"I fold." Aaron laid down his cards.
James, the chef, grinned and placed his cards on the table. "Three of a kind. Tell me you can do better." He looked dead at Ellis, who sighed and dropped in his hand.
"Not against three aces."
Poor boy got the wind beat out of his sails.
Arjun frowned. "Oh, well. You win again, James."
"Well, Ollie are you going to get in the next game?" Aaron asked, eyeing her. The young man seemed to have a little crush on her. At twenty-seven, he was about her age, but she had her sights on someone already.
"No way, Junior. I lost three hands in a row. That's a bad omen, if I ever saw one. Naw, y'all go ahead. I'm calling it a night."
She really needed to get some sleep. For the past two days, she hadn't been sleeping well. It wasn't the beds or the sway of the ship; it was the pain in her back and side. It wouldn't let her sleep. The pain would wake her, and the stress would have her staring up at the ceiling. Worrying about her family made her think, not letting her mind rest. Though she talked to at least one of her brothers and sisters every other hour, there was something not right about being away from them. Heading below deck, she knew of only one relief.
Ollie walked to the end of the hallway, to the yacht's master suite. He might be asleep and he would definitely turn her away, but she needed to sleep. And the last time she had slept soundly occurred when Granger had read her, when he was in her room. His ability to take away pain was like a drug that she really could use right now.
Knocking on the door, she waited. She knocked again, knowing he was in there. For the past day and a half, after she'd kissed him, he'd stayed cooped up in his room, so he was in there. And he probably knew she was outside the door and had decided to ignore her. Fine. She opened the door.
"Granger?"
"No," he commanded, sitting on his bed with perfect posture, legs folded, eyes closed as if he was meditating.
"Please."
"Ollie, it is best we make a clean break."
"In the morning," she said, heading to his California king-size bed.
His eyes shot open. "Damn, you're hardheaded. Do I need to go get your brother, so he can drag you out of here?"
Ollie only laughed as her body hit the mattress. "Thank you, Caesar," she said, closing her eyes. "I promise not to touch you. I just need to sleep. Just sleep."
"Ollie." His tone was soft this time. She turned her head to look at him.
"The pain won't let me." She was getting desperate. "Please." When he sighed, she grinned at him. "Kick me out in the morning," she said before curling up on her pain-free side.
()()()
Granger let his body absorb much of her pain, lulling her to sleep. Against his better judgment, he let her stay. Did he feel sorry for her? No, not at all; he wanted her there. That was why he hadn't continued to fight her, and why he hadn't insisted that she take the pain medication the doctor had given her, even though the pain was slight, for him. It had something to do with his level of enlightenment.
He watched as she slept and wondered why he hadn't done this before. She looked at home in his bed. What are you doing?
Granger turned away to return to his meditation. But he found that he couldn't stop himself, and he began to watch her sleep again. Her breathing in and out. The rise and the fall. The curls on her head. Her lips, parted ever so slightly. He remembered vividly how they felt against his. The pressure had been so pleasurable, so damn good.
She had drawn him in, and now all he could do was think of her. It was worse than ever now. How was he going to get past this? Especially since he didn't want to.
Nothing but trouble. She was going to be his ticket to hell. Dance with the devil, expect to fry.
"I'm not that strong."
Granger lifted his head from his book. Did he hear something? He looked over at Ollie, who had been asleep for about an hour. Had been asleep.
"Excuse me?" Granger frowned as he sat up on the couch he had moved to in order to keep his distance from her. He set his pen in the crease of the book to save his place.
"You said you weren't as strong as me, but I'm not that strong." Her voice was soft, but he took in every word.
Where was this coming from?
"I told you to tell me your deepest, darkest secret, and I would tell you mine. But I already know your deepest, darkest secret." She never turned over to look at him, but clearly she was awake. He could feel it.
"My deepest--"
"Your mother." She answered before he could ask. She was Moon; they had to know. If no one else knew, Moon knew.
Granger closed his eyes and saw his mother's smile. The Structure believed that his mother had died, killed in a random act of violence. Granger knew the truth. He was there the day Blade had invaded their home and taken her. His father had not resisted; he'd given over the proof--everything that pointed away from himself. Granger loathed him for that--for not protecting her and for not admitting his own involvement. He might have been only seventeen, but he knew his mother wasn't the only one with connections to Moon.
Both Granger's father and mother did business with Moon on several occasions. They were her connections, but his father had used them to grow his business. And in the end, he'd pretended to know nothing, feigning innocence when he was far guiltier than she was. He had used her and then turned his back on her when she needed him most. That was why Granger stayed away from his father and why when his father had insisted Granger take up the business, Granger had quickly crushed him, bought him out, and retired him. All of his mother's Moon connections were then his.
His mother had been tortured by Blade when she refused to give them answers. She had died in Blade custody, but it was Moon who had delivered the blow, in order to stop her suffering and to keep their secrets. Granger did not blame Moon, because Blade never would have set her free. Eventually she would have died by their hands. It was Moon who had come to him and told him everything. And it was Moon who had given him her ring, an heirloom passed down through her family. At seventeen, he should have blamed the world, God, Blade, Moon, his father, and himself, but it was his enlightenment that had showed him that blame would only cause more pain. His enlightenment and Arjun. His mentor had reminded him of the path his mother had strived for and the path that would lead him to better the Structure. Though he didn't blame Blade or Moon and tried not to blame himself, his father was an asshole. Deepest, darkest secret?
"Not so dark as it is deep." Granger looked down at his book. Spirituality and philosophy were the subjects he had picked to study that night. What had seemed so profound a moment ago was now just ramblings.
"Do you hate--"
"No. I do not hate Moon. I loved my mother and what she stood for. Those are the only emotions left from those days."
"I never got to meet her, but I was told she loved everyone equally. She saw differences as gifts, not faults. She was almost at Level Three, I was told."
"Yeah, Arjun was her mentor as well." He rubbed his chest, easing the tightness trying to take root. Granger looked over at Ollie, who lay quietly.
"You're far stronger than you give yourself credit for. When she was taken from you, you could've gotten lost in it. Hell, I would've sought revenge. But you … you continued on the path. On your path. You used enlightenment as your channel. I admire that. I always have. That is why I studied you. I wanted to be as strong as you."
"What are you talking about? You are stronger than anyone I've ever met. You don't let anything get to you." Granger wanted to go across the room and lie beside her, but he remained seated.
"Because I don't have much of a choice." Ollie's voice was almost tearful.
Granger frowned. When she did not elaborate, he was tempted to read her, but he stopped himself. He wanted it to be her move.
"Aren't you going to ask?" She sounded so far away.
"Are you sure you want to tell me?"
There was silence again. She was debating it. He
didn't have to read her to know that.
"When they revived me, everything was different. I was different. And I knew it, even at the age of five. There was this darkness inside of me that wasn't there before. A different darkness." Her words were sure, but her voice was unsettled. "I stayed in that darkness, watching the world around me. Knew everything that was going on around me, but I didn't respond to it. Didn't want to leave that … cocoon. It had protected me, saved me. For almost a year of my life, I was like a zombie. I didn't want anyone to touch me except Ellis. I didn't speak to anyone. I was dead. I'm the reason Ric became a damn psycho doctor." She smirked. "But they slowly pulled me out of it." He could feel her tears. "All of them worked to get me back. They made me use it. They made me fight, made me keep going."
"And you've been hell on wheels ever since."
She laughed and sobbed. He wanted to hug her and kiss her, but she hated being coddled.
"They know that if I internalize, I could revert back. That pull back into the darkness is strong. But when I use it and show my emotions, the darkness responds in a different way."
"The seal."
"Yes, but usually it's small bruises, barely noticeable. And that pain has never been like this. This is different." She curled up. When he tortured me, something inside of me broke, she thought. Was it my seal?
That was a good question. It was not possible to alter the seal. It had never been done before. It was as much a part of the body as the genes that determined eye color. To alter the seal would be like altering the very molecular structure of a person. And that was impossible without causing death.
"You were a child when it all happened. You dealt with the situation the only way you could, and you don't think you were strong? Well, I hate to break it to you, but you were the one who decided to use it. Your family may have helped you, but in the end, you were the one with the power. Just like, you are the one with the power to hold those memories in check. No one has done that for twenty-two years but you. Now, get some sleep before I kick you out."
When she laughed, he couldn't help but smile.
Her family might have helped her on this path, but she had chosen it, transformed it, and made it her own. She could have used it any kind of way, just as Granger used enlightenment to get past his pain. She had chosen to be the force she was now. A deliberate choice. Just like everything she did.
Strong, smart, and irritating. He smiled harder. And she was going to get him into so much trouble, so he'd better be prepared.
()()()
Ellis had been all over the ship, trying to find his sister. The only place left was Granger's suite. He had been shut up in his room most of the day, conducting business, so Ellis wasn't sure what kind of mood the man would be in, but he needed to find Ollie.
If that woman fell overboard …
But Ollie was too stubborn and aware to do that, which meant she was in the very place he hoped she wasn't. Approaching the oak door, he took in a deep breath. Granger probably already knew he was standing there uneasily, felt his anxiety, heard his thoughts, and was laughing at Ellis's insecurities.
Ollie was right.
He finally knocked.
"It's open," Granger called.
Ellis stood at the doorway for a moment before opening it. No matter what he saw, he would not overreact.
Prove to Ollie you can control yourself.
Ellis opened the door to see Granger leaning against the headboard with his legs stretched out, watching TV, on one side of the bed. Ollie was sprawled comfortably next to him, fully clothed. Good. I think.
By the angle at which she slept and the way Granger looked guarded, she had intruded. Why had she come to Granger instead of him? Had she really started to form an attachment to the man?
"You can come in," Granger said finally, not once looking in Ellis's direction.
"How is she … doing?" Ellis asked, stepping inside the room.
"She's trying to deal with it all."
Walking to her side of the bed, Ellis stooped to look at her face. Ollie did not even stir. Usually when he approached her while she slept, she stirred or something, but she lay perfectly still, breathing deeply. Just like when he had tried to wake her before. It was the most exhausted he had ever seen her.
"How long has she been asleep?" He brushed his fingers over her forehead. She didn't have a temperature, but she was a little cooler than she normally would be.
"About four hours."
Ellis wanted to pick her up and carry her to her own room, but he feared she might wake up in pain.
"You can stay here if you want. I can sleep on the couch over there." Granger pointed to the lounge area.
Tempted, he remembered what Ollie had told him. Give her space. No wonder she hadn't told him where she would sleep and why she hadn't stayed with him.
"Ellis, she chose to sleep here so that I might ease her pain."
He could do that? Ellis was shocked. The possessor's words were compassionate. He had never showed such concern before. And he eased pain?
If it made her feel better, there was nothing wrong with her staying here. "Thank you." For caring for my sister.
Granger's head snapped in his direction as his silver eyes focused on Ellis. He looked surprised. "Y-you're welcome."
Ellis made his way back to the door and stopped.
"She's, she's a little cool. Can you cover her for me?" he asked without turning around to watch before leaving. I can do this. Ollie, I can do this.
()()()
I-70, Kansas
The shaman rode in the back seat of the van as they headed into Kansas. They had been riding all night and day, with several stops to appease the seven-, eight-, and two-hundred-year-old bladders. Geo had decided it was too risky to stop to sleep, just in case River was tracking them. O-no, Sunny, Wolfe, Troy, and Cee took turns driving, and the shaman stayed in the back with Miko and Bones. The ride was quiet, since most of the time, everyone was napping, but Cee had an uneasy look about her that morning. When Wolfe asked her about it, she said she wasn't sure. The seer/healer was having visions she could not understand, and the old woman was not giving any clarity. She only said, "It will all be revealed in time." It was not her place to change anything, so she kept quiet.
The sun was coming up over the horizon. It was beautiful. In the city, such a sight was not always easy to see, even from the seventh floor of Ollie's building. But in Kansas you could not miss it. The land laid so flat that if it were not for the sunrise …
"I would swear nothing interesting happens out here at all," O-no sighed, staring out the window from their table in the roadside restaurant. They had stopped to get something to eat, because Wolfe had said, If I don't eat, someone dies.
"Aww, nah, that ain't true," Wolfe huffed as he finished swallowing a mouthful of pancakes. "If you want excitement, sit just in the right spot durin' tornado season, and you might catch sighta one. Then ya can watch that sucker from miles away. If yer lucky. But if ya ain't, well hell, put yer head 'tween yer legs and kiss yer ass bye," he said before cramming another forkful of pancakes into his mouth.
"I think I'll take my chances with boredom." O-no was horrified by the thought of sitting to watch a tornado in action as it barreled across the land at high speed, uncertain of if it would suck him in or not.
Wolfe laughed. "Sometimes ya hafta see the flip side of a penny 'fore you can 'preciate its value, huh?"
Bethea smiled, watching as the man ate. Sometimes she was amazed by how the crudeness that was Wolfe could be so profound.
After breakfast, they headed out again. No one knew where they were headed except for Troy, Cee, and herself. But the kids were positive that they were not staying in Kansas.
"Traffic ahead," Troy said, and he began to slow down. Bethea really could use a cigarette, but she would respect the others in the vehicle. She wished her family had installed one of those fancy filters inside the van, like Ollie had in the condo. Her daughter spoiled her so.
/>
She watched through the window as the traffic on the two-lane interstate came to a slow crawl. Slowly, she turned her aching body to look two cars back, at a black van. A cell phone went off inside their van. In her mind, she saw Troy reach in his pocket and pull out his cell phone, answering it.
Ahhh, right on time. Several armed men got out of the black van. She watched as one of the men walked up from the back of the van and came around to the driver's side.
"Gun!" Bones yelled as his mind saw the man pull out a gun, aiming it at Troy.
Troy, seeing the man, dropped his cell phone and opened the car door so hard that the gunman flew back. The gun went off.
"Get down!" Cee screamed as she took a semiautomatic from under her seat.
Bones got down between the seats with Miko, who was shaking, terribly. Bethea closed her eyes, and her heart began to break. There were noises of struggle and gunfire. The van rocked back and forth before the side door opened and Miko was yanked out. Then Bones.
()()()
16
Heart of Gold, somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean
Granger had been to breakfast and back, and still Ollie wasn't awake. When he checked on her, she seemed fine, so he decided to shower. She was more fatigued than he figured. With the constant use of her powers, the stress about her family, and the need to release her anguish, it was a wonder she hadn't snapped.
Walking out of the bathroom with only a towel around his waist, his chest knotted. Joc stood in the doorway with rage in his eyes.
"You fucking her?" Joc spit sour words at him.
Children of Sun (Oracle's Legacy) Page 23