Prodigal Son (28 page)

“Mama—”

“I’m not finished.” She glared at him, her mouth quivering. “How could you take off like that, leaving us to wonder if you were dead or alive? Your phone call a few days ago was the first time we’ve heard from you in
years
.”

His gut churned. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry! You rip out my heart with such careless disregard, leave your brother struggling for life, and you’re
sorry
?”

“I don’t know what else to say. You made it clear you wanted me to go.”

“
We
made it clear…?” She shook her head, her lips pressed in a line.

Tessa broke the tense silence. “There was an explosion. Rafe nearly got killed.”

His mother paled. “What?”

“What explosion?” his father demanded. “When?”

“That would be my car,” Rafe said. “It was a bomb. Today.”

“Someone put a bomb in your car?” His mother raised a trembling hand to her mouth, then launched herself into his arms. She hugged him with surprising strength, and he closed his eyes, absorbing the familiar citrusy scent of her shampoo. “Thank the Creators you’re all right.”

“Who would do something like that?” His father stepped forward, his fists curling. “One of those criminals you’re always chasing?”

“You know about that?”

His mother pulled out of his arms. “Of course we know. You couldn’t be bothered to call home, so we hired a private detective. We are well aware of how you have been using your gifts.”

The censure in her tone made him wince. “I didn’t have much of a skill set when I left, Mama.”

“Which is why you shouldn’t have left at all. You should have trusted us to help you.”

“Let’s not get into that,” Rafe said. “Dar was in critical condition, and you forbade me to complete the Soul Circle. After what happened, I didn’t see that I had any other choice.”

“You weren’t ready for the Soul Circle,” his mother protested. “We were trying to look out for you.”

He shrugged. “I can take care of myself. It’s better this way.”

“For whom?” his father demanded.

“For everyone.”

“Not for me,” his mother said. “I don’t know if I can ever forgive you for putting us through that, the not knowing.”

The quiet words sliced through his heart like an arrow, silent and fatal. His faint hope of redemption went up like tissue paper caught aflame, burning to ash in an instant.

He’d always wondered what would happen if he came home. Now he knew.

He forced himself to speak despite the tightness in his chest. “History aside, let’s focus on what’s happening now. Last week someone shot at Mama, and now my car was blown up. According to what I’ve learned, it was the same man behind both.”

“What? Who?” his father demanded. “I’ve had people tracking the sniper, but they haven’t gotten anywhere.”

“What people?” Rafe asked.

John hesitated before admitting, “I called in the Team to investigate.”

Rafe tensed.
The Team
. Of course, that’s who he would call. “That was probably the best option at the time,” he said calmly, tamping down bitter memories of the past. “But they wouldn’t be able to track these guys. They’re like us. Apparently we’re not the only descendants of Atlantis out there.”

“What kind of crap is that?” Darius jerked forward, gripping the edge of the table. “What the hell has happened to you, man? Why would you screw with us like that?”

“It’s true,” Rafe said. “Think about it. Could our ancestor really be the
only
one to survive the destruction?”

He glanced at his mother, but she stood silent and pale, her eyes wide with some emotion he couldn’t read.

Dar sucked in a breath. “Mom? You know something about this?”

His mother turned toward his father and fumbled for his hand. Still she did not speak.

“We both do,” his father said, his voice rough as he twined his fingers with his wife’s.

“Mom?” Darius sank back into his chair. “What’s he talking about? Did you lie to us?”

“Back off, Darius,” his father said.

“We can’t back off,” Rafe said. “These people tried to kill two members of our family. They won’t stop, unless we stop them. We need to know everything you know.”

“It’s all right, John.” His mother let out a long, shuddering breath and patted his father’s arm. She finally looked at her children, each in turn. “Your father is just keeping a promise to me. It was to protect you.”

“What promise?” Tessa asked. “What’s happening? How come I haven’t seen anything?”

“Protect us from what?” Darius demanded.

“Your brother is right, Darius.” Maria looked at Rafe as she said it. “These evil men are like us, descendants of the survivors of Atlantis. That’s why you can’t see them, Tessa. They nearly destroyed my family when I was a child. They want to kill every Seer until none are left.”

Tessa made a quiet sound of distress, raising her hand to her mouth as if to hold back more.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Darius asked. “Why didn’t you warn us?”

“I thought we’d finally escaped them. Your father helped me all these years and swore to me he would never reveal the truth to you unless we did it together.”

“Dar is right. You have been lying to us.” Betrayal burned an acid hole through Rafe’s heart. “I could see when we were children, but now that we’re adults? We deserve to know about any danger threatening us. And the truth about our heritage.”

His mother raised her chin in a proud tilt he used to call “the Spanish aristocrat” when he was a kid. “I did what I felt was best, Rafael. The best I knew how.” She softened her tone, though her eyes stayed steady and hot. “You can’t know the horror of being hunted, of being exterminated like rodents. I did not want that for my children. Not ever.”

“That explains it,” Darius said, his voice rough. “That explains the darkness I sometimes felt from you.”

“You should have told us,” Tessa whispered, face white with shock. “Both of you.”

“It doesn’t matter now,” Rafe said. He looked around at his family, his emotions a frozen block of ice. The secrets his parents had kept could mean death for all of them, and they would need his help. “They’ve found us. Perhaps if we had known to watch for them, this could have been avoided. But now to make things worse, they’re also looking for Cara’s stepbrother. He’s on the run, and apparently he has something these guys are after—something called the Stone of Igarle.”

His mother gasped and steadied herself on the edge of the table. “No. That’s impossible.”

Rafe wanted to reach for her, but his father jumped forward to assist her into a chair. Once she was settled, his father pulled out a chair for himself and sat, sliding his arm around her—the very picture of unity. Rafe hesitated before seating himself across from them. “So, you’ve heard of this thing?”

“In legends. Ancient texts.” She glanced at his father. “It’s one of the Stones of Ekhia.”

“The Stones of Ekhia?” Just uttering the name sent a prickle along Rafe’s spine. “What are those?”

His mother folded her hands, but he could still see the tremor in her fingers. “According to the scrolls I have in the vault, the Stones of Ekhia were the central source of power for Atlantis. The Seers used the stones to talk to the Creators.” She waved her hands as if dismissing the idea. “But they’ve been lost for eons, since the cataclysm. They may never have existed at all, just myth.”

“What if they’re not? These goons tried to kill me and kidnap Cara to get to her stepbrother. Supposedly he has this stone.”

“No,” she whispered hoarsely. “How could it possibly exist and we do not know about it? Our ancestor Agrilara was the
apaiz nagusi,
the high priestess. If anyone could have saved any of the Stones of Ekhia, she would have been the one.”

“I don’t know how they would know about it,” Rafe said. “Maybe these Atlanteans have access to some ancient records that we don’t have. Whatever the case, there are some big-deal people chasing this thing. The president of Santutegi sent the goons who blew up my car.”

“Cara’s coming,” Tessa said, seconds before the sound of approaching footsteps reached them.

“Quiet now,” his mother whispered. “We will talk more of this later.” She sent a hard look around to each of her children to emphasize her order.

“Mama—” Rafe began.

“Later!” Maria hissed.

Cara appeared in the doorway of the dining room and hesitated when she saw his parents. “Hello,” she said.

Rafe could practically hear the mental closing of doors as his family put on their game faces for the non-Atlantean. He’d started to tell them she already knew about them, but he supposed they would discover that soon enough. He got up and went to Cara. As he led her toward the table, he could feel her reticence. She knew she’d interrupted something. His Cara was no dummy.

His Cara. When had that happened? “Mama, Dad, this is Cara McGaffigan.”

“Hello, Cara. I’m Maria Montana.” His mother held out a hand. Cara took it, and his mom looked deeply into her eyes. “It’s
very
nice to meet you, dear. So sorry about the circumstances.”

“Nice to meet you,” Cara replied.

His dad stood and offered a hand. “John Montana,” he said, shook, and sat.

She offered him a smile. “Hello.”

“Over here.” Rafe steered her toward the empty chair between him and Darius. “I was just telling everyone what we’ve been through over the past couple of days.”

“Lordy, I must have taken longer in the bathroom than I thought. But I couldn’t help washing up once I caught sight of myself in the mirror.” Cara wrinkled her nose and sat down in the chair Rafe held for her. “So everyone is filled in? The explosion, Adrian Gray, and the whole thing?”

Rafe shook his head. “I didn’t get there yet.”

“Who is Adrian Gray?” Tessa asked. She focused on Cara, got that distant look on her face, then said, “Oh. Nice-looking guy.”

Cara stiffened, and Rafe reached out to cover her hand with his. “Tess, don’t pull things out of Cara’s mind without asking.”

“Oh!” Tessa winced. “Sorry. I told you I was rude.”

Darius leaned forward. “Hold on a minute. She knows?”

“She knows about
me
,” Rafe clarified.

Cara looked around the table. “Let’s get this out in the open. I know you’re all descended from a survivor of Atlantis and that Rafe is psychic. I assume the rest of you are as well.”

“Rafael!” his mother chided. His father narrowed his eyes.

“Just hold it.” Darius slapped both hands on the table. “This day just keeps getting worse. What happened to keeping our abilities secret? No offense,” he said to Cara, “but we don’t know you.”

“Darius,” Tessa said softly, “I know you must have seen what I did in Cara.”

His brother’s mouth tightened, and he slouched back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest.

“I apologize for my children,” Maria said to Cara. She sent Rafe a warning look.

“Don’t apologize for me, Mom,” Darius said. “Apparently this lady knows everything about us, thanks to Rafe. It’s dangerous, if you ask me.”

“Chill out, Powderpuff,” Rafe said. “Sorry to be cramping your style, but we need a place to spend the night and regroup, a
safe
place. We’ve got to get ahead of these guys. Then we can stop them for good. I think we
all
want that.”

Darius scowled. “Listen up, Roid Rage. You may have led this danger right to us. Did you think of that?”

“Of course I thought of it.” Rafe tightened his fingers around Cara’s. “But I also brought new info, things you might be interested in hearing.”

“Like what?” Darius challenged.

“I already told you that there are other Atlanteans.” Rafe calmly met his mother’s furious glare. “But some of them have powers other than Seeing. Some can manipulate the wills of others.”

“What kind of BS is that?” Darius demanded.

“It’s true,” Cara said. “I’ve met these men. I’ve experienced their power for myself.” She caught and held Darius’s gaze. “Look into my eyes and tell me if I’m lying.”

Darius clenched his jaw. “By the Creators, does she really know every damned thing about us?”

“About me,” Rafe corrected. “Though now she’s getting a feel for what a sweet, sensitive guy you are, bro.”

“Screw you.”

“Enough.” Maria’s tone brooked no disobedience. She looked from one son to the other, her gaze coming to rest on Rafe with heavy meaning. “This is astonishing news, and we need to hear your brother out.
After
dinner.”

“I have some questions for you, too,” Rafe said, hating himself as his mother flinched. “About Atlantis,” he continued, “and anything you know about this stone. These guys are still after us, and I feel like I’m fighting blind.”

His mother relaxed and nodded. “I will consult the scrolls.”

“Just like that?” Darius demanded. “He has no respect for our ways, Mom, and you would open up the archives to him?”

“He’s your brother. And we may need him now, more than ever.”

“He didn’t complete the Soul Circle. He rejected our beliefs and left.”

“He’s still one of us,” his mother said. “This is my decision.”

Darius used the edge of the table to get to his feet, then snagged the cane hooked over the arm of his chair. “Just make sure he doesn’t sell our secrets to the tabloids.”

Rafe rolled his eyes. “Don’t be an ass.”

Darius started toward the door. “Don’t sell out your family, and I’ll think about it.”

Only his brother’s lurching gait held Rafe back from going after Darius and making him eat those words. The click of the cane and the shuffle of shoe soles echoing back from the hallway served as a bucket of ice water on his fired-up ego. Darius had a right to his suspicions—and to his anger.

“You know, you two must be hungry,” his father said into the suddenly silent dining room. “Why don’t you get washed up and then we’ll eat? We’ll all think better on a full stomach.”

“Good idea.” Rafe turned away from the doorway and raised his brows at Cara. She nodded. Fatigue shadowed her face.

“Cara, that shirt of yours has half the desert on it,” his mother said. “Why don’t we throw your clothes in the washer before we eat? I’m sure Tessa has something you could borrow.”