The Hot Zone (A Rainshadow Novel Book 3) (23 page)

The powerful limo glided to a smooth stop in front of the doors of the Snow mansion. Another flash of panic struck Sedona when she saw the crowd of tabloid reporters and Guild paparazzi waiting on the other side of the velvet ropes.

“Oh, crap,” she said. “I forgot about the press.”

“Ignore the media,” Cyrus advised. “They love it when you do that.”

The two Guild escorts got out of the front of the vehicle. One of them opened the door and assisted Sedona out of the backseat. She confronted a dazzling wall of lights and cameras. For a few seconds she was literally blinded.

Just one more Underworld gate,
she thought.
I can do this
.

Cyrus took her arm. Together they went toward the front door of the mansion.

Hands holding microphones and cameras reached across the velvet ropes.

“Rumor has it that you and Mr. Jones, the boss of a new Guild territory, are romantically involved, Miss Snow. Care to comment?”

“How do the Snows feel about you dating a Guild boss?”

“Our viewers would love to know if there’s a Marriage of Convenience in the offing, Miss Snow. Or maybe a Covenant Marriage?”

“The Snows disowned you years ago, Miss Snow. Can you tell us why you’ve been invited to rejoin the family now?”

“Does your family know you’re dating a Guild boss?”

One of the Guild escorts moved forward and pushed the microphones out of the way. Sedona and Cyrus kept walking.

And then, mercifully, they were across the threshold. A very dignified butler closed the door and turned to greet them.

“Welcome, Miss Snow, Mr. Jones,” he said. He took their coats and gave them to someone else, who disappeared into a coatroom. Then he turned back to Sedona and Cyrus. If you will follow me, please?”

They were shown into a chandelier-lit ballroom. A sudden, awkward hush gripped the crowd of elegantly dressed guests. All heads turned toward the new arrivals. A moment later, everyone became very busy chatting and laughing.

“First time in my life I’ve ever made an entrance,” she whispered to Cyrus.

A distinguished-looking man with a head of silver hair and amber-colored eyes came forward. Lean, with a stern, implacable profile, he wore his formal black-and-white evening attire with ease and authority, a master of his empire. This was what her father would have looked like if he had lived, Sedona thought.

“I’m so glad you are here, Sedona,” Robert Snow said. “You have given me a great gift tonight. Thank you. Now, if you will come with me, there is someone I want you to meet.”

He looked at a girl of about thirteen who was hovering just behind him. Her dark hair fell in waves down her back. Her amber eyes were bright with excitement. There was a whisper of energy in the atmosphere around her. Sedona knew the paranormal side of her nature would only grow stronger as the girl got older and came more fully into her talent.

“This is your niece, Gwen,” Robert said. “She’s been looking forward to meeting you.”

“Oh, wow,” Gwen breathed, fascinated. “You’re the crazy aunt that everyone talks about, the one who’s dating a Guild boss. This is so high-rez.”

Robert Snow rose from his desk and went to stand at the floor-to-ceiling windows of his study. He looked out at the spectacular view of the glowing ruins.

The invitation to accompany her grandfather to his study had come just as the dancing had started. Sedona was not at all certain she wanted to have the conversation but she had to admit that her curiosity now outweighed every other factor. She had come this far. It was time to learn the real reason why she was here.

“Thank you, again, for attending my birthday party tonight,” Robert said. “I know it wasn’t easy for you. I am very much aware that you have inherited the Snow family pride. It is something of a curse, I’m afraid.”

“I admit I’m bewildered,” she said. “Why was it so important to you that I show up tonight?”

Robert turned away from the view to look at her. She suppressed the old, wistful sense of loss, taking comfort, instead, in the knowledge that Cyrus was waiting for her downstairs. She touched the pendant at her throat again and straightened her already rigid shoulders.

“I am hoping that we can put the past behind us, Sedona,” Robert said.

“What part of the past are you referring to?” she asked. She was proud of her ability to keep her tone cool and polite. “Would that be the part where you informed my father that if he did not give up his relationship with my mother you would disown him? Or would it be the part where you instructed your lawyer to tell me that I was being sent away to boarding school because the law required my parents’ families to support me until I came of age? Or maybe you’re talking about the part where my high-school graduation gift was a letter from that same lawyer letting me know that I was on my own and that I should not expect anything more from this family?”

Robert’s jaw hardened. “I’m aware that, as the offspring of an illegitimate union, you were not to blame for the actions of your parents.”

“Gosh, thanks.”

Robert took a breath. “I understand that your mother’s family treated you just as harshly.”

“Yep. Fulfilled the letter of the law and then dumped me.”

Robert’s eyes sharpened briefly with anger and something else, a glint of uncertainty, perhaps. Evidently the interview was not going the way he had intended. Maybe he was also becoming aware that the one hold he had hoped to exert over her—acceptance as a full member of the family—was not working.

“You have every right to feel that you were not treated fairly,” he said. “It’s the truth. But I would hope that you are old enough and mature enough now to understand that you were not the only one who was hurt by your father’s actions.”

“Is this where I get the lecture on how my father embarrassed and humiliated the family? Forget it. I’ve had that from my mom’s side.”

Pain flashed in Robert’s eyes. “My son did embarrass and humiliate this family when he walked away from his responsibilities. But as far as I am concerned, those were the least of his crimes.”

“Is that so?”

“He broke his mother’s heart,” Robert said in a very tight voice. “She never recovered from the wounds that he inflicted.”

Sedona froze. It took a moment for her to find her breath. “I see,” she said when she could speak. “All these years you blamed my father for the death of his mother—your wife?”

Grandfather had himself back under control. “Martha fell into a deep depression after Gordon . . . left. He was always her favorite. She called him the child of her heart. After he went to live with your mother she was so certain that eventually he would come to his senses and return to us. But when you were born she realized that would probably never happen. Anger sustained her for a time; anger and false hope.”

“She had two other sons, Vincent and Alton. They both gave her grandchildren and they gave you the heirs you needed to take over your empire.”

“Vincent and Alton could never replace Gordon as far as Martha was concerned. When we learned that Gordon and your mother had been killed, Martha lost her will to live. To be honest, I don’t know if she intended to kill herself when she took those pills or if it was an accidental overdose. But in the end it made no difference.”

Understanding whispered through Sedona. “You don’t blame my father for what happened to your wife, Martha. You blame yourself.”

Robert looked at her for a long time. Then he turned back to the window. “That is . . . very insightful of you. You’re right, of course. For years I told myself that Gordon was the one who had killed his mother. But I’m the one who drove him away from the family. I used lawyers to deal with you at every turn over the years because I knew that if I came face-to-face with you, I would have to confront my own guilt.”

“Why the change of heart now?”

“There are two reasons why I hope you will accept your birthright. The first is Vincent’s daughter, Gwen. The girl you met when you arrived.”

“She’s coming into some talent and you’re afraid that you’ve got another female in the family with a para-psych profile like mine.”

“The talent that Gwen is exhibiting runs in the female line and, yes, there is no denying that she will be powerful. We are fortunate to live in a time and place where psychic abilities are accepted, but you know as well as I do that those with a great deal of talent face certain social as well as psychological challenges.”

“It can be rocky growing up with a lot of talent.”

“Gwen needs guidance from someone who understands what she’s going through,” Robert said. “I’m hoping you will take on the responsibility.”

“You’re afraid you’ll screw up with her the way you did with my father and in the end you’ll lose Gwen, as well. I get that. You said there were two reasons why you wanted to bring me back into the family. What’s the second reason?”

Robert continued to gaze out the window. “I won’t say that age brings wisdom but sometimes life forces a man to look into the mirror and see the truth. A few months ago I had a health scare. In the end, it turned out that I was not going to die, after all. But in the process of working up the diagnosis some genetic tests were performed.”

Sedona was having trouble breathing again. “Is this where you tell me that I’m not related to you, after all?”

“No.” Her grandfather turned around. “This is where I tell you that I have recently discovered that my wife, Martha, had an affair with my business partner while I was busy building my empire. One of my two surviving sons is not my biological son.”

“Are you certain?”

“I had the tests repeated three times.”

Sedona hesitated. “I’m assuming Vincent is the one who is related to you by blood because Gwen is his daughter and she’s showing the family talent.”

Robert said nothing.

“Does Alton know that you’re not his biological father?”

“No. Not yet. I’ve spent the last three months trying to decide how to handle the situation. One day I tell myself that there is no need to hurt him and the family with the truth. And in the next breath I tell myself that he has a right to know his genetics.”

A rush of anger threatened to overwhelm her. She fought it with the same will she used to control her talent.

“Is this the reason you came looking for me?” she asked. “You’ve lost another son and suddenly the granddaughter who is proven to be a member of the bloodline is more valuable than you had realized?”

“No, damn it.” Robert closed his eyes and made a visible effort to regain his composure. “I came looking for you because the shock of the initial diagnosis combined with finding out the truth about the past forced me to confront some hard facts. What happened all those years ago was my fault. I’m the one who ignored my wife and drove her into the arms of another man. I’m the one who was responsible for her death. I can’t go back and put things right, but I can at least tell you that I am sorry for what I did to you. I don’t have the right to ask for your forgiveness but I’m going to do it anyway, even though it is unlikely you will ever be able to grant me that kindness.”

Sedona walked slowly across the elegantly appointed room and stopped at the windows a few feet away from him. Tears blurred the view of the radiant green ruins.

“What about Alton?” she asked after a while. “And Alton’s children?”

“As far as I am concerned, Alton is my son in all the ways that matter,” Robert said. “He lived in your father’s shadow for years but he was there when the family needed him—when I needed him. He stood with me when Martha was buried. He would have preferred a career in academia but when called upon, he accepted the responsibility of running the company, instead. He’s doing a damn good job of it, I might add.”

“Yes, he is,” Sedona said. “I keep up with the business news.”

“His children are my grandchildren. I will not repeat the sins of the past by doing to them what I did to you and your parents. I will not cast them aside. If that is the price you ask in return for forgiveness, I cannot pay it.”

She blinked away the tears and managed a shaky smile. “Right answer. I forgive you, Grandfather.”

He turned toward her. She saw that he, too, was crying.

“Thank you,” he said.

He opened his arms. She went to him and put her arms around him. He hugged her close.

“Welcome home, my dear,” Robert said.

“I’m glad you’re going to be okay.”

“Thank you, so am I. But I regret that you are coming back to a family with so many secrets.”

The past could not be forgotten, Sedona thought. Some doors could never be closed. But you didn’t always get opportunities to take a new path into the future.

“Every family has secrets,” she said.

Cyrus was waiting for her in the hallway outside the study when she emerged from the meeting with Robert. At the sight of him she heard the chimes clash, clear and resonant. A bone-deep sense of certainty swept through her. She touched the blue amber pendant. It was the wrong time, the wrong place, and quite possibly the wrong man, but in that moment she knew what it was to love with all of her heart.

The shock of the realization filled her with an unfamiliar lightness. It was as if she had just been given a perfect gift. Like an armful of flowers or a summer dawn, it might not last but in that moment she experienced a quiet joy. She would never forget this sensation, she thought. The future would take care of itself. For now she had Cyrus.

He straightened when he saw her and came forward to take her arm in a protective manner.

“Are we staying or leaving?” he asked. But his eyes were on Robert who loomed in the doorway of the study.

“We’re staying,” she said. She smiled through the last of her tears. “For a while, at least.”

“All right,” he said.

“But I can’t go back downstairs just yet.” Sedona pulled free, grabbed a tissue from her little evening purse, and dabbed at her eyes. “I’m a mess. I need to repair my makeup. You’ll have to excuse me. I’m going to find a powder room.”

Robert angled his chin toward a shadowed hallway. “You’ll find one there,” he said.

Sedona nodded. She looked at Cyrus. “I’ll meet you downstairs.”

“Take your time.” Cyrus switched his attention back to Robert.

She managed another watery smile and rushed off down the hall. Behind her, Robert spoke to Cyrus.

“I think you and I should have a talk, Jones,” Robert said.

It was, Sedona reflected, more of a command than a suggestion.

“Yes, sir.” Cyrus sounded amused but sincere.

Alarmed, Sedona paused and glanced over her shoulder in time to see Cyrus follow her grandfather into the study. The door closed firmly behind them.

“Damn,” she said under her breath.

There was nothing she could do, she decided. She had the uneasy feeling that Robert had decided to go all patriarchal and conduct the “what are your intentions toward my granddaughter” chat. But Cyrus could take care of himself.

She hurried along the hallway and found an elegant guest suite. One glance in the mirror was enough to make her groan aloud. Dark circles of smudged makeup ringed her eyes.

The door opened just as she was using a tissue to wipe away some of the damage. Gwen peeked around the edge of the door. Her amber eyes were alight with curiosity.

“How did it go?” Gwen asked.

“The chat with your grandfather?” Sedona smiled at Gwen in the mirror. “I survived. So did he.”

“So does that mean you’re back in the family?”

“Sort of.”

“Cool. You’ll be able to teach me stuff about my talent.”

“I’ll do my best. But keep in mind that no two talents are identical.”

“I know but still, you can show me things, can’t you?”

Sedona gave her a misty smile. “Watch and learn, Gwen. Watch and learn.”

“Can I come and stay with you on Rainshadow while I’m doing all the watching and learning?”

“That will be up to your parents, but you’re welcome to visit me as far as I’m concerned.”

Gwen giggled.

Sedona raised her brows. “What?”

“Did you see the look on Aunt Ellen’s face when you walked in with Mr. Jones tonight? I thought she might explode.”

“Well, she didn’t.”

“She’s the one who calls you the crazy aunt, you know. Everyone else just tried to pretend you didn’t exist. But Granddad says you can’t ignore family. Are you going back downstairs now?”

“In a minute.”

“I’ll wait and go with you.”

“Okay.”

It actually took several minutes to clean up her tear-streaked makeup. Gwen used the time to ask an endless string of questions about the gatekeeper’s art.

When they emerged from the powder room the door of the study was still closed. Sedona hesitated but feminine intuition warned her not to interfere. Men had their own ways of handling certain issues.

She and Gwen went downstairs together, Gwen still chatting animatedly.

Aunt Ellen was waiting in the first-floor corridor. She was alone. Tension tightened the lines of her face.

“I must speak with you, Sedona,” Ellen said. “Run along, Gwen. This is a matter for adults.”

Gwen did the kind of eye-roll that only a teenager could pull off successfully.

“Yes, Aunt Ellen,” she said.

Reluctantly she went down the hallway toward the ballroom.

Ellen’s expression sharpened. She turned and started walking briskly in the opposite direction.

“Please come with me, Sedona.”

Sedona did not move. “What is it you want to say to me?”

Ellen stopped and looked at her. “What I have to say should be said in private.”

Sedona reminded herself that she had known it was going to be a night for family drama. She stifled a sigh, mentally girded herself for another emotional conversation, and followed Ellen through a doorway into what proved to be an elegantly appointed library. Volumes bound in hand-tooled leather lined the walls.

Sedona inhaled the scent of old books and history. It mingled with the delicate fragrance of the exotic flowers arranged on an end table next to a chair. “This is Grandfather’s library, isn’t it? My father told me that he collected First and Second Generation manuscripts and books.”

“Yes.” Ellen moved to a small table where a teapot and two cups sat. “It has taken him decades to acquire this collection. I understand that he intends to leave it to the university library.”

“I’m glad,” Sedona said, meaning it. “That way the materials will be available for scholars and historians in the future.”

“I did not ask you to come in here to discuss your grandfather’s collection. I want to talk to you about the past. You have a right to the truth and there is so much that you don’t know. Please sit down. Do you take milk or sugar in your tea?”

“I don’t care for any tea, thank you.” Sedona glanced at the door and then, reluctantly, sat down in one of the curved-back chairs. The scent of the flowers from the nearby vase was oddly soothing. “I don’t wish to be rude but could you please say whatever it is you feel you must? Mr. Jones will be waiting for me.”

“Mr. Jones.” Ellen’s jaw tightened. “Yes. Don’t you find it somewhat odd that he has taken such an interest in you of late?”

“A lot of people have taken an interest in me lately.”

Ellen carried her cup and saucer to the desk and sat down. She sipped at the tea. When she lowered the cup it rattled a little in the saucer.

“I’m sure you’re aware that Cyrus Jones is no ordinary Guild boss,” she said.

“A lot of people have mentioned that fact but as far as I can tell, he seems determined to do his job on Rainshadow.”

Anger shadowed Ellen’s eyes. “You have no idea who you are dealing with. I realize you must be thrilled that such a wealthy, powerful man has taken an interest in you. But believe me, he has his reasons and rest assured none of them are of a romantic nature.”

“You’re sure of that?”

“Of course. The Jones family has always been very secretive. It is said that there were strong paranormal traits in the bloodline long before the family boarded the colonial ships to settle on Harmony. Rumor has it that there is a great deal of psychic instability in that clan. The last thing a woman with your genetic heritage should consider is marriage into that family tree.”

“I would prefer not to discuss Cyrus’s family.”

“Forgive me, my dear. You no doubt feel that it is none of my business.” Ellen fortified herself with another long swallow of the tea. “But you are not accustomed to moving in the circles in which the Joneses and, for that matter, the Snow family moves. You have not had the advantage of learning the ropes, as it were. In our world, everyone has an agenda and in the end, that agenda must always be in service to the family.”

“Gee. Who knew?”

Ellen stiffened. “I am very sorry to see that you are not going to take this seriously. I am trying to explain—”

“The facts of life in your world, yes, I get that.” Sedona glanced at her watch. “But you can save your breath. Trust me, I am very well aware that everyone, including you, has an agenda. I’m sure that you asked me to come in here so that you could tell me yours. Why don’t we get to that?”

“Very well.” Ellen drained her cup and put it down with great care. “The Jones family is not the only clan that arrived on Harmony with a history of psychic talent in the blood.”

“No offense, but that doesn’t exactly come as a shock. My parents informed me that the Snows had a few talents on the family tree back on Earth.”

“Yes. And more are developing in the bloodline here on Harmony. The problem is that some of those Snow talents were quite unstable.”

Sedona gripped the arms of the chair very tightly. “This is about my connection to a woman named Arizona Snow, isn’t it?”

Ellen rose to her feet and moved across the room to stand in front of one of the bookcases. She pulled one of the volumes off the shelf.

“This is a First Generation journal kept by one of your ancestors, the wife of Jared Justin Snow. Her name was Elizabeth. As you know, after the Curtain closed, cutting Harmony off from the home world, the computers began to fail. Elizabeth, along with many other colonists, considered it vitally important to transcribe as many family records as possible so that future generations—assuming the colonists survived—would have some sense of their own history.”

“I told you, I am aware of my link to Arizona Snow,” Sedona said. “I am also aware that any eccentricities she exhibited can most likely be explained by the simple fact that science at the time refused to acknowledge the existence of the paranormal. People born with talent back in those days were considered to be suffering from delusions or some form of mental illness.”

“True but that is not the whole story of Arizona Snow.” Ellen closed the book. “Elizabeth Snow discovered that Arizona Snow worked for a secret government agency that recruited people of talent. You see, not everyone back in those days refused to accept the possibility of the paranormal.”

Chimes clashed somewhere in the distance and not in a good way this time.

“I know the story, thank you,” Sedona said.

“Evidently Arizona Snow was one of their best operatives,” Ellen continued. “However, at some point she began to deteriorate mentally and psychically. She became quite dangerous.”

“That’s not the way it was, damn it.”

“Orders were given to terminate her but the head of the agency elected to allow his lab people to try an experimental therapy on her instead,” Ellen continued. “The treatment was successful in that it saved her life. However, she was never again fit for clandestine work. She retired and went to live in a small town. Unfortunately, there were some drawbacks to the drugs that were used on her in the course of the therapy.”

“Crap. This is about that damned formula, isn’t it? Good grief, Ellen, please don’t tell me that you are involved with Blankenship’s project.”

Ellen stiffened. “Dr. Blankenship contacted me, yes. He explained that after you were badly psi-burned on your last contract job they thought you would die of your injuries. Blankenship convinced his superiors to allow him to try to save you.”

“That’s a lie.” Sedona found herself on her feet. “There was no therapy. I was forced into those damn experiments.”

“Dr. Blankenship explained that, due to your peculiar psychic genetics you were given a modern version of the drug that was used on Arizona Snow. Unfortunately, there was a bad outcome.”

“You bet there was—I escaped. Couldn’t get any worse for Blankenship.”

“He explained that you have developed a full-blown para-psychosis, which has manifested itself in the form of delusions, hallucinations, and an unstable profile,” Ellen said.

“No kidding.”

Ellen’s mouth tightened. “Dr. Blankenship says he was able to save your life but that you are now extremely fragile and a danger to yourself and others. You need regular doses of the drug to survive.”

“I’ve had enough,” Sedona whispered.

The scent of the flowers had become overpowering. The chimes clashed wildly. She started toward the door. Halfway across the room, she stopped and looked back over her shoulder.

“One question, Aunt Ellen. Does the rest of the family know about this?”

“Not the entire story, no. I warned Robert that because of your para-psych profile and the trauma you suffered when you were psi-burned, you may be somewhat fragile, but I didn’t tell him about Dr. Blankenship or the experimental therapy that was used on you. Dr. Blankenship did not think that would be wise. Your grandfather, after all, has been obsessed with bringing you back into the family. He would not want to hear the truth about your condition.”

“You mean you knew he wouldn’t believe a word of it. Blankenship lied to you, Ellen. He and his people drugged me and held me prisoner in a secret Underworld para-psych lab for damn near a month.”

Ellen sighed. “Dr. Blankenship told me that you were now prone to paranoid conspiracy theories due to the fact that you have missed several doses of the drug.”

“That is pure ghost shit and you know it. You never wanted to do me any favors in my life. I think you would have been absolutely delighted if I had not survived Dr. Blankenship’s so-called therapy.”

A cold light burned in Ellen’s eyes. “Unfortunately, you did survive, and so you leave me no option.”

“Go to hell, Aunt Ellen. Do me a favor, take Dr. Blankenship and his crew with you.”

Sedona reached out for the doorknob. She could not wait to tell Cyrus that she had a new lead on Blankenship.

But the doorknob was suddenly miles away and rapidly disappearing into infinity. The scent of the flowers was as thick as honey in the atmosphere. The library began to whirl around her. She lost her balance and flailed wildly, trying to stay on her feet. She went down hard on her knees.

“The flowers,” she whispered. “Ellen, you poisoned me.”