okay if I call you sometime? You know, like Josh wanted me to. Maybe we can take in a movie or go for pizza. But I’ll back off if you’d rather I didn’t and there won’t be any hard feelings on my part.”

She raised herself from the sofa cushions and
got to her
feet.

“I would like us to keep each other company. I did
no
t mean to scare you off with my little lecture, Tom.”

“That’s okay. It’s always good to lay out the boundaries, especially for guys, so they know where they stand.”

She had to smile.

“Are you always so agreeable?”

“I try. It makes life less complicated.” He stepped outside. “Anyway, I’ll be in touch. Think about what you’d like to do in the meantime.”

“I will. Tom?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for coming by.”

“You’re welcome.”
He started to walk away, but stopped and turned to face her again. “Don’t
worry;
Josh will be back before you know it.”

Wanna bet?
The silent words popped into her head so unexpectedly she didn’t have a chance to hold back the quick shock that followed or the sudden queasiness that lurched into her stomach.

“Catherine?” Tom said,
pulling
her attention back to him. “Are you okay? Your face just went chalk white.”

She made herself smile.

“It did?”

She rubbed a hand over her eyes.

“I guess I’m more tired than I thought. I’ll be fine after a few hours sleep. Goodnight, Tom.”

“Night,” he said after a moment’s hesitation.

She closed the door and stood leaning against it. His visit had chased away her earlier moodiness, but now that she was alone again she could feel the depressing feelings beginning to creep back. She looked around the empty room and found little comfort in the familiar surroundings, knowing how much she dreaded the dark secrets that might be revealed to her during another long, lonely night.

Chapter Four

J
osh awoke to a strange gray-green light filtering beneath his eyelids. The sun’s early morning rays cr
ept down through thick vegetation to pluck
at th
e ground
with
long
golden
fingers
. S
trong
pungency from
exotic blooms
and half-rotting plants spiced the air with a cloying sweetness that bombarded his senses and made his nostrils twitch
.

The heat was uncomfortable even at this early hour making his skin clammy and his clothes stick to him. Sore and stiff, he pushed himself into a sitting position and rubbed the spot in his shoulder where he’d been hit by the rifle butt. He saw that Marie was still asleep, but the murmur of other voices made him look around.

People were stirring and one by one
leaving
t
heir
hammocks.
Josh
turned his attention to the walls of
dense
greenery that circled the clearing. Even if
he and Marie were able to
slip away
he
knew they could easily
lose their way in
the for
midable jungle
.

He realized now that was why their bonds had been cut and no one had bothered to tether them for the night. They may as well be surrounded by iron bars. The grim reality was the environment would keep them here as surely as any prison cell could.

The same
g
irl from yesterday brought two cups of coffee, which
Josh assumed
was an introduction
to the camp
by the kidnappers. She handed them to him. He thanked her and received a shy smile in return before she walked away.
He gently nudged Marie
awake and
waited while she sat up before handing
her a cup
of the tepid liquid
.

“A girl brought coffee.”

They sat close together observing
Orlando
’s every move. He strutted around snapping orders like some omnipotent dictator. They watched when he motioned to one of his men and
engaged h
im in conversation. Josh leaned his head closer to Marie.

“Can you make out what they’re saying?”

“No, but I’m sure it can’t be anything good as long as
Orlando
’s involved.”

“Probably not, but remember we represent a lot of money to him.”

“Haven’t you ever heard the saying about wanting your cake and eating it, too?”

Josh had a feeling she was right and
hoped whoever was in charge of their rescue wouldn’t waste
any
time devising a plan to free them.
He feared their situation
could easily become a living hell if they were forced to stay
in
Orlando
’s clutches
much longer.

>>>>dreams<<<<

Hamilton Spear sat at his
desk staring at the data displayed on his computer screen when his secretary buzzed him with an urgent call from the team leader they’d sent to the Amazon. He snatched up his phone and listened in
shocked disbelief to the voice on the other end. Grabbing a pen, he began to take rapid notes.

“I’ll give the information to Mr. Marsh right away. Stay where you are until I can get back to you.” He shoved himself out of his chair and hurried from the office ignoring his secretary’s startled look when he rushed by her desk with his coattails flapping.

The company’s CEO, Douglas Marsh, listened to
Hamilton
’s disturbing news that two of their people had been abducted
and that the captors were demanding a million dollar ransom. He pushed away from his desk and
paced in swift, angry strides across the thick silver carpet, cursing under his breath until he abruptly stopped.

“What the hell kind of security did our people hire for God’s sake? George Lang’s the team leader, right?”

“Yes, and as you know he’s a good, steady man and not one inclined to panic, but there’s no mistaking his concern. According to what the guide told him, we’re not dealing with some naive natives. The kidnappers are an armed, merciless lot. They’ve already murdered two of the security guards.”