Chapter Sixteen Delphine

I wake to see a sea of faces surrounding me. "What happened?" I ask Cleo, but it's Olivia who responds.

"You had a panic attack."

That's when I remember Dixie. I was so angry with him, but now that some of that anger has burned off, I'm terrified for him. Grasping Cleo's hand, I beg her to call Hex. "Tell him to not kill Dixie. Please."

Cleo doesn't hesitate, but pulls out her phone and makes the call. I only relax when she passes along my message. Hearing her telling him about my panic attack pisses me off, but then I realize knowing the extent of my distress might help keep Hex from hurting Dixie.

Hex may be the President of the club, but he won't do anything to hurt me. Knowing I don't want Dixie dead and that I'm overwrought with emotion should be enough to keep Dixie breathing.

Knowing I've done what I could is enough to clear the last vestiges of my terror. I take several calming breaths before sitting up.

"We should go back to the clubhouse," Sasha says, grasping my hand.

"No, I'm okay now. I don't want to interfere with today's plans."

Olivia takes my vitals before nodding. "Your heart rate is back to normal, but I think you need some sugar in your system." She looks at Jack, who is still behind the wheel. "Can you go through a drive through and get her some sweet tea?"

With the to go cup in my hand, I take a few fortifying sips and appreciate the caffeine and sugar rush. Closing my eyes, I allow myself to look into the future. I see Dixie and Vladimir clearly. Their futures are brighter, but the dark edges remain. The lives they lead aren't conducive to a smooth future, but I still plan on talking to Hex and Vladimir about how to protect all the men in my life that I care about. That includes Dixie.

While I really want to head back to the clubhouse, I know the other women were looking forward to a day of pampering. After repeated assurances I'm no longer in danger of another panic attack, Jack drives us to the spa. When we arrive, Cleo asks the receptionist if her friend Skylar has arrived yet. When she gets a negative answer, she frowns and checks her phone.

"Skylar was supposed to meet us here. I figured she'd beat us, but I guess she got hung up."

"Was she working?" I ask her.

"She was with Zip at the club's tattoo parlor. She's doing a series on women staying safe while partaking of services."

"Text Zip and see if she's still there," I suggest.

Cleo does and lets out a relieved sigh. "He said she left ten minutes ago, so she should be here soon. She's probably driving and forgot to hook her phone up for hands-free."

While the other women sign up for massages, I pass and go for a facial. I'm tense. While the massage would help relieve the stress, I know the long exposure to someone touching my skin is not what I need. A facial isn't as intrusive, and I can relax with my thoughts while the mask does its thing.

After my facial, I head into the room to get a mani-pedi. I'm the first one to sit down, but the other women gradually trickle in until we're all seated while the technicians work on our fingers and toes.

"Do you want to tell us what happened?" Cleo asks. "Why Hex would consider taking Dixie's life?"

I cringe at the memory, but share the events that lead to my breakdown.

"This morning I woke up in Dixie's room and had one of my visions. Vladimir was lying in a pool of blood, dead. Dixie wasn't in the room, so I planned on searching for Hex, but I needed clothes." I tell them about what I overheard and my reaction.

"Dixie admitted he's an assassin?" Shayna asks. "I don't see it."

"Probably what makes him a good one," Cleo adds.

"What about Vladimir? Have you tried to see if his future has changed?" Sasha asks.

"I did, and he's still in danger, but his death is not imminent," I assure her.

"Wait, so you really have superpowers?" Cleo asks.

I share a look with my girls and chuckle. "I wouldn't call it a superpower, but yes, I can see into the future, but the vision has limits. Too many variables exist that can change a person's trajectory. For example, I never saw Maxim taking my son and leaving me. Not until he planned to leave."

"So, when you told me your gift was understanding human nature, you weren't being honest with me, were you?" Cleo demands.

"Understanding human nature plays a big part," I assure her. "My visions are glimpses. I have to understand the person in order to provide the best advice."

"She's right. That's how she helped me," Olivia says.

"What do you mean?" Cleo asks.

"I was living the story that we've all heard. The man I moved in with went from being the charmer I dated into the monster I learned to fear. My brother tried to get me to leave him, but I kept thinking he'd change back to the man I thought I loved. Levi convinced me to visit Delphine. The picture she painted scared me into action."

"What did you see?" Cleo asks me, but Olivia is the one who answers.

"She saw him finally lose his humanity and kill me. Up to that point, he would beat me, but he'd always stop before he went too far. She saw that the next attack would be the last one. I realized she was right. I'd seen the look in his eyes when he beat me, and each time he grew colder and meaner. But, I don't think I would have listened to her if she didn't understand me as well as she did. You see, Delphine saw that I'm someone who wants to save people. I stayed in my nightmare because I thought I could help him. She's the one who pointed out that there were so many others out there that I couldn't save if I stayed with him."

Cleo sits back and stares into space for a few minutes as Olivia describes how she became a nurse and then a nurse practitioner. I'm listening to her, but my attention is on Cleo.

"What did you see when you looked into my future?" She finally asks me. "I remember what you said on the Nero's ship. That I had a choice between dark and light. One would give me freedom and the other a prison. You meant Vladimir and Hex, didn't you? I thought it was because Vladimir meant to imprison me."

"He did, in a way, but not in how you're thinking. Vladimir didn't intend to harm you, but I saw him hiding you. I didn't know who he was hiding you from, but I think it might have been Maxim, or maybe even your father, Nero. We'll have to ask him. I knew Hex would keep you safe without keeping you in a cage."

Cleo smirks at me, and I grin back. Hex kept her locked up when we first brought her back to the clubhouse, but that didn't last long. He realized quickly that Cleo wasn't someone he could contain, and that she was exactly who he needed at his side.

"What about your kids?" Cleo asks Sasha and Shayna. "Do the girls have gifts like you? Does Hex?"

"Our gifts primarily flow through the female line. Although the men often show a shadow of a gift. For example, Hex garners loyalty from those around him. I don't know about Vladimir."

"What about you and Sasha?" Cleo asks Shayna.

"Both of ours differ from mom's," Shayna says. "Mine is the ability to see what others are thinking. Most of the time, the thoughts are fleeting and I ignore them because it feels like I'm intruding on private thoughts. The gift helps me the most when we're both focusing on the same idea. For example, when I'm interviewing a client about a potential job or when a teacher announces an assignment. I get a glimpse of what they consider the end-product, which helps me give it to them."

"I could see how that would be handy, but do you ever see something you don't want to see?" Olivia asks.

"All the time. Especially around men," Shayna says with a shudder.

I frown at her words, but the conversation moves on to Sasha before I can press her for more information.

"I can tell if someone is lying to me. Not just the big ones, but white lies as well. Makes dating even more difficult than it already is, but at least I don't waste time on complete losers."

"Is that why you chose a law career?" Cleo asks.

Sasha laughs. "I wanted to be a cop, but figured Hex wouldn't like that much. I know the club isn't a typical 1%er, but I can't imagine he'd want a cop in the family."

"Hex would have been fine with you being a cop," I protest. "The San Diego Chapter has a cop. I think his name is Shield. Also, the Enforcer in Las Vegas is dating a cop. Although, as your mother, I'm glad you didn't decide to become a cop. Hex already gives me gray hairs."

As the technicians finish our treatments, I see Cleo checking her phone.

"No word from Skylar?" I ask her.

She shakes her head and looks at me. "This isn't like her. She should be here by now, or at least called to say she would not make it. Do you sense anything?"

I close my eyes and concentrate on Skylar. She feels trapped, and she's angry, but I don't sense danger, which is what I tell Cleo.

"Maybe she's stuck in traffic," Cleo muses.

"Call Pirate. See if he can track her," I suggest.

Cleo calls our tech guy, but it goes straight to voicemail.

"Let's get back to the clubhouse," Shayna suggests.