Burn Read online

  Kind of lost its appeal when a psychopath wanted to take it out for a spin.

  Some of what happened filtered in, and I knew Brennan had pulled through the most recent crisis. When he’d pushed his wall back so it was no longer visible, I could see the strain it took on him. Of course, I could have been projecting, but I didn’t think so. My mind felt strained after a fairly mild mental attack. The attack on Brennan’s mind had been much more severe.

  A fact that caused one of the most level-headed people I’d ever met to go into a fury that seemed to burn bright in her eyes. Until the moment Lena declared we were hunting down Kindred—a known assassin, by the way—I had never thought of her as a scary person. Now, however, there was a dangerous glint in her eyes. Now, I could see some resemblance between her and her cousin. Not the most reassuring thought by any means.

  “How are we going about hunting him down?” I asked. It was all well and good to declare we would hunt him down, but as far as I could tell, no one had a true plan. “Now that he has a clearer picture of what everyone here is capable of, can we even get a read on him?”

  Cade shook his head. “Not at the moment. He’s sure to be on high alert for any mental intrusions. Like the rest of us, though, he does have limits. I guess Cole and I will have to keep trying periodically to break through.”

  “Not much of a plan there,” I said pessimistically. “Lena, you seemed pretty confident; do you have an actual plan? Or are you taking a ‘wait and see’ kind of approach as well?”

  Laurie frowned at me. “Tray, you’re feeling exposed right now, I understand. Having Kindred in your mind had to be terrifying. Try not to let him change you.”

  I closed my eyes and leaned into the soft cushions. The darkness took over everything at some point. But as always, I couldn’t be one to add to it. “I’m sorry. You’re right.”

  “I have a plan. Sort of, anyway,” Lena answered. “It may take a little fancy mental maneuvering, but I think we could break through Kindred’s walls if we all work together.”

  She glanced around the room. “Well, if Cole, Cade, and I work together. Rae could be potentially helpful as well, but mostly if we manage to combine our abilities and get into his mind.”

  “‘Combine,’ like all work together at the same time and all get in?” I asked. “Or ‘combine’ as in you somehow push the power into one person who will break through?”

  The idea had merit either way. Kindred was only one guy. It was possible he wouldn’t be able to stand up to multiple attempts at intrusion. And a concentrated strike with the force of all of the others’ powers also had potential.

  “Honestly? I don’t know for sure,” Lena admitted. “We’d have to put our minds together, quite literally, and figure out which approach would be the best. I would love to make it one powerful strike at Kindred’s shield. I think that would be the best way to break through.”

  Lena’s fury had simmered now, and she sounded more like the person I’d met before. Level headed and working on a plan to help everyone.

  “So, say we do actually manage to find the invisible assassin,” Cade said. “What exactly do we do with him?”

  Lena smiled sadly. “I’ve been working on that as well. Let’s get through step one first, and I’ll work on figuring out what is the most feasible option after.”

  She seemed to be looking for approval, and I was struck by how young she appeared. It wasn’t that I didn’t realize she was still a teenager. No. I knew it. She simply made it easy to forget. Self-sufficient and confident, she had the demeanor of a fully-grown woman.

  “Honestly, kiddo,” I said. “I’m good with anything that takes him away from being a threat. Your idea for finding him is the best I’ve heard so far.”

  Cole nodded. “Agreed. We can concentrate on each other and combine our strength. Jade,”—he turned toward her—“You monitor us. If you notice we’ve broken through, keep the others informed. We’ll let you know whether we need Rae to connect as well.”

  Jade nodded, ready to do her part to stop the dangerous man. Everyone had the same determined look. All were willing to push themselves to their limits in order to put an end to the threat.

  At this point, my power was useless, so there was nothing I could do to help. Laurie and Rae would both keep monitoring them as they all focused on Kindred. The others gathered in a small circle and they all closed their eyes against the effort it took to connect to each other.

  I could only watch and hope they would be successful.

  TWENTY-NINE

  Brennan

  Jim kept glancing at me whenever he thought I wasn’t looking. Other than Jade and her friends—and apparently the Mastermind and Kindred—no one knew about my powers. I wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about one of my coworkers being aware of it.

  Apparently, he was uncertain as well, if the sideways glances meant anything. Or maybe he was simply debating whether or not to turn me in as the arsonist. Honestly, now that I knew I was behind it, I wondered if being imprisoned wouldn’t be better than being used.

  “I won’t turn you in,” he said finally. We were just outside the fire station by the time he spoke.

  I looked up in surprise, meeting his eyes to search for his reasoning.

  He sighed and parked the car before he answered my unspoken question. “You’re a good firefighter, Brennan. From what you and your friends said, none of this has been your fault.” His eyes narrowed in concern then. “Did you really think I would have you punished for something you can’t control?”

  I shrugged, my gaze dropping to my hands. The fire tattoos were now still. As they should be. Not flickering with actual flames as they had before.

  “You did,” he huffed. “You are not a very trusting person, are you?”

  “Haven’t had much reason to be,” I answered softly. “Not a lot of trustworthy people around.”

  He scoffed. “You haven’t been paying attention then, Peterson. Every guy in that fire station would have your back. All you have to do is have the courtesy to extend a bit of trust to them. Try. Open up a little. Maybe not about your powers right away, but other things.”

  The way he said ‘other things’ made me cast a quick glare at him. Did he know something else? “What ‘other things’ are you referring to, Jim?”

  “Like your family, what you do for fun, life in general,” he answered. “What led to you being adopted by Detective Hanson? How you met Jade and the others. Pretty much anything.”

  My glare hardened as he listed options. “Everything about why I was adopted and how I met Jade is private. Nobody’s business but my own.”

  “Dude, settle,” he said calmly. “Your eyes are glowing again.”

  I turned my gaze down to my hands again and covered the odd glowing with my hand.

  “You don’t have to hide, Brennan,” he said gently. “I already said I wouldn’t turn you in. That includes doing anything to expose your abilities.”

  I reluctantly raised my eyes to him again, a slight frown on my face. “You’re taking this awfully well.”

  He shrugged. “I’ve always liked to think of myself as a logical guy. I saw the video online a few years ago of some guy moving the earth. Then I kept hearing rumors in that same area of earthquakes. A place definitely not known for them, by the way. Honestly, I thought it was all a hoax.”

  “And now?” I asked, knowing he was talking about Laurie and Tray’s friend, Jason.

  He sighed. “Well, now I’ve seen proof with my own eyes that people with abilities exist. I can’t do anything but believe it anymore.”

  A hand waved in my direction. “Now that you know I’m not attacking, you should push the power back again. Or whatever it is you need to do to keep the glowing eyes hidden.”

  He opened his door and stepped out of the car. Before he closed it, he leaned back into the vehicle with a sigh. “Just think about what I said, Brennan. I know you haven’t had an easy life. I may not know all the details, but your attitu
de tells me enough. Not everyone is out to get you.”

  The older man didn’t wait for a reply, only slapped the top of the car and shut his door before walking into the station.

  I would think about everything later. For now, I had to concentrate on getting rid of the glow. A quick glance into the mirror told me they were flickering angrily. Maybe Jim was right. The people here weren’t out to get me. Jade and the others weren’t the only ones who had my back.

  Joe and Angie hadn’t done anything wrong with the whole Anderson situation. I’d been punishing them for no reason. Blaming them for years, for something they had no control over. Pushing myself away from the people who had done nothing but care for me since they’d taken me in.

  Thinking about Joe, and how he’d first come into my life, helped me to find a safe feeling. The wall receded, but I didn’t let it go away altogether. Another glance at the mirror told me the glow had been extinguished.

  I slowly stepped out of Jim’s car, and walked into the station. The more I thought about my family, the more resolved I felt to reconnect with them. Since I’d met him, Joe had done nothing but try to help me.

  ***

  The first time we’d met I’d been thirteen—scared and angry at the world for putting me in the hellish grip of Greg Anderson. The scene came back to me in flashes: an out of control fire; the acrid smell of smoke permeating the entire area; flashing lights from the emergency vehicles that made the entire scene seem surreal—made especially so by the fact I had no idea why I was there.

  When Joe found me and brought me to his boss, the fire chief had been suspicious of me. He’d thought I was the one who set the building ablaze. Joe, however, had seen the bruises on my arms, the confusion and fear in my eyes, and the way I avoided touch. All those things, plus meeting Anderson at the police station later, had given him a pretty clear picture of what had been happening.

  Even if Joe had ever thought I’d set the fire, he likely thought it was a cry for help. A way to get myself away from my abuser. Joe hadn’t been able to rescue me that night. A fact I definitely regretted, and I assumed he did as well. Anderson had done things to me that night that still gave me nightmares. He had been absolutely furious that I’d brought the cops into our lives.

  When Joe had stopped in for a follow up interview about the fire, he’d seen the way I held myself—saw so clearly the pain I struggled to hide—and encouraged me to tell him what Anderson had done.

  ***

  I sat on the bench in the locker room, lost in thought. There were other guys in the room, but I hadn’t acknowledged any of them.

  “Hey man, you okay? Looked like you took in quite a bit of smoke the other night.”

  I jumped at the sudden voice, and Nick held his hands up in peace. “Sorry, dude. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

  A chuckle escaped. “It’s all right. I was just lost in thought, I guess. Didn’t hear you coming.”

  He eyed me expectantly, and I thought back to his question. “Yeah, I’m fine. Was a bit shaky for a little while, but it’s all good now.”

  Nick smiled. “Good to hear. From what I’ve heard, the people you rescued are doing better, too. The little girl had to be put on oxygen for the day in order to combat the smoke inhalation, but she woke up within a couple hours, and seems to be doing good.”

  A genuine smile crossed my face. “I’m glad. I was worried about her. She…”—my smile dropped—“she didn’t seem like she was going to be,” I finished softly.

  Another memory tried to surface. A baby girl screaming, pain searing across my back. I shook my head, sending those memories back to the locked vault where they belonged.

  Nick was frowning now, clearly worried. “You good, Brennan? You seem… well, more down than normal.”

  Could I open up? Not about… not about her. But about other things?

  “Sorry,” I said. “Just some… unpleasant memories. Nothing to worry about.”

  The frown deepened, but he nodded. “Okay. I won’t push. Just wanted you to know I’m here if you want to talk. I know this job can get a bit heavy sometimes. It’s always a bit easier if you let someone else help carry the load.”

  “Thanks, Nick. I’ll keep that in mind.” I was genuinely thankful for his concern. And his willingness to back off when it was clear I didn’t want to talk about it.

  The alarm sounded then, and we all quickly made our way to the truck. The whole way I was praying no one would be trapped in a fire. Even without my power, I was willing to run in and save someone. It was just so much easier to do it when I could absorb the flames in order to get to them.

  Jim eyed me as Quentin gave us the details he knew about our call. A kitchen fire. From what he’d heard, everyone was out already. I breathed out a silent sigh of relief. Easy call. Probably wouldn’t even have to break out the hoses. Just test to make sure the fire hadn’t gotten into the walls.

  The call was quick. Just a grease fire on the stove. One the owner had thrown a cover over and ran out of the house. At least she’d known better than to throw water on it. The flames had gone no further than the centrally located stovetop, and there was only some smoke damage to the ceiling. Oh, and the stove would need replacing.

  We finished at the scene and got another call almost as soon as we got in the truck.

  There were several groans, and I almost joined them. It seemed we were destined for a busy shift. It would be my luck. This one was a car accident. One person trapped, the dash pushing down on his legs.

  Geoff got us there in good time, and we surveyed the area. Police and ambulances were already on scene. Our job was to cut the victim out of the car, so the paramedics could get him to the hospital.

  “Nick, you and Brennan get the cutter. Keep him calm. We don’t know what kind of injuries he has under there,” Quentin ordered.

  I grabbed the tool while Nick went to examine the situation and start working on calming the panicked man.

  “Hey, I’m Nick. What’s your name?”

  The middle-aged man looked up at Nick and through his panting answered, “George.”

  “George. Nice to meet you. My friend Brennan and I are going to get you out of here, okay? Just stay calm. Breathe slowly, and we’ll have you to the hospital in no time. How are you feeling?”

  “Ah… a bit light-headed,” he admitted. Nick nodded up at me, and I waved one of the paramedics over.

  “He’s saying he’s light-headed,” I told the woman when she joined us.

  I started working on the extraction as she checked his pupil responses. They continued talking over the noise of the extraction tool, but I focused on cutting him out. I stopped when I noticed a large portion of the broken up dash was stuck through the man’s thigh.

  “Guys. Just need a bit of a hand here.” When I had Nick’s attention, I nodded toward the problem. Where the penetrating wound was located was a bit too close to the femoral artery for my comfort. “Suggestions?”

  The paramedic took a look and waved us away from the vehicle. “George, we just hit a small snag,” Nick said calmly. “We’ll be right back, okay?”

  “What do we do?” I asked when we were out of range. “If I cut him loose, he’ll be bleeding out within seconds.”

  “Tourniquet,” the paramedic said. A glance at her tag showed me her name was Sandi. “We tie it off before we get him out, then put as much pressure on it as possible as soon as he’s loose.”

  A quick look at George told me he was beginning to panic again. “Good. Let’s get moving.”

  Sandi carefully tied the tourniquet around George’s leg, explaining that there was a wound there that we wanted to be cautious of. She gave no hint of just how severe the issue might be in case he panicked more than he already was. Her hands were steady, and she kept her dark eyes glued to her patient’s face, monitoring physical and emotional responses. When she was finished, she spoke up again. “Done. We’ll have you out in no time.”

  Her words told me it was time to fini
sh the cut. I knew, if possible, it was always better to keep a penetrating object in place. With the rescue tool, I made slow, careful cuts until his lower half was free of the car.

  A backboard was brought over, and Nick pulled out his top half, while I carefully maneuvered his legs. Sandi gave me an approving look when she saw the wound still had the object in it. Only a minimal amount of blood had escaped.

  They quickly made their way to the ambulance, and Nick and I were left to pick up our tools and head back to the truck.

  “Nice work, you two,” Quentin said as we approached. “Let’s get back to the station.”

  This time we made it to the station and were able to grab some food before the next call came in.

  “House fire. Seems like everyone got out. At least from the initial report,” Quentin informed us as we drove to the scene.

  The screaming sirens were beginning to give me a headache. One hand rubbed absently at the side of my head, and Jim’s eyes narrowed.

  “Hey.” When I didn’t respond after a few seconds, he nudged me to get my attention. “You okay? You seem a bit out of it.”

  In an attempt to settle his nerves, I gave a half smile and nodded. “Yeah, just regretting not grabbing some aspirin at the station. Little headache, is all.”

  My new friend glanced around the truck, apparently deciding we weren’t in a private enough setting for him to bring up his real concern.

  “It’s not because of… you know… is it?”

  So, I was wrong. He was going to bring it up. Worse than that—I had no idea how to answer him. While the headache could be stress related, it could also be an effect of the constant strain on my mind from keeping the fire wall up and hidden from view.

  Instead of giving an answer, I shook my head and shrugged. He seemed to accept that I wouldn’t talk about it in front of so many other people. Nick was frowning over at me, so I dropped my gaze and concentrated on keeping the shield in place.