Ian’s spandex-covered, female associates looked a bit like Dina—her too. The idea of her sister becoming a trio with those crazed females didn’t set well with Ella. He was using some sort of mind control, had to be; there was something manic about the women. She couldn’t imagine her sister losing herself in that kind of darkness. Whatever Ian had planned, Dina would never be the same. Ella had to stop this. She took a deep breath and focused. She tried to imagine she was nothing but cells and molecules. She could see herself as matter, but it was no use. The electricity blocked her mind from transmitting the messages to those microscopic bits of herself. She was solid and staying that way.
Chapter 16
Dina awoke to bright light hitting her eyes. She blinked, raising her hand weakly to shield her face. She felt stiff, uncomfortable, and no had idea where she was. Blinking rapidly to clear her foggy mind, she realized she was in a moving vehicle. Looking around, it soon became apparent she was in a limousine. She had no idea what she’d be doing in a limo. What kind of crazy dream is this? She yawned while sitting up. Ian sat across from her. The events of the past day came rushing back to her.
“Where’s my sister?” she demanded. Her dry mouth made the words sound funny.
Ian got up. She shrank back. He pulled out a water bottle from a mini bar, and handed it to her. She didn’t want to take it, but feeling very thirsty, she snatched it out of his hand, giving him a grumpy look. He chuckled and sat back down. After she took a long drink and could speak clearly, she repeated the question.
“Where is my sister?”
“Relax and enjoy the ride. We have a lot of catching up to do. So television, huh? I never thought you were interested in broadcasting.”
He sounded unbelievably casual.
“Ian, I want to know what you’ve done with Ella. Why did you take Ella and Zane? Who paid you to capture them, and why would you want to do it? We were friends—all of us.”
He laughed again, but it was a harsh, grating sound. Dina cringed and caught herself before she covered her ears. He seemed a bit more stable. She didn’t want to set him off again. He could still kill her with a look.
“Let’s talk about something more pleasant. I’ve always watched you. I’ve always known where you were and what you’re doing. Did you ever think of me?”
Dina felt her skin crawl. She felt violated, dirty, thinking of him lurking in the background of her life. “Ian, I don’t want to talk about that. I want to know about Ella.”
“Say my name, say my real name.”
“Ian, what have you done with Ella?” she repeated.
“No. Say my name,” he shouted, scaring her.
“Ian?” She’d no idea what had prompted his angry request.
“If anyone else called me Ian, I’d have killed them. I prefer what the papers have named me. Ian is the name the person who threw me away gave me, and the name the system who let monsters experiment on me called me. Electrocutioner is the name I’ve earned.”
Oh, brother, this is so not going to go well. She was terrified of saying the wrong thing.
“I’ve thought of you as Ian for a very long time. It’d be hard for me to call you by a different name.” Her words seemed to pacify him and settle him down.
“You’ve thought of me?” He seemed to need her admission.
She had thought of him, but sadly, not fondly. “I’ve blamed myself for not being able to help you. If I’d noticed your pain, your needs sooner, maybe I could’ve helped you stay on the right path. I’m sorry I let you down. Please tell me where Ella is. I’m afraid for her.” Her sad voice was a mere whisper.
Shock gripped her. Dina was unprepared for his attack. He gave her a taste of the pain he could cause. She screamed, and her body seized involuntarily. He let her go as quickly as he’d grabbed hold of her. Panting, she scrambled back as far away from his touch as she could get. He didn’t like this reaction. He swooped down next to her so quickly she shrieked with terror. He took her face tenderly between his hands, and she thought for a moment that he’d kill her.
Then he pressed a kiss to her forehead. Dina sat stiffly, afraid to move. He let her go, and she shivered. He suddenly fell to his knees in front of her. Grabbing her around her waist, he put his head in her lap, and she bit back a startled scream. He looked up at her, and she saw the anguish in his expression. Electricity crackled in his irises. It broke her heart. He was a monster, but somewhere inside of him was a confused boy. If she could somehow reach that piece of him, she might have a chance at saving her sister—and herself. She trusted her gut instinct.
Running her hand softly over his thick, brown hair, she felt him jerk under her touch like a frightened animal. It was as if he didn’t know how to react. “It’ll be okay, Ian. Somehow it will all be fine, I promise.” She said the words softly and realized she honestly meant them. Saving him was something she wanted to do very badly. She wanted to let go of the regret she’d been living with by getting him back on the path of goodness. He’d done terrible things, but if he’d stop killing and stealing, he might find redemption.
She continued to try to comfort him by rubbing his head and neck. She felt herself begin to cry, for him, for her, for all the years of empty confusion and unresolved issues. He must’ve felt her tears fall, because he suddenly looked up at her. Raw emotion filled his face. He scrambled back as if she’d threaten him. He sat across from her, looking uncertain. For the first time since the completely insane encounter had begun, his voice sounded human.
“No one cries for me. No one has ever cried for me,” he rasped.
“I’ve cried for you all these years. Please let me help you. Stop this horror show that you’re living. There is good in your heart. I feel it.” Speaking passionately, she went to him this time and sat next to him. Dina took his hand in hers and held it tightly. She was still crying.
He looked at her with confusion and almost awe. She was the lamb sticking her head in the lion’s mouth.
“I’m so sorry, Ian. I’ve blamed myself for your troubles all of these years. I’m so glad I’ve gotten the chance to apologize, but I’m afraid. I’m afraid for myself and for my sister. I’ve never wanted to have a relationship that was sexual. However, I love you and have always loved you, very deeply and honestly, as family. Please let me help you see your way clear of this confusion and chaos. Killing and hurting people cannot make you happy. I know you, and I miss you. Come back to me—us. We can be a family, and we can help you. You’re not alone.”
“Will you still want to help me when I tell you that I’m selling your sister to the men who’ve continued the experiments that created these terrible abilities? Will you still want to comfort me when your sister is taken apart and examined piece by piece?”
Dina gasped. Of all the possibilities, she’d imagined behind his actions, this was the worst possible outcome. How could he do it? He had to know she’d not just die, but she’d be slowly tortured to death while reliving the worst experiences of her life.
He looked at her for a long moment before raising his hand in front of her face. Dina felt herself falling back into the darkness, unable to fight whatever he’d done to make her sleep.
* * * *
The vehicles stopped. Ian got out, flanked by his special guards. He left Dina securely unconscious in his limo. He’d never give her to these people, these monsters. They were a new generation carrying on those long-ago experiments. His guards handed Ella to the men.
“You promised us both.”
“I’ll get you the other, but this one will have to satisfy you for now.” Ian raised his hand at the man, and he smiled as the slim scientist shrank back in fear. He continued. “Where’s my money?”
After a brief pause, the scientist motioned toward a van. Another man got out, dressed in a military uniform, and handed Ian a briefcase. He gave it to his guard to open and looked inside. He picked up a stack of bills and flipped through it with his thumb before setting it back in the case.
&
nbsp; “Are you really stupid enough to cheat me?” He saw the fear in the man’s eyes. He knew the stark terror lurking in all of them was why they’d never come after him. His power was the greatest of all the abilities their predecessors had created. They knew what he could do. Their fear was good. It made him feel safe.
“When you get us the other one, we’ll give you the rest. If we give it all to you now, you’d have no reason to bring him to us.”
Ian took the briefcase of money, and he didn’t bother to spare the struggling Ella a backward glance. His control over her would end as soon as he got into his limousine. If the scientist could hold her, she was theirs. He’d only promised delivery, not containment.
When he was back inside the vehicle, he pounded on the glass, letting his driver know to go. He saw the van obediently followed. He let his power over Ella go, and looked over at Dina. She’d never understand why he’d done what he had done. She was pure, unlike the rest of them. He longed for her to be his, without the need for control. He hungered for her to love him as he’d always loved her.
His unhealthy obsession with her was really the closest thing he had to a hobby. He’d told her the truth about watching over her. What was he going to do with her? If he turned her into one of his puppets, she wouldn’t be the same. That wasn’t what he wanted to have with her. If he made her devoted like his dear girls, it wouldn’t match his fantasies. He wanted her just as she was. He couldn’t force her love.
At some point, he’d have to wake her again. Ian knew she’d be unhappy when he told her he’d already delivered her sister into the hands of the men who’d paid him to take her. He genuinely hoped Ella was able to escape them, but he did enjoy the security all that money would give him. Each job he took and each murder he committed gave him more money, and money was the same as power and protection. No one would ever put him in a cage again.
Dina would have a very comfortable life in his home. She’d be his. She’d eventually see him as her protector, but he knew it would take time.
Ian took a first aid kit from under the seat so he could clean and wrap her injured hand. He looked at her side, and he knew it would require stitches. He’d learned how to sew up his own wounds early in his criminal career. He’d never had anyone to do it for him. He hated the thought of hurting her so he made sure she was as deeply unconscious as possible before he began. With a practiced hand, he worked the needle into her flesh to bind her wound. She’d bled quite a lot, but if she drank a lot of fluids and had a few hearty meals, she’d recover. Finishing his task, he looked at his handiwork, satisfied that she wouldn’t have much of a scar.
* * * *
The moment Ian’s hold over her diminished, Ella’s whole body shuddered violently. Relief pooled in her belly, but it only lasted for a second. The little bastard put her into the hands of the monsters under the bed. These were the worst boogey men of her childhood nightmares. She couldn’t believe he’d actually sold her to scientists. Just seeing those white coats and clinical expressions of interest again gave her the chills. Ian was a more vicious animal than she’d ever suspected.
Her sister was still at his mercy, and Ella still remembered his attempted rape on Dina when they were teens. Even as young as he was then, he’d been more powerful than the rest of them. Dina had no ability to call on, unless a sense of humor and stubborn streak qualified. Ella hoped her humor would keep her sister sane until she was able to free herself and go after her.
The men handled her roughly as they fought to get her into a box. She was able to move again, and she struggled. Ella focused, ready to turn into vapor, when one of them grabbed her by the hand. She couldn’t use her power. She glanced at the man holding her hand. He wasn’t wearing a uniform, and she could tell he wasn’t a scientist. There was something—different—about him. She felt kindred to him. This man had an ability that was blocking hers. When he’d touched her, he’d gotten inside of her somehow. She shrugged off his hand, but he was still there—inside. The scientists had done this to him, she was sure of it. Shuddering at the thought, she gazed into the man’s face. She bit her lip. “Please don’t help them. How can you do this to one of your own? Let me go.” She pushed the thought at him and he flinched, but didn’t relinquish his power over her transformation.
Ella thought she saw regret before his eyes became cold. He was breathtaking. If he weren’t delivering her to the Grim Reaper, she would have declared him the most perfect specimen of a man on the planet. Her captor was tall, and his polo shirt clung to his lean muscle. Hazel eyes looked down at her, a mixture of color. He had beautiful eyes. Fascinated, she looked into his face. His long, tar black hair was tied at the nape of his neck. It fit him perfectly. She could feel the strength of his ability, and it amazed her. He was strong. He watched the solider pushing her into the box. Whimpering, Ella felt panic rising. It was dark, small, and brought back a lot of bad memories. She screamed as they closed her into the terrible little tomb. The last things she saw were his sad, hazel eyes.
Terror made her lose control. She thought of her sister and Zane and used those thoughts to anchor herself. Somehow, she felt as if she could reach out to them. She tried to reach them. She felt as if Dina was dead, and it made her panic. She couldn’t sense anything about her. Her mind shut down. Was she asleep, unconscious, or dead? It was a question she feared having answered.
Ella curled up in a protective, defensive position. The darkness was cold, and her terror left her hypersensitive to every moment of her captivity. She lost all sense of time. The van was moving, but the darkness was what bothered her. Cold darkness always got under her skin, making her feel like a terrified child.
In the dungeon, they’d often used such methods of sensory deprivation in their warped experiments with her. But she was an adult now, and they’d not find her so easy to control this time. Cringing, she heard something scrape against the box. She lay silently, curling tighter into a ball, and letting the terror wash over her in waves. There was no escaping the fear, or them.
“Please help me.” Her mind reached out to Hazel Eyes.
“You’re dangerous. I can’t help you.”
She flinched. He’d responded telepathically. She was stuck at a cross between awe and anger. “I’m not the one forcing people to become lab rats. I’d say that makes you more dangerous than I am.”
She felt his sorrow, and his amusement. “These people can help you. They’re looking for a cure. They’ll fix you.”
“News flash—these are the same kind of mad scientists who did this to me.”
“You weren’t born with abilities?”
“Were you?” The idea that someone might be born with abilities had never really occurred to her. She’d teased her sister about not wanting to have Zane’s mutant babies, but she’d never honestly believed a child could be born with powers.
“Yes, I was, and I’m going to get rid of them.”
“I don’t know what they’ve told you, but they want to make more people like us. They called this evolution. I don’t believe a person can un-evolve. I’m sorry, but I believe you’re stuck with them—just like me. Don’t let these monsters hurt me. My death will be on your hands.”
“They aren’t going to kill you.”
“They’ll cut me apart, piece by piece, I doubt I’ll survive that. Please let me out.”
“You’re trying to manipulate me. How is it we can communicate this way? I thought I was the only one who could get into people’s heads.”
She’d never really thought about what she was doing until he put it to her like that. She was in his head. Ella hoped she could figure out how he was controlling her. If she could find out how he was doing it, she could stop him.
“If you were born with abilities why do you want to get rid of them?”
“Tell me how you got yours first.”
She didn’t like going first, but she decided she didn’t have a lot of options. If she could make Hazel Eyes her ally, she had a chance.
/> “Men tortured me after filling me with chemicals. They changed me against my will. I was just a kid. Your turn.”
“When my mom was in college she agreed to do some drug trials in exchange for money. She became pregnant a few months into the test, but didn’t realize it right away. When I was born I was different. Whatever they gave her weakened her. She died of cancer when I was a teenager. She was sure the cancer, and my abilities, came from the drugs.”
“I’m sorry about your mother. I’m sorry you were born this way. I didn’t ask for it either, but I’m not evil. I’m not dangerous. I use my abilities to help people. You could too. You aren’t alone, there are more of us.”
She didn’t know how much he knew. She hated exposing Zane and Bridget to added danger, but she needed Hazel Eyes on her side. She couldn’t imagine living her life with powers and no one to understand how it felt.
“Were any of you born with abilities?”
“No. I didn’t know it was possible.”
“Then I’m alone. The government has promised to cure me if I help them contain you.”
“They don’t want a cure. They want super soldiers or something. When they don’t need you anymore they’ll kill you and see what they can use to make sure more people are born with powers. There could be kids walking around right now with powers because of these men. We need to fight them, not help them.”
“I’m helping myself.”
It was as if he’d closed a mental door on her. He wasn’t going to help her. Ella lay in the darkness, feeling more alone than ever. She hadn’t been able to figure out how he was controlling her. The knowledge that someone could be born with abilities was interesting. She wondered if he’d told the scientists, and really hoped he hadn’t. They’d be manufacturing spiked prenatal vitamins ASAP…if they weren’t already. Ella shuddered at the thought.
Chapter 17
Reality Hero Page 17
