Closed Hearts (Book Two of the Mindjack Trilogy)

by Quinn, Susan Kaye

  “There are no jackers for at least a quarter mile,” I said. “Except the ones in my house.”

  I strode ahead of Julian and reached into the house. My mom was shoving a tray of cookies in the oven. Worry about me was an endless loop in her mind, which wasn’t a surprise—I had been missing for over a week. Xander was playing a violent sim on the living-room screen, but he responded to my featherlight brush.

  Hey! he thought. You’re back! He was about to call out to my mom, but thought better of it. Then I realized what had stopped him: my father was there. I stumbled to a stop on the grass and Julian bumped into me.

  He stepped back. “What’s wrong?”

  “My dad,” I said. “He’s here.” My dad hadn’t reacted to my light touch, and I had quickly pulled back. A white-hot heat welled up in me. Was he still doing Vellus’s dirty work?

  “Maybe we should try your friend’s house first,” Julian said.

  “No.” I paused. “I’m sure my dad’s been looking for us. If Raf is back, he’ll know.” Yet I couldn’t get my legs to move toward the door. The press conference was long over. Had my dad come looking for me, like he promised? I couldn’t imagine a world in which he hadn’t. At least he was here, looking out for Mom and Xander. I had to give him credit for that.

  Julian measured the door with his eyes, like it was rigged with explosives. “Well, this won’t be the first trap I’ve followed you into.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Even if my dad’s still working for Vellus, he’s not going to haul you off to the Detention Center.” At least, I couldn’t imagine my dad succeeding in that, not against Julian. But he might try. “Just in case he’s not super happy to see you, promise you won’t do that handling thing.”

  “As long as he doesn’t point a gun in my face, we should be fine.”

  I sighed, squared my shoulders, and marched toward the house. Xander must not have been able to contain himself, because my dad flung the door open before I got there.

  “Kira!” He said my name like it was his first breath after nearly drowning. He rushed up to wrap me in a hug so strong it knocked the air out of me. “Kira, thank God, I’ve been so worried.” The stubble on his face scraped my cheek as he pulled back, then he clasped my shoulders like he thought I might slip away if he didn’t hold tight enough. “Where have you been? I’ve been looking all over Jackertown for you and Raf, back at the diner, everywhere.” He paused for a breath and noticed Julian behind me. “What is he doing here?”

  “He’s helping me find Raf.” I pulled out of my dad’s grip.

  He frowned and let his hands drop. “Helping you? Wait, wasn’t Raf released from the prison? I thought that was the whole point of letting your shady friend here jack the prisoners out of the Detention Center.”

  Julian looked unimpressed by my dad’s description and more than a little on edge.

  “Raf was never in prison,” I said, and the burst of hope I’d carried inside me from the mages’ headquarters shriveled into a lump. “Molloy had him the whole time, holding him hostage. Are you sure Raf wasn’t ransomed?”

  “No, his parents are frantic. I’m sure they would have paid a ransom if they’d been contacted.” He put a hand back on my shoulder and dropped his voice. “Why didn’t you tell me Molloy was holding him hostage? I could have helped you, Kira!”

  “I didn’t tell you because you were too busy mindguarding for Vellus!” I stepped out of his reach and crossed my arms. “How can you work for someone like him?”

  His hand hung in the air, then slowly dropped to his side. “I did what I had to.”

  “What exactly is that?”

  When my dad hesitated, I linked into his head. I need to know, Dad. Have you been mindguarding for Vellus all along? Did you ask him to do the raid on Jackertown?

  I had nothing to do with the raid. My dad stepped close to me, put his hand to the small of my back, and steered me a few steps away from Julian, who watched us go with a slightly amused expression. But I have a feeling that Mr. Trullite did, my dad thought. He said if I didn’t come out with you in an hour, he would send someone in to get us.

  Mr. Trullite asked Vellus to raid Jackertown to rescue me? The idea of Mr. Trullite and Vellus being buddies made my head go sideways. Wait, in the interview, Vellus said he conducted the raid to get a kidnapped reader out of Jackertown. Was that Raf?

  Mr. Trullite didn’t know Raf was with you, my dad thought. He probably told Vellus that his granddaughter was in Jackertown and that Vellus could track my phone. Anyway, I’m pretty sure Vellus used it as a pretext for doing the raid. He rounded up a lot of jackers that night, more than just the ones that were released.

  How can you work for someone like that? I unlocked my arms and threw them out. Why don’t you just quit?

  My father’s shoulders slumped. It’s not that simple, Kira.

  It is that simple!

  It’s not! My dad rubbed the back of his neck. And I did quit… when I left Naval Intelligence. I was on Vellus’s protection detail for a long time. I thought working for him was the right thing to do. I can’t explain it. He made me believe we were doing good things. Maybe that’s what politicians do. Talk people into doing things when they should know better.

  What kinds of things? My body tensed. Did my dad hurt people for Vellus?

  It doesn’t matter! But then his face pinched in and my insides shredded. What did my dad do? Maybe all jackers were dangerous, even the good ones like my dad. Maybe it was in our DNA, like Vellus said. The part of me that wanted to execute Kestrel on the floor—was that the monster inside me, just waiting to come out? Did I get that from my dad?

  Did you… Did you kill people? I asked him. Because I needed to know.

  My dad’s mouth hung open for a second. I heard Julian on the grass behind me, moving closer. My dad noticed and switched to speaking out loud. “I’m not a killer, Kira.” He cast a look over my shoulder to Julian. “Unless someone hurts you, then they had better watch out for me.”

  The horror that I might be that, that maybe I was a cold-blooded killer and my dad was too, drained out of me. My face heated up with the shame that I had actually believed my dad was a killer, even for a moment.

  “Now that we’ve established that,” my dad said with a gentle smile, “we can talk about what I do for Vellus later. Where have you’ve been for the last week, young lady? You’ve been driving us all insane with worry. Again.” The last time I had disappeared for weeks on end, I had ended up in a showdown with the jacker FBI. This time wasn’t much better.

  Julian jumped it. “Your daughter has been breaking jackers out of jail. Again.”

  My dad might not be a killer, but the look on his face was downright murderous. “I don’t recall asking you.” He softened his voice when he turned to me. “What kind of trouble has he gotten you into—”

  “Julian hasn’t been getting me into trouble. Well, not exactly. But… well… I kind of broke into Kestrel’s experimental facility.” I sped up my words at the horrified look on my dad’s face. “And broke out again. And got some people out too.”

  “What?” My dad’s face turned a shade of purple I’d never seen before. “I didn’t get you away from Vellus so you could run off and be a hero again! Kestrel is incredibly dangerous! How could you even think about—” The anger strangled his words.

  “I didn’t have a choice!” I said. “Molloy forced me, then he betrayed us to Kestrel and—” I really didn’t want to tell my dad what happened inside Kestrel’s facility. “Anyway, that’s why I’ve been gone. Julian is not the enemy; he’s here to help me find Raf. Will you help me too?”

  My dad closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they’d lost the murderous look. “Of course.” He took a breath and let it out slowly. “I don’t know where Raf is, but I’m sure Molloy doesn’t have him. I saw Molloy in the holding pen at the Detention Center when I was mindguarding Vellus. It was his last press conference before he left town, a couple days after you went miss
ing.”

  “How did Molloy end up in the Detention Center?” Maybe Kestrel had double-crossed Molloy. But why didn’t Kestrel keep him at his facility? And what did that mean for Raf? There were too many possibilities and my mind spun trying to untangle them.

  My dad was way ahead of me. “I don’t know how Molloy got there, but if I can interrogate him, I can find out what he did with Raf. Vellus might agree to let me do that.”

  “Really?” I squeaked. Maybe my dad working for Vellus wasn’t a bad thing after all. I frowned at that thought but stuffed it away. “So call Vellus!”

  “I can’t just call him up, Kira,” my dad said patiently. “Our arrangement is… one-sided. I don’t call him; he calls me. He spends most of his time at the capitol building in Springfield, and I only do work on occasion for him.”

  “Sounds like you need to pay him a visit in Springfield,” said Julian.

  My dad shot him a glare, then turned to me. “If I spoke to Vellus in person, he might agree to release Molloy into my custody.”

  Could my dad jack Vellus? Maybe, if he could get close to Vellus without him suspecting… whatever he was thinking, I was ready to try.

  “Great!” I said. “Let’s go.”

  “I said I would convince him,” my dad said. “You’re staying here and keeping out of trouble.”

  “Dad, I am not staying here while Raf is missing. And you’re going to need help.”

  “I agree with your father, Kira.” My mom’s tremulous voice floated from the front door. Blotches of red marred her pretty face, like she had been crying while we were arguing, which made my heart twist. Xander lurked behind her. “I’m sure your father can handle Vellus. Please, just come inside, all of you. I don’t like you standing on the lawn, attracting attention.”

  My dad nudged me. “Go hug your mother. She’s been worried sick about you.”

  Guilt dragged down my shoulders, and I hustled across the lawn. I gave her a fierce hug and winked at Xander over her shoulder, pulling a big grin out of him.

  “I’m okay, Mom, really.” The permanent worry lines in her forehead had deepened since I saw her last. “But I have to find Raf. It’s my fault he’s in this mess.”

  My mom’s slender hands cupped my cheeks. “He’s in this because loves you, Kira. And he must love you a lot, otherwise he would have let you go when we left Gurnee.” My lip trembled. She wasn’t making this any easier. “I know what it’s like, being a mindreader who loves a jacker. You’re always afraid that someone will find out or that other jackers will hurt them. Raf wouldn’t want you to do anything dangerous for him, sweetie. I’m sure he’d want your father to handle it.” She stopped because she was fighting back tears.

  I gently linked into her head. Mom, Senator Vellus is a dangerous guy.

  Your father knows what he’s doing…

  Dad’s just trying to protect me. He really does need my help. I was playing the mutant jacker card. My mom knew I could do more than my dad, even if she didn’t understand it all. It will be less dangerous if we’re working together. Which was true, but less dangerous was a pretty relative term.

  Torment warred across her face, but she finally settled on having my dad keep an eye on me. Which wasn’t what I was going for, but it would have to do. Promise me you’ll do what your father says. He’s been around people like Vellus before.

  I promise.

  Out loud, she said, “Xander, go get some of those cookies I made.” She said it loud enough for Dad and Julian to hear from where they had held back on the lawn. “They’ll need something to eat on the trip down to Springfield.”

  Xander dashed off. I mouthed the words thank you to my mom. As I brought a bag full of warm cookies back to my dad and Julian, my dad darted looks between me and my mom. Julian seemed to be fighting off a smile. We strode to the garage, and my dad swiped his passring to activate the door.

  “What did you say to her?” my dad asked.

  “That you’d be safer with me along.”

  Julian couldn’t keep in his snort, which earned him a glare from both me and my dad. He shut it down quickly.

  “That had better be it.” My dad pointed a finger at me. “I don’t want you jacking your mother.” My mouth dropped open. By the time my dad reached the driver’s side of his hydro car, I had closed my mouth and settled for a huff at his accusation.

  My dad put both hands on the roof of the car and stared at the floor. “I don’t care what your mother says, I’m not taking you anywhere near Vellus. He’s a brutal man, and he would be more than happy to lock you up if it suited his political purposes. You’re staying here and your jackwork friend can find his way back to the city. I’m going to handle this on my own.”

  “By jacking Vellus?” I asked. “Because if you are, you’re going to need help. Julian can easily handle any mindguards and get Vellus to release Molloy. It worked the last time.”

  “The last time, Vellus was convinced you jacked him and we both nearly ended up in prison!” My dad pushed off the car and paced the tight space between it and the wall.

  “I wouldn’t mind having another crack at Vellus.” Julian captured my gaze. “Sasha would be very helpful as well.”

  If Sasha could scribe Vellus, that would solve a whole host of problems: we could get Molloy, save Raf, and rid the world of a heinous anti-jacker politician. “Dad, Julian has some powerful friends. We could make it work. You’ve got to at least let us try.”

  “Your friend and his jackwork pals aren’t getting anywhere near Vellus!” my dad said. “Security at the capitol is tight. And I’m not planning on jacking Vellus at all. I’ll get him to release Molloy with the one thing every politician doesn’t want: bad publicity. Vellus’s ambitions are pretty much limitless. He plans on being President someday. He won’t want any skeletons coming out of the closet.”

  The idea of a President Vellus made my mouth run dry. Threatening to expose him seemed even more dangerous. “If you go in there alone, Vellus will just put you back in the Detention Center!”

  “In which case, I’ll get close to Molloy and find out what he knows.”

  “Dad!” I cried. “That’s a horrible plan!”

  “If I could make a suggestion?” Julian said calmly. “I would rather see Molloy sprung from the Detention Center than have you end up as his cell mate. But I agree that having Kira anywhere near Vellus is a bad idea.”

  I gave Julian an exasperated look that said whose side are you on?

  Julian shrugged one shoulder. “I don’t want to have to come rescue you again.” He turned back to my dad. “Kira’s right—I can handle any security Vellus has, even in the Capitol.”

  My dad braced one hand against the car, ran the other through his hair, and finally leveled a gaze straight at Julian. “Look, I don’t know what kind of jacking you do, but unless you can jack through a shield like they had at Vellus’s Detention Center, you’re not getting in.”

  “A shield would present a problem.” Julian’s smirk said the solution might include blowing it up. I gave him a warning look. He ignored me and continued, “If security is as strong as you think, it would be difficult for all of us to get in. On your own, you may not even get through the front door, but with me handling the mindguard security and Kira doing any necessary jacking, you’ll have a much better chance. Plus Kira makes an excellent scout and can give us the lay of the land before we proceed.” Julian was giving me that we make a good team look again.

  My dad drummed the top of the hydro car with his fingers, then frowned, like he was trying to piece together the puzzle that was Julian. “How do I know you’re not planning a grand attempt on Vellus while we’re there?”

  “I’m here to help Kira find her friend,” Julian said, “and I have my own reasons for wanting Mr. Molloy released. Regardless, I intend to make sure Kira stays a safe distance from the Senator. I don’t want Vellus to get hold of her any more than you do.”

  My dad examined Julian, head to toe, as if seeing hi
m for the first time. Julian stood with his feet planted wide and his arms crossed, looking slightly dangerous in his all-black clothes. Finally, my dad nodded. I thought it was bad when they didn’t like each other; somehow my dad and Julian agreeing on something, particularly about me, was worse. Which made my brain hurt to think about, but it appeared that we were going to Springfield.

  My dad slid into the front seat of the hydro car, and Julian smiled wide as he eased into the back. For a flash moment I wondered if Julian had handled my dad out of his concerns. As I climbed into the car, I threw a glare over the seatback, but Julian was already busy on his phone, probably sending a scrit to Hinckley.

  With any luck, we would soon need the mages’ help with interrogating Molloy.

  Once we were outside the suburbs, my dad’s hydro car flew down the arrow-straight road almost as fast as the bullet train from New Mexico. My dad didn’t say a word and Julian was equally silent. The one-hour trip to Springfield ticked by in long minutes as cornfields stretched to the farmland ahead and scrolled past in endless mesmerizing waves.

  Eventually, the crops gave way to the white marble buildings of Springfield. My dad switched the controls to manual, and we parked several blocks from the center of town. I automatically linked to the tourists and government workers filling the sidewalks. When we turned the corner to the capitol building, it struck me how pretentious it was. The original capitol had been rebuilt, expanded so that politicians wouldn’t have to constantly listen to their political opponents’ thoughts. The new capitol took up an entire city block and was adorned with a giant gold dome—it seemed a bit much for guys that worked for the people. Then again, the politicians inside had just passed a law declaring jackers second-class citizens in our own state. I guessed they only worked for some of the people.

  We paused at the corner, a couple of hundred feet from the capitol building. Security guys in light gray jackets milled through the crowds on the giant stone steps leading inside, but they were only physical security. Their obvious uniforms were fear made visible—meant to reassure the public that mindjackers couldn’t control the seats of power. But they were just a facade that covered the smaller number of mindguard security, all of whom were undercover, rooking as readers. One was stationed next to a hot dog stand, another haunted the street corner, a third pretended to watch a screen as he leaned against a light post. Several more rooked as mindreading security inside the building. So far none of them had detected my light touch.