Free Into a Dangerous Mind by Tina Gerow Page A

Someone called to her, she knew they wanted her to follow.   She opened her eyes and saw—Brian.   His leering face close to hers, his hot breath feathered against her lips.
    Icy fingers of panic tore through her, and she began to struggle, to wake herself from the dream she knew held her.   As if through a thick mist, she felt the sheets of her bed clutched in a death grip in her hands.   Experimentally, she wiggled her fingers.   Relief flowed through her when they responded.   Her fingers brushed against the soft cotton of the T-shirt she’d worn to bed, reassuring her she was asleep in her own bed.   But when she opened her eyes, she still saw Brian.

    Am I in a dream, or is this real?
    “ You can’t fight me, Cassidy.   I’ll come for you soon.   In the meantime, I thought you should see what I have in store for you. ”   His evil laugh sent chills up and down her spine.
    Her view panned out to encompass not only Brian, but a pretty red-head.   The woman, probably around her own age, stood with her arms around Brian.   Suddenly, Cassidy knew what Brian planned to do.   “No!   Stop it, Brian. Let her go,” she pleaded.
    “ She’s mine, Cassidy, just as you are .   Your escape only delayed the inevitable. ”
    She shook her head, trying to shake loose the vision.
    Helplessness flowed through her like lethargic molasses as Brian leaned in to kiss the girl who smiled up at him and eagerly returned his kiss.   Brian’s thrill at his impending use of power flowed through Cassidy, as well as the passion the girl poured into the kiss.
    She realized the girl’s name from the connection.   “Run, Tia!” Cassidy shouted inside her mind.   Tia stiffened, but Brian held her in a viselike grip.

    The white-hot pain Cassidy remembered too well seared into the girl’s mind like a branding iron.   Tia’s fear and Brain’s elation and sense of invulnerability assaulted Cassidy’s already overloaded senses.   Cassidy struggled against the sensation of Brian’s insistent lips against hers.   She whipped her head from side to side in an attempt to dislodge the phantom mouth.   She must have sent the idea to Tia, too, because soon she tried to dislodge Brian’s mouth the same way.   He only increased the pressure of his grip, reveling in Tia’s mounting fear.

    Hot tears flowed freely down Cassidy’s cheeks as she struggled to find some way to reach out and help Tia.   The pain and terror, almost more than she could bear, poured over her.   She could do nothing but endure it and offer what hope and support she could to the dying girl.

    Tia’s strength waned, and Cassidy sobbed harder.   Her mind whirled frantically as she tried to think of anything to help.   All at once, her link to Tia vanished.
    How can someone be so alive and full of life one instant and then gone the next?
    Fear and sorrow threatened to drown her and she blinked away her tears, unable to tear her gaze away from the gruesome scene.
    Brian let the girl fall to the pavement in a boneless heap, and for the first time, Cassidy noticed the surroundings.   They were in an alley with Camelback Mountain in the distance, highlighted by the glow of the full moon.   From the loud music and the smell of liquor, she concluded a bar or a club must be nearby.   She heard Lone Star crooning Amazed , and tried to think of a country bar in the general area.   Even though she’d failed to help Tia, maybe she could help Zach find her body quickly, along with some clues to catch Brian before he killed again.
    “ I’ll come and find you soon, Cassidy. ”   A phantom caress feathered across her cheek before Brian severed the connection.   When the room reformed around her, Zach held her tight against his chest.
    “Cassidy, can you hear me?”   Zach looked frantic.
    She nodded and immediately folded herself into his tight embrace, letting her tears continue.   Zach slowly rocked her, his hand smoothing comforting circles over her