Synergy (43 page)

Draven moved his head from side to side as his eyes glassed over. “Charl
ie...they disappeared the hour
we came face to face with that evil angel.”

“So this our fault?!” I said as I stood. “We have to find them.”

Draven reached to pull me to him. “Wherever they are, they’re together -
-
and they chose to be there.”

“How do you know that?!” I argued
as I pushed him away and leaned forward on my knees. I felt so sick.

He pulled me up and forced me to look him in the eye. “Charlie, I’ve analyzed everything you showed me about your parents. I tried to get you to talk to me about it before we even left for here – remember?”

I nodded once as tears glassed over my eyes. I was so stupid; all I cared about when he’d asked me why they told me goodbye like that was leaving, getting him and Monroe to people that could help them.

His thumb caught the tears that spilled out of my eyes and brushed them away. “Your mother is brilliant; so is your father. She chose every word carefully when she told you goodbye. They knew this was coming.”

“So what are they, some kind of sacrifice? Ransom? Is that what you’re saying?
!
”

“I’m saying that there are no goodbyes, and if they’re being held against their will – we’ll find them, Charlie. We’ll figure this out together.”

“We’re figuring it out now,” I said firmly.

He moved his head from side to side. “Nana saw me, and sh
e nodded to a calendar written on it was
‘Kid
s leave for Paris’
on the date that we left. They’ve constructed a cover story. We
need to lay low for a few hours. T
hen we’ll go figure out what Nana knows. We’ll get these people to help us.”

“I’m not going to sit here and lay low when something is wrong with my parents. What about Kara? I’m sure she’s insane at this point.”

He moved his head from side to side. “Charlie, if I hadn’t told you this, you would have had no that clue something was wrong -
-
right?”

I nodded. “But I know now.”

“Do you not think you would have known if they were in pain? Would you not have felt it?”

“I’ve been a little distracted...I feel it now,” I argued.

“You feel it because I told you. I know you well enough to know that you would have picked up on something, and that gut feeling -
-
that pain in your stomach that you always get when you’re in trouble would have come. They’re fine, and we will find them again.”

“What about Kara?” I said, hating that he was right. I didn’t feel that they were in danger, but not knowing that they were safe was more than I could handle.

“I don’t think she knows. I heard Nana tell
the officers that she was in flight
and that it would be at least a d
ay until they were close
to a phone. Honestly, the police didn’t sound that concerned. Apparently, your mom cancelled every meeting she had and told her assistant that she was taking a vacation. The only reason they’re following up is because her office can’t get in touch with her, and she’s never gone this long wit
hout contacting with them
. We need to let this die down, let Nana and Dad put their cover story in place, then figure this out.”

I swallow his reasoning. I couldn’t comprehend this. “This is to much. I – I can’t handle this.
”

He pulled me to his ches
t. “
This evil can’t break us; we love too deeply. Your parents loved too deeply. We’ll find our peace when our purpose is filled. For now, we fight. Now we love fearlessly because that’s what our family wants us to do -
-
what we have to do to survive.”

I pulled him closer
. I was
squeezing
him with every ounce of my strength. Fearing that he would vanish, too. That the evil I
felt in that forest would
torment my soul until I conceded to
its victory. I kept hearing my mother’s voice, the promises she forced me to make -- the ones that said I would never concede. She had to have known I would be standing here now. Why couldn’t she just tell me? Why was I forced to learn every lesson first hand?

Draven began to
sway me gently from side
-
to
-
side. A moment later, he began to hum the first song he wrote for me, my lullaby. Feeling the innocence in his voice, I closed my eyes and let images of my parents come to mind. I was going to find them. I h
ad to know that they were safe, that they were
meant to be where they are.
That they were not revenge for the evil I fought.

My father had taught me long ago that there were no goodbyes.
My mother had taught me to find my own path.
Silas had taught me that life is more than the flesh. Monroe had taught me that not knowing what is clearly coming at you is sometimes best, and Aden and Madison had taught me that there’s nothing that I can’t do with them at my side.

And Draven. Draven had taught me that passion is
power, that
anger fuels desire, that no matter how dark it is -
-
love would overcome all.

We would overcome this and whatever else was in our path.

I whispered, “I love you,” and he held me tighter, locking us in this surreal moment. He was never going to let me go, and right now that was all that was holding me together.

Acknowledgments ....

I
am still eternally grateful for every soul that encouraged me to write/ publish my debut novel Insight
…thank
you once again.

I also want to thank my husband, Lem, for listening to my random thoughts and ideas as each of these stories came to life, he is not only the love of my life but the man who keeps me sane on this insane adventure. I want than
k
my children who inspire me to
become more than I am to
d
a
y with a simple glance, and the echo of laughter and joy that surrounds me constantly.

I want to thank Jan Galloway for being the first Beta, for her valuable input and edits. Christi Alley, Sabrina Poe Wells, and Carrie McGehee for being
the
best Betas an author could ask for.

Marek Purzycki has got to be the most patient, tale
nted graphic artist I have ever
met, thank you for giving my series a face.

Most of all I want to thank every-single reader for sharing this adventure with me! I love you all and
I’
m eternally grateful for your time and support :)!

About the Author

Jamie Magee has always believed that each of us have a defining gift that sets us apart from the rest of the world, she has always envied those who have known from their first breath what their gift was. Not knowing hers, she began a career in the fast paced world of business. Raising a young family, and competing to rise higher in that field would drive some to the point of insanity, but she always found a moment of escape in a passing daydream. Her imagination would take her to places she’d never been, introduce her to people she’s never known. Insight, her debuting novel, is a result of that powerful imagination. Today, she is grateful that not knowing what defined her, led her on a path of discovery that would always be a part of her.

The fun Bio:
I’m an obsessive daydreamer. Lover of loud alternative music. Addicted to Red Bull.  I love to laugh until it hurts. Fall is my favorite season. Black is my favorite ‘shade
.’
Strong believer in the saying: there is a reason for everything, therefore I search for ‘marked moments’ every moment of every
day
...
and I find them. Life is beautiful!

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