Collide (Anomaly Book 3)

by Jessica Gilliland

  His heart began to gallop faster, picking up the beat of my own. We were at a precipice, teetering on the ledge of something we'd both wanted so badly. The passion that had started this moment burned hotter, and morphed into something more urgent, needing. Despite the fervor that had built up inside of him, Cash moved tenderly over me, exploring the curves of my body with his hands and lips, removing any clothing that kept my skin from his. His reverent gaze wandered over my body, appreciating me as I appreciated him. As scary and uncharted as it felt, we weren't nervous.

  He hovered back from me, as if trying to slow down and savor the moment. "I can't stop touching you," he breathed out, grinning playfully as his hands still roamed over my skin.

  "Then don't." I moved onto his lap. I fit my mouth to his, and our bodies slid into place like they were never meant to be apart.

  The boat's cabin rocked back and forth as the waves lapped against the hull in soothing rhythm. With each lingering kiss and breathless sigh, Cash and I lost ourselves in one another.

  Chapter Twelve

  As always, Cash was the first to wake, but this time he didn't try to feign sleep. He must not have felt the need to tiptoe around my insecurities. I used to feel so exposed and guilty for running to him in the night, but last night, all of that changed. We were no longer separated by the things that we were afraid to tell each other. Instead, those things became the glue that fused us together.

  Cash's eyes grazed over me as he brushed my hair away from my temple.

  "Good morning," I said with a yawn and sigh. I reached out and touched his bare chest, trailing my fingertips across his skin, down the length of his arm, and traced the edges of his compass tattoo.

  "I think we missed breakfast. It's almost noon." He smiled and kissed my shoulder, and then rested his chin there. He felt so content as we lay together in comfortable closeness, legs tangled up in the sheets.

  "We had a late night." I blushed and snuggled a little closer, recalling the way our bodies moved together and the look in his eyes. Before last night, whenever he'd lock eyes with me, I always felt this secrecy and hesitation inside him. Last night he looked at me with such reckless abandon and freedom, that it made my whole body tingle when I thought of it. The memory rekindled the fire in me. I reached for him, guiding his lips back to mine. I felt the same warmth rise in his chest and move through his body. He groaned softly in my mouth and tightened his grip on my hips. His mouth dipped lower, his teeth nipping at the hollow of my neck, drawing a giggle from me. When I trembled, I felt his lips curve into a smile against my skin.

  The sputtering roar of an engine rumbled outside the cabin. Someone had fired up the jet skis, which meant that the kids were ready to start their day on the water. Not long after that, we heard a barrage of footsteps, followed by the high pitched squeals of laughter and play as Bebe and Headset ran down the dock toward the boats.

  We both held our breath, praying they would move on and forget about us, but that was too much to hope for. Someone slapped the side of the boat and I heard Charlie call out, "Good afternoon, sleepy heads."

  Cash and I both exhaled in a laugh and my cheeks warmed.

  "We can’t hide in here forever," he said giving me one last squeeze and a kiss on the forehead.

  I sighed and rubbed the sleep from my eyes while Cash slipped on a pair of swim trunks and handed me my pajamas.

  He stood by the door of the cabin, watching me get dressed with this amazing smile stamped across his face.

  "What?" I asked, feeling the glow of his joy encircle me.

  He ran his hands through my hair, brushing it back from my face, and cupped my cheek. "You're so beautiful." He took my lips before I could reciprocate. "You ready?" He asked, grinning wider.

  I nudged him backward playfully. "Yeah, lets do this thing."

  When we emerged from the boat, Cash played it way cooler than I did, as usual. Dozer and Glitch were already in the water on the jet skis. Cash gave them a wave and shot Charlie that same glowing grin, and then turned his attention to the kids chasing each other around the dock.

  "Whoa, guys? Do you see that out there?" Cash pointed to the water.

  "What is it?" Bebe asked.

  "Lake monster?" Headset asked, intently staring out over the water.

  Curious excitement pulsed out of the kids, but Cash was surrounded by a mischievous aura that grew brighter the longer the kids concentrated on the water.

  "Yeah, it does look like a little monster," Cash said. "Do you see it?"

  "No! Where is it?" Headset's eyes widened and I could feel his little heart racing.

  "It's right there!" Cash slipped his hands under Headset's arms and tossed him into the lake. Headset came bobbing up to the surface again, laughing hysterically.

  Bebe giggled madly from the dock, pointing and cackling with joy. That was, until Cash went after her. Bebe squealed and ran from him, but her tiny legs were no match for Cash. He picked her up and held her in the air. "Bebe, you're our only hope. You must fight the monster! God speed! He looks hungry!"

  Headset swam in tiny circles, chomping like jaws and making gargling noises as Cash pitched Bebe off the dock. Her eyes were wide open, strawberry blonde curls flying behind her. There was nothing but exhilaration and happiness inside of her. My fearless little girl, opening her arms to the world no matter what it threw at her. Or in this case, whatever it threw her into.

  "What have I done?" Cash called out in faux despair, and then did a cannon ball off the dock, splashing Charlie and I as I took a seat next to her.

  Charlie beamed at me, smiling so wide her eyes were the shape of crescent moons and my own cheeks felt sore. She swung her legs back and forth above the water, waiting for me to spill. I just smiled at her and she smiled back. She knew we were too close to everyone else to get into the girl talk, but the look she gave me told me I owed her some heavy conversation when we were alone.

  So, Charlie refrained from gushing or asking me to clarify the status of our relationship, but she didn't really need to. The change between Cash and I was wholly apparent from the way we looked at one another to the way interacted. No longer afraid of boundaries, he didn't second guess or over analyze himself. If he wanted to hold my hand, he reached for it. If he wanted to kiss my forehead, he did. And my favorite thing: we couldn't pass by one another without touching. Whether it be a kiss or a gentle nudge, his hands and lips would always linger on my skin a little longer than needed, and I reveled in the feelings I gleaned from him as he appreciated every extra second he got to hold me.

  Headset and Glitch stayed out on the water, having gotten the jet skis to themselves. They spent hours racing one another and practicing stunts that Charlie had serious reservations about. Luckily Glitch's ability allowed him to catch Headset before anything happened and the kid was a lot more savvy on the things than Glitch was anyway.

  Dozer and Charlie were swaying lazily in the hammocks on the deck enjoying the view and the momentary reprieve from the constant chattering of children.

  Bebe and I perused the freezer for ice pops while Cash set out to make sandwiches and salads for lunch. Lux was watching the news while Nyx was reading a magazine, sipping on a rather large Bloody Mary.

  "Take those ice pops outside." Nyx glared at Bebe and I over the top of her magazine. I could feel the dull ache pulsing behind her right eye and the way her stomach soured at the thought of our frozen treats, and I sympathized. We smiled guiltily at her and tried to slink away quickly and quietly to spare her, but I was distracted by Lux. He sat on the couch, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees, brow furrowed in curiosity and concern. He stared so intently at the program that I was drawn to it too.

  There was an aerial image of mile long stretch of beach, but something looked strange. As the waves broke over the sand, the water slid unnaturally across the surface. As the cameras zoomed in, I realized that it wasn't sand at all. At least it wasn't anymore. It almost looked like a lava field but much shinier
, almost like glass. The headline said Breaking News: Santa Cruz California.

  "What is this?" I asked quietly, feeling like a rock slid into my stomach. My limbs beginning to tingle the longer I watched.

  "Sometime last night, some sort of phenomenon turned this huge expanse of beach into glass."

  "What?" Cash caught my concern and came to my side.

  "Dripping," Nyx growled, wincing at her own voice.

  I broke away from the television and looked down at Bebe holding her cherry ice pop. The melting syrup was slipping over her fingers and trailed down her arm as she stared at the television.

  "Sorry." I tossed my ice pop in the trash and had Bebe go outside with hers, and then took a seat next to Lux.

  Cash called Charlie and Dozer inside.

  "Its been on all morning. They said it must have been an intense amount of heat to do that to such a large area," Lux said.

  "It's Mia," I said.

  Dozer looked uncertain. “Liv, it’s been so long…you don’t even know that she got out alive.”

  I shook my head. "It's her, Dozer. I know it."

  "What should we do?" Charlie came to my side, rubbing my back in slow circles. Her worry and sympathy seeped into my skin. I tried to push it away. My own worry was enough to make my stomach twist.

  "We'll go back and look for her," Cash said as if there was no other option. He reached out and took my hand in his, trying to steady my emotions. I looked up at him and squeezed his hand in a silent thank you.

  Dozer immediately tensed, and I felt his apprehension like a bullet in my chest. He didn't say anything yet, but I shot him a look. He faltered slightly, but he was completely against the idea. It didn't matter how hurt I looked, he was going to speak his mind.

  "Okay, first of all, you can't know it’s her unless you've developed another psychic ability I'm not aware of." Dozer raised his eyebrows and gave me a look that was more patronizing than I liked. Cash's response to it was almost acidic, and I had to let go of his hand. "Second, even if it is your sister, something like this is going to draw ACT's big guns in to cover it up. They'll send Devereaux's team for her. They may already be there, which means, she's as good as caught already."

  "And that's your reasoning for not going? She's a lost cause? You can't be serious." Cash stepped forward, raising his voice. I'd never heard him use that tone with any of the Nomads, even when he'd found out that Dozer was working for ACT.

  "My reasoning is that it's probably not her, and it’s not worth bringing the kids back to that place when it’s going to be crawling with ACT agents."

  "Dozer, I understand that it’s a risk, but it’s her sister," Charlie pleaded with him to understand, but even Charlie wouldn't sway him. It actually made him more protective of her.

  "Liv, what about this makes you think it's your sister? Have you ever seen her do that?" Dozer turned to me again.

  "She trapped me in a fiery tornado once in a training session. If she got enough power and heat going, it could have done that. And she used to make these glass sculptures out of beach sand and they looked a lot like that."

  "Glass sculptures?" Dozer arched a brow and I felt his sarcasm stabbing at me.

  "Something inside me is saying it’s her, Dozer. I know she needs my help. She could have done that to the beach trying to escape from ACT, couldn't she?"

  "She could have been caught by ACT and they're using her to lure us back there," Dozer countered.

  "Dozer, Liv is our family and Mia is her sister. We can't sit around and do nothing," Cash said. His brow furrowed and his resolve was just as solid as Dozer's was.

  "You'd risk our entire family's safety on the off chance that this is her sister? Based on a feeling and the fact that she used to be crafty?"

  "Like you've never put this family at risk before?" Cash's tone turned accusatory and I felt something inside Dozer crack.

  "I'm just saying that we should have a little more proof before we all run right into ACT's arms."

  "He's right," I said quietly. My heart fell and I started to tear up. I couldn't take them back there. "I'll go alone."

  Cash stiffened and I felt something inside of him ripple like I'd wounded him. Before he could say anything more, Charlie protested, "you're not going anywhere alone. We don't split up."

  "Agreed. We're safer together," Dozer said, taking Charlie's hand.

  "I'm not going to stay here while she needs me," I said firmly, feeling my power starting to tremble inside of me. The couch began to vibrate.

  "Calm down, Liv." Nyx was standing now, her voice was flat but her emotions felt like a warning.

  I reigned in my power and glared back at her. Nyx backed down slightly and turned to the television. "Is your sister a redhead?" She nodded back to the television and turned up the volume. The reporter was standing in front of the beach. The cameras zoomed into the melted sand. It looked like a whirlpool made of multi colored sea glass. There was no way this was a natural occurrence. It looked like a piece of art, like it were made with intent.

  "A man sleeping on the beach during the incident was put in the hospital for minor burns. His statements are questionable, but that’s to be expected after experiencing such an incredible trauma." The program cut to a clip of a man in his hospital bed. Half of his face was wrapped and his hair had been singed.

  "I saw a woman in the fire. She had red hair and glowing eyes. Then her whole body went up in flames. She didn't scream or nothing. She raised her arms out and her fire spread over the entire beach. It looked like lava swirling around her."

  "I think that's proof enough," Cash said, pinning Dozer with a look.

  Dozer consented without actually saying anything. His eyes slid from Cash to me, and I felt his apology, but there was still a deep rooted resistance to the idea.

  "That doesn't mean ACT isn't trying to lure us back there," Dozer said pointedly.

  "We have to go back, Dozer," Charlie said quietly, squeezing his hand and pleading with her eyes.

  Dozer looked back at her, and then out at Bebe and Headset playing outside.

  "Back where?" Glitch said, coming in from the lake.

  "Santa Cruz," Cash said. "Liv's sister needs our help."

  Glitch shrugged. "Alright, when do we leave?"

  Cash looked back at Dozer. Dozer's jaw was tense. He looked to Charlie, and then to me, Glitch and finally, Cash. He took a deep breath and nodded.

  I felt Cash's relief flutter through me and mix with my own. He didn't want to fight with Dozer, but he wasn't going to back down and there was no way he was letting me go alone.

  Lux clapped his hands together. “So! We’re taking a road trip, then?”

  “We're only going back for a couple of days,” Cash replied carefully.

  “Fantastic. When do we leave?” Lux said exuberantly.

  Cash and the rest of the Nomads were squirming inside, trying to figure out how to diffuse the ticking bomb in front of us. “That’s not really necessary. We’re just going to look for Mia and head right back. It would be boring for the two of you, you know?”

  At that, Nyx arched a brow. She was studying us. Her headache was still very much intact, which made her more irritable.

  Lux frowned. “How could a glass beach be boring?”

  Nyx sighed and stood, her arms crossed over her chest. “You can’t be this stupid, Lux. Cash is trying to politely reject our offer to join them. He doesn’t want us tagging along.”

  Lux's frown deepened. “Oh, I see. We open our home to you and your kids and we’re a burden to you?”

  “I didn’t say that,” Cash said, alarmed. He faltered slightly, but he knew they were playing him, and he knew that he was backed into a corner. They would win eventually. With an apologetic look to me, he sighed. “The more the merrier, I guess.”

  Nyx nodded and a smile pulled at the corner of her mouth.

  “Finding Liv’s sister in the primary objective. We’re not going there to sight-see or to have fun,” Cash i
nterjected, and his tone left no room for negotiating.

  The aura around Nyx suddenly darkened in a way that made me feel uncomfortable. Her eyes glinted, reminding me of the sharp edge of a blade. “Oh, there’s always time to have fun, but, sure. Okay.”

  Lux grinned. “It’s settled then. You all can pile into that thing you call the Beast and we’ll take the Mustang.”

  “Shotgun in the Mustang!” Glitch exclaimed, although there was nobody to challenge him.

  “Fine by me,” Cash said, grinning.

  Nyx rolled her eyes and finished the rest of her Bloody Mary.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The drive back to Santa Cruz was abnormally quiet. The kids slept most of the ride. Charlie’s blue eyes had taken on a stormy quality, and Dozer’s attention was wandering aimlessly. He was still brooding and worried about what we might be walking into, and I couldn't blame him. This was a big risk, but no matter how tumultuous our relationship had been, I couldn't leave Mia.

  Sensing my disquiet, Cash did his best to comfort me. He held my hand, palm pressed against mine. It was a silent reminder of the promise he’d vowed to me only nights before: I’m here. I’m with you. Although his jaw was set tight, and I could feel his worry in his bones, he was behind me, resolved and ready.

  About twenty miles outside of Santa Cruz, my chest began to tighten. Cash squeezed my hand lightly to get my attention. He didn’t have to say anything. I could read his question plainly on his face and on his heart. I realized that I’d been biting on my lip and tapping my foot against the floor of the Beast. “I’m alright,” I said on the exhalation of a breath I hadn’t known I was holding in.

  Cash pulled over just outside of Santa Cruz to gas up the Beast and give us a chance to get our bearings before we rolled into town. The Beast rumbled to a stop, we all got out in a chorus of groans as we stretched inactive muscles.

  As Cash filled up the tank, I took the kids into the store. They instantly made a beeline for the candy isle. I took a moment to enjoy the chill of the air conditioning before I grabbed a bottled water and a bag of beef jerky. Headset and Bebe ran up behind me and tossed bags of candy onto the counter before running back to the Beast.