CHAPTER TWELVE
“I can’t thank you enough for what you all did for Regan last night,” said Mary, sipping her hot coffee.
Ben stood ever vigilant in front of the porch railing, suddenly appointing himself as Mary’s personal bodyguard and protector.
“We take care of one another,” said Flip. “You’re part of our team now, and we won’t leave anyone behind.”
Mary nodded and stared at the young man sitting beside her. He was a mountain of a man. Imposing in every sense of the word. Kane, Adam, and Spook were tall, lean, with muscles built from physical fitness. David, Griffin, Garrett, and Gable were the same. Hawke and Nash were shorter but still lean and muscular.
But this man, this man was large naturally. More like a tree, wide and thick, grown that way by the grace of God. His dark hair and eyes made him look like a terrible storm rumbling toward you, but she sensed his sweet spirit and kind heart.
“Anything wrong?” asked Flip, staring straight but seeing the woman in his periphery. The intensity of her stare made him slightly uncomfortable, but he knew what she was doing – sizing him up… literally.
“No, sorry, it’s just you’re an impressive young man. Your size is, well, intimidating, to say the least,” she said, blushing slightly.
Flip laughed and nodded.
“Griffin, Garrett, and Gable are my big boys on the team. They work hard at it, though. You know what I mean? Their years in the military taught them to keep their bodies in peak condition. But they don’t look anything like you.”
Flip only nodded. There was no need to explain to her or anyone why he was so much larger than the average human was. Alice and Fan Cho gave him this body, and he was grateful every day that it served a purpose.
“You all look like you’ve been through quite a bit,” he said casually. He heard the door behind him open, and Nat stepped onto the porch. She kissed Flip on the cheek and then sat on his lap.
“We have indeed, but so have all of you. I’ve lived with my gifts for almost fifty years now. I learned very early on how to cover up my gifts, to keep quiet about them, although I have to say it was difficult controlling my own emotions sometimes when other’s emotions were flooding my brain.”
“But some of these people couldn’t do that. Think about David and Griffin, their running ability. As young men, they didn’t even realize how fast they were running until everyone pointed it out to them. It felt completely natural for them as little boys to run alongside a car traveling thirty-five miles per hour. In time they learned to keep foot races close, to not show their skills too much, but it was still highly suspicious and followed them around.”
“I know what that feels like,” said Flip. “I have superior strength along with the ability to move large objects just by thinking about where I want them placed.”
“I’m still working to control mine,” said Nat. “I-I’ve gotten better since Flip came into my life, but for a while there, anything that made me angry made the flames rise in my hands.”
Mary nodded, staring at the young woman.
“I can feel your love for him, you know,” she said quietly. “I don’t mean to; it’s not something I can turn off. Actually, I can feel the love you all have for one another. The respect. It’s not something I’m used to feeling. It’s why I knew we were doing the right thing by coming into your space. I knew that you wouldn’t turn us away.”
“Sounds like Spook. He can’t turn his off either, and I know the poor guy is nearly driven mad by it sometimes.” Flip thought of his friend and the constant barrage of noise hitting his body. Spook had been in a dark place once upon a time, and he was thrilled that the team pulled him out of it.
Ben walked toward the front porch. His salt and pepper hair cut high and tight, his rough, weathered face so ruggedly handsome. Mary felt the attraction and his emotions for her instantly and smiled at him.
Flip nudged Nat, and they both grinned at their friend.
“Ben, you need anything?” asked Flip in a teasing tone.
“Yea, for your big ass to jump off a cliff,” he growled. “I’m here to see if Miss Mary might want to take a walk with me.” He looked over at Mary and held out his big bear paw.
“It’s a beautiful morning.”
“A walk sounds lovely, Ben,” she said, taking his hand as she stepped off the porch. Flip grinned at Ben as they walked down the trail toward the valley.
“I think they’re cute,” said Nat.
“I think you’re cute,” said Flip, kissing her neck.
“Careful, big man, you might get burned.” Nat held up her hands in a teasing gesture, and Flip’s dark eyes stared straight into her crystal blue ones.
“Do your best, baby, but I’ll still come back for more.” She giggled as he nuzzled against her.
“That’s kind of warped, you know?” she laughed louder.
“Hey,” he said, standing and taking her hand, “let’s head down into the build area. Kane needs us to clear some land quickly for the builders, and I thought maybe you could help with that.” Nat knew immediately what Flip was asking of her, and she froze, fearful of what could happen.
“I don’t know,” said Nat warily, “what if the fire loses control? We could have a wildfire that doesn’t stop and could destroy half the mountainside.”
“Already thought of that,” he said, smiling. “Nash!” he yelled.
“I’m here,” said the tall man jogging up to the couple. “No need to yell, big man. You’re shaking the rafters.”
“You’re funny,” said Flip, smirking. “You should fit right in.”
The threesome hiked down the trail to the build site designated for the new cabins. The brush and trees were so thick it would take equipment months to clear the land, possibly longer considering where it was located. There were several plateaus of flat land perfect for the cabins. Flip could visualize in his mind trails leading from one to the other and then back up the mountain to the main cabins.
“Okay, so the plan is, Nat, you set fire to the area, small areas at a time. We wait until the brush burns down, then Nash here will douse it with water, and hopefully, everything remains in control. I’ll clear the large debris.
“For the bigger trees, we need to focus hard, concentrating on just the tree. It’s okay if there is a little left, but we don’t want to have to get tree cutters in here. We want our team to handle it.”
“And if it doesn’t?” asked Nat. “I mean, what if the fire jumps to an area we can’t see?”
“No worries. Hawke is circling above for us.” Flip pointed toward the sky.
Nat looked up, and sure enough, Hawke was circling above their heads, or at least a hawk with Hawke in him, or something like that.
“Let’s start with this area,” said Flip. “From this tree line here to the smaller ridge there.”
Nat nodded and held her hands up, palms facing the space indicated. Without hesitation, the flames flew across the field, and the dry brush quickly burned. The trees lit with sparks, and Nat increased the heat, licking up the side of the bark to the leaves and branches. As the fire began to rage, a loud cry emanated from the hawk above.
Nash quickly lifted his hands toward the skies, clouds rumbling toward them, rolling like big cotton balls in the wind. The rain dumped onto the area affected, small personal buckets of wetness covering the flames.
Nat smiled as she watched the man work. When finished, they moved to the next section and repeated the process. Behind them, Flip moved the debris, tossing it across the valley to the opposite mountainside.
All the while, Hawke observed from above, ensuring that the flames remained in control and nothing burned that should not.
Three hours later, they smiled at their handy work and walked back up the path toward the cabin.
“I can’t believe how well we work together,” said Nat.
Flip’s muscles twitched slightly in his shoulders, and as if reading his every move, Nash smiled at the big man.
“Don’t worry, brother. She isn’t meant to be mine. However, we were designed to work together. It’s something you’ll read in the files that Regan provided for you.”
“You read them?” asked Flip.
“No, but Regan told me there was a fire starter that I was supposed to be paired with ‘in war.’ That’s what Moore had written in the files.” Flip nodded again. “There was to be someone for each of us, both as a romantic partner and a war partner, but it was rarely the same person. I don’t think it actually happened, but that was his sick plan.”
“So, do you know who you’re supposed to be paired with? Romantically, I mean,” said Nat shyly. She liked the other man. He was nice, and his skills were impressive. Like Spook, she felt a brotherly connection to him.
“I do,” he said solemnly. “Her name was Jessica.”
“Was?” she said, barely audible.
“Was. She couldn’t handle her gifts or the thought of our life together. She killed herself about two years ago, just as I found her. I thought I could help her if I just got to meet her, speak with her. I knew we were supposed to be together the minute I saw her in the window, but she was too far gone. I never even fully understood what her gifts were. Her parents had her committed to an insane asylum and had her so drugged she could barely speak, so I wasn’t allowed to visit her.”
“What do you mean too far gone?” asked Flip.
“Many of those that took their lives did so because they literally suffered mental breakdowns. They didn’t understand their gifts, couldn’t control them, and certainly couldn’t find anyone that would help them with them. Jessica was one of the unfortunate ones. Whatever her gifts were, she didn’t understand them and was led to believe she was some sort of freak and needed to be locked away.”
“I’m so sorry, Nash. I shouldn’t have brought it up,” said Nat, gripping the other man’s arm.
“Not your fault. A lot of us are in that boat. It doesn’t mean we won’t find love somewhere else, with someone without a gift. It just means the one we were chemically aligned to be with is no longer here.” He sighed as they stopped on the ridge to look out over their work.
“I’m here. Alive for a reason. We all are. There’s someone out there for us, and if not, well, I’m okay with that too.” The silence of the valley swept across the now barren ridges. They took in a slow long breath, and Nash spoke once more.
“I was a Marine, MARSOC,” he said casually.
Flip watched his expression change, his stature taller and straighter.
“I loved every moment of it. There was this village. It was full of children and women. The men were working in the mountains. Herders mostly. The Taliban set the village on fire, locking the women and their children inside the huts. I couldn’t… I couldn’t just watch it happen.” The pained look of horrid memories filled his face, and Flip knew.
“You called in the rain,” said Flip quietly. Nash nodded, staring straight ahead.
“I did, and I’d do it again. Problem was it was the middle of fucking summer. There I was with my arms stretched to the sky like some pagan, and the rain fell, dousing the flames of the village. No one wanted to talk to me, find out what happened. No one wanted to come near me.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked back at their work. “I was shipped home a few weeks later. I would have given my life for any one of those men. Still would. I don’t blame them for being scared but damn! We’re brothers, right? I know you know what I’m feeling, Flip. I hid my gifts from everyone for as long as I could. I thought no one would see me, that they would chalk it up to some freak storm. It just wasn’t my day.”
Flip nodded at the other man, knowing that he felt the same.
With that, he turned, walking back up the hill toward the others. Flip and Nat stood for a long while, just staring out over the valley. The work they completed was satisfying. For the first time in a long time, Nat felt useful, as if her gifts were a blessing instead of a curse.
“I feel bad for him,” she said, snuggling into Flip. “He’s lost so much. His love and his brothers, his military brothers. How could they do that?”
“I know, baby. I feel bad for him, too. I’m not sure how people just give up on others so quickly or themselves. Nevertheless, he is right. Someone else will be out there for him and for the others that have lost their other half.” He kissed the top of her head and gave a playful swat to her behind. “Come on, beautiful. Let’s get some food.”
“Food! You’re always hungry, aren’t you?”
“Damn straight, and sometimes it’s not just for food,” he growled. Nat screeched and took off up the hill with the man of her dreams chasing behind her.