him hard enough, maybe she could see it as well as feel it. It was a force fierce enough to touch.
"Fawn, this is up to you. This ruse with your parents cost me everything I owned. The plan took a long time to carry out." Jax didn't break her gaze to glance at her parents. "I want you safe, though, and would be willing to take you with me somewhere else if it means keeping you away from Ark and his people. The question is, what do you want?"
Her mom said, "I don't think she's able toâ"
"She can make decisions as well as you or I. Better, even, because she's smarter." Jax continued to train his intense gaze on her. "What do you want to do, Fawn?"
She'd never felt so much pressure in her life, not even when she'd woken up in a burning house. The atmosphere in the room could have weighed ten billion pounds at the moment. Yet she knew what she wanted. She didn't want to give up her life here when it had just begun. She didn't want to give up Gavin or her new friends. Maybe it was selfish of her, but she didn't want to throw it away so easily.
"I want to stay here, even if those men have found me." Fawn sighed.
Her dad groaned, but a smile crossed Jax's face.
"Then stay you will. I want you to have all the choices available to you. You shouldn't have to suffer because of my mistakes." Jax's eyes were soft as he spoke but then grew as hard as coal as he continued. "But we have to figure out what to do with Ark and his cronies."
"So you know for sure it's Ark's doing?" Fawn raised an eyebrow and exchanged glances with her parents.
"Yes, I know for sure. I would bet my life it's him or another member of Galliham who ransacked your room. I will not let him do this to me again." Jax's jaw tensed. "I've been keeping tabs on you and him to ensure your safety. He is strong and fast. Unfortunately, he never works alone. All the others at Galliham are just as evil as he is."
With a growl, her dad stepped forward. "How can you let Fawn stay here? She is in great danger. Wasn't what happened to your family last time enough? We can't lose Fawn. She's special."
Jax frowned. "This will not be a repeat of what happened to my family. I have a feeling Ark will loathe the day he ever set eyes on Fawn. She is special, but for reasons even you don't know about. And you owe me, Oliver. Or did you forget your part in this?"
Her dad's expression sobered and he fell silent. Her mom shook her head, her bottom lip trembling. Suddenly, Fawn felt uncomfortable again. She thought her parents weren't the only ones who were not being one hundred percent truthful. Now it felt like everyone in the world had a big secret and, while she was a part of the riddle, she was not allowed to hear the answer.
Chapter Eleven
The next day, Fawn stood in the kitchen helping her mom dry dishes. The phone rang. Both her and her mom exchanged worried glances like the phone could blow the apartment to smithereens. Finally, she put down her dish because her mom was elbow high in suds and picked up the phone from the base. She didn't speak a greeting in fear of who was on the other side of the line.
"Hello?" said Mr. Dungam.
"Mr. Dungam?" Fawn asked, shocked it could be anyone else but a blood thirsty group of killers.
"Fawn!" Mr. Dungam drew out every syllable of her name like he was warming up to sing on stage. "I'm so glad I caught you. I tried to give you a call yesterday, but nobody answered the phone. It's about your test results. They're fantastic. Nobody told me you were a genius. It's no wonder you thought the tests were so easy."
Fawn stilled, shocked. "What?"
"You're a genius," Mr. Dungam repeated. "The test results came back. Even after your memory loss, you answered all the questions right in all of the subjects. We wanted to talk to your dad about allowing us to IQ test you. Your intelligence is probably through the roof. You have the potential to go to a university straight away."
Fawn almost dropped the phone.
"Did you tell anybody about
"Fawn, this is up to you. This ruse with your parents cost me everything I owned. The plan took a long time to carry out." Jax didn't break her gaze to glance at her parents. "I want you safe, though, and would be willing to take you with me somewhere else if it means keeping you away from Ark and his people. The question is, what do you want?"
Her mom said, "I don't think she's able toâ"
"She can make decisions as well as you or I. Better, even, because she's smarter." Jax continued to train his intense gaze on her. "What do you want to do, Fawn?"
She'd never felt so much pressure in her life, not even when she'd woken up in a burning house. The atmosphere in the room could have weighed ten billion pounds at the moment. Yet she knew what she wanted. She didn't want to give up her life here when it had just begun. She didn't want to give up Gavin or her new friends. Maybe it was selfish of her, but she didn't want to throw it away so easily.
"I want to stay here, even if those men have found me." Fawn sighed.
Her dad groaned, but a smile crossed Jax's face.
"Then stay you will. I want you to have all the choices available to you. You shouldn't have to suffer because of my mistakes." Jax's eyes were soft as he spoke but then grew as hard as coal as he continued. "But we have to figure out what to do with Ark and his cronies."
"So you know for sure it's Ark's doing?" Fawn raised an eyebrow and exchanged glances with her parents.
"Yes, I know for sure. I would bet my life it's him or another member of Galliham who ransacked your room. I will not let him do this to me again." Jax's jaw tensed. "I've been keeping tabs on you and him to ensure your safety. He is strong and fast. Unfortunately, he never works alone. All the others at Galliham are just as evil as he is."
With a growl, her dad stepped forward. "How can you let Fawn stay here? She is in great danger. Wasn't what happened to your family last time enough? We can't lose Fawn. She's special."
Jax frowned. "This will not be a repeat of what happened to my family. I have a feeling Ark will loathe the day he ever set eyes on Fawn. She is special, but for reasons even you don't know about. And you owe me, Oliver. Or did you forget your part in this?"
Her dad's expression sobered and he fell silent. Her mom shook her head, her bottom lip trembling. Suddenly, Fawn felt uncomfortable again. She thought her parents weren't the only ones who were not being one hundred percent truthful. Now it felt like everyone in the world had a big secret and, while she was a part of the riddle, she was not allowed to hear the answer.
Chapter Eleven
The next day, Fawn stood in the kitchen helping her mom dry dishes. The phone rang. Both her and her mom exchanged worried glances like the phone could blow the apartment to smithereens. Finally, she put down her dish because her mom was elbow high in suds and picked up the phone from the base. She didn't speak a greeting in fear of who was on the other side of the line.
"Hello?" said Mr. Dungam.
"Mr. Dungam?" Fawn asked, shocked it could be anyone else but a blood thirsty group of killers.
"Fawn!" Mr. Dungam drew out every syllable of her name like he was warming up to sing on stage. "I'm so glad I caught you. I tried to give you a call yesterday, but nobody answered the phone. It's about your test results. They're fantastic. Nobody told me you were a genius. It's no wonder you thought the tests were so easy."
Fawn stilled, shocked. "What?"
"You're a genius," Mr. Dungam repeated. "The test results came back. Even after your memory loss, you answered all the questions right in all of the subjects. We wanted to talk to your dad about allowing us to IQ test you. Your intelligence is probably through the roof. You have the potential to go to a university straight away."
Fawn almost dropped the phone.
"Did you tell anybody about
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