Gifted Connections: Book 4

by SM Olivier

  I stood up with a giant yawn. “Thank you for taking such good care of me,” I told him as I watched him move around the couch, pull it out, and place the covers on it in no time. “Will you cuddle with me until I fall asleep.”

  He nodded as I laid down. He slipped behind me and wrapped his arms around me. His even breathing and the television started to lure me to sleep within moments.

  I groaned as a thought crossed my mind. “Jemmy’s going to be so mad at me when I tell her who my last connection is.”

  “About that…” Remy said hesitantly. “Jaxson may or may not have already told her.”

  “Crap!” I muttered. “She hasn’t been blowing my phone up, so that can’t be good.”

  He chuckled. “Get some sleep. We’ll worry about that tomorrow.”

  Chapter 10

  I woke up to someone knocking on the RV door. Remy was already at the door when I sat up, opening it. Jace came up the stairs looking pensive. He had a few coffees and a deli bag in his hands.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked immediately.

  He wiped a weary hand over his face. “We had to take Jaxson to the ER this morning. He’s having seizures, and we have no clue why.”

  I gasped as I place my hand over my mouth. My eyes immediately burned with tears. This was getting to be so emotionally exhausting. I couldn’t continue this way. It was one thing for me to physically feel the loss of our gifts, but it was too much watching and knowing they were suffering. I went over to my bag and started rummaging through it.

  “What are you doing?” Remy asked with concern.

  “I’m done waiting,” I informed him. “I’m going to get dressed and then march right over there. I can’t have all of you losing your faculties.”

  “We should change your dressing first, and you should eat and take your medications,” Jace said firmly as he sat down heavily in the kitchenette. “Troy’s sitting with Jaxson, and Noah’s with Drake. It’s going to be okay.” I don’t know who he was trying to convince more, him or me.

  Remy gently took the clothing from my hands and sat me back down on the bed. He grabbed my bag, then removed my dressing. “It looks better this morning,” he said gruffly.

  Jace handed me a sausage, egg, and cheese croissant and I attempted to eat it as Remy plied his ministrations on me.

  “He left for a morning run about twenty minutes ago, and your high-strung friend left a few minutes ago,” Remy informed us. “You can probably meet him on the beach. It has a public access road about a mile down the road. By the way, your phone’s been going off like crazy.”

  Jace reached over and took my phone off the charger and handed it to me. Sure, enough I had eleven text messages.

  Jemmy: I can’t believe you’re stealing my man…

  Jemmy: Do I still get the free pass…

  Tink: Hey girl, how are you feeling?

  Jemmy: I did see him first!

  Tink: If you’re free today we should get lunch.

  Jemmy: Why aren’t you answering me…Hello?!

  Tink: You better not have left town without seeing me first!

  Jemmy: Bombshell just dropped! You know that saying it’s a small world, you have no clue!

  Jemmy: Call me when you get a chance

  Troy: Good morning beautiful. I don’t want you to worry, but I’m taking Jax to the hospital.

  Noah: Feeling better today! Taking Drake to his appointment later. Miss you!

  “Did anyone talk to Jemmy?” I asked as Remy pulled a turquoise top over my head.

  “It’s unseasonably hot out,” he explained as I looked at the sleeveless top with scoop neck. It was shorter, so a sliver of skin was exposed below the shirt and above my sand colored shorts.

  I looked over at Jace and saw that he was dressed in a pair of cargo khaki shorts with a baby blue polo that made his blue eyes stand out even more. It was still surreal to me that it was the beginning of January and we were able to wear shorts. It was going to be a shock returning to cold weather.

  “Jemmy’s left me some messages, but I’m not really in the mood to talk to her,” Jace stated resolutely as he took a bite of his breakfast sandwich.

  Remy grabbed his own sandwich. “She left me a message, too.”

  I took a sip of my coffee and contemplated how I was going to approach Lincoln. I took two more bites of my sandwich, then put it down, unable to finish it. “Okay, boys, wish me luck,” I said as I stood up.

  “Let me drive you to the public access beach. He ran in that direction,” Remy stated as he stood up. “I might just come back here and crash if you don’t mind, Jace.”

  “Have at it, man,” Jace said with a nod. “We don’t need you driving if you’re tired. I’ll keep watch on the cameras, just in case.” Jace stood and kissed me on the nose and gave me a brief hug.

  Remy nodded and then grabbed the keys to the other vehicle off the counter. “Do you want your coffee? You really don’t function before your first cup.”

  “True story.” I feigned a laugh, my mind whirling with all the possibilities of how this meeting was going to go. I grabbed my coffee and followed Remy out of the camper.

  He was already in the car and was busy playing with the radio when I slid into the passenger seat. I sighed, my worry getting to me. “Who’s next?” I muttered in frustration.

  “None of us. You’re going to charm him, and he’ll want to make the connection,” Remy said with conviction although it didn’t reach his eyes.

  I snorted in doubt as he continued to drive. I didn’t know what I’d do if the guys continued to get sick and I didn’t convince Lincoln to make a connection. Will our lost connection affect him too? Could I persuade him by telling him that his health may suffer if we didn’t connect?

  It didn’t feel like that it took that long before we found the side road that led to the public access beach. I leaned over and kissed Remy on the cheek. “Get some sleep,” I told him softly.

  “I wish I could go with you,” he grumbled.

  “I know you do, but you know I have to do this on my own,” I patted his cheek, his stubble rough across my palms. “See you soon.”

  He nodded as his hands clenched and unclenched on the wheel.

  I headed towards the beach and took off my sandals when I reached the sand. The sand felt warm on my toes from the sun’s heat. I noticed that the whole beach was empty. I looked out at the ocean and couldn’t help but admire its beauty. I turned and looked around.

  I could see a few houses. I wondered if this beach was a well-kept secret. Even though it was seven in the morning, I expected to see at least a few people on the bench. I looked off to my right and saw a figure heading my way. It had to be him. I took a deep, calming breath and took a seat on the warm sand. Might as well be comfortable while I waited.

  I wished I had brought my sunglasses, as the sun was blinding as it bounced off the water. It wasn’t long before he was within a few feet of me. I tried not to notice that he was topless and only wore a pair of gym shorts that were slung low on his hips. A towel was casually hung around his shoulders.

  “Done stalking me from your RV?” he asked sardonically, slightly breathless as he wiped his brow off of sweat.

  I gaped at him. “You knew I was out there and didn’t say anything or find out why I was out there?” I asked in surprise.

  “I knew exactly who you were the moment I met you,” he said in a clipped tone. “You forget I knew how to jump long before you started stealing my gift and making me weaker. I’m just wondering why a gift thief is suddenly in my world.”

  I was now sitting in his massive kitchen with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice in front of me. He refused to talk to me on the beach. He told me that the paparazzi had been known to lie in wait for him. Especially now that he’d finished wrapping up his latest movie.

  “I’m not a gift thief,” I finally stated as he took a long drag of his bottle of water. “How much do you know about our gifts? Our community?”

>   He shrugged. “That’s two questions. For every question you ask, I get to ask one.” He looked at me expectantly, and I realized he was waiting for me to agree.

  I reluctantly nodded.

  “I know enough,” he finally answered. “I know that my mother could do things that would blow most people’s minds. I know that my sperm donor was supposedly just as talented. Do you really work for a security firm? How have you been able to take my gift?”

  I took a deep breath and took a drink of my orange juice with shaking hands. Might as well rip the band-aid off now. “Yes and no. I am getting paid to do these jobs, but that wasn’t the main reason I came here. I came here to find you or the person that carries that mark.” I pointed to the tattoo on his chest. “I never took your gift, at least not intentionally. I didn’t even know I was capable of doing it until recently.”

  He chuckled at me dubiously. “My mom told me that it was a mark of a connection, but then again, she was losing her mind at the end of her life and would speak a lot of nonsense. She never said anything about a connection when I first got my mark at twenty-one.”

  “So, you’re twenty-five,” I stated as I did the math in my head. If Remy were nineteen when he got his, then he would be a year older than Remy. I was trying to approach my next statement diplomatically, but he cut me off.

  He laughed sardonically. “So, you Googled me, good for you. Gifts come in during adolescence, or in my case, slightly younger. How are you just now finding out you can jump?”

  I sighed at his hostility, telling myself that I had to play nice for the sake of Jaxson, Noah, and Drake. “I was thirteen when I got my mark,” I stated as I stood up and showed him the mark on the back of my neck. “I never googled you until yesterday, and that was only to confirm my suspicion that you may be my connection. Honestly, I never even knew you existed until recently. Jumping isn’t my only gift, I have several, in fact.”

  He looked at me with narrowed eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he saw the identical mark he carried, but unlike him and the guys, I never tattooed over mine. It looked more like a scar, much like his did when it first came in.

  “You’re so full of crap. You’re not the first crazed fan to come up with some bizarre story to get close to me. If you’re not a gift stealer, show me what you got.”

  I sighed and rubbed my eyes. “I can’t! I’m losing my gifts. We need to make this connection soon, or we’ll all lose our gifts, you included. You say you feel weak, it wasn’t me using your gift. It is you losing your gift. For us, we’ve already pretty much lost it.”

  His brows knitted in skepticism. “Us? How do you propose we make this connection? You want a quick shag? Shall I bend you over my couch and give you what you’re so thirsty for? You’re a cutie I give you that, but I don’t screw crazy.”

  I bristled at his arrogance. “I don’t know how or why but somehow, someway, I was given six connections; seven, including you,” I began to explain. Then I laughed harshly. “If you don’t do crazy, then why are you with Eva?”

  He started to laugh without any mirth. “You do realize how crazy you sound? What little my mother did tell me is when a person is connected they have a maximum of two, and no one has more than one gift. I’m not with Eva, but she gets the job done.”

  I shuddered at his crudeness. God must have a sense of humor to connect me with someone so repulsive no matter how hot he may be. “Do you have a laptop?” I asked in frustration as I remembered the training videos we had. Maybe showing him could prove it to him.

  He gave me a look of disbelief before he went into a room in the back and returned with a laptop. It was already opened. I clicked the internet icon and waited for it to load. I navigated to the page of Knightstown Academy.

  “Is that the school you attend?” he asked, surprise lacing his voice—and something else indiscernible.

  I really didn’t want to do small talk, but I needed him to believe me. “Used to…right now all my classes are done remotely.” I entered my username and password and waited for the page to load. I went into a back door that was so heavily encrypted that the typical hacker wouldn’t be able to find it unless they knew exactly what they were looking for.

  “You say you got your mark at thirteen. How old are you now?” he asked as if he was just amusing me.

  “Eighteen,” I said waiting for more of his rude sarcasm. “We got it the same day, if I’m not mistaken. I woke up with mine. Around the Fourth of July, I think.” I closed my eyes for a moment. “Yes, it was around the Fourth of July because the children down the street kept on setting off fireworks, even though it was illegal.”

  I looked back at him, and he looked a tad pale. I knew I had guessed it correctly. Talking to the guys, we had all been marked around the same time, give or take a few days.

  The page finally loaded, and I clicked on the videos taken at the obstacle course. In the video, you could see me use several of my gifts.

  After several moments of silence, he cleared his throat. “I don’t know what your end game is, or what you think all these lies would accomplish, but tell your special effects man or woman that they did an excellent job. Now, please leave and move your RV or I’m calling the cops.”

  I stood up and clenched my fist. “You are delaying the inevitable unless you’re okay about losing your gift permanently. There are days I can’t even leave my bed anymore. My limbs won’t let me. Noah is starting to suffer the same effects. Drake is becoming blind, and this morning Jaxson had to go to the ER for seizures. I don’t know if it’s going to start affecting you the same way, but don’t say I didn’t try to warn you.”

  He clapped mockingly. “You’re a really great actress. You should get in touch with my agent.”

  I was so infuriated with him I could only growl at him in frustration. I turned, knowing there was no getting through to him. My frustration and fear were mounting in me. I felt really close to having a panic attack.

  I turned back around and glared at him one last time. “I don’t know if you pay attention to current events or the news, but some laws are trying to be passed against us. We’ll have to get mandatory testing, we will have to be registered as potentially dangerous citizens. If some congress members get their way, we will all be thrown into camps and be monitored before we are deemed safe to be among the average population. Where we are located, we are exempted from the law if or when it is to be passed.”

  I paused, going for the jugular. “Imagine what Hollywood and your friends would think if they knew who you really were.”

  I knew he needed to be swayed. If he didn’t care about losing his gift, maybe he would care about the issues we were now facing. He didn’t need to know he may have a significant role in helping to prevent it from coming to fruition, but he needed to understand the dire situation we were in.

  I went to rip open his front door as Anna was coming up the stairs. “Blake,” she cried happily. “How’d you know I was here?”

  I looked hesitantly over my shoulder, I didn’t want to lie to her, but I couldn’t tell her the truth.

  “I let her know,” Lincoln said in a clipped tone. “I’m hopping in the shower, then I have to go meet my agent. You girls have fun.”

  “What got up his butt?” Anna asked as he retreated. She dropped some bags onto the counter and then zipped over to the coffee maker.

  I pulled out my cell phone and texted Remy and Jace.

  Blake: He doesn’t believe me. Hanging out with Anna for a little bit and I’ll ask her to take me back to the hotel. He knew we were in the RV. Threatening to call the cops if we don’t move it.

  Jace: Leaving now. Let us know when you’re on the way back to the hotel.

  Blake: Please keep me updated on Jax and Drake.

  Jace: Will do. Jax was just released, and they said all of his tests came back fine. He’s getting breakfast with Troy right now and says he feels fine.

  Blake: Thanks. Love you.

  Jace: Love you more.
>
  “He always seems testy around me,” I said hesitantly when I realized she actually expected an answer.

  “He’s all bark no bite,” she said with confidence as she started to pull out some groceries from her bags. “Do you drink coffee?”

  I nodded, thinking about the few sips I had this morning. “I do. How long have you guys known each other?” I asked as I sat back down at one of the stools.

  “Since I first got introduced to the scene,” she told me as she began making the coffee. “I outfitted one of his girlfriends, and it kind of took off from there. He brought me a lot of clients in the beginning.” She waved her hand at the counter. “Here, I brought some stuff to make breakfast, but I can’t cook.” She smiled ruefully, emptying the grocery bags.

  I stood up, wanting to get my hands busy—I needed a distraction from the tailspin it was in. “What did you have in mind?” I asked as I looked at the vegetables, bacon, eggs, cheese, and sausage she pulled out.

  She shrugged with a laugh. “Food. I’m not picky.”

  “What were you going to do with all of this if you weren’t going to cook it? Hmm.. how do omelets sound?” I asked.

  She eagerly nodded. “Can you make a western omelet with extra mushrooms, sausage, and bacon?” Then she shrugged. “I don’t know. I was hoping it was Maria’s day.” At my raised brow she hastily explained. “Maria is Lincoln’s cook slash maid slash friend. She comes two or three days a week and cooks him food that stores well. Then he heats it when he’s ready to eat.”

  I laughed. “Sure, I can make a western omelet. He seems to have a lot of…friends.” I said dryly.

  She giggled. “He does, but Maria is just the platonic variety like me, though. Maria is old enough to be his mother, and like I said he friend zoned me. I’m glad someone could cook around here. Ma tried to teach me, but you know me.”

  She promptly sat back down and pulled out a sketchpad with a pencil. “I have trouble focusing on things that don’t interest me. The doctors wanted to put me on medication when I got with Ma and Pa, but Ma is sort of a hippy. She didn’t believe that society should be so eager to pump children full of drugs. I had no interest in little else but drawing. She said if I passed school and made a true attempt at studying, she wouldn’t punish me or fill me full of drugs. When I got good grades, she gave me more art supplies.”