Retribution: The Lost Children World Book 1

by Krista Street

  Do it, Lena! Do it now, or they’ll kill you!

  As my professor’s hands clamped around my ankles, I hurled a ball at him. It was weak compared to what I could conjure, but he still screamed and flew twenty feet before slamming against a tree. He sank to the ground and didn’t move.

  “What the hell?” Aaron’s brow furrowed.

  Sitting upright, I struggled against the zip ties around my ankles and wrists. They didn’t budge. Dammit!

  “I don’t know how you kicked him like that, but you’re going to pay now.” Aaron’s voice turned cold.

  I called upon the energy again, but I was still too dizzy. My reactions were slow. Aaron ripped the tape off my face and pulled the rag from my mouth. “I want to hear you scream when I kill you.” My eyes widened in shock just as he punched me in the stomach.

  I curled into the fetal position as the wind was knocked out of my lungs.

  Aaron laughed again.

  My stomach heaved as my lungs refused to inflate. I tried to force myself to breathe.

  I couldn’t.

  “Not so tough now, are you?” he taunted.

  I met his gaze as rage consumed me. Still struggling to breathe, I managed to suck in just enough air to say, “You haven’t seen the half of it.”

  Aaron’s hysterical laughter filled the forest as cool wind whipped through the trees. “You always were a little spitfire. It’s what made me want you.”

  Red filled my vision, and I finally sucked in a full breath. Power radiated along my limbs as I called upon every living life force within the vicinity. He’s going to pay!

  But then reality crashed upon me. I can’t unleash that much power on him. How will I explain it to the police?

  Aaron moved closer to me, his movements confident.

  Fear coiled tightly in my belly as my thoughts ran at rapid fire. Here I was, completely restrained, yet my professor was already unconscious on the ground. That could be explained by a well-placed kick, but even that was unlikely. But if I slammed my balls into Aaron and broke every bone in his body, the police would demand answers.

  I’m going to have to do this the hard way.

  I gulped. That wouldn’t be easy.

  “Lena, Lena.” Aaron made a tsking sound. “It’s too bad my brother’s out cold, or he’d enjoy the little game I have lined up for us before you die.” He pulled a knife from his back pocket. My eyes bulged as the newspaper stories filled my mind. The women had all said the man was brutal. Deep cuts and broken bones had left their bodies a wreck.

  Aaron advanced.

  Get the knife away from him.

  I summoned a ball just as he pulled the knife back. Rapid breathing filled my chest as I tangled my ball around his fingers.

  Aaron frowned, his arm frozen mid-arc. “What the hell?”

  Wrapping my energy ball around his fingers, I tethered my power to him like an octopus latching on its tentacles.

  Aaron shook his hand.

  I pried his fingers back one by one.

  He yelped and jumped back. The knife dropped from his hand.

  Confusion and rage filled his gaze. He held his wrist with his opposite hand and stared down at his limb as if it didn’t belong to him.

  Sitting up straighter in the trunk, I once again manipulated my ball into long, thin strands. Sweat poured from my brow at the exertion. Doing so should not have been this hard, but my head was still fuzzy.

  Ignoring the pounding headache filling my skull, I wrapped my cloud around the knife and lifted it.

  Aaron’s eyes widened so much that his eyeballs looked as if they would pop out of his head. “Motherfucker! Do you see that?”

  “Who do you think’s doing it, you creep?” I replied as I flung the knife at him.

  The sharp blade cut through his jeaned thigh and embedded itself deeply into muscle. Aaron howled in pain. I ripped the knife from his leg just as he tried to grab it.

  Blood poured from his wound. The copper scent flooded my nose.

  Aaron covered the gash with both of his hands as veins bulged from his neck. He turned his murderous gaze on me. “You? You’re doing this?”

  I opened my mouth to reply but knew I’d already said too much. If Aaron knew I hadn’t kicked his brother but had instead thrown him using an unseen power, he could try to knock me out again.

  I couldn’t let that happen.

  Pushing back against the trunk’s edge, I feigned fear. Opening my eyes wide, I shook my head vigorously. “No! It wasn’t me! How could I do that?”

  Aaron took a limping step toward me, but I was faster. I flew the knife behind him and stabbed his other leg, just behind the knee. The slice went deep. I felt the tendon slash through.

  Aaron howled loudly as he dropped to his knees. “You bitch!”

  My heart pounded in my chest as he struggled to stand. Just keep him down. Sooner or later, help will come! Just keep him down until then!

  I needed to keep him far enough away that he couldn’t physically touch me. If he managed to knock me out again, I was done for.

  Hold him off until help arrives! My heart rate increased. If help arrives.

  I still didn’t know how Aaron had taken me this far. The police and my family should have been tailing him if Mica had called for help. I could only assume that Mica didn’t know they had driven away with me.

  I moaned in frustration. What if she’s still back in front of the house, waiting on the street? But surely she would have called for help by now.

  Even if she did, they won’t know where I’ve gone. They won’t know how to find me. My heart quickened at that thought. Unless Luke, Susannah, or Amber can track me.

  Aaron’s labored breathing filled my ears as another cool breeze washed over my cheeks. He cursed and yelled in pain as he inched toward the trunk. He was shuffling on his knees now. I need to end this. I need to knock him out but carefully. If I inflict too many wounds on him, I won’t be able to explain myself.

  Using the knife again, I carefully wielded it around my back and down by my hands. Hurry, Lena! Aaron was almost to the trunk.

  I felt along my wrists with the knife until I encountered resistance.

  A bloody hand slammed down on the trunk’s ledge.

  “No!” I screamed and tried to kick out at him just as the knife sliced through the zip-tie.

  Pain seared my wrist. I’d done the movement too quickly and had slashed skin. Ignoring the stinging pain, I lifted my foot and kicked Aaron’s hand.

  He yelped again just as I pulled my hands out from behind me.

  Breathing heavily, I sat more upright and looked over the trunk’s edge. Blood poured down my arm as Aaron’s head suddenly popped up in my view.

  He was only a foot away. “I got you now, you little bitch!”

  An energy ball formed as instinct took over. Aaron clamped a bloody, meaty hand onto my lower leg just as I slammed the ball onto the top of his head.

  He fell to the ground but not before wrenching me out with him.

  I landed in a heap upon him and struggled to get away. With my hands free, I was able to push up, but my ankles were still bound. I fell down hard on my side as Aaron’s head listed sluggishly.

  My eyes widened since his body lay completely still. But the image of those hateful eyes flashing open had me scrambling back on the gravel. Tiny rocks cut into my palms, but I kept moving.

  Only when I was at least five feet away did I stop.

  A breath raised Aaron’s chest.

  He’s not dead.

  The scream of an eagle abruptly tore through the sky.

  My gaze whipped up to see Susannah’s giant wings soaring above. Relief escaped me in a giant sob. “Susannah!”

  Tears formed in my eyes as she descended. She used her psychic tracking ability to find me! It was the only way she could have located me way out here. Wherever here was.

  Susannah landed on the ground beside Aaron. Gravel shifted beneath her giant talons. The sound of them grating tog
ether filled the air.

  “I’m so glad you’re here!” I sobbed and wiped tears from my eyes. Warm blood from my wound smeared across my face, the stickiness coating my cheeks.

  Using her giant beak, Susannah pecked at Aaron a few times. He didn’t move, although his chest continued to rise and fall with each breath.

  “I didn’t kill him.” I scooted to Susannah, the sharp rocks poking into my butt.

  Susannah cocked her head as her large pale-yellow eyes looked me over.

  “I’m not hurt too badly.” My head still pounded, but my thoughts felt relatively clear. “But I can’t walk since my ankles are still bound.”

  Susannah hopped closer to me and opened her beak. She leaned down to cut the tie around my ankles, but luckily, I pulled back just in time.

  “No! You can’t, Suze! I need evidence that he tied me up. It’s going to be hard enough explaining how I got my hands free.”

  Susannah stood upright again just as flashing police lights glowed in the distance.

  I sat up straighter and grinned. “They’re coming!”

  Susannah made a chirping sound before she hopped along the ground to where my professor lay. Since he still hadn’t moved, I knew he’d been knocked unconscious. A plan was already forming in my mind for how I’d explain this.

  I’d say that I kicked the professor hard enough to knock him out and had then used a sharp edge in the trunk to break my wrists restraints. That resulted in Aaron and me getting into a fight. I was able to wrestle the knife from him and stab his legs. I certainly had enough cuts and bruises on me to make a scuffle believable.

  Breathing heavily, I looked off in the distance. The lights were growing closer. “You better get out of here, Susannah. You know you can’t let them see you.”

  She chirped again and hopped back my way.

  As the police cruiser drew closer, more headlights appeared behind them. I could only hope it was Mica and the rest of my family.

  Susannah jumped to my side and leaned her giant head down, brushing her white feathers against my cheek. Large, pale-yellow eyes met mine. I could have sworn they were filled with relief.

  “I love you too. Now, get out of here before they see you.”

  Her eagle scream tore through the air just as she took flight. Her giant wings flapped until she gained ground and disappeared into the sky.

  The wailing sounds of the police siren filled my ears. The sound of their tires digging into the gravel came next. That was the sweetest sound I could imagine.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  An ambulance came to take Aaron and Professor Dillinger away. Neither regained consciousness in that time. I could only imagine the wild stories they’d come up with when they woke up, but I doubted anyone would believe Aaron if he said I stabbed him using supernatural powers.

  I spent the rest of the night at the police station, telling the cops what I knew. They filled me in that multiple women had filed complaints against Professor Dillinger, but so far, nothing had been done about it. Relief filled me that he’d finally been stopped.

  I also learned that Aaron was indeed Professor Dillinger’s brother. According to phone records, Aaron had moved into the area to live with his brother six months before . . . right around the time the assaults had started.

  When I confessed to the police officers that I’d gone to Aaron’s house to confront him after I saw him on campus, their mouths dropped.

  “You did what?” The older one’s eyebrows rose. He had to be in his fifties and was mostly bald.

  “I know it was stupid, but I couldn’t let him get away. After seeing him today on campus, I guessed he might try to run again. It’s what he did two years ago after he attacked me on our friend’s ranch. There’s a police report on it.”

  The officer nodded. “We’ve found it.”

  I glanced at Flint again, but he seemed locked in a silent battle with control. I’d never seen him so tense.

  Flint had been at my side the entire time I spoke with the police. Energy poured from him, but he kept his rage in check. I knew as soon as we got home, I was going to get an earful, but I also knew he was beyond relieved that I was okay.

  I turned back to the officer. “Aaron has probably been attacking women ever since he left Hideaway Hills. I couldn’t let him continue.”

  The police officer sighed heavily while looking at me with his kind brown eyes. “You do know you could have been killed. What you did was very dangerous.”

  Flint tensed even more.

  “Yeah. I know. I guess I’m lucky it didn’t turn out that way.”

  The policeman shook his head and shared an incredulous look with his partner before turning back to taking notes.

  Dawn had almost come by the time Flint and I left.

  Flint didn’t speak to me as we walked to the station’s front doors, but he kept his arm around me and refused to let go.

  I glanced up at him as we pushed through the doors. Outside, our entire family waited, including Jacinda and Father.

  They all rushed at me, and I was engulfed in hugs. Mica apologized over and over again that it had taken her so long to call the police. Aaron and the professor had sneaked out on the back driveway road, so she didn’t see them leave.

  Di and Raven scolded me for doing something so dangerous while holding me fiercely. The twins merely shook their heads with relieved smiles on their faces while Amber sniffled before giving me a tight squeeze.

  Susannah, Luke, and Edgar let everyone hug me before they stepped forward.

  I embraced Susannah in a tight hug. “Do you remember coming to the forest?”

  She nodded as her long hair brushed against my cheek. “Of course. I knew I could get to you first, which is why I flew. I was ready to tear out another throat if I needed to.”

  My eyes widened when I pulled back.

  She laughed softly. “As a last resort, of course.”

  I laughed with her before I turned to Luke and asked, “Did you see it? Did you see what was going to happen?”

  Luke shook his head, as a stumped expression grew on his face. “Di always told me you were hard to track.” He crossed his muscular arms over his chest. “Until tonight, I didn’t fully appreciate that. None of us suspected anything until after you’d been taken. But then it was too late to stop you.”

  I ducked my head and shrugged sheepishly. “Apparently, it’s my impulsiveness that can make it difficult to see my future.”

  Edgar gave my hand a squeeze. “Just don’t make a habit of it. Okay, love? You really scared all of us.”

  “I won’t.”

  I glanced up at Flint, who still hovered at my side. Waves of power rolled from him. The fact that he still hadn’t said anything did not bode well.

  I swallowed tightly. “But Aaron’s been caught now. The police said they have DNA evidence from the other assaults, so they should be able to tie him to those attacks too. And the professor has a line of women ready to testify against him. That, along with what he did to me, means they’re both going to jail.”

  Fatigue lined Father’s face as he pulled me into a tight embrace. “But you put yourself in danger, Lena. You shouldn’t have done that.”

  Jacinda’s sniffles came next when she grabbed my hand tightly and squeezed. “That was so dangerous!”

  Guilt filled me at the worry I’d put my family through. I wrung my hands when I was finally free. “But I had to do it! I just had to! I hope eventually you’ll all understand that. I couldn’t let him get away. Not after what he’d done to me and what he was doing to the women in this town.”

  “I understand why you did it.” Father straightened his glasses and dabbed at the corner of his eyes. “But it could have turned out much worse.”

  I darted a look at Flint before replying, “I know.”

  The ride back to our apartment was quick. Since everyone was exhausted from a sleepless night, especially following a night where we’d spent most of it on top of Abigail’s roof, we agre
ed that everybody would return to their own homes to rest and recuperate. It was hard to believe in three short days, we had accomplished what we’d set out to do.

  I smiled, knowing that. We’d found the serial attacker, he was currently being held without bail, and no more women had been hurt. And on top of that, he’d turned out to be Aaron. My attacker from two years ago was now facing justice, and my professor was finally being held accountable for his acts.

  Retribution had most definitely arrived.

  But my smile faltered as I kicked my shoes off in our entryway. In the process of doing all of that, I’d lied to my boyfriend, had treated my best friend horribly, and had deceived my family. My entire plan hadn’t gone as smoothly as I’d hoped.

  When the last of our family members finally left our apartment, Flint turned toward me. The rising sun illuminated the walls in our living room. Fatigue rolled through my body, yet I had a feeling I wouldn’t be sleeping anytime soon.

  I stuffed my hands in my back pockets and winced when my jeans rubbed on the raw skin of my wrists. A puffy bandage covered my cut. I gave Flint a pleading look. “Say something.”

  Powerful waves of energy emanated from him. A muscle ticked in his jaw.

  “I’m sorry, Flint. I know I lied to you, and I know I deceived you, but I couldn’t let him get away. Please try to understand that!”

  He stayed at the door’s edge. His expression was unreadable.

  “Please say something.”

  A full minute ticked by. The anxiety within me grew.

  “What am I supposed to say?” He finally said softly. “How am I supposed to trust you?”

  My stomach dropped. I rushed to him and wrapped my arms around his waist. He didn’t hug me back. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry!”

  He just stood there as I held onto him as tightly as I could. Finally, placing his hands on my shoulders, he pushed me away.

  I swallowed tightly as tears filled my eyes. He’d never done that before.

  “Relationships are supposed to be based on trust.” His jaw tightened in anger. “You broke that trust.”

  My eyes widened as my heart pounded so hard I couldn’t breathe. “What are you saying?”