Gifted Connections 2

“Not today,” I muttered to her as I told her to sleep. She collapsed, her head bouncing off the pavement. I wanted to exact vengeance on her, but I couldn’t. I stared in shock at Michael. He had betrayed us. He had cost us so many lives tonight, but he had bit off more than he could chew. I truly believed he thought it was going to be a simple job. I believed he wanted to help his mother. He hadn’t realized the price of her health would be so high. He knew he was going to die. He had hoped for clemency. His head turned my way, and I could see him mouth. “Sorry, sorry,” before the light in his eyes went out.

I closed my eyes and felt the tears fall from my eyes. People like him and Collin had made a deal with the devil, not realizing what a steep price it had been to pay. Some people may think they didn’t deserve anyone grieving for them, but in their last moments of life, did their last-ditch effort of redemption, wipe away their prior sins?

Troy produced a small flame and burnt the rope binding my arms and legs. Then he went over to Rachel and severed her bindings.

“Now what?” Rachel sobbed softly as she came over to hug me.

I was trying to rub the feeling back into my arms, but hugged her when she rushed to me.

“Who has their phone,” I said urgently as I watched more people run into the building. I knew time was running out for us. We were horribly outnu

mbered. Horatio was here. I could feel him. There was a searing pain in my head. Icy coldness enveloped my brain. He was trying to get in.

“They took ours,” Troy cursed as he walked up behind us to embrace us.

I felt panic war with reasoning, but a flash of us sitting in a diner came across my memory.

Jax! I screamed out.

What’s wrong honey? He asked immediately.

Tell Micah to come get us, I pleaded with him.

What’s wrong?! He demanded

It was a trap! We’re in trouble! I explained

Sending him now! I could hear his dread as if he stood next to me.

Jaxson…

Yes, love?

I love you too… I whispered my confession.

Micah appeared beside us in less than five seconds. The girl looked better than she had, and she was now in a completely different outfit. He gaped at the amount of people surrounding us.

“You need to get her out of here and then come back for us. You’ll have to be quick,” I said urgently as I grabbed both of his hands and looked in his eyes. He looked close to panicking. “Take Rachel first,” I urged him.

“We can take you all,” the girl insisted as she held me with one hand and Micah with the other.

“Hold on tight to me,” Micah said with less conviction.

At the last second, I reached out to grip Steven’s arm. I wasn’t going to leave him behind.

A moment of clarity dawned on me as I realized why he hadn’t been in the picture. The other people hadn’t been in Ella’s picture because they hadn’t made it.

Chapter 29

“You need to take Troy and I back,” I said resolutely. “Right outside the building.”

Everyone looked at me in varying stages of shock.

“We need to end this,” I said through the silent tears rolling down my face.

We had found a quiet place outside of the private airstrip where we had landed, but the place was crawling with Horatio’s men.

“We can set the whole place on fire while he’s still in there,” I stated with determination. “He’s probably still looking everywhere in there for me.”