Revealed (The Found Book 1) (25 page)

At dinner, Joe peppered them with questions. He asked about anything and everything. At one point Kali’s sweater rode up and he saw the scar on her right wrist.

“How did you get that?”

Kali wasn’t going to tell him, but Jade explained what had happened, including Jared’s involvement. She didn’t explain the torture in graphic detail, but instead said how there had been bad people who hurt Kali for information and Jared had been the boss of them.

“Jared is an evil man. I hated him and I only spent time with him because you asked me to Jade.”

“Did he hurt you, Joey?” Jade gasped.

“No, he wouldn’t hurt me, he wanted me to like him, because he wanted your money.”

“Joe, you sure had him figured out,” Noah smiled. “Is there anything else you can tell us? We’re trying to find him.”

“Sure. He was always talking to his girlfriend on the phone. Her name is Ashley, and she lives in Las Vegas. You could talk to his wife, but he would always avoid her phone calls.”

“Do you know the girlfriend’s last name, Joe?” Noah asked.

“One day when turned off his cell phone because his wife kept calling, she called the front desk and they said an Ashley Hayes was on the phone for him.”

“What about his wife?” Kalie asked. “Or anyone or anything else you can remember.” They questioned Joe, and it became clear Jared felt totally comfortable speaking in front of Joe as he would have in front of any young child. Obviously the man didn’t have much exposure to children and the fact they were actually sponges who absorbed everything.

He thought Joe was damaged Kali.

Well then he’s an evil idiot.

Noah’s deep laughter warmed her heart. She loved it when she could make him laugh, and the people around them would wonder why he was laughing for no reason. But Joe didn’t look surprised, as a matter of fact, he looked at Noah, then at her, and gave her a knowing smile. All this growth in one day was phenomenal.

“I think his brother was even worse, you should find him,” Joe said suddenly.

“What?” Kali and Noah asked in unison.

“Jared’s brother. He came and visited me one time. He scared Jared, I could tell. He lives in the Catsfins. His name is Aaron, he had a different dad, so he had a different last name he said was better than Jared’s. His name is Aaron Price and he lives in the Catsfins Mountains.”

“Joey, do you think he could have said Catskill Mountains?” Jade asked.

“That’s it,” Joe nodded decisively. “I got gill and fin messed up.”

“Joe, we have to go. We have to find Jared, and you’ve been very helpful.”

“Noah, will you make him go to jail for what he did to Kali?”

“You can bet on it.” Joe stood and shook Noah’s hand, then he turned to Kali and gave her a hug. “Will you come to visit me again?”

“Joey, I think before the year is out
we’re
going to be visiting
them
,” Jade said linking arms with her godson.

Kali figured it would be more like another couple of weeks.

I think you’re right, beautiful. Now let’s get a move on.

Chapter Thirty-Three

They hadn’t been able to track down information on Aaron Price, it was like he had disappeared. Yes, he had a residence in the Catskills, but he moved without a forwarding address about the time of Jade Melling’s first donations. Sierra was able to find information on Jared’s Vegas girlfriend. Supposedly she was now cohabitating with a Gerald King, but Noah would bet the farm it was Jared Spellman. Unfortunately, Ashley Hayes and Gerald King were on a cruise in the Mediterranean. It was time to focus on the Rixitron problem.

“I still can’t believe everything that went on with Joey.” Sarah said as she spooned another helping of mashed potatoes onto Kali’s plate.

“I’m full.”

“You ate about seven hundred calories. Try again, slim.” Sarah made an eating motion with her fork and Kali scooped another bite of the potatoes.

“They are good,” she smiled.

“My brother can cook.”

Noah watched as Kali really started to dig into the food.

“Kali, there’s something you haven’t fully considered. If you marry Noah, your name is going to be Kali Wachowski-Kukailimoku, if you marry me, it would be Kali Wachowski-Johnson, and I cook.”

“Can it Johnson. She chose me. What did you make for dessert?” He looked around the table and wished Rydell and Riley were there as well. He liked Cyrus, but it wasn’t the same as having his team.

“I made apple brown betty.”

“What’s that?” Everybody turned on Noah.

“Seriously Noah, you haven’t had it before?” Sarah asked. When he shook his head, she rubbed her hands in glee. “Oh, you’re in for a treat. “Brother, is it warm?”

“Sister, I wouldn’t serve it any other way.”

When the warm crusted brown sugar and apple treat was put in front of him everybody watched as he took the first bite. “This is great, Cyrus. I’m sorry Kali, I think
I’m
the one who’s going to be marrying Cyrus, and I’m not hyphenating my name, I’m just going to be Noah Johnson.”

He loved to hear her laugh, and watch her eat. She had no idea the way she could seduce him with just her lips around a fork, or her smile. She always thought she was only passably pretty, because her skin was so light, and her light hair blended with it. She didn’t realize how the pink of her lips, the blue of her eyes, and the blush of her cheeks made her a study in contrast he could stare at for hours.

“Noah, are you all right?”

“What, baby?”

“You haven’t heard a word I said,” she whispered.

“Tell me again.”

“Have you heard from Dave, have they told him anything about Mai’s condition?”

“So far they haven’t told him anything.”

I’ll tell you more in our room.
He had to get her alone. He got up from the table and reached for Kali, satisfied she had eaten all of her dessert.

“Cyrus, as always, it was a great meal. Tomorrow night I’ll cook.” There was a round of groans. “Okay, I’ll order take-out.”

“Chinese,” Nate said hopefully.

“Anything you want,” Noah said as he gently tugged Kali towards the door. “We’ll see you in the morning for the briefing.”

As soon as they were out in the hallway, Noah had her up against the wall, his lips stealing kisses. When she wrapped her arms around his neck, he had what he wanted. He pulled them away he slid her arms so they pressed against the wall of the hallway, arching her high taut breasts against his chest like an offering. She moaned in supplication, and he licked her collarbone, trailing ever downwards to the “V” of her t-shirt, it had been driving him wild all through dinner.

“Someone might see,” she said in a breathy voice making his cock even harder.

“Everybody knows not to come out the door.”

“But…”

He pushed his knee between her legs, tight against the crotch of her jeans, and slid it up and down. As she cried out he thrust his tongue between her parted lips. Back and forth he rocked her. He couldn’t get enough of the flavors of cinnamon, apples and Kali. Please God, he couldn’t hold on much longer, and finally her nails ground into his hands and she shuddered her release. He held her still, sandwiched between the wall and his overheated body. When he thought he could move without doing permanent injury to his dick, he slid one arm around her waist and the other under her knees picking her up.

“I can walk.”

“I like carrying you.” He had no choice, he had to keep her as close as possible, it was a biological imperative.

* * *

She was dizzy, and it seemed to get worse, better, and more intense the longer she was with him. They twined together, mated. Tears pricked her eyes, and she gulped in big breaths of air, trying to get ahold of herself.

Don’t try, I’m right here with you.

He pushed their apartment door closed and had her on the couch before she could respond.

Clothes went flying in every direction. Names called with frantic need. At the exact moment Noah’s perfect lips touched her nipple she arched up to meet him. Just as she was about to ask for a certain touch, his fingers slid through her folds, and she knew to bite his neck hard enough to make him groan.

Truly joined, in sync, they knew each other’s thoughts before they were thoughts. They were parts of the same whole. His other hand helped her undo his jeans so she could unleash his cock, and then he was spearing inside her.

Pleasure swamped him, her, them. She was tight, he was thick. He was hot, she was wet. The friction was sublime. They flew high, so high.

* * *

“So what couldn’t you tell me in front of the others?”

“Dave has decided to break in and talk to Mai. He doesn’t trust she’s being told the truth about what happened. He thinks she has been kept in the dark about her brainwashing.”

“What is the correct procedure?”

“She should be with her parents, her adoptive parents. She needs to be reconditioned. She needs to see these people love her, and what she was led to believe is wrong. It will take time, but it’s what needs to happen. Dave thinks they haven’t told her anything.”

“Why wouldn’t they?”

“He doesn’t know, but he thinks the Taiwanese scientists have always wanted an opportunity to do experiments on Mai, and now they have a legitimate excuse to do so. It’s suspicious they haven’t let the Zhang’s even talk to their daughter since her rescue.”

“I didn’t know that. Her parents have to be frantic.”

“They are, and they have begun a public campaign to get her released. They are making it sound like she is a political prisoner. It’s a good tactic. She’s been high profile since she was
found
, but when she first played the violin publically at age ten, she became an international sensation. Then the mathematics? Well, she’s Taiwan’s rock star. The idea Mai Zhang is being held prisoner will not go over well with the public.”

“No, I suppose it won’t.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

Baby, please share.

Sometimes I feel less than…

They had been having hot chocolate on the couch, and he plucked her mug out of her hands, pulling her into his arms, and across his lap. She cuddled. He liked how she always did that now.

“I’ve been noticing some things, at first they were kind of subtle, but I really noticed it when we were dealing with Jade.” She was silent and still, just listening to him. “Remember how Jade really didn’t understand how Joe could be assimilating Turkish like he was. She was really struggling when I tried to explain.” Kali didn’t bother to deny it, and he liked that, there was no false protests to protect his feelings. She understood he was a big boy.

“Also, let’s talk about your time spent with Nate. Did you notice he couldn’t wrap his head around Sarah’s healing at first?”

“Sure.”

“Out of all the team, Kota took to it first.”

“Of course he would, he was healed.”

“Nope. It was his background, he’s talked to me about his great uncle who is a Shaman. He is very deferential when he talks about him. He already believes in spiritual and supernatural things like healing powers. Then there is Sierra, she was already onboard with you and I being able to speak telepathically. Nate believed we were just in tune with one another.” Kali was open to him, so he could listen to her process what he was saying.

“Okay, I agree.”

“Nate’s one of my oldest friends. I tried to explain to him we were just coming more into our powers at this point in time, and our time spent together seemed to augment those powers. He wasn’t having any of it.”

Kalie nodded her agreement, remembering back.

“But Kali, you and he had lunch together, just the two of you, and after you explained it to him he seemed to really get it.”

“I didn’t say anything differently than you, Noah.”

“I don’t think you did either baby, but I think the difference is
you
said it. I think that’s your gift. I didn’t think much of it, but after I listened to you talk to Jade, it became really obvious you have the ability to get through to people. It’s almost like you can educate them.”

She drew back so sharply she hit her head on his chin. “Are you saying I brainwash them?”

“No, not at all. Baby, I’m saying you are able to help people see things more clearly. You have the ability to impart knowledge, to help educate people. That’s why you’re a teacher.”

“I don’t buy it. You’re saying I’m putting thoughts in people’s heads, leading them, ultimately changing their thinking. That’s brainwashing.”

Noah was getting frustrated. “If I had managed to convince Nate that Sarah’s healing was just a natural progression of the
found
abilities, and if I could have explained to Jade how each
found
child was able to assimilate languages in their first few years here, and Joe was doing that now because he had basically been in stasis, would I have been brainwashing them?”

“Well, no,” Kali said slowly.