“Yes, she does,” Ashley said from the bottom of the kitchen stairs. Ashley held Nate’s hand tightly, and Jarrett observed the support her fiancé offered.
Jarrett tipped his head in gratitude for Nate’s care, even though he understood Nate didn’t need it.
“Nice to see you, cowboy,” Nate teased. Ever since their trip to the New Mexico ranch, Nate had boldly called him cowboy. The nickname still irked him, and Jarrett still wasn’t sure if it was better to be feared or liked.
Ashley smiled with watery eyes when Jarrett scowled at Nate. Weakened and shaky, she made her way over slowly with Nate discreetly supporting her. Ashley hugged Jarrett fiercely, and it didn’t escape his attention that she didn't let go of Nate until she made contact with him. When they broke apart she gripped Nate’s hand again. Jarrett understood Nate was helping her withstand the bombardment of emotions. She’d done something similar with him once when they were in a panicked crowd together, but the level of her discomfort here shadowed that event.
Even though her power was stronger with animals, the strength of residual emotions created by intense events was often difficult for any empath. Centering her focus on one person at a time through direct contact kept the bleed-off of those feelings to a minimum. Without hesitation, Jarrett reached up and pulled out a green amulet from underneath his shirt. Seeing it, her eyes filled with gratitude. Ashley tipped her head forward, and Jarrett fastened the clasp so she could possibly find relief. Once it was in place, Ashley sighed as the torrent of sadness subsided almost instantly.
"Thanks," Nate said equally relieved.
"No problem, runt, I'd hate for her grip to crush your weak hands."
Nate chuckled. “You’re getting better at sarcasm. Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”
Before Jarrett could reply Cade stepped away from Cynda and Tracy to allow Delphene a turn. While Delphene hugged them and struck up a conversation in French with Cynda, Cade moved closer to Ashley. She bit her lip, closing her eyes to focus. “It’s been a while, crocodile,” she murmured.
He nodded. “It’s been a while.” He wanted to hug her but understood right away the strength of his conflicted feelings were simply too much for either of them. When Collett passed Ashley had avoided Cade as much as possible out of a need to survive his agony.
His eyes went to the green gem hanging on her neck. Having worn the magical amulet himself once, he understood it dulled magical effects as if it was some sort of shield. However, the gem didn’t make those effects obsolete. He could see even at this distance his emotions were strong enough to still reach her through the shield, and though he found the level of her empathy odd, he let it go. His sorrow was too personal for him to risk sharing anyway.
Cade turned, and James smiled. Cade patted his shoulder at first, but that wasn’t enough for youngest of the Williams clan. Pulling his pseudo uncle in, they shared a long overdue hug.
“You look a little tougher, half-pint,” Cade teased. “You still working the weights?”
“Of course I am, old man. You probably have osteoporosis by now. I gotta be prepared. Who else would lift you up when you break a hip?” James retorted.
Nate poked Jarrett’s arm. “I taught him sarcasm too.”
James discreetly evaluated Cade, seeking the despair he saw the last time they were together. He wasn’t a witch like his sister Tracy, and he wasn’t an empath like Ashley, but he was a thinker. To keep up with his sisters, James had learned there was a different kind of magic in observation.
Cade’s lips tilted at the exchange, but he did not come back with banter as he used to. He was still too solemn. The spark was still missing, but James didn’t see the desolation he’d seen before. It was progress.
They stayed up late, talking and sharing memories. Sitting at the table, they grieved together. The mood eventually died into sleepy acceptance. Cade looked across the table and watched Cynda. She was staring at a picture of Jenny and her together on Cade’s wedding day.
His dream plagued him, and his promise even more. “She said to tell you she was sorry,” Cade confessed quietly. Everyone looked to him, and he felt awkward under their scrutiny.
“Collett…” he choked out. Struggling to speak of her at all, Cade swallowed hard. “I promised. I promised I would tell you she was sorry, and Sam was waiting for her.”
“How?” Cynda asked with new tears apparent in her eyes. “What are you talking about?”
The familiar weight came back to him again, but he fought against it. “It was a dream. She came last night, right before you called,” he explained.
“She talked about Jenny?” James questioned.
“Yeah, but she never mentioned her name. I didn’t even know what she was talking about at first. She just kept telling me she made a mistake, and Dave was moving on.” He frowned.
“Dave?” Tracy wondered.
“One of the wolf pups denning in the mountain. That’s where the dream was,” he offered and began to explain the event as he remembered it. “The thing is, I didn’t understand any of it until I picked up the phone. Then it clicked, and well, I made a promise.”
Cynda smiled slightly. “Thank you for telling me. I wondered…” Her words died as she sought composure. Rederrick pulled her closer, rubbing her arm in comfort and kissing the top of her head. She heaved a great sigh to stem the tide. “I wondered if she was hurting. I felt like she was stolen.” She wiped at her nose with a battered tissue, and grabbing her mother’s hand, Tracy plucked a new tissue up for her with her free hand.
“He was waiting for her,” Rederrick said. “There’s peace in knowing Sam was waiting for her after all this time.”
It gave everyone a sense of contentment knowing Jenny was where she wanted to be. It didn’t erase the loss or fill the empty spot around the kitchen table, but it was a comfort nonetheless.
Much later, after reactions to Cade’s story had ebbed and exhaustion from the day's events took over, everyone retired.
Cade went first, seeking the solitude of his room. The memories of sharing the room with Collett flooded him as he entered. He couldn’t help the utter exhaustion that soaked into his bones tonight. In some ways, it was hard to be back, but that was washed away in the sense of belonging that flowed through him.
Over the last couple months, Cade had been hiding. Only, it wasn’t until coming back that he recognized the truth. Moving to the bathroom, Cade figured a shower would help, but the reflection in the glass caught his eye, much as it had in the motel not long ago. The image that stared back at him this time was not one of a man who didn’t care. This time, he saw the face of a lost man who was trying to find his way. Minutes passed as he stood there seeking the person he once was. A small part of him hoped to see a glimpse of Collett.
She didn’t come.
Shower forgotten, he sought out the balcony to surround himself with the stars and the night sky. Gripping the iron railing, Cade leaned forward and inhaled the crisp mountain air. He remembered Collett’s advice when he was looking for Jarrett.
“A moment ago, you didn’t see a single star because you weren’t looking at them. You only have to make the effort, and there they are as if they are waiting for you.”
Staring at the star-filled sky, he sighed and whispered, “I’m looking. Where are you?”
A single knock sounded, and Jarrett entered without waiting for an invitation. When he saw Cade on the balcony, he approached casually. “Was it real?”
Cade shook his head. “It felt real. She looked real.”
“What she told you. It was real,” Jarrett observed.
“I want it to be real,” Cade confessed. “Then again I don’t.”
“Why?”
Cade sighed. “If it’s real, she still exists and she’s okay. Even if she is gone, she’s all right, and that…” He couldn’t finish for a minute. “That’s something. It helps. But if it’s real, she exists, and I can’t be with her, and it tears my heart out.”
T
hey were both silent for a time, looking out at the stars.
“Do you think—” Cade began and turned face to Jarrett.
Jarrett was already shaking his head. “It’s not possible. No one could have lived through that, not even us. It went through her heart. There’s no power in this world to come back from that.”
Cade nodded, knowing his brother was right, but a tiny sliver of hope had begun, and he had needed to ask even though he knew the answer. “I’ve seen her more than once. Before the dream I mean. I thought…” He paused.
“That you imagined it?” Jarrett finished for him. “How many times?”
“The mirror I broke. She was there for only a split second. Another time I heard her in a dream from my past. She tells me to keep fighting.” Cade stood straight and pulled his hands through his hair. “Today on the plane, I could’ve sworn she was right next to me when I heard her voice. I was awake, and I heard her. But she wasn’t there.”
“If it’s real, she’s coming to us from wherever people go when they die.”
“Heaven,” Cade insisted. “People like Collett go to Heaven.”
Jarrett waved it away noncommittally. “If the dreams are her, then we have a problem,” he finished bluntly.
Cade turned, eyeing his brother.
“She came to me, too. Not in a dream. Though, to be honest, she’s done that before in the past.”
“When? How? ” Cade asked.
“At the hotel in Vacaville. When I was checking out I heard her voice in my ear telling me we’re running out of time.”
“Time for what?”
Jarrett shook his head. “Who knows, but Collett’s come to me enough times in warning. I learned it’s never good to ignore her.”
Chapter 17
Still processing today’s weird chain of events, Jonah could hardly comprehend what was right in front of his face as the last kid was loaded into the police car.
After chewing on his visit with Selena for a few days, he had let the whole event go. Until a complaint came in about suspicious activity going on at a rental cabin down near the river. Before he could think about what he was doing, Jonah grabbed his partner and headed out to check on it. Usually, detectives wouldn’t have taken the first initiative on a random call, but when he heard the complaint come in, Jonah was intrigued by the location. It was too coincidental to ignore.
Now, thirteen kids were cuffed and on their way to be booked on charges for grand theft auto and burglary. Still amazed at how young they were, he wondered how teens got knee-deep into crap like this. Here in the privacy of the woods, the teens had started a chop shop. What’s more, the crime tech had already begun to identify items in the cabin that matched the stolen items in the string of B&E’s he’d been working on. Since their operation was so small scale and rudimentary, it baffled him that they made it this far. Jonah had sympathy for the kids because of the ignorance they had been raised in.
“Wow,” Peterson said, coming up behind him. “I thought you were a goner when that little twit shot you. It’s a good thing you insisted we put our vests on.”
“Yeah,” Jonah replied distractedly, fingering the two holes in the back of his vest where the bullets struck him an hour before.
Grateful Jonah was still alive, his partner looked at the torn Kevlar and shook his head. “Too bad your vest can’t ricochet bullets back at the shooter, like those ninja turtle shells did in the movie.”
Jonah jerked his head around and stared at Peterson with drawn brows.
Taking the reaction the wrong way, Peterson held up his hands in defense. “Not that I’d like to see the little punk killed, but I sure would’ve liked to take him down a notch or too.”
“Turtles?”
“Yeah, you know, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Just saw it with my kids last week.” Seeing his confusion, Peterson hesitated. “You sure you’re All right?”
Jonah’s brow drew in as he thought about it. “Turtles,” he mumbled.
“You wanna…” Peterson began, more concerned now.
Jonah waved him off. “No. I’m fine. Just thinking. Go ahead, I’ll finish up here.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah go on, your wife will be worried when she hears shots were fired,” Jonah insisted.
“Okay, I’m going.” Peterson started to leave, but turned back. “Hey, I forgot to tell you. The William’s housekeeper, Jenny, she passed on this morning. Captain had a fondness for her. She always brought cookies to the station when she came to town. You wouldn’t know that I guess, since you came after everything happened. Anyway, the captain is taking up a collection for some sort of rose thingy. Looked real nice in the picture.”
“Roses?” he asked, overwhelmed. “She hates roses,” Jonah mumbled under his breath as he remembered Selena’s advice.
“What’s that?” Peterson asked.
“Nothing. Thanks for the heads up. Get on home to your wife.”
“Yeah. Well anyway, thought you’d like to know Cade Werren’s coming back for the funeral. Word is, his flight already landed.”
“Unbelievable,” Jonah said on breath.
Three days later, Jonah Hall clutched the pretty yellow daisies in his hand and made his way to the graveyard where the group of mourners gathered. This time, he attended the family funeral with the full approval of his captain, who was also in attendance, along with a large portion of his fellow officers.
During the services earlier, Jonah sat in a hot, uncomfortable church and listened as speakers portrayed Jenny as a saint. When Tracy spoke, he met her gaze and knew she saw him. To her credit, she went right along as if he wasn’t there.
Jonah could admit her indifference dented his pride just a little. He, on the other hand, could not ignore her presence so easily. Jonah had a difficult time paying attention to anyone else. The sorrow Tracy displayed in no way diminished her grace and beauty. Her grief tugged at his heart, and Jonah wished he could comfort her. The mix of feelings inside him had Jonah changing his plans.
Now, as people filtered away from the burial plot where Jenny was laid to rest, he was at war with himself. He’d come to talk to Cade, but Jonah felt guilty for even attempting it.
Tracy saw him walking toward the family. Taking in his starched shirt and black Stetson, she met him before he reached Cade. “What are you doing here? This isn’t the time.”
“I know.” He held out the daisies and had the pleasure of seeing her eyes brighten. “These are for you.”
Tears shimmered at the edge of her control. “Daisies. You brought daisies?”
“Is it wrong?” he asked worried.
“No. No, not at all. It’s just right. Daisies were her favorite. Jenny’s I mean. She always kept them in the kitchen since the garden had tons of them. We would pick them when we were little.”
“Oh. I …” He stumbled for the right words.
“Thank you.”
“I’m sorry,” he offered.
She looked at the flowers as the need to weep again rose from his condolences.
Jonah glanced behind her and noted Cade Werren and Jarrett Hunter were staring at them. He could tell the brothers apart well enough as they stood together. The greatest contrast Hall observed was in their eyes. Jarrett’s scowl held a sharp fierceness that promised trouble if you crossed him. While Cade’s eyes were softer and full of sadness, and held a secret hint of anger behind them.
After a second, Jarrett said something to Cade and turned his back on them, giving his attention to Ashley. Cade continued to watch them.
Tracy turned to see what had drawn his attention.
“You better get back,” Jonah told her while watching Cade and Jarrett on the hill. “They look like they need you.”
She turned back to Jonah, carefully evaluating him. “You came just to give me flowers?”
“No, but it’s why I’m here now,” he said honestly.
“Oh,” she said.
The detective shifted his weight awkwardly.
Tracy sighed. “What if I told you we won’t let them escape punishment either? What if I asked you to let it go so we can handle it?”
“Go be with your family, Tracy. This conversation can wait. Today’s not the right time for it,” he insisted.
“Thanks again for the flowers,” she paused. “and the respect.”
He reached forward to touch her but hesitated and pulled his arm back. With a slight tip of his hat, he turned to leave.
“You might have missed your opportunity,” she taunted.
“Maybe,” he said, walking away. “But there’ll be others.”
“I wasn’t talking about Cade,” she proclaimed.
Jonah turned his head slightly but didn’t slow his stride. “I know,” he retorted with a flirtatious grin just before getting out of earshot.
Walking up behind her sister, Ashley questioned dramatically, “Who is that?”
“I think it’s my nemesis,” Tracy replied.
Having followed Ashley, James laughed lightly at the comment. “That, dear sister, is Detective Hall."
“Oh,” Ashley replied understanding more. “You mean the one—”
“The one dad is testing? Yep. That’s the one,” Tracy finished.
“Oh,” Ashley said again. After a minute, she asked, “Well, what do we think so far?”
“Jury’s still out,” James replied.
“Do you think he’ll figure it out?” Ashley questioned.
Tracy held the daisies up for them to see since they all knew how much Jenny favored them.
“I think it’s a fair bet he will,” James offered upon seeing the flowers.
“Yep,” Ashley said mimicking her sister.
“The real question is, what will he do when he does?” Tracy wondered out loud.
“Yep,” James copied on a breath.
“He seems nice enough,” Ashley offered. “I don’t get a bad vibe from him.”
Wanting to avoid any more discussion on Detective Hall, Tracy changed the subject as they watched their parents walk back to the limo that would take them home. “Something's stirring, I know it in my gut. We can’t let them cut us out anymore.”
The Truth of Victory: A Powers of Influence Novel Page 16