The Source: Book III of the Holding Kate Series (32 page)

“Coreeeeeyyy!” Mel squealed and launched herself into his arms.

Donnie wrapped them both in a huge hug and Corey chuckled. He had forgotten how much he had loved these two over the last thirty seven years.

Wallace clouted him on the back, grinning. “Welcome home, boss.”

“Come on. I have dinner prepared. Wallace, will you be joining us?” Mel asked.

“Oh, thanks Mel, I hate missing your cooking, but with all the jumps going on I don’t think I should leave the terminal.”

“We’ll bring you a plate,” Corey promised.

Mel took his hand and led him out of the boathouse. “You look exhausted! We know about Kate’s disappearance. Heartbreaking! And the cure was easily manufactured. It’s exciting for the couples, starting a new life in a new world. They will be the fathers and mothers of a whole civilization.” She kept a stream of chatter going until they were seated at the dining table, then she busied herself with piling extra servings on his plate while he and Donnie caught up.

“You’ve only been gone a couple of days,” Donnie informed. “But Mama Ty is back in charge, Pops McGee came back to work, I think Kim and Wallace have something going on between them.” He laughed.

“Oh they do not!” Mel batted at him.

“Who is Pops McGee?” Corey asked.

“You don’t know him? He’s a cornerstone around here. Maintenance for 20 years. How do you not know him?”

“I haven’t been here since I was a little kid. I remember coming with my parents a few times, but we never interacted with the village staff. Didn’t even know what the village was about until Tom went over my inheritance with me and I decided to come check things out this summer.”

“He was here at the beginning of the summer session, but he took some time off to have knee surgery. Came back a couple of days ago. Mel and I are extremely fond of him. He was the one in my last Scriptorium experience, with Trip.”

“He is just a sweet Pawpaw!” Mel scooped another helping of mashed potatoes and offered them to Corey.

He finally held up his hands. “No more, I can’t eat another bite.” He rubbed his tummy. “Thanks Mel.”

“I think he jumped, though.” Donnie’s face was creased into consternation.

“Jumped?”

“Yeah, he went missing and we found digital video of him entering our boathouse. He never came out. There was a jump time stamped just after that.”

“Does he jump often?” Corey asked.

“No. Staff is not allowed on the jumps, only Jump Commanders,” Mel said and nibbled the corner of her lip.

“There’s something you aren’t saying,” Corey said looking back and forth between them.

“He had Gregory’s cane.”

“Or one that looked like it.”

Corey considered it. “You’re sure it wasn’t Pop’s cane? How old did you say he was?”

“Old. Maybe.” Donnie looked at Mel. “I’ve never seen him use a cane before, have you?”

She shook her head. “He did just have surgery on his knee, though.”

Corey considered this information, then let out a sigh. “It doesn’t matter anyway. Gregory already has Kate. We just need to find them.”

He looked around First Cabin. It had been so long since he was here. Everything was exactly the same as he remembered it. It felt wrong. Kate was not here. He raised his arms, placing the back of his hand against his forehead while he clasped his other wrist, staring at the ceiling.

Donnie and Mel shared a glance. “We’ve been monitoring Gregory’s jump frequency since Dirk told us. No jumps yet,” Donnie said softly.

“How long ago was that Donnie? I mean for you guys.”

“Two hours ago.”

“So that could be a decade for Kate.” Corey ground his teeth together. “With every second that passes in this dimension, I lose a part of her in that one.”

Mel reached over and placed her hand over his. “I know. We feel so helpless.”

“Corey, there isn’t a ratio of time to time between the dimensions. Have faith. It may not be as long for her as you think.”

“You don’t understand, Donnie. Najwa convinced her that we were having an affair. She was crushed and vulnerable when Gregory took her. I don’t know what his motives are in taking her. He could have told her anything and she would have no choice but to believe him. As horrible as that sounds, that is the best case scenario I can think of. I fear he has done much worse.”

“Let’s start jumping. Let’s go to every site he has ever been to. Let’s find her.” Donnie stood up.

Corey’s face lit up, then he cut his eyes to Mel. “Donnie, you are needed here, with your wife and unborn child.”

“She will be fine, won’t you honey? We will jump back here between sites and check in. We won’t have to stay long in each site, just long enough to see if he has been there recently.”

“Honestly, Corey, I probably won’t even miss you guys.” Mel shrugged.

“Get Kim or Caitlyn to come stay here with you,” Donnie suggested.

“Okay, I’ll drive into the village right now while you two pack.” She hopped over to Donnie, kissed him, then leaned over and kissed Corey on the cheek. “Find her, boys. Bring my sister home!”

She traipsed out of the cabin and Corey heard the soft whirring of the golf cart and the crunch of gravel. Donnie threw the dishes in the washer while Corey plated up the leftovers, then they jogged to the QHR to pack travel gear and call up a list of sites Gregory had visited.

“Here is your plate, Wallace.” Corey presented the tinfoil wrapped dish.

“Hey, thanks!” He peeled the corner back and sniffed. “Mmm, smells delicious.”

Corey and Donnie talked over their plan with Wallace. He agreed it was as good a plan as any and far better than sitting around doing nothing.

“I think we should start with Crescent Bay.”

“Agreed.” Corey locked his hiker’s pack around his waist.

“I will compile a complete list of his latest jumps,” Wallace said as they approached the jump pad. “You got everything you need?”

“Yeah. We’ll be back before you can blink,” Corey said.

THE SALTY SPRAY
of the ocean channel cleansed the air as it wafted over Kate. She stood at the prow of the enormous tri-mast ship that carried them to the city Lumisfere. Gazing into the distance, she wondered what distractions awaited her. Kate loved traveling. It gave her the illusion of freedom. She did not kid herself that it wasn’t an illusion. She was a prisoner of her circumstances and accepted her plight as deserved. She escaped into her distractions as often as she could to keep the gaping emptiness suffocated where it could not rule her.

She stretched her neck, extremely restless. She had been on this ship with Gregory for two months and had no distractions to escape into with his ever present eyes fondling her constantly. She shivered. She needed to find a way to cover his germs on her skin without him finding her out.

“Have you ever been through The Singing Cove, Milady?” The first mate stepped up beside her and pointed ahead of them.

Kate smiled seductively. This man would make a glorious distraction if she could find a way to get him alone. “The Singing Cove? No, I have not. Are we going to see it?” She tilted her head flirtatiously. She knew exactly how to position herself to drive men wild. A small shifting of her back that made the eye travel to her breasts, an arch of her eyebrow, sizzling eye contact, a seemingly innocent touch. A master at this game after years of distractions, she played it well. Employing one of her seductive weapons toward the first mate, she smirked in triumph when he subconsciously licked his lips.

“Aye, but as beautiful as it appears, it is the song you don’t want to miss.” He leaned toward her.

“Song?” She shifted so that their arms were touching.

“Aye, Milady.”

“Please, call me Kate.” She dropped her chin and batted her eyes at him.

“Kate,” he smiled. “As the Northern Winds pass through the channel you can hear an other-worldly song. It’s enchanting and mesmerizing. You don’t want to miss it.” He leaned closer, responding to her signals as she knew he would.

“How long before we reach it?” She turned in the direction he had pointed and angled her head so that her lovely neck was exposed to him.

“We should be there in a couple of hours.” His voice, husky and full of desire cued her success.

She turned her eyes up to his and leaned forward slightly. “That is just enough time for a tour of your ship.”

His eyes fastened on her lips. “A tour?”

“Yes, I haven’t seen the more private and secluded passages yet.” She brushed against him lightly and was pleased when he shivered. She pitched her voice low and added just a hint of vulnerability. Men loved that. “I’ll just bet you know all the dark corners of this vessel, don’t you, Commander?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact I do.” He escorted her to the bowels of the ship and provided the steamy distraction she had hoped for. 

Two hours later she appeared on the deck with Gregory’s grime thoroughly covered by the first mate’s help. He had left their dark corner ahead of her and was strutting on the deck in all of his plumage when she arrived. He kept trying to catch her eye, but she ignored him. She would not take a chance again that Gregory would discover her trysts, at least not until they reached Lumisfere. She was sure there would be plenty of opportunity to amuse herself there.

Kate climbed out of the bowels of the ship and saw that Gregory stood next to the Captain gazing ahead at the sheer rock face that seemed to be looming toward them. She felt a pang of shame over her actions. She dropped her face to the side, catching her reflection in the glass of a barometer. For a flash she thought she looked at a stranger, then realized it was her own reflection. She peered into her eyes and saw a dead soul staring out at her. No life sparked, no joy, no anger, nothing. She was an empty husk of a person. The realization blistered through the shell she had wrapped around her heart and for a fraction of a moment, the old Kate stretched from her cocoon and gasped for air. Tears welled in her eyes as she stared in the reflective surface, and she thought of the name she had not allowed for the past thirteen years.

Corey.

The mere thought of his name caused a seismic rupture in her core and she began to tremble. No! No! No! She slammed her teeth together, blinked away the tears and quickly shoved the pain down and locked it away.
Sorry young Kate, you cannot come out to play today.
She jerked her spine into a severe and austere alignment, schooled her features, and walked across the deck to stand beside Gregory.

He turned to smile at her and folded her under his arm protectively. Every kind moment, every endearing touch or glance from him made her feel small and wicked. She could not be the companion he deserved, she couldn’t even stomach his touch. His continued doting on her after all the betrayal she had enacted toward him just increased her feeling of dread at his affection.

She plastered on a smile and leaned into his embrace.

“Are you cold, love?”

She nodded and he immediately removed his jacket, wrapped it around her shoulders, and secured it with his embrace.

Are you cold? Are you cold?
The question echoed in her mind, sounding like the cracking of glacier ice.
I am colder than death. I am an ice bitten and frozen over lake of bitterness.