Creed reached out and caught her by the hand, pulled her close to him and said, “Meg, whoa… breathe. You have to calm down, or you’re going to pass out.” He was rubbing his large, warm hands up and down her arms coaxing her body back from the brink of a panic attack. He kept his voice soothing, low and melodic, “It’s going to be okay. Everything’s going to be okay. We’ll figure this out together. There you go. Breathe, slow deep breaths for me.”
Her first instinct was to punch the crap out of him for stopping her from running down the hall, but the more he stroked her skin, the more Meg realized how out of control she was and needed him to help so she could think straight.
So she breathed.
Meg’s heart slowed to a fast beat, and her mind cleared.
He must have seen the effect he had because his own intensity eased up and he rewarded her with a crooked smile.
“Better?” he asked.
“Better,” Meg said.
His blue eyes flashed with emotions Meg couldn’t help but read. Meg blushed and glanced down at his strong hands still holding her shoulders before looking back into his eyes. He stood eight inches taller with thick, wide shoulders angled down to narrow hips. The heat radiating off his powerfully built body made the girl shiver for reasons having nothing to do with feeling chilled.
“Okay,” he said, reluctantly letting his hands fall to his sides as though completely unsure what to do with them now.
“Come with me?” Meg asked him.
“Yes, of course,” he said, somewhat flushed.
They hurried down the hall toward the laboratory at the back of Paulie’s home. Meg had a message to deliver.
***
“How much time do we have, Meg?” Evan asked. The two had hurried into a quiet laboratory moments before. After explaining to the family the empath readings that woke her so violently, they were all trying to figure what to do.
She held still for a moment, allowing her energy to seek out the hatred emanating from Dr. Williams even as he flew thousands of feet above the Pacific Ocean. Creed’s hand brushed hers gently, offering support.
“He’s feeling so much pain and anger. He feels like he’s finally going to get vengeance for—Did you know he had a daughter? June. Her name was June, and he blames us for her death.” She opened her eyes and looked directly at her mother. “He’s close, Mom. He’s flying a private jet full of metasoldiers and they’re only an hour and a half away from landing here on the Big Island.”
Everyone in the room tensed, eyes darting around.
Alik, ever the battle strategist, spoke first. “We need to contact him. Get him to meet us somewhere away from the house. I don’t want him anywhere near our injured.” He nodded to Cole and Farrow who both still lay unconscious.
“I hate to be the cynic here, but are we assuming Farrow is going to wake up and suddenly decide to fight against Williams?” Creed asked the room. “I mean, I know her better than anyone here, and I cannot vouch for her at all.” Creed looked directly into Margo’s eyes when he spoke this time and saw her slightly raised brow as a response. “—but then, you had no reason to trust me, and you did anyway.” Creed shrugged apologetically.
“We’ll give her the choice, when she wakes. She may surprise you, like you surprised yourself,” Theo said wisely. “Besides,” he continued with a nod toward Meg, “she can tell us Farrow’s true intentions immediately.”
Meg could feel Creed’s desperation for acceptance from the family crash over her like salty waves against rock. Without thinking, she leaned against his shoulder, offering her unspoken support. Her family knew she would warn them if he was a danger to them, but she knew the only threat he posed was to himself.
Creed was so anxious to be a part of a family, he would put himself in harm’s way time and again just to prove his loyalty, and with his “gift” of turning off his pain, Meg began to worry he was setting himself up for a strategic fatality. She reached out to hold his hand so she could read more deeply into him and stood quietly looking for the spark she hoped would be there. Meg needed to feel his will to survive, but however deeply she sought, there was nothing but his will to belong. Her thoughts were interrupted by her brother’s planning.
“What if we contacted Williams and told him we would meet him at a certain location to discuss the terms of an exchange?” Alik mused.
“No!” Meg barked to the room louder than intended. Damn it, she thought, I have got to learn to control my emotions better.
“No, what?” Alik asked, boring a hole in his sister’s face with his determination. He was not happy about being questioned.
“We can’t separate. He wants us to do that,” she pleaded with her brother.
“Listen Meg, I don’t want to risk anyone’s life when I know we can take him on neutral turf…”
“Alik Winter, you listen to me! I love you, but you’re wrong. We are our strongest when we’re together. We are family, and we fight against him as a family,” Meg matched her brother’s intense gaze until she saw his face soften.