His words made my heart flutter, and brought back the memory of his lips on my neck. I blushed and pushed the memory aside.
“Blake’s tasted that power. If your laws can’t control him, what makes you think finding him will help? All it does is expose us. He will go straight for Liam and Aden. Through them, he can control me again.”
He remained quiet for a moment. “Nana won’t ask again,” he said seriously. Then, in a Jim-like way, he grinned and said, “Want to spike your tea?”
I heard Nana yell his name two stories below and shook my head, breathing a sigh of relief. I’d shared my secret, and he didn’t appear to care about it one way or the other. I was halfway through my turkey sandwich when he asked his next question.
“Why did you tell Sam which stock to invest in? Why not just keep it to yourself?”
My appetite fled. By sharing my last secret, I’d officially crossed the all-or-nothing line. I needed to spill the rest. I placed my half-eaten sandwich on his plate before I answered.
“I don’t have a choice. The information comes to me every seven days. It plays in my head like a market ticker but with just one stock on repeat. If I don’t share the information, it makes me twitchy. The longer I hold it, the more painful it becomes until I’m a mess. Blake figured that out. It became another way for him to control me. I have to share the information with someone. As soon as I do, the countdown to the next premonition resets.”
“And that’s why you didn’t want to tell me.” He schooled his features and nudged my glass. “Drink.”
I did without questioning it. The cool tea soothed my worry-tightened throat.
“There’s more,” I said.
He continued eating but kept his focus on me.
“I told you a little about what Blake said the night before I ran. That he wanted me to bite one of his men. Before that, he talked about evolving my abilities. When you asked if I saw what would happen, I meant it. I don’t have those kinds of visions. But since coming here, something has changed. I’ve gotten glimpses of people. Girls like me, mostly. I don’t know why. Those visions don’t work like the stock ones. They don’t repeat.”
“We’ll figure this out.” He reached across the table and wrapped his warm fingers around my cold hand. “Please, let some of the worry go. Trust us to keep you and your brothers safe.”
I gave a small nod.
Saturday, the rain continued. Once again, the boys snuck out early. Emmitt surprised me in the kitchen, not with a cooked meal, but a simple bowl of cereal. Lucky Charms. It made me laugh.
He left me alone for a few hours, and I used the opportunity to page through the items Richard had stuffed into the envelope. Since Nana asked about our old address, I’d been wondering what had become of the house. So I dug for the lawyer’s number, and I looked it up online. There was actually a legitimate sounding business associated with it. The site listed a physical address, fax, and an email address.
Tapping my fingers on the dark counter, I debated what to send. Richard hadn’t explained the number or why I should contact the lawyer. Perhaps he’d wanted me to press charges against Blake. But on what grounds? Richard owned the house with all the locks and security installed. Maybe Richard had provided the number for custody rights to the boys. But who else would they live with if not me? We didn’t come from a big family.
After creating an email address with no personal information, I decided on a short message. I provided my name, Richard’s name, and Richard’s request that I contact the firm. I sent the message then turned off the tablet. No point in sitting and staring at it on a Saturday.
Tromping downstairs, I found everyone playing board games in Nana’s living room. We spent the rest of the morning, and most of the afternoon, cheating and having fun.
Jim’s stomach growled in the middle of a card game with Aden, and he asked if I would get him a snack from across the hall. Emmitt and I took a break from our own game to go look.
When we stood in his kitchen with me rummaging in the fridge, Emmitt surprised me with a serious mood. He pulled me back from the open door, turned me, and framed my face with his hands.
“Do you know you’ve been here a month?”
I hadn’t really thought about it. But apparently, he had; and it meant something to him.
“Let me take you to dinner tonight. Please.”
His midnight gaze pleaded with me, and I found myself nodding. Dinner with Emmitt. My heart fluttered with excitement as his thumb feathered ever so slightly over my skin.
“Wear the dress,” he said freeing me.
He opened a cupboard and pulled out a bag of chips.