Mind Slide (33 page)

“
I'm, uh, I'm scared. I'm not sure how to get us out of this.”

She squeezed him. She had faith in him. He had found her all those years ago, locked away in a remote house in the woods. He was capable of anything, even if he didn't know it himself.

“
You'll think of something.”

“
I'm sorry I got you mixed up in this.”

“
Hey. I don't blame you. I don't even blame my father.”

He caressed her cheek. She could barely see his eyes from the light spilling in from the window. No one in her life had ever looked at her the way Mason did. Just looking into his eyes, she thought she would forget everything else around them.

“
So,” she said, letting her hand fall to his hip. She looked down at his chest, afraid to hold his gaze. “I hope I didn't freak you out with what I said before.”

He quickly flipped through old conversations in his head. He only guessed she was talking about one thing.

“
About love?”

She nodded. “I don't know when it happened. But I won't talk about it anymore. I didn't mean to make you feel-”

He cut her off with a kiss. She lost herself in the moment and kissed him back. They felt and explored each other for nearly a minute.

He pulled back an inch and rested his forehead against hers.

“
I think part of me fell in love with you when we were sixteen,” he said.

She smiled, then leaned in for another kiss.

As soon as their lips touched, Mason's cell phone rang. He took a deep breath, then they separated and sat up on the bed.

“
Hello?”

“
That was impressive work at the hospital,” Suit said. “Maybe we should have picked you over Gabriel.”

“
I want Lisa back.”

“
Tomorrow night, at the docks off of Winter Road. Just bring the flash drive, and we'll bring Lisa. Then you go back to your life.”

Suit hung up.

Mason dropped the phone on the bed. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. Kelly rubbed his back. He repeated the fifteen second conversation to her.

“
So, we lay low until then?” she asked.

He nodded. There was nothing else they could do.

“
I guess we should get some sleep,” he said. He looked at the bed. “I'll sleep on the floor, if you want.”

“
No, you won't. I promise I won't make any moves.” She smiled a little, realizing she was once again stealing his line. “But Mason, let's be serious. If we all make it out of this alive, you'd better get used to sleeping with me.”

He turned red, but she couldn't tell in the darkness.

“
I get the bathroom first,” she said.

She went back to the door to turn the light on. They both squinted at the sudden bright light. Mason kept his eyes on her bare legs as she crossed the room, not bothering to hide it. She felt his eyes on her and gave him a smile.

Mason listened to her shower as he tried to figure out what to do. Part of him wanted to go to the police, but Suit made it clear that wasn't a good idea, and Mason believed him.

He wouldn't do anything to risk Lisa's life.

The only thing they could do was exactly what Suit told them to.

Still, Mason didn't have to take Kelly with him. When daylight came he could put her on a bus and send her far away.

He knew she would refuse to go.

They could have that talk after she got out of the shower.

Mason removed his clothes from his shopping bag and folded them. He wished he could stop by his apartment for more clothes, but that wasn't an option. Maybe he could buy some in the morning.

The shower stopped in the bathroom. At the same time, his cell phone beeped. Another text message.

He narrowed his eyes as he read it.

39°09'29.9902", -076°43'27.3799"

Mason felt silly, but he had no idea what it was.

“
Hey, Kell,” he called. “Do you know what this is?”

He approached the bathroom, stopping just short of the door. She held out her hand for the phone.

“
Could you hand me my clothes?” she asked.

He set the bag outside the door. He smirked as a creamy arm reached out and grabbed it. He heard her getting dressed, and entertained himself with a nice picture in his head of what that event might look like.

She laughed, and stepped out of the bathroom wearing the clothes she had on at the beginning of the day. She waved his phone back and forth.

“
These are Google Earth numbers,” she said. “Punch them into Google, it'll take you someplace. You didn't know that?”

He shrugged. “I'm not on the internet as much as I should be.”

She sat next to him. “Tomorrow we'll go to the library and see where it is.”

He shook his head. “I don't think we need to.”

“
What do you mean?”

“
Latitude and longitude are just as good as an address.” He held the phone up. “I'm guessing this will work fine for a mind slide.”

“
Who sent you this?”

“
I have a guess.”

He took a deep breath and circled around to the nightstand. Kelly stood up with him. He tried stations on the alarm radio, but nothing came through clearly.

“
Dammit.”

“
You're gonna mind slide? Right now?”

“
Yeah. Obviously he wants me to see something.”

“
Okay. Can I help?”

Mason looked around the room. He had mind slid before without music, but it always helped to hear a soothing orchestra.

“
I think you can. Would you hold my hand?”

He laid down on the bed. She laid next to him, facing him, and rested her head on her hand.

“
Of course I will. But why?”

“
During a mind slide, it's easy to get sick. I listen to music to help my nerves. But nothing will work better for my nerves than having you next to me.”

She smiled and leaned over him. She gave him a kiss, letting her lips linger for a moment.

“
You say the sweetest things.”

He flashed her a smile, then shifted for a moment and settled in. She laid her head next to him and stared at his profile. She let her hand fall on his.

“
Okay, away we go.”

The hotel room slid away. The only thing he was aware of was Kelly's hand on his.

*****

Mason looked around at his surroundings while waiting for his other senses to catch up. He was in the middle of a clearing, surrounded by trees. Crickets chirped, animals ran through the bushes. There was a slight breeze. The only light came from the moon.

He took a nervous breath. It felt like he was sixteen all over again, looking for Kelly in the woods.

“
Mason, are you okay?” Kelly said. “You look like you're in pain.”

He still felt her hand. It was comforting to know she was next to him.

“
Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bad memory.”

He almost heard Doc's voice in his head.

Be aware, Mason.

He looked at the ground. Most of the grass had been worn away. There were tire tracks everywhere.

He turned to see a brick building. It was two stories high, with bars on every window. There were three steps leading to a door. Bushes were starting to grow out of control, almost blocking the way to the door.

He walked up the stairs and stepped through the front door. It was very dark, but enough light spilled in from the windows to let him see.

He stepped into what looked like a lobby. Stairs led to the second floor. A desk with a computer sat in front of a set of double doors. There was a small layer of dust on everything.

He walked through the double doors. His jaw dropped, and he almost felt sick.

The setting was all too familiar.

There were desks everywhere. Charts and whiteboards were on the walls. File cabinets were littered about. There was a refrigerator in the far corner. Mason could guess what it used to store.

In the center of the room was a metal table.

He was in a lab, very similar to the one he spent much of his life in.

The only difference was the cell-like structure that took up the entire far wall. There was a bed, toilet, sink, TV, a dresser and nightstand, bookshelf, and a small couch. The bars looked thick enough to hold an elephant. The cell door had a series of four locks.

“
Mason,” Kelly said. He felt a hand on his forehead. “You don't look so good.”

“
I'm okay, Kell. Just seeing something I never thought I'd see again.”

There was a new voice.

“
Can you hear me?”

Mason spun in the direction of the voice. Standing in the corner, with his arms crossed, was Gabriel. He had a smirk on his face.

“
You
can
hear me, can't you? Wow. You can't tell me this isn't some crazy shit.”

Gabriel walked toward Mason. He glided his hand through a desk as he did so.

Mason was stunned.

Not only could they both see each other, they could communicate.

“
Okay, wise-ass,” Gabriel said. “You want to tell me how we're doing this?”

Mason studied Gabriel for a moment. He'd only seen him twice before. He wore dirty bluejeans with holes and a black sleeveless shirt. Were they the clothes he was actually wearing, wherever his body was?

“
I don't know,” Mason said. “Telepathy? I haven't exactly met a lot of other people that can do what we do.”

“
Who are you talking to,” Kelly said.

“
Hold on,” he told her. “Just give me a minute.”