Rock Bottom (The Gifted Realm #4)

by Jillian Neal

  Rainer studied the energy sources; a windmill, fire, and a combustion engine, but the mechanical heat energy from that wouldn’t convert to electric energy without either Emily or Fionna’s assistance. There was a generator, a microphone, speaker system, and a large piezoelectric disk that would have to be forced to change shape in order for it to remit voltage.

  “Should be a good challenge,” Vindico looked genuinely interested in what was to come.

  With another sound of the buzzer, the announcer welcomed the Providence Phenoms to Angels Arena. A relatively small group of fans on the other side of the field, dressed in green and gold, went wild.

  After the Phenom players were introduced, the announcer drawled loudly as a drum roll boomed, “Arlington, Virginia is proud to announce its very own sweethearts of Summation, the Arlington Angels!” The Angels box lit up. It shook as everyone stood. They whistled and applauded loudly.

  The announcer elaborated on the Angels’ mission trip to Brazil, and what they’d done while they were abroad. Then he gave a quick bio as each of the players’ names was called.

  Rainer let out his customary wolf-whistle when Emily ran onto the field. The announcer gave Emily’s stats for the season and then asked over the microphone, “Now, Miss Haydenshire, are we to understand that this will be your last inner league game with the name Haydenshire on your jersey?”

  Emily beamed and nodded.

  “Yes, that’s right folks, our new Crown Governor has relented, and is going to allow Rainer Lawson to marry one of our favorite Receivers,” he stirred the crowd, who was cheering raucously. Rainer laughed and blew Emily a kiss.

  “And finally, please welcome the prettiest captain in Summation, our Angels captain returning for her eighth season, Miss Chloe Sawyer!” The crowd bellowed again as Chloe waved to her fans.

  The announcer welcomed Governor Vindico and Governor Sapman, and then the crowd cheered for Governor Haydenshire, who stood and let Keaton wave to the crowds.

  After the Realm anthem was played and everyone returned to their seats, the buzzer sounded and the challenge began.

  “They should start with the generator. That’s easy,” Logan urged.

  Vindico shook his head. “It won’t be the generator. That’s too easy.”

  Rainer was surprised to see his boss really getting into the challenge. He was even smiling.

  Chloe moved in first and pulled the heat from the fire. She lost only a small amount as she moved it from the diode on the side of the field to the iode in play. Everyone turned to see the screen.

  0 and 1 read on the screen.

  Heat from the fire was one of the sources, but it didn’t belong in the first iode. While using straightforward logic, Chloe ran back to the side of the field and sent Sarah in to move the heat to the next iode.

  1-1 read the screen, and the Angels’ fans cheered. It was in the right spot. The Phenoms were trying a completely different tactic. They used four players at once. They each put a different form of energy into the diodes.

  The Phenoms’ screen read 1-2 instantly. They had one in the correct location and two of the correct forms of energy. By cycling their players four at a time, their Duco predilect guided the sequencing carefully, and they were gaining ground.

  Chloe sent Katie onto the field. She pulled from the generator, but the screen remained at 1-1. Vindico was right. The generated electricity wasn’t going to be used.

  Quickly making the same assumption, Chloe sent Dana onto the field to force the piezoelectric disk to contort and produce voltage.

  It took Dana quite a while, and the Phenoms’ board read 2-3.

  Rainer’s jaw clenched. He still hadn’t fully forgiven Dana for harassing Emily about only ever being with him. Dana pulled the voltage and forced it into the first diode. The board lit at 2-1. The crowd cheered Dana on, and Sasha returned. She moved the voltage to the third diode. 2-2 flashed and Rainer joined in the applause.

  Emily entered the field, and Rainer whistled again. She summoned and forced the engine to fire. Her joule meter dropped a bar. She gathered the heat energy and converted it to electricity. She worked it quickly to the first diode. 2-3 flashed onto the board.

  With a delighted grin, Emily moved off the field, and Chloe returned. She transferred the energy from the first diode to the last and turned to watch the board light up 3-3. Rainer jerked his head back to the Phenoms.

  He panicked when he saw that the Phenoms’ board read 3-3 as well, and their lead Receiver was already turning the windmill and moving the energy to the last iode.

  Fionna was sent on to pull the sound energy from the microphone and convert it to electricity. She threw the energy into the remaining iode, but the board still read 3-3. Fionna looked devastated as she ran off the field.

  “The battery, the battery!” Logan yelled.

  Katie entered the field and pulled the energy from the battery. She transferred it quickly to the last diode through her shield. Both boards lit 4-4 at the same moment.

  Fionna raced onto the field, harnessed the electricity from the first diode, and created an arc to the second as the Phenoms’ Receiver did the same.

  Everyone in the stadium was on their feet, screaming. Fionna moved the next arc to the third diode, but the Phenoms’ Receiver had more energy, because they hadn’t used him to convert the sound energy from the microphone. With a fervent push, he lit the fourth diode a split second before Fionna completed the last arc. The Phenoms’ iode released.

  Fionna’s head dropped in defeat, tears formed in her eyes and, with a quick glance to his left, Rainer noted that Vindico looked extremely concerned about her.

  The Angels crowded around Fionna with exuberant hugs.

  “She really is an amazing Receiver,” Vindico commented. He was still staring at Fionna, who was being hugged rather vigorously by Chloe.

  “Yes, she is, and she’s an amazing girl,” Rainer wasn’t certain if Vindico would catch on, but he couldn’t think of one of Emily’s friends who he liked or respected more than Fionna Styler.

  * * *

  Rainer and Garrett waited outside the locker rooms for the Angels to be released.

  “You know, they’re all in their crying,” Garrett huffed.

  “Well, they did lose,” Rainer thought Garrett was being rather callous.

  “Yeah, but it was still a winning season. There’s always next year.”

  As the arena emptied, Emily, Fionna, and Chloe exited the locker room together.

  Emily and Fionna had indeed been crying. They were Receivers, after all.

  Rainer pulled Emily to him. “You ok?”

  She nodded and forced a steadying breath.

  “Ok, no more tears. We have to go home, look fab, come back, and party,” Chloe commanded. Emily and Fionna laughed and nodded their agreement.

  “So, the leather skirt with what top?” Emily quizzed.

  Fionna considered as Rainer attempted to guide Emily out of the stadium.

  “I’m thinking that flowy, white silk top that cuts down low and shows off my girls,” Fionna strategized.

  Emily nodded excitedly. “Yeah and your black, crisscross strap Louboutins.”

  “Oh, that’s perfect,” Fionna grinned. Her tears were drying quickly.

  Garrett shook his head. He seemed to be considering something.

  “All right, fine; if you’re hell bent on doing this, then I’ll help you. You understand that he is going to break your heart, but I know Dan Vindico better than just about anyone.”

  Fionna looked like Garrett had just named her Queen of the Realm.

  “Really?” she buzzed. “Oh my gosh, Garrett, you are the best!” She threw her arms around Garrett’s neck while jumping up and down.

  Laughing at her outright, Garrett shook his head.

  “He’s gonna break your heart,” he warned again.

  “I just don’t think so. Something is changing. I can feel it, even here,” Fionna explained. No one seemed to have any idea h
ow to explain her cryptic statement, but Rainer sincerely hoped she was correct.

  “Do you really think you can help me?” Fionna gestured to her shapely figure. She seemed to have lost some of her confidence in the space of a few seconds.

  “Fi,” Garrett scoffed, “do you ever look in a mirror? You’re gorgeous, and he knows it. Believe me, I’d say now is probably the perfect time. You’ve waited long enough. So, come on. I’ll tell you how to work this, but if he’s with you tonight and then leaves tomorrow morning, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  “Ok, you warned me. Just please,” Fionna begged.

  “Yeah, and I’ll be over at your house tomorrow morning to let you lay in my lap and cry all day. Then you’re going to wish you’d listened,” Garrett appeared to be rethinking his offer.

  “Garrett please, please, please!”

  “Fine,” he agreed as he held the driver’s side door of Fionna’s bright-yellow Solstice open for her and then moved to the passenger side.

  “Good luck!” Chloe waved to them as she unlocked her Corvette.

  “My Porsche!” Rainer swooned and pretended to hug his car. Emily laughed. He’d driven the Accord to the challenge for Logan to take home after he returned Rainer’s Boxster.

  As they drove, Emily sighed dejectedly.

  “What’s wrong, baby?”

  “I just wish Fi wouldn’t do this to herself. She’s hell-bent on Vindico going home with her tonight, and she’s going to be a mess when he either turns her down again, or takes her up on her offer, and then walks out when he’s finished with her.”

  Rainer tried to think of some other outcome for Fionna’s plans but didn’t really see any other options.

  “She thinks she can get him out of her system,” Emily rolled her eyes. “Sleeping with him is only going to make it so much worse.”

  “Maybe he’ll be really bad in bed,” Rainer offered hopefully. This, at least, elicited a chuckle.

  “I somehow doubt that.”

  Rainer nodded his begrudged agreement.

  “What about Bridgette?” Rainer quizzed.

  “Garrett says that’s between Bridgette and Vindico, and this is between Fionna and Vindico, whatever that means. Garrett also said he thinks Vindico dumped her after he signed her release papers.”

  “So, how does Fionna plan on getting him to her house?” Rainer wasn’t really certain how people did the whole ‘meet a person at a bar and end up in their bed’ thing. It was certainly not something he’d ever done or ever wanted to do. Emily gave him an extremely confused look.

  “Uh, you’ve seen Fionna, right?”

  “Yeah, I’ve seen her,” Rainer agreed cautiously.

  Fionna Styler was an absolute knock-out, but she didn’t do anything for Rainer. He never wanted Emily to think that she did.

  She’d been propositioned to model in several magazines, Playboy included, but she’d never agreed. In Rainer’s opinion, her humility made her even prettier. Fionna truly didn’t seem to think that she was anything more than average.

  “But is that her only plan, a short skirt and a low-cut top?” Rainer thought it would take more than that to get Dan Vindico to agree to sleep with a Receiver.

  “No, that’s why Garrett’s over there now. He’s going to tell her everything to say and do tonight to get him interested,” Emily sighed.

  40

  The Entrance and The Exit

  Emily and Rainer were in their room, getting ready for the party. Emily had decided to stop worrying about Fionna and Vindico, at least for the moment, after Rainer had pointed out that there wasn’t really anything she could do to save Fionna from herself.

  They packed for Australia right up until time to leave. Emily was elated that it would be warm and sunny on the beach for their trip. They were to be at the Caliph’s home for dinner on Wednesday evening, as guests from the American Realm, and to begin to try to determine which of the Caliph’s sons might be Adeline’s father.

  As their flight was at nine o’clock the next morning, they’d all decided to forgo anything more than beer at the party that evening.

  A little after seven, Rainer climbed into the driver’s seat of the Hummer and drove everyone to Anglingtons Bar. He tried desperately not to think of everything that had happened at the Angels’ opening season party.

  * * *

  The party was picking up pace when Emily flashed the badges to get Rainer, Logan, and Adeline in. Thrumming music blared from the band as they sang the rather dirty lyrics to the song.

  Chloe, Sarah, and Dana were passing around trays of food, and the alcohol was free-flowing.

  “Where’s Fionna?” Emily had to scream for Chloe to hear her.

  “Garrett’s bringing her in a little while,” Chloe informed Emily loudly. Emily shot Rainer a concerned glance, and he understood that Fionna wanted to make an entrance.

  Vindico arrived fifteen minutes later. He sank down at the table between Rainer and Logan.

  “I am too damn old to be at an Angels’ after-party,” he waved a waitress over and rather rudely asked if they had any Scotch that wouldn’t be embarrassing to drink.

  “Come on, man. Garrett will be here in a few minutes. You’re not old yet,” Logan scoffed.

  Vindico took a sip of the Scotch he’d been provided. He looked surprisingly pleased as he set it on the napkin in front of him.

  “Listen, I don’t want to intrude on your honeymoon or your and Emily’s week in Australia. You don’t have to hang out with me while we’re there. Just do whatever you want, and I’ll meet you at the Caliph’s mansion Wednesday night.” Vindico looked like he was truly concerned about going with them to Australia.

  “Nope,” Logan shot back. “First of all, we like hanging out with you, second, you promised us a few stories, and third the girls are gonna want to go do stuff that girls do and then the three of us can hang out.”

  Rainer smiled. Logan Haydenshire was incapable of making someone feel unwanted. He couldn’t stand the popular scene and crowds the entire time they’d been in school together. It was why he and Rainer were friends with guys like Fergus. Truthfully, Rainer considered, it was the way he’d landed a girl like Adeline.

  Vindico shrugged. He appeared genuinely touched. “Fine, but if you four want to go do some couple thing, then don’t worry about me.”

  “The only thing I’m worried about is finding Adeline’s dad and convincing him to help us.” Logan leaned to the side to make certain that Adeline was still in the restroom with Emily. “Adeline loves being a Medio. It makes her so freaking happy. I cannot let her mother ruin that for her.”

  Vindico and Rainer nodded their understanding and their agreement.

  Another fast song started to play as Emily and Adeline made their way back to the table. Several of the Angels started dancing in a group, and pulled Emily onto the dance floor with them. Emily grabbed Adeline’s hand and dragged her along.

  When the song neared its last verse, the door to the bar flung open, and in walked Fionna Styler, hanging off of Garrett’s arm.

  Not only did Vindico sit up and take notice, but every heterosexual male in the room turned to watch her make her entrance.

  She was wearing a leather miniskirt that hugged her curves perfectly and had a zipper than ran from the top of her skirt, which sat low on her hips, all the way to the bottom. With one quick move, the skirt would be on the floor. She’d added a soft, sultry, creamy silk blouse that cut down low to show off the matching set of curves on top. Her hair was fixed in loose waves that draped down her back.

  As Vindico was staring at her, thoroughly enamored, Logan chuckled and whispered in Rainer’s ear.

  “Uh, I am an extremely happily married man, but he might as well grab his jacket and get in her car, because he’s going down tonight.”

  Rainer laughed. “Yeah, and I’m pretty sure she’ll let him.”

  He and Logan cracked up.

  “Fi-onnnn-na!” rang out from all of the Angels on
the dance floor as they cheered her name. While smiling and laughing, she let Garrett lead her to the floor.

  Almost as if on cue, which Rainer was fairly certain Chloe probably had something to do with, an extremely lurid rap song blared from the speakers; it encouraged the girls to ‘shake it all’. The Angels spread out and began performing the dance.

  Adeline returned to the table, and Logan pulled her onto his lap. Rainer watched Vindico’s eyes. They were glued to Fionna as she shook it for him. She showed off several rather sexy moves.

  Unfortunately, it wasn’t only Vindico who noticed Fionna’s dancing. After the song was over, she followed Chloe towards the bar and was approached by several men.

  She laughed and flirted, and appeared to order a drink which several of them offered to pay for. One guy, who’d already had just a little too much, moved in.

  Fionna’s face went from smiling to deep concern in a second flat. She looked frightened, and she took a step back from the man. He advanced.

  Fionna shook her head and glanced around nervously. Garrett was attempting to get to her through the crowds of people who were dancing and talking, but he was having a difficult time.

  Fionna fended him off again, and then Rainer watched in horror as the guy dragged his finger along the low-cut line of Fionna’s blouse.

  “Stop it!” she demanded loudly. “Don’t touch me.”

  Rainer and Logan stood immediately, but Vindico was already on his feet and standing beside her in three long strides. He narrowed his eyes furiously.

  “You got a problem, kid? Perhaps I could help you work that out.” His massive biceps bulged of their accord.

  The guy held up his hands, shook his head, and backed away after he took in Vindico’s sheer size and strength.

  “Sorry, I didn’t know she was with anybody,” he stammered.

  “Well she is, and I happen to have a real problem with assholes who think they can touch whatever they damn well please,” Vindico bared his teeth as the guy’s eyes goggled. “Get the fuck out of my face.”