Chapter 27
Kane hadn’t suggested that they return to the bedroom after the call had ended.
Part of her—well, certain parts of her anyway—were very disappointed and she’d nearly made the suggestion herself, once or twice. But in the end, she had clamped her lips on the words.
After all, there was no hurry. The world wasn’t suddenly going to end. They had almost two months. And it was nice to savor the thought.
She’d grabbed the bottle of white wine and appropriated one of the sofas. After kicking off her boots, she put her feet up and made herself comfortable. She wanted some time to contemplate the somewhat awesome fact that...
Kane loved her.
Of course, she’d known it for a long time. But it was a completely different experience to know he loved her when she hated him and despised him and wanted him dead, than it was now when she might actually reciprocate those feelings.
She’d never wanted to love anyone. She suspected that was part of the problem with her previous sexual encounters.
She’d always selected her partners, men—and one woman—on the basis that she would not fall in love with them.
She hadn’t wanted to take any chances that her emotions could be involved.
So, in retrospect, it was hardly surprising they had turned out to be a huge disappointment.
Now there was a good chance the world was coming to an end, and she didn’t want to be alone.
She wanted what Jake and Christa had, what Sadie and Ethan, Rose and Dave had.
Even Josie and detective Steve, who were huddled together on the sofa across from her, talking quietly about something serious if their expressions were anything to go by.
By a slow and painful route, she’d come to the conclusion that there was no point in refusing love just because she was scared the other person would die. Especially when she was certain that both of them were going to die anyway. She might as well cram as much as possible into the time left.
Suddenly, she was sure of her feelings. She wanted him, and she was pretty sure she loved him—sure enough that she knew she could let him inside her head.
She glanced over to where he stood, arms folded across his chest, deep in thought. He’d been doing a lot of pacing since the call ended. And she understood—it was a lot to take in. After all, there was a bomb.
She’d known he’d started to have doubts. That he was beginning to wonder if his mission was to save the world—or destroy it. The news of the bomb could hardly help him with that, though it didn’t really prove anything.
He was pacing again, like some sort of caged animal. He glanced up, caught her watching him, and a slow smile curved his lips. Heat blossomed in the pit of her stomach and tingles radiated outward, sinking lower. She hadn’t known she could respond like that to just a look.
Should she tell him she was ready to let him inside? Past her defenses.
But at that moment, Rose went up to him and the connection was broken.
No, she’d wait until they were alone. She didn’t want an audience. She had her image as a tough girl to uphold.
“Probably a wise decision,” Janelle said.
Kaitlin glanced up and scowled at the other woman.
Janelle just grinned. “No secrets here. I saw your bottle was empty and thought you might like another drink.”
She sighed. “I’d better not.”
Janelle studied her, head cocked to one side. “You’re good for him.”
“I am?”
“Yes. My mother will be pleased. She was worried about him. And you.”
She scowled again at that, but the mention of Kane’s mother reminded her of something Jake had said back in Scotland.
“Jake said your mother told him that I was a Foci. I’d never heard the term before. Do you know what it means?”
Janelle nodded. “I do, though I’ve never actually met one. Apparently, the last Foci was killed in some sort of hunting accident shortly before they all moved to Scotland.”
“And?”
Janelle perched herself on the edge of the sofa. “From what I can gather, they were always the most powerful of us. But it was more than that. They could…” She frowned. “I’m not sure of the term. They could draw in the powers of others, channel them…focus them, I suppose. And amplify them.”
“The whole is greater than the sum of the parts,” Kaitlin said.
“Exactly. They could also borrow specific powers from others of the group.”
“You mean like Rose’s psi-bolts.” That sounded pretty cool.
“Yes. And because you’re more powerful than Rose, the psi-bolts would be more powerful.”
Definitely cool. “But how do I do it?”
“Good question. And I’m not sure of the answer. Why don’t you try?”
Kaitlin took a deep breath and reached into Janelle’s mind. Now what? How was she supposed to “draw” the other woman’s powers? What did that even mean?
“Come to me. Come to me.”
Nothing happened, and she felt like an idiot.
Janelle giggled. “There’s obviously more to it than that.”
“Obviously. Would Kane know?”
“Maybe. But the last of them died before he was born, so it’s not likely that he’ll know any more than I do.” She thought for a moment. “When we get to Uganda, we can call my mother. I’m sure she’ll be able to help.”
“Thanks. That would be great. You never know when a superpower might come in useful. I suspect we’re going to need every advantage we can get if we’re to survive what’s coming.”
“We’ll find a way.” Janelle patted her leg. “You look tired.”
“Yeah, it’s been an eventful few days.”
“I’ll leave you to rest, then.”
She watched as Janelle walked away and joined Kane and Rose.
Maybe she was asking him about the Foci thing.
But there was time enough for that later.
Kaitlin curled up on the sofa and rested her head on her hands, allowing her gaze to follow Kane.
She loved the way he moved…all that leashed power.
What would it be like if he ever let go?
Eventually, she drifted off into sleep. She dreamed of Sam. A sweet dream. They were about fourteen, on a rare trip out to the beach. They’d swum in the sea, eaten ice cream. Sam had said it was almost like being normal. She’d asked him, “Who wanted to be anything so boring?” They’d been happy.
She wasn’t sure what woke her, but when she opened her eyes, she found Kane seated at the end of the sofa, her feet in his lap.
“You were smiling in your sleep.”
“I was dreaming of Sam. But it was a nice dream.” She hadn’t had any nice dreams for so long. Hadn’t allowed herself to remember the good times. It had hurt too much. Maybe she was healing. Just in time to get blown up by a bomb. She grinned at the thought.
“You look happy.”
“I am—sort of, I think. It feels a little strange. I suppose I’m as happy as you can be with less than two months to live.”
“We’re going to come through this. We’re going to live.
A long time.” He slipped his hand up her jeans and stroked the bare skin of her calf.
It felt so good, and she closed her eyes for a second, savoring the feeling.
Then his touch was gone. “We’re almost there,” he said. “You need to put your seatbelt on.”
“In case we crash.”
“We’re not going to crash.”
“Hah.” But she pushed herself up and crossed to the row of seats. Everyone else was already strapped in, though they’d left two empty seats side by side for her and Kane.
“The love birds.”
Rose’s words whispered in her head, and Kaitlin scowled. So much for being a tough girl. She cast a glance at Kane and saw his lips twitch. He obviously wasn’t worried about his tough guy image. Maybe because it wasn’t just an image—he was tough. He seemed almost happy as well. Relaxed.
She took one of the empty seats and fastened her seatbelt. Kane sat beside her, and she closed her eyes and blanked her mind, not even jumping when the wheels touched down with a jolt. She was up and out of her seat before the plane came to a standstill.
A weight had lifted from her mind and excitement fizzed through her blood.
Last time she’d been to Uganda, she’d been in a bad place.
She’d just spent six months incarcerated, mostly in total isolation, believing all her friends were dead.
She’d gotten out to find that the people she held responsible were now their allies, and she’d been mired in bitterness, unable to see beyond her dark thoughts.
That had been around two years ago, and she hadn’t been back since.
Now she was eager to see this place with new eyes.
This was where Kane had grown up. It was Africa.
She and Sam had always talked about traveling, seeing the world.
She would enjoy this for him as well as for herself.
The heat hit her as soon as the doors opened. It was mid-morning here and the sun was high in a sky the color of Kane’s eyes. She blinked at the brightness. Kane tapped her on the arm from behind and handed her a pair of sunglasses.
She slipped them on. “Thanks.”
Off to the west, she could make out the Mountains of the Moon, or Ruwenzori as it was now known, so close they loomed over them, their tops shrouded in mist. That was where they were going. Even the name was mysterious, though she’d done plenty of reading about the area over the years.
Jake and Christa waited at the bottom of the steps, and she hurried down. It was an hour’s drive from the airport, and she was eager to be on her way.
“Have you found out anything else?” Kane asked.
“Nothing yet,” Christa answered. “I’ve got a few tests running back at the lab. We should have the results by the time we get back.”
“Let’s go then.”
He jumped into the open back of the truck and she climbed in beside him, gripping the edge as they pulled away. They didn’t talk on the trip. She spent the time gazing around her. The last time she’d traveled this route, she’d been hidden under a tarpaulin, sneaking away.