by Nalini Singh
She opened her mouth, then closed it. “Tomorrow. Good night, Dev.”
He wondered if she’d been about to ask him to stay before thinking the better of it. The sense of loss lay heavy on his shoulders as he got off the bed and picked up his T-shirt. Then, unable to simply leave, he moved back to the bed to press a kiss on the exposed curve of her neck. “Have good dreams.”
Half an hour later, as Katya finished dressing, she held Dev’s final comment close to her heart. There’d been such care in those words, such tenderness. It had made her hesitate, but this was her only option now that she’d given up on getting him to enter her mind. He would be furious, but he’d also be safe—she couldn’t hurt him from so far away.
Doubt hit again.
What if her actions weren’t her own? What if she was meant to run, to go wherever it was her heart and soul insisted she go? What if the compulsion was only another clever trap?
“No.” She knew these thoughts were her own. She knew. But how? Frowning in concentration as she laced up her sneakers, she felt a headache coming on. But this time she didn’t retreat. . . and the answer appeared from the mists.
“You’re a blunt instrument, nothing more.” A single fingertip touching her forehead. “There’s no room for subtlety.”
“Why?” she asked, too numb to be afraid anymore.
She didn’t expect an answer, was surprised when he spoke again. “Subtlety requires mind control. You’re not worth that much of my time.”
“What am I supposed to do until the triggers activate?”
“You’ll exist. Though, of course, not much of you is left anymore.” A spreading blackness in her mind, tentacles digging deep, clawing and vicious.
Swallowing a cry of agony, Katya bent over, fist pressed to her stomach. Oh, God, it had hurt when he’d done that. It had hurt so very badly. She’d been little more than the most primitive of creatures by then, but she remembered the final torture, the final obliteration of her psyche.
“But I didn’t die, you bastard,” she whispered, rising to a standing position though nausea continued to churn in her stomach, a trickle of blood snaking out of her nose. Wiping it with a tissue, she stared at the door. “And when you locked me in this prison, you also freed me.” Because no one could strike at her through the PsyNet. No one could spy on her. No one could stop her.
All she had to do was get out of this house.
Which might’ve proved very difficult had there only been the three other adults in the house. All three were dangerous. And Dev . . . well, she wasn’t even going to think about taking him on in a physical fight.
But there was a fifth person here. A telepath.
He’d contacted her yesterday, while Sascha was visiting—Katya didn’t know how he’d circumvented Tag. When that curious mind had brushed hers, she’d been so startled, she hadn’t pulled back. And he’d talked to her.
I’m sorry they scared you away last time.
Surprised at the clarity of that voice, she’d answered without projecting, hoping he’d pick it up. They were trying to protect someone. This telepath, she’d realized at once, knowing that there was no way to wipe the information now that she had it. So she’d have to make sure no one would ever again rip open her mind. You shouldn’t be talking to me. Go back before you get in trouble.
A quiet pause. You’re like me. You’re scared, too.
I’m trying not to be, she’d answered honestly. How about you?
I like Dev—he makes me feel safe.
Me, too.
Another pause. How come you want to leave?
She’d sucked in a breath at the ease with which he’d picked out that thought, even if it had been at the forefront of her mind. That’s not good manners, to read someone’s thoughts.
He’d been silent so long, she had thought he’d gone. Sorry. Quiet. So quiet. I don’t know all the rules.
It’s okay. We all had to start somewhere. Wanting to help, she’d taken a chance and carried on the conversation. Just remember—if it’s not something you’d want someone else doing to you, you shouldn’t do it to them.
I understand. I won’t take your thoughts again.
Thank you.
But since I already did—how come you want to leave?
I have something I need to do. Something that pulled at her until it felt as if her tendons would tear from her bones, a pounding, secretive need. But how could she have any secrets? Ming had taken everything.
A tendril of mischief had brushed her mind and it had had a sense of newness to it, as if the boy had never played. I can help you.
No. I don’t want you in trouble.
My mom used to say that boys are meant for trouble.
The utter sadness in that sentence had broken her heart. She’d heard wonderful things about Sascha Duncan—she hoped all those rumors were true. Perhaps the cardinal Psy could mend this boy telepath’s own shattered heart. That sounds about right.
I have a plan. A hesitant whisper.
Charmed despite herself, she’d asked, Okay, I give. What is it?
And when he’d told her, she’d realized the stupid simplicity of it might just work better than every other thing she’d come up with. However, it all depended on whether the child could keep himself awake till the right moment.
So she waited, ready.
But when the scream came, she jumped sky-high. Moving to the door as she heard footsteps running toward the front of the house, she twisted the knob and stepped out into the corridor, heading toward that very area. Her breath stuck in her throat as she passed the open doorway of a room from where she could hear a number of voices. The front door was locked and alarmed in spite of the unexpected interruption.
She moved to the windows. Alarmed and locked, all of them.
Aware her time was about to run out, she told herself to think. She could break a window, but knew she wouldn’t get five feet before Dev, Tag, or Tiara ran her down.
You’re a scientist.
Heart thudding, she crept back down the hallway, made a quick stop in her bedroom, then headed to the kitchen, hoping against hope that her young co-conspirator would be able to keep them occupied for a few more minutes.
As she’d expected, a fresh pot of coffee sat on the counter. One of the three would likely not drink it, being off shift, but it would dramatically change the odds. Sliding out the medications she’d lifted from the apartment in New York, she dissolved a highly specific combination into the liquid.
A quick stir and she was done.
The drugs wouldn’t hurt the others, just make them lethargic, and if she was lucky, sleepy. She could’ve used more but she hesitated—the Forgotten did have Psy genes . . . Unwilling to do serious harm, she retreated, the rest of the drugs still in her possession.
She was back in her room pretending to read when her door opened a fraction. “What was that noise?” she asked Tiara.
“A nightmare.” The other woman didn’t explain whose. “Wanted to tell you not to worry.”
“Thanks.”
And then Katya waited.
There was some movement for the next hour, people murmuring, steps to the kitchen, back to the living room. Sometime after nine thirty, a door closed with a quiet snick—one of the three going to bed. Waiting another twenty minutes to give that person time to slip into sleep, she pushed off the blankets and got up.
CHAPTER 31
Heart in her throat, she cracked open the door, knowing her coat and boots would give away her intent if she was caught. And she had no intention of being imprisoned again. Creeping down the hallway, she glanced into the open doorway of a bedroom.
Dev.
He lay with his head on a small writing table, his hair mussed. Knowing she should just walk on, she nonetheless went to him. His pulse beat strong under her fingers. Relief was a cool rain against her cheeks.
Pressing a kiss to his jaw, the roughness of stubble enticing her to linger, she went to leave the room. That was when
she saw the stunner tucked in the small of his back. She hesitated. She had no desire to hurt anyone, but if either Tag or Tiara woke, she’d need something with which to warn them off. “Don’t hate me,” she whispered, and took the weapon before making her way to the entrance of the house.
Tag sat in front of the entertainment screen, a science fiction show playing in the background. His eyes were closed, his head tipped back against the sofa.
A near-empty mug of coffee sat in front of him.
Scared at his stillness, she went to put her fingers on his throat.
He groaned, shifted.
Freezing, she waited for him to wake and raise the alarm. But after a fraught few moments he slipped back into sleep. Relieved, she spread out her senses, searching to make sure the child was okay. Tag’s shields were holding—the man was a very strong telepath. Unsure if they’d continue to hold as he dropped further into unconsciousness, she wrapped her own shields over his. Then, with a thousand silent apologies, she ransacked Tag’s wallet, taking all the cash he had on him.
The alarm was the next hurdle.
“Help me,” she whispered, not knowing who she was pleading with.
A door opened down the hall.
“Tag?” Tiara’s voice came closer, husky with sleep. “I thought I felt—” The other woman froze when she saw the stunner pointed at her. Beautiful brown eyes streaked with a hundred shades of gold and amber flicked to the big man on the couch, worry crawling their depths.
“He’s fine,” Katya said. “I don’t want to hurt anyone—I just want out.”
“I can’t let you do that,” Tiara murmured, her hands loose at her sides.
Katya didn’t relax her guard. The woman had a weapon on her somewhere. And she was a telepath. Katya held back the powerful psychic assault with her own abilities, creating an effective deadlock. “Do you know something, Tiara?”
“What?”
“I know that if I change the direction of this stunner,” Katya whispered, “that if I press it to Tag’s head, you’ll do anything and everything I want.”
Tiara sucked in a breath.
“But I don’t want to do that.” It was a plea. “I don’t want to become a monster.”
“You won’t get away, you know.” Tiara’s tone shifted. “Dev will hunt you down.”
Katya gave the other woman a shaky smile. “So it shouldn’t matter if you let me go now.”
“Katya, I know you’re not going to shoot me,” Tiara said point-blank. “So this standoff is pointless.”
“The weapon’s set for mild stun,” Katya said. “You really want to leave the child vulnerable by making me take you out?”
Tiara swore under her breath. “You’re not as helpless as you look.”
“Thanks. Now walk over to the alarm panel.” She shifted to keep Tiara a good distance from her as the woman moved. “Input the code.”
Tiara complied without further questions.
Katya felt her lips quirk. “Did you send out a silent distress signal? It doesn’t matter—just as long as the alarms don’t shriek when you open the door.”
“Why do you care?” Tiara arched one perfect eyebrow. “I’m already awake.”
“I don’t want to scare the boy.”
A huge sigh. “I was on the way to liking you, Katya. Now you go and point a stunner at me.”
“Open the door,” Katya said, knowing the other woman was stalling.
Tiara did so without argument. No alarms sounded. As the Forgotten female strode out onto the porch and took the steps down to the lawn, Katya followed. Knowing Tiara would go for her weapon now that Tag was no longer under threat, she said, “Sorry,” and fired the stunner.
“Fuck!” Tiara collapsed onto her knees, her movements jerky and uncoordinated. “Not sporting.” It came out slow, uneven.
Tucking the stunner into her pocket, Katya put an arm under Tiara’s shoulders. “I know. You can curse me later.” Right now, she had to get the telepath to one of the vehicles.
The other woman resisted, but the stunner had short-circuited her nervous system. However, nothing could be done about the fact that the gorgeous woman was taller and heavier than Katya. As a result, Katya was sweating with a mixture of panic and stress by the time she dragged Tiara to the closest four-wheel drive. Taking the woman’s hand, she pressed her thumb to the lock.
The door slid open and back.
Pulling Tiara’s upper body into the driver’s seat, Katya managed to get the woman’s thumb on the ignition switch. The car started with a quiet purr.
“Won’t restart,” Tiara murmured, eyes starting to sharpen.
“I’ll just have to keep it running.” Lowering the Shine operative to the ground, she took Tiara’s cell phone from her pocket. “I used the lowest possible setting—you’ll be up and moving in less than five minutes. I’ll make sure the boy’s shields are solid until then.”
Tiara smiled. “Dev is so going to kick your ass.”
Taken aback by that smile, Katya hesitated. “The stunners don’t have any strange effects on Forgotten physiology, do they?”
“Hell, no.” Tiara’s speech was beginning to clear. “I’ve just decided to find this amusing.”
Shaking her head at the telepath’s strange sense of humor, Katya got in the vehicle and backed it carefully out and onto the drive. She went a hundred meters down, then pulled over into the night-shadow of a large tree. No one would be able to see her if they came down the road. And if she was right about the silent alarm, they were already on the way.
She continued to hold the shield on the boy until she felt Tiara’s energy replace hers, snapping back into her mind before the other woman could attack her on that level. In the nick of time. Two vehicles raced down the private road, heading for the house. Katya waited until they turned the corner, then she threw the cell phone—and its GPS chip—out the window and drove like a bat out of hell.
The car’s navigation system got her out of the isolated area and onto a major road still heavy with traffic. She drove for twenty minutes before pulling over into the parking lot of a diner packed with monster rigs. The hover-trucks had their own special automatic navigation lanes on the highways, often traveling at speeds three to four times that of cars.
Parking beside one of the rigs, she took a deep breath and turned off the engine. She was now effectively stranded. But if she knew Dev, this car had some kind of a tracking device embedded in it. She left the stunner under the seat, having no desire to cause any more harm.
Conversation stopped the instant she walked into the diner, but she didn’t—couldn’t—back out. Tiara was probably already putting the trace in motion. Girding herself, she looked around. Most of the people at the counter were men.
Sweat broke out along her spine. Getting into a vehicle with a stranger was hardly the smartest of moves, but it was the only choice she had. And she was a telepath. No one was ever again going to make her a victim. Giving a small smile, she moved to the counter.
“Buy you a coffee?” The offer came from a twenty-something man to her right.
“I’d prefer an orange juice,” she said, judging him “safe.” If all she had left were her instincts, then she had to trust them.
He smiled, his eyes wrinkling at the corners. “Juice it is. Hope you don’t mind me saying, but you could do with some meat on your bones.”
Her mind cascaded with images of Dev making her smoothies, sliding granola bars into her pockets. “I’m working on that. Thanks.” She took the orange juice and began to sip. “I don’t suppose you’re going north?”
The trucker gave her a disappointed look. “Aw, damn. South. Jessie!”
A woman with a long blonde ponytail looked up from the shadowy end of the counter. Her face was all freckles and glowing skin. “What?”
“You going north?”
“Maybe.” The woman looked at Katya. “You need a ride?”
“If you wouldn’t mind.”
Jessie shrugged a
nd got up. “I’m heading out now. You can keep me company.”
Thanking the man for the juice, Katya followed Jessie out of the bar. The female trucker didn’t say anything until they were in the cab of a sleek silver truck with a dash that looked more like something you might find in the cockpit of a small jet.
“Not smart what you’re doing,” Jessie said as they hit the highway. “Most of the boys, they’re okay. But there’s a few that think giving a ride means getting something in return.”
“I know,” Katya said, deciding for honesty. Something about Jessie said that for all her fresh-faced looks, she’d spot a lie a mile off. “But I didn’t want to be caught on surveillance at the travel depots.”
Jessie switched to automatic navigation after smoothing the truck into its specified lane. The steering wheel slid away as the truck’s computronic software took over, accelerating the rig to a speed no human would ever be able to control. “You running from someone?” A concerned glance. “Someone been mistreating you, honey?”
Arms holding her close. A kiss to wish her sweet dreams. “No. But I have something I need to do.” A demon she needed to face.
“Fair enough.” Jessie kicked back, putting her feet on the dash. “So, you like jazz?”
“I’m going to—” Dev bit off the words, staring at a grinning Tiara. “You just let her walk out?”
“Hey, she stunned me,” the woman said, affronted. “And wasn’t I the one who tracked the car down to that diner even though she had the devil’s luck and took the one with the malfunctioning tracker?”
Knives lanced Dev’s stomach at the thought of who Katya might have ridden with, what they might have done to her. “Did Lucas call back?” The leopard alpha had gone to talk to the folks who owned the diner after Dev’s attempts had met with stony silence.
His cell phone rang at that moment. Snapping it open, he looked at the caller ID. “Lucas, you got it?”
“She’s on a rig heading north,” the DarkRiver alpha told him. “With a driver named Jessie Amsel.”
