Puma

by Jorrie Spencer

  “Hit her, Dev.” There was alarm there the second time Scott gave the order, as if he’d expected Dev to have obeyed by now. “Why don’t you want to? You’re mine.”

  “I’m yours,” Dev repeated desperately. His teeth clenched and he ground the words out. “But I don’t want to. You know that counts. Stop, Scott.”

  Dev was vibrating from the effort of holding back, and Callie had had enough. As Scott opened his mouth, she clenched her own fist and drove it into Scott’s temple. Hard. He dropped like a rock while Callie bit down on the pain in her hand. She walked around him as she shook out that stinging hand and Ruth screamed.

  Dev was staring at his own clenched fist like it didn’t belong to him, and Callie wondered if he was still going to use it. With her unbruised hand, she reached for him, wrapping her hand around his fist to lower it. She unrolled his fingers and very briefly linked her fingers with his, then let go.

  “What the fuck is going on?” he asked through chattering teeth, his voice a rasp.

  Callie didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know much beyond one thing. “I am sick of listening to Scott talk. His orders are getting on my nerves. They make me want to puke.”

  Thankfully Ruth stopped screaming, dialed down to weeping, and staggered over to Scott’s side. He moaned and rolled around on the linoleum, and Callie realized he wouldn’t be out for long. She grabbed a dishtowel, stuffed the cloth in Scott’s awful mouth, and batted away Ruth’s ineffectual hands as her sister tried to stop her.

  Picking Scott up, Callie threw him over her shoulder and carried him upstairs. It was obviously past time for someone to be isolated from the others. Time out, she thought grimly as she marched up the stairs.

  For a while, Dev just concentrated on breathing. That seemed doable given that his brain had shut down. In the background, he was aware of Ruth huddled on the floor sobbing, but it wasn’t until he felt someone tugging his shirt that he came back to the here and now.

  Big blue eyes stared up at him. Madison. She didn’t say anything, just raised her arms in an entreaty to be lifted up and comforted.

  He could do that.

  She clung, face turned into the crook between neck and shoulder, small hands tight on his arms, and he couldn’t even say it would be okay. Mainly because he didn’t know what the hell had just happened. He felt a kind of relief, but also dread, because while he desperately needed Scott out of his life, out of his head, he also knew any replacement would be worse. It was why he didn’t fight harder against Scott’s hold.

  “Is Scott gone?” Madison whispered.

  “I don’t think so.”

  “I saw Callie take him away.” This said with some approval.

  “Yeah.” Dev shifted Madison to one arm. He couldn’t even talk about that scene. It sent him spinning. He focused on more immediate needs. “Hey, you must be hungry. Why don’t I cook these pancakes?”

  “I’m not hungry.”

  “You still have to eat, Mad. You’re a growing girl.”

  So, Dev juggled pancakes and Madison, and ignored Ruth sitting in the corner. His mind settled down a little, enough to briefly consider throwing Madison and Ruth in the car and taking off.

  Of course, he had no ID, no source of money. He’d given that all to Scott, and Dev couldn’t go back to his family because… There was a reason there, but he couldn’t find it.

  Perhaps Callie would prove more harmful than Scott, but Dev couldn’t quite believe she had snowed him so completely. To think he’d been worried for her, that she’d stumbled upon a Minder in an attempt to help her sister. Maybe that was a ploy and Scott… God, he couldn’t even think about Scott right now.

  “Ruth, get up.” At Callie’s sharp voice, Dev spun around, startled by her reappearance. She moved too quietly. It hadn’t taken her long to take Scott away.

  She was a threat. Dev had to accept that, though he’d thought Callie was different. Those middle-of-the-night visits had meant something to him, even if he understood he was desperate to have a friend. Someone to talk to when he wasn’t supposed to talk, someone who couldn’t get inside his head. She’d fooled him. She was one of them and had evidently staged a coup. Perhaps she’d even handed over her sister Ruth to Eleanor.

  At the memory of Eleanor, Dev shuddered.

  “Ruth, please.” Her voice was less sharp now, and Callie glanced Dev’s way for a moment before walking over to Ruth with a look of resignation. “Get up. At least sit on a chair.”

  Ruth didn’t budge. In fact, she glared at Callie with some belligerence, as if she was a sister Ruth didn’t intend to listen to. As if Callie wasn’t a Minder.

  Dev carefully set Madison down, because he was afraid he might drop her.

  “What are you?” he demanded as Callie crouched beside her sister.

  Her amber gaze turned to hold his, and expecting an order, he tried not to flinch. “I’m a cougar,” she said.

  He let out a breath of relief. That was no command. A nonsensical statement, but no demand in it, nothing he was supposed to do or think. As she kept looking at him, expecting a response, he began to doubt this idea of his that she was a Minder. “Cougar?”

  “Yep. I don’t want to talk about it.”

  Sex is uncomfortable and she’s a cougar, an older woman who goes after younger men? These statements of hers didn’t exactly add up. Then again, nothing in his life did. “I don’t think you’re even old enough to be a cougar.”

  “Any age.” Another nonsense response that wasn’t an order, and stated matter-of-factly while she raised Ruth to standing and guided her to a chair. Ruth was still crying, though quietly now, thank God. With Ruth settled, Callie sat beside her, apparently overwhelmed. “Why’s my sister crying, Dev? And why are you shaking? And why does Madison pretend to be autistic? I mean what the hell is going on and how does Scott control you?”

  As soon as the words were out—no orders in any of them, only questions and bafflement—Callie darted a gaze at Madison by Dev’s side, arm curled around his leg, and Callie’s expression turned contrite. “I’m sorry, honey, I shouldn’t swear in front of you. I won’t do it again.”

  “I don’t care,” Madison declared stoutly.

  “Well, I do.” Callie rubbed her forehead. “Dev?”

  He jerked his gaze her way.

  “I asked you some questions?”

  “You did?” With some alarm, he realized he hadn’t tracked them, had only recognized she wasn’t pushing him. It all became too much. “Excuse me.” He gently detached Mad from his leg, assuring her he’d be right back, then strode to the bathroom. He thought he would throw up, but there really wasn’t anything in his stomach. Instead, he leaned on the sink and stared into the mirror, willing himself to remember just who he was and how he’d got here.

  He used to know.

  Chapter Nine

  “Madison, honey, I’m sorry about this morning.” Callie reached for the girl, regretting that Madison had to witness so much.

  She climbed right into Callie’s lap and looked up, face pale and tight. “Is Scott gone now?”

  “Not exactly. He’s contained.” At Madison’s puzzled expression, she explained, “He can’t talk to anyone right now.” This assurance had the girl’s thin body relaxing in Callie’s hold.

  Across the table, a red-eyed Ruth regarded Callie sullenly. “I didn’t ask you to visit so you could attack Scott.”

  Callie’s anger flared. “Well, surely you didn’t ask me to visit so Scott could force Dev to attack me.”

  “Scott wants to protect us, that’s all. He thought you were trying to take over and hurt us.”

  Callie blinked. That was some explanation and quite frankly she didn’t understand it.

  “I mean,” Ruth added emotionally, “you are taking over. Just not like Scott.”

  Rather wearily, Callie said, “It wasn’t entirely planned, Ruth.” Since her words seemed to do little to deflect her sister’s anger, Callie stroked Madison’s hair. The chil
d, at least, had the sense to keep away from Scott. Unlike Ruth. Callie wondered how Dev was going to take this turn of events. First he had to pull himself together. She was a bit worried about what he was doing in the bathroom.

  “I’m glad Scott is sorta gone.” Madison nestled deeper into Callie arms. “You’re better.”

  She wasn’t Scott’s replacement, but Callie opted not to argue the point with a seven-year-old. Instead she warned, “Don’t go into Ruth’s room, sweetie.” Then she met her sister’s gaze. “You either, Ruth.”

  “And just how am I supposed to get dressed?” Ruth demanded, and Callie found herself dangerously near laughing at her sister’s self-righteousness.

  “I will bring your clothes out.”

  This solution did little to soothe Ruth who continued in a similar vein with, “And where am I supposed to sleep?”

  “Ruth, for God’s sakes.” Callie took a deep breath. If anger and laughter were both so near the surface, she was less in control of her emotions than she wanted to be. She needed to stay calm. An observant and vulnerable child was watching and listening to everything Callie said. “You can sleep in the den like Scott did.”

  “You’ve ruined everything,” muttered Ruth.

  “What was I supposed to do? Let Scott run your lives and just watch him make you nuts? How does he do that anyway? It’s creepy, Ruth, his control over you. It’s wrong.”

  Ruth stiffened and sniffed back more tears. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Like—” —hell. Callie bit her lip as Madison’s gaze went back and forth between the two sisters. Callie had grown up in foster care, and as a child, adults swearing had always made her uneasy. She leaned down to Madison. “I’m not mad at Ruth, sweetie. It’s Scott who concerns me.”

  “He concerns me too,” echoed Madison.

  Dev emerged from the washroom then, face drawn but composed. He went straight to Madison. “Mad, we adults have to talk.”

  Something in Callie just melted at the way he made the child his first priority.

  Madison eyed Dev and when she spoke, her tone was cajoling. “You said I was mature.”

  Despite that Dev looked pretty awful, his eyes warmed at Madison’s attempt to stay in the kitchen and listen. “You are. You’re also seven.”

  “I can help.” She glanced up at Callie. “I know things.”

  “Oh?” Callie responded in what she hoped was a leading way.

  “There have been others.”

  Callie’s stomach dropped. She didn’t want the situation to get even more complicated and “others” sounded ominous. Others like Scott, or others like Dev and Ruth? Where were these people now? She was scared to ask.

  Dev walked over and lifted Madison off Callie’s lap and into his arms. While he carried her to the den, he said, “I know you’re bored with TV, and I don’t blame you. I promise that after I talk to Callie and Ruth, I’ll go outside with you.”

  “Now that Callie’s in charge, do you think I could have some friends?” she asked hopefully.

  Dev winced, though whether at the description or at the question, Callie couldn’t tell. “In charge”? She didn’t know what to make of that. Ruth had talked about her taking over.

  “I don’t know, Mad,” Dev answered rather bleakly after his pause. With that, he turned on the TV, settled Madison in a chair and walked out, closing the door behind him.

  He strode over and took a kitchen chair, turned it around and sat on it, his arms resting on its back. It should have been a relaxed pose, but he looked far from relaxed.

  Ruth gave a watery sigh of commiseration that he acknowledged with a brief closing of his eyes. Callie waited, unsure what to make of their silent communication. She had so many questions, but how to formulate them so they were useful? How do you ask someone if their “friend” uses mind control on them? Even as a cat shifter, Callie had trouble wrapping her head around the concept.

  Dev cleared his throat and stared at the center of the table. “I should speak first? That’s what you’d like, Callie?”

  The carefully worded question turned her stomach. “What do you mean?”

  His eyes cut her way before returning to the table. “I think you know what I mean.”

  “Well, I don’t. I’ve spent two days in this house, one day with Scott, one without, and I feel pretty much in the dark.” She almost said more, almost demanded he tell her what was going on, but Dev seemed to be bracing himself against her words. He held himself rigid, the way she’d seen him with Scott, and instinct told her to tread softly. So she waited for him to speak.

  When silence reigned, punctuated only by Ruth biting her nails, Dev gave a short, angry laugh. “You all like to play games. I’d rather you just gave orders. It’s more honest.”

  “Orders,” she repeated.

  He jerked a nod, mouth set in a tight line.

  “I have a request, will that do?” She supposed it wasn’t the time to be sarcastic, but this conversation was nerve racking.

  “Oh sure,” he sneered. She’d seen this expression on him before and it didn’t sit well. It was a last resort for him.

  “Please don’t go anywhere near Scott. I especially don’t want him talking to you or Ruth.”

  Dev frowned, as if searching for the code behind Callie’s words.

  Ruth stopped pouting long enough to blurt out, “Oh for God’s sakes, Dev. Can’t you tell my sister is not one of them? Scott just thinks she is.” To Callie, she declared, “I am not going to listen to you.”

  “Then what are you going to do?” Callie asked.

  “Free him. I have to protect Scott!”

  “Protect…?” Callie felt speechless. “Gah,” she spat, a little too feline for her companions’ tastes obviously, as they both were startled by the noise. “Did Scott tell you to protect him, Ruth? How far in the future can he control your actions?”

  Ruth just looked back at her blankly. Then, apropos of nothing, or so it seemed to Callie, Ruth declared, “Scott is very sensitive.”

  “Sensitive, huh? Jesus Christ, is that a euphemism for ‘complete asshole’?”

  “No,” protested Ruth, offended now, which just amazed Callie. “How can you talk about Scott that way? He’s a wonderful person.”

  Callie turned to Dev. “What does Ruth mean? Do you think Scott is sensitive? I’m pretty sure you don’t think Scott is wonderful. Though God knows I could be wrong.”

  Dev scrubbed his face and gazed straight ahead, looking lost, weary and furious all at once. “What are you doing?” He answered his own question. “Playing games. You’ve proved you can play, okay?” He leaned forward, so intent, yet never meeting her eyes. “You fooled me, okay? Congratulations.” He clenched his fist. “But leave Madison alone. Just let me look after her without your influence. Then I’ll do whatever you want. Her brain, it’s too young, if you care at all, it’s too young to be influenced by you.”

  “I think I need a decoder ring here.” No reaction from Dev and that effort of his, to keep himself in check, was hard to watch. She had to convince him she was on his side. But he wouldn’t look at her.

  Callie wanted Dev to see her, because it felt like he couldn’t stop perceiving her as a Minder. So she moved off her chair and knelt down in front of Dev, forcing him to meet her gaze. He met and held it, flinched but held it, keeping himself there and she understood he was leaving himself open to her. As if she were another Scott. God, what a terrible offer, to do whatever a Scott-type person wanted.

  She wanted to reach up and grab his arm, but that was a Scott-type action, so she simply said, “I’m not like Scott. I don’t know exactly what Minders are, but I’m not one of them. I do not give orders. For example, I cannot tell people to sleep, like Scott did Ruth last night, and then have them sleep.” Here she turned to her sister. “Right, Ruth? You slept because he told you to.”

  “I wanted to sleep,” she replied immediately. “I always want to sleep.” Her eyes were bright and empt
y. “We need to free Scott, Callie.”

  “No.” Callie turned back to watch for Dev’s reaction to this. He was clutching the back of the chair now. She didn’t think he could get more tense, and she had the impression that fury thrummed through him. For a moment she thought he wouldn’t speak.

  He forced out those words again, making Callie’s stomach roil. “You fooled me, okay?”

  “For fuck’s sake, Dev, you already said that.” Ruth stood suddenly, and Callie feared she would have to physically restrain her sister to keep her away from Scott. Instead, Ruth approached Dev, contempt on her pretty face. Callie didn’t remember Ruth being contemptuous. There’d been some personality changes here, she knew that, but this was more than she’d bargained for. “You’re becoming a zombie, Dev.”

  “Scott doesn’t make zombies.” One of those canned responses that Callie had to assume originally came from Scott, as Dev’s speech was wooden and not particularly comprehensible, at least to Callie.

  “Ruth,” Callie said slowly. “Why are you talking about zombies?” What an awful word. She hated it.

  “Dev is Scott’s, but Scott promised I wouldn’t be his as long as I was good and stayed healthy.” A pause while Ruth’s expression became determined. “Which I have. I was good.”

  “What are you talking about?” demanded Callie, seriously floundering. She wanted answers, not more gibberish.

  Dev was wiping his eyes now, which Callie found a little heartbreaking. She longed to hold him. Puma even wanted to hold him. When was the last time her two halves had been in sync? But she held back, scared to startle him.

  He gazed at Callie again, that unfocused look, and rasped the words out. “You fooled me, okay?”

  And she couldn’t help it. She knew he didn’t like touch. She knew Scott had messed with him, and he was scared she was messing with him. But everything in Callie told her to rise up and place two hands on Dev, on his arms.

  He flinched, sucking in air, but he didn’t fight it. She very slowly pulled him down to the floor with her, because the chairs just got in the way and she’d never been a great one for furniture. Now that they were connected, she rubbed his shoulder, trying to soothe him with her touch.