Page 16 of Shiny Things

“Gia’s driving him over. They’ll be right behind us.”

My jaw stubbornly locked. The last thing I wanted to do was waste a day in the clinic doing absolutely nothing. If the diner was really going to be closed indefinitely, I needed to find at least a part-time job to help supplement my income. I didn’t have time to waste.

“Go,” Gia said. “That’s an order.”

“You’re not my boss right now.”

“Yes I am. Your shift started twenty-five minutes ago.”

I glared at her as they secured me to the gurney and pushed me inside the ambulance.

Feeling helpless and stuck in this nightmare, I closed my eyes.

Why was this happening to me right now?

Without realizing what I was doing, I reached up and rubbed the heart charm on the necklace Elias gave me.

Elias

Chapter 6

I had been in an early morning meeting when I got word that my sister’s diner was on fire. There was no word on injuries or what happened.

The second I could get away, I excused myself, practically ran out of the building, jumped on my motorcycle and rode as fast as I could. My heart was racing even faster as I saw the emergency vehicles in the parking lot.

An ambulance was loading someone inside and pulling out as I rolled up.

I immediately spotted Gia and David at their car.

“What happened?” I demanded.

“We have to get over to the clinic. I’ll fill you in later,” Gia said.

“What happened?” I asked again.

“It was just an accident. One of the cooks left a dish towel too close to the burner. It caught on fire and things escalated quickly. I cleared the kitchen and tried to put it out myself, but it was just too fast.”

I looked around at the crowd that had gathered, but I didn’t see Kim anywhere.

“Where’s Kim? Her shift should have started already. Was she here?”

The two of them shared a look I didn’t like.

“Where is she?” I yelled.

“She saved the diner,” Gia said.

“She really did. She was amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it before. She made me turn on the sink then used her powers to concentrate the water at the fire. She just about had it out on her own before the fire trucks arrived.”

“But?”

I knew there was a but coming. I could feel it lingering between us.

“But she doesn’t use her powers often, Eli. She just got a little dizzy, so they took her back to the clinic. But she’s fine. I swear. It’s just precautionary for observation. I’m taking David over there right now for the same reason, and look at him, he’s totally fine.”

My whole body was shaking with fear as I jumped back on my bike and sped to the clinic.

That had been Kim I’d seen them load up in the ambulance.

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