Chapter 21
“We have to bail out,” he said. “Then dive below the surface and swim toward shore.
“No, wait.” Elizabeth pointed toward a blue van that had turned onto the road beside the bayou and was racing along, keeping pace with the two boats.
He gave her a questioning look.
“It’s them.”
“Who?”
“The woman I told you about. The one who was probing my mind.”
“Is that good or bad?”
“I don’t know.”
From the van, a voice zinged toward them. We’re here to help. We’re going to blow up the other boat. Add your energy to ours.
Matt still couldn’t be sure that the people in the van were on their side, but he knew for sure that the men in the other boat were closing in for the kill.
He looked toward the van, trying to see who was inside. Someone slid a window open, and he saw several people.
With a little prayer that he was making the right move, he fed power to the woman in the van.
He felt her building energy, and then a beam of tremendous force shot from the van to the pursuing boat.
For a moment, it seemed to hover in the water. Then the gas tank exploded with an enormous boom. The boat disintegrated, sending a shock wave across the water and swamping Matt and Elizabeth’s craft. They went into the water, gasping for air as waves from the shattered craft pounded them.
Elizabeth, Matt cried out in his mind. When she didn’t answer, everything inside him went cold.
Still shell-shocked by the explosion, he tried to focus, tried to figure out where she was. At first, he heard nothing. Then he picked up dim echoes from her mind. She was under the water, unconscious and sinking.
He dragged in a breath and held it, diving below the surface, swimming toward where he thought she was.
He could see nothing in the murky water, but he kept going, guided by his connection to her. His lungs felt like they would burst, but he stayed under because if Elizabeth died, he might as well die with her.
Finally, his searching hand hit against her shoulder. He grabbed her shirt, trying to summon the strength to pull them both up. Then he realized that another man was beside him, grasping Elizabeth’s other side and helping pull her upward.
They broke the surface, and Matt gasped for breath.
They pulled Elizabeth to shore and laid her on the bank. She was pale and lifeless, and he checked her airways before turning her over and starting to press the water from her lungs.
Water gushed from her mouth, and he screamed in his mind as he worked, Elizabeth. For God’s sake, Elizabeth.
For horrible moments, she failed to respond. Then, he caught a glimmer of consciousness.
He kept calling her, saying her name, telling her how much he loved her.
Matt?
Right here.
What happened?
They blew up the other boat, and you went down.
He turned her over, clasping her to him, ignoring the crowd around them. But finally, their voices penetrated his own consciousness.
“Thank God.”
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know that would happen.” That was the woman who had directed the energy beam at the other boat.
“It’s all right. You kept them from shooting us.” That last comment came from Elizabeth, who took in the men and women around them.
You’re like us.
Yes. And we must get out of here before someone comes to investigate the explosion.
Was it safe to go with them, Matt wondered?
Yes, Elizabeth answered, and he let her faith guide him.
The men and women helped them to the van. Like the night at The Mansion. Cold and wet in a van.
Matt pulled Elizabeth into the vehicle and tried to pay attention to where they were going, but it was still hard to focus. The men and women in the van introduced themselves. In addition to Rachel Harper, they were her husband, Jake Harper, Stephanie Branson, Craig Branson, Gabriella Boudreaux, andLuke Buckley. But he wasn’t in good enough shape to focus on all the names.
He knew that they hadstopped at a shopping center. Some of the newcomers stayed in the van. Others went in and bought dry clothing. First, the men cleared out, and Elizabeth changed in the van. Then it was Matt and Luke Buckley’s turn.
The dry clothing did wonders for Matt, and he looked around at the people who had rescued them.
“How did you find us?” he asked.
“Rachel found you,” one of the men answered. “We’re all children who were born as a result of Douglas Solomon’s experiments—using fertilized human eggs he acquired from his fertility clinic.”
“We found out from Maven Bolton that he was trying to make super-intelligent children,” Matt said. “And instead, he got us.”
There were murmurs of agreement.
“And we are—what, exactly?” he asked.
“You probably figured that out, too. Telepaths who couldn’t connect with anyone on a deep level until we met someone else from the clinic,” one of the women said.
“Tell us your names again,” Elizabeth asked. “I was having trouble focusing before.”
“Understandable. I’m Rachel Harper.”
In turn, they all gave their names again.
“You were probing my mind,” Elizabeth said to Rachel. “When we were driving down here.”
“Sorry. I’m sorry if I alarmed you.”
“Why did you do it?”
“Because we had to be sure you weren’t enemies. The first time we met other people who the clinic had altered, they tried to kill us.”
“Why?” Elizabeth gasped out.
“They were selfish. They wanted to be the only ones with special powers.”
“Nice,” Matt murmured.
They turned onto an access road, then drew up in front of what looked like a large plantation house. “This is where I grew up,” the woman named Gabriella said. “I’ve opened a restaurant here, but it’s closed today. We can all go inside and relax.”
Matt was still overwhelmed to meet this group of people.
We’re on your side. Rachel Harper said.
Matt swung toward her.
Got to watch what I think.
We all do. That’s one of the little inconvenient things about us. But I know you’ve been practicing blocking your thoughts. You’ll get better at it.
Inside, Gabriella led the way upstairs to a sitting room on the second floor.
Matt and Elizabeth took a love seat, still coming to terms with their narrow escape.
“Who was after us?” he asked.
“We can’t be sure who he was. Dr. Solomon is dead. And so is Bill Wellington who funded the project through a Washington think tank called the Howell Institute. That should have laid the past to rest. But it appears that someone else knew about children from the clinic. Either they knew what was happening back then—or perhaps discovered it.”
“Why were they chasing us? What do they want?” Elizabeth asked.
“They’re after us because of what we are,” Jake answered. “We’ve got powers they don’t understand. Which makes us a threat or maybe an asset that someone can exploit. Like a secret weapon.”
Elizabeth shuddered.
“You have to admit that being able to send mental bolts of power at your enemies is a skill to covet,” Craig said.
Matt nodded. “What stops them from coming after us again?”
Jake shrugged. “We can’t be sure. But I think they may realize that we’re stronger together.” He cleared his throat. “And, um, we’ve put up a force field around this place.”
“A force field?”
“Well, a field that makes any outsider think that the people here are perfectly normal.”
“Okay,” Matt said carefully.
Jake cleared his throat. “If someone’s still interested in the children from the clinic, I think we’ve convinced them we’re not the ones to go after.”
“All of this is a lot to deal with,” Rachel said. “And I’m sure the two of you want some time alone to think about what you’re going to do.”
“What are our choices?” Matt asked.
“You can stay here with us and practice your group defensive skills. Or you can go off on your own. It’s up to you.”
Elizabeth looked at Rachel. “You have a shop in the French Quarter. Where you do tarot-card readings.”
“Yes.”
“I went there. I mean, I was drawn there by …” She lifted her shoulder. “I don’t know. I guess there was some kind of connection between us.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t in town. It would have avoided that boat chase.”
“Yeah, but the guys in the other boat would still be alive,” Jake said sternly. “It worked out.”
Matt looked at him and knew that it was a lot better to be friends with Jake Harper than his enemy.
Jake answered with a slight nod.
They talked for a while longer, each couple telling how they’d met and what had happened to them as a result.
Finally, Gabriella said, “You must be worn out. There’s an empty cottage on the property. Why don’t the two of you go over there and relax? And we can all meet back here for dinner.” She looked at her watch. “At six thirty.”
“Yes. Thanks,” Elizabeth said the thought of something. “Matt’s car is still at the nursing home. Do you think it’s safe to go back for it?”
“Maybe not. What’s in it besides your clothes?”
“My computer,” Matt answered.
“If you give me your car keys, a couple of us can go back for it,” Luke Buckley said.
His wife gave him an alarmed look.
“Carefully,” he assured her. “If it seems like anyone’s watching it, we’ll have to leave it there.”
“I don’t want anyone else getting hurt on my account,” Matt said.
“We’re all in this together,” Luke answered. “And I can handle myself. I spent a couple of years dodging the New Jersey mob.”
“And I’m a private detective,” Craig said. “I think we’ve got it covered.”
Matt gave him the keys, and he and Luke left to retrieve the car before Gabriella showed them to the cottage.
Elizabeth looked around admiringly at the antique pieces and classic fabrics. “It’s charming.”
“Stephanie’s the one with the visual smarts. She did the decorating, but we’ve all been going to country auctions and estate sales—picking up furniture for the cottages and the main house.”
Elizabeth nodded.
“I’ll leave you alone.”
When Gabriella had walked out of the cottage and closed the door behind her, Matt turned to her.
“In my wildest dreams, I didn’t imagine anything like this,” she whispered. “People like us. Friends.”
“Yeah. And the two of us—safe at last.”
He reached for her, and they embraced. He wanted to take her straight to the bedroom, but they were still covered with dried bayou water.
She grinned at him, and he knew what she had in mind. They both headed for the shower, discarding their clothing as they reached the bathroom.
Matt turned on the water, adjusted the temperature, and stepped under the spray. Elizabeth followed, and he reached for the soap, slicking his hands and running them over her bottom, her hips, and up to her breasts.
She made an appreciative sound, leaning into him as she soaped her own hands and caressed his back and butt, then clasped his erection, stroking up and down, making him gasp.
“Not like this,” he muttered.
“You don’t like it?”
“You know I do.”
She turned him loose, and they kissed as they washed off the soap.
When she reached for the shampoo and began to lather his hair, he groaned at the delay. But he saw a smile in her mind.
Foreplay.
Are you trying to drive me crazy?
I’m enjoying the freedom I never thought we’d have.
Oh yeah.
He returned the favor, washing her hair. They’d barely rinsed off when he scooped her up in his arms, cradling her against himself as he fitted her body to his. Leaning back against the wall, he let her do most of the work, and they climaxed together in a burst of sensation. As he eased her down, she melted against him, and they stood under the rushing water, spent but happy.
When the shower began to cool, he turned off the water. Both were almost too limp to move, but they managed to dry off and hold each other up as they staggered to the bedroom.
Under the covers, they clung together. Two people who had always been alone. But no longer.
The day's events had taken their toll, and they were both quickly asleep.
Sometime later, Elizabeth woke and marveled at the way she felt. Safe and relaxed and free.
For the first time since she’d crashed into that light pole no one was trying to kill her.
I’m still overwhelmed that we found each other.
Yes. And it’s not just the two of us. Some people understand us.
And will go to bat for us. She snuggled against Matt, taking in his thoughts, catching the edge of his sudden tension. Even though she knew what he was thinking, she also knew he would say it aloud.
He pushed himself up in the bed, and she did the same, pulling the covers up.
He cleared his throat and looked at her. “Will you marry me?”
“You know I will.”
Reaching for her, he folded her into his arms, and they clung together.
“Being with you is a dream come true,” she murmured.
“But it’s real. And it’s the beginning of our lives together.”
She sensed another thought in his mind. “Getting married is a good idea before we have kids.”
“You want them?” he asked.
“Yes, even though it makes me a little nervous. Will we pass on our powers to them—and what will they be?”
“I guess we’ll find out,” he said.
“They won’t be alone the way we were. They’ll have us.”
“Yes. And we have to ensure they have a safe place to grow up.”
“Like here,” she breathed.
“You want to stay here?”
“I think so. I feel so blessed that Rachel and the others found us.” She squeezed his hand. “We should get dressed and go over to dinner—before they wonder where we are.”
He laughed. “They know. But they’re giving us privacy. They know how much we love each other. And they know we’ll want a lot of time alone.”
He grinned at her, and she followed his thoughts.
“Not just for sex.”
“Of course not.”
They climbed out of bed and began to dress, both loving the freedom to joke around and the freedom to plan the rest of their lives together.