Corinne dried off as quickly as she could, inspired by the scent of the pancakes cooking. She threw on a robe and tied it tightly around her waist. When she opened the bathroom door Aaron nearly fell in with urgency.
Corinne giggled as she hurried out of the way and closed the door behind her. She had to admit, although her life was quite different, it had never been full of so many pleasant complications. Her childhood was full of neglect and abuse. She had not even considered what it was like to be loved by someone until she had met Sam, a police officer who had rescued her from a very abusive situation.
He had become like a father figure to her as she grew. It was not until her life had exploded to reveal it was built on lie after lie, that she discovered who Sam truly was. He had been hired by Conner to monitor her, to do his best to protect her without interfering too much. Of course Corinne never had any idea that the man she revered and came so close to fully trusting, was beating and raping women in secret.
It was not until he tried to frame Daniel, Corinne's fiancé for the crimes that she began to see the truth behind his mask. She had been so devastated by the discovery that she found it difficult to believe in any kind of love. Daniel, who was leading a mysterious life of his own as an undercover police officer, tried his hardest to prove his love for her. When he revealed that he had to keep his life a secret until his assignment was complete, she understood, but it still hurt that he had lied to her for so long.
Then she had nearly fallen for Conner's lies. He had her believing that he cared deeply for Aaron, who she discovered was her twin brother, and Lisa, who had been raised in the same sheltered atmosphere as Aaron. She had no idea that they were actually being held like prisoners from the rest of the world, examined and studied, like lab rats.
That was what Conner had intended to do to her as well when he forced her into his custody. What he had not planned for was the depth of love Daniel had for Corinne, and his dedication to her. Without thought to his job, or the consequences of his actions, he had stormed the office building Conner used as a front to disguise his scientific research. He had held Conner at gunpoint, and was finally able to rescue Corinne from danger. Along with her, he liberated Aaron and Lisa.
Though he was uncertain whether reuniting Corinne with Aaron was really for the best, he was happy to see her happier than he had ever seen her before.
Corinne and Daniel had a wedding to plan, but that had fallen to the way side when Aaron and Lisa had come to live with Corinne. There was simply too much happening to think about their future at the moment. It grated at Daniel's nerves, but he was willing to be patient. Corinne had spent the majority of her life struggling, and he did not want to do anything to create more strife for her.
41
Corinne accepted a plate of pancakes from Lisa with a smile of gratitude. What the young woman lacked in emotional repertoire she more than made up for in culinary skills. Daniel came in through the front door. He didn’t get a lot of time with Corinne with two other people sleeping in the living room. He had tried to bring up the possibility of getting Aaron and Lisa their own apartment, but Corinne would hear nothing of it.
She was terrified that Conner would attempt to attack them, and she felt they were safest if they all stayed together. Daniel yawned and scratched at his dark brown hair as he sat down beside Corinne.
“Thank you.” He smiled politely at Lisa as she set a plate in front of him.
She moved away quickly with a furtive glance at the undershirt he wore. She had never been around men other than Aaron, who she considered her brother, and Conner. There were of course a few men that worked in the research facility, but they were not like people to her. She had been instructed so strictly for so long not to interact with them, that they might as well have been furniture in the room with her.
“Well,” Daniel said as he opened the newspaper and stared down at the front page. “Looks like you made the paper.” He pointed to the picture that took up one half of the page. It featured Lisa, Aaron, and Corinne, leaving the burning school with children and teachers closely following.
He shook his head with amazement. “I still don't understand how you could get to them when the firefighters could not.” He lifted his eyes briefly across the table, catching Corinne's shifting glance. He could read her easily, and he had known for weeks that she was hiding something.
He followed her with his gaze as she stood from the table and started a pot of coffee. She had once loved its aroma, now the pungent scent was mingled with traumatic memories as she had smelled it on Sam's breath when he attacked her.
Regardless of the dark feelings it sometimes summoned, she still enjoyed its taste and the burst of energy it offered her.
“Corinne.” Daniel said from the table when she offered no answer to his words. “I mean, how did you even know about the fire?”
Aaron returned to the kitchen in time to catch a wave of tension that rippled through the air. He started to back away, but before he could escape, Daniel had settled a glare he usually reserved for interrogation upon him.
“Maybe you can tell me Aaron, how is that you three just happened to be in the right place at the right time?” His narrowed lashes made his light blue eyes that usually struck people as innocent become haunted with the tendrils of darkness that inhabited his dominant side.
Aaron rolled his eyes as he tried to avoid Daniel's scrutiny. He found the man to be a bit intolerable with his constantly suspicious nature. Corinne had explained it away as just being part of a cop's nature, but Aaron knew better. He could tell that Daniel considered him a potential threat.
“What can I say Danny, just luck I suppose.” His chiseled lips curved into a mocking smirk as he leaned back against the kitchen wall.
Daniel prickled at being called Danny. Aaron had taken up the nickname almost right away, and Daniel found himself loathing the man more and more each time he used it. Lisa glanced between the two men as she tossed the last of the pancakes on to plates for herself and Aaron. She appeared very confused at first, and then suddenly she grinned.
“Oh I get it now!” She declared happily.
“Get what?” Corinne asked, eager to change the subject.
Lisa rounded the kitchen counter and joined Daniel and Corinne at the table as she gushed enthusiastically.
“I was watching this television show, and they kept using this phrase. It was so strange; I could not understand what it was referring to.”
Aaron reluctantly joined them at the table, if only because Lisa's pancakes smelled so amazing.
“What was the phrase?” He asked mildly. Lisa had a hard time grasping many sarcastic and comical concepts because she took things as plain facts, rather than interpreting the emotions that might be wrapped around them.
“A pissing contest.” She said lightly as she took a sip of her orange juice.
Corinne burst out laughing. She reached up to cover her mouth, but it was too late, both Aaron and Daniel were glaring at her, offended by her amusement.
Lisa looked between all three, unsure as to why they were reacting so strongly. She shrugged and laughed along with Corinne, without knowing why.
Corinne cleared her throat to try to cover her laughter as she lowered her eyes to the table top and muttered. “What? She's right.” She could not subdue another fit of giggles.
Aaron shoved a forkful of pancake into his mouth to keep from pointing out that he had not started it. Daniel pretended to read the article in the paper, and hoped that no one noticed the flush of embarrassment in his cheeks. He knew he was being too aggressive toward Aaron, but he could not help but feel that ever since he came into their lives, Corinne had been keeping secrets from him.
42
When they finished breakfast, Daniel had to head in to work. He had transferred to patrol so that he would not be expected to spend weeks away from Corinne doing undercover work. Although he found the job quite boring, the benefits it offered, namely the opportunity to be with
Corinne more often, were worth it.
Corinne had been working on and off, but she could not settle into a job. Every place she went she could sense what people were feeling. Their emotions, whether toward her or not, were like a constant pressure upon her body and mind. It made it very difficult to function.
She had just given up on a job with a lawyer; because his underlying nature was so deceitful she found it incredibly difficult to keep a straight face when greeting his clients. Her hopes of being a family court judge seemed impossible now, as any time she stepped inside the courthouse she was nearly crippled by the assortment of emotions and the general sense of desperation that permeated its halls. She, Aaron, and Lisa had recently discovered a new use for their abilities.
It had happened by accident at first. Corinne had a horrible dream about a man being struck by bricks from a collapsing building. She had no idea who the man was, but she recognized the building. When she had confided in Aaron and Lisa they had suggested they try to prevent it from happening.
After analyzing Corinne's dream they were able to determined the approximate time of day, and even the possible date of the collapse. None of them expected to be right.
They had stood by the building for an hour with no sign of the man from Corinne's dream. They were about to give up when he came walking around the corner. In the same moment, the building they stood beside began to crumble.
Aaron was there to deflect the bricks that fell, saving the man from severe injury if not death. Lisa was close by in case anyone got hurt, and Corinne was rewarded with the experience of feeling the man's ultimate gratitude for Aaron's help. Ever since, she had decided that if they could, they should try to help others with their abilities. She could think of no other reason to have them, and perhaps if they did some good with them, Corinne might find what she was considering to be a curse, to be less burdensome.
When Daniel left for work Aaron lifted his chin in Corinne's direction as he folded his arms.
“When are you going to tell him?” He asked sternly.
Corinne shifted uncomfortably as she brushed her hair back behind her ears. “When he needs to know.” She replied cryptically.
In the hallway, with the door still partially open, Daniel heard their words clearly. The quick anger that rushed through him beckoned his temper to crack. He could storm back inside and demand answers. He could threaten to call off the engagement.
Instead he pulled the door shut and drew a slow steady breath. He thought he had finally convinced Corinne to trust him, but in the end, he was certain, she was only pretending. He could only wonder if the love she claimed to have for him was part of the ruse.
43
“So, maybe you can tell me how exactly you let this happen?” His voice was thick with a Russian accent and heightened with irritation. When he smacked the newspaper down on the table in front of Conner, the man jumped. His head was throbbing with pain from the alcohol he had consumed the night before. He lifted his weary gaze up to meet the displeased features of his supervisor.
He was a short man, with a stature barely passing five feet. He was bundled in a fur coat that lent a feminine air to his petite frame. Were it not for the absolute dominance of his presence, he could easily be mistaken for a weak man.
Instead, when he looked at Conner, there was no question that he owned him. His black eyes were tiny rings of fury that threatened to dismember Conner for his recent actions.
“I did not let it happen.” Conner replied as respectfully as he could. “I saw an opportunity to bring Corinne back into the fold. You know as well as I do how important she is to the project.”
The man leaned his hands on the table and pushed his face closer to Conner's until if he chose to, he could have checked his reflection in the man's slick bald head.
“What I know is that if you were not so light handed with these freaks they would not dare to disobey.” When he spoke, small flecks of spit splattered on Conner's cheeks. He knew better than to wince or draw back. The man before him was not light handed in any way.
“Of course, of course, you are right.” Conner mumbled as he lowered his head shamefully. “I thought perhaps giving them a little freedom would offer their skills an even better chance to develop to their fullest extent.”
The man sneered as he sank down into a chair at the table. He rested his head on the fingertips of one hand and tapped the surface of the table with the fingertips of the other.
“And what of your skills?” The man asked evenly. “Why haven't you used them to reclaim our rebels?”
Conner swallowed thickly. He did not know how to explain how hard he had been trying. It was as if he had no impact on Corinne, who whenever he attempted to manipulate her energy, managed to deflect it like a piece of lint on her blouse.
“Corinne is more powerful than I could have ever expected.” Conner attempted to explain, much to the annoyance of the man who sat across from him. “She has abilities I never expected her to have, and she-”
“Get to it!” The other man commanded with impatience.
Conner grimaced as he knew that his next words would cause even more fury. “She is not afraid of me.”
The man pounded his fists against the top of the table as he raised his voice. “Put fear in them Conner, that's what I told you from the time those little brats were born. If you had put some in their mother none of this would have ever happened.”
Conner ran his hands across his face as he nodded at the man's words. He could not deny the truth in them. “Please, you must understand. If we just give them a little more time-”
He was interrupted sharply by his superior. “No Conner, you need to understand that if you do not get your pets under control, I will.” He stood abruptly from the table and glowered at Conner. “If I have to wrangle them, I swear to you, I will shut this whole operation down.” He jabbed his finger hard against the table right in front of Conner. “Do you understand?”
Conner nodded despite the rage that his words summoned within him. “Yes sir, I understand.” He replied submissively.
With one last long glare the man turned away from Conner and left the room. Conner was left in a place of desperation. He knew what would happen if the operation was shut down. Not only would all of his research go to waste, but all of his projects would be destroyed, including Corinne, Aaron, and Lisa.
44
Daniel could barely keep his mind on the road as he drove his patrol car through the neighborhood he was responsible for. Every time he started to calm down, Aaron's voice cropped up in his mind, asking Corinne when she would tell him. Corinne's answer infuriated him the most. He turned sharply down a side street.
His partner knew Daniel well enough to keep quiet. He was a rookie and was aware that Daniel had transferred out of necessity. He found the man to be a bit of a loose cannon sometimes, especially after the incident where he held a man at gunpoint. Of course it had been to save his fiancée but still, the young officer was always wondering when Daniel might try some other crazy stunt. From the way he was driving, he was pretty sure that it might be today.
“You want to grab a drink?” Stanley, the rookie asked as cheerfully as he could.
“We are on duty!” Daniel barked back, without tearing his eyes from the road.
Stanley held up his hands quickly. “I meant a soda, or something.” He muttered and shrank back in his seat.
Daniel did not answer; he just took another sharp turn. Stanley sighed as their ride plunged back into silence.
“You want to talk about it?” He finally asked as casually as he could. When Daniel slammed on the brakes Stanley had to brace his hand on the dashboard to keep from sliding out of his seat.
Daniel's furious gaze met Stanley's. “No.”
Before Stanley could respond, the radio announced a call. Rather than be further questioned by a rookie, Daniel picked up the radio and volunteered to respond. He flipped on the lights and the sirens and slammed on the gas.
Stanley did not ask any more questions.
When they arrived at the call, they parked in front of a small brick house. It was lifted slightly off the road by a low sloping hill. Its grass was trimmed and the walk was free of leaves. It was clearly cared for. Daniel and Stanley approached the other officers who were already present and talking to an obviously frantic woman.
“You are not listening to me!” She shrieked as she shoved a photograph at one of the officers. “He did not wander off!”
Daniel stepped up to the woman and smiled tolerantly. “Ma'am, could I see the picture.” He asked as placidly as he could.
The woman whose dark brown hair was tied back in a low ponytail appeared to be beside herself with anxiety. She was in her thirties, and the picture she handed to Daniel with a trembling grasp was of a little boy. His dark brown hair was long and cut into a bowl shape around his head. His cheeks were still chubby with youth and he knelt beside a soccer ball.
“Someone took my son.” She said sternly when Daniel glanced up and met her worried eyes.
One of the first officers on the scene spoke in a patronizing tone. “The kid was playing alone in the backyard; she saw him about fifteen minutes ago. Now he's gone. We're thinking he went to a friend's house, or something.” The officer shrugged.
Daniel scowled at him and reminded himself to have a conversation with the man about courtesy. He knew that he was probably right about the boy, but the woman shook her head sharply.
“No, no, no!” She screamed in frustration. “Kyle knows the rules. He knows not to leave the yard. There is a fence, and he knows not to go with strangers.” She gasped desperately as she snatched the picture back from Daniel. “Someone took my son!” She held the picture tightly against her chest. “Why won't you help me?”
The other officers shook their heads, but Stanley asked to see the photograph. He began questioning the mother about whether she had seen anyone suspicious in the neighborhood. Daniel walked around the side of the house. The back yard was fenced, but the fence was fairly low. Still, it would take a lot of effort for a young boy to climb over it and there was nothing pushed up against the side of it. When he saw something on the pristine blades of grass beside the fence he felt his heart sink.
Corinne (Book One of The Red Diamond Saga) Page 11
