Dream Catcher

Chapter 22

A clump of her red hair was clogging the sink's drain. Perplexed, she reached down and picked up the damp strands. Was this more hair than usual? She caught her reflection in the vanity mirror and gasped. Her normally smooth face was covered in blisters and burns. A finger slowly pressed against her cheek causing her skin to crumble as if it were tissue paper.

"You're so ugly. This is why I'm going to divorce you," a male voice called out from nowhere.

She opened her mouth with a groan only to feel a tooth fall from her mouth. She watched it tumble down the drain of the sink. She opened her mouth to cry out and felt her other teeth loosen themselves from her gums. She raised her hands to her hair in shock as more of her locks became tangled between her fingers. She doubled over, gasping for breath. What was happening? Her knees buckled and slammed against the marbled floor. She couldn't breathe.

Dani gave a strangled cry, waking herself. She panicked when she didn't recognize her surroundings. It took a moment for her to remember that she was at Detective Jax Michael's home. A note on the nightstand told her he was going to the station and would be back as soon as he could. She tried to remember if she had made contact with any red-headed women in the past week. She'd been so distracted with everything that was going on with Billy, the Maestro, and Jax that she wasn't paying attention like she normally did. She walked downstairs and took in the expensive furnishings.

"Okay...he clearly has a lot of money even though he's a detective," she muttered, her fingers tracing over the leather sofa. She made her way to the kitchen area and sat on one of the leather stools that were lined up against the kitchen bar.

She knew he had a brother who supposedly killed the woman he loved. He had told her that he joined law enforcement because of his brother. For some reason she felt like there were more secrets he wasn't telling her. She debated going to the diner or staying and sketching out her last dream. She pitied the poor woman who was afraid to be left alone. She understood that feeling to her very core.

When she was a kid her mother had left them while her father had passed away several years later. Her dreams were something that had bothered both of her parents. At their insistence, Dani had visited countless therapists, psychologists, even a hypnotist but nothing helped. Dani pulled out her sketchpad and pencils.

A loud crash from the living room startled her. She ran to the noise and saw broken glass scattered across the plush carpet. Also on the ground was large brick with something tied around it. Dani looked out the broken window to see if she saw anyone but no one was there. She pulled out her cell phone to call the police, her eyes on the brick. She kicked it with the toe of her shoe and gasped. Attached was a picture of a mutilated woman.

At the police station, Jax cursed under his breath as he stared at the picture of the young man he recognized from the diner.

"I can't believe this," Jax muttered.

"What was that?" Roberto asked, not quite catching Jax's words.

"Nothing. So this woman is sure that he's our guy?"

Roberto shrugged, "If he's the last man that June Danvers left with. It's possible she left with someone else. I'll have the club check the surveillance cameras. We have nothing else to go on. We should nab him while we can."

"Alright, I'll try to get a definite name on him."

The two were walking towards the station's exit when another officer came running towards Jax, "Detective Michaels!"

Jax turned to see an officer waving his arms in the air.

"Yeah, what's wrong?"

"A squad car is headed to your house. Your girlfriend said someone threw a brick through your window. Smashed everything," the officer explained.

"Are you kidding me?"

When the officer shook his head, Jax cursed.

"The caller...is she okay?" Jax asked.

"Your girlfriend?" Roberto repeated.

"Detective Michaels?" a female cop called out.

"What the hell is it now?" Jax asked, still trying to find out if Dani was okay.

"Don't bite my head off," the officer scowled. "This man is looking for you. He has your card."

Jax turned to see Derek, hands in his pockets, biting his bottom lip.

"Who is that?" Montoya asked.

Jax turned to his partner, "Long story."

Derek cleared his throat and looked at Jax, not sure where to begin, "It's about my roommate, Billy. I thought he was with his parents but they called me this morning. He hasn't been there. I didn't know what else to do. I wasn't worried but now that I think about it, I felt like someone had been in my apartment on two separate occasions in the past month. Maybe it had something to do with Billy. Anyway, now I'm worried. I think Billy really is missing."