Danika's Gift (4 page)

I couldn’t think even if I wanted to.  If he wanted to read my thoughts, then so be it.  They were a complete jumble of lust, desire, need, compassion, empathy and love.  Love?  NO.  He snaked one of his hands up under my shirt and the skin-to-skin contact changed everything.  Suddenly, I felt connected to Derek.  It was as if we were one being.  As he touched my body, an energy soared through me like I had never felt.  It was like earlier, but way more intense, more powerful.  I couldn’t move from him and he couldn’t move from me.  Our bodies were fused together, or souls intertwining.  How could this be?

And then the moment was gone.

“Oops, sorry.”  Sam blushed as she came up behind us.  Derek and I broke apart, neither of us able to catch our breath.  His face practically glowed beneath the tan, his eyes were bright in the dim light and his body glistened.  

“I should….go.”  Derek murmured.  I smiled as he shifted his pants, and I knew he was as turned on as I was.  I had felt his erection yet in the midst of it all, I couldn’t focus beyond that energy we produced together.  It was amazing and scary at the same.
  Sam had forced me to watch enough movies that I knew what was happening between us, but I could never have imagined the feelings that quivered through my body. 

“Thank you
, Derek.  I had a very nice night.”  I smiled sheepishly, knowing Sam was waiting in the doorway for me.  “Oh, do you have your phone?”

He nodded, handing me his phone.  I saved my number to his contacts, sent a text to my phone and then handed him back the phone.  He smiled at me, but this time, that look was there again. 
Again, I wondered what the look in his eyes meant.  Even though they didn’t think I noticed, I had seen that same look between my parents.  Their hushed conversations and momentary touches had remained firmly in my memory.  I wasn’t sure what the look meant, but I knew it caused my stomach to flip with excitement.  I wondered if my eyes showed him the same.

I watched as Derek walked away from me.  I wondered what would happen between us.  There was something about him that made me feel cherished, warm, safe…and as he walked away, I felt it all go away with him.

“Well, tell me.”  Sam barely waited for me to shut the door before she pounced on me for details.

I told her about his beautiful car and dinner.  She jumped up and down when I mentioned meeting his dad.  She was shocked when I told her about my fainting episode.  And, she grinned when I told her about Derek’s gift.

“You knew, didn’t you?”

“I had a feeling.  I just know.  I can never explain it and I dare not ask, but I just felt it.  It’s like
an energy vibe you guys put off.”

I nodded, remembering the energy that soared between Derek and I.  There was a good chance I’d never have that with anyone else.   I didn’t want that with anyone else.  But, what would we do to one another with such energy?  Would we hurt one another?  I couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to Derek.

“More…”  Sam was relentless, but I loved her.

I went on to tell her about our kiss and what happened when his hand touched my body.  Sam screamed and laughed and I blushed.  That was everything I had to tell her, so I said good night and headed off to bed.

“Dani?”

“Yeah?”

“Can he read your mind?”

“I don’t know.  Either he can, but won’t.  Or he can’t.”

“How do you know?”

I told her about the fat guy I pictured and she laughed all the way to her room.  I could still hear her as I shut the door to my own room.

I was high on adrenaline and didn’t think I could fall asleep.  I laid back staring at my ceiling.  What an interesting, amazing day.  I couldn’t wait to see Derek tomorrow.  I grabbed my cell phone off my night table and wondered what he was doing right now, and if he was thinking of me too.  I sent him off a message just to see.

Good night.   Sweet Dreams. xoxo :)

His reply was almost immediate.

Sweet Dreams. xoxoxo :)

Then, to my surprise, I got another text:

When do you turn 18??? ;)

In two weeks  ;) 
I replied.

I smiled as I drifted off to sleep, seeing those beautiful green eyes and feeling those soft, sensual lips on mine.

Chapter 4

Derek

Sergio is going to have a fit. 
What am I going to do?  This wasn’t supposed to happen.  I was definitely not supposed to fall for the girl.
Maybe I won’t tell him
. 

I finally found someone who underst
ood what I am about and I didn’t want to let her go.  I closed my eyes as the limo brought me across town.  I wanted to savor every moment I had with Danika.  There was something about her that just made me feel amazing.  I told her the truth when I said I felt like I wasn’t lost, but that I was found.  It was like coming home to the other half of myself.

My phone vibrated in my pocket and I grabbed at it quickly.  It was Danika.

Good night.   Sweet Dreams. xoxo :)

I sent off my reply quickly.  I looked out the window and realized we were only a block from Sergio’s place.  As much as I wanted to message her more, I knew Sergio would be on me for information the minute I walked through the door.  I deleted the messages between Danika and I, hoping to erase any evidence linking me to her, personally. 

“Ah, Derek.  Good to see you again.” Sergio looked up from the papers covering his desk.

Sergio’s henchman stayed right behind me, a cold detached look on his face.  I wondered how he could stand to see this guy use kids as pawns in his game.  The henchman looked over and straight
into my eyes. 

Sorry kid, it’s not personal.  I gotta family to feed.

I wasn’t sure if he thought it intentionally or not, considering my gift.  Either way, I almost felt sorry for the guy.  Almost.  I knew that if he had orders to get rid of me, he’d do it without looking back.  My stomach soured and bile crept up my throat.

“Thank you
, sir,” I said to Sergio.

“So, what is your report?”

“Sir, all indications are there that the girl, Danika Rodriquez, is the target you are seeking.”

“Very good.  And, has she mentioned her parents?”

“Only that her mother died a year ago.  No word about her father.”

“What of her gift?  Have you seen it in action?”

“No, sir.  It sounds as if it is something she is not in control of, sir.  She mentioned an incident from when she was a child, but other than that, she made no other mention nor displayed any ability.”

“And what of the incident at your father’s restaurant?”

Shit.  Now how in the hell did he know about that?  It was supposed to be the one place I could feel safe.

“She was feeling dizzy and I left her to get the car.  When I returned she was on the floor.  She was unconscious for a short while.  When she woke, she couldn’t explain what happened.”  Well, that was mostly true.

“Do your abilities work on her?  Can you read her mind?”

I knew this was coming.   I wanted to lie, but knew it was pointless to do so.  Sergio would sniff out the truth and eventually find a replacement for me anyway.

“No.  I cannot.”

Sergio slammed his hand on the desk.  He began muttering in Italian and the few words I caught were not favorable.

“What good is having someone who can read minds that can’t read the one mind I need to get inside of?”

“Sir, she trusts me.  Perhaps reading her mind won’t be necessary.”

Sergio tapped at his chin with his index finger.  Hopefully he was considering the idea and wouldn’t keep me from Danika.

“I will have to think about that.  I cannot jeopardize my plans over some love sick puppy and his bitch.”

He knows.

Sergio continued, “I will call you in three days.  If I allow this, you will have to become practically inseparable from the girl.  Margo will have to change your class schedule to match hers.  You will attend the same classes at the same time.  You wine and dine her and fuck her, if need be.  Of course, that is if I allow this.”

“Sir, she’s only seventeen.”

“So?”

How did I know he would say that?  Damn.  This guy was a sick son of a bitch and I didn’t want to work with him, yet I was scared not to.  If I refused, my dad and his restaurant would mysteriously vanish in a fire one night. At least that is the promise Sergio made.  I couldn’t read his thoughts either, so I had to assume he wasn’t bluffing.  I wish I could figure out how to get around Sergio’s defenses and tap into his thoughts.  Every time I tried, he looked at me, his eyes almost daring me to continue.  And every time, I backed down, unsure of how far I could push him before he got angry.

“I will be in touch.”  Sergio waved a dismissive hand and I was escorted out of his office.

The car ride back to my apartment, I tried to think of a plan.  How could I keep Danika
safe, and my father and still give Sergio what he wanted?  I would have to figure out what he wanted, before I could do that.  All I knew was that Danika’s gift was the key to all of this.  I couldn’t get too close to her until I knew Sergio’s decision so I would have to stay off campus until then.  After what happened tonight, I didn’t know if I could be away from her now.

I la
id on my bed staring at the ceiling.  I didn’t know how I got myself in to this situation.  I didn’t know how Sergio found me.  I hadn’t told anyone about my gift other than that gypsy lady at the carnival.  She laughed at me…until I told her, word for word, what she thought of me.  First, she slapped me for saying such vulgar words (seriously?) then she sat and just stared at me.  After that, I decided I’d never tell another soul.

Before my mom left, it was so much easier.  She always had a way of helping me understand that what I could do was a gift.  That, in time, I could use it to help others.  And, she also tried to explain to me that there were people out there that would want to use me for my gift.  I believed her when she told me that I would be able to control my future, my destiny.

I missed my mom every single day.  Sometimes, I would try to tune in to her, hoping to find her.  It was a silly, childish dream, but I knew she was out there somewhere.  People don’t just disappear from the grocery store, never to be seen again.  But, that’s what happened.

Dad gave up a few years ago, I think.  He stopped talking about her in front of me.  Yet, some nights, I hear him crying in his room.  I don’t think he stopped loving her, I just think he stopped hoping she’d come back.  Long ago the detectives on her case stopped calling.  The private investigator he hired quit a long time ago, as well.  I still try though, every night.  One day, I think she’ll come back to us.

I reached for my phone and flipped through the photos.  I flipped through photos of my parents together and ones of my mom that I loaded on to my phone.  Hidden in there were a few shots of Danika that I had taken the first day I saw her.  At first, they were to show Sergio, but instead I kept them for my own. 

We’
d only known each other barely two days and yet, I couldn’t get her out of my mind.  Something about the connection between us…and when I slipped under her shirt and touched her skin, I’d never been more turned-on in my life.  I got hard just thinking about it.  It was fire…it was lightning. 

I c
ouldn’t help myself…before I realized it my mind wandered off to Danika as I stared at her picture on my cell and stroked myself fast and furiously.

Damn.

Danika

I
didn’t know what to think.  I called and texted Derek yesterday, but he never replied.  It was Friday and I hadn’t seen him on campus for two days.  In fact, I hadn’t actually seen him on campus since that first class on Tuesday.  Doubts started to fly through my head.  Perhaps he wasn’t a student here anymore.  Maybe he was sick or hurt.  Maybe he was just avoiding me.  Yep, probably that one.

I sighed in to my coffee mug.  It really was heaven in a cup to me.  I had started collecting mugs when I was around eight.  I got them for birthdays, Christmases, vacations, Easter, you name the occasion,
Mom bought me a mug.  Sometimes, Dad would find a unique one and mail it to me from Australia.  Of course, Sam and her parents were always on the lookout for interesting ones.  I don’t collect them as trophies.  I use them…ALL of them.  And, I don’t like those tea cup ones.  I like big, wide two hands required size mugs.

I wrapped my hands around my blue faced mug.  Really, it has a blue face on it.  Well, it’s blue when it’s empty and it turns happy and pink when it’s full.  That is, of course, if the coffee is hot, which mine is not. I
’d been sitting here at the kitchen table with a mythology book in front of me and a mug of coffee, for three hours.  I’d not read a single word or taken a single sip.  I just wallowed.  Marinated in my misery.

Seriously, if this is what a guy can do to you…even after only two days…I don’t want it.

“But, he’s not just any guy,” Sam said from behind me.

“What?”

“You said, ‘if this is what a guy can do to you.”

“I didn’t mean to say that out loud.” I hunched over my mug pretending it was hot.

“Ok, and you also probably aren’t trying to pretend that coffee is hot, right?”

“What
?” Yes the coffee was cold, but for some reason Sam’s logic just screwed my head up sometimes.

“Never mind.  Dump that sludge down the drain and we’ll go to Starbucks.” 

“You treating?”

“Of course” I jumped up, dumped the coffee, which at this point did resemble sludge, and waited at the door like a puppy ready for a walk.

Sam laughed as she grabbed her keys and jacket.  She knew that I loved fresh brewed coffee and Starbucks was a great treat for me.  Plus, she could get one of those blender drinks with a ton of whip cream and we both were in paradise.

Sam and I sat at a little table near the window, enjoying our drinks in silence.  I didn’t know what to make of the situation, and I wasn’t sure if Sam did either.  I looked out as the cars passed by and a black mustang caught my eye.  Was that Derek?  I mean how many other classic black mustangs could there be in town?  The mustang parked in front of a book store across the street.  The driver got out, but I couldn’t see him clearly.  He wore a black hoodie and blue jeans.  He was hunched over a bit, and his walk wasn’t confident like Derek’s.  It had to be someone else.  I slumped down in my chair.

“Is that him?” Sam had noticed the car too.  She was staring out the window at the mustang.

“It didn’t seem like him.  I mean, I couldn’t tell, but Derek walks different than the guy that got out of that car.”

“Let’s go check it out.”  I wanted to say no, yet I heard myself say ok.

Sam and I walked across the street towards the mustang.  I looked in the windows, trying to be nonchalant about it.  Sam wrote down the license plate number and then went to peer in the bookstore window.  I looked over the interior.  I remembered every detail from the other night.  It was Derek’s car.  But, who was that driving?

“Can I help you?” a deep voice startled me.  The voice belonged to a man standing behind me.  I didn’t recognize him at all.

“So sorry.  I was just admiring your car.  It’s a ’67 isn’t it?

“Um, yeah.”  He wasn’t convincing.  I scanned his face.  He was older, probably my dad’s age.  He had a short salt and pepper beard.  He was hunched over and wearing a black hoodie.  This was the guy I saw get out of the car.

“That’s so weird.  A good friend of mine also has a black ’67 mustang.  He lives in this town too.  Can’t believe there’s two beauties like this rolling around here.”  I waved my hand in the air as if it indicate the town.  What I really wanted was this guy to explain why he had Derek’s car.  Maybe if I play the dumb female role, he’ll give me a clue.

“Well, it’s my nephew’s car.  Maybe you know him?”

“Derek Spencer?”

“Yeah.  It’s his car.”

“He didn’t tell me his uncle lived here.  Are you David’s brother?”  I watched the man’s face for a reaction.  He didn’t seem to know who I was talking about.

“David?  No, I am Derek’s mother’s brother.”  He shuffled nervously.  I knew he was lying.  I didn’t need to be a mind reader to know that much. 

“Well, it’s nice to meet you Uncle…?”

“Bob.”

Well, that wasn’t very original.   Geez, you’d think he’d have come up with a better story.

“Well, nice to meet you, Uncle Bob.  Please let Derek know that I’ve been trying to reach him.  My name is Danika.”  The guy’s head snapped to attention when I said my name.  That was odd.  Maybe Derek had mentioned me?  “Bye bye now,” I said and flipped him a wave.

I walked over to Sam and we went in to the bookstore together.  I quietly told her what had happened.  Her face creased with worry.

“Something’s not right here, Danika.”

“I know.”  I didn’t understand what was going on, but without Derek to fill in the blanks, I was really starting to worry.   I reached in to my pocket for my cell.  I sent a quick text to Derek.

Met ur Uncle Bob in town.  He likes ur car.  Hope u r ok.  Miss u xo

I hated doing short-hand texts but I wanted to get the message out, fast, and all in one shot.  I didn’t know what was up with Bob, the mustang and Derek, but if he didn’t know about his car, he needed to.