by Amy Hale
Jocelyn ended her conversation and nodded at Colt. “He’s in. He’ll be here tomorrow.”
“Good.” Colt focused on the map once more. “We need to figure out what rooms are critical to the rescue. He can fill in those details that Grant couldn’t.”
She looked at him with an expression of unease. “Colt, what are you gonna do with Grant?”
He gave his head a slight shake. “I don’t know yet. We can’t let him go and risk him running back to Julia. Keeping him here isn’t ideal, either, but for now it’s the only sensible option.”
She nodded but still looked apprehensive. “You’re not going to torture him or anything, right? I mean, you’ve treated him humanely so far?”
Colt chuckled. “No. As much as I’m tempted, he’s probably safer here than he is back with The Curators. If we torture him, we are no better than they are.” He released a heavy sigh. “Once this is all over, we’ll set him free to … do whatever it is he did before they hired him.”
Jocelyn smiled at him. “I’m glad to hear it.”
He took a swig from a nearby water bottle. As he sat it back down, he shot her an intense look. “Listen, I know I can be a little rough around the edges. I was raised to do what you had to do and get the job done. I’ll also admit I have a temper, especially when it comes to someone hurting people I love.” He ran his eyes over the floorplan once more. “It’s killing me that we haven’t already brought them home. Jane is …” He looked back up into her face. “She’s my everything. And because of that, I’ll scream and stomp and threaten to beat every person that gets between me and her. But I promise I’m not a horrible person. I’m just a man desperate to save the only woman he’s ever loved.”
Jocelyn nodded. “I know. Jane wouldn’t love you if you were any other way.”
The nagging doubt surfaced, and he couldn’t stop the words escaping from his lips. “Can you see our future? I mean, for Jane and me?”
Jocelyn tilted her head and studied him. “I don’t know. I can’t control what I see. Are you worried?”
He shrugged. “I have some concerns, I guess. I know she cares for me, but is it enough when I’m so … normal?”
“Colt, normal is probably one of the traits she loves about you. Besides, you don’t fall in love with what someone can do; you fall in love with their mind and their heart. How they make you feel. Everything else is like frosting on a cake. You like it, but the cake is still good without it.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” He laughed at himself. “I worry I’m not good enough for her. Even if I am exactly what she wants, she deserves so much better than me.”
Jocelyn’s voice grew sharp. “Better than you? Who hid her away and stood by her when she was scared and confused? Who took a bullet for her? Who is it practically killing himself to get her back?” Her features softened. “Colt, it doesn’t get any better than that.”
He nodded once more and tried to convince himself she was right.
By the next day, anxiety had gotten the better of him. Colt paced back and forth in the sunroom, needing a few minutes to himself. Jane had been gone for just over two weeks, and he wasn’t sure he could wait another minute on the rescue. His mind reeled with various ways she might be treated under Jeremy and Julia’s care. Julia despised Jane. And Jeremy … Well, Jeremy had become unhinged. And that Gregory guy had already proved himself to be a psychopathic murderer. If anyone had harmed a single hair on her lovely head, Colt would personally take it out on their hides.
He glanced at the swing near the door and thought back to the moments spent there with Jane. He loved the way the sun would cast a golden glow on her porcelain skin. He missed seeing her close her eyes and bask in the warmth of the rays shining through the thick glass. He missed everything about her. For a brief moment, an overwhelming despair engulfed him. What if I can’t get her back? Could I already be too late?
“Colt?” Jocelyn’s soft voice broke through his misery and snapped him to attention.
“Jocelyn. Hi.” He ran a hand through his hair, which in recent weeks had become obvious he needed a trim. “What can I do for you?”
“Cameron is here.” She stepped aside, and the large man entered the room. His eyes cautiously scanned the room before finally landing on Colt.
“Good to see you, Cameron. Thanks for coming.” Sincerity laced his voice and features. Colt hoped Cameron understood how grateful they all were. He wasn’t always the best at expressing his feelings, although he’d been trying to learn how to open up more.
Cameron nodded. “There are a thousand other places I’d rather be, Colt. But after some manipulation from Joy here, I reluctantly agreed.”
Jocelyn frowned. “Joy? Really? I thought we were past that annoying nickname.” She narrowed her eyes at Cameron. “You’re just mad because I’m making you do the right thing instead of the selfish thing.”
Cameron rolled his eyes at her. “Doing the selfish thing is the only way I’ve survived this long.”
She smirked at him. “Then your survival days are over, dude. Now you are going to start living.”
He started to fire back a retort when he abruptly closed his mouth and stared at her.
Sure he missed something in this exchange; Colt decided to steer the conversation back to the rescue. “Did Jocelyn fill you in on what we’d like you to do?”
Cameron turned his attention fully on Colt. “Yes. To be honest, it’s a smart plan. I’m not thrilled about willingly going back to an organization I’d sworn to avoid at all costs, but I can see why it’s necessary.”
“I know it’s a risk, and I hate to ask it of you, but it may be our only chance at a successful rescue of Jane and Elana. With any luck, we’ll find a way to get everyone else out as well.” Colt held his hand out to Cameron. “On behalf of everyone, welcome to the team … and thank you.”
Cameron grasped Colt’s hand and gave it a firm shake. “I’ll do my best.”
Jocelyn wrapped her arms around the big man’s waist and hugged him tightly. Cameron’s face tinted to a slight pink as he pushed her away. “Don’t bawl all over me. It’s not a big deal.”
She pressed her lips together and nodded.
Cameron turned back to the door and stepped through the frame. Looking back, he asked them, “Where’s the food in this joint? I’m starving.”
Colt smiled. “Go back down the hall, take the first right and follow it all the way to the end. The kitchen is behind the double doors.”
Without a word, Cameron stalked off in the direction of the kitchen. Jocelyn released a deep sigh.
“Did you see something when you hugged him?” Colt asked with apprehension.
“Oddly, no. I usually see something, even if it’s a small glimpse of something that seems totally irrelevant. But with Cameron, there was simply nothing.”
Colt crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Is that a good thing?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I certainly hope so. Maybe not seeing anything means there is nothing bad to see.”
Colt closed his eyes and said a silent prayer for guidance.
Moments later, Cameron sat in one corner of the dining area devouring the biggest sandwich Colt had ever seen. Colt himself had a big appetite, but he felt sure it didn’t hold a candle to Cameron’s.
“That looks good,” Colt commented as he sat next to Cameron at the table.
“It is.” Cameron took another huge bite and chewed slowly.
“Jocelyn tried to explain how you would communicate with us, but I gotta admit that I’m not quite getting it.” Colt shook his head. “I may never fully understand all this stuff.”
Cameron swallowed and took a drink of his water. “It’s kinda confusing to us too, but we have to do our best to figure it out to survive.” He turned to Colt. “The shield Rachel accidentally ran into in Kentucky is only one of my gifts. I have the ability to leave my body, so to speak. It’s very similar to astral projection, but I’m not limited to
just myself. I can visit others while in that state. So, if I have something of yours in my possession, I can visit you in your sleep. I’ve been trying to push where I can do it while someone is awake too, but so far it’s not been successful.”
“Interesting.” Colt scratched his chin. “Have you ever tried combining your gift with someone else’s?”
Cameron’s brows knit together. “Can’t say that I have.”
“What if you did your projecting to someone that can already read minds?”
“Huh. So you mean project myself to someone like Kyler, who can then communicate back without the mental barriers.”
“Exactly.” Colt smiled.
Cameron took another huge bite and contemplated Colt’s idea. “That might just work. We’ll need to test it, though, and soon. I want to leave tonight. The sooner I get there, the sooner I’m done with it.”
“What do you need to conduct a test?”
“I’ll need something of his and a quiet room.” Cameron shoved the last chunk of sandwich into his mouth.
Colt nodded. “I’ll get it taken care of.” He stood and scanned the room for Kyler, but he wasn’t in the dining area. “Once I find Kyler I’ll come get you.”
Cameron gave him a thumbs up.
Colt left the room and strolled down the hallway in the direction of the many bedrooms on the premises. This camp wasn’t huge, but it had enough room to house and entertain 100 or so people. Each bedroom had two bunks, with only a few being full-size beds. The room Colt had shared with Jane was one of those rooms. Colt’s tall frame didn’t really fit well on the beds, but he made it work. Compared to sleeping on the floor, the smaller beds where heaven.
In a short time, he’d reached the room Kyler had shared with his sister Elana. He rapped on the closed door with the back of his knuckles.
“Kyler, are you in there?”
“Yeah, come on in.” Kyler’s voice had a distressed undertone.
Colt opened the door and witnessed Kyler sitting on Elana’s bed, his hands clasped together in his lap. He looked exhausted.
“You okay?” asked Colt.
Shrugging, Kyler said, “I’ve been better.”
Colt seated himself on Kyler’s bed across the room. “Talk to me.”
With a sigh, Kyler raised his eyes to Colt’s. “I can’t reach her. I’ve tried to send out some kind of signal. Anything in the hopes that she’d signal back. Something to let me know she’s okay, especially after yesterday’s odd feeling. But I’m getting nothing. It’s not right, Colt. I can usually sense Elana, at the least. But it’s as if she’s …” He swallowed and dropped his eyes to his lap. “If they’ve hurt her, I will move heaven and earth to assure they are punished.”
Colt hurt for Kyler. Worry for Jane had occupied Colt’s every waking moment, and some of his dreams; he couldn’t imagine Kyler’s torment as a twin.
“We’ve always looked out for each other, Colt. She’s the only one I could ever rely on. No matter what happened in life, as long as we were together, we knew we’d be okay. We survived growing up inside The Curators. The professor would beat us down and we’d build each other back up. When Jane created the big distraction, we worked together to escape. We survived because we had each other. I don’t think I could make it without her now.”
“I understand. We will get her back, Kyler. We even have a plan forming and you are an integral part. Wanna give it a test run?” Colt gave him a reassuring smile.
“Hell yes.” Kyler stood. “Just show me the way.”
Sleep eluded Jane. Every time she closed her eyes she saw Elana on that sterile table. Her eyes seemed distant and almost lifeless. The pain from this discovery hit so heavily that Jane found herself crying. She hated that Elana wasn’t free and might even be hurting. If she were totally honest with herself, she was disappointed that Jeremy’s illusion of a big happy family turned out to be just that—an illusion. She had begun to hope that maybe things really had started to change, and in time, The Curators could be what it had initially been meant to be. Even when this ends there would be gifted children who needed guidance and comfort as they worked through their newfound abilities.
Jane felt foolish for ever believing, even a tiny bit, that Jeremy would truly do any of this for the good of them all. She had to remind herself that Gregory had a role in this plan too, and that spelled disaster any way you looked at it.
She rose from her bed and quickly dressed, unable to cope with her distressing thoughts any longer. The clock by her bed glowed with large red numbers reading two A.M. Everyone should be asleep at this hour, and with any luck she hoped to do a little unsupervised exploring. Even though she could only access the areas allowed to her, it would give her the chance to really look things over without raising suspicion. She might find a possible escape route or maybe a clue to what Jeremy’s real intentions were.
Her door knob turned with careful and slow movement as she left her room. She managed to open the door without making a sound. Once out into the hall, she cautiously pulled the door shut behind her. With light steps, she snuck down the corridor until she reached the entrance to the common room. It appeared to be a favorite place for the children to assemble as they unwound from a day of learning and activity. Jane had yet to really examine the area and hoped she’d learn something valuable in whatever time she had to snoop around.
She approached a large bookshelf and ran her fingers over the various volumes of non-fiction. Most of the books appeared to be about history—specifically historical figures. Heroes from the American revolution, dictators from the middle east, and a smattering of ancient rulers were among the mix of documented narratives gracing the shelves. As she inspected the top shelf, she was surprised to notice the books were entirely comprised of mythology and ancient religions. While she understood the interest they held, they seemed a little out of place surrounded by all those factual events and people. Do these topics have anything to do with our abilities?
The wind blew just outside a small window on the other side of the room and caused a bush to scrape the glass. The resulting scratching made her jump in alarm. She caught her breath and peered through the darkness at the modest outlet. A faint light broke through the thick branches that mostly covered the glass.
Curious, she carefully picked her way past the chairs and tables scattered throughout the room until she’d reached the window. Inset higher than she realized, she had to stand on her tip toes to see past the sill. She allowed her eyes to focus as her sight bore past the branches and onto the snow-covered ground. “It snowed? When did it snow?” she whispered into the dark.
“Last night,” came an annoyed voice from directly behind her. She spun around to see a guard glaring at her, his hand near his stun gun. She didn’t recognize him, but that certainly didn’t mean he didn’t recognize her. She’d caused all kinds of trouble since her last escape and was no doubt hated by many in the old hierarchy. Something in his voice made the hair on the back of her neck stand to attention.
He took a few steps backward and reached over to a lamp sitting on one of the small end tables. With a click, the room lit partially, giving clear illumination to his face. His other hand remained near the stun gun on his belt.
“Do you remember me?” His voice was saturated in venom.
Jane instinctively backed away, her hands behind her to search for something to protect herself with. “No, I’m sorry. I don’t. Should I?”
“Does this jog your memory?” he practically growled at her as he pulled off his ball cap. The left side of his face revealed a significant scar that started at the outer corner of his eye and angled its way across his temple, disappearing into his hairline. She scanned his face, hoping to understand his meaning.
He took a step closer. “I’m Bobby. I was one of the two guards you attacked at the gates that day.” He ran a finger over the scar. “I got off lucky. I was injured enough to be taken to the infirmary once things calmed down. But Joe … not so lucky.”<
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“Joe?” her voice squeaked. Her memory flashed back to finding the letter from Joe to Mary and how Colt found Joe’s body outside the first compound shortly after they’d completed their inspection of the building.
“Yeah, he was only knocked out for a few minutes. He didn’t have any visible wounds.” He perched his butt on the back of a love seat and crossed his arms. “Professor Russell had already been suspicious of him. Turned out he had a girl on the outside that he wanted to get back to. When you got away and he turned out to be relatively unharmed, the professor needed someone to take his aggression out on. Joe was the perfect scapegoat. For all we knew, he was in on your escape plan.”
Jane shook her head. She’d felt guilty that anyone had died during her escape, but knowing that her actions had been the direct cause of Joe’s death hit her hard. “I didn’t want to hurt either of you. I just wanted my freedom.” Her voice broke as she pushed down her emotions.
He stood and took a step toward her. “Yeah? Well, you can make it up to me now.”
“Oh?” She knew his method of restitution would not be to her liking.
His lecherous smile confirmed her suspicions. “You can give me what you teased me with all those months ago.” He took another step toward her.
She got the impression he enjoyed this slow build-up of fear that he created within her. She backed up until she hit the wall where she’d just been looking out the window. She groped for anything within her grasp, but empty air was all she found. He continued to stalk toward her with slow, menacing steps, dragging out the apprehension as he took his time.
Her mind scampered to find a solution when a memory flooded her senses. The night that big guy had trapped her in the bathroom at the bar. She’d protected herself that night by using powers she didn’t even remember she had. She closed her eyes and prayed that all her gifts had finally returned to her. Dark swirls began to form in her mind and anger began to replace fear. The swirls took shape as she let the rage build. Tired of being preyed upon like some weak little doormat, she refused to take it anymore. If he wanted to play rough, she could play rough. She opened her eyes to find Bobby in a state of panic. He grabbed at his stun gun, but his clumsy efforts caused the weapon to slip from his grasp and slide across the floor well out of his reach.
