by Dale Mayer
Matt’s gaze narrowed. “I hate to ask this as I know it’s a sore point, but did you see Remi with her?”
“No,” Connor said shortly. “I didn’t. Then again, I haven’t since that time in the pools.”
Matt nodded. “I was afraid of that.”
“Why could I see him there and not since?”
“The pool would have amplified your senses.”
“Do you think something happened to Remi like to Darbo, and that’s why she bolted?”
“At the very least, I think she’s been alone a very long time and has never had anyone to go to when she was in trouble. Her instincts are telling her something is off.”
“Her store and apartment have both been trashed. There’s nowhere she can go except to the cottage.”
“And what if that’s exactly what someone is hoping she’ll do? She’ll lead them right to it.”
Shit. Connor closed his eyes briefly. “Damn it. I shouldn’t have let her go. Hell, I shouldn’t have left her alone last night. I could sense something was wrong but didn’t understand it. By the time I got back, she’d already distanced herself.”
“With Darbo, Remi, and Genesis gone,” Matt said, “I’m very much afraid it’s all related to her land ownership documents. Genesis holds the key to it all, so we need to go to the cottage.”
“Let’s go. We can get there faster in the hovercraft.”
Connor was already out the door and halfway down the hallway when he turned back to Matt striding behind him. “Except for one thing. How are we going to find the cottage?”
Chapter 32
Genesis stared, a scream choked back in her throat. Her mind had stalled then kicked into overdrive. She didn’t know why or what this was about, but given the documents she’d finally brought out, it couldn’t be anything else. Then she remembered the break-ins earlier.
“What do you want?” She was proud her voice came out normal.
“Don’t play games.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Games? This coming from someone who’s holding my unconscious pet in a threatening manner?”
“He’s not all I have.” He gave a hard laugh, reached into his pocket, and pulled out an equally unconscious Darbo.
Oh no! Matt had to be going ballistic. He’d be able to track Darbo, but would he know this was a trap?
“So I repeat. Besides kidnapping pets, what do you want? Are you trying to ransom them?” she asked, stalling for time.
“Like hell.” He glared at her. “I’m not a petty criminal.”
She shook her head. “Really? So you have nothing to do with the security guard or construction going on here?”
He snorted. “No way.”
“Then what do you want?” Waving an arm behind her, she said, “I didn’t come without bringing help.”
“You’re alone,” he scoffed. “What do you think I am?”
A fool, but she kept that thought to herself. “How did you find this place?”
The grin that spread across his face was terrifying. “My abilities. It can’t find places like your cottage, but it allows me to recognize energy trails like the paths you and these critters took to get here. So I know it’s here, I just can’t see it.”
“And the animals?” she asked cautiously. “Why bring them?”
“Leverage.” And that smile deepened. She hadn’t understood the look in his eyes before, but now she did. It was delight. He was enjoying this. The process. The unconscious animals. Her fear. He had plans, and she expected that inflicting as much pain on her and them was a highlight for him. That he was doing this as a means to the end was one thing, but this guy was going to enjoy the job.
“Who is paying you?”
His eyebrows lifted. “Why would you expect anyone to pay me to do something I’m happy to do?”
Her stomach sank.
“Because there’s no reason for you to do this unless you are getting something more than a few hours entertainment from it.” She kept her voice smooth, adding, “So – Portman or Grandfather?”
A look of surprise glinted in his eyes before being quickly masked.
“Or better yet, Portman Senior wants you to make it look like Grandfather did it.”
When he snorted, she realized something else. “No, of course not,” she said slowly. “He’d love it if you would, and for all intents and purposes, it probably looks like you are following orders, but you like games too much and the payout isn’t big enough.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” he demanded, but his gaze shifted to the left.
“No.” She studied him. “You’re doing this for Grandfather. He’s going to help you take over your family’s company.”
He laughed, but anger twisted his features.
“I’m right, aren’t I?” She caught sight of Remi’s eyes opening slightly and choked back a cry.
Easy, Remi. Don’t move.
“You don’t know anything,” he said in disgust. “You’re just fishing.”
“No. See, that’s the thing about my abilities–” her untapped abilities “–energy doesn’t lie. And when I asked you about doing this for your family, you were disgusted at the concept. Your energy showed it. You’re a young, powerful male and you don’t want to wait for them to step down so you can take your proper place at the top of the line. Your father was never ambitious like you. He was content to be below his father.”
“He’s weak. He has no drive. He’s never going to run the company.”
“Of course not; he doesn’t have the right stuff for it, does he?”
“He’s nothing.” He waved his hand, the one holding Darbo. She held her breath, afraid Darbo would go flying. When he swung his arm back again, Remi reached out his long arms, snagged Darbo, and bolted.
It happened so fast Genesis barely saw the sequence of events. And she knew Portman Junior hadn’t.
“What the hell…?” he blustered, turning around to look at where the animals had gone. She knew he could track Remi’s trail, but she doubted he’d be able to once they went down to the pools.
But she couldn’t take the chance.
Genesis watched as Junior glanced in her direction and froze.
She wanted to laugh, but she didn’t dare. She had no idea what he could see.
She’d gone invisible, but if he saw tracks, maybe he saw her.
The look on his face said he saw something, but what?
“Bloody hell. You can go invisible.”
And he grinned, a nasty malicious grin that had her moving in the opposite direction – and fast.
She had to get to the safety of the pools.
Before he could catch her.
She tore through the bushes, hearing him behind her.
At least she knew the area. If she could do a few circles and confuse him about her tracks, she’d gain a little time to slip away.
At least, that was the plan.
*
Connor pointed out Genesis’s car sitting to one side of the empty parking lot. “Well, at least I guessed that right.”
“Darbo is here, too.” Matt stepped out of the Razor and looked around.
Connor strode forward. He could sense Genesis was ahead. He had no idea if that was because he was close to the pools or his damaged senses were getting stronger. And if that was the case, why had they become weak overnight? Unless it was the distance from the pools.
“Uh, Connor, why are you going that way?”
Connor looked behind to see Matt racing after him, dodging the bushes and trees.
Matt shook his head, calling out, “You know there’s a path on the other side?”
“I know, but it meanders through the woods. This one is a straight line.”
“Except it’s not a path.”
Connor stepped into a clearing and stopped.
“Darbo was here.”
Connor turned to stare at Matt and the hard look on his face.
“So was Genesis.”
Ther
e was an awkward silence.
“Are you saying she has Darbo?” Matt asked, shock in his voice.
“No.” At least he didn’t think so. “At least, she didn’t bring him here. Whether she has him now or not, I don’t know.”
The longer he stayed there and studied the air around him, the stronger he could sense something else. The energy signatures weaving in front of him. He was delighted to see them. But he wished they’d stabilize so he could memorize them.
“Someone else was here, too.”
“Can you tell who?” Matt demanded.
“No.” But he didn’t move. He studied the energy, looking for similarities to other people, locking the signature down in his memory. “But I’ll recognize it again.”
“So your abilities are stronger here, and less capable the farther away you go?” Matt said in a slow, considered way. “Interesting.”
“And reassuring. It means that if I spend some time here, I should be able to fully recover.”
“It would explain why you had your abilities when you were here earlier, too.”
“Exactly.”
Connor chose the path with the strongest energy and raced ahead.
“Are we following Genesis or the newcomer?” Matt asked from behind him.
“Both. Genesis is ahead of the other.”
“I’ll take that as not a good sign.”
“No, but she’s on the move, so that is positive.”
“Not if he’s following behind.”
Connor came to a stop at one of the entrances to the healing pools. “Damn it. They’ve gone in.”
“Maybe that’s a good thing,” Matt said beside him, studying the small entrance in the cliff. “Darbo is down there, too.”
Connor nodded. “I can see two vague animal energies.” He groaned. “Why couldn’t I see them earlier? I knew Genesis was upset that I couldn’t see Remi. I think she thought I made it up earlier.”
“I can’t blame her. The ability to see the animals connected to our partners is key in a relationship. It’s like having a secret life you can’t share with someone you love. It doesn’t work.”
There was a note of something off in Matt’s voice. Just about to step inside the cave entrance, Connor looked back at him. “Is that what happened to you and Celeste? Could you not see her animal?”
Matt winced. “It was a little more severe than that.”
As it was related to Genesis and affected everything she saw in relationships, he needed to understand. Connor waited, his gaze steady.
Matt sighed. “Darbo used to be hers.”
Chapter 33
Genesis could only hope the energy of the pools would confuse Portman Junior. So far, she hadn’t had any luck in throwing him off her track. But she was smaller, lighter, and faster. And she knew the area. She’d laid several criss-cross trails to confuse him but needed to lay a few more. She could go down to the lowest pool, but she really didn’t want to lead the asshole down there as well. She didn’t know what his final agenda was but knew it would have to be bad for him to take Remi and Darbo. He’d crossed a line with that action.
She slipped around a corner and hid, waiting to see if he was still managing to follow her. Hating that her breath was raspy enough to be heard, she held her breath and closed her eyes. He could track her energy, but the caves were full of it. It was more an issue as to whether the energy pooling where she stood would show stronger than the other trails. She took another step deeper into the shadows and felt a small hand slide into hers.
Oh, God. It was Remi! She reached down and pulled him into her arms. She didn’t dare cry out in joy or make any motion that would attract attention. He chattered briefly and quietly, but it was mostly a sigh and a heavy breath. Then she felt something so soft and so gentle it brought tears to her eyes. Darbo. Tiny paws patting her cheeks as he slowly moved to sit on her shoulder, one arm hooking around her ear.
She smiled, loving the little body cuddling close. The good thing there was that Darbo’s presence made her feel closer to her sister right now. And in her moment of homesickness, that connection was so special she rejoiced in the sensation.
She cuddled the animals, so grateful to have them in her arms.
But that also meant that they weren’t safe. She’d so hoped they would be long gone. Away from here. But of course, Remi had come for her.
How could she use this new scenario to make her escape?
Remi’s voice whispered against her ear. She couldn’t make out the details, but the message was clear. Use them to save her.
She sat there in silence as she contemplated mixing Remi’s and Darbo’s energies with hers. Would that create a strong band of pooling energy to make them more visible, or was there a way to spread it so thin that her kidnapper couldn’t see any of them?
How could she do it?
As she pondered the question, Remi slipped from her grasp and disappeared. She listened to his soft scuttling sounds as he ran down one corridor and back up another, then did it all over again. She smiled. She didn’t have to spread the energy – he was doing it for her.
When he was done, he pulled her out of the shadows and led her down a different corridor. They didn’t see Portman Junior anywhere.
Good.
With Remi leading the way, she moved through the caves to the other side, where she could gain access to her cottage. Once there, she’d be safe. She knew that. She just had to make sure she didn’t give her position away.
With one ear listening hard for sounds indicating Portman Junior was following them, she moved through the blackness, loving the dark. Loving being one with nature. Having Darbo on her shoulder just added to the comforting feeling. She wished she could contact Celeste. See her sister’s face just for a moment. Hold her sister in her arms for a hug. The three had always been close. She’d love to sit down with Tori, too, but she knew her sister had left angry. Not at Genesis, but at Devon. Her fiancé and soul mate, and yet another victim of Grandfather’s machinations. Given what Genesis knew had transpired, she knew her sister wouldn’t be coming back anytime soon.
But damn, she missed them. Feeling the tears in her eyes, she sniffled back the sobs threatening to break free.
As she reached out mentally for her sisters’ love, it was as if she felt them reaching back. She rested for a moment, letting the memories fill her with joy and love, then feeling stronger and more in control than ever, she closed the last bit of distance to her cottage.
The brushes rustled around her, but in a calm, serene way. There were no unexpected noises or disjointed silence. Birds sang. The wind blew gently.
She searched for any signs of Portman Junior, any dark or disturbed energy, but there was none.
Not sure it was safe but needing to take the next step anyway, she called to Remi. He came immediately. “Remi, take us inside without showing the house.”
She repeated the same request inside her head.
There was a gentle answering rumble through her mind. She smiled and finally understood one of the lessons Granny had tried to teach her about invisibility. She had been trying too hard. It wasn’t an outer action, it was an inner relaxation.
Still using the invisible energy from Remi, she shed her soul-bound existence and, using the lessons of her granny, she spread her energy outward, connecting with Granny’s energy through the past and the present and stepped inside the camouflage, becoming one with it, becoming it.
Inside the barrier, she stopped for a long moment, feeling the energy of Darbo, Remi, everyone she’d loved and had lost, flowing through her. The only way energy became invisible was by joining with it – all of it.
She could barely breathe as her cells filled and released, over and over.
Then she stepped through to the other side. She opened her eyes and smiled.
She was home.
*
Connor kept moving forward, his mind busy on Matt’s words about Darbo having been Celeste’s. What could he say? There
was a whole story in itself over that issue but it did explain, at least a little bit, about why they had broken up. Matt was private. He wouldn’t tell tales out of turn and Celeste was not here to ask.
Genesis hadn’t mentioned the break-up, either. Neither had she mentioned Tori’s disappearance. Then again, as they’d all left at the same time, himself included, it was likely better to not ask her yet. They needed to solve a few problems first.
They would have time after they sorted themselves out to explain about the others. He understood that Matt was hoping Celeste would return, but who knew if that was even possible?
The tunnel had widened to the point that the two men were able to walk side by side. They’d long passed the heavy construction equipment and the pools at the top layer. Connor was looking for Genesis’s private exit that led to the cottage. He only had a vague memory of the trip as he’d been injured at the time.
“You can’t see it?” Matt asked, his voice low, deep, his fatigue evident.
“It’s through here,” Connor pointed, worried at his friend’s state. “But I can’t remember much. The trip got fuzzier as we travelled. Honestly, by the time we got to her place, I was barely on my feet.”
“I’m surprised she managed to get you there.”
Connor nodded. “I think I remember her talking to Remi at the time, but I didn’t know what I was hearing and I certainly wasn’t seeing anyone. Figured it was my imagination.”
“It’s difficult to see spirit animals. They’re not just pets, but creatures we are connected with on a most intimate level.”
“You’re speaking from experience, I presume?” Connor took a few steps into the closest tunnel, realized it didn’t look right, and backed out.
“Absolutely. I had no one in the family with spirit animals. None with abilities or power of any kind. I was as unlike the rest of my family as could be imagined.”