Phoenix Inheritance (24 page)

“Oh.” A pause. “Are you going to tell Renee about everything that happened in Germany?”

“What do you mean?”

“You just said you might have encountered our animal telepath with her years ago. That means she should know what she's up against now. Maybe she even remembers something from years back that will help.”

“I'm not in the habit of talking to any civilian about my missions, especially ones that concern immortal crazy dudes. I figured it was safer for her that way,” Daz said.

“Renee's not just any civilian, Daz.”

No
, Daz thought.
She isn't.

Chapter Ten

Renee surveyed their temporary living quarters at the Institute: a living room, small kitchen, a master bedroom for her and a bedroom with a twin bed for Charlie. Utilitarian, but it was a big, open space. Thor and Loki obviously liked it. They settled down on the big soft rug of the living area.

Best of all, Charlie seemed to like it too. He sat on the stool at the kitchen counter, happily eating ice cream with his new best friend, Beth.

Charlie finally had a psychologist he liked. Beth had confirmed his diagnosis and, what was more, had a plan that seemed like it would be effective treatment for him. All this was almost too good to be true, and Renee kept glancing around, wondering when the other shoe would drop.

But maybe it already had, with the news that someone was stalking their son. That was in Daz's hands now. She trusted him to do his job but she was too restless to sit or relax. It seemed like she should be doing something, anything, other than just waiting.

“Ma, chill,” Charlie said.

The irony of Charlie telling her to relax wasn't lost on Beth, who smiled. “Your mother is just used to being in motion, Charlie. Give her time.”

“Okay.” Charlie finished his bowl of ice cream and put his head down on the counter. “I'm tired,” he announced.

“Really? This early?” Renee walked around behind him. It was only six p.m.

“Using psychic abilities takes a physical toll. That's why he's tired. We did a lot of work together today.”

Renee was going to have to get used to Beth speaking to her telepathically, though it was easier to accept because Beth's telepathic voice sounded so much like her real voice.

“If I put him to bed now, he'll wake up in the middle of the night, Beth.”

“I can give him a telepathic suggestion to sleep until morning.”

Renee rubbed her son's back. His eyes were already closed. She wanted to ask Beth if that was safe. But safe was a loaded word right now. It seemed there were choices between one kind of risk and another. On the one hand, Beth would order Charlie to do something. On the other hand, if Charlie got up in the middle of the night, half-asleep, he might panic and injure himself.

“
Will there be any side effects if you order him to rest?”

“No, what will happen is that he'll get a suggestion to go back to sleep if he wakes up when his body is still tired.”

Renee nodded. “Do it.”

Beth curled her hand around Charlie's wrist. “You're exhausted. Let's get some rest.”

“Okay,” Charlie mumbled.

Renee put out her hand and the two of them led him to the bedroom.

“Will you sing to me, Mom? You forgot last night.”

She sat next to him on the bed. “I didn't forget, silly. You fell asleep before I could do that. Both times.”

“I guess.”

She cleared her throat and sang to him, his special song that she'd made up when he was little. He'd grown out of needing a lullaby, but this was their ritual and Charlie loved rituals. This was one of her favorites too.

She kissed his forehead when she was finished. All too soon, he'd not be her little boy any longer. If she could just give him the tools to cope with his autism by then, she'd count things a success.

Beth watched quietly and followed Renee back out to the living room. Renee collapsed onto the couch, now feeling the exhaustion.

“Thank you,” she said.

“I should thank you. Charlie's a good kid,” Beth said. “But things have a habit of speeding up around here, so I wondered if you'd mind taking the time now, while we have it, to answer some questions so I can treat Charlie better.”

Renee opened one eye. “Like what?”

“Well, I noticed some tension between you and Daz earlier but also a connection. It would help me to know if you and he are together.”

“You can't read my mind about it?” Renee asked.

“Not without permission, I won't.”

Beth's answer sounded a little long-suffering. “You get that question a lot, don't you?” Renee asked.

“Yes. People are rightly paranoid about someone rifling through their minds.” Beth cleaned up the dirty bowls in the kitchen. “If you'd rather not talk about Daz, I understand.”

“If I knew exactly what to say about Daz, it would be easier to talk about it. It's complicated. But we both want what's best for Charlie.”

“That part's easy to see.” Beth sat down in the living room at the edge of her chair cushion, assuming what Renee was coming to think of as her “listener position”.

What the hell. Beth obviously knew Daz well. She might have good advice. And talking about it might help Renee sort through it all.

“I was in love with Daz once. He didn't feel as strongly. And now? I'm worried he only wants to be together because I'm Charlie's mother and he feels protective.”

“Ouch,” Beth said.

“Yeah.”

“What do
you
want?” Beth asked.

“I don't know.” No, she did know. She wanted Daz. No, scratch that.

“What I want is for Daz to feel as strongly about me as I do for him.”

“And if he does feel that way, how does he prove it to you?”

“The hell if I know. How did Alec prove it to you?”

Beth smiled. “Alec's an open book in a lot of ways. He doesn't hold back. Besides, I could read his mind. What surprised me is that he never questioned how I felt for him. He thought my telepathy was cool.”

“You two trust each other,” Renee said.

“So do you and Daz,” Beth said.

“You're sure about that?”

“I'm sure.”

Renee cocked her head. “Is that from reading us?”

Beth smiled. “No, it's from watching the way the two of you are together. You handle Charlie as a team. That requires trust.”

“Daz let me down,” Renee whispered. “I need to know he won't again. But I don't know if he's changed or even if he can.”

“People can change.”

The soft voice came from a man standing in the kitchen. Thor and Loki raised their heads but otherwise didn't react. Huh. Unusual for them to let someone walk into a room without reacting.

“Dad!” Beth stood, walked over and hugged the new arrival. “Thank you for coming.”

“You call, I come.”

“Philip Drake, this is Renee Black. Renee, Philip.”

Renee shook hands with Philip Drake. The man carried himself well, lean and fit, but he wasn't as blindingly handsome as Alec, nor as tall, which was a relief because she didn't know if she could take more of these godlike people.

“Excuse me for saying this, but you look a little young to be Beth's father.”

Philip smiled, a quiet, reassuring smile. “I'm her foster father. It's a long story.”

“Philip is here for two reasons,” Beth said. “One is to go over the details of your home so he can prepare a security system.”

“Thank you, that would be a huge load off my mind.” Renee nodded. She was more than a little wiggy about going back knowing someone was spying on her and Charlie. “What's the other reason?”

“You two have something in common,” Beth said as they settled back into the living room. “You both have children with psychic gifts.”

“Really? How old is your—”

“Son.” Drake held up his smartphone and displayed a picture of a cherubic baby that looked to be about eight months old.

“He's adorable.” Renee said. “What kind of psychic ability does he have?”

Most of the parents she knew never had to deal with an autistic child. It made things awkward with them. She'd never expected to find another parent of a child with psychic gifts. A support group of two. Hah.

“Hmm…” Philip stretched out on the couch, relaxed, and glanced over at Beth. “How much have you told Renee about how my psychic abilities work?”

“Only the basics. Nothing about you specifically, not without your permission.”

“I appreciate that.”

He studied Renee. For a moment, he seemed to transform into something darker, more dangerous. It was as if Philip Drake was a chameleon, changing his entire body language based on what he needed to project.

“He used to do a lot of undercover work for the CIA.”

These little telepathic asides from Beth were coming in handy.

“Beth's probably told you how telepathy works,” Philip said. “Telekinesis is another matter. It's basically shifting objects or even molecules with your mind. You've seen Alec in action?”

“His TK, yes, though not the firestarting that Daz talked about.”

“Alec is a high-level telekinetic. That means he controls his ability with conscious thought. But as my daughter will tell you, many psychic gifts work unconsciously. My own telekinesis used to be like that. You mentioned I look young to be her father. That's a result of my healing ability.”

She leaned forward intently. Beth had mentioned that immortals had an unconscious healing ability but she'd been too focused on Charlie to think about anything but him. “You can make yourself younger?”

“I can make my body not show signs of aging, and I can heal from all but the most grave injuries,” Philip said. “This psychic ability existed for most of my life at a subconscious level. I wanted to get better, so my TK manipulated my body and repaired me. Only recently have I learned to have some conscious control over it.”

“And you made yourself look younger?”

He grimaced. “I was experimenting. I didn't realize I couldn't change back. Anyway that brings me to my son, who can heal himself
and
heal others. The last gift seems to be an extremely rare ability.” Philip speared her with a glance. “None of this information leaves the Institute, of course.”

“Of course. A baby who can heal.” She smiled. “I bet that comes in handy when he's teething.”

Philip laughed. “So far, it has, though we had to have Beth convince him telepathically not to prevent his teeth from coming in. He didn't understand why they had to break through the gums and hurt him.”

“I just told him he needed teeth to eat cookies,” Beth said.

The two of them were so easy with each other and spoke so honestly about psychic abilities. It gave her hope that Charlie would have peers who would accept him as he was. “It sounds like I've come to the right place for my son.”

“You have,” Beth said. “Daz and Alec do some security work and we have enemies, as you know but, to me, children like Sam and Charlie are the heart of what we hope to accomplish. You're not alone, Renee. You have friends here. I also have some clients I'm working with very quietly off-site. I'm hoping once we eliminate Rasputin's threat that we can bring them on-site and make this a fully functioning program. Charlie won't be alone, either.”

Beth's eyes unfocused again.

“She's talking to Alec,” Philip said.

“I'm beginning to recognize the signs.”

“You're taking all this very well. I know it can be an adjustment to accept a new reality. My wife took it somewhat in stride once the initial shock wore off, even though she's not a psychic. Maybe you'd like to talk to her and compare notes?”

“I'd like that. Just give me time for the initial shock to wear off too.”

Beth blinked and came back to them.

“Trouble?” Philip asked.

“Yes. The good news is that they have the cat. The bad news is that they were attacked at your home.”

Renee stood. “Are they okay?”
Daz.

“They're fine but we need to discuss what to do next. Renee, I know you need quiet but would it be all right if they come to this room?”

“All right? Of course it's all right.”
Daz
attacked?
Renee glanced back at the bedroom. “You're certain Charlie will stay asleep? He doesn't need to hear all this. It'll scare him.”

“Yes,” Beth said.

“Good.”

What she didn't say was that all this scared her too.

Chapter Eleven

When they arrived back at the Institute, cat carrier in hand, body in van, Daz expected to consult with Drake and Beth about the next move. He didn't expect Renee to be involved, which only showed how he'd classified her as not belonging to this part of his world.

That, he mused, might be a large part of the issues between them. Renee had allowed him to see all parts of her life. Alec and Beth knew everything about each other. Even the ultimate keeper of secrets, Drake, apparently trusted his wife with everything.

Daz had kept part of his life hidden from Renee, always. He even had shrugged off her questions about the shoulder wound yesterday. It was past time to fill her in.

Unexpectedly, Renee hugged him when they arrived at her temporary living quarters. He slid his arm around her waist, not wanting to let go, reminded of how she'd flung herself at him when he showed up at her tent in Turkey. He'd been surprised then, too. He'd learned then when she let go of that outer shell, she really let go.

“You sure you're up for hearing about this? It's been a long couple of days.”

“I've never been good at resting. What happened? Who attacked you? Did they get away?” She pushed back from him, noticing the blood on his pants.

“It's not mine.”

Alec and Beth went off to a corner to confer in their own telepathic way. Philip Drake, who'd managed to fade into the background when Alec and Daz arrived, rolled his eyes at the pair.

“They're going to be useless for a while.” He jabbed a finger at Alec and Beth. “Sit and tell me what happened. Let's find out what we're dealing with.”

Daz sat, Renee right next to him, and told Drake about the dead intruder and the bear attack.

“That bear attack sounds awfully familiar,” Renee said. “What a weird coincidence.”

“Yeah, I'm wondering if it's a coincidence at all,” Daz said.

“How could it be anything but?” she asked.

“We never found out who kidnapped the people from your supply plane,” Daz said. “It could be connected.”

“I'm the conspiracy theorist here,” Drake said. “And I can tell you that's a slippery road to go down. Look at it logically. The first time, you were in an area with a bear population and, today, you were also in an area with a bear population.”

“Today definitely involved Rasputin's people.”

“Rasputin's people?” Renee asked.

He watched Renee for a reaction as he briefly filled her in on the immortal Court, Rasputin and that one of his men had attacked them today. She absorbed most of it without visible emotion except the part about knowing Rasputin had an operative in New Jersey even before today.

“It wasn't just the storm. That's why you insisted on us coming with you,” she said.

He nodded. “You both will be safe here until we find him.”

She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples.

“I know it's a lot to absorb.”

“I swear, I half think I'm going to wake up tomorrow and all this will have been a dream.” She sighed. “Just give me time to let this all roll around my brain.”

Most people would've had a ton of questions. But Renee wasn't most people. She was incredibly self-contained until she was sure of her footing.

“Was the bear being controlled in the first incident in Turkey?” Drake asked.

“That bear seemed to be protecting its cubs more than anything else,” Renee answered. “I don't know enough about bears to say if it did anything unusual.”

Drake spread his hands in front of him. “You see? A coincidence is the most likely explanation.”

“I still think they're connected,” Daz grumbled.

“We'll also look into that possibility, of course. I'll get ahold of the classified reports from that mission.”

“I've been wondering for years about what really happened with that mission. Whatever you find, I want to know,” Renee said.

“Absolutely,” Drake stood. “You two obviously have a lot to talk about. Where's the attacker's body?”

“Medical unit,” Daz said.

“I'll see what I can find out from the autopsy.” Drake nodded curtly and left.

“He sure knows how to take a hint,” Renee said.

“Do you like him?” Daz asked.

“He's careful in what he says and a very private person but, yeah, I liked him. His little baby is really cute. Why? Is there some reason I shouldn't like him?”

Only that Drake could become a remorseless killer under the right circumstances. But he was no threat to Renee and Charlie. “Drake can be a difficult person.”

“He's not big on talking about himself. Like you.”

Renee thought he and
Drake
were alike. Damn, if he needed proof that he'd done things wrong with Renee, that was it.

Alec and Beth joined them, having apparently finished their silent talk.

“We're agreed that our best lead is the cat,” Alec said.

Renee drifted away from Daz and sat on the floor next to the crate that held Odin.

“Poor kitty,” she said. “It seems all rests on him.”

“He's still terrified.” Daz knelt next to her.

The little cat remained at the back of the large dog crate, all hunched up, glaring at them.

“Let me see if I can calm him down.” Renee opened the door and reached her hand out. “Here, kitty.”

Odin flicked his ears at her but showed no other signs of moving.

“Maybe he knows you don't like cats,” Daz said.

“Or he smells the dogs on me. But if I were him, I'd have trouble trusting any people.”

“Especially if someone's been ordering him around telepathically,” Beth said.

Renee put up her hands and made another time-out signal. “Okay, now you're over my head again. I accept my son and other people can speak telepathically to animals, and I'm working on the whole Rasputin stalker thing, but could you explain how someone can
order
animals to do something telepathically? Is it something Charlie could do?”

“I can order people around for a limited time,” Beth said. “As Daz said, the bear today was definitely under telepathic control. And, yes, Charlie might be able to do it, if his gift is strong enough.”

“So Charlie could order the cat to tell us what it knows about the intruder and the others?” Renee asked.

“I'd have Charlie ask first,” Beth said. “But, yes, the easiest way to find out what the cat knows is to have Charlie talk to him.”

“That might be scary to Charlie.” Renee sighed. “On the other hand, we have to catch the other man involved. Could you, I don't know, put me in Charlie's head while he's talking to Odin? So I could comfort him if something scary shows up?”

“Absolutely. I could put both you and Daz into the conversation.”

“Good,” Renee said.

“We'll meet back here in the morning, then, after everyone has had some rest,” Alec said. “Unless you have more questions?”

“All my questions would take years.” Renee sighed and looked at Odin again. “But Daz will fill me in.”

Alec and Beth left the room, leaving Daz alone with Renee.

He had so much to say that he didn't know where to begin.

“Charlie's fast asleep?” he asked.

“Beth said he would sleep all night.”

“Good.” Now what?

“I could really use the long version of what happened with Rasputin,” she said.

“Absolutely.”

They settled on the couch once more. Renee snuggled against him. Daz didn't question her affection. He was simply glad of it.

He started from the beginning, from being shot at in New York while conducting surveillance on Richard Genet. Daz also filled her in about Marian Doyle, the woman who could walk through walls.

Originally, he, Richard and Marian wanted to find Rasputin's missing corpse so the Court could study his DNA. The Mad Monk had been a powerful psychic when alive. But instead of a body, they'd found a Rasputin who was very much alive and at the head of an organization that viewed Alec was some sort of evil fire demon.

“He's crazy,” Renee said.

“He's certifiable and that's not even doing it justice. He thinks Alec will burn the world in fire and he's determined to kill Alec and everyone connected with him. The problem is that Rasputin's also a firestarter, as dangerous as Alec, with a side of crazy. Plus, Rasputin has an army of fervent believers at his beck and call. I think our dead man and whoever he was working with are among them. That's why we haven't opened the Institute to Beth's students. We can't do that until we eliminate the threat.”

“You're worried about the Institute. I'm worried about you. Rasputin gave you that handprint scar personally.”

“Yeah. He put his hand on me and…”

Renee put her hand over the scar. “You don't have to say it.”

“It wasn't the pain. I know about pain. But having no way to fight back…”

He couldn't finish. She put her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her waist.

“I'm not sure that was the worst of it. At the end, it looked like I was going to be executed. All I could think about in that moment was you and Charlie, and how I never got to know you like I should have and how I hadn't spent enough time with my son.”

“Oh, Daz,” she breathed.

“I'm only alive now because someone else saved me. I wasn't good enough to survive on my own.”

“You've saved so many people, including me. Seems about time someone returned the favor.”

“I should've been better.”

“Am I somehow a lesser person because I needed your help to save me in that snowstorm? Is Charlie?”

“What? No, of course not.”

“So why do you feel lesser for needing someone else's help this time?”

“Because I…I didn't even have a chance. They have powers, I don't.”

“Our odds of rescuing my friends in Turkey were astronomical. You evened the odds by outthinking them. I bet you could come up with something that will do the same in dealing with these guys.” She cuddled closer. “You're a tactical and strategic specialist. That's why you were a SEAL. You said I was Wonder Woman. But remember what I called you?”

“Batman. I know.” He stroked her shoulder. “Aren't you just full of advice tonight.”

“I'm just giving you back your own words. You told me it was okay to ask for help with Charlie. You were right.”

“You know what really terrifies me? What if I fail again, with Charlie's life at stake?”

“I worry I'm going to fail Charlie every day,” she whispered. “Welcome to the club.”

“The club?” He cleared his throat. “What does that mean?”

“It means you're finally realizing just how much commitment goes into being a parent.”

That was harsh. But true. “I have a lot to learn about commitment to my family.”

“You knew you had an obligation.”

He winced. “That's the worst thing I think I've ever said.” He stroked her cheek with his thumb. “I've gone over that night a thousand times in my head. If only I could play it out differently.”

“Why didn't you?”

“I was in love with two things: you and being a SEAL. That's who I was back then. I guess I thought you were threatening my being a SEAL, deep down. I knew being with you would change my life and I wasn't ready for it. Or Charlie. I was fucking terrified.”

“Me too,” she whispered.

“I should have told you how much I loved you and that it scared me. We could have talked it out and dealt with it together. And I should've told you how excited I was about Charlie once the shock wore off. I just thought if I did, the fear would get loose and…”

“And what?” she asked.

“And you'd see my weakness and I wasn't sure if I could handle it all. I never wanted anyone to see me fail at anything.”

“You saw me fall apart yesterday.” She closed her eyes.

“That's the first time I've ever seen you fall apart.” He drew her closer to him. “But it's been rough, hasn't it? I noticed that you didn't have many pins in the map in your home from the last couple of years.”

“Thor and Loki are getting older and I don't like being gone from them for more than a day or two.” She sighed. “But that's not all of it. Charlie traveled well as a toddler. Not so much lately.”

He stroked her hair. “Damn, Renee, I've wasted a lot of time with us.”

“You're not the only one. I was intent on not letting you back in because I was so hurt.” She smiled. Her eyes were bright. “Ah, Daz, ever look back and wonder how the hell you got to a certain place?”

“Lately? All the time.” He kissed her, just on the lips, afraid to do more and somehow break this new understanding between them.

“Can I tell you a story?” he asked.

“Another story? More tales of your immortal prince?”

“No, only about me.”

Renee let her hand wander below his waist. “You may say you want to tell a story but another part of your anatomy wants something else.”

She was flirting with him. This was good. “We'll get to that,” he said into her ear. “Let me tell you about me and Alec. When I first started working here, I thought it was a dream job.”

He stroked her neck, just featherlight touches. She made some sort of happy sound halfway between a purr and a sigh.

“The money was great—which you know—and I could see Charlie on a regular basis. Well, semi-regular, because Lansing didn't give me as much time off as promised. But I was happy with the work, Alec was just, well, you've met him. You know.”

“Alec's the kind of guy who makes everything around him seem brighter,” Renee said.

“Exactly. Even though he was just seventeen when we started, I could see it in him then.” Daz paused. “What I didn't see—no, what I refused to see is that Alec was a prisoner and I helped him remain that way. I took orders from Lansing not to let him out of sight and to limit his contact with the outside world. For his own good, I thought.”