Beneath This Mask

by Victoria Sue

  “Ask him what hurts.”

  “What hurts, Derrick?”

  “It’s mine.”

  Gael glanced at Michael, and Michael mouthed, “Does he mean the tablet?”

  “The bad man hurt it.”

  “Do you mean, in the bathroom?” Gael signed. “Did Barry hurt you trying to take it?”

  Nothing, but then all of a sudden, Derrick held his arm out. His T-shirt covered it to the wrist.

  “Does your arm hurt?”

  “Derrick’s arm hurt.”

  “The trouble is,” the doctor said quietly, “we don’t know if that is a confirmation or he is just agreeing with you.”

  “Derrick, I’m going to touch your arm.” They were sitting nearly shoulder to shoulder and Derrick wasn’t objecting. Slowly, gently, Gael pushed the sleeve of Derrick’s right arm up. The red scratch marks were obvious and looked sore.

  The doctor straightened up. “I’m canceling the transport, but we need photographs.”

  “Why?” Michael asked. Gael was sure Michael was as surprised as he was at the doctor’s rapid change of mind.

  “Because that’s Barry’s trick. He hasn’t done it in a while, but I have three nurses and two orderlies who all had similar scratches when Barry was first admitted. I think it likely that Barry did that trying to get the toy from Derrick. We aren’t a secure unit exactly. The children here have mental health problems but not usually violent ones. Sad as it seems, eating disorders is one of them. That’s why we don’t usually have internal security. Those guys were for the reception and out-patient area.”

  Gael breathed a huge sigh of relief.

  The tablet bleeped. “Derrick is hungry.”

  Gael grinned.

  “He likes peanut butter on toast,” Michael put in. “But they have to be cut in equal triangles on white bread or he won’t eat them.”

  It was the doctor’s turn to grin.

  “And milk,” Michael added as the doctor left the room.

  “How is it possible that in a hospital, they didn’t look for injuries?” Gael asked in frustration.

  “The doctor said he was going to examine Derrick—” Michael stopped.

  “After he’d sedated him,” Gael finished the sentence.

  Michael came closer. “I’d like to try the tactile signing,” he said eagerly, and he moved around the other side of the bed.

  “Hi, Derrick,” Michael signed. “It’s Mr. Ramsay.”

  He tried a few times on both hands, but Derrick never responded.

  The nurse from before came in with a small camera and asked Gael to hold Derrick’s arm while she took some photographs. Then Gael held his arm steady while she dabbed some ointment on the scratches. Derrick never so much as looked in her direction. An orderly arrived a few minutes later with the sandwiches, done exactly as Michael had asked.

  “Can I have a sandwich?” Gael teased, signing.

  “Derrick is hungry.”

  “It seems to only work with you,” Michael mused. “I’m ashamed to say I haven’t researched the enhanced much, but is it possible that you are a conduit for him? That the tablet only works when you are with him? Your partner said you were a communication specialist, and if the headlines I regularly read are anything to go by, I’m guessing we’re talking more than the odd European language?”

  Gael chuckled. “Yeah, but this”—he gestured to the computer—“is new.”

  “He certainly only responds to you, and he has to be touching the computer, but you don’t.”

  Gael shook his head. “I have honestly no idea, but I’m not sure what research you could actually do. I mean, I know the doc at our place would love to test us for different things every day, but no two enhanced are ever exactly the same. There is no baseline.”

  “Really?” Michael said, watching as Derrick ate the sandwiches.

  “Does he always do that?” Gael asked. Derrick was nibbling the edge of each piece of bread but turning the sandwich around and taking precise bites as he rotated it.

  Michael nodded. “His behavior, this repetitive type, is an indication. Autism covers such a widely differing range of behavior,” Michael continued, obviously warming up to his subject. “The challenge with Derrick is his FAS, partial blindness, and deafness. We’ve been unable to successfully diagnose him because of the communication problems and, well, I’m ashamed to say, the state will not provide the funding for anything further.”

  “Because he’s enhanced?”

  “I would love to say yes, and if that’s true, I’m not even sure if it is totally true because he didn’t develop the scar until he was nine and had been in care all his life. It’s also about where to draw the line. The place where you decide any further tests aren’t going to improve Derrick’s quality of life.”

  Derrick drank every drop of his milk.

  “We tried to fit him with hearing aids, but he just removed the batteries.”

  Gael grinned. The more he heard about Derrick, the more he liked him. “Where does he live?”

  “In a long-term residential facility for children, but he’s lost his place.”

  “Why?”

  “Because they aren’t a secure unit, and while there is a question mark over the death of Maria Kelly, he isn’t allowed back. I’m very much afraid he may go into long-term adult psychiatric care, and it may be at such a distance, he may not be able to come to the school.”

  They needed to get on with the fundraising, but by the sounds of it, even if they kept the school open, Derrick might not live close enough to go.

  The tablet lit up. “Derrick is tired.”

  “Then go to sleep, buddy,” Gael signed and pulled at the comforter for him to get under.

  Derrick shuffled down and yawned. Then, sighing slightly, he turned a little toward Gael and slid his head so it was resting on Gael’s arm.

  Gael blinked in astonishment and glanced at Michael. Michael stood with a wide smile on his face. Gael gently lifted his arm and drew Derrick closer. Derrick yawned again and settled against Gael’s side.

  “He allows two of my staff to hug him, but I have never seen him initiate it.”

  Gael wanted to ask Derrick a lot more things. He wanted to know if Derrick could tell him about being in the car with Maria, but he needed to be careful. Any conversation needed to be with witnesses. He didn’t know how many chances he might get, and it was important not to waste any of them. Gael sat quietly another few minutes while Derrick’s eyes closed.

  “Night, Gael.”

  “Night, buddy,” Gael signed, but his throat was too tight to repeat the words.

  THE NURSE promised that Derrick’s night-light would be left on and that she would make frequent checks. He would never have his tablet taken away again, and she would make sure he was safe.

  Gael said he would call in the morning and visit in the afternoon. Then he asked if he could possibly use the phone to call the field office. He had at least two hours before he expected to hear from Angel, and he wanted to go home and change. Maybe find out what Jake was doing. He tried and failed to remember the number for Jake’s cell. It was just listed in his phone as Jake, and he only had to press one button to dial it. He gave up and called the field office and was put through.

  “Agent Fielding.”

  “Drew, hi, it’s Gael.”

  “How’s the child?”

  Gael smiled. “Doing great. He’s communicating. I’m going to try some more tomorrow with witnesses.”

  “That’s amazing.”

  Gael nodded even though Drew couldn’t see him. “I haven’t heard from Angel, but I’ve decided to head over to the diner we met him in today.” He could call at Jake, but if he did and Jake was asleep, he would insist on coming with him. “Is the team back?”

  “No, but they won’t be long. I heard a while ago.” Drew paused. “I’ve found something in the addresses that’s a huge coincidence and I want to know what you think.” The sentence came out in a rush, like Drew wa
s excited.

  Gael’s ears pricked up. “Oh?”

  The sigh from Drew was very audible. “Look, Gael, let’s not kid ourselves that anyone actually likes me being on the team. Every time I open my mouth, I say something that gets Talon’s back up.”

  Gael wanted to agree, but managed not to. “What have you found?”

  “Can I show you?” Drew said eagerly. Gael glanced at his watch. “I could meet you in the diner. I’ll make sure I’m done before Angel shows up.”

  Gael hesitated. He did have quite a while to wait.

  “I want you to see it first before I run it past Talon. Then, if I’m wrong, I won’t feel quite as much of a fool.”

  “Okay,” Gael agreed. He’d give him twenty minutes. It filled in the time. He was less tempted to call and wake Jake up, and Drew would be a lot easier to get rid of than his tenacious partner when Angel did show up.

  GAEL TRIED to park next to the diner, but everywhere was packed, so he had to leave his truck down a small side street. He sighed and unhooked his phone from the charger. It was a good thing he was early, it would take ten minutes to walk back. The lights of another car parked nearby flashed once just as Gael headed for the entrance, and he looked up.

  “Hey,” Drew called, leaning out of the window, and Gael walked over. “I thought we could drive around the corner while you looked over the list. I didn’t think you’d want me seen in there in case Angel came back early.”

  Gael jogged around to the car. Drew was right. He didn’t want Angel’s friend to spook if he saw another guy with him. He got in and took the bottle of water Drew immediately passed him.

  Drew pulled away from the curb and turned down the same alley he had met Angel in the first night. He put the car in park and got out another bottle of water, unscrewed it, and took a swig. “I will be so much happier when the weather cools down a little.”

  Gael would have been happier if the air-conditioning was cranked a little higher in the car, but he wasn’t gonna be in there long. Gael unscrewed the cap off the cold bottle and took a long drink.

  “So.” Drew sounded eager. “You know I ran all the addresses to see if there were any flags with the owners. I was hoping for any record, but there wasn’t so much as a community violation.”

  “Huh?” Gael frowned. He would swear warm air was coming through the vents now, and he took another swig of water. Drew was in his suit. Gael only had a T-shirt on and he was roasting.

  “Community violations. Those high-end communities have all sorts of crap rules. Mailboxes have to be painted in an approved color. Sidewalks have to be pressure washed. Cars aren’t allowed to be parked on the street. All sorts of regulations like that.”

  Gael wiped a hand on his forehead. He was sweating. “Drew? This fancy car of yours got any air-conditioning?” Fancy? Where had he heard that word recently? It wasn’t something Gael would normally say. He blinked and looked at Drew.

  “I said it’s faulty, sorry.”

  He said that like he’d already told him.

  Gael shook his head slightly, trying to think. Angel. That’s who had said it. The guy who had gone with Skin had a “fancy” car. Dark, sedan. But he’d only seen the back of his head. Brown hair, blue suit. Gael’s hand shook as he put the bottle of water in the holder in the console. His breath caught and his stomach dropped. He tried to swallow.

  “So, you finally worked it out, did you?” Drew turned to look at him, and Gael stared. Drew’s smile was calm, unhurried, like he had all the time in the world.

  Gael’s heart pounded against his ribs. Why wasn’t he scared? Gael was enhanced. He couldn’t be stabbed or shot. There was nothing he could be threatened with.

  The buzzing seemed to get louder in his ears, and Gael absently wondered if Drew had the radio on and the signal was crap. He blinked and looked at the door.

  “Give it a few more seconds,” Drew murmured.

  “What?” Gael seemed to slur the word. He needed to get out, but he didn’t seem to be able to move. He should be panicked, but all he seemed to be able to do was force his eyelids to stay open.

  His head lolled forward, and Drew put two fingers under his chin and tilted it back. Gael was helpless to stop him. He didn’t seem to be able to do anything. He felt the seatback slowly tilt and recline.

  “Got to keep your airway open. Don’t want you suffocating.” Drew’s eyes gleamed. “Not yet anyway.”

  Gael’s eyes slid closed. He tried to force them open, but the effort was too much. He felt the brush of lips across his own. If he could have gagged in revulsion, he would have.

  Chapter Sixteen

  JAKE ROLLED over and came instantly awake. He’d been expecting to connect with a warm body, and the cold space had him sitting up. He blinked at the clock: 1:07 a.m. What the hell? Where was Gael?

  He picked up his cell phone and dialed Gael’s number as he got out of bed. Straight to voicemail, but he didn’t leave a message because he didn’t know who Gael might be with. He was worried, not stupid. He thought about calling Drew and decided to just call Talon.

  “Yes?” Talon answered on the second ring.

  “Gael’s not home. Have you heard from him?”

  “Not since I got a text at eleven. He said Angel had been a no-show and was going home. I assumed that meant yours.”

  “Fuck,” Jake said succinctly.

  “Meet me at the office. I’ll call everyone in.” Talon hung up.

  Jake reached for his jeans and recited every swear word he knew. What the hell had he been thinking, going to sleep? He hadn’t even taken the strong drugs, just a couple of Tylenol as his head was pounding by the time he had gotten home. Finn had admonished him to take a nap, saying the noise of his phone would wake him. He had promised to call if they heard from Gael or Drew and not to worry. The team had his back.

  Jake was slamming the door behind him and running to his truck five minutes after he had spoken to Talon.

  “I JUST woke up Michael Ramsay,” Talon said. “Gael was with him and Derrick, and left around seven thirty, maybe eight.”

  They were all sitting around the large conference table in the big meeting room, except Eli and Gregory. Gregory was on his way and would coordinate messages, and Eli had driven up to Jacksonville. There had been an incident with the little boy that Eli helped. Apparently he had accidentally burned his little sister on her arm and had locked himself in the bathroom, crying hysterically. His foster mom had called Eli for help.

  “He was meeting Angel at ten,” Drew confirmed.

  “Why did you let him go on his own?” Jake nearly shouted.

  Drew just passed him his phone. There were two texts from Gael, and Jake read them out to the team. The first one around nine, saying he had just heard from Angel and was going to meet him. Drew had replied, suitably admonishing him again and asking where they were meeting. Gael had sent back The Westgate. He’d suggested it to Angel, as he’d thought a busier place might make Ricky more comfortable.

  Jake frowned. Gael wouldn’t go there at night.

  Then Drew had gotten a text at ten thirty, saying Angel was a no-show and he was going home. He had said he would let Talon know and see him in the morning.

  “The Westgate?” Vance repeated. “No way.”

  “I don’t know,” Finn said quietly. “Gael’s been a lot different the last couple of days. More like his old self.” He shot a pointed look at Jake, and Jake got it.

  Vance scoffed, obviously not convinced.

  Talon stood. “Sawyer? Put out a call for someone to find his truck. I want any CCTV checked, and try for a trace on his phone. Vance, you and Finn go to the hospital. I want to know exactly what happened tonight. Jake?”

  Jake stood.

  “You and I are going to see if we can find Angel, and we’ll start at the Westgate.”

  “YOU HAVEN’T heard a thing?” Talon confirmed as they walked toward Jake’s truck. Talon had reluctantly agreed to use Jake’s, as fitting Talon’s anywhe
re might be an issue.

  “No, but even an hour ago, I wouldn’t have been too messed up. I’d have just gone looking for him. He was desperate for me to get some sleep, so I’m not surprised he didn’t let me know.”

  “But now?” Talon waited as Jake unlocked the truck.

  “He’d know I was worried, and he wouldn’t let that happen.” Jake knew that. Gael would know he would have been losing his mind.

  They drove into Ybor. It was packed as usual, and even though it was after one, a lot of the bars were still open. The diner was closed, not surprisingly.

  “He wouldn’t have met him here anyway.” Jake pointed to the sign saying it closed at nine thirty.

  “Let’s leave the truck,” Talon suggested. “The Westgate is only five minutes away.”

  “Keep a look out for blue hair,” Jake replied.

  Just as they crossed an alley entrance, one of the girls standing on the corner pushed away from the wall she was leaning on. Jake paused—she might know Angel. She sauntered over to them both, and Talon just took a step back. Jake understood he was being as nonthreatening as a blond giant could be with a very obvious scar on his face, but the girl took no notice. All her focus was on Jake. Another step and Jake could see her properly. The lines around eyes that had seen far too much. The heavy makeup designed, he guessed, to make her look younger than at least the forty he would guess her to be, although that was maybe a little optimistic.

  When this was done, he was going to call his mom.

  “Hey, sugar.” A long pink nail lightly scored the front of his T-shirt and dropped to his waistband. “Looking for a date?”

  Jake caught her hand gently and drew the hand to his lips, kissing the back of it lightly. Her eyes widened. “I play for the other team, ma’am,” he said as regretfully as he could muster, and she sighed.

  “All the good ones do.”

  “Ma’am, I wondered if you could help me? We’ve lost a friend?” Her expression turned suspicious, and Jake put his hand in his pocket, only to have Talon nudge him and pass him five twenties. “I mean you no harm,” Jake said. “We’re looking for a boy my man was meeting. Name’s Angel.”