Connected (Twists of Fate #1) (11 page)

Play her cards and see—

Good God, woman. Get on with it already.

When she finally looked up at Xavier, he gestured towards the lounge. “Go on up and drop off your things. Meet me down here when you’re ready.” He frowned as he looked down at her.

“Just don’t keep me waiting all damn night.”

Exasperated by his disposition, she considered his suggestion.
Rhys. Are you sure I’m 100%

safe with him? I mean…you’re positive, right?

I’m solid on this one, Addi. You can trust ‘em.

That was good enough for her. Well…it had to be. There was no way she was having this conversation in nothing less than complete privacy.

She tipped her head toward the elevator. “Come up to my room. We can talk there.” His eyes narrowed as he gave her an up-and-down, making her blood boil.

“Look, you conceited SOB,” she said, stabbing a finger at his wide chest. “I’m not hitting on you, nor would I even consider it. You want answers? Then you’ll do this my way. Got it?” She didn’t wait for a response before storming to the elevator. Either he would follow her or he wouldn’t. She
almost
didn’t care anymore. But the reflection in metal elevator doors showed him right behind her.

They rode up in silence, and entered her room the same way.

Correction…her suite. Jesus. The man
did
go all out.

Rolling her eyes at the extravagance, she dropped her bag to the floor and walked straight to the mini-fridge. “Water?”

“Nothing for me.” Xavier strode to the grouping of plush wing-backed chairs and made himself comfortable. If the situation were any other, it would have been comical to see a man like Xavier sitting in such a delicate-looking piece of furniture.

After claiming a cold bottle of water, Addison sunk into the chair facing his, and then took a deep breath. Rhys was dead quiet. She did a quick check on him as she took a drink, all but sensing him kicked back in her head.
Jump in here anytime, Rhys.

You got it covered, sweetheart. I’ll jump in when needed.

She’d have loved to be mad at him for laying it all at her feet, but she could tell he seriously thought she’d be fine. She felt the warmth of his support like a hug around her heart.

“Are you waiting for me to start? Because I do believe it was explicitly explained to me that this was to be done your way.”

All his previous anger and frustration seemed to have banked into a dangerous calm. She eyed him wearily as she bit her lip.

“A couple of weeks back, I died.”

The blunt admission seemed to ruffle his calm, a brief burst of surprise lifting his features.

But he didn’t respond in any other way.

“Obviously, they brought me back, but it wasn’t just
me
who came back.” Again, with the no-response thing.

She sat back and tried to get comfortable, though her nerves were rattling nonstop. “When I was…gone—I guess you’d call it—I saw something. Someone. Near as we can figure, Rhys died around the same time I did. He was there…in that place…before I got there. And when I left…when they brought me back…he latched onto me. Somehow. He came back with me.” Xavier leaned back, kicking out a leg as his other knee fell wide. Lacing his fingers over his tight abs, he stared and blinked.

Addison sighed, having no other choice but to keep going. “When I woke up, I could hear Rhys in my head. We can hear each other’s thoughts…and feel what the other is feeling. Or not.

We can block it too.”

His blank expression was almost more than she could bear.

Should I tell him about the touching thing? Not the details, obviously, but the fact you can
do it?

Rhys snorted.
Not unless you want to come across as the crazy-ass bitch he thought you’d
be.

I think I’m waaaay past and beyond that point. Look at him!
She focused harder so he could see, although she was pretty sure she had been keeping that sense open already.
He thinks I’m a
total whack job!

She cleared her throat. “So…um…he didn’t suffer. At least, he doesn’t remember any pain.

Just wandering from the wreck and collapsing. He just...” She swallowed a sudden lump, never really taking the time to consider it all herself. “He just couldn’t hold on.” Dashing a hand at a tear slipping free, she cleared her throat again. “But he needs closure to move on. That’s why we’re here.”

About the same time she’d convinced herself that Xavier wasn’t going to mutter a single word, he finally spoke.

“So, what’s your story? Who are you? Where’d you grow up?” Her jaw dropped.

The questions totally came out of left field, and it completely threw her off.

He’s trying to keep you off balance. He’s looking for your tell.

Deciding there was nothing else to do but go with it, she responded. Carefully, and guardedly…but she did it.

“Oookay, so, you know my name already. And from my email address you probably know I’m a photographer. Past that, I’m not sure what you want to know.” She took a swig of her water and focused on screwing the lid back; a stall tactic while she got her thoughts in order.

“Um…I’m adopted.” Her voice dropped. “My parents passed away quite a few years ago, and I have no other family to speak of.”

She closed her eyes and rubbed at her temple, trying to think of what else there was to share.

Rhys’ arms came around her, his gentle sympathy washing through.

It’s okay, Rhys. It doesn’t really bother me anymore.

But she wrapped her arms around herself as she opened her eyes, pretending it was still his touch she felt.

A slight lift to Xavier’s lips surprised her. “Well, that explains one thing.”

“And what’s that?”

“Your name…Calomino. I was expecting some Italian-looking chick, not a fucking blonde bombshell. No offense.”

The obscenity-laced compliment had her both affronted and pleased, which then conveyed itself physically as an unladylike scoff.

I told ya!
Rhys pointed out, apparently excited to have someone else confirm what he had thought all those weeks ago.

“Oh yeah, you two are brothers all right,” she muttered.

“Look. You seem like a nice…girl, and all. But you have to know I’m not buying all this shit.” He shook a finger at her. “There’s some way you know all this…the album, the childhood stuff…but I haven’t quite figured it. I will though.” He steepled his fingers as he studied her, apparently waiting for a reaction.

Dickweed.

Addison snorted her agreement as she crossed her arms.

“What?”

“Not that you’ll believe me, but Rhys just called you a dickweed. I concur.” He didn’t seem surprised, just calculating.

“I thought you two are close?” Addison asked, surprised he wouldn’t have some reaction to the
dickweed
reference.

“We were.”

We are.

To hear their deep voices answering in unison—one externally and one internally—was more than she could handle. Groaning she held her head. “Oh great. I get to hear you in stereo now.”

Xavier suddenly flew out of his chair, grabbed her arms and hauled her to her feet. “Cut the crap, lady. I’ve had it with this shit! What the hell kind of game are you playing here, huh? What the fuck do you want from me? Where the hell do you think this is going to get you? Answer me!”

She stared up at him, stunned, with wide eyes as Rhys ranted in her head.

Xavier, you piece of shit! Back the fuck off! You’re lucky I can’t control her movements or
I’d have her pounding on your fucking ass!

“Now, everyone just hold on a minute!”

Addison jerked out of Xavier’s grip and pushed her face into his. Just as she was about to put a palm on his chest to shove him back, Rhys started fuming again.

He can’t fucking treat you like that! If I could get my hands on him I’d fucking—

The instant her hand made contact, a jolt shot down her arm. Her breath caught in a wheeze as her shoulders lifted and her back arched. It felt like her soul was ripped straight out of her body, then snapped back like a rubber band.

“Hey!” Xavier barked out, jumping back as his palm flew to his chest.

Addison staggered in place, holding her arms out as she closed her eyes and tried to steady herself. But her balance wasn’t there. It felt like someone had fisted her shirt and was pulling her near.

And that pull was coming from Xavier’s general direction.

Wait. Something was wrong. She felt…empty.

Rhys?

Panic flooded her as her eyes flew open and locked on Xavier. He stared at her with a horrified expression on his face, his mouth moving soundlessly. Then his gaze darted from side-to-side as his hands gripped his head.

Her breath caught as the realization slammed into her. “Rhys,” she whispered, reaching out to Xavier as if he held an element of her soul she couldn’t breathe without.

He jumped back, his eyes going wide. “Holy fucking hell.”

Xavier’s head was reeling.

No...that wasn’t even close to the right fucking description for what was going on in his melon. Shit! It felt like it was going to split in two! The pressure was so intense he could hear his own heartbeat pulsating at a deafening level, reverberating between his ears.

He cringed as that chick, Addison, reached for him. He didn’t know how or why, but he knew she was the source of what had happened to him, and he didn’t want her one iota closer.

“Holy fucking hell.”

They were the only words he could manage to spit out. But then others suddenly came to mind…

…doesn’t watch his damned self, I will find a way to put him in his fucking place! That
dickweed sonofabitch has got another thing coming if the thinks for one goddamned minute that
I’m not gonna kick his ass for laying into you like that. He’s got no fucking right…

“Rhys,” Xavier muttered, recognizing the voice inside but refusing to grasp what was happening. Not if he wanted to maintain his sanity.

“Xavier.”

He lifted his head to see Addison’s stricken expression before she reached for him a second time. This time he made a no effort to pull away. In fact, he felt drawn to her, wanting her near.

And what the fuck was up with that?

Addison got a firm hold of his biceps and he angled his arms up to clamp onto her forearms.

They stood linked for several minutes, heads bowed in silence, before either one of them spoke.

Except…

Silence was in the air between them, but not inside his head. He could still hear Rhys’ voice, though it was garbled beneath the still-thundering sound of his pulse.

He watched as she finally lifted her head, the panic gone and replaced by an anxious expression that didn’t suit her delicate features at all.

“Rhys is in there, isn’t he? I can’t hear him anymore. Is he there? Do you hear him?” He could only nod. Was this even fucking possible? How the hell…

“Is he all right?” She gripped his jacket harder, mashing the leather inside her small fists.

He opened his mouth to answer but didn’t know how to respond. He shook his head.

Taking a deep breath, she squared off her shoulders and nudged him back towards the chair to sit. Once he slumped into it, she kneeled in front of him, still holding tight.

“You have to talk to me, Xavier. What do you hear?”

He shook his head again. “It’s…loud. I can’t…make out…”

“Listen to me. You have to concentrate on slowing your breathing. You’re about ready to hyperventilate.”

No, he fucking wasn’t!

He glared at her through the white dots spotting his vision as he listed to the side.

Jesus Christ, he was acting like some crazy-ass, hysterical woman.

He let Addison shove his head between his knees, feeling every bit the Nancy as he focused on his breathing. Hot damn if she wasn’t right though. The pulsating faded away as the flow in his veins evened out, and he was left with a much clearer memory of Rhys’ voice.

At least he
hoped
it was a memory.

Addison? Dammit woman, answer me!

Okay, so maybe it was a hallucination.

He cringed as a new pressure blossomed in his head, as if someone was shoving at him from the inside out.

All right then—a very vivid, and somewhat volatile, hallucination.

“He’s asking for you,” he admitted in what couldn’t possibly be his own voice.

The voice cut off, then,
Xavier?!

“He knows my name.” His gaze darted to Addison’s face as she broke out into a huge grin and released the sleeves of his jacket.

“Well, duh. He’s your brother.”

Xavier?! What the fuck?! What did you do to Addi?! Where the hell is she?! What did you
do?!

His brow creased. “He’s…yelling. He thinks I did something to you. I… You did this.”
Are you talking to her?! Is she okay?!

She held up her hands, palms facing him. “I didn’t do anything. Rhys did this.” He leaned closer and whispered, “He’s still bitching at me.”
Damn straight I am, and I’m going to keep bitching until you answer me! What. The. Fuck.

Did. You. Do.

Tipping forward, she matched his position, and then said quietly, “Why are you whispering?”

“So he can’t hear me.”

I can still hear you, asswipe. Jesus! I can’t believe we came from the same fucking gene
pool! Were you always this dense? How did I never notice this before?!

She leveled her eyes at his. “He’s in your head. He’s gonna hear you regardless if you whisper or shout. Hell, if you just think the words, he’s gonna hear you.”

“Can he hear you?” Xavier asked already knowing the answer.

Is that Addison? Is she okay? And you better fucking answer me this time if you know what’s
good for you! I’ll give you a brain aneurysm if I have to. I don’t wanna, but I’ll do it. Now,
dammit, answer me!

“She’s fine.” Xavier studied her as if making sure himself. “You’re fine.”
Jesus-Christ-almighty-thank-God.

She nodded and straightened. “I feel…weird. But yeah…fine. Ish.” Blowing out a breath, she wrung her fingers on her lap. “Is he all right?”