Chosen (22 page)

“I have to go get him. I have to save him.” She moved a kitchen chair, searching under the table then moved to the cabinets, opening and slamming the doors closed.

Will stood next to the bathroom door watching her. “What are you looking for?”

“My clothes…”

“Emma, they’re still wet. I washed them and they’re outside drying. Besides we can’t go anywhere tonight. It’s almost dark. We’re deep in a forest and don’t have a car. Why don’t you eat something and we’ll talk about what to do.”

Emma stopped to consider this, gazing out the window over the kitchen sink. She bit her lower lip and her eyes welled with tears. He saw the battle she waged, pitting logic versus the mother’s protective instinct. “I have to save him, Will.” The anger was gone, replaced with anguish.

“I know.” Even though Will doubted Jake was alive, he refused to take her hope away. It seemed dishonest, but he would rather she have false hope than live with the devastating grief. “Let’s eat and talk more about this. If we’re walking out of here, you need your strength.”

She didn’t argue so he led her back to the chair and served the rice.

“I never considered it,” Emma whispered. “Well, I guess I did. Magical tattoo appears. My son can see the future. But I refused to put them together. Refused to believe that monster had anything to do with my son. Jake is good and sweet and everything …” Her voice broke, “
he
was not.”

“Emma, don’t go there. It doesn’t do any good.”

“
Don’t go there?
” she shouted. “How can I not go there? You just told me that my son has power from
fire
.” She shook her head and sneered. “And how is it that you, who’ve only known him a few days, knows this when I don’t?”

“He told me he had to be sure.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Be sure of what?”

“He said he had to make sure I was
the one
.” Will felt ridiculous saying it aloud.

“What are you talking about, Will? What do you mean
the one?
”

“That night by the fire.” He hated to tell her after her revelation. “You went to bed and Jake and I stayed by the fire,” he hesitated, unsure how to proceed. No matter what he said, it would hurt her and he was weary of hurting her.

“Go on.” Her voice was harsh, not that he blamed her.

“Jake said he didn’t have much time and he had to be sure I was…” He winced, not wanting to say it again. “He said he had to be sure for you. Then he asked if he could touch me and read me, or something like that. Has he ever done that before?”

She shook her head. “Not that I know of.”

Will told her the rest of the story. “It was like he saw my thoughts and memories, and he went through everything in my head. I couldn’t breathe and he said I was— the one.” He lifted his forearm. “And then I had this mark.”

Emma reached out her hand and brushed it with her fingertips. She traced the outline of the points, studying it.

“What does it mean?” she asked, her voice etched with pain.

He stared into her eyes and lost himself, like he did the night in the cornfield. “I think it means I’m yours,” he said the words without thinking, but instantly knew they were true. He belonged to her and not the other way around. The truth of it was simultaneously frightening and exhilarating.

She looked startled, but the sureness of it washed through him. He rose on his knees and kissed her with a tenderness that surprised him.
Emma did that
. She brought out a soft side of him he had lost long ago.

“What the hell was that? Can’t you ever be serious?” Her voice filled with rage.

He cringed at her rejection then recovered before she noticed. “Sorry, couldn’t help myself,” he winked, cockiness in his voice. Will slipped into it as easily as putting on a comfortable pair of jeans.

“Can we focus on Jake here,
please
?”

“Don’t we always?”

“What the hell does that mean?”

He sighed. He wanted her to direct her anger on the situation and away from him. “I’m sorry, Emma. It doesn’t mean anything. I don’t even know why I said it. I’m tired and this is all a little overwhelming.”

She watched him for a moment, still wary, but she seemed to buy his answer.

“So you’re sure you didn’t see anything else?” Will asked. “You never had a hint he got power from fire?”

“I never saw anything like that. He could only see things in the future and not everything. The first time something different showed up was when he spoke to me in my head.”

“No,” Will said, “things started sooner than that.”

“What are you talking about?”

“When I showed up in the motel parking lot that first night, Jake came out of his trance. He wasn’t scared anymore. He told me things changed because of me. He never got terrified again. I never saw him freaked out. I only took your word for it that he was. And his warning radar began to fail. He didn’t know they were coming until they were there.”

“Yes…”

“But you did.”

They looked at each other, remembering she felt sick when the men showed up.

“I can’t believe I didn’t see all of this.” She rested her elbow on the arm of the chair, slightly rubbing her forehead

“It’s been a crazy few days.”

“Is there anything else?”

Will didn’t think he wanted to share the prophecy with her. It seemed too weird and he wasn’t sure he could even say the words aloud. It all seemed so Lord of the Rings. But he also hated keeping anything from her.

“He said we would be enemies one day.”

Her eyebrows scrunched in confusion. “Who?”

“Jake and I. One day we will be enemies.”

“See, he
is
alive.”

Will remained silent.

“You said he needed to know you were the one for me. Why?”

He gazed into her eyes. “He said I was to protect you.”

“Against what?”

“He didn’t say. I think it’s safe to assume the men who…uh took Jake.” He could have added the group who hired him, but no way in hell was he going there.

“So you protected me. Your job is done, then.”

He knew his job was far from done, especially now that the unmentioned threat would soon join the hunt. “You think they’re going to chase you for three years and give up now? They ran after us in the woods after they took Jake and something tells me they didn’t want to have a tea party.”

“What? So I’m chained to you like Princess Leia to Jabba the Hut?”

He cocked his head and gave her his lopsided grin. “I have to say, I’ve never been compared to Jabba the Hut before. Besides, most women don’t complain.”

“Be serious, Will.”

“I
am
being serious.”

“Ugh!” She pushed against his chest. “What about your job? If you’re protecting me, how are you going to work? Are we going to run for the rest of our lives, like I have the last three years?”

“I don’t know.”

Her eyes bore into his. “You’re giving up your life for me. Why would you do that?”

“I don’t know.”

“What
do
you know?”

“I know this is a fucking mess. I know that we both are in danger and right now we need each other to survive.” He paused and decided to press on. “I know I’m not ready to let you go yet.”

“So you’re willing to give up your life for me?” She sounded incredulous.

“I’m willing to do what I need to do so we
both
survive.”

She relaxed. “So what do we do?”

“Do you know how to shoot a gun? With accuracy?” He knew she had a gun and shot the man in the rest stop, but that was at close range.

“It’s been awhile, but I’ve practiced in a shooting range before.”

“Handgun?”

She nodded.

“What about a rifle?”

“No, but I’m willing to learn.”

“Good, because tomorrow morning you’re starting target practice. But first,” he lifted the bowl forgotten in her lap. “You need to eat because I’m not carrying your sorry ass through the woods anymore.”

Her expression softened. “Yeah, thanks for that.”

“You can show me your appreciation. Later.” He winked and stood up.

“Playing the ‘I’m your slave’ card now?” she asked with a snort.

“Emma, I assure you, I won’t need it.”

Emma woke the next morning, disappointed. She had hoped Jake would visit her dreams again. In the end, it didn’t matter. She was still determined to find him.

She had slept more in the last day and a half than she had in weeks, so it surprised her that she hadn’t woken sooner. Although she had missed some sleep the night before. Will definitely lived up to his hype. She wondered if sleeping with him was such a good idea, but it seemed a little late to change her mind and selfishly she didn’t want it to.

Will was asleep and he lay on his side, rolled toward her. Even asleep he looked on edge, his brow furrowed. His hair was wild and unruly and smooshed on one side. She resisted the urge to reach up and smooth it. A couple of day’s worth of stubble covered his face and she resisted the urge to touch it as well, which made her smile in spite of herself. It was hard to believe she wanted to touch him at all. His bare arm curled over the top of the blanket. She studied the muscles and the tan line that stopped mid bicep. His arm rested over the other, his mark only partially covered. Emma didn’t know what to make of his mark. She couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that Jake had made it, although she knew it was true. Just as she knew Jake had given her the new one on her back.

“Good morning.”

He looked at her with one eye open. A slow grin spread across his face.

“Good morning.”

He reached around her and pulled her close. “There, that’s better.”

“Don’t we need to get up and start some target practice?”

“Not yet. We’ll get to it soon enough.”

She expected him to make some type of move, but he didn’t. To her amazement he just held her. He actually seemed content. Will was full of surprises the last few days. Plus he smelled like a dirty dog. She knew she didn’t smell much better.

“I need a shower,” she mumbled into his chest.

His laughter rumbled in her ear. “Well, good luck there. We don’t have a shower.”

“What am I supposed to do? I can’t go around stinking like this.”

He laughed again. “We can heat some water and use a washrag. I volunteer to wash you.”

“Will, be serious.”

“Seriously, Emma, we have to hand-bathe.”

“What about my hair?”

“We can heat enough water to wash it in the kitchen sink. There’s water in the faucet, but it’s only cold.”

“Okay, that’s first on the agenda. After that breakfast, then target practice.”

“A list-maker, huh?”

“You forget I was an accountant. I’m all into details and order.”

He pulled her even closer and kissed the top of her head. “Does that mean you’ll do my taxes?”

“Something tells me your taxes would be a mess.”

“Hmm…” His hand entwined in her hair, flooding her with a sense of belonging.

Belonging? With Will?

She had no delusions this was anything other than a temporary arrangement, but she had to admit, something about being in his arms felt
right
, in a visceral way. She nearly snorted the moment the thought popped into her head. But it hung there anyway, defying her to ignore its existence. It was dangerous to let her mind wander that direction. She already allowed this to happen, so she might as well enjoy it while it lasted, as long as she acknowledged what it really was: temporary. It occurred to her she still had no idea what his job was. In fact, she hardly knew anything about him at all.

“Will?”

“Yeah,” His voice was lazy and sexy, sending a thrill racing through her blood.

“What do you do? Really?”

She felt him tense, barely noticeable, but there all the same.

“I told you, I’m a computer consultant.”

“Who travels with guns?”

“Sure, why not? You’re living proof that you never know when you need to protect yourself.”

“Why won’t you tell me the truth?”

He didn’t respond, but she felt his right bicep twitch against her arm. After a moment, he finally spoke. “Emma, neither one of us is who we used to be, so it doesn’t matter anymore. We can actually use this opportunity to become something else. I’m thinking about becoming a carnie.” She heard the grin in his voice.

“I don’t see how we can work together…” He cut her off by tilting her head up and giving her a kiss that left her dizzy and breathless.

He pulled back, grinning. “I think we should start heating some water so I can wash you.”

“We need to talk about this.”

“Emma, drop it.” He kissed her again, leaving no doubt in her mind that he was in control at the moment. “I used to be a gigolo. Women used to pay me for what I’m giving you for free.” His hands moved down her body and she soon forgot the question.

After they got up and washed, Will helped wash her hair in the sink. They dressed in their original clothes. Emma was thankful that Will had cleaned and hung them outside to dry the day before. Their shoes were still damp, as were their jeans, but only slightly. They decided to eat some of the canned goods for breakfast and use the empty cans for target practice.

Will showed her how to load one of the rifles and then had her try. Once he was satisfied with her progress, they moved outside with the cans.

The mid-morning sun was welcome after the rain and warmed the chill she felt from her damp hair. Emma paused and closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of the sunshine on her face and the chirping birds in the forest. While she waited for Will to set up, she thought of Jake. She prepared for the familiar fear to flood back, but a strange sense of peace filled her. She closed her eyes tighter and called out to him in her mind. Focused on reaching him in the distance, she nearly jumped when a dim light came into view and she saw his face. She couldn’t believe it worked.

Mommy it’s not safe for you to call me.

Jake, I have to know you are safe.

Mommy, I’m fine. I’m safe. You need to worry about you
. He frowned.
You’re in
…