Into a Dangerous Mind (37 page)

should’ve been the only man in your life.”

Cassidy opened her mouth to speak, but her fuzzy mind had gone blank.

The Reaper pushed her onto her stomach and placed his knee in the middle of her back.
 
He pulled her arms roughly behind her and the cold metal of handcuffs painfully captured her wrists.
 
She heard each snick of the handcuffs closing echo around the auditorium.
 
Each one dashed her hopes of escape just a little more.

He pulled her up to a standing position and held her a minute while she willed her rubbery legs to support her.
 
Blinking, she almost blacked out until she realized he’d been busy ripping away her clothes and she now stood naked before him.

Fear coursed through her.
 
If she lost consciousness, they were as good as dead.
 
She wouldn’t go down without a fight.
 
She shook her head in an attempt to clear it and willed herself to search for alternatives.

“I think I know why mother picked you to come back to me, Cassidy.”
 
He ran a hand over his obvious erection.

So, he knew she wasn’t his mother, but he had some psycho fantasy that his mother had come back through her.
 
Terrific, just what she needed, a psycho with mommy issues.

The Reaper continued.
 
“You look like her when she was young.
 
Back before my father sucked the life out of her.”

“Yeah, well your mother and I are both attracted to strong men, not weaklings like you.”
 
Her words slurred more than she would’ve liked.

He stepped close to her face and she could see the madness and the rage doing battle inside his eyes.
 
“Father was never supposed to be with her.
 
She and I should have been together.
 
He was just in the way.”

“You’re her son, not her husband.
 
You’re supposed to go and find your own woman, not develop some sick Oedipus complex.”

The Reaper ignored her.
 
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you scream my name before you die—again.”

The Reaper circled her, studying her from every angle.
 
She swallowed back the fear that threatened to overwhelm her as his breath heated the nape of her neck.
 
A glance at Kathy confirmed she was still unconscious.
 
Although even if she came to, Cassidy didn’t know what Kathy could do to help at this point.

The Reaper looked her over with awe.
 
He stepped forward and pinched one nipple reverently.
 
“I’ve never seen her like this.”
 
His open gaze traveled back up to meet her own.

The Reaper traced a tentative path from her breasts to her curls, and Cassidy winced, inching backwards away from Kathy again.
 
“I knew she’d have hair here.
 
I’ve dated many women who were shaved smooth, but I always knew Mother would have these beautiful auburn curls.”

His eyes were dark when they met hers.
 
“Lie on you back.”

Tears pricked at the back of her eyes and she blinked them back furiously.

Having no choice, she sat on the cold wooden floor as close the orchestra pit as she dared and then lay back on top of her hands.
 
The handcuffs dug into her wrists and her back, but she doubted the Reaper worried about her comfort right now.

Still holding the gun awkwardly, he began to undress.
 
Cassidy thought about making a run for it, but just the act of standing up would take too long and get her and Kathy shot.

Once totally nude, he knelt between her knees and stared at her body in wonder.
 
Using the barrel of the gun, he gently traced it down her curls and along her folds.
 
The cold metal sent shivers through her—a combination of chill and fear.
 
Her reaction seemed to excite him and his motions became rougher, the gun site digging into her sensitive flesh.
 
She winced and reminded herself survival was the only objective.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, distancing herself from his actions.

She braced her feet firmly against the floor and waited.

Zach snuck through the back stage entrance to the auditorium and tried to reach out to Cassidy.
 
His frustration mounted when his power still lay dormant.
 
Whatever drug the Reaper injected him with fully suppressed his powers.
 
In other circumstances, he’d be curious what compound caused the effect.

He sincerely hoped the Reaper used the same drug on Watson—at least then there would be no permanent damage.
 
Zach vowed to make the Reaper pay for that as well.

Inching to the wings, Zach peered out through the sea of chairs and music stands and saw Kathy sitting tied to a chair—unconscious and bleeding.
 
In front of her, Cassidy lay on the stage naked.
 
The Reaper knelt in front of her holding what looked to be Zach’s Glock 9mm.

A red haze of rage and fear swam in front of Zach’s eyes, and he took a deep breath to clear it.
 
He would be no good to Cassidy if he wasn’t thinking clearly.

He’d let himself become too reliant on his powers.
 
He hoped his poor hindsight didn’t get Cassidy and Kathy killed.
 
More than that, he hoped his backup wouldn’t take too long.
 
Under stringent protest, he’d convinced Anderson to stay with Watson—so he was on his own until the cavalry arrived.

Across the stage, Kathy moaned, the sound echoing across the auditorium.

“Maybe Kathy will wake up in time for the show.
 
What do you think, Mother?”

?
 
Did the Reaper actually think Cassidy was his mother?

Zach crept out, skirting the chairs and staying low.
 
He had to concentrate to ensure he moved silently.
 
Any sound, no matter how small, would carry in this auditorium.
 
Sweat dripped down his forehead and into his eyes.
 
He ground his teeth together as the Reaper positioned himself to enter Cassidy.

“Why don’t you tell me what you’re going to do first,” Cassidy said to the Reaper.
 
“That way I can help you enjoy the experience.”

Zach noticed her brace her feet firmly against the stage as she adjusted her balance.

“Don’t worry.
 
What I’m going to do won’t need any explanation.”

Revulsion washed through Zach.
 
He reached the end of the concert set and knew he only had one chance to get to Cassidy while the Reaper was distracted.
 
Taking a deep breath he launched himself forward.

Just before Zach reached him, Cassidy saw him and gasped.
 
Alerted, the Reaper turned, swinging the gun toward Zach.

“No!”
 
Cassidy kicked the Reaper hard in the groin, causing him to double over and the shot to go wide, hitting one of the overhead lights.
 
The echo of the second gun shot and then the gun hitting the wooden stage ricocheted around them.

Pain lanced through Zach’s side as the second bullet burrowed deep and he landed hard on his back.
 
He grunted as the air whooshed out of his lungs.
 
He inched toward Cassidy to try to protect her naked form, wincing as every movement sent fiery pain lancing down his side.
 
Zach lunged for his gun, which lay just within reach of his questing fingertips.

The Reaper grabbed Zach’s legs from behind and the gun skittered out of Zach’s hand and over the side of the orchestra pit.

Zach kicked back hard and heard a muffled shriek as his foot connected with what he hoped was the Reaper’s head.
 
The Reaper’s grip loosened.
 
Zach flipped over onto his back and tried to stand.

Black spots swam in front of his vision, but he blinked them away and stood to search for the Reaper.

The Reaper regained his feet, shook his head as if to clear his disorientation, and zeroed in on Zach.

Zach tried to solidify the three wavy figures of the Reaper he saw before him.
 
Picking up a music stand, he advanced on the Reaper.

Suddenly, both the Reaper and Kathy emitted an ear piercing shriek.
 
Zach glanced down at Cassidy and could tell she was trying to blast the Reaper, but he couldn’t feel any of it.
 
He noticed the tears in Cassidy’s eyes, and then he was suddenly catapulted out toward the yawning depth of the orchestra pit.
 
He shouldn’t have taken his attention away from the Reaper.

The action around him slowed.
 
Everything suddenly became starkly detailed and crystal clear.

Cool air whooshed past his face as he fell, and fear coated his lungs as he twisted in midair, holding his hands in front of him to break his fall.
 
The tympani head ripped away against his outstretched arms and a searing pain tore through his temple.
 
He tried to move, to assess the damage, but the blackness of unconsciousness sucked him down like quicksand.

What would happen to Cassidy if he blacked out?
 
He couldn’t leave her at the mercy of the Reaper. His world became fuzzy and he knew he was losing the fight. “Forgive me, Cassidy,” he mumbled as the darkness took him.

The sickening thud of a skull hitting concrete reverberated around the auditorium and then slowly fell silent.
 
Cassidy wriggled close to peer over the side, heedless of any reprisal from the Reaper.

Icy claws of fear sliced their way through her guts and up the back of her throat to materialize in a scream.
 
“Zach!”