Sam knuckled his eyes and wiped the sweat beads from his forehead. He could feel the moisture running down his back and took a deep breath to calm himself. The dream was so vivid. He could still taste Ashton on his tongue, feel her body as if it still surrounded him, could remember the minutest detail of their encounter. He was having a difficult time believing it had all been just a dream. He had never had a dream like that. That’s not to say he had never had sexual dreams before because being a normal, healthy male, he, of course, did. Just not on this level.
Finally collecting his scattered wits, he heaved himself to his feet and made his way to the water’s edge. Squatting down he splashed water over his face enjoying the icy coldness that lifted the fog from his brain. Still balancing on the balls of his feet, he shook his head like a dog and let the clear droplets fly where they would.
Now that his senses had returned, Sam was disturbed that he could have been so engrossed in his fantasy, that his guard had been let down so completely. He had always prided himself on his ability to sleep light, wake up sharp, and, if the need arose, deadly. Not this time. This time he had been foggy and disorientated. Major mistake in his line of work.
Sam’s eyes turned flat, cold, and the lids lowered until only a sliver of turbulent blue could be seen. He would not let some woman get into his head until he became vulnerable and open to attack. What had he been thinking anyway? He had only met her the day before and he still did not know enough about her to rule her out as a potential danger to his safety.
Sam looked at the dark face of his watch, nothing shiny to catch the sun and give him away, and noticed it was almost noon. A slight frown creased his brow as he expected her to be at the lake by now. If she was not here, then where was she? What was she doing? Deciding to give her one more hour, Sam tended to his fishing line and removed the fish that had been snared there. He gently lowered it back into the water and watched it swim away to live another day. He tossed the line back into the water and, moving back into the trees, began a slow circuit of the lake to check out the immediate area and make sure all was safe and secure.
The only tracks he could detect came from animals moving to and from the water. Taking all the time he needed, Sam made his way back to his fishing gear and, once again, picking out a tree to lean against, sat with his back to the old trunk. He brought out the backpack he had packed with food. He rummaged through it until he found what he wanted and slowly ate his fill, all the while keeping his eyes moving and his senses sharp.
He was on the lookout for danger, he told himself, not trying to catch his first glimpse of a slender, dark haired, green eyed beauty. Sam finished his meal and carefully put all the remains and trash in his pack to take with him for disposal. He knew not to leave scraps out that would attract the bears and big cats in the area and give them a reason to start hanging out by the lake, expecting an easy source of food.
Sam brought his mind around to the message he had seen in the paper that morning and began to turn the idea of his next possible mission over in his mind. Beginning to make a mental list of the pros and cons, possible reasons behind the request, and the ramifications of his actions should he accept, he began the process of making his decision. It could take a couple of weeks for him to feel comfortable and sure that he had all the information he needed to make his choice.
Once his mind was made up, and he decided to go ahead, he would form his plan carefully and check it many times and from many angles to make sure everything would go off with out a hitch. No mistakes, no surprises, no regrets. Sam could afford none of these. He would not allow anything to stand in his way, nor thoughts of the act afterwards. That’s the way he worked. At least for now.
He knew his time in the business was coming to an end. He was still a young man, in his prime at thirty-five years of age. He would not wait until age, including all the aches and pains that came with it, slowed him down enough to get caught, or worse get him dead. So maybe, this would be his last job.
He still enjoyed the aspects of his work, which probably made him sick in most people’s minds, but he was not done living yet and wanted to be around for a while longer. So maybe, who knew, this could be his last job.
Putting these thoughts away Sam again glanced around wondering if Ashton was even going to show up at all. He would have bet anything that she would, but there was always a fist time for him to be wrong. Sam smirked at the arrogance of that thought, and figured if he did not say it out loud to anyone he could get away with it.
Again he glanced at his watch, looked up at the sun, and decided to pack up and call it a day. He hoisted his pack, reeled in his line and started the trek back to his home.
When he arrived he hid his gear and made his customary circuit of the land, missing nothing as he made his home secure for the night. Entering his back door Sam dumped everything in the washroom and made his way to the fridge to grab his favorite soda, diet cherry vanilla Dr. Pepper. He drank it, paced his house for about an hour and finally gave up and faced what was making him so restless. He wanted to find out where Ashton was and what she had been up to all day.
Sam changed from the clothes he had put on that morning, to an all black outfit. Black jeans, black tee shirt, black shoes, and a black jacket for the cool weather that still came to call when the sun went down each night. Sam made sure the door was locked and the area clear before he turned his attention to his goal. Finding Ashton.
He made his way into the trees, and was about to set out for the Rider place when he thought he heard a faint laugh. Immediately diving behind a tree he became perfectly still, as he strained all his senses to pick up the sound that had seemed to float to him on the breeze.
Sam never doubted his instincts and they were screaming at him right now that he was not alone. He was sure he had missed nothing earlier so he wondered, but only for an instant, where the threat had come from. He cautiously moved from his hiding place and moved, with only a whisper of sound, through the woods, alert and armed, ready for anything.
He looked everywhere but couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary. No tracks, no broken branches, and no footprints leading to or going away from his property. Sam slowly backed deeper into the woods and stood stock still, blending into the shadows, waiting for any movement to show the hiding place of the intruder. But no movement was seen, no sound heard, and no more laughter reached his ears.
Slowly placing his gun back in its ankle holster, Sam began to relax, one muscle at a time. He finally turned to continue his hike to Ashton’s, but could have sworn there were eyes still on him. He slowly melted into the shadows and finally disappeared from sight.
Sam’s instincts had been correct for there was a pair of eyes on him. Watching him, but not just as he left his house, but all through the day. They had focused on him never letting him out of their sight. They had made him drowsy, had planted the dream in his head while he slept, and made sure thoughts of Ashton were never far from his mind.
After Sam had gone from sight, Saul materialized out of thin air and stood by the edge of the woods. He dusted his hands off feeling quite pleased with the results of his days work. Ashton did not have time to waste, so he had decided a little help had been in order. He was sure that a small push in her direction was all that was needed to bring the two of them together. He had read Sam’s thoughts and knew he was attracted to her and he knew they were meant to be together. So, a push here, a thought there, and then leave the rest to the humans.
Saul paused and tilted his head to the side as he remembered how Sam had picked up the merest thread of a small chuckle that had escaped him when he was gloating in the fact his plan was working so well. Very odd. Beginning to fade from sight, for now, Saul once again let slip a small chuckle. Should he or should he not pay a visit to Ashton and see how things progressed? Hmmmmmmmmmmm?