“Do you think she still believes she could hurt someone?” Noah asked.
“I’ve asked her, Maricel has asked her and so has Max. She just stares off in space. I’m hoping Kali’s ability to determine if people are telling the truth might help.”
“That only works if people are talking, then I can determine if they are lying. Alma is too young to talk.”
“I guess I knew that.” Noah, Kali and Sarah talked for another hour, but couldn’t come up with any ideas or solutions, finally Sarah decided it was time to go back to the apartment, and called Cyrus and pick her up.
“If there is any way we can help, please let us know and we’ll be there.”
****
The next day Brice was giving a debriefing on all he learned from his time in Vancouver while acting as a bodyguard with the Nanotech division of Rixitron.
“Those Nanotech fuckers are scary. I had no idea we’d come so far in technology, I thought it was all books and movies.”
“What do you mean?” Cyrus asked.
“I mean they can have you swallow mini cameras to do a colonoscopy, but I already saw that on a television show. What was so bloody amazing was how they could integrate a person’s prosthetic with a computer chip in their brain and have it act exactly like a normal limb.”
“That’s not too surprising, is it? I mean we were getting closer and closer to that anyway.”
“How about the fact they could then arrange for the person to take off the limb, and still direct the movements?”
“Holy fuck,” Cyrus breathed. Brice nodded.
“I saw it. I was lucky the eyes didn’t pop out of my head.”
“So how far away are we from a robotic army that can be controlled with just your mind?” Nate asked.
“The better question is, how far away are we before people are implanted with nanotech and others can take control of them.” Everyone in the room looked at Sarah in stunned silence.
“Brice, is that what they were discussing?” Nate asked turning to the Scot.
“No, that didn’t come up. This was nothing more than a demonstration. The three executives left to go to dinner and their personal bodyguard went with them.”
“Sarah, you have to be wrong,” Sierra said. “Just because they might be able to jack with our body parts doesn’t mean they’ll be able to control our minds. Their nanotech isn’t able to do that.”
“Sierra, I think this is where Stovers comes in. He’s trying to find the biology to go with the nanotech. He wants to gather whatever gifts the found might have and learn how to replicate and harness them for the nanotech.”
“Fine, he’s trying to figure out how to heal and how to kill. That’s a long way from using mind control,” Sierra protested, then she paused. “But Stovers knows there are more found, and they might have different abilities,” she admitted.
“Yep. I don’t know if the bastard is guessing or what, but I actually saw Max use mind control when we were in Sandy Springs. Stovers doesn’t know about it. But I wonder if he is banking on the fact that one of the found might have that kind of ability.”
“That’s nuts. He’d be crazy to play those kinds of odds,” Cyrus protested.
“You know, every time we’ve underestimated Stovers we’ve gotten our asses handed to us. I really think it’s time we stop.” Sarah rounded on her older brother.
“Can you do the mind control thing, now you’ve been exposed to Max? I know that’s how it has been working. God knows you were able to blend in pretty well, and that’s a talent you basically took from Seth.” Nate watched Sarah take a deep breath after he asked the question.
“It’s not something I’ve tried, no. I don’t really want to know the answer.” Sarah looked away from him.
“Sarah…”
“Please don’t ask me to do this,” Sarah pleaded. Nate turned his attention to Brice.
“Brice, you’ve been just as exposed as Sarah has been to Max, you try,” Nate demanded.
Brice grimaced. “Bullocks. Fine,” he grumbled. He stared directly at Nate and said, “Get me a beer.” Nate turned in his chair and got part way up, before he sat down with a thump.
“Jesus, Brice.” Nate looked at his friend in stunned wonderment.
“Was that for real?” Cyrus demanded.
“Do you want him to try it on you?” Nate snapped.
“I’d be more than happy to,” Brice said with an evil smile. The smile wavered as he looked over at Sierra and saw her looking at him in shock.
“Sarah, can you do this too?” Cyrus asked his little sister.
“I don’t know, I haven’t tried.” Nate hated she wouldn’t look him in the eye. They were definitely going to have a long talk. His phone rang, and it was Noah saying they were five minutes from arrival.
“Okay Brice, you’re with me.” They headed to the underground garage. There was no way Noah and his family were coming up the elevator without extra protection.
****
Sarah grabbed her brother’s arm and held him back as everybody left the room.
“What is it?” Cyrus asked.
“I need to test something on you,” she said tentatively.
“You want to see if you can do the mind control thing?”
“What the hell, apparently you can do the mind reading thing.” She laughed half-heartedly. He put her arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze.
“It’s not going to make a bit of difference to Nate or anyone else who loves you.”
“Of course it is, how wouldn’t it?” she demanded.
“Didn’t you see how well it worked with him? Brice gave him a command and he barely got out of his seat. The man has a head like a block of granite. Seriously sis, I don’t know what you see in the guy.”
“How in the hell would you feel if the woman you’re thinking of spending your life with had that kind of power over you? Hell, what do you think about me having that kind of power over you?” Sarah was getting pissed he couldn’t see what a big deal this was.
“Well, let’s get this over with. Command me oh wise one.”
“Geez, can’t you be serious about anything?”
“Not when you’re having a panic attack about it, no I can’t.” She pushed him backwards until he was sitting in the chair he recently vacated.
“Get me a beer.”
Nothing.
“Sarah, you’re going to have to try. All you did was say the same thing Brice did, you didn’t even try to command me. Now try to control my mind.”
“Get me a beer,” she said it like they were at a party.
Still nothing.
“Sarah, you’re not doing it right,” her brother admonished.
“Dammit, get me a beer,” Sarah demanded, pissed at her brother. She watched in disbelief as he got up from his chair and went over to the fridge and got a beer and brought it back to her.
“You just did that to mess with me,” she accused as she slammed the beer down on the coffee table. He cupped her face and kissed her forehead.
“Honey, I didn’t.” Her heart actually twisted inside her chest.
“I’m a monster.”
“No you’re not a monster, you’re the same person you’ve always been.” Sarah shrugged out of Cyrus’s embrace as she heard the door opening. She pasted the brightest smile she could manage to greet Kali, Noah and their twins. She must have failed miserably.
“Sarah, what’s wrong?” Kali rushed into the room holding a baby wrapped in a soft blue blanket. Sarah burst into tears. Nate, who came in behind the family, also made a move to get to Sarah, but he was blocked by Noah.
“Let Kali,” Noah said to Nate.
She was too upset to pay attention to the men, her entire focus was on Kali. She reached out for the baby, but Kali was having none of it.
“Nope, no baby cuddling time until you tell me why you’re so upset.”
“It’s nothing.” She was hanging by a thread, but the idea of holding onto that
little ember of life would make everything okay Sarah knew it. Kali must have seen the desperation in her eyes, because she handed Joshua over. Just like that, everything settled. The small weight, the healthy wiggle, the smell of baby powder, and the scrunched up little face that yawned at her, and she was in heaven. Sarah was horrified when she saw a teardrop fall on his sweet face. Kali guided her over to the sofa beside the sliding glass door.
Joshua reached up, his black eyes open wide. It was obvious he was aware Sarah was crying.
“Here, you have to take him back.” The baby tugged at her shirt.
“Nope, he wants to stay with you, he knows you’re upset.” Sarah gave up and sat down with Joshua. Sarah started to tremble. The idea Joshua and Grace might have to face the same kinds of moral and ethical dilemmas was horrific.
“You have to tell me what’s going on.” Kali put her arms around Sarah, surrounding her and Joshua.
“I just told Cyrus to get me a beer and he did.” More tears spilled onto the baby blanket. Kali looked at her in confusion. Sarah replayed the words in her mind, and let out a soggy, sad laugh. “I used mind control. It’s a new ability. I think we all can do it now. It’s Max’s gift. Oh God, I think we’re all monsters.” Sarah tucked her face next to Joshua’s head, breathing in his scent, taking all the comfort she could.
Kali kissed the top of Sarah’s head. “Oh honey, it’s not that bad. How do you think I felt when I realized I could figure out if someone was telling the truth or not. That was pretty scary too. Rumor has it that not only can you heal, you might be able to hurt people.”
“I can kill them, Kali. I could actually suck the life right out of them,” she wailed. Joshua wiggled and let out a wail of his own. Then across the room, little Grace started crying.
“Hey there, I think we need an intervention,” Noah said.
“I agree.” The two men came over to the couch, Nate squatted down in front of Sarah. Kali took Joshua from Sarah’s arms. She and Noah sat on either side of Sarah, each holding a baby. Sarah was surrounded when she really wanted to be left alone.
“Angel, why all the tears?” Nate said in a voice too tender to bear.
“I thought being found was a good thing. I thought this was all about making a difference and doing good. But instead we have evil powers.” She fell into Nate’s waiting arms. While she cried the babies cried with her, and that’s what made her work to stop, even though she could have gone on forever.
“Are you better?” Nate finally asked.
“No,” she said, and he laughed.
“Well at least you’re honest.” He dropped the softest kiss on her forehead and it helped. He turned her around and arranged for her to sit on his knee so she was facing Kali and Noah, her head resting under his chin. Now she felt surrounded with comfort and love.
“Why do you feel like a monster?” Noah asked gently.
“Nobody should have this kind of power. It could so easily be abused.”
“Think who you’re talking to,” Kali said as gently. Sarah felt her face heating. Trying to bullshit a person who could divine the truth was kind of stupid. She squirmed to get out of Nate’s embrace, but his hold was steadfast.
“It’s different for us, isn’t it Sarah? Kali and I are both found. Nate isn’t.” Noah said as he rocked Grace who was yawning.
“Yes,” she admitted quietly. Nate turned her in his arms and looked at her.
“So this is really about us. Or more accurately, about me.” You’d think he had the power to compel the truth. It was the hazel eyes. She nodded. Out of the corner of her eye she watched as Noah and Kali got up and left the apartment.
“Angel, help me to understand what’s going on. How do you think this changes things between us?” Nate waited and Sarah finally told him what was going to ruin everything.
“I can actually control you with my mind.”
He looked at her, his expression searching, and finally he said, “I understand that. I just don’t understand how you think It changes things between us.”
“I could compel you to do things, doesn’t that scare you?” She watched him carefully.
“Hell Sarah, you’re scared enough for the both of us. Tell me something, would you ever do it? Even if you thought it was in my best interest, would you do it?”
“God no. it would be taking away your freedom of choice. it would be wrong. No, it would be beyond wrong. It would be evil.” He laughed.
“I’m not sure evil is the word for it. But yeah, it would be wrong.”
“How can you trust me? How could you want to spend your life with someone with that kind of power over you?” His answer had the power to break her heart.
“How about marrying a cop who could have me arrested? How about marrying a woman who could manipulate me with sex? How about marrying someone who could lie to me? Be unfaithful to me? Geez Sarah, there are so many things that could go on. How about from your point of view? How about marrying a man who outweighs you by a hundred pounds and could easily hurt you if he got mad?” He said everything so calmly, so logically.
“You would never hurt me.”
“You would never betray my trust.” A boulder rolled off of her chest. He was right, she wouldn’t. He knew it. He knew her. He dipped in for a kiss, and she pulled away.
“Kleenex first.” He lifted up the bottom of his T-shirt and wiped her face, and then parted her lips with his. It was a tender kiss that spoke of compassion and understanding, but as always flamed out of control. She pulled his shirt up further and gloried in his sculpted abdomen, just one more aspect of Nate’s body that shot her desire higher.
“I was so afraid of losing you,” she said in a wobbly voice.
“Angel, haven’t you figured it out, you can’t get rid of me. I know your heart and your soul, I know how blessed I am to have found you, and I intend to keep you in my arms forever.” He pulled her close.
“Don’t make me start crying again.”
“I won’t. Because we’re going over to my apartment, not yours, I want to see you in my bed. Soon we’re going to have this Rixitron mess behind us, and then we’re going to have a permanent home, and it’s going to be our bed.”
“I like the sound of that.”
Chapter Seventeen
“We think we’ve found her mother,” Kota said.
“What about her brother?” Nate whispered into the phone. He looked at Sarah who was still asleep. He slipped out of bed and went into his living room.
“Long gone. It’s not good Nate. She’s working as a housekeeper at a motel here in McAllen. I don’t know how she’s managing. Her right leg is so badly damaged from being thrown off the truck it’s a wonder she can walk, let alone work.”
“Are you sure it’s her?” Nate didn’t want Maricel to get her hopes up and then be disappointed, she’d been hurt too often in her young life.
“Yep. Gabriella met her when she checked up on Maricel six years ago.”
“Okay, when are you bringing her back here?”
“That’s the rub. She doesn’t believe us when we told her about Maricel.” Kota’s frustration came through the phone loud and clear.
“Kota, that doesn’t make any sense. Why wouldn’t she believe you?”
“It’s her son, Leon.” Nate heard the disgust in Kota’s voice. “He’s been back multiple times for money, saying he had found Maricel and she needed money to get to McAllen. He’s a drug addict. Now she believes Maricel is dead.”
“Even with Gabriella telling her differently?”
“Nate, you would have to meet the woman, I don’t think I’ve ever seen somebody so disillusioned. We have to get Maricel out here.”
“That’s a big negative. It’s not safe.” Nate was sick of seeing the found women put at risk.
“We really don’t have a choice.”
“Dammit.” He heard Sarah coming out of the bedroom, and smiled at her warm body sliding against his back. “Okay, let me see what I can figure out.”
“Try to make it quick, okay? I want to get this woman out of this pit as quickly as possible.”
“Got it.” Nate pulled Sarah’s wandering hands up to his lips and kissed her palms.
“What’s going on?” He explained as they got dressed.
“Shit. It’s really not safe for her to be back in Texas. Couldn’t we arrange a Skype session or something?”
“From what Kota was saying, she is intractable, and after everything she’s been through we don’t want to take her against her will.”
“I hate Stovers with every fiber of my being.” They got to Maricel’s apartment and knocked on the door.
****
Kota and Gabriella were waiting at the McAllen International Airport. Ellie had been acting like a typical woman for the last five days, making up problems where there were none. A man with a large cart with cardboard boxes taller than he was headed straight for Ellie, Kota grasped her elbow and pulled her out of the way. She gave him a strained smile and shook off his hand.
“Stop this. Think of Maricel, things are going to be stressful enough for her, without you acting like a cat on a hot tin roof.” Kota didn’t show his frustration, because he knew he had to gentle her, she was like a skittish colt.
“I am not acting like a cat. I just want my own space.”
“Hell, you’re barely talking to me.”
“I am not your Ellie, there would be too many problems. I am Gabriella.”
“Ellie,” he said with emphasis, “you are making a mountain out of a molehill.”
“I don’t understand all of your American idioms. Stop talking about cats and moles. If you have something to say, just say it.”
“All right. You’re acting as if being found and having gifts makes having a relationship impossible.”
“No, what makes a relationship impossible is the fact I’m not attracted to you.” Kota choked out a laugh. God, she was sexy. He watched as her face reddened.
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