Unstoppable Force (Force of Nature Series) by Kathi S. Barton

could be a part of his
collection.” She heard the anger in Connor’s voice, but ignored it for now.
    “He had taken me there, or at least he
did in my dreams. When he touched me, I could see it as if it were real. He had
me strapped to a table and he was using things on me that I had no understanding
of. But the blood I did. All that blood was pouring from me. And he laughed. He
was laughing so hard as he hurt me.”
    She realized she was crying when Connor
brushed the tears away with his thumb. She didn’t want to show weakness to him,
but he was giving her no choice. She finished her story so that he’d go away
and leave her alone.
    “The police came to take me away. I
had…I guess I had stabbed him with my fork. I don’t remember that, but they
took me away. While I was being driven away I told them what I had seen, what
he had planned for me, and one of the officers turned to look at me. He looked
not at me, it seemed, but into me. He had his partner turn back to the school
and they went inside.”
    Connor laid his head on her chest and
she wanted more than anything to hold him too. But she didn’t, and it wasn’t
until he spoke that she realized that this man above all others might come to
understand her.
    “He was like you, wasn’t he? The cop, he
was an empath just like you, and he knew that what you had seen was real.”
    “Yes, he was.”

 
    Chapter 8
     
    Dean watched the house and could see a
lot of comings and goings, but nothing that would lead him to believe that
Ginger was here. He was about to turn away when he heard someone say the name “Lou.”
It was a long shot, but he turned back to listen.
    “I guess she’s forever going to be
called that name, isn’t she?” The older man laughed. “I suppose it’s okay if
you like the butch type names. Me? I want a woman who has a name that befits
her.”
    “You mean like ‘Bambi,’ or better yet
‘Bimbo?’ For you, I’d probably look for a girl named ‘Boobs.’ That’s all you
seem to think about.” The older man cuffed the younger one in the head as he
continued. “Get yourself back to work afore I kick your ass to the other side
of the room. Kids. They’ve no respect for love.”
    Dean walked up to the younger man when
he wandered off. He was just picking up a large bag of something heavy-looking
when he turned and saw him. Dean smiled his best smile at him and put out his
hand. “I’m Dean Herman. I’ve been looking for my stepdaughter for a few weeks
now. I hope you can help me.” The man hefted the bag up on his shoulder more
and didn’t answer. “Her name is Ginger Louise. Cavanaugh, Ginger Louise
Cavanaugh. Have you heard of her?”
    “Nope.” He looked behind him and Dean
turned to find the older man there behind him. “He’s looking for someone name
of Cavanaugh. I told him I ain’t never heard of her.”
    “You a part of this crew that’s coming
in?”
    Dean smiled at the older man; Karl it
said on his shirt.
    “You don’t be looking like you can
handle this kinda work. I think it would do you a world of goodness if’n you
moved on.” Karl took a stance that Dean had seen on bigger men all his life. As
if he didn’t mean piss to him. He wanted to take a stand, but he couldn’t. He
was still hurting from the beating he’d given Ginger a week ago.
    He backed away and held up his hands in
surrender. “I meant no harm. Just looking for a runaway.” Dean knew as well as
they did that she was here and he meant to find her. “I was just moving along
anyway and I’ll just be looking elsewhere.”
    “You do that. And If’n I see you here
again, you’ll be sitting to piss for a month. If you even could when I finish
with you.” Karl followed him all the way to the end of the site. When Dean was
safely across the street, he bowed at the man and then flipped him off. He had
what he wanted now. An address.
    Dean went back to his car. Well, it
wasn’t his, but the one he’d stolen a few days ago. It had