The Missing

start working with her on shielding, but she’s had enough stress for a while.” With a bitter laugh, she added, “That girl has had enough stress to last her entire life.”
    Turning away, she stared back down at the beach. “I’m shielding her as best as I can. Part of her brain, I think, is trying to back away from her ability, anyway. Almost like some kind of cancer going into remission on its own. That’s the only way I can think to explain. So it’s making the shielding part pretty easy for me. As long as nothing tries to force it out, it’s going to keep hiding until she’s more ready to deal with it.”
    “And when will that be?”
    Glancing at him, she said, “My personal opinion . . . never. She shouldn’t have to deal with it.” She heard one of the caterers call out, and suddenly, she panicked. Remembering her dress, her hair, her makeup, she craned her neck around, trying to see if she’d gotten anything on her butt. “Damn it!”
    Robert laughed and moved around, checking the back of her dress. “Relax, honey, you’re fine. You look beautiful.” He moved around, inspecting her hair, and then he gave a wry smile. “Admittedly, I don’t know much about a lady’s hair other than my opinion on how it looks, but your hair looks fine.”
    He cupped her face in his hands, and Taige felt a familiar nervousness move through her. She hated to have people touching her. But Cullen’s natural reticence must have come from Robert, because she didn’t pick up anything from him. “Make him happy, Taige. And don’t be afraid to let him make you happy. You both deserve it.”
    Her throat knotted. “Now, you keep going on like that, you’re going to get me all weepy.”
    Robert laughed. Then he kissed her forehead. He started to say something else, but something happened before he could. Terror. Harsh and unrelenting. She recognized the source before her brain had even started to process it. Automatically, her hand went to her side, but she wasn’t wearing her weapon.
    Taige hadn’t worn the Glock in more than a month, and she could remembering thinking she’d be perfectly content to never wear it again. Except in that instant.
    Snarling, she moved away from Robert and strode inside. Taylor Jones was crouched in front of Jillian, a familiar look on his face. “Leave her alone, Jones,” she said, her voice harsh and cold.
    Taylor gave her a smile. “I’m not doing anything more than asking how she’s been.”
    Not aloud, maybe. But Taylor knew how Jillian’s gift worked. Taige knew the man too well to believe otherwise. The little mental pokes and prods were one of his training tools, tools that Taige remembered all too well. And the bastard was using them on a child.
    “Don’t hand me that, slick. Get the hell away from her.”
    Robert stood behind them, staring into the room with confusion. He hadn’t heard the shrill yet silent cry for help that Taige had heard. Jillian stood frozen in front of Taylor, and she hadn’t said a word. Off to the side, Dez stood glaring at Taylor with furious eyes. Feeling Taige’s gaze, Dez glanced at her with apologetic eyes. “Sorry, Taige. I forgot he had such lousy manners. I never would have thought he’d bother a kid as young as Jillian.”
    Shaking her head, Taige said, “It’s not your fault.” Grimly, she added, “It’s mine. I never thought he couldn’t pretend to behave at my wedding.”
    “What’s going on?” Robert demanded, moving between his granddaughter and Jones.
    “I’m taking care of it,” Taige said, her voice flat. Every protective instinct she had rushed to the fore, and when Taylor turned his charming, empty smile to Robert and Jillian, she could see the wheels spinning inside his head, knew he had plans to just bide his time.
    Like hell, she thought. He reached out to pat Jillian on the head, some false, trite apology falling from his mouth, and Taige reacted without thinking.
    “Don’t touch her,” she said. To back up her words, she touched him. But not with her hands. Her darker power, that gift that was akin to telekinesis except it only worked on living things, like people and animals, and right now, Taige had classified Taylor somewhere along the class of hyena or jackal. She was content to treat him as such. Using her mind, she wrapped a “hand” around his throat and cut off any attempt he made to speak. Without looking away from him, she said to Robert, “Why don’t you and Jillian go on