The Power: Building the Circle - Book 2 Read online

  "I got a picture! Wait!" Hennessy called, pulling out his phone. "It's from Friday, and this happened on Tuesday. Look at that shit."

  Will smirked. "You definitely got June with that."

  "I know, right?!!" Hennessy laughed.

  "Holy fuck!" Jake yelled.

  "Yeah. It was sorta like Fate looking at Matty, beat up and seizing in the hospital, and thinking, 'I can top that!' Lou's nose goes splat, her lip is ripped, and she's worried about the gun going off, though the floor, hurting someone. She puked when she saw the kid's favorite spot with a bullet hole through it, but otherwise, she couldn't give fewer fucks about the broken face," Hennessy said.

  "I told you not to take her," Sam said.

  "YEAH. I KNOW." Will growled.

  "Eh, Lou's tough. She'll heal," Hennessy said.

  "Did they get the guy who did it?" Matty asked.

  Hennessy snorted. "Yeah, the Reaper sittin' over there got him, no problem."

  Will looked around innocently. "What? I didn't kill him. I thought about it, but I didn't. It was fine. He just won't walk unaided again. They probably saved the leg. And he had a glass jaw. That's not my fault. You reap what you sow."

  Beth looked at Hennessy. "Do you call him 'Reap' as in 'Grim Reaper' or more as in 'you reap what you sow'? I've always wondered about that. I can't imagine Will being the Grim Reaper when you're the tough guy of the dynamic duo."

  Hennessy's face went blank as he glanced at Will. Will shrugged. "She isn't a little girl anymore."

  Hennessy snorted. "Beth, I have nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, on him. He is known across every branch of special forces as the Grim Reaper."

  All heads at the table turned to William, who shrugged again. "Some things are worth fighting for. Killing for. Surviving for. I will burn in hell for all eternity, but those I love will be safe."

  At the far end of the table, Sam gave an audible gasp, eyes wide. "Love? Will, love?"

  "Yes, Sam," Will snapped. "Contrary to popular belief, I still feel, for fuck's sake. Don't be an asshole."

  After an uncomfortable silence, the conversation picked back up.

  "Have you two love birds started thinking wedding thoughts, yet?" Hank asked.

  "Oh, no. No no no no," Will said. "Not so fast. There was no answer to the question. There was a well-crafted sidestep."

  The entire table turned to stare at Adrian.

  "What?" Adrian asked.

  "Adrian, I will beat you bloody. You'll have to eat like 45 eggs to heal up. Answer the question," Will demanded.

  "What was the question?" Adrian asked again, lips quirked into a half-smile. Adrian helped himself to another piece of chicken from the platter in front of him.

  "Pay up," William told Noah. "Why do you keep taking the bets? Sam has NEVER lost a fucking bet. We do this like three times a week, man. Pay up."

  "THERE WAS NO ANSWER! HE DIDN'T ANSWER. I'M NOT PAYING UNTIL HE ANSWERS!" Noah bitched.

  "Booo!" Everyone yelled at once.

  Sam threw out a smug little smile. "Just so everyone knows, I'm Adrian's favorite brother."

  Will snorted again. "Fuck off."

  "OK, I was Adrian's favorite brother last night. It might be back to Will by now," Sam acknowledged.

  "Actually, I hate you all right now," Adrian admitted with red cheeks. "I'm wondering why I came to dinner tonight. Do we really have to discuss everything? Swearing at the table is the end of the world, but my sex life is perfectly acceptable."

  "Eh," Hank said. "Jake and Matty are getting married. Time to move on to someone else. William won't play along. You're next."

  "Dubious honor," Adrian muttered.

  "To be clear: There will be no swearing or sex talk when there are little ears at this table. If you jackasses teach that child new vocabulary words, they better be G-Rated. DO YOU ALL HEAR ME?" Darla demanded. "I'm looking at you two idiots, Jacob and Noah. YOU WILL BEHAVE."

  "Adrian, does Henry do the ear-muffs thing?" Jacob asked, demonstrating covering his ears to block foul language.

  Adrian shook his head, chewing a big bite of food.

  "Could you teach him before Sunday?" Jake asked.

  "I could," Adrian said with a grin. "What's in it for me?"

  "I won't tell Lucy that you told everyone you two hooked up," Jake offered.

  "I didn't tell anyone anything," Adrian corrected.

  "See! The bet is not settled!" Noah declared.

  William groaned. "You lost, man, let it go."

  "I'm kinda pissed Henry didn't come to hang with me. I get Lucy not showing while rocking the battered look, but why no Ree?" Ethan asked.

  "He was sleeping," Adrian said.

  Jake's brow furrowed. "Is that an OK thing? Not a bad sign, right?"

  "It's fine. He's doing well so far. No fever, no trouble eating, happy and calm, aside from Thursday night," Adrian said before thinking.

  Matthew's eyebrows shot up. "Thursday night?"

  Adrian sighed. After a moment of consideration, he decided he really did want to discuss this. He needed to vent. "So, Tuesday, she got injured. Wednesday she was completely wrecked - couldn't keep her eyes open-"

  "That was for the best, Adrian. She needed sleep," Darla interjected.

  "I agree, Mom. That's not my problem. Thursday, she gets up at lunchtime, feeling better, takes a shower, comes into the kitchen, and gets all worked up that I ordered Ree some books. The kid loves books, so we made a deal about him eating in exchange for books. Lucy catches on to it and gets upset - like tears-level of upset. I ask if she's OK, and she says something about leaving as soon as fucking possible.

  "I was floored. Seriously had no idea what to say, but I was pissed. She's beat to hell. Why the rush to leave, you know?"

  Adrian paused. Everyone was staring at him with looks of shock. "What?"

  "Don't worry about it," Will said. "Finish the story."

  "So, I'm pissed. I go upstairs to do some work. I go back downstairs later to find her on her hands and knees, scrubbing the fucking already clean floors. I wanted to bash my head into a wall. Why can't she just watch TV and rest or something?

  "I ask what she's doing. She says she doesn't have anything else to do. I give her the laptop and tell her to start ordering shit because they have next to nothing. She refused. I got pissed off again, went downstairs, and worked out.

  "By the time dinner rolls around, I'm more annoyed than mad. I ask her if she really wants to go because fuck. If she doesn't want to be there, I'm not going to make her stay.

  "Henry FREAKS out. And I mean FREAKS. Loses his shit, nearing panic attack levels. Tears and begging. 'Please don't make us go, I'll be good.' It fucking killed me. I felt like a giant dick.

  "Then Thursday night he wakes up screaming in a night terror, babbling that the 'bad people' are going to get Aunt Lucy. Turns out, she's had a pair of guys stalking her for almost two years. She didn't say anything. Henry told me in the car the next day.

  "She doesn't volunteer anything, doesn't want to 'be in the way,' won't spend any money at all, and will not ask for help. Logically, I get it. She's never had anyone willing to help. But it makes me batshit crazy."

  After a pause, he continued. "And, by the by, Hennessy, fuck you. I know you know the background on this. I respect your point on it, but it's just making it harder for her to find her way when I'm blundering around like a fucking moron. She's answered every question I've ever asked. She's not trying to hide anything from me. I just don't know what questions to ask. So, fuck you for not helping."

  The entire family was still and silent, effectively frozen in place.

  "That was, without question, the longest rant I've ever heard from you," Luke said with a laugh. "I mean, that was like an entire year's worth of Adrian dialogue."

  "And ten years of Adrian cussing," Noah laughed.

  "Feel better?" Hank asked.

  "I guess," Adrian replied. "I just don't know how to help. I'm a little out of my element here.
"

  "You're gonna have to be patient, Adrian. She's never had anyone care for her before. The closest she got was a little old Polish lady that gave her room and board in exchange for cooking, cleaning, and medical care. That's it," Hennessy said.

  "There has been no one else. At all. Ree's mom, maybe. But on paper, that looks more like Linda used her for support without giving much in return. If it's really bothering you, ask her if you can read it. I'll give it to you if she says it's OK."

  William sighed. "Jessup-"

  "Na, Will. No. Not with this. Her childhood makes mine look like a fucking walk in the park. He doesn't get to flip through it like a novel. If they end up in ugly places because he didn't ask something or she didn't volunteer something, well tough. That's part of building trust and understanding," Hennessy said, determined to stand his ground. "It's been five days. Give her some fucking time."

  After an extended pause, Matthew cleared his throat. "Well, this is another one for the record books. Adrian used more than ten words in a row, and Hennessy is refusing to give Will something. Never thought I'd see that day."

  Will looked at Adrian. "He's probably right, Adrian. Time and patience. Probably no shortcut to this."

  "The time and patience don't bother me at all. Getting pissed off because I don't know what's going on bothers me. Seeing her hurt bothers me. Causing her to be uncomfortable bothers me." Adrian shook his head. "It is what it is."

  The table was quiet until Noah handed Sam ten bucks.

  "Fuck you," Noah muttered.

  Sam smiled. "I'm framing this one."

  There were a couple laughs, but the table was still tense.

  "So, wedding plans?" Ethan asked Matty. "Are we setting a date any time soon?"

  "I want to do something small," Matty admitted, feeling awkward. Trying to talk about happy things after the heavy conversation was strange.

  "Yeah, small. Who do you want to sing at our wedding, Matty? I heard this idea yesterday during best-friend-not-shopping," Jake teased, trying to break up the heavy feeling.

  "Oh. I was mostly kidding about that, but it would be amazing," she said with a blush.

  "We might be able to make it happen," Jake said. "Sometimes throwing enough money at something like that, or at the right charity, knowing her priorities, might get it done."

  "Who?" Ethan asked, excited.

  "Emma Gracen," Matty muttered.

  "I just love her," Ethan said.

  "Me too," Matty said.

  "That's why she's the most beautiful woman in the world," Luke laughed. "Mass appeal."

  "We should totally make that happen," Noah said. "I could take her to bed, fall madly in love, and forever cure my man-whore ways."

  Will snorted. "Now we're just being ridiculous."

  "William?" Sam called from the other end of the table.

  "Yes, Samuel?" Will called back, slightly entertained by the formality.

  "What do you love?" Samuel asked, words heavy with power, making the air vibrate. "I need to know."

  "Huh?"

  "What do you love?"

  ✽✽✽

  Driving home from Sunday dinner, William continued to think about Adrian and his complete non-reaction to what was, in fact, an excruciating hold. The rage could absorb pain. Was there no reaction because Adrian has a high pain tolerance? Or, was there no reaction because the rage was fucked up?

  Will thought about Lucy and Ree, in Adrian's house for almost a week now, disrupting his little brother's rigid, vitally important routine. Shaking up his emotions.

  Adrian's smart. He's figured it out by now. It's fine. They'll be fine, Will thought.

  William's mind flashed back to Whitney Langcaster in middle school. And then to the dinner rant. Then, the dark tension that settled over the table when Adrian was angry and frustrated with Hennessy.

  Maybe I'll just stop by for lunch with Lou tomorrow. Say hi. See how things are going.

  The Bluetooth system dinged with a call. The display read "Pip."

  "Hello, love," Will said as the call picked up.

  "How was dinner?" Pip asked.

  Will smiled. "Adrian's got a girlfriend."

  "Ha! Why does Noah keep taking the bets?" She asked.

  "It's one of life's great mysteries," Will laughed.

  "What did Sam's dinner taste like?" Pip asked.

  Sam stories made Pip happy. Hennessy was Pip's favorite brother by default. He was the only brother that knew Pip. Knew of Pip. But, if Pip had met his other brothers, Sam would be her favorite, no doubt about it.

  Will talked through dinner, sharing his day with the woman who knew his family, but had never met them.

  Pulling into his driveway, Will sighed. They'd hang up soon. Maybe he could drive around for a while yet.

  "I heard the car shift into park. You are home safe," she said.

  "I'm home," he confirmed.

  "I miss you so much it hurts," Pip said quietly.

  Will closed his eyes. "I'll see you on Friday, and talk to you in the morning."

  "I know," she said.

  "I love you," Will said.

  "Know that, too. Please think about it, Will?" Pip whispered.

  The line was silent for a solid fifteen seconds.

  "Love you," She hung up without another word.

  Chapter 11

  ADRIAN: I'm about a mile away. I'll be pulling up and coming inside soon.

  LUCY: You're announcing your arrival? It's your house.

  ADRIAN: It's dark. I didn't want to scare you.

  LUCY: You've been to my apartment. You expect me to get scared by you coming home?

  "Did you eat?" Adrian asked. "Darla sent you leftovers."

  "I had chicken nuggets with Ree around 6. He's been out since a little after 7. Is that concerning?" Lucy asked.

  "That he's sleeping? No. It's actually a good sign. He's not throwing up or running a fever, right?" Adrian asked.

  "No, just sleeping a lot more than usual, and that's saying something," she said, meeting him in the kitchen with a smile.

  "How was dinner?" She asked. "We missed you."

  Adrian arched an eyebrow. "Did you?"

  Lucy started to blush. "Uh, yeah. Ree was looking for you at book time. It's lonely here by myself when he's sleeping."

  "We missed you at dinner, too," Adrian kissed her as he walked by to put the food in the fridge.

  "Hennessy showed everyone a picture of your Friday face, so if you were hoping to avoid that… sorry," he said with a chuckle.

  When he turned around, she was standing in the same place, touching the spot he kissed.

  "OK?" he asked, wondering if he shouldn't have kissed her.

  Lucy's lips twitched into a little smile. "Yes, just not used to a kissy greeting."

  "Me, either," Adrian said, walking back toward her. "It's fun, though. See?"

  He kissed her again, more serious about it.

  Lucy chuckled as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

  "How are you?" He asked a moment later. "Lots of changes in less than a week."

  She smiled. "I'm not sure it's caught up with me yet, honestly. Doesn't feel real."

  "How can I help?" Adrian asked. "I keep trying to bully Hennessy into giving me your background check. I want to stop blundering into painful things. He won't budge on it."

  That caught Lucy by surprise. She stiffened in his arms immediately. "Why in the world would you want to read that?"

  "Because I keep doing and saying shit that makes you scared or uneasy or angry. I would really rather not do that, but I have no idea what to avoid," Adrian explained. "Anyway, he will not budge on it. Even when Will pressed him, and I've never seen Hennessy push back at William. He will let me read it if you say it's OK." Adrian raised his eyebrows.

  Lucy stepped back away from him. "Uh, I don't know. I mean, I'll adjust quickly. You don't need to worry about it for long. You shouldn't worry about it now. It's my bullshit, you don't have to deal with it." r />
  "I would like to make things easier if I can," Adrian said quietly. "Your dad, the stabbing, the bad people… I blundered into that stuff. I know it made things harder for you. I would rather not make things harder."

  "But, knowing the shit doesn't make it go away, Adrian. I appreciate what you're saying and understand your point. I just haven't seen the actual file. I don't know what's in it, how detailed it is. Can I talk to Hennessy? Are you going to be mad if you don't get to read it? It's not that I'm trying to hide things. It's just a lot to process."

  "OK. Whatever you want, Lucy. I'm not mad. And I won't be mad," Adrian promised. "Are you mad?"

  "What? No. Of course not," she said, shaking her head like she was trying to clear her thoughts.

  "Can I come over there to stand with you again?" He asked.

  Lucy looked startled, noticing the space between them for the first time. "I didn't realize I backed away," she said, walking back into his arms.

  The happy energy zinged through him again at her touch, feeling like static electricity where their skin touched. Lucy tucked her head against his shoulder, facing his neck. He could feel the wisps of her hair float against him as he hugged her tight.

  This feels so right, he thought. I need to not push. Hennessy is right. Time. Time will help.

  "I'm sorry, Adrian," Lucy whispered.

  Without warning, Rage exploded, ripping through his body. His ears started to ring; his vision went red. The other, happier energy fizzled out in Rage's wake.

  Before the conscious part of Adrian could even start to react, Rage tipped Lucy's head back to meet her eyes.

  "You will never apologize for something that is not your fault again," Rage said, unrestrained, with full intent and focus, directly into her eyes. It watched as the command sunk into her mind.

  And then it was gone. As suddenly as it surfaced, Rage disappeared again.

  "Lucy! Lucy! Are you OK?" Adrian broke out in a cold sweat, panting for air through his terror.

  HOLY FUCK! HOLY FUCK! What just happened?

  Lucy stood in his arms, glassy-eyed and staring. At the sound of her name, she shook her head. "Huh? I'm fine. What's wrong, Adrian? You look like you're going to be sick."