Brute Justice (Justice Series)

by Kim Jewell

  Crain was already pulling up the online video link on his computer. “What time did the alarm sound?”

  “2:21.”

  Crain rewound the footage back to 2:20 and waited. His computer monitor was divided into quadrants, each showing a different camera’s perspective of his apartment interior. His eyes were trained on the front door.

  He saw the knob turn first. It was so slight, he understood why Neal didn’t see it. But he was looking for it. The door cracked just a couple inches, then opened all the way. He watched it close, like someone had deliberately pushed it shut.

  Someone.

  Someone who couldn’t be seen.

  He kept his eyes glued to the screen, looking for any other trace of an intruder. He knew he couldn’t hear anything from the footage, yet he held his breath, straining his ears in futility.

  Then he saw it, in the bottom left quad, his office door open. Still no sign of who was there, though he already knew it had to be the Dixon girl. But how did she open the door?

  Anger pounded in his temples as his mind churned, trying to consider the possibilities of how she found his home, unlocked his door. He should have expected it, but was shocked to see his computer come to life. Several attempts were made on the keyboard to punch in a password, all unsuccessful. He wondered why Neal hadn’t picked up on that, and considered blasting him for his lack of attention to every detail in his apartment. He was supposed to be in charge of security, after all!

  But, he reasoned, Neal didn’t know about the incredible powers Crain had chemically engineered. And he wasn’t willing to let Neal in on the fact that an invisible teenager was roaming his home. His creation, his doing. His secret to keep.

  Neal’s voice cut the silence. “Knox Security just sent a report. Nothing found on the premises. They’re filing this as a false alarm.”

  The fact that his security company called themselves “Knox” made his blood boil. A bunch of second-rate lackeys is what he considered them.

  “Fine. Can you do one more favor, just to be sure?” Crain massaged the back of his neck.

  “Sure, boss. What is it?”

  “See if you can get a hold of the exterior footage from the complex manager. I’m sure she’ll cooperate if she knows we’re looking into a possible break-in. She won’t want to get sued.”

  “Can do. I’ll message you when I get it.”

  Chapter Thirty-eight

  Clint saw him as soon as they rounded the corner to the Dixon’s neighborhood. They had stayed on the Harley to remain invisible for the trip back, which allowed them to travel faster. But just because they couldn’t be seen, it didn’t mean the cycle couldn’t be heard.

  The redheaded boy looked over his shoulder in their direction as he paused on the front doorstep at the Dixon house. When he didn’t see anything, he turned back to the door and walked right in.

  Clint parked in the driveway and turned to Lexi. “Do you know him?”

  “No. I’ve never seen him before in my life.”

  “Why would he just walk in your front door, then? Did you see someone let him in?”

  “Nope.” Her face was white.

  “We better get in there, and fast. Keep us out of sight, okay?”

  They snuck in the side door and through the kitchen. Chatter wafted up through the open door which led downstairs, telling them where everyone was. Clint motioned toward the stairs and Lexi nodded, silently agreeing.

  Once they reached the bottom step, Clint surveyed the room. Jade was sitting on the edge of the bed facing Sam and Leesha, who were perched on opposite ends of the couch. Behind Jade, standing in the back corner of the room, was the stranger. Clint looked back at Lexi, who opened her eyes wide and shrugged. He pulled her behind him in a defensive motion and turned back toward the room.

  Sam – don’t react. Keep still. Don’t look for me.

  He saw Sam flinch ever-so-slightly, but he righted himself quickly and didn’t move his head.

  “Where are you? What’s wrong?” Sam projected back to Clint.

  At the bottom of the stairs. Lexi’s here with me. Who’s the new guy?

  “What new guy?”

  The redhead in the corner. Don’t look! Just use your peripheral vision. He’s behind Jade’s left shoulder. Do you see him?

  He saw Sam sit up a little straighter. “No.”

  That’s what I figured. He looks like he’s spying on you.

  “Are you saying there’s someone else in this room? Right now?”

  Yes. Hang on, let me test something.

  Clint took a tentative step into the basement room. The boy did not flinch or look in Clint’s direction. He seemed to be completely focused on Sam, Leesha and Jade.

  I’m walking towards him, but he’s not reacting. I don’t think he can see me. I can see him, but you can’t… Huh. He looks to be around our age, so we’ll assume he has some power, but it can’t be invisibility if Lex and I can see him.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  Tell Jade to keep talking. She can be the distraction while you fill Leesha in on the intruder. Lex and I will sneak up to him. I want to try and get my hands on him, but who knows if I can? You block the door and tell Leesha to be on alert.

  “Okay.”

  Clint squeezed Lexi’s hand and she followed him as they made their way toward the mysterious intruder. Holding his breath so as not to make any noise, Clint reached with his free hand, wrapped his long fingers around the guy’s neck and pinned him to the wall.

  “Ow!” he yelled, as much in surprise as in pain.

  Leesha and Jade stood up in shock as the stranger appeared in the corner.

  “Lexi, stay invisible,” Clint said as he let go of her hand. He appeared next to the redhead, still pinning him in the corner. “Who are you?”

  “Where’d you come from?” he barked back.

  “Do you really think you’re in any position to be questioning me? Now, who are you and what are you doing here?”

  The room went silent while they waited for his answer.

  “My name is Trey.”

  “Birth date?” Leesha asked, stepping forward.

  “Same as yours.”

  “You’re one of us?”

  “Yes.”

  “What are you doing here? Why are you spying on us? How come we couldn’t see you?” Leesha’s mind was racing with questions, even faster than she could spit them out.

  Trey grimaced. “Well… I came back to try and get my keys.”

  “Back?” Sam said. “You’ve been here before?”

  “Wait, these are your keys?!” Clint pulled the ring out of his pocket.

  “Yes, they’re mine. And I’d like to have them back.”

  “No way in hell are you getting them back!” Sam yelled. “You were the one who tried to break in last night?”

  As the group converged on the corner, Trey disappeared again.

  “Oh no you don’t,” Clint growled. His fingers were still gripped around his neck. “You’re not going anywhere. Lexi, can you still see him?”

  “Yeah, I can see him.”

  He grinned back at Trey. “I don’t know what you’re doing, but you obviously can’t do it to people you can’t see, can you?”

  “I guess not. It’s never come up before, actually. Can you just give me a minute to explain?” He paused, waiting. “Please?”

  Clint looked over to Leesha. “What do you think?”

  She nodded. “Okay, but no funny business. Have a seat, and you better tell us everything. And we want to see you. Quit vanishing.”

  “Okay,” he said, taking a seat in the recliner.

  Clint went back to the doorway, blocking the only exit out of the room.

  “I’m Trey Connor, and I’ve been following you for a few weeks now. Ever since I saw you guys at Jade’s party.”

  “You were at my party?” Jade looked shocked. “Have we met?”

  “Briefly. I was Kelsey’s date.”

 
“How do you know Kelsey?”

  “We went to grade school together. I moved to a different school in junior high, but we always kept in touch.”

  “Oh.”

  Leesha butted in. “Back on the subject… Why have you been following us?”

  “I realized then that you guys must be connected somehow, when Clint had his episode and you all gathered around him.”

  “You felt the blast?” Leesha asked, already knowing the answer. “Why didn’t you come forward then?”

  “I didn’t know you, or what all of this meant. I knew I could do things, special things, but I thought I was the only one. I didn’t know anything about any of you. Or what you might do to me if you found out.”

  “Fair enough,” Leesha answered. “So, what exactly are your powers?”

  “I can make you see things that aren’t there, or not see things that are. Sounds too. When you thought I was invisible, I wasn’t actually, I was just deceiving your mind. Creating an illusion.”

  “So you can affect people’s perceptions?”

  “Sure, I guess you could call it that.”

  “Show me.”

  He looked directly at Leesha. “Do you hear that?”

  “Yeah. It sounds like birds.” She looked around the room to see puzzled expressions on everyone else’s faces. “Did you guys hear that?”

  “No.”

  “Nope.”

  “I can focus my powers on one person, or a number of people, as long as they’re close enough for me to control their mind.” He paused. “Okay… Can you see this?”

  A light blue waterfall appeared to be pouring from the middle of the ceiling, crashing onto the carpet where the water vanished.

  “Wow, that’s cool!” Jade said.

  “Lexi, can you see it?” Trey asked, in no particular direction. He still couldn’t see her.

  “No, what is it?”

  “Show yourself, and then tell me if you can see…”

  She appeared across the room and her eyes focused on the cascading water. “Yeah, I can see it now. Can you make it stop?”

  Instantly the water disappeared. Lexi walked over to where the illusion was landing on the floor, felt the carpet. It was dry.

  “That’s pretty amazing.”

  “Can you do it for smells? Touch?”

  Trey looked back to Leesha and nodded. She breathed in. “Smoke?”

  He nodded, then focused on Clint.

  “Cold,” he said, touching his cheek.

  “Yep,” Trey said, then turned to Sam.

  Sam’s mouth opened and shut again. “Mint.”

  “So you can influence people’s senses?” Leesha asked.

  “Yes, much like Jade can influence people’s minds, or their decisions, I can affect what they see, hear or feel.”

  “How do you know what I can do?”

  He shrugged guiltily. “I came in and listened to a lot of your meetings, and gathered copies of the data you have on your computers.”

  “But-” Sam sputtered.

  “Look, I’m sorry. I just didn’t know if I could trust you or not. And by the time I figured out who was on the good side, I was in so deep, I didn’t know how to come forward. I didn’t know if you’d trust me once you knew I’d been spying on you.”

  “And why should we?” Sam shot back.

  “Wait, hang on a second.” Clint stood for a second, thinking. “You’ve been following Crain, too, haven’t you?”

  Trey nodded.

  “How’d you know that?” Leesha asked.

  Clint tossed the keys in the air. “One of these belongs to Crain’s apartment. We were just in there. Where does the other one go to?”

  “His office,” Trey admitted.

  “Do you have information from his computers, too?”

  “Yep. Backup from his home and his office.”

  “How did you manage that? We couldn’t get into his computer at the apartment.”

  “It wasn’t easy. I had to do it while he was there, while his computer was in use. He’s not as guarded when he’s actually in the building.”

  “Can I have a copy of your files from his computer?” Leesha asked.

  Trey looked stunned for a moment, then skeptical. “Are you trying to use me for my information?”

  “No more than you’ve already used us! At least I’m asking, being upfront with you. It’s really the least you could do.”

  “Why do you want them?”

  “To know what he knows. I’d love to read through any information he’s been able to put back together since Charlie gave us his files on us.”

  “Are his office files on there as well? For his patients?” Jade asked.

  “Yeah. Why?”

  Jade looked at Leesha. “Do you suppose we could figure out whether or not I’m really pregnant?”

  Leesha started to nod, when Trey butted in. “No, Jade. You’re not pregnant.”

  “How do you know? Did you see my patient chart?”

  “Well, yes, it’s in his files. But I know you’re not because I was there the day you visited him. I was the one who put the image of the baby on the screen.”

  That’s why…

  “Which explains why we couldn’t see the image on the monitor!” Lexi said. “You didn’t know we were there, did you?”

  “You guys were in the room?” Trey asked.

  “Yep, invisible just like today.” Clint answered. “Where were you? We couldn’t see you…”

  “I was hidden in the bathroom, watching from the crack in the door.”

  “Why the bathroom? Why hide?” Lexi asked.

  “It just seemed easier to watch from behind the door than to have to worry about controlling all the different minds coming into and out of the room.”

  “Makes sense. So wait…” Lexi mused. “He was taking information from an ultrasound that wasn’t really there. Does he still think Jade’s pregnant? We have to go back there on Monday for her follow-up appointment.”

  “Well unfortunately, while I can alter people’s perception, I cannot alter machines. The ultrasound photos were printed later that day, confirming there is no baby. In a word – yes – he knows Jade is not pregnant. I saw his nurse give him the photos, and wished I had Sam’s power of reading minds. I’d love to hear what was going through his mind when he got that bit of news.”

  “Yeah, I’d love to have heard it, too,” Sam agreed. “Look, man… We could obviously use your help, if you’re up to it. First, if we could even just read your copies of his files, that would be huge. A big help.”

  “No, no. I’m sorry – I didn’t mean to be defensive. Of course you can have a copy of my backup. I’ve got my flash drive right here.” He handed it to Sam.

  “We’ve also figured out the more heads we have working on this, the better off we are. What do you say? Do you want to come with us on Monday?”

  “You want my help?”

  “Yeah, if you’re willing. My mom’s going in there with Jade, and I’d take any help I can get in protecting her.”

  Leesha nodded her approval. “I think that’s a good idea, if you’re up to it Trey. I’m not sure how you fit in just yet, but I’m sure we can use your abilities somehow. You game?”

  He smiled, no longer feeling like an outsider. “Yeah. I’m in.”

  Chapter Thirty-nine

  “I kind of feel guilty, taking the night off to see a movie,” Clint said, holding Lexi’s right hand as she drove with her left.

  “Don’t. Leesha and Sam can easily take care of the information swap with Trey. Besides, Jade had a family thing to do, so we’re not the only ones skipping out tonight.”

  “I suppose…”

  “Trey’s in good hands. Did you see the way he kind of freaked when all of us were in the room, pounding him with questions? Leesha and Sam will get much more out of him in a smaller group.”

  “What did you tell your mother about Trey?”

  “Not much, just that we found another. Sh
e asked about his powers, and that’s pretty much it.”

  Clint nodded. “I noticed she didn’t seem too concerned. She was really sweet to him, so I figured you didn’t mention he’d been stalking us for weeks now.”

  “Yeah, that wouldn’t have gone over well with her.” Lexi paused, thinking. “Hey, what did Sam say to you before we left?”

  He grunted. “Uh, I’m not supposed to talk to you, make eye contact, or touch you. And he told me if I hurt you, he’d kill me.”

  “What a loser,” she said, snorting. “Don’t listen to him. Honestly, if he spent as much time paying attention to his own life, instead of mine, he’d figure out Leesha’s got the hots for him.”

  “She does?” His face was blank.

  Lexi glanced over at him in astonishment. “You men are really dense, aren’t you?”

  “Seriously? She does?”

  “Of course she does.”

  “She told you this?”

  “Well, no. I can just tell.”

  “Does Sam know?”

  “No, Sam doesn’t have a clue. He’s about as bright as Fred on Scooby Doo, when it comes to Daphne.”

  “But he can read minds…”

  “Yeah, but most of the time he tries to shut it off, give people their privacy.”

  “Right,” he countered sarcastically. “He’s tapping into my brain all the time.”

  She turned into the parking lot, shut off the car. “I’ll talk to him. He needs to ease up on you a little.”

  “You don’t have to do that…”

  Lexi grinned. “Maybe I’ll sic Mom on him, get her to try and talk some sense into him. Honestly, she’s fine with you and me dating. Maybe she can get through to him.”

  They got in line and Clint bought the tickets, which he proceeded to hand to the usher at the turnstile. “You’ll be in theater five, to the left,” he said, pointing towards the hallway.

  “Thanks,” Clint replied and took the torn tickets back. “Ouch!”

  “What?” Lexi asked.

  “Oh, nothing. Just a paper cut.”

  “Lemme see,” she said, grabbing his hand. Sure enough, a red line of blood was pooling up in the fleshy area between his thumb and forefinger. “That looks nasty.”

  “It’s fine, just hurts a little.”