Chapter 29
The door opened and I jumped down from the roof to come face to face with one of Ryan’s men guarding the door. I expected a fight, but he only held it open and stepped back so I could have a clear view of Ryan standing next to Anna with a gun to her head and three other guys standing close by.
“Let her go,” I said, walking slowly toward Ryan and Anna, but noticing the other three coming toward me.
“Take him down,” Ryan ordered, and the three came at me.
“Jake!” Anna screamed.
“It’s okay, Anna,” I assured her as I blocked an incoming punch and counteracted with a back fist to someone’s face.
A foot came at my head and I ducked in time as I swept my right foot around and another guy fell to the floor. The next guy came at me from behind, but as he swung, I grabbed his arm and launched him over my body and across the room, careful not to direct him near Anna. As I dodged another incoming fist, I heard a click from Ryan’s gun. I hesitated. Two guys jumped on my back and wrestled me to the floor. An arm tightened around my neck and both of my arms were twisted behind my back before I could react. They pulled me to my knees and I struggled, but the hold around my neck only got tighter. My eyes never left Anna’s.
Ryan was chuckling. “You’re a better fighter than I thought you’d be,” he said, “but anymore funny business from you, sir, will result in pretty little Anna getting hurt. Clear?”
I glared at him before answering. “Clear,” I growled through gritted teeth.
“Good.” He turned back to Anna, gun still ready and aimed. “Now that we have your boyfriend subdued, let’s get back to our conversation, shall we?”
“Will you please tell me what this is all about?” Anna pleaded.
Ryan paced the room between us. “Is this the same guy you were kissing in the hallway?”
Anna looked torn as her eyes burned into mine. “He’s not my boyfriend,” she said, flinching in reaction to Ryan’s clenched fist.
“Jake Rovert, isn’t it?” A mischievous grin spread across his face.
“How do you . . . What is this all about?” Anna cried.
“Are you trying to tell me that your boyfriend here hasn’t told you already?”
“Jake is not my boyfriend. What are you talking about?” Anna shook her head with confusion. It hurt to hear her say that, even though I knew her intentions were to somehow protect me.
“You were kissing him. You looked pretty friendly to me.” Ryan cracked his knuckles, a sure sign he was losing his patience.
“He kissed me,” she replied softly.
“That's not the point!” Ryan shouted as he flipped the coffee table over. Then he turned his attention to me, his eyes locking with mine. “Where’s the rest of your posse?”
I shook my head slowly, matching his intense glare. He wasn’t getting any information from me.
“Doesn’t matter anyway,” he said darkly. “She’ll be here soon.” He turned his attention back to Anna as if pondering something—unsure of what he should say next. “So if you two aren’t together, that could only mean one thing.” His smile returned as he looked from Anna to me. “He was trying to protect you.”
Anna’s confusion returned as she looked passed Ryan to me. “From what, Jake? What were you protecting me from?”
Before I could answer, Ryan drew his gun and pointed it at my head. Then he knelt down next to Anna and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “From me,” he said with a dark laugh.
Anna squirmed away from him and sat back further in her chair. “Don’t touch me,” she warned.
“Ryan, hurry up, man. He’s getting stronger,” I heard the guy on my right say.
“Well, there’s really no need for him anymore, anyway,” Ryan cocked his gun and drew it up toward me again.
Anna tried to jump up from her chair in protest, but Ryan quickly shoved her back into place.
“Anna, my dear, you don't stand a chance against us, so please don't try anything stupid again, okay? I’d hate to have to kill you too.”
She shook her head and I could see a tear escape from her eye. “What do you want from me?”
“Well, let's just say that you apparently have a special gift. You're supposed to be a miracle worker, which means you could make me a very happy man.”
“You think I can make miracles,” Anna scoffed. “That’s ridiculous.”
Ryan laughed. “Is it?” He walked around her chair until he was behind her. He pulled her hair back and whispered something in her ear. My skin crawled and I felt the grasps on my arms tighten. My eyes burned with fire and I had to look away before I did something stupid.
“Why don’t you ask your boyfriend about his special power? About his secret identity?” Ryan taunted.
“You’re lying,” Anna said faintly as tears fell down her face. “Jake would never keep something like that from me.”
“Then why don’t you ask him?”
Reluctantly, her eyes found mine and I couldn’t find the words to make it all better. All I could do now is hope she would be able to forgive me for keeping such a secret.
“You can believe what you want, Anna Taylor,” Ryan began, “but I’m just telling you the facts. That’s why you don’t need a boyfriend, or friend, like that. What kind of friend lies to you about his identity? What kind of friend keeps secrets like that? You belong with us, Anna.”
Anna stiffened as Ryan ran his fingers down her arm.
“Don’t listen to him, Anna,” I managed to say before one of Ryan’s thugs tightened his arm around my neck.
“Then it’s not true?” she asked, eyes wide and pleading for explanation. “Jake, do you have some sort of special power?”
Our eyes locked and my heart ached as I slowly nodded the best I could.
“See?” Ryan stepped between us and turned his attention back to Anna. “I’ll take care of you now. I’ll help you and you can help me.”
“But I can't help you. I don't have this gift that you're talking about,” Anna said.
“And that's why we have to test you before we take you back to Los Angeles,” he said as he pulled out a silencer and screwed it onto the end of his gun.
“What are you doing?” Anna cried as Ryan extended his arm and held the gun against my forehead. “No, please don't!” Anna was on her knees pleading as the tears rolled down her face.
“Anna, I'm going to pull this trigger, and you're going to prove to me whether or not you have a gift. If you are gifted, you’ll be able to save his life just by thinking about it. And if you’re right, and you aren't gifted, there will be one less Gifted One in this world.”
Anna put her head in her hands and sobbed. “Please don't! I don't know how to help him! I'm begging you, please don't!”
Ryan’s finger slowly suppressed the trigger and the sound of a click was heard, and then Anna’s scream, “NO!”
Everything was dark. Was I dead? Was this what it felt like to die? But I could still hear voices. Then I heard Ryan's laugh. “I knew it!” he shouted.
I pried my eyes open and saw Anna slowly lifting her head. A frantic look in her eyes as she saw me staring back at her.
“Are you sure?” Ryan’s right-hand man said as he reached for the gun and checked the chamber. “Do you think it got jammed?”
“What are the chances of that?” Ryan asked, grabbing the gun back. “Well, let's try it again, shall we?” He fired the gun again. And again, nothing happened.
“Let me see, Ryan. Maybe it's jammed.” Right-hand took the gun from Ryan and pulled the trigger again. This time, the bullet flew from the gun, over my shoulder and pierced the guy standing guard at the door. Ryan and his right-hand both ran to help their friend.
“Reed! Are you okay? Shawn, what the hell did you do?” Ryan shouted as he shoved Shawn out of the way.
“I . . . I thought it was jammed,” Shawn stammered, dropping the gun to the floor.
During the commotion, and with only
two guys holding me down now, I easily broke free of their hold and brought them both down. At the same time, an engine noise became louder and the yacht began to rock with waves. Nick, Claudia, Noah, Rachel and Ms. Peters jumped onto the deck from the neighbouring speedboat. I left the two criminals on the floor and went to Anna, wrapping her in my arms. She squeezed me as I stroked her hair.
“I thought you were going to die!” she cried into my chest.
“Anna, I'm so sorry,” I murmured as I held her closer, not wanting for a second to let her go. Her body trembled beneath mine.
Noah and Nick stood at the back of the room, holding down the two guys that I had fought off, while Ms. Peters calmly talked to Ryan who was sitting on the floor holding Reed in his arms. Rachel stayed at the back of the room, close to Noah, her arms wrapped tightly around her waist.
Ms. Peters interrupted my moment with Anna. “Jake, come heal Ryan’s brother. He’s fading fast.”
Ryan’s brother? “No way.” I held up my hands in protest. “After all they just put Anna through? And you want to help them?” What was she thinking?
“Vengeance is not yours,” she spoke calmly. “Come. Now.”
I unwillingly left Anna's side and pushed Ryan out of the way as I knelt down beside his brother. It took longer than usual to heal him, probably due to all of the negative thoughts I had to work through first. A few minutes later, he was sitting up and rubbing his chest where the bullet hole should have been.
“Thank you, Ms. Peters. Thank you,” Reed grovelled at her feet.
“Don't thank me yet, Reed.” She pursed her lips. “You know what this means for you, don’t you?” she said, shaking her head in disapproval.
Ryan helped Reed up as another speedboat approached and four men appeared in matching suits and sunglasses. They slid handcuffs on Ryan and his gang and led them off the boat onto theirs. Ryan turned back and searched the room for Rachel. Finding her, he said, “I’m not done with you yet.”
Noah went at him, but Nick and I intercepted.
“You’re just going to let them go?” Noah snapped at Ms. Peters. “Shouldn’t we give them a beating or something first?”
Ms. Peters shook her head and smirked. “They’ll be taken care of, Noah. You did your part.”
Rachel threw her arms around Noah. “I am so glad they are gone and that everyone is safe.”
“Yeah, that was pretty intense,” Noah agreed.
“Jake, you have some explaining to do.” Ms. Peters directed me back to Anna who was sitting in the chair, staring at the floor.
I walked over to Anna and pulled her up into my arms again—where she belonged. I kissed her head softly and closed my eyes as I took in the scent of her hair.
“So this is what you've been keeping from me?” she finally asked.
I took a deep breath and filled her in on everything, from Ms. Peters and Rachel seeking us out, to all of our gifts, to why I couldn't be with her. She watched me, straight-faced, as I told her the long story.
When I was finished, she stared at me for a minute and then looked around the room at Nick, then Claudia, then Noah, Rachel and Ms. Peters. I could see her processing everything I told her. Then a familiar smile crept over her face as she said, “So can we be together now?”
“Yes, ma'am!” I lifted her high in the air and swung her around as she squealed. “But wait,” I said as I stopped and put her down. “First I have to heal that cut lip of yours.”
Anna touched her lip with her finger and noticed a dab of blood. I leaned down and kissed her passionately for a moment, healing her back to her perfect self.
“Okay, break it up,” Noah teased.
Anna jabbed her finger toward Noah. “You! No wonder you do so well in French class. Cheater!” she laughed. “And Rachel and Ms. Peters as a mother-daughter team. That was a surprise. I didn't see that coming at all.” Then she looked at Nick and Claudia. “I always knew there was something intimidating about you two. Claudia, so I guess you can read my thoughts right now?”
Claudia laughed. “Not really. They're all over the place. But mostly I can tell you are the happiest you've ever been.”
I smiled at that thought as I pulled Anna in closer. I wondered though if it were my thoughts Claudia was reading.