The Power: Building the Circle - Book 2 Read online

  "I'd tell if there was," Lucy said.

  "Has he seen the scars?" Hennessy asked.

  "Adrian? No."

  "Don't let the scars take him by surprise. Have this talk with him."

  "This whole thing confuses the fuck out of me, Hennessy. What do you think he wants from me? Someone to play house with?"

  Hennessy snorted. "I think he wants you and Henry to be safe and well. That's all. You're not the type of woman he gets involved with. He ain't looking for anything."

  "People aren't this nice," Lucy said.

  "These people are," Hennessy shrugged. "Always have been to me, at least. Took me a while to get used to it, too. Your cynicism irritates the fuck out of Adrian, and it's hard to irritate him. Might want to tone that down a bit. When I saw him this morning, he was as close to truly angry as I've ever seen. I don't want to see any closer."

  Hennessy's cell phone started ringing to Pat Benatar's 'Hit Me with Your Best Shot.'

  "The fuck," he muttered before answering. "Yeah, boss. Wrapping up. Maybe an hour." And then hung up.

  "We're putting a security system on the house. You're getting a panic button-"

  "Hennessy, you can't do that. This isn't my house. I don't want to bother-"

  "Lou, he told me to do it. Ree told him about the bad people this morning. He called me before they were even in the door of the hospital," Hennessy said gently.

  "Oh."

  "It was a five-year-old's perspective, which he interpreted to mean that there were a pair of guys stalking you. Not wrong, but not really a complete picture. He's super pissed off at me, by the way. It'd be good if you had this talk with him."

  "Why's he mad at you? It's my bullshit."

  "Because I knew and didn't tell him. It ain't his business until you make it his business. But you should make it his business. He wants to help."

  "I'm not sleeping with him, Hennessy. I'm not dating him. He doesn't need to deal with my bullshit," Lucy said, looking at her sandwich.

  "I know this is a novel concept - completely foreign to you. But I'm going to throw it out there for consideration. I think he's trying to be a friend. Now, a friend is a person that cares about your wellbeing and is involved in your bullshit. Typically, they aren't paid or-"

  "For fuck's sake, shut it, Hennessy," Lucy said with a small smile.

  "That's better. Now say cheese for the picture!"

  ✽✽✽

  "Aunt Lucy! Lookit what I got!" Ree yelled as he charged into the house.

  "Hi, baby! I missed you. Were you good today? What you'd get?" Lucy asked.

  "I was good. Uncle Sam came, and we played Go Fish, and then I had bloodwork. And then Grandma Darla came to say hi, and then Uncle Ethan brought me this!" He was waving a tablet around.

  "Wow, Henry. You seem to have acquired a lot of family today," Lucy said, giving Adrian side-eye.

  "That was not my doing. That was Sam's doing," Adrian clarified. "Also, watching Sam play Go Fish was one of the funniest things I've ever seen."

  "Smart man rule number 3: Never bet against Uncle Sam," Henry said, entirely serious.

  "Really?" Lucy asked Adrian.

  "Words to live by," Adrian replied with a grin. "I see Hennessy was here."

  "Uh, yeah. About that-" Lucy started.

  "Nope. It's done. Did he tell you there are also people watching the house?" Adrian asked.

  "Like spying?" Lucy said, eyebrows raised.

  "Ha! That's what I said, too. No, a security detail. Apparently, they've been watching since Tuesday. He told you he's looking for them?" Adrian asked.

  "Looking for who?"

  "What exactly did Hennessey tell you? Because it doesn't seem like he told you anything. They're looking for the guys. You have the panic button?"

  Another nod. "I'm sorry-"

  "Lucy, the only part that makes me mad is that you didn't say anything," he said. "The rest of it is inconsequential."

  "What's the matter? Adrian, you're not mad at us, are you?" Henry asked.

  "No, I'm not mad at you! Everything's fine," Adrian said with a smile. "Can I show you some things, Henry?"

  After a tour of security panels and teaching Ree the code, Adrian showed him the sensors on the windows and the cameras outside. Then, Adrian asked Lucy to hit the panic button.

  At her doubtful look, he said, "Hennessy suggested it so he wouldn't be scared if they came in the house at some point."

  She flipped the clasp on the bracelet and hit the button. In less than a minute, there was a loud banging on both doors as the two teams let themselves in.

  "Wow," Lucy said.

  "Aunt Lucy, they have guns. Maybe they'll shoot the bad people!" Henry said, excited.

  After a round of introductions, the teams went back to work.

  "No more worrying about the bad people, OK?" Adrian said.

  "That was so cool!"

  ✽✽✽

  "What are you making? It smells lemony," Adrian said as Lucy was setting the table.

  "Is lemony ok? Do you not like citrus?" She asked.

  "Lucy, I will literally eat any type of food you put in front of me besides live bugs and Brussel sprouts," he said, looking at his phone with a smile.

  "You'll eat dead bugs?" She asked.

  "I have eaten dead bugs, yes. They're crunchy."

  Adrian looked up to find her staring at him with a perplexed expression. "What?"

  "Why in the world did you eat bugs? Was it a dare?"

  "Ah. Where is a better question. Where in the world did I eat bugs? I spent six months in Uganda before I took over leadership of the Foundation. Bugs, grasshoppers, in particular, are a common dietary element. Definitely not something I crave, don't get me wrong. But that tells you exactly how nasty Brussel sprouts are to me." Adrian grinned at her. "Why are you smirking at me?"

  She laughed. "I didn't mean to be smirking at you. But, there have been times that I have been starving. I've eaten food out of dumpsters. I don't think I could knowingly swallow a bug, dead or alive, if my life depended on it."

  Adrian's expression changed to something unrecognizable for a few seconds, then shifted back to curiosity. "You didn't answer me. What are you cooking?"

  "Chicken Vesuvio. Impractical for Chicago in June, but it sounded good."

  "Are there potatoes involved in this?" Adrian asked.

  "There are," she confirmed.

  "Did you make a lot of it?" He asked.

  "I did. I learned after the eggs. It's a giant roaster full of chicken and potatoes. We'll be eating leftovers for a week."

  Adrian smiled. He wasn't smiling at her. Wasn't looking at her. But the smile was definitely for her.

  "The bruising really bothers you, doesn't it?" She asked before she thought better of it.

  "What do you mean? You're healing well. It's deep bruising and a broken nose. It's going to take a while to get better," he said, looking at his phone again.

  She chewed on her lip and then remembered her lip was torn.

  Should I ask? Do I want to go there? I want to know why, but it'll be awkward, Lucy thought.

  Adrian lifted his eyebrows, still focused on his phone. "I can almost hear your mind spinning."

  "Eh, the hamster is off the wheel right now. I'm on my own," she laughed. "You don't look at me. Make eye contact. Unless you're startled into it, or you're upset, you look at anything else but me. I assumed the bruising makes you uncomfortable-"

  "The bruising makes me angry," he said. "Not uncomfortable. Angry. I should have pushed harder for you to stay here. You brought back like five bags of clothes and two pictures. Will and Hennessy could have gotten that stuff.

  "In retrospect, I should have given that woman the money on Saturday night before I sent her scurrying away. She would have had no reason to bother you."

  An alarm went off on his phone. "Hey, Ree. Did you finish your juice box? Thirsty?" He called into the living room.

  "You have an alarm on your phone for his fl
uid intake?" Lucy asked.

  "Don't judge. I get distracted."

  "I'm not judging," she said. "I'm wondering why I didn't think of that."

  Adrian was laughing as he walked toward the living room.

  ✽✽✽

  Ree was asleep, sitting up on the couch, tablet in his lap.

  Poor kid. No nap today, Adrian thought.

  The juice box was empty. Adrian took the tablet out of his lap and shifted him to laying down so he wouldn't hurt his neck. It was just about six o'clock.

  "He's zonked out in there," Adrian said quietly as he walked back into the kitchen. "He didn't nap today. Do you want to wake him up for dinner? He had mac and cheese for lunch. My mom fed him cake and ice cream. Ethan brought him chicken nuggets and french fries. He ate all of it."

  "Dinner will be done in about 10 minutes. He might wake up on his own," Lucy said, subdued.

  "What?" Adrian asked.

  Lucy shrugged. "It's like with the books. I couldn't do this for him. Stuff him full of food and keep him busy and happy and stress-free. The only thing I could do for him was watch him die. Hennessy told me earlier that you and your family were the best people on the planet, and I'm starting to agree."

  "You know that's a load of shit, right? Not the Hennessy thing, but the other stuff. Well, probably the Hennessy thing too, but that's not the point. You've kept him alive and in fighting shape. He's smart, relatively healthy, amazingly well behaved. And, if you hadn't been at the hospital arguing with that woman in the billing department, fighting for him, we wouldn't be here now," he said.

  Adrian chanced a quick glance at her; there were tears on her cheeks. He pulled her close for a hug. She fit against him well, the top of her head just a little bit higher than his chin. As her arms wrapped around him, she started crying in earnest. Heaving sobs shook her body against him.

  "Lucy, it's OK. Everything's going to work out. You'll see," he muttered to her. "Don't do this to yourself."

  "I'm getting your doctor clothes weepy," she said to his shoulder.

  He chuckled. Her arms stayed around him as she turned her head to rest in the crook of his neck.

  "It's been a bizarre week," she muttered.

  They both chuckled at that. As their bodies shifted together with the laugh, a different type of energy rose in Adrian.

  Turn your head. Take her mouth. Take her body. She is ours, the energy said, clear as day. The command was clear in Adrian's brain. Unmistakable.

  His face turned to meet hers, both sets of lips parted, a scant inch between them, anticipating the contact.

  If Adrian hadn't had a lifetime of controlling the angry energy, it would have won.

  Holy fuck. What the fuck was that? What the fuck is wrong with me now?

  In an effort of raw willpower over the impulse, Adrian's arms dropped from Lucy as he stepped back. "Speaking of doctor clothes, I'm going to go change. I'll be back in a minute. You're OK, right?" He didn't wait for an answer before he briskly walked away.

  ✽✽✽

  They talked about cars over dinner. As Lucy was loading the dishwasher, Adrian moved Ree to his bed.

  Once the living room was free of sleeping children, Adrian said he was going downstairs for a while. He didn't come back upstairs before she went to bed at 11.

  We're really screwing up his routine. We'll get out of the way soon enough. I wonder what's in the basement, Lucy thought. Then, it's really not my business.

  ✽✽✽

  After 1 AM, Adrian's muscles gave out. He fell backward off the treadmill, into the cement basement wall, knocking himself unconscious for a minute. When he came to, he had trouble making his body stand.

  He had fed that new energy all the rage he could find in himself. He cycled it all in and then beat it out of his body. It didn't help. That other energy was still welled in the pit of his stomach, waiting, completely unchanged.

  The rage had never spoken to him before. Never in words. Impulse. Reaction. Never words. He had no idea what this new thing was.

  He wouldn't think about it now. Too tired. And hungry. So hungry. He'd eaten an entire box of energy bars. He needed more. There were leftovers in the fridge. Just as soon as he could climb the stairs.

  ✽✽✽

  Lucy woke to the sound of rustling in the kitchen shortly before 2 AM.

  What the hell?

  The alarm hadn't gone off. There were no alerts on her phone. She'd have an alert if a security alarm had been triggered.

  Did Ree finally wake up, looking for a snack?

  She headed toward the kitchen to help him, only to find a sweaty, shirtless Adrian standing in the kitchen eating cold chicken and potatoes out of the storage bowl.

  "Oh, my God! Are you OK? Adrian, sit down! You're swaying in place. Sit! Here, I'll bring a chair," Lucy said. "Is your head bleeding? Oh, my God!"

  "I'm fine, Lucy. Shouldn't you go back to bed?" He asked. Tone flat, lifeless.

  "You're bleeding! Or you were bleeding. You're not fine! Did you fall? Sit down, Adrian, before you fall again! Should I call an ambulance?"

  He laughed. Actually laughed. "No, Lucy, I don't need an ambulance. It's just a bump. I'm fine. Hungry. I'm going to eat this, take a shower, and go to bed. It's fine. I'm fine."

  "Did you fall asleep downstairs or something? Why are you all sweaty?"

  "I was working out," he said.

  She shook her head. "What? You went up to bed earlier, couldn't sleep, and then went to work out? You look terrible, Adrian. Your eyes are all dark underneath, and your cheeks are sunken like you haven't eaten in a week. We should go to the hospital. Something's wrong."

  ✽✽✽

  Adrian's whole body tingled anew with other energy. Little lightning sparks of energy that crawled down his skin, reviving his body, if not his mind.

  She's ours. Take her. Take her. Take her. Take her. She's right there. Standing there. Take her. Take her. Take her. Look at her. Take her. Take her. She's ours. Ours. Take her.

  She touched his shoulder. "Adrian, we have to go to the hospital."

  Mmm. The sound of her. Smooth skin. Long arms, long legs. Take her. Take her. Take her. Ours. She's ours. They're both ours. You know they're ours.

  "Lucy, I worked out too long. That's all. Lost track of time. I'm going to eat this, drink a bunch of water, take a shower, and go to sleep. I'll be fine in the morning."

  "Have you…? Have you been downstairs working out since after dinner?" She asked.

  "Yup."

  "Adrian! That was hours and hours ago! Look at me!" She pulled his face toward her so she could look at him. When their eyes met, the energy screamed at him. "You're barely-"

  OURS! OURS! OURS! Take her!

  "Lucy," he said as he kissed the palm of her hand.

  "This is a dream," he whispered.

  "Sleep till morning," he mouthed with no sound.

  Adrian caught her just before she hit the floor, dead asleep.

  By the time Adrian ate all the leftovers and rehydrated, he was almost back to normal. Exhausted, but lucid. He'd need to think of a reason for all the leftovers to be gone. 'I worked out too long and then ate seven chicken breasts and three pounds of potatoes,' would probably sound strange.

  The rage energy and whatever this new energy was sucked up a lot of calories. Along with the working out, he had to be careful to eat enough. That was hard to do with Lucy and Henry in the house.

  Happily, when there were enough calories in his system, the energy seemed to repair his body quickly. He could completely shred his muscles in a workout, eat a dozen eggs, go to sleep for a couple hours, and wake up refreshed and ready to go.

  He turned to see Lucy lying on the kitchen floor as he washed the empty bowl from the leftovers and put it in the dish drainer.

  I can't believe I fucking did that. It wasn't necessary. I should have just agreed when she assumed I had gotten up to work out. Three times, today. I fucked with her mind three times today.

  He nee
ded to be careful. More careful. He swore to himself that he'd never do this, that he'd never allow this to happen. Now, look at him.

  His mind wandered back to middle school and Whitney Langcaster. Thoughts of her were a regular reminder that anger and rage were dangerous. The wrong combination of words spoken in the wrong tone of voice while meeting someone's eyes could have horrible consequences.

  So, he generally didn't meet a person's eyes. He was so careful with words, they often came out as a garbled mess. He tried to ask questions instead of making statements. He didn't speak to anyone in anger. And, on the rare occasion he dated, the woman had to be simple-minded. The echo of a command seemed to fade much faster in the dim-witted.

  Over time, he'd found that pulling the rage forward before a workout made it easier to manage throughout the day. Or, it used to be easier to manage. The pool of other energy still swirling in him after six hours of hard exercise hinted that things were changing.

  Lucy was many things; dim-witted wasn't one of them. She surfaced strong, uncontrolled emotions in him very easily. When he had quietly suggested that she rest on Tuesday night, she ended up sleeping for a day and a half.

  This was so dangerous. A slip of words, a few seconds of anger, a focused thought. She'd be lost. He had to be careful, or he really would be the monster he feared.

  He picked her up from the floor easily now; his body had fuel again. Muscles were weary but working.

  I should send them away. Work more for the next week or two and then send them to the house Sam bought. It'd keep them safe, Adrian thought.

  As he set her on her bed and covered her, Adrian looked at Lucy's battered face. She was still beautiful. Bruised with a broken nose, her blonde hair still shone in the pale light, the shape of her jaw defined against the column of her neck and the relief of flesh around her collar bone.

  The thought of sending Lucy and Henry away made his stomach lurch and his chest tighten. The rage and the new energy roared through him in revulsion.

  Adrian heard his phone vibrate with a text upstairs.

  SAM: House will be ready next Thursday.