He grinned big and proud and happy. “Let’s go.”
I climbed out, then Caleb and I saw about fifteen men and women waiting for us on ATV’s. Some had weapons. Some had smiles. I saw the guy who had found me there, too. He was smiling bashfully. I smiled at him and that seemed to encourage him. He came forward to greet us.
“Thank you,” I said sincerely.
He was young, a lot younger than I had noticed before, couldn’t have been more than twenty two or so. He had light brown hair and a square chin that fit him. He had a large frame, as all the Jacobsons seemed to have, and he had his hands in his pockets.
“No problem.”
“Yeah, thanks, man,” Caleb said and hugged him a bit awkwardly as he still held my hand tight. “I owe you.”
“No, you don’t. You’d have done the same for me. I’m just glad I found her. I think I scared her pretty good,” he said and winked at me, making me smile and nod.
“Yeah, I saw in her vision,” Caleb said and laughed. “This wasn’t a very well thought out plan was it?”
“It all worked out. I’m happy for you guys.”
“Thanks. Oh, I’m sorry. Maggie this is my cousin, Rodney. They live near the Watsons so they were closer to you when I could finally reach you again, because we’d been with your dad all day.”
I nodded in understanding.
“It’s ok.” I turned back to Rodney and took a step forward to hug him. “Thank you. Really.”
“No sweat,” he said softly and patted my back. “Now, let’s go find these bastards and show them who they messed with.”
“Let’s,” Caleb and I both said at the same time and we all laughed.
“Come on,” Caleb said and tugged me to a four wheeler.
He climbed on and I climbed on behind him.
“Won’t this be loud? They’ll hear us coming a mile away.”
He turned to grin at me. “You haven’t met all my family yet.” He kissed my bottom lip quickly and softly. “Hang on, gorgeous.”
I grabbed him around the middle. “Not gorgeous right now,” I muttered into his back.
Hush.
He cranked the ATV, or so I thought. I could feel it rumble under us but couldn’t hear anything. I read in Caleb’s mind that one of his uncles had an ability to control technology. Basically anything with a motor or computer brain, he could control it. He had charmed the ATVs so the motors would be quiet for our surprise attack. He was called an Automator.
“That’s awesome,” I said aloud in awe and Caleb chuckled.
“Yeah, it is. Here we go.”
I hung on as Caleb and his family roared on through the woods on silent four wheeled vehicles to go and hunt down the family who had kidnapped and planned to torture me. I could have laughed. Never in a million years would I have ever dreamed this would be happening to me. I have abilities! I have a new family full of people with abilities, too, who care about me. Never in a million years would I have believed I’d have found the love of my life at a stop light after I saved his life.
Caleb squeezed my knee.
“Believe it.” I smiled and leaned my head to rest on his back. Within a minute I felt my eyelids begging to close. I could feel his next words vibrate through his back. “Sleep. We’re still about twenty minutes out. I’ve got you.”
And the lulling of the ride along with the quiet calm of the woods, Caleb’s warm back under me put me right to sleep.
~ ~ ~
I woke up to the sound of yelling. I gripped Caleb tightly in reflex and saw ahead of us that we’d found the Watsons. We were on top of the same hill, the one with the well and the cliff and everyone was scattering, running.
Running away I realized. They had been back in the bunker or basement or whatever it was and were now trying to flee but we’d caught up to them. A couple of ours and theirs started throwing punches. I saw one man holding his hand out towards one while the other man grabbed and clawed at his neck like he was choking.
Then Caleb stopped the ATV abruptly and leaned forward to jump off, but stopped and looked back at me. I could see in his mind that he had seen Marcus and wanted to go after him, but couldn’t leave me alone. It physically hurt him to think about it right when he just got me back. He cursed in his head at the dilemma, but as I looked up I saw Marcus coming to us. I pointed behind Caleb and screamed for him in my mind in just enough time for him to turn and evade being grabbed as he jumped off to shield me, slamming his fist to Marcus’ cheek.
Marcus turned a 180 and punched Caleb’s chin. Caleb recovered quickly and pulled him back, slamming him over the front of the ATV bending him backwards before punching him in the jaw.
I whimpered and bit my lip to stop from screaming. As much as I didn’t like Marcus and what he’d done to me, that didn’t mean I wanted to see this.
Marcus laughed and spit blood off to the side.
“You think you’ve won? This has just begun,” he sang and laughed again.
“If I catch you near her ever again, I won’t hesitate to end you,” Caleb enunciated every word and banged Marcus’s head several times as he spoke. "The rules of the council won't matter."
“You’re so weak. She makes you weak.”
“Shut. Up,” Caleb growled.
Then we saw Peter jump off his still moving four wheeler and tackle Sikes. They were the champions of both families so, naturally, everyone stopped and watched as Peter punched Sikes in the jaw and gripped his shirt collar in his fist.
I saw the fear on Sikes’ face, on all their faces. He didn’t even try to fight back. They were terrified of the Jacobsons and I wondered why, if that were true, had they kidnapped me and risked getting the Jacobsons even angrier at them? There had to be something I was missing. Some reason other than just jealousy and petty family squabbles that Sikes didn’t want Caleb and I to ascend.
“I have never been more ashamed of being an Ace until I saw the things you did to my daughter-in-law,” Peter growled and it was so intense I couldn’t even be excited about the daughter-in-law part. “You are not a man, you’re a monster. And you know what? It was all for nothing. Even with all your meddling and torture, they ascended anyway.”Every Watson eye turned on us and Sikes looked devastated.
“No,” he muttered and closed his eyes. “No.”
“Yes,” Peter spat. “Now you take your family and go with your tail stuck between your legs somewhere where I can’t find you. Our family has never attacked yours and I resent this juvenile and idiotic behavior over something that happened between our families years ago that has absolutely nothing to do with us. I am not a murderer but I will not stand by and watch you try to destroy my family again. The next time, and you better be smart enough for there not to be one, I. Will. Kill. You. Now, go.”
I was floored. I never knew that amount of venom could come out of the sweet man who’d done nothing but comfort and help me. I was floored because all this upset was over me. I didn’t know whether to be flattered or frightened.
He leapt off Sikes and we all watched as he turned his back on him and got on his ATV again. Sikes sat up and looked directly at me. His face was so distraught and forlorn I almost felt sorry for him.
“Don’t you dare,” Caleb hissed under his breath to me and then threw Marcus towards his uncle.
He tripped backwards and fell in the grass. Sikes was helped up by his wife, who wouldn’t look at me at all. Marcus got up and went to stand by them, looking murderous.
Everyone let go of whoever they were holding mentally or physically and made their way back to their own ATVs. I held on tight as this time, our ATVs cranked to life loudly and rumbling. I looked back to see Marcus smiling at us as we left. I shivered.
“He’s just grandstanding for his ego. He better know not to mess with you again,” Caleb assured me and I sighed as I leaned on him. “Just hold on, baby. We’ll have you back home in no time.”
Home. Dad.
I couldn’t remember a time I’d ever seen my dad move so fast.
I had ridden the whole long ride there with my head in Caleb’s lap in the backseat while Peter drove way above the speed limit. I had been so anxious, so worried about Dad and though I very much wanted to see him, I was worried that he’d forbid me to see Caleb or never let me leave the house again because of what happened.
And now, with my dad rushing to meet me at the SUV side, I couldn’t think about anything but the red eyes and dark circles on my father’s pale and sleep deprived face.
“Oh, baby girl.” He grabbed me up from the ground and held me too tightly, but I didn’t complain. Caleb looked like he wanted to, feeling what I was feeling but I smiled at him to show I was ok. Dad needed this. “I’m so glad you’re ok.” He placed my feet to the ground and looked angrily over at Peter. I was just about to jump in and defend him, but Dad spoke first. “Who was it? Who took my daughter and why? If I ever get my hands on him-”
“We took care of it,” Peter said coolly. “You don’t have to worry about anything.”
“Thank you, Peter. I’m in your debt,” he said and looked back at me.
“No, I’m afraid you’re in Caleb’s debt, Jim,” Peter said, slapped my dad on the back and smiled. “He found her, not me.”
My dad’s gaze shifted over to Caleb and Caleb shrugged his shoulders, his side of his mouth curling up in a little sad smile.