Redemption (20 page)

“I’m surprised you’re being so honest with me.”

“I’ll do anything to save Jake, even if that means including you.”

Alex’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. “Thank you. You won’t regret this.”

Was his reaction genuine? Did he really care about Jake?

A grim smile lifted his mouth. “You look surprised.”

“I am.” Her voice choked on the lump in her throat. “You kidnapped him to use him against me.”

“No to use against you, Emma. To get to you. I never would have hurt him.” His eyes seemed to be pleading with hers. “I screwed up the first time I met you. You have no idea how much I regret that night. I knew there was no way you’d have anything to do with me unless I had something you wanted.”

“He’s just a little boy. How could you put him through that?”

“No, Emma. He’s much more than that. I’m not sure you know what he’s capable of.”

She wiped a tear from her cheek. “I know he can make storms.”

Shaking his head, he grimaced. “That’s only a part of it. When he was with me in Montana, he hurt people.”

“
No
.”

Alex’s face lowered to hers. “Yes, Emma. He did. I’m not sure if he fully understood the implications of what he did. He’s only five, so how could he? But he
killed
multiple men, Emma. On several different occasions.”

Hysteria rose in her chest. Jake wouldn’t do such a thing. Not sweet Jake.

Emma?
Will’s frantic voice filled her head.

“He didn’t mean to.” She had to believe it.

“Yes, he did mean to. But he was defending himself. It wasn’t done out of malice.”

Emma!
She felt Will’s panic.

I’m fine. Just give me a minute.
She couldn’t concentrate on both conversations at the same time and Alex was more pressing. “So you’ll help me?”

“I wish you’d asked me a month ago.”

Her anger flared. “Why didn’t you tell me you wanted to help Jake after Aiden took him?” One more reason to be skeptical of his motives, although his concern seemed believable.

“I didn’t think you’d believe me. Plus, you loved Will. I couldn’t compete against that. Or Raphael. Are you telling me you no longer love Will?”

Even for the right reason, saying she didn’t love Will felt like a betrayal. Her voice broke. “No, I’m saying I love my son more.”

Alex took a deep breath as he considered her answer. “Fair enough.”

“What are we going to do?” She wasn’t sure she trusted him, but Jake was his son too. Could she count on any kind of fatherly bond from him or was he too much like Aiden?

He looked at his watch. “I have to go to a dinner in about an hour.” Alex lifted his gaze to her face. “I’m not sure how we get around your bond to Will. Is it true that you know everything he thinks and vice versa?”

“No. Only what we chose to share.”

He lifted his eyebrows. “Past tense?”

“The man wants to kill my son. You think I’m going to share what I’m doing with him?”

“And what makes you think he won’t try to find you?”

“He made his choice very clear. And so did I.”

“You two are connected now whether you want to be or not. I’m not even sure you’re capable of harming one another, let alone living if one of you dies.”

“I guess we’ll find out.” She released a half-laugh.

“Not funny.” He remained silent for several moments. “He’s not going to let you go so easily. He’s going to come find you.”

She didn’t like where this was going.

“You need protection, Emma.”

She glared at him and stood. “I didn’t come here seeking protection for
me
. I want it for Jake. Are you going to help me save him or not?”

“Yes. I am.”

“How are you going to do that, Alex? You’re on the campaign trail shaking hands and holding babies. Why are you even doing this anyway? The end of the world as we know is about to happen and you’re on the campaign trail. What the hell are you doing?”

His eyes softened. “I’m helping my father.”

“What does that mean?”

He sighed and rubbed his chin. “Why do you think I stole the book?”

“To get an advantage over everyone else.”

“Yeah, because I need one. Do you know why? I’m all alone in this. Aiden has Jake, and now Aiden’s adopted Raphael into his fold. Then there’s you and Will and Marcus. And that leaves me high and dry.”

“Am I supposed to feel sorry for you?” Yet she did, even if she couldn’t acknowledge it.

“For some reason I always thought you were the one with a heart.”

“Maybe I was until you threw me on the ground and raped me.” She needed to remind herself of that but antagonizing him wasn’t going to help things. “I’m sorry.”

He shook his head and took a gulp of water. “I deserve it.” Putting the cap on the bottle, he looked up at her. “I took the book to see if I could find anything, some small rule or loophole, to help me beat you all. But there was nothing. So, I came back to help my father. In all the times I’ve been reborn, my human families have been unique. This time, my human father really loves me. Maybe I won’t make it through the final battle, but perhaps I can help my father win the election. If there’s anything left of the world once Aiden gets done with it.” Sadness filled his eyes and his mouth twisted into a wry smile. “I bet you’re finding that hard to believe, that I’d help someone.”

She scooted closer to him. “No. It doesn’t surprise me.”

He leaned back, closing his eyes. “Part of me is glad this is almost over. I’m tired.”

She stretched her hand across the table toward him. “Has it been hard?”

“It’s been endless.”

Thousands of years were such a big number it was hard to put it in perspective until she began to think about how many lifetimes that encompassed. Countless.

“How are you going to be able to help me? The cameras are on you twenty-four-seven. I’m not sure it’s a good idea for the media to watch what we might be up to.”

Alex sat up with a frown. “You underestimate me, Emma. But then again, you always have.” He stood up and headed for the bedroom.

She started to protest that she’d never really had an opportunity to underestimate him, but she stopped. He was referring to Emmanuella, her predecessor.

“I have to go shower and get ready. We’ll discuss this more after I finish with my political responsibilities.”

“What time should I meet you back here?”

Alex smiled, and for the first time since she’d entered the room she felt unsafe. His eyes had an evil glint. “Oh, you’re not going anywhere, Emma. I told you that I’m worried that Will is going to come find you and I intend to make sure you’re safe. I’ll have guards posted outside the door while I’m gone.”

Her heart jumped into her throat and she forced her words to come out slowly. “Just the door?”

He laughed. “No, two guards at the door wouldn’t even stop a human Will, let alone a Will with elemental power. But don’t you worry about a thing.” He walked toward her until they were inches apart and leaned his face next to her ear, his cheek brushing her hair. “You just relax and let me take care of Will.”

With a chuckle, he walked into the other room and shut the door. The sound of running water soon following.

Lightheaded, she sank into the chair, releasing the breath she’d held.

What had she just gotten herself into?

***

Jake had an ache in the pit of his stomach before they even reached their destination. He knew what they were doing before Aiden told him. Aiden had insisted that Antonia stay at the hotel when they went out. She’d clasped his hands in hers and whispered in Spanish as she leaned down into his face with tears her eyes. “
Que dios me lo bendiga, mijo
.”

Thankfully, Aiden was silent in the car as their driver took them downtown, away from the hotel and Antonia. Jake tried not to think about what Aiden wanted him to do. He hoped this time he wouldn’t see any children, a thought he kept buried deep, next to his love for Antonia. They were secrets that needed to be kept hidden in the dark.

The car stopped and they climbed out into the heat. Jake had eaten lunch a couple of hours before, but what was left in his stomach threatened to come back up. Could he call the shadows to help him stop Aiden? Or Raphael? It was late afternoon, in the middle of a busy street. He doubted the shadows could help now. While their demonstration the night before had been impressive, Jake realized a bird was
nothing
compared to Aiden or even Raphael’s powers.

The sun was hot and within a minute sweat trickled down Jake’s face, but he refused to wipe it away. A man hurried around them, talking on a cell phone. How long did the man have to get away before Raphael showed up and Aiden told them to begin? He wanted to yell at the top of his lungs, to warn everyone to run, but what would Aiden do to him if he did? What would Aiden do to the people close by? Images of Jake’s first nanny dying rushed into his mind, along with the images of several other employees who had disobeyed Aiden. Jake bit the inside of his lip to remain silent.

Several minutes later, Raphael strolled up, looking fancy in his dress pants and a stiff long-sleeve button-up shirt. He looked hot too, sweat dampening his shirt and sticking his curls to his face.

“You’re late,” Aiden growled.

“Well,
you
try finding a cab in this place. New York City, it’s not.”

“I’m counting on that.”

“Please tell me we’re not going to stay in the South.” A whine crept into Raphael’s voice.

“You’ll go where I tell you to.”

Jake knew Raphael would, no matter what Aiden threw at him. Aiden had something Raphael really wanted, but even Jake knew Raphael never had a shot at getting it. Too bad Raphael was too stupid to figure that out.

Raphael grumbled for several moments then looked serious. “Same as yesterday? Except for the toddler fit at the end?”

Jake’s anger ignited in his chest, his mark burning icy cold. He’d show them a fit. He wished Aiden hadn’t stopped him yesterday. Maybe next time he’d ignore Aiden and finish Raphael off.

Aiden chuckled. He’d read Jake’s mind. Jake had let his guard down, but it was probably good that Aiden saw those thoughts. If Jake hid too many, Aiden would become suspicious.

Aiden looked from Jake to Raphael. “Let’s get to work.”

Chapter Fifteen

Will left the hotel room ten minutes after Emma, but those six hundred seconds chewed at his already strained nerves. As much as he hadn’t wanted her to go, she needed to be prepared for tonight. No one had any reason to suspect they were here. Even if something happened, she was more valuable to Alex alive. Will was counting on that fact.

There was no sign of her as he entered a side entrance to the lobby, which was no surprise, but he wouldn’t have minded the reassurance. Dread hummed in the back of his head.

His first order of business was to find a hotel uniform of some kind. He didn’t care if it was a janitor or bellhop. He headed to the basement and found a deserted employee locker room. With his lock picking set, he opened several lockers until he found a maintenance uniform in the right size. He could get damn near anywhere wearing this. There was even a name tag.
Perfect.

After he changed, he snagged a toolbox from a maintenance supply closet. He hid his clothes in the chest and headed up the nearby stairwell. He’d only gone up a couple of stairs when Emma’s terror slammed into his chest.

Emma
?

He stopped on the landing and waited for a response, calling again in panic.
Emma!

I’m fine. Just give me a minute
.

Her fear eased and Will allowed himself to take a breath. Maybe she’d been startled. He almost convinced himself until her fear seeped through again. Where was she? Concentrating on their connection, he could tell that she was above him somewhere. He started climbing the stairs, waiting for her to tell him what happened. After several minutes, she hadn’t answered, but her anxiety persisted.

Emma. What’s going on
?

She hesitated before answering.
I found Alex.

The way she said it made him think she wasn’t watching Alex from the distance.
Are you upstairs? I’m coming to get you.

NO!
Her panic returned stronger than before.
Alex has men posted to watch for you.

Will’s stomach knotted.
He’s keeping you prisoner.

She paused.
No. I’m here on my own. Alex found me in the hall outside his suite and invited me in. I told him that I came to see if he could help me get Jake back.

And what did he say
?

He seemed upset that Raphael had him. But more upset when I told him that you wanted to kill Jake
.

Sweat beaded on Will’s forehead. He knew that was all part of the plan but it made him nauseated to hear her say it anyway.
Did he buy it?

I think so but he wanted to know where you were. Since we’ve joined he’s suspicious that I’m not with you, but he seemed to buy my reason. I told him you sided with Marcus and want to rule the world with him. But Alex says that you wouldn’t let me go that easily and you’d come to get me. So he’s posted guards at the door and other places to protect me from you
.