Halina’s heart ached with this new window into Mitch. “What happened with the others he went after?”
Nelson’s grin was vengefully satisfied. “My CO was stripped of his command and demoted several levels where he has no authority. His wages were garnished so severely he’s living in a cardboard box. The superiors lost years of service and also had wages garnished—all big hits to their future since their retirement pay is based off their highest year’s salary. Everyone has letters in their files, which will make people think twice about hiring them for contract work after they retire. A few politicians got so much negative press, they resigned from their seats in the House and Senate. Mitch made sure they’d all feel the repercussions of their actions for the rest of their life.”
That last statement struck her heart like a fist. Mitch’s seething anger toward her based on his perceived betrayal seven years ago now made more sense. Maybe he wasn’t consciously seeking revenge on Halina, maybe he truly did simply need her to help him put Schaeffer away, but she was starting to see a theme in his past. She couldn’t help but wonder if revenge hadn’t been hardwired into Mitch. And whether the scars she’d left on his psyche hadn’t instigated that burning need to punish.
Halina knew everyone had black marks on their souls. She’d spent a lot of time thinking about how they got there. But she’d never considered how, or if, they could be removed. Like a scuff on the floor, polished away with time and repetitive behavior. In her own experience, she believed those dark grooves embedded in her childhood would stay forever. She also believed she was more easily scarred because of them. But removal?
Movement outside drew her gaze. Mitch opened the passenger’s door with a mischievous grin and kicked his shoes on the running board to shake off the loose snow before climbing in. An icy blast of air made Halina curl closer to Dex.
“You must have found something good,” Nelson said. “You look like you drew blood.”
“Yeah.” He shut the door sounding a little breathless. As he shrugged out of his jacket and buckled his belt, he said, “You know those creepy little figurines Kat’s into with the bug eyes? Dogs, cats, fish . . .”
Nelson made a sound and cringed as he pulled back out onto the road. “Those things freak me out. I told her I’d rather teach her Barbies to shoot than play with those things.”
Mitch barked a laugh. “Bet Teague loved that.”
Nelson made another sound, this one more noncommittal.
“I got the brand-new one.” Mitch reached in the bag and pulled out a small package. He pushed it into Nelson’s line of sight. “A raccoon.”
Nelson put up an arm as if to protect himself. “Ah! The burn! Get that thing away from me. I’m going to have nightmares.”
Laughing, Mitch turned it around and inspected the package. “It’s not that bad.”
“Dude.” Nelson looked at Mitch like he’d told him he was going to have a sex change. “You’ve been working too hard.”
He held it up for Halina to see and gave her a pained, questioning, is-it-that-bad look. It was the most congenial, most spectacularly ordinary thing he’d done yet. Almost as if they were . . . friends. The thought filled her with melancholy warmth.
She scrunched one side of her face at the deranged little creature. “Hmm,” she murmured, letting her smile relax as she looked at him. “I think they were going for the so-ugly-it’scute design.”
A grin spread across his face. “Exactly!” He jabbed a fist into Nelson’s shoulder. “See. So ugly it’s cute.”
“Ow.” Nelson laughed, rubbing his shoulder. “Fine. Whatever. I’m not playing with it.” He mocked a full body shiver. “But I wouldn’t mention that theory to Kat. And you might want to wear earplugs when you give it to her. What did you get for Mateo?”
“What else?”
“Crayons,” the two men said in unison.
Their playfulness gave Halina insight into a different side of Mitch. One she’d thought had been stamped out of him since they’d parted. Seeing it again was bittersweet.
Mitch turned to Halina again. “You’ve got to see this kid’s talent. He’s like a Crayola van Gogh. I’ve got his pictures framed all over my office.”
Halina’s heart felt too big for her body. God, how she loved seeing him happy. Loved knowing how much he’d given back to others. Loved seeing what a rich, loving life he’d built for himself.
Loved knowing that doing the right thing made her life and all she’d given up . . . bearable.
“Listen,” Mitch said to her, his voice serious again, “just to prepare you, everyone is here. These people are like the most bizarre, dysfunctional extended family you’ll ever meet. Stems from some stupid kumbaya firefighter thing.”
Nelson laughed.
“As I explained, they all have powers,” Mitch continued. “But they all hold them in check around the rest of us—most of the time. Kai is empathic, Keira is clairaudient, Teague has thermokinetic abilities, uses them mostly for healing, though he’s learned a few new tricks recently.”
“He’s melting every piece of metal he can get his hands on,” Nelson said. “When he started welding kitchen utensils together, oh my God, I thought Alyssa was going to stab him with one of his new-fangled sporks.”
Mitch laughed, then rested his head against the seat with a smile that just wouldn’t quit. “Hell, I’ve been missing all the good stuff.” He spoke over his shoulder to Halina. “Quaid, I told you, is a remote viewer and can teleport. His wife, Jessica, is a scryer, but her abilities seem to have improved as well and she shares some of her husband’s abilities. The boy, Mateo, is also a remote viewer, though he uses his skills a little differently from Quaid. And Luke, Keira’s fiancé, is Teflon Man and a supreme pain in the ass.”
Nelson laughed again. “Come on, you’re throwing a lot at her at once.” He glanced in the rearview mirror and met Halina’s gaze, which was probably glazed over with the complicated emotions arising with the information overload. “If he gives you a test, I’ll kick his ass.”
Halina’s mind was clogged with the onslaught of unbelievable information. “Teflon Man?”
“Bulletproof,” Nelson said. “Fireproof. Explosion proof. Et cetera.”
“Though we haven’t tried acid on him yet,” Mitch said, his sarcasm thick. “And I’ve been trying to get Keira to let me go at him with a freshly sharpened set of Henckels. But maybe I can chuck a few of Teague’s sporks at him while I’m here.”
“Such a wet blanket, that Keira,” Nelson muttered. “I liked your nuclear explosive idea.”
“I know, right?” Mitch said.
Nelson laughed. “Meltdown.”
“Seriously.”
They were like two mischievous little boys planning to tie fireworks to the cat’s tail.
“But he did forget to mention,” Nelson said, “that Keira and Luke’s powers combine to create new and stronger powers and that the whole team is learning how to work together to create hybrid abilities.” He glanced at Mitch. “When are they going to learn to transfer those to us?”
Mitch’s smile twisted. “I’m not so sure I want them.”
“Enough,” Halina said, dropping her head and rubbing her temples. “Way too much information.”
Her stomach twisted tighter with every mile along the road. Her decision seven years ago had touched every one of these people in a negative way. Some in horrendous ways. She didn’t know what to expect and felt the tension all the way up her spine. All she could do was grit her teeth until they finally turned in to a long driveway lined with pines, and paused at a metal split-rail gate.