Tori Page 3

  But there was no sign of her.

  “Damn it.”

  He scanned the edge of the property at the tree line. How far a head start did she have? Surely she hadn’t had time to go far?

  The bushes shifted and rippled off to the left. Locking his gaze on the area, he waited for the movement to catch his eye. There. Running through the trees. He grabbed his phone and called security.

  “She’s heading to the north side of the property.”

  Jackson, head of security, responded. “Got it.”

  “Remember, you have to keep your ears plugged.” He hated to do it, but in this case… “Consider her armed and dangerous.”

  “Will do.”

  Devon closed his phone and raced out to join the others in the search. He met his brother Karl at the bottom of the stairs. “She’s escaped,” he said tersely. Barely registering Karl’s shocked surprise, Devon bolted past him out to the back yard. Footsteps pounded behind him. “How is that possible?” Karl asked. “She should barely be able to move.”

  “I have no idea. She was always a surprise.”

  “And apparently had more talents than she let on,” Karl said, just a hint of humor in his voice. “Just think, she actually managed to keep some things hidden from Grandfather. No wonder he didn’t like her.”

  “Why do you say that? He was always polite to her.” Devon hated the inference that there might have been something he’d missed. “I know they weren’t overly friendly…”

  His brother laughed. “You’ve never been able to see him for who he really is. There was more than dislike between them. The animosity nearly glowed from his eyes the one time I saw it clearly revealed.”

  They’d reached the shrubbery and he dashed forward, knocking the branches aside. There was a path farther in, but he couldn’t count on her using it. Not if she knew she was being pursued.

  And who was he kidding? This was Tori—there was no way she couldn’t know.

  Chapter 6

  Tori raced as fast as she could through the forest. Her heart pounded, and at the speed she was going, she was certain her feet had wings. She was almost high on the energy of the place. She’d been gone from it for so long; it was like an addict getting a fix for the first time after a long drought. She wanted to laugh and she wanted to cry. Her emotions were all over the place. Staying focused was hard, but she knew Devon wouldn’t have given her much longer to sleep. He’d be knocking on her door in no time.

  In fact, her senses said he was already out looking for her.

  Damn. She’d hoped to have more of a head start.

  The path turned left. She turned right and barreled into the bushes heading to the woods. She could hide in the woods. They’d never be able to touch her there.

  The safety of the woods loomed.

  Behind her she heard shouting, dogs barking. Damn it.

  She was flying strong, but this wasn’t her usual entrance to the sacred forest, and she didn’t know the shortcuts. Faster and faster, she flew until she hit a solid wall.

  A hard, muscled chest. As she tried to catch her breath, she realized it was Devon. Somehow he’d managed to get ahead of her.

  “Easy.”

  “How did you get here?” she gasped when she could. Other men came running up behind them as the dogs surrounded them, milling around excitedly. Tori put down a hand and whispered to the canines, “Calm down, guys. It’s all right.”

  All the dogs immediately eased back, tails wagging and shoving their noses against her.

  “How do you do that?” Devon asked. Then shook his head in exasperation. “That’s not the issue right now.”

  “No? Then how about why you kidnapped me? Are you above the law, Devon? You think you can break into a lady’s apartment in the middle of the night and steal her away? Can’t you get a girlfriend on your own without knocking her out and stuffing her in your car?”

  She sensed the shock in the men that surrounded them, studiously ignoring her accusations. “But then you’re part of the Chancellor clan. And the law doesn’t apply to you, right?” She wove as much disgust as she could into her voice, which was hard when she was still trying to catch her breath.

  He stared up at the sky and closed his eyes.

  “Always after the dramatic moment, aren’t you?”

  This time she didn’t have to work up her bitterness. “I have a damn good reason to be upset.”

  He dropped those stunning blue eyes to gaze into hers. “Yes, you do. And I apologize for the way we were forced to bring you here.”

  “We?” she pounced. “Don’t tell me, your brother in crime helped?”

  He reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose.

  “We need your help. Desperately.”

  The noise around them stilled. As if they were finally getting to the crux of the matter.

  She waited.

  “Lives are at stake. We have a large group of locals caught behind an energy field in the forest. We don’t know if they are alive or dead. We’ve tried to make contact but haven’t had any luck.”

  She frowned. “You have lots of energy workers on your staff.”

  He nodded. “And we’ve brought in specialists. So far, no one can get through the barrier.”

  That was odd. His company was known for their skilled workers. Someone should have been able to help. Unless… “Where in the forest?”

  He stared at someone standing behind her. She turned around to see his grandfather. She snorted. “I’m so out of here.”

  She went to brush past him when Grandfather reached out and grabbed her.

  She stopped and stared at the hand gripping her forearm. “Let go of me. Now,” she added, her voice soft and silky. And as dangerous as hell.

  Grandfather dropped his hand. “Look, this isn’t about your petty problems with my family. This has to do with innocent people.”

  “Well, that leaves you out of the picture,” she muttered. “Did you tell these people that that area of the forest is dangerous? As in very dangerous.”

  “Everywhere in the forest is dangerous. This is no different.”

  “This is very different,” she exclaimed. “Most of the forest is workable. The back corner is a dead zone. You know that.”

  He glared down at her. “Most people think that’s a myth. There’s no proof that there is any actual danger in there. So what if a field has closed? Open it. What’s the big deal?”

  “I imagine it’s a really big deal if you had to kidnap me,” she spat.

  “Look, Tori,” Devon spoke. “We’re just asking you to help these people. No matter what you think of us, they don’t deserve this.”

  And that was the first truth she could relate to. These people worked for Grandfather’s company, and that just made them people in need of a paycheck. Not the assholes she was worked up about. Surrounded by some of those same towering males made it hard to breathe, let alone think.

  This was another truth she couldn’t ignore. As much as she hated the thought of helping Grandfather, she couldn’t let these people suffer.

  Her shoulders slumped. She turned slowly to look at Devon. He gazed at her silently, waiting.

  Like she’d waited for so long when her life was intertwined with him. Always waiting for him. To call. To show up. To be there for her.

  And she knew what she had to do.

  She raised her gaze and looked at him directly.

  “Take me to them.”

  It took over twenty minutes to get into the vehicles, and another half hour to make it to where they could park the vehicles at the edge of the woods.

  She could have been here in half the time if she’d been left alone. Of course, if she’d come here last night, this would be all over.

  Damn.

  At the edge of the woods, she stood with Devon’s men gathered around her. She gave her body a much-needed couple of minutes to adjust. The energy on this side was warm and electrifying. It grew darker the deeper one went in. Of course,
that added to the thrill.

  It was also part of the problem. Everyone went into the woods for varying reasons. Everyone benefited from the forest energy.

  Some more than others.

  Early-morning sunlight was her favorite time of day, and she was honored to be standing at the edge of the forest on this beautiful morning. She inhaled the fresh air, and then took a second breath. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, letting her face bask in the sun.

  “What does she think this is, a holiday?” someone behind her muttered.

  On most days, she’d have commented. Today, she didn’t want to mar the state of balance she was trying to get into. This side of the forest was a piece of cake.

  The other side was a whole different story.

  And she needed to be prepared.

  “Are you ready?” Devon’s voice spoke from behind her.

  She never moved. Inside, she had to ask herself the same question. On the other hand, she was here, so what the hell. “Absolutely.”

  “After me, then.” Devon stepped onto the wide path. After a moment, she followed. The other men surrounded her, presumably to stop her from running off again. They didn’t have to worry. Once she realized that there were people seriously in need of her help, she was there for them.

  After she’d done what she needed to do, then they should worry.

  But by then, she’d be gone.

  “Thank you.” A soft voice caught her ear. One of the men walking beside her watched to make sure no one else was paying him any attention, then said in a low voice. “My sister is one of those stuck.”

  She glanced at him sideways. “How long?”

  “Over thirty-six hours now.”

  That was going to take its toll. “I’m sorry for her.”

  “They’ve tried everything.”

  She almost sneered. Devon’s grandfather would have tried everything cheap first. He could have done the right thing off the bat. Then again, he could have come to her.

  Oh, wait, he had sent Devon instead.

  So not her favorite person.

  “I know you didn’t want to help, but they need you. No one else has been able to get in.” The man’s voice broke at the end.

  “I’m happy to help them,” she said wryly. “It’s this family I don’t want anything to do with.” She didn’t have to clarify who the family was. Everyone knew.

  “That’s too bad. You were missed.” Then, as if he was afraid that he’d gone too far and said too much, he sped up and passed her to walk beside one of the other security men. Each wore blasters. That gave Tori pause. What kind of trouble were they expecting?

  The only danger here she was worried about were the energy fields and what they were trying to hold back.

  Last time she’d been to the far end, there’d been little to blast and all kinds of reasons to run.

  Just what had happened to the area in the last year? Moodily, she studied the foliage as they hiked through the woods. The flora was more brown than green, the vibrancy tired and used up, like a single mom in desperate need of an afternoon to herself. The forest in this section looked in desperate need of the energy that others had come here to absorb. She’d been so overwhelmed by the sense of homecoming that she’d not initially noticed.

  And for that, she was very sorry. She sent out beams of green joy to the plants around her. The woods needed to be given back what had been taken; she assumed the people around her had forgotten that part.

  She frowned as her energy was sucked up immediately. Just what was going on here?

  “What’s the matter,” Devon asked. “You look…” He shrugged as if he couldn’t come up with the right word. “…sad.”

  “I am,” she said, adding, “And angry, and disappointed, and working my way towards outraged.” She swept her arms wide open. “What have you done to the woods?”

  He narrowed his gaze at her. “You weren’t here. You have no idea the toll this last year has had on the region.” He motioned at the devastation. “It’s because of the damage that Grandfather was trying to find alternative uses for the land.”

  She gasped. “What? There can’t be alternatives. This is sacred forest.”

  “A dying sacred forest.”

  “Anyone here could see that the forest is suffering, that there’s been no energy given back to the region. It’s been sucked out and left dry.” She was starting to steam. “It’s basic laws of energy.”

  “We know that. We’ve worked hard to rectify the problem. And when we couldn’t find any solutions, a team came in to see what else could be done.”

  “And apparently none of it has worked,” she snapped. She didn’t have to worry about the forest being developed no matter what Grandfather had in his crafty old brain. The forest would never tolerate it. “When I left, it was stunningly beautiful. Healing energy abounded, and life for the forest was healthy and vibrant.”

  “And then the storms happened. And the electrical impulses changed the nature of the energy here. And things have only gotten worse.”

  Storms? What storms? She hadn’t heard anything about them. “You brought in specialists, I presume.”

  He nodded. “Of course. We didn’t want the forest to just die on us. It needs our help, but we’re out of ideas,” he added shortly. “Have you talked to your sister, Genesis? Caught up on the problems she’s been having with the pools?”

  “Genesis?” Damn. No, she hadn’t, and that was on her. Problems with the pools? So not good. Everything here was connected. If one area was damaged, it affected the other areas as well.

  “As for Grandfather, are you saying there is actually something he can’t do?” She couldn’t help the sarcasm. That old man had made her life hell. She wouldn’t forget it. Ever.

  “It’s not so simple. We’ve got a team working on this around the clock.”

  She shook her head. “With all that brain power, you guys can’t open this energy wall?”

  “You haven’t seen it.” And with that, he stormed ahead.

  Now that she’d pissed everyone off, she walked alone. And maybe that was okay, too. It gave her a chance to study the area, the energy that waffled instead of rolling across the ground in waves. It was sick.

  And that hurt. She’d spent a lot of glorious time in here. The air would normally lift her hair up with all the static, and she’d have danced and laughed. Instead, depression settled on her shoulders, and that was from the lack of positive energy. There was only negativity. Pain. Hurt.

  The dominant emotion was sadness.

  Why would the energy have that emotion? What could make it turn from joy into this? Except an inability to be able to return to its own self. The energy here lived in a state of vibrancy. It loved that and it always returned to that state—when it could.

  And that’s where the problem lay.

  It was damaged and couldn’t rectify the problem on its own.

  So why had the specialists not found a way to solve the energy imbalance?

  It shouldn’t be that hard.

  An hour later, she was on the verge of tears. The closer they walked to the back quadrant of the woods, the worse the plant life. Here in places, she’d actually seen plants withering, some on the edge of death. She couldn’t believe it. The sun didn’t reach deep inside, and somehow the creek appeared to be draining dry. At one point, she’d stepped off the path and walked to the creek edge. Devon had pulled her back without an explanation.

  They continued on. Every step she took physically hurt. But she kept quiet and marched forward. There needed to be answers. And she’d be damned if she wasn’t the one who would get them. She owed these woods a lot. And she’d given back a fair bit, but there was more she could do—and do it she would.

  A shout went up in front of her.

  Devon bolted forward. Tori stayed back as the group surged ahead of her. She could have taken off on them and they wouldn’t have noticed. But that wouldn’t get those trapped people out of here. As she came
through the last few trees to the large open field, she stopped.

  There was no large open field.

  It was a gnarly, knotted wall of something.

  Something she’d yet to see. Was this what was hurting the forest? It was natural. The energy resonated from deep inside the twisted wood, but it didn’t have a wholesome healthiness.

  Then again, none of the forest did anymore.

  As she approached, the men stepped back to watch. Through the branches, she could see a large group of people milling around. Each face watched her in hope.

  “Why were they in there?”

  “None of your business,” Grandfather snapped.

  She stilled and turned to face him.

  “You did this? You’re responsible for these poor people being in danger?” Her voice rose uncontrollably. She couldn’t believe his duplicity. He’d already had lots of examples of that, but she hadn’t expected this.

  “What I did, I did for the community. Do you think this forest is going to heal itself?” Defensive, angry that anyone dared to question him, and defiant at having his actions doubted, he stood up straight and looked down on her. And he was big, all the males in the family were. A year ago she’d have been intimidated. Somewhere along the line, she’d grown a spine. Or a pair of balls, as Devon’s brother Karl had often said.

  As it was, there was a crowd gathering around her on both sides of the jam.

  She’d have called it a fence, but it was a hell of a mess to downgrade to something so small. This was a huge problem. “Wow, you must have really pissed her off,” she said out loud.

  Part of her couldn’t wait to dive into this while another part of her want to run in the other direction.

  This was big. Like really big.

  Grandfather was up against something he couldn’t handle. He’d thrown everything he could at this problem.

  Now he had to have her help.

  If only she knew what to do.

  As she deliberately turned her back on Grandfather, her gaze caught sight of the guard who’d spoken to her earlier. He swallowed, stared at her hopefully, and then shifted his gaze to avoid being caught.

  She understood. They were all under orders. Some had personal stakes in this. And some of them were in danger of losing their loved ones.