Fury unleashed, p.12
Fury- Unleashed, page 12
part #2 of The Scorned Series
Derek nodded in agreement and took the biggest suitcase and laid it on its back, right in front of the fireplace. When he was done stacking all four, he sat on the hearth.
“I think we need to travel lighter next time,” he offered.
“I agree. I guess we didn’t think this through. Anyway, let’s try it. What’s the worst that can happen? We get there without luggage?”
“Exactly,” Derek agreed. “If that happens, we will buy what we need there.”
Stephanie sat down on the hearth and slid over, so her legs were pressed up against the side of the suitcases. She pulled Derek over, so he was pressed hard against her.
“Call Bella and have her sit in your lap,” Stephanie told him. “Whatever you do, don’t let her go.”
Derek did as he was instructed and once Bella was in Derek’s lap, she placed one arm around him and the other arm on the pile of suitcases. Between her arm and her leg, she was touching all four.
“Ready?” she asked.
“Ready,” Derek answered.
Bella leaned her head up and licked his cheek, as if confirming her readiness as well. As Stephanie concentrated on the person she would be saving, she heard the rumble.
Stephanie’s vision cleared and she looked at Derek. His pupils were dilated wide as he looked around. Bella began to bark as she took in all the new sights and sounds around her. A slight breeze blew through their hair and the smell of the ocean greeted their nostrils.
They sat at a table close to the beach, Bella still in Derek’s lap, the suitcases piled up in front of them. No one was paying any attention to them.
Derek turned towards Stephanie with his mouth hanging open. “Wow!”
“No shit!” she answered. “Even though there was no reason why this wouldn’t work, I’m still shocked it did.”
“Same here. How far back did you take us?”
“Five months.”
“What’s the job?”
“I haven’t ever looked at this like a job.”
“Bad choice of words. Who are we here to save?”
“A surfer.”
“From?”
“A hungry shark.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah.”
“How much time do we have?”
“About fifteen minutes.”
“What’s the plan?”
“I got this,” Stephanie assured him. “You figure out how to get us a taxi and keep an eye on Bella and our luggage. This will be an easy one for me.”
“Are you a good swimmer?”
“Don’t need to be.”
With that, Stephanie pulled off her shoes and took off running through the sand, towards the beach area where she saw surfers out in the water. She ran to the water’s edge, shouting as she waved her arms.
“EVERYONE OUT OF THE WATER! SHARK! SHARK! GET OUT NOW!”
The surfers looked at her like she was crazy, but did not move. A couple sitting on the beach jumped up and ran to her side.
“I see it too!” the female beach dweller yelled. “Over there!”
Stephanie hadn’t spotted a shark—yet—but she knew from the news report there had been one, so she was thankful for the extra hype. Within a minute, ten people had joined them and were all yelling at the surfers to get out of the water. Finally, they understood the message and all began paddling furiously towards the beach.
Derek chuckled, slipped his hand in the side pocket of his bag, pulled out Bella’s leash, snapping it on her collar in the process. He looped the other end around the bench and lifted her to the ground. He then lifted all the luggage, so the suitcases were all sitting on their wheels. When he was done, he peeled off his jacket, feeling silly for having worn it. It had been chilly back at home. He felt like a fool as he stuffed it in the side pocket of one of his bags.
When all the surfers had gotten out of the water, Stephanie joined Derek again. It wasn’t long before four official-looking vehicles showed up and many eyes were turned towards the water, binoculars aiding in the search for the killer. Stephanie wasn’t sure what they would do if they spotted it, but was glad she’d saved one of the surfers from being a meal.
“What’s the plan for a taxi?” she asked.
“I called one,” he answered, nonchalantly.
“How?”
“From my cell phone.”
Stephanie turned towards him, her mouth hanging open. “You brought your cell phone? Did it work?”
“I told you I called a cab company, didn’t I?”
Stephanie looked at him with amazement on her face. “Wow! I wasn’t sure a phone would work in the past.”
“I wasn’t either, but my guess is it depends on how far back you go. I had this same phone, same number and same plan during the time period we jumped to, so my guess was it would work. Now I wonder if I went back and looked at my detailed statement for that month if this call would be on it.”
“I bet it would!”
“Great job wrangling all of those people out of the water by the way.”
“Oh, this was an easy one. I simply had to evoke panic and the rest happened automatically.”
The cab pulled into the parking lot and Derek waved the driver down. The car pulled up near the seating area and Derek grabbed two bags and took them to the rear of the taxi while Stephanie grabbed the other two. Derek then went back to grab Bella while the cab driver loaded the luggage.
When they were safely settled in the backseat, with Bella on their laps, the driver asked Derek and Stephanie where they were going. Derek turned to Stephanie, his left eyebrow arched inquisitively. Stephanie shrugged and then turned towards the driver.
“Can you take us to a place we can rent a car?”
“Absolutely,” the driver told them. “Any preference?”
“Whatever the closest place is,” Stephanie said.
After they arrived at the car rental facility, the driver helped them unload their bags and left. Stephanie went in and rented an SUV while Derek remained outside with Bella and the luggage. As soon as Stephanie walked around the car and inspected it for damage, she pulled it up along the sidewalk and hopped out to help Derek load everything. Bella got into the backseat and stretched out, her head on her paws.
Once they got the luggage and Bella into the SUV, Derek climbed behind the wheel while Stephanie used a phone app on his phone to find a condo. When she found one and instantly booked it, she chose the option for driving directions to the property.
They both took in the view while they drove, marveling over the scenic landscape, but for the most part, they simply wanted to get to the condo, unpack, grab a nice dinner and relax, letting the ocean air calm their senses.
Thirty minutes later, they turned down the street they were staying on, not knowing what to expect. The condos were a two-story building with outside patios in front of the bottom units and decks attached to the units on the top floors. Each deck or patio was furnished with an outdoor table and chairs as well as a couple of chaise lounges. Derek and Stephanie looked at each other when they saw the ocean from the parking lot. Each condo had a gorgeous view of the deep blue water.
Stephanie climbed the stairs to their condo and unlocked the door, taking Bella with her, while Derek started carrying the luggage up. Bella sniffed around, not sure what to make out of the smells that permeated the place. Once Derek came up with the last two suitcases, he shut the door and opened the slider onto the deck. The ocean breeze wafted into the space and the air smelled so fresh that Stephanie instantly felt relaxed. She walked past Derek out to the deck with Bella at her heels. Derek followed as Stephanie slid onto one of the lounge chairs.
“I thought you wanted to get unpacked, Steph.”
“That was before I saw this gorgeous view and inhaled this wonderful air. I may never move from this spot.”
“If that’s the case, you’re going to be pretty pissed when I go out and get a nice lobster dinner while you’re laying here being hungry.”
“Why you gotta be mean?” she asked him, laughing.
“Only because I’m getting hungry. Otherwise I would just join you and take a nap.”
“A nap does sound good though, doesn’t it?” Stephanie said, trying to convince him that falling asleep on a deck in Hawaii while watching the ocean wasn’t such a bad thing.
“We can nap tomorrow,” he prodded. “This place doesn’t have a bit of food in it and I’m sure we will get snacky later. Let’s get unpacked, eat, and then pick up some groceries on the way home.”
“Fine, your highness,” Stephanie agreed, her bottom lip sticking out as she performed a fake pout. “Slave driver.”
The condo was a one bedroom, one bath unit that was recently updated. The kitchen cabinets were Alderwood and the countertops were granite. The slate gray floor tiles resembled hardwood flooring in size and pattern. Stainless steel appliances finished off the space. The rest of the space was nicely decorated, and the carpet, paint, and furniture appeared to all be new. Even the bathroom was high end.
“Wow!” Stephanie said, looking around. “We did good.”
“Yeah, we did. I think we need to come here more often.”
“Maybe we could move here!” Stephanie teased.
“Then it wouldn’t be as special,” Derek reminded her.
“Do you always have to be the voice of reason?” she chided him. “Can’t I fantasize for once without you bringing me back down to earth?”
“I’ll think about it,” he teased. “Maybe you should just buy the place instead and we can come visit every weekend.”
“Be careful what you say,” she warned him. “It’s very tempting!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Derek and Stephanie stared out at the water as the colorful sunset painted beautiful strokes across the sky. They sipped Mai Tais from their lounge chairs on the deck, deciding on a whim to pick up the rum, juices and other ingredients while they were at the store. A tropical setting demanded tropical drinks. It would be sacrilegious not to.
Bella lay between them on the outdoor rug, not knowing what to make of their new living quarters. She was panting—more from excitement than thirst—but to be sure, Stephanie made sure Bella had a fresh bowl of water on the deck as well.
While they were gone, Bella was well behaved, as they expected she would be, but the minute they came home, she was at the door wiggling around like she hadn’t seen them in a week.
“I could get used to this,” Stephanie told Derek, bringing the topic back up.
“You and me both. I really like Portland, but you can’t beat it here.”
“I’m sure this island, or any of the islands, have issues, just like any other state would,” she told him.
“Speaking of islands, which one are we on?”
“Maui.”
“I’ve always wanted to check out Maui. What’s there to do here?”
“Besides sit on our asses and stare at this beautiful view, drinking Mai Tais?”
“Yes, besides that.”
“I’m not sure. We can look into that tomorrow.”
“How long are we staying?” he asked.
“I’m hoping a week.”
“Hoping?”
“Well, yeah. I don’t know if I ever told you, but I haven’t always been able to control this gift. When I first started making jumps, I would get thrown around without being able to control it. Even when I gained more control, I was unable to stay too long after the event. Fast-forward to now. I feel like I have pretty good control and that we should be able to stay here all week.”
“Should I be worried?” Derek asked, concern set deep within the lines on his face.
“Why worry? If we head back early, no big deal. We can always come back some other time.”
“But what about me and Bella?”
“What about you two? You can come back with me next time.”
“But if you get sucked back, if Bella or I aren’t touching you, would we get left behind?”
Stephanie stared at him, a look of concern on her face. “Crap. I hadn’t thought of that. We should have put the vacation on the front end of the shark attack instead of the rear end. Still, I remember when I saved Bella. I didn’t come back until she crawled up on me. We had to be touching. Maybe because I took you both into the past with me, you have to come back with me and in order to do that, I think we all need to be touching. If that’s the case, we should be safe.”
“And if that’s not the case?” he asked.
“Then I’ll figure out a way to come back and get you. Just wait for me.”
“I’m not sure if I’d have a choice,” he said, smiling. “It’s not like I’m going to hop a plane home without you. I’d most likely run into myself there and that would be awkward.”
“Indeed!” Stephanie said, laughing.
Silence took over for a few minutes as they both became mesmerized by the last bit of light glimmering off the water. Derek hoped the drinks would take the edge off as he knew Stephanie had been extremely upset over the murders that had happened near home. He decided to test the waters to see if she would discuss the situation.
“I think we will really have a great time this week and I’m really happy we did this,” he said, leading into what he really wanted to talk about. “Just curious though, when we get home, what’s next?”
“What do you mean?” she asked, not understanding the question.
“What do you have planned? What are your goals? What do you want to happen?”
“That’s easy. Get the house finished, so we can move in.”
“That’ll be nice. I can’t wait. Then what?”
“Find some more tenants for the complex.”
“That should be fairly easy. Anything else?”
“Once we are back in the house, I hope to start doing what I should be doing and help more people out.”
“Then everything will be back to normal, right?” he asked.
“Exactly. I need normal.”
“The only thing is, Steph—and I’m not trying to start a fight here—but how can things get back to normal when there is a demented killer ripping his way through our city?”
“The police just need to do their job. That’s all there is to it,” she said abruptly.
“But you can do it better. You know that. This guy is your responsibility. You got him here, now you need to take him out. I can help.”
“We don’t even know it’s him,” she told him, frustrated at the direction the conversation turned.
“So, what if it isn’t? Isn’t that what you do? Save people?”
“This guy is dangerous. I’m out of my league here. Even with your help, it has me freaked out.”
“I’ve seen you shoot, Steph. You’re really good!”
“Yeah, but the last thing I want to do is put a bullet in him in my city, with my gun. It’s too easy to get caught these days. It’s not exactly legal to be a vigilante.”
“As easy as you feel it is to get caught, he certainly hasn’t been.”
“Hopefully that will change.”
“So, you’re just going to wait for that to happen while other lives are lost? I don’t get it. This isn’t the Stephanie I know.”
“Please stop. I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” she demanded.
“Okay, but you have to tell me why. Why are you going to let him keep killing, whether it is your guy or not? I need to understand.”
“Get off my ass about this, Derek. I asked you to stop.”
“Not until you tell me why. I don’t even think you know.”
Stephanie abruptly set her glass down on the side table. “Fine. You really want to know? I’m scared, Derek. Is that what you wanted to hear? I’m scared he’s going to kill me and then it’s game over. There is no do-over for me. I can’t go back and save myself. Once I’m dead, that’s it. This guy almost killed me once. If it hadn’t been for you, he would have succeeded. I’m no match for him. I’m not doing it. I’ll save other people, but I can’t do this one. I won’t do it. Now will you please stop?”
Derek had a feeling that Stephanie would get heated over the conversation, but he needed to know. Trying to bring her back down from the edge, he tried to smooth things over.
“I’m sorry, Steph, I get it. I just needed to know where you were coming from. I understand now. Forgive me?”
“I’ll think about it,” she said, not letting him off so easily. “I may think harder about it if you make me another Mai Tai.”
“That, I can do,” he told her, jumping up abruptly from the chaise lounge. He hurried back inside to make the drink, determined to give her a few minutes to cool off.
When Derek emerged with the drink, she took it from him and grabbed his hand, holding it for a minute as she spoke.
“I’m sorry, Derek. You didn’t deserve that. I shouldn’t have unloaded on you.”
“It’s all good. I understand. No need to apologize.”
Stephanie set the drink down and buried her head in her hands. “God, why am I such a wimp? I seriously need to grow a set.”
“You’re not a wimp. It’s simple. You’re probably suffering from P.T.S.D. from that ordeal with him back at the house. I’m sorry I was a little hard on you.”
“It’s what I needed to hear,” she told him. “Hopefully one day I’ll get over it. For now, this is where we’re at.”
“Noted. I’ll back off.”
As quickly as the subject had been brought up, they dropped it and continued talking about their vacation. The air continued to get cooler as the sun disappeared and eventually, they went into the condo.
Inside, Stephanie opened her laptop. “Want to plan something for tomorrow?”
“Sure. What are my choices?”
“Give me a few minutes to do some research,” she told him.
Ten minutes later, she told him what she’d found. “Here are some fun choices. We can go snorkeling, go on a dinner cruise, take a sightseeing day trip to a place called Hana, go to a luau, go out on a glass-bottomed boat, a submarine adventure, a volcano tour, ziplining, parasailing or go on a helicopter tour! Wow! So many things to do here!”
