by A. P. Jensen
CHAPTER SIX
Raven slept in the next day. The pain in her shoulder wasn’t as sharp and she didn’t take pills that night. She looked at her wound in the mirror the next morning and found it horribly bruised but mostly healed. She wondered what voodoo Manny worked on her. It didn’t matter one way or the other. As long as that deep, dragging pain was lessening she didn’t give a rat’s ass. She tied her hair back and changed into jeans and a sweater and opened her door.
Embarrassment over her emotional tantrum last night lingered but she pushed that away when she saw Cain in the kitchen. She walked down the stairs and goggled at Cain in his normal attire with a white apron over his ironed shirt.
“What are you cooking?”
“I thought I’d do French toast.”
She was impressed. “I didn’t know you can cook.”
“Usually I don’t have time, but seeing that you and I are stuck in here today, I thought I’d get some groceries delivered and entertain you.”
He jerked his head and she saw two board games, Scrabble and Trouble along with several seasons of some TV show called Lost. She was unbelievably charmed. She yelled and threw stuff at him and he did this. God, she was such a bitch. She turned to him, smiling and he stopped mixing his batter.
The smile faded. “What?”
“I’ve never seen you smile.”
She crossed her arms and instantly went back to being annoyed. “It’s so shocking you stare at me like I’ve grown horns?”
He shrugged and continued to mix his batter. “You should do it more often so I’m not stunned when you do. How’s the shoulder?”
“Better. Still hurts but it’s a lot better than it was yesterday. Manny mixed me a potion or something?”
“The pills are laced with something to speed up the process. Still, though, your body is doing most of the healing itself. That’s not normal.”
She leaned forward conspiratorially and whispered, “Maybe my super power is cleaning and healing myself.”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” he said as he dipped thick slices of bread in egg batter. “I think your power might be something closer to my own.”
She jerked back and stared. “How do you figure that?”
“You’ve been able to fight off the Battalion. For someone untrained, I’ve seen you turn several unlikely things into weapons. You’re a good shot and you have a knack for getaways.”
“But I didn’t getaway. You stopped me.”
“Like I said, I’m a good retriever but I know if I hadn’t stopped you, you would’ve driven that car out of there. I don’t know what you would’ve done from there but you got away from that guy that had you pinned and popped him right in the face. You didn’t even stop when you got shot. You’re focused when you’re in the moment and that’s something even soldiers struggle with.”
Cain put the dripping bread slices in a pan with sizzling butter and her mouth watered. He set a cup of coffee in front of her with one white pill.
“Seriously, if you ever need a real job you could be a nurse, cook or babysitter.” She grinned when he glared at her. “Anyway, what I did the other night is something I learned over time. Always have a weapon and an escape route. It’s not an instinct I’ve always had.”
He shrugged. “Some people never learn how to handle guns or fight and they can’t plan a getaway to save their life. I think there’s more there than luck.”
She didn’t like the chill that swept over her. She glared at Cain as he flipped the toast to fry the other side.
“You’re fishing because you know I was pissed about it last night.”
“Doesn’t hurt to talk about it. Might jog your memory about other stuff.”
“There’s nothing I’m especially good at, I promise!” When he shot her a doubtful glance she added, “I’ve cleaned my whole life. I’ve never tried to heal anyone, never levitated or killed someone with my eyes. I can’t control the weather… What else is a power?”
“Too much to name,” he said and slid a plate across to her. “Eat.”
They ate in companionable silence. When she tried to clean up, he ordered her out of the kitchen so she paid him back by changing his bed sheets and put fresh towels in his room. His room was a mirror image of her own but there were tiny touches here and there that showed there was a masculine occupant. The room smelled of his cologne, something fresh and spicy. There was a beautiful watch tossed carelessly on the nightstand and there were notebooks around the room. She desperately wanted to snoop but he didn’t walk through walls anymore so she didn’t peek. He was tidy for a guy but she’d already guessed that based on his appearance. Changing the sheets on his bed was a big ordeal and she was out of breath when she came downstairs.
Cain watched her walk down the stairs with a raised brow. “Game or movie?”
“Game.”
They sat at the table and he unpacked Scrabble. She made sure to get a library card no matter what state she was in since borrowing books from a library was free. She was smug until the first word he started with was torulae.
“Really? What the hell does that mean?”
“It’s a fungus.”
She stared at him. “You’re kidding me.”
Cain pulled out his phone and after a minute quoted, “Torulae is a yeast fungus that does not have sexual spores. Many of them grow on dead vegetation and fermented sugars.”
“Use it in a sentence,” she demanded.
“That has torulae on it.”
Raven made a face and he laughed. While he shook the bag and muttered under his breath for good letters, she looked down at her wooden squares and flushed. When he looked at her expectantly, she set her letters down and didn’t look him in the face as she grabbed the bag to get more letters.
“Vagina,” he said loudly and wagged his brows. “Use it in a sentence.”
“Shut up.”
Time passed and for the first time, Raven realized she was having fun. She’d never had a friend or family to talk or play a simple game with and she wasn’t surprised to find out that Cain was competitive. Several times she demanded he look up his fancy words on his phone so she could see for herself that it was legit. He won by a measly twenty points and she huffed when he asked if she wanted to play again.
“I think I’ll go for a movie.”
“My cousin said this show will make you forget everything.”
“How?”
Several hours later, Raven found out exactly how Lost made you forget everything beyond the TV screen. The story sucked you in and the characters had a pull that was nearly hypnotic. Raven was sitting on the edge of her seat and didn’t realize Cain was gone until a break between episodes. He was in the kitchen baking cookies.
“Are you watching this?” she demanded.
“Yup.”
“What is wrong with this island? Who’s that French woman they hear on the recording? Why was Kate wearing handcuffs?”
Raven was completely ensnared in the first season of Lost. Cain brought her lunch and cookies and she ate them absently. Every now and then she looked around to make sure he was there because she was freaking out. Several times she saw that he had the same dumbfounded expression on his face. By the time they got through the first season, it was dark and she was a little shell shocked by the whole experience.
“Wow,” she muttered.
“Wow is right.”
She squinted at the clock and stretched stiff muscles. She went up to shower and when she came back downstairs, Cain had all the makings out for tacos. While he went up to shower she started the second season. It was nearly morning when she looked over and saw Cain sitting on the opposite couch.
“I think I need to stop,” she mumbled.
“I think you should.”
He tossed her a blanket as if he knew she didn’t want to be alone and stretched out on the other sofa. In the darkness, she blew him kisses as the TV winked out and lights from the Strip leaked into the room. She st
ared up at the ceiling and frowned at the gurgling happiness in her chest. She was happy to be around Cain, to have someone make her meals and take care of her but she had to make sure she didn’t get used to this. Cain would move on at some point and she would go back to her normal blah life because she didn’t have a super power. No harm in enjoying this time though, right? The cautious loner in her fought to restore order to the other part of her that took comfort in hearing Cain breathe steadily in and out opposite her. You don’t need anyone, she told herself. But it’s nice to know he’s there, the other part of her whispered.
When the front door slammed open, Cain and Raven were on their feet in a heartbeat. Cain had a gun in his hand and Raven had a butter knife from dinner clutched in hers. A guy stopped in the open doorway leading into the living room and his eyes bulged. He was dressed in a suit and he held his hands up like a college boy confronted by the cops.
“Shit,” Cain muttered and lowered the gun. “What the hell are you doing here, Lo?”
Lo cleared his throat and smoothed a hand over his immaculate suit. “I heard you were in Vegas. I thought we could have fun,” he said and grinned dismissively at Raven’s knife. “You better put that away. You might do some damage with that, baby.”
Raven threw the knife and it whizzed past Lo’s face without an inch to spare. The knife hit the trim around the door and sank in with considerable force. Lo stared at her with wide eyes and ran a hand over the side of his face to make sure she hadn’t cut him.
Cain turned to her. “I really think its part of your power.”
She shrugged. “Throwing knives isn’t that out of the ordinary.”
“Cain!” Lo shouted and they both looked at him. “You want to tell me what’s going on here?”
“I’m working, not partying. This is Raven and the Battalion’s after her.”
Lo gave Raven a dirty look. “Sure. Whatever. I’m going to a meeting but be ready tonight, we’re going out.”
“She can’t leave the hotel,” Cain said.
Lo waved a hand. “Whatever. Be ready when I come back and hide the damn knives!”
With that, Lo was gone, slamming the penthouse door behind him. Raven yanked the knife out of the wall and looked pointedly at the gun in his waistband.
“You should give me a gun.”
“You don’t need one while I’m around.”
“What about when I’m working?”
“Nowhere safe for you to put it. It’ll get in the way when you work. You’ll end up leaving it on the cart.”
She knew that was true so she didn’t argue further. She went upstairs to freshen up and attempt to change the bed sheets. The ache in her shoulder was even fainter and she took a shower and changed into sweats, ready to spend another day in front of the TV. When she walked downstairs, Cain was already finished with the French toast and typing away on his computer again.
“That was my cousin Lo. He’s a news reporter.”
“No wonder he looked familiar,” she said.
She squeezed syrup over her hot French toast and closed her eyes after the first bite. She could get used to this. He was a damn good cook. She took the pill without comment even though she could handle the ache without it. No sense in being uncomfortable.
“He needs to blow off steam. His job is stressful.”
She opened her eyes. “I guess being in the public eye all the time can get to you.”
“That and his power.”
“Oh. What is it?”
“Hypnosis.”
“Hypnosis? Why-” Her fork dropped her plate with a clatter. “He’s a reporter and his power is hypnosis?”
Cain began to eat his breakfast and didn’t answer. Raven raked her brain, trying to remember Lo’s name… Lorenzo Legend. She always assumed it was a stage name and it probably was, especially if he was a hypnotist. Hell, Lo was the reporter for the biggest news network and-
“The Council orders Lo to make people think a certain way?” Raven demanded.
Cain gave her a steady look. “When bad things happen, instead of having people get hysterical, Lo can calm them with his voice through the TV. He helps millions.”
“You mean he casts spells over them,” she retorted. “He’s influencing people’s thoughts and feelings! That’s not right. ”
Cain forked up a few bites before he answered. “There’s a thin line between right and wrong.”
“No! There’s a big fat neon line between right and wrong! It’s not your place to calm people or change their mind about stuff! Who tells Lo how he should make people feel?”
Cain didn’t answer.
“The Council? Holy shit!” Raven got up from her stool. “The Council’s running everything, isn’t it?”
“Don’t get crazy on me,” Cain warned.
“It’s like a movie! Oh my God, does the President have power?”
Cain snorted. “No. We don’t need him.”
“You don’t need the President,” Raven said dazedly. “Your grandpa has everybody right where he wants them, doesn’t he?”
Cain drank his coffee. She wasn’t sure why she was so shocked. He told her that there were people in the world that had powers. Why wouldn’t these people be in position for optimum effect? It made her shoulder blades itch because she didn’t like knowing there was someone pulling strings behind the scenes. She really didn’t like being manipulated, even if it was for her own good. Good guys, bad guys- they both had a motive and they were both playing a dangerous game.
“What does the Council want?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“What’s the Council’s purpose? Their main goal?”
“Their purpose is to nurture, train and protect those with power.”
“So why would the Council need Lo to influence normal people?”
“Sometimes the Battalion doesn’t care if the public sees them murder someone with just a thought in broad daylight. Our people come in, wipe the minds of people and gloss it over.”
“So you’re the cleanup crew for the Battalion?”
“We want to eliminate the Battalion. They grow stronger every day. They care nothing for those without power. They see normal people like obstacles or pawns. We protect those that have no idea what is happening right in front of them.”
She ran his words through her mind. Logical, but scary. She bit her lower lip and considered Cain as he finished off his breakfast casually as if they weren’t talking about ruling the country through one voice.
“Only people employed by the Council or the Battalion know about this world?”
He nodded.
“What if your grandpa is wrong and I don’t have a power and this is all a mistake? What will happen to me?”
Cain braced his hands on the marble island and shook his head. “He’s not wrong.”
“But what if he is?” she demanded. “What would you do with me?”
“I don’t know.”
His flat answer made her stomach flip. His eyes were suddenly hard and unreadable and it made her want to dash out of the penthouse. It was a cold, detached look she’d never seen on him before. It turned him into the assassin she’d accused him of being and it scared her. As if he could read her mind, he shrugged and blinked and that quickly, he was the man she was dangerously close to labeling as a friend.
“Grandpa’s not wrong.”
“Says you,” she muttered.
“Can we not harp on this? Let’s watch Lost.”
Because she was freaked and not keen on continuing this conversation either, she agreed. They sat in front of the huge TV and the day passed by in a blur of emotions. Elation, fear, anticipation, disappointment, bewildered fascination and so on. She yelled at the TV and Cain laughed until she got a knife from the kitchen and threatened to use him as a target. When Lo burst into their hotel room it was pretty much a replay of this morning with Cain and Raven leaping to their feet, weapons trained on him. Pissed at being scared by the same person
twice, Raven let the knife fly again, taking off a lock of Lo’s hair as the knife embedded into the wood behind him.
“Christ!” Lo shouted and ducked belatedly. “What the hell!”
Cain crossed his arms. “Maybe you should ring the doorbell instead of barging in. What do you want?”
Lo threw up his hands. “I’m about to get my dirty on.”
“I don’t think you should talk like that,” Raven observed. “You’re like a preppy boy trying to talk street. Not good.”
Lo glared at her but addressed Cain. “Let’s go.”
“I told you, I’m working. The Battalion’s after her and I don’t want her leaving the hotel.”
Lo sneered at Raven. “You don’t say? Well, we’re not leaving the hotel. Sin is downstairs.”
Despite the fact that she still had questions on her mind about Lost, she couldn’t help feeling curious about the club, Sin. It was one of the hottest clubs on the Strip and it was so exclusive most people weren’t allowed inside. Plus, the idea of going to a club appealed to her since she’d never been in one and she suddenly craved a huge margarita.
“I don’t care where it is-.” Cain began.
“I want to go,” Raven cut in.
“No knives,” Lo warned.
Raven smiled sweetly. “’Course not.”
“You’re not going,” Cain said.
She raised her brows. “Well, I guess you have to come too. You think Manny bought me slutty clothes?”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Cain scowled as she dashed up the stairs. She heard the men arguing as she closed her bedroom door and rotated her shoulder. She looked through the clothes in the closet and wasn’t disappointed. Manny hadn’t forgotten anything. Geez, this was more clothes than she could ever wear and he had an outfit for every occasion, including going to a high-end club. She pulled out a one shoulder mini dress that was a shocking cobalt blue. Lucky for her the strap would go right over her gunshot wound, which was a distant nagging ache that wouldn’t keep her in the hotel room tonight. She examined the makeup Manny obtained and had to acknowledge that everything was top of the line and she wasn’t sure how to use most of it. She took a quick shower, blow dried her hair, applied lip/eye liner, mascara, lip gloss, put blush onto her pale cheeks and she was set. She pulled on the dress and it fit like a glove. Maybe Manny’s second power was making women look damn good in clothes. She stood in front of the mirror and realized she had never dressed up in her life.