Divided (Elena Ronen, Private Investigator)

by Jennifer Sights

  “It seems you have been mildly traumatized by Neal’s power.”

  I again explained the campfire incident.

  “That makes sense. If you like, I can work with you over time to erase that fear from your mind.”

  “That would be great. It might have to wait, though. We have more important things to worry about right now.”

  “Just let me know when you are ready.” Julian left me and Vittorio alone.

  “Try to get some sleep, mio amore. I would like to talk to Julian for a while, and you need to rest.”

  “But what about you? What did Samuel do to you?”

  “I will be fine. I will explain later. But for now, please try to rest. Will you do that for me?”

  I nodded.

  “Thank you. I am glad you are not more severely injured, though I do regret what they did to you.”

  “I’ll be fine, Vittorio.”

  “I know. You are very strong, and very brave.” We held onto each other for a long time.

  “Rest now, mio amore. I will be down the hall in Julian’s office if you wake and need anything.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

  When I woke, I walked across the hall to the room Kevin was in and found him still sleeping. Vittorio’s and Julian’s voices echoed down the hall. I did not want to interrupt, so sat in Kevin’s room, waiting for him to wake.

  When he did, I wanted to hug him, but restrained myself, not wanting to hurt him.

  He stood and hugged me instead.

  “I’m so glad you’re okay, Kevin. I was so worried about you. When I saw you in that chair, I almost lost my mind.”

  “Calm down, Elena. I’ll be fine. It’s not like I haven’t had a broken bone before.” He sat back down and fumbled with his good arm to pull the blanket around his shoulders.

  “You might want to take some time off work and get out of town for a while. I don’t want you to get caught up in this again.” I remained standing, hoping I could intimidate him into leaving.

  “Fat chance of that. You think I’m leaving you alone in the middle of all this?” He continued fumbling with the blanket.

  “I wouldn’t be alone. Vittorio will be with me.” I helped wrap the blanket around him.

  “You know what I mean. I’m not leaving you. I may not be much help against those wackos, but I’ll do whatever I can to help protect you.”

  “Thanks, Kevin.” I sat down.

  “What are you going to do now? You can’t go back home since they know where you live.”

  “We haven’t talked about it yet. I guess we can book a couple hotel rooms.”

  “A couple?”

  “I’m not letting you go back home, either, not until this is over with.”

  “Just get a place with a hot tub, okay? And a gym would be nice.”

  “What are you going to do with a broken arm?”

  “Watch the girls without broken arms.” Kevin grinned, and I knew he’d be okay.

  “How are you, really, Elena?”

  “Hanging in there. The fire thing really freaked me out, but I’ll be okay. Julian said he can help me erase that fear from my mind. Once this is all over, I’m going to take him up on the offer.”

  Vittorio’s power called to mine as he entered the room. I jumped up to greet him, feeling very clingy. Part of me hated it, but the other part was accepting, especially since he gave me the comfort I needed.

  “Do you feel strong enough to try removing the amulet, mio amore?”

  I nodded.

  “I would like Kevin to be elsewhere, just in case you are unable to control your power. He has no defense against it, and is already weak. I think he will be alright if he just goes to the other end of the building.”

  Kevin happily agreed.

  I took a deep breath and concentrated, then slowly lifted the amulet over my head. My power pushed at me, wanting to be free, but I was able to keep it under control. I handed the amulet to Vittorio. “I want to see what happens if I kiss you. Do you mind?”

  “I never mind when you kiss me.” Mischief glinted in his eyes.

  “You know what I mean. I want to make sure I can control my power, and that’s when I’m most likely to lose control.”

  “I understand, mio amore. No, I do not mind.” He leaned down and gently kissed me.

  My power pulsed, but it was nothing more than normal for when we kissed.

  “Guess everything is back to normal then, huh? Whatever normal is.”

  Vittorio knew the manager at a nice hotel in downtown St. Louis. He could book rooms for us under fake names so Samuel couldn’t track us down.

  “We should leave Samuel’s Range Rover in a parking lot somewhere,” Vittorio said.

  “But how will we get to the hotel?” I asked.

  “I can follow you, then drive you the rest of the way once you dump the car,” Julian said.

  “Thank you very much, my friend. We really appreciate this. I am eternally in your debt.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

  “Oh my god!” I exclaimed the next morning when I went to the hotel bathroom to change the bandage on my arms.

  Vittorio leapt from the bed. “What? Are you alright?”

  I showed him my arm. The burns were almost completely healed, and the stitches itched in the fresh scar that had once been a deep laceration.

  “This is truly amazing, mio amore. I have seen people heal quickly, but never overnight like this. Your power is very strong indeed. We are going to have to get those stitches out. Let me see your other arm, then I will call Julian.”

  I unwrapped the gauze from my other arm to find it was healed just as completely. I sat on the bathroom sink.

  “Mio amore?”

  “I’m fine, just kind of shocked. This should have taken weeks to heal. I’m still not used to all this power stuff.”

  He put an arm around my shoulder. “Let me help you to the bed.” I was pretty sure I could make it myself, but if he wanted to be chivalrous, I wouldn’t deny him.

  A knock resounded on the door between the two rooms. Vittorio unlocked the door, and Kevin sat gingerly on the bed next to me.

  “How are you?” I asked. A rainbow of colors covered his face. I guessed the rest of his body didn’t look much better under his clothes.

  “Sore. You?” He looked at my arms and jumped back. “Holy shit. How the hell…?”

  “It’s part of my power, it seems. I can heal myself.”

  “I see that. Why didn’t you just do it yesterday?”

  “I didn’t know I could. I woke up this morning, and my arms were healed.”

  “Can you heal me?”

  The possibility hadn’t crossed my mind. I looked at Vittorio.

  “It is possible, but only time will tell,” he said.

  “Can’t you at least try?” Kevin asked me.

  “I wouldn’t even know where to begin. This just happened.”

  “That hardly seems fair.” Kevin turned away from me, arms crossed over his chest.

  I couldn’t blame him. This was all my fault, and he was right; I should at least try.

  “Vittorio, could you teach me how to heal Kevin?”

  “Mio amore, I wish I could, but it is too dangerous right now. You are weak, and it is very possible you would do him more harm than good.”

  “Fine, whatever,” Kevin said.

  “Why don’t I order some room service?” Vittorio said.

  “Good idea. I’m starving. I can’t believe how hungry I am. I usually don’t eat breakfast at all, and as much as I ate last night, I should still be full.”

  “You healed a great deal of damage. It is only natural that you would be unusually hungry.”

  Vittorio called Julian as we waited for our food to arrive. “Is there another doctor you would trust to send over here? I do not want Samuel and his people to follow you in case they are watching your office. Samuel knows I have not spoken to you in over ten years, but they will also know we were in dire need of med
ical help.” Vittorio nodded, and I assumed that meant Julian would send someone else to remove my stitches.

  We ate in silence, then Kevin said he was going to check out the pool and sit in the hot tub to relax his muscles.

  A half hour later there was a knock on our door. Vittorio looked through the peephole, then opened it. A young man who looked fresh out of medical school stood in the doorway. “I’m Dr. Robertson. Jim. You can call me Jim.” He smoothed his white lab coat and fidgeted with his tie.

  “Please come in, Jim,” Vittorio said, closing the door behind him. “Try to relax. I realize this must be a bit out of the ordinary for you.”

  “Yes, well.” Jim cleared his throat. “Let me see your arm.”

  Vittorio chuckled. “Oh, it is not me who needs the stitches removed. Elena, show Dr. Robertson your arm.”

  I held my arms out and Jim gasped. I wondered if we could trust him. “Did you come straight from Julian’s office?”

  “No, he called me at home. Why?”

  “Just curious,” I said. The chance he had been followed was very slim.

  It definitely hurt as he snipped the stitches and pulled them from my healed arms. I was relieved when he finished and left.

  “Vittorio, will you tell me what Samuel did to you now?”

  He sighed, sat on the bed, and pulled me to him, holding me tight. “Yes. I will tell you.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

  “One of Samuel’s talents is manipulating people’s thoughts. He can’t make them do things they don’t want to, but he can plant images in one’s mind so vivid the person will believe it is real. I trusted him completely, and there is nothing about me which he does not know. He knows my deepest fears, and how to use them against me. He knows what makes me angry.

  “When I met him at The Chapel, he injected me with a sedative so I would not be able to effectively fight back. I do not know why they used the amulet on you and not me. It is a very powerful object, not easy to make. I suppose that shows us just how scared of you they are. In any case, I could not protect myself, and he was able to get deep into my mind and plant the most awful images of,” he shuddered, and I tightened my arms around him. “Of things that were being done to you.” He held me tight and stroked my hair, as if reassuring himself that I truly was safe. “I heard Kevin’s screams, heard you screaming in my mind, but was not sure which were real and which were Samuel’s manipulations. Finally, I heard you scream so primally I thought my heart would burst. It gave me enough rage to break free of Samuel long enough to get to you. I’m so sorry I couldn’t reach you sooner, Elena.” He gently stroked my forearm, absently tracing the fresh scars. “I am angry with myself for being so weak.”

  “It’s not your fault, Vittorio. You got to me when I needed you. That’s what matters.” I cupped his face in my hands.

  “But what if I had not reached you in time? What if Neal broke your mind?” Tears glistened in his eyes.

  “Don’t think about that. He didn’t, and I’m fine. And you and Julian are talking again, so that’s a good thing, right?”

  “I would rather not speak to him than have you injured.”

  A tear fell on my arm. I looked up at Vittorio’s anguished face. I knelt in front of him and held his face in my hands, wiped away his tears, and kissed him gently. “Vittorio, I’m right here with you. I’m fine. It’s okay now.”

  He held me tight, still crying.

  Part of me wondered what images Samuel had projected in his mind, but the other part never wanted to know what would be so awful as to break a man as strong as Vittorio. I gently pulled back so I could kiss him again. “Let me help you forget.” I kissed the tears from his face, moved to his neck and collarbone. As I felt more tears fall on my cheeks, I returned to his face to kiss them away, then moved down his chest. I covered his entire body in kisses, always returning to his face when I felt more tears. Soon, he stopped crying, and I knew he had other thoughts on his mind.

  When he tried to sit up to hold me, I pushed him gently down onto his back. I wanted to take care of him. I lowered myself onto him, and he cried out for me, his hands kneading my breasts. We moved as one, and our powers merged. I held the thought ‘take his pain’ gently in my mind as we made love, somehow knowing that was what I had to do to heal the damage Samuel had done. When I did, he looked at me in wonder for a moment, then we were pulled back to the physical. The thought stayed in my mind, tending to Vittorio’s mind as my body tended to his body.

  We finished in a rush of power, and I collapsed on top of Vittorio, exhausted physically and mentally. His arms draped across my back and we fell asleep before our powers even returned to our bodies.

  I woke on my back to see Vittorio looking down at me, smiling.

  “How do you feel, mio amore?”

  “I’m not quite sure how to describe it. I’m tired, but energized. I feel, I want to say a sense of accomplishment, but that’s not right. I don’t know. How are you?” I sat up.

  “You healed me. You erased the images Samuel planted in my mind. I will no longer be haunted by them as he hoped I would. You are truly amazing, mio amore.”

  “I’m glad it worked. Somehow, I just knew what to do. I wasn’t scared about doing it. It was the most natural thing in the world. Well, second most natural,” I grinned.

  “Oh? And what is the first?”

  “Making love to you.” I pulled him to me to kiss him.

  We lay together kissing until we heard a knock on the door.

  “Are you guys dressed?” Kevin called through the door of our adjoining rooms.

  I groaned. “Kevin has the worst timing.” Louder, I shouted, “Go away, Kevin.”

  “That is not very neighborly of you,” Vittorio teased. “We should pull ourselves out of bed. The day is wasting away, and we have much to do.” He turned toward the door. “Just a minute, Kevin. Elena did not mean it.”

  “Spoil sport,” I pouted. He kissed me lightly on the lips, went to retrieve our robes from the bathroom, then let Kevin in.

  “You should really warn someone if you’re going to do that power crap. What do you think the other guests are thinking?”

  “Most people cannot feel the power. You seem to be sensitive, even if you do not have your own power,” Vittorio explained.

  “Lucky me. What were you doing? No, never mind, don’t answer that. I’ll come back later when you guys are decent.” He went back to his room, slamming the door behind him.

  “Don’t mind him,” I said. “He gets grumpy sometimes. I don’t blame him. After all we’ve been through, I’m healed and he’s still in a world of pain, and we’re next door having sex. I’d be upset, too, if I were him.”

  “We should get cleaned up so we can start trying to figure out what is going on, and include Kevin.”

  “Yeah, you’re right, though I’d love nothing more than to lie in bed naked with you all day. I’ll get a shower first.”

  “You do not want to shower with me, mio amore?”

  “I do, and that’s the problem. If we shower together now, we’ll never get anything accomplished. Well, nothing productive, anyway.” I went into the bathroom. “Would you order some food, please? I’m hungry again.”

  “Of course, mio amore.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

  I understood why I was so hungry, but it still surprised me. I ate bacon, eggs, oatmeal, biscuits and gravy, and hash browns, and only barely felt full. Vittorio finished long before me, so took door duty when we heard a knock.

  Julian had brought Vittorio’s laptop, and the copy of the map Ms. Carmen left at my office.

  They spoke quietly while I mopped up the rest of the gravy with a piece of toast. Why they gave me biscuits and toast I don’t know.

  “Julian and I are going to talk in the hotel bar for a while. Will you be alright?”

  “Of course. I should spend some time with Kevin.”

  I hugged him before he left, and whispered, “Can I tell Kevin about what Samuel
did to you? I know he’s going to ask, and I don’t want to lie to him. I think he deserves to know.”

  “Yes, mio amore. I understand you and Kevin have no secrets. If ever I tell you something I do not want you to share with him, I will say so.”

  “Thank you.” I looked into his eyes and smiled. “Do you have any idea how much I love you?”

  He returned the smile. “Perhaps a little.”

  I went to Kevin’s room, sat on the bed next to him, and grabbed the remote. I flipped through the channels, waiting for Kevin to ask what I knew he surely would.

  “I’m sorry I’m being such a jerk, Elena. I’m just having a hard time with this. I mean, I know it’s not your fault, or Vittorio’s, really, but I really got the short stick in all this. Elizabeth and Neal messed you up pretty bad, but you healed yourself already. Vittorio seems fine. Looks like they didn’t do anything to him. But me, I get the shit kicked out of me, my arm broken, my face looks like raw hamburger. You should have seen how people were staring at me when I was in the hot tub. Why didn’t Vittorio get messed up too?”

  “He did. Samuel screwed with his mind.” I turned the TV off.

  “You’d never know it.”

  “You might not, because you don’t know him. Kevin, please believe me, he got messed up real bad.” I repeated what Vittorio told me about Samuel’s power. “That’s what I was doing with my power earlier. I was healing his mind.”

  “I thought you didn’t know if you could do that?”

  “I didn’t. We were making love, and I just knew what I had to do. And now that I know-”

  “Are you kidding me? You heal him, but not me? What’s the deal with that?” He stood and paced the room.

  “If you’d let me finish my sentence-”

  “I’ve known you a lot longer than pretty boy has, and I think I deserve to be treated a little better than this. Jesus, Elena, you were a bitch when you were whacked out on drugs and everything, but I could understand that. This, I don’t get it. This is just cold.”