Chapter Fifteen
She was on the floor, with Ethan crouched beside her.
“What the hell happened?” He reached out and touched her face. “Are you okay? You seemed to black out.”
She blinked a couple of times, tried to pull back the image, but it was gone. She had an idea it was something important. What had she seen? Was it just something from her imagination? Or had she pulled the vision unknowingly from someone’s head. But she suspected not. The image held a flavor she recognized. Were her visions of the future no longer tied only to her dreams?
Would this come true?
The future is not set.
Christ, she had to get a grip. She couldn’t go around blacking out like that. She could have been doing anything.
“Sadie?” Ethan sounded worried. Hell, he was worried. He’d thought she was dead, and he’d panicked. He’d never felt like that before. And that scared him.
She pushed herself up so she was sitting, then pressed a finger to her forehead. What the hell was happening to her? Maybe she’d imagined it all. “I’m fine. I had this…pain. It’s gone now. Just a migraine.”
He straightened and held out his hand to her and she slid her palm into his. He pulled her to her feet and then into his arms, dragging her close. For a moment, she allowed herself to relax against him, resting her cheek against the smooth material of his jacket, counting the rapid beats of his heart. He wanted to get a doctor, make sure she was okay, keep her safe, look after her…
“Hey, I’m fine,” she said. “Really.”
“Has that happened before?”
She shook her head. “No, not like this. But honestly, I’m good.”
He cupped her cheek with one hand and stared into her eyes as though he could read her mind. Then he took a deep breath. “Okay, let’s go.”
He wanted the night over with and after that… actually, he didn’t have a clue what would happen afterward. But he intended to keep her close. “Just give me some warning if you feel another…migraine coming on. I’ll be there to catch you next time.”
Next time—if there were a next time—she’d be ready for it.
“Let’s go.”
…
Kaitlin touched her fingertips to the door with the lightest touch. As it swung open, dread saturated her mind, almost paralyzing her with fear. She wished it would, wished it would stop her walking into that room. She didn’t want to see what was waiting for her.
Inside, the light was bright, hiding nothing. Not the body of her brother lying so still on the gurney, or the brain floating in the glass jar beside the computer screen.
The screen flashed into life, and she knew what was coming but couldn’t stop it.
…Kill me, Katy…please. Kill me, Katy…please.
Over and over, until the screen was filled with the words.
A step closer. “Don’t make me do this, please don’t make me do this.” Her hand stretched out, fingers trembling…
She sat bolt upright in the bed, unsure what had woken her, but just glad something had dragged her from the nightmare. As she stared at the door, she could sense someone approaching, but the cell muted the details, and she had no idea who. Fear slithered through her, turning her insides to liquid and causing bile to rise up her throat.
The trouble was, the doctor had been given three days to get their cooperation, but he had no clue what they were supposed to be cooperating with.
“I don’t have the clearance,” he’d muttered. He was apparently the best in his field, but his bosses didn’t trust him. “But no doubt, they’ll inform us soon.”
They’d have to—the three days was nearly up. Kaitlin had stopped eating again, because she couldn’t keep anything down.
In her dreams, she relived Sam’s death. The moment she’d killed him.
In her waking moments, she went over and over Teagan’s murder. It wasn’t as though she could pretend to herself that the threat was empty. They’d done it before. Why would they even hesitate to do so again?
Which one of them would they choose?
Part of her wished it would be her, that there would be an end to this. But she knew it was a pointless wish. She was the strongest. They wouldn’t kill her. Her bet was on Dex, because unlike the others, Dex had a twin sister on the outside. She knew they were using twins for experiments so they’d still have a spare copy. The thought made her want to puke.
She wavered between a sense of hopelessness and a pure rage that burned through her body and mind. Then the fear would come, overwhelming her so her mind wouldn’t function, and she’d sit there staring at the wall.
She hadn’t seen the others again.
The last three days had been spent with Dr. Walker, doing a series of tests over and over again. Seeing what she could pick up, what she could read. But the fact was, they had no clue as to the extent of her powers, and she’d made sure they wouldn’t find out—not from her anyway. If they believed her—and it was a big if—then they thought her powers were limited, that she could only read over short distances, that she needed to see a person to read them, and that if she could touch them, that magnified the connection.
All of that was bollocks. She wasn’t sure of the limitations, but she certainly didn’t have to see or touch her target. It was more a…knowing they existed. Locating them within the millions of other minds that inhabited the world.
“If you want to see what I can do,” she’d told him, “you have to cut out the drug they’ve been giving me. I still won’t be able to read anything outside of this room…so they’re safe.” And they had, thank God. So if not completely clean, her system was clearer than she could remember in the months since she’d been here.
She was playing a dangerous game, because maybe they did know and were testing her. Maybe they would kill Dex, just to punish her. These people were without morals, without conscience.
The locks clicked in the door. A moment later it was pushed open. Kaitlin rubbed her arms as her skin prickled. She tried to force the fear from her mind. Dr. Walker stood in the doorway, flanked by two guards.
“What’s happening?” she asked and hated the tremor in her voice. Hated that they’d nearly broken her, and from the look of pity in Walker’s eyes, he knew it. Tonight, he was wearing a reflector device and fear slithered down her spine.
“It’s just another exercise, Kaitlin. Come along with us and do what they ask. Everything will be fine.”
“Can you promise me that?” She shook her head. “Of course you can’t. You know nothing. You’re trying to pretend that you haven’t sold your soul. But believe me, it’s long gone.”
She pushed herself to her feet, smoothed down her tank top, and slipped her feet into flip-flops. Her brain was racing. They were taking her out of here. Out of the cell. She might have a few moments. She breathed deeply, calming her mind. She needed to be ready.
Dr. Walker led the way, and she followed, flanked by the two guards. As soon as they cleared the doorway, her mind flooded with the thoughts of a hundred people, both in the facility and beyond. She blocked them out. Reached out with her mind.
“Jake.”
After her, Jake was the strongest of them. If anyone could hear her, it would be him.
“Jake.”
She was pretty sure they were taking her to the same room where she’d met the others. A shielded room, so once there, she’d be cut off.
“JAKE!”
“Kaitlin. I’m here.”
She almost crumpled as she heard her name. A sound must have escaped her, because Walker peered over his shoulder, a frown on his face, and she did her best to blank out the wild exhilaration from her expression. She had to fight the urge to fall to the ground and bawl her eyes out. She had to keep it together, tell Jake everything she had gleaned from the glimpses into the minds of the guards.
“Jake. I’m in Surry, south of—”
“I know. We’re coming for you. Just hold on, sweetheart.”
She sniffed. Controlled herself. “I will. The others, Jake, they’re still alive, but I don’t—”
A hand shoved her from behind. They’d reached the doorway, and she was pushed inside and the connection lost. Her breathing was coming fast and hard. She had to calm herself down.
It was the same room, but the sofas were gone. This time, it was set up with a big chair in the middle of the room, with leather restraints at the legs and arms. Bile rose in her throat. Were they going to torture her? But it was the man in the corner who drew her gaze. Dex, and the fear was clear on his face. Likely, he’d also made the twin connection and realized he was the most expendable. She dipped into his head, sensed his panic. He was trying to hold it together, but he didn’t want to die. And he certainly didn’t want to sit in that chair.
“It’s going to be okay,” she said. “I’ve heard from Jake. He’s coming to get us.”
Wonder washed through him, dispersing a little of the fear. Then he glanced at the chair. “Well, let’s hope he’s quick.”
“Don’t worry. Whatever they ask, I’ll cooperate.” But what could they ask? Would she want to do it? But nothing could be worse than standing around as they hurt or even murdered Dex. Anger flickered inside her, and she forced it down. “I’ll do it. They won’t have an excuse to hurt you. I won’t fucking let them.”
“So fierce.”
She bit down on her lip. And turned to face the doctor. “What now? Just fucking get on with it. Tell me what the fuck you want me to do.”
From the expression on his face, he hated this almost as much as she did. But the fucker had signed up for it. He’d had a choice.
“I—”
At that moment, the door opened and two guards came in, half walking, half carrying a man between them. A stranger. He wore dark pants and a blood-spattered white dress shirt. He wasn’t unconscious, but he wasn’t helping them, either, his feet sliding along the floor. They dragged him to the chair and dropped him into it.
Relief flowed through her, and she had to hold herself straight to stop the strength leaking out of her limbs. And that was so not right. Whoever this man was, he didn’t deserve this. Wasn’t that why she had gone back all those months ago, after the Tribe had first broken away from their government controllers? Since she’d turned sixteen—Jake had somehow stopped them using her before that—she’d been present at many, many tortures. Countless. So the pain and fear blurred into one. Some maybe deserved what they got, though, she’d never really convinced herself of that. And it was so pointless, when she could look into their minds and see their secrets. She’d come to understand that while on the surface these people deserved every pain and torture man could devise, on the inside, they were broken. Most people—though, she was sure there were exceptions—were not born evil. Something had happened to make them that way. She’d stopped terrorists who genuinely believed in their cause, serial killers who were convinced they were saving, not killing, their victims. Who was she to judge?
Another man followed them in. He wore a reflector device, and she was presuming he was in charge of this little party.
“Go,” he said to Walker.
Her doctor glanced at her, but then nodded and headed out, the palpable relief radiating from him. He was such a worm.
The man turned his attention to her, studying her. “I’m Peterson,” he said. “Follow instructions and you and your friend”—he nodded to Dex—“will both be fine.”
She wanted to ask what would happen if they didn’t but managed to hold herself back. This was no time for attitude, because she was guessing that she wouldn’t be the one to bear the brunt of the repercussions. Dex would. She nodded.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be good,” she said to Dex.
They were fastening the arm and leg restraints on the prisoner now, and she studied the man. He was big, muscular, with short dark hair and hazel eyes. Maybe forty, his skin was weathered, and he had lines that showed he had seen much of the world and found it wanting. Blood caked beneath his nostrils. She hoped they had brought him to her as an alternative to torture.
He caught her gaze and frowned. She delved into his mind. He thought her a child, and the idea of a child being present here disgusted him. She almost smiled. What she had here, was a genuine good person. She delved a little deeper—maybe not so good. He’d done some bad things in his time, but had always managed to justify them with his own code of conduct. Which, she’d come to conclude, was as good as it got.
“Tell us his name,” Peterson said.
She was guessing this was a test. “Fergus Baker.” Fergus, she liked the name. His eyes had widened as she spoke, but not with the usual level of shock when confronted by a mind reader.
Curious.
In seconds, she knew everything about him: name, where he was born, who he worked for…now that was interesting. And even more so…he knew Sadie. Not only knew her, but knew what she was. And he was making the connection. She kept all the expression from her face.
“Who does he work for?” Peterson asked.
“Ethan Weiland.”
“And Weiland?”
“He works for the Conclave.” The bastards. Her stomach muscles tightened. This was the first time anyone had ever mentioned the Conclave. What did it mean that they were coming out into the open?
It also worried her a little that they were making no attempt to hide what she was doing from Fergus. That couldn’t bode well for him. But she had bigger worries.
“Jake, where are you?” Of course, he couldn’t hear her through the walls of the cell.
She wished she’d gotten more information. How long? Would they—could they break in? The security here wasn’t huge. Apart from them, there was nothing here to guard, and they were kept locked up for most of the time.
“What does he know of the Conclave?”
Another test? What to do? How much did they already know? They had to know this. She blew out her breath.
“He knows everything. His boss is high up, and Fergus is his right-hand man. No secrets.”
“What does he know about the Tribe?”
She cast Peterson a brief look. Time to see if her acting had worked over the last few weeks, and they’d believed the made-up limitations to her powers. “It’s muddled. Can I touch him?”
She held her breath, but Peterson nodded. Sinking to her knees, she rested her palms on his thighs, and he tensed up.
“I’m eighteen,” she whispered. “No child.”
Fergus knew a whole load about the Tribe. He didn’t like Sadie, thought she was a bitch—not far wrong there, but Kaitlin loved her. And he hated the thought of anyone in his head. What was he hiding? He worshipped his boss and worried Sadie was bad for him, would get him killed. Sadie was working with Weiland? That’s how Jake had managed to find them. She sifted through the information, tried to work out what these people would know, and what they wouldn’t. Finally, she sat back on the heels and looked at Peterson.
“His boss found out recently that the Tribe existed. He doesn’t know details—they were part of a project run by Travis Weiland, a cousin of his boss. A woman thought to be associated to them was captured and interrogated…” And here was where she was starting to make things up. She cast a warning glare at Fergus, and he picked it up—he was bright, he understood. “The woman was interrogated, but she was nothing more than a tool, used by this Tribe, and they got nothing useful from her. Now, Ethan is awaiting Travis’s return and intends to get more information then.” She frowned, touched him again lightly. “Tonight. He will see Travis tonight.” She pushed herself to her feet and faced Peterson. “And by the way, Fergus thinks his boss is going to be totally pissed that you’ve taken him. And you don’t want to piss off Ethan Weiland, if you can possibly help it. Very likely he’s going to kill you.”
A smile flickered across Fergus’s lips and was gone again.
Had she done okay? She waited. Inside she was shaking, but she reckoned a little bit of fear wasn’t a bad thing.
Finally, Peterson nodded. “Tell us about Weiland’s security tonight.”
Tonight was a big bash for all the Conclave. Weiland was there, but so was Sadie. No way was she putting Sadie in danger. So she’d lie and hope that Jake was really on his way and would find her before they discovered she had lied.
“His personal assistant is with him, but she’s no threat.” Ha—she’d tell Sadie that one. “Other than that, ten men, but no one close. The Conclave takes care of security within the house.”
That was a lie. Fergus had put four of his men in place as waiting staff. But Peterson didn’t need to know that.
“That’s all?” Peterson asked.
“Yes.”
He studied her for a moment, then pulled a cell phone out of his pocket, punched in a number. “Sir. The interrogation is complete. Weiland knows nothing more than what he’s told you. What do you want to do with the prisoners?”
Kaitlin swallowed hard. “It will be all right,” she said to Dex. “I think I fooled them.”
“I believed you.”
“Maybe I’ll be an actress, now that the whole government agent thing has fallen through.”
“Go for it.”
Peterson ended the call and turned to the guards. “Take these two back to their cells.” He waved at her and Dex. “Leave Baker here for the moment. We’ll dispose of him later.”
That didn’t sound good for Baker, but his face was impassive. He trusted his boss. Ethan Weiland would have realized there was a problem by now. He knew where this place was. He would guess that Travis was a backstabbing, double-crossing bastard.
“I hope so,” she murmured.
He liked her better than Sadie.
“That’s because I am nicer. Good luck, Fergus.”
One of the guards grabbed her shoulder and hustled her to the door. They were just about there when Peterson’s phone rang. He listened for a moment, then closed off the call and slid the phone into his pocket. His gaze fixed on Kaitlin.
“It appears you lied.” He turned to the guard holding Dex. “Kill him.”