The Mind Games (28 page)

He jerked his gaze toward me.

“Not that way.” I tossed the flower I held into the yard, watching the breeze carry it away. “Although I thought maybe I could at one time, when I believed you had betrayed me.”

He was silent for a long moment, rubbing the palm of his left hand. “You have no feelings for him at all?”

I flipped through the many troubled emotions I had toward Maddox, attempting to decipher the truth. “I care about him. I’m worried about him. He helped us escape, you know. If it wasn’t for him, we’d most likely still be in prison.”

He nodded slowly. “I see.”

I could tell that didn’t sit well with him. Men and their silly pride. “But I don’t love him that way.”

Lewis visibly relaxed.

“In the vision I saw them taking him to prison; they even threatened him with death.” I stared at the house across from the backyard. A woman was bringing in clothing that hung from the upper deck; wet clothes the worst of her worries. “I don’t know what will happen to him. I feel so guilty.”

Lewis wrapped his arm around my waist and drew me close. “He knew what he was doing when he helped you.”

“It doesn’t make me feel any less guilty.”

“I know,” he whispered.

We stared at the yard, not really watching the petals as they tumbled and raced across the grass, chased by the wind.

“I’ve heard more than once that there are always casualties, but it’s not fair. It’s not right.” Lewis slid his hand around mine, his firm grip comforting. “And worse, I wouldn’t change what happened because I know we couldn’t have gotten out without him.”

“It sucks, I know. But you can only keep going on, Cameron. The alternative is to give up.”

“Sometimes I want to give up,” I admitted. “I want to run away. Run back to my island.”

“But you won’t, because that’s not you.”

“No, unfortunately.” The wind picked up, whistling eerily through the trees, the branches bending at an impossibly low angle. It tore the hair from my braid, sending the strands flying around my face in a whirlwind. “I can feel them coming. They’re getting closer.”

I shivered and not because the teperature had dropped. I hadn’t known what it was at first, this strange sensation. An acidic burn that started low in my gut and worked its way into my blood, burning a path through my veins. It was as if the very pounding of my heart echoed the thump of their feet coming closer…closer.

“They’re not here yet, Cameron.” He trailed his knuckles softly against my cheek. “Right now, at this moment, it’s just me and you.” He pressed his lips to mine, a soft and gentle kiss. “And after, it will still be me and you.”

I met his gaze, seeing only sincerity in his blue eyes. I wasn’t so sure we were going to escape unscathed, but I so desperately wanted to believe him. “Promise?”

“Yeah.” Lewis reached up, tucking a loose lock of hair behind my ear. His hand hesitated, cupping the side of my face. When he started to lean toward me, I planned on meeting him halfway. But before he could kiss me again, the door screeched open.

“Guys,” Nora called out.

Lewis sighed, moving back.

“Mom needs to talk to you.”

“That doesn’t sound good,” I muttered.

The fact that she didn’t wait for us but went back inside, worried me even more. Nora was never one to pass up an opportunity to mock our affection and she’d caught us in the midst of a kiss. Lewis took my hand and helped me to my feet.

An hour ago Mom had left with Aaron, disappearing into the tunnels to research or set up guards, something. If she was back and asking for me, I knew she needed something important. Still, I paused. I looked at Lewis and all the emotions we’d been feeling coursed between us. We knew this could be our last moment together. Once I stepped through that door, the war would begin.

“Whatever happens,” Lewis said softly. “We’ll get through it.”

I nodded, although I wasn’t so sure.

“Ready?” he asked.

“I’m ready.”

Together we entered the kitchen. The room was empty, the coffee pot gurgling on the countertop. I thought it funny that they would think about coffee at a time like this. Maybe they thought to keep things as normal as possible. I could feel their energy pulsing from the front of the house and tugged Lewis toward the living room.

Mom and Aaron stood near the fireplace. Close together, their faces were fierce as they whispered back and forth. Even if I hadn’t been able to read their energy fields, I could tell that they were worried. Father Myron sat in a corner near the front door, head bent, eyes closed as he muttered words of prayer. Sierra sat in the opposite corner, her legs were folded as she took in deep meditative breaths. With all the seriousness and muttering I felt like we were having a freaking séance.

Sensing me, Mom turned toward us. “We haven’t heard from our people.”

I wondered why they continued to call them everything but what they were… spies. I suppose it made them feel better in some way. Only evil people like dad had spies. But in the end, we were all spies, tiptoeing around each other; thieving, lying, killing.

“We aren’t sure why, but I have a bad feeling about it. We don’t know where John is at the moment.” She paced across the living room, the floorboards creaking with her movement. I’d never seen my mom pace; I’d never really seen her nervous. “He could be packing for the trip; he could be on his way.”

I shivered slightly, whether from cold or nerves I wasn’t sure.

“I need something from you, Cameron.”

As soon as she said the words, all attention turned toward me. Father Myron stopped praying. Sierra stopped meditating. The entire world seemed to pause and I had to resist the urge to peek through the curtains to see if the cars had stopped in mid-traffic.

“What do you need?” To say I was cautious would be an understatement. I trusted my mom, didn’t I? My unwillingness to jump right in said otherwise.

“We need you to connect with John.”

The thought freaked me out in more ways than I could count. One, he was psycho. Two, I didn’t know how. Three…did I mention he was psycho? “What? How?”

Mom took my hand and led me to the couch. She was trying to get me to focus on her, only her, because she knew if I noticed Aaron’s dour face, I’d rebel. Or if I noticed Nora, arms crossed, obviously sick of the attention I received, I might falter.

“I can’t delve into John’s mind because he knows my energy. He’d recognize me,” she explained. “You’ve had visions of him. Somehow you’ve been able to break into their minds, their consciousness, their very reality. We need you to get in again and locate where they are.”

I didn’t want to visit my dad, I didn’t want to feel his energy, know his thoughts. But what could I say; no thanks?

“I thought you had security tracking them.” Lewis stood with legs braced apart, arms crossed as he watched my mom suspiciously. I could sense his emotions and knew he was as reluctant for me to go as I was. It certainly helped having at least one person on my side. “I thought you had guards waiting for their attack?”

“We lost contact with our spies days ago.”

I was shocked speechless, apparently Lewis was too as he didn’t respond. Yeah, I’d known they’d lost contact, but I hadn’t realized it had happened days ago. Why hadn’t she said anything sooner?

“We have guards at the exits, but for some reason we aren’t able to sense them. I would try… but like I said, I’m worried John will know I’m there. As I’m sure you’ve noticed we all have our own sort of imprint.”

The room went quiet. I could feel Lewis’ trepidation pulsing around me. He didn’t trust any of them, he worried I’d be injured. But Lewis would trust my opinion, and I had no choice but to do whatever it took to destroy my father.

Determined, I stood. “How do I get in?”

Cameron,
Lewis’ voice whispered through my head.
Are you sure?

I glanced at him.
Yes.
He said nothing more, but he didn’t look happy
.

“Remember the beach?” Mom asked, standing and drawing my attention back to her. “When we connected our energy?”

I nodded. How could I forget? For that brief moment I’d experienced nirvana. I’d known peace, happiness, safety. And I’d known the power of the source, the reason why my dad so badly wanted to control the energy.

“We’ll do that again, but you’ll lead.” She took my hands in hers. They were warm, smooth, comforting. I vaguely remembered those same hands brushing back my hair when I’d been but a toddler. “Trust me.”

I had no choice but to try.

“Get comfortable,” she said, sitting and pulling me to the ground.

It was a strangely emotional moment sitting across from my mom and staring into her eyes. I wasn’t sure how to feel. I had so many questions, but I knew there wasn’t time for answers. I had to trust her. I had to trust those around me, including Aaron.

“Your palms,” my mom said softly.

We pressed our palms together and I immediately felt the source; a tingling warmth that spread up my arms, and vibrated through my entire body. Just like when I’d healed Lewis, she guided the energy through me. The room started to fade as I focused on that pulsing energy, focused on the warmth, the buzz. Just like that I was gone. I no longer cared who watched me, I only wanted to feel that pure bliss.

“Move around us, offer your energy,” Mom was speaking, but I knew she wasn’t talking to me.

Nora and Lewis moved to the couch, so close I could reach out and touch them. From the corner of my eye I was vaguely aware of Sierra and Father Myron coming closer, while Aaron remained hovering in the background. A shiver of magnetism wavered through the room as everyone released their mental walls. It was an odd experience, as if I was swimming…almost drowning in their energy. Outside thunder rumbled, shaking the house. I wondered if it was from the storm, or from our powers combining.

“Close your eyes, concentrate, just like at the beach.”

I closed my eyes, took in a deep breath and relaxed. My hands warmed as energy branched between us… electricity that spread up my arms, through my blood. My entire body hummed with a heat I didn’t quite understand. I was no longer there; I was no longer on earth. I felt nothing but peace as the darkness surrounded me.

Just as soon as I’d entered this new world, the space around me flashed to life. Although I no longer felt as if I had a body, I was somehow moving… moving through time…through space. White pinpoints of light burst to life as I raced through the universe.

Dad, find my dad,
I thought over and over again.

As if by magic, the light faded and a room appeared at the end of a dark tunnel. The closer I got, the more it came into focus. Mom was gone. Lewis was gone. I was alone. It was just like it had been when I’d visited my father and Maddox at the compound the other night. I didn’t feel quite right… disconnected, floating. My body wasn’t with me, but my energy, my consciousness, had somehow found a way to travel.

“Are you there?”
My mom’s voice wavered in and out of focus.

I wanted to respond, but couldn’t. Or maybe I just didn’t care. Slowly, I turned, searching the area. It was a nondescript hotel room. A large man stood at the closed door, as if guarding the entrance. I turned away from him, taking comfort in the fact that he couldn’t see me.

Two queen beds made up most of the area, but in the far corner, seated around a small table, were four men. I noticed my father first, relaxed and at ease. Another guard stood at the windows gazing out at some city skyline, obviously keeping watch. We were up high. For what he was keeping watch, I wasn’t sure. It wasn’t as if Spider-Man would come crashing through at any moment.

I glanced back at the table and inched forward, attempting to make sense of their conversation. Although I knew they couldn’t see me, it didn’t make it any less intimidating being next to them. What if my dad could sense my energy as he could with Mom? Then what would happen? No one had mentioned the repercussions of my actions if caught.

“Here.” One man I didn’t recognize pulled a rolled up paper from a briefcase.

“Where are they, Cameron?”
my mom’s mental voice whispered through my mind.

I frowned, annoyed, wishing she would leave me alone. It was too hard to concentrate on them and her at the same time. I didn’t answer but watched as they unrolled the paper across the table.

Savannah… a map of Savannah.

“The tunnels run here and here.” The same man pointed to the map. “You get the girl, while we attack their structure. They won’t be expecting it. In and out within twenty minutes.”

A shiver of apprehension whispered through my body. Oh God, they knew exactly where every one of our corridors were located. They even knew where my mom lived. I stared at that map of crisscrossing lines in horror.

“And the river?” my father asked.

“An easy distance. Not far.”

“Cameron, where are they?”
My mom asked again.

Frantic, I glanced around the room. The two queen beds were made, almost as if they hadn’t been slept in. The T.V. was on some talk show, and I had a feeling it was on just to make noise; I highly doubted they were interested in who was the baby daddy. All men in the room wore pressed tan trousers and polo shirts that said
Pensely Computer Services.

I realized they’d put on a front so they wouldn’t be noticed. They’d probably told hotel staff they were staying for a conference or something. But none of this told me where they were or when they were going to attack.

“Cameron?”
my mom called out to me.
“She’s not responding, we need to pull her back.”

“No!”
I screamed, hoping they would hear, although not even sure how to get my message to her. I could find my father’s location. I
would
.

I shifted my gaze toward the T.V. once more and that’s when I saw the local weather…
“Savannah,”
I whispered.
“They’re here.”

Just as I said the words, one of the men stood and faced me; those hazel eyes locked on mine. I froze, my worst nightmare coming true. The oddly familiar blond guy I’d seen talking to my dad right before I’d escaped the compound.