His forehead wrinkled as he listened to me. Something was on his mind, but I was curious about one specific thing. One thing he shouldn’t have known, because I had never gone by it.
“How did you know my name was Sinclair Davis?”
Chapter Six
A startled awareness flashed across his face before he blanked his expression, but it was enough for me to know he knew more than he was saying. I couldn’t exactly blame him, since I hadn’t told him everything either.
He opened his mouth and then paused. I stared at the dark red color of his lips, the errant thought that it looked as if he was wearing lipstick crossing my mind. “The orphanage named you Claire Monroe,” he stated and my eyes flashed back up to his, as I nodded.
“I was asleep when she left me. I had a note pinned to my chest with the word Monroe on it. When they asked me my name, I heard my mother’s voice whisper through my mind, ‘You’ll always be my Claire Bear.’” I tugged on our fingers still entwined together. “That day, I became Clair Monroe. I knew it wasn’t my name. I had learned how to write my full name the year before, but something told me not to tell them the truth.”
He nodded at me as if my explanation satisfied something for him.
“I was surprised when you told me you had sisters.” He paused, and I could see the debate in his eyes. He didn’t want to tell me the next part. “I went looking for missing children around the time you were left at the orphanage. Specifically, girls your age. Discovering you had been left at an orphanage rubbed me the wrong way.”
“What did you find?” Somehow I knew what he would tell me next would change everything.
“There was a missing child report for you. A Sinclair Davis. Dark hair and distinctive blue eyes. Filed by the child’s father.”
All of the air left me in a rush, as everything I thought I knew was flipped.
“He looked for us?” I asked, my voice small and uncertain. Luke shook his head slightly.
“No, he looked for you.” My eyes darted to his, as I comprehended what he was saying. “There was no mention of your mother or sisters on the missing child report. Which seems suspect. Are you sure Kincaid was left in New Mexico?”
I nodded adamantly. “Yes, Youth Village in New Mexico. Maybe he found her? And Quinn? I don’t know.” I was confused by this sudden knowledge that my father had tried to find me, but I couldn’t shake my suspicions. He was the reason our mother separated us. But had he found my sisters? And was I the last missing piece of the puzzle?
“There was contact information for your father on the missing child report. I verified it.” My heart started to race as he continued. “He’s still living there.”
Involuntarily my head started to shake no. There was no reason for my instinctive distrust of my father. Only vague suspicions formed when I was a child that I had managed to keep for years.
“It’s fine.” He told me in a soothing voice, grasping my face with his hands and forcing me to focus on him. “You don’t have to. Your reaction tells me your suspicions probably have valid roots. We don’t need to do anything.” His thumbs stroked my face, as I calmed down. “It’s enough that we found each other.”
I took a deep shuddering breath, as we looked at each other. He was right. I didn’t need to rush into a decision about my father, not until I remembered more of what happened before the night our mother hid us. And I was more certain than ever, that was exactly what she had done—hid us from a threat in our own home. But Luke was wrong. We would need to do something, because now that I had found him, Fate had been set in motion.
“How about we go get some lunch?” Luke asked, and I was startled to realize that we had spent the entire morning at my kitchen table. Serafin jumped onto the table and head-butted me. Her loud purr reassured me everything would be okay. I stroked her soft fur, and she blinked her wide green eyes, encouraging me to go.
“Let’s go.” I replied to Luke before standing up from the table. I realized how long I had been sitting there when I stood up and felt the stiffness throughout my body. Serafin meowed at me again, and I smiled knowing what she wanted. We had spent a lot of lean years together before finally finding some security with the help of Garvin. I grabbed the jar of kitty treats and set some on the counter for her. She purred her contentment before gobbling them up.
“I know this little place. A mom and pop off Dunn Road. They make a really good cobbler,” Luke mentioned, as we got into his car. I nodded my agreement at the choice and made a note that he liked cobbler. Who knew when that information would come in handy?
We made it a point to discuss other things over lunch, leaving the past and special abilities for another time. Luke told me about his family and the loss of his brother at twenty. He could understand my sorrow over losing my sisters, because he had experienced it with his brother. A part of me still held hope that I would find them, though. As farfetched as that idea had seemed over the years, I had never quite let it go. I knew my mother would want me to find them, to put us back together any way I could. But there was a risk if I did. I was still uncertain what that risk was, but I knew if I pursued this, I would be putting us all in danger.
We were laughing over my telling of the story of the glitter dress, when Luke abruptly stopped laughing. His face was tight, and blank as if a mask had shifted over him. He stared at something over my shoulder, so I glanced back to see what it was. I quickly grasped what had caught his attention, but I wondered how Luke knew him. A couple stood in the door waiting to be seated, the woman young and beautiful, but not the reason Luke was glaring. It was the man surrounded by shadows that earned his rage. A second glance had me curious about the relationship between Luke and the woman. She had an apologetic look on her face and the same facial features as Luke. The man with her smirked when he caught Luke’s eye, and came over, dragging his companion with him. She seemed reluctant, which was odd to me, since I had a feeling she was the one related to Luke.
His chair scraped the floor, as he stood to greet them. He embraced the woman in a tight hug that she returned, as he ignored the hand the man held out. I shifted further from the man cloaked in shadows, because I knew without being told that he was evil.
“Jessie,” Luke said, forcing a smile for her. I knew when he said her name who she was. He’d told me about his younger sister, a wild child who had been mixed up with the wrong crowd for years. Glancing at the man she was with, I couldn’t deny he was right. Surprisingly though, she didn’t have a single shadow around her, and I believed she hadn’t been corrupted by the evil she kept company with, but it was only a matter of time before the man she was with destroyed her. It was what the shadows did best. “It’s good to see you.” His exclusion of her companion in that statement didn’t go unnoticed. I felt the man’s eyes on me, and their touch made me want to hide, a feeling that only increased when he spoke in an oily voice.
“What? No greetings for me, Luke? I’m disappointed.” He turned, as if startled by my presence. “And who do we have here? Does Luke actually have time for a date? Dare I say a girlfriend?” I kept my expression flat, knowing not to give any emotion away, because it would only set him off. I had dealt with his kind before, and they thrived on fear and dislike.
“Jeremy.” Her voice was low and supplicating as she said his name, but it made no difference. He immediately straightened, as she dared to speak against him. I hid my distaste, as he grabbed her arm. The hold looked friendly enough, but I could see the whiteness of her skin around his fingers. Luke’s mouth flattened, as he also witnessed it. I knew this would quickly escalate, and someone like Jeremy would relish the coming scene.
I focused, and attempted an illusion I had been experimenting with. I set my fingers against the side of Luke’s coffee cup, feeling the warmth from it seep into my fingers. I kept my eyes down; fearing the subtle glow as I used my gift would be noticed if I didn’t. I willed the illusion, using the warmth from the cup as a focal point. I pictured Jeremy’s fingers getting ho
tter and hotter where they touched Jessie’s skin, until the heat he felt was too much to bear.
“Damn it!” he growled, yanking his fingers from her arm. I smiled gently, as he looked down at his fingers expecting blisters, but seeing nothing there. He frowned, and Luke glanced at me curiously, but let it go as Jessie shook the sleeve of her shirt down.
“Are you okay?” Jessie asked, puzzled as to why Jeremy continued to look at his hand.
“NO! You burned me!” he barked at her, and my smile grew wider. I tilted my head down, so the curtain of my hair would hide my grin. His words had given me another idea. I had plenty of practice with creating an illusion that would hold, even when I wasn’t there, but usually they were visual only. I had never attempted to hold an illusion of sensation for any length of time, but if ever there was a situation that called for it, this was it. I set my hand against the cup again and focused solely on Jessie this time, picturing a subtle heat covering her skin that would be activated anytime Jeremy touched her. I knew it was a risk. Jeremy could easily take his rage out on her, believing she was doing something to him, but I hoped she would take the opportunity to escape him instead.
Jeremy glared at us both and snapped, “Let’s go. I don’t want to eat the crap this place serves anyway.” He said the last in a loud voice, catching the attention of the other patrons and proving my thought he wanted a scene. Luke took a deep breath and reached a hand toward Jessie, but she only smiled at him apologetically and shrugged. He let his hand drop in defeat, and I saw Jeremy reach for Jessie’s arm, before hesitating. I smiled when he decided to drop his hand and stomped to the door instead. Jessie scurried after him, and I watched as they went to his car, an expensive Mercedes, and he stopped her at her door and said something causing her to shake her head quickly. He grabbed her wrist, but quickly dropped it as if burned. She watched him with wide eyes as he stared at his hand, and he backed away from her and went to his side of the car. I smirked and hoped his evil ass was superstitious. He would dump her soon enough if that was the case, and maybe she would get away from his crowd.
I couldn’t help but think her life could very well have been mine. I had taken to the streets at the age of twelve and it’s an ugly place for anyone, but especially a young girl. My ability to see the shadows around people helped me avoid those wanting to take advantage of me. Others were not so lucky, or willing to believe me when I indicated someone was not what they seemed. Their own desperation made them want to believe the lie, the delusion they would be safe and cared for, if they just did what was asked of them. Most of them didn’t make it to their sixteenth birthday. I frowned at my memories, even as Luke sat back down and stared at me.
“What did you do?” He asked curiously, his expression puzzled. I flashed a smile at him and said, “Nothing much.” His eyes narrowed, and my smile widened. “I might have given the illusion that his skin burns when he touches Jessie.”
He stared at me, stunned for a second, before bursting out into a laugh that startled the entire cafe. Some of the other patrons looked at us, a few smiling at his obvious enjoyment, as I just looked at him, bemused. I had never witnessed such unbridled laughter before.
His laughter finally calmed down, and he leaned into me. “If I didn’t already know you were incredible, I would now.” His smile was sad and happy in turn as he stared at me. “I can’t make her leave him, or throw him in jail when she won’t press charges. I haven’t been able to protect my own damn sister, but you …” His eyes searched mine. “You protected her the moment you met her. Not many would do that.” His gratitude was obvious, and I couldn’t let him think I was somehow perfect.
“I don’t know how long it will last,” I warned him. “I’ve never tried something quite like that before. It takes its own type of energy.” He shook his head at me.
“You tried and you succeeded just now. The fact you cared enough to try ...” He paused, and his smile relaxed. “That’s what matters.”
He dropped me off back at my house, but only after promising to look into the Youth Village in New Mexico where I had last seen my sister. We agreed to put my father on the back burner for the moment. I was more concerned about finding Kincaid, even if there was a possibility my father had her. I knew if I found her we would be that much closer to figuring out why my mother had separated us, and something told me I would need Kincaid to find Quinn.
“Well, well, well. If my eyes do not deceive me, that was our long drink of sweet tea right there.” Garvin said, in an exaggerated drawl. My smile was impossible to hide, as I jogged up the porch steps toward him. Garvin’s smile dropped, as soon as he took in what I was wearing.
“Good lawd, girl, are you trying to make yourself as ugly as possible? What are you wearing? You did NOT go out in public with that man looking like that,” he fussed, taking in my black yoga pants and gray knit shirt. I had never actually taken the time to get dressed that morning, so I had basically spent my entire day with Luke wearing my pajamas. I felt a flicker of chagrin, but that quickly disappeared when I remembered he had seen me in my mismatched underwear the day before.
“Actually I did,” I confirmed, tossing a smile at him as I went to unlock the door. The key turned too easily, and a sixth sense told me to pause. “Did you unlock the door?”
Garvin frowned at me and shook his head in the negative. I backed away from the door, and went around to the back with Garvin following behind me whispering dramatically, “You think we should call the cops? What if they’re still in there? Are you crazy?” He paused before saying, “Don’t answer that. You are. What do you think you’re doing? What if they have a gun?” I flicked an ‘are you kidding’ look at him before stopping to grab the handgun I kept stashed in my car.
“Oh, yeah, I forgot.” Garvin admitted sheepishly, before continuing to follow me. I had seen guns growing up and knew the devastation they could cause, so the second I was old enough and had the money, I learned to use one properly. I had gotten a concealed carry permit and forced Garvin to get one as well. I kept my gun with me, but Garvin preferred to believe we lived in a world where it wasn’t necessary. He humored me by going to the gun range when I wanted to practice, so he could use the opportunity to stare at the other men shooting their guns. I had never had to shoot someone before, finding illusions could get me out of most situations, but I appreciated the security of the gun at the moment.
Serafin darted out from the bushes at that moment and Garvin squealed in surprise behind me.
“SHHH!” I hissed at him, figuring there was no way someone would be stupid enough to still be in the house with all the noise outside.
Serafin wound around my ankles, and I crouched down to pet her. “Is someone in there, sweetie?” I crooned, happy to see her safe.
“If that cat answers you, I will not be responsible for my actions,” Garvin whispered frantically behind me. I smiled, even as I continued to stroke Serafin’s coat. A second later, my vision changed to black and white, and I could see the woman who had come into my house. She was wearing dark colored clothing and had attempted to disguise her gender, but the way she moved gave her away. Serafin had remained hidden, as the woman went through the house, searching. She took nothing, but found the drawer I kept the bills in and thumbed through it. There was very little of me personally in the house. I kept no picture of myself or anything that could tie me back to the girl I had been. Her frustration was obvious, as she looked around one last time before leaving. I removed my hand from Serafin’s coat and my vision returned to normal.
“Thank you,” I whispered to her, before standing up. I looked behind me at Garvin. “It’s fine.” I gave him a smile. “False alarm. I forgot to lock up before I left.”
He frowned at me suspiciously, looking between me and Serafin. “That cat is freaky,” he muttered.
I raised my eyebrow at him, “Really? It’s the cat that’s freaky?”
“You know what I mean,” he pouted at me. “Can we go inside now? You need to t
ell me about Officer Delicious.”
I chuckled at his nickname for Luke before telling him, “Well, his name is Luke Spencer, and he’s my one true love.”
The expression on Garvin’s face was well worth the third degree I had just subjected myself too.
Chapter Seven
Momma stood still pressing her hands to her stomach, concentrating on something only she could feel. Kincaid and I were playing with her dolls on the floor, as Momma sat down on the floor next to us. “Would you like to feel your sister?” she asked us, with a soft smile. Kincaid nodded eagerly and reached out, but I wasn’t so sure. Momma had let us feel the baby move a couple days before, and when Quinn kicked we’d felt a shock ripple through us. It had made my hand tingle and things had looked different after that. I knew Kincaid had felt it, because when it happened I saw all three of us, connected. I was afraid of what would happen if we touched her belly together again.
“Sinclair, it’s okay,” Momma said, gently, tugging on my hand. I trusted her, so I let her guide my hand to the spot on her belly. Kincaid and I giggled when we felt the kick. It didn’t hurt at all, so I felt better.
“And what are my girls doing?” Daddy said, stepping into the room with a smile. I looked away from him, uncomfortable looking at him now. Kincaid glanced at me, before burying her face in Momma’s side.
“Mitchell,” Momma cried with a smile. “I was letting the girls feel their new baby sister.” She smiled happily at Daddy, and I wondered if she couldn’t see the shadows around him. I hadn’t either, until baby Quinn had kicked me.
Daddy leaned down to kiss Momma on the head, and he ruffled my hair too. “I’ve got to go into the office for a couple hours. I’ll be home in time for dinner. Girls, be good for your Momma.”
The Trinity Sisters Page 5
