A Touch of Honor (The Honor Trilogy)

by J. P. Grider

  “Not now,” Mom says. “It’s dark. There are no lights up there. Besides, the building is still tended to. It’s an historical landmark. They only open it in July and August. I’m sure there will be alarms.”

  “Mrs. Stevens, with all due respect, we are not going to wait until July to get in there. We need to get this…elixir stuff now.”

  “But why? Why is it so important that you get it?” Mom asks. I close my eyes and tense up, hoping Ethan doesn’t tell my mother that there are dangerous men after me.

  “Because, Mrs. Stevens.” While Ethan continues, my body stiffens and my insides are running amok. “We don’t want it getting into the wrong hands,” he finishes.

  Allowing my body to relax, I silently thank God that Ethan didn’t tell Mom the truth. Well…the other truth. We certainly do not want the elixir falling into the wrong hands either.

  “Okay,” she says. “But do you need to go tonight? In the dark?”

  Ethan shakes his head. “No. We can wait until tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow after school,” my mom corrects.

  “Yes, Mrs. Stevens. After school.”

  “Oh, goodness. Please don’t get caught breaking in,” she cries.

  “Mom. We’ll be all right.” I get up and hug her…thanking God I have such an understanding mother.

  My mom gets up and goes into the kitchen, leaving Ethan and me alone.

  “Honor,” Ethan whispers, getting up and pulling me aside. “You go to school tomorrow. I’m going to check out the school with Uncle Tom and Hunter.”

  “You don’t want me coming with you?” I sulk.

  “There’s really no need, sweetheart. Besides, if we do get caught, why should you get in trouble? I’m emancipated, remember? No one’s around to punish me.”

  “No…just law enforcement,” I whine.

  Ethan laughs and kisses me on the forehead. “We’ll be fine.” Then my oh-so-handsome boyfriend gazes into my eyes and whispers, “I love you, Honor Nicole Stevens.” His soft lips graze my own and then he presses them more firmly against mine and deepens the kiss.

  I melt in his arms.

  **

  The next morning, Ethan leaves for his apartment, and my mother drives me to school. Since she’s back at work, I have to give her car back. It was nice while it lasted.

  I kiss Mom goodbye and enter the school. Feeling nervous about what Ethan is setting out to do today, I seek out Tamlin and find her at her locker.

  “Hey, kiddo.” Tamlin greets me with a smile.

  “Hey, Tam.” I respond with a trepid voice.

  “What’s up, hon?”

  “I told my mom…about being able to…you know.”

  “That you’re an…”

  “Shhh.” I cut her off, not wanting anyone to overhear her. “Yes, I told her that.”

  “O-M-G, what did she say?”

  “She took it rather well, I suppose. She didn’t think I was making it up or anything…she was cool.”

  “Wow. I bet that’s a relief,” she comments.

  “Yeah, but…”

  “But what?”

  “We kinda had to tell her…there are some people after me.”

  “What?”

  “I’ll tell you about it later. I don’t want to be late for class.”

  “Okay, hon. But I’m here for you. You know that, don’t you?”

  “Of course.”

  **

  For forty minutes at least, I can forget about Ethan and whatever he’s doing right now. It’s Chemistry time…and I just love looking at Mr. Moore.

  While I’m daydreaming about his beautiful sapphire eyes gazing into mine, Tamlin slides a folded piece of paper across my desk. I tear myself away from gawking at our fine Chemistry teacher to surreptitiously unfold her note.

  So why did you

  have to tell your

  mom about your

  being an empath?

  T.

  I close my eyes and shake my head. Why does she have to ask me this now? I wanted to forget the drama in my life for a few brief moments.

  I quickly write her back.

  There are some dangerous men

  after me. I’ll tell you about it

  later.

  H.

  I fold up the note and pass it back to her. After she opens it, I watch her eyes bug out of her head. She frantically scribbles something down and returns the note.

  What?

  What kind of dangerous men?

  Aren’t you scared?

  T.

  Shaking my head to alert her that I cannot keep passing this note back in forth, I make sure she sees me fold up the note and set it aside.

  “Miss Stevens,” I hear Mr. Moore call from the front of the class.

  God, please don’t let him ask me about the note.

  “Do you have something you’d like to share with the class?”

  “No, Sir,” I answer, feeling like I’m going to throw up.

  “Hand me the note, Miss Stevens.” He is standing in front of the room with his hands on his hips – intimidating as all hell.

  God no. “Um, Mr. Moore, really it wasn’t…”

  “Now, Miss Stevens.”

  Damn. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, bracing myself to give him my tell-tale note. The chair screeches across the terrazzo floor when I stand, sending penetrating shivers throughout my body. The classroom disappears around me as I walk the plank to my demise – well…at least life as I know it. Once Mr. Moore gets a hold of this note, there is no way the empath species is staying a secret.

  Then there’s no telling what will become of us.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  With a trembling hand, I place the note in Mr. Moore’s hand and turn in a dither to go back to my seat. As I sit at my desk, I see Mr. Moore read the note and without a second glance at me, he sticks it in his front pocket. He returns to his lesson as if he hadn’t just read the most peculiar exchange between two people.

  What is he thinking? He’s probably going to show the note to the principal, and then they’ll want to talk to me. What will I say? Ethan is going to be so mad. The government is going to find out, and they’ll want to do all sorts of tests on us. Just like Ethan said – we’ll be reduced to nothing more than lab rats.

  After the bell signals the end of class, Tamlin strides over to my desk. “Honey, I’m so sorry. I didn’t think we’d get caught.”

  “It’s okay,” I murmur, lurching down the aisle…dizzy as all hell. I’ve made such a blunder by telling Tamlin, I can’t even get my bearings. We walk out of class together, but I tell her I’ll meet her in later.

  Too distraught to finish the school day, I slip out the back door and head for the reservation…seeking solace in the big rock that Ethan and I occasionally share. All I can think about is what Ethan is going to say when he finds out what happened…and what I will say when Mr. Moore and the principal call me down to the office to explain the note.

  Mahlon Dickerson is serene right now. The sky is gray, and the air feels damp – like it’s going to rain soon. For me, it is comforting – the weather matches my mood. If it were sunny, I’d just feel like it was mocking me. Instead, Mother Nature is down along with me.

  I guess because I am lost in thought, I don’t hear anyone approaching until I feel a hand on my shoulder. “Ethan,” I utter under my breath.

  But quickly, another hand wraps around my mouth before I am lifted and pinned with my back against a hard, large body. Mumbling is all that comes out as I try to scream against his hand. Another person dressed in all black sticks a piece of duct tape across my mouth then grabs my legs as the man already holding me straps a band around my arms so I can’t move them. I am overpowered with terror as these two masked men barely struggle to carry me to their black SUV. Just like in the movies, they throw me in the trunk and shut the lid. Oh my god, I’m going to die.

  It is an understatement to say that panic has set in. I am beyond frightened. For the
first time in my short life, I believe I have seen my last day on earth. The car jounces beneath me while the thunder rumbles above me. I can feel the shortage of air and space. My heart races with anxiety, pounding ferociously to get out my chest – my arms unable to do the same to get me out of this trunk. Sometime during the ride I fall asleep…or pass out…I’m not really sure. But I know I was out, because suddenly I wake up in a cold, dark, cinderblock room…alone…still tied to myself and unable to move from my sitting position.

  No one comes in for several hours. At least that’s what it feels like. There is no way to tell, since my purse is somewhere by the rock at Mahlon Dickerson. The tape is still over my mouth, so I can’t yell to get anyone’s attention…but inside my mind, a sharp piercing shriek is screaming to get out.

  Footsteps are creaking on the floor above me, causing my heart to race so rapidly I really think I’m going to have a heart attack. The huge door that sits atop the stone stairs to my right screeches open. I scream as loud as my bound mouth allows me to, but what good will it do? Only a muffled whine comes out. My tears pour down my face. Two sets of feet step down the stairs. When I finally get a good look, I see their faces are still covered with ski masks.

  “We thought you might be hungry,” the one man says before placing a McDonald’s Happy Meal in front of me. “My friend here is going to feed you. I’ll be standing outside waiting for more instructions. Now when he pulls off that tape, you better not scream.” Then he laughs. “Not that it’s going to help. You’re in an icehouse. No one will hear you from down here.” He walks away laughing.

  The other man touches my face to get hold of the tape’s edge. The strangest feeling runs through me, but I can’t put a finger on what it is. Gently, the man begins tearing the tape from my mouth. When he’s done, I open my mouth to scream, but he puts his gloved fingers to my lips and says, “Shhh.”

  He opens my hamburger and presses it to my lips. Though I’m hungry, I’m too scared and upset to eat. I keep my lips pursed so he can’t force the hamburger in. My kidnapper drops his head to the side in a show of hurt feelings.

  “Please let me go,” I sob. “Please.”

  He closes his eyes, and that’s when it occurs to me that his eyes are violet. I was so scared that I hadn’t noticed. This man is an empath. He must be feeling my pain.

  “Please, let me go,” I cry again, only this time a bit more soberly. I realize that if he can feel my pain, he might have some empathy for me and release me. “Please, I don’t know what you want, but you can have it…if I have it.”

  The violet-eyed abductor looks around and appears to be trying to listen for something. When he’s satisfied, he slowly pulls off his mask.

  My eyes widen in disbelief. Too shocked to say anything, the room starts fading away and I head backwards through my own envisioned tunnel. My eyes close. Once again, I’ve slipped into unconsciousness.

  I awake lying sideways across someone’s lap, my arms and legs now free from their ties. I’m afraid to turn to see whose lap it is, so I take a look around the room. Realizing I’m still inside the icehouse, the knowledge of whose lap I’m resting on becomes clear. I spring up to standing position much too aware of my tight limbs.

  Touching my mouth to be sure it’s not duct taped again, I shriek, “He was right. You are on their side. How could you?”

  “Honor. Stop. Let me explain.”

  I shake my head, staring in shock.

  Storm.

  My abductor.

  For some reason… my heart is broken.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  “Honor,” Storm says softly, standing still and not taking any steps to come closer to me. “I am not going to hurt you, so please don’t be scared.”

  I just look at him in disbelief.

  “I had to pretend to be on their side to find out information. I was going to make all the arrangements last night to go to Nevada…like we’d planned.” Storm pauses a second to close his eyes and run a hand through his hair. “They came to me first. Honor, they suspect that I’m trying to gather information from them…they’re making me prove that…I’m not.”

  Still standing there dumbfounded, I feel a couple tears run down my cheek.

  Now Storm approaches me. “Oh sweetheart, please don’t cry.” He takes me in his arms and holds me tight.

  As much as I want to pull away, there is some force keeping me there.

  “I swear to you, Honor, I do not want to hurt you. Feel me. I know you can. You’re like the only one who has ever been able to feel what I’m feeling. I know you can. Just do it. Concentrate…and you’ll see…I am not lying to you.”

  Since I have no other choice, I do as he says.

  He’s right.

  All I feel from him is…hurt and pain and love…I feel no evil coming from Storm. But I do feel drained all of a sudden…and find it hard to breathe.

  But I sigh into his neck.

  “See. I would never harm you. But I do need to explain what’s going on…I don’t have much time; I’m not sure when someone will be visiting with us.”

  More than curious to hear what Storm has to say, I pull away from him and look him in the eyes. “Okay. Explain.”

  His hand feels warm on my shoulder as he drapes his arm around me and leads me to the wall where we were sitting before.

  “I still don’t know who Gaffer is, but he’s definitely the one instructing us.” Storm shuts his eyes when he takes a deep breath. Letting it back out slowly, he continues. “Obviously…they want you,” he says as a matter of fact, but I sense his compassion behind the statement.

  I remain quiet, encouraging him to continue – begging him to explain this horror to me.

  “They realize you don’t have the elixir. However…they also realize that Ethan will go to any length to find it…in order to find you. They’ve made him aware that if he doesn’t find the elixir…he doesn’t get you.”

  “Oh my god, Storm…why can’t you just tell Ethan where I am and what’s going on?” I plead.

  “It’s not as simple as that, princess. They want that elixir. They know that Ethan is more likely to find it based on any clues he may have found…plus his anxiety in finding you. This way…Gaffer gets to sit back, stay anonymous, and still get what he’s after…They were watching you, y’know. They followed Ethan too…yesterday morning, when he went to that stone house or something.”

  “Yesterday? How long have I been here?”

  “About a day and a half.”

  “Oh my god…my parents.”

  “Ethan asked them not to go to the cops. He said that if they found out about us, well then, we’d be at risk of becoming…well…government property.”

  “This is ludicrous.” My forehead starts sweating, and my stomach feels warm. I’m getting that nauseous-going-to-pass-out feeling. I rest my head against the wall to keep from swaying. “Does Ethan know you’re involved?” My insides are screaming to get out of my skin. I get up and pace around the room, staying next to the walls because I’m dizzy. But staying still is out of the question. I. Want. To. Scream.

  Storm stands up and walks next to me without touching me. “I’m not involved, Honor,” he insists. “I’m just trying to get as close as I can to them so I can stop them from hurting you.”

  A guttural sound rises from my belly and escapes my lips. “Yeah. You really did a good job at that,” I mock, taking a look around the dank icehouse.

  “Are you hurt?” he says sarcastically.

  “Not physically, no…but my parents are probably going crazy with worry right now.”

  “Yeah. Ethan says they’re a mess…but he’s assuring them that he will find the elixir and get you back.”

  “This is nuts, Storm. Why can’t you just get me outta here, and we can all help Ethan find it.”

  “We’re all taking instructions from a very dangerous man…a man, I might add, who finds pleasure in killing people for his own benefit.”

  “What does he n
eed the elixir for if he’s killing empaths and getting the same results?”

  “Because he was wronged…by your grandfather. He wants revenge as well.” Storm pauses and drops his head, the look of guilt painted across his face. “Your birth parents were smart to give you away. You were safe for so long.” A sideways smirk stains his face now. “Until Ethan came looking for you, that is.” Storm shakes his head. “Such a loser, that boy.”

  “Stop. He had no way of knowing he’d put me in danger by finding me.” I walk back to the wall and sit down…further away from Storm than I was before.

  The sadness in Storm’s eyes betrays his cool exterior. He tears his gaze from me, choosing the floor as his focal point instead. Since he has his head down, I’m unable to read his expression, but the energy I’m getting from him is filled with sorrow and guilt. I have that tears-stuck-in-my-throat feeling, but I know it’s not coming from me. Inching closer to Storm, I lay a trepid hand on his leg. He doesn’t turn to look at me, but I see the corner of his mouth quirk, and I feel comforted. So I know that he does too.

  Finally, Storm looks at me. His violet eyes are now an intense plum color, and he stares right into my violet eyes…which I assume appear just as intense. My face warms, and the heat ignites throughout me. Suddenly I’m on fire with desire. Storm leans in just a hair…it’s almost imperceptible, but I know his intention. Leaning in towards him myself, I lick my lips and slightly part them. I close my eyes. His soft lips feel hot on my mouth, and my breathing picks up. Moving in closer, he reaches his hand behind my neck, and pulls me closer. Storm’s tongue feels moist as he runs it between my lips.

  Just then he pulls away and jumps to his feet. “Well, princess, it’s been a hoot.” Storm says, all sincerity gone. I try to catch the soul behind his eyes, but he won’t have it. He will not look me in the eye. “Gotta go, sweetheart. Be good. I’ll be back.”

  He two-steps the stairs and he’s gone, leaving me breathless…and alone…in the dank, dark, old icehouse.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  The chill in the air becomes more prevalent now that Storm is gone. The warm tingle my body had enjoyed just moments ago has been replaced with a cold shiver. I’m alone and I’m afraid. Can I really trust Storm? He runs so hot and cold; maybe he isn’t really trying to help us. What if he’s just leading me on to believe he’s trying to help so that I don’t cause a ruckus while I’m down here?