Mind Slide (23 page)

Suit sighed and leaned back in his seat. He grabbed a bottled water and offered one to Mason. He declined.

“
I know this is all going to sound terrible. And any bad feelings you have, I completely understand. But I'll be honest with you. Our goal in studying you, in putting you through all those horrible tests, was to see if we could duplicate what that bolt of lightning did. Imagine how the intelligence community would change, how many lives we could save, if we had a room full of people that could mind slide. Well, guess what? We succeeded.”

Mason's eyes widened and he pointed at the picture. “You
made
him? He's exactly like me?”

“
No, not quite. Gabriel can mind slide, yes. He doesn't have your memory. And he never graduated beyond dependence on the Cocktail, like you did. He still needs it, and we think he's addicted to it. He's very unstable. Until last night, he was on the loose. But no worries now, we have him in custody.”

“
And he was after Kelly? Why? She has nothing to do with any of this.”

“
No, but her father did.”

Mason felt a lump in his throat. “Doc?”

Suit took a long drink of water.

“
Most of the same team that studied you helped in Gabriel's project. Doctor Rierson, Doctor Fuller. Gabriel escaped two months ago, and started killing off members of the team.”

Mason balled his fists, his fingernails digging into his palms. “Why?”

“
Revenge, of course.” He grinned, but it wasn't out of joy. “On one of my rare visits to Yingling, I remember you beating two boys to a pulp. Can you honestly say thoughts of murder didn't go through your mind?”

“
Yes, I can honestly say that.”

“
Well, you're better than Gabriel.” He took a deep breath. “He killed six people, until we finally cornered him last night.”

“
I still don't see what this has to do with Kelly.”

“
Gabriel was looking for something. We honestly don't know what, but something that Albert would have left her. We think he was watching her, and we know he broke into her house.”

Mason's mind reeled from all the new information. Ever since Kelly's house was broken into, part of him suspected Doc was murdered.

He would have never thought it was by someone else who could mind slide.

“
I know this is all a lot to swallow,” Suit said. “I wanted to clear the air, be honest with you. I know we did terrible things to you, and Gabriel. But it was for the benefit of the nation, the entire world.”

“
Tell that to Doc.”

“
Albert was a brilliant man. His only flaw was getting too attached to you. But I suppose if it wasn't for that, Kelly might not be with us today.”

Mason gave him a look.

“
Oh yes,” Suit said. “I know about you saving Kelly's life. Believe me, no one was more excited than me. Just another example of the possibilities. Unfortunately, Gabriel, I have to say, hasn't lived up to his potential.”

“
What are you going to do with him?”

Suit's face showed no emotion. “That's something you don't have to worry about.”

Mason almost regretted asking the question.

The truth was he didn't care. He only cared about a few people, and he had to repair the relationship he had with one of them.

Suit finished his water. “So, I'll pull my men back. There won't be a need for watching Kelly. And there won't be a need to have my men arrested. We can all start to put this mess behind us.”

The limo pulled back around to the front of the police station. It was obvious the conversation was coming to an end.

“
Who exactly do you work for?” Mason asked. “CIA? Homeland security?”

Suit only smiled. “You have a good life, Mason. I doubt we'll see each other again.”

He left the limo and watched it drive down the street.

He had his answers. He didn't like some of them, but it was more than he thought he would get.

His thoughts were a mess as he drove back to his apartment. He tried to make sense of everything he learned. Despite the finality of Suit driving away in his limo, Mason was left with some frightening truths.

He always assumed the project to study his brain was controlled by the government.

The government was trying to create agents that could mind slide.

They succeeded, but in the end, cost lives.

How could Suit sleep at night?

Mason was almost in a trance as he stepped into his apartment. He picked up Lucy to give her attention, changed her water, and turned the stereo on.

He played the CD Kelly gave him.

He thought about her as he made a glass of chocolate milk and sat at the dining room table. Lucy sat across from him.

How was he supposed to tell her anything he learned today?

Should
he tell her?

His heart ached as a terrible thought occurred to him.

Maybe her life would be easier without him in it.

Regardless of what the future held for he and Kelly, he was glad she was safe.

He wondered what Doc could have possibly left her that anyone would be interested in, besides two million dollars.

As he finished his chocolate milk his eyes fell on the picture of his parents, staring back at him from the middle of the dining room table.

Mason's heart caught in his chest as realization hit him.

If Doc had something to hide, there was probably a better candidate than with his daughter.

He grabbed the picture and turned it over in his hands. He carefully worked the cardboard backing away from the frame.

Nothing looked out of the ordinary, until his finger felt the hardness along the edge of the cardboard.

He pulled out a single key, carefully shoved in the cardboard backing. The number eighteen was written on it with a marker.

Mason's jaw dropped as he examined it.

“
What have you gotten me in to, Doc?”

Kelly stepped into her living room and turned off the alarm next to the door. She collapsed on the couch and covered her eyes with her arm. She had the makings of a headache coming on. She was hungry and tired, but couldn't find it in herself to make food or sleep.

At least her shakes were finally gone.

She couldn't understand how she went from going to the mall to shop for Mason to sitting in a police station all night.

She thought about him, with her every step of the way. Watching out for her, protecting her.

Even in the dressing room.

Her face grew hot as she shifted on the couch. It was a terrible idea to shop for lingerie. She knew as soon as she even entertained the thought of Mason possibly seeing her in it, something would go wrong.

And what a jinx it was.

She thought about the men pursuing her. What could they possibly want? Were they the same men that broke into her home?

She sighed and rose from the couch. She stripped her clothes off as she walked upstairs to the bathroom. Her clothes lay where they fell. She didn't even bother to pick them up.

The shower felt great. Her muscles loosened and her nerves finally unwound.

She was still angry with Mason. She knew he had secrets, and he was holding out on her about the men at the mall.

She also knew he was a good man, and watched out for her.

She dressed in sweatpants and a white sleeveless shirt. She was in the middle of brushing her hair when there was a knock at the front door.

She let out an irritated sigh and stared at her tired reflection in the mirror. Company could stay away for the next week or so.

“
Just a minute!”

She walked downstairs and grabbed her pepper spray from her purse. She looked through the hole in the door to see it was Mason.

He flashed a tiny smile when she opened the door.

“
Hi.”

She looked him up and down. “Mason, I could really use some space right now.”

He nodded awkwardly, his face turning red and his gaze lowering.

He was so cute.

“
I know. I'm sorry. Just five minutes, and I'm gone. You never have to see me again.”

She rolled her eyes and stepped aside. “Stop with the drama. I'm just upset, not homicidal.”

He stepped into her house, noticing the clothes on the steps.

“
You look nice. White's not my favorite color, but you pull it off.”

Kelly realized something that bothered her as she walked into the kitchen.

She couldn't stay mad at him long.

“
Thank you. You want something to eat? Drink?”

He shook his head. “No, but thank you for the CD. I'm not used to getting presents.”

She gave him a smile before forcing it away. “You're welcome. Now, do you want to talk about what happened last night?”

He laughed nervously. “Which part?”

She grabbed a soda from the refrigerator. “Let's talk about the people chasing me with guns.”

“
Brian called me, told me his guys spotted a car outside your house. They followed you, we followed them.”

“
And that's it?”

He hesitated. “Not exactly. I can tell you you're safe now. The...authorities have everything under control.”

Kelly smirked and shook her head. He was holding back, as always, but she was willing to let it go for now. She would definitely be on the phone with the police before the end of the day, demanding answers.

“
How did you see me in the dressing room? I know they got cameras all over the place. Is that how you did it?”

He cleared his throat. They needed to move past this.

“
None of that's important, Kell. I can't tell you every single detail. I wouldn't even know where to begin. Just know that last night, I was simply looking out for you. You're important to me. I wasn't trying to see you in lingerie in a dressing room.”