Corinne (Book One of The Red Diamond Saga) (11 page)

The memory of the woman plagued her as she drew closer to her due date. She began asking subtle questions of Conner and the staff at the clinic. She was met with curt responses that included no real information.

The day before her due date Conner insisted that she stay at the clinic until the babies were born. Once she was settled in, a nurse stayed with her constantly.

When Conner checked on her, she grabbed his arm and drew him close to her. “Where is Alice?” She hissed through the building pains of labor.

Conner grimaced at the question. “I told you, Bethany, she was taken to a place where they can help her.”

Bethany groaned beneath a strong contraction, her grip tightening on Conner's wrist so severely that he cried out in pain too. When Bethany could breathe again she glared hard at Conner.

“Where is her baby?” She demanded to know before she was overtaken by another contraction.

Conner was thrown by the question. He had not expected it, and did not have a premeditated lie to respond to it with.

“The baby is,” He stumbled over his words. “Safe.”

Bethany could no longer speak as the pain washed over her. She stared up at Conner as her admiration for him began to fade away. He had stolen a child from its mother, of that she was certain. Conner had promised her that she could be part of the twins' lives. Was that a lie too? It made her wonder just how much of her idol was false. All of these thoughts became lost in the act of childbirth as the babies decided it was time to make their way into the world.

Conner was concerned about Bethany's questioning, but he focused on the birth. He was as excited as any new father would be, eager to see the beautiful infants. He could only hope that they, unlike many others, would be born alive and healthy.

In the end, Bethany gave birth to two squirming, screaming babies.

The joy she should have felt was muted by the babies being placed first in Conner's arms. She felt an emptiness in the pit of her stomach that did not come from giving birth. Instead it came from the knowledge that her children would never actually belong to her.

The ringing of the phone jolted Conner out of his memories. He stared at the device as if it were toxic and then reluctantly answered it.

“Are you aware of what has happened?” The voice asked, with animosity riddling its tone. Conner sighed heavily as the alcohol he had been drinking made it difficult for him to fathom what his superior was referring to.

“I am not sure what you mean.” Conner murmured as he leaned his weight on the desk and tried to keep his eyes open.

“Turn on the news.” The voice said sharply, it was followed by the harsh click of the line disconnecting. Conner picked up a slim remote from his desk and pressed the button on top. A flat screen television that took up nearly one entire wall of his office hummed to life, and displayed the national news network. A reporter was speaking dramatically, while behind her a fire raged out of control.

“The elementary school was undergoing renovations in one area, and as a result, all of the children were moved to one area of the school. We have been told that area does not have access to fire exits, and all of the children and teachers are still trapped inside.” The reporter's voice wavered as she glanced over her shoulder at the flames shooting up into the sky. The microphone picked up the sounds of wailing parents as they arrived at the scene and discovered that their children were not safely lined up away from the danger, but in fact, trapped right in the middle of it.

The images on the screen switched to the news desk, and the two reporters behind it, a man and a woman, who both stared sympathetically into the camera.

“That was the terrifying scene earlier today.” The male reporter said. His hair was white, and his age and experience had earned him the anchor position. The perky redhead who sat beside him and tried too hard to sound intelligent, had earned her position in other ways.

“That's right, everyone was praying for a miracle, and then they received one!” She waved her hands above her head in a very awkward gesture of awe. The man beside her grimaced briefly, and then continued.

“All hope was lost, when through the smoke, these three unknown heroes emerged.” He gestured to the screen behind him. “It is something that you have to see to believe.”

The screen switched back to footage taped earlier in the day. Conner gasped as he saw Lisa walk out of the smoke, a small body clutched in her arms. Behind her trailed about fifteen more children. Behind the children, Aaron emerged. He had a teacher in his arms, and was surrounded by another passel of children.

Corinne was the last to step out of the smoke. She had a child cradled in her arms that was not moving. Her expression was a mixture of joy and horror as she wondered if they had gotten there in time.

The camera zoomed in close on her soot smudged features as she rushed the child toward a waiting ambulance. Conner took the last swig of his drink as he glared at the dark green eyes that stared at him through the television screen. So beautiful, and she was the source of all of the chaos in his life. The anger in Conner built with every thought that crossed his mind until the glass he held shattered beneath the force of his grasp. He ignored the blood that began to stream from the cuts on his palm. His gaze was fixated on the tattoo of a diamond on the back of his hand.

“It does not matter where you run,” He promised through gritted teeth. “You will always belong to me.”

Corinne had finally managed to wash all of the scent of smoke out of her long golden blonde hair. She spent extra time beneath the heat of the rushing water, hoping that it would wash away some of her worries. She had been elated to be part of a rescue that prevented the deaths of several children and teachers. Still, she knew that by doing so, they had exposed themselves to the world.

No one knew how Aaron had literally ripped one of the doors off of the building. They did not witness Corinne forcing a path through the fire and smoke with only the determination of her mind. No one had photographed what the limp body in her arms had looked like when she first found it. The little boy had been burned beyond recognition, and certainly had no chance of survival, until Lisa laid her gentle hands on his charred flesh.

Together they had managed to change fate. Corinne tried to reassure herself that their actions had been right, how could they not be with the results? However, she could not shake a nagging sensation that they had done something terribly wrong. Human beings were not meant to have the skills they did. If they were, it would happen naturally. It would not have to be designed into their DNA.

She wondered what impact their actions had in the long run. Her mind was full of contradictions as she tried to process all of the changes that had occurred recently in her life.

She had gone from being a foster child, abandoned at a hospital as an infant, to being a twin, created by a mad scientist. Aaron and Lisa had become her family, and rather than living in a one bedroom apartment all alone, she was crowded in with two other adults whom she barely knew.

As if to punctuate that fact, Aaron pounded on the door. “Corinne, I have to pee!” He pleaded desperately. He was not accustomed to sharing a bathroom either, especially with women. Lisa laughed at him from the kitchen as she prepared pancakes and orange juice.

Corinne dried off as quickly as she could, inspired by the scent of the pancakes cooking. She threw on a robe and tied it tightly around her waist. When she opened the bathroom door Aaron nearly fell in with urgency.

Corinne giggled as she hurried out of the way and closed the door behind her. She had to admit, although her life was quite different, it had never been full of so many pleasant complications. Her childhood was full of neglect and abuse. She had not even considered what it was like to be loved by someone until she had met Sam, a police officer who had rescued her from a very abusive situation.

He had become like a father figure to her as she grew. It was not until her life had exploded to reveal it was built on lie after lie, that she discovered who Sam truly was. He had been hired by Conner to monitor her, to do his best to protect her without interfering too much. Of course Corinne never had any idea that the man she revered and came so close to fully trusting, was beating and raping women in secret.

It was not until he tried to frame Daniel, Corinne's fiancé for the crimes that she began to see the truth behind his mask. She had been so devastated by the discovery that she found it difficult to believe in any kind of love. Daniel, who was leading a mysterious life of his own as an undercover police officer, tried his hardest to prove his love for her. When he revealed that he had to keep his life a secret until his assignment was complete, she understood, but it still hurt that he had lied to her for so long.

Then she had nearly fallen for Conner's lies. He had her believing that he cared deeply for Aaron, who she discovered was her twin brother, and Lisa, who had been raised in the same sheltered atmosphere as Aaron. She had no idea that they were actually being held like prisoners from the rest of the world, examined and studied, like lab rats.

That was what Conner had intended to do to her as well when he forced her into his custody. What he had not planned for was the depth of love Daniel had for Corinne, and his dedication to her. Without thought to his job, or the consequences of his actions, he had stormed the office building Conner used as a front to disguise his scientific research. He had held Conner at gunpoint, and was finally able to rescue Corinne from danger. Along with her, he liberated Aaron and Lisa.

Though he was uncertain whether reuniting Corinne with Aaron was really for the best, he was happy to see her happier than he had ever seen her before.

Corinne and Daniel had a wedding to plan, but that had fallen to the way side when Aaron and Lisa had come to live with Corinne. There was simply too much happening to think about their future at the moment. It grated at Daniel's nerves, but he was willing to be patient. Corinne had spent the majority of her life struggling, and he did not want to do anything to create more strife for her.

Corinne accepted a plate of pancakes from Lisa with a smile of gratitude. What the young woman lacked in emotional repertoire she more than made up for in culinary skills. Daniel came in through the front door. He didn’t get a lot of time with Corinne with two other people sleeping in the living room. He had tried to bring up the possibility of getting Aaron and Lisa their own apartment, but Corinne would hear nothing of it.

She was terrified that Conner would attempt to attack them, and she felt they were safest if they all stayed together. Daniel yawned and scratched at his dark brown hair as he sat down beside Corinne.

“Thank you.” He smiled politely at Lisa as she set a plate in front of him.

She moved away quickly with a furtive glance at the undershirt he wore. She had never been around men other than Aaron, who she considered her brother, and Conner. There were of course a few men that worked in the research facility, but they were not like people to her. She had been instructed so strictly for so long not to interact with them, that they might as well have been furniture in the room with her.

“Well,” Daniel said as he opened the newspaper and stared down at the front page. “Looks like you made the paper.” He pointed to the picture that took up one half of the page. It featured Lisa, Aaron, and Corinne, leaving the burning school with children and teachers closely following.

He shook his head with amazement. “I still don't understand how you could get to them when the firefighters could not.” He lifted his eyes briefly across the table, catching Corinne's shifting glance. He could read her easily, and he had known for weeks that she was hiding something.

He followed her with his gaze as she stood from the table and started a pot of coffee. She had once loved its aroma, now the pungent scent was mingled with traumatic memories as she had smelled it on Sam's breath when he attacked her.

Regardless of the dark feelings it sometimes summoned, she still enjoyed its taste and the burst of energy it offered her.

“Corinne.” Daniel said from the table when she offered no answer to his words. “I mean, how did you even know about the fire?”

Aaron returned to the kitchen in time to catch a wave of tension that rippled through the air. He started to back away, but before he could escape, Daniel had settled a glare he usually reserved for interrogation upon him.

“Maybe you can tell me Aaron, how is that you three just happened to be in the right place at the right time?” His narrowed lashes made his light blue eyes that usually struck people as innocent become haunted with the tendrils of darkness that inhabited his dominant side.

Aaron rolled his eyes as he tried to avoid Daniel's scrutiny. He found the man to be a bit intolerable with his constantly suspicious nature. Corinne had explained it away as just being part of a cop's nature, but Aaron knew better. He could tell that Daniel considered him a potential threat.

“What can I say Danny, just luck I suppose.” His chiseled lips curved into a mocking smirk as he leaned back against the kitchen wall.

Daniel prickled at being called Danny. Aaron had taken up the nickname almost right away, and Daniel found himself loathing the man more and more each time he used it. Lisa glanced between the two men as she tossed the last of the pancakes on to plates for herself and Aaron. She appeared very confused at first, and then suddenly she grinned.

“Oh I get it now!” She declared happily.

“Get what?” Corinne asked, eager to change the subject.

Lisa rounded the kitchen counter and joined Daniel and Corinne at the table as she gushed enthusiastically.

“I was watching this television show, and they kept using this phrase. It was so strange; I could not understand what it was referring to.”

Aaron reluctantly joined them at the table, if only because Lisa's pancakes smelled so amazing.

“What was the phrase?” He asked mildly. Lisa had a hard time grasping many sarcastic and comical concepts because she took things as plain facts, rather than interpreting the emotions that might be wrapped around them.

“A pissing contest.” She said lightly as she took a sip of her orange juice.

Corinne burst out laughing. She reached up to cover her mouth, but it was too late, both Aaron and Daniel were glaring at her, offended by her amusement.

Lisa looked between all three, unsure as to why they were reacting so strongly. She shrugged and laughed along with Corinne, without knowing why.

Corinne cleared her throat to try to cover her laughter as she lowered her eyes to the table top and muttered. “What? She's right.” She could not subdue another fit of giggles.

Aaron shoved a forkful of pancake into his mouth to keep from pointing out that he had not started it. Daniel pretended to read the article in the paper, and hoped that no one noticed the flush of embarrassment in his cheeks. He knew he was being too aggressive toward Aaron, but he could not help but feel that ever since he came into their lives, Corinne had been keeping secrets from him.