The Mind Keepers (The Mind Readers) (14 page)

Could we have a somewhat normal
life? Could we have that relationship Lewis and Cameron had?

No.

I opened my eyes, annoyed at my
lapse in rationality. We couldn’t have a life together because Maddox wasn’t a
mind reader. It didn’t matter that Maddox was in better shape than anyone I
knew. It didn’t matter that he knew martial arts moves that could easily kill a
normal human. It didn’t matter because in my world, he wouldn’t be around
normal humans. He’d be vulnerable. I’d lost my mother, I couldn’t lose him.

“You’re okay?” Maddox was
suddenly hovering over me, looking so real it hurt. So much better than in my
visions that I couldn’t stop staring. Those silver eyes, those firm lips… I
wanted to grab him, pull him close and kiss him hard. Instead, I rolled to my
side, away from him. The entire room grew silent, watchful. It wasn’t exactly
the sort of reunion I’d dreamt of. At the edge of the bed, I sat up, needing a
moment.

Maddox was here. Yeah, but how
long would he last? Swallowing hard, I steeled my heart, my mind. I had to do
this. “We need to get him out of here. Europe would be best.”

“What the hell are you talking
about?” Maddox rounded the bed, not giving me an inch. His arm was in a sling,
his face bruised, his bottom lip split. He looked like hell. It only
strengthened my resolve and reminded me of why I had to give him up. I couldn’t
last.

I stood, ignoring the dizziness
I felt, unsure if it was from the source or Maddox’s nearness. “You need to go
into hiding.”

“Bullshit.”

“Look at you!” I yelled,
annoyed. Why couldn’t he ever listen to reason? Why did he always have to be so
freaking stubborn? “You can’t defend yourself, not against S.P.I. and not
against people like us. We might have forgiven you, but other mind readers
might not.”

“Forgive?” His eyes narrowed. “I
told you—”

“I got it,” I hissed, in no mood
to discuss our relationship in front of Lewis, my aunt and Cameron, who were
all watching us with obvious interest. My life had turned into a freaking soap
opera. That flush in my cheeks turned into a full-blown blush. I couldn’t even
control my own body anymore, let alone my feelings.

“Maybe we should leave so you
guys can talk for a bit,” Cameron said.

“No, we’ll go outside.” I didn’t
wait for him but started across the room, more than eager to escape. To be
honest, I didn’t trust myself in a room alone with Maddox, and frankly I didn’t
care if he knew the truth. I tore open the door and stepped into the cool
night. The fresh air and wide open sky were just what I needed. The motel was pretty
much like the one where we’d left Olivia, lacking both customers and apparently
cleaning products.

Go easy on him, he’s in love with you.
Cameron’s voice whispered through
my mind.

I released a wry laugh.
Yeah, and just last year he was in love with
you.

You and I both know that’s not true. He was never in love with me. In
fact, I think he only got close to me because I reminded him of you.

I wasn’t sure if I should be
grossed out or amused by that.
Enough. Get
out of my head.

There was blessed silence after
that. She knew when to shut up. I paced down the sidewalk following the hotel
wall as Maddox closed the door behind him, and followed me. I could sense his presence
almost as if we touched, as if we were somehow connected. Together we strolled
far enough away that it felt like we were alone and had some sort of privacy.

“All right,” he said. “Just say
it. Whatever asinine comment you’re going to make in order to push me away,
just say it.”

Surprised, I spun around, facing
him. But as I got my first good look, the denial faded on my lips. Lord, he
looked so different under the parking lot light. That chiseled face was hollowed
with pain and hunger, his eyes hard flecks of steel. The cold, iron wall around
my heart wavered. I knew that look…the look of someone who had been tortured. “Did
you get something to eat?”

It wasn’t what I had meant to
say. I sure as heck hadn’t meant to sound like it mattered. But it did matter,
way, way too much.
 

He gave me a cocky smile. “Yes,
and thank you for caring.”

Lord, even in pain he still knew
how to spread on the sex appeal. I crossed my arms over my chest, determined
not to fall for his grins. “You wish. I merely don’t want you collapsing on me
again. You have a long night of travel ahead of you.”

His smile fell. “I’m not
leaving.”

“I’m trying to protect you.”

“Bull. You’re trying to protect
yourself.”

I drew back, uncomfortable with this
line of conversation. Maybe he was right…just a little bit. But I sure as hell
wouldn’t admit it. “You don’t get it, do you? Or maybe you’re just being your
normal stubborn self.” I shoved my hands into his chest. Even though he was
injured and weak, he didn’t budge. “I obviously can’t protect you.”

Those steel eyes flashed with
anger. “I never asked you to.”

I could lie, I could continue
this façade of indifference, or for once I could tell the truth. I took in a
deep breath. After what he’d gone through, he deserved honesty. “I can’t stand
to see you injured… or worse.”

He blinked, surprised. Then
wonder of all wonders, his face actually softened. “A week ago you would have hanged
me yourself.”

I shrugged and looked at the cracked
pavement, feeling odd. Almost…ashamed. He wasn’t going to make this easy. “I
never wanted to truly hurt you. Believe me, if I wanted you dead, I could have
seen it done.”

He reached out, tucking a loose
lock of hair behind my ear, his fingers trailing down my jaw line. “Such sweet
words.”

I glanced up at him through my
lashes, more than exasperated. “You don’t get it.”

He dropped his uninjured arm to
my waist, pulling me forward until I was snuggled against his muscled body. “I
get it, Nora. I get it.”

He understood; I could see it in
his eyes. For a moment I merely dared to rest against him, savoring the
reassuring beat of his heart. He felt good, so good. And being in his arms was
right. So damn right. “We can’t do this, not again.”

He ignored me, leaning down and
capturing my lips. It was heaven. Pure, heated bliss. I sank into him, the
pressure of his mouth my undoing. It was just like our first kiss in that
locker room years ago. When he leaned back against the wall I followed, curving
into his body. Broken and battered, it didn’t matter that he was human, he
still made me feel like we were beyond this mortal world. Everything felt right
again, my life was back on course.

Yeah, my body remembered him,
craved him actually. But my rational mind revolted. Dredging up what little
self-control I retained, I settled my hands on his hard chest and started to
push back. “How can I trust you?”

“Nora,” he said breathlessly. “Everything
I did was for you.”

No. No. No. I shook my head. This
wasn’t right. I couldn’t jump blindly into a relationship again, not knowing if
he would abandon me again. “I’ve spent years hating you, not trusting. You
can’t expect me to change my feelings just like that.”

With his uninjured hand, he
cupped the side of my face, his touch gentle and kind. “I’ll wait however long
it takes to prove I’m not the man you thought I was.”

I couldn’t think when he touched
me. Annoyed, I stepped back. I wouldn’t rush into a relationship again without
thought, couldn’t give my heart fully until I was sure. We had to take it slow,
if we took it anywhere at all. “No.”

He latched onto my arm,
preventing me from escaping. “Ohio.”

Confused, I actually paused. “What?”

“We need to go to Ohio.”

Yeah, I was suspicious. “Why?”

“Because the answer you want, the
proof you need, is there. Everything you could ever want to know about S.P.I. About
me.”

His words made no sense. More
unanswered questions, more confusing puzzles. I jerked away from him. Sure, I’d
just hop in a car and drive to Ohio with him, no big deal. “Just leave me
alone. Please, just let me think.”

“Nora, we don’t have time to
wait for you to admit you still love me.” He stepped closer, his shadow falling
over me. “How about you just admit the truth now and save us the time?”

“How about you give me a damn moment?”
I didn’t wait for his response, but shoved past him and headed toward the empty
field next to the motel. A million questions were swirling through my mind,
none of which I was ready to answer. How could I trust him? Olivia had been a
trap. What if Maddox was as well? What if he still worked with S.P.I.?

I paused in the middle of the
field, comforted by the seclusion and darkness that surrounded me, the stars
that twinkled above. What did he expect from me anyway? To immediately jump
into his arms, all forgiven? I bent down, picking up a rock that glistened
under the moonlight.

“Nora?” Maybe she’d sensed my
turmoil, or maybe Maddox had returned to the motel and told her I was upset,
but suddenly Cameron was beside me. “What’s wrong?”

I stood and threw the rock,
finding satisfaction when it hit a glass bottle, shattering it. “I can’t
forgive him.”

“Why?”

I turned to face her. “Because…because
then I have no one else to blame but me!”

Okay, I hadn’t meant that. What
had I meant?
 

Cameron sighed. “You can’t hold
onto this guilt, this bitterness, this anger. It will do nothing but destroy
your life. Believe me, I know from personal experience.”

“Maybe it should destroy me.
Maybe I deserve it.” I raked my hair from my face and paced the field, my boots
crushing the wildflowers that peppered the weeds. The dizziness had fled, but
my body felt tight, itchy, not my own. “Maybe it’s my fault that dad found out
about us. That dad found you. That Mom is dead. If I hadn’t fallen for Maddox,
maybe none of this would have happened.”

“Or maybe it’s Mom’s fault for
trusting people she shouldn’t have. Or maybe it’s your dad’s for being an ass. Or
maybe Aunt Lyndsey’s for bringing S.P.I. to Savannah. We could go any way with
this. There are lots of stories we could tell here, Nora. But how do you want
your story to end? As the bitter victim or the heroine who persevered after all
the crap that happened to her?”

I glanced back at the motel,
where only the weak light from our room and the office managed to push away at
the night. They were there, everyone I loved. They weren’t many, but they were
strong, brave. But could I trust them?

“I don’t get it,” Cameron said.
“You know he didn’t betray you, so why are you still resisting?”

“Do I know he didn’t?” Frustrated,
I started toward the parking lot, needing to move, to get away from Cameron and
her unanswerable questions. “I mean, who the hell knows who we can trust. I
thought I could trust Maddox when I first fell in love with him. I sure as hell
thought I could trust Father Myron.”

Cameron was quiet as she
followed. Too quiet. Unwillingly, I slowed my steps, knowing she would have
something to say. Too damn curious. “What?”

“It’s not him, is it?”

Startled, I turned around to
face her. We paused underneath the same light where Maddox and I had just
kissed. “It’s not that you don’t trust him.”

I released a wry laugh. “Of
course it is, I can’t—”

“It’s you.” She took my hand,
and even though I wanted to pull away, I didn’t. For some insane reason, I
actually stood there and listened to her philosophical crap. “You don’t trust
yourself, do you? You think if something happens, if he betrays you, or he
dies, you won’t be able to handle it.”

The denial died in my throat,
refusing to go past my lips. Her words hit me hard, like a punch to the chest.
Made me cold, terrified because they were true.

“Nora, people survive terrible
things every day, and some even manage to be happy again. In fact, you’ve gone
through some terrible things, and you have survived. You are much, much tougher
than you realize. Trust yourself. Trust that you can handle this.”

I wanted to deny her accusations.
I wanted to tell her that I was a warrior, I was born tough. Instead, I glanced
toward the window once more. I loved Maddox. I always had. But if he betrayed
me, if tomorrow he was gone, could I go on?

I released the air I hadn’t even
realized I held and relaxed my shoulders. My mom had raised a warrior. I could
survive on my own if I had to. But fortunately, I didn’t have to be alone…not
anymore. I had friends. I had an aunt. I had a sister.

“Come on.” I slid my arm around
Cameron’s shoulder and started toward the motel. “We’re leaving early in the
morning.”

Cameron smiled. “Yeah? Where we
going?”

I sighed. “Apparently, Ohio.”

 

 

 

 
 
 

Chapter
10

 

The next day we headed through a
neighborhood in the heart of Cincinnati that made the motel we’d stayed at last
night look like a five-star resort.

Lewis drove, while Cameron sat
in the front seat next to him. Aunt Lyndsey sat in the back between Maddox and
me, acting as our own little chaperone. Yep, we were one big happy family. It
might have been awkward if he hadn’t been dozing the entire drive, his body so
weak he could barely stay awake. I could admit my worry flared every time he
closed his eyes. Would he open them again? Maybe he was injured worse than he had
let on. With every worry, I’d grow annoyed with myself for caring. Hell, I’d
never cared before, but that was what love did to you…made you weak.

As we entered Ohio, it was as if
Maddox’s sixth-sense kicked in. Instantly, he was alert, those thick lashes
lifting. He didn’t say a word, merely watched the streets like a hawk watching
a field for a mouse. What he was looking for, I wasn’t sure, but I felt better
just knowing he was awake.

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