A Broken Jewel (Jade Book 1)

by Lucy Rains

  I spat into the bathroom sink, wiping the tears from my eyes. Trying to forget the blood, gun fire, screams, the nightmares that filled my head every night, more piled on top of each other. Each new pain adding to the old. Instead of screaming, I woke up gasping through sobs. Tangled in my sheets, gripping onto a pillow like a lifeline.

  My mother’s face had been the last thing I remember seeing before waking. Standing over me, speaking with no sound. Moisture gathered in my eyes again, and I wiped again with a shaky hand.

  It was 3am and the second time I had awoken that night from trauma induced nightmares. A presence moved somewhere upstairs. I swallowed and pinched my eyes closed, hoping they would ignore me. Footsteps drew closer, a sense of concern pushing over me. I didn’t move when I heard my door open or when whoever it was entered my bathroom.

  Arms went around my torso and pulled me against a hard bare chest. Pierce. No words were spoken as he held me from behind. At least at first. After a few minutes passed, his mouth came close to my ear. “Come on,” he tugged on my hand but I didn’t move.

  I opened my eyes to see his blue eyes locked on me, urging me to follow him. “I don’t think I should.”

  He stood for a moment, waiting to see if I would change my mind. I shook my head, opening my mouth to protest again, but he moved so fast his body blurred as he scooped me up.

  “Pierce!” I objected as he carried me through the hall like I weighed nothing. I knew it was pointless to try and squirm out of his arms but I tried to anyways.

  He pushed into his room and closed the door behind him with his foot. My heart raced, not ready for what might be coming. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting him to do, but the way he carefully laid me down into his bed with such compassion spilling from his mood caught me by surprise. Blankets were tucked around me, while Pierce laid on top of the comforter. I both hated and appreciated the gesture.

  He curled his body around me, his chest to my back, and pressed a hand to my chest. The relief that flowed through my mind and body was like warm honey and I released a deep breath. My muscles relaxed, the tension in my head eased, and my heart slowed. The earlier pain from my nightmares long gone.

  “Thank you,” I whispered.

  He answered with a kiss to my head. My knees curled up and my eyes became heavy. A trickle of fear of what might await me in sleep came to the surface but I focused on the warmth of Pierce’s hand on my chest and the fear disappeared, replaced by peace. I was safe, the warm hum in my chest spreading to my limbs. My body relaxed into Pierce and I soon fell into dark oblivion.

  Chapter 28

  My body was cold. Alone.

  Rain pelted the window at a ferocious speed. There was a lamp on somewhere, casting a soft glow in the room. Somehow my legs had become uncovered from the blankets and my toes were freezing. As I shifted them, my stomach turned and rumbled in protest, demanding food.

  Knowing Pierce was already gone, I reached out an arm to my side, feeling the sheets where his body had been. My fingers rubbed my eyelids as I lifted up from the bed and cleared the morning congestion from my throat.

  My eyes glanced around the room, unsurprised to see its bland decor. A flat screen TV was hung on the wall, speakers perched on a nearby dresser. There were no clothes on his floor, on the dresser, no where that I could see. His room was similar to the other guys. Dressers, alarm clock, thick bedding, but Pierce had a bulletin board on the wall next to his bed. My head turned, my eyes narrowed on the pictures, tacked to the board.

  Of me.

  All of me.

  At track, at school, at the gas station where I got my slushies, at Mias. Some were from a year ago, or longer... A range of conflicting emotions bubbled up inside of me.

  Who took these? How long had they been following me? Taking pictures of me? Should I feel violated?

  I examined the pictures more closely, my initial shock wearing off. Pierce wasn't trying to hide these, so obviously he didn't feel like he had done anything wrong. There was nothing concerning about the photos, nothing inappropriate. It was just...me. Me going about my daily life. I realized in that moment I didn’t fully appreciate the possible depth of his feelings for me, and how long he had had them.

  I studied my face in the various photos. I wasn't smiling in any of then. My face was guarded, blank. There was one of me in Mia's driveway and in that picture alone my face held the most openness. I took a moment and compared myself now to myself then in the moments of those pictures. It had only been a couple of weeks but I already felt like such a different person. I hoped that I smiled more, but I doubted it.

  After showering, I went downstairs and glanced into the office to see all four guys huddled around computers. They spoke in low tones, pointing at screens, tapping on their keyboards. I went to the kitchen in search of food.

  My energy was twitchy, anxious. Heavy anticipation weighed on my chest. I knew I was struggling with what needed to happen that night and It wasn’t sitting well in my mind. Everything in me wanted to run away. Just run and forget about all of it.

  Hoping that maybe the guys could tell me something to ease my anxiety, or that being with them would help settle my nerves, I wandered into the office.

  I sat down on a folding chair in the corner and peeled a banana. No one said anything, everyone intent on their tasks. My eyes wandered over their messy morning hair, their sweats and hoodies. There were bowls, mugs and empty plates scattered around the table, inner mixed with phones and papers.

  The longer I sat there, the more obvious the dark mood became. Discontent was plaguing one of the guys. I narrowed my eyes, channeling on each one individually until I found the source.

  Alex.

  I pushed deeper into his subconscious, and was startled at what I felt. Bitterness….Jealousy.

  “Alex?” His name left my mouth without me thinking, my tone confused.

  His eyebrows lifted as he met my eyes, waiting for my question. But I didn’t know what to say. Not right then, not in front of the other guys. “Jade?” He responded slowly, his face blank.

  What’s the matter? Pierce’s voice was in my head.

  I glanced over at him and back to Alex. He’s upset.

  Why?

  “Don’t talk about me,” Alex grumbled.

  “We’re not,” I replied automatically.

  Alex tilted his head and scowled, “Liar.”

  “We have work to do,” Pierce interrupted. You’ll have to deal with this later.

  “I know.” I said out loud, taking a bite out of my banana. “So, when are we going?” I mumbled as I chewed.

  “Going?” asked Pierce.

  “To confront my mother.”

  “Tonight.” He looked back to his computer and tapped on his keyboard. “Midnight.”

  “I don't know…” I said hesitantly. “Maybe I could stay home?”

  All four guys looked up from the computers to stare at me.

  “Or you know, it’s not too late,” I offered again, “To just run.”

  “Dammit, Jade,” Gavin expelled a heavy breath and ran his hands through his hair. “This is happening, stop trying to shove your head in the sand.”

  “Premeditated murder,” I said loudly. “You realize that’s what this is? It's not an op, or an assignment from your superiors, it's murder.”

  “Well,” Kyson drug out the word, “Pierce is kind of like my boss, so you know…I have to follow his orders.”

  “Kyson,” I said, “you don’t strike me as a professional criminal.”

  “That’s what makes me good at it,” he winked at me and took a bite of a bagel.

  Pierce sat back from his computer and looked at me. “We are doing what needs to be done to help ensure our safety, as well as yours. Are we taking the law into our own hands? Maybe...but she will hurt if not kill countless others with her experiments to research and breed genetically altered human soldiers.”

  “You don't know that,” I argued.

  “Actually,
I do.” His tone was arrogant, so sure of himself.

  “How?”

  “Because we are tapped into their security cameras and have constant live feed from the lab. We know what she's doing, what they are doing. It involves human experimentation.”

  “Since when? I asked.

  “Since last night,’ Alex spoke up from his computer.

  I was stunned. Experimenting on people? Did I want to even know the details? I groaned as it seemed there was no end to my mother’s sins.

  “So, that makes it okay in your guy's mind to go and murder her?”

  Gavin opened his mouth to respond but Pierce held up a hand to stop him.

  “You do not know or understand what she is capable of. All four of us should be dead, many times over. She basically attempted to kill us but we were too strong. “

  “So why don't we just turn her over to the government? Let the law deal with her?”

  “Because our government is corrupt in its own way and we can’t trust anyone. Why do you think Jason and his agency haven't taken her in? They are aware of what she does. They want what she can create. What she is trying to create. More like us.”

  I open my mouth to argue again but Pierce spoke over me. “There's nothing more to discuss. And you will come with us.”

  He stood up from his seat, my eyes following him as he left the room.

  When I looked back to the guys I caught Alex staring at me, and then quickly look away when my eyes met his.

  Letting out my own heavy sigh I got up and went to the kitchen to drop off my dishes. Frustration burned through me, the conversation with Pierce not doing anything to help my anxiety.

  When I attempted to set my plate down in the kitchen I saw it wasn’t possible. The counters and sink were jam packed with bowls, dirty dishes, used cups, and various cooking supplies. Rolling up my sleeves I knew it was best I deal with the mess. The guys were busy with their own things and I had no life, I realized pitifully. I turned on the water and rinsed dried cereal from a bowl. I took out my frustrated feelings on the crusty flakes, wishing I could change the guys mind.

  “Are you okay?” Kyson asked from behind me. My head turned to see Kyson and Pierce both standing in the kitchen, leaning against the wide door frame, holding breakfast plates.

  I shrugged. “I don’t know.” I answered turning back to the sink. “I don’t know what okay means anymore.” I ran water over measuring cups and lined them up on the top rack.

  “Jade-” Pierce started.

  “No.” I interrupted. Flinging water as I held up a hand to stop him. “You don’t know either, so don’t try to tell me it's okay. I’m in libido-”

  “Limbo?” Kyson asked with a smile, trying not to laugh.

  “You know what I mean!” My cheeks flared. “I don’t know what's wrong and what's right. I can’t come to terms with what you guys want to do. And most of all, I left an old life and haven’t started a new one yet. I don’t know what I want and what I don’t want, I just…,” I slammed a plastic cup in the dishwasher. “I know that I don’t want to do this.”

  I put the last bowls on the top shelf, filled up the soap dispenser and started the dishwasher. The counters were still covered in pots and pans so I started scrubbing them too.

  Pierce reached out for my hands to stop me but I snatched them away. “You don’t have to clean those,” he said.

  “It’s fine,” I snapped. “It’s better I do something then sit around.”

  I continued scrubbing and washing, knowing they both stood in the kitchen watching me. After a couple minutes of silence I realized they were having a mental conversation I wasn’t a part of.

  “If you’re going to stand there, you might as well do something useful,” I grumbled.

  Kyson stepped forward and grabbed the wet utensils laying on the counter. He shook the water droplets over my head before turning to wipe them off. I rolled my eyes, irritated, but decided to ignore him. He was baiting me and I was too frustrated to mess around. Although the temptation was there to retaliate.

  When he did it a second time, I decided there would be consequences.

  I waited until he turned away from me to put away a clean spatula, then grabbed the sink sprayer and aimed it towards him. The shriek he let out when I turned the water on was priceless.

  Pierce held his hands up and backed out of the kitchen. “I’m going back to my computer.”

  Kyson eyed me and I smiled evilly, still pointing the water sprayer at him. He raised an eyebrow in challenge, his head tilting down in a predatory manner.

  “Don’t even think about it,” I warned. He took a slow step forward and I raised my eyebrows. “Kyson,” I said warily, trying to warn him off. Taking a step backwards, I suddenly realized that my plan was going to backfire. He was much stronger than me. And faster.

  He shot towards me and I blasted him with water as much as I could before he could over power me. He slipped to my right side and I twisted around to keep spraying him. I was successfully drenching his face and chest. But I knew my triumph was coming to an end. He growled and pinned my back against his chest with one hand, while grabbing the water sprayer away from me with the other.

  “Uncle! Uncle!” I shrieked.

  “Uncle my ass,” he said as he proceeded to spray my face at close range. I yelped and spit out the water that flooded my mouth. I pushed him backwards with my feet and managed to bump him into the corner cabinets. But this was not enough to stop him.

  “Pierce!” I shouted for help. “Help!”

  “Sorry!” he called from the office, completely uninterested in helping me.

  I continued shrieking when finally Kyson turned off the water. Moaning in despair and gasping for breath, I leaned forward and Kyson let me go to find a towel.

  “You’re such a jerk,” I complained while wiping off my face and neck. I looked down at my now soaking wet white tshirt and squeaked in surprise. Kyson looked up and laughed.

  My cream colored bra glowed through the thin white cotton, putting on a nice show for anyone to see. I looked up and glared at him as he continued laughing.

  I placed my towel over the front of my chest to cover myself.

  “I’ve already seen it, ya know.” He said with a cocky smile.

  “Well, you don’t get to see it right now.” I replied haughtily, with my chin up at him.

  “That, is too bad.”

  I glared at him and saw an apple sitting on the counter next to me. I picked it up and launched it at his head. He easily plucked it away from his face and set it back down on the counter. Scowling in irritation, I flicked my pointer finger at his chest, sending out a teeny jolt of energy to ping him.

  Kyson doubled over slightly and laughed again. “Okay, okay. Truce. Here,” he said as he pulled his T shirt over his head. “Put this on.”

  He came over and slipped it over my head. I pulled the towel off and put the shirt on the rest of the way. I stared up at his bare chest, that was now front and center to my vision, unable to look away. His shoulders were rounded with muscles, his pecs outlined and firm. The small patch of hair on his chest led into a tiny line down to his abs that were cut to perfection. I struggled to breath as I brought my eyes back up to his.

  “I had better go,” I whispered. “Change.”

  Kyson’s eyes dilated as he leaned closer, a slight purr coming from his throat as his eyes became hooded. His hands came out and rested on the counter at my sides.

  “Kyson,” I whispered, his desire washing over me and meeting my own. His blue eyes moved between my mouth and my eyes, his lips parting.

  My own began to part and I wanted to lean forward when a presence began moving towards us. A dark foul presence.

  Alex walked into the kitchen and threw his bowl into the sink, not sparing us a look as he left the room.

  I looked up to Kyson, “I need to try and talk to him.”

  He tried to hide it but I could see the disappointment in his face. He nodded and removed
his hands to take a step back to allow me movement. I looked longingly at him one more time, then walked towards the office.

  Alex was back at his computer, staring but not seeing. His eyes were unfocused, his fingers tapping on his knee.

  “Alex?” I said softly. His tapping stopped and his eyes met mine. The normal playful light missing from their depths. My stomach sank at his displeasure.

  He stood up suddenly, walking out of the room, passing me in the doorway without a word.

  Pierce’s head turned to me, his mouth turned down. Go fix this. I need him in working condition.

  I gave Pierce a frown and followed Alex down the hall, not eve sure what to say.

  “Alex,” I called out to him as he reached the front door. But he didn’t stop.

  I jogged after him, down the steps outside into the pouring rain. Barefoot and in my pajama shorts, I followed him to his replacement car. “Alex, please stop.”

  He paused, putting his hands on his hips. Rain fell on us as we stood in the driveway, dripping into my eyes and soaking into Kyson’s shirt.

  Alex turned slowly and walked towards me. “My alone time is sometimes for your safety.” His voice low, as he threw my own words back at me.

  I hadn’t seen Alex upset before. It hurt. It hurt worse knowing I must be the cause of it. I took a step forward and looked up into his face.

  I swallowed and dragged up what little courage I had. “If you could be any flavor of ice cream, what would you be?”

  I stood there without breathing, waiting to see his reaction. Water dripped from the tips of his hair as he stood motionless. Silence passed by in several beats and I was beginning to think he wouldn’t answer me.

  “Superman.”

  “What?” I asked in confusion. “Superman flavor? That's not a thing.”

  He gave a small smile, “Is to. Had it in Florida once.” He grabbed my hand and led me towards the garage, stopping to press the code into the keypad. We waited for the garage to slowly rise, his thumb rubbing circles into the back of my hand.

  “Why are you asking me weird questions?” He asked without looking at me.

  “Is it making you less mad at me?”