Page 29 of Treasured

"I'm connecting with her energy."

I blow out an exasperated breath. "Oh come on. Face it, Jake. She's gone again. She probably figured we were about to propose and she freaked out. Again."

Jake ignores me and continues with his stupid Zen breathing like he's some sort of yoga master.

"Look, Jake," I grab his shoulder and try to shake some sense into him, "I don't like it either. I wish it wasn't true. But that's the fact."

Jake opens his eyes and blinks a couple times at me. "No, she's scared. Come on." He trots toward the truck.

"Where are you going?" I call after him, but he keeps going so I have to follow along.

He jumps in the passenger side and I get behind the wheel. "This way," he points when we get to the end of the driveway to Cheever’s Ridge.

I should just drive us home. Or to work, which we've been neglecting. Or maybe take him to see Aidan the doctor to diagnose whatever lunacy has taken over my twin, but instead, I follow his instructions.

Despite everything, I want to have a tiny bit of hope.

* * *

Tracy

The car goes into a skid and I instantly regret saying no when Creed and Jake had wanted to take my car in for new tires and a brake job. Being proud and stubborn has hardly done me any good, yet I can't give it up.

My newly purchased necklaces and the bag they're in go flying off the passenger seat, but that's the least of my worries. I manage to get the car to stop just before impact and realize that rather than being a deer or even a bear, the silhouette lurking in the fog is Agent Muldoon of the FBI.

And he's aiming a gun at me.

Undaunted by my fish-tailing car, he holds his ground and when our gazes meet through the windshield I get the distinct impression he's not here to collect for the retired FBI agent fund.

As if nearly crashing on a windy mountain road isn't enough to get my heart racing this morning, the sight of this dour man pointing a gun at me makes me sort of wish I had crashed the car.

Because that's always helpful.

He motions with the gun for me to get out. It's like something out of a movie. I glance around hoping to hear a director shout, "Cut!" but it's just me and scary Agent Muldoon. I glance around the interior of the car for something I can grab to protect myself, but all the clutter in my car has slid over to the floor on the passenger side. I see the bag from the jeweler that contains the special necklaces I got for Creed and Jake to show them I love them and I want to be with them forever.

I just hope I get the chance to deliver my gifts.

CHAPTER17

Jake

Creed drivesand I give him directions. Despite being worried about Tracy, I am grateful for a couple of things. First, that I didn't have to argue with Creed about just shutting up and doing what I asked him to do. That in itself is like a miracle.

But the real miracle seems to be this feeling I have about Tracy and her safety. I've noticed over the last couple of weeks that the three of us have become more and more attuned to each other. It's strange. At first it was things like finishing each other's sentences or one of them saying something just as I was thinking the same thing. Nothing earth shattering, but it was odd and becoming more frequent though none of us had exactly mentioned it.

I remember hearing some of the older members of our family talk about how the arrow of love can join fated mates and give them the ability to connect with each other without speaking. Sometimes they even share the same dream while sleeping.

Holy crap. What about those dreams I had about Tracy right before we found her again? Had she been dreaming about us?

I hope I get the chance to ask her.

She's in danger. I know it. And we have to find her.

"Are you sure?" Creed asks. We’re heading through town, passing Pat’s Diner and I point to the road leading from Eagle Canyon to Hound Dog. His voice is tense and his fingers are gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles are white.

"Yes. Hurry." I glance ahead of us and see that there's a layer of fog blanketing the mountains and my heart sinks. "She's up there," I say, pointing. "And she's scared."

"I know," he replies. "I feel it too."

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