Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 133191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 666(@200wpm)___ 533(@250wpm)___ 444(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 666(@200wpm)___ 533(@250wpm)___ 444(@300wpm)
When they were finally out of earshot, Amanda whispered, “There’s a backpack with a change of clothes and ten thousand dollars on that boat. You can’t use a passport or he’ll find you …” She tightened her hold on Thea. “You’re going to have to use your gift.”
Thea shook her head. “No.”
Ashforth had made her use it on people and his experiments had brought the realization she couldn’t use it on supernaturals. But she could mind warp the hell out of humans, and it was awful.
The first time she’d become aware of the gift was when she was just a kid. She’d broken one of her mom’s favorite vases and had unintentionally wished her mom wouldn’t see it. And then her mom couldn’t. Her dad, however, could, and he thought Thea’s mom was going crazy until they realized their special daughter might be even more special than they’d thought. After testing the gift among the three of them, they’d discovered Thea could make people see anything she wanted them to see.
William and Laura Quinn had forbidden her from ever using it again.
As a child, she hadn’t understood what a violation the “gift” was, and her parents never knew she’d continued to use it.
It was only now she understood that it wasn’t a gift. It was a terrible power she did not want to use ever again.
“I can’t.” The thought of stripping someone of their free will disgusted her after her imprisonment.
“Darling girl.” Amanda suddenly looked fierce. “You will have to give up a few morals to survive. My husband has almost unlimited resources and he will use them to find you. So you need to be as far from here as possible. The boat will take you to New York. You can’t get on a plane, so you need to find a ship that’s sailing far away. And to get on that ship you’re going to need the right people to think you have a passport.”
Although the thought made her sick, Thea nodded.
The tension thickened between them as time moved on and Amanda led them toward the beach. “I can never repay you for saving my son’s life and I will never forgive myself for not taking the risk to help you sooner. I will live with that regret to my dying day.” She turned to Thea and took her face in her hands. “So much has happened to you. You have the kind of strength that is awe-inspiring, Thea. Never forget that. I know horrible things have been done to you and I have no doubt that out there alone, you’ll come across more bad things this world has to offer. But don’t ever forget that there’s love and kindness in this world too. Your parents loved you. I love you. Remember that. Don’t forget … because if you forget, you’ll forget to love.” She gripped Thea’s arms now. “Power like yours in the hands of someone who no longer cares or loves beyond themselves is a dangerous thing. Promise me you won’t forget. Even if it hurts to remember Will and Laura. Even if it hurts to remember me. Promise you won’t forget.”
Thea nodded, holding back the tears. “I promise.”
Satisfied, Amanda hugged her hard.
They stood there so long, a throat cleared behind them. “Mrs. Ashforth,” Jack interrupted. “It’s time.”
From there they let go of one another and hurried down to the beach. Anticipation caused a mad flutter of butterflies in Thea’s belly when she saw the speedboat, manned by a guy with an automatic rifle and another who was steering the boat.
Amanda followed her down onto the private jetty with the guards at their backs. Thea gave her one last hug. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I won’t forget.”
Shouts rang out just as Thea stepped into the boat. She turned around as the sound of bullets ripping through the air filled her ears.
“Go, go, go!” the guy with the automatic rifle shouted as he fired back.
Thea huddled, peering over the edge of the boat when the water sprayed up out the back as it peeled away from the dock. Sarah was down and Jack was guarding Amanda with his body.
Bullets pinged off the stern and Thea gave a muffled shout as she saw Jack’s body jerk several times before he fell off the dock. Her heart in her throat, Thea watched as Amanda went to stand up, empty hands raised, and her body jolted, blood spraying out the back of her head.
She fell like an anchor into the water.
“No,” Thea whispered, choking on sobs as she turned, cowering in the boat as it tore across the river to safety. “No.”
“Hey.”
She looked up to see the guy with the rifle bending down on his haunches to peer at her.
“You hurt?”
She shook her head.
His features softened with concern. “Sorry about the lady. She paid real well.”