Mind Games (Games Thriller Series) (6 page)

“Well, I don’t want to tell you how to behave with your daughter, but,” she hesitated. “Is talking to her about a future that will never exist really a good thing?”

Jessica stepped back and looked her up and down. “Yes it is,” she said and put her hands on her hips. “Regardless of the diagnosis, people need hope. No matter how remote your chances, having something to cling to makes them possible.” She looked over at Daniel. He was looking at his feet.

“But it will make it harder for her to accept it,” LeAnn said.

“Accept what? Dying? No way!” Jessica snapped. “She shouldn’t accept it and neither should you. Enroll her in NYU. Let her live and enjoy and dream and laugh.” She took a deep breath and turned her dagger-filled gaze toward Daniel. “Let her see that
you
haven’t given up on her.” She stabbed her index finger in the middle of his chest and turned back to LeAnn “Don’t bury her before she’s dead.”

LeAnn stepped back, her expression falling as quickly as her jaw. “I, I, I didn’t mean to do that.” She glanced at Daniel for support but he was studying Jessica.

“If they come out here and give us the same prognosis, I expect you two to do that. To let her live and have her dreams, and show her you have hope otherwise, I swear I will take her with me,” Jessica fumed.

Daniel swallowed and nodded, breaking Jessica’s intense stare.

“Good!” She stormed off to find a bathroom.

Chapter 15

Jessica glanced in the bathroom mirror and whispered his name softly. The image shifted and Chris looked back at her in surprise holding the razor inches away from his skin.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to...” She shrugged.

He smiled at her and finished her sentence. “Call me?” He lifted his eyebrows.

She nodded.

“At least I didn’t slip.” He waved the razor and set it down out of sight. “This really is bizarre Jess.”

Smiling, she nodded again. “Yeah it is.” She knew just how off balance this peculiar manifestation of her power must be leaving him, especially in light of how weird it was for her five years ago when Eric’s little face appeared in her mirror.

“Is Emily ok
ay?”

“She looked so much better last night after...”

“After you did your magic.”

She nodded. “They’re doing more tests today, but I think she’ll be fine.”

“I’m glad,” he said and smiled.

That smile could melt armor and her heart skipped a beat.

“Thank you.”

He inhaled, tilting his head to the side, studying her and his smile faded. “It’s the least I could do considering.”

She paused, searching his eyes for any indication of insincerity and found none. She gave a quick nod and turned to leave.

“Jess?”

She turned back to his intense gaze.

“Be safe,” he said and the image faded.

Jessica took a deep breath and walked out of the bathroom lost in thought, the seductive power of his smile seeped under her skin and she wondered how long she could fight the undeniable connection.

Chapter 16

“Jess!” Daniel waved her over. “The doctor wants to talk to us,” he said and escorted both LeAnn and Jessica into the office.

The doctor studied the MRI results side by side and scratched his head. He turned and looked at the three of them. “I’ve never seen anything like this.” He looked back at the pictures and began to explain. “This was the MRI that we took last week. You can see the tumor in her brain.” He pointed to it, a black death sentence permeating Emily’s brain. “And this is today.” He shook his head. “There is no trace of a tumor. This is a healthy brain. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes...” He shook his head again. “This is a miracle.”

“What are you saying?” LeAnn asked.

Daniel stared at Jessica, his mouth hanging open in disbelief. “Jesus.”

“There is no trace of cancer,” the doctor said and sat down. He removed his glasses, pressing on his eyelids. “I’d like to do some more tests,” he said and opened his eyes.

“That’s not necessary,” Jessica replied and stood up. She looked over at Daniel and smiled. “I’d like to take my daughter home now.”

“I think...” LeAnn began but Daniel put a hand on her arm and shook his head.

“I think we
will
pass on the tests. She’s been through enough,” Daniel said.

“I’d strongly suggest some more tests to be sure,” the doctor restated.

“I agree with my ex-husband. She has been through enough,” Jessica said. “Thank you very much for taking the time to do this today.” She stood to leave.

The doctor nodded and looked back at the film hanging in his office. “Miracle,” he said as they closed the door behind them.

Chapter 17

Chris reached out and touched the mirror after her image disappeared.

“Damn.”
It’s been a weird day and it isn’t even noon.

He walked out of the bathroom, picked up his keys and wallet and headed out of the hotel, making his way to the lighthouse where he took a seat on the ledge. The pungent aroma of seaweed and salt cascaded over the rocks, riding on the gentle breeze that filtered through his hair. Chris watched wave after wave crash against the rock barrier as high tide rolled in, hypnotized as much by the sound as the sun dancing along the ridge of each wave.

“What am I doing here?” Leaning back, he closed his eyes and let the midday sun warm his face.

She couldn’t really love me, not knowing everything I’ve done.

Could she?

He opened his eyes, scanning the vast Atlantic. “How long till I do something I regret?” He huffed at the spoken question, her question. A part of him already regretted coming to see her but if he hadn’t, she would have lost Emily. There were precious few times in his life where he made the right decision and this certainly qualified. It felt good to know he made a difference but he wasn’t sure how long he could keep this masquerade going. He wanted to be with her. He wanted the dream, but now he had a fucking ghost to deal with.

Chapter 18

Eric walked into the house to find Tom in the family room flipping through a photo album. “What cha doing?”

“Looking at pictures of your
mom,” Tom said and closed the album, sliding it back in place on the shelf.

Eric smiled. “She takes a lot of pictures.”

“Yes she does.”

Eric watched Tom scan the shelves of albums, waiting until he turned and met his gaze. “The bad man wants to hurt her again, doesn’t he?”

Tom crossed to the couch and sat down, nodding. “I’m not sure what to do.”

Eric opened his mouth and then closed it. He was old enough to know when saying something to someone would hurt them and what almost passed over his lips would have hurt Tom very much. Tom couldn’t do anything to help his mom, only Ty could. Instead, he said, “I’m not sure either.”

“He actually...” Tom started and trailed off.

“Yes, he actually appeared in my room.”

“Why?”

“He was worried about Mom.”

“Why do you and your mom care so much about him?”

Eric thought about this for a while. He had never spoke about what happened to anyone. “Ty did a lot of bad things. When he took my
mom, she was just another prisoner to him, but then things changed.” Eric paused. “He fell in love with her and I think she provided him with the redemption he was looking for.” He glanced in Tom’s direction. “He had every intention of getting her out of there when he returned with you.” Eric stopped talking for a minute and shifted on the couch. He flicked his nail a couple of times. “When Ty left, that son of a bitch hurt her really bad.” He looked up at Tom, waiting for some admonishment for swearing. When there wasn’t any, he continued. “I don’t know exactly what happened, all I know is she shut me out. I couldn’t reach her at all and I panicked. Kind of like Ty did today. So I did the next best thing. I found him and made him promise to protect her.”

“He saved both our lives, that’s why I care and I think when I fixed him I changed him more than Mom did.” Eric looked down at his hands.

“He put her in harm’s way Eric.”

Eric nodded. “I know. I understand more now than I did then.” He took a deep breath. “But he still saved her and then let her go.” He looked up at Tom. “He let you both go.”

“Is this the first time you’ve talked about this?”

Eric nodded and Tom put his arm around the boy and gave him a little squeeze.

“Your mom loves you and your sister very much.”

“I know,” Eric said. “We miss her.”

Tom leaned back and rubbed his face. “I’m sorry.”

Eric shrugged. “It’s ok
ay. You made her feel safe.”

Chapter 19

Tom pulled out of the driveway and Jessica leaned over, planting a kiss on his cheek.

“Thank you,” she said.

“You can thank me when we get home.”

She smiled and curled up in the seat, putting her head on his lap and he gently ran his fingers through her silky hair thinking of the conversation with Eric.

Safe. Eric said I made her feel safe. I’m not doing so hot in that department these days.

He glanced down at her, her chest rising and falling in the pattern of sleep and he sighed, concentrating on the highway in front of him.

* * * *

Tom carried her into the house and laid her on the bed, gently taking off her clothes and tucking her under the sheets. Undressing, he dumped his clothes into the hamper and headed to the bathroom without swinging the closet door closed.

When he stepped out of the bathroom, he froze in his tracks. The sheet lay crumpled at the foot of the bed and Jessica’s wrists were crossed, her arms stretched over her head and his gaze shot to the closet. More specifically, the mirror on the back of the door that now faced the bed.

Frank grinned back at him.

“Jessica!” He yelled and tried to run toward the mirror but was slammed into the seat waiting for him where his arms were bound with invisible rope, tightening painfully against his skin.

“I’m going to have a little fun with your wife, hope you don’t mind.” The ghost in the mirror laughed.

Tom turned in the direction of the bed, seeing Jessica’s wide wild eyes.

“No,” she whimpered and her skin broke out in bumps, her breath frosting the air in quick bursts of fear.

Red handprints appeared on her skin and fury filled every pore as he watched the downward progression. Burning rage shook through him, setting his heart on overdrive and he struggled against the invisible bonds holding him to the chair. Flashbacks of the brutal rape he witnessed in the complex gripped him and panic settled in his bones. “Leave her alone!”

Tears blurred his vision and frustration joined the already dangerous cocktail mix in his blood. He threw his head back, letting a guttural roar leap from his throat.

“You’re not going to call Ty like you did this morning?” Frank sneered and pushed her legs wide.

She struggled, crying against the invisible tape now covering her mouth and turned her head in Tom’s direction.

He saw the plea in her eyes and almost heard the words
Call Him!
from under the binds holding her voice in her throat. Tears slid down the side of her cheeks and she arched, her muffled scream of pain snapping his eyes from hers and turning them to the mirror.

There in full view, the son of a bitch was hurting her again, but this time he knew how to stop it.

Tom screamed, summoning her guardian angel, a name he never thought he would ever rely on for help.

Chapter 20

Chris sat up in bed, blinking at the dark hotel room. He glanced around and his gaze landed on the clock. A little after midnight and a very bad feeling scratched at the pit of his stomach. Distant laughter floated on the air and he stretched back in the bed annoyed at the interruption.

He closed his eyes again and that bad feeling bloomed into nightmare quality terror. Jessica’s fear bowed him over, knocking the breath from his chest and before he could throw the covers off, Tom’s voice barreled his name.

He skidded into the bathroom but all he saw was his own face looking back at him.

“Shit!”

Closing his eyes, he grabbed onto her fright and rode the psychic connection right to her. When he opened his eyes, the mirror rippled, the image of her bedroom coming into sharp focus. The look on Tom’s face told him enough, he didn’t need to hear what Tom kept repeating to understand.

“Break it, please break it,” Tom repeated. “Please break it.”

A snarl rose in his throat and he uttered the command, “Shatter.”

The mirror in the hotel room flew to pieces, crystal shards tinkled on the tile all around him and he prayed the same thing happened to their bedroom mirror. He spun and ran out of the bathroom, ignoring the tiny jabs of glass skewering the soles of his feet. Hopping into his jeans and sneakers, he grabbed the room key and a shirt and bolted to his car.

Minutes later, he pulled into her driveway and yanked the emergency brake. At the door, he repeatedly jammed the doorbell, shifting his weight from foot to foot debating on knocking the door down again when Tom swung it open.

“Is she okay?”

Tom just stared at him, grinding his teeth together.

“Is she ok?” He stepped in the house.

Tom put his hand on Chris’s chest, stopping him from going any further. “You brought that son of a bitch with you,” he said, his chest rising and falling with the rage rattling inside him.

“Is she okay?” Chris exploded and pushed Tom away stepping further into the hallway.

“Yes
,” Jessica answered from the entryway. She hugged the bathrobe wrapped tightly around her.

Tom’s fist slammed into his jaw and he lost his balance, landing on his ass in the hallway and before he could get to his feet, Tom had a fistful of his shirt, yanking him off the ground and throwing him toward the living room with a growl that reminded Chris of his uncle’s attack dogs.

He rolled and scrambled off the floor. Tom threw another punch and he parried, blocking the next several swings but he didn’t fight back and he didn’t say a word, he just fended off the blows and let Tom get the rage out of his system.

Eventually, Tom sat down on the couch and put his face in his hands. “Son of a bitch raped my wife and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it,” he said through his fingers.

Chris exhaled and took a seat on the couch next to Tom. “I’m sorry.”

Tom turned his bloodshot glare in his direction. “I don’t want to hear your fucking apologies, just figure out a way to get rid of him.”

“I’m working on it.” Chris swung his gaze to Jessica.
Are you really okay?

She nodded. “Thanks for stopping him again.”

“Don’t thank me,” Chris answered. “Frank knew I wouldn’t be able to stay away forever. He just waited. Watched and waited until I was stupid enough to...” Chris began and clenched his teeth against the rest of the sentence.

Jessica’s chin trembled and the tears welled, rolling over the edge in slow motion. “If you hadn’t come, I would have lost Emily.”

Chris stood and started across the room. He stopped halfway realizing it wasn’t his place to comfort her, to wipe away her tears. His heart ached.

Tom passed by him and wrapped his arms around his wife, turning and displaying a warning glare he was accustomed to. He had seen it enough times in his stepbrother’s prison to understand he was not welcomed.

Turning, he walked out of the house, leaving his heart in her hands. He paused at the side of his car, debating with the darkness that threatened to over take him, the desire to grab her and run, to hold her, to love her, to own her like he once had, but he kept it at bay, fighting against his true nature.