AN: Thanks so much to everyone for reading for those who had the time to leave me a review - a BIG thank you for your feedback! Really appreciate hearing your thoughts as the story progresses.
Here's a belated Christmas treat for my "Guest" reviewers who have been showing their ongoing support...
Tanith
Chapter 39
Steve continued to tail Whitney until they reached a desolate highway. Knowing he was already taking a huge risk driving in a car that could hardly be called inconspicuous, he maintained a safe distance behind the black Pontiac as it made a turn down a dirt track into the forest. Steve cursed at the direction Whitney decided to take as he would need to lengthen the distance between them or risk being caught following his target. The road was too dark for him to not use his headlights but it was also too isolated that if he were to use them, it would most certainly give him away. He slowed the Porsche right down then waited until the car ahead was over the next hill before he pressed his foot gently down on the accelerator and switched on the headlights.
For a while, Steve thought he had lost the dark vehicle he was pursuing until he reached another turn-off and caught sight of it parked at the end of a long drive-way outside a large double storey log cabin. The car looked empty but lights were glowing from within the first floor of the dwelling. Steve allowed his Porsche to slow to a complete stop by the tree-line then turned the engine off. He got out as soundlessly as possible and crept toward the right side of cabin, using the cover of darkness to conceal himself.
Once he reached the shadow shrouded part of the building, he found a staircase leading up to the second storey. Crouching low he took the stairs cautiously. Once he reached the top landing, he walked along the balcony and peered through the windows for signs of life but the rooms were too dark for him to make out anything. He decided to see if they were locked. Mike's voice started reprimanding him in his conscience but it was too late to back out now. Whitney was up to something and his gut told him that whatever it was, it wasn't good. For Jeannie's sake, he had to uncover the truth behind all the lies he must have told her. Of course, a smaller part of him wanted Whitney to come clean for blindsiding him at his own home. His injuries started to ache, reminding him that the pain killers he had taken hours ago, were wearing off.
Steve's thoughts were disrupted when he saw movement through one of the windows. He ducked down and slowly peered over the window ledge. The light was on and through the semi-sheer curtain he could make out a figure carrying someone in his arms. Could it be Jeannie?
The figure placed the person they were carrying down on the bed then switched off the light and left the room. Steve quickly inspected the window and looked for a way in. He was surprised to find his search fruitful and that the window wasn't locked. Carefully sliding it open, he crawled through and dropped silently to the floor. Feeling his way toward the bed, his knee hit the corner of the bedside table. Cursing under his breath from the pain, he felt the surface of the table and found a lamp. His fumbling fingers sought out the switch and when he found it, he flicked it on. Returning his attention back to the bed, he saw that the figure lying on it was in fact, Jeannie. He leaned over her and gently brushed the loose strands of hair off her face, debating whether to rouse her or to carry on with his snooping. By all accounts, she was sound asleep and there was nothing to indicate she was harmed in any way. With his mind set on finding out once and for all if he was right about her fiancé, Steve continued to the door then turned the handle. It didn't budge. He quickly realized it was locked. Now he was certain something was not right. Why would Whitney lock Jeannie inside the room? The next thing his hyper alert senses picked up was the sound of more cars pulling up at the property outside. Steve hurried to the window and climbed through it once more. Keeping close to the wall, he peered around the corner and was stunned to see Holden senior accompanied by two heavyset men exiting the vehicles. One of the men was carrying a small child in his arms. From the distance, Steve couldn't make out any more than that until the second man placed something over the child's head. A blindfold? What was going on? He tried to listen to the conversation taking place down below but the voices didn't carry far enough for him to make out what was being said. With his choices laid out before him, Steve decided to trust his instincts that something was off. He returned to the opened bedroom window and climbed inside. Jeannie had not stirred and the young cop's concern grew. He leaned over the bed and gently shook Jeannie by the shoulders. "Jeannie! Jeannie, wake up!" he whispered urgently but the college girl remained motionless. Steve swallowed hard and checked her vitals. To his immense relief, he found her pulse and she was definitely breathing. Scanning her body once again for obvious signs of injuries and still finding nothing, he lifted an eyelid and noticed her pupil was dilated. While he was no medical expert, Steve had been exposed to enough cases where he'd seen the effects of drug induced victims receiving treatment by paramedics to suspect Jeannie had been drugged. "What the hell did he give you?" Desperate to revive her, he shook the young woman by the shoulders harder and raised his voice a notch. "Jeannie, can you hear me? Come on, Jeannie. Open your eyes for me, Jeannie, please!" Taking one of her cool hands in both his and rubbing the circulation back into her cold fingers, he pleaded for Mike's daughter to snap out of whatever was keeping her under.
Still nothing. Not even a flicker of an eyelid or a twitch of a finger.
