The Steve Williams Series Boxed Set

by J. E. Taylor

  CJ popped up from the couch, meeting his gaze and then headed for his bedroom. Steve followed the boy upstairs and locked the door behind him. “Your dad wants to talk to you and I’m not sure I can do this, but it’s my best bet of getting you to my place without your mother knowing.”

  “I’ve never projected myself.” CJ fidgeted on the bed and Steve took a seat next to him.

  “Well, I’ve only done this once.” He took the boy’s hand and laced it in his taking a deep breath.

  “I thought you had to be on the phone with the person in order to transition—or be in front of a mirror.” CJ said.

  “I don’t know how this really works, so I’m going to try something different and if it doesn’t work, we’re going for a ride.” He traded a glance with CJ and then closed his eyes, letting CJ into his mind as he pictured the cove, the soft moss, and the water. He squeezed CJ’s hand wishing he was there and felt the transition begin.

  When CJ tightened his grip and gasped, Steve opened his eyes. Gradually descending before them was Chris, his white wings spread and fluttering softly as he touched the moss. The grand wings folded behind him and he looked from Steve to his son.

  Chris knelt in front of CJ, wrapping his arms around the boy. CJ kept Steve’s hand in his grip, wrapping his free arm around his winged father. When Chris pulled away, he glanced up at Steve. “Thank you.”

  “We’re not really here,” Steve said, compelled to share and unsure of whether or not he could let go of CJ’s hand.

  Chris nodded. “Maybe it’s better that you hang on for now.” He brought his gaze level with CJ and touched the boy’s face, wiping the tears from his cheek. “You can’t be mad at Steve. He was just doing his job.”

  CJ threw himself back into his father’s arms. “Why’d you leave?”

  Chris closed his eyes. “Because I had to. This was the only way to ensure I’ll be with you and your mother forever.”

  “I want you here, now.” CJ pulled away.

  Chris hung his head. “I’m here,” he raised his bright eyes. “I’ll always be here if you need me. And you know what I gave Steve, right?”

  CJ looked up at Steve. “You gave him what he wanted.”

  “No, CJ, he never wanted this, not in the way you’re thinking. He didn’t want me dead, and as far as the powers you and I have, he didn’t understand what it meant to have this running through his veins.” Chris glanced up at Steve. “He didn’t understand the responsibility. But he does now.” His eyes traveled back to his son’s and he pressed his index finger to CJ’s chest. “I gave him the best piece of me, the piece you gave me in that warehouse. He’ll keep it safe and you can bet he’ll use it to do good things. So you can’t be mad at him, this wasn’t his fault.”

  CJ tried to pull his hand away, but Steve kept the grip.

  “It was my fault, CJ. I made the choice to go and yes, I knew I wasn’t coming back. I was out of time, son, and I had a choice, help him find the man who killed Eric or die in my bed at home. I chose to do something that ended up saving my soul. So before you go stewing on about how Steve took me away and got me killed, you just think about that for a while.” He stood, towering over CJ. “And so help me, CJ, if I ever catch you using your powers for anything bad...” His wings uncurled in all their majesty. “You’ll have to answer to me. Understand?”

  CJ nodded, silent, and awed as his father beat his mighty wings, rising into the clouds and disappearing. He shifted his gaze to Steve.

  Steve’s upturned face tilted down to CJ and the transition took hold. Steve blinked and they were sitting on the bed in CJ’s room, hands still clasped. Neither of them broke the bond at first and then Steve relaxed his grip and CJ pulled his hand out.

  “I’m sorry your father died.”

  “I know,” CJ replied. He stood and walked to the door. “My mom wants to die now, too.” CJ glanced over his shoulder at Steve, tears filling his eyes.

  Steve inhaled and slowly let the air out of his lungs before he spoke. “When Jenny was first in the coma and they told me she’d never recover, I felt the same way your mother does. But she’ll be okay. She has you and Tommy.”

  CJ smiled a bitter smirk, one that should never grace a nine-year-old’s face. “I remind her of my dad.” He turned and left Steve with that thought.

  * * * *

  The moment Steve stepped out of view Jennifer sent a glare at Sarah and crossed the lawn, cornering Jessica alone. “What did you do to me in the church?” Voices of strangers rambled in her head and had been since she grabbed Jessica’s hand after Steve’s eulogy.

  Jessica allowed a brief smile. “I guess I transferred my abilities to you like Chris and Eric did to Steve.” She turned to leave, but Jennifer stopped her.

  “What does that mean?”

  “That means you can read minds and heal people.”

  Jennifer took a step back. “You.. I… huh?” She tilted her head then shook it to silence the continuous drones. “How do you shut them up?”

  An amused smile played on Jessica’s lips, but it didn’t reach her pain ridden eyes. “Concentrate on one person at a time. The easiest thing is to target someone creating static. That’s when you find silence. Otherwise it gets real loud, real quick.”

  She tried it, concentrating on Jessica and all noise subsided, replaced by a light static buzz like that of an un-tuned television turned way down. No thoughts came through the channel and Jennifer cocked her head.

  “I can’t hear anything from you.”

  “I know how to block people from my mind.”

  “Oh. And how do you do that?”

  “Think of more than one thing at a time.”

  The answer was not something Jennifer understood. She wasn’t sure it was possible and yet this woman had her tuned out. Instead of pushing the issue, Jennifer took a moment to study the memory download that occurred with the transfer. She bit her lip against the layers of emotions that came with each memory. “I got your memories...” Her vision distorted with tears. “I felt your pain.”

  Jessica took her hands. “We have more in common than you think. I saw your life, too, and despite what you’re feeling right now, you are a strong woman, Jennifer. You’ll get through this.”

  “I lost the only child I’ll ever have. How do you get through that?”

  Jessica’s expression changed and she looked down at their clasped hands. “Lean on your husband. Trust him. He’s a good man.”

  The answer wasn’t what Jennifer expected and she looked toward the house. “I don’t know if I can.”

  “Do you know what a soul mate is?”

  Jennifer thought she knew. She once thought Steve was hers but now she wasn’t sure. Not with everything that had happened. She met Jessica’s calico stare and shrugged.

  “A soul mate is your other half. Without him, you are incomplete. Empty. Lost.” Jessica paused and swallowed, blinking back a bright sheen of tears. “Steve is yours just as surely as Chris was mine.”

  “We both know his name wasn’t Chris.” Despite the memory swap, Jennifer still had to ask. “Why? Why him?”

  “Because, without him I wasn’t complete. I was restless and always looking for something missing in my life. The way we finally met was not the most conventional of ways, to say the least.” Jessica surveyed the back yard. “But even then I knew, when I first saw him, the energy was there whether I wanted it to be or not.” A blush crept into her cheeks and she sighed, refocusing on Jennifer. “If you throw away what you have with Steve, you will never find peace. It will haunt you to your grave and Kyle will have won.”

  For the second time in as many days, that threat was laid at her feet and she recoiled. “I don’t know Steve anymore.” The words seemed hollow and empty coming from her lips.

  “That’s an excuse. You got through what happened your senior year in college, you can overcome this too. Kyle only has power over you if you let him. Sure, he abused your body and messed with your mind but the rest is u
p to you. Are you going to continue being his victim?”

  This time Jennifer actually took a step backwards away from the now angry eyes of Jessica. Her mind raced, flipping the pages of Jessica’s memories back to the concrete prison. She wanted to ask a million questions but all that came out was “How?”

  “I made a decision and there were several times that I lost sight of that decision, but in the end, it’s what helped me survive and get past what happened—what Frank did. Can you tell me what that decision was?”

  Jennifer looked at her hands and nodded. “You decided they could do anything to your body, but they could never touch your spirit.”

  “Bingo.”

  “I’m not as strong as you are.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “I don’t know…”

  Jessica raised her hand. “I know, he made you do things you never wanted to in order to save your daughter, and then killed her anyway. It wasn’t Steve that killed your daughter, it was Kyle. If Steve had put his gun down, none of you would have survived and Kyle would still be out there killing innocent people.”

  “He killed your husband.”

  Jessica’s eyes misted over. “No. A ricocheted bullet killed Chris.”

  “But the stab wound.”

  Jessica raised her eyebrow and her thought echoed in Jennifer’s mind. Have you seen what I can do?

  Jennifer laughed and nodded. “Yeah.” And I have to figure out what to do with it now that you gave it to me.

  “Don’t let Kyle ruin your life. Don’t let him have that kind of power over you.”

  With a nod, Jennifer blinked back her own tears. “What are you going to do now?”

  Jessica shrugged and sorrow traced lines through her face. “I have no idea.”

  On impulse, Jennifer stepped in and wrapped her arms around Jessica in a hug. “You’ll be just fine. You have your boys to get you through this.”

  Jessica squeezed and then stepped back. “Thank you,” she said and walked away.

  * * * *

  Steve stepped out in the backyard, scanning the crowd for both Sarah and Jennifer. He caught Jennifer’s gaze across the lawn and offered her a small smile. She nodded back and headed toward him.

  His phone vibrated in his pocket and he dug it out, checking the number before flipping it open.

  “Williams?” Cleary asked.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “I need you and Agent Connelly down here as soon as you can. We’ve got another missing child.”

  “Sarah and I will be there, sir. We’re booked on a flight this evening.” He closed the phone and focused on Jennifer, creating static in his mind because she now had Jessica’s repertoire of powers, including the ability to read minds.

  “Focus,” he whispered in her ear and got a creased brow in response.

  “Focus on one person at a time. That helps with the noise,” he clarified and scanned the crowd for Sarah. He caught sight of her talking to Jessica and headed her way.

  He approached Jessica and CJ by the rock wall talking to Sarah.

  “We need to go,” he said to Sarah before turning to Jessica. He offered a slim smile and put his hand on CJ’s head, messing up his hair. “If either of you need anything, don’t hesitate to call.” He reached into his pocket and pulled a couple of business cards out, handing one to Jessica and the other to CJ.

  He crossed and offered a card to Tommy. “If you ever need to talk, or CJ starts misbehaving, give me a call, ok?”

  Tommy looked at the card and up at Steve. “What about me? What if I start misbehaving?”

  Steve scrunched down. “You already know the answer to that.”

  Tommy tried not to smile. “Yeah, I’d have to answer to Dad.”

  Steve did smile. “Yes, but you’ll also have to answer to me.”

  Tommy rolled his eyes.

  “I’m no picnic when I’m angry. And I’ll be pissed if you decide to rebel. Got it?”

  Tommy’s smile faded and he nodded. “And if CJ decides to rebel?”

  “Well, then I guess I’ll have to come by and kick his ass. Won’t I?”

  That brought a smile to his face and in his mind he was laughing because the kid knew his brother could crush Steve with a thought. Instead of answering the question, Tommy focused back on the game in his hand, the gesture dismissive, signaling the conversation was over.

  Steve turned away, heading out the door with Sarah and Jennifer with one thought on his mind. He had another serial killer to nail, and this time, he wasn’t going to let him get away.

  Chapter 12

  “You’re kidding me!” Jennifer stood outside the bedroom door as Steve threw clothing into a carry on.

  Steve straightened up. “No, I’m not kidding. Do you want to come with me?”

  “To Atlanta?”

  “Yes, Atlanta,” he said, creating static in his mind and keeping the irritation out of his voice. Sarah had already left but she started this spat by announcing she’d see him at the airport.

  “The furniture’s coming tomorrow,” she said and he knew it was an excuse. Anything not to be alone with him, to face her fears that they might never get back to that place where they once were. In love. Invincible.

  Steve closed his eyes and counted to ten before he spoke. “We were never invincible, Jen.”

  “Please, stop snooping in my head.”

  “I’m not. Your thoughts are broadcasting like a bullhorn. I can’t shut them out.”

  “You can’t or you won’t.”

  Steve slammed the carry-on closed and yanked it off the bed. Her unwillingness to bend, to get through this together, grated on his nerves. “I’m not dignifying that with an answer.”

  “Fine.” Her lips pressed together and the glare she sent in his direction almost pushed him over the edge.

  He stopped the bitter retort from leaping from his lips, closing his mouth and turning his back on her. He stared out the picture window at the late-in-the-day sunshine glazing the lake in a reflective frost. “Cancel the furniture order and come with me.”

  She tilted her head looking down at the floor, her hair slipped from behind her ears and obscured the side of her face closest to Steve. He turned, scanning her mind, her heart and what he saw sent another fractured splinter through his heart.

  Jennifer snapped her gaze to his. “I need time.”

  “Grieving alone isn’t a good thing.”

  She sighed. “I don’t want to go to Atlanta.”

  “You mean you don’t want to go with me.”

  She didn’t answer him, instead she walked into the barren living room, her thoughts transparent and centered on her conversation with Jessica. “I don’t want him to win.”

  “Then come with me.”

  She turned and the turmoil in her eyes cut straight to his soul. “I’m not ready yet. I can’t stay here either, so I thought I’d go visit my parents while you’re gone.”

  Ouch. That stung more than he wanted it to. Her father may have apologized to him, but there was no love lost between them and Steve was sure the man would thrive on driving a bigger wedge between them.

  “I won’t let him.”

  Steve’s eyebrows shot up.

  “I won’t let my dad influence my decision and this doesn’t mean I’m leaving you. I just need time.”

  “You reading my mind now?”

  She smiled, a blush crept into her cheeks, and he forgot to breathe for a moment—her beauty taking him by surprise yet again. He reigned in his thoughts and sent a grin back her way. “Ok. I’ll back off for now.”

  “I’m still going to cancel the furniture order. Okay?”

  “The apartment in New York is furnished.” He reached into his pocket and pulled the keys out, handing them to her. “Check it out if you want.”

  Curiosity etched her features and she reached out, taking the keys from him. “I will.”

  Steve glanced at his watch and sighed. “I have to go.” He turned and grabbed his suitc
ase from the bedroom before returning and setting it on the ground next to her. Without a word, he gave her a soft hug and she returned it, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding on tight. Such a simple gesture, but it gave him a ray of hope that they could get through this.

  “I love you,” he said, pulling out of her grasp and running his palm along her cheek.

  Jennifer leaned her face into his hand and tears bloomed.

  She didn’t speak the words he needed to hear and he pulled his hand away, disappointed. “I’ve got a plane to catch,” he said and walked out of the cottage for the last time.

  Chapter 13

  Jennifer leaned on the doorjamb as he drove away, wiping the tears off her cheeks and waving. She turned, looking at the empty cottage and out the front window, making a mental note to pack things she might want in New York City. Her gaze landed on the path to Paradise Cove and she wondered if she now had the power to call on an angel.

  With purpose, she crossed the lawn and traversed the overgrown path to Paradise Cove, taking a seat on the big flat rock; she slipped her shoes off and rolled up her jeans before she slid her feet into the cool water. Leaning back she tilted her head to the sun streaked sky and whispered, “Ty.”

  The air shifted and ripples covered the sheer surface of the cove. Chris Ryan stood at the edge of the water glaring at her.

  “Only Jessica can call me that.”

  “But you do have to come anytime that name is used, don’t you.” She swung her legs back and forth in the water creating small swells, her smile more dominant than friendly.

  His face turned beet red, his eyes altering to a deep ocean blue instead of the normal shimmering topaz. “Are you testing me?”

  “Perhaps I am.” On the exterior she remained calm, but inside, her heart rumbled with adrenaline leaving a slight metallic taste in her mouth.

  Chris tilted his head, studying her a little closer, then his eyes went wide. “Jessie gave it to you?”

  When she nodded, his eyebrows furrowed. “Why the hell would she do that?”

  “I don’t think she had a choice.” Jennifer shifted on the rock, leaning her hands on the edge instead of behind her, still gently swishing her feet in the water, studying the patterns as they fanned out over the water. She glanced up at him. “Is my little girl in heaven?”