Brandon helped her open the narrow hatch in the floor. Wooden steps led downward into blackness.
"We need a flashlight," she said.
Brandon disappeared for a moment, and when he returned he handed her a flashlight. "Want me to go first?"
"Be my guest."
She followed him down into the gaping mouth.
As soon as Brandon reached the concrete floor, he said, "I'll clear the left side. Any idea what we're looking for?"
"When I see it, I'll know."
They split up, dodging boxes and old furniture.
Down one hall, Jasi came across a box of children's toys, mostly girl stuff. She had to hold back the tears as she thought of the little girl Paxton had killed.
Keep looking.
The further she went, the colder she got. She trembled, rubbing her arms to get her circulation moving. When she reached the end of the wall, she shone the light around her.
Was she losing it? They'd found the hidden chamber. Where was the prize?
She heard water dripping, probably from a waterline. Drip…drip…drip. The sound echoed around her, its regular beat mesmerizing her, lulling her.
Something clattered on the other side of the basement.
"Brandon?"
The noise was followed by a dull thud.
Shit!
Someone was in the basement with them.
Jasi clicked off the flashlight. Feeling her way as she went, she slipped between crates and camping gear, edging toward the sound. Several yards away, she saw a dim light on the ground. Brandon's flashlight.
She crept closer and slowed her breathing, but it took all her effort to do so. Inching around a wall unit with broken shelves, she peered into the gloom. She covered her mouth with one hand to quell the cry that rose in her chest. Brandon lay on his stomach about two yards away. She couldn't tell if he was breathing, and she had no idea where his gun had gone.
A shape shuffled from the shadows and hovered over Brandon's body, a baseball bat in one hand.
Jasi reached for her gun and stepped from her hiding place. "Don't move any closer." She flicked on the flashlight and aimed it at the shape. "Put the bat down."
A woman with wild-eyes stared back at her. "Oh my God. It's you."
"Who are you?"
"Don't you recognize me? You promised you'd find me."
Jasi gasped. "Emily?"
32
Jasi and Emily sat on the sofa in the living room, while Brandon sat in a chair, a cold cloth pressed against the back of his head.
"I'm so sorry," Emily said for the millionth time. "I thought you were him."
"Forget about it," Brandon said. "I've had worse injuries than this."
Jasi squeezed Emily's hands. "I can't believe you're here. That I'm here with you."
Slightly taller than Jasi, Emily's ethereal appearance was even more emphasized by the shadows under her eyes and her pale skin. She was older than Jasi had seen in her dreams, around her age, but those big blue eyes were still hauntingly the same.
"How did you find me, Jasi?"
"Honestly? I think you led us here."
She gave Emily the basics of the case, focusing mainly on Paxton Helling's involvement. "Everything was connected. And for some reason, I couldn't leave this cabin, even when I tried. It was like a powerful magnet kept me here."
"I tried calling you," Emily said. "But everything was fuzzy. Sometimes I could feel you, and it seemed as though you were nearby. I desperately wanted that to be true. I was terrified."
"Which is why you bashed Brandon over the head."
Emily winced. "Sorry. I thought he was coming to kill me. A while ago I heard someone upstairs making all sorts of noise, thumping up and down the stairs, slamming doors."
"That was probably us," Brandon said. "We were searching the place for Helling."
"Uncle Paxton—" Emily's head jerked up. "I can say his name now."
"You called him 'Uncle' too?" Jasi asked, frowning.
"He said my mother and he were close friends. Or they had been before she died giving birth to my sister."
Jasi swallowed hard. "Oh God…"
"It's okay. I've had time to deal with their loss."
"No, he lied to you."
Emily blinked. "About my mother?"
"About everything."
"He told me she was psychic. Every week he'd ask me if I could see the future. He said he loved my mother. 'Cali,' he called her."
"I believe that's the truth, but it wasn't a healthy love."
"What do you mean?"
"Cali was our mother." Jasi waited for the words to sink in.
"Our mother?" Emily's eyes widened. "You're my sister?"
"I believe so. He told us you'd died when you were born, but he abducted you." Jasi took a deep breath. "He was obsessed with our mother, with her abilities, and he wanted to control her."
"Like he controlled me?"
"Pop wouldn't let him."
"Pop is your father?"
"Our father."
"I often wondered if Uncle Paxton was really my dad." Emily's voice was laced with sadness. "I used to pretend he was when I was little. Until he turned mean." She paused. "If he lied about so much, did he lie about…our mother?"
Jasi blinked back tears. "Mom is dead. When he couldn't have her, he murdered her."
"Oh God, no…"
Jasi told her what had happened that fateful night. When she was done, they cried, mourning their loss together.
When her tears had subsided, Emily lifted her head. "He planned to kill me too."
"Because he thought you had no gift."
"I couldn't tell him about you, about how we communicated. Sometimes I wondered if you really existed or if I were going insane. All he saw was a normal kid who grew up into a woman with zero psychic abilities."
"The joke's on him. I've never met a psychic who could connect with another as completely as you do with me."
Emily smiled. "It's because we're sisters."
A car horn honked outside.
"The rest of our team is here," Brandon said.
Emily inhaled deeply. "I can't wait to meet them."
"I can't wait for you to meet Pop and Brady," Jasi replied, her throat burning with emotion. "I still can't believe this. We're sisters."
Emily hugged her tightly. "Just don't forget who's older. Me. By two years. I get to boss you around."
Brandon snickered behind them. "Good luck with that. One thing you'll learn fast is that Jasi isn't one to be bossed around. She can be quite stubborn."
"I believe it."
Jasi pouted. "Hey! Stop ganging up on me."
Laughter filled the room, and the sound of it filled her heart.
"We're going to take you to the hospital in Mission." When Emily opened her mouth to argue, Jasi raised a hand. "No arguments. You need to get checked out." She stood. "You ready to meet the rest of my team?"
"I am."
"Let's go."
Outside, Natassia leaned against the SUV, chatting to Ben. When she saw Jasi, she stifled a yawn. "It's about time you came out."
"Natassia, Ben, this is Emily." Jasi nudged her sister toward them.
Natassia's eyes flared. "The dead girl from your closet?"
"Well, I'm not dead now," Emily said with a wry grin.
Natassia's arms flew around her. "And I'm so glad to hear that. But I don't understand—what…how…?"
"It's a long story," Jasi said. "I'll tell you the whole thing on the way to the hospital. For now, suffice it to say that I found Emily. Oh, and by the way, she's my sister."
The stunned look on Natassia's face was priceless. Her head swiveled from Jasi to Emily as she floundered for words.
"Any sister of Jasi's is a friend of mine," Ben said with a nod.
"Just watch out for her," Brandon said. "She's got a mean swing, especially if she has a baseball bat in her hands."
At Mission Memorial, Emily was taken away by a doct
or who assured Jasi she'd come get her the minute they were done. A nurse led Jasi to a room where she gave blood for DNA testing. It was time to find out once and for all if Emily truly was her sister.
Now, sitting in the waiting room with Brandon, Ben and Natassia, she had to resist calling Pop and Brady and telling them the unbelievable news.
The time has to be right. Everything has to be in place.
Ben left for a few moments, then returned. "I have news about Helling."
"Is he dead?" she asked.
"No. He made it through surgery just fine. We have an agent watching him. Apparently Helling has lots to say now that he knows he's headed for prison. He claims he stole the list of hunt club members from Hawley, and that's why Hawley paid him so much money."
She whistled. "Now it makes sense. So Paxton has this list?"
"Yeah. It's in a safety deposit box at an RBC in Vancouver, registered under his ex-wife's name."
"We've got them then." She blew out a breath.
"Matthew's getting arrest warrants. We'll have them all in custody within the next few hours."
She slumped back into the chair, beyond exhausted. Hawley, Paxton, Henry and the other members of the hunt club were headed for prison. Lazarus was dead. Sheral and Emily had been found alive, and their wounds would heal eventually.
Now Jasi could focus on her family. And her sister.
"I know all the signs point to Emily being my sister," she told Brandon, "but I want to be sure before I tell anyone."
"I get it. You don't want to find out later you're wrong."
"That would devastate Pop."
"While you were giving blood, Matthew called," Ben said. "Once Emily is done at Ops, he's giving you two weeks off. You're going to need time with your family."
"Especially since it's grown overnight," Natassia added.
"And Matthew is putting together a little celebration, a kind of 'welcome home' for Emily," Ben said, smiling. "I think we could all use a party."
"Hear, hear," Brandon said.
Jasi's gaze swept over the faces of her friends. She was so blessed to have them in her life. So blessed to have Cameron as her best friend, and Pop and Brady and now Emily for her family.
Emily's doctor returned. "Ms. McLellan, I've finished examining Emily, and although she's suffering from anxiety, she's in good health. She's a bit underweight, but I'm sure with proper nutrition and care, she'll be fine."
"Can I see her now?"
The doctor nodded. "We have the results of the blood work, and I think it's best if we do this together."
Jasi searched for a sign in the woman's eyes, but they remained all business and somewhat sympathetic.
Her heart sank. It's not true. Emily's not my sister.
"Ms. McLellan? Are you coming?"
She stood, hissed in a breath and followed the doctor woman down the hall, her boots clicking along the tiles as if counting down the seconds until doomsday.
"Matthew Divine sent over your mother's medical files," the doctor said as they walked. "He's filled me in on your mother's case and on Emily's." She paused, her hand on the door lever to an examination room. "I haven't read the results myself, but no matter what the blood work says, Emily is one very lucky lady to have you in her corner."
When the door opened, Jasi saw Emily sitting on an examination table, fully clothed, her hands twisted in the fabric of her jacket.
"This is it, Jasi."
"No matter what happens, you're not alone. You have me. I'll help you in any way I can."
As the doctor reached for an envelope in the chart pocket on the door, Jasi grasped Emily's hand. She could feel their pulses racing together, hopeful, excited.
The doctor pulled a piece of paper from the envelope and peered over her glasses, her expression unreadable. She lifted her head. "I take it you both want a positive match."
Jasi swallowed hard. Beside her, Emily blinked back tears.
The doctor smiled. "I'm happy to tell you, there is more than a ninety-nine percent probability that the two of you are, indeed, sisters. Congratulations. I'll give you some time to let that sink in." She left the room, closing the door behind her.
Jasi stared into Emily's eyes. "Sisters."
"Yeah."
"It's all true then, what Paxton told me about my mother—our mother."
"Mom…" Emily let out a sob. "I'll never get to meet her."
Jasi wrapped her arms around her sister. "I'll tell you everything you need to know about her. I promise. Brady will too. And Pop. Oh God, Pop. He's going to be so shocked and so unbelievably happy."
"Do you really think so?" Emily whispered.
"I know so. Now let's get out of here. It's going to be a grueling couple of days. You'll have reports to fill out, questions to answer. When that's all over, we'll bring you…home."
Emily's eyes watered again. "I don't really have a home to go to."
"Yes, you do. As soon as Pop learns about you, he's going to want you to stay with him." She grinned. "You'll probably get my old room. But I don't mind a bit. And you can come stay with me one weekend. We'll have sleepovers."
Emily chuckled. "Sleepovers?"
"Hey, we missed out on those. We've got a lot of catching up to do, Sis."
"But aren't sleepovers for little kids?"
"Not my kind of sleepover. Mine come with a bottle or two of wine."
There is no greater sanctuary than a home filled with laughter, light, love and life.
Cheryl Kaye Tardif
Epilogue
Monday, July 22, 2013
Vancouver, BC
In a luxury suite at the Fairmont Pacific Rim, Jasi acknowledged the lush extravagance that surrounded her, but nothing was more beautiful than the sight of Cameron, Natassia and Emily. For the first time in her life, she felt complete and whole. She was no longer haunted by the dead girl in her closet, no longer searching for a girl in jeopardy.
She took a deep breath, brushed sweaty palms down the sides of her white lace dress and stared into the mirror. Cameron had done a great job with her tangled locks, and the up-do she'd created made Jasi look elegant, sophisticated.
"This is it," she said to her reflection.
Today was the big day. In a few minutes, lives would be changed forever.
"You ready?" Natassia asked.
"As ready as I'll ever be."
"I'm so nervous," Emily murmured as she pinned back one side of her blonde locks with a cherry blossom clip. The blush-pink dress and natural makeup she wore gave her a healthy glow.
"You look beautiful," Cameron stated.
"Radiant," Jasi said. "Apparently you got the good skin genes, Sis."
Emily joined her by the mirror and they stared into it together. With Jasi's red hair and green eyes and Emily's blonde hair and blue eyes, it was hard to believe they were sisters. But the DNA tests were conclusive.
"You finally came out of the closet," Jasi said, grinning. "So I take it you'll leave me alone now and stop haunting my dreams?"
"We'll see," Emily said with a laugh. "It's not like I can turn it on and off at will."
"Matthew will help you with that. He's ready to take you in for PSI training next month."
"I can't believe how my life has changed."
"Mine too."
Emily kissed Jasi's cheek. "You ready for this, Sis?"
"I am. What about you?"
"Hey, I'm gaining a new family in this. And I have the best sister in the whole world. You can show me the town. We'll go shopping together. Go to movies. What have I got to complain about?"
Behind them, Natassia groaned. "Oh God, you have no idea what you're in for. Jasi's motto is 'work, work, work.'"
"Except when Brandon's around," Cameron cut in.
"Hey, I know how to have fun," Jasi said, pouting.
Natassia snorted. "Lucky for your sister, Cameron and I can show her how to have a real good time."
"As much as I can't wait to continue this discu
ssion," Emily said, glancing at her watch, "it's time to make our grand entrance."
The four women hurried from the suite, a flurry of fabrics and laughter.
With instrumental music playing over the sound system, Jasi walked down the aisle of the private hall filled with family and friends. Grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins—they were all here for this special day, to celebrate the immeasurable power of love and destiny.
She caught sight of Matthew Divine and gave him a grateful nod. He'd made this extravagant event possible. Ben and Natassia stood next to him. Cameron snapped photos from the center of the room. Jasi's gaze swept to the left until she found Brandon. He looked so sexy in his black suit and lavender dress shirt. He blew her a kiss, giving her the boost of confidence she needed.
Pop and Brady stood next to him, the tears in their eyes threatening to spill at any second. This would be a day none of them would ever forget.
She stepped onto a raised platform that was decorated with blush pink roses and pale blue hydrangeas, took a sip of Arbor Mist Peach Chardonnay and picked up the microphone. "Pop and Brady, please come on up."
Her brother practically leapt toward her, the grin on his face threatening to split him apart. He hugged her, nearly knocking the wind out of her. Pop's greeting was no less enthusiastic.
"First," she said, "I want to thank everyone for coming and being part of this very special day."
Her father confiscated the microphone. "I thought the next time we'd be doing something like this it would be for Jasi's wedding."
"Pop!" She blushed, unable to look in Brandon's direction.
Jasi took a deep breath. Keep going. "I like to think that things happen for a reason, but sometimes there appears to be no rhyme or reason to what life can throw at you. Two years before I was born, my mother gave birth to a daughter. Everyone was led to believe this child died, but that's not what happened."
The silence in the room was palpable.
"I won't go into all the details because that's not imperative right now." She hugged her father. "Pop, too many years ago, something was taken from you, taken from all of us. I'm here today to return it to you."
The door at the back opened, and Emily stepped into the room.
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