Gifted Connections 3

Kade shook his head. “They aren’t…yet, but some of the Non kids are, and they hang out with them.”

“Like what?” I asked again.

“I don’t want to narc on them. They aren’t destroying things or hurting people, but I think it’s only a matter of time,” Kade said as he laced up his shoes.

I didn’t want to push him if he didn’t want to sound like a tattle tale but at the same time, I wanted to prevent anything before it happened—if it happened. “Will you come to me if you think things are getting out of hand? I have to leave on a mission tomorrow, but you can always call or text me. And if it gets too bad, make sure you tell Will,” I said.

He nodded, and I knew he was done talking about it.

We were probably on our fifth lap when Kade finally talked again. “So, you might see our birth mom?”

I looked over at him in surprise. “Umm yeah. How did you find out?”

He gave me a guilty look. “Ella drew a picture of you with two woman that looked a lot like you, plus Vick’s been practicing with her gift.”

“How often does she practice her gift?” I asked in alarm. The idea of a moody teen eavesdropping set me on edge. I was glad that she was starting to embrace her gift and learning to control it, but I didn’t like the idea of her using it for things she shouldn’t.

“It’s the first time she used it inappropriately,” Kade hastily reassured me. “She saw that you guys were going into the war room. She was just trying to see how long she could stay invisible.”

“Well we were in there for at least thirty minutes. I’m impressed that she stayed undetected for so long,” I said grudgingly.

He gave me another look. “She wasn’t there for that long. While she was in there, she noticed another door behind the screen. That girl Adams and a few of her friends were also there. They are upset that they haven’t been tasked for a major mission yet. They’re tired of the minor ones. They left the door open, and Victoria squeezed past them.”

I sighed and didn’t know if I should tell Will and Paul. It was one thing if a teen was just trying to eavesdrop without malicious intent. Adams and her friends, on the other hand, knew the laws of operational security and the need to know rules here. We had been briefed and required to take a class about not sharing missions with other operatives and were discouraged from trying to garner information from other operatives on missions not assigned to us. She knew better. Her friends knew better.

“You can’t trust her,” Kade said doggedly. “I don’t even understand why she’s even here. She doesn’t like gifted people. She doesn’t support the overall mission.”

“I don’t think she dislikes us all. Just certain people,” I stated as I thought about her never-ending pursuit of Troy.

He gave me a look of disbelief, and I had to laugh.

“Did you forget to send out an invite?” Remy asked wryly as he fell into step beside us.

I looked up at him with a small smile. “You guys went into planning mode, and I needed to let off some steam.”

“Can I come?” Kade blurted out.

We both looked at him in surprise.

“I want to go on the mission,” Kade added hastily.

“Well-” I began.

“I want to meet her,” Kade said resolutely. “I didn’t even know she existed until a few months ago, but it explains a lot. I never looked like my parents, but I looked like my dad’s father. Somehow, I knew I wasn’t theirs, not that they treated me any different. They are- were the best parents. I’m glad she chose to give me up, but I want to know where I came from.”

“From the sounds of it, we didn’t miss much,” I couldn’t stop the bitterness from leaking into my voice. “She witnessed a horrible event, and her mother shut her out, but she still didn’t need to turn to drugs. She chose them over us every time.”

“We can ask Pops,” Remy said gruffly. “Just don’t get your hopes up.”

I looked over at Remy in surprise.

He’s a good kid, and he’s doing great in school, Remy explained to me silently. He has the right to know. He’s fifteen years old. Drake went on his first official mission when he was fifteen.

But Micah and Alex might insist on coming, too, I protested.

Let Pops decide, Remy stated with determination in his eyes.

“How long will you be gone?” Ella asked sullenly as she sat on the end of Troy’s bed where I was packing my bags.