Finding Cade (Dream Catcher Series Book 1)

  Finding

  Cade

  Dream Catcher Series

  Book One

  By Bernice Layton

  Finding Cade

  Copyright © 2019 by Bernice Layton.

  All rights reserved.

  First Print Edition: March 2019

  Limitless Publishing, LLC

  Kailua, HI 96734

  www.limitlesspublishing.com

  Formatting: Limitless Publishing

  ISBN-13: 978-1-64034-547-8

  ISBN-10: 1-64034-547-7

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.

  Dedication

  To my husband, Derrick and my daughter, NaTiki, again, I thank you for your ever-present love and encouragement. Your support, guidance, and enthusiasm continue to be an inspiration and have made it possible to bring another novel into existence. Your steadfast belief motivates me, not just to write, but to believe, to hope, to imagine, and to dream. I’m so fortunate and Blessed to have both of you in my life, and I love you both.

  I dedicate this novel to everyone who believed their soul mate was destined and heaven sent.

  Bernice Layton

  Preface

  “Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.”

  ~Dalai Lama~

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter One

  Cade

  Standing at six feet tall, muscular build with medium brown complexion and sporting closely cropped hair, Cade Colter was quite handsome in his tailored suit. He never expected he was running for his life dressed in his best suit. It was hard to miss the dust and grime that covered his pant legs and once-shiny black dress shoes as he nervously paced around the filthy rooftop. His cleaners, whom he swore were the best in town, were going to be pissed when he dropped off this suit. No worries, he reasoned. They loved him. It said so right on the paper-covered hangers they gave him when he picked up his dry cleaning. Wiping a hand across his sweaty brow, he squared his shoulders, drew in a deep breath, and then exhaled.

  “Well, if I don’t make it, at least I’m dressed for my funeral.” No. He refused to think about what would happen if he had miscalculated the distance to the railing or the six-story drop to the reinforced canopy covering the side patio of the hotel.

  “This is what I get for sticking my nose in too deeply.” He paced faster. “Okay, so the big pay-off, if I survive this damn jump, will be that I’ll get to see a bunch of crooked politicians locked up.” He snorted. “Yeah, that’ll be my reward…if I survive this night.”

  When a helicopter approached from his right, Cade knew his time of indecision was up. No more stalling. No more time to second-guess. He could hear the intermittent chatter of two-way radios closing in behind him. He turned to the steel door he’d reinforced with a four-foot pipe. It wouldn’t hold them off.

  Not those guys. Their instructions were to capture him, and he couldn’t let that happen. Not now that he had the information needed to bury their crooked boss. How could a politician hire ex-convicts and mercenaries for their security detail?

  As the chatter on the two-way transmitters grew louder, the black helicopter began to pivot and aimed straight for his position on the rooftop.

  Testing the strength of his belt buckle, he was confident the item remained securely encased in the compartment behind his buckle. One last glance at the steel pipe blocking the door, he cursed when he saw it was beginning to bend against the sheer force of muscle from the security agents pushing against it.

  Quickly crossing over to his starting point, Cade paused as the helicopter’s bright beam of light swept across the rooftop. Dust lifted and swirled beneath the powerful blades blowing wind storms all around him.

  Forced to squint against the grit and dirt stinging his eyes, he waited for the search light to move to another area of the rooftop so he could make a run for it.

  But it didn’t. The shaft of light swung close to his hiding place next to the large commercial air conditioning unit. It was now or never when a second beam of light hit upon his shoes. He let out another expletive, one he was sure his mother would have whipped him for saying.

  This was it.

  Not giving himself a chance to change his mind, he took off at a run as adrenaline pumped through his veins and sprinted toward the edge of the rooftop. When his heel lifted from the roof, he’d already recalculated the distance. It was exactly thirty feet to the railing.

  Without hesitation, he pushed up and jumped over the railing…

  In an instant, he was free falling. His ears popped with the sudden altitude change. His limbs grew heavier as he struggled to keep vertical, and it took sheer concentration not to reach out or grab the blurry side of the building as it rushed him.

  It seemed to take forever to hit the thick black material jutting out below. He couldn’t see it, but he knew the canopy extended over the side patio. The padding was thick so it would break his fall. At least, he prayed it would.

  When he finally slammed into the padding of the canopy, the impact jarred his entire body. For several seconds, all he saw was blackness surrounding him.

  Although physically fit, every muscle in his body throbbed with pain from the impact, but he’d made it. His heart pounded in his chest, his ears were ringing, and his mouth was as dry as a desert; but he’d made it.

  Still lying prone in the canopy, he patted himself down to make sure everything was intact. Glancing up, he thanked his lucky stars he hadn’t broken any bones. Having been forced to jump at the last minute was no easy task for someone who was afraid of heights. His trembling hands were a sure sign of how terrified he’d been. It made extracting the switchblade strapped to his right ankle difficult to do. After several tries, he managed to cut the black rope securely fastened around his waist. He’d guessed the goons remaining up on the rooftop would soon find the other end of the rope around one of the massive air-conditioning units on the rooftop and call for back up.

  While the helicopter whirled above him, still searching, Cade lay absolutely still. Dressed in all black, he hoped he faded into the black fabric of the canopy. He didn’t need to look up to see if the helicopter’s beam was slowly sweeping close to where he was hiding. The whump-whump-whump noise of its large whirling blades was deafening to his abused and cold ears. He did, however, steal a glance at his wristwatch. He only had fiv
e minutes to meet his friend and partner in this heist, Nate Burton, at the designated rendezvous spot.

  As he waited precious seconds for the helicopter to swing its giant light beam away, Cade recalled Nate’s apprehension about their plan tonight. Now, he hoped Nate hadn’t bailed on him.

  No. Nate wouldn’t do that.

  It had been Nate who’d accidentally discovered that millions of dollars had been stolen from several government funding sources.

  When the helicopter finally swung away, Cade flipped over and began the bouncy trampoline crawl until he reached the edge of the canopy. A high-profile political event was happening inside the hotel, so the outside patio had been closed to guests. Peeking over the underside of the canopy to scan the street below, Cade searched for Nate’s car. It wasn’t parked where they’d agreed to meet after he made it out of the hotel.

  Shit! Maybe Nate couldn’t get a parking spot. Damn DC parking patrol.

  As he was about to cross to the opposite side of the canopy, he glanced up and froze. The men on the rooftop were looking over the edge of the building searching for him. He wasn’t sure if they could see him or not, but if they decided to shoot at him, he was a sitting duck. As if reading his mind, several red laser dots suddenly appeared on his clothes, shoes, and the canopy around him. It was as if they tried to narrow their target area.

  Damn, these guys probably have night vision goggles and high-powered scopes too. Serious James Bond stuff.

  “Come on, Nate. You’d better be coming around the corner, man,” he grumbled, then blinked up at the sudden reappearance of the helicopter’s intense light. It was beaming down onto the sidewalk, not far from his hiding place. “Aw, hell,” he muttered, swinging his legs over the side of the canopy. The eight-foot drop to the empty deck below landed him in the prickly bushes that surrounded the patio deck. He hunkered there until the light swung away.

  After waiting in his hiding place as long as he could and seeing nobody was repelling down the building or storming from the front doors after him, Cade cautiously stood, brushing dust, dirt, and prickly leaves from his suit and hair. He walked as quickly as he could without arousing suspicion. He casually glanced around to make sure he wasn’t being followed. Keeping an eye out for Nate, the bad guys, and the helicopter, Cade hurried along the familiar street, passing one of his favorite night spots. The thumping music coming from the pubs and bars, the hum of people laughing and talking was all typical of a normal evening in the popular area. But there was nothing normal about what he had just been through.

  Where the hell is Nate?

  Checking his watch, it was nine o’clock in the evening and they only had fifteen minutes until the meeting with the FBI. Adjusting his belt buckle, he was simply assuring himself that the compartment behind his buckle was still securely fastened and that the tiny device he intended to turn over to the Feds remained encased in it.

  Hurrying down the street in the direction of the meeting place, Cade blended in with everyone else walking down the street. Going over the day’s events in his mind, he wondered why he hadn’t prepared for any glitches in their plans.

  Stupid!

  It sounded so simple. Get in, steal the data, and get out. Then again, nothing was ever that simple, he realized.

  He hadn’t wanted to attend the political event in the hotel, but scoring the invitation had worked to his advantage. Unfortunately, he’d had to wait behind the scenes and endure endless speeches, but he had gotten a headcount of Congressman Owen’s mercenary-like security detail.

  As they stood ever so watchful, Cade had managed to finagle his way into Congressman Owen’s penthouse hotel suite. Once inside, he used his considerable technical skills to quickly download and steal the necessary files from the congressman’s laptop computer. But he didn’t stop there. When he spotted other laptop computers in the suite, he downloaded them also.

  Despite his misgivings, he’d trusted Nate to be on time for once. He believed Nate when he’d sworn he would be there. Though he was known for being notoriously late for everything, Cade had depended on him to keep his word. Now, he realized he shouldn’t have.

  Another thing he hadn’t considered was that he would need money. Sensing he wouldn’t make the meeting in time on foot, he dug around in his pockets and managed to pull out three one-dollar bills. It wasn’t enough to hail a taxi in DC.

  Walking to the end of the block, he spotted a sign-mounted pole. He was standing at a bus stop.

  Just great.

  Craning his neck down the street, he saw a bus approaching. It was about two blocks away, but he was also hoping to see Nate come flying around the corner with some lame excuse as to why he was late. He had a few choice words for his friend when he saw him. As the bus drew nearer, Cade swiped a few more times at the dirt clinging to his suit jacket, then waited for the bus to arrive.

  Cade Colter never got on the bus.

  Everything went dark when a black hood suddenly covered his head. At the same time, the pinch of a needle pricked the back of his neck.

  He felt himself floating seconds before being shoved into what he thought was a cold metal box.

  ***

  Valerie

  Pulling another tissue from her purse and wiping her nose, Valerie Myers sighed.

  Although the funeral for her aunt Ruby had been five days ago, Valerie’s grief was still so fresh. She’d returned to her aunt’s house with her sister Lynne today for a necessary chore. A van from a local charity was there to pick up old furniture and some other items they’d donated.

  Lynne’s constant complaining made her feel worse.

  “I don’t know, Val, this place is a mess. I still can’t see why you insisted on coming here to do this.” Lynne picked up a pillow from the sofa. “I mean, look at this thing. It has to be as old as Aunt Ruby was.”

  When Lynne tossed the dusty pillow, aiming at a packing box, Valerie caught it before it landed. “Lynne, this was Aunt Ruby’s house, and these were her possessions. She wouldn’t appreciate a stranger coming in here and doing this. I don’t mind it at all,” Valerie said, hugging the decade-old embroidered pillow. She couldn’t begin to count the times she’d sat with her aunt talking and sharing cups of tea. Actually, Valerie mostly listened to the stories her aunt shared about her youthful escapades and, of course, her sightings, visions, and trances. Yes, her aunt Ruby had a gift.

  Valerie shared that psychic bond with her aunt.

  “Girl, you’re about as loopy as mean old Aunt Ruby was. She was nuts with all that crap about her third eye. Oh, remember the time she chased that dog two blocks up the street with her cane claiming he was possessed by her dead husband, old Uncle Mo?” Lynne dissolved into a fit of laughter when she pulled out her aunt’s cane from one of the cardboard boxes.

  “You’re not funny.” Valerie knew her stern tone didn’t sway her sister. “You should be ashamed of yourself talking about her like that, and for your information, that damn dog was demented. Now, I wouldn’t go so far as to say he was poor Uncle Mo as Aunt Ruby insisted, but even you have to admit there was something peculiar about that dog. I mean, what animal would come from two blocks away, jump a chain link fence, and snatch only her laundry from the clothes line? I’d have chased him back home myself if he’d ruined my nightgowns,” Valerie said, walking across the room and snatching the cane away from Lynne.

  “Now, don’t forget he peed on those old nightgowns too. Yeah, it probably was Uncle Mo, but honestly, Val, you’re becoming as nutty as she was.” Lynne flopped down onto the sofa. “All the two of you ever did was talk about your silly dreams.” Lynne sat up quickly as the two workers balancing a large dresser came down the stairs. “I’ll bet you anything she got high too. So I hope you checked that furniture for a stash of medical marijuana,” Lynne whispered.

  Watching Lynne return a smile to the two men who’d obviously recognized Lynne as a local TV news reporter before continuing on their way, Valerie didn’t bother arguing with her older si
ster. At thirty-five years old, Valerie thought Lynne had the emotional maturity of an eight year old. She didn’t mind too much because she knew Lynne couldn’t understand the special gift she shared with her aunt Ruby. “I’m going to miss our talks. It’s because of her that I’ve accepted the fact that I possess a unique gift and that I’m different,” Valerie said.

  “Humph, different my foot. Okay, you have a stupid dream once in a while and weird stuff happens sometimes, but that doesn’t make you special or gifted or you have a third eyeball. Hell, if I eat too much Chinese food, I have bad dreams too.”

  Valerie bristled at Lynne’s dramatic eye roll. “I’ve accepted that I see things and go places sometimes, but it’s not weird to me,” she said as she set a box down on the floor before returning to her aunt’s favorite chair. As she ran her hands over the worn and tattered arm rests, memories flooded her of all the times she’d cuddle there with her aunt Ruby, talking and sharing secrets only they understood. If she closed her eyes, she could hear her aunt’s soothing lyrical voice as she stroked her hair and calmed her fears about the strange things that happened around her—things only she could see. Things she didn’t understand.

  Aunt Ruby understood, and she’d said that Valerie was indeed very special.

  Valerie decided she had to keep the chair. It was sturdy, just needed a few screws and reupholstering, then it would be as good as new. When she told Lynne she was keeping the chair, Valerie ignored her sister’s yawn and regretted asking her to come along today. She could've cleaned out Aunt Ruby's house by herself and wished she had. “Well, this is everything, I guess.” She sighed, pulling another tissue from the pocket of her jeans.

  When her hand slipped down to the side of the cushion, her fingers touched something cool and metallic. Giving the item a tug and freeing it from where it was caught on the material, Valerie’s eyes lit up with delight. It was the crystal pendant on a slender gold chain her aunt had often worn. “Lynne, look, I found it. Aunt Ruby's crystal,” she exclaimed. “I’ve been looking all over the house for this.” Holding the chain up, the crystal dangled and caught the afternoon sunlight streaming through the living room window, sending a prism of vibrant colors dancing all over the living room walls. The colors warmed her face to the point she was stifling hot in a house that was exceptionally cold.