More Than Jamie Baker (Jamie Baker #2)

by Kelly Oram

  “Temporarily. I’m sure you’ve used up all your energy already.”

  “Wait. The kiss. That’s why it felt so—”

  Teddy decided not to elaborate when Ryan glared at him again.

  “Electric? Energetic?” I supplied.

  Teddy nodded. “Amazing,” he agreed with a dreamy sigh. His smile quickly dropped into a frown. “Wait, is that the only way you can transfer your power?”

  “It’s the only way I can for sure be successful at it. I’ve accidentally done it before through touch, but I haven’t figured out how to control it that way yet. Most of the times I’ve tried it, people ended up getting zapped.”

  My dad grimaced. He’d been the recipient of most of those zaps.

  “So…” Teddy’s voice was suddenly small. “Is that the only reason you kissed me?”

  I sighed, feeling awful about getting the guy’s hopes up. Ryan wasn’t nearly as sympathetic. “Why else would she kiss you?”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Teddy sneered. “Maybe because she finally realized we belong together.”

  Ryan scoffed at that.

  “What’s the matter? Can’t handle a little competition?”

  “You? Competition?” Ryan actually laughed.

  “Jamie and I are the same!” Teddy snapped. “She deserves to be with someone special, like her! You are so average, it’s disgusting!”

  “You think just because you have powers that makes you worthy of Jamie?”

  “You guys!” I yelled. “We don’t have time to fight about this right now!”

  “What are you all talking about?” my father asked.

  “I’m like your daughter, Mr. Baker.” Teddy beamed at him proudly. “I have powers, too. Telekinesis.”

  “You what?” Mom gasped.

  Teddy flashed his dimples at my mother and mentally pulled a flower out of the vase in the window and sent it across the room into her hands. “I can move things with my mind.”

  Neither of my parents looked like they knew what to do with this information. I took advantage of the momentary silence. “Look, I’m going to go back to the school and see if I can figure out their next move.”

  “Wait, Jamie. I don’t think—”

  I didn’t let Ryan finish his sentence. There was no point. No one was going to stop me. “I also have to check on Becky. I need to make sure those psychos haven’t bothered her. Would you guys please fill my parents in on everything while I’m gone?” I glared at both Ryan and Teddy before I walked out the door. “Do not kill each other. I’ll be right back.”

  My dorm building had been evacuated by the time I got back. I scanned the crowd for Becky, but she wasn’t there. The problem was, I didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad one. Had she gone over to see her cheer friends, or home to her parents? Or had Visticorp found her and taken her in an attempt to get to me? Would I be receiving a ransom soon?

  The local police had closed off the building with yellow caution tape, and two guys that looked like they came straight out of a G.I. Joe movie stood blocking the front door with guns in their hands.

  Making sure to stay blended in the crowd, I turned to the girl next to me. She looked vaguely familiar. I think she lived on my floor. “What happened?”

  “It’s the FBI or something.”

  The FBI. Right. Sure, it was.

  “There was some dangerous criminal running through our building. I was in my room on the third floor and a gun went off. When the police came to make us evacuate, I saw blood in the hallway.” The girl shivered. I did, too. That blood was Ryan’s. “They didn’t catch the guy. They’re searching all the rooms right now.”

  “Crazy.”

  The girl just nodded and trained her eyes back on the swarm of police. From what I could tell, the local cops all looked just as confused and frustrated as the students. I focused on the two guys guarding the door, but they weren’t saying anything. I closed my eyes and tried to hear past the chatter into the building. It was almost impossible, but I could just barely hear the angry voices inside.

  “Third floor clear!”

  “This one, too.”

  “Laundry room and lounge both empty.”

  “I’m telling you, they’re long gone.”

  I recognized that voice. It was Reynolds. His voice sounded a little gravelly, but he was alive. I wasn’t so sure about Demakis.

  “We’ll never find them now,” Reynolds grumbled. “They’ll go underground.”

  “They’ll have to resurface sometime,” Lorenz argued. “The device worked well enough on the girl, but the electricity is a problem. We’ll have to find a way to neutralize it before we have a chance at recovering her. She’s incredibly strong. Much stronger than we originally thought.”

  “We’ll figure it out,” said a cold, calm voice that I’d never heard before. I could tell simply from the steadiness of it that it belonged to the man in charge. My blood turned icy as I committed it to memory. Part of me wanted to sneak in and get a look at the guy while another part of me itched to run far and fast in the opposite direction.

  “The girl’s strength is a good thing. She will be an amazing asset.”

  “If she can be controlled, sir. She’s a spitfire, that one.”

  “Anyone can be controlled when given the right incentive, Lorenz.”

  “The roommate?” Reynolds asked.

  Just the mention of Becky made my cold-as-ice blood flash to a boil. Forget being an angel—if they tried to lay a single finger on my best friend, they would all go down in a blaze of hellfire.

  “You’re sure she knows nothing?” Boss Man said.

  “Positive, sir. The only one in on it besides the parents is the boyfriend.”

  Well. At least they didn’t know about Mike.

  “Then forget the roommate. The less people involved in this the better. Right now the parents are our main priority.”

  Energy surged through me again. I was angry enough that I almost wanted them to try it. That would be the only excuse I’d need.

  Someone cleared his throat, and then Lorenz spoke. “With all due respect, sir, I don’t believe strong-arming the girl is the best approach. Making her angry this evening only made her stronger.”

  Darn right, it did. Nice of Lorenz to recognize that.

  “What do you suggest?”

  “The girl values her privacy, yet she can’t help using her powers. I say we leak her identity as Chelsea’s Angel and then offer her protection once the media and the government have destroyed her life. The girl is smart, but I believe we can still exploit her weaknesses to our advantage.”

  “I agree,” Reynolds said. “She’s unstable and not afraid of violence. If we push her, there’s no telling what she’ll do.”

  There was a pause as the mystery boss thought it over. He must not have looked convinced because Lorenz said, “We can’t physically touch her, sir. And she’s too strong.”

  I heard the wariness in Lorenz’s voice and cringed. I’d been panicked when I defended myself against him and I’d kicked him using superstrength. Whatever his condition was, it wasn’t pretty.

  “Yes,” Boss Man said. “Fascinating.”

  “Fascinating?” Reynolds gasped, horror in his voice. “Sir, she practically liquefied his knee!”

  I cringed again.

  “Yes.” The boss still sounded in awe. “The amount of force the girl must have used to inflict an injury like yours is particularly curious. I believe we must add inhuman strength to her other assets. We’ll have to take a new approach with our recovery efforts.”

  “What about Demakis? You saw yourself what she did to him. How can we protect ourselves against that?”

  “You leave that to the scientists. You just keep focused on your goal. I want that girl.”

  Someone sighed. I couldn’t tell who.

  “What would you like us to do?” Lorenz asked.

  “You will go back to the facility and have that leg taken care of. Reynolds, after
you’re cleared by medical, I want you to assemble a new team and find her. Find her and then we’ll go from there. Start with her parents’ house and the hospitals. Every single one in the country, if you have to. The girl’s boyfriend was shot. He needs medical assistance.”

  “How can you be sure she’ll go with him?”

  The boss man chuckled. “Oh, she’ll go. That boy is her biggest weakness. She won’t be able to leave his side.”

  I wanted to kill the man. I even drifted a few feet closer to the building. I had to get out of there before I did something stupid. I’d heard enough, anyway. I knew what I needed to do now. I just didn’t know if I was strong enough to do it.

  The second I got back, my dad attacked me with one of his bear hugs. “I’m fine, Dad,” I promised. “It sounds like Becky is safe and now I know they’re not planning to do anything to anyone until they find me.”

  “Well, that settles it, then,” Ryan said. “It’s time. We have to run. We’ve got to disappear. We can go into hiding.”

  “You?” Teddy scoffed. “You’re an idiot if you think you’ll be able to keep her safe from them.”

  “Teddy!” I yelled. “What is your problem?”

  When I screamed, Teddy shouted right back at me. “You can’t just hide from them, Jamie! Not unless you disappear! If you don’t want them to find you, then you need to stop existing. You need to become someone else. That’s almost impossible to do, but I can make it happen. I can help you. He will only put you in more danger.”

  My mom, knowing me too well, stepped in front of me before I zapped the crap out of Teddy. I already knew Ryan wouldn’t be coming with me, but I still didn’t appreciate Teddy’s attitude.

  Ryan looked ready to jump to his feet, even though I’m not sure he could. His whole body shook with anger. He stared at Teddy with murder in his eyes. It was a look I’d only ever seen on him once—right before he broke Carter’s nose. I couldn’t blame him for being angry.

  Teddy was being a jerk, but he was still right. “Ryan, he has a point. I have to disappear and…” I swallowed back bile and tried to keep tears at bay. My attempt didn’t work. “I can’t take you with me.”

  A thick silence settled in the room, and that’s when I finally broke. “I’m sorry.”

  “Jamie, what are you talking about? Of course you can take me with you!” Ryan sounded panicked. He started to sit up, so I rushed over to his side and forced him to lie back down. He pinched his eyes shut when I began running my fingers through his hair.

  A tear dripped off my chin and splashed onto his cheek. Ryan touched the wet spot with his finger and then his eyes began to leak as well.

  “Don’t you even think about it,” he croaked in a strangled voice. He brought my hand to his lips. “You are not leaving me.”

  “Babe,” I said, trying to smile even though the tears wouldn’t stop flowing. “You have to go to the hospital right now. I can’t go there. Reynolds is already waiting for me to show up with you. He’s going to monitor every hospital in the country. I heard him say so.”

  “So come get me after I’m better,” Ryan insisted.

  “I can’t. They’ll be watching you. They know you’re my biggest weakness. They’ll do anything to get me, including hurt you. As long as you’re with me, you’re in danger.”

  “We’ll disappear forever. We’ll explain the truth to my parents. Gene will help us. He’ll give us enough cash to buy our own island or something.”

  “I can’t ask you to do that. You can’t give up your life for me.”

  “Jamie.” Ryan’s voice was suddenly low and steady. He sat up so that he could look straight into my eyes. “How many times do I have to tell you, you are my life. College, playing football, my friends, my future…I’ll gladly give it all up. I don’t even have to think about it because none of it would matter if I didn’t have you. I’m going with you. I won’t let you go through this alone.”

  “She won’t be alone.”

  Ryan and I both glared at Teddy hard enough that he shut his mouth and went back to pouting in my father’s chair.

  “But Ryan—”

  “I have a bullet in my throwing arm, Jamie. My football career is over. My life has already changed, so don’t worry about it.”

  I gasped. I hadn’t even thought about that. It was bad enough that he’d been hurt because of me. Again! But now his entire life has been severely altered. I thought letting Mike get hurt was bad, but that was nothing compared to the pain I felt knowing I’d just stolen something from Ryan that was so important to him.

  “Babe,” Ryan whispered gently. The calmness he displayed hurt my heart. “Jamie. Look at me.”

  I forced my eyes to open. I hadn’t realized I’d shut them.

  As soon as I was looking at Ryan, he smiled so sweetly. “It doesn’t matter. You are the only thing that matters to me.”

  He really would give up everything for me. He was that selfless. He loved me that much. And I wanted him to. I wanted him to walk away from his life and give up everyone he’s ever known and loved for me. Desperately. But I loved him, too. I loved him just as much as he loved me, and that meant doing what was best for him even if it wasn’t what either of us wanted. I could be selfless, too. For Ryan, I could do the right thing.

  “You and me, Jamie. Always.”

  I finally lost it. Really lost it.

  “NO!” I screamed. “I can’t keep doing this to you! First Mr. E., and now this? Ryan, you were shot! When that gun went off and I saw you fall I thought—I thought—” I broke off into hideous sobs. “You have been hurt so badly because of me, and now I’ve taken something from you that makes you happy, something that was a part of you.”

  “It wasn’t your fault, Jamie. I’ll heal. It doesn’t matter.”

  “It matters to me! I know you love me, and I know you don’t blame me, but I can’t keep hurting you! I can’t keep putting you in danger! I can’t! Do you understand that? I can’t take it. My heart can’t take it!”

  “What are you going to do, then? Just leave? Never see me, Becky, or your parents again?” Ryan asked. Still, he didn’t get angry. He kept his voice steady and pulled his face into an unreadable mask.

  “Yes,” I whispered. “To keep you safe.” I shot a teary smile at my parents. They were both crying, too. “To keep you all safe, that’s what I’m going to do. It’s what I have to do. I couldn’t live with myself if anything ever happened to any of you. I love you too much.”

  My mom broke out into sobs and threw her arms around me. My father’s arms soon wrapped us both up. They knew, like I knew, that this had to be done, and together we silently said good-bye to one another.

  “What are you going to do, Jamie?” Ryan asked. “Where are you going to go? Where will you live? How will you get money? New identification? You can’t do this by yourself.”

  I didn’t have an answer to this, but before I had to come up with one Teddy cleared his throat. He’d been so quiet I’d forgotten he was even there.

  I was relieved to see the hostility gone from his expression. I’d expected him to look smug. Instead, he looked a little nauseated. I wasn’t sure I liked his pity, but I was glad he finally understood that this wasn’t a game—it wasn’t some secret superheroes club—it was my life. And it was literally coming to an end. As of now, Jamie Baker was dead. She no longer existed.

  “I can help you with that,” Teddy said quietly. “I have a place—a small house that’s completely off the grid.” He looked steadily at my father. “Your daughter would be safe there.”

  “You have a what?” I asked while my dad asked, “What do you mean ‘off the grid’?”

  “I mean, it’s isolated and secret. I set it up to be a sort of safe house in case I ever found myself in a situation like this. No one knows about it except me. Not even the people who adopted me. I bought it in secret and purchased it with cash using one of my, um, false identities. I could take Jamie there and make her a new identity as well. I cou
ld help your daughter disappear permanently. Visticorp would have no idea how to find her. She could start over as someone else and be safe.”

  “False identities? Safe houses?” I blinked at the kid sitting in front of me. His adorkableness seemed almost nefarious now. “Who are you?”

  Teddy looked at me with a wide range of emotions from affection to pity to condescension. “The question isn’t who am I, but why haven’t you done the same thing as me? Jamie, you and I are different. Because of our powers, we’re targets. We’ll always be in various degrees of danger. I know you understand that. I realized a long time ago that if I wanted to survive I needed to be prepared for anything.”

  My dad dropped his head into his hands and let out a sigh full of regret. “It’s my fault. I thought we could just hide her. Move here and start fresh. I thought we’d be able to keep her secret guarded. I should have done more. I should have been ready for something like this.”

  “Dad, don’t do that to yourself.”

  “She’s right, Mr. Baker,” Teddy said. “You guys are all getting a crash course in this. I’ve been dealing with it my whole life, and let’s just say that the people who raised me weren’t as...”—Teddy struggled to find the right word—“good as you and Mrs. Baker. My viewpoint is probably more jaded than yours.”

  Again, I wondered what kind of people had sought him out and what they must have tried to use him for when he was too young to know any better. It was hard not to pity him a little bit. He transformed back into that lovable, harmless mischief-maker I’d first thought him to be.

  We all sat there quietly for a minute before my dad broke the silence. “You would do that for my daughter?” he asked Teddy. His voice was smaller than I’d ever heard it. “You’d give her a new identity? Help her escape Visticorp?”

  I wanted to argue that I didn’t need Teddy’s help, that I could take care of myself, but there was something in my father’s voice that made me keep my mouth shut.

  “I would love nothing more, Mr. Baker.”

  Teddy looked at me and swallowed a big lump in his throat. “I know I’m not the one you love, but you have no idea how long I’ve wished there was someone like me, whom I could be myself with and who would really, truly understand what I’m going through. A real friend. I might not be able to replace Ryan, but I can be your friend. I have to disappear now, too. We can do it together if you’ll just let me help you. Please, let me help you.”