Gifted Connections: Book 2 by SM Olivier (4)

“She will be,” another male voice said with chilling glee.  I braced myself for more pain as I felt my body engulfed in ice.  I felt like I was being plunged into freezing water.   “Just slightly broken.”

I felt so close to blacking out as I looked up at the billboard.  I was unable to focus on any of my gifts.  The pain in my body was too great.  Jaxson!  I screamed.

“Blake, what’s wrong?” his voice came to me immediately.

“Help,” I gasped.  “Billboard.”

I thought I was being offered a moment of respite as the ice left my veins.  “Is that all you have,” I mumbled.  My voice sounded slurred even to my own ears.  I couldn’t access my gifts, but I needed to stall for as long as possible.  I knew they were here to get me.  There was no way in hell I was going to be separated from my family and friends again.

I heard another female laugh to my left.  “She’s got balls, but mine are bigger,” she said smugly before I saw weeds from the side of the road begin to crawl towards me.  The long vine-like foliage wrapped themselves around me to the point that I could barely breath.  The vines constricted painfully around my chest and throat.

When I felt the vines finally recede from around me, it felt like everyone was so far away.  It felt like I was seeing everything through a blurry tunnel.  I thought I saw Drake as a force field was erected around me, successfully separating me from my tormentors.  I heard the chaos and shouts, before I finally allowed the pain to take me away

 

I came to as I was being carried into the bathroom.  I looked up at Drake and was instantly lost in his blue eyes.  He should take his glasses off more often, I thought.  I reached up and touched his face.  He hadn’t shaved today so the blond and light brown stubble was rough against my palm. 

“You found me,” I breathed in relief.  My body was still riddled in pain. 

A look of sorrow and regret entered his eyes.  “I was done with my swim and found out you went out by yourself.   I tried to catch up with you, but I was too late to stop the worst of it.  Luckily, Gavin, Jemmy, and Rachel were on their way home.  Then Micah showed up to teleport you back here, while we went after the people trying to get you.”

“Why the hell was she out by herself?” I could hear Will curse from my bedroom.

I was unable to hear their response as Noah came into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. Drake had turned on the shower and was waiting for it to warm up as I lay naked in his arms.  He gingerly walked me under the warm showerheads.  He was carrying me like I was make of glass.

  Noah stripped down to his boxers.  “We’re so sorry Blake,” he muttered as he stepped in front of us.  He methodically started to lay his hands on my face, my hands, my arms, and I sighed in relief as that pain receded.  He touched the back of my head last.  “Anywhere else?”

Drake cleared his throat as he slowly lowered me.  “Her back and hips,” he said his cheeks stained red. 

I should have been more self-conscious being naked in front of them, again, but I was still shaking from the shock of the morning.  They were stripped down to their boxers, and I felt no shyness or embarrassment.  They were my connections.

Noah placed his hands on the only physical areas that hurt.

I sighed in relief once more and leaned in closer to Drake, wrapping my arms around his middle.  I saw Noah reach around Drake and grab my shampoo.  I almost groaned in pleasure when he massaged my scalp with the shampoo.

“You have blood in your hair,” Noah explained as he gently worked it through my hair.

“It’s becoming an awful habit,” I tried to joke.

Noah groaned as Drake began to run his hands up and down my back. “Don’t quit your day job, Blake.  You really scared us this time,” he murmured with regret lacing his voice.  “We’re never leaving you alone again.”

I could still hear the muffled shouts of Will through the bathroom door.  “I was careless.” I sighed.  “I should have been paying attention, or taken the route on the property, but…”

“You were too worried about Remy, Jace, and Jaxson.” Noah reached around us to grab the conditioner.  “Troy and I have already told Jace and Jaxson that we need to air everything out…but…”

“Jaxson still misses his aunt and mom, even if they abandoned them,” Drake finished quietly.  “And Jace thinks he’s been coping with it correctly.”

I tried to shrug, “I understand why it’s hard to talk about our demons, but I wish they could talk to me about it, if or when they felt the need to.  I feel like my life is pretty much public knowledge, but not theirs.”

“That’s not necessarily true,” Noah hedged.

“Oh yeah,” I said slightly upset that it seemed like he was defending them.  “Who in your circle of friends doesn’t know Molly is Remy’s cousin?  Does anyone in your lives not know Jax and Jace’s mother and another significant female in their lives, are still alive?”  After a moment of silence, I continued.  “Just as I thought,” I said bitterly.  “The person that should probably know these things, doesn’t.”

“They will,” Noah sounded contrite, and then he said confidently as he ran his fingers through my hair with the conditioner, like a comb, “When they’re ready.”

I had to stifle the growl of frustration.  I counted to ten and then I nodded.  “I can accept that.”  I closed my eyes, feeling beyond tired. I couldn’t let my anger and hurt fester. “I just don’t want to always be in the dark.  I feel like you guys know pretty much everything about me,” I finished quietly. 

Noah finished washing my body with my loofah and body wash.  I was nearly sleeping on my feet by the time they were finished.

 

I woke up sometime later in my bed.  I felt like I was in a vice grip, before I realized it was Jaxson cuddled against my chest.  He was asleep, his long black lashes fanned across his cheeks.  I reached up and caressed his cheek.

He slowly blinked his eyes open.  A look of relief spread across his face.  “Hey beautiful,” he croaked huskily, his voice heavy with sleep. 

“Hey there,” I responded quietly.  “What time is it?” I asked looking around.  All the curtains were drawn, making it difficult to see what time of day it was. 

He lifted his arm and pushed the side of his watch, the green light briefly illuminated the face of the watch.  “1:22,” he stated as he dropped a kiss on my nose.  I could feel a tremor wrack his body.  “Please don’t ever scare me like that again.  When we got back here, you looked dead.”

“What happened?  I know Drake said he arrived there shortly before Rachel, Jemmy, and Gavin showed up, but how did Micah get there?  He was at the pumpkin patch.” I ran comforting hands along his back.

“I called Dad and told him to send Micah to the billboard,” Jax explained.  “Drake had the forcefield protecting you, and Gavin was tapping into your gift, but,” he cleared his throat.  His voice came out thick.  “He said it was really weak.  He felt like you were slipping away.  He thought you were dying.  He was able to keep them occupied until Micah brought you back here and we arrived there.”

I shuddered.  “I was running, I didn’t even see them.  I slipped on a patch of ice that came from nowhere.  I fell and hit my head, hard.  I couldn’t get my bearings.  I was unable to use my gifts.  They wanted to inject me with that damn drugged balls that those women had in them.  They didn’t need to, I was…helpless to stop them,” I felt tears on my cheek. “Those sadistic bastards decided to toy with me and electrocuted me, it felt like they poured ice through my veins, and had weeds nearly strangle me to death.  I thought I saw Drake before I passed out.”

He gently kissed my tears away and pulled me closer.  “Anyone of us could have acted like that.  There were five of them, and they took you by surprise, but they won’t be preying on anyone else ever again,” Jaxson said with a voice full of steel.

 

 

 

Chapter 24

 

“How much trouble am I in,” I asked Jaxson as I slid on a pair of jeans.

He was laying on my bed, his arms braced behind his head.  We had talked for a little while longer before I decided I needed to face the music and see how the children were doing.  I had wallowed in my own misery long enough.  It was a terrifying experience, and I knew it would continue to haunt me until I learned to cope with it, but I knew me.  I knew the longer I dwelled on my demons, the larger they got.  I needed to stay busy, keep my hands and mind busy.

Today was Halloween.  I should be down there carving pumpkins with them.  We planned to make pumpkin seeds.  We wanted to make ‘spooky’ treats with them.

Jaxson looked confused for a moment.  “Dad was upset that you went out there by yourself, especially with everything that’s going on, but he was furious with us.  I thought I lost the fear of my father, until today.  I swear he was this close,” he said as he held up his thumb and forefinger mere centimeters apart in illustration,  “…to spanking and grounding us.”

I couldn’t help but giggle, even if the situation had been grave.  “So, no spankings or grounding, for me.”

Jaxson sat up suddenly and slid to the side of my bed.  He bit his bottom lip, and I could see the desire enter his eyes.  “Why do you like spankings?”

I paused as I pulled a soft sweater over my head.  I cocked my head to the side in thought.  “I don’t know.  My dad was a huge believer of spare the rod, spoil the child.  However, I rarely needed them.  I wasn’t a bad kid.  Ornery?  Mischievous?  Yes.”  I answered him, knowing exactly what he had meant.

He mocked growled at me before lunging at me.  I squealed and tried to run from him.  He was faster and bigger.  “You know that’s not what I meant,” he gently nipped my ear.

I squealed again.  “I don’t know.  I’ve never thought about it.” I paused dramatically.  “Although, with the right guy, I can imagine it might…intrigue me.” I flirted with him.

“So, help me, Blake,” he growled in my ear.  “If I find out you allow one of them to spank you, before me, I…I…”

I pushed away from him gently and placed my hands on my hips.  I wanted to tease him, but I was slightly perturbed at the idea that they would share our most intimate moments.  “You’ll what?  Are you telling me that you guys act like a bunch of old woman in a knitting circle, swapping stories about me?”

He had the grace to blush and duck his head.  “No,” he held up his hands.  “Honestly,” he insisted.  “We never tell each other what goes on behind closed doors, but that doesn’t mean we don’t assume things.”

I wasn’t going to let him off the hook that easy.  “And you assumed I haven’t been spanked yet?”

“Well I—” He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before he closed his eyes, gathering his thoughts. “I don’t know.  I just.” He looked down at his feet before digging his hands in his front pockets.  “I just want to know what it’s like to be with you, completely.  Left to my imagination, I assume none of the other guys would want to rush you into stuff like that.”

I sighed and went to him, embracing him.  “We will be,” I promised.  “And I’ll even let you be the first to spank me,” I breathed in his ear as he lifted me up into his arms.

He squeezed me momentarily, and I knew he was reassured by my promise.

 

We came downstairs as the children, teens, and some of the adults were carrying their pumpkins out to the patio.  Drake was pulling a tray of pumpkin seeds out of the oven.  Jace and Troy were cleaning up the newspapers that littered the bar with pumpkin guts and chunks of pumpkin.  Noah was sweeping the floor of everything that hadn’t made it to the newspaper.

I watched the scene in front of me and gave a silent prayer of thanks.  I was lucky.  I could be dead right now.  I could be with Horatio right now.

Will looked over at me, where he had been picking some of the warm pumpkin seeds off the sheet pan.   Will gave me an assessing look as I entered the kitchen.  “I’m glad to see you’re okay, but I don’t want you ever out in public by yourself again, understand me?”

I saw the concern and relief in his eyes, and I almost teared up at his care for me.  In that moment I knew he saw me as one of his own.  I knew he would want to protect me and was treating me like he would any of his other children.  I nodded and hugged him.  I didn’t know who I surprised more, him or myself.  “I will never go anywhere by myself ever again,” I said with conviction.  “I learned my lesson.”

“Now,” I said as I turned around and saw everyone watching me.  My heart sank when I noticed Remy still wasn’t around.  “Who’s going to help me learn how to protect myself when I’m too hurt or frightened to?”

“What are you suggesting?” Troy asked warily before drawing me into a fierce hug.

“I’m suggesting I learn how to protect myself when I can’t use my powers,” I explained before returning his hug. 

“That’s what our martial arts classes are about,” Noah stated.

“No, she was taken by surprise, then put through pain,” Jaxson elaborated as he warily eyed the patio door, ensuring the younger children were still out there.  “She wasn’t able to use her gifts.  We need to find a way to recreate the experience in a controlled environment so she knows how to react next time.”

“Not that there will ever be a next time,” Jace stated emphatically before pulling me from Troy’s embrace and into his.  I thought I felt a tremor run through him, but chalked it up to my imagination.  Remy and Jace loved holding their cards to their chest, even if Jace had admitted to having deeper feelings for me last night. 

“We can never guarantee that,” Will said slowly.  “I like her way of thinking.  It’s time we bump the level of difficulty in our training.  We need to be prepared for anything.”

Troy nodded.  “I have some guys working for me that used to work for the navy seals, the Green Berets, spec ops, and other elite military groups.  I’ll bring some of them in and they can help me with ramping up our self-defense techniques.  I have a few in mind that I can interview.  They’re not gifted, but I have a feeling if they were to see someone accidentally use their gift, they wouldn’t blink an eye with what they’ve seen.”

“Why?” Jemmy wailed from the doorway.  “Just kidding,” she rushed over to me with tears in her eyes.  “I hate you, don’t ever scare me like that ever again,” she said fiercely. “We shouldn’t rely on our gifts all the time.”  She said maturely and so un-Jemmy like.  She pulled back and kissed me on both cheeks.

I turned and hugged Gavin and Micah.  “Thanks guys,” I whispered fiercely to them.

 

“Why do I let you talk me into this stuff?” I groaned half joking, half serious as I looked at myself in the mirror.

I was Wonder Woman. My red and gold heart-shaped bodice was in danger of allowing the girls to spill out at any moment.  The blue skirt barely covered my lady bits, so I insisted on wearing a pair of blue spanks under it, despite Jemmy and Rachel’s protest.   I slid on my red knee-high boots (since they haven’t been worn outside yet) and zipped the sides up.

“Because you look hot, chica,” Jemmy smiled sweetly as she threw me the gold forearm bands, the “W” gold belt, and the matching head band with red star in the middle of it.  “Don’t forget these,” she said in a high sing song voice. 

“Why couldn’t I be Cat Woman?” I eyeballed her outfit.  It was skin tight, but at least she was covered completely.   I didn’t think I could pull it off like she did, with her tall, lithe frame, but I would have tried.  She looked sexy and beautiful as she slid on her mask that covered the top half of her face.

“Because Gavin’s Batman,” Jemmy scoffed as if it made perfect sense.

“I thought we were keeping our costumes a secret,” I narrowed my eyes on her as I slid my headband on my straightened hair.

She grinned slyly before she lamented.  “Did you really think I would let him be a gladiator?  He wanted to be a gladiator.”

“He would have been a sexy gladiator,” Rachel said as she walked into the room.  “Have you seen how defined his muscles are getting with all these extra work outs?!”

Rachel was the perfect Harley Quin with her red and white vintage baseball tee that had “Daddy’s Lil Monster” plastered across it.  A shiny red and blue jacket accompanied it.  She had elected to wear the short spandex red and blue shorts over fish net stockings.  We had spent the late afternoon dying her hair to a platinum blond shade, and I had to admit it looked fabulous on her. We had sprayed temporary blue hair spray in one of her pony tails and reddish-pink in the other.

“Just remember he’s mine,” Jemmy joked good naturedly.  “All of his sexy, tall, ruggedness.”

Rachel groaned.  “You don’t have to remind me.  Can we make it our mission to find me a boyfriend?” she looked over at me mischievously.  “You have a boyfriend, and Blake has six.  I feel left out.”

I groaned as Jemmy hooted with laughter.  “That’s our mission tonight.”

“Really guys,” I said good naturedly rolling my eyes.  “You think it’s easy juggling six relationships.  It isn’t.”

Rachel frowned.  “Jemmy can you help me with my makeup.” Then she looked over at me with that crap eating grin again.  “I never said I wanted six men adoring me, protecting me, sexing me up, but I would settle with…four.”

I threw my brush at her retreating back.  “Laugh it up,” I grumbled at her as I applied my bright red lipstick.

Ella came bursting in my room, through the bathroom.  She stopped short as she appraised me.  “You look really pretty, Blake,” she smiled up at me.

“Thank you,” I smiled.  “Are you guys ready to get dressed so we can go trick or treating?”

“Yes,” she squealed happily before yelling through the bathroom.  “Nadia, they’re ready to get us dressed!”

The guys had volunteered to get the boys and themselves ready, while we got ourselves and the girls ready.  I could hear the boys hooting and hollering up and down the stairs.  It was no surprise that they were finished first.  We had to do our hair and makeup and that added at least an hour to our time.  They had even given us a head start and they still beat us. 

Oh well, I thought.  I was a fairly low maintenance girl.  I deserved a little extra time to get ready, every now and then.

After the boys yelled at us for the third time to hurry up, we decided to make our entrance.  We were going to light their jack-o-lanterns before we headed out to Nadia’s development. Jemmy, Gavin, Rachel, and Drake were heading to We 7.  While Troy, Jaxson, Jace, and Noah were accompanying me to take the kids trick or treating.  The party was starting at eight, so we would be late, but we were okay with that.

I walked down the steps and saw Gavin, Jace, Troy, Noah, and Jaxson dressed and waiting for us.  I looked at Jemmy in exasperation.  “Whatever happened to keeping it a secret?”

“Jemmy can’t keep secrets, you should know that by now,” Will laughed good-naturedly.   “That’s why I had her spy on the boys for me, when they were growing up.”

I smiled, imagining them as teenagers.  I could see the boys trying to hide their escapades and antics from Jemmy.  I could see her being the bratty little sister trailing after them and then telling on them.  

Every flippin’ one of the guys were dressed as a comic book character.   I had to admit they made damn good comic book characters.  They certainly didn’t need those costumes with the fake muscles built into them, that’s for sure.  It was no surprise that Troy was Captain America.   How befitting that the man that obsessed over war movies, chose the superhero that served in the military. 

Jaxson was dressed as Spiderman.  His face fell as he looked at Jemmy accusingly.  “You told me she was going as Mary Jane.”

  “And you believed me,” she pointed at him as she doubled over in laughter.  “Who wants to go as Mary Jane?”  

It was mean of Jemmy to lie to him, but I had to admit that it was hilarious.  Honestly, if he had remembered their love/ hate relationship, he should have realized she was setting him up.

“She told me Blake was going as Harley Quin,” Noah said dryly in his Joker costume.

That had everyone laughing once again as Noah ran a hand through his green hair.  Rachel strutted up to him in her outrageously high heels and circled around him.  “I guess you’re stuck with me tonight, unless,” she grinned wickedly.  “I find my four or six connections.”

“You need more than one man to handle you so they can give each other breaks,” Noah joked good naturedly. 

Rachel sighed dramatically.  “Oh Noah, we all know if Blake weren’t around, you would be chasing me.”

“You know it,” he joked with a wink at me.

“You look beautiful, sweet heart,” Jace kissed me on the top of my head.  He was dressed as Flash.  I knew instinctively he wouldn’t have asked Jemmy what I was in hopes of being my ‘pair,’ but that didn’t bother me.  If all six of them constantly tried to please me and be yes men, I would get bored. To tears.

“Thank you,” I murmured, feeling slightly self-conscious in my miniscule outfit.

“The lanterns are lit,” Drake said triumphantly as he came into the room.  He stopped short when he saw me.  A slow smile spreading across his face.  He was dressed as Superman. I was surprised to see him without his glasses, outside of the pool or shower. 

“You told him?!” Jaxson said accusingly.

“Wrong,” Drake smiled.  “She casually dropped the comment that Blake was going as Rogue, hoping I would go as Gambit.  She forgot two things.  One, I know her tells.  Two, sometimes I know her better than she knows herself.  She saw the opportunity to mess with us, and you guys fell for it.”

I couldn’t help but giggle at Jemmy’s crestfallen expression.

 

Nadia’s neighborhood was a large affluent one.  The children and teens were excited, to say the least, when their bags were nearly full towards the of end trick or treating.  I let them pick a few pieces, after inspecting them, to put in their overnight bags.  There was no way I trusted them enough to limit the amount of sugar they would consume. The rest of the bags were coming with us.

We hugged and kissed them, telling them we would see them by tomorrow afternoon.  They bounded towards Steven, Beth, and Cora’s house, with barely a backwards glance.   I felt my heart warm as I watched them laughing and talking up the driveway.  Micah, Ella, and Alex had never experienced trick or treating as they had tonight.

Trick or treating for Ella, in the past, had consisted of used or homemade costumes.  We would walk or catch the bus to the nearest neighborhood.  Half of the houses wouldn’t pass out candy, so that left us with half a pumpkin, if that, of candy.  Ella was happy with whatever she got, but I had always wished for more. 

I could remember Dad taking me to huge neighborhoods like this growing up.  He had let me pick out whatever costume I wanted, and I always walked away like a bandit.   I had tried to recreate that experience for Ella on numerous occasions in vein.   I just didn’t have the means or way to do it. 

From Micah and Alex’s behavior, their experience couldn’t have been that good as well.  My brothers didn’t like to talk about their past, too much.  Micah regaled us with stories about his veteran buddies, but he never talked about much else.  Will had suggested therapy for them, but my memories of the therapy I was forced to go through left a bad taste in my mouth.  I didn’t see how beneficial it could be for them.  

“Well, I feel loved,” I joked when the door closed behind them. 

“I’ll show you plenty of love, if you take your coat off.” Troy jokingly leered at me, wagging his eyebrows.

“Shut it!” I joked rolling my eyes. “So, what you’re telling me is your love is conditional to the amount, or should I say the lack of, clothing I wear?”

It was cold outside, and no matter how many times Noah, Troy, and Jaxson suggested it, there was no way I was traipsing around a neighborhood full of kids in my miniscule outfit.  I would shed my coat in the warmth of the restaurant around people my own age range. 

“That’s not what I’m saying at all,” Troy nearly tackled me from behind unexpectedly.  I could feel myself falling, and a moment of pure unadulterated panic gripped me.  I had a flash back of my earlier incident and froze.

“Easy, Blake,” Jace said soothingly as he grabbed my hand and squeezed it reassuringly.  I could feel his warmth engulf me, so I knew he had used his gift on me, but I couldn’t be upset at him. 

“Sorry, Blake,” Troy muttered as he hugged me close.

I feigned a smile.  “It’s fine.  I’m okay,” I tried to lie, knowing they weren’t buying it.  I was terrified earlier.  I knew in time I would cope with it better. 

Troy slid into the very back of the vehicle and pulled me with him.  He pulled me in close, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.  “I’m sorry, Blake,” his voice was hoarse as he talked softly to me.  “I should have gone with you.  I knew you were upset.  They wouldn’t have gotten the jump on you if I had been there.”

“You don’t know that,” I tried to reassure him.  “I didn’t have to take that route.  I could have stayed on the property.”

He shook his head.  “I’ve been trained, Blake; I would have seen them,” Troy said confidently.  “We would have seen them before they even tried to attack us.  We could have handled them on our own.”

I linked my hands with his and leaned my head on his broad shoulders.  “It’s all water under the bridge.  I’m alive.  I’ll get over it.”

He sighed deeply in frustration.  “I’ve never been more frightened in my life, seeing you like that,” he whispered hoarsely.

I didn’t know what to say, so I just leaned on him and stroked his arm.

 

We η 7 was located on the outskirts of a town that once housed industrial plants.  Remy had a good business head on him and saw the potential and growth trend of the area, so he purchased two properties within a reasonable walking distance of each other.  He had re-zoned the smaller of the two warehouses into residential.  He had gutted and fixed up the larger of the two for his restaurant and renovated it, while keeping the charm of a warehouse. 

The property he had zoned for residential was the place he had renovated into his home.  The ground level of his warehouse home was where he kept his gym, a bathroom, bedroom, and where he parked his vehicles.  The upper levels held enough bedrooms for each member of the family with room to spare.  He had put his bedroom and bathroom on the roof of the building.  The roof also had a hot tub and gardens.

When we pulled up onto the street, it was clear that Jemmy and Rachel had clearly gone overboard.  Vehicles were parked along the street, and the parking lots were completely full.  Jace pulled up near one of the entrances.

“Somehow, I don’t think Remy anticipated this kind of Halloween party,” Jace said dryly.  “I’ll park the truck at Remy’s and walk over.  You guys can head on in now.”

“I told her she needed to cool it,” Jaxson said with little conviction.  It was clear that he was excited to get inside.

“I’m sure you did.” Noah ribbed him as he held his hand out to help me out of the vehicle. 

I threw my coat in the vehicle before Jace drove off—I didn’t want to forget it anywhere or carry it around.  We walked up to the door and I could hear the music pouring out.  We packed turnouts like this when I had been performing in the band.  It had helped the restaurant in sales, and we had gained a name for ourselves.  People from all over came to watch us sing and perform. 

There was a guy I didn’t recognize manning the door.  “Five dollars,” he said cheerfully.

“I don’t think so, buddy,” Troy stated with an easy smile.  “This is our party.”

The guy looked skeptically down at his clipboard.  “Troy, Jace, Jaxson, Noah, and Misty?”

I snorted knowing Jemmy had told him my name was Misty.  “That’s us.  Flash is right behind us.”

The guy gave me an appreciative look.  “You’re probably the third Wonder Woman I saw tonight, but you,” he eyed me up and down.  “Fill out the costume the best,” he smiled at me with a wink.

“Look away, my man,” Jaxson said with an easy smile, but steel was in his voice.  “She’s taken.”

He quickly held up his hands, clip board and all.  “No sweat, dude.  Didn’t hurt to try.”

I was ushered inside ahead of the guys and was momentarily taken aback at the transformation inside.  There were wall to wall people.  I could see several people eating at tables, getting food, and dancing on the makeshift dance floor.

 Ben, Taylor, Rick, and Mike were currently playing some upbeat music on the makeshift stage.  Remy had built a stage for us originally, but I guess without me influencing his decisions this time around, he hadn’t.

I grabbed the closest hand to me.  On stage I didn’t have any issues with the amount of people around me, but among them I had anxiety issues.

Noah squeezed my hand reassuringly.  “It looks like Jemmy has a VIP area near the stage.  We can head there, there aren’t as many people.”

“I’ll go get us some food,” Jaxson stated.  At the mention of food my stomach growled.  I hadn’t eaten much food today.

“Sounds good,” Troy gave Jaxson a fist pump before he took the spot on the other side of me and started maneuvering us through the crowd. 

I tried to keep close to them, letting them buffer me between the crowd.  It took us a few minutes to make our way across the room to the VIP section.  It was in the corner near one of the bars and roped off.  Jemmy, Gavin, Rachel, Terrance, Michael, Sam, Dawn, and Marcel were sitting, eating, drinking, and talking in the large corner booth.  There was still room for us to squeeze in the booth and drag additional chairs up to the table.

“Woah, Blake,” Terrance said in a flirtatious tone as he winked at the boys. 

The team had become like family, and he was well aware of my connections, but I also knew that wouldn’t stop him from pushing their buttons. 

“Thanks,” I blushed, glad for the low lighting in the restaurant.

“You look fabulous girl!” Dawn exclaimed.

“Thanks,” I muttered with a smile.

“I heard you had an altercation and botched kidnapping attempt today,” Michael said as he leaned forward with concern.  “Are you okay?”

I gave him a feigned smile and nodded as the others groaned at his lack of tact.  “Fine.”  I said as I glared at Jemmy.

“It wasn’t me.” She held up her hands. 

“Will told us,” Terrance explained gently.  “We have a team meeting on Monday, after the o-course, with the other teams.  He has apprised us of the new situation regarding your…brother and Horatio.”

We had a ‘friendly’ competition on Monday, involving all the active Knights.  We canceled our normal morning run in lieu of the race.  It also gave us a little extra time to sleep in.  It was scheduled after school began.

“Am I permitted to come?” I asked with interest.  I didn’t want to be out of the loop.  My hatred for Horatio had grown since this morning.  I wanted to hit him where it hurt, more now than ever. 

Terrance nodded.  “All the teams will be there.  Jemmy, Jaxson, Rachel, Gavin, and Noah will be excused from all their classes for the complete day, not just the morning.”

“Why didn’t I hear about this?” Jemmy asked affronted.  This afternoon, we had already had a family meeting, minus Remy, to let them know about the new development.

“Because Pops wanted you to study for the test you’re supposed to be taking,” Noah said with a snort of laughter.

Jemmy rolled her eyes.  “It’s not the first time I had to take a make-up test,” she said petulantly. 

“Enough shop talk,” Rachel insisted as she handed me a drink.  Her eyes were glazed over, her cheeks red, and she looked more perky than normal.

My eyes narrowed as I took a sip of it.  She winked at me and held a finger up to her lips, in the universal ‘be quiet’ gesture.  The drink wasn’t unpleasant, in fact it was tasty.  I could taste something sour; orange juice and another taste I wasn’t familiar with.  I eyed my glass for a moment before I shrugged and took another large sip.  I knew it contained alcohol, but I didn’t care.  After the day I had,  I needed it.

I had never been a big drinker.  In fact, after growing up near Heidi and her boyfriends, I had shunned it.  It wasn’t until I felt I could drink in a controlled environment around people I felt safe with, did I ever allow myself to slightly overindulge in it.  Plus, Will was raised in an Italian family.  It was common for the children in his family to have a glass of wine with dinner.  Although he hadn’t allowed his own children and the children partake in it.  He had allowed Jemmy, Jaxson, Rachel, and I to drink the occasional glass with dinner.

Jaxson and Jace came back with our food, and I found myself caught up in the current conversation.  Rachel and Jemmy continued to fill my glass and I let them.  Especially after I spied Remy above us on the catwalk. He wasn’t alone.

Remy had kept, but refaced and renovated, the old foreman’s office located in the corner of the restaurant.  You had to climb a set of metal stairs to get it.  He had also kept the original catwalk that circled and intersected the outside perimeter of the whole restaurant.  He found it convenient to walk along it and watch from above to make sure his employees were being productive.

I saw Remy had gotten the memo about our costumes because he was dressed as Thor.  Scoot over, Chris Hemsworth, because you have nothing on Remington Murphy, I thought as I looked up at him.  He still seemed to be in his aloof mood, but that hadn’t stopped two of the Knight females I was vaguely familiar with from following him to the upper level.  He didn’t seem to be entertaining them much as he leaned on the railing watching the party with an unfathomable look.   They continued to fawn all over him and kept whispering stuff in his ears.  I was seeing red.

“Let’s dance,” Troy stated as he saw me glance up at the catwalk for the hundredth time. 

I normally reserved all my dancing to the bedroom while I was alone with my music turned up, but I was feeling good enough to shed all my natural inhibitions.  I took his proffered hand and let him lead me to the dance floor.  I let the music sweep me away and danced with wild abandon, not caring who was watching.

Jemmy and Rachel joined us on the dance floor, and soon we were all laughing and having a fun time.  I needed this more than ever.  The last few weeks had been harrowing.  Today had been terrifying.  I needed to forget, even if it was temporary.

Jaxson and Noah were the next ones to join us and I allowed Noah to maneuver me around the floor in seductive, suggestive dances.  He growled in my ear at one time.  “You have no clue how sexy you are and how much I want to take you, right here and right now.”

I gave him a sultry smile as Jemmy and Rachel grabbed both of my hands and led me to the bar.  “Bathroom and drink time,” Jemmy pushed the boys away, before dragging me to the bathroom.

I hadn’t realized how full my bladder was until we got to the bathroom.  I started to do a pee pee dance as we waited in line for one of the six stalls.

“There’s no line for the guys bathroom,” Rachel giggled pragmatically as she grabbed our hands and led us back down to the hallway to the men’s bathroom.

“There may be men in there,” I hissed.  Even in my buzzing state, I knew we shouldn’t be going in there.             

Jemmy stepped forward with a purpose and charged into the bathroom.  It wasn’t long before two guys came out of the bathroom laughing and zipping up their pants. 

“Hey there, Wonder Woman,” one of the men leaned in towards me. “Wanna take me to heights I’ve never been to?” he asked suggestively. 

“I’ll be your Daddy, Lil monster,” the other guy leaned towards Rachel with a suggestive wink.

I held up a hand with a smile.  “Sorry boys, nature calls,” I stated emphatically as I took Rachels hand and dragged her in with me. Then I poked my head back out the door.  “I’ll find out if she’s interested, Daddy,” I said to the cute Asian guy that had been hitting on Rachel.  “Sorry, Luke Skywalker.” I feigned a frown.  “But I already have my super men,” I giggled as I saw Drake heading our way.

“Blake,” he groaned.  “What are you doing?”

I looked up at him, then the bathroom logo.  “Using the bathroom,” I said in a tone, like it should have been obvious.

He sighed but gently pushed me into the bathroom.  Jemmy was just coming out of one of the stalls as Rachel ducked into another.  “I should have known you would have been behind this.”

Jemmy gave him a huge grin.  “I don’t know why you assumed it was my idea.”

I slipped into her vacated stall, not even caring that I was about to relieve my bladder several feet away from Drake—or any guy.  I giggled.  There was a first time for everything.

“It was me,” Rachel called out gleefully.  “Blake did you tell the Asian hottie to wait for me.”

“I did,” I called back. 

“Give us a minute,” I heard Drake tell someone sharply when the door opened.

I came out of the bathroom and washed my hands.  Jemmy and Rachel were waiting for me.  As I washed my hands, I couldn’t help but notice Drake’s eyes once more.  He made glasses look sexy, but without them his eyes were so much more startling.

I advanced towards him and pulled his face down to mine.  “You have such beautiful eyes.  Where are your glasses?”

He blushed.  “I put on my contacts.  I’m superman.  Only Clark Kent wore glasses.”

“Hmm,” I hummed as I stood on my tip toes to take his lips with mine.

He froze for a moment before responding.  When he kissed me, any residual shyness was gone.  He was sure of himself.  I found myself getting lost in his kiss.  We hadn’t kissed since I had returned, and I was reminded what a great kisser he was. 

“Ugh, get a room,” Jemmy yelled.

“Hush,” Rachel admonished her.  “It’s kind of a turn on.”

Drake blushed before brushing his lips with mine once more.  “You’ve been drinking,” he softly accused me.

“I needed it,” I said petulantly. 

“Come on,” he sighed.  “Let’s get you back out there.” He gave me a small smile.

When we got out of the bathroom, I noticed there was no music on, and Ben, Rick, Mike, and

“Blake,” Drake groaned as if he was dealing with a naughty two-year-old. 

I smiled and waved at him. 

“Woo hoo!   Blake,” Jemmy and Rachel yelled in unison.

I smile out at everyone and stood behind the keyboard.  “Hello everyone,” I called out to the crowd.  Their hum of conversation didn’t die as I began to speak.  “My name is Blake, AKA Misty, and I want to sing you a little song, well not you.  This song is to my Lost Boys,” I giggled as I adjusted the mike.

“Hey.” Taylor came running towards the stage.  “That’s my keyboard, dude.”

Jemmy and Rachel held onto his arms.  “Let her use it,” they begged him.

Taylor looked at Drake who shrugged.  “She won’t hurt it.”

I smiled at them before turning back to the keyboard and began to play the opening to Lost Boy by Ruth B.  I looked at the corner where Jace, Jaxson, and Troy were sitting, and winked at them.  I smiled over at Drake, and finally, I looked up to the catwalk and blew a kiss up to Remy who was he was still brooding.  I opened my mouth and poured my soul into the song. 

This song was almost the perfect representation of us.  I had been lonely.  I didn’t have any companionships from people around my age.  I had Ella, but there wasn’t much you could burden a seven-year-old with.  It was my job to protect her from it.  Oftentimes I struggled on my own.

Before I met Jace, I had no place to call home. I couldn’t call that trailer a home.  It was just the place I stayed at until I got my ticket to freedom. In most homes, you looked forward to going to it at the end of the day.  Not the trailer—that place had always filled me with dread.  I never knew what I was walking into.

Jace was like my Peter Pan.  He whisked me away to a place where I could run free.  He brought me to my very own lost boys.  Since I met Remy, Troy, Noah, Drake, and Jaxson, I was never alone anymore.

I finally had a family.  It wasn’t the most conventional family, but it was mine.  They took care of me.  They didn’t hesitate to take care of my siblings either. This was our story.  It had its ups and downs, but it was ours. 

 

When I finished the last notes, I opened my eyes, not realizing I had closed them.  The clapping, cheers, and whistles warmed my soul.  I missed this adrenaline rush.

Ben came rushing up the steps.  “That was amazing, do you know any other songs?”

I smirked at him.  “Let’s play Broken by Seether and Amy Lee.”

Ben smiled.  “Sweet, I know that song.”

I had to refrain from giggling and telling him that I was well aware of that fact.

 

Chapter 25

 

I sang a few songs with the band, swapped numbers with Ben, and finally decided to join my people again. Jemmy and Rachel kept giving me drinks, and the natural high of performing again had me oblivious to the crush of bodies that was surrounding me.  I looked up at the catwalk and noticed that two other girls that were on other Knights teams had joined Remy.

I decided I had enough.  I marched my way over to the steps.  I had enough of his crap!  As I got to the steps he turned around and looked at me, with hooded eyes.

“Leave,” I told the girls.

“Blake.” One of the older girls, dressed as a ‘sexy’ nurse, had the audacity to speak to me in a slightly condescending tone.  “What’s wrong, sweetie? We’re just up here keeping Remy company.”

“Which one of these girls are you hooking up with?”  I demanded of him, looking over the other older girls.  One was dressed as a devil, one a witch, and ironically, the last was another Wonder Woman.

Devil girl grabbed me by the arm.  “Blake, you’ve been drinking.  You’re young.  You can’t possibly understand what it takes to keep a man like Remy…satisfied.”  She smiled suggestively to Remy.

“None of them,” Remy finally said.  “I’m not sleeping or hooking up with any of them.”

“Not anymore.” The witch pouted.

“Leave,” I turned to all four of them, my fist clenched.  “I’m not sure if you are aware of this or not, but I am his connection and you…girls…” I curled up my lip in distaste. “…are no longer needed.”

“But, you can’t poss—" Wonder Woman began.

“I said leave,” I said between clenched teeth.  I didn’t know if I had compelled them, or if they just saw the fury I was about to unleash if they didn’t leave.

When I ensured they left, I grabbed Remy’s hand and dragged him into his office, slamming the door behind us.  “What the hell is your problem?” I asked him in anger. Those girls knew how to crawl under my skin.  They knew how to hit below the belt. 

I didn’t know when or if I would ever feel like I was enough for my guys.  I didn’t know if at one point in the future they would decide that they were tired of sharing or waiting on me and leave me.  Jace and Jaxson’s mother had left not only Will, but them as well. 

“Why did you leave last night without telling me?  Why have you shut us all out today, but you’re okay with hanging out with all your exes?  I refuse to compete with them.  I won’t compete with them.  Either shit or get off the pot,” I yelled at him. 

He looked at me with a raised eyebrow, crossing his arms across his broad chest.  “You shouldn’t let those girls get to you.  They never meant anything to me.  I work with them.  They were a means to an end.  They knew where they stood.”

“Yet instead of spending any time with me tonight, you spent all night up here with them,” I accused him with narrowed eyes.

“Blake.” He sighed.  An enigmatic look crossed his eyes.  “You can’t take it personally.  When I get to a certain…place, I need to get away and just be, so I don’t hurt anyone.  You especially.”

I could feel the tears enter my eyes.  I angrily wiped them away.  “You hurt me last night, you hurt me this morning, you hurt me in the past.  You would disappear for days at a time, and I didn’t know who you were hooking up with then.  It made me feel worthless, like I wasn’t good enough to satisfy you.”

He growled deep in his throat, before he advanced towards me. His height and size should have frightened me, but they didn’t.  He picked me up and slammed me against the wall.   “There were never any other girls when I left, now or then,” he said roughly. “I just didn’t trust myself not to physically hurt you.  In the past, I used girls to get rid of my anger and excess energies from my gift.  I don’t know if you noticed or not, but I’m not a small guy and you’re tiny, I could tear you apart in that state of mind.”

“Then why did the guys hint at the string of girls in and out of your bed?” I glared at him as I wrapped my legs around his waist.

“Because that was my life before you,” he said between clenched teeth.  “I knew the girls that liked it rough, that liked me pounding in them, that could take me, all of me.  I swear to you that there has been no other girl since I’ve met you.  Now or then.”

A little of my anger was fading as I saw the sincerity in his eyes.  “Then how are you…coping?”  I was mortified to realize his words had turned me on.  That the thought of him being rough with me, could make me want him.

“With a lot of cold showers and lotion,” he muttered in a peeved voice.  “Now run along.  You shouldn’t be around me right now.  Especially after watching you move those hips on the dance floor, wearing that costume, and singing your soul out on stage, mesmerizing people with your siren’s song.  I’ll be home in the morning,”  he said in a slightly defeated voice. 

“No.” I felt my anger rising once more when he went to put me down.  I wrapped my legs tighter around him now.  “I’m not going to let you continually push me.  I know you have demons.  We all do, but I’m not letting you run from them anymore.  If you need to get lost in anyone,  you should be getting lost with me.”

He ground his hips against me, so I could feel his large arousal.  “Blake,” he tried to say in a calm voice.  “You have no clue what you’re asking.  You are young and tiny.  I’ll break you.”

“Then break me,” I muttered as I grabbed his manhood in my hand.

He growled once more. “Knock it off, Blake. I don’t want hurt you.”

“You won’t hurt me,” I said as I reached up to take his mouth with mine, cupping his jaw with one hand and stroking his manhood with the other. 

“Blake,” he snarled.  “Remember, you asked for this.” I could see the slightly wild look in his eyes, but his inner beast still didn’t scare me.  I could feel him fumbling with his pants with one hand as he cupped my rear with the other. 

I heard the tearing of my spanks before he was there.  I almost cried out in pain as he drove into me.  He sucked in a deep breath as if cold water was doused on him.

“Shit, Blake, I’m sorry, dammit,” he muttered as he stilled.

I don’t know how long he stood there, but finally I felt the pain recede and I moved my hips against him. 

“We should stop,” he quietly said and tried to pull away from me once more, tried to lift me off him.

“No,” I begged him as I slowly sank down on him further.  My eyes widened when I realized he hadn’t even entered me all the way.  “Be with me,” I begged him.

He kissed my lips with a pent-up passion he had never shown me.  I could feel myself responding to him and my desire elevated.  I rocked against him once more.  Taking more of him.  I waited for my body to adjust to him.

“Shit, Blake,” he hissed.  “You’re so damn tight.”

“Be with me,” I repeated to him, when I knew he was completely in me.

He growled low in his throat before he drove up into me.  I gripped his shoulders trying to hold onto him.  He was like an unleashed beast as he continued to push in and out of me. 

“I can’t last much longer,” he said in a pained voice. 

I continued to rock against him, feeling my own tension build in me.  He roared above me as I frantically moved against him, finding my own release.  I screamed in abandon, knowing someone would have to be standing directly outside of the door to hear me.  The music downstairs drowned out my cries.

I was physically trembling at my release.  My hands and feet numb.

He took a few steps back and stumbled to the couch in his office.  He began to fervently kiss me all over my face.  “I’m so sorry, Blake.  I was too rough.”

“No, you weren’t,” I insisted.  “Plus, I asked for it.” I tried to joke.

He groaned.  “I’m a monster and you should stay away from me.”  When I looked at the bleakness in his eyes, I could see that he truly believed that.

I sat back and took his face in my hands kissing him with all my pent-up emotions.  I didn’t know the right words to say to him, but I wanted to show him that he was mine, demons, monsters, and all.

 

When I woke up the next morning I was in Remy’s bed.  We had walked back here before the party had even ended and explored each other all night.  His room was the only room that was completely furnished.  I stretched and noticed the pain and soreness I felt, but I didn’t mind.  I rolled over and didn’t find him beside me any longer.  I sat up with the blanket clutched to my chest.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out I wasn’t hung over or feeling any residual side effects from drinking last night.  Remy had plied me with plenty of water and some Tylenol before we finally fell asleep.

I looked around and wondered where he had gone.  His room was by far my most favorite room.  It was made up of mostly glass, the sheer white curtains revealed the city’s landscape beyond.  Up here it felt like I was the only person in the world.

Remy opened the French doors as he walked back in the room.  He was dressed casually in a pair of jeans and white t-shirt.  He had two coffees in his hands, and I could see the tension was back in his face and body.  He took my duffel bag and put it at the foot of the bed.  He sat down heavily on the edge of the bed, handing me my coffee. 

“Why didn’t you tell me about yesterday morning?” he asked with his eyebrows knitted.  His blue-grey eyes pinning me with his intense stare.

I frowned and shrugged.  “I thought you knew.  I texted you yesterday and you never responded.”

He sighed and rubbed his face wearily. “Get dressed.  We’re leaving in 15 minutes.” He said before getting up and leaving the room. 

I growled in frustration.  After last night, I thought we had taken steps forward, now I felt like we had taken gigantic steps back.  We were further then where we started.  Part of me wanted to refuse, but the other part of me knew this was important. 

I got up and padded naked to his ensuite bathroom. I turned on the shower, and then turned back to pin my hair up.  Some of the waves had returned, but they were still manageable.  I didn’t want to wash it if I didn’t have to.  I took a quick shower, using his soap, before I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and put on a light coating of makeup.

I went back out to his room.  I pulled out my skinny jeans, white V-neck fitted tee, and light weight black leather jacket.  I picked up my black ankle boots.  He had adopted the same habit of no shoes in the house. 

I left his room and saw him immediately.  He was beautiful to look at.  He was built like a mountain and just as majestic.  He was leaning against the half wall surrounding the roof.  He was looking off into the distance with his coffee braced in his hands.

I slid up behind him and hugged him.  I felt him stiffen for a moment before he turned and lifted me onto the wall.  He placed a long lingering kiss on my lips before he took my hand and led me down to the service elevator that didn’t go through the house but went straight down to the garage.

We didn’t talk.  I didn’t ask him where we were going or why.  I knew right now wasn’t the time for words.  I could see his inner struggle as we walked into the garage.  He walked over to a black bike I had never seen before.  He handed me a helmet, slid on his own leather jacket and his matching helmet. 

I couldn’t have worn a better outfit if I had planned it.  It was a totally inane thought, but I was feeling baffled and confused at the moment.

He slid on the bike and held out a hand for me to slide on behind him.  I put my feet on the pegs and grasped his middle.  He started the bike and the low rumble filled the garage, before he hit the remote that would open the far bay.

I was enthralled by the sights as we drove through the city.  After being on it for about ten minutes, I knew I had to have him teach me.  I wanted a bike.  Like yesterday.  It was exhilarating, exciting, and I felt so free on it as he continued to increase his speed.  We hopped off onto the exit leading to the highway and he increased his speed once more. 

I wondered how I could get my license and buy a bike.  I didn’t have either, but I was determined for both.   Will had gotten me a Jeep Wrangler, and Remy had planned to teach me how to drive, the last time I turned 18, but then Horatio screwed up my life.

I hadn’t bothered going to driver’s education in school.  I knew it required a parent or guardian to ride with you a certain number of hours, before they would even issue you a license.  Heidi never had a reliable vehicle.  They were constantly breaking down or getting towed away, when she parked them in restricted areas.  That normally occurred when she had been drinking or high. 

I knew if I had purchased a beater, she would have taken it or sold it.  She would have never driven around with me.  I didn’t think it was worth the aggravation or headache, so I had walked or taken the bus.  Bus fares were low and affordable on my waitressing tips.       

Maybe after I turned 21 and received my inheritance from my father’s death, I could buy a bike with it.  I would have to make sure I set some of it, if not most of it, away for the kids.  I knew Will would always take care of us, but having a rainy-day fund would make me feel better.

I had been so lost in my musings, I hadn’t noticed we had hopped back off the interstate and headed to a picturesque little town.  We got off onto a side road and headed towards a cemetery.  I was confused when he finally stopped the bike and helped me off.  He took my hand and placed our helmets on the bike.  I wanted to gush about the thrill I had just felt.  I wanted to ask him to teach me how to ride, but I knew now was not the time or place.

He led me towards a little angel head stone.  A plaque beneath it read Anna Mae Pierce.  I read the date of birth and the date of death and gasped.  She had only been six years old when she died, and the anniversary of her death had been yesterday.

“Anna was my baby sister,” Remy finally spoke.  His voice was scratchy from his prolonged silence.  He sat down in front of her tombstone and brought his knees up to his chest, bracing his arms across them.  “I never knew my dad.  My mother was a lot like your step mother.  She loved to drink and do drugs.  We lived in a rundown, hovel of a trailer park.   Molly, my cousin, lived right next door.

  “My mom met my step dad when I was nine.  She got pregnant shortly thereafter.  He hated me.  He beat me for shits and giggles.  Especially when he drank, and he drank a lot.  Molly moved in with us when she was ten, I was thirteen.  Her dad and mom were in jail again, and the state placed her with her only living relative. 

“Together, we pretty much raised Anna.  She was—" He cleared his throat, and I knew he was trying not to get emotional.  I sat down beside him and started to run my nails across his back, trying to sooth him.  “She was such an angel.  She was such a good baby and little girl.  At thirteen, I knew I had to get us out of there. 

“I started picking up odd jobs here and there.  I was always a tall kid and looked older.  There were plenty of places that would hire me and pay me under the table. I hadn’t realized until nearly a year later that the sick bastard had been molesting Molly, but by then it was too late.  One of her teachers saw what I couldn’t.  She called the cops.  The state placed her with a nice family in the gifted community. We hadn’t realized at the time how befitting it was.  Since Molly hadn’t gotten her gifts until she was thirteen.   

“They put him in jail for one year, because there was no physical evidence.  He never left any physical evidence.  My mom denied all of Molly’s accusations.  She gave him an alibi.  The day he got out of jail, my mom was supposed to take Anna trick or treating.  I was working.  She never told me he was getting released that day, that she was going to get him and bring him home. 

“When I got home.  I couldn’t find Anna.  I looked all over.  My mom and my step dad were passed out on the couch.  I finally called the cops and…” He paused, putting a fist to his mouth and tried to control his emotions once again.   “Anna decided to go trick or treating by herself.  She was with a group of friends.  She wanted to be a black bat that year.  When I bought her costume, I didn’t think about broken street lights and visibility.  They were out past the time they should have been.  She was running across a busy street and didn’t look both ways.  She was hit by a car.  She died instantaneously.”  He paused once more, and I hugged him from behind.

“At first, I had to deal with the pain of losing her, for blaming myself.  I should have requested the night off.  I shouldn’t have bought her that costume.  I should have known better,” he continued. “Then we got to see the police records.  The other man was an influential, successful businessman, he truly wasn’t at fault.  There was no way he could have seen my sister.  My step dad and mom tried to sue him for their pain and suffering, and they went after the state, too, for not maintaining the broken street lights in that part of town.

“And they won.  The day they won, they were celebrating and bragging about everything they could get.  I confronted them.  I told them I was going to the police and telling them that they neglected their daughter, that they didn’t even know where she had been.   My step dad came after me, but I was bigger now.  I knew I was stronger.  I felt this surge every now and then.  My fear and anger must have triggered my gift.

“I picked my step dad up and threw him through the window.  I went outside and started beating on him.  It took ten men to pull me off him.  The lawyer had my charges dropped after I told her why I had gone in a rage.  I showed her my scars on my back from his past beatings.

“He lived, but he’s living in a wheel chair.  My mom chose him over me.  She gave me up to the state.

“Will read about a 135 pound, 15-year-old boy who threw a 240 pound man through a window, nearly killing him.   I sat in front of Judge Myers that morning and was given a not-guilty verdict, and by that afternoon he had placed me in the care of Pops.”   

“I’m so sorry, Remy,” I was sobbing by the end of the story.  “I know that sorry doesn’t help or bring her back, though.”

He turned and embraced me, and I could feel his shoulders shaking.  We sat there in that cemetery for a long time.  Drawing from each other.  Seeking the comfort, we longed for.

 

“Sometimes I feel that same monster rising within me, and I’m afraid I might lose control,” Remy said as we sat together on an outside patio of a quaint little diner in town.

We were hungry, so we stopped to get some brunch.   It was a surprisingly mild day, so we elected to eat outside.  I ordered a sausage, spinach, and feta omelet, while Remy ordered pancakes, over-easy eggs, bacon, sausage, home fries, and rye toast. 

I took a sip of my coffee.  “We all have a monster within in us,” I said resolutely.  “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“But my monster can hurt people,” Remy stated dryly. 

I rolled my eyes.  “So, can mine.  You were just trying to exact justice.”

He snorted at me. 

He was silent for a little while, before he said pensively.  “I hate the fact that you were taken from us, but I’m glad that bastard didn’t have the opportunity to try and rape you again, or that other girl.  I felt nothing but satisfaction when I got the chance to kill him the second time, but now none of that happened, so he’s still out there.”

I paused with the fork next to my mouth.  I had begun to realize the guys had started getting their memories back.  They would drop tidbits of information like this all the time.  My stomach cramped up.  “I never thought about that.  I wonder if Will could find him for us.  He needs to be taken off the streets before he can harm anyone else.” I pushed my plate away, losing my appetite.

Remy cursed under his breath.  “I’m sorry, Blake.  I didn’t mean to bring up any bad memories.”  He picked me up and placed me on his lap.  “The first time I disappeared, I couldn’t handle my anger seeing the way you had lived. You reminded me too much of me, of Molly.  I had to get away.  I had become good at hiding my feelings, repressing memories, but they were all coming back.  The second time I disappeared, it was around the anniversary of her death.  I have never disappeared to be with anyone else, since Drake confirmed our connection the first time.

  “Molly showed up the other night, and she wanted to know if I wanted to go visit Anna with her.  After she was buried, I refused to visit her grave.  I purchased the angel for her about four years after she died.  My mom and her dad never bothered to get her a headstone, but I still didn’t want to visit her.

“In my mind, she isn’t there.  Her body is, but her soul has moved on.  She’s happy now.  Molly tries to get me to go with her every year, but I can’t.  I don’t want to see her grieving.  I don’t want to remember that Anna was taken too soon. 

“I know I don’t handle emotions well.  I know I’m known for shutting people out.   I need time to myself to lick my wounds and come back when I feel mentally capable.  I don’t like talking about my feelings. 

“I realize now, I can’t shut you out,” he stroked my arm.  “We almost lost you yesterday, because I couldn’t answer my damn phone.”

I turned and stroked his cheek.  “We’re both broken people, we all are, so we’re going to have to learn how do this right.  Yesterday wasn’t your fault.  It wasn’t,” I insisted before I leaned in to kiss him.

We shared a sweet kiss full of promise, before he pulled away and I had a fork full of pancakes with strawberries on it, in my face.

I giggled before I took a bite.  He didn’t care for strawberry pancakes.  He preferred blue berry or banana fosters.  He had ordered them for me. 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 26

 

“Wake up, Baby,” Remy grunted when my alarm went off for the third time. 

“Ugh, do I have to?” I grumbled, burying myself in deeper on his chest.   “Can’t we sleep in and skip the games today?   We can just show up afterwards to the meeting.”

He chuckled, his voice still thick with sleep, “I wish, but we wouldn’t want to let our team down.”

I groaned.  “Team, seam, I want to sleep more.  Maybe if someone hadn’t kept me up most of the night.”  I teased.

He pinched my butt, making me yelp in surprise.  “If I recall, it was you that was the initiator and you who suggested I didn’t leave.”

“Semantics,” I grumbled as I slid out of bed, and he chuckled at me.

Ever since he let me catch a glimpse of him yesterday, he had been smiling more often.  His austere features were arresting and captivating when he smiled.  I loved seeing him this relaxed. 

I walked over to my closet.  I pulled on a pair of yoga pants, a sports bra, and a racer back tank top.  Remy had brought his clothes in the night before, so he wouldn’t have to go back to his room this morning.  When I turned around he held out a familiar hooded sweatshirt.  The lettering was faded and had clearly been worn and washed several times.

“You remembered,” I declared happily as I slid it on.

“It was the first memory I had of you,” he said gruffly, as if he was embarrassed at the small gesture.  “The night you were here with Gavin.  You ran into me, and when you stood up, I had a flashback of you wearing my hoodie.  We were at a football game and you were standing on the seats, cheering your little heart out.  You were so beautiful.”

I climbed onto my bed, so I could be eye level with him, and wrapped my arms around his neck.  “Thank you,” I kissed him softly.  “I really missed it.”  I buried my head in the neck line, it still smelled faintly of him.  “And I forgive you for keeping me up all night and pinching me,” I patted his face, with a cheeky grin.

He chuckled at me, before he lifted me up and kissed me soundly.  “Let’s get going, we’re going to be late.”

 

This was the most Knights I had seen in one place.  It was hard to believe there were so many of us.  All fourteen teams were present.  As with most teams, trash talking occurred.  Each team thought they were the best.  We had finally decided to put it to a test.

Will, Steven, Beth, and a few other members of the board had thrown together an obstacle course for us.  It was supposed to test our physical abilities as well as our gifted capacities.  The first team back had bragging rights and the opportunity to pass on certain assignments.  Generally, teams were made of six to ten people. 

Our team consisted of Remy, Jace, Troy, Noah, Drake, Jaxson, Rachel, and myself.  Terrance, John, Michael, Dawn, Sam, and Marcel had petitioned to run with us, but was denied, so Gavin and Jemmy volunteered to go onto their team.  We still had every intention on working together.  Especially after we found out some of the teams were going to be working together and gunning for us.  The new team Ned was placed on was one of them.

I was surprised to see Rose on one of the other teams determined to take us down.  “I thought she wasn’t that gifted,” I whispered to Jemmy as I looked pointedly at Rose.  “Plus, why is she running when she’s pregnant?”

I sat on the ground next to Jemmy and started stretching with her.  Jemmy looked at me confused for a moment.  “No, she’s a five I believe,” she shrugged.  “She can manipulate water sources.”

In the past, Jemmy had accused her of being a two or three, but I saw now that she must have spoken out of anger.  She had wanted to strike back at Rose for her personal attack.   Jemmy always had intense emotions that burned hot and bright but could fizzle out just as quickly.

Drake sat down beside me.  “Sorry, I didn’t know she was going to be here.  I guess she got the clearance from the doctor.”

“Hmm,” I nodded noncommittedly.  She was wearing a skin-tight track suit, where she only had a little baby bump showing.  She was definitely blessed with good genetics.  “When’s your next appointment?”  I asked him as I reached out to squeeze his hand.

“Next Thursday,” he grimaced.  “I think I’m going to get a new number and request that she contact me by email in the future.  If she’s this crazy before the baby is born, I’m scared how she’s going to behave after the baby is born.  My lawyer advised me from financially supporting her any further.”

  “Has it gotten that bad?” I asked with a frown. 

    “Beyond,” he muttered uncomfortably. 

“Do you want me to go talk to her?” Jemmy asked as she stood up with her hands on her hips.

He ducked his head and shook it.  “Nah.  I’m going to tell her when I see her at the appointment.”

“I’m going with you, right?” Jemmy asked.

He nodded pensively.  “If you could.”

“Okay, teams,” Steven said into a bullhorn, cutting off our conversation.  “You should have all read the rules to this friendly competition.  Please follow them, or we will be forced to disqualify you. Please stay on the course.  We will have monitors on the course, to ensure that you are.  If a monitor feels you have cheated in any way, you will be asked to leave the competition.  If one member on your team fails to follow the rules, the whole team will be disqualified.  You start as a team and you will end as a team.  The time will not stop until every member on your team has finished the race.  Understood?”  He waited until most of us made some kind of noise in affirmation before a whistle was blown.

 

As we began to run, we noticed the markers indicating the course.  We ran at least two miles before we entered the woods and encountered our first obstacle course.   It looked easy enough, it was a bridge spanning a gully.  There were five bridges side by side.  Our team, Terrance’s team, and two other teams arrived there almost at the same time.  Our morning runs were paying off.

“Stop,” Jaxson called out as Rachel went to cross one of the bridges.  “It’s an illusion,” he laughed as one of the teams lost a couple of members to the gully.  It was only twelve or so feet deep and about ten feet across, but it wasn’t going to be any fun trying to climb out of it or it could potentially injure anyone that may fall in.  I imagined it would add an addition five to ten minutes to their course time at least.

“Which one isn’t an illusion?” Jace asked as he looked over at the other ones.

“They all are,” Jaxson said thoughtfully.  Since all our connections were made, each guy had said they felt an increase in their gift level.  I guess Jaxson was now capable of casting, as well as seeing illusions.

“So, I’ll jump across first and, Remy, you throw them to me,” Dawn said confidently.

  “I’ll go with you,” Gavin told Dawn, “I really can’t imagine you catching Terrance or Remy by yourself.” Gavin chuckled. 

“I can get the wind underneath the person, to slow the decent,” Sam stated.

“I’ll help Remy throw,” I volunteered.

“Sounds like it’s a plan, let’s go,” Jace stated clapping his hands.

I watched in surprise as Dawn and Gavin stretched like human Gumby’s.  Their bodies stretched the whole gully with ease.  I imagined lifting things with ease, so I could call on my gift of strength.   I waited to feel the tingling in my arms and legs before I turned to grab Rachel, since she was the smallest..  Remy launched Terrance seconds after I did.

By the time we launched the fifth person across, Sam, Gavin, Dawn, Remy, and I had it down to a science.  I couldn’t help but notice Ned’s team was still struggling to get their teammates out of the gully.  Rose’s team had found a log to throw across the expanse.  I watched in consternation as she teetered across the log.  I truly believed her doctor wouldn’t have approved of this activity.   Even if the child she carried wasn’t Drake’s, it just seemed reckless to me.

Remy threw Sam and I across before he ran down to the log the other team had foolishly left behind.  He had great balance for a man his size. 

“Kick it in,” Terrance yelled at him as he got off it.  Remy picked up the log like it was a broomstick and launched it in the gully away from the fallen team.

It made sense to me.   We weren’t directly sabotaging another team, but we weren’t going to help them out either.             

I glanced up as we started to take off once more and gave the illusionist a jaunty wave. He tilted his head and smiled at me.  He was probably one of the monitors for the course.  Until we were under him, I hadn’t even noticed him perched in one of the trees.  Three other teams had caught up, and I could hear some of them had also fallen in.  I giggled as I sprinted up towards the front of our pack.  This was kind of fun.

We ran for about half of mile before we came across our next obstacle.  The other team was already there, but relatively far away from us.  We looked up at the wall of logs and sticks that was kept together by mud. It was clear someone with the gift of earth had created this obstacle.

“There’s no way we can climb that,” Jace muttered as he looked up at the wall that was easily forty feet high.   The other team was unsuccessfully trying to scale it as we came up with a game plan.

Michael ran at the structure and was back within moments.  “It’s about three feet deep,” he said slightly breathless.

Troy stepped back and created a fireball, “So I can burn a hole through it?” He raised an eyebrow at Michael.

“We don’t want to burn the whole structure down,” Rachel said nervously eyeing the sticks and logs.

“Okay fire boy,” Marcel stated as he produced a sphere of water as big as a soccer ball.

“I’ll go last,” Terrance stated. “I’m going to close it back up when we’re all through.”

“Ready?” Troy asked Marcel. When Marcel nodded, Troy threw his fireball.

It was done quickly, and the other team was yelling and cursing at us when Terrance patched up the hole we had created.

 

By the fifth obstacle, we were no longer running—we were walking.  We could hear the other teams in the distance, but we couldn’t see them, so we felt confident that we could catch our breaths for a while.

We came to a pit of fire.

I remember some of the girls and guys at my previous high school participating in a ‘fun’ run.  They had talked about the obstacles they had come across, and one of the girls had been horrified at the fire obstacle that was incorporated in it.  She was flashing around a picture on her phone.  Her obstacle had been about three feet high and ten feet across.  They had to leap across it. 

There was no leaping across this fire.  It was at least six feet high and twenty feet across.  We could go around it.  If we did, we would be off the course and disqualified.

Marcel attempted to throw water at the fire.  It would go out.  If anything, it seemed to have gotten bigger and more agitated.  We stood back and looked at it, contemplating.

“So not normal fire,” Rachel stated dryly.

A few of us laughed; some of our more serious members, not so much.   

“How are you feeling, Sam?” Drake asked thoughtfully, as he eyed the obstacle.

“Good,” Sam said warily.  “What did you have in mind?”

Drake turned and looked at me.  “Kiss me,” he demanded softly.

My eyes widened in surprise and shock.

Jemmy, Rachel, and Dawn had been close enough to hear him, so they immediately dissolved in laughter. 

Drake held out his hand and repeated himself.  “Trust me.  Kiss me.”

I took his hand and let him draw me in.  I stood on my tip toes and let him capture his lips with mine.  He gently cupped my face, and I lost myself in his kiss as he opened my mouth, his tongue tangling with mine.  I was vaguely aware of the catcalls and whistles.  I was lost in his touch.  I wanted more of him.

He finally broke our kiss, and at my groan of displeasure, he gave me a smile, even though he was red.  He was generally not into public displays of affection, so I was surprised by his boldness.

I turned around, feeling my cheeks warm.  I saw that the other team had caught up and Rose was in the front of the group, shooting daggers at me with her eyes, while most of her teammates called for an encore.

Drake smiled at me again before he turned and created a force field around Jemmy, Rachel, and Dawn.  I watched in amazement as he raised his hands.  The force field became a sphere around them, now hovering above the earth.

The girls squealed in surprise, before they grabbed onto each other, laughing nervously.  I could see the studied concentration on Drake’s face as he continued to lift them.  He barely spared Sam a glance as he said, “When they clear the fire, push them to the other side.” He then shouted to the girls.  “Yell, when I can release you.”

“Okay,” they shouted back, but their voices sounded distorted.

“Did you just have Blake…boost you?”  Michael asked in awe.

Jaxson, Noah, and Troy began laughing.  “This isn’t a video game,” Troy finally said.  “There’s no boosting.”

“But-but I’ve worked with him before, and he’s never been able to lift his shield, let alone carry people in it,” Michael stuttered.

“They’re connected,” Terrance shot his team member an annoyed look.  “I’m sure you’ve heard of people becoming stronger through their connection.”

Michael mumbled something, clearly embarrassed.

I reached over and patted his shoulder with a smile.  “It’s okay.  I’m learning too,” I whispered.

He gave me a grateful smile.

“Now!” We barely heard the yell on the other side.  

“We’re good,” Jemmy yelled, her voice clearer now.

Drake dropped his hands down to his side.  “She makes me stronger,” Drake confirmed as he gave me a level look.

I smiled at him as I heard an angry huff behind us.  I didn’t have to turn to know Rose had walked closer.

 

It was nearing eleven by the time we hoped were encountering our last obstacle.   We were all getting exhausted.  I was regretting only eating a banana at breakfast that morning, and my sleepover.  Okay maybe not my sleep over—that was worth the lost sleep—but I was definitely exhausted and hungry. 

The moment we got close to the obstacle, some of our team started crying or screaming.

I was struck with an immense feeling of loss and fear as I looked down at the water.  Its depth was unfathomable and wide, but there were rocks jutting out that we could walk on.  What was concerning were the large creatures under the water’s surface. 

“It’s an illusion,” Jaxson said as tears rolled down his face.

“They’re going to eat us!” John screamed as he turned to run in the opposite direction.

I blinked for a moment, something wasn’t right.  I could feel it deep in my bones.  Realization dawned as I felt the presence above me.  I just couldn’t see them.

“Stop!” I yelled.  “John, come back,” I commanded him.

He resembled a cat that was about to get a bath.  He was coming back, but utter terror was in his eyes.

I walked over to Jace and Jaxson and grasped both of their hands.  “There’s an empath, instilling fear and sadness in us and an illusionist making us believe there are…river monsters?” I explained to them as chaos reigned around us. 

Jace nodded, seemingly unaffected by the other empath.  Did that make him stronger?

He smiled down at me and caressed my cheek.  “I can’t feel it,” he whispered, confirming my belief.

“Let’s do this,” I said with determination.  I knew with a group our size it would require all three of us working together.  Jace and I pushed the feelings of comfort and warmth towards Jaxson and waited for him to get himself together.

“Holy crap,” Jaxson muttered as he wiped his face.  “Now I wish I hadn’t snitched on you,” he looked at Jace.  “I forgot what that felt like.”

Jace started chuckling as he turned to explain to me.  “When he annoyed me as kids, teens even, I use to torment him with fear.  He told Dad, and I was grounded for a month.  I had to skip the homecoming dance that year,” he said with mock bitterness.

I giggled imagining that.  Jax would have tried to push his older brother’s buttons.  He would have wanted to be included in everything.  I could see the older guys wanting to have time to themselves.  Jace had a lot of patience, but even he had limits. 

“Ready?” I looked at them with a smile.

“When you are,” they said in unison.

I closed my eyes and gripped their hands.  I immediately felt the warmth filling me.  I swore I heard the scampering of the squirrels nearby, and the birds singing above, like they were inches from me.  I felt the breeze caress me.  I smelled the water, dirt, leaves.  The breeze caressed my skin.  All my senses were so acute, so sensitive.

“Now,” I barely whispered as I felt us connect. 

It was like I was transported out of my body.  I was hovering above us.  I could finally see what it looked like when we used our connections together.  It was so surreal.  I felt like I was dreaming.  I saw the glow that encompassed us.  We looked like we were nearly transparent. 

My team seemed to snap out of it as trendils of gold crept across the dying leaves and twined around them.   One by one, comprehension dawned on their faces.  They looked over at us with a combination of gratitude, awe, and surprise before they turned and began to cross the water.  Jumping or hopping from rock to rock.

My heart was warmed when I saw how well they worked together.  We had proven that, time and time again this morning.  We hadn’t argued.  We hadn’t belittled anyone, even when some of us came up with some far-fetched solution to an obstacle.  When someone fell behind, someone else would drop back and encourage them.  When someone stumbled, someone was there to catch them before they fell. 

The empath and illusionist had done a number on them.  They had already been physically exhausted, so they were more susceptible to the empath.  After five minutes under their influence, they were now emotionally exhausted, but our bond wasn’t severed.  My team was still working together. 

Rachel, Jemmy, and Marcel were having difficulty jumping to some of the rocks.  Marcel and Rachel, because they had shorter legs and Jemmy because endurance wasn’t her strength yet. 

I watched the last person cross and dropped my hands.  If I was exhausted before, now I was damn near comatose.  I had used my gifts too much today.  I tried to allow others on the team to use their gifts when they could, but sometimes there was no way around it.  Rachel, Jemmy, and John were part of the team, but none of the obstacles required them to use their gifts of energy manipulation and fact detection.

“I got him,” Jace said with concern as we came back to the clearing in front of the river.

I smiled at him in appreciation, knowing he was going to help Jaxson cross. The rest of our team were across at a safe distance, cheering us on as the other team came into the clearing. 

They had been in high spirits for the first few obstacles, but as the day wore on they had begun to snipe, yell, and disparaged each other.  This race had been an eye opener for me.  I knew now which teams I would never want to work with and which individuals came up short.  We hadn’t seen quite a few teams, so I had a feeling they weren’t taking their training seriously, or they lacked the motivation or endurance needed to be an excellent agent.

“Come on, Blake!” Jemmy encouraged me.

I snapped out of my musings and began to gingerly make my way across the rocks.  If I wasn’t so fatigued, I wouldn’t have to concentrate so hard to make the jumps.  I looked up constantly to see how the guys were faring and if I was getting any closer to the other side.  It was one of these times when I was looking up and not paying attention that I felt water slam against the back of my legs and a tug against my feet.  I looked down in curiosity when I saw the water swirling around my feet.

I felt my gift beginning to slip.  I had been blocking the empath up until that moment.  The combination of the water crashing against my legs, the slippery surface of the rock, and the fear that came crashing down made me lose my footing.  As I fell, I bounced off the top of the rock, my ribs connecting with the solid surface.  I lost my breath; I inhaled water as it enclosed over me.  I was normally a strong swimmer, but the water was frigid, and I couldn’t breathe from the pain in my ribs. 

I felt panic encompass me, my lungs were burning.  I tried to kick up to the surface, but my hoodie had caught onto something.  The water was murky brown, and I saw the dark shapes moving in on me. 

Darkness was closing in on me.  Well this sucks, I thought as I fought against it.  Who knew water and a river monster was going to be the death of me?  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 27

 

 

I threw up my entire banana, along with all the water I had inhaled.  I blinked as I looked around.  My connections, my family, my friend’s mouths were moving, but I didn’t hear anything. 

Looks like rain is coming in.   The clouds are moving in.  Angry, angry sky.  Time for the heavens to weep.  Oooh, maybe I can have a rainy day.  I’ll ask Jace to play the violin for me.  I’ll lay in Remy’s lap, so he could play with my hair while Troy gives me a foot massage.  I can curl up with a book while I rub my hands through Noah or Jaxson’s hair.  I’ll ask Drake for one of his kisses and his famous chicken soup.

I’m cold.  Soup sounded good.  On second thought, maybe I would like a hot bath and ask Drake to join me.  We could read together in companionable silence. 

Damn, my ribs hurt.  I had my ribs fractured before. One of Heidi’s boyfriends kicked me once.  He thought it was funny when I feared him.  He was a big man.  I was eleven, maybe.  I could barely breath and Heidi wouldn’t take me to the hospital.  It hurt to breath.  It hurts to breath now.

“Blake!” Drake’s voice sounded so far away as his face came into my vision.  I loved the sound of his voice.  I mean, all my guys had great voices, but Drake had this Zen, relaxing, musical quality to his.

“Blake,” Drake repeated.  Why did he sound so scared?  I hated seeing him scared.  His mom did a number on him.  Why did she leave him?  Who would ever want to leave him?  Who would ever want to hurt him, period?  He’s sensitive.  I loved that about him.

“Blake.”

I heard his voice again, and it finally seemed to clear my mind of all its ramblings. Everything came rushing back to me.  I remembered how the water had churned.  How waves had appeared from nowhere.  I lost my balance, dropped my barriers, panicked, and then I almost drowned.  Drake’s hair was wet soaking wet, his hair dripped into his face, so I assumed he had jumped in after me. 

I blinked again and tried to sit up.  “Oww,” I hissed in pain.  “What happened?  Why were there waves?”

“That bitch is what happened!” Jemmy screamed across to the other side.  My head felt fuzzy, I had no clue what she was talking about.

I vaguely saw the other team on the opposite team screaming and crying.

“Enough, Jemmy, let’s go,” Drake said looking at me with guilt-filled eyes.  “Blake, do you want me to carry you to the finish line? We’re almost there.”

I nodded, too tired, too hungry, too cold.   My teeth chattered.  My body shook.  No matter what I tried, I couldn’t stop it.

“You two need to get out of those clothes,” Jace insisted as he tore off his sweatshirt.  

“Everyone in a circle around her, backs turned unless you’re her connected,” Terrance said gruffly.

The sky was blotted out as the other members from my team formed a circle around us.  I was touched by their thoughtfulness.   My guys knelt around me within their circle.

Remy lifted me by while Jace took off my sopping wet clothing.  “Noah,” Jace stated as he pointed to my ribs.

I hissed as the chilly air hit my bare skin.

Noah placed his hands on my ribs, and I felt the warmth seep in at his touch.  The pain in my ribs receded. 

I watched Drake strip down to his boxers and couldn’t help but admire his broad shoulders and lean muscled build.  He blushed when he caught me looking at him.  I attempted to grin at him.

Troy came into my view, dressed only in his sweatshirt and boxers.  “Here, Misty,” he insisted as he slid his sweatpants on me.

“She’s good, let’s go,” Jace stated urgently as some of the other team members started crossing the obstacle.

“I got your clothes, babe,” Remy grunted beside us as Drake lifted me.  “Want me to take her?” he offered.

“No, no I got her,” Drake insisted, guilt in his eyes once more.  Why did he look so guilty?

Remy looked at him for a moment then nodded.  Damn their bro code and their silent conversations. I inwardly rolled my eyes. They had been together for so long, they often communicated with each other with no words. 

I was lulled to comfort by Drake’s easy gait.  I was warming up.  I looked around and noticed my guys surrounding me as they ran.  I looked down at my newly acquired sweatshirt.  I breathed in the neckline.  Citrus, leather, and Jace.  He had clearly sweat in it, but it still smelled good, manly.  Troy’s pants were too big on me, but the lining was warm and thick.  I looked over Drakes shoulder and noticed Troy running along in just his boxers, occasionally I saw the flash of his manhood.  I started to giggle, not able to help myself.

Jaxson raised a brow at me.

“Well, boys,” I said. “I like wearing your clothes.  It makes me feel close to you, even if you’re not around, but this isn’t really what I had in mind.  And…” I paused dramatically.  “Troy, I thought your pimping days were over.” At his questioning look, I supplied my answer.  “You’re flashing everyone.” I extended my pointer finger in and out several times in the direction of his manhood.

The sound of my guys laughing was music to my ears. 

 

Before the race had started, we had made and agreement.  We were going to run as a team.  We were going to finish as a team.  All sixteen of us.  They denied the petition, but there were ways around it.  As we neared the finish line, we stopped and linked arms with a member of the opposite team.  We would lead with our left foot and cross with our right foot.  Sam, from the other team, had to go by himself since Drake insisted on not letting me down, but we were still synchronized with John.  We were last.  They would have to call it as a tie.  We were all together, and we all crossed together.

Steven and Will gave us exasperated looks, but amusement lingered in their eyes, before they saw me in Drake’s arms.   My hair was a sopping mess.

“What happened?” Will asked as they advanced on us.

“That last obstacle, Rose rushed forward as we were crossing the river, and caused waves in it.  One of the waves crashed across Blake, and then she slipped off the rock,” Jemmy said indignantly. 

“Was it intentional?”  Steven asked slowly as he looked at Drake pointedly.

Drake nodded.

“It looked like it to me,” Terrance said as he stepped forward.

“Those are pretty serious accusations,” another board member came over to us.

I tugged on Drake to set me down.  I was tired, I was hungry, and I was cold, but I felt at a disadvantage.  At the look of hurt on Drake’s face, I quickly grabbed his arms and wrapped his arms around me.  I no longer wanted to be held, but I needed his strength. 

“Well it’s a good thing we have monitors and cameras on the course,” Will said resolutely.

The female board member I had never met, gasped.  “Why would there be cameras on the course?  That’s an invasion of their privacy.”

She was tall and almost resembled a bird in her fragile appearance, with a pointed nose and chin.  Her hair was jet black and was cut severely to her chin, not a perfect strand was out of place.  Her best features were her sapphire blue eyes.   I didn’t like the feeling I got around her.  

“Ms. Bullock, when they signed their contracts, they were made aware of the possibility of us recording them while on the facility or on a job, for training purposes.  Why wouldn’t we record it to learn everyone’s strengths and weaknesses for mission readiness?”  Will said patiently, but I could see the annoyance in his eyes.

“But you didn’t tell them they were being recorded today,” Ms. Bullock argued.  “Don’t you think that’s an invasion of their privacy?  We had monitors out there.  Wasn’t that enough?”

Steven narrowed his gaze on her. “Why are you so opposed to this?  When you have never had an issue with it in the past.  Are you hiding something?  Do you know something we don’t?”

Ms. Bullock pulled herself to her full height.  “No!  This is ridiculous.  Is this what we’ve become?”  she asked before storming off.

“And that is a lie,” I heard Rachel murmur to Will and Steven.

 

Out of good sportsmanship, we decided to wait for all the other teams to come back in.  They tried to convince me to go home, but I refused to leave.  If Rose did this to me, and I suspected she did, I wasn’t going to let her run me off that easily. 

  The rain had started to come down in sheets.  Will had erected tents and ushered us under one of them.  Blankets were brought out and distributed.  Jace had hunted down some towels for Drake and me.

I was glad they had the forethought to have food catered in.  They had ordered food from the We 7 down the street.  Remy had his General Manager pick a menu and deliver it to the facility.  I found myself huddled on the ground, picnic style, between Drake and Troy.  I leaned my head against Drake as I ate my wild mushroom and chicken penne.  Once my stomach was full, I found my eyes wanted to close, but I could also feel my other appetite rising. 

I began stroking Drakes leg.  I could feel the guilt in him.  The fear he had felt.  I tried to rise my empath barriers, but I couldn’t.  I had once been very sensitive to Drake’s feelings.  I had always felt his pain, anxiety, and desolation, until I learned how to build my barriers against it.  I waited until he was done his food, before I crawled into his lap.

I know he was shocked by my behavior.  Other than the other night, I had never initiated our interactions.   I never wanted to rush him, but he was my connected and I knew I had to reassure him. 

“It’s not your fault,” I murmured against his neck.

He tightened his arms around me and arranged my blanket around us.  “She used to be my girlfriend, and I know…it was her attacking you today.  If she wasn’t carrying my child, possibly, I would have already called the cops on her.

“She keeps calling me, texting me, showing up at my job.  I loved her once, but any residual feelings I have for her are long dead.  She’s driven me away.  I don’t know how to proceed.  If she is carrying my child, I don’t want to give her any ammo to take my child away from me.

“Now she’s targeting you, and it’s tearing me apart.  I want to protect you.  I want to be with you, but she’s still between us.  I can’t wait to find out if this baby is mine or not.”

I kissed the side of his neck.  “You’re my connection.   You’re my forever.  She can’t drive me away.  Let her crazy ass try.”

He sighed and pulled me in closer.  “Why don’t you get some sleep?  I’ll wake you up when the last team gets in.”

I stroked his inner thigh and felt him tense up as he hissed a breath out.  “I don’t want to sleep.”  I said petulantly.

“I wish I could have you right now,” he groaned in my ear, his voice sounding pained.  “But you need your sleep right now.”

Troy pulled my feet into his lap and slid in closer to us. 

I started to mumble another protest but the warm cocoon of Drake’s embrace, the blankets draped around me, Troy rubbing my feet, and the rain falling on the tarped roof, lulled me to sleep. 

  

I woke up when I was being loaded into the vehicle.  Troy slid over on the bench seat and helped me in the truck. 

“Is everyone done?” I asked drowsily as I yawned and leaned into him.

Troy chuckled.  “The last team came in two hours after we did.”

“What happened to the meeting?” I asked sitting up suddenly.

Jace turned from the front seat. “Will and Steven called a change on the play. Terrance’s team is picking up the kids.  Dad and Steven are pulling all the tapes and bringing them to our house.  Beth and Cora are meeting us there.  We’re going to have Micah and Patrick mind the younger kids.  Gavin and Jemmy are picking up Japanese.  The meeting is moving to our house.  After today’s events and some of the board members responses, we have to make sure our rescue mission goes off without a hitch.”

“Sushi?” I asked hopefully.

Remy chuckled from the front seat.  “After all that, all you heard was food?”

I stuck my tongue out at him.  “I heard everything, but I’m starving.”

“Don’t stick that out, unless you plan to use it,” Remy challenged me, raising an eyebrow at me from the review mirror.

“You know, I used a lot of my gifts today, so I may very well use it…later,” I said coyly.

There was a collective groan in the truck.  “You’re going to kill us, Blake,” Troy muttered.

“Good,” I replied smugly.  “Just want to keep you on your toes.”

 

I had time to take a hot shower when we got home. I came out of my bathroom and noticed a few sweatshirts, sweat pants, and t-shirts lying on my bed.  I giggled.  The guys had given me some of their favorite articles of clothing. 

They always were sharp dressers.  Especially when we were out in public.  I felt like they almost had dual personalities like their clothing.  They seemed formidable and untouchable when they were out in public.  They wore their button up shirts, polos, and nice slacks.  At home, they were more laid-back, relaxed, and their barriers were down.   That’s when the ‘comfy’ clothes came out.

I slid on Jace’s black Knightstown sweatpants and rolled them up on my waist so I wasn’t stepping on them.  I put on my own tank top and Drake’s junior Olympics hoodie.  I snatched my hair up into a messy bun and didn’t bother putting on my makeup.  I almost died twice in a 3-day period; I could do what I wanted, and right now, I wanted no makeup. 

I was pleased to see that I wasn’t the last one to arrive.  We were missing quite a few people, but at least the food was here.  I did a little happy dance when I noticed they had gotten sushi. 

“It was confirmed that Rose did tamper with the water,” Terrance stated as he slid next to me. 

I looked up with a frown.  “So, what does that mean?”

“Her team was disqualified from the race and will receive the lowest marks,” Terrance explained.

“Even though they came in second?”  I frowned.  She needed to be reprimanded, but I didn’t want her whole team to suffer.  Even though I thought half of them were arrogant pricks. 

Terrance nodded as he eyed a piece of tuna skeptically.  “They knew the rules.  Needless to say, she isn’t going to be popular for a while.  She claimed that she was hormonal and affected by the empath.  She said he made her do it.”

“Hmm,” I said thoughtfully as I placed a piece of a California roll and another cooked roll on his plate.  “Try it.  It’s cooked.” I giggled at his look of disgust.  “Who was the empath?  I wouldn’t put it past her, but you see how Ms. Bullock reacted.  Something is going on.  What if the empath amplified her hate for me.”

“It’s a possibility,” Jace startled me from behind.  He slid behind me, so his chest was against my back.  He slid a hand down my back and onto my hip, giving me a gentle squeeze. “That’s why Rachel is headed into the facility as we speak with Beth.”

“What is going to happen to the person responsible?” I asked as I leaned into his touch.

“If it’s the empath involved, we may have to go to extreme measures to figure out what his motive was.  If it was Rose, then she will never be allowed to go on another assignment, ever again. It’s a necessity, working as a team.  Sometimes we are obligated to collaborate with other teams.  We need to know whoever has our back, has our back,” Jace explained.  “Especially with the missions coming up.”

“Hope she has a backup plan, with the baby coming along,” Jemmy said tartly as she began grabbing some food.  “‘Cause she ain’t bleeding my brother dry.”

“Jemmy,” Drake said with exasperation as he came up behind her.

“What?  The kid isn’t yours.  That’s why she won’t take the DNA test until after the baby is born and keeps trying to get money from you,” Jemmy said stubbornly.

“Jemmy,” I said gently as I looked at Drake.  “I don’t think your brother wants talk about it right now.”

She snorted.  “Well someone has to.”

I wondered what put her in such a foul mood.  I looked over at Gavin and noticed he wasn’t by her side as he normally was.  Uh oh, looks like I needed to talk to him.

“Don’t let her put your name on the birth certificate, bro,” Marcel suggested to Drake.

I set my plate to the side and leaned up to Jace.  “I’ll be back,” I whispered to him.

He looked at Gavin, then Jemmy and nodded.  I marched over to Gavin and grabbed his hand and dragged him to the den.

“What’s going on?” I demanded with my hands on my hips.

“I might move out for a little while,” he said tentatively as he stuffed one hand in his pocket and the other grasped the back of his neck.  He wouldn’t look at me.  He seemed fascinated by the floor suddenly.

“Why?” I gasped.

He flushed red.  “I’m not sure…Jemmy and I are going to work…”

“Are you nuts?” I asked him in bewilderment.  “You do realize you’re connected, right?  Of course it’s going to work.”

He looked up at me, with a shrewdness in his eyes.  “Like you and Drake are?  Like you and Noah did?” 

I felt momentarily hurt, like he was attacking me.  “That’s not fair,” I said quietly.  “Drake and I are really good friends, and when this Rose crap has blown over, I know we’ll be amazing lovers.  Noah and I had problems connecting initially because of my naivety, and I essentially gave him permission to continue seeing Stacey.   We had issues we both had to get through, but we’re better now.  We were given a second chance, and we’re better than ever.  All relationships take work, but we’re lucky because we know who we are destined to be with—our connections.” 

“I’m sorry, Blake.” He grabbed my shoulders gently.  “I shouldn’t have lashed out at you to protect my own insecurities.  The truth is, Jemmy and I are in two different places in life.  I want to wait before we finally seal the deal.  I want to get to know her more.  I want her to turn 18.  I know she’s had quite a few boyfriends, but she’s my first real girlfriend.” He blushed.  “She was fine with that at first, but now she’s starting to take it more personally.  She sees how you guys have gotten stronger through your connections, and she wants to see if we can or will get stronger.  I don’t want that to be the driving factor for us.”

“You guys haven’t…” At his uncomfortable look, I scrunched up my nose.  “I’m sorry.  I just thought you guys were.  I thought you guys were sharing a room.”

He shook his head.  “No, we’ve fooled around, and we’ve had sleep overs, but like I said,  I’m not ready for that.”

I hugged him.  “You are such a rare man, and I adore you for that.  Talk to her.  You guys can and will work this out.  You belong together.”

“Hey, guys?” Jaxson popped his head in the room.  “Dad’s back, and we’re going to start going over the tapes.”

 

When we walked back into the living room, I was surprised to see three white boards.  Will was eating with one hand and putting up 4 x 6 pictures on the board with the other.  Jace was at one of the boards making four columns, and on the top of each column was a picture of himself, Terrance, Will, and Steven.  I sat down between Drake and Noah and smiled when Drake handed me my plate of food.

“As everyone knows,” Will said as he continued posting the pictures on the board.  “We have a major mission I will like to set into motion by Friday.  I want teams of ten.  Right now, we have eighteen of us.  That leaves us with twenty-two spots to fill.  This is the pool we must pick from.  Unfortunately, due to the sensitive nature of these missions, you will be split up.  I don’t even want the other members on your teams to know what or where we are going.  The team leaders and the people in this room, will be the only ones who know when, why, and where we are going.”

“Our reconnaissance team is currently gathering all the intel necessary for these missions,” Steven stated as he took a drink from his beer.  “Everyone selected for these teams could have less than twenty minutes to meet at the training center and leave for their designated spot.  Everyone needs to have their phones on them at all times.  In other words, don’t make any plans this week.  Right now, we’re saying next Friday, but it can be as early as Wednesday morning.  Tomorrow morning, we will be contacting the candidates for the open spots.”

“Was the meeting moved to here because of Ms. Bullock?” John asked shrewdly.

Will, Steven, and Jace exchanged looks.  “Yes,” Will admitted with a nod.  “With the help of Gavin and Jemmy, we have been able to investigate people on our payroll for weeks.  Her name, and a few others, have red flags on them.  After the attack on Blake today, and because we don’t have enough evidence on them yet, we are keeping our cards close to our chest.  We don’t need Horatio tipped off on our next moves.”

I looked over in surprise at Gavin and Jemmy.  I wasn’t aware that they had been doing anything for the investigation. I also noticed they weren’t sitting next to each other, and I hoped they resolved their issues soon.   

Jace spoke, “We know Jemmy and John will be on two separate teams because of their ability to take out any cameras.  So that leaves us with finding two other people capable of taking out cameras.” Jace took a picture of Jemmy and John and placed them under himself and Terrance.

“I can do it,” a voice on the cusp of changing, stated from above.

I hadn’t even noticed the children and teens had crept to the balcony above.  The last time I saw them they were happily munching on pizza, watching movies, and playing in the boys’ room.  It was Micah who had volunteered.

“Micah,” Remy said hesitantly.  “We would love for you to help us, but I’m not sure you’re ready yet.”

I flashed a grateful smile at him.  There’s no way I wanted my brother anywhere around there. 

“But he’s supposed to be there,” Ella stated as she came down the stairs and handed Will a piece of paper.  His eyes widened, before he handed me the paper.

I stared down at the picture of Micah, Troy, Rachel, myself, and a female I didn’t recognize.  We looked like we were sitting in a diner.  We were all dressed in our uniforms (except for the female), and we looked like we were covered in soot.   I didn’t know what it meant, but my gut was telling me I needed to trust Ella’s vision.

 “Well,” I said quietly with my heart in my throat as I looked at my guys.  They all nodded at me knowing my unspoken question.  Should I let him go?  “I guess Micah’s going.”

Micah and Ella exchanged a look before they gave me a wide smile.

There was a part of me that wanted to refuse.  He was thirteen.  He had no business going.  However, I knew if I told him no, it would show Ella and Micah that I had no faith in their gifts.  Micah had survived on the streets for years.  He was resourceful and smart where it counted. 

“So, do we begin the videos so we can pick the rest of our teams?” Remy cleared his throat as he looked at me with concern.

Will pushed play, and we were able to watch the events of the day from the comfort of our living room.

 

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 28

 

We got the phone call after dinner the following Thursday night.  Our reconnaissance team had gathered all the intel that they could.  Beth and Cora were already in route with their children.  We had already planned to have them come over here and mind the children while we went on our mission. 

I felt anxiety begin to grip me as Micah ran off excitedly to get changed.  We had worked with him every day the last week and a half to get him ready for tonight.  He was becoming more accurate with his teleporting abilities.  Remy and Troy had even blindfolded him and drove around with him for hours last night, so he could lose his bearings.  They dropped him off twenty miles down the road. He made it back five minutes after they dropped him off, long before they even made it home.

We knew he was capable of transporting only one person with him.  Unfortunately, despite his best efforts, he couldn’t increase that number.  He had gotten increasingly frustrated, but Will had reassured him.  He had told him he had never met a teleporter capable of carrying more than one person with them, and in some instances, they weren’t even able to do that.  Micah seemed to be somewhat mollified at that information.

We also met up and trained with our new teams.  I was assigned to a team with Steven, Troy, Michael, Rachel, Micah, and four other people I had just met.  Troy and Michael had worked with them in the past and had nothing but positive things to say about them.  They seemed like they were nice enough guys, but they weren’t my guys.  I wished I could’ve been with all my guys.

Remy and Jace had argued to the same effect and was instantly made to realize that, with our gift levels, our gifts should be spread across the teams, to strengthen each team.   It was a valid argument, but not one we all agreed with.  

“Ready?” Jaxson asked as he slid on his black boots.

“No,” I answered him truthfully as I leaned into him.

He turned around and embraced me.  He kissed my forehead.  “Me neither.”  

“It’s more than that,” I insisted as I turned around, so he could zip me up in the back.  “I woke up this morning with the most unsettling feeling.”

“I’ve been feeling the same way,” Jace stated as he walked into the room followed by Remy, Drake, Noah, and Troy.  They were already dressed in the black and silver uniforms, and I couldn’t help but admire how great they looked.  I was one lucky girl. 

“We all have,” Remy stated gruffly.

“Have I been projecting my fears?” I asked Jace in surprise as he pulled me in close.

I could feel him shake his head.  “No.  You’ve gotten really good with your barriers.”

“I’ve been agitated all day,” Noah admitted.

“Something doesn’t feel right,” Drake said eventually.

“So, do we tell Pops?” I asked desperately.

Troy shook his head.  “I don’t think he’ll understand.  He’ll probably think we’re being obstinate.”

“Do you think our connection is trying to tell us something?” Jaxson asked.

“I think it is,” Drake stated resolutely.  “We’ve already proven that our connections aren’t normal.  We’re learning as we go.  If we were to go to Pops, he won’t understand.”

“What should we do?” Noah asked.

“Nothing,” Remy grunted before he gently extracted me from Jace’s embrace.  “We take the orders given to us.  We all come back here in one piece.”

I wrapped my arms around his waist squeezing him.  I wanted to draw from his natural strength.  I wanted the confidence he exuded, although I saw the doubt lingering in his eyes too.

“Pops said we need to roll out,” Jemmy stated as she came into the room.  She looked ragged, worn, and heartsick. 

Gavin hadn’t moved, but when he wasn’t training or going to school, he was working on a new program for the training facility.  After going through the obstacle course, Gavin decided to create a simulation of something like that experience.  He wanted to create a training environment where our gifts could be tested for an individual as well as a team.  Each simulation would be custom fit to our abilities and gifts.  Will had been excited by the idea, and Gavin started to run with it.  He had little to no time for Jemmy.

Without a word, we all turned and headed down the stairs.  Will was waiting outside, and I could see a look cross his eyes before he hugged or shook hands with everyone apart from Remy and Jaxson.  They were going with him.

I hugged everyone as well before turning to climb in my own vehicle.  I had never gone on a mission without most of my guys, and I knew I might be overreacting, but something within me was telling me otherwise.

Drake handed me his iPod before I entered my vehicle. Jaxson pulled me in close.  “I love you,” he stated simply, in my ear, before squeezing me tight.  “Please be safe.”

I was dumbstruck for a moment.  Some of the guys had hinted at having stronger feelings for me, but no one had outright said they loved me until that moment.  He never even gave me a chance to respond before I was ushered into the truck.

 

I slid into my seat on the helicopter and saw Troy turn from the pilot’s seat.  I tried to give him a reassuring smile and thumbs up, but I know it looked forced.    He was worried about me, but I didn’t know what to say or do to ease his concern.  I couldn’t dispel this feeling. 

The feeling in the helicopter was off.  There wasn’t the easy camaraderie I had for Terrance’s team or our team. Troy was pensive, his jovial flirting self was nowhere to be found.  Rachel was trying to pull me from my thoughts, but all her attempts were falling short.  Steven seemed to have noticed my withdrawal, because he had taken Micah under his wing and offered him the jump seat beside him and Troy.  Michael wouldn’t shut up when he wasn’t playing on his phone.  He went on for about fifteen minutes about this new dating app he found, until Rachel told him to be quiet, but in a less friendly way.

    The quads seemed to be regarding me with a mixture of wariness and awe.  I didn’t remember their names. I was ashamed of myself.  I remember how it felt to be invisible.  I tried to make it a point to include everyone I encountered.. Unfortunately, I had been too beyond stressed to be completely present to anything.

It had been confirmed that Rose hadn’t been working alone with nearly killing me.  The empath was cleared of any involvement, but Ms. Bullock and Rose had been involved.  Neither one of them would give us any other names.  Rose helped her out of spite for me, but Ms. Bullock wouldn’t tell us who she was working for or why.  We didn’t want to rule out Horatio.  All this time he seemed to want to capture me, and not kill me; so his change of modus operandi was confusing.   

I had a lot of projects, exams, and work to complete in school.  I had received my first “C” this past week, and that had made me upset at my loss of focus on school.  I was an overachiever, what could I say?

We helped Chip and his mother find an apartment near the school.  Will had even given Amy a secretarial position in their offices.  Unfortunately, Chip still needed a firm male hand, so one of the guys had been over there daily.  Amy and Chip needed our help, but part of me wished that Amy would have accepted Will’s offer to stay with us for a little while longer.

I understood her need for independence.  However, she was also inadvertently taking time away from us.  I had needed them more so than ever this past week.  I wanted to be reassured by their presence, and I knew I wasn’t alone in these feelings.  The guys had been with me as much as possible as well. 

    I pulled out Drake’s iPod, hoping it would lighten my mood and when I powered it on, I smiled.  His sweetness knew no bounds.  He had created me a new playlist. 

 

We were being sent to a location in Detroit, Michigan.  Apparently, Horatio had purchased an old abandoned building in the seedier part of the city.  We were running this mission differently.  We were told there was a total of ten females, but only three guards. 

Our intel was that Horatio was giving them the basic care, and he had gotten slightly arrogant and complacent.  He assumed that since we had Dr. Neil and we hadn’t taken his previous bate, we had given up on the women. 

The extraction was supposed to be a fairly simple one.  Quad 1 was going to continue to drive around, while Quad 2, our healer, would drive the other van.  Micah would walk with us to the facility, transport into the camera room with Steven, and remove all the threats.  Once we were given the all clear, Micah was to return to the van.  Troy, Michael, Rachel, Quad 3 and 4, and I were directed to diffuse further threats and secure the women.  When the women were safe from all threats, we would call Quad 1 and 2 to pick us all up.

We walked up to the building, and I couldn’t believe the condition the it was in.  We tried to pace ourselves, waiting for Steven and Micah to tell us we had the all clear.

“All clear,” Steven stated as we came closer to the building.  “One guard down.”

“I’ll be right back,” Michael stated as he walked into the door.  Seconds later we heard the click of the lock before Michael opened it with a smile. 

He beckoned us in with a wave. We followed him down the dark narrow hallway. Dim, lights emitting a soft yellow glow were mounted on the moldy, water-stained walls.  The smell of rat urine assaulted our noses. If I looked closely, I swore I could see a few rats the size of cats, scamper across; their little beady eyes glaring at us. 

I shuddered, and Troy squeezed my hand reassuringly.  I tried to smile at him, but the smell was overwhelming.  I pulled a bandanna out of my back pocket and tied it across my face. 

“I smell females up there,” Quad 3 stated.  His gift was that of a tracker.  He was the blood hound of the gifted race.  He could sniff out any gifted person.

We quietly advanced forward.  Quad 3 pointed towards a door at the end of the hallways.  Michael popped in and nodded.  “I don’t see any guards in here,” he whispered urgently.  “I’ll go look for them,” he volunteered.

“I’ll go with you,” Quad 3 said as he turned down the hall to the right.

“Better them than me,” Quad 4 muttered.  He was highly uncomfortable with the rats and creeped out. 

I had to stifle my inappropriate giggle.  I hated rats, but it was funny seeing the muscle-bound man almost squeamish.

We opened the door and I cringed when it squealed loudly in the silence.  I saw 10 females laid up in beds.  It reminded me of the films I watched of children in the orphanages,  how they slept in rows on cots.  They looked like they were sleeping.  Some of them were obviously pregnant as well.

“Let’s get out of here,” I muttered.  My uneasiness had only increased, even though everything seemed to be going off without a hitch.

Quad 4 ambled over to the first girl and ran his hands above them, hovering over them.  “I don’t feel anything,” he said in confusion.  He had the ability to detect foreign objects or disease in any living mammal.

Troy and I exchanged glances.

“Maybe he’s found a way to just inject them into submission, without installing those balls,” Rachel said hesitantly. 

“Can you finish checking them and we’ll start carrying them out?” Troy looked over at Quad 4. 

Quad 4 nodded, and Troy, Rachel, and I carefully picked up the females as they were cleared of any devices.  Rachel and I decided to tag team it, despite my ability of strength.

“Heading out with our first patients,” I muttered into the headsets. 

We had already loaded four females when the sense of unease still wouldn’t dissipate.  Micah was acting like someone twice his age as he helped Quad 1 and 2 settle the females in comfortably.  I was really proud of him as I smiled at him and squeezed his shoulder. He almost preened at my praise.

I hadn’t heard from Michael or Quad 3 in quite a while.  Steven had reported the top two floors clear of any guards. 

  “Casper,” I whispered into the headset, using Michael’s call sign.  “What’s your status?”

“All clear,” he stated quickly.  It was too quickly.  His voice sounded strained and we both heard it. 

Troy and I exchanged a quick look.  “Somethings not right,” Troy stated, his jaw tightening. 

“Let’s get out of here,” I had to repress the shudder coursing through my body.

  I could sense Rachel’s uneasiness.  I wish I could explain to her how I felt.  She must have seen it in my gaze, because she nodded.  Troy nodded as well, and we ran back through the darkened parking lot.  We ran into the little room housing the women, and Quad 4 looked at us with confusion.

“We need to get out of here,” Troy stated.  “Let’s get them out of here and leave.”

“This one’s the only one with anything,” Quad 4 stated as he put a bracelet on her arm.  We had been told to tag them as we located the implants. 

Rachel and I lifted the only girl with an implant that we could find and started to carry her out.  As we hit the frigid air, the girl gasped, and blinked at me.  “It’s a trap,” her large brown eyes blinked at me. I froze for a moment as I realized she was in the drawing Ella had given us. 

She was the unknown girl in the picture with me, Micah, Rachel, Troy in the diner.

I heard Rachel’s gasp echo mine.  “She’s the girl in the picture,” she said awestruck.

I turned to look at Troy, and from his look, he had heard her, too.  “Everyone report to rendezvous,” he bit out as shouts and gun shots began to ring out.

Micah appeared next to me, his face ghost white.  “The woman,” he gasped.  “They used their gifts to kill Lyle and Dave,” he looked at me wildly.

I guiltily realized that Quad 1 and Quad 2’s names were Lyle and Dave.  My brother had taken the time to remember their names and I had not.   

I set the girl down on shaking and weak knees, “Hide and take her,” I told him urgently.  I shoved my phone in his hand.  “I’ll call you when we’re okay.”

I knew she had to go.  There was a reason she was in the picture. 

He looked like he wanted to argue with me. 

“Micah,” Troy said firmly. 

Micah nodded before he disappeared with the girl.  We took off towards the shouting and gun shots.  As we went in the building, all went silent.  We cautiously walked towards the room.  I took a deep breath and tried to feel the people around me.  I could feel Troy’s quiet, strong determination.  He was worried, but not for himself.  I squeezed his hand in reassurance. 

I continued to use my empath gift as we got closer to the door and felt the nervous, excited, feelings exuding from the room.  I got another feeling of fear and anger, before it was snuffed out.  I grabbed Troy’s arm and shook my head. 

“He’s dead,” I told him urgently.

Troy looked at me in confusion.

“The guy that was with us.” I hated myself in that moment.  He was a part of our team, and I never even bothered to remember his name.  He died, and I couldn’t even give Troy a name.  My throat was thick with tears.  “We need to find everyone else,” I pulled my zip ties from my pack.  I wove the zip tie through the handles of the double doors.

“Don,” Rachel whispered with tears welling in her eyes.

Troy took his own zip ties out, understanding what I was doing and added a few of his own.  They wouldn’t be able to get out anytime soon, we hoped.

“How very smart of you,” I heard a vaguely familiar voice say with a gleeful, snarky tone. Then everything went dark.

 

  I blinked sluggishly.  I was lucid, barely.  I tried to move but realized my hands and feet were bound and tied to a chair.  My head felt heavy.  I could barely lift it.  My head throbbed and there was a ringing in my ears.  I didn’t recognize where we were. 

I gasped as more things came into focus.  I looked across from me.  Troy was sitting in a chair with his arms tied behind his back.  His feet were bound to a chair.  His blood trickled from his nose and mouth, and his left eye was swollen shut.  He wasn’t moving, and I began to panic.  I heard sobbing to my right and saw a disheveled distraught Rachel. She was bound as we were.   

“He didn’t do anything,” she cried.

My blood ran cold, until I noticed her eyes were looking across from her, to my left.  Steven was tied to the chair as we were, but there was a bullet hole in his head.  I immediately threw up when I saw his brain matter on the wall behind him.  I barely had time to empty the contents of my stomach on the floor beside me.

“Well, well, well look who’s finally awake,” Ned squatted in front of me with a sadistic smile.  My eyes widened in surprise.  “What’s wrong, Princess?” he asked with feigned sympathy.  “Not so tough without all your men, are you?” he taunted me.

I glared at him and imagined him putting the gun he was waving in front of my face, into his own mouth and pulling the trigger. 

He started to chuckle as if he knew I was trying to use my gift.  “Ah, ah, ah,” he tsked as he shook his head and pulled one of the females I had carried outside to the van into his side.  She smiled at him and gave him a lingering kiss.  “My girl here is blocking you.  Did you know Collin trained her?  The same Collin you were so distraught over losing.”

“I would clap,” I said snidely.  “But I can’t.”

He reached out before I could blink and slapped me with his gun.  I saw stars behind my eyelids.  I bit my lip to refrain from crying out.  I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. “You think you’re so strong, you have all the Bell clan groveling at your feet and jumping to your every whim.  Look at you now!” His eyes were almost maniacal as he grinned at me.  “I deserved to stay on my team.  They were my team for four years.  You ruined that!”  He screamed at me, spittle flying from his lips, hitting the side of my face.

“Don’t be delusional,” I said through clenched teeth.  “You’re a coward.  That’s what got you kicked off the team.  If your team can’t trust you to help them when they are in danger, how do you expect them to want you to watch their backs?  Look at you now.  You have four of us tied to your…” I looked around the room.  “Thirteen.  You got your little feelings hurt and what…you turn.  Just like that.  So easily bought.  Just like a common whore.”  I spat out.

He reached out again and smashed a fist to the side of my face.  I couldn’t stop the cry that left my lips.  He laughed in satisfaction.

“Ned,” Michael’s voice said over my shoulder.  “Knock it off.”

He walked around in front of me.  My eyes widened in surprise when I noticed that he wasn’t tied up.  “I’m sorry, Blake,” he said earnestly.  “I had to do it.” He shrugged.  “It wasn’t supposed to end like this.” He looked over at Steven. “We planned to detain you and secure you.  That’s it.  No casualties.  He went rouge.”

“Why?” I gasped out with a dry throat. 

“I had to,” he explained.  “I have a mom who needs medical treatment.  I don’t make enough money.  It’ll take me forever to climb up the ranks to make that kind of money.”

“Did you tell Will?  Did you tell Terrance?  We could have helped you out."  I had to swallow the tears that threatened to spill over as I looked over at Steven.  “You played with his daughter.  You were treated like family.  How could you do this?  Why?”

“When Horatio comes, I’m a free man.  I never have to work ever again, and my mom can get the treatment she needs,” he explained passionately.  I could see he was sincere, and he thought it was going to be an easy job, but I still felt betrayed.  I knew Will would have helped had he just asked.

“So, Nadia has to grow up with no father.  Dave’s wife will no longer have a husband.  Lyle’s daughter will never know her father.   Don doesn’t get to walk down the aisle with his fiancé this summer.  What about Oscar?  Were their lives less important than your own?”  Rachel yelled at him hysterically.  It didn’t surprise me that she had taken the time to know the members on our team. 

Michael flinched with every word she said.  “No, no,” he said with remorse on his face.  “I’m sorry,” he stated before he pulled out his own gun and lifted it, pointing it towards Ned and his girlfriend.  “Do it now,” he looked at me urgently, before I heard his gun go off.

“No,” I heard Ned yell as his girlfriend collapsed to the ground.

“Now, Blake!” Rachel yelled at me as I saw other girls and a few guards, rush towards their fallen friend.

I looked up as I saw a ball of fire soar across the room.  Troy was no longer slumped forward and bound. He was now launching himself towards me as I heard a boom in my ears.  I saw the others leap into action, and I imagined a force field around us, protecting us from the people now rushing us.  I saw now that every female we came to rescue was in on this trap.  My head ached but I needed to protect my family.  I needed to snap out of the grief trying to consume me.

I saw Troy had created another diversion, lighting a fire in a pile of discarded skids in the corner of the room. Some girls screamed in panic, trying to get the fire out.    

I was able to erect a force field, but not before blood began pouring from Michael’s ears and mouth.  I could hear the sickening gurgle coming from his mouth.  I looked up in shocked horror as I watched a woman looking satisfied at her work.  She turned to glare at me.

“Not today,” I muttered to her as I told her to sleep.  She collapsed, her head bouncing off the pavement.  I wanted to exact vengeance on her, but I couldn’t.  I stared in shock at Michael.  He had betrayed us.  He had cost us so many lives tonight, but he had bit off more than he could chew.  I truly believed he thought it was going to be a simple job.  I believed he wanted to help his mother.  He hadn’t realized the price of her health would be so high.  He knew he was going to die.  He had hoped for clemency.  His head turned my way, and I could see him mouth.  “Sorry, sorry,” before the light in his eyes went out.

I closed my eyes and felt the tears fall from my eyes.  People like him and Collin had made a deal with the devil, not realizing what a steep price it had been to pay.  Some people may think they didn’t deserve anyone grieving for them, but in their last moments of life, did their last-ditch effort of redemption, wipe away their prior sins? 

Troy produced a small flame and burnt the rope binding my arms and legs. Then he went over to Rachel and severed her bindings. 

“Now what?” Rachel sobbed softly as she came over to hug me.

I was trying to rub the feeling back into my arms, but hugged her when she rushed to me.

“Who has their phone,” I said urgently as I watched more people run into the building.  I knew time was running out for us.  We were horribly outnumbered.  Horatio was here.  I could feel him.  There was a searing pain in my head.  Icy coldness enveloped my brain.  He was trying to get in. 

“They took ours,” Troy cursed as he walked up behind us to embrace us.

I felt panic war with reasoning, but a flash of us sitting in a diner came across my memory.

Jax!  I screamed out.

What’s wrong honey?  He asked immediately.

Tell Micah to come get us, I pleaded with him.

What’s wrong?! He demanded

It was a trap!  We’re in trouble!  I explained

Sending him now!  I could hear his dread as if he stood next to me.

Jaxson…

Yes, love? 

I love you too…  I whispered my confession.

 

Micah appeared beside us in less than five seconds.  The girl looked better than she had, and she was now in a completely different outfit.  He gaped at the amount of people surrounding us.

“You need to get her out of here and then come back for us.  You’ll have to be quick,” I said urgently as I grabbed both of his hands and looked in his eyes.  He looked close to panicking.   “Take Rachel first,” I urged him.

“We can take you all,” the girl insisted as she held me with one hand and Micah with the other.

“Hold on tight to me,” Micah said with less conviction.

At the last second, I reached out to grip Steven’s arm.  I wasn’t going to leave him behind.

A moment of clarity dawned on me as I realized why he hadn’t been in the picture. The other people hadn’t been in Ella’s picture because they hadn’t made it. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 29

 

“You need to take Troy and I back,” I said resolutely.  “Right outside the building.”

Everyone looked at me in varying stages of shock.

“We need to end this,” I said through the silent tears rolling down my face.

We had found a quiet place outside of the private airstrip where we had landed, but the place was crawling with Horatio’s men.

“We can set the whole place on fire while he’s still in there,” I stated with determination.  “He’s probably still looking everywhere in there for me.”

“Do you think this will help?” Rachel asked hesitantly.

I knew she thought I was talking out of anger, and I was, but we had a chance to take him down and we needed to take it, so logic was in there somewhere too. 

Before I could even plead my case, we were standing outside of the building once more.  We could see the fire from one of the rooms above.  There was screaming, and I could see people trying to run from the building from the entrance we had entered earlier.

“Micah-,” I began.

“No, we’re sticking together.  Ella told me we needed to stick together,” Micah said stubbornly. 

I grabbed Troy’s hand and he nodded at me.  I could see the hesitance in his eyes, but he was going to do what I felt was necessary.  He was supporting my decision. 

I closed my eyes and imagined the anger I felt for Horatio.  In his quest for dominance, he had harmed too many innocent people.  He had greedily coveted things and people that weren’t his to control or use.  As I felt our connection reach its crescendo I lifted our arms towards the building.  I watched as the ball of flame the size of car erupted from our hands. 

We stumbled as the backdraft pushed us back.  The building immediately began to go up in flames.  The flame greedily fed by the breeze of the cold autumn day.   The smell of smoke nearly choked us.  We systematically made our way around the building, helping the flames spread faster.

“Time to go,” Troy said firmly after watching the building begin to crash. 

“I want to make sure he doesn’t escape,” I said obstinately.

“We can’t,” Micah cried out as we saw the dark shapes running towards us, yelling, their bodies outlined by the fire behind them.

“We need to go,” Troy said in a clipped tone. 

I looked at Micah, Rachel, and Sierra’s faces.  They were scared.  We needed to get to safety.  My quest for vengeance would have to wait.

 

“They’re coming to get us,” Troy stated as he leaned back in the booth.

I had healed all the wounds on his face, and he had washed the blood off in the small bathroom located in the back of the diner.  Unfortunately, I was unable to heal my own wounds.  I looked like I had jumped in the ring with Mohammed Ali, did several rounds with him, and lost horribly.

We had to sit and wait for a rescue team to get us.  Leaving in the helicopter that brought us here was out of the question.  The place was crawling with men in black. We had to wait when all I wanted to do was go home to all my guys, curl up, and go to sleep.  Maybe when I woke up, I would find out this was a dream.  A horrible, messed up, dream.

We were all sitting in a booth in a small obscure town, far from Detroit.  We had received odd looks when we came in, but it was growing late, and we were hungry.  We smelled of smoke and fire.  I tried to do the food justice, but I just couldn’t.  My mind kept going to Steven.  We had hidden his body in some woods close to our rendezvous point. 

Troy pulled me closer to his side, caressing my arm as he kissed my temple.  “Eat please,” he murmured quietly.

I looked up at him, feeling numb and hollowed out.  “You too,” I responded back to him.

I was so tired and hungry, but my mind wouldn’t stop replaying everything repeatedly.  I couldn’t help but wonder if I would have just spoken up, if the results would have been the same.  If I had told Will that we all felt wary, would he have done something about it?  We had received reports that all the other missions were successful, but the feeling of failure would not leave me. 

He took a bite of his biscuit before placing it to my lips.  I grudgingly took a bite of it, even though it tasted like sawdust in my mouth.

“You never told us your name or story,” Rachel finally said, after hours of silence.  It was like she was waking from a dream as she looked at the exotic looking female sitting across from us. 

She was slightly taller than me, but more curvaceous.  She had long dark hair and large dark eyes.  She had a great complexion and beautiful olive skin.  She wasn’t classically beautiful, but someone that would still turn heads.  She hadn’t spoken much, and I could tell she was just being respectful of our solemn dispositions.

“Sierra helped me.” Micah smiled in adoration at her, and I could tell he had a crush on her.  “I could only take one person with me, but with her, I could bring you all.”

Sierra blushed a pretty shade of red.  “My name is Sierra.  I’m nineteen years old,” she said hesitantly as she eyed us skeptically.  “My parents passed away when I was young, so I lived with my Grandmother.  She—" She struggled with her next words.  “She died last year.  I was a student in New Jersey.  A few months ago, I was slipped a drug when I was out drinking with some friends.  I woke up in this facility that was run by…” she paused, shuddering,  “…that monster.  When I was given the drugs, at first they worked, but as each day passed I became more aware of my surroundings.  I’m pretty sure my gift level is too high.  I wasn’t supposed to be there tonight. One of the other girls started having complications with her pregnancy, so they pulled her at the last second.” 

“So, you’re aware of the gifted community.  What is your gift?  Are you—" Troy started asking.  We can see the discomfort on his face as he tried to delicately ask if she was pregnant, his gaze on her flat stomach.

“I am gifted.  My Grandmother was gifted. My Dad, her son, had not been and, no” she stated emphatically.  “Thank the Lord, no!  They were actually getting pretty frustrated about that. They,” she shuddered. “…tried numerous times, but it wasn’t working. I am like a…catalyst.  I can make any gifted person stronger than they already are,” she almost said smugly.  The more she talked the more fire I saw in her spirit. She was a strong girl.  “Although,” she pointed a fork at Troy and I with a shrewd look, “I don’t think you two need any help in that area.”

“Those other girls, some of them were pregnant, were they there willingly?” Troy asked as he fed me some of his biscuits and gravy.

Once again, I grudgingly took a bite.  He was concerned about me.  His constant looks told me as much.

“Oh yeah,” Sierra rolled her eyes. “There were a lot of us that weren’t there by choice, but then these two bitches came in and they started acting like everything was great. That we were honored to bring strong, gifted children into the world.  Some of those girls ate that stuff up.   They forgot that they were brought there against their will.  All the ‘test subjects’ were there against their wills.  We were like damn science experiments.

“They became…complacent.  They became…brainwashed.  It was like they became different girls.  They got their implants taken out.  I guess they were running low on the implants.  The guy who created them was taken. Was it you guys who took him?  ”

“But you didn’t buy it?” Rachel almost sounded impressed by her as she nodded assent at her question.

“No,” she rolled her eyes. “Have you ever seen the movie Mean Girls?  Think Regina George.  This bitch was Regina.  With her pretty blond hair and blue eyes.”

I gasped as I looked over at Troy.  I knew we were thinking the same thing.  “Do you remember her name?” I asked quietly.

“Bridgette and her little side kick Tamara,” Sierra snorted.  “They were inseparable until the Monster decided to make them join his sick little experiments.  He put them through the same procedures we went through.  Bridgette, the Monster’s daughter, seemed reticent at first, but that girl has some major Daddy issues.  Eventually, she was proud to do whatever Daddy wanted her to do.  Tamara got knocked off her high horse really quick.  She was terrified.  Her daddy was livid, but that didn’t stop the Monster.”

I had to stop myself from getting physically sick.  His black heart had known no bounds.  What monster would put his own child through that, without her consent?  I almost felt smug, almost.  Zach Young had picked the wrong side, and I’m sure they were all regretting their decisions now.

Rachel, Troy, and I exchanged glances.  “Can you tell us anything more about the facility you were held in?”

She frowned.  “I wish I could remember its location.  They gave me additional drugs before we were transported.  There are a lot of people in there that need help.   He has girls like me that he wants to impregnate.  Then he’s bringing people in and injecting them with a serum.  He’s trying to make gifted people.  He thinks he’s God.  Most of these people are dying less than twenty-four hours after their injection.   The others,” she shuddered.  “They might as well be dead.”

I looked over at Rachel and she nodded.  Everything Sierra said was the truth.

 

We finally got the call around midnight.  We rushed to our rendezvous point after leaving a generous tip to our waitress. 

Micah looked around us as we walked to the darkened side of the diner.  We all held on to him, and soon we transported once more.  I had to blink to let my eyes adjust.  We were standing in the middle of a field.  Lights from the waiting airplane, nearly blinded me.

Will had found a small airport in a town called Marine City that had a little airstrip.  It had taken a while to reach the owner, but he had gladly allowed us the use of it, once he found out the amount of money Will would pay him. 

I watched as five men came off the airplane.  I could barely see, but I knew who they were immediately.  I broke down in tears as I ran towards them.  I was immediately crushed in between them.  All the events of the day came rushing to me.  The fear, the grief, the hopelessness, and finally, the relief of knowing we were all safe.

I could see the joy in Rachel’s face as they pulled her in for a hug next.  I was kind of disappointed not to see Jemmy and Gavin.  I really hoped they had already kissed and made up.

I looked up and saw Will’s grief-stricken face before he pulled me in for a tight hug.  “I’m sorry, Blake,” he said fiercely.  “I never should have put you in that situation.”

I hugged him back after a moment of surprise.  “You didn’t put me in that situation.  I have gifts.  I need to use my gifts for good.  I couldn’t stand by and allow men like Horatio continue to wreak havoc, while I sit by idly.  We found out so much from Sierra tonight,” I informed him. 

He squeezed me one more time.  “Let’s go, dear, we got some worried children waiting for you at home.”

I nodded and turned to join my guys once more.  The myriad of emotions on their faces, made me realize how important I was to them.   I looked at them and hoped they realized how important they were to me.

Will and Remy went to collect Steven from the place we had put him; their steps heavy and their heads cast down. It wasn’t long before they returned.  Will insisted on helping to carry his longtime friend, despite Remy’s polite protests. 

Before we boarded the plane, I looked over at Sierra and motioned for her to follow us.  I could see the curiosity and sadness in her eyes as she watched our reunion.  I had a feeling when she lost her Grandmother, she had lost the last blood relative she had.  She was like most of us.  Another lost boy.

“I’ll make introductions when we get on the plane,” I said.  “But for now, everyone, this is Sierra. She and Micah helped us immensely today.  Sierra, this is everyone.”

Everyone gave her a warm welcome, and I could see she was slightly overwhelmed but ready for wherever we were going to take her.  I noticed a more mature and analytical nature in her.  She was always watching and soaking things in.   She was strong and had a fire within her.

She seemed reticent for a moment as she looked at the private jet, then us, before she shrugged and boarded the plane in front of me.  

I grabbed Jaxson’s hand as we walked towards the plane.

I love you, I told him once again.

His pale grey eyes turned on me, lighting up, and his gorgeous dimple appeared as he smiled at me. 

I love you more than you’ll ever know, he responded.

It was as we were walking up the steps when I barely stifled my gasp.  Jaxson was holding my hand and he looked up at me questioningly.  Sierra was climbing the stairs in front of us, and the back of her shirt had ridden up.  The glow from the interior lights illuminated her back.

Do you see what I see?  I asked tentatively.

Jaxson looked confused before realization dawned.  His eyes grew round as saucers.

Shit!  His inner voice muttered.

Yup I agreed.

Sierra, our new-found acquaintance, had a trident the size of a half dollar on her lower back.  The situation between Jemmy and Gavin just got a whole lot more complicated. 

 

It was almost two o’clock in the morning when I was finally able to relax.  I had just taken a shower, and I had a bowl of Drake’s amazing chicken noodle soup in my lap, despite my protest of not being hungry.  Patrick, Nadia, and Ella had just fallen asleep on one of the bean bag chairs.  They had been distraught.

Will had left with Beth to break the news to all the families that had lost someone tonight.  Including Michael.  Cora was nearly inconsolable.  She had been given a sedative to calm her down, for the sake of the children.  Beth was handling this with stoutness.  I could see the pain and devastation in her eyes, but I knew she was trying to be strong for the children. She was trying to be strong for their family.

Micah and Alex were sleeping on another bean bag chair.  Drake had already covered them with blankets after we determined there was no use moving them.  We were just as tired, but unable to fall asleep.

Sierra had insisted that she wanted to tell us everything she possibly could.  She wanted to be involved with our operations.  She wanted to help everyone that she had seen in the facility.  Jace and Terrance was acting like Will’s second in commands and were currently drilling her for information.  They were sitting at the dining room table. I couldn’t help but notice how many times Jace would look up from their conversation to look at me, as if he was afraid I might disappear.

I was comfortably ensconced between Remy and Noah.  Drake and Jaxson were comforting Rachel.  She had broken down again when she had seen how broken the children were.  She waited until they fell asleep before sobbing once more.  I didn’t feel threatened at them comforting her, in fact, it made my heart warm seeing their compassion.  After all, Rachel was family now.  She should be treated as such.  Gavin and Jemmy were cuddled up to one of the couches, but I could see and feel the tension radiating from them.

I wanted to tell them that they needed to get their crap together.  Didn’t they realize they shouldn’t take life for granted anymore?  We weren’t promised tomorrow.  Even with Horatio gone, we never knew if he had others working for him that were willing to pick up the torch and continue his work.  We had been targets before, now we were made into larger ones.

We had taken a lot of his test subjects.  We had taken Dr. Neil.  We might not have taken down his whole operation, but we definitely put a hurting on it.  Tomorrow, we would regroup and figure out if we could find this other facility. From the sounds of it, it worked like the main base of Horatio’s operations.

In the past, they had told me Horatio was notorious for buying and selling property. He had hundreds in his name.  He had people that worked for him that had several properties in their names.  We found out he had other aliases.  Who knows how many properties were listed under their names.

Sierra was a font of information.  I guess she knew more than what she realized.  Rachel had volunteered to help with the questioning, but we told her it wasn’t necessary.  We didn’t trust Sierra per se, but somehow, I had a feeling she was going to be sticking around for a little while.  Especially when we told Gavin he had another connection.

I looked over at Gavin and my morbid sense of humor almost wanted to rise.  He had been so horrified at the concept of having multiple connections, and here he had two.  He was going to flip.  I felt sorry for him, but at the same time I found it humorous.  I guess he should have thought harder before teasing me about fostering more than one relationship.  Karma was coming in full circle for him.  

I still hadn’t told the guys about Sierra’s mark.  I looked over at Jaxson.

When do we tell them?  I asked.

I’m not sure now is the right time Jaxson said hesitantly. 

They’re going to know soon.  Gavin keeps looking at Sierra, and Sierra keeps looking at him.  Jemmy see’s it too, I sighed.  They’ve been so distant lately, yet since we came downstairs, she won’t leave his side. 

Troy came back downstairs with our air mattresses, interrupting our conversation.  “We really need to just build Blake a bed large enough for all of us,” he grumbled good naturedly.  He was trying valiantly to get us out of dark morose moods.

“I’m not into you guys watching me when I… well you know,” Drake blushed.

I smiled at him as the guys chuckled at him.

I secretly liked the idea of a bed large enough for all of us.  I was with Drake.  I wasn’t certain if I was ready for anyone to watch me in my intimate moments with any of them, but I wasn’t ruling out the idea just yet.  The idea of us all sleeping together on nights like this, in the comfort of my bed, was appealing though. 

“Seal the deal, do the horizontal mambo, knock boots, rock her world…” Noah teased him, and poor Drake got even more red. 

“You guys leave Drake alone,” Rachel said defiantly as she leaned into him.

“We wouldn’t have sleepovers every night,” Noah stated with a grin.  “Just occasionally, like tonight, because I’m not leaving her side.  Is anyone else?”

All the guys said no or shook their head.  Even Jace had paused in his interrogation to look at me with intensity.  His look was clear.  He wouldn’t be leaving me either.

“I’ll take measurements tomorrow and start building the frame and headboard sometime this week,” Remy said as he began to run his large hands through my hair. 

I had forgotten that, before his grandfather had passed away and before his mother had met his step father, his grandfather would take him to his wood-working shop.  He had loved and missed those times with him.  His grandfather had imparted quite a bit of knowledge in him.  And at Will’s insistence, he had even been able to take a wood shop class in high school.

I had just found out recently that all the bars in every single one of his restaurants were made by his hands. I would have to insist on watching him work on the bed frame and headboard—shirtless, of course. Maybe with a tool belt tied on his waist, wearing jeans that were low on his hips.  I could feel myself getting aroused, and Remy growled in my ear before I quickly erected my barriers. 

I gave him an apologetic smile.  I wanted one of them, but they had all told me that I needed to eat and rest more than I needed to give in to my baser urges.  I didn’t know who was suffering more,  me or them.  We had all used our gifts tonight.  We all felt that sensation within us that craved intimacy.    

None of the guys had wanted to leave my side since coming home.  They even sat in my bathroom as I showered after Noah had healed me.  I didn’t mind.  My normal inhibitions were gone.  These were my connections.  Life was too tenuous.  I needed them as much as they needed me.

 

“Gavin has another connection.  It’s Sierra,” I said in the silence of the room as I watched the flames dance in the fireplace and the shadows on the wall.

“Crap,” Drake muttered at my back.  He was curled up behind me.

“My thoughts exactly,” I muttered as I linked one of my hands with his.  I pushed my rear further into him and I heard him hiss.  His reaction was immediate, and I could feel my desire rise instantly.

“How did—” Noah started to ask.  He was lying in front of me, one of his hands cradling my hip.

“We saw her mark as we were boarding the plane,” Jaxson stated on the couch.

I wanted to lay next to him, especially after our confessions, but he unselfishly told me to let Drake and Noah lay with me, since they had freaked out the most after my SOS. 

“Jemmy’s not going to like that much,” Jace stated with a sigh.  “She never was known to share well with others.  Even as a child, she hoarded all her stuff so she could play with ours.”

“Because mom never gave her anything, and if she did, her nose was rubbed in it for weeks,” Drake said bitterly.

I squeezed his hand.   My heart broke for him and Jemmy. 

“We might have went overboard spoiling her,” Remy said huskily.  I could tell he had been on the cusp of fallen asleep before I finally blurted out my secret.

“She deserved it,” Jaxson said with a frown in his voice.

“That’s why she fell in love with you the most,” Troy said with a chuckle.  “She learned to fake cry so you would give her anything she wanted.”

“Bro—" Jaxson said with warning.

I giggled, knowing he hadn’t wanted me to know.  “Jemmy already told me. She admitted to wanting you the first time I met her.” Then I sobered up once more.  “She’s already having issues with Gavin…”

“What’s going on there?   I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Jaxson said before reaching down to grab a piece of my hair.  He rubbed it between his fingers.

“She wants to move faster than he’s prepared to. He wants to build their relationship, before they are completely intimate.  She wants to make their connection now. She wants to see if they could increase their gift levels if they do.  He thinks it’s for the wrong reasons,” I said carefully. 

Troy groaned.  “Tell Jemmy no and she’s like a dog with a bone, she won’t let go, and she’ll keep pushing until she gets what she wants.”

“Which will only drive Gavin further away,” Jace said pragmatically.

“This is his first real relationship, so…” my voice trailed off.

“So, in comes another pretty girl, that may give him the time and space he needs, and she’ll win his affection,” Noah sighed.

“You think she’s pretty?” I jokingly teased him.

“Well…” Noah stuttered.

I began to giggle and heard a few of the guys chuckle.  “Got you,” I whispered to him, then shrugged.  “She is beautiful, and she’s almost the exact opposite of Jemmy.  How does that even work with connections?  Has the nucleus preferred one connection over the other?  Has it hurt their overall relationship?”

“Do you prefer one of us over the other?” Troy wickedly joked, but I could hear the seriousness in his words as well.

“No,” I didn’t even hesitate with my answer.  There was no thinking about it.  “You each fulfill a different need within me.  You all share similarities, but it’s your differences that set you apart and draw me to you in other ways.”

Noah groaned.  “Why did we all agree to this self-imposed celibacy?  I want to be fulfilling other needs,” he teased.

“Shut up,” Jace and Remy bit out simultaneously.

We all laughed accept for Noah and Jaxson. 

Jaxson cleared his throat.  I hadn’t noticed how quiet he had gotten.  “Dad preferred mom over Megan and it hurt their relationship.  Mom was all glitz and glamour.  Megan was—"

I gasped.  I never knew Will had two connections—and they had been sisters—until that moment.

“Megan was younger, sweeter, she was in way over her head, with those two.  They were toxic together, and they didn’t belong together.  They poisoned everything they touched.  Megan knew that, and she had to leave for her own self-preservation,” Jace said gruffly but I heard a true fondness for the aunt he had been cursing just weeks ago.

I saw it as a step in the right direction.  He still hadn’t talked to me about the whole situation, but I saw a growth in him since he had last talked about her.

 

 

We had just fallen asleep when we were rudely awakened.  I heard the panic screams of the kids as a bright flashlight was shown in my eyes.  I could hear the guys yelling and grunting around me. 

“We have the subject,” I heard a gruff voice say as he leaned over me.

“Leo, what the hell,” I heard Troy curse before I felt a sharp sting in the side of my neck.  Then darkness.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 30

 

I woke up in a cinder block room.  I gasped in panic as I looked around.  This room reminded me of the cells we were kept in when I was in the mental institute.  It had a single door with a small glass window in it.  It was no better than a prison cell.  There was a toilet in the corner of the room and a sink beside it.  I was laying on a cot, on a thin mattress. 

I sat up quickly.  My head spun with dizziness, and my mouth was extremely dry.  I clasped my head as I noticed I was now wearing a white jumpsuit and a pair of matching white shoes.  I was no longer wearing Troy’s t-shirt and Jaxson’s sweat pants.

Where was I?  Did Horatio finally find me?  I needed to get out of here.  I couldn’t be separated from my guys…again!

I needed water.  My body was demanding it.  On shaking knees, I stood up.  I gripped the wall and started to stumble to the sink.  I turned the tap on and bent down to drink the water, straight from the faucet.

The door behind me opened, and I spun around quickly, immediately regretting it as my head spun once more.  When the world righted itself, I opened my eyes and glared at the two men standing in the doorway. They were dressed in all black; black cargo pants, black t-shirts, and black combat boots. 

I immediately tried to compel them and tell them to take me to the guys.  I groaned as my head pounded on and my gift wouldn’t come forth. 

“Follow us,” one of the men said gruffly.  “And don’t try to do anything funny.  Your gifts are useless here.”

I stared at them obstinately and leaned my head against the wall.  “Nah, I’m good,” I snorted. 

Why should I listen to them?  They kidnapped me from my home in the middle of the night and now they wanted me to follow them?

“Follow us, or we’ll just carry you out,” he rolled his eyes at me.  They were both bigger and a lot taller than me, so I’m sure they could easily carry out their threats.

I tried in vain to call my gifts again and my heart sank when I realized he spoke the truth.  I couldn’t call upon them. 

I gaped at him.  When he advanced towards me, I held my hands out towards him.  “Fine, fine I’m coming.”

I knew I was being childish as I dragged my feet behind me.  I was led to a door not too far from mine.  When the door opened, I was gently pushed inside.  The room was dark, but at least it looked more inviting then the room they had put me in.   There was one of those two-way mirrors located to the left of the room.  Two men sat at a table.  One was dressed smartly in a suit and tie, and the other one was dressed like the other two that brought me here.  They were sitting at a nice mahogany table with a small flat screen television sitting on the end.

“Hello, Blake,” the man in the suit smiled warmly at me.  He reminded me of a younger version of Robert DeNiro.  “My name’s Paul.”

I heard the click of the door shutting behind me.  I leaned against the wall, warily eyeing him.  “Are you one of Horatio’s minions?  He’s dead you know,” I said snidely.

Paul frowned as his ‘body guard’ snorted.  “I wish that were true,” I thought I heard him mutter before he indicated the seat across from him.  “Please sit, there’s a bottle of water right there.  If you’re hungry, I can get you some food,” he grimaced slightly.  “Our operative had the wrong tranq in his gun, so you’re probably parched.”

I stared at him with a deadpan expression, making no move to sit down.

He sighed.  He was looking at me kindly, but I didn’t trust him.  How could I trust anyone that took me against my will?  “Well then.” He cleared his throat.  “Stand if you like.  I don’t work for Horatio.  I own a private company contracted out by the government. I’m sorry if you feel we can’t be…trusted, but you must understand that you were in danger and we had to remove you before Horatio got you.  We thought if we helped you and your family out of your situation, you would be able to help us out.  We didn’t have time to call you in or ask.  As it was, we barely extracted you in time.”

“Horatio’s dead,” I stated again.  “Where’s my family?  I want to see my family.”

“I will take you to them shortly.  I assure you, they are safe.  I wanted to talk to you and see if you would be willing to help us out.  They are talking to some of my men at the moment, too,” he explained.  “If what I have heard is correct, I know that if you’re willing to help us, they will agree to it as well.”

“Prove it,” I stated.

He turned on the screen, and I could see Rachel, Jemmy, Gavin, and Sierra on split screens.  Each one of them were talking to men in the black uniforms.  He pushed another button, and I was able to see Jaxson, Troy, Remy, and Noah.  He pushed the button once again, and I saw Terrance, Will, Jace, and Drake.  They all looked fine, although some of them had belligerent, angry expressions.  I was surprised to see Will.  I had never heard him come back to the house.  I also noticed I had migrated closer to the table.

“I’m a 17-year-old girl, how can I possibly help you big bad men?” I asked suspiciously as I played naïve. 

He gave me a long-suffering look.  “We know you are gifted, and we have a common enemy.  I figured with our efforts combined, maybe we can finally put the rabid dog down before he further hurts your community and hurts innocent people.  The government is now aware of your community, and I would like to diffuse the problem before it escalates.”

“I think you have me confused for another person,” I tried to act bored with the whole conversation as I picked my nails of the nonexistent dirt under them. 

He sighed once more as he picked up his remote.  I gasped, and my eyes widened as I saw Troy, Micah, Sierra, Rachel, and I on the screen.  We had just appeared at the building, and Troy and I were setting the building on fire.  I watched as we disappeared once more.  Then moments later, I saw four men running from the building.  The video was paused, and then Paul zoomed in on the faces of the men. 

It was definitely Horatio.  He had gotten out.  I stifled the tears threatening to spill.  I thought I had avenged the people he had wronged.  I had failed once more.

 

“What can I possibly do?” I asked again, feeling the numbness within once more.  I was sitting now.  My knees clasped to my chest as I sipped on the bottle of water.

“We would like it if you would help us.  We have battle-ready men and woman, but they don’t have the gifts you do.  We need people like you and your boy—" he squirmed in his chair, searching for the right words.

“Men, boyfriends, connections,” I supplied dryly.

“Right,” He cleared his throat with a blush.  “We need people like you and your men to help us.  Horatio’s becoming a thorn in your side, and believe it or not, we want to protect your community, too.  We’ve been aware of your activities for some time now, and every successful mission with low to no casualty rates have involved you and your team.”

I felt a sharp pain within my chest.  I would have preferred no casualty rates.  I narrowed my eyes on him.  “How can I trust you?  Even if I could, you realize you went about it the wrong way.  You came into my home.  You drugged me.  You took me away from my family.  Even if I had the power to sway them, like you think I do, I couldn’t or wouldn’t make any decisions without them.”

Paul grimaced.  “I’m sorry.  We just didn’t have the time to explain it in your environment.  You really pissed Horatio off this time.  The moment after you were extracted, he blew up your home.”

 

I was taken back to my room and brought a lunch tray.  They promised me that they would take me to see my family once they were briefed of our situation.  I didn’t understand their tactics, but they must have a reason for it.  I still didn’t know if I could trust them.  The door opened once more.

A woman and two men stood in the door.

“Hello, Amanda,” the woman softly spoke to me.  “I’m sorry you’re here under these circumstances but we needed you all to come with us quickly.”

She was a beautiful woman with her long black hair and cornflower blue eyes.  She was dressed in a smart three-piece suit.  If I had to guess her age I would put her in her early thirties, but the laugh lines around her eyes indicated an older age.  She seemed so familiar to me.  When she smiled at me, I felt a memory try to push through.

“I know no Amanda,” I stated coldly as I stumbled back to the bed.  I sunk down on it and braced my head against the wall.

I was back to being belligerent.  Paul seemed sincere, and I truly believed he wanted our help.  He had told me about his operations.  He said he had roughly eighty people in his fighting force.  Each one of them had military or law enforcement history.  They also knew, or was related to, a gifted individual.  Even with his apparent friendliness and earnest expressions, I still felt leery of the whole situation.

I was brought out of my musings as the woman advanced into my room.      

The woman smiled at me as she tsked at me.  “You always were such a stubborn girl.  You go by Blake now, right?  If you like, I’ll call you Blake.”  Her eyes were kind as she was looked at me, but I couldn’t trust her.

“That would help, since it is my name,” I sneered.  “I’ll also like for you to bring me back to my…family,” I rolled my eyes as I looked over at the two burly men behind her.

She sighed as she turned into the hallway.

I noticed she had left the door open and I started to creep towards it.  I stifled a shriek of surprise as she popped her head back in.  “Come on now.  I have some people waiting for you.”

 

I followed her through the long white halls, constantly looking for a way and opportunity to escape.  I was starting to feel defeated as we came to double doors at the end of the hallways.  Finally, I was met with color once more.  I was standing in a wide-open room.  Two men stood near a half wall looking down. 

I could hear grunting and laughter below me and I peered over the edge.  I saw close to fifty people (more men than female) below me, sparring each other.  It reminded me of the sparring we did at the academy, but more intense. 

They were dressed much like the men leading us down the halls.  I knew I wasn’t physically capable of running from them or overtaking them, so I acted complacent for now.

One of the men turned and looked at me.  He smiled when he saw me.  “You must be, Blake.  I have heard so much about you.” He came over to me and held out his hand.  He was slightly taller than me, but his build reminded me of a bull dogs.  He was built, but stocky.  He was bald and attractive.  His brown eyes danced when he smiled.

I looked at him coolly.  “I’m sorry I can’t say the same about you.”

“Oh, of course,” he chuckled.  “I’m Leo.  Troy’s right-hand man.” He held out his hand.

I took a step back and glared at him.  He had betrayed Troy.  Why were we constantly bringing people around us that was betraying us?

“I think she will be more receptive once we take her to her family,” the woman chuckled at me.

His eyes widened.  “Of course.  They’re waiting for her in there.”

They began walking once more, and I followed them to another set of doors.  It looked like a large conference room.  A large table dominated the room with several chairs surrounding it.  I saw all my guys and Jemmy, Gavin, Will, Beth, Cora, Rachel, Terrance, and Sierra. Beyond them I could see the children playing in an enclosed courtyard. They all seemed relaxed as they ate at the table and talked quietly.

Jace saw me first, pushed his chair back and closed the distance between us.  He picked me up and brought me close. 

I laughed and felt the tears threatening once more.  Two things happened at once.  Jace stiffened, and the room suddenly became still and quiet. I looked around in confusion.  Will and Jaxson were now standing side by side, looking at the woman behind me like they had seen a ghost.

“Megan,” Will finally said quietly.

 

We were all sitting at the conference table after I found out that the children were fine happy. Other children were playing with them, and their ordeal had been forgotten.  Will had left the room with Megan, so that left us trying to make sense of it all.

“Is our home really gone?” I asked quietly from Jace’s lap.  He had refused to let me go once I was returned to them.

“Yes,” Troy finally said.  “Leo showed me the pictures.”

I looked over at him.  “How do we keep allowing people that may harm us into our lives?”

Troy shook his head.  “I still trust him with my life.  He’s been running my company in my absence, and he got intel on the possible attack on us.  He couldn’t reach me, since my phone was taken.  He goes way back with Paul Keebler.  He contacted him.  Apparently, Paul had already been watching us.”

“He had to see if you were to be trusted,” Megan said softly from the doorway.

I could clearly see the family resemblance now.  Jace and Jaxson’s looked exactly like her. I imagined she looked a lot like her sister.

Will followed her in the room and took a seat, after pulling a seat out for her.  She gave him a warm smile before sitting down.  She looked directly at Jaxson and Jace.  “After I left your father and mother, I joined the Air Force.  I thought if I was busy and flitting across the globe, I would be able to forget you guys.” I thought I saw a look of sadness crossed her face before she looked down.  When she looked back she looked composed once more.  “I was constantly deployed once my training was complete.  I met Paul through my travels.  He was a private contractor.  He told me if I ever separated from active duty, he wanted me to give him a call.  When I… had enough, I left active duty and gave him a call.

  “Somewhere along the line he figured out I was gifted.  His mother had been, but he isn’t.  He works a lot of missions we can’t discuss.  I ran one of his teams, but recently he asked me if I would move up in the ranks. 

“Horatio has exposed our community in so many ways.  He needs to be stopped before they can no longer ignore us.  Some people are already wanting us to register ourselves.  They want to experiment on us.  They want to put us in camps.  We have been able to coexist peacefully for thousands of years, but now our way of life is being threatened.”

I looked over at Will.  “How do we know if they’re telling us the truth?”

Rachel cleared her throat.  “They are,” she stated.  “Horatio has my dad and brother.  I’m staying here and helping them.”

I looked at all the guys, they looked back at me.  Jace squeezed my hand.  “It’s your call, sweetheart.  They have the same mission we do.  They have better resources them we do.  They can help us in many ways, and we can help them.”

“What about the rest of our team?” I looked over at Terrance and then Sierra, Cora, Beth, and Gavin.  “We can’t very well speak for everyone.  Everyone needs to make their own decisions.  They want us to move in here.  We’re going to be cut off from the outside world for…awhile.”

“We’re staying here,” Beth stated.  I noticed she looked like she had lost her normal sparkle, and Cora was sightlessly staring at the wall.  My heart sank.  This was a lot for them to take on now.  They should be grieving their loss of their connection; instead, they were being forced to make decisions. 

“I have to stay with my family,” Jemmy looked over at Gavin.  From her defeated look, I knew she expected him to cut his losses and leave.

Gavin gave her a warm smile, before kissing her cheek.  “And I belong by your side.”

She beamed at him as tears filled her eyes.

“I’m staying,” Sierra stated resolutely as she looked over at them. 

I looked over at Jaxson. 

They’ll figure it out, soon enough, he said to me.

I nodded wordlessly. 

Terrance looked at Will.  “I would like my whole team to have the right to decide, but I would like to stay with you here.  I feel like I already started this, and I need to see it through.”

“Then I guess we’re all in,” I decided as I looked at the guys.  They all nodded at me and I knew I had made the right decision.

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Authors Note

 

I want to thank everyone that decided to continue my journey with Blake in Gifted Connections Book 2.  I live with my husband, two children, and 3 fur babies.  I love cooking, reading, and dabbling with photography. 

I’ve loved writing ‘stories’ since I was ten years old.  I remember starting many stories in my spiralbound notebooks.  I’m pretty sure if I was to go through my parents’ house I would still find some of them. 

As an adult, I traded my spiralbound notebooks for a laptop.  In between my book hangovers, I started many stories.  One day, my husband told me if I wasn’t going to do anything with my ‘stories,’ what was the use of them? So I took a leap of faith and released Gifted Connections.

It has been a learning experience for me.  I’m still learning as I go.  Thank you for the readers that have encouraged me through this process.  It helps knowing I have an audience that loves this book as much as I do.