The Mind Games (The Mind Readers)

by Lori Brighton

  I sighed long and loud. “Fine, but I’m sure your mother would be very disappointed in your lack of manners.” I carried my clothes back to her.

  She took them and handed them off to another guard. “Arms through the bars.”

  Stacking my hands atop each other, I slid them through. She slapped handcuffs over my wrists, the metal cold and heavy against my skin.

  “Step back.”

  “Hey assholes,” Lewis taunted. “Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?”

  I glanced at Lewis; his face furious. With his shaved head and that scruff on his cheeks he looked dangerous. As dangerous as he looked, I knew he wouldn’t last much longer. Especially if they planned to slice into his brain.

  I pulled my arms back and waited as she pressed her hand to a keypad, then opened the door. Finally, we were moving. This is the moment I’d been waiting for, a moment to act, or at least study my surroundings. I glanced at Lewis. He gripped the bars so tightly, his knuckles had turned white. I wanted to give him a smile for reassurance, but I couldn’t quite manage it.

  I made my way into the corridor and paused, resisting the urge to reach out to him. He was close, so close. His fingers twitched around the bars, as if he too wanted to reach out. Someone nudged me in the back, sending me stumbling forward. So much for saying goodbye.

  The corridor was long, the lights intensely harsh, and I was exhausted. I counted the steps I took, counted the cells (five in all), I even counted the lights above. It was at the second cell from the door that I noticed Deborah. She stood at the bars, pale, serious, looking much different from the last time I’d seen her arrogant, beautiful face.

  Don’t tell them anything…

  The words whispered through my head as I moved past her. Maybe I imagined them. I didn’t dare glance her way, worried if the message had been real they’d know we were communicating.

  Don’t tell them…

  Would I have a choice? I took in a deep, trembling breath. I was powerful, I reminded myself. More powerful than most mind readers or Dad wouldn’t have gone to the extreme to get me here. Maybe I could hold them off. If not, if they broke through and learned our secrets, I could only pray Nora would send warning to Savannah.

  They shoved open a steel door and we stepped into an empty stairwell. I did my best to memorize every detail of the place. All brick, all cement floors; electric keypads at every door that used hand prints to open. No windows. Fluorescent lights. But nothing I noticed would really help me in the long run. I needed weapons. I needed an escape route. I needed friends who would help me in my time of need.

  Surprisingly they didn’t take me outside of the building, but up another flight of steps. I couldn’t tell if we paused on the second or third floor and I wondered how far underground they’d been keeping me. At the top of the steps we paused outside another steel door. The female guard pressed her hand to the keypad. The door popped open and she made quick work of shoving me inside, almost as if she feared being in my presence.

  I’d barely had time to regain my balance when I noticed my dad. He sat behind a metal table; the same tables I remembered sitting behind when I had questioned people. The same table I’d sat behind when I’d tortured other mind readers. Payback was certainly a bitch.

  It was a nondescript room. No windows. One door. Only that metal table, two chairs, my dad and two guards standing behind him.

  “Sit, please,” my dad said with a nod toward the empty chair across from him.

  I sank onto the cold metal. To say I felt uneasy would be an understatement. He watched me with a combination of disappointment and resignation, as if he’d known all along I’d turn on him. “If you were unhappy, you could have come to me.”

  Unhappy? I wanted to laugh. Instead, I didn’t respond. What was there to say? “Hey Dad, you know how we torture people? Yeah, not feeling it anymore.”

  He drummed his fingers against the tabletop. Was he nervous, or just bored? “Did you come here merely to spy?”

  “No,” I stated firmly, which was the truth. “To spy would mean I give a shit.” I leaned closer to him. “And I don’t care about you, or this place.”

  He didn’t say a word, merely watched me. I kept his gaze, feeling like we were playing a childish game of who would blink first.

  “Then why did you leave?” he finally asked.

  I knew my best bet would be to tell the truth. “Because I had to see Lewis.”

  He laughed. “And you couldn’t have asked me to take you?”

  “As if you would have.” I shoved away from the table and stood. The guards stiffened, but with a quick nod from my father, they stayed put like pathetic lapdogs.

  I paced the room, knowing he thought I was nervous. In reality I was looking for something, anything that would give me a hint as to my location. “Nora said if I went with her, I’d know the truth.”

  My dad crossed his arms over his chest, wrinkling the perfectly pressed blue shirt. A shirt ironed by his dutiful wife. A wife who didn’t love him. A wife who was working against him. And he’d know it, if he broke into my mind. Not only would I put those in Savannah in danger, but also those here who worked for us. I turned my back to him, but the room held nothing. It was even worse than my cell. Not even James Bond could break into this place.

  “So you found him. Why not come back after?”

  Frustrated, I spun around to face him. “Because you sent your goons after me!”

  He leaned forward, pressing his palms to the metal table. “I sent my goons to find you and protect you.”

  I released a wry laugh. Nice try. “They tried to kill us.”

  “They were not trying to kill you.”

  I understood the implication of his words. They weren’t trying to kill me, but they were trying to kill Lewis and Nora. It was a startling truth. He only wanted me alive to use me. I realized I had to get Lewis out of here as soon as possible, before it was too late.

  “Just let us go. Let us go and we won’t bother you again.” Yeah, it was a stupid suggestion, but I had to try. Besides, by sounding pathetic, maybe he’d underestimate me.

  He looked at me as if looking at a child who had just discovered the Easter Bunny wasn’t real. As if he actually felt sorry for me. “I can’t do that. Not when you know our compound.”

  Okay, Nora had been right. He didn’t give a crap about any of us. Back to plan A. “So what will you do? Keep me here forever? Kill me as a traitor?”

  “What happens to you will be your decision.” He settled back, crossing his arms over his chest. “We need to know details about Aaron’s compound.”

  “Why?”

  “Because we need to be able to protect ourselves from an attack.”

  “Are you serious?” I laughed like a lunatic; I couldn’t help myself. They were all so ridiculous with their egos and fears, like little bullies on a playground. “Seriously, let’s get real. Since I’ve been here, I’ve seen no one attack you.”

  His face was flushed with impatience. “Just because you haven’t seen it, doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened. You have no idea what they’ve done to us in the past.”

  And here we were again… us versus them, the eternal showdown that would never end. I moved toward the table, my handcuffs clinking together. “No, I don’t. But I know what you’ve done. I know you betrayed your friends.”

  His jaw clenched and a sick part of me thrilled over the fact that I could get to him. He might have killed his friends, but I’d just stuck a knife in his back.

  “That’s right, daddy dear, I know they died because of you.” I shook my head, clicking my tongue. “What does it feel like to betray your best friends?”

  His gaze slid to the guards. “Let him in.”

  Without hesitation, one of the men moved around the table and opened the door. I stiffened in surprise when Jake walked inside. Even though Dad obviously thought Jake was there to do me harm, I wondered if he’d come to help me escape. I hoped. The guy did work for
us, at least he used to. I kept my face blank, not wanting to give away my confusing emotions.

  “Show Cameron how it’s going to feel if she doesn’t tell us the truth.”

  Jake stopped in front of me; we stood, face to face.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

  I had only a split second to prepare when I felt the push to my mental wall. Startled, I reinforced the block, determined to keep him out; determined to win this battle of wills. Obviously he wasn’t going to help me escape.

  We focused on each other and the room faded. I wasn’t about to let him in. I wasn’t sure how long we stood there, staring each other down, but I wasn’t about to give up. Sweat broke out on my forehead, my body trembled. I was weaker than normal. Maybe from lack of sleep, or maybe from that stupid stun-gun, but I couldn’t lose. I wouldn’t lose.

  Suddenly my mental wall weakened. Panicked, I struggled to keep it in place, to rebuild the crumbling protection. He’d won. Pain sliced through my brain. I cried out, stumbling and falling to my knees. For a brief moment, the world went black. The metallic taste of my own blood brought me back to reality. Fluorescent lights pulsed above, voices fading in and out of focus, but my heart continued to beat in my ears, drowning out all noise.

  I’m sorry, Jake’s thought whispered through my mind as he left the room.

  Strong hands gripped my upper arms and jerked me to my feet. The area came sharply back into focus. Dad stood in front of me, his face stone. “This is only a pittance compared to what you’re going to experience.”

  I jerked away from the guards holding me and swiped the blood from my nose. “The least you could do is have the balls to hurt me yourself. Or do you not have the power?” I mocked.

  He didn’t respond, but turned toward the guards. “Take her back.”

  As if he hadn’t a care in the world, I watched my dad smooth down his shirt and saunter off, while the guards dragged me from the room.

  Chapter 10

  I didn’t bother to fight as they pushed me back down the steps and past the many empty cells. Didn’t bother to look at Deborah, who watched me from her cot. Nor Lewis, who stood near his bars, as if he hadn’t moved an inch since I’d left.

  I didn’t bother because I was embarrassed and angry. Angry that Jake had gotten through my mental wall; embarrassed that I’d folded so easily. And that damn blood trailing from my nose said to all who saw me that I’d failed. I lifted my arms and swiped my nose with the back of my hand, a smear of blood across the pale skin. What was the point of being the Source if everyone and their mother could beat you at these ridiculous games?

  The female guard shoved me forward, sending me stumbling back into my cell. “Hands.”

  I managed to catch myself. The door clanged shut with a force that vibrated the walls around me.

  “Hands,” she snapped again.

  “Three against one? Someone’s scared,” Lewis said in an even tone.

  The two male guards threw him a glare, but Miss High and Mighty didn’t even look as if she cared. I slid my arms through the bars and they unhooked me. My throat tightened as I resisted the urge to tell her exactly what I thought about her and the entire compound. At least I was away from Dad and his arrogant smirk.

  “Don’t worry,” one of the male guards grinned at Lewis. “You’re next. Prepare for hell.”

  “I’ll see you there,” Lewis hissed.

  I rubbed my wrists, the skin raw from the handcuffs, and slid Lewis a glance as the guards walked away. “Stop,” I whispered. “Stop trying to take their attention from me and onto you. It won’t work.”

  He ignored me, shoving away from the bars and pacing the small cell. It wasn’t until we heard the door shut that Lewis finally spoke to me. “What happened?”

  “Jake,” I said.

  He frowned. “Jake?”

  I settled on the edge of my cot, my body weak from the attack. I kept forgetting how little Lewis knew and I wasn’t up for a multitude of questions. I just wanted to lay back and try to sleep, try to forget for a few moments.

  “Blond guy, our age,” I said, knowing he needed answers. “I met him about a month ago when I lived with my dad. I knew he was powerful, but didn’t realize how powerful. He…broke into my mind.” A heated flush of embarrassment raced to my cheeks. Silly, that after all that had happened something like this would shame me.

  “You’re weakened from the stun-gun,” he said. “It’s not surprising he was able to break into your mind. It’s why they use it, to lower your defenses.”

  I knew he was trying to make me feel better, it didn’t work. But then Lewis didn’t know I was the freaking carrier of the source. I was supposed to be the all-knowing, all-powerful.

  “Did he get anything important?”

  I rubbed my temples, wondering when the pounding ache would fade, if ever. “I don’t think they got anything. It was more of a warning.”

  He pushed away from the bars and paced his cell, obviously agitated. He’d changed so much since that first time I’d met him in Maine. His face more angular, hair so short it was almost gone, he even had scruff along his cheeks and chin. But in this last week he’d changed even more, not just physically, but something within. There was almost a hardened look in his gaze; a look that said he’d seen and experienced too much. The same look I’d seen on Nora’s face upon occasion.

  I squeezed my eyes shut and lay on my side, tucking my knees to my chest. This was my fault. If I hadn’t been so gung ho about finding him, if I had just left him to his pleasant life in Massachusetts, he wouldn’t be here now. He wouldn’t know me. He wouldn’t hate me.

  “I’m sorry.” I said it so softly I hadn’t expected him to hear.

  “About what?”

  I opened my eyes to see him standing at the bars again.

  “It’s my fault you were caught. If I’d only left you alone—”

  “Cameron.” He sighed and rested his forehead to the bars. “I was going insane in Massachusetts. I didn’t know where I came from, why I was there, who I was. Do you have any idea what it feels like to know practically nothing about your past?”

  I stood and moved as close to him as possible. “You’re just trying to make me feel better.”

  “No, I mean it.”

  We were so close, yet distanced by those thick, steel bars. How badly I wanted to touch him. Maybe if I could just hold his hand I’d know the truth. I thought I’d lost everything when Lewis’ mind had been erased. Now I realized I had so much more left to lose. He might not remember me or our relationship, but it was still there…that connection between us. Wasn’t it?

  “I’m just sorry you got caught,” he whispered.

  For the love of God, will you two shut up and start planning an escape?

  The voice invaded my brain, startling me. Lewis looked just as shocked as I felt.

  “Did you…” he couldn’t seem to go on.

  I shook my head. No, I hadn’t said the words, but there was only one other mind reader in attendance. Slowly, I turned, looking down the hall. Deborah?

  No, it’s God. I could hear the sarcasm even through my mind.

  I glanced back at Lewis, feeling the sudden urge to laugh. Deborah was here; her normal biting self. Lewis watched me with a combination of confusion and leeriness. He didn’t understand; with Deborah here, able to communicate with us, we had more in our corner…maybe.

  “It’s Deborah,” I said, as if that explained it all.

  “Deborah?”

  The one and only, she replied. I see my reputation supersedes me.

  I ignored her. “She’s the one I told you about, the one who works with Aaron. The woman who worked with…you.”

  He released a harsh laugh and shoved away from the bars, pacing his small room like a wild animal contained. I could feel his frustration from across the cell. He was angry that he couldn’t remember her. Angry that he was so lost. I knew how he felt, but my memory had come back. I doubted his ever would.


  So what’s the plan? she asked.

  Why do you assume there’s one? Yeah, I was slightly suspicious of her. At this point I’d be totally stupid not to be.

  Please, you wouldn’t have returned if you didn’t have a plan. I’m assuming you found Aaron. I’m assuming you made some sort of plan to rescue your precious Lewis, which is why you’re here. I also assume they didn’t approve of your plan.

  I glanced at Lewis to see how he was taking this information. He had stilled in the middle of his cell, his arms crossed over his chest, a dark scowl upon his face. Annoyed, frustrated, impatient, I could read it all in his blue eyes.

  So, she continued. I assume you have little to no help. But you also must have some sort of a plan.

  I pushed away from the bars and began to pace my own cell. I didn’t like her; I didn’t trust her. But I had so few people on my side. What do they know? I asked, ignoring her question. What have they gotten out of you?

  Not much as Aaron erased vital information before I came here.

  I froze. Dear God, he had erased parts of her memory too? But the difference was that she had wanted it. The memories hadn’t been torn from her mind. Why did you come here?

  To help the children escape.

  I sank onto the edge of my cot. The children had been here the entire time? All those weeks I’d spent with my dad, the children had been here, imprisoned, so close. Caroline?

  Yes, and others.

  How many?

  Ten were abducted, but I can’t be sure they all ended up here. Who knows?

  She didn’t seem overly concerned.

  Children? Lewis asked. Here, in this compound, there are little children?

  I nodded, collapsing back onto my cot. I didn’t know what exactly Deborah remembered, or Lewis knew. And I didn’t dare tell them much for fear that when they were questioned, S.P.I. would get the information they needed. But I knew one thing, I wasn’t leaving this compound without Lewis and without Caroline. The child had trusted me; she had begged me to return for her. I would save her, even if it meant giving up my own life.