He looked down the hallway. James felt him suddenly stand straight, the gun against her head moving away slightly before being pushed hard against her skin.

  “You shoot her, you die.”

  James would know Addison’s voice anywhere, but there was a twinge of fear and determination in her tone that James had never heard before.

  “I have a gun to your head, the safety off and I will shoot if you do not remove your weapon in five… four… three… two… on—”

  As Addison continued counting down, the metal left James’ head. James twisted around quickly, in order to move away from her position of vulnerability, and watched as the man lifted his hands in surrender. James moved to stand beside Addison; she moved to face down her unknown attacker.

  Addison was scrutinizing his form. Chubby, short, bald: nowhere near what she would think an experienced assassin, kidnapper, and low-down dirty guy would look like. He was far too dirty, physically dirty. There was grime all over his face.

  “And you work for who, exactly?” Her green eyes were shooting darts at him, and he was skulking under her glare.

  “No one you know.”

  “Oh, I bet I do know who. Was it Jimmy?”

  When the name didn’t register on his face, she tried another one.

  “Ernie?” Again, there was no response. “Ah, so it was Vincent. How kind of him. Well, I have a message for my dear friend, Vincent. You tell him that if he tries to take this girl again, he won’t be getting his little minions back.”

  The man nodded his head.

  “James, take the gun.”

  Addison refused to make eye contact with the other woman; she didn’t want to let the man’s hands out of her sight before she knew he was unarmed.

  “What?”

  “Take the gun from his hand.”

  James leaned forward and took the gun from his proffered finger. She held it awkwardly.

  “You can leave now.”

  Addison still had her hands and gun raised in the air and pointed at him. He backed away slowly. Addison waited until the door was shut before locking it tightly and letting out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding.

  James dropped the weapon in her fingers on the couch. “What the hell was that?”

  “Sit down.”

  “No.”

  “James… sit down.”

  Addison turned the glare that she’d given the man onto the woman standing across from her. Once James had planted her bottom on the couch, gladly avoiding the gun that was still resting on the seat cushion, Addison came over and pulled the clip.

  “I told you that there are quite a few of us around. What I didn’t tell you was that are good people and bad people. I was kind of hoping you would assume that.”

  “Where did you get the gun, Addy?”

  “I’ve always had a gun. I have more than one actually and I rarely go anywhere without one.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Because I didn’t want you to know.”

  Addison leaned back into the cushions and closed her eyes for a second, trying to take in all that had happened moments before.

  “Did he say why he wanted Lily?”

  “No.”

  Biting her lip, Addison glanced at the door that was completely shut with a sleeping child inside. “She’s one of us.”

  “What do you mean she’s one of us? Would you just explain it already because these guessing games and blanket statements are getting really annoying?” James fisted her hands into tight balls.

  “Pay close attention. There are different types of gifts; I told you that. Lily has one of these gifts. She has one of the most powerful, and she has total control over it. That is extremely uncommon considering her age and the gift. That’s why you knew the arson investigators wouldn’t find anything. There is nothing to find. There is no accelerant, nothing that started the flames. You are the one who told me that; didn’t you ever stop to contemplate why?”

  “Well what kind of gift does she have?” James ignored the second question, knowing Addison was right.

  “The gift of Fire. Think about it, two house fires for a little girl who miraculously survived both, completely unscathed each time? Not likely. With the gift of Fire comes a certain degree of protection from the heat and damage that can be done with flame. One isn’t necessarily invincible, but one is less likely to die.”

  Addison watched as the realization dawned on James.

  “So what we have to find out is why people want her, and why specifically Vincent wants her.”

  “Okay, well who is Vincent?”

  “Think mob only worse.”

  “Worse than the mob? For fuck’s sake, Addison, what have you pulled me into?” James stood up and shoved her fingers through her hair.

  “I didn’t pull you into anything, James. I certainly didn’t mean any harm to come to you. Not all of us are bad. Not all of us belong to those groups.”

  “But you have connections to them, don’t you?” Her look cut across the room.

  Addison stopped, the breath hitched in her throat as she debated a lie. “Yes. But we all do.”

  “No, not all of us do.” James growled out the words and grabbed her beer off the table moving into the kitchen. “Not all of us associate with criminals.”

  “You think you don’t associate with criminals? Honestly? You seriously think that? Because I have news for you, James: you associate with criminals.”

  She was standing at the threshold between the kitchen and the living area, watching as waves of anger shuddered through James’ muscles.

  Taking a deep breath James turned around and smashed the glass bottle into the trash under the sink.

  “What would you know of it?”

  “Come on, James. You think that a person is only a criminal if they get caught?”

  Addison shook her head and pulled open a cabinet. Grabbing the box of cereal, she shoved it onto the counter.

  “I thought you were smarter than that.”

  James glared. She knew Addison was right and she didn’t want to admit it. Reaching for two bowls, James pulled them down and set them next to each other.

  “Fine. Then tell me about the good guys.”

  The cheerios were poured into each bowl, followed by a good dose of milk.

  “There are a few groups around, but the largest is based in Wyoming. They have factions pretty much everywhere, but definitely they have contacts everywhere.”

  Addison took a bite, the tension from the argument fading into the background. “You can be a part of that group without really being in it. Just a contact who watches out for trouble and makes certain phone calls when necessary. I used to be rather high up in the ranks, until a few years ago when I quit.”

  “Quit?”

  “Yeah. I’d rather not talk about it.”

  “I don’t think you get an option in that.”

  James’ sweet honey eyes were dead set, she wanted to hear the truth and she wasn’t going to let Addison get away with sneaking out of any answers and avoiding certain topics.

  Drawing in a slow breath, Addison set her empty bowl in the sink. Leaning against the counter, she glanced back at James, her eyes sad and her face drawn.

  “It was when I decided to leave Heath.”

  Her shoulders were pulled close together, her cheeks tinted red and there was a drip of water that slid from her partially closed lids.

  “That incident you saw was not the first and it certainly wasn’t the last. He put me in the hospital three times before I got the hell out of dodge. Without those ‘good people’, I wouldn’t have made it here. Wouldn’t have this job. I’m very grateful to them.”

  James silently stood to make her way over to Addison. She wanted to comfort her. But as soon as she was fully erect, her eyesight blurred and it felt as if she was drifting on clouds.

  “Addison?”

  Slowly, it seemed to take forever, James’ eyes lifted to the form in front of her. Her hands flung out to grab at whatever she could, but there was nothing within her reach.

  “James!”

  Addison watched as James fell to the tile floor and cracked her head on the slate, the material shattering from the impact. As Addison fell to her knees next to James, the same happened to her. Her head was filled with fuzz and cotton and she lost all balance. Falling to her side to prevent a similar fate as James, Addison looked over to see black leather clad boots nearing her face and stopping just in front of her nose. It was the last thing she saw.

  Chapter Eight

  Her head was bumped up and down roughly, her cheek squished into whatever it was that was making her move. Addison slowly opened her eyes, the blurriness still in effect, but she recognized the boot that was in front of her eyes. Letting out a slight groan, she closed her eyes and let darkness and unconsciousness take over her body again.

  Having no idea how long had passed between the last time she remembered waking and this time, Addison felt quite disoriented. Her head was fuzzy and her stomach was certainly not happy with her. She was on her side, her hands tied behind her back, and her face pressed into a mattress. There was a movement in front of her, and she heard the cutting of rope before her wrists were thrown in front of her body, her sore muscles protesting. Her mind frantically reached out for anyone who was in the room and she gladly felt James’ presence nearby.

  Before she had a chance to feel for Lily, her chin was wrenched upward, and her eyes brought into the light. She saw a face so close that she could smell breath before she could focus it. It wasn’t rancid, but it didn’t smell like Mint Juleps in July either, and with the way her stomach was recoiling, she was sure that even the warm air would set her over the edge. Luckily her head was thrown back onto the pillow and she was finally able to see whoever it was.

  Not that there was much to see. There was only one light in the room and it happened to be right above where she was laying. The shape in front of her was a mass of black clothes.

  “Who are you?” she croaked out the words, hoping for an answer yet dreading the one that she would mostly likely get.

  Whoever it was didn’t speak. The door slammed shut, and she heard the electronic beep of a lock before she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, steadying her nerves.

  “James?” She called out, not getting any reply.

  Filling her lungs with air, she focused on the little girl and felt her somewhere close by, further than James, but still close. Relief flooded her when she noted that the child was unharmed and not drugged as they had been.

  “Lily?”

  “Addy?” She felt the girl move and come over to stand next to her, petting her cheek lightly. “I’m scared.”

  “I know, honey bee, I know.”

  Addison kept her eyes shut and curved her lips trying to reassure the girl.

  “I’m right here, okay? You’ll be fine. Everything is going to be okay.”

  Licking her lips, she tried to calm her racing heart. James wasn’t waking up, and she should be. She would have asked Lily to go check, but she didn’t want her to be scared any more than she was.

  “Did they hurt you at all?”

  “No, they didn’ hurt me. They hurt Jamsey.”

  “What?”

  Addison opened her eyes to see the still figure lying across from her on a similar bed: the mattress was thin, had wire springs, and was low to the ground. Her head was hanging off the edge and her dark, black hair was cascading down to touch the cement flooring. The breaths she was taking were long and slow, but the rise and fall reassured Addison that James was still alive.

  “Jamsey is hurt. She’s bleeding.”

  Addison slowly rolled over the edge of her cot so that she could rest on her hands and knees. She noted that they had taken her hair tie as well as her belt, jewelry and clothes, dressing her in a simple gown with absolutely nothing underneath. Groaning, she pushed herself up and made her way to where James was lying. Her fingers pushed the limp head up and back onto the bed so that it wasn’t hanging awkwardly. Addison was on her knees and ran her hands over James’ face and neck to check for injuries. Blood was matted and dried in her hair; Addison closed her eyes before sliding her fingers through it.

  “Come on, James, open your eyes.”

  There was no response and she turned James’ head toward the wall so she could check the injury to its fullest extent. The broken part of the skin was small, maybe an inch or so long, but the placement of it worried her. It was at the base of James’ skull sliding upward to disappear in the locks. The bleeding had stopped, but she had no way of knowing how much swelling there was or if there were any fractures. Biting her lip, Addison moved so she was staring directly into the face of her lover.

  “James.”

  She tapped on her cheek.

  “This is not funny, open your eyes,” taking a sterner tone, she slapped James a little harder.

  “Wake up!”

  There were tears slipping over Addison’s cheeks, and she pressed her face into James’ chest, letting a quiet sob flow through her body.

  “Addy, don’ cry.” The voice was quiet, but close. “She okay, she just need sleep now.”

  “Yeah, honey bee. She just needs to sleep.”

  Addison wiped the tears from her cheeks and slid down to rest her back against the metal frame of the bed. Her neck tilted against the mattress and the corner of James’ knee. She held her arms out so that Lily could snuggle into her embrace. She rocked the child back and forth, slowly humming a quiet tune for hours until her voice was hoarse.

  “Lily, baby, I can’t sing anymore. Can you sing for me?”

  “Sing what?”

  “I don’t know. Why don’t you sing me your favorite song?”

  Addison nuzzled her face into the girl’s long hair and closing her eyes, hoping James would wake soon. They had no sign from their kidnappers since Addison had woken, and she started to grow tired of the waiting.

  Lily started with the chorus. Her sweet voice was quiet and lonely as it echoed throughout the cell.

  “Sometimes I feel discouraged, and think my work’s in vain, but then the Holy Spirit, revives my soul again.”

  Lily sang through it twice before the verse worked into the melody.

  “There is a balm in Gilead, to make the wounded whole.”

  Her voice drew out as the music lifted up.

  “There is a balm in Gilead, to heal the sin sick soul.”

  Singing through the chorus again, the words reverberated around the room. Addison’s heart broke that a child would sing such a healing yet sad song. Once more through the chorus before Lily repeated the verse, the sound tapering as she decided she was done and buried her face again in Addison’s neck.

  “That was beautiful, baby.”

  Addison picked up where the child left off, finishing the rest of the song on a low and restorative hum. The door swung open and the light grew brighter, startling them. A tall man walked in with a black mask over his face that shielded his eyes from Addison. He had on a long-sleeved shirt and gloves, pants and dark leather boots so Addison had no idea of his race or what he looked like. He was like a black man-shaped-blob with no defining features.

  He looked from one person to the next and then pointed at Addison. She stood and put Lily on the bed behind James, making sure the girl stayed behind her. Addison’s eyes didn’t leave the man. Once she was free of the child, he moved forward and another man dressed similarly came in and grabbed Addison by the arms.

  Addison dropped to her knees, letting them carry the full weight of her and struggled to slide her arms free from their grasp. She was grunting and sweating when a third man came in and pulled her back flush against his front. His mouth was against her ear, she could feel the hot air even through the fabric covering his nostrils and mouth.

  “Don’t move. You don’t want to scare the kid.”

  She shivered and stopped her struggles, glancing back at Lily who was pressed into the corner of the room. She was standing on the mattress with a still unconscious James at her feet.

  “That’s better.” He wrapped his arm around her middle just under her breasts and tugged upward so that he was carrying her.

  Addison’s breath left her when her feet were lifted off the floor and she was manhandled out of the room.

  Lily stood staring at where Addison had last been, her eyes not leaving the spot. There was a camera that was set on her in the corner of the room that was connected to the new room Addison had been brought into. Addison had a full view of Lily. Addison breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Lily was fine, even though she’d gone back to blankly staring and not moving.

  Addison was put into a chair and her arms were tied to each of the wooden arms of the seat. Her legs were strapped down, as was her head. She took deep breaths and tried to calm her racing heart, knowing she could look over and see Lily any time she wanted to.

  The two men left the room, but the one that had spoken to her remained behind. He was very tall, yet burly enough that she wasn’t sure she could take him out if she tried despite being in very good shape.

  “What is it you want?” she asked.

  “Nothing really.”

  His voice was low, and he stood staring at her arms crossed over his chest. She wished she could see his face, because staring at a faceless and colorless person had her far more on edge than she ever thought possible.

  Licking her lips, she started again. “You obviously want something, so what is it?”

  He turned his head to the side and didn’t answer. Addison took a deep breath and looked around the room as best as she could. They had taken two hallways to get here. From the first room they’d gone right down the short hallway, and then left through the longer one. This room had been the last door on the right and had no windows, but two cameras set in opposite corners. The door didn’t look locked, but she wasn’t going anywhere tied to the chair and with the guard standing in her way.

  A few minutes later, the door slid open and a small bent man came in carrying a tray with a glass of water and medical equipment. He set it on the table that was in the corner of the room and looked toward the man who was standing by the door. He was bald, for the most part, and what he had of hair was gray and extremely thin in a half-circle around the back of his head. His glasses were so thick Addison classified them as ‘coke-bottle glasses’, the rims were dark and the lenses almost half an inch thick. She watched carefully as the man spoke.