by Rebecca York
While he worked, he sent Gabriella another message. That alarm announced that someone had arrived. I’m almost sure it’s Bill Wellington. But he doesn’t look quite the same. Different cheekbones. Eyebrows. He must have been wearing heavy makeup when he captured George.
SOLOMON BARKED ORDERS as he strode down the hall. “Marvin, you’re with me. Carl, stay at the security station.”
Moments later, he and his most lethal-looking guard stepped into the reception area. Violet was waiting for him, alarm registering on her face.
He switched on another monitor, giving her a view of the parking area.
The white-haired man had reached the front door where he pushed the buzzer and waited.
Violet gasped. “It’s Wellington, isn’t it? Don’t let him in.”
“I think that would be a mistake.” He buzzed the visitor through.
Wellington strolled in the door as though he owned the place. Thirty years had passed, but there was no mistaking the intruder’s glittering eyes and determined mouth.
“Hold it right there,” the doctor said, raising the gun in his hand. The guard beside him did the same.
The newcomer stopped and eyed the three of them with interest.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Solomon demanded, keeping his voice steady but with difficulty.
Instead of answering the question, the visitor said, “I see you didn’t curtail your activities when I had your clinic burned down.”
“Why should I? It’s a free country. And I see you didn’t quit the cloak and dagger stuff when you disappeared from sight and changed your name.”
“No. Don’t play games with me. I’ve monitored your emails. I know you’re still doing research. Using illegal aliens for guinea pigs. A lot of them have died testing your AIDS vaccine.”
“I’ll make a fortune when I get it perfected. And if you’re thinking of trying something tricky, we’re not alone here. I have an army of armed men watching us on close circuit,” Solomon said, wondering how many men constituted an army.
“I’m not here to start a fight with you.”
“Then what?”
“You made plenty of money with your fertility clinic.”
Solomon sniffed. “So what? I earned it. Hundreds of couples had children as a result of my treatments. They were way ahead of their time.”
“Granted. And they paid off. You used the money to outfit this place.”
“I used the money to my advantage. Get to the point. You’re not entitled to a cut after all these years.”
“I thought your brain experiments came to nothing. It seems that you created something interesting after all.”
“Which is?”
“Adults with psychic powers. Which makes them dangerous.”
“They have to be touching to activate their powers.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that.”
“I was testing two of them when you interrupted. First the man, then the woman. Neither one of them blinked when I tortured the other.”
“It could have been their determination not to let you know what they can do.”
“We can find out.”
Luke had just freed his hands when a voice zinged into his head.
Luke Buckley. And Gabriella Boudreaux?
He felt Gabriella gasp.
Who is that?
My name is Rachel Gregory. Jake Harper is with me.
Gabriella made a sharp sound. Dr. Solomon asked us about you.
Now it was Rachel who registered alarm. What did he ask?
If we knew you. He said… Before Luke could stop her, she went on. He said you fought another couple with psychic powers. Using thunderbolts or something.
Yes, because they tried to kill us, Rachel answered. It was either us or them.
Why would they attack you?
We were hoping they could be friends with us, but they saw us as mortal enemies. Or rather she did. She was power mad and couldn’t stand the idea of sharing her special gift with anyone else.
And you don’t feel that way? Luke asked.
No.
Why should we believe you?
You don’t have to, but we’re risking our lives to come here and help you get out of this place.
Thank you, Gabriella answered.
Why do you want to help us? Luke pressed.
Jake answered, Because we want to be free of Dr. Solomon—and the other guy. The Badger. I think we can do that together.
Okay, Luke replied, recognizing the other man’s pragmatism. If these people were going to attack them later, they’d deal with it.
Right now Solomon is busy with a visitor. It’s the Badger, or Bill Wellington, as he calls himself. He’s dangerous. He sent a guy to capture Gabriella, and when his operative failed, Wellington shot him.
Rachel winced. We saw him drive in, but we didn’t know who he was.
As they’d been talking, Luke had been working on his bonds. He’d already freed his hands. He pulled the last of the tape off his legs, stood and hurried to the door. It was locked, but he twisted the knob hard, and it gave.
The hall was empty, and he dashed to the room where Gabriella was just freeing her legs.
She stood and came into his arms.
What should we do? she asked the other two psychics.
I believe we can destroy this place. And Solomon and the Badger with it, Rachel answered.
If you’re thinking about using those thunderbolts the doctor mentioned, let’s not forget that we’re in here, too.
We won’t, Jake Harper answered.
How did you learn to use thunderbolts?
We found out about them when the other couple—Mickey and Tanya—tried to kill us.
We had time to practice the skill, Jake said. What can you do?
We got the guard at a morgue to think we were FBI agents, Gabriella answered.
And we just got free of our duct tape bonds by heating the tape, Luke added.
Useful, Jake answered.
When Gabriella gasped, he tensed. What?
They’re both coming back. Solomon and Wellington.
Chapter Nineteen
Luke grabbed Gabriella’s hand. Over here.
He hurried her toward a storage closet at the back of the room. They darted inside, and he pulled the door shut just before the hall door opened and two sets of footsteps stopped short.
“She’s gone!” Solomon shouted.
“See if the man’s missing, too.”
In the darkness of the storage closet, Luke listened to the two men race out of the room. Had they left the door open?
Gabriella clamped her fingers onto his hand. Stay here.
He could still hear the other man and woman, Jake and Rachel, in his head.
What happened?
Solomon came back looking for us. Wellington is with him. We’re hiding in a storage closet.
Does the lab have a security system? Jake asked.
Yes.
Can you disable the system in that room? Otherwise they’ll have live shots of where you’ve gone.
Luke swore under his breath. Could they?
I think so, Gabriella answered. To Luke, she said, but I need to see it.
He clenched his fists, hating their choices. His pulse pounding, he eased the door open, feeling Gabriella press forward. She looked around the room, trying to locate the video camera.
“Up there,” Luke whispered as he pointed to the corner of the room.
“Will shorting out the camera do it?”
“Maybe we can use the one in here to short out the whole system.”
She stayed in the doorway, focusing on the camera, and he directed energy toward her. Just as she sent a death ray to the device, he heard footsteps in the hall and pulled her back, easing the closet door closed.
Gabriella gripped his arm, and he knew she was still visualizing the camera and pouring destructive energy into it.
“They’re not in either room,” the do
ctor said. “Where the hell did they go?”
“You check the surveillance system. Rewind the tapes from the past fifteen minutes, and I’ll check out this room,” Wellington said.
One set of footsteps left and Luke heard the other man moving around outside their hiding place.
Gabriella’s attention shifted away from the video equipment. There’s nobody in here, she shouted with her mind. There’s nobody in here.
Could that possibly work? Luke helped her project the message as he scrambled for alternatives.
The closet was five feet deep and ten feet wide with a double row of shelving inside. He took her hand, easing along the front set of shelves, trying to put a barrier between them and the entrance. But they’d only moved a few feet when the door was snatched open, and Wellington appeared with a gun in his hand.
At least they weren’t in his direct line of sight.
Luke froze in place, mentally shouting the message, There’s nobody in here. There’s nobody in here.
Luke’s stomach clenched. He watched the man’s face as his gaze swept the closet, passing them and coming back, then moving on again. He looked perplexed.
There’s nobody in here. There’s nobody in here.
Wellington stayed where he was for a few more seconds, then backed out. When he closed the door, Luke allowed the air in his lungs to trickle out.
We did it, Gabriella whispered.
But how long will it hold? Remember that guy at the hospital.
Out in the main room, the door opened again and Solomon’s angry voice rang out. “The surveillance system is fried.”
“Has it ever failed before?” the Badger asked sharply.
“No.”
“They must have done it.”
“How?”
“With their minds, you moron,” Wellington snapped. “I told you they were dangerous.”
“What are you saying? That’s impossible.”
Wellington scoffed. “They’re obviously a lot more talented than you thought. I’m glad I arrived in time to save your sorry butt. Stop with this crap about experimenting on them. Shoot to kill. And when we’ve taken care of this pair, we’ll go after the rest of the vipers.”
Luke felt a shudder go through Gabriella. It’s going to be okay, he told her, even when he prayed that it was true.
“That’s hundreds of people,” Solomon gasped.
“Too bad you were so successful with your nutball project.”
“You were excited about using it to extend American exceptionalism.”
“And look where it got you.”
“You obviously don’t understand scientific curiosity.”
Wellington’s voice turned to ice. “Not by your warped standards.”
“You call me warped? You’re talking about killing a lot of innocent people.”
“People who could do who knows what.”
When Solomon started to speak again, Wellington cut him off. “We had better stop arguing and find them.”
The men hurried out of the room, and Gabriella sagged against Luke.
What are we going to do? she asked. We have to get out of here, but I don’t think we can make ourselves invisible to everyone in this building.
He looked behind them. No, but we can burn a hole in the wall and get out that way.
We’ve never done anything like that.
We have to try.
The woman who had been talking to them joined the conversation. We’ll help.
Do you know where we are?
No. But if you start attacking the wall, we’ll pick up where you’re directing the energy.
Okay. Luke wondered if his desperate suggestion would really work. But he couldn’t come up with an alternative.
In the darkness, he and Gabriella eased to the back of the closet, then turned to face the cinder blocks. He ran his hand along the rough surface, and he knew she was following his thoughts.
Do these things even burn? she asked.
“With enough heat,” he muttered, hoping it was true.
“Which one of us directs it?” Gabriella asked.
“You. We’ll do what we did in the cabin.” He moved behind her, clasping his arms around her middle as she turned to face the wall. He could feel her trembling in his arms, feel her hesitation.
Do it, he whispered in her mind.
He felt her focus on the wall, felt her struggling to generate heat, even as he caught her uncertainty. Should they switch roles?
He knew she heard the question. Knew it strengthened her resolve. She set her mind to the task, and he saw light hit a spot on the wall a little to their right. When the light glowed more brightly, he closed his eyes.
Got it! the woman outside the building called out. We’ll work from here.
Luke slitted his eyes, watching a small hole appear. It was as if the cinder blocks were melting. But at the same time, acrid smoke rose from the place where Gabriella was directing the energy.
She coughed and lost her focus for a moment, then clamped her teeth together and redoubled her efforts while he sent her more energy.
The smoke billowed higher. Suddenly a bell began to ring. Like what had happened when Wellington arrived, only this time Luke knew it was the fire alarm.
Outside, he could hear the guy named Jake Harper cursing. Now what the hell are we going to do?
Give me more energy, his partner demanded.
Luke did the same, funneling more power to Gabriella. He could see a hole in the wall about the size of a jar top now, daylight on the other side.
He struggled not to cough as the smoke enveloped them. Was the damn stuff toxic?
Get down, he told Gabriella, pulling her toward the floor.
They crouched on the cold cement as the hole slowly enlarged. Some of the smoke poured out, but the opening was nowhere big enough for them to get through.
He wanted to tear at the damn thing with his fingers, but he knew he’d only get burned. Looking wildly around, he spotted a metal bar. Just as he began to hack at the wall, the door in back of them flew open.
It was Wellington, a gun in his hand. “Got ya!”
Luke’s only option was to push at the shelves behind them, toppling the heavy unit. Boxes and plastic containers flew off as the shelves hit the man, sending him sprawling as the gun in his hand discharged.
“Keep working,” Luke shouted to Gabriella. “Get out when the hole’s large enough.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll follow.” He leaped up on the shelves, tramping down on them, trying to crush the man who had started all this.
Wellington screamed, but he was still trying to get his gun into firing position.
Out in the room, the sprinkler system had activated, and water was pouring down. The deluge gave Wellington the opportunity to crawl out from under the shelves. Luke went after him, scrambling to grab the weapon. He almost had it, but it slipped out of his hand.
Behind him he heard a cracking sound and knew that the wall was coming apart.
Good. Gabriella should be able to get out, even if he didn’t make it.
Go, he shouted as he grappled with Wellington on the floor. Go.
The man might be old, but he was in fantastic shape, and Luke was still recovering from the effects of the sedative and getting shot a few days earlier. Before he could get the gun, Solomon and an armed man dashed into the room.
“Freeze,” the doctor shouted.
Luke twisted around, pulling Wellington on top of himself, using the older man for a shield.
“Hold it right there,” Solomon ordered.
Luke and Wellington went still.
The doctor studied them. “Where’s the woman?”
Luke raised his chin. “She got away.”
“For now. And you didn’t,” the doctor pointed out in a hard voice. His eyes narrowed. “It looks like we can take care of two problems at the same time. Shoot them both.”
Chapter Twenty
“
No!” the Badger shouted. “We’re on the same team.”
“The same team? Hardly. I thought I was rid of you years ago. You burned my clinic down. Now you come marching back in here giving me orders.”
“You don’t know what you’re doing. You have no idea how to handle these people.”
“I’ll find out—in my own way.” Raising his gun, he aimed at his former associate’s head.
Wellington was still pleading, the way George had pleaded, when Solomon pulled the trigger. The bullet hit its mark, sending blood and brain tissue flying.
The doctor turned his attention to Luke. “You’re next.”
For damn sure he wasn’t going to beg for his life. But could he use his power to stop the man from executing him?
You don’t want to shoot Luke Buckley. You don’t want to shoot Luke Buckley. You can use him. You can use Luke Buckley.
The doctor hesitated. Blinking, he stared at Luke.
“What?”
“Maybe you’ll find me useful.”
“How?”
“I guess we’ll have to do some experimenting.”
While he spoke, he kept broadcasting the message. You don’t want to kill Luke Buckley. You can use him.
“We didn’t have much time to explore your talents. What can you really do?”
Now what? If he told the truth, maybe the doctor would think he was too dangerous.
“I’d prefer not to discuss it with a couple of guns pointed at me,” Luke answered, wondering if he had a chance of disarming the doctor and his security man.
Solomon seemed to be considering the suggestion. Then his face hardened. “Too dangerous.”
Luke kept frantically projecting his message. You don’t want to kill Luke Buckley. You can use him. But the message wasn’t having the desired effect.
“You’re making my brain feel weird,” Solomon muttered.
As the doctor raised the gun, something else happened. One moment, Luke knew he was done for. In the next, Solomon and his guard jerked backward as though they had been caught by an invisible tsunami. They gasped as they flew across the room and slammed into the wall.
With the two men temporarily disabled, Luke took the opportunity to duck back, making for the closet. Before he reached it, he almost ran into Gabriella, who was charging through the door, accompanied by a dark-haired man and woman.
