Aberrate

by Wendi Wilson

  “Jett,” Savanna says, raising a chastising eyebrow at him.

  “Sorry,” he mumbles.

  I wave off his bluntness. God knows, I’m used to it by now.

  “I ran a search on Christine Worth, and what I found was very interesting,” I say. “There’s practically nothing. I found a few articles about Worth that mention her as his daughter, but they only touch on the fact that her mother died during childbirth and he, being the exemplary father that he is, raised her all on his own. She was homeschooled her whole life by one tutor who, strangely, wishes to remain anonymous.”

  “Why isn’t the press more curious about her?” Savanna asks. “With our last president, they were all over his family, sensationalizing any mistake his kids made, turning it into a scandal.”

  “That’s a very good question,” I say, “and the main reason I’m convinced Evers is telling the truth. Look at the facts. Worth uses Alts to further his own agendas. He has a daughter that no one really knows anything about, and the press isn’t even trying to sniff out a story. I mean, that one article in a tabloid is the only mention of Evers’s claims. No other news source touched it. Why wouldn’t they?”

  “He’s using Alts to keep her out of the news,” Beckett says.

  “Think about it,” Silas says. “He could have one of his Alts present at every interview, guiding the questions and telling the reporter what to write. We already know he uses them at press conferences to sway the general opinion. If he doesn’t want anyone writing stories about his daughter, he could easily stop it from happening.”

  “Assuming all this is true, Christine is an Alt and she persuaded Carl Evers to shoot James Ford,” Savanna says, drawing all eyes to her, “how does he remember it? I mean, wouldn’t she add forgetting the persuasion into the persuasion?”

  “Of course she would,” Jett says.

  I shake my head. “I’ve been thinking about that, and I have a theory,” I say. “What if she didn’t want to do it? What if she was tired of her dad using her and intentionally let Carl remember?”

  I let that sink in for a few moments.

  “Think about it,” I continue. “Before his election, Worth didn’t have an army of Alts at his disposal. He only had her. He kept her locked up and hidden her whole life, making her disguise her true nature from the world while using that nature for his own benefit. What does she get out of it? Nothing. When Evers shot Ford, she was fifteen years old.”

  “And unhappy fifteen-year-olds are stubborn. They rebel against their parents,” Slade adds.

  “Yes,” I say, “they do. What if Christine’s rebellion was intentionally not persuading Evers to forget her, essentially unmasking herself and her asshole of a dad?”

  “Assuming all this is true, how does it helps us figure out what he’s up to now?” Wyatt asks.

  “I don’t know,” I admit, “but if he’s willing to use his own daughter to persuade a man to attempt murder, then there’s really no limit to what he might do.”

  “We need to have a conversation with Christine Worth,” Jett says.

  “No one gets in to see her,” Silas says.

  “We just got home,” Slade complains at the same time.

  “Well, it a good thing we already have people on the inside,” Savanna says. “And I think I have a plan that just may work.”

  “Rafe and Gabe,” Beckett says. “Of course.”

  At the mention of their names, I sneak a peek at Silas and Slade, but they don’t seem affected. I release a breath of relief and focus back on the task at hand.

  “What are you thinking?” I ask.

  “Worth thinks he’s immune to persuasion, and we should be able to use that to our advantage. If the Davilas can get close enough to him to make eye contact, they should be able to silently persuade him to assign them to Christine’s detail, right? Worth will think it was all his idea, not even considering that he’s been persuaded. They can get close to her and we’ll have direct access.”

  “That’s actually a really good idea,” Jett says.

  Savanna smacks him on the shoulder, saying, “Don’t sound so surprised.”

  He chuckles, rubbing his shoulder like she actually caused him pain. She shakes her head at him, a grin tugging at the corners of her lips before moving her gaze to me.

  “Do you want to call them to explain the plan and see if they’re in?”

  “No!”

  All eyes snap to mine with that uncharacteristic, uncalled-for outburst, and I feel my face heat with embarrassment. I squeeze my eyes shut for a second before attempting to backpedal.

  “I mean…I, uh, have…something to do. Yeah, I gotta go…do that,” I stutter, pointing toward the staircase.

  I turn and speed-walk to the stairs before taking them two at a time in my haste.

  “Smooth, Lizzie. Real smooth,” I whisper to myself as I reach the top.

  I force myself to close the door softly behind me when all I want to do is slam it with all the force I can muster. Humiliation pulses through me as I lean back against the wooden panel. I’m embarrassed that I overreacted to Savanna’s suggestion that I call the Davila twins. I’m embarrassed that I fled like a scared little mouse.

  I’m embarrassed that I have a reason to be embarrassed in the first place.

  I push myself off the door and stumble to the bed, throwing myself down on the mattress. I’m surprised Silas and Slade didn’t follow me up here. Maybe they’re angry at my flustered reaction. Maybe they just know I need time to think.

  When they asked me if I wanted to start dating Rafe and Gabe, I immediately answered in the negative because I knew it’s what they wanted to hear. I love Silas and Slade, and I never want to hurt them. Telling them I want more boys, that they aren’t enough, would devastate them…I think.

  “Are you sure? Because if you want them…”

  Silas’s words haunt me. I didn’t catch it at the time, but his tone seemed to suggest that if I wanted to go out with the Davilas, if it really meant that much to me, that he and his brother wouldn’t stand in the way of my happiness. That they could…share.

  I roll onto my stomach, burying my face in a pillow. I silently scream into it, careful not to let any actual sound escape me, or the six Alts downstairs will hear it and come up to check on me. I flip back over and stare at the ceiling.

  I let images of Gabe and Rafe dance through my head while I think about my feelings. I’m definitely attracted to them. I’d have to be blind to not be. They’re gorgeous. I bet if I asked Savanna, she’d agree with me, and I know she’s not looking to bring any more boys into her relationship.

  Am I? Am I looking for more?

  Of course, I wasn’t actually looking. These boys just kind of dropped right into my lap, all nice and handsome and telling me things every girl wants to hear. And they really are good guys.

  I imagine going out with them, trying to somehow seamlessly fold them into my relationship with the Madsen twins…but I can’t seem to make them fit. I try to picture the five of us, in bed, and it just feels off.

  Sure, it’s a great fantasy—one girl having two sets of sexy twins devoted to her in every way. But, that’s all it is. A fantasy.

  In reality, Silas and Slade are everything I need. They are everything I want. While Gabe and Rafe are fun to be around, not to mention easy on the eyes, I don’t have feelings for them. I feel an attraction, but it’s superficial, and I’m sure that’s all they feel for me.

  I jump from the bed and pace across the floor, every second that passes making me feel better and better about my decision. I know, in my heart of hearts, that I’m right.

  I am in love with Silas and Slade and nobody else compares to them. Nobody. I’ll just have to make Gabe and Rafe understand that nothing is going to happen between us.

  They may be disappointed, but they’ll move on. They’ll find someone who can love them the way I love the Madsens. The way Savanna loves the Pattons.

  They don’t deserve anythin
g less.

  18

  “They’re in,” Silas says as he walks through our bedroom door, Slade hot on his heels.

  I’ve been hiding up here for over an hour, and I suppose they finally lost patience and came up to find out what’s on my mind. I open my mouth to explain, to let them know that I’ve realized what I really want, but Slade cuts me off.

  “Lizzie, wait,” he says, motioning for me to sit on the bed. When I comply, he continues, “Silas and I have been talking.”

  “But—”

  “Please, Lizzie, just let us get this out,” Silas says.

  I snap my mouth closed and nod. I really hope they’re not planning to break up with me over something that I’ve just realized is a non-issue.

  “We want you to be happy,” Slade says. “That’s always been our number one priority. Your happiness means everything to us.”

  “Your reaction downstairs confirmed what we suspected—that you…want…them,” Silas chokes out.

  I open my mouth again, but Slade cuts me off. Again.

  “We talked about it and we’ve decided that if you want to go out with them, it’s okay.”

  My head jerks back in surprise. “It’s okay?”

  Silas swallows thickly, like he’s trying not to choke on his answer. My first impulse is to take pity on him, to tell him I’m not interested, but the mischievous side of me decides to wait. I want to see how far they’ll take this.

  “Yes. We want you to be happy and, if this is what it takes, we’re willing to give it a shot.”

  I lick my lips and arch a brow. “Just what, exactly, are we talking about here? A few dates? With them, separately, or will you two be there, too?”

  Slade’s face goes a little pale as he says, “Whatever you want, Lizzie.”

  I suck my bottom lip into my mouth and bite it. I get the reaction I want, two sets of widened eyes and flared nostrils.

  “What about…sex?” I ask. “Will all five of us…you know…together?”

  Silas nods, the motion quick jerky, and Slade looks like he might vomit all over the carpet. I jump to my feet, shocking them both into taking a step back. I plant my hands on my hips and glare back and forth between them.

  “Are you serious right now?” I bark out. “You’re actually giving me permission to bring two extra people into our bed?”

  Identical look of confusion sweep across their faces, but Silas is the one to answer.

  “But, we thought that’s what you want. We want you to be happy. And fulfilled.”

  “Were we wrong?” Slade adds.

  “Yes! If you guys had let me speak when you came in here, I could have saved you all this pain,” I say, then point at Slade, “and nausea.”

  “What do you mean?” Silas asks.

  “I’ve been up here, thinking about Rafe and Gabe—”

  “I don’t want to hear this,” Slade mumbles.

  “—and I realized that I don’t want to date them. Like, at all.”

  “You don’t?” Slade asks.

  I shake my head. “I mean, they are attractive, and I think their proposition stroked my ego. But, guys, that’s all it was. A superficial, skin-deep attraction with no real bones behind it. When I thought of bringing them in here, of all five of us together, I feel uncomfortable and actually…repulsed. I don’t want them. I want you, and only you.”

  I look back and forth between them, hoping the truth is shining in my eyes so they can see it. They must, because they both seem to deflate, the tension seeping out of them.

  “Oh, thank God,” Slade says, stepping forward to sweep me up in his arms.

  A laugh bursts from me just before his mouth seals to mine. After a quick kiss, I’m spinning and when I come to a stop, I’m in Silas’s arms. His eyes are glassy with emotion, a soft smile curving his lips.

  “I love you, Lizzie,” he murmurs, catching my lips in a kiss before I can respond.

  He pulls away, and as my eyes drift back and forth between them, I know I made the right decision. These boys are everything.

  “I love you,” I say, my eyes focused on Silas. “I love you,” I repeat, this time meeting Slade’s gaze.

  Silas’s head cocks to one side. He looks at his brother, who nods.

  “Jett says we need to talk, if we’re not busy.”

  “I didn’t hear anything,” I say. He cocks one brow at me, and I get it. “Oh, right. Alt super-hearing.”

  Slade laughs. “That’s not the only thing we’re super at.”

  I grin. “Oh, I know,” I say, giving him a saucy look. “Ok, let’s go see what he wants.”

  We head back downstairs, Slade’s hand in mine as Silas guides me with a palm on my lower back. I revel in an all-encompassing sense of relief. Making the decision to follow my heart and stick with my two guys, and them alone, was the right thing to do. I can feel it in my bones. In my head. In my heart.

  “So, Gabe just called and it’s done,” Jett says without preamble as we join him and the others in the living room.

  “What? That quick?” I ask, shocked.

  “Yep,” Wyatt says. “Right after we explained the plan to them, they caught Worth taking a stroll on the property. He actually stopped to greet them as they patrolled the perimeter. Gabe gushed about how grateful they were that he took them into his program, saving them from a failing business and imminent poverty. When Worth looked at Rafe, he nodded in agreement while catching his eyes and sending the silent command to make them Christine’s personal guards.”

  “It worked like a charm,” Savanna says, picking up the story. “The president told them how impressed he was with them and their obvious loyalty, assigning them as her new detail right there on the spot.”

  “Well, that was quick work,” I say, still a little dumbfounded.

  “Just good timing,” Beckett replies. “If we’d called ten minutes later, they would’ve missed the opportunity.”

  “Thanks for taking care of that,” I mumble.

  The boys shift to the other side of the room, chatting amongst themselves while passing a silver flask back and forth between them. I can’t help but watch my guys, a smile flitting across my lips as Silas flips his blonde hair out of his eyes and Slade laughs at something Wyatt says.

  “Hey.”

  Savanna’s whisper from right beside me startles me, and I nearly jump out of my skin.

  “Sorry,” she says, laughing. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  I chuckle with her and bump my shoulder against hers. “It’s okay.”

  “So…I guess everything is good between you guys?” she probes.

  I suck in a breath and meet her eyes. “What did you hear?”

  Her pale skin tinges pink and I groan. Of course she heard. They all heard.

  “Oh, God,” I murmur, scrubbing a hand down my face.

  “It was just me,” she says, following my stare to the guys. “I may or may not have persuaded them to go outside and sit in the car with the radio on as soon as you shouted something about bringing more guys into your bed.”

  My mouth falls open with my eyes going nearly as wide. “You used persuasion against them?”

  She rolls her eyes. “Yes, and I’m sure they have some fitting payback in store for me.”

  “Why would you do that?” I ask, a little in awe.

  She nudges her shoulder against mine. “You’re my best friend. I knew you’d be mortified if the boys heard that conversation, so I had your back. You know, chicks before…well, you get it.”

  I narrow my eyes at her, but can’t stop my lips from curving up. “But, of course, you stayed to listen.”

  She shrugs. “Of course. I wanted to be close in case you needed me. To talk, to cry on, or to beat some Alt-twin asses.”

  I laugh again, shaking my head at her. She laughs with me, then sobers, meeting my eyes.

  “So, Rafe and Gabe, huh?”

  I suck in a deep breath and hold it for a beat before blowing it out.

  “Yea
h, they like me.”

  “And you like them?” she prods, her voice barely above a whisper.

  “I do,” I say. “I was really confused for a while, but I realized what I feel is mainly friendship with a little attraction thrown in.”

  “Well, they are hot,” she says, grinning.

  Three dark Alt heads swivel toward us, eyes narrowed, letting us know they weren’t as oblivious to our conversation as they tried to make us think. Savanna chuckles, blowing them each a kiss before turning back to me.

  “Gotta keep them on their toes,” she stage-whispers behind her hand.

  As I watch, the Pattons turn back to their conversation, but Silas and Slade keep their eyes on me. I smile at them and watch their faces as I finish my conversation with Savanna.

  “I felt something when I first met the Madsens. Something pure and bone-deep that told me they belonged to me, and I to them. While I was flattered by the Davilas’ attention and have always felt a flutter of physical attraction to them, it doesn’t compare to what I have with my guys. I have everything I need.”

  The boys smile, Slade shooting me a wink while Silas nods in my direction. I smile back and throw them kisses the way Savanna did with her boys.

  “Have you told them, yet?”

  My smile falters as I focus back on her. “No. Not yet. I’m dreading it, because I don’t want to hurt them. But I know it has to be done.”

  “Maybe you should wait until this whole thing is over. We don’t want them distracted by hurt feelings.”

  I nod, glad she’s giving me an out. I need a little more time to figure out how I’m going to handle it, letting them down without overtly hurting them.

  Ugh. This sucks.

  “In other news, we think we may have found a lab to synthesize our vaccination,” Wyatt says as the boys saunter back toward us.

  “You did?” I ask.

  “Maybe,” Savanna clarifies. “There’s a research center in New York that specializes in creating new drugs for debilitating diseases. It’s privately owned by the head chemist, Emily Sang, so if we can convince her to help us, we’ll be golden.”