Genesis Read online

  He reached for the knocker only to have the door open under his hand.

  Mason, Grandfather’s right hand, stood there, waiting for him.

  “He’s expecting you.”

  Connor nodded. “I’m a little late.”

  He followed behind as Mason led him to Grandfather’s office.

  Grandfather looked up, piercing blue eyes staring at him from under heavy brows. “About time you got here.”

  Determined to not be cowed by a man who crushed others so easily, Connor took a seat across from him. “It was a late kind of day.”

  “Now tell me again, what the hell is going on?”

  Considering that Grandfather was paying his salary and mindful of his position and upcoming change, Connor launched into a repeat of his earlier report.

  “And you have no idea who hit you?”

  As much as he hated to say so, Connor said, “No. I don’t.”

  “Did the pools mess up your senses or something? How is it someone got the drop on you?”

  Grandfather’s question was probing. Typical.

  Connor shrugged as if unconcerned. The last thing he wanted was for Grandfather to know how unstable his abilities were. And if he didn’t fully understand the situation himself, how could he explain it to someone else?

  “I’m hearing rumors. Slight noises that you are having some of difficulties with your abilities?”

  Connor’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? From whom?” he demanded.

  “It doesn’t matter. The question is – are you?”

  “Not as much now as I was,” Connor said honestly. “They were bothering me before but appear to be improving slightly.”

  “What caused the problem?”

  “No idea.”

  Grandfather glared at him. “I can’t use an investigator if his senses aren’t up to par.”

  That was a perfect opening.

  Connor nodded. “Understood. So this is as good a time as any to tell you I’m giving you my notice.”

  He smiled at the shock on Grandfather’s face. No one quit the family business. Grandfather might fire someone, but they didn’t quit.

  It was a power thing.

  “No, I don’t know what I’m going to do at this point,” he added, smoothly forestalling Grandfather’s ire that was threatening to blow. “I am, however, going to spend some time with Genesis and figure out just what I do want to do.” He stood. “To that end, I’ll say good night.”

  While Grandfather was still frozen in shock, he walked out of the room.

  And right out of the house.

  As soon as he stood out in the open air, he realized how much freer he felt. He hadn’t realized it before now, but being with Grandfather had felt like his only choice. It wasn’t that there weren’t plenty of jobs available, there just weren’t many in his field.

  “I wouldn’t go back to her if I were you.” Mason’s voice came out of the darkness behind him.

  The hairs on the back of his neck stirred. Connor turned slowly. “Why not?”

  “She’s the one responsible for your diminished senses. I’m surprised you never put it together. They’ve been on the decline since you left her a year ago. Now that you’re back in her clutches they are strong again – at least as strong as she wants you to be – but not so strong that you’re back to being normal.”

  Mason tapped his pipe on the railing, knocking out the used tobacco inside, and then turned and disappeared back into the house.

  Connor stood in shocked silence, his mind racing.

  Mason was many things. But in this instance, the timing of everything was exactly as he’d said.

  Had Genesis really been responsible for his so-very-personal loss?

  His heart broke slightly as he contemplated such a betrayal. His heart said it wasn’t possible. But logic demanded he consider the possibility.

  He didn’t want to think that she’d do something like that. But she had been upset back then. Angry, even. Women who’d been scorned were often wild cards.

  Could she have done this unintentionally? Unknowingly? Done something on a subconscious level? By the same reasoning, could someone else have done this to her?

  There was no doubt that was when he started having trouble, although it had been slow to manifest. Or had he just been so disbelieving of a problem even existing that he’d refused to acknowledge it until it became too big to ignore?

  The same way he couldn’t ignore the puzzle pieces now as they snapped into place – thanks to Mason.

  Chapter 30

  Genesis walked up to her room. Matt had excused himself earlier once he’d made sure she was fine. She’d smiled and insisted she was. As soon as he’d left the dining area, she finished her cup of coffee, refilled it, and carried it up to her room, Remi at her side. Only she didn’t want it to be her room.

  She entered and stood just inside the door. It felt wrong now. She had no logical reason for it to be that way, just that things had changed and it no longer felt ‘right.’

  Was it possible the room had been searched? It felt different.

  She returned to the hallway and glanced in both directions. There were many rooms here. She had yet to see anyone else come or go. She walked to the closest room and knocked. There was no answer. She turned the knob and realized it was locked. After a quick look both ways down the hallway, she zapped a little energy and smiled when the lock clicked open in her hand. She opened the door and found it to be an identical room to hers. She contemplated the ramifications for a long moment and then put her coffee down on the night table. As she didn’t have any belongings with her other than her bag, the move was simple. In the new room, she showered and crawled into bed. She didn’t have a ready explanation for Connor, but maybe given the lateness of the hour, he wouldn’t ask for one.

  She turned out the light and within moments dropped into a deep sleep.

  Hours later, she woke in a panic. Something was wrong. She leaned up on her elbow. There was an unsettling disquiet to her room.

  “Remi?” Her voice sounded fragile and small in the darkness.

  No answer. She bolted upright and searched the room. She couldn’t see anything, but there was a painful unease rippling through her. She didn’t know why his absence was so upsetting. Remi took off on a regular basis, sometimes for hours. He wasn’t physically attached to her, and he often left her alone.

  But this…this didn’t feel normal.

  She ran to the window. The curtain blew towards her as she approached. Her heart thudded in her chest. She hadn’t left the window open, had she?

  She tugged the sheers out of the way and peered out into the night. The moon was non-existent and only shadows moved.

  Then she heard the sound of murmured voices. “We can’t leave her here.”

  “Why not?” demanded a second voice. “How else are we going to get the rest of those damn documents? At least if she’s here, she won’t know we’re looking for them.”

  “Who’d have thought she could produce those at this late time?”

  “Grandfather must be ready to commit murder right now.”

  “Well, we are, so he’s going to be as well.”

  “We have to find the documents before he does.”

  “Why don’t we just make new ones forcing her to ‘sell’ the land to us?”

  Genesis couldn’t identify the voices, although the gist of what they intended to do was enough to make her blood run cold.

  “She won’t willingly. And if she disappears or turns up dead on the heels of allowing the documents to be imaged today, it’s going to be obvious what’s happened.”

  “It won’t matter if she’s not here to do or say anything about it.”

  “No, but all the suspicion will shine on us. We want to make sure it shines on Grandfather.”

  There was a loud snort and the voices started to drift away. She strained to hear the last bit.

  “What you’re forgetting is that Grandfather will be making hi
s own plans.”

  “And who do you think he’s going to blame, given what happened these last few days? I’d say Connor is the one with the target on his back.”

  Genesis choked back a gasp. Her stomach knotted. Why Connor? He was part of the family.

  What had she missed? She squeezed her hands together against her chest and bowed her head. She knew she should never have come forward. The argument carried on in her head.

  But how could you not?

  Granny should have done this.

  She wasn’t strong enough. Besides, she was protecting you.

  Now what was Genesis to do? She wanted her sisters here to help. But if they were here, what difference would it make?

  She slumped on the side of her bed and realized it wouldn’t make any difference at all. She was here. It was her job to protect the forest and their heritage.

  She didn’t know what was going on with Connor, but it felt like shades of last time. He was involved in the relationship, but not on the same level she was. She knew that was the likely scenario going into this, but the reality she faced wasn’t one she had hoped for.

  And she didn’t like it.

  Those men, whoever they were, were hunting for her documents. That meant she had to double her efforts to make sure they didn’t find them.

  But knowing of their plans gave her a slight advantage. It meant she could actually catch them in the act.

  But the big question now was, who could she count on to help her? And who was she better off not mentioning this to? It would be impossible to stay here and keep her actions from Connor. Regardless of where their relationship was heading, he’d know something was wrong.

  How could he not?

  And Matt? She wanted to trust him, but did she? She wanted to trust Darbo, but did she?

  The answer to those questions came from deep inside. Yes. That much she did. By extension, then, she trusted Matt. Maybe not to take her side, but at least to do what was right.

  And Connor. No. Not the same. She trusted him not to hurt her, but there was no doubt something wasn’t quite right there. His abilities coming and going. His supposed ability to see Remi then not again. He’d gone to Grandfather tonight. She could hope he was quitting his job and going to work for Matt. Then doubts assailed her if that would be better or worse.

  Staying at the Center was no longer an option if everything she owned was in danger. She’d done what she could to protect her cottage, but there were other people out there with abilities. What if someone could find her secret sanctuary?

  Then what would she do? She glanced out the window and realized that the sky was a shade lighter than it had been. Her uneasiness grew. She glanced around the room. “Remi?”

  Closing her eyes, she reached out for him mentally and realized she couldn’t sense him. There was a dullness to their link. One that scared the crap out of her.

  She got up. She had her own wheels now after driving home ahead of Connor yesterday. She could leave at any time.

  And she couldn’t get rid of the feeling that anytime meant now.

  *

  Connor stood in the shadows behind his bedroom window. His, not theirs. She’d moved out. He’d almost panicked until he met the steward, who’d informed him that Genesis had moved into the room beside him. He understood she’d considered that the room had been searched earlier, but that didn’t explain what changing rooms would do. If the intruder had searched one room, they could just as easily search a second room.

  And she’d moved out – but she hadn’t moved his belongings with hers.

  As a message, it was pretty clear.

  That he had mixed feelings about her actions said much for his state of mind. The stuff Mason had said…was it even possible? He’d been searching his mind for another explanation and so far hadn’t come up with one.

  But he was good at puzzles. He’d get to the bottom of this one, too.

  Movement outside of his window caught his eye, and he watched several men move through the parking lot.

  There was an awful lot of activity going on for the middle of the night. He wasn’t close enough to hear the conversation, but several men got into a vehicle and drove off while he watched.

  Faint rustling noises from the other room told him that Genesis was moving around. He listened carefully, hearing her door open and close. Then her footsteps receded down the hallway. Now where the hell was she going?

  He ran back to the window and looked out. Sure enough, a few moments later, she left the building, her bag under her arm. She walked to her car and got in.

  Making no attempt to hide his actions, he leaned out the window to watch which direction she turned when she left the parking lot.

  She turned left. He’d bet anything she was going home. The question was – which one?

  And why hadn’t she said goodbye?

  Chapter 31

  Genesis drove carefully in the dark. Her night vision wasn’t great and she didn’t want to use her abilities to make it easier. She wasn’t recharging well. That could be because of the damaged connection to Remi.

  The early-morning sun was just rising over the hills by the time she reached the park. There were no other vehicles around.

  Good.

  Even now, she couldn’t understand her need to run from the Paranormal Center. She should have told someone at the Center that she was leaving. But it had been dark and the others were sleeping. She’d have felt bad if she’d woken them up.

  So she’d snuck off. Although it had felt more like she was running away. She didn’t like that. But there was nothing saying she couldn’t go back. Check on the cottage, make sure all was well, and then return to catch a few more hours of sleep. She sighed, her hand trembling as she brushed the stray hairs back from her forehead. To say she was exhausted would be an understatement. A deep-seated weariness had built over the last year. Now underneath it all, fear went through her. Where was Remi? She tried to stomp the panic back down. It would incapacitate her.

  The birds were noticeably silent as she trudged through the bushes. She missed Remi. She called out to him. She could sense him, a reassurance she badly needed, but not feel him. She whistled a long, low animal-like whistle that she often used.

  He didn’t come running. But there was that same sense that he was around but maybe not as close as she’d like him to be. He was alive but…something was definitely off. At least being able to sense him eased the constriction around her heart.

  She reached the caves quickly and slipped inside Granny’s entrance. She carefully made her way down the stairs to where she’d found the heavy equipment and where she’d found Connor. The equipment was still there, but the cavern was silent and deserted. Good – just the way it should be. Better yet, get the equipment the hell away from here. Except she realized that while the machinery might be silent now, it had been working all day. The cavern wall had been dug out more on the left, and shards of rock lay on the cavern floor. Anger rushed through her at the ruts in the cavern floor.

  This had to stop.

  On the spot where she’d found Connor, she realized it would have been hard to creep up on him like that. She knew he’d been handicapped with his senses not functioning properly, but it was the first time she realized just how much danger he’d been in this last year. He was blind in a way that most people wouldn’t understand.

  She studied the energy around the room, sensing the strongest waves coming from the left. If Connor had been here, had the man just jumped him without saying anything? There was no doubt Connor had been badly hurt. But had he seen his attacker? Known who it was? Did he remember? Or was it all a dark hole in his brain?

  The healing energy of the pools pulled at her. She could collapse in here quite nicely, but she’d also likely sleep and could wake to any number of unpleasant scenarios.

  Better she make it to her cottage, where she would be safe. She carried on to the back exit and moved through the brush. The woods were even quieter – if
such a thing was possible. It made no sense, but the closer she got to her cottage, the more uneasy she became.

  Was someone else out here? Had they found her cottage? Granny said no one could ever find it, but maybe she’d been wrong. More and more abilities had been showing up in each new generation. Who knew what anyone could do nowadays? Genesis had done everything she knew to keep it safe.

  But was it enough?

  She barely noticed that she’d gone from a fast walk to a jog and was now barreling through the woods at top speed. Instinct drove her. She didn’t have Remi with her to find the best way through, so she just beelined in the direction she needed to go.

  She broke through the last line of greenery into the clearing where her cottage belonged. Only it wasn’t there – she’d cloaked it, after all.

  And neither was she alone.

  Portman Junior stood in front of her. He had a grin on his young face that made her blood turn to ice. But it was the look of joy in his eyes that made her feel physically sick.

  In his arm, he carried her spirit pet.

  An unconscious Remi.

  *

  Connor dressed quickly, ready to leave the Center and chase after Genesis. At the heavy knock on his door, he raced over to find Matt standing in the hallway, anger and a hint of something like fear on his face.

  “Darbo is gone,” he said without prelude.

  Connor shook his head. “Does he not go off on his own?”

  “Not really. He’s connected to my energy. He won’t survive on his own for long,” Matt said baldly. “The loss will affect my energy and abilities soon after.”

  Connor stared at him. “Really? How soon?”

  “I don’t know.” Matt shrugged. “It’s never happened before.” He rubbed his temple. “I have to adjust to being slightly off. Disconnected.”

  “Genesis left.”

  Matt stared at him, his gaze widening in shock. “Why?”

  “I don’t know,” Connor admitted. “I got back and she’d moved into a different bedroom.” He could feel the muscles in his jaw locking. “I couldn’t sleep and was standing by the window an hour ago. I heard noises outside – a group of people leaving the Center – and then while I was studying the parking lot, I heard Genesis leave from next door. I watched her get into her car and head towards town.” He motioned to his own fully clothed form. “I’m going after her.”