by Brenna Lyons
“Why, Mr. Connor,” she whispered, “just what do you have in mind?”
* * *
Josie hadn’t had Kyla and Molly together for breakfast in almost a year. Matthew was right. Kyla was a totally different person with Joe. She was happy, relaxed, and outgoing. It was almost as if all the wrongs of her life were made right with one fell swoop.
“How was your night?” she asked.
Kyla smiled. “It was nice to get a full night of sleep.”
“The sponge bath was refreshing,” Joe commented. He looked at Kyla before continuing, “but I’m really interested in your idea for a shower.”
Josie watched as Kyla pinked.
“I was thinking if we take a couple layers of trash bags and tuck them in around the top, then stuff a hand towel or cotton in the gap—”
“That might actually work. I’d still need your help, but it would be a real shower.”
Kyla nodded. She glanced at the door. “How’s the crowd?”
Josie smiled. “Still there. So far, the police are keeping them at bay. Don’t try to use the phone. We turned the ringers off days ago. We figured we’ll start trying again in a few days.”
Joe nodded. “This may take a few weeks.”
Kyla smiled. “I hope it doesn’t take much longer than that. I have a wedding to plan.”
“What do you need to get started?” Josie asked.
“Dad’s computer, card stock, a fresh ink cartridge, invitation envelopes, and stamps. That will cover it for now. Joe and I have some decisions to make. After that, we’ll need to talk to Mr. Colston. Probably not today, though.”
“You need a lawyer for the wedding?” Joe asked.
“No, for after that.”
* * *
Joe and Kyla didn’t have much trouble reaching a decision. As much as she loved her apartment, Kyla didn’t feel safe there anymore. Neither of them had any drive to live at Joe’s apartment. Kyla had never seen it, but Joe’s description of it as much smaller than hers cinched it for her. Joe admitted that the best feature of it was no longer applicable. The view.
That left living at Gram’s or moving somewhere else. Anywhere they lived would be swarmed until they were out of the public eye. They had a lot of good memories at Gram’s house. Kyla’s biological parents had lived in that house, Gram had, and she and Joe had.
The decision was fairly clear. They decided to have Mr. Colston contact Gram’s lawyer, pay them out of their leases, and start setting up their house.
Kyla was ecstatic, and Joe was reminded again how new it was for her to have the type of freedom and acceptance in a relationship that she did now. That thought was sobering.
Joe had to admit he had completely given up on the idea that love existed. Then he met this incredible woman who needed him desperately yet had qualities that made it possible for her to be self-sufficient indefinitely. She’d be miserable, but self-sufficient. No matter what happened, Joe found that he wanted and needed her more every day.
Sometimes, he believed a relationship between two dysfunctional people couldn’t possibly work. Then they’d touch or their eyes would meet, and the world would come into focus.
Kyla had talked once about how they were hard wired together because they wanted to be together so badly. Joe was somehow sure she had that backwards.
Chapter Thirty-five
June 3rd-15th
Joe got his first good look at Kyla manipulating the computer. He wondered whether her electrokinesis was behind her prowess. Kyla understood the mechanics behind what she did, but like everything else she was good at, it was an art to her.
At a time when they were alone in Matthew’s office, Kyla pointed out a feature she felt would be important to Joe, the gun safe. Matthew kept the key with him, and the ammo was in a locked drawer under the gun chamber, but it had a fail-safe that all of the adults in the household knew. The glass front would break if it was hit hard enough, and Matthew kept one particular weapon loaded at all times. In a house full of women, he felt it might someday be necessary to get a gun in a hurry when he wasn’t there. Josie refused to allow a key to be stored in the house because of Molly.
Joe found that Matthew started seeking out time to talk to him alone. He was a father, and he was worried. Not about Joe, but about all the threats to his daughter, both nullified and extant.
Matthew also took advantage of the time to get insight into the daughter who had been so aloof all of those years. Like his daughter, Matthew asked questions Joe wished he wouldn’t. Unless Joe felt it was something Kyla had told him in confidence or it was part of the party line, Joe answered truthfully if Matthew repeated that he really did want to know.
Unfortunately, Joe found himself in the midst of one of those discussions a week after they arrived. Matthew still couldn’t understand what would give Jessup and Cole the idea that Kyla was a threat.
Joe circumnavigated the subject as best he could. “I guess because she has the potential for such popularity. Her ideas are counterproductive to their cause. She’s very well spoken, and even people I couldn’t believe would listen to her have.”
Matthew shook his head. “There has to be more. A lot of people are popular. A lot of people have radical ideas. Why Kyla?”
“We never figured that part out. I told you about the prophecies. The problem is, we’ve never seen them, so we have no idea what would make everyone lock on Kyla. We do know how they knew she was alive after all these years.”
“How?”
“Briana. Bishop Brian told me about it while we were at the convent. She tried to get the Church to intervene with Kyla. It was referred to Brian. It wasn’t hard for Jessup and Brian to put two and two together and figure out they’d been duped.”
Matthew nodded. “But why Kyla? She’s brilliant, and she and Molly have that thing they do, but—”
He stopped talking, as Joe started laughing. “I don’t think you really want to know this one.”
“Yes. I do,” Matthew answered.
Joe looked at him more seriously. “Maybe, this is another one of those things Kyla should tell you.”
“Tell him what?” Kyla asked from the doorway.
Matthew startled. He hadn’t known she was there, but Joe was becoming more and more aware of where Kyla was when she was close to him.
Joe smiled at her and raised an eyebrow. “He wants to know what’s so special about you besides the Molly thing.”
“You didn’t—”
“Of course not, but he is rather persistent.”
Kyla turned to face her father. Her hands were planted firmly on her hips, and a moderate blush rose in her cheeks. “Really, Daddy. I can speak, you know. Try asking me questions directly next time.”
Matthew glanced back and forth between his daughter and her husband. “Did you?” He looked at Kyla. “Him too?” She nodded, and Matthew smiled and shook his head in exasperation.
Kyla burst into laughter. “Daddy, you are horrible.”
“Got him?” Joe asked aloud.
She nodded.
Matthew jumped, and his gaze swung to her. “Okay, I think I understand that part pretty well. Can you do that to everyone?”
“No, it’s not that easy. I often wondered if it would have been helpful to be able to reach Harris like that.”
“I imagine. Can you hear what I’m thinking all of the time?”
Joe laughed. “No. I’m the only one who gets that treatment.”
Kyla scowled at him, but her eyes sparkled with amusement.
“Well, almost. It is close, you have to admit.”
She shrugged.
“Tell him about caller ID.”
Kyla sat next to her husband and explained how it worked, much the same way she had for Joe.
Matthew seemed impressed. “So, how long have you been able to do this?” he asked.
“Able? Forever, I guess. Able to control it? Um, five weeks or so?”
Kyla glanced at Joe, and he nodded in
agreement. It seemed a lifetime, but it was barely more than a month.
“Did it come in handy at all?” Matthew continued.
“Yes,” Joe affirmed. “You have no idea how reassuring it was to know she was alive whenever Harris managed to keep us separated. Usually,” Joe amended, grimacing.
“Usually?” Matthew asked.
“Well, when the first image you get is Harris’s battered and very ugly mug holding a gun on her—” Joe shuddered.
Kyla nodded her agreement. “I wasn’t thinking straight at that moment. Otherwise, I would never have done that. I’m sorry.”
Joe hugged her.
Matthew grimaced. “Once you know someone’s number, you can contact them anytime?”
Kyla nodded. “Unless they’re unconscious.”
Joe laughed. “Molly and I seem to be the only ones she can connect with then.”
Matthew looked at his daughter. “Who else can you contact?”
“All of my friends...except Sarah, Joe, Molly, and—” She smiled secretively.
“Who?” Matthew asked.
Joe was sure she had stopped short of telling her father she could contact Cole, but Josie appeared in the doorway and ended the speculation.
“And me, right?”
Matthew gaped at her. “You knew and you didn’t tell me?” he asked his wife.
She shrugged. “I tried, but you didn’t want to listen.”
“You knew and you didn’t tell me?” Joe demanded.
Kyla shrugged. “A girl has to have some secrets.”
“No more secrets.”
They both smiled at that one.
Matthew nodded at his wife. “You’re probably right about that,” he conceded. He glanced back at Kyla again. “Any other little secrets that might help clear up any confusion for us?” he asked pointedly.
Joe could see the conflict in her face. Kyla didn’t want to lie to her father, but she really didn’t want to tell him the truth.
Joe squeezed her shoulder. “Show him. He’s handled the rest without freaking.”
Matthew looked at Josie and raised an eyebrow. “This doesn’t bode well,” he noted.
Kyla avoided her parents’ stares. She looked at the lamp on her father’s desk.
“Good choice,” Joe told her. “It’s touch activated, isn’t it?”
She nodded.
Matthew followed their line of sight. As in Gram’s kitchen, the light switched slowly at first, then with increasing speed until Kyla released it. She rubbed her temples roughly.
Kyla looked at her parents’ shocked expressions, then back at Joe. “Now,” she assured him, “they freak.”
Josie dropped into one of the cushioned chairs and looked at Kyla. “When did you learn how to do that?” she asked.
Kyla shrugged. “I’ve played with it since I was Molly’s age. I didn’t get a real handle on it until six weeks ago or so.”
Matthew regarded her warily. “Can Molly—”
“Not that I know of. I doubt it highly. If she does, by some sick twist of fate, I’ll teach her so she’s not dangerous with it.”
Matthew nodded, then met his older daughter’s gaze. “What do you mean when you say dangerous?” he asked.
Kyla turned an unearthly shade of red. For a moment, Joe was afraid she was about to bolt out of the room, but she looked at him helplessly.
Joe shrugged in response. “Might as well tell them the rest. I don’t think they’ll turn you in.”
“You’re some help,” Kyla returned miserably.
“Hey, I’d rather face Harris again than cross your Dad.” He cracked a smile.
“Only because you can’t face Harris again.” She smiled back at him.
“Damn right.”
Kyla rolled her eyes at Joe and looked back at Matthew. She sighed, and her smile disappeared. Joe knew his diversion hadn’t worked after all.
Kyla started speaking. “If you don’t keep conscious control on it or if you screw up what you’re doing, you can short circuit things.”
Matthew sighed in relief. “Like Briana’s wiring when you were twelve?”
Kyla nodded. Joe shot her a hard look, and Matthew’s eyes widened.
“You’re skirting the issue,” Joe told her.
Kyla sighed and met Matthew’s wary gaze. “Or fires and explosions.”
Matthew seemed incapable of forming a coherent response.
Josie stepped in. “The convent?” she asked.
Kyla nodded.
“You did that by accident?”
“No. I did that on purpose,” Kyla admitted.
“Why?” Josie asked. She was pale and jittery.
“I had people to protect. Some of our friends broke a lot of laws to keep us alive. It wasn’t nearly as easy as we made it sound, and we certainly didn’t make it sound easy to begin with.” Kyla hesitated. “No one had to get hurt. All I had to do was destroy some evidence, and the stories would stand alone.”
“You lied to the police about the explosions?” Josie asked.
Joe smiled. “Actually, we didn’t. They asked me how it happened, and technically speaking, I don’t have a clue.”
Kyla cut in without a smile. “They asked me if anyone talked about rigging a fire. Believe me, no one did. I know it’s cutting corners, but I was out of options. Two of my friends died to protect me. Joe got shot. I couldn’t send the others to jail.”
Josie nodded, but she wasn’t done yet. “But you did lie about who was there?”
Kyla turned a deep crimson. “Yes, we did. Cole and Bishop Brian agreed to tell that story. All we had to do was be consistent.”
“Why would they agree to it?” Matthew asked.
“I don’t know. They were both shattered. They just wanted it to end. I think they thought it would end easier that way.”
Matthew nodded. “Why did you cut your escape so close?”
“I couldn’t take the chance of forensics getting anything.”
“So you almost got yourself killed?” Matthew raged at her.
Joe cringed, remembering his own reaction when he saw the tape for the first time. Unlike Matthew, he knew from the beginning that Kyla did that to herself.
“I overcompensated,” she yelled back. Kyla stood and walked to the window. She laid her head against the curtained frame and Joe could see her shoulders slump.
Matthew stared after her, then he turned to Joe. “Overcompensated for what?”
Joe turned to Kyla. “Like the radio?” he asked.
She nodded.
He turned back to Matthew. “She’s still learning. It’s not very precise yet.”
“The lamp was precise,” Matthew observed.
“That was a pulse, not a burn.” Joe shook his head. “There are a lot of variables in a burn, flammables nearby, condition of the wiring, even atmospheric things. Things you don’t have to worry about in a pulse. It was only the second time she ever tried to initiate a burn consciously. Kyla knew she needed a big burn. She overcompensated the power she needed to get the result she wanted.”
“What happened the first time?”
Kyla burst out laughing. Even to Joe, it sounded strained and harsh. She glanced their way.
“What happened?” she repeated. “I damn near killed us both.” She looked at Joe. “I shouldn’t have tried it again.”
Joe shook his head. “You didn’t have another choice, and you know it.”
Kyla nodded her agreement.
Matthew glanced back and forth between them. “You have this under control now?” he asked.
Kyla nodded.
“I don’t think we ever need to discuss it again.” He said goodnight to them both and kissed Kyla’s cheek on their way out the door.
Kyla crossed the room to sink down on the couch beside Joe. “That could have gone smoother,” she commented.
“That could have been much worse.”
* * *
Joe ran his hand lazily up and down her back, an
d Kyla smiled and arched closer to him. He felt a warm shock wave wash over him and sank back into the bed with a groan.
After a few moments, Joe spoke. “Don’t take this as complaining, because I’m not.”
“Yes?”
“The sex has always been fantastic, but it’s been truly mind blowing the last week or so. I’m just wondering if you think it’s the relief or the relative privacy or what?”
“Or what,” she said. “Definitely, or what.” Kyla grinned mischievously, and Joe knew she wasn’t telling him something.
Joe turned so his broken leg was under him and caged her with his arms. “Now, my dear wife, tell me what or I tickle.”
Kyla was already giggling and shaking her head. Joe tickled her lightly so he didn’t jar her ribs, and she erupted in laughter. Kyla tried to push him away, but Joe captured her wrists above her head much as he had the first night when he had dinner at her apartment.
The memory swept over him, and Joe gazed down at her appreciatively. No clothing blocked his view this time. Joe balanced his weight on his elbow and reached his free hand up to her breast. He ran his fingers across it as he had done that night. Kyla rose to meet him again, and Joe knew this time could be very different.
“Tell me,” he whispered.
When Kyla didn’t answer him, Joe ran his mouth down her neck and kissed the hollow between her breasts. Kyla shivered at his touch. She started talking. Somehow, Joe knew that reaching the point where he’d stopped last time would be the key.
“We’re hard wired,” she breathed. “It’s working like a feedback loop. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because the work is done. Maybe it’s a reward—”
Joe kissed her, holding her hands to the bed. Kyla was right. Now that she explained it, he could feel the sensations coursing through him. He felt the surge of pleasure building within her, and his own mingled and rose with it. Joe anticipated what would make her feel best, and the feedback loop supercharged every sensation. They were hardwired, and the effect was like nothing he’d imagined possible.
This was the way it should have been the last time. Joe reached for the belt on the robe hanging on the headboard, determined to test his ability to read Kyla to its limits.
