by A. J. Macey
“Then I’ll look into who did it. I can’t promise I’ll know by tonight, but I can work on it,” I explained. Kane nodded before switching his focus back to Carson.
“Car, show him where he can work. Silas, go stay with Evera. If she doesn’t wake in the next little while, we’ll call in the doctor.” Without further conversation, both men moved to leave the room. Keeping my mouth shut, I followed Carson to a small room that had a cluster of chairs, two small tables, and a projector.
Pulling out my on-the-go equipment, I sank into the chair and looked over at him. “Let me know when she gets up?” He nodded before stepping out of the room, leaving me in peace.
Now to find the assholes who hurt Evera.
6
October 12th
Saturday Night
Evera
Everything was fuzzy, my mind groggy as I tried to figure out why my bed felt different. As soon as my brain caught up, I remembered. Startled, my eyes shot open, and my heart jumped into my throat. My head throbbing, I reached up instinctively to where the pain radiated from. There was a large welt on the side of my face.
“Easy, Evera,” a soft, warm voice warned me. I yelped as my eyes darted to the sound, landing on Silas as he sat off to the side of the room, a paperback discarded in his lap and a cup of something next to him on the little table. “You’re back at The Syndicate.” He made no effort to move, and my body relaxed a bit before my anger flared to life.
“So, since I said no to talking to Kane and Carson, you decided to kidnap me?” I snapped.
“No.” His brows drew low over his eyes, his head shaking slightly. “You were about to be dragged off by some other guy.”
Dread wormed its way into my stomach. Without any idea who the men are, I have no way to find them. Maybe Acer could try to find out. The idea only slightly helped me feel better.
“So, how long am I here for, or can I go home?” I questioned, moving off the bed, my body tense from being passed out for however long.
“I would really advise you don’t leave until we’re able to identify who those men are. There’s a lot you haven’t learned about yet, and you need to before you go anywhere,” Silas explained, matching my movements as he got up. My lips thinned in response. Sighing, he continued, “Can you wait here for a moment while I get Kane?”
“It’s not like I have much of a choice,” I grumbled, waving him toward the door as I sank back onto the twin-sized bed to show him I wasn’t going anywhere.
“Evera, I’m sorry, but it really is for your own safety, not just because of Kane or Carson’s desire to see you,” he explained softly, looking at me like he knew what I was thinking.
I narrowed my eyes at him as he left. Knowing there are all kinds of Phenoms out there, maybe he actually can read my mind.
“After you speak with Kane, I’ll take you to Acer.”
“He’s here?” I perked up, half relieved, half suspicious why he was here.
“Kane had me get him as soon as we found you. If you’ll excuse me.” Silas nodded respectfully, stepping out of the room and out of eyesight, leaving me to my thoughts.
“Once upon a bluebird,” I murmured, propping one foot on the bed so I could rest an arm on it. My free hand fiddled with the edge of the blanket in my lap as I let my lightning freely arc around my fingers and palms, my mind wandering as I watched the randomness of my power’s flares. So softly, I barely registered I was singing aloud, I whispered, “There was a little bird whose song could lure the moon. With wings spread wide and sun on her wings, the little fledgling flew through the sky. Wandering and flapping, she lost her way, soaring among the impending darkness of night. But even afraid, the light of the stars guided her home.”
“Still, the singer, I see,” came from the doorway.
Kane’s murmur pulled me out of my memories, and I sighed as I looked over, watching the way he casually leaned against the doorway. Unable to resist, my attention was drawn to his bulky muscles clothed in a white dress shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbow. The years have been good to him. In an attempt to keep from drowning in the onslaught of desire, I moved my eyes off his arms and chest to his face.
Truly looking at him for the first time in ten years, when anger and emotions weren’t blinding me, I felt the concrete around my heart crack. His stare was filled with both worry and fear, and his strong jaw was covered in a graying beard. As I continued scanning his face, my gaze caught on his familiar brown eyes. The longer I looked at him, the higher the warmth flamed.
Despite the flood of heartache and the memories of before and after they’d left swirling around in my mind, part of me craved the feel his arms around me. Kane wasn’t the uncle I remembered, and now that I was old enough for these feelings to be more than just a silly crush, I wanted more with him than I dared admit to myself. You can’t want a man who betrayed you, my mind hissed.
“Hi, Kane,” I whispered, trying desperately to pull my thoughts from quickly spiraling into uncharted territory.
“Hi, Evera,” he greeted, his lips quirking up ever so slightly. Walking into the room, he sank into the chair Silas had abandoned. “Do you remember what happened?”
“Yeah, some assholes tried to kidnap me from my apartment. Ended up outrunning them. Or so I thought,” I explained, purposely leaving out Wings’ involvement. “How exactly did I get here?” I realized the only way they would have been able to save me was because they knew where I was. He must have read my face as I came to the realization because he leaned forward, his hand outstretched to keep me from leaving.
“You’re watching me,” I accused, a hint of undeniable hurt in my voice, though I was unsure why I was surprised at this point.
“Just recently, and not all the time, but there’s a lot of stuff you don’t know yet—”
“Well, then why doesn’t someone explain it to me? You don’t get to just come back into my life and dictate everything.” I got off the bed, my anger making my arcs flare. Ever the intelligent man, Kane leaned back to put even more distance between himself and my lightning. I glared down at him while I talked, my hands resting on my hips as he stood. His chest brushed mine ever so slightly, the feeling of the taut planes against my breast making my blood surge, but I kept my face flat.
“If you’d give me more than a couple seconds, I would explain it,” he ground out. Shaking his head in exasperation, he stepped away from me. “Follow me.”
I remained right where I was and crossed my arms, annoyed at his tone. I didn’t have much say at the moment, but I could demand that he at least give me some respect, seeing as how I wasn’t a child anymore. Giving him my best ‘say please’ face, we waited in a standoff before the corner of his lips finally curled up.
“Follow me, please.” His voice was softer now, more like the Kane from my youth. Nodding once, I shoved the sentimentality away and followed him out of the room.
The halls had more people walking up and down them, all of who glanced in my direction as we passed. I kept my eyes fixed on Kane’s back to keep from having to acknowledge the amount of attention I was getting. This is all way too much right now. The downside to that was I was watching the way his back muscles shifted as he walked, and I found my eyes drifting until my gaze was glued to his ass. Has he always had such a great ass?
“In here,” he directed, his voice pulling me from my staring. I looked up to meet his gaze as he glanced at me over his shoulder, hoping my heated cheeks weren’t as obvious as they felt. Yep, they must be obvious, I thought as I noticed his raised brow. Not wanting to dwell on the fact I was just blatantly staring at Kane Renick’s sculpted backside, I walked into the room.
“Angel!” The familiar voice almost made me do a double take.
What’s he doing here? How many times can you kidnap a person? Oh yeah, Silas said they picked him up. Despite my surprise, Acer’s voice helped calm me. He continued to stare at me from across the room, his body lounging in a chair as if he’d made himself at home.<
br />
“Are you okay?”
I nodded, shuffling uncomfortably at being the center of attention when I realized both Silas and Carson were also in the room, along with two other men I didn’t recognize.
“Please have a seat, Blue,” Kane whispered in my ear as he walked by, the brush of his fingers against my lower back, sending a rush of tingles up my spine. I bit my tongue, keeping the snappy comment about him calling me Blue contained. Cheeky bastard.
The only seat open was between Carson and Acer, the former watching me with an intense gaze and frown. As much as I tried to not look over at him, I couldn’t stop. Car’s lips quirked up in a smirk, and my blood sparked, seeing the familiar sinful glint he always gave me when my brother wasn’t looking.
“Evera, to start off, there are a few things you need to know. First, this is Harrison and Granger.” Kane waved to the other two men in the room. “They might not look familiar, but you’ve already met.”
“Eh, sorry about waving that gun in your face at the bank,” Granger, the blonde, stated with a grimace.
Oh, yes, I do remember them. My lips thinned in a scowl.
“Second, we know both of you are Phenoms,” Kane started with a glance at Acer. At his matter-of-fact declaration, Acer sat up, instantly on edge at being outed. “We have the footage from last night when you decided to go out and wander around in the middle of the worst neighborhood of all Vega City.” I felt my face pale, the blood draining from my face as I sat stone still. Kane’s hard gaze rivaled my own steely expression.
“Care to explain why you thought it’d be a good idea to go out at night with only someone who can turn invisible?” Carson questioned, glaring at Acer like it was his fault.
“I didn’t just ‘go out with someone who can turn invisible,’” I snapped at him, growing increasingly aggravated they thought I couldn’t take care of myself. “I’ve been going out alone for the last six years, so I don’t need either of you lecturing me.” I turned to Kane.
“Is that all? Because I don’t exactly have time to waste on being judged by a bunch of people who haven’t meant shit to me in years.” I started to get up when Kane snapped back, his voice low and harsh.
“Sit your ass back down, Evera. I didn’t bring you here to lecture you, despite what you might think. The third thing you need to know is, you two are not the only Phenom in the room. In fact, all of us are.”
My jaw dropped, my brain unbelievably slow in processing what he’d just said.
“Walk through things,” Harrison started in the awkward silence, his lips thinning in discomfort at my attention when I looked at him.
“I never miss,” Granger explained cheerfully, either ignoring or oblivious to the tension building slowly within the room. I looked to Silas, waiting for his answer before he quirked a tiny smile.
“I can read thoughts.”
Of course, he can. My eyes narrowed on him, knowing my earlier suspicion about him listening in had been correct. His smile only widened. I was really interested to see what Carson and Kane were. More secrets between us. Did I even know them at all? Hypocrite, my mind hissed, but I shoved it away because right now? We weren’t talking about me.
“Force fields,” Carson added quietly, his gaze focused on his clasped hands to avoid my gaze, knowing I would be upset.
“Well, I don’t get to have that whole surprise factor but invisibility,” Acer huffed as he flopped back into his seat, throwing me a wink in a small attempt to calm me when I looked over at him. Finally, all that was left was Kane, who sat in his chair, watching me intently. A wave of frustration filtered through me at his smug smile, looking every bit of the king he was pretending to be. The majority of me wanted to zap the curl of his lips off his face. Damn him for being equal parts annoying and irritatingly sexy.
“Super strength.”
“Okay,” I dragged the word out skeptically, trying my best to keep my irritation under control. Pick your battles, Evera. No matter how much you’d love to yell at them right now, being angry won’t get you answers.
“Why exactly are we here, then? Decided it’d be fun to have a Phenom party?” I asked, my irritation expressed with snarky humor. Acer laughed while Silas chuckled, and Carson smiled to himself despite trying to hide it by rubbing his face.
“No, nice try. What do you know about the Vega City Legion Council?”
“They’re a bunch of cunts,” I deadpanned, and Kane’s brows shot up in surprise. “They use and abuse their power, adoring those with money while the rest of the city suffers from crime, poor resources, and lack of infrastructure.”
“Wow, that’s the most I’ve heard you say at one time, Angel. You sure are chatty today,” Acer teased, nudging my leg with his knee.
“Why?” I asked Kane as I flicked Acer on the thigh lightly, his laugh making Kane pause before answering.
“Do you know what The Syndicate does?” Kane asked. I had to bite my tongue to snap about playing this roundabout twenty questions and shrugged instead. “We redirect wealth and supplies throughout the city. The schools, hospitals, old folks’ homes, prison, and orphanages get the top priority on medical supplies because they require it the most.”
“Wait, did you say prison?” Acer asked in surprise, leaning forward from his reclined position once again.
“Yes. We sneak it in,” Silas explained, getting up and fiddling with a projector I hadn’t seen sitting on the table against the wall. “Have you seen one of these?” My stomach clenched as I saw what was on the screen, my teeth starting to grind as I stared.
“It’s a new rehabilitation therapy device they’re testing out,” Acer answered. “I saw the design floating around for a while before they started implementing them.”
“The devices are used for the Redirective Therapy,” Silas explained, looking at all of us. “Has a range of different modes of stimuli, including light and color, vibration, pressure point, shock, and noise.”
“What’s Redirective Therapy?” Granger questioned, tilting his head at the odd-shaped chair that looked similar to an electric chair or something from a sci-fi movie. “I’ve heard about it, but not much other than trials and experimental treatments over the years. Does it actually work?”
“It depends on what they use it for,” Silas continued to explain.
Clenching my jaw further until I was sure the pressure would break a tooth, I felt my hand twitch, a couple of rogue arcs jumping between my fingers as he talked.
“Each type of stimulus is used for different things or in together to help redirect negative thought processes or physical behaviors. Shock is usually the last resort and is supposed to be used at low frequency. We’ve found that isn’t always the case, depending on who’s actually using the machine.”
My arcs grew, my agitation making me fidget before finally I couldn’t handle the conversation anymore. While Carson, Silas, Kane, and Acer were focused on their conversation, Granger had started giving me nervous looks out of the corners of his eyes.
“You’re providing medical supplies for the people hooked to the electroshock pads,” I bit out, still staring at the screen.
“Uh, yeah. How did you know that?” Silas asked. “And before you ask, no, I don’t always listen to thoughts, so no, I don’t already know.” His lighthearted words didn’t make me feel better as I looked away from the screen.
“The prison wasn’t the only place they tested that specific function before production.”
“How would you know?” Harrison asked, voice full of skepticism. Hitting my limit on the endless questions from nosy men, I stood and turned around, yanking the back of my shirt up in the process.
“I know because the orphanage loved to test it on me.”
I heard Kane’s sharp intake of breath and had to fight the urge to drop my shirt back down. I knew what they were seeing right now, had looked at them myself, many times, not even needing a glimpse of them to spark the memories that had been seared into my brain years ago.
Kane
Blue. My heart cracked as rage burned me from the inside out. Her back was scarred from her shoulders to hips, five pairs of darkened circles haphazardly spaced, forever impressed in her pale skin. Several were darker than others, all misshapen as if the circular pads had shifted during use. Or had been used over and over on a struggling “patient”…
“They wanted to know how teenagers responded,” she murmured. “And what better test subject than a teenager who didn’t have anyone—”
“You’re telling me the people at the orphanage did this to you?” I bit out, cutting her off. She nodded, her head barely moving as she glanced over her shoulder at me. Her gaze had glazed over, haunted and distant, as she was sucked into another memory. I glanced over at Silas, questions evident in my eyes. He gave his head a slight shake, letting me know she wasn’t ready to be back with us yet. After a few moments, I decided to try again. “When?” I questioned, trying my best to bring her back to the here and now even if it was difficult to deal with.
