Discovery

by Char Webster

  A few hours later, after lots of squabbling over rooms, Robert and Jason were sleeping off the effects of several long days, and Nick was lying on his bed thinking. As much as he tried not to, his thoughts kept going back to Kate, thinking that after a few nights in a row with her in his arms, tonight seemed very lonely.

  He wanted her, and he had no idea what to do about it. Robert was right. If he pursued Kate, the Association would intervene, and not in a good way. They both could end up in detention centers, and the kids would be taken away from them. He couldn’t let that happen. He also couldn’t let her go. Just thinking about her made his skin tingle and his heart beat faster.

  The alarm suddenly went off to announce movement around Kate’s house. He looked out the window and saw that Kate had walked out onto her front porch. He smiled brightly. That was their spot. He desperately hoped that she had gone out there to talk to him.

  He jumped up and reached for his jeans and shoes. They hadn’t had any time to really talk in a while without having to worry about what was going on. With a pep in his step, he bounded down the stairs.

  ~*~*~

  Kate couldn’t sleep and she knew exactly why. She’d been sleeping in the comfort and security of Nicks arms and she liked that. Now, trying to sleep alone, she felt empty and lonely, and she missed him being next to her.

  With a sigh, she pulled on yoga pants and walked downstairs. She smiled to herself as she made some coffee and carried two cups out to the front porch. She didn’t know how he did it, but he always knew when she came out there. She hoped that he would know tonight because she really wanted to see him.

  Just as she sat down on the top step of the porch, someone walked out of the shadows of the trees along her sidewalk. She immediately smiled, thinking that Nick had been waiting for her but instead had to fight back a scream.

  She tensed, ready to run back in the house, but her intruder stayed at the bottom of the porch steps.

  Brooks walked into the light of the porch and stopped a few feet away from Kate. “You look exactly like her,” he told Kate.

  She pulled in a breath and started to get goosebumps. She knew that he was talking about her mother.

  When Kate didn’t answer, Brooks continued, “She was very beautiful, too. She could’ve had anyone that she wanted, but she settled for her idiot of a husband. They both were so young and so foolish and oh-so-trusting. It was easy for me to tempt your father into working for me. They needed the money because you were on the way and he would have done anything. They had no idea at first that I wanted you. When he found out, they took off and hid from me. A very foolish attempt. No one hides from me forever. I found you now, didn’t I?”

  Kate shivered but couldn’t help herself from asking, “What did you do to them?”

  Brooks laughed at her. It was an almost manic laugh that made her shiver even more. Wow, she thought to herself, this guy was really crazy.

  He pulled the side of his hair back so she could see his scars more clearly. “What did I do to them, you ask! Look what they did to ME! They blew themselves up trying to kill me, to protect you.” Brooks laughed louder. “They died in vain because now I have you. They were fools. Of course I wanted the child of two gifted people. When two people of our race get together, they form a strong bond and their gifts increase dramatically. The child they create will always have extremely strong gifts. I will always want those children, and I will never stop until I get them all. Your parents both came from strong lines, so of course, you will have great power.”

  Kate was saved from saying anything by Nick running full speed down the street toward her. She was so happy to see him coming to her rescue again. Robert and Jason were running several yards behind him.

  Brooks looked up and noticed the guys coming toward them. He swore and backed up a little. Nick ran past Brooks and stood next to Kate.

  “Don’t worry, Kate, I’m not taking you tonight. But remember, your watchdogs won’t be here all the time. One day you’ll be alone. When you least expect it, you’ll be mine,” Brooks said as he backed away. “After all, Kate, I’ve waited over twenty years to find you.” With that, he disappeared out of the yard and into the shadows.

  Kate was shaking so hard that she had to sit back down or risk falling. Nick sat down on the step next to her and pulled her onto his lap. Robert and Jason found Nick cradling Kate as they ran into the yard.

  Robert looked up, saw that Nick and Kate were both safe, and took off after Brooks. Jason paused for a moment, and then ran after Robert.

  Nick ran his hands through Kate’s hair as he held her and rocked her gently. “I’m not going to let him get you or the kids. I promise you’ll be safe.”

  “He’s been looking for me all these years,” Kate told him shakily. “He’s never going to stop.”

  “He won’t get you. We know who he is now, and we’ll find him.” Nick continued to rub her back and smooth her hair.

  She put her head on his shoulder and snuggled in close. “Thanks for saving me again.”

  “Always.” Nick assured her. “I will always save you.”

  Kate looked up at Nick when he said that and laid her hand on his face. She was looking at him with such longing and he was looking at her the same way. He couldn’t resist. He claimed her lips for a sweet and loving kiss that was meant to be brief, but it ended up leaving them both breathless. The kiss seemed to go on forever, and neither of them wanted to let go.

  Jason’s extremely loud throat clearing and laughing broke them apart. Nick looked at him with daggers. “What?” he demanded.

  “Just thought I would join you for coffee,” Jason said, spotting the two cups.

  Robert walked up and told them that Brooks had gotten away. “He had a car waiting and he took off. We’ll keep an eye out if he comes back.” Robert pulled Jason by the arm and said, “Come on, Jay.” Jason protested the whole way out of the yard.

  Kate laughed at the guys and turned back to Nick who was watching her.

  “Is what he said true?” Kate asked.

  “Which part?” Nick asked gently.

  “That gifted couples are more powerful and their children are even more so? He said he collects those people.”

  “Yes, it’s true. That’s part of the reason we’re not allowed to date other gifted people. Too much power together gets to be unstable, and when people have a gift that is too powerful, it can be dangerous.”

  She sighed and continued. “We need to find those kids we saw and rescue them. He probably has others.”

  Nick smiled and hugged her close. “You always want to save the world, don’t you?”

  She laughed. “Not the whole world.”

  “I don’t want you to worry,” he told her. “I’m going to make sure you and the kids are safe.” He hugged her even tighter and then loosened up and claimed her lips again.

  Kate felt a desperation in his kiss and his embrace, but she wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was everything that had happened in the last few days.

  They kissed for several more minutes, and he pulled away and stared into her eyes for a long time, not saying a word. Finally, he whispered, “Good night, Kate.” He touched her face and stepped off the porch.

  He slowly walked backwards toward the sidewalk and then turned around and jogged down the street.

  Kate had a tightness in her chest when she walked into the house, but she was too tired to think about it. Exhaustion was finally catching up with her. She walked back to her room and flopped down on the bed. She was asleep in seconds.

  ~*~*~

  The guys were in his family room when Nick walked back into the house. “I’m glad you guys are still up. I wanted to talk to you,” he told them as he sat down on his favorite chair. He leaned forward with his arms on his knees, then ran his hand through his hair. The stress was visible on his face.

  Robert looked grim. “You’re leaving, aren’t you?”

  “Yes,” Nick told him.

  Robert nodded. “
I knew something was up from the look on your face when you walked in here.”

  “Brooks is going to keep coming after Kate and the kids unless I take him out. I’m going after him. We know he left his Washington Crossing estate and he hasn’t gone to any of the other ones that we know of. I need to find him.”

  “I’m coming with you,” Robert told him.

  “I need to you stay here and watch out for them.” Nick paused, looking at Robert. “I need you to keep them safe. I don’t trust anyone else to do it.”

  Jason had been unusually quiet until that point. “Hey, man? You don’t trust me?”

  Nick smiled. “I want all three of you to watch out for them. I’m counting on all of you.”

  Jason gave him a half smile. “You know I’ll protect them with my life.”

  “I know you will,” Nick told him. “Thanks.”

  “When are you leaving?” Robert asked.

  “Tonight.”

  “Tonight?” Robert asked, surprised. “Does Kate know?”

  “No. I couldn’t tell her.” Nick put his head in his hands.

  “Oh boy. She’s going to be furious that you didn’t tell her,” Jason winced.

  “Yeah, thanks man, we’re going to have to deal with her wrath when she finds out you left her—and that you left without telling her,” Robert told him.

  “I couldn’t say good-bye to her,” Nick admitted.

  “Then don’t,” Robert said, trying to get through to his friend. “We can all protect her from here.”

  “I have to go.” Nick got up and walked to the stairs. “I need to get some stuff together and get out of here.”

  Nick left a note on Kate’s counter in her kitchen. He told the guys before he left that she needed a security system in that house and that Ryan was just the person to do it. It was way too easy for him to break in to her place.

  He sighed and started to walk out of the house but turned around and snatched a photo from the frame that Kate had on the coffee table. He stared at the picture of Kate with Maddy on her lap and Alex and Zach on both sides of her. Kate had her arms around the children and they looked like such a happy family. He wished he could be a part of that happiness. Sighing heavily, he slipped it into his pocket.

  Nick walked out of the house and into the night.

  ~*~*~

  Kate woke up early, before the kids got up, and wandered downstairs to make more coffee. She hadn’t gotten to drink hers last night with everything that had happened.

  She still had an uneasy and almost unsettling feeling, but didn’t know why. I need a vacation, she thought. I’ll take the kids somewhere; maybe the beach.

  As she got to the kitchen, she noticed a propped up piece of paper, and her heart sunk. She knew it was bad news.

  Kate,

  I can’t stay here knowing that someone is out there wanting to hurt you and the kids. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to any of you. In such a short time, you have come to mean so much to me and I can’t lose you. I’m sending in the paperwork for you to adopt the kids so this way, no one can take them away from you legally. We both know that you are the best person for them. Please tell the kids I love them very much. I won’t stop until I get this guy. I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone but I wanted you to know that I will be thinking of you the entire time.

  Nick

  Kate read the note three times before she finally accepted that he was gone. Nick was gone. He had left her. Yeah, he was going to find the man after them, but he was still gone. Her heart was aching at the thought of not seeing him. She wiped a few tears away as a soft knock sounded on the back door.

  Robert grinned at her with a bottle of orange juice in his hand. “I figured you might want those mimosas right about now.”

  Kate gave him a half smile and said, “Yeah, a mimosa sounds pretty good.”

  A Note From the Author

  Dear Readers,

  Thank you so much for reading Discovery, the first book in the Gifted Series. If you loved reading this book as much as I love writing it, please, please, please post a review on Amazon or any other site you frequently use.

  Reviews are vital to independently published authors. They show the retailers that the book should be on their recommended lists. I also really appreciate the feedback.

  If you would like information about my next projects, upcoming releases, and the inside scoop on giveaways and contests, join my fan group and follow me on social media.

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  Love you all!

  ~ Char

  About The Author

  Char Webster

  Reading and getting lost in a story has always been some of Char Webster's favorite things to do besides shopping, of course. She also has a love for writing, which led her to her daytime career in public relations and marketing.

  After years of writing for others, Char decided to write something for herself. Her debut novel fulfills a lifelong dream of creating a world where people can escape reality for a little while.

  Char Webster loves living in South Jersey because she feels like it is in the center of everything.

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