Danika's Gift (7 page)

Derek

I shifted
in the seat again.  I hated to fly and being in coach wasn’t making me feel any more at ease.  I looked over at my traveling buddy and smirked.  He was a big guy, probably ex-Marine, and he looked more uncomfortable then me.  I wasn’t a small guy, but Daniel definitely had me by a good thirty pounds of muscle.

“Two years, eh?”  I finally felt safe enough to bring the topic up.

“Shit.  You knew?”

“You told me.”

“What?”

“You know why Sergio uses me?  Well, it’s because I can read people’s thoughts.  And, you were screaming them at me, back at the office.”

“How the hell…?”

“When a person is nervous, excited, angry and so on, their thoughts are magnified and projected.  Like, instead of simply yelling at me, you are shouting through a bull horn, while you are standing next to my ear.  Those thoughts I don’t need to focus too hard to read.”

A string of curses slipped out of Daniel’s mouth too low to hear.  “So, now what?”

“Look, I don’t want to do this crap anymore.  I don’t like being used.  I don’t like that he sent me away from the girl I love.” I stopped, realizing what I had just said out loud.  “I just want out.  Can we help each other here?”

“When we land, I need to make some calls.  Let me see what I can do.  Can you tell me anything that would help?”  He held up his hand.  “Not here and now, but if I need intel?”

“I don’t know because he never tells me much.  Just enough to do what I’ve got to do.  In fact, he wants my girl for something and I don’t know what it is, but I am worried for her.”

“Can you read his thoughts?” Daniel looked at me hopeful.

“Not much.  He knows how it works for me and purposely uses my weaknesses to block me out.”

“Weaknesses?”

“Yeah, like when a person isn’t shouting their thoughts at me, then I need to really focus.  I need quiet and some time to connect with their energy.  He always has music going or some other noise and he rarely gets emotionally charged when I am around.”

“Okay.  So what does your girlfriend do?”

“I think she can see the future, in a way.  Like she can see something bad before it happens to somebody, but it’s not very detailed.”

“I know you don’t know for sure, but what are some thoughts you have about why he would want her?”

“Maybe to predict if someone will attack him or betray him.  But, her gift is very unrefined, so he doesn’t know much more than I do at this point.”

“Hmmmm…” Daniel rubbed his hand on his chin.  “Well, let’s see what happens over the next few days.”

I nodded at Daniel, then turned to look out the window.  It was a terrible view, but I needed to clear my head.  I missed Danika already.  It had only been a few hours since we were together, but knowing Sergio wouldn’t allow me to see her again brought a lump to my throat.  I pulled out my cell phone and went to my photo album.  I had snuck a fast pic of her while she was sleeping last night. I didn’t want to ever forget how beautiful and peaceful she looked. 

My groin twitched at the memories of our time together.  It was short, but hot and exciting.  I’d felt things I never knew were possible.  Could I really love her after such a short time?  I knew it seemed unlikely, but I also couldn’t explain the magic between us.  There was a connection, a bond that you simply cannot find outside of love.

My phone suddenly vibrated in my hand.  It was a text from Danika.  I didn’t even realize I could get a message on the plane but was happy to hear from her.  Then, I remembered Sergio’s words…cut all ties now…I typed out a short reply to Dani and after staring at it for awhile, I finally hit the ‘send’ button.  Once it was sent, I turned off my phone and shut my eyes.  I felt the tears but I couldn’t allow them.   It was for the best.  At least for now.

****

             
“Dan, what else can we do?”  I was getting more pissed off every day that went by.

             
“Look, my department is looking into what we’ve given them.  We are probably safer here in L.A.”

             
“It’s been almost three weeks now.  After Vegas and Denver, we’re now in LA with nowhere to go but home.”

             
“Kid, I know this is hard for you.  Like I said, after we finished in Vegas, things went crazy back home.  Those guys were trying to kill Sergio and now there’s even more heat then before.”

             
“I wish they’d done it.”

“I know.  That would be easier in some ways, but kid, he’s got connections and if he gets killed, other people will just take over.  It will be like he never left.”

“And if you arrest him, won’t the same thing happen?”

“Yes and no.”  Dan scratched his head.  “See, if we can throw him in jail, we can freeze all of his assets, close down his businesses, seize everything he’s got and his connections will disappear into their own rat holes.  We’d like to get his connections too, and if he’s alive, there’s a better shot at that.  But, if he is killed, it will all continue on, just under new management.”

“Can you do me a favor?”  Derek looked around them.  “Can you check on her?”

“My guy, Joey, has been keeping tabs on her, her cousin and that lady Katia too.”

“So the girls are okay?”  Derek straightened up as relief filled him.  “Well, I don’t care about Katia.”

“Yeah, they are.  Although, Joey mentioned the girls are working at the pizzeria now and that your girl isn’t happy. Lovesick I think.”  Dan gave Derek a shove in the shoulder.  “Once we get you home, maybe you can remedy that?”

My heart danced at the thought but then my stomach churned too.  When would he get home?  Would she forgive me?  Would she understand everything that had happened?

Chapter 8

Danika

It has been three long months.  How does that happen?  How does someone jump into your life, sweep you off your feet and then just leave you like that.  What did I ever do to deserve all of that crap?  First, Derek left me.  Then, I was accused of murder.  Now, I had become a miserable shell, going through the motions and trying to make it just one more day.

The sorority sisters blamed me for Celeste’s death.  Even though the medical examiner declared it an accidental drowning and I was at work when it happened, they still blamed me.  I could just see it in the way they looked at me.  Around campus, people still pointed at me and whispered.  Sam tried to help me, but they weren’t talking about her…she didn’t declare someone was going to die.  That was all me.

I sat on the window seat, looking at the beautiful rain garden just outside of the library.  Earlier in the year, a group of elementary students came and planted the garden.  They had even won a contest with their design.  It was really starting to look beautiful now.  I remembered the garden my mom and I created in our yard.  I stared at the birdhouse and wind chimes the children added to the garden and I drifted back in time for a moment.

Mom and I built that birdhouse from scratch.  We modeled it after our own house and then painted it to match.  High up in that old oak tree, one family of birds came back year after year.  It was pretty amazing. The house was blue, a pretty blue, just like Celeste’s eyes.

Celeste Monahan, dead at the age of twenty. Cause of death: accidental drowning. Predicted by none other than the infamous Danika Rodriguez. The girl that can see death coming but is helpless to stop it.

I don’t know what I did wrong.  I didn’t know enough to help Mindy, when I was six.  I didn’t see enough to help Mom.  But, for once, I saw it and I said something…and nothing changed.  It still happened.  I wiped away the tears as I remembered that night at the party.  The night I turned eighteen was the worst night of my life.  I closed my eyes and saw everything as if it had just happened.

“Dani!  Are you ok?”

“Sam, what happened?”   I frantically felt all over my body for the crimson water.  Nothing.  I was bone dry and as I looked around me, I realized I was lying on the couch and a crowd of people were looking down at me.

“You blacked out,” Sam’s face was scrunched with worry.

“Is Celeste ok?”

“Um, yeah.  Why?”  Sam didn’t understand.  Not at first.  Then, I could tell she realized what had happened.

“Look, let’s deal with this right now.” Sam sat me up and led me into a small room. 

The sorority sisters followed us, apparently interested in some tasty gossip.  They were practically salivating with big bright eyes, as they stared at me.  Except Celeste.

Sam explained to her “sisters” that I had a gift and that I needed to explain something.  I felt all eyes on me, but I kept my focus on the ground.  I requested to speak to Celeste alone, but Queen…er, President Chelsea, wouldn’t allow it.  So, I told them what I saw and what I thought it meant.  It was a bit fuzzy for me, but the bottom line was that in the very, very near future, Celeste was going to die by drowning.

At first, I thought they might believe me, their faces were shocked and no one said a word.   Then, Chelsea started laughing.  Tears streamed out of the sides of her eyes she was laughing so hard.  And, of course, her groupies followed along.  Even Celeste seemed slightly humored by what I had said.

Twenty four hours later, the cops are at our door, asking me and Sam to come down to the police station for questioning.  I was a “person of interest” and Sam was a material witness or something like that.   I knew my gift was a curse; this just made it more real for me.  Of course, I was let go and the detective in charge told me to stick around for a few days.  That was after he heard my story and stared at me like I had grown a second head right before his very eyes.  But, I was working when Celeste drowned so they couldn’t hold me.

A chair scuffed in the library, bringing me out of my daydream.  The kid moving the chair looked at me, his eyes wide as he went across the room and sat down.  It didn’t matter that I was never arrested and that I had an alibi, the kids at school still treated me like a freak.  Whether they though I was a liar or the grim reaper, either way, I was still a freak.  Part of me wanted to transfer away, but maybe I would wait until Sam graduated and then do that.  Not like Derek was coming back to school.  Nothing else to keep me there.

So, I continued on through my daily routine.  The only thing that brightened my day was hanging out with Sam, or my friend from work, Katia.  She was older than me and Sam and had a very pretty accent.  She moved there just before Sam and I started working at the pizzeria, which was right after Derek left.  Katia said she was from New York, but I knew she was hiding something because when she got angry, her accent slipped.  It sounded almost like Russian or something.  Then, when she calmed down, it was more New Yorker again.  But, it was none of my business.  We went out, we had fun, so I didn’t really care.

That night we were having girl’s night out at Piper’s, a local pub.  I was looking forward to hanging out with the girls.  Far from campus, it was usually free of the college crowd, which made me happy.  Katia always managed to get me at least one alcoholic drink.  Since I didn’t like to get drunk, one was perfect.  I ordered a cola and she got a rum and cola and then switched them at the table.  I think the bartender knew, but pretended he didn’t.  And, might I add the bartender, Casey was one hot looking guy?

Tonight I ordered an angus burger smothered with gravy, pub fries and a small bowl of chili.  I had NO idea where I thought all of this food is going to go, but I loved leftovers, so it worked for me.  Casey looked great tonight.   He kept looking over at our booth.  I wondered if he was looking at Sam.  Probably. She was next to me, furthest from the bar, and he had to look past me to see her. 

“Sam, you want to switch?” I offered.

“No, why?”

I rolled my eyes, “I think Casey can see you better if you’re on the outside.”

“He’s looking at you, silly,” Katia laughed.

“No he’s not.”  I wasn’t available. Well, my heart wasn’t, but my body was, I guessed.

“He’s coming.  Sh!”  Sam giggled.

“Hey ladies, what will it be tonight?”  He was talking to all of us, but his eyes were focused on me.  I suddenly felt flushed and looked down, checking him out briefly.  He was wearing a light blue button down tucked into jeans that hugged his muscular thighs in just the right way.  I tried to move my eyes quickly past his, uh, package and down to his feet.  Yes, I had noticed it.  Nice package. Black heavy boots.  Yes, I did get to his feet.

“Martini please,” Katia ordered.

“Margherita,” Sam said.  I frowned.  She turned twenty-one last month.  She’d been having fun experimenting with drinks since then.

“Cola please,” I murmured, my eyes focused on Casey’s shoes.  It was the only time I ever drank the stuff and I was secretly hoping Katia or Sam could get me my usual.

“Coming right up,” Casey’s voice was cheery.  I watched his feet walk away and waited to look up until I knew he was gone.  And, well, to watch him go because those jeans were really fit perfectly for him.

“Does he ever do that?”  Katia asked.

“No.  I don’t recall seeing him ever go to a table to take a drink order,” Sam replied nudging me at the same time.

I blushed and played with my napkin.

“Here ya go girls!”  Our waitress, Bonnie set down our appetizers and drinks. 

“Thanks,” we chorused.

I put a straw into my soda, taking a big sip and almost choked on it.  Sam slapped me on the back.  Either she was trying to help me or maul me, I wasn’t sure which. 

“I’m okay,” my voice raspy.  “There’s liquor in this.”  Katia and Sam giggled.  Once I realized what happened, I giggled too, blushing and gave a thank you nod to Casey who was watching me from the bar.

We had a great time at dinner and my one “soda” really relaxed me.  I actually felt a bit adventurous and bold.  I wrote my number down on a napkin and brought my glass to the bar.  I set the napkin down and waited until Casey was close by to set the glass on it and slide it to him. 

“Thank you for the soda.  Best I’ve ever had.”  I winked at him and slid the glass and napkin towards him.  Casey smiled as he noticed the napkin.  He snatched it up and shoved it in his pocket.

“Want another?”  Casey appeared to be blushing.  It was so cute.  I looked at him up close, for the first time.  He had light brown hair, trimmed short.  His eyes were dark and as I studied them in the lighting of the bar, I realized they were hazel with blue rings on the edge of the irises.  He had several tribal tattoos that were just barely hidden by his shirt.  I wondered just how many he had, where they were and if I’d get to see them sometime.  I felt myself blush as images of a barely dressed Casey went through my mind.

“Thanks, but we have to get going.” I smiled.  “Talk to you soon.  I hope.”  I winked at Casey, flirting like a mad woman, and headed back to our booth. 

I drove us back to our apartment, where Katia had left her car.  It really was a lot of fun just hanging out and relaxing with the girls. It felt good letting my hair down and not thinking about him for a change.   Sam went off to the bathroom and Katia looked at me, dead in the eyes and said, “We need to talk, alone.”

The way she was looking at me started to twist my stomach a bit.  “O…kay.”

“Meet me at the pizzeria in twenty minutes.” She turned and quickly left.

“Hey Katia, I was wondering…” Sam stopped short when she saw me, standing there gaping at the door.  “What’s wrong?  Where’s Katia?”

“She had to go.  I’m going to go out for a bit, okay?  Need to clear my head.”

“Alright.  Sure you want to go alone?”

“Yep. I’ll be back in a little bit.  Want anything while I am out?” I flung my bag over my shoulder and had one foot out the door before Sam could even answer.

“No.  See ya.” Sam shrugged and headed for the couch.

I got to the pizzeria with ten minutes to spare.  Waiting out in the parking lot for Katia to pull in, my nerves were wound up.  I ran through everything from that night and couldn’t imagine what she would have to say or why she’d want to meet here.  I started to get a bad feeling and sent Sam a text to let her know I would be at the pizzeria for a little bit with Katia.  Just as I hit send, two cars pulled in.  Katia’s and a large sedan.  I hunched down in my car, hoping to see who it was before they saw me.  It was Sergio.  I sent Sam another fast text that simply said “…and Sergio.”  If something was going to happen to me, someone had to know where I was.

Katia waved me over and I walked inside with her, Sergio and three of his bodyguards.  I was shaking from head to toe as they led me to the manager’s office.  I sat in there chair Katia motioned to and waited.  I don’t think I breathed the entire time.

“Hello again, Danika.” Sergio stood in front of my chair.  “How is the job going?”

“Sir, very well.  Thank you.”  Was he out of his ever-loving mind?  What on earth was he asking me that for? 
Just keep it sweet and nice girl
.

“Good.  Very good.  I will get right to the point my dear.  I hired you so that I could get to know you better.  Katia tells me that you have a gift and I would like to see that for myself.”

Shit.  That’s what this was all about.  Damn me for ever telling her anything.  “It’s not like that, sir.  I mean, I have no control over it.”

Sergio paced back and forth in front of my chair as he digested what I’d said.  With one quick sweep, he slammed his fist on the desk, scattering papers everywhere.

“What good are you then?”

“Excuse me?”
What the hell did that mean?

“I hired you because I am in need of your services.  But, you don’t seem to want to offer them to me.  That, my young one, is a problem.”

“Sir, I am sorry.  I don’t understand.  How can I possibly help you?” Play up the role Dani, feed his ego.  “With your power and wealth, what could I possibly do for you?” 

A small smile played on Sergio’s lips and I knew his ego was beaming.  His eyes, however, went very dark and the small smile turned wicked.  He steepled his fingers at his chin and scanned my face for a few minutes.  Sergio looked over at Katia and she nodded back at him.

“Very well.  I have a proposition for you.  Katia, here, vouches for you.  So, I will give you one month to fine-tune your gift and see if you can’t get it to ‘work’ on demand.  I will not harm you, your cousin or Derek.”

I suddenly shifted straight in my seat.  Was he implying if I didn’t help he would hurt Sam?  And how did he know about me and Derek?  Sweat started to bead on my forehead when out of nowhere, Sergio started laughing.

“Ah, yes, my puppet Derek.  Word is he is all love sick like some damn puppy over a girl.  And, word is that girl is you.  Now, if you care nothing for him, then his ‘situation’ won’t affect you.”  Sergio’s eyes narrowed.

“I will do what I can sir.” I mustered up a calm and steady voice.

“Good.  One month.  I will see you then.”  Sergio nodded and blew out of the office with his bodyguards, leaving me and Katia alone.