“I felt you when you came in. Your energy is very strong.”
“It is?” She cocked her head again at unnatural speed.
I nodded. “So . . . do you have a preference for how we deal with Marcus?”
Her tranquil expression vanished. Her irises flashed yellow before shifting back to blue. “I know what I’d like to do to Marcus.” She abruptly turned and slipped away.
I watched her go, wanting to kick myself for bringing the subject up. Wrapping my arms around my middle, I shivered. A chill hovered in the air this close to the windows.
Flint approached. “What’d she say?”
I shrugged. “Nothing really.”
“It’s good to see her talking. You’re the first person she’s spoken to all day.”
“And then I had to blow it.”
I felt his questioning glance but didn’t explain.
Sounds of pans being pulled from cupboards and slicing on a chopping board sounded from the kitchen. Mica and Jasper were hard at work.
“Do you want to help with dinner?” Flint brushed a curl from my eye.
“Sure.”
We spent the next hour preparing supper. The normalcy of the everyday routine grounded me. It was so good to be back with my family. The ease, love and laughter that filled our homes easily transported into this one too. It made me realize more than anything that it didn’t matter where we were as long as we were together.
But try as I might to let the tranquil feeling of family and togetherness slide into me, I couldn’t completely get swept away. That shift in Susannah’s gaze stayed with me. Susannah always seemed like a timid, scared woman, but that look I saw in her eyes told me she was anything but. And Raven’s face kept drifting through my mind. Every few hours, I asked Flint if he’d had any calls or texts from an unknown number.
Nothing yet.
I sighed. It was possible I’d never see Raven again.
THE NEXT DAY, I felt a hundred times better. After twelve hours of sleep, a shower and a large cup of coffee, I felt ready for what lay ahead. A part of me still shuddered every time I thought about Marcus or remembered how close I’d come to a life of imprisonment. But each time as I sank into a bottomless chasm of fear, Flint would brush a finger across my cheek or drape an arm around my shoulders, and once again, I’d feel safe, those fears pushed to the background.
It was only as we all sat down in the living room to resume our discussion that I noticed a calendar in the kitchen. It was two days before Christmas. Normally, this was my favorite time of the year. I had hoped so much we’d be able to enjoy a normal Christmas, that everything would be behind us by now, but given our current situation, that seemed impossible.
Piled in the living room, the arguments resumed. Until we figured out what we were doing, we were at a stalemate.
The twins and Mica were hell bent on causing a war. Di wanted a stealthy approach. Jacinda, Luke, Edgar and Amber were caught in the middle. None of them had a firm direction or idea on what they wanted to do. Susannah was nowhere to be seen. And as usual, Father let us make the decisions. He gave us key information when we needed it, but he knew that we were no longer children. We could forge our own paths.
“We need to act now!” Jet pounded his fist into his palm. “Marcus is probably looking for us at this very moment. Don’t you think it’s best if we find him before he finds us?”
“And what?” Di retorted. “Run up to him yelling and screaming like children, demanding he leave us alone?”
“At the very least we can show him we’re not afraid,” Jasper countered. “Hiding and running only tells him we’re weak.”
“Or smart,” I interjected. Just the thought of that sound machine made me shiver.
And so the morning and afternoon went. If it wasn’t one of us yelling and disagreeing, it was another. By the time late afternoon rolled around, I had a pounding headache and a silent plea for an avalanche to end it all.
The twins wouldn’t back down. They wanted to act now, whereas everyone else agreed it was foolish. It was only when Luke stormed through the back door, cold air billowing through the room that the arguments finally stopped.
“Has anyone seen Susannah?”
The conversation stilled mid-sentence.
“No.” Jet glanced at the door. “Didn’t she go flying this morning?”
Jacinda turned in her chair. “Yes, I saw her leave. That’s what she’s done the last few mornings. She’s probably still out.”
“She’s usually back by now.” Di’s brow pinched together when she glanced at the clock.
“I can’t sense her anymore.” Luke’s eyes flickered to gold.
Dead silence followed that statement.
Mica finally broke the quiet. “What do you mean, you can’t sense her?”
“You know . . .” Luke tapped his head. “With my tracking thing.”
Jet rolled his eyes. “Care to translate?”
“She’s gone,” Luke replied, as if that answer should have been obvious.
“Gone?” Flint’s energy picked up. “What do you mean, gone?”
“If my senses are right, she’s no longer in the area.”
My blood ran cold. “Does that mean Marcus has her?” I couldn’t possibly fathom how Marcus could have found us this quickly. I’d only come here twenty-four hours ago.
“I don’t think so.” Luke frowned. “I never picked up fear from her, just the usual peacefulness she has when flying, and she didn’t drop off my radar like you did, Lena. It was more like she faded away.”
What does that mean?
“How far away does she have to travel for you to lose her signal?” Di sat forward in her seat, her dark eyes sharp.
“Over a hundred miles. I can usually pick up people until then.”
“So she’s flown out of the area?” Jasper raised his eyebrows.
Luke nodded. “That’s what I’m guessing.”
Father stood from his chair. “We need to find her. Now.”
“You don’t think she’ll come back?” Di asked.
“I asked her to stay close.” Father pulled his coat on. “If she’s left the area, that concerns me.”
Luke’s eyes glowed. “Let’s go.”
We all jumped from our couches and chairs, our discussion on what to do with Marcus forgotten. Everyone had their jackets and boots on and were out the door within a minute. We piled into the three trucks Father had bought in Calgary. Di, Flint and Jet drove. Apparently, Jet and Jasper had been practicing their driving skills while I’d been held captive. Given how Jet almost slid off the end of the driveway, though, I wasn’t overly sure he was ready for actual highways.
“Is he going to be okay?” Jacinda leaned forward, watching the sliding pickup. She and Luke sat in the back of the truck. Flint and I occupied the front. In the truck behind us were Di, Father, Amber and Edgar. The twins and Mica were in the fishtailing truck ahead.
“I’m thinking we should lead.” Luke’s deep voice rumbled in the cab. “I’ll tell you where to go when I pick up Susannah’s trail.”
Flint flashed his lights at Jet while I called Mica’s phone. It took a few minutes, but we finally got situated. Flint took the lead, Jet came next and Di pulled up the rear.
“Which way do you think we should go?” Flint asked Luke. “North or south?”
Luke closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. I wanted to turn around and watch but figured that would be weird. Luke did a few of his inhaling and exhaling things. It obviously wasn’t to pick up a scent. I figured the breathing must somehow clear his head or activate his psychic tracking ability.
After a moment, Luke opened his eyes and looked left. “Go south, I think. That’s the direction she was heading when she dropped off.”
Flint turned south at the highway junction which headed toward the nearest town. It took almost thirty minutes to get there. When we finally arrived, he stopped at another intersection. The road stretched in all directions.
&
nbsp; “Keep going south?” Flint eyed the werewolf in the rearview mirror.
This time, I turned to watch.
Luke frowned and closed his eyes again, inhaling deeply. His large shoulders tensed before his eyes flashed open. “Southeast, I think.” He didn’t look entirely sure of himself.
Flint turned, almost reluctantly, to the eastern road. The others followed.
We continued like that into the night. At every new intersection, Luke would close his eyes, inhale and exhale, before telling us which way to go. I was beginning to drift off in my seat, the dark night sky and warm cab begging me to sleep, when ringing from my bag jolted me awake.
I pulled out my phone. It was Amber calling.
I tapped the screen and brought the phone to my ear. “Hi.”
“Stop!” Amber yelled. “Tell Flint to stop driving! Di just had a vision. Susannah’s flying to Chicago! She’s going to confront Marcus!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
The next few hours were a manic blur. We all stopped to convene and figure out a plan. Father called Greg and arranged for him to pick us up in Edmonton. It was a two-hour drive to get there, but it wouldn’t be any faster to head back to Grande Prairie. We drove as fast as we dared. The last thing we wanted was to get pulled over.
“What is she thinking?” Jacinda shook her head, her words filled with disbelief. “There’s no way she can defeat Marcus on her own.”
On the dark highway, the only thing visible was the road illuminated by the headlights. Dim lights from the dash lit up the cab, casting everyone’s faces into shadows. The others followed, probably having similar conversations in their vehicles.
“She hates Marcus.” Luke put an arm around Jacinda’s shoulders. “I know she doesn’t say much, but over the years she tried to kill him a few times. That never worked obviously. It only got her punished which only made her hate him more.”
“How’d she try to kill him?” Jacinda asked hesitantly.
“A few times she tried to strangle him when he was about to administer a new drug. After the second time she tried that, he kept her restrained. Another time, she got a hold of a syringe and plunged it into his neck. It didn’t hit anything, just left a bloody puncture site. That stunt got her locked up in isolation for a month. And there was another time . . .”
I stopped listening after hearing she got locked in isolation for a month. If I hadn’t escaped, that could have been me. Not to mention, how desperate had Susannah felt to attempt those things? Anger burned in my gut. Damn Marcus!
“If only we knew she was going to leave.” Jacinda wrung her hands. “Maybe we could have talked her out of it.”
An image of Susannah flashed through my mind—that look in her eyes last night. That look personified how much she hated Marcus. I never dreamed she’d act on it. Not when we were safe from him and so far away.
“We’re almost there.” Hot energy rolled off Flint. Lights from Edmonton lit up the sky. The city grew in size as we approached.
It was well past midnight by the time we arrived at the airport. Our familiar pilot greeted us with tired eyes outside of the terminal. I figured Father woke him with his call.
I smiled. “Thanks for coming, Greg.”
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
“Don’t we need our passports?” Amber stepped closer to Edgar and hugged her arms around herself. It was freezing.
My eyes widened. I hadn’t considered that.
“I’ve got them.” Father waved for us to follow before saying over his shoulder, “Di and I collected them before we left.” He began walking to Customs.
Mica rolled her eyes. “Always thinking ahead.”
Di tightly clutched her purse, her short dark hair brushing against her jaw. “Come on, let’s get a move on.”
THE FLIGHT TO Chicago was dark and quiet. I fell asleep soon after take-off. The thought of going back to Chicago, or being near Marcus and getting captured again, haunted my dreams. At one point, I woke up in a cold sweat, a scream caught in my throat. Flint bolted awake beside me. It was as if he knew what I’d been dreaming. He pulled me closer, his hard arms going around me.
We landed shortly after that. It was four in the morning when we went through U.S. Customs. When finished, we returned to the tarmac. The scream of planes and bright lights from O’Hare filled the night sky. While we waited for our ride, Father ushered us to the nearest hanger. A large wreath hung on the outside. The tacky, red bow was as vibrant as a fire engine.
“It’s Christmas Eve today.” That realization made me stop short.
A few sleepy glances met mine.
“It is?” Mica yawned.
“It’s technically the twenty-fourth even though it’s still nighttime.”
“Well Merry freakin’ Christmas,” Mica said glumly.
Flint hugged me to his side. “Next year’s Christmas will be better.”
Luke stepped away from the group, a raised eyebrow at the downcast mood. Since he had no idea how much the holiday meant to us, he probably didn’t understand why this was the most depressing Christmas ever.
While Luke did his tracking thing, the rest of us huddled in a group. Our breaths puffed in cloudy plumes around us. Jacinda began humming, Joy To The World. Amber and I sang the lyrics. The small Christmas cheer made me smile despite our dire circumstances.
Luke joined us a few minutes later and shook his head. “I can’t pick her up.”
Jacinda stopped humming. My voice trailed off. The brief moment where things hadn’t seemed so bad, disappeared.
Di gave Luke a hard look. “She’s heading this way. I’m sure of it.”
Luke held up his hands. “I’m not saying you’re wrong.”
“How long will it take her to get here?” Jet yawned loudly.
“A normal bald eagle will fly high when migrating, catching updrafts,” Mica piped in. “They can usually go around fifty to seventy-five miles per hour, and considering it’s around eighteen hundred miles from where we were in Canada to Chicago, and she left twelve hours ago, she should be here within the next twelve hours.”
We all stared at her.
She grinned. “I Googled it.”
I smiled, shaking my head. “We should probably remember that Susannah’s not a normal eagle.”
Flint nodded. “She’s twice as big, so she can probably fly faster.”
“She’ll be here at some point today.” Di seemed annoyed that we were questioning Susannah’s arrival. “I saw it.”
“Ah,” Father said. “Our ride’s here.” A black limousine pulled up.
I jumped back. It looked just like the limo I’d ridden in with Marcus.
“Are you okay?” Flint’s hand settled on my waist.
I brushed off my fear and nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” I forced my wooden-like legs to bend and move forward. One by one, we piled into the limo.
“Do you know where she’ll go when she gets here?” Jasper inspected the minibar as we drove out of the airport.
Di shook her head. “She lands in a forest, so that doesn’t give me much to go on for location. The only glimpse I’ve seen of her surroundings is a fountain.”
Fountain? My blood ran cold. I leaned forward. My voice shook when I spoke. “What kind of fountain?”
Di closed her eyes as if summoning the image. “It’s tall, maybe fifteen feet, with two children at the top clasping hands while water sprays out of their mouths.”
The blood drained from my face. “Does it sit on a pebble drive?”
Di frowned. “Yes, how did you know that?”
“Because I know exactly where that fountain is. That’s the fountain on Marcus’ property, just outside his house, and his home is surrounded by a forest.”
KNOWING WE WERE returning to Marcus’ mansion, the property I’d tried so desperately to escape from, made me sick. I never wanted to go back there again. Thinking of that bedroom, the gilded cage where he’d held me prisoner, made both nausea and rage boil inside me.
The only solace I took from any of it was thinking about Raven.
It was possible we’d meet again. Maybe this time, with his brother and sister at my side, he’d be more open to joining us. Flint still hadn’t received a call from him, and with each day that passed, I knew it was less and less likely we’d hear from him, but still, I hoped.
The motel we pulled into was about thirty miles from Marcus’ home, near the Wisconsin and Illinois border. Father, Di, Flint, Jacinda and the twins booked rooms using our fake IDs. As usual, we all acted as if we didn’t know one another. Pretending we were normal people, just needing a room for the night, while traveling for the holidays was such an easy role to fall into. It once again reminded me that our lives were essentially built on a lie.
When Flint and I finally stepped into our room, we both fell onto the bed, barely getting our shoes off before falling asleep. It wasn’t until bright sunlight peeked through the curtains and the sound of a ringing phone sounded, that either of us woke.
I peeked outside the window while Flint searched for my cell. Outside was a blow-up Santa Claus. His giant hand waved to passing vehicles on the highway.
Flint finally found my phone and answered. “Yeah?” He put it on speaker.
“Di just had another vision.” It was Father. “Susannah’s outside Marcus’ house, perched on a tree at this very moment.”
I dropped onto the mattress, the springs squeaking while fear clawed my throat. “What are we going to do?”
A moment of silence passed. I could practically feel Father’s trepidation.
Father cleared his throat. “We’ll join her. I think the twins may be right. I think it’s time we confront Marcus and end this once and for all.”
For a moment, I sat there dumbstruck. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Father was saying this? Our secretive, fearful, always hiding Father, was saying this?
“Are you sure?”
He sighed heavily. “Yes.” He hung up.
I sat as still as a stone.
Flint touched my arm. “Are you okay?”
I forced a smile as images of Marcus, drugs and black cells swirled through my mind. “Yeah.” But fear made me tremble.
The Complete Lost Children Series Page 73
