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His breath caught in his throat.  Yeah, I ve
heard of it.
 Good then I won t have to MapQuest it for
you.
Ben walked through the warehouse aimlessly,
the scraping of his own feet keeping in time with
the silent questions of motive, timing, and a
pattern. Her face was ever present in his mind,
and he walked around with a permanent scar that
would never heal. He missed her, and the
emptiness in his chest was always teetering just on
that side of overwhelming him.
 I miss this& 
 You miss what, standing out back having a
smoke just to escape the social party of the year? I
don t happen to remember us doing 
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Come Undone
 No, the old days, it was a lot simpler back
them.
 No it wasn t, it just seems that way now.
 You re right. We aren t as scared of the same
things anymore.
Ben heard a whine of pain, and watched her fall
to her knees. The hair on the back of his neck rose
and he quickly moved to help her.
 What is it? he asked as he took her by the
arm.
 I don t know&  she replied, looking up to him
in agony.
He heard the pounding of heavy feet
approaching close behind, and the sound of metal
slicing through the air. Ben looked up and found a
rush of black shadowed figures filling the back of
the warehouse.
 Go, Go. Go, he pushed her forward. She
stumbled against him, tripping on her own feet.
He got them past the entry, and saw the SUV was
too far away. He pushed them into the alley with
the hope of being able to hide. Abruptly the
shattering of foliage and bark exploded around
them. There were headlights in the distance, and a
lump of dread fell into Ben s stomach. There was
nowhere to go. Ben s mind spun as he searched for
an escape, when flashing metal caught his eye.
Instinctively he threw himself on top of Julie and
they rolled into the bush, just as a barrage of
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Amy J Romine
bullets erupted, sound and debris flying around
them, Ben and Julie stayed quietly hidden, waiting
for the other shoe to drop. Eventually the chaos
dissipated with the rumbling of distant footsteps,
and the area became quiet. Ben lifted his head
slowly and nothing moved.  I think we re okay.
He looked down to Julie who lay still beneath him.
Her eyes closed.  Jules, he shook her arm gently.
 Jules, wake up.
Ben pulled her up into a sitting position. His
arm braced against her back for support, and she
began to stir. A breath of relief escaped his chest.
He held her against him. When her eyes opened,
she looked up at him in confusion.  What
happened? He sat frozen, suddenly seeing Rachel
in his arms.
 You& you must have hit your head. Do you
think you can get up?
 I& uh, yeah I think so. He helped her to her
feet. Ben kept an arm draped loosely around her
in case she lost her footing. Her hands steadied
themselves against his chest.
 You didn t have to bring me home, I am fine.
Really. His partner unlocked the door to her
apartment, and he followed her inside.
 That is what partners do.
 We haven t been partners for long, I hardly
know you, Agent Mitchell.
 You aren t missing anything. There is not
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much to know.
 That isn t what I heard, you are quite famous.
Jules moved through the apartment, disappearing
into what he assumed was the bedroom.
 I am sure whatever you heard has been greatly
exaggerated.
 I doubt that. Ben shoved his hands in his
pockets, feeling suffocated. He wanted to be
outside, alone.  I have come to the conclusion that
you are just humble and closed off.
Oh lord here we go
 You can talk to me you know, Ben.
 Why?
 That s what partners do, right? She appeared
in front of him in only a t-shirt and his lungs
seized.
 Jules, look, it is not that I don t appreciate the
offer, but  Her sultry movement toward him
became intoxicating. His body responded to the
sway of her hips and the tease of treasures beneath
the hem of the shirt.
 You are so in so much pain, please let me
help. His body wouldn t move, but her voice
melodically lulled him into submission. Her
breath on his lips, he wanted to devour her whole.
Ben, tell me what you want, baby&
He growled in response to the voice echoing in
his mind.  I want you.
The walls were jagged cold aged rock that
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Amy J Romine
stung against his fingertips as he used them to
guide him along the invisible wall. An icy stream
of air swept across his neck sending a chill
through his soul, and he stopped to listen.
Were they whispers, or echoes of the wind
combating the encapsulating rock?
He started again, his footsteps shocking his
own sanity with each landing. A growling rush of
heat enveloped him from below, and he spun
dizzying his reflexes with adrenaline. An audible
but muffled sound jarred his mind into focus as it
grew and he identified it. His heart lurched as any
indecision in regards to self-preservation vanished
with the heat that had unexpectedly surrounded
him. He blundered forward into the obscurity of
the labyrinth, his mind bellowing the name
attached to the sound.
It s a baby& a baby& .
He plummeted down corridors, made turns he
did not see, and collided with the serrated corral.
A warm and vibrant light softly called to him, and
a wooden cradle rocking gently back and forth
basket in the glow of it. The crying stopped, and
he reached the small enclosure. He moved
unthinking to the side and made the rocking stop
as he tugged at the soft blankets folded inside. An
imaginary boulder crashed into his stomach as the
emptiness of the cradle fueled overwhelming rage.
The helpless crying began again, resonating
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Come Undone
sharply in his soul, stabbing at him unrelentingly.
His body collapsed from beneath him, and his
knees hit the toothed floor. The anguish of the
sound seeped down his back and into his chest.
The crying turned to howling screams, and he
struggled against them as they threatened to crush
his mind. His hands went to his ears, and he
squeezed his eyes closed, trying to block it out.
The chill was bone deep, and he shook
uncontrollably while sweat poured off his body.
Warm arms wrapped around his neck, as the
dream faded and he instinctively clung to them.
He breathed in their tenderness, yearning to fill
the aching void in his chest. Soft kisses on his neck
and a sweetness filling his senses reached out
wanting them to fill him up, to end the pain. He
pulled the warmth closer while flashing memories
and the dream continued to tear away at his soul.
He desperately yearned for the softness to
complete him.
 Ben, oh god I want you&  His back stiffened
at the alien voice.
It wasn t Rachel.
 No. Ben commanded his body to calm and
ceased the electric current pushing his primal
needs forward.
 What s wrong?
 I& we can t do this.
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Amy J Romine
 No, Ben, I know it is soon but you need this 
 Jules 
 You need the release. You need to let go of her.
She s killing you& 
 What?
 Ben just& .she s haunting you. You never said
goodbye. Now you can, just& just pretend I m
her. Warm and sultry, her voice lulled him back
into submission.  Just for tonight let me love you
as Rachel.
 Stop! He caught her wrists, pushing them
away from his chest.  Who are you, how do you
know about Rachel?
 Ben, what s going on? Her eyes widened,
playing the innocence of a victim.  Why are you
doing this?
 Tell me what you know about Rachel, Jules.
She winced under his grip. He saw the flicker he
was waiting for and snapped.  Don t lie to me you
bitch, tell me what you know!
 Ben stop your hurting me! Her voice whined
and he released her arms. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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