Jackson (The Love Family Series Book 8) by Kate Allenton Page B

clenched hearing some of their stories. Her heart ached trying to fathom what they’d been through. She had spent hours getting to know these people and listening to Regina’s explanation about the serum that she had designed. These people had no voice. They had no way of even knowing there were others like themselves, much less where to turn when they needed help.
    Marsh had scout teams on the lookout for anything strange or unusual in the news. When they found someone they thought might be gifted, they approached the special person and gave them information on the clinic, leaving it their choice whether or not to join in the research.
    Later, when she was seated in the limo with Mr. Marsh, he seemed much more relaxed than he’d been in the conference room earlier that morning. The fine lines around his eyes softened some.
    “Are you going to tell me what answers you're looking for now?”
    Mr. Marsh handed her a water bottle and took one himself after shedding his suit jacket and loosening his tie. “Are you convinced that I’m not the monster you thought I was?”
    “Talking to the patients convinced me.”
    “Good. The reason I brought you here was two-fold. I don’t need any answers from you, Ms. Denton. I need your help. Well….the world needs your help.”
    “I don’t understand.” The water she was drinking felt as though it had turned to stone in her stomach. “You’ve played a key role in society by telling true-life stories. Those people you met are only a few that found us, and some of them really needed our help, as you can guess. Can you imagine how many more need us that you haven’t met? Your friends, your neighbors, and runaway teens that feel alone, like they don’t fit in. You can be their advocate, their voice, and our voice.”
    “Excuse me?” she asked and recapped her bottle. “In plain English, please.”
    “I want you to write a true-life book, without using names of course, about people like you’ve met today so that others can sympathize with their problems and causes. The world needs to know that these people are human and not monsters. I need you to open the door to the possibility that they do exist and let them know there is help for those who need it.”
    Scarlett gave a slow nod. “You want me to commit career suicide. No one is going to believe me. Not without proof.”
    “I’m asking you to offer hope where there is none. People living with abilities won’t need proof.”
    She leaned forward. “You do realize that, if we’re to do this, the public would assume that I’m friends with these people. They’ll automatically assume that they’re the ones closest to me. Why would I do that? I came with you to keep the Loves out of danger, not to have them bombarded by myth-busters and curious onlookers. That’s ludicrous.”
    “Had I read a story like yours when I was younger, I wouldn’t have been so scared knowing I had options besides living with an abusive father who considered me a monster. I spent years, through sure willpower and determination, putting myself in a position to buy out his company from underneath him, just to get him to stop with his mistreatment. I’ve spent millions on research, but it’s all pointless if I can’t help those who need it most.”
    He sat back and pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Regardless of your answer, I made a promise to you, and I fully intend to keep it.” He dialed a number and held the phone to his ear. “It’s Marsh. Call off your hit squad. Ms. Denton is not a threat to exposing your sister or the help she’s trying to give.”
    He nodded, and although Scarlett couldn’t hear the words, she knew he’d gotten the answer he was looking for when he hung up. “I apologize for your experience and what you’ve endured.”
    “Yeah, well, tell that to Agent McIntire’s family. They killed her.”
    “They believed she was selling secrets and had turned into a double agent. They’d merely shown up to