I switched my vision. Clouds appeared around each man, but at night, it was harder to see them. The grayish colors blended into the dark. Without Mica pointing out where the men were, I wouldn’t have been able to pinpoint their exact locations.
“Do you see them?” she whispered.
I nodded. Closing my eyes, I gathered my energy before pulling fields in the area. I created three separate balls. Wielding the balls through the air, I opened my eyes and carefully lowered them over the three men, pinning them in place. I didn’t feel any resistance. Jet and Jasper’s manipulations were still working.
“Flint?” I said.
With a blur of movement, he took off.
I couldn’t see Flint in the night, but I knew what he was doing. He raced to each man, knocking each unconscious before securing their hands and feet with the zipties. I didn’t feel at all guilty about that. Jacinda had heard that each man carried handcuffs, rope, blindfolds and gags. Those were to be used on us when we were captured. Rage boiled in me at the thought. I’d fight tooth and nail before I let them take me again.
Flint moved quickly. He was back within minutes.
Di continued to crouch by the wall, concentrating on the future. When we asked her if any danger lay ahead, she frowned. “I . . . don’t think so.”
She bit her lip.
Flint, Mica and I moved systematically around the house. Mica found the men, I created energy balls and held the men in place, while Flint rendered them unconscious before tying them up. One by one, we took them down.
Despite being woken in the middle of the night, power surged through me. My adrenaline had me running full force.
“How many more?” I whispered. The three of us crouched in the backyard. A juniper brushed against me. With it came its subtle scent.
“Two.” Mica’s breath puffed in a cloud in the cold night. “Both are hidden by the rock garden. They’re as relaxed as the others. Those two are actually laying down.”
“Jet and Jasper are doing a good job.” Flint’s deep voice rumbled in the night. “Still, I’d rather we finish this. Lena?”
“Coming right up.” I readied two energy balls just as Di gasped.
“Susannah!” Di’s eyes flashed open.
All three of us turned to Di just as I felt it. The energy around the men increased. Gone were the docile, easy-going clouds. The mens’ auras became filled with confusion, worry and then anger.
“Crap!” I screeched.
Not a second later, the door on the deck above us slid open. In the quiet night, the grating sound seemed as loud as an electric saw.
Flint flew into action. One second he was squatted beside me, the next he stood on the deck, jumping the fifteen feet as if it were nothing.
Shouts came from the backyard. The two men were calling for their team. I didn’t know where to look. Marcus’ men or the deck.
The deck won.
An image of Susannah walking along the boards as Flint and Jet grabbed hold of her was the only thing I saw before a shot fired.
No!
Jet and Flint ducked, pulling Susannah with them. My heart pounded. No one appeared hurt.
The two remaining men were still crouched twenty yards away. They continually shouted for their team. I had no idea if the other eight men were still unconscious. But if Jet stood on the deck, hauling Susannah back inside, that meant Jet’s men may have regained consciousness. If that happened, they’d most likely be struggling against their zipties and possibly pulling free.
Di grabbed my wrist. “We need to get out of here!”
Another shot fired. Flint groaned and grabbed his arm.
He fell.
“No!” the scream ripped from my throat. I bolted for the stairs as fear in its purest form erupted in my core. Di followed.
Another shot fired.
A stair tread exploded into splinters two feet in front of me.
Di careened to a stop and pulled me to the ground. Her hand practically clawed into my arm she held me so hard. “Lena, focus! You need to stop them. I have to get to Flint!”
She stood and sprinted to the stairs just as another yell came from the men. The two were fully standing now and advancing, not even trying to conceal themselves. Both raised their guns, aiming high.
They were trying to hit my family.
Jet, Flint, Di and Susannah were all on the deck. They were exposed in the night. Easy targets.
Rage filled me. If I didn’t stop these men, no one would.
Standing from my hunkered position, the wind picked up as I turned to face the men. I called upon the energy inside me as I raised my arms, palms lifted to the sky. I summoned every living thing around me.
Flint was hurt.
The wind howled. I gathered the life forces.
These men will pay.
Pure, raw energy in its most basic form flew from every direction as I drew upon the plants and animals. The ball I created crackled and shimmered in the night. A ball only I could see. The sound and feel of it called to me. Another shout came before I crashed the ball on top of the men.
A pitiful yelp was all I heard before both lay motionless on the ground. Dead or alive, I didn’t know.
I didn’t care.
Mica was pulling on my shirt sleeve before I realized that I still stood there, staring at the men.
They weren’t moving.
“ . . . come on, Lena. We need to . . . everyone’s inside . . . hurt in the shoulder . . .”
Her words were like jelly. Thick, sluggish. They didn’t penetrate my ears.
It wasn’t until Di stood in front of me, shaking my shoulders that I snapped back to the present. The first thing I felt was the wind. It was cold.
“Lena? Are you okay?” Her words were quiet. Concerned sounding. “Lena?”
I held up a hand. I was trembling. “Flint . . .” my voice shook. “Is he . . .”
“He’s fine. He took a hit in the shoulder, but it’s more of a graze. It’ll leave a nasty scar when it heals, but it’s not deep.”
My knees gave out.
Mica caught me before I fell. “Jasper!”
The twin’s footsteps sounded on the stairs. I tried to stand upright but I couldn’t.
Flint was hit.
They’d shot him. My world became a single, finite thought. They shot Flint. They shot Flint.
“Pick her up, Jasper. Let’s all get inside. We need to get moving.”
I barely processed Di’s harsh commands.
They shot Flint.
I HAD NO idea how much time passed between Jasper carrying me into the house and everyone gathering in the living room. It could have been minutes. Or hours. Or days. For a portion of time, I lost all connection to reality.
It wasn’t until I sat beside Flint, smelled his unique scent and knew that he’d be okay that I truly became grounded.
He put his good arm around me. “I’m fine.” His quiet words were like comfort, home and safety wrapped into one.
“I almost lost you,” I whispered.
“Hardly. It’s just a scrape.”
“But it could have been so much worse.”
He didn’t respond for a moment. “But it wasn’t.”
His words were honest but did little to comfort me. Luckily, neither Flint nor I were needed to secure all ten men. Luke was strong enough to do it on his own.
“Luke, can you move all of them?” Di asked.
The werewolf’s mouth tightened. “Only if you guys promise not to use that manipulating crap on me again.”
Di’s eyes softened. “I’m sorry about that. It’s what we needed to do in the little time we had. It’s not something we take lightly.”
Jacinda touched his arm. Guilt lined her face. “We normally never use our powers on each other. It’s against the rules.”
Luke grumbled and shuffled his feet. “All right, fine.”
“So you’ll help move the men?” Di raised an eyebrow.
He grinned, his gol
den eyes flickering. “I’d be more than happy to.”
LUKE FOUND TWO vans parked half a mile down our drive. We figured that was how Marcus’ men traveled here. Di asked him to break into the vans and put the men inside. When Luke retrieved the two men I’d crushed to the ground, Di checked their pulses. Both were still alive.
I didn’t realize I’d been holding my breath until she said that. My earlier nonchalance about hurting them had disappeared. Something else had taken its place.
Since Di wouldn’t let Flint help, the two of us, along with Edgar, stayed in the living room to keep an eye on Susannah. The otter’s presence seemed to comfort her.
Susannah stayed by Edgar’s side while he murmured soft, soothing words. In a way, she was like a trapped animal. Scared, easily spooked and entirely unpredictable.
None of us could trust her.
Apparently, Susannah had left the cellar when no one was looking and wandered upstairs. It was only when she opened the screen door that Jet snapped out of his trance and realized what was happening. He’d lost hold of the remaining men when he sprinted after her. It was a harsh lesson learned.
Next time, we’d need a better plan if Susannah was involved. We obviously couldn’t trust her judgment and would need to ensure she was secured before we did anything else.
“How’s your shoulder?” I peeked at the bandage around Flint’s arm. The bandage was still white. No fresh blood.
“It’ll be fine in a day or two.”
I took a deep breath and tried to calm my pounding heart. Now that my scare of losing Flint was wearing off, a new concern took its place.
I almost killed two men, and I didn’t think twice about it.
Biting my lip, I clasped my hands so Flint wouldn’t see them trembling.
Everyone else returned a short while later, their cheeks rosy from the cold. “The men are all secured in those vans.” Di’s eyes practically glowed with manic energy.
“Were they hard to move?” I asked.
Amber shook her head. She was still in pajamas. “Their bodies were as limp as rag dolls. We laid them in the back of the van.”
“They’re basically in a big pile.” Mica grinned.
In other words, none of them had regained consciousness.
I sat up straighter on the hard, annoyingly uncomfortable sofa. Clearing my throat, I tried to ask as casually as I could, “What about the two I knocked out? How are they doing?”
“They’re still breathing fine.” Di brushed dirt from her pants. “They’ll most likely have severe concussions from the force of your ball.” From her cold words, I knew she didn’t regret my actions. “Now, we need to get moving. This home is no longer safe.”
“Yeah, of course. Let’s get going.” I shoved my hands in my pockets so nobody would see them shaking.
None of us knew how long it would take for Marcus to find his unconscious men, but I guessed it would be less than twenty-four hours. Part of me worried at what the men would tell him. The men would inevitably remember something about our powers manipulating them, and the more Marcus knew about our abilities, the weaker we were. If he could anticipate our actions based off of our abilities, he’d have a distinct advantage.
A memory flashed through my mind. Marcus knew what I could do. He’d flown right off his feet when my energy ball blasted him out of the warehouse only a week ago. I swallowed uneasily. I hadn’t thought twice then either about hurting someone. That was two times now I’d reacted without thinking. Two times I’d hurt other people. I winced when I bit my lip so hard it broke skin.
“Everyone pack one bag of essential belongings.” Di’s voice snapped me back to the present. “Also pack your dark clothing, equipment and gear from Chicago. We’re leaving within the hour.”
Amber’s mouth dropped. “That soon?”
“We have no choice.”
Her eyes stayed wide. “Are we coming back?”
“No.” Di pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “Marcus knows about this house so we can never return. Now everyone get moving.”
Nobody replied. Instead, we all ventured wordlessly to our rooms. Some of us looked dazed, others afraid. Reality was setting in. Marcus had found us. Flint had been shot. Any of us could have easily been killed.
And once again, I hadn’t thought twice before hurting someone who threatened my family.
Heat and energy poured off Flint as we packed. I welcomed the distraction that brought. Despite my attempts to help him, he wouldn’t let me. I took some comfort watching him use his injured arm. He never winced. Maybe Di was right. Maybe it had only been a scrape. I had yet to see the wound.
Within ten minutes, everyone had returned to the living area and was ready to go. Di, however, was missing.
I dropped my bag at my feet. “Has anyone seen her?”
Everyone shook their heads.
I padded down the hallway as the twins, Jacinda and Luke took the bags outside to the vehicles. The others stayed in the living room. They were nervously talking about where we’d go from here. If we could go from here. What if we didn’t have any money? What if Father couldn’t purchase a new, secure home? Then what?
Since I had an idea where Di would be, I stopped outside Father’s study. Sure enough, Di was inside pacing. The screen on her phone lit up, illuminating her face in the dark room. She tapped in a phone number. Lifting it to her ear, the silence ticked by before her voice cut through the night.
“Father? We have a problem.”
CHAPTER SIX
Footsteps sounded behind me. Since the lights were off, I didn’t see who it was. However, the familiar scent and energy that drifted my way told me exactly who followed me.
“What are you doing?” Flint’s tone was curious.
“Listening. I didn’t want to disturb her. She seems stressed.” I bit my lip again. From the sting, I’d definitely broken skin while sitting on the couch earlier.
“Are you okay?”
I stopped nibbling my lip and stood up straighter. “Yeah, fine.”
Flint’s gaze narrowed. The bandage peeked out from under his T-shirt.
The sight of it made me swallow sharply. I hurriedly grabbed his hand as emotions overwhelmed me. “Come on, let’s join the others.”
Everyone stood in the dark living room. Nobody said a thing.
Di finally reappeared a few minutes later, stuffing her phone into her pocket. “All right, let’s go.”
It wasn’t easy to leave the house. I’d grown ridiculously attached to it in the past month. It was silly. It was just an overly expensive, high tech modern home. But still, it had been my home, and home these days seemed precious.
We all piled into the Pathfinder and Suburban. The starting engines broke the quiet night. Flurries still flew in the air. They danced in front of the windshield, like fuzz in a snow globe.
From the front passenger seat, I silently bid goodbye to another home. The glass and steel structure gleamed in the moonlight. After we crested a hill and descended, it disappeared from view.
A lump formed in my throat.
I’d never see it again.
The vans with the unconscious men stood like large, silent coffins when we passed them. All of us assumed tracking devices were in those vehicles so we hadn’t moved them from their original location. We didn’t know if Marcus had been in communication with the men or not while they surrounded the house. If he had, we didn’t have much time. Once Marcus realized his men were no longer responding, he’d investigate. We needed to be long gone before that happened.
I couldn’t help but wonder how the two men were that I’d knocked out. It was possible they’d have more than just concussions. I’d slammed my ball at them so hard. I may have caused permanent injury.
My stomach twisted into knots as my hands shook again.
The van disappeared behind us yet my thoughts didn’t.
The headlights from our vehicles cut through the dark night as we drove down the long, winding drivewa
y to the road. According to the clock on the dash, it was just after four in the morning. Luckily, that meant no other vehicles were on the public highways.
“Where are we going?” Mica sat beside Jasper in the middle row. Amber and Edgar sat in the very back.
Flint glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “The airport.”
“And from there?”
“Not sure.”
Heat grew against my back. It took me a second to realize Flint had turned my seat warmer on. That realization got a moment of disbelief from me. Even after being shot, Flint’s thoughts were still focused on me. A flash of panic again clawed my gut. Flint had been shot. I could have lost him.
I stuffed that emotion down as far as it would go. Feeling that suffocating panic was worse than my guilt over the two men. “Is . . . uh . . . Father coming back?” My voice sounded hollow, even to me.
Flint glanced my way before looking back at the road. “He’s meeting us when we land.”
“Do you know where we’re landing?”
He shook his head. “Only Di knows.”
“Well, hopefully the pilot knows too,” Mica muttered.
WE PULLED INTO a small, regional airport an hour later. A private jet was waiting. It wasn’t Father’s plane. Unease again crept into my gut.
Di and Flint parked our vehicles near the hanger. The sound of the jet’s idling engines sounded through the air. Other than our plane, the runway was empty.
The pilot stood on the tarmac, apparently waiting for us. He appeared to be a middle aged, African American man. Di approached him, leaving the rest of us behind.
I couldn’t hear what they said, but I did know he wasn’t our pilot, Greg. My palms dampened with sweat as my stomach again clenched.
We unloaded our bags from the vehicles. Everyone grabbed what was theirs before walking to the jet.
“Can we trust him?” I asked Flint.
“I don’t know. The less he knows, the better. I’m guessing Father rented the plane, which means this pilot was hired last minute. This guy could be anyone.”
“We need to tell everyone that.”
“Di will. Don’t worry.”
Everyone boarded the plane quietly. It seemed the shock of what happened was only just setting in. I eyed Susannah warily. The other time we’d been on a plane, she’d been drugged. I didn’t know how she’d react to the small space.
The Complete Lost Children Series Page 55
