However, according to Luke, Edgar had watched Mary Poppins as a child during one particularly brutal drug treatment. Luke explained that Edgar now identified with the British culture, subsequently adopting a hybrid accent. Father believed it was another defense mechanism – a way Edgar distanced himself from the horrors of O’Brien. Mary Poppins was safe and good, and safety and beneficence were something all children craved. Perhaps Edgar had mentally transported himself into the film during that hellacious treatment. A mental transportation he never emerged from.
Luke, Jet, Jacinda and I exited the room while Amber and Edgar surveyed the impressive DVD collection.
Once in the hallway, I closed the door behind us.
Jet crossed his arms, his large biceps bulging. “Is it as bad as it sounds?”
I took a deep breath and shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t really know how it works when a bank freezes your accounts.”
“Don’t you need to go into the bank in person to clear it up?” Jacinda’s brow puckered.
“I’m sure that’s what Marcus is hoping for,” Luke growled. “Why search the country for us when he can make us come to him?”
WE FOUND FATHER, Di and Flint in Father’s study. A gas fire glowed in the fireplace, casting an eerie light in the dim room. Father sat at his desk. Di and Flint flanked his sides. Both looked over Father’s shoulders at the computer screen.
“He’s locked three of my seven accounts.” Father frowned. “Luckily, my overseas banks have not been sabotaged so we’re still all right.”
I bit my lip. “Do we need to stop spending money?”
Father scratched his chin. “Not on everyday items, no, but at the moment, I don’t have enough cash flow to purchase a secure home while also maintaining payments to my outside contacts. Acquiring money from my overseas accounts takes time.”
My throat tightened.
“What are the chances he’ll get to the overseas banks?” Di asked.
“Nearly impossible. Although, I would have said the same for my U.S. accounts last week, but obviously, he’s found a way around that. I can’t guarantee the same won’t happen with the off shore banks as well.”
I studied the screens. “How do you think he froze them?”
“Marcus is similar to me in some ways. He grew up in a wealthy, influential family. Both of us have friends in high places. My guess is – since the warehouse incident, he’s now focused one hundred percent of his time on finding us. He probably made a few calls and cashed in some favors.”
Flint’s eyebrows rose. “So we close those accounts and open new ones?”
“Or will that only guarantee to Marcus that he’s found Father’s money?” I countered. “What if he knows about the other ones and is waiting to see what we do? Then what?”
Father leaned back in his chair, his frown deepening. “I need to make a few calls. If you wouldn’t mind…”
I took the hint. Father always wanted privacy when he called outside contacts. Despite being adults, he still sheltered us from that side of his life. “Right, we’ll clear out.”
Luke, Jacinda and I readily headed toward the door, but Flint had to practically drag Di from Father’s side. Di worked more closely with Father than any of us. She truly was his right-hand man, or rather, woman.
I wrapped my arms around myself as we walked down the hall toward the living room. It felt like an ominous presence followed, like Marcus was right at our heels. I actually had to make myself not look over my shoulder since I knew I was being ridiculous. Still, Marcus had found Father’s money so quickly.
“We should get dinner started.” Flint moved to my side, his lower hand brushing against my back.
Di’s midnight brows drew together. “Food is the last thing I’m concerned about.”
Flint shrugged. “I know, but we still need to eat.”
Luke put an arm around Jacinda’s shoulders, his massive forearm settling on her.
Jacinda jumped.
Luke just grinned. “It’ll be all right, beautiful. I’ll keep you safe. Nobody’s gonna mess with the big, bad wolf.”
Jacinda opened her mouth and then closed it. For a brief moment, my worry left me as I tried not to laugh. A blush actually stained my sister’s cheeks.
Di spun on her heel and retreated, probably to pace outside Father’s study. The woman was truly like a caged lion.
Flint nodded toward the kitchen. “Shall we?”
Flint steered me away while Luke continued wooing Jacinda. For once, my sister had met her match.
In the kitchen, Flint pulled out pans and ingredients from the fridge. We’d grocery shopped yesterday so there was plenty to choose from.
Flint worked calmly, as if the revelation about Father’s money had never happened. I, however, wrung my hands and stared at the stone countertops.
When Flint’s dark gaze met mine, he dropped the food on the counter and crossed the distance between us in one of his lightning fast moves.
The next thing I knew, steel arms were around me, his scent everywhere. I inhaled deeply. The familiar aroma of spice, wood and tangerines worked its magic. A feeling of safety followed. I wrapped my arms tightly around him and buried my face in his chest.
“What are we going to do?”
Flint bent his knees until we were at eye level. His dark irises, chestnut hair and olive complexion were all so familiarly sexy. “We’re going to unfreeze Conroy’s accounts, secure the rest of his money and go after Marcus.”
He said the words so casually, I chuckled.
His eyebrows rose. “What?”
“You act like it’s no big deal. That this is easily fixed.”
“I don’t know if I’d say easily, but we can fix this and we will.” He cocked an eyebrow. “Wasn’t it you the other day who was telling me we could beat Marcus? That together we’re strong?”
“I did say that.”
“Well, you managed to convince me. Where did that confidence go?”
His words helped relax my tense shoulders. We were strong. The rescue mission we initiated a week ago proved it. Together, we were formidable. Flint was right.
I stood up straighter and smoothed the curls from my face. I tucked a thick dark red strand behind my ear.
“Feeling better?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“Good, now let’s make supper.”
The rest of the night passed normally. Well, as normally as it could. We ate around the large dining table. But as much as everyone tried to act like everything was fine, a haze hung over us, dimming the mood and threatening to shatter the superficial feeling of safety. A part of me still felt assured. We were strong. We could beat Marcus. But the other part of me felt like that little girl trapped in O’Brien’s cell: alone, helpless and afraid.
It was only as I stared out the window that I realized how vulnerable of a position we were in. If something happened, if Marcus somehow tracked us to this house based off something he found from Father’s bank accounts, we’d have to leave. Immediately.
Yet, Susannah was missing. We couldn’t leave her behind.
My fork clattered to my plate as that implication set in. “We need to find Susannah!”
CHAPTER THREE
Flint’s hand sought mine. The energy around him kicked up a notch. Whenever something scared me, it was like he knew. His energy responded and flowed out of him. Energy only I could feel.
“If something were to happen. If Marcus were to track us to this house, we’d need to leave. Susannah would be left behind.” My voice shook.
“You’re right,” Father said quietly.
Jacinda’s eyes widened while Mica audibly swallowed a large bite of salmon. Her normally cheerful demeanor darkened. “How the heck are we gonna find her?” Mica took a large gulp of water. “She’s been gone, what? A couple of days?”
The floor to ceiling dining room windows created a mirrored effect in the room. Our images stared back.
“I can find her.” Lu
ke’s deep voice rumbled.
“How?” Di asked sharply.
“I’ll track her.”
Amber cocked her head. Of the original eight of us, Amber was the best at tracking, thanks to her enhanced olfactory sense. “Have you tracked her before?”
Luke nodded. “It’s one of the experiments they had me do. They wanted to see how good my tracking abilities were.”
“But how can you track her if she doesn’t leave a scent on the ground?” Mica ripped a bite off her dinner roll. A few crumbs fell on her plate.
“I don’t use just scent.” Luke made a tapping movement on his head. “It’s all up here.”
Mica rolled her brown eyes. “That again?”
It wasn’t the first time Luke had alluded to his extrasensory abilities that bypassed the five senses. When we’d first met him last week, he’d known about Amber’s heightened sense of smell before we told him, as if he saw it inside her. He obviously had abilities like Di. Psychic abilities.
“So how do you track her?” Jasper asked. The twin looked skeptical, his arms crossed.
“I told you, it’s up here.” Luke tapped his head again.
Mica sighed in exasperation. “Yeah, but what does that mean?”
“It means I can see her, if I hone in on her. I get glimpses into what she’s thinking and feeling, and I’m able to see through her eyes for brief periods of time. It’s like she pops up on my radar. I sense where she is.”
Flint raised an eyebrow. “But how does that allow you to find her?”
“The connection is kind of like a magnet. It tells me which direction to go. I just follow it.”
Amber’s head cocked. “So you don’t use scent?”
“I do use scent, but that’s only part of it. If someone’s over fifty miles away, their scent’s too faint. Then, I just use what’s up here.” He tapped his head for the third time.
“I can track up to a hundred miles by scent,” Amber said.
Luke’s eyebrows rose. “That’s impressive.”
I leaned forward in my seat. “But how did you know that Amber could smell things? When we first met?”
“It was a feeling I got off her. It’s like…I knew. I don’t know how else to describe it.”
“Interesting.” Di tapped her chin.
Jacinda leaned forward too. “So is it only Susannah you can track?”
Luke’s caramel colored hair ruffled his shoulders when he shook his head. “I could track Edgar too. And I’ve been with all of you long enough, I may be able to track you as well.”
Father took a sip of his wine before standing. “Can I leave the ten of you to find her tomorrow? I need to leave for a few days, to clean a few things up.”
My stomach fluttered. Susannah was missing. Father was leaving. Our finances hung in the balance. I sat up straighter. We all knew things wouldn’t be easy after we rescued Luke, Susannah and Edgar. Now, we had to step up to the plate. There was no way to hide from our new lives.
I nodded. “We’ll find her.”
DI’S TALL FORM moved back and forth in front of the floor to ceiling windows, her arms crossed as she paced. The early morning desert sky stared back. It was only six in the morning. A beautiful, pink and orange glow stretched along the horizon.
I’d tossed and turned all night, wondering where Susannah was, wishing we had an easy way to call her back. But we had no way to do that. Our only hope was Luke.
I jumped up from the couch. “Let’s wake Luke up.”
My statement stopped Di’s pacing. She placed her hands on her hips. Black pants and a long-sleeved black sweater covered her tall frame. “I’m giving him five more minutes, then I’ll wake him up.”
Jacinda fiddled with her turtleneck. She stood by the cold, empty fireplace. “Do you really think he can find her?”
Jasper shrugged. “He claims to be able to.”
“Right now, he’s the only chance we have.” Flint’s deep voice carried through the cavernous room.
“But can he, that’s the real question.” Jet raised a skeptical eyebrow.
“Of course I can.” Luke’s voice made Mica and Edgar jump. He appeared from around the corner, looking freshly showered. His massive shoulders filled the hall. A hint of aftershave wafted in the air as he trailed past the couch.
Jet tapped his watch. “About time, wolf. Did you not get the memo we wanted to set out early?”
Luke’s golden eyes flickered to the windows. The night had only just ended. “How early did you mean?”
His serious question got a laugh out of Jet. “Just messin’ with you, bro.”
“Let’s get a move on.” Di pulled her jacket on. “If Susannah’s flown somewhere remote, it may take all day to find her.”
WE ALL STOOD outside, waiting for Luke while he transformed. It was freezing out. Not literally, the temp hovered in the forties, but there was a biting wind that made my eyes water. I pulled my scarf tightly around my face.
Four wheelers and dirt bikes were parked at our sides. More things left behind by the previous celebrity owner. Our plan was to follow Luke if he was able to catch Susannah’s trail. I hoped the vehicles had enough gas to go the distance.
Flint stood beside me. The rest of the group huddled around. Luke had disappeared behind the house after instructing all of us to stay put. A few minutes had passed since then. I shuffled from foot to foot, wishing I’d put on thicker socks. I was about to go back inside to get a new pair when a shriek snapped my head up.
Amber’s hand flew to her mouth. Her eyes bulged.
I followed her gaze and swallowed a yelp.
A huge, tawny colored wolf padded toward us. He was quite simply, the largest wolf I’d ever seen. If I hadn’t known it was Luke, I would have bolted for the house. At his shoulders, he had to be close to four feet tall, and the razor sharp canines that poked out of his mouth looked entirely deadly.
“Whoa,” Jet muttered.
“No shit,” Jasper agreed.
Luke approached as silently as a bat flying at night. He brushed against Jacinda and chuffed.
Of all of us, Jacinda appeared the least apprehensive. She tentatively ran her fingers through his coat.
A low contented growl emitted from Luke.
Amber stepped forward eagerly. “What’s he feel like?”
Jacinda stroked his fur again. “Soft.”
Bundled up in a puffy jacket and knee high winter boots, Amber’s eyes shone brightly with excitement. She looked like a kid experiencing her first Christmas. She threaded her fingers through Luke’s fur. “Wow. He is really soft.”
Luke made another noise, and if I didn’t know better, also rolled his eyes.
The twins put their hands on their hips. Dark, curly hair peeked out from under their hats. Their bright blue eyes looked amused. Twitches, raised eyebrows and a few chuckles followed. Telepathy wasn’t subtle.
“Okay, ladies,” Jet drawled. “As fun as this petting zoo is, we have work to do, remember? Luke said he’s going to find Susannah.”
“Yeah,” Jasper added. “Let’s see if he actually can.”
Luke licked Jacinda’s free hand before he lifted his head. He exhaled forcefully, closed his eyes and then inhaled. He did that a few times before whining and taking off at a trot toward the gate.
We all jumped onto the four wheelers and dirt bikes. Once we exited the massive enclosed backyard, Luke took off at a lope.
We revved our engines. Sand and dirt kicked up around the tires. The twins and Di rode the dirt bikes. The rest of us sat on four wheelers.
It reminded me of Hideaway Hills, when we rounded up cattle. On the easier terrain, Pete and the cowboys rode four wheelers, only using horses for the harder to navigate mountainous region. A brief twinge of nostalgia filled me as I remembered Pete and Val. We hadn’t talked to them since leaving all those weeks ago. An ache formed in my chest every time I thought about them, but we all agreed it was too dangerous to contact them. With Marcus hunting us, th
e last thing we wanted was to put the ranching couple in jeopardy. If Marcus knew about them, he could use them as leverage. I’d surrender myself to Marcus in a second if I knew it would keep Pete and Val safe.
Thankfully, Luke moved fast which meant I had to concentrate on driving versus reminiscing about our previous home. The werewolf didn’t slow when cacti, rocks and hills got in the way. It was hard to keep up with everyone, since I wasn’t used to driving a four wheeler.
Flint, of course, stayed by my side. At our first particularly rough piece of terrain, he drove ahead and tried to guide me through it. After catching my irritated expression, he chuckled and pulled back.
I grinned and pushed through the terrain until I got the hang of it.
Despite my inexperience, I wanted to laugh as we chased Luke through the desert. Cold, winter air bit into my cheeks. My lungs constricted from the brisk temperature. The feel of the wind against my face, and the comradery of us all whooping and riding together infused adrenaline into my body.
We kept up the pace until we entered the mountains. We were truly miles away from the house and no longer on Father’s property. Nobody was out here. It was too remote. The nearest town was at least fifty miles away.
Luke stopped every now and then, to do his exhaling and inhaling thing. I guessed he was scenting for Susannah, although I had no idea how much he could actually smell given the distance we had covered. I figured part of it triggered his extrasensory ability, whatever that was.
When we reached the tree line, Luke stopped again. This time, he put his nose to the ground, pawed the pine needles and whined. Abruptly, he took off again and raced through the trees.
It was harder to keep up with him in the forest. Luke loped easily through the pines, but the wider four wheelers didn’t move as well.
Edgar got stuck between two trees. Amber, Jacinda, Jet and I stopped to help, but Luke kept going. The four of us waved everyone else away.
Reborn: A Contemporary Fantasy Romance (The Lost Children Trilogy Book 3) Page 2