Chapter 4
“I ’m not sure I am,” Taryn gasped. “Jesus, I don’t know what this is, but, God, it’s bad.”
“Hang on. I’m coming to you.”
“No, you have to stay and watch.”
“I also have to confirm you’re okay.”
“That’s not part of it,” she cried out. “You have to confirm that the children are safe.”
“Yeah, it sounds to me as if Cassie’s more than safe but is endangering you.”
“If she is, it’s only because she’s scared, but, Jesus, she’s strong.… God, I don’t know what this is, but I don’t like it.” All of a sudden she gasped again.
“Now what?” Alex asked.
“I think we got separated.”
Suddenly Terkel’s voice slammed into Taryn’s brain. No, don’t, don’t disconnect from the energy, just mute it. Keep it calm. Keep it quiet because, if that is Cassie, we need that connection to that little girl . And then Terkel left her head too.
Taryn sank back against the car seat, the shudders rippling up and down her spine.
“Are you okay?” Alex asked, now right beside her, outside her car door.
She lowered the window and let out a slow, deep breath. “I’m not sure,” she whispered. “What the hell is going on?”
He winced. “Remember that intuition you spoke of, that intuition you and Bruce shared, that part of you that’s always been so strong?”
She nodded slowly and looked up at him, expecting some rational explanation.
Alex continued. “Well, that little girl recognized you for what you are, which is a kindred soul, somebody who comes from a good place in the world. My guess is, Cassie’s latched on to you because she can and because she needs that security because she’s lost that herself. And I would imagine that, of all the things that she needs right now, it’s to know that she’s okay and that somebody out there is looking after her,” Alex stated. “I’m not sure what Terkel would say, but I have a pretty good idea.”
She gave a half-crazed laugh. “He just slammed into my brain and told me to not break the connection.” She grimaced and showed her palms. “As if I can control any of this. Terk just told me to keep the channel open because it was our only way of keeping track of Cassie.” She stared up at Alex with a mix of reverence and awe. “I’ve never had anybody do that before.”
Alex shrugged. “Yeah, Terkel’s special.”
She stared at him. “You know there’s special , and then there’s lunacy .”
He softly chuckled at her choice of words. “I don’t think any energy worker would appreciate the latter term,” he noted cautiously. “And, if you weren’t feeling quite so shocked, you wouldn’t be using it.”
“Are you sure about that?” she asked, staring at him. “Terk was talking in my head .”
“Yes, it’s called telepathy, and it can really make life a lot easier if you can do it.”
She frowned at him. “You can do it?”
He shrugged once more, then nodded. “I can do it with Terkel and a few other people I’ve known for a long time,” he shared, “but I’m not sure I can just do it randomly.”
She nodded, as if that made all the sense in the world. And, of course, not only did it not make any sense, it was just starting to suggest that maybe she really needed some sleep and that this whole thing was getting to her.
Alex gave her a small smile. “You’re looking a little bit as if the world just tilted on you.” He patted her hand on the steering wheel. “Why don’t you try to sleep for a little bit, get a power nap, and I’ll keep watch.”
She frowned at him. “What if Cassie wakes me up with her emotions again?”
He gave her a sober sigh. “Assuming Cassie connecting to you is happening here, I think you’re probably right. You really can’t do a whole lot about it. Just try to keep her calm and to keep yourself calm. That is the best option to keep track of here. She’s in pain, and she needs somebody right now, and it looks as if she’s chosen you.”
Taryn took a deep breath and nodded slowly. “I’m up for doing whatever I can to help Cassie, but the rest of this stuff? I’m not sure it’s even possible.”
He gave her a ghost of a smile and whispered, “You may be surprised about that, but the rest of this is a whole lot easier to handle. Once you open your mind and accept that you have gifts, that it’s part of your reality, and that somebody really can talk to you telepathically, chances are you can talk to them in that way too.”
Her gaze widened. She shook her head rapidly. “Hell no. No way.”
He laughed. “Wait until you talk to that little girl and are able to send her soothing energy to make her realize she’s okay.”
“But she’s not okay,” Taryn countered. “How can I tell her that? She’s in grave danger.”
“Yeah, but we can’t tell her that. She’s just a child, and she wouldn’t even understand what that danger entails. She won’t understand the who and the why and where it’s coming from,” Alex explained. “So it’s important that we don’t say anything to scare her further.”
Taryn let out a breath and slowly nodded. “Okay, I can see that.… I’m so freaked out right now, so it would be way worse for her.” She looked at Alex sideways. “I just don’t think I’ll sleep though.”
He smiled. “You may be surprised at just how well you can sleep,” he told her. “Partly because you’re here to help and that little girl has reached out to you. Cassie needs you, and you need her right now, whether you believe it or not. You two are connected, even if it’s only through your love of Bruce. Was he close to her?” Alex asked in a careful tone.
She nodded. “Oh, yes, they were best of friends. Bruce was very close with all three of Mary’s kids, before he went back overseas again. But now, it’s been so long, and Cassie may not even remember him,” Taryn muttered.
“You might be surprised to find out that Cassie may even be searching for Bruce right now on the ethers. Remember that she’s young, untrained, yet obviously powerful as an energy worker. Plus, she’s looking for somebody or something to help her in this craziness that her world has become. She probably doesn’t even know what it is she’s looking for, but she’s reaching out, and she’s latching on. That, in itself, says a lot about who Cassie is as a person, and it’s better that she latches on to you than someone else—who could see what she’s up to and doesn’t have her best interests at heart.”
Taryn sucked in her breath at the thought. “God, can you even imagine?” She shut her eyes and whispered, “I think I need to chill for a bit.”
“You do that. Move over so I can get in the driver’s seat. I’ll just stay here and keep watch,… over you and her.”
She opened her eyes. “And if something happens?”
“Don’t worry.” He chuckled. “I’ll wake you up, but you’ll also wake up anyway because I’ll have this vehicle in motion. They will not get past me.”
She stared at him for a long moment, and, finding absolutely nothing in his expression that gave her cause for concern, she nodded slowly. “I hope so because I think Cassie is asleep right now, but I don’t think she’ll stay that way for long.”
And, with that, Taryn drifted off to sleep.
*
Alex watched carefully, the house and the woman who slept so peacefully beside him. He was pretty sure Taryn had no idea that he’d helped knock her out. Yet she needed rest because the ordeal to come wouldn’t be easy if she was to reconnect to the child without first getting some sleep and recharging.
After a bit of time, Terkel slipped into Alex’s mind. Is Taryn out?
She is, and she thinks Cassie is asleep too .
Good , Terkel replied, his voice harsher than normal. Yet I’m not sensing the two boys’ presence .
Alex’s heart stopped at that. Meaning they are dead?
Not necessarily. I’m just not sensing them. It could be that they have not developed any abilities yet or haven’t figured out what’s going on in their world. Both boys could be dead-to-the-world sleeping for that matter. Just because I’m not picking up their energy doesn’t mean they are not there , he explained, with a note of humor. I’m not that invincible .
Are you sure? Alex asked, with a wry smile. Taryn was pretty shocked to hear your voice in her head .
After a moment of silence, Terk noted, She caught that, did she?
Yeah, were you not expecting her to?
Well, she didn’t react as a first-timer, as I would have thought , Terk shared, so I couldn’t judge. Yet, as long as she got the message, I’m good with it .
Yeah, she got the message, and I think she’s just,… how can I say surprised in its strongest form?
Terkel laughed. Yet the fact that she could pick up my message is also massive .
I know, but she hasn’t figured out that part yet , Alex noted, with a chuckle.
What about you? Terk asked.
I’m still here with her in the car. I’m watching the house and the driveway, while keeping an eye on Taryn as well. I’m not entirely sure what’s going on with her, but, when she started to bawl like that, well,… it was rough, damn rough .
It wasn’t her though , Terkel noted.
No, but I think there was some of her in the midst of it .
That would explain it , Terkel replied, and, if she’s got some trauma in her past, maybe the little girl sensed it and was reaching out .
I think Cassie was reaching out and didn’t need a why , Alex stated, but that could be why the little girl could make the connection with Taryn .
Agreed. Anyway, we may have a thread to pull that leads to the children’s missing father. My team is still working on it. Right now though, I need to get some sleep. Things are a bit hectic here .
Yeah? Any movement on the baby front?
Lots of movement, still no babies , Terkel shared, with a sigh.
But nothing to worry about?
No, nothing to worry about yet, as the women keep telling me. Apparently this stuff takes time .
Alex stifled a laugh, so as not to wake up Taryn. I’ve heard that a time or two, not personally of course. All the best to you guys, while you work your way through it .
Yeah, let’s just hope this little girl gives us a chance to sleep. It’s a little hard to do this work without some recharging time . And, with that, Terkel disappeared.
As Alex sat watching the house, he wondered what the hell this Jeff guy was doing, who he had been arguing with, and how quickly he would make a move. Then Alex got a call from Levi. “Hey,” Alex replied in a curious tone. “Are you looking to talk to Taryn?”
“Actually I was looking to talk to you. Terkel told me that you were helping out.”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m doing,” he quipped, with a note of humor. “Although, if I’d had any idea what I would be letting myself in for, I might have given it a second thought.”
Levi laughed. “Not likely. We all tend to be in this industry because of our histories and our backgrounds and just because of the people we are. So, once that call went out, and you responded, I’m sure more details wouldn’t have changed anything.”
“You would seem to think so some days,” he conceded, with a sigh. “It’s kind of crazy right now though.”
“Why? Is Terkel up to his usual?”
“Yeah, that’s a full-on yes.… Terkel is definitely up to his unpredictable antics,” he agreed. “We’ve also had the little girl reach out and connect with us.”
Stunned silence came on the other end. “Do you want to repeat that?” Levi asked.
“I’m not sure I can.” Alex sighed. “The bottom line is that Taryn started bawling her eyes out. She and I were positioned on opposite sides of the house, so I couldn’t see her, but I heard her. Taryn was beside herself, and I heard her in my head. I couldn’t figure out what was going on. Then she called me, just crying, not speaking. I asked her if she was okay, and she just bawled all the more but stated she wasn’t the one who was crying.”
Levi sucked in his breath. “Good God, this Terkel stuff is enough to derail your brain. That is a new one, even by Terk’s standards.”
Alex snorted. “Yeah, you’re not kidding. Still, it’s also pretty weird, yet wonderful.”
“I don’t know about the wonderful part,” Levi noted. “That woo-woo stuff is not for me. I prefer enemies I can see and subdue, not the ones that bounce around on the ethers, causing all kinds of chaos.”
“You and me both on that score,” Alex murmured. “Anyway, as far as we can figure, the little girl reached out in her grief for anybody on the ethers, likely not even knowing what she’s doing. Just reaching out because of her own pain.”
“That breaks my heart,” Levi said softly. “Can you imagine? I don’t think I’ll even tell Ice about that part.”
“Yeah, that probably won’t work out so well for you,” Alex noted. “My understanding is that your wife doesn’t miss much.”
“No, she doesn’t, and yet I wish she would sometimes, for her own peace of mind. It just doesn’t always work out that way.”
“Sorry,” Alex replied. “I’ve got Taryn asleep here in the vehicle beside me, as we keep watch on the house.”
“You’ll need to pace yourself and get some sleep while you can as well,” Levi suggested, “though I guess that’s a problem since it’s only the two of you. My guys are helping here and there with research and the satellite, but I don’t have anybody free at the moment to meet you on the ground.”
“Yeah, I heard Riff may be available, as he was in the States. Otherwise I don’t know that Terk has anybody to spare to send right now either.”
“Let me contact Terk in the morning, his morning, and confirm that angle.”
“Things are a little crazy at Terk’s end. From what I understand, the babies are on the move but not coming as fast as Terk thinks they ought to.”
“Right, Celia is struggling at the end stages of her labor.”
“If somebody can come our way—whether from your team or Terk’s—I won’t say I’m against it.” With that, Alex disconnected, then drifted in and out of sleep, as he tried to keep watch on the property.
When a knock came on the driver’s side window, Alex bolted awake, then opened the window a bit and stared at a man glaring down at him. “Who the hell are you?” Alex asked.
“Let me in.”
“Hell no, I’m not letting you in.”
The man gave a long-suffering sigh. “I’m Riff. Terkel sent me. Now, let me in so you can sleep, and I’ll keep watch on the house.”