Page 2 of Sapphire's Gem
‘Sisters forever,’Mariah commented, and I knew Chelsea had linked our thoughts.
‘Yup. Now let’s bury this dirty fucker and get clear. I know somewhere we can go,’I replied.
‘Once this circus is done anyway,’Chelsea sneered.
‘Yup. Maybe this fucker will learn to keep his hands to himself,’Mariah hissed.
“Don’t separate us!” I wailed to the female officer as I rushed to my sisters. Her face looked sad, but she nodded.
“I want to string that little shit up by his balls,” she murmured to a male cop.
“Me too, poor fucking kids.”
Not quite, but today was a good day. No more being groped or being locked up because we fought back. A predator was off the streets.
Chapter One.
Sapphire – May 2010.
Islammed into the warehouse we purchased and looked it over. We’d waltzed in and paid cash for this old stone structure on the edge of Odiorne State Park. The surrounding land was state-owned, and there was one hundred and thirty-five acres with no close neighbours. Sadly, for the state, the two acres we’d bought had been privately owned.
I looked at the girls near me. Together we’d grow strong. Mariah, Chelsea, and I had stuck together, but Chelsea had used her powers to seek others like us. We’d also changed our names. I was Sapphire, Mariah had become Sparrow, and Chelsea was Belladonna.
Others had joined our ranks since forming.
We had Vengeance, who was a few months younger than me, and who had phytokinesis, the power to control plants. Consider Poison Ivy, and you’d be halfway there.
Cyber had one of the rarest talents around, so rare that I didn’t believe anyone else had it. It was such a rare ability that it didn’t even have a name. She could touch any computerised equipment, from basic to complex, and operate it. It was as ifher conscious merged with the internet and she owned its ass. Cyber was sixteen and had already been abused for her powers. Belladonna, Sparrow, and I had sprung her from her prison six months ago. She’d been so relieved and was already blossoming in her freedom. We’d also faked her death, covering her tracks so she wouldn’t be hunted down again.
Heart was seriously empathic—and vulnerable because of it. Nobody had shown her how to block, so she was constantly overloaded. When Belladonna had located her, locked in a psychiatric clinic, she instantly blocked Heart’s abilities and earned her loyalty on the spot. Now, Heart, after eighteen months with us and only just turning twenty-one, knew how to handle them.
“What do you reckon?” I asked Sparrow.
“It’s okay for what’s required. There’s a tunnel that we’ve discovered, one leading to the cove as we thought.”
“Wide enough for what we need?”
“Yup. And in damn good repair. Honestly, Sapphire, I think this has been used recently.”
“Nice,” I replied, looking around.
“And the other warehouse we wanted?” Vengeance inquired, coming forward.
“Got it today. The sale went through, and I signed the paperwork an hour ago. We have a home, girls,” I said, and everyone grinned.
With me today was the start of our girl gang. We intended to find others like us, save them, and bring them here. Together we’d be stronger. They were out there, and they needed to know we were, too.
“Did we get the business account open?” Sparrow asked.
“Yes, also done and dusted this morning. It’s time we started working out what we want to do. While I don’t mind hittingVegas again, I think after our last excursion, we give them a break for a bit.” I grinned at Sparrow.
As soon as we’d decided what we wanted from life, the six of us had headed straight to Vegas. Ever since we’d left the Dukes’ home, Belladonna, Sparrow, and I had been on the run. Screw child services, we didn’t trust them in the slightest. We’d lived working in places that paid cash in hand, and sometimes Cyber had hacked into banks and given us the money we needed to live. But now we’d made a decision; we weren’t keen on living like that anymore. We deserved a home, a sanctuary of our own.
If we intend to recruit others like us, we had to offer them work and a home. That had been the start of our plans, which came to fruition last month. With fake IDs, we’d hit Vegas. By using Cyber's extraordinary skills and Sparrow’s, we’d walked away millionaires.
We didn’t stay in one casino; we hit several with different people. Sparrow didn’t need to be at a table to win; she could control the dice or wheel from anywhere as long as she could see it. Of course, Belladonna’s telepathic skills could link her to whichever one of us was at the table, and Sparrow could then ensure we won.
We weren’t stupid; we made sure that we lost a few big hands as well, but we came out on top and richer than we believed possible. None of us wanted to blow the money; we had plans, and we were putting them in motion.
