FINGERS OF LIGHT STREAMED IN from curtains next to the bed, the pale rays falling over my face. I snapped open my eyes and looked around. I lay on a silky coverlet in the middle of a big bed, probably still at the Misión Palenque. My hands and feet were tied to the bedframe. I was wearing my stretch suit, minus the jacket, and my shoulder was wrapped in a thick bandage.
The lack of pain and light told me I’d been out a long time. Not a natural sleep, either, if the drug paraphernalia on the nightstand was any indication. An enjoyable buzz hummed in my veins, telling me they’d also given me their curequick equivalent. Despite this, I felt cold, as if someone had left the air conditioning on and hadn’t remembered to cover me with a blanket.
Voices floated to me from what I thought might be the door to the room. “You should have done it.” Justine’s brittle voice. “Why do you think I got the second room?”
The ropes holding me seemed to have significant give, so I reached a hand toward the closest syringe on the nightstand. A needle would make a sort of weapon, even if a poor one. But my hand stopped short of the syringe.
“Maybe you like them helpless and unwilling, but I don’t.” The second voice was Tom’s. “There was a time Erin wanted to be in my arms.”
I strained harder. One finger touched the syringe, and I flicked it off the nightstand onto the bed—only to discover that it didn’t have a needle. I pushed it off the bed so it wouldn’t be found.
“Those days are over,” Justine was saying now. “What’s important now is that you have this opportunity. You owe it to the Emporium and to me.”
I felt sick at the meaning of her words, and what she planned for me. I reached for another syringe but came up several inches short.
“I don’t owe anyone,” Tom said. “I’m not your useless mortal brother anymore. I have my own agenda.”
“It’s our agenda, and you were never useless, not as long as you were with her. That’s why you shouldn’t have passed it up. Think—a grandchild to not one but two of the Emporium’s Triad. If that child were Unbounded, we could control the very future of the Emporium. Of the world.” Her tone was vicious and excited.
Grandchild of two Emporium Triad members? Since she believed me to be Stefan’s offspring, that could only mean that Tihalt McIntyre, Cort and Keene’s father, was Tom’s biological father. He was a scientist like Cort and the real genius behind the Emporium’s genetic success, though less driven politically than his partners. I’d only met the man once, but he didn’t seem Justine’s type.
Justine’s next words made me forget about Tihalt completely. “Sensing is in our family line as well as Erin’s, and with those drugs you’ve been taking, the chance of having a sensing offspring is higher than it has ever been.”
“You mean so you’ll have someone to go up against Delia.”
“Of course.” She paused. “It’s time I take my rightful place in the Triad. But even if the child only has the combat ability like Erin—or your ability to see patterns in events—it will still be important because of the lineage. Unfortunately, once we get to the Emporium, the point will be moot. You know they have other plans for her, and those don’t include you fathering her baby. We can delay our arrival there a few days, but next time don’t hesitate.”
“I’ll do what I need to do. I should check on her, though. She should be waking.”
“Hurry, the others are ready. I’ll send Edgel to help you after I get them in the car. We can’t waste any more time looking for Keene.” She laughed. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and he’ll be with the senator later.”
Straining my entire body, my fingers touched the edge of a syringe. Again I flicked and was rewarded when it landed on the bed, flashing a glimpse of silver.
“Oh, and remember to keep your mental shields up,” Justine added. “We still don’t know who else might be here from her group. We may have captured them all, but I’m reluctant to believe that Ava sent Erin here without more support, even if she can fight like a demon.”
That explained why Justine’s mental shield was so tight that I couldn’t even get surface emotions from her.
“Maybe she came on her own,” Tom said. “Without Ava’s knowledge.”
“Maybe. Just be careful.”
I pulled the syringe closer, palming it as Tom’s footsteps approached. Rapidly, I calculated my chances. He was heavier than I was, but he couldn’t be better trained. Despite the drugged sleep, I felt rested, which meant my headache was gone and I could use my ability again—provided I could find an opening in his barrier. I slipped the syringe under my thigh as he came into view.
“Good morning,” he said.
I stared at him without speaking.
My silence didn’t faze him. “I’m going to untie you now. Please don’t try to get away, or I can’t guarantee what Justine will do to your friends.” He couldn’t have said anything else that would have as effectively ended my escape plan. I couldn’t leave Mari and Benito to Justine’s revenge. Any plan I came up with needed to include them.
“Your wound healed nicely, thanks to Edgel’s skill at taking out bullets,” Tom continued, freeing my hands. “Sorry about the ropes, but I couldn’t be in here every second. We had to track down some supplies.”
I bit back a retort only because he hadn’t raped me, at least not yet. With the high Unbounded fertility rate, I might have already been expecting his child, so I was more grateful than I probably should be. “What kind of supplies?” I sat up, careful to keep the syringe hidden.
He considered me for several seconds before shaking his head. “You’ll see soon enough.”
I pushed at his mind, finding nothing but an impenetrable barrier, stronger even than Justine’s. Odd. Something about it seemed familiar, but I couldn’t place it. “This is a mistake, Tom.”
“Stop talking. Edgel’s waiting.”
He was different now. Before, I could always get him talking, could get him to bend to what I wanted, but he’d Changed as surely as I had. I’d once worried that he was too weak a man for me to respect, though part of that was Justine’s interference. She’d always been so strong by comparison. Regardless, the Change in him was far too late. I felt nothing but anger toward Tom, so either what I’d felt for him had emerged only from Justine’s pheromone-filled suggestions, or my Change had ruined me for him. I couldn’t even hate him. Not really. Not when I knew Justine was pulling his strings.
He unwound the large bandage from my arm to reveal only a slight wound where the bullet had struck me. He covered this with a smaller bandage. “Practically as good as new. And the bruise on your cheek is almost gone.”
I rolled my eyes. “Lucky me.”
He began gathering the medical supplies, tucking them into the black bag on the nightstand. I took the opportunity to shift my position on the bed, slipping the syringe into the pocket that had contained my machete.
“I need to use the bathroom,” I said. I really did, though the syringe was my real reason. He might overlook the bulge, but Justine and Edgel wouldn’t.
“Hurry then.”
I hesitated at the bathroom door. “So, what happened with your senator last night?”
“He was asleep by the time I finally got back. His bodyguard said he’d call me this morning. In a couple hours. I’ll be back before then. Big day for us.”
“Are you really going to kill him?”
“So you do know.”
“Are you?”
“Not me. Or Justine. But he is going to die. We have to protect the Emporium.”
“Don’t you mean their money?”
He gave me a flat grin. “Money is life. That’s the one important thing I learned as a stockbroker. Money creates power and that is the only thing in the end that matters.”
“What about friendship? Love? Family?”
In a few steps he was across the room. “What are you asking?” He reached out to touch my arm. All at once he was a little boy seeking approval—an unbalanced little boy
with a big gun in his pocket. A boy who’d been tossed into the foster care system by a woman now pretending to be his sister. A man who’d been deeply wounded when he realized I was Unbounded while he hadn’t yet Changed.
I shook my head, backing rapidly into the bathroom. “Nothing.”
“You call them mortals every bit as much as I do, Erin. They don’t really matter. We matter. We are the Unboundaried, remember? They told you where the term Unbounded came from, didn’t they? Normal rules or boundaries do not apply to us.”
I shut the door and leaned against it, my heart pounding. I knew that look in his eyes. He’d had it when he wanted a new bicycle or a car, a promotion at work, and even when looking for the house he bought with Justine. Not because he really needed or wanted these things, but for the prestige they lent to his life. How he was perceived by others. That was more important than all the stability and love in the world. He intended to use me to secure his position in the Emporium hierarchy every bit as much as Justine.
I knew then that I’d have to kill him—again. Really and finally. He was more dangerous than even Justine. Though they shared an obsession with power, his weakness made him unstable. At least I knew where Justine stood.
Dragging in a breath, I removed the syringe from my pocket, taking off the cap and checking the thickness of the needle. Several inches long and thick enough to do some real damage in a pinch, especially if I managed to get it into an eye or a vital organ, but the larger needle size meant the contents of the syringe was a curequick type of mixture and not a sedative. If I used the needle on someone, I’d have to be careful not to release the liquid, or whoever I stabbed wouldn’t stay injured as long. But I’d keep the stuff inside for now in case I needed the curequick myself. Replacing the cap, I tucked the syringe into my bra, pushing it as far back under my arm as I could. It was more than uncomfortable, but for now it was the safest place.
I preceded Tom from the room, where we were joined by Edgel, dressed all in black, including a calf-length leather coat, which reminded me of my own back at home. He wouldn’t be able to wear that in a few hours when the day’s heat set in. His eyes skimmed over my face, catching in my hair, which I realized was probably bloody and matted. My appearance had been my last concern in the bathroom.
Edgel fell into step beside me, instead of behind with Tom.
“How did you do that last night?” he asked quietly. I’d never heard him speak except in anger or protest, so the mild tone surprised me.
“What?”
“Last night when we were fighting. You did something to my mind. I assume it was an extension of our combat ability. How did you do it? Who taught it to you?”
His position in Justine’s group indicated that he wasn’t overly concerned with being in charge, but apparently the good little soldier wanted to improve himself. Unfortunately, if Justine got wind of my little mental trick, she might put two and two together and figure out my real ability. Then she might decide to bypass grandchildren altogether and dedicate her life to using me against Delia.
I nearly stopped walking at the thought. Maybe that’s why Tom hadn’t told her about me. He’d be out of the picture as surely as his potential offspring. Keeping quiet was a nice move on his part—but it made him far more frightening.
“I didn’t do anything to your mind,” I said to Edgel. “Maybe you’re sick or something.”
He blinked twice and then nodded. “Okay, I can understand why you won’t share the information. I’ll figure it out myself.”
We reached the outside door, where I saw that the light coming into the hotel room had been deceiving. The world was paused in the early hour before the sunrise proper, when light had begun to fill one half of the sky but didn’t quite bend to shine into all the crevices of the earth. That meant I’d probably been unconscious less than five hours.
“Do you have family?” I asked Edgel.
He did the blinking thing again, which told me my question had succeeded in derailing his thoughts. Just when I thought he wasn’t going to answer, he spoke. “I have contributed to the genetic research we conduct, of course, and I have three Unbounded sons. I don’t know where the mortals are.”
“Cast off, huh?”
“I don’t have control over that.” His eyes avoided mine. Something he wasn’t willing to say? Or maybe felt guilty about? “Anyway, they’re better off with their own kind.”
We arrived at the parking lot and I could see the blue SUV from last night. They better have Mari inside. If not, I’d use my needle here and now. I quickened my pace and the men did as well.
Justine climbed from the vehicle as we approached. Today she wore low-riding jeans, and a jean jacket over a maroon tank top that showed a slice of tanned stomach. Around her hips she wore my machete, complete with the sheath and the leather waist tie she must have taken from my hotel room. She looked carefree, sexy, and dangerous. I wondered if she’d cleaned up the doctor’s corpse before or after collecting the leather tie.
I strained to see through the tinted glass of the SUV. Yes, Mari was inside, and Benito as well.
Tom unlocked the gray BMW in the next stall. Probably the senator’s car. That reminded me of Keene. Was he still watching the senator? Hadn’t he checked on Mari and the others? I pushed out my thoughts, but excepting Justine, Tom, and Edgel, there were no life forces nearby with the dark signature I attributed to those who could block their thoughts.
Edgel reached for the back door on the passenger side of the SUV and motioned for me to get in beside Mari. She wore my favorite jeans, and the red T-shirt I’d packed in my duffel, so apparently Justine had been thorough in raiding the hotel room. The jeans looked good on Mari, though a little big. She reached for my hand. “I thought they killed you.”
Her thoughts were coming clearly to me, unlike the Unbounded around me. More clearly than I’d been able to achieve before with a simple touch: relief to see me, hope that I’d get us out of this mess, and vivid fear overshadowing all the rest. I threw up my barriers at the assault. “Not quite.”
She squeezed my hand and whispered. “I didn’t tell them anything. Neither did Benito, and they hit him again.”
I looked past her to Benito on her other side. If anything, his face looked more bruised and battered than the night before, but that was due mostly to the changing color of his wounds. I couldn’t see any new damage, but if he had kept his mouth shut, I was going to give the man a raise.
He nodded a greeting and mouthed, “What’s the plan?”
I held up a hand for him to wait. The only plan I’d come up with so far actually didn’t include him, and it involved more than a little luck. For the moment, I needed to see where we were going. I wished I had my phone and GPS, but anything I could learn might help me in the long run.
“No talking,” Justine said. She nodded at Edgel, and he rested his gun casually on the side of his bucket seat, his finger on the trigger. The gun wasn’t pointed at me or Mari, but at Benito. So much for any heroics I might concoct.
We drove southwest through town, the buildings and houses growing more sparse until they quit completely or were swallowed by rainforest. Soon we turned onto a narrow dirt and grass trail, canopied by lush trees and foliage. We were back in the jungle.
I put my arm around Mari and leaned in. “When they aren’t looking, shift. After we stop.” I couldn’t remember much from my college physics class but I did recall something about objects in motion remaining in motion. I’d rather her not appear somewhere going the same speed we were driving now and ramming into a wall or a person.
Her eyes whipped to mine. She shook her head.
I nodded encouragingly.
“I don’t know how.” Her words were scarcely a breath.
That could be a problem. “You have to try.” I couldn’t help her. I knew less about the ability than she did, with her mathematic skills.
Her eyes narrowed in thought. Several more minutes passed before she looked at me and shook her
head. “Can’t.”
Edgel adjusted his position in the front, meeting my gaze, and Mari and I fell silent. Her face was still drawn, and I knew she was trying to remember. Maybe there was a way I could help. I eased down my barriers, allowing her thoughts to tumble in, emphasized by our proximity and her stress.
The house . . . the plane . . . how? Don’t remember . . . got to figure it out . . . impossible.
Part of the problem was that she didn’t believe she could shift at all, and for that I couldn’t blame her. Could I help without throwing her back to the catatonic state she’d suffered before Dimitri stepped in? Though I believed any damage I inflicted would heal, as with any other wound, having her regress right now meant she wouldn’t get free. There was so much I didn’t know.
In the sands of Mari’s conscious memories, I saw the SUV, the hotel, Tom cracking the gun on my head last night. I paused at that. Tom was the one who hit me? Recovering from the surprise, I continued my search.
Remember the Pinz at the airport when we arrived. I pushed the thought into the stream of Mari’s mind. She gasped and Edgel turned his pistol toward her.
Justine looked at the mirror. “What?” she barked.
Mari shook her head.
It’s me, I told her, pushing the images gently at her. I’m trying to help you find the memory. Think of the Pinz. I put you there, and you shifted back to the plane. Remember?
Nothing but confusion from Mari, so this time I sent a picture. Me guiding her to the Pinz, and then finding her in the plane. She nodded her understanding, and my eyes went to the front to see if Justine or Edgel had noticed. So far so good.
Mari continued sifting through her memories. How odd that though she was going backward over the events of the past day, the sands of her memories still seemed to flow in the same direction, slightly elevated on one side and going down, past me, and out of sight. That I’d made a representation of myself in Mari’s mind was an interesting thing. I’d never done that before.
The Cure Page 21
