Gifted Connections 3

The toddler paused in his thrashing, keening, and wailing for a moment. He looked around the room wildly, until his eyes fell on me. He really was a cute kid, but a little pale, like he never saw the sun. He favored his father but his eyes were mine. They were my maternal grandmother’s and Micah’s. His russet color hair was the same unruly curls as Miranda’s, Alex’s, Hazel’s, and mine too.

Bridgette tsked at me as she laughed coolly. “I’ll make you a deal. You let me leave with the good doctor, and we’ll leave the boy at the local police station.”

Another man came around the corner pulling along Hazel. She looked so confused- her eyes vacant. She really was just a shell of a woman.

In the distance I could hear the sound of a helicopter. I could see that they were getting edgy. They were outnumbered and they knew it. I also knew desperate people did desperate things.

“You’re not leaving with any of them,” I said between clenched teeth.

“Sweetheart, you can’t stop me.” Bridgette laughed as two more men appeared. One of them looked thoroughly bored as he sat down on the couch. He was an attractive looking man—if you liked the Ken doll look. “None of you can. I know you all thought Collin was talented. Just wait to you get a load of this guy.”

She smiled before she leaned over and gave him a passionate kiss. “Have you met my connection, Mom? Sister dearest, brother dearest?” She looked over at Kade and shook her head. “I thought we had a bond. I thought we could be best friends. Oh well.” She shrugged. “Let’s go, boys.” She started to walk away. The boy started to grunt, moan, and whip around once more.

“No! You can’t,” Miranda wailed. “He’s not well. He’s sick. You can’t take him. Please!” she pleaded.

Bridgette laughed coldly once more. “Oh, if only you cared that much about the rest of us. You were eager to throw the rest of us away like yesterday’s garbage. Well in all fairness, I guess Blake and I was just your test tube babies, but you still carried us.” She stroked her own belly, and I gasped when I noticed the tiny baby bump. “I would never throw this one away. Never!”

They were almost to the door when I moved towards them. I didn’t care about Miranda, but the boy was innocent. Even I could see he wasn’t normal, that this was stressing him out.

Bridgette turned quickly, just as one of her friends sent a fireball my way. She shook her head. “Not so fast, Blake. One more move again and I’ll snap his little neck,” she hissed at me.

I felt all my guys surround me. I felt a weird energy encompass me and knew my gift was eager to break free. Any residual feeling of weakness left me. My chest didn’t feel as tight. My limbs didn’t feel as heavy.

I felt the subtle squeeze of Jace. Let it out to play, he said softly in my head.

We have your back, Troy insisted.

What in the world? Jaxson breathed in wonder.

My gifts’ energy was buzzing in anticipation.

Now Blake! Noah urged me.

Your connection might be the best, but we are better. I pushed my words into Bridgette’s head. She whipped around with shocked eyes, and before she could react, I compelled her further. Put the boy down, gently.

“What the hell, Bridgette, come on!” The man that was guiding Hazel cursed in annoyance.

Bridgette’s connection turned and looked at us in wonder. “My block was broken, run!”

Not so fast, I commanded them. Stay! I was angry, I was hurt, and I was in pain. Combined, they didn’t bode well for the people that had been making my life so difficult. They blindly followed a man that threatened our way of life. They carried out his dirty deeds without blinking and eye. They were willing to kidnap an old woman and a defenseless child because he told them to.

I was tired, I was hungry, and I wasn’t reasonable. I knew my emotions were out weighing my logic. They needed to be stopped.

“Blake, no!” Hazel turned around with wild eyes. “You can’t risk the price of your soul for revenge. Not even on the behalf of others!”

I heard Miranda and Greg gasp behind me. I guess the woman who hadn’t spoken in years finally found a reason to speak.

“They shouldn’t be able to hurt anyone ever again,” I cried out as tears began to course down my face. “If I let them go, they’ll continue hurting, maybe even killing, others!”

“They will stand before their maker, just as you will. They will be judged by their sins. Don’t let their sins become yours,” Hazel looked at me fiercely.

“Mom,” Miranda said tremulously.

Hazel’s eyes swung to Miranda. “Not now, Miranda. You failed her.” She held a frail finger towards me then back at her. “All this time you carried the guilt for your sister when it wasn’t yours to carry, and in your self-destructive journey, you caused so much more damage.”

I felt Bridgette’s connection push against my hold, and it caused me to become even more angry and irrational. I closed my eyes, and that power I felt when Bradford attacked me was back in full force. I could feel it reach out, and like invisible hands, wrap around Bridgette and her friends. It continued to wrap around them like a boa constrictor and then tightened. I saw their eyes widen and then I saw them try to breath. They couldn’t. My gift was squeezing the life out of them.

“Blake, no!” I heard Jace yell at me. “Listen to Hazel.”