The Mind Keepers (The Mind Readers) (4 page)

Two could play this game, and I
was a heck of a lot better at lying than he seemed to be. “Yeah, good to see
you.” I forced myself to stay relaxed. I sure as hell didn’t want him to
suspect anything. “Where is everyone else?”

“There was a meeting at Sam’s.
You know him? In Pittsburgh.”

“Oh, wow.” I stuck my hands into
my back jean pockets and strolled toward the living room. A fire had been going
only thirty minutes or so ago if the glowing embers were any indication. It was
warm enough outside not to need one, which meant whoever had lit it had done so
for ambience. In other words, probably not something a teenage boy would do.

“Yeah.” He rubbed the back of
his neck, watching me warily. “They should be back in a couple days. I stayed
behind to meet you guys.”

I smiled even though my face
felt brittle. “I smell Helen’s famous beef stew.”

He nodded. “Yeah, she put it on
the stove before leaving this morning. You guys hungry?”

“Definitely.” I talked to cover
up Cameron’s suspicious silence. She’d caught on quicker than I’d expected her
to, and the devastation in her gaze was obvious. I prayed she could keep it
together. I loved her, but she’d never be the assassin I’d become. She was too
damn emotional.

“How’d you escape?” Cameron
asked, her voice surprisingly calm. “I thought for sure you were…”

She didn’t finish although we
all knew what she was going to say…
dead.

“Wasn’t easy.” He moved back a
few steps, his gaze darting to the hall. It was a quick glance, and most people
wouldn’t have found anything suspicious in it. I wasn’t most people.

Maybe he was looking toward the
kitchen because we were talking about food, or maybe, just maybe he was
expecting someone. My bet was the latter.

“But I know you’re probably
tired.” His gaze swung back to us. “You guys want something to eat?” He looked
oddly hopeful. I knew in that moment that he needed to get us in the kitchen
for some reason, and I doubted it was for a home-cooked meal.

“Yeah.” Cameron glanced at me,
wariness in her hazel gaze. I swore I could actually sense her anxiety, pulsing
and thrumming around me. Could he? “Sure.”

“The kitchen?” He was shifting
like a kid who had to pee. The jerk really wanted us in the back of the house.
I tentatively reached out with my mind, searching for others. I could feel
nothing or no one. Was it because I was overly suspicious and no one was there,
or was it because they were blocking their thoughts either with their powers or
with an implanted chip? Cameron was staring at Jake so hard, I thought she
might drill a hole into his head with her mere powers.

Don’t try to read him,
I sent the thought to her. She’d insisted on
practicing sending messages to each other only we could hear, honing our sisterly
bond. I’d humored her at the time, but now I was glad she’d insisted.
Don’t want him to know we’re suspicious.

She gave me a quick nod as we
followed him toward the back of the house.
Do
you really think the family’s in Pittsburgh?

No, I think they’re dead,
I replied.

She didn’t respond, but I could
see the color drain from her face. Hell, I hoped she held it together. But then
again, Cameron had been through hell the last year or so; she was tougher than
she looked. I could rely on her to watch my back. I had to.

My unease rose as we moved
toward the kitchen. Call it instinct, call it past experience, but I knew
they’d been murdered. Dead. And we would be too if we didn’t figure a way out
of this mess. I didn’t have time to mourn them. Should we take Jake now, or
wait to see what he had in store?

“You guys just staying one night?”
he asked, trying to make small talk as we moved down a narrow hall, musty with
age and the energy of those who had once lived here.

“Yeah,” Cameron replied. “Then
headed to Savannah.”

Of course, it was a lie. We’d
decided early on that only the three of us would know the truth. Only the three
of us could be trusted. Thank God life had taught us to be suspicious.

Can you get ahold of Lewis?
I asked Cameron, knowing she and Lewis
could send each other thoughts as well.

No.

Crap. That wasn’t good at all.
Not only would we be down one man, but there was no way Cameron would leave
without him. Which meant we were stuck here, to fight it out. We moved into the
kitchen, a large area with slate floor and a stone fireplace where I’d spent
many nights with friends and good food, laughter and family.

“Have a seat.” Jake headed
toward the stainless steel stove. “Is it just the two of you?”

He knew. He knew that Lewis was
here. There was no point in lying. If we tried to fib, he’d know that we didn’t
trust him with the truth. “No, actually.”

Cameron slid me a hard glance,
wondering why I was throwing her boyfriend into the fire. If looks could kill.

Trust me.

I tossed my jacket to the back
of the chair. “Lewis is here too. He went around back. Thought he heard
something.”

“Oh,” he smiled, looking
relieved. “Okay.” He actually pulled two bowls from the cupboard and dished us
up. “Long drive, huh?” He set the bowls of stew upon the table. “You’re headed
to Savannah?”

We settled at the rustic table,
the wooden top dented with age. How many people had sat around this table
sharing meals? “Yep,” I said.

Jake stood in the corner, his
gaze flickering toward the back door, either watching for Lewis or for the men Jake
was working for. Hell, how many were there? I took in a deep breath and reached
out. At first I felt nothing, then suddenly the softest tingling sensation branched
through my body, as if I’d touched a live wire.

You feel that?
Cameron’s voice whispered through my mind.

I slid her a glance. Yeah, I
felt it. But why? What did it mean?

“Will Lewis want something to
eat?” Jake asked, his voice sounding so far away that I barely noticed him.

I could sense them, whoever was
out there. I could sense their energy, and so could Cameron. But how could I? It
was something I’d never felt before.

“Yeah, he’d probably like a bowl
or two.” Cameron lifted her spoon and took a bite. I followed her lead. The
stew tasted like saw dust, wet saw dust. I forced myself to swallow the lump. It
stuck for a moment in the middle of my throat, before sliding down. I didn’t
know what the hell the plan was and neither did Cameron. We were screwed until
Jake made the first move. I focused on that tingling sensation attempting to
figure out how many there were. Crap, if Lewis wasn’t alive Cameron, would
never forgive me.

Where the hell are they?
 

The thought whispered through my
mind, shocking me. It took me a moment to realize that Cameron hadn’t thought
the words. Good God, was it coming from Jake? Slowly, I lifted my gaze,
watching him through my lashes. He leaned against the counter and glanced
nervously toward the windows, then the door.

I have no choice. I have no choice. They’ll kill my brothers.
He cracked
his knuckles as he paced the kitchen, his movements agitated and nervous. Sweat
glistened across his forehead, his body trembling. The guy was about to lose
it.

Cameron glanced my way, and I
wondered if she could hear his thoughts as well. “You okay?” I asked casually.

“Just tired.” He gave me a
hesitant smile, then paced to the windows. Even if we could talk him into
switching to our side, I doubted he’d be much help in his state.
 

Cameron and I were both eating
mechanically, neither of us tasting the food, both of us waiting to see what
would happen next. I wondered briefly if this was the last meal Helen had made,
heck, maybe the last meal I’d eat. My anger grew, flaring, burning under my
skin. It wasn’t fair, damn it all.

Just when I was about to act, Jake
suddenly straightened, his gaze flickering to the back door.

They’re coming,
Cameron’s voice whispered through my mind.
I can sense their energy.

As the source, it wasn’t
surprising that she could sense their powers. But why could I as well?

I didn’t have time to dwell. When
the door burst open, Cameron and I surged to our feet. I reached for the pistol
in the back of my waistband. But as Lewis was shoved inside, his arms up in a
show of surrender, I pulled back. I knew the furious look upon his face had
more to do with being caught than actually worrying about our situation. Could
Cameron, with her powers, take on all four men who followed Lewis inside?

The four cowards behind Lewis wore
camo and black masks and carried rifles. Even if I could shoot one of them, it
wouldn’t matter. I couldn’t take them all, and I couldn’t chance that Lewis
would be injured in the crossfire. I glanced at Jake, contemplating taking him
hostage. But I knew they didn’t care if he lived or died; he was useless. These
were not mind readers but S.P.I. agents, the very group who threatened to
destroy our lives. The very group Maddox worked for, or had until he’d
apparently turned on them. The very group who had tortured me. They had no
souls.

“In the living room!” one man
barked, pointing his rifle at me.

I felt Cameron’s energy shift
and sent her a warning glance not to argue. Reluctantly she followed me as I
turned and made my way toward the front of the house. There would be a moment
to act. We had to keep our cool. I could sense the chips implanted in their
brains to protect their thoughts from people like us. But what they didn’t know
was that Cameron was a carrier of the very source of energy that fed us our
powers. She had more ability than the typical mind reader, and hopefully we
could use that to our benefit.

You think you can break through their chips?
I asked her as she came
up beside me.

I could sense Lewis, Jake and
the S.P.I. team behind us. The hall ended, and we stepped into the living room,
a place where, as a child, I’d sat before the huge stone fireplace and listened
to stories from older mind readers. I almost stumbled to a halt when I noticed
three more agents waiting for us, guns raised in the middle of the room where
I’d once felt so safe and secure. Hell. This wasn’t going to be easy.

Seven?
Cameron mentally voiced her outrage.
Only way I can get through their chips is if you and Lewis merge your
energy to mine.

Will that work?

She slid me a glance.
We can only hope.

Not the reassurance I was asking
for, but what did we have to lose? Go out fighting, or just give up? I’d rather
go out fighting.
Divide and conquer. Lewis
ready?

Yeah,
Cameron said.
I’ll go
after the four in the back, you do as much damage as you can to the three in front.
Lewis will take on Jake and help where needed.

I most likely wasn’t going to be
able to break into their minds, but I could physically fight as well as any
man. Hell, better. I stared into their masked faces, feeling no emotion. They
were nothing but bodies to me, no souls. I could kill these agents for Helen
and her family so easily.

“Come on Nora, hit me like you mean it,” Maddox’s voice seeped through
my memory. “Don’t be a typical girl.”

He’d made me angry, so annoyed that I hadn’t held back. Even though I’d
been pretending to be helpless when he’d decided to teach me self-defense, I
swung around and did a roundhouse kick to his chest. He went stumbling back,
his shocked gaze going to me. I’d surprised him when he was rarely ever
surprised by a girl.

I blinked innocently up at him. “Sorry, must be from the aerobics
kickboxing class I’m taking.”
 

“On your knees!” one of the men
barked, jerking me from the memory.

They were going to shoot us in
the back of the head. I knew it as sure as I’d known that something was wrong
when we’d pulled up the driveway. We had no choice but to fight. I hadn’t been
attacked since my mom died, but the instinct to battle was still there. It had
been ingrained since I was three. Mom had made sure I could protect myself with
or without my powers. I’d make her proud.
 

On three,
Cameron’s voice whispered through my mind.
One, two, three!

I opened my mind and poured my
energy forward. It was as if a tornado struck, a force so powerful that it
shook us, maybe even shook the house. I felt as if a thousand asteroids were
bombarding my body. Vaguely I was aware of more S.P.I. agents rushing in
through the back hall. So many I lost count.
 

I wasn’t sure if it was a
physical force or mental, but it didn’t matter because it felt the same. A body
hit me, jerking me from the whirlwind of energy. Suddenly I was back in the living
room, being pinned to the ground. How I’d gotten there, I had no idea. I lifted
my knee, slamming it into the man’s groin. He grunted and moved back just
enough that I could lift up and slam the heel of my hand into his nose. Blood
burst from his nostrils, soaking the knit ski mask he wore. His grunt of pain
combined with the others’. They were falling like dominos. Cameron stood in the
center of the room, three men on the ground out cold around her.

“Nora, watch out!” Lewis yelled.

I spun around just in time to
see another agent coming at me. I didn’t think but automatically reached out
with my mind, tossing my energy forward. It burned, flowing through me and
exploding. I expected it to bounce back—it didn’t. It sank into the man’s head
like his brain was made of mud…slowly but heavily. He cried out, arched back
and collapsed to the ground. For a stunned moment, I merely stood there while two
other men fell around me, as if their lives had been connected to his. It all
happened so quickly, that it was a blur.