Redemption (The Chosen #4)

by Swank, Denise Grover

  Putting his hand on Jake’s head, Aiden lowered his voice. “Little ears, Raphael. No need to talk about such unpleasantries around Jake.”

  “Why not? He has a right to know that his mother is your replacement daughter.”

  “Enough.” Aiden’s voice wasn’t loud, but the tone made it clear the subject was closed.

  Jake buried his thoughts deep in his head. Mommy was a replacement? And if Aiden replaced his other daughter, did that mean he’d replace Mommy? Or Jake?

  Putting his hands on his hips, Raphael walked in a circle, his anger washing over Jake. “Okay, whatever you say, Aiden. So why Little Rock?”

  “I have my reasons.”

  Raphael looked around the street. “The city seems a little small to get much attention. I take it that is your intent.”

  “It’s a good start. Emma will appreciate the significance.”

  Raphael turned to Aiden with a scowl. “If she even finds out. I suspect they’re in the middle of nowhere.”

  “I don’t expect Emma to show up today, and it may take her a few days to figure it out, but I expect her to see the correlation. And she will. Trust me.” Aiden looked around, scrunching his face in disgust. “This really is a small city, but it’ll have to do. Raphael, I want to see what you and Jake can do together.”

  Jake took a step back, stumbling on a crack in the sidewalk. He didn’t want to do anything with Raphael.

  If Aiden picked up Jake’s thoughts, he ignored them. “Let’s begin.” Aiden clapped his hands together. “Jacob, Raphael is hot. I think we should cool him down with a nice storm.”

  Jake focused on the molecules in the sky, pushing his rising terror aside. Fear always made it harder for him to do what Aiden asked. But his worry was like tiny pinpricks poking his insides. There were too many things he didn’t know, too many dangers lurking about. He didn’t trust Aiden and he sure didn’t trust Raphael, yet he had no choice but to do what he was told. There was no way Jake could stop Aiden, not yet. Trying would only get himself and other people hurt.

  The shadows were his only hope. They were his friends now. He glanced down at the bandage on his arm. Someday they would help him show Aiden who was boss. Someday soon.

  With Jake’s purpose renewed, clouds appeared overhead, puffy white wisps that swirled into thick gray clouds. Within moments, a wind blew, dropping the temperature ten degrees.

  Raphael’s eyes glowed and he held his hands at his sides with his fingers spread apart. The ground vibrated under Jake’s feet, building from a gentle hum to a steady shake. People on the street screamed and fumbled around, trying to stand. They held onto buildings and light posts, parking meters and cars.

  Aiden’s smile deepened.

  A hairline crack split the sidewalk, spreading toward the street and widening until it was big enough to suck in cars.

  Jake was scared as he struggled to stay on his feet, but the panic of the crowd frightened him more. Their screams filled his ears and set his nerves on end. They scrambled over one another trying to hide in stores and offices, though Jake wondered how safe that was since the buildings swayed. Across the street, the corner of a building split with a loud crack. Large pieces of concrete slid off, crushing a man on the sidewalk. His screams joined the others as his blood covered the concrete, running into the gutter.

  Jake watched in horror, his mouth gaping. He’d never seen anyone die before. Well, someone who didn’t deserve it. The men Will had shot trying to protect him had deserved it. And the men Aiden killed to take Jake away from the Bad Men had deserved it. But the man on the sidewalk was just walking down the street. Probably going home to his own little boy.

  Jake’s unbandaged arm began to burn and his gaze jerked up to Aiden’s angry face.

  “Concentrate.” Aiden growled.

  Shuddering, Jake focused on the air above him. His distraction had caused the storm to lessen. Jake pushed more energy into it and the wind increased as the sky darkened.

  The burning sensation went away.

  A little girl ran past Jake, her face red and wet with tears. Her long blond hair swung in the air as she swiveled her head. “Mommy!” she screamed over and over again.

  Jake’s tummy tightened and his breath caught in his throat.

  She ran up to him and grabbed his hand. Blood trickled down the side of her face. Jake tried to pry himself out of her grasp, but she held tight. “I want my Mommy!”

  A building across the street collapsed. Dust filled the air and Jake’s lungs.

  “Mommy!”

  A woman ran up and snatched the girl into her arms. The girl still held Jake’s hand, pulling him with her before she let go. Her mother cradled the girl to her chest, tying to cover her head from the falling debris.

  Mommy.

  The ache in Jake’s heart exploded, and he gasped as pain and sadness rushed through his body. The little girl’s mother saved her. Why didn’t his mother save him?

  Because of Will.

  Anger mushroomed, filling his head until he saw red. The wind increased and a funnel cloud appeared, swooping down from the sky.

  The screaming grew louder.

  The earth continued to shake as rain fell, pounding the earth and stinging Jake’s skin. People fell to their knees every time they tried to get up, yet Jake no longer had trouble standing. Jake looked down in surprise.

  He was hovering inches off the ground.

  Another building collapsed, smashing more people. Jake cast a worried look toward the girl and her mother, losing them in the crowd.

  The tornado moved toward them, destroying stores and apartments in its wake. There were people in those buildings. I’m killing people. He sucked in his breath at the horror and the tornado began to lift off the ground.

  Jake’s arm burned.

  Gritting his teeth, Jake fought back, in spite of the pain. He couldn’t kill people. Killing people was wrong.

  The heat moved up his arm.

  Tears filled his eyes. Fear washed through him in thick, suffocating waves. How much longer could he hold out?

  The tornado disappeared and the wind decreased, but Jake’s entire body burned before the pain just as quickly vanished.

  He fell to his knees, the ground shaking violently under him.

  Do not defy me, Aiden said in his head.

  Climbing to his feet, Jake ignored the people around him, not even caring when buildings and cars began to blow up. Aiden laughed, his eyes glowing. A man ran down the street screaming as flames licked up his back. Jake turned away. There was nothing he could do.

  They continued their destruction until there was nothing left for as far as Jake could see. No building remained standing. Every car was smashed. Bodies littered the street.

  Jake released the storm, his shoulders slouching from exhaustion. He’d never sustained one that long. He tried to ignore what his power had done.

  His storm hadn’t been nearly as harmful as Raphael’s earthquake. But he couldn’t deny he’d played a part.

  Aiden grinned, a genuine smile of delight. “Yes. I believe this will work.”

  “So you’ll join with me?” Raphael asked.

  Snorting, Aiden shook his head. “Me? No. This was a test to see how well you and Jake work together.”

  Raphael stared at him for several seconds. “You expect me to join with a child?”

  “Join? No, but fight with, yes. I want you and Jake to team up in the final battle.”

  Raphael narrowed his eyes and pointed at Jake. “First of all, destroying a city is one thing. You just work your magic with no one to stop you. But the battle will be entirely different. Someone’s going to actually fight back and he’s a child. What does he know about fighting?”

  Aiden lifted an eyebrow with a grin.

  Jake needed no prodding. He hated Raphael. He sent a strong wind toward him and Raphael flew backward, his body bending forward before he crashed into a pile of rubble.

  Scrambling to his feet, Raphael lifted
his arm and his eyes glowed. A crack split across the asphalt, sucking in the smashed cars and pieces of buildings in its path, heading for Jake.

  Jake was tired from his storm but his hatred made him strong. He jumped out of the way of the crack, throwing fire at Raphael as he leapt into the air.

  A gust of wind caught Raphael in mid-leap, tossing him against a partially collapsed wall. Raphael growled and the ground shook beneath Jake, and he fought to remain upright.

  “Enough.”

  Ignoring the command, Jake continued his onslaught.

  “I said enough.” Aiden’s voice filled his head as well as the air.

  Jake stood with both feet apart, his hands clenched at his sides, and his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath. It had felt good to release his hatred with his power, but he was frustrated that Aiden made him stop.

  Raphael lay sprawled on the ground, blood trailing down the side of his face.

  Aiden laughed. “Still consider him a defenseless child?”

  Jake couldn’t help gloating, but he wished that Aiden had let him finish Raphael off.

  Casting a glance at Jake, Aiden pursed his lips. “All in good time, Jake.”

  Raphael pushed off the ground, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the street.

  “Tomorrow we shall do this again.”

  “Why the hell would I do that?” Raphael bent over, resting his elbows on his thighs.

  “Because you need me and Jake and if you don’t show, you’ll lose any chance of aligning with us.”

  Raphael shook his head and groaned, raising his hand to his temple. “Maybe I’ll just team up with Alex.”

  Aiden crossed his arms. “Doubtful. You hate him more than you hate me, which is saying something. Then there’s the fact that Jake has more power in his little finger than Alex ever dreamed of possessing.”

  “There’s three of us here and only two will survive. It’s not hard to figure out which two you’re planning to make it to the end with you.”

  Shaking his head, Aiden laughed. “You’ll be dead if you don’t. But if you help me, there might be a way for you to survive this with us.”

  “What the hell are you talking about? Only two survive.”

  “Oh, Raphael. Haven’t you figured out by now that I always have a backup plan? Who do you want to be on your side at the end? Me and Jake? Or Alex?”

  “And if I refuse you all?”

  “Good luck surviving on your own. You’ll have chosen a side. And it won’t be mine.”

  Raising an eyebrow, Raphael winced and reached up to the cut on his forehead. “And how is that different than what we are now?”

  “Because right now we’re more like adversaries working toward the same goal.”

  “And that goal is…?”

  “To keep Emma on her toes, to distract her from strengthening her power with Will. To hopefully create animosity between them.”

  “And Marcus?”

  “Wherever Will is, I’m sure Marcus won’t be far behind. Now that everything is out in the open, Marcus won’t want to lose his precious leverage.” Aiden looked at Jake with a grin. “And perhaps Jake will see his mother sooner.”

  Jake was scared about what else he’d have to do to make that happen.

  Raphael traveled with them on the plane to their next city. He and Aiden sat at the front of the plane, on separate sides of the aisle, talking in hushed tones. Jake sat several rows back with Antonia. Her hands shook in her lap, clutching her rosary beads. Jake stared at the back of the seat in front of him, the little girl’s face appearing in his mind as soon as he closed his eyes. Was she dead, smashed under some giant pieces of building? Did her blood run into what was left of the street? His insides crawled with unseen bugs, then they moved to his head, and he felt like he was going to scream.

  Antonia took his hand and cooed soothing sounds into his ear. Jake leaned his head on her shoulder, pretending she was Mommy. He needed Antonia and that scared him.

  The plane landed and Aiden told Raphael, Jake and Antonia to wait on the tarmac while he talked to the pilot.

  Aiden didn’t tell Jake where they were going, but if he didn’t want Jake to know, he must have forgotten that Jake knew how to read. Jackson, Mississippi was on a sign over a building at the airport. The name seemed familiar.

  “The fucking South again?” Raphael stood next to the plane, wiping his brow as Aiden climbed down the ladder. Sweat dampened his shirt.

  “There’s a reason,” Aiden said in monotone.

  “Want to share it?”

  “Not especially.”

  Raphael’s eyes hardened as put his hands on his hips. “You expect me to just blindly follow you around like a puppy?”

  “Yes.”

  “I could leave right now.”

  “Then go.”

  Raphael’s face pinched in hatred and frustration.

  Jake wished he would leave. Being with Aiden was bad enough, but the anger and hostility coming off of Raphael was suffocating.

  Raphael cursed in a language Jake didn’t understand and stomped off to the building.

  Aiden told Antonia to take Jake to the car waiting out front and to check into the hotel. They walked in silence, Antonia holding his hand in a firm grip. Jake glanced over his shoulder. Aiden stood outside the airport watching them, a blank expression on his face. When they climbed inside and the car door was closed, Jake watched out the back window, glad to see Aiden was gone.

  Antonia’s face relaxed and she pulled Jake into a hug. Jake was even more scared. As hard as he tried to hide his feelings for Antonia, Aiden knew.

  “Antonia,” he whispered. “Let’s run away.”

  Her mouth dropped.

  “We’re alone. We can do it. We can go find my mommy. She’ll take care of us.”

  “Shhh!” She clasped her hand over his mouth. “If Señor Aiden knew what you were saying—”

  Jake pulled her hand down and lowered his voice. “Aiden’s not here. He could be gone a long time. We can do it, Antonia. This is our chance.”

  “Jake, you must not say this. People are listening.” She lifted her chin toward the front.

  Jake looked up front. The driver’s face was in the mirror, watching them with narrowed eyes.

  Jake’s body stiffened as his hatred rose, and he felt the need to hurt someone. “I can kill him.”

  Antonia’s mouth dropped open as her face paled. “Jake, you cannot say such things.”

  “I’ll protect you, Antonia. I won’t let Aiden hurt you.”

  She pulled his head to her chest. “You are a brave boy. You have seen many things a boy your age should not see.”

  She didn’t believe him.

  He leaned back and stared into her eyes. He had to make her understand. “I can do it, Antonia. I can do it right now.”

  Her face softened and she brushed the hair off his forehead. “I know you are able to do this, Jacob. That is not the question. We are given many gifts in this world, but we must learn how to use them. You have much too much responsibility for a boy your age. You are asked to do things no one should do.” A tear fell down her cheek. “I met your mother, even if only for a few moments, and I know that she loves you very much. I promised her that I would take care of you and that means that I must take care of you in all things. I cannot let you do this.”

  “But…”

  “If we try to leave now, Señor Aiden will find us and he will hurt you. We must stay for now.”

  She was right, but he didn’t have to like it.

  Aiden wasn’t back by dinner time, and Jake was grateful. He and Antonia ordered room service and ate in the hotel suite while he watched TV.

  Jake was almost done eating when Aiden walked in the door, grinning. “You did very well today, Jake.”

  Jake didn’t want to listen to Aiden gloat. He faked a yawn. “I’m tired. Can I go to bed?”

  “Of course. You have another big day tomorrow.”

  Jake’s sto
mach twisted into a pretzel. He stood and Antonia pushed him into one of the bedrooms. Shutting the door, she crossed herself and muttered something in Spanish as she unpacked his pajamas. She read him stories even though she knew he could read to himself. Her shaky hands jiggled the book. He didn’t care that she treated him like a baby. It triggered fuzzy memories of Mommy. Before all the bad things happened.

  When she finished, she cradled him in her arms and sang to him in Spanish as she brushed his hair with her fingers with one hand, the rosary beads clinking in her other.

  He closed his eyes and pretended it was Mommy even though Antonia’s lap was softer and she smelled different. Was Aiden tricking him? Would he let Jake be with Mommy again? Jake didn’t trust Aiden. He needed to figure out how to get Mommy back on his own.

  He knew how to make it happen.

  Antonia sat in a chair next to the bed as she waited for him to fall asleep. He made his breath slow and steady and lay still even though he felt twitchy. He thought of his stuffed dog Rusty and how he’d make Aiden pay for burning him up. He’d make Aiden pay for a lot of things. And Raphael too.

  And Will.

  But he couldn’t think about Will right now, because the good memories of him flooded Jake’s mind and he needed the bad ones. He counted on the ugly ones to do what he needed to do later. He didn’t want to kill Will, but he had to. It wasn’t his fault. It was Aiden’s.

  He was back where he started.

  After several minutes Jake’s legs grew stiff from holding still so long, Antonia finally seemed satisfied he was asleep and left after placing a kiss on his forehead. When he was sure she was really gone, he sat up and ran to the door, locking it. He threw open the heavy curtains covering the window, then returned to his bed, sitting cross-legged in the middle. His bandage was still on his arm and he was surprised Antonia hadn’t insisted on checking it again, but Antonia had been nervous and shaky since they left Little Rock. When Jake read her thoughts and sifted through the Spanish, he realized that Antonia knew that Aiden and Raphael had destroyed Little Rock, but she was unsure about Jake’s involvement. She prayed Jake would be delivered from the demonio and his sweet soul would remain uncorrupted.

  It was too late for that.

  Stripping off his shirt, Jake stared at the mark on his chest, two black outlined, intersecting, sideways circles barely visible by the light coming through the window.