Gifted Connections: Book 2(103)

“At first, I had to deal with the pain of losing her, for blaming myself. I should have requested the night off. I shouldn’t have bought her that costume. I should have known better,” he continued. “Then we got to see the police records. The other man was an influential, successful businessman, he truly wasn’t at fault. There was no way he could have seen my sister. My step dad and mom tried to sue him for their pain and suffering, and they went after the state, too, for not maintaining the broken street lights in that part of town.

“And they won. The day they won, they were celebrating and bragging about everything they could get. I confronted them. I told them I was going to the police and telling them that they neglected their daughter, that they didn’t even know where she had been. My step dad came after me, but I was bigger now. I knew I was stronger. I felt this surge every now and then. My fear and anger must have triggered my gift.

“I picked my step dad up and threw him through the window. I went outside and started beating on him. It took ten men to pull me off him. The lawyer had my charges dropped after I told her why I had gone in a rage. I showed her my scars on my back from his past beatings.

“He lived, but he’s living in a wheel chair. My mom chose him over me. She gave me up to the state.

“Will read about a 135 pound, 15-year-old boy who threw a 240 pound man through a window, nearly killing him. I sat in front of Judge Myers that morning and was given a not-guilty verdict, and by that afternoon he had placed me in the care of Pops.”

“I’m so sorry, Remy,” I was sobbing by the end of the story. “I know that sorry doesn’t help or bring her back, though.”

He turned and embraced me, and I could feel his shoulders shaking. We sat there in that cemetery for a long time. Drawing from each other. Seeking the comfort, we longed for.



“Sometimes I feel that same monster rising within me, and I’m afraid I might lose control,” Remy said as we sat together on an outside patio of a quaint little diner in town.

We were hungry, so we stopped to get some brunch. It was a surprisingly mild day, so we elected to eat outside. I ordered a sausage, spinach, and feta omelet, while Remy ordered pancakes, over-easy eggs, bacon, sausage, home fries, and rye toast.

I took a sip of my coffee. “We all have a monster within in us,” I said resolutely. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“But my monster can hurt people,” Remy stated dryly.

I rolled my eyes. “So, can mine. You were just trying to exact justice.”

He snorted at me.

He was silent for a little while, before he said pensively. “I hate the fact that you were taken from us, but I’m glad that bastard didn’t have the opportunity to try and rape you again, or that other girl. I felt nothing but satisfaction when I got the chance to kill him the second time, but now none of that happened, so he’s still out there.”

I paused with the fork next to my mouth. I had begun to realize the guys had started getting their memories back. They would drop tidbits of information like this all the time. My stomach cramped up. “I never thought about that. I wonder if Will could find him for us. He needs to be taken off the streets before he can harm anyone else.” I pushed my plate away, losing my appetite.

Remy cursed under his breath. “I’m sorry, Blake. I didn’t mean to bring up any bad memories.” He picked me up and placed me on his lap. “The first time I disappeared, I couldn’t handle my anger seeing the way you had lived. You reminded me too much of me, of Molly. I had to get away. I had become good at hiding my feelings, repressing memories, but they were all coming back. The second time I disappeared, it was around the anniversary of her death. I have never disappeared to be with anyone else, since Drake confirmed our connection the first time.

“Molly showed up the other night, and she wanted to know if I wanted to go visit Anna with her. After she was buried, I refused to visit her grave. I purchased the angel for her about four years after she died. My mom and her dad never bothered to get her a headstone, but I still didn’t want to visit her.

“In my mind, she isn’t there. Her body is, but her soul has moved on. She’s happy now. Molly tries to get me to go with her every year, but I can’t. I don’t want to see her grieving. I don’t want to remember that Anna was taken too soon.

“I know I don’t handle emotions well. I know I’m known for shutting people out. I need time to myself to lick my wounds and come back when I feel mentally capable. I don’t like talking about my feelings.

“I realize now, I can’t shut you out,” he stroked my arm. “We almost lost you yesterday, because I couldn’t answer my damn phone.”

I turned and stroked his cheek. “We’re both broken people, we all are, so we’re going to have to learn how do this right. Yesterday wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t,” I insisted before I leaned in to kiss him.

We shared a sweet kiss full of promise, before he pulled away and I had a fork full of pancakes with strawberries on it, in my face.

I giggled before I took a bite. He didn’t care for strawberry pancakes. He preferred blue berry or banana fosters. He had ordered them for me.





Chapter 26


“Wake up, Baby,” Remy grunted when my alarm went off for the third time.

“Ugh, do I have to?” I grumbled, burying myself in deeper on his chest. “Can’t we sleep in and skip the games today? We can just show up afterwards to the meeting.”