Free Hunted by Denise Grover Swank

Emma. “because if she hadn’t gotten pregnant she thought he woulda stuck around. Finally, she got angry with him and the anger turned to bitterness until she wouldn’t listen to reason at all. After you were born, she got a job in Joplin and took you with her. I didn’t see either of you much after that.”
    “Do you have any idea where he might be now? Like I said earlier, we think he might be the key to Jake’s powers.” Will said.
    Her grandmother looked at Will with a furrowed brow, then back to Emma. “You said he could see the future. What else can he do?”
    “After Will showed up, he could communicate with us telepathically. He also branded Will with the mark on his arm and Will saw him control fire.”
    “And why do you think this might have something to do with your father?”
    “Because Emma has started exhibiting abilities as well. She and I could communicate with our minds. And she sensed when the Cavallo was nearby. Then there’s her leg. She got shot in the leg and healed in remarkable time. No one normal would have healed that quickly. Has Brandy or anyone else in your family showed any signs of these abilities?”
    “No.”
    Will leaned forward. “There’s a mystery surrounding her father— who was he? Where is he? It’s a lead we’re following. Frankly at this point, I’d follow a hand-drawn treasure map if I thought it might give me any clues to where Jake is.”
    “Did Mom have anything of his, anything at all?”
    Her grandmother nodded. “As a matter of fact, she did. I didn’t even think about it until you asked. He gave it to her while they were dating. She used to wear it around her neck until after she had you and realized he wasn’t coming back.” She got up and disappeared into a back bedroom for a minute then came back and placed a necklace with a pendant in Emma’s hand.
    Emma paled, her eyes wide.
    Will tensed. “Emma?”
    She looked up, her face taut as she passed the necklace to Will. He held it in his palm, examining the oval pendant made of an iridescent black stone. In its center were swirls of orange and red in the unmistakable pattern of fire. In the shape of the mark on her back.

 
     
    Chapter Seven
     

     
    After Emma passed the necklace to Will, the expression on his face confirmed he saw the resemblance as well. She stuffed her trembling hands under her legs. She didn’t want to upset her grandmother and if Will saw, he’d baby her to death.
    But the walls closed in and the air grew thick and stale. She resisted the urge to suck in a deep breath. So her father gave her mother a pendant of fire. That matched a mark that appeared on her back when she conceived her son. It didn’t mean anything. Yet it meant everything. What if her father really did have special powers? What if he passed them on to her and Jake? What if there was more to her than she ever considered?
    Emma bolted off the sofa, startling both Will and the older woman. “I forgot something in the car. I’ll be right back.” She stopped herself from sprinting the few steps to the door then walked to the side of the house, out of the front window’s view. Hidden by the snowball bush, she braced her hands on the side of the house and she leaned over, sucking in deep breaths as she tried to curb her rising panic.
    Why did she feel this way? This was what she and Will wanted. Answers. This is what she’d begged her mother for her entire life. So why was she so upset?
    “If you want something out of the car, you’re going to need the keys.”
    She turned to see Will next to the overgrown bush, dangling the car keys from his fingers. Dropping her head between her arms, she willed the burning in her eyes to go away.
    “Are you okay?” Will asked.
    “Do I look okay?” She regretted snapping the moment the words left her mouth. “I’m sorry. That necklace freaked me out.”
    Will moved closer. “Yeah, it freaked me out too. But it’s good. We have a connection to your father now. We