by Char Webster
“So what does all that have to do with my parents?” Kate asked, getting frustrated again. She wanted to know about her parents.
“I’m getting to that,” Nick said, feeling rushed.
“Well, get to it faster,” Kate shot back with an exaggerated smile.
“Anyway,” he said pointedly. “Everything seemed to be fine after that, and the people from Atlantis disbursed around the world. Too many Atlantis people together made them too powerful and caused all sorts of problems. Our historians even suggest that it was all the power together in a small confined area that caused the continent to sink.”
Kate started to open her mouth, but he rushed to continue.
“After what happened with the last couple, the leaders began to research the society’s gifts. After numerous generations, they discovered that the gifts were becoming too unstable, causing some of their people to become violent, with wild mood swings and in some cases, insanity. They determined that human bodies were not designed for so much power. Therefore, to help our race survive, the leaders banned marriages and having children together with others who had gifts. The potential for violence and insanity was just too great a risk. Their research had also revealed that the gifts were dominant and that they would always show up in the next generation.”
“So what you’re saying is that a thousand years ago, some psycho couple abused their powers and now no one from your race can get together with each other?” Kate asked incredulously.
“It’s your race, too, Kate,” he said gently. “It’s not just because of that couple. Dangerous things were happening because we were gaining too much power. Our gifts were getting out of control and something had to be done, so to save our race and rest of the world, we only have children with non-gifted individuals.”
“What does that have to do with my parents?” Kate prompted.
“Your parents were both part of our society and came from two of the original nine remaining family lines. They broke the rules and fell in love.” Nick shook his head in sorrow. “Your parents married in secret and were able to hide for a while, but they were eventually discovered by the wrong people. We’re not sure who exactly found them or when, but we learned they had had a child before they were captured and killed. We’ve never been able to find that child. They must have hidden you for your protection before they were found.”
“So my parents were killed because they fell in love?” Kate stood up. She couldn’t believe how horrible and stupid the law was. “If that’s how your people treat each other, then I want no part of it.”
“Kate, these rules are for the world’s protection. A child from such a union could be a danger to everyone,” Nick told her.
“Now you’re telling me that I’m a danger to the world and could possibly become insane?” Kate was getting seriously upset, and she didn’t like how this conversation was going. “I don’t want to hear any more.” She stood up and marched to the back door. “You need to go.”
Nick came up to her and pulled her into his arms. She stiffened and tried to struggle for a moment, but she eventually relaxed. Her emotions were swirling, and she had an overwhelming desire to just flop down and cry. She was never a crier, but things were piling up on her.
“I don’t think you’re dangerous.” Nick said, quietly still holding her. “Although, you may be a little crazy. Why else would a young, extremely attractive, single woman take on three kids?”
She laughed a little and said, “Yeah, my best friend Cindy thinks I’m crazy, too.”
He pulled back and looked down into her sad eyes. “Let’s go back and sit down.”
“Alright.” She settled back onto the couch and leaned against his side. She liked the comfort she was finding with Nick. They sat in silence for a little while, just enjoying each other’s company. Nick liked having Kate in his arms a little bit too much. She fit perfectly up against him, and he loved the feel of her long hair falling over his arm. He wanted to run his fingers through it. He had to stop thinking like this; it was dangerous. There couldn’t be anything between them; he couldn’t put either of them through that. Look at what had happened to Kate’s parents.
Kate became lost in her thoughts. Her parents had loved each other enough to break every rule of their race. How could that kind of love be wrong? Why are these people following rules that are hundreds, if not thousands, of years old? Maybe if the Association had accepted their relationship, she could have grown up with her birth parents. She didn’t want anything to do with this Association or their rules. She didn’t believe that there was anything wrong with her, and she didn’t think for one second that she could possibly be a danger to anyone. Ancient people believed all kinds of crazy things; this could just be another one of them.
She looked up at him and decided to break the silence. “So, you don’t think I have to worry about going insane?”
He touched the side of her face. “No, I don’t. After all of these generations, the gifts have surely diluted and weakened, and so far as I can tell, you haven’t shown any violence or mood swings, right?”
“No. I’m usually the calm and levelheaded one.” Kate told him.
“I don’t know about that. I’ve seen your temper a few times.” Nick said playfully. She bumped into his side in response. “In all seriousness, Kate, I think you’ll be fine. Your gift is designed to help people, and that’s what you’re doing.”
Kate smiled slightly, feeling a little bit better. “What is your gift?”
“I can become invisible,” he said as seriously as he could.
“NO WAY! Show me!” she said excitedly, twisting out from under his arm so that she could face him.
He couldn’t hold in his laughter. “You believed that?”
“I don’t know anything about your world. Why wouldn’t I believe it?” She huffed but couldn’t contain her smile. She liked his playful side. He liked to tease her.
“Are you going to tell me?”
“Nope. Not telling.” Nick grinned at her.
“Why not?” she demanded. She was feeling relaxed now that they were bantering back and forth.
“What’s in it for me?” he asked with a very mischievous grin.
“Now that’s a loaded question. I could get myself into trouble.”
“Be daring.”
“That just makes it worse!”
“I’ll make it easy for you. I’ll tell you, but it will cost you . . . a kiss.” Nick had no idea why he had just said that. It was as if he had no control over his mouth. The words had flown out without warning, and even though he wished he hadn’t said it, he knew that he wanted her to kiss him. He wanted it badly.
Her eyes got big, and she shifted slightly. He thought that she would pull away, but she didn’t. She leaned in toward him and reached her hand up to the side of his face. He shivered with anticipation as she slowly pressed her lips against his. Her kiss was soft and sweet, but he didn’t want sweet. He wanted her mouth pressed against his. He drew her in closer to him, running both hands into her hair and deepening the kiss. She clutched the back of his shirt in her hand and pressed against him. He broke off the kiss when he realized he wanted to do more than just kiss her. He wanted her.
They both sat back, stunned and breathing hard. Neither one had expected that to happen.
Nick stood up and went to the window to look out into the night. What the hell was I thinking? He needed to stay away from her or they would both be in serious trouble. He needed to have better discipline than that.
He was contemplating leaving when she walked up next to him looking a little smug and said, “Well, I fulfilled my end of our deal, your turn.”
She crossed her arms and waited. He looked angry, and she had no idea why. She thought that he was playing a game with her, challenging her to a kiss. He hadn’t thought she wouldn’t go through with it. She could see it in his eyes before she kissed him. It was that challenging look that had made her brave. She had planned to give him a chaste pec
k on the lips, but he seemed to have other plans.
She hoped he would think that she had a confident and slightly cocky stance. Inside, she was still shaking. Wow, she thought, the guy can really kiss.
Kate needed to defuse the situation before it got more awkward. She touched his arm and tried to infuse him with calming vibes. She had never actively tried to calm someone with her touch, but since she found out she had a gift, she figured she should try it out. It might or might not work, but it was worth a try.
He took a deep breath and looked calmer. She wished she could feel his emotions and not have him hide them from her. She would have to ask him how he did that later.
He looked over at her and gave her a half smile. “You are dangerous.”
“Why?”
“Already trying out your gift on me? That’s not nice,” he teased. “It worked though. I do feel better. And I’ll show you how to mentally block gifts later.”
She beamed up at him. “Are you going to tell me about your gift?”
“Yes.” He paused for dramatic effect. “I can focus my energy and in some cases, pull outside energy in and focus it.”
“Okay . . . what does that mean?” She clenched her hands at her sides, hating that he was giving her half answers.
“It means that I can focus energy into a punch and have way more force than anyone else. I can focus my energy into running to be faster and smoother in my strides. I can focus my energy to make me stronger,” Nick told her.
“So, you’re telling me you’re basically Superman. Can you fly?” Kate teased.
“Nope, sorry, no flying.”
“Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound? Faster than a speeding bullet?” Kate laughed.
“No tall buildings, and not quite faster than a bullet, but probably close,” he said, getting his confidence back.
“Seriously? A speeding bullet?” Kate was impressed now. “Can we test that?”
“You want to shoot me to see if I’m faster?” Nick asked in mock horror. “That’s a little blood thirsty, Kate. Are you planning my demise?”
“I don’t have to shoot you to see if you’re faster than the bullet.” Kate was getting into the idea of testing out his speed.
“You’re just going to have to believe me. I’m fast.”
They sat back on the couch and chatted about all kinds of unimportant things. It was close to midnight when Kate yawned. Nick stood up and pulled Kate off the couch with him. He grabbed her phone off the counter and added his phone number to the contacts list.
Kate smiled because she could always get in touch with him now. She didn’t have to wait for him to just show up any more.
They walked to the door, and Nick turned to her and said, “Good night, Kate. Sweet dreams.” He touched her cheek and walked out onto the porch.
“Good night,” she replied quietly.
Chapter Ten
The phone rang at 11:47 p.m., just as Dawn Johnson was getting ready for bed. She looked at the phone with dread. Something was wrong for her to get a phone call this late. She answered the phone with a nervous, “Hello, this is Dawn Johnson.”
“Mrs. Johnson, this is Detective Martin with the Laurelton PD.” Her heart sank. What now? She knew her son had just gone to bed, so he was fine. She truly hoped it was nothing serious.
“I’m at the hospital investigating an assault, and I was hoping you could come down here and answer a few questions.”
“Me? What would I have to do with an assault? I was here with my son all night.” She was a little bit defensive. She felt a little defensive, because she didn’t know what this detective was getting at.
“Mrs. Johnson, I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. You’re not in any trouble or suspected of anything. I’m hoping you can help me figure out what happened tonight.”
“What exactly happened?”
“Your receptionist was almost beaten to death. She’s currently unconscious.”
Dawn almost dropped the phone. This had to be related to the break-ins. Should I tell this detective?
“Hello? Mrs. Johnson?”
“I’ll be right there.” She hung up the phone and started to shake. What had she gotten herself into?
She pulled into the emergency room parking lot about fifteen minutes later and parked in the first spot available. She saw the detective as soon as she entered the ER.
“Detective Martin?” she asked in greeting.
“Thank you for coming in tonight. I know it’s late,” he said, shaking her hand and leading her over to a private sitting area that doctors used for consultations.
“How is she?” Dawn asked.
“She’s lucky to be alive. She’s still unconscious, but she’s stable. The doctors think she should wake up sometime tomorrow, or the next day at the latest.”
“Oh my goodness. This is just awful.”
“She was found behind Town Pub by a busboy who was dumping some trash. The kid probably saved her life. He interrupted a large man with tats savagely kicking her.”
Dawn put her hands over her face. It was horrible. Sheila wasn’t the nicest person or even a good employee, but she would never wish her injured. What kind of an animal would do that?
“From the description the kid gave, it sounded like the guy she was having drinks with in the bar earlier that night. We would’ve just written this off as a domestic, but something happened to change that.” He looked directly at Dawn.
“What happened?”
“Just before she passed out, she grabbed the kid’s arm and said ‘Warn Dawn Johnson. Warn her.’”
Dawn’s face went completely white and she started shaking. She wasn’t sure what to do. Should I tell this detective my fears or should I just keep quiet? Am I in danger? Why target Sheila? How was this all related? There was still no proof at all for her fears. Did Mr. Brooks have enough money and influence to make her look crazy? Could he ruin her reputation? Would he hurt her son? Maybe she should send her son to his father’s house. That would be a fight.
Detective Martin watched Dawn Johnson closely. She knew something; he was sure of it. The question was, would she tell him? She looked terrified, so chances of her talking weren’t good. He would just have to press her, and if that didn’t work, he would keep a close watch on her.
“Well, Mrs. Johnson? Why would Sheila, who was just beaten near to death, have used her last words before passing out to warn you?” he asked with raised brows.
“Warn me she wasn’t going to be in work tomorrow?” she offered up lamely. “She was just written up for unexcused absences at work.”
“That’s your explanation?”
“Yes. What else would there be?” Dawn said. “We’re not friends, and it’s no secret that she’s not the best employee. I’m sure she just doesn’t want to lose her job. But, don’t worry, Detective, I’ll make sure her job is waiting for her when she feels better.”
“I think you’re lying to me. I think you know something and are too afraid to say anything. I can protect you both from whatever it is. You can trust me.”
Dawn wished she could, but her gut was telling her that it would just make things worse. She was going to have to tell Kate what she suspected.
“I’d tell you if I had anything more to add, and I assure you, Detective, not much scares me. Thank you for your concern. I need to get back to my son.”
Dawn turned to leave when he said, “I’m not giving up on this. I’ll be watching.”
She walked all the way back to her car on shaky legs, and collapsed inside. She wasn’t sure what she should do. Was the guy who beat Sheila somehow related to the break-ins? If so, what exactly was he looking for? Was this all about the Taylor kids, or had she just read one too many mystery novels? Dawn needed to get herself together and figure out a plan. She couldn’t just go and scare people without evidence. The first thing she was going to do was look into all the children the Brooks fostered and adopted.
~*~*~
Frank was pissed. He never let his temper get the best of him, but tonight he had completely lost control. He hadn’t cared about beating Sheila; he thought that that was kind of fun. He went to meet her that night knowing that he was going to rough her up some.
It was all part of his plan. Meet her at the bar, get her drunk, maybe let her service him, and then beat some information out of her. He hadn’t expected her to hold her liquor better than any man he knew, and he hadn’t expected her to pepper spray him when he took her outside. That crap stung his eyes, and when he backhanded her in response, she kicked him in the nuts. That was all it took for him to lose it.
Frank enjoyed punishing her—taking out his frustrations over not finding the kids on her. He really didn’t like the fact that she didn’t know anything. Even after she was in serious pain and bleeding all over the ground behind the dumpster, she didn’t tell him what he wanted to know. Either she was the bravest woman he met, or he had screwed up again and picked an idiot with no information.
What made him mad was his lack of control. He normally would have pulled her to a secluded spot to take care of business and then, if he had to, finish her off. Almost getting caught was inexcusable. He should’ve just killed the busboy too, but he didn’t want to have an even bigger mess to clean up.
The cops would pass this off as a domestic dispute, so he wasn’t really worried about it. It would be written off as a date gone wrong.
Frank needed to cool down and figure out how to deal with that director of the center, Dawn Johnson. He couldn’t pass that off as a domestic; she wasn’t the type. He also needed to be careful. Someone would get suspicious if something happened to her after Sheila and the break-in at her office. Frank didn’t think she knew that he had broken into her office again, or also her house. He was careful not to make a mess. He didn’t want to attract too much attention.
He would wait a few days, maybe even a week for things to cool down, and take care of her then. Brooks could wait for a few more days.
