by Lucy Rains
Pierce and I didn’t need to communicate. We hurried through the water and a minute later, were jogging up the shore and towards our beach house.
All was quiet. I expected gun shots, yelling. My eyes were wide, searching. My 6th sense pushed forwards, searching for the guys. I felt the three of them, safe, but scared. No, terrified. Anxious fear pulsed in the house.
“Alex!” I shouted. “Kyson!”
But it was Gavin who appeared on the back porch. I let myself slow to a walk then, feeling my body fatigued and threatening to give out. My mouth hung open, sucking in deep breaths. The last thirty minutes was catching up to me in every way.
My heart soared as Alex and Kyson came out the back door, walking down the steps to us.
A wave of dizziness hit me in the head and my body tilted. I sank down into the sand, resting on my knees. A wave of nausea rolled through my stomach and my eyes closed at the sensations.
“Dude, you missed the shit storm that blew through here!” Alex yelled.
“They came here already?” Pierce asked.
“Yes,” Kyson said. The place is pretty messed up. Dead bodies, shattered TV, broken laptop.”
“Are you okay?” Alex asked. “Is Jade okay?”
“Did they find you?” Kyson asked.
“Katie found us,” Pierce said. “Tried to warn us.”
“Pluck a duck, what?!” Alex shouted, “Katie? Where the hell did she come from?”
“Why is there a scar on Jade’s cheek?” Gavin spoke up.
My eyes opened then, my fingers going to where the bullet had grazed my face. I lifted my head and my eyes connected with Gavin’s. His emotions turned sour, infuriated.
Bringing a knee up, I pulled myself to my feet. My mouth pinched and I glared at Gavin.
“We don’t have time,” Pierce interrupted, “We need to get moving now. Lets go pack up.”
Hot emotion welled up inside me and I took a step towards Gavin. “You should have been there,” I said, my voice low.
Gavin’s eyelids lowered, his face cleaning of all emotions.
“You should have come with me,” I said, this time much louder. “You should have stayed!”
“Jade, let it go,” Pierce ordered. “Get your stuff together and lets go.”
Pierce left then, Alex walking behind him into the beach house.
“He helped us, Jade,” Kyson said softly and my head turned towards him. “It would have been a lot messier if he hadn’t showed up.” Kyson left us then, heading inside to pack up.
I looked back at Gavin, feeling the resentment in his emotions, but also regret. “I needed you,” I said. Tears burned in my eyes and I wiped at them.
Gavin stepped forward and pulled my hand to his chest, pressing me against him. My mind cleared and I inhaled deeply. I realized then that I was taking the last thirty minutes of stress out on him. The fear, the anxiety, the pain. It didn’t erase the fact that I still wished he had stayed with me like I asked, no, pleaded.
His thumbs went to my cheeks and pushed away the tears, before pulling my face close to his. “I’m sorry Princess,” he whispered. His mouth pressed the lightest of kisses to my lips, his regret palpable.
We stood there for a few more seconds before the urgency of the situation returned, and Pierce began yelling in our heads. I took a step forward, my legs shaking. Gavin didn’t miss the small movement. He gathered me into his arms, lifting me with what seemed like no exertion on his part. No gush of breath, not a stagger to his steps. A week ago I would have protested. But in that moment I relished the warmth of his contact on my body, helping me to continue healing.
I looked over his shoulder, back at the ocean waves one more time. The white tipped waves crested, and I lifted a hand. Sending my parting farewells.
Chapter 11
It was like deja vu, walking down the streets with our quick packed bags, hurrying away from the beach house.
I was sure to pack more of my essentials this time, hoping to put off shopping for myself for as long as possible. I was fine living in the same three outfits anyways. While the guys packed up their laptops, cords, paperwork, I tried to throw together their toiletries and necessary clothes items into the black duffel bags they had brought from Maryland. I also made sure to grab whatever snacks and water bottles I could find from the kitchen.
There were three dead men in the house. Blood pooled around their heads, their limbs twisting at odd angles. My vision went fuzzy for a second when I stepped over them, the scent of their blood filling my nose. It was a small house, and impossible to ignore the signs of death. I swallowed and shook my head, telling myself there wasn’t time to dwell on them.
At the first bus stop we came to, we hopped up the bus steps and fell into open rows in the back. Kyson beside me, Gavin across, Pierce and Alex in front of us. My head was spinning and I guzzled down an entire water bottle. Keeping my head down and avoiding any eye contact with the guys, I took deep breaths to regain my physical stability.
I wasn’t about to complain. Our situation was stressful enough without me dragging us down. So I tried to keep up. But inside I was desperately tired, ready to close my eyes and sleep for the rest of the day. If Kyson noticed anything, he wasn’t pointing it out.
“What's the plan?” I asked.
“Lets ride this out for a while.” Pierce and Alex pulled out little boxes from their bags and began opening them. “We’ll get off in about thirty minutes and grab another bus. We keep moving.”
I peered over the back of the seat to see what they were doing. Black phone devices were being passed around and booted up.
“Once we’re on the other side of town,” he continued, “we’ll catch an Uber and head to Orlando.”
“Orlando? Fly out of Orlando?” I shook my head, there was no way I wanted to step foot into an international airport filled with security, screens, and a major lack of exits.
“No,” Gavin said, “we won’t be leaving the country by plane.”
I looked at him and then to Pierce, “By boat?”
“Not just any boat,” Alex said. “By freaking cruise ship!” His head was bent over his new phone as he began typing on the screen. “Did you know cruise ships have ice cream 24/7?”
“But you still need passports to-”
“No,” Pierce cut me off, “Not to leave the country. Only to get back in. Our passports won’t be checked until Europe.”
“I don’t understand,” I said. “We’re taking a cruise ship out of Florida and then what?”
Alex put his phone in front of my face, showing me a map of the cruise line’s sailing itinerary. “We get off at the first stop in the Bahamas, then take a plane to Paris.”
“Avoiding detection will be easier out of this country,” Kyson added. “Gavin will help clear the minds of any officials checking our passports.”
Pierce nodded, “There is a possibility that our pictures will be up through Interpol's network. They could be watching out for us.”
“But we have a ‘Gavin’, and he should help get us out of any sticky situations,” Alex added smugly.
Pierce looked up and around the bus, “Let’s keep quiet on further details until we’re in a more secure setting.”
“I’ll get us set up with a hotel in Orlando and the cruise,” Alex whispered to Pierce, “you get set up with Uber.”
My eyes were growing heavy and I fought to keep them open. Kyson wrapped an arm around my shoulder and pressed a kiss to my temple. He pulled my face towards him, his finger tip trailing along my cheek where my new scar had formed. It was light, hard to see, but still there. A new reminder of the life I now lived.
“Where else?” he asked softly.
I looked down, running a thumb over the small mark that had been left on my thigh. It was also incredibly light, the normal eye might not even see it. His hand pushed mine away gently as set his hand over it, pressing his fingertips to the scar. I watched his eyes close and felt the warming sensation pulse i
nto my thigh. When he lifted his hand a few seconds later, the mark was gone.
I looked at my leg in awe, running my finger over the spot. When I looked up into his eyes he smiled. I tapped on my face, signaling for the same courtesy to my cheek. His dark hair fell in tumbles over his forehead as he leaned down and pushed his lips to my cheek. My eyes closed as his fingers settled onto my face and his powers took away the scar.
A few minutes later we were off the bus, walking a few blocks over and boarding another. I sat by Alex this time, my legs across his lap while I rested against the window. He mindlessly stroked my shins while working on his phone.
By the time we were in the Uber van, my eyes refused to stay open when I sat down, and I fell asleep with my head on Alex’s shoulder.
*******************
With a new sun dress and shiny, black flip flops, we boarded the cruise ship two days later. To make sure we would blend in, Kyson insisted that we all get a few items to wear on the ship. That meant yellow and red t shirts for the guys instead of their standard black, greys, and whites.
We settled into our cabins, but didn’t bother to unpack more than our basic toiletries. We would be off the boat in 48 hours anyway. We split up between two cabins, though sleeping arrangements hadn’t been worked out yet. There would be bed sharing and no one seemed to want to discuss that topic.
We laid low on the boat, grabbing food from the buffet and seeking out private areas to eat. Since we were on our way to Paris, and we had reached our bargain, I didn’t try to force food into me. A few bites of pulled pork and mac and cheese was enough to fill me. The guys would talk and I would stare out the window over the endless stretch of ocean.
Later that night we were out on the top deck, lounging on cushioned benches and watching the wake behind the boat. Alex, Pierce and I sat on a L-shaped seat bench while Gavin and Kyson sat across the deck eating pizza at circular tables.
Guys and girls sat around hot tubs with their bottles of beer and glasses of alcoholic drinks, filing the night with their laughter. I eyed their beverages curiously, felt the carefree emotions radiating from them.
“I want to try a beer,” I said out of the blue.
Pierce coughed and Alex gave a hearty laugh.
“What?” I looked between them, “I want to feel what they feel.” I jerked my head towards the hot tub full of relaxed people.
“Bad idea, girlfriend,” Alex chuckled. “Count yourself lucky you haven’t experienced that.”
I frowned, “Why?”
“It’s hard to explain,” Pierce said, looking over at the hot tub. “There isn’t anything I can compare it to because we haven’t experienced much gastrointestinal issues.”
“I would have to think it would be like drinking acid,” Alex pondered, “and then it comes right back up. And everything else you ate before it.”
“Our body reacts to it like poison,” Pierce added.
I leaned back into my seat, disappointed.
“So, have you apologized to Gavin yet?” Alex asked, biting into his ice cream cone.
My eyes narrowed on him, “What are you talking about?”
“For making him feel like shit the other day after you and Pierce showed up.”
I cocked my head, “After the shooting?”
Alex nodded. I looked to Pierce but he remained silent.
“What am I apologizing for? He should have stayed!” I argued. “Seriously, Pierce and I were unprotected, completely outnumbered and with no weapons or a cell phone.”
Alex’s face remained impassive as he shoved the last of his ice cream cone into his mouth.
Indignant, I continued. “I know he helped you guys at home, but you at least have guns and better cover. We had a wooden shack against a sniper and three other gunmen!”
Alex glanced over at Gavin, and back to me. “Not everything is about you, Jade.”
My jaw dropped open at the chastisement rolling off of Alex. “I never said it was.”
“Then you would realize that if it wasn’t for you, and your hot, stubborn ass, we would have been in Paris a week ago and never would have been attacked in the first place.”
My cheeks burned like I had been slapped. My shoulders sank and words escaped me.
“We never would have been found, you never would have been cornered in a little wooden shack on the beach, and we wouldn’t be creating this elaborate evasive plan to avoid the authorities.”
“Well...” Pierce cut in.
Alex shrugged, “Well, maybe, but still. Stop thinking about yourself all the time. The four of us care about you more than we can hardly handle, which means you get away with more shit then you should.” He nodded towards Gavin, “So, go apologize.”
Pierce stood up, “I’m going to head back to the cabin.”
“I’ll follow,” Alex said.
Pierce looked to Kyson and I could tell by the way his eyes focused on him that he was speaking mentally to Kyson. And then Gavin. Kyson stood up and walked away with Pierce and Alex.
So, there I sat. Feeling lectured, ashamed and like a dumb bitch.
Fantastic.
All the accusatory words I had yelled at him a few days again played through my mind. The way he carried me inside. And of course, the remorseful way he had apologized.
Looking at him sitting there, waiting for me, nerves pricked under my skin. I reminded myself that Gavin and I were in a better place than we were a few weeks ago. He might not let me in, but he wasn’t as harsh as he use to be.
My feet dragged as I walked over slowly, coming up behind him. He had switched out of his bright yellow shirt into his usual grey colors. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the hard metal table while looking out into the water. My senses told me he was calm. More settled than he had been the whole time in Florida.
With my arms still folded, I sat down where Kyson had been. My head was down, my eyes on his empty pizza plate full of crumbs. I blinked, rubbing at my arms. “Why didn’t you say anything?” I asked softly, lifting my eyes to his face.
He brought his eyes over to meet mine, but remained silent. He showed no signs of knowing what I was referring to. But I knew he knew.
“Why did you let me chew you out like that? Blame you?”
I had to swallow back the lump in my throat, ashamed at how I had treated him. How I had been so self absorbed.
Gavin picked up his glass of ice water, condensation beading down the sides and onto his fingers, and took a drink. Purposefully prolonging my shameful feelings.
My head shook, and I sat forward in my seat, getting ready to stand up. I couldn’t keep sitting here with no response from him. It felt too close like rejection. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.
He set his glass down and grabbed onto my forearm to stop me. I steadied myself as he leaned forward to look deeper into my eyes. “Because I should have been there. I should have stayed with you.”
I shook my head in disagreement, why was he letting me off like this? “I shouldn’t have blamed you though. Is Alex right? Did you also realize that the whole thing would not have happened if we had left earlier? Did that go through your mind as well?”
No response. No movement. Just hard hazel eyes looking into my own.
I shook my head again, “You should have said something. Why didn’t you?”
He looked away and his eyes moved around the deck. I could tell he was searching for words. Gavin was not a man of many words, and expressing himself came harder to him than the rest of the guys. But I felt it. So clear and so pure. The affection, the sentiment…
“Because…” he swallowed, paused. “Because I love you.”
Frozen. My eyes wide. Unblinking. Breathing became impossible.
Without looking away he brushed a strand of hair away that was stuck to my mouth. “Because I’ve been horrible to you, and you took it. Because I care more about you than myself, more than anything. Because...you’ve cared for me more than I ever deserve. I just…” He wiped a h
and over his mouth. “I love you,” he whispered, so softly it was almost drowned out in the waves. “I don’t deserve you. I could never deserve you.”
My mouth was suddenly dry. I took his glass of water and swallowed a few gulps. When I set the cup down I saw that he was watching my every move. Not smiling. No twitch to his muscles. Waiting for me.
My heart swelled, the vibrations in my chest at a maximum hum as I digested his unexpected words. Creating a sensation of pleasure to fill my entire body. No one had ever expressed those words to me. Not ever. And to hear it from Gavin, rendered me speechless.
He didn’t rush me. Didn’t look at me in expectation of a reply. His emotions were satisfied, he had said what he wanted and that was what mattered to him.
“Gavin…” I mumbled, swallowed. “When? How long?”
He traced a finger through the water droplets on the table, “Days. Weeks. I don’t know.”
I remembered to breathe and sucked in a shaky breath. The energy inside of me had sparked on his words, warming me. It felt so right. I brought my hand up, chest level, looking into his eyes as I moved it to his chest. My other hand picked up his hand and pushed it to my own.
I gasped as a ripple of pleasure burned through my body from my head to my toe. Gavin released a small groan of enjoyment, his own eyes closing. A sense of security filled me.
All the emotions, feelings pulled together into a realization. “You are mine,” I spoke in awe, almost reverently.
Finally the corners of his mouth lifted, I could feel the love he experienced at the words I spoke. “And you are mine.”
Everything around us disappeared in that moment as our mouths locked. Our hands pressed firmly against each other’s chest, heightening the experience. We grasped at each other, both feeling and fueling each other’s desires. I needed him, desperately, at that moment.
Gasping for air, we pulled apart, ran down four flights of stairs, and made our way swiftly back to our room. Gavin turned the lock, sealing us in for the night, not bothering to turn on any lights. Our sensitive eyes adjusted, and no lamp was needed.
