Gifted Connections 04

by S M Olivier

  “There’s been no rhyme or reason to any of it,” Jace stated. “When she first got…sick, she didn’t do anything but go to school. Then she went down again. She then continued life as normal, and she went down again. There is no apparent trigger.”

  “Has she seen a doctor?” Lincoln asked. “I mean, not just the doc here.”

  “What did your doctors say?” Remy asked dryly. “It’s her gifts. No doctor can diagnose her or fix her.”

  Chapter 19

  I woke up and looked around groggily. I blinked, feeling like an owl. I was lying on the bottom bunk in the bunkroom. There was also an IV drip in my hand. I sighed. Not good. I noticed my phone was by my side. I picked it up and groaned.

  “You missed a whole day and a half,” I heard Lincoln’s voice nearby. “How are you feeling?”

  I looked up startled. I didn’t even see him across from me initially. He was sitting on his bed with a box in front of him. From my position, it looked like a lot of loose-leaf paper, pictures, and cards. He hastily put them back in the box, but I was too…desensitized to care right now.

  If he wanted to tell me what he was so secretive about, he would. He didn’t owe me anything just because he was my connection.

  I pulled out my IV, I was becoming a pro at this, I thought self-deprecatingly.

  I stretched and twisted slightly. “Better,” I admitted in surprise. “I need to brush my teeth, take a shower, and I’m starving, but I’m good.”

  He stood up and stretched himself. “Come on.” He went into my wall locker and brought out my bath caddy, towels, and some clothing. “You can hop in the shower and brush your teeth before we go get some food. It’s almost lunchtime, so almost everyone should be there.”

  “Where is everyone?” I asked as I gingerly stood up. My limbs felt weak and heavy, but I knew that was from disuse and not because I was crashing.

  “Jace and Jaxson have been with their dad a lot since they found out about…their mom.” Lincoln explained, clearly understanding who I was looking for. “Remy and Troy are in charge of the cleanup crews upstairs. We should be able to be out of here by tomorrow. Noah is in the clinic. That healer from South Carolina did an amazing job with most of the injured. It’s mind-boggling.”

  I started to move towards the door, and I felt Lincoln’s hand slide to my lower back. I jumped for a moment. I knew there was no use telling him I was okay. “Are you hiding from the girls? Is it getting old yet?”

  “I live with it on a daily,” he said with a rueful smile. “There’s only so many places I can hide here, though.”

  “The struggle of the rich and famous,” I teased.

  “It is,” he said with the same teasing tone back.

  I was confused by his…niceness. He wasn’t being sarcastic, despite the fact I had baited him. And now I didn’t know why I had felt the need to.

  I opened the door to the locker room and went to grab my caddy, clothes, and towels from his hand. He pulled it back and shook his head. “I’m going in there with you.”

  “The heck you are,” I stuck my hands on my hips. “We’re not there yet.”

  He looked thoroughly bored but no less determined than me. “I was told by the guys not to allow you anywhere by yourself until they can see you. Only Remy seemed disgruntled by the orders, though. What is that guy's problem?”

  I rolled my eyes, he was purposely baiting me and trying to push my buttons. So much for him being nicer. “Hmm, I don’t know, maybe because he doesn’t want you to be my connection.”

  “I’m just as thrilled about this whole situation as he is,” Lincoln said dryly.

  I glared at him. I was getting really sick of being at the receiving end of his taunts. No one liked this situation!

  “Stop stalling. I’m hungry. Hop to it,” Lincoln urged me with a smirk after a few minutes of our face off. He seemed undaunted by my glare.

  “You’re turning your back, and you’re not allowed to peek,” I said disgruntledly after a few minutes of the battle of our wills. I was too tired to fight him, and he wasn’t going to budge.

  He gave me another smirk, and I growled before pushing the door back open. The locker room was empty, as I suspected it would be. It was the middle of the average duty day and the night shifters wouldn’t be up yet.

  I made a beeline to the first shower, opened the stall door, and drew back the curtains to it. There was a little changing room with a bench and hooks when you walked into the stall.

  “You may need your stuff,” he called mockingly before his bronzed hand appeared above the stall doors with the items I needed.

  “Thanks,” I seethed as I placed my clothes and towel on the hooks.

  I placed my shampoo, conditioner, and body wash into the shower before turning it on. Then I put my toothpaste on my toothbrush. I figured two birds, one stone. I could brush my teeth as I waited.

  “You have an amazing voice and are a talented musician, have you had any formal training?” Lincoln asked disturbingly close. I had a feeling he was just outside of my curtain.

  “Thanks,” I said a bit reluctantly talking around my toothbrush. “I started to legitimately train for the first time at Knightstown, but I’ve had several teachers along the way. I’ve had no vocal training, though. I really didn’t have the opportunity before then.”

  “Where’d you get the scarring?” he asked next bluntly.

  I stepped into the shower and froze for a moment. The change in subjects almost gave me whiplash.

  “What scarring?” I stalled. I didn’t really want to get into it. I wondered how he saw them.

  “They had to change you yesterday, and I saw them,” he said dryly.

  I heaved a deep sigh and started to wash my hair. “My stepmom and her boyfriends were abusive,” I said in clipped tones.

  “Physically, mentally, emotionally, sexually?” he probed further.

  I took another deep breath in and closed my eyes. “All of the above,” I answered quietly. He was my connection. I couldn’t deny it. Even if we chose to make a connection and he returned to his world, he should probably know a little more about me.

  “Where are they now?” he asked anger resonating in his tone.

  “Last time I checked, Heidi was behind bars, but not because of me but because of what she did to Ella. I have no clue where all the other guys are.” I said. I spread some conditioner through my hair, combing my fingers through until there were no more snags.

  “What did she do to Ella?” he asked in quiet horror.

  “Physical abuse and she sold her,” I said in a somewhat detached voice. I hated talking about our past.

  “I met my sperm donor’s family,” he said abruptly.

  His abrupt subject change was again confusing. It was no surprise why he and Anna were best friends. They both changed subjects as new thoughts popped into their head.

  “They never knew about you until recently,” I said quickly. I began to wash my body and shave, letting my conditioner sit in my hair before rinsing it. “I wanted to tell you, but it never seemed like the right time or place to tell you.”

  “I know that now. They gave me the box that they found in his possessions,” Lincoln said a bit heavily. “Nadia’s a cute little kid too,” he said almost reluctantly.

  I heard the locker room door begin to open just as Lincoln came barging into the little area outside of my shower.

  “What are you−” I began to squeak out before he placed a palm over my mouth and held a finger up to his lips.

  “OMG, can he get any hotter?” I heard Adams’ voice distinctively.

  “He is, but he’s no Lincoln. Where has Lincoln been hiding lately by the way?” another female voice asked.

  “He’s been in that whore’s room, and Paul said if we go in there he’s terminating us. She’s supposedly sick again. She just does it for attention.

  “I swear she’s making those guys hang around her. Just like Lincoln. She’s not even that pretty. You saw what s
he did to me during the first match, and I knew she would it again. She made me hit her arm so she could get sympathy from everyone,” Adam’s insisted.

  I barely contained my snort as I gently pushed Lincoln back, understanding that he had been hiding from them. I closed the curtain dividing the little alcove and shower stall. I tried to finish my shower hyperaware of him being inches away from me…nude.

  I finished my shower and turned my shower head off. I reached for my towels and wrapped my hair in the cramped space before wrapping my body with the other one. I sighed, quietly hoping they would leave soon.

  “We all know if she weren’t around, Troy would be all over you,” another girl said placatingly. “You are so much prettier than she is, and Jace would be all over me.”

  I began to laugh behind my hand. They were so delusional. Maybe in the past, the guys would have been attracted to some of the females here, but it was just laughable that they were so confident in themselves to believe they could have anyone that they could.

  “It’s more complicated than that,” I heard Stacey’s distinct voice say. “Haven’t you heard of connections yet? I have no clue why Lincoln’s been hanging around, but the other guys are with her of their own volition.” I was surprised she was somewhat sticking up for me until she continued. “Their gifts are important to them, so they will do anything to keep them, even if it’s being with a damaged, screwed up girl like her.”

  I stiffened and felt Lincoln pull me to the other side. I was surprised by his comforting embrace.

  “What do you mean by damaged?” one of the girls asked in a scandalized whisper.

  “Seriously,” Lincoln said in a droll voice as he threw open the door with me wrapped in his arms. “Don’t you girls have something better to do, like work?”

  “We are on lunch,” one of the girls said with an eye-roll. “Seriously, you are the biggest whore, how many men are you sleeping with?”

  “That’s pretty rich coming from you,” Lincoln said dryly. “Didn’t you give me a pair of your panties and ask to blow me?”

  The girl blushed and looked the other way.

  “What is your problem?” Stacey asked me with disdain. “You already have six men in your life. You really are quite disgusting. I know that when girls are abused, some of them like to sleep around, but your behavior really is disturbing.”

  “And you really need to mind your own business. Get dressed, mon trésor,” Lincoln urged me. Usually the endearment he chose to call me was more sarcastic, but right then it almost sounded gentle and authentic.

  I hopped back into the changing room, a bit shocked by their attack. I slipped into my clothes and wrung out as much of my hair as I could. Then I threw all my hygiene products back into my caddy.

  When I stepped out, I saw Lincoln was waiting for me. He took my caddy and dirty clothing from me. “Let’s go eat,” he bade me.

  “Sounds good to me,” I gave them a smile, like their words hadn’t hurt me.

  I knew I would probably be harboring the same thoughts they did if they didn’t understand my life. I really didn’t care about what they thought about the guys or me, but I would be lying if I didn’t say it didn’t bother me. It did. Before I was introduced to this life, I thought it was profoundly immoral. Now it was my way of life, and there was nothing I could do about it.

  My gifts were now an integral part of who I was. There was no turning back. We couldn’t be in the battle the other day, and it had killed me. I had never been filled with so much longing and feelings of uselessness.

  Before we left the room, I was surprised by Lincoln grabbing me by my hips and spinning me. I was so preoccupied with my thoughts I didn’t even notice his lips descending onto mine until it was too late. His lips were demanding and persuasive. I opened my mouth, surprised by his actions and by the feelings his kiss invoked in me. I felt the warmth in my stomach spread.

  He took advantage of my parted lips, and his tongue plunged into my mouth. My tongue dueled with his, both turned on and angry for him for not asking to kiss me first. I knew it was all for show, but I didn’t see how him kissing me would help my cause any further.

  He finally pulled away, and my breathing was heavier. I had to stop myself from swaying into him.

  “Hungry?” he asked with desire and a mocking look in his eyes. I knew he didn’t just mean just for food.

  I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

  I was relieved to see most of the guys sitting at the table for lunch. I went into the line and grabbed five hard-shelled tacos, refried beans, rice, and a side salad.

  “Are you going to eat all of that?” Lincoln asked in a surprised tone.

  “Every bite,” I said confidently. “I’ve been in hibernation for a day.”

  I reached the table by then and noticed only Drake was missing. I automatically assumed that he was back in the kitchens.

  Noah groaned. “You really need to stop making a joke of all this.”

  I snorted. “Says Noah, the man who handles almost everything with jokes. By the way, how’s working with Stacey again?”

  Noah whipped his head around at Troy and glared at him. “You told her. I didn’t even know she was awake yet. How did you have time to tell her?”

  “I didn’t,” Troy said dryly with a smirk. “You just did.”

  “Tell me what?” I asked before pouring some hot sauce onto my taco.

  “She came onto me,” Noah mumbled.

  I shrugged. “Were you flirting with her?” I asked suspiciously.

  “No,” he stated emphatically. “I purposely take the opposite rounds as her.”

  I nodded, he sounded sincere. “Want me to beat her up?” I joked.

  Noah breathed a loud sigh of relief. “No, it’s cool, but I did ask Pops to send her back with the few Knights that are returning. She’s not needed anymore, and Dani from SC is a beast. She’s almost as good as me…or as I used to be.”

  “She also has a crush on Noah,” Jaxson interjected.

  Noah glared at Jaxson now. “Really man! Why is everyone ganging up on me today? By the way, I took Ella’s music player and tablet away.”

  I looked at him surprised. I didn’t care about Dani and her crush. I cared about what would have warranted Noah taking away privileges from my younger sister. Noah was a pushover, and for him to have taken anything away from her, it must be severe.

  “What did she do?” I asked with concern.

  “She wasn’t listening in dance class today and was distracting the other children,” Noah explained. “I asked her nicely three times to stop distracting the others, and she didn’t listen. So, I finally told her if she didn’t stop I would take away her tablet and music player. She told me she didn’t care, so I took it away from her. Needless to say, she had a huge meltdown.”

  “I was walking past the room, when I heard her,” Troy added. “I took her up to Pops. I think she’s sitting with the therapist right now.”

  I stiffened. “Why is she sitting with the therapist?”

  “She’s been having dreams lately about the cage,” Remy explained quietly. “She’s not sleeping at night, and even you’ve noticed her act of rebellion lately.”

  When we found Ella after time was taken from us and we were separated, Heidi had sold her to one of Horatio’s groups. This group kept the children in cages no bigger than dog kennels. She was severely malnourished when we were reunited.

  “Why didn’t anyone tell me?” I asked slightly perturbed. “I had the right to know. I especially should have had a say whether she saw a therapist or not.”

  “You haven’t been well,” Jaxson said gently. “And it’s not like the therapist you had when you are younger. Dr. Wong is gifted, and he’s renown with the gifted and nongifted alike.

  “She was hiding her nightmares from everyone. We had to use Alex to drag the truth from her.”

  “I still would have liked to know,” I said before taking a bite of my refried beans.

  “
How does that work?” Lincoln asked. “Why do you guys have so much say in all those children’s lives? I thought your mother was here. I know she isn’t her mother, but shouldn’t her aunt have a say in her treatment and where she stays?”

  I looked over at him and was reminded of our kiss. Then I looked over at the guys trying to shake the uneasy feeling in my stomach. “He met my dear old mom?”

  Jace nodded and gave me a small smirk, apparently seeing the humor in it that I couldn’t. “It was kind of hard to deny the resemblance when he ran into her last night.”

  “She’s my biological mother, and that is all,” I stated looking back over at Lincoln. “She abandoned most of my siblings and me. We recently had a lovely reunion, but we were granted custody of my siblings before she came back into our lives. Did your mom try to have any more children?” I asked wanting to change the subject and out of general curiosity.

  He shook his head. “Not that I know of. She really didn’t have much of a social life to meet men. It’s hard enough to raise children with two parents, and all seven of you raise them?”

  He apparently wasn’t done appeasing his own curiosity.

  I started to laugh. “Not seven of us, more like nine. Megan and Pops have a say, too. We have the village mentality.”

  Lincoln snorted and shook his head before he went back to eating his breakfast.

  “Are the Knights and SC settling in okay? How was the prison transfer? Did all of them go?” I asked, hoping not to open that can of worms.

  “Surprisingly enough, yes.” Jace replied. “I think the Knights were dying of boredom, so cleaning up the mess upstairs hasn’t even phased them. I think our reputation has proceeded us because the SC team is just as eager to be put to work. And all the prisoners were transferred except for Alison and John Doe.”

  I turned to look at Jaxson who looked straight back at me. “I’m okay, Blake,” he murmured in my ear. “Jace and I had a long talk, and a lot more things make sense to me now. I miss the woman I thought she was, but I think I’m going to be okay.”

  I smiled over at Jace as I squeezed Jaxson’s knee. I was glad that Jace finally trusted his brother with the truth. “Okay, what else did I miss while I was in cryo?”