by Eaton, Pam
“Would he have said anything with Mr. Smith in the room?” Lucy asks.
I shake my head. “When Gregory and I touch, we can talk mind-to-mind.”
Her eyes widen. “That’s handy.”
“Yeah, as long as I’m not wearing my earrings it is.”
They both look at me with identical confused faces.
“So, there’s a stone that can protect from mind reading. And this guy Dex at headquarters can enhance any stone or mineral. He took the stone called carnelian and made me earrings. When I put them in, Gregory can’t read my mind.”
Tiberius and Lucy share a loaded look. “What?” I ask both of them.
“This whole area is filled with carnelian,” Tiberius says, arm sweeping out.
My eyebrows scrunch together. “Fordlandia?” I ask.
“Yes. They used to mine it here a long time ago,” he says.
I stand and start pacing, my mind going in a million directions. “Does that mean he won’t be able to read minds if he comes here?” On one hand, I think he’d like that. He talked to me once about the horrid things he would hear. But on the other, since he’s had this power for so long, I wonder if it would be like losing a limb.
Tiberius rubs his chin. “No clue. If this Dex guy had to enhance the stones in your earrings, I’m not sure. But since there’s such an abundance here, then maybe.”
“I wouldn’t worry about that now,” Lucy adds in.
I take a deep breath. “Anyways, back to Mr. Smith. Gregory trusts him with his life. And even though the guy can be kind of a jerk sometimes, I think he truly believes in Project Lightning. And I can only assume he’s feeling crushed right now that his mentor and friend is betraying him.”
Lucy holds up a hand. “Okay, wait a minute. If you can’t lie to him, then how didn’t he know about this Rivers guy?”
She makes a good point, but I think I know how Rivers did it. “Two things. Rivers’s assistant is Chelsea. And with her being a null, Rivers could lie all day and Mr. Smith would never know as long as she was there. Also, there’s a way to lie without lying. Like if you asked me if I like this couch. I could say it fits the room without saying I hate it.”
“You hate the couch?” Lucy asks, mouth dropped open in horror.
“No,” I say smacking her in the arm. “It was just an example.”
She runs her hand over the cushion. “Good, because it’s not easy getting furniture when you live in the Amazon jungle.”
She’s got a point.
“We need to tell Mr. Smith,” Tiberius says, bringing us back to the subject at hand.
“When?” I ask him.
He looks at Lucy. “Tomorrow. Tonight, I want to spend with my wife.”
That’s my cue to leave. “All right. I’ll come get you tomorrow.”
I step farther away from the couch, ready to leave, but Lucy jumps up, stopping me. “Hold on. I want to put a new tracker on you just in case.” She runs over to her desk.
She rushes back and has me lift my shirt. “This one is waterproof,” she says while sticking it to the skin underneath my bra strap. “There. Even if they see the area, they won’t pick it out with it being flesh colored.”
I pull my shirt back down, and Lucy drags me in for a hug. “Be careful,” she warns.
I squeeze her back and she hands me off to Tiberius, who engulfs me too. “I’m going to see you tomorrow,” I say, my words muffled by his chest.
“You never know what tomorrow can bring,” he says.
“Cause that’s not ominous or anything,” I say as I step back.
“Whatever. Go get some sleep,” Lucy says, waving me away.
I step back farther and close my eyes. I probably should sleep, but there’s only one place I want to be.
Twenty-Eight
I pop into the room, scaring the crap out of the nurse again. “Sorry,” I say, sounding sheepish. “Next time I’ll do it on the other side of the door.”
She’s got a hand to her chest and a dirty look on her face. I slink by her and head for Gregory’s bedside, where I hear his soft chuckles, which warms my heart.
“Think that’s funny, huh?” I ask, sitting in the chair next to his bed.
His head turns slowly toward me. “You’re going to give someone a heart attack one of these days,” he tries to chastise me, but I can hear the laughter in his voice.
“Probably,” I say and grab his hand.
He squeezes it and I give him a bright smile. I can’t believe you’re really here. I missed you so much, I send the thought down our link.
He stares at our joined hands. I knew they sent those pictures to you.
Unwarranted, the images flash in my mind, and his hand shakes in mine.
Sorry. I build walls up in my mind, only allowing him to “hear” what I want him too.
He gives me a sad smile. I don’t know what to say, what to think.
When are you going to tell me how this is possible? He uses his free hand and gestures between our heads.
My dad had powers. And his was to enhance. Apparently, that’s why I can transport. And why I can enhance other people’s powers too.
He drops my hand and covers his face with both of his. “If they find out—" he says the words out loud.
My hands drop to his bed, and I play with the sheet between my fingers. “I know.”
He drops his arms and his whole body tenses. “It would be bad.”
“They won’t find out.” I try to stress the words.
He grabs my hand again. I haven’t told Mr. Smith any of this yet, I let him know.
Both of his brows shoot up.
I’m going to tell him tomorrow when I bring my uncle back. Tiberius wants Mr. Smith to know what his power is. Tiberius’s power is to track anyone in the world with powers.
He lets out a low whistle. That’ll be helpful.
Yeah.
“We couldn’t find you.” I say the words out loud, dropping our mental link. The nurses have been giving us odd looks. “Because of Chelsea. We couldn’t find you.” I can hear the torment and the guilt in my voice. All those months that I could have saved him.
“Can’t change the past,” he says in a somber tone. “But we’re going to stop this.”
I hope so.
He moves around in the bed, like he’s trying to get comfortable. “Tell me about things I missed. Only good things.”
I look at our joined hands. Trying to wrack my brain. “Honestly? There hasn’t been much good in the past several months.”
His face falls, and I rush to think of something. “I, uh…oh. I made a new friend. His name is Luca.” Gregory’s sharp eyes lock on mine and a laugh escapes me. “Just a friend. But he’s covered in teal scales.”
His jaw drops, making me laugh even louder. “Yeah. Kind of crazy. Experiment gone wrong. But he’s a good guy. You’ll like him.”
I tap my chin. “What else? Oh, I’ve got amazing aim with a gun now. I bet I can outshoot you.”
He chuckles at that.
“How’s Tony?” he asks.
“You already know,” I say.
“I want to hear it from you,” he says.
I debate on what to tell him. I take a deep breath. “Honestly? Not good.”
He looks at me questioningly. “Can I show you?” I ask, like Robert’s daughter Poppy did when we rescued her in England.
He nods, his eyes still wary. I grip his hand tightly and flood him with memories. Times on the water tower, Tony’s isolation, his unwillingness to leave where we were, what happened in France, and his guilt now.
The more I show him, the more Gregory grits his teeth. His eyes narrow and his breathing picks up speed. I stop the memories and lay my palm against his cheek. He flinches at the first contact, but then turns into my palm.
“I know you’re angry. I can see it. I almost feel it like it’s my own. But I don’t know if I blame him. If they said they had my grandpa, I’m pretty sure I would have done the same t
hing.”
He shakes his head repeatedly. “No, you wouldn’t have.”
I open my mouth, but he cuts me off. “If it had been reversed, you would have gone to Tony for help.”
I rub his arm. “Well, I’m glad you think that highly of me,” I say ruefully.
“Trust me.”
I nod. “I do.”
His stare stays ahead. I can see the anger still riding him. “You’ve got to drop it,” I tell him. “It’s done with now. I think having to watch what they did to me was the worst punishment he could ever get.”
“It sickens me to know that Henderson and Sariah had their hands on you.”
“I know,” I tell him, because I feel the same rage he does.
The door behind us opens and Mr. Smith walks into the room. If I wasn’t watching his face, I would have missed the way his eyes brightened at seeing Gregory awake.
“Clear the room,” Mr. Smith orders the nurses.
I forgot they were there. They hurry and put down what they’re doing and rush out the door he just came through. He joins us at Gregory’s bed and sits on the other side.
“How are you feeling?” he asks Gregory.
“I want to say fine, but that won’t work. I’m getting better though,” Gregory says.
Mr. Smith nods once. “Good. The doctor got your tests back.” Gregory stiffens. “Aside from being malnourished, you’ve got four broken ribs and a fractured tibia.”
“Really?” Gregory asks, looking genuinely surprised. “I hurt a little, but not to that extent.”
My eyes volley between the two. How do they sound so calm about Gregory’s injuries?
Mr. Smith makes a humming noise. “Dexter has you on some pretty potent stuff. He found a mineral to block pain receptors.”
“Dex is amazing,” I say in complete awe at the things he’s been able to do.
“That he is,” Mr. Smith says, looking directly at Gregory.
“No,” Gregory says, shaking his head, and he starts moving like he’s going to get out of the bed.
“What are you doing?” I ask, trying to push on his shoulders so he’ll lie back down.
“I don’t believe it,” Gregory says, and I finally realize Mr. Smith wasn’t talking about Dex; Gregory’s reacting to whatever he read in Mr. Smith’s mind.
“I’m sorry,” Mr. Smith says, and it’s the first time I’ve ever heard him sound…vulnerable.
“Wait a second. What’s going on?” I ask, looking between the pair.
“I told him who I am,” Mr. Smith says to me, still looking at his son.
“Ooooh.”
Gregory does his best to scoot away from me. “You knew?” he asks, accusation heavy in his voice.
“Yes.” I kinda want to lie, but there’s no point. He already knows.
His eyes cut away from me, and he clenches his hands on top of the bed’s sheets.
“Don’t be angry with her. She just found out when she brought you here,” Mr. Smith says sternly.
I cringe, because that totally sounds like a dad lecture.
Gregory keeps his face averted, so I reach out and place a hand on his arm, but he yanks it away from my touch.
I get that he’s angry. I get that he just had a huge bomb dropped on him, but we don’t have the luxury of time. He can’t break down on me now. I need him.
I stand from his bedside, and make to touch him again, but I drop my hand to my side. “I’ll leave you guys alone,” I say.
I step back and before I can transport, Mr. Smith’s voice stops me. “Where are you going?”
“To my uncle,” I say.
To someone I know won’t pull away from me.
Gregory lets out a low groan, but before he can say a word, I transport out of the room.
* * *
In a blink I’m in front of Tony’s door at headquarters. My heart is still racing, and every breath I struggle to take in is an effort to control my hurt and anger.
I can’t believe Gregory pulled away from me.
I need to go to my uncle’s, eventually, but I better check if Tony wants to come with me. I raise my shaky hand and knock on the wooden door.
It slowly opens, and I get a glimpse of his face. Recognition dawns and he pulls the door open all the way.
“Hey,” I say, feeling somewhat awkward because aside from the talk on the water tower, we haven’t been alone lately, but I need my friend. “Can I come in?”
He looks over his shoulder, and my body tenses. Is someone in here? Is he doing stuff he’s not supposed to? And just those thoughts alone let me know I’m not completely over what happened in France between us.
“Uh, yeah. Mike’s here too,” he tells me, and now I feel dumb and like a horrible friend.
“I can come back if you want,” I say, not wanting to intrude on what’s going on.
“Nah, come in. It’ll probably be good for Mike,” he says and steps aside to let me through.
I brush past him into the room. It’s set up identical to mine. Bed against one wall, empty desk in the corner, and a door off to the right for the bathroom. The walls are beige and unadorned. But neither of us have spent much time here. I’ve actually slept here more than Tony has. We haven’t gotten a chance to put our stamp on it. Then again, we haven’t really done that in Brazil either.
Mike’s sitting in the chair next to the desk. His massive body practically makes it look like it belongs to a doll. I swear he just gets bigger every time I see him. His red t-shirt stretches across his shoulders and molds to his chest. As I get closer, his eyes flick between Tony and me. I don’t know how much Tony’s told him.
“Hey, Mike,” I say as I sit down on Tony’s bed.
“Becca.” All right…I can’t really tell if he’s cool with me being here.
Tony takes a spot against the wall. No one says anything, and it’s just starting to dip into an uncomfortable silence when I finally break first. “Guys just catching up?”
They share a look. “I kind of gave him a run-down of the past several months,” Tony says, not looking me in the eye.
I cringe, because that was probably a hard conversation to have. “It hasn’t been pretty,” I tell Mike.
“I’ll say. I thought it sucked being here,” Mike says. “Not gonna lie, I was super jealous that you all were out on missions. Part of me still is, but after hearing Tony’s story…” He trails off, but he doesn’t need to say anything else. Only someone with a death wish would want to be repeatedly captured and tortured.
I wonder how much detail Tony gave him. And I wonder if he knows why I’ve been gone. Because I doubt Mr. Smith informed them of everything.
“How’s it been here?” I ask.
He folds his massive arms across his chest. Did he just intentionally flex his pecs? Probably. “Honestly, boring. I got to go home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, so that was awesome. But it was really weird being home. Like I hung out with some friends, but it was hard because I couldn’t tell them about what was going on in my life. I couldn’t show them my power either.”
I hold my hand up. “Wait, what is your power?” We never got to know, or at least I haven’t seen anything because I’ve been gone so long.
He puffs out his chest a little. “I can manipulate shadows.”
Tony and I both stare at him blankly. Mike holds up both hands. “Okay, it might sound lame, but it’s not. Just watch.”
He closes his eyes. Tony and I share an I’ve-got-no-idea-what-he-means look. But we watch him take deep breaths.
Goose bumps cover my arms as I see shadows start to slowly slither across the room. Tony pushes himself off the wall and walks closer to me. The shadows pull from the corners, from under the bed, wherever there is darkness they come. And they start to crawl over Mike. In under a minute, he’s completely engulfed in darkness.
I cover my mouth with my hand. Tony starts cursing from beside me.
“Pretty cool huh?” Mike says, but his voice is distorted and eerie.
It’s taking all my willpower not to run from the room screaming.
“Uh, you guys okay?” he asks, still sounding creepy, but concerned.
I stand from the bed and walk closer to the black void. With my arm outstretched I say, “It’s like you disappeared.”
I stop my hand just before it can break the shadow barrier. But a hand darts out and grabs mine, causing me to scream bloody murder.
The shadows instantly disperse across the room, going back to where they came from. Mike holds his hands up in surrender. “Sorry, sorry. I didn’t think you’d freak out like that.”
“Dude, you just vanished into a black hole. Plus, it’s like you’re a shadow whisperer or something,” Tony says.
“It’s like camouflage,” I say, thinking out loud. “No wonder your ancestor with this power survived. You can hide in plain sight. Can you cover other people too? And why didn’t you use this power that first time you fought Ania?”
It’s probably one of my favorite memories of her. I’ll never forget how Ania wiped the cocky smirk off Mike’s face when he realized she would always best him in a fight.
Tony laughs from beside me. “Man, she took you down in like ten seconds.”
Mike waves away the comment. “Yeah, yeah. I had no understanding of my power. But mark my words, if I had, I could have won.
“Now, I haven’t tried bringing someone in the shadows with me. Been so focused on covering my whole body. For a while it would look like I was a floating head.”
“Tony, go stand next to Mike and see if it’ll work.”
Tony’s eyes shoot to mine. He starts waving his hands in the air. “What? No. How ’bout you go try?”
I look at him with my best beggar’s face. “Please, I just want to see something and then I’ll try.”
We share a look, and I see when it dawns. I’ll enhance Mike if he has to touch me to do this. And we need to see if he can do it without me.
Tony shoulders droop. “Fine,” he relents and walks across the room and stands next to Mike.
The shadows converge on Mike again. Tony goes completely still except for the widening of his eyes. Mike’s completely covered, but only Tony’s feet have disappeared.
