The Mind Readers (22 page)

“I couldn’t even go to their
funerals because my uncle was afraid something would happen to me,” he
whispered.

“Lewis, I’m so sorry.”

He gave me a sad, half smile and
looked out over the dark lawn. “I know. When I was with my uncle…” He shook his
head looking distant, as if recalling a memory he’d rather not. “It was like
when you were with your grandmother. Constantly running. Constant secrecy.”

I released one of his hands and
swiped at my damp cheeks. “How’d they die?”

He looked down, nudging the toe
of his tennies into the grass. “They had met with your father and a few others
the night before. They were going to bond together, and demand they be released
of their duties with S.P.I. Someone betrayed them. We have no idea who. Our
parents were…murdered.”

I closed my eyes and rested my
elbows on my knees. My father had been murdered. I covered my face with my
hands as my stomach twisted with fear. My father had been murdered, gunned down
like some bad movie.

“How old were you?” I asked him,
my voice muffled through my fingers.

“Seven,” he whispered. “Aaron
took me to my uncle’s. When he died, Aaron came for me. I owe him everything.”

Seven, so young, not much older
than I’d been when Mom abandoned me, yet….something was off, something not
quite connecting, something that tapped at the edges of my mind. I jerked
upright. “I’m only…a year younger than you.”

He nodded, frowning.

“My dad was killed when your
parents were killed.”

“Right…”

He still wasn’t following, but I
was. Oh God, I felt sick. Angry, horrified. “My dad…I was told my dad died when
I was a baby.”

Realization dawned, his gaze
glimmering with the truth. He looked away, but not before I saw the guilt in
his eyes. “He thought you’d be better off without him.”

“You knew?”

He didn’t answer, but he didn’t
need to.

“All that time….” Tears blurred
my vision. “All that time I thought he was dead. All that time I was living
with my grandma, he was still alive?”

Lewis swallowed and nodded
slowly, still not looking at me.

A warm tear slipped down my
cheek. “When did you know? About me?”

“I heard him talking to my
parents one night. I heard him talk about you, how much he missed you. He
wondered if what he’d done was right.” He was silent for a moment. “I’m so
sorry, Cam.”

I sniffed, my nose stinging.
“Not your fault. It’s just that…I could have had time with him.”

“Or you could have been killed
too,” he whispered.

He didn’t wait for my
permission, but wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close. I sank into his
warm body and closed my eyes. I couldn’t help myself. He was the only one here
and he…he thought he loved me. I wrapped my arms around his waist and pressed
my face to his shoulder, breathing deep his scent. He smelled so good, like
soap and warmth.

“Stay with me Cameron.”
Don’t leave me.

He hadn’t closed his thoughts.
Did he realize? Had he left himself open on purpose? I tilted my head back and
looked up into his face. So gorgeous, so kind. Maybe he was right. Maybe we had
to hurt Maddox for our own good. Maybe it would be stupid not to fight
back.
 

I want to kiss her.

I smiled. “So kiss me.”

He stiffened, surprised that I
had read his thoughts, or surprised that I would be so bold? I didn’t care, all
I cared about was Lewis…kissing me. I gripped the front of his shirt, the
cotton soft and warm from his body, and tugged him closer. I didn’t want to think
anymore of depressing memories.

When he leaned down, I lifted my
face eagerly. He pressed his lips to mine and my entire body burst to life. His
hand slipped into my hair, cupping my head and deepening the kiss. And I let
him. Even though thoughts of Maddox nagged at me, I let Lewis kiss me because I
didn’t want to think anymore. I only wanted to feel.

His tongue darted out, slipping
across my lips. A shiver raced over my skin. I felt so completely and utterly
warm, warmer than I’d ever been. I didn’t want it to end, never wanted that
kiss to end.

I realized, with a start, that I
might be a little in love with Lewis as well. But how could I love someone I
wasn’t sure I fully trusted?

Chapter 16

For two days I managed not to
think about my father, Maddox or death in general. For two days I managed to
live in a state of romantic bliss, focusing only on Lewis, thoughts of his
smile and his kiss. But once my eyes closed for the night and my mind slipped
into dreamland, I could no longer pretend.

So it wasn’t with surprise that
I found myself staring at my clock at one a.m. while the house slept silent and
still. I wondered if Caroline was okay. I wondered if Maddox was well, if he
was cold down there in that basement, if they were giving him enough to eat.
And then I felt guilty for caring and thoughts slipped to my father. Had he
died quickly or had he suffered?

And then my mind returned to
Lewis, as it usually did. As thrilled as I was that he cared for me, I couldn’t
help but dwell on the fact that in the beginning, Lewis had come to my school
to use me. He’d flirted with me, he’d pretended he cared, when in reality he’d
had ulterior motives. How did I know he wasn’t doing the same now?

With a groan of frustration, I
rolled onto my stomach and pressed my face into my pillow as if that could stop
my thoughts from spinning. Grandma had always made me hot chocolate when I
couldn’t sleep. Funny how now that I was free of her dictatorship, Grandma
didn’t seem so bad. I’d been here for two weeks and she still hadn’t called. As
much as I hated the thought of contacting her, I knew I needed to know she was
okay. Perhaps, deep down, I was hoping she’d offer some sage advice.

The wind howled outside, autumn
in full force. The eerie sound ate at my nerves. It sounded so much like
someone crying that I had to resist the urge to go looking. Unable to sleep, I
pushed aside my cover and slipped out of my warm cocoon. But as I made my way
out of my bedroom and into the long, dark hall, anxiety overcame my need for freedom.
No matter how much I wanted it to be, this mansion would never be home.

Wearing sweats and a t-shirt, I
felt under dressed as I moved through the many rooms on the first floor…empty
room after empty room. No personal objects. No toys, no video games, not even a
family photo. The house was silent and watchful. Not welcoming, not home. I
felt like I was doing something wrong by being out of my room unescorted. Like
I was invading someone’s privacy.

My foot hit the marble tile of
the foyer entry and I immediately thought of the basement below and of course
Maddox. Could he hear my footsteps? Or was he dead because of me? My stomach
clenched at the thought. Sure, Lewis had said he was fine and of course Lewis
never lied. I scoffed at my naivety. Truth was, I wouldn’t rest until I saw
Maddox for myself. But how would I? The man was behind a steel, locked
door.
 

Why I cared, I hadn’t the
slightest. Lewis was right, because of this man, my father was dead. Well,
technically not this man, as Maddox wasn’t much older than me. But considering
he worked for S.P.I., weren’t their actions indicative of what he could do as
well? If only I hadn’t seen him as a person… seen his life…his parents…his
girlfriend…everything. To me he was as human as Lewis. Not a monster.
 

Walking into the kitchen was
like traveling into the future. The room was large, the tiled floor cold
through my socks. Just about everything was stainless steel, making the room
feel sterile and chilly. The space was clean, but high tech and impersonal. I
couldn’t help but think of our table back home; that stupid, little table where
I’d had just about every meal of my life, the table that my Grandma insisted
came from England. For some odd, inexplicable reason, my chest felt tight and
my nose burned from the sudden sting of tears. Crying over a damn table, no
less. Believe me, I knew it was ridiculous.
 

In that brief moment I wanted to
do nothing more than return home to Grandma. But my rational brain caught up to
my irrational emotions. Could I do it? Could I truly go back to Grandma and
leave Lewis? Could I truly go back to my old life in which I’d had to hide my
identity? I rested my hand on the smooth, polished surface of the stainless
steel table. No dents, no scars, no life. Instead of family meals, I could see
a person doing an autopsy.

But no. Because of the whole
Maddox thing I was merely feeling a bit down. I seriously couldn’t miss my old
life, could I? Sniffing, I pulled open a cupboard, looking for hot chocolate.
There were energy bars and fruit, nothing fun. Who the heck didn’t have hot
chocolate in Maine? I closed the door with a frustrated sigh.

“What are you looking for?”
Olivia’s voice reached out from the dark.

I shouldn’t have been surprised,
the girl liked to shock me. Still, my heart lurched and I spun around,
searching through the dim light for her shadow. She was hunkering over the
counter at the end of the room, drinking something. Probably blood.

“Looking for hot chocolate,” I
admitted.

She sipped, a loud slurping
sound that wasn’t exactly attractive. “Don’t have any.”

I crossed my arms over my chest,
partly from anger, partly because I was cold. I couldn’t even get a damn cup of
hot cocoa. “What are you drinking?”

“Green tea.”

We were silent for one long
moment as I debated whether or not I wanted to lower my standards to green tea.
Definitely a no. I wasn’t in the mood for something that was good for me.

“Good night,” I muttered and
turned to leave. I was so not going to hang around and try to make conversation
with Miss Dour Teen U.S.A. She could seriously be the poster child for teenage
depression and I didn’t need anything else to worry about.

“You saw him?”

I froze. “Who?”

When she didn’t respond, I
turned. I could barely see her face, and of course I couldn’t read her thoughts.
Surely she wasn’t talking about Maddox.
 

“That man, the S.P.I. man,” she
said.

Shocked, it took a moment for me
to answer. “Maybe,” I mumbled, wondering if she was tricking me into admitting
something I wasn’t supposed to speak about. I wouldn’t put it past her.
 

She straightened, her body
stiff, as if somehow I’d annoyed her. “Oh please, like it’s some big secret,
like I can’t know.”

I flushed. That’s exactly what
I’d been thinking, but I wasn’t going to admit it to her. Did she know? Could
she tell me anything? “I didn’t mean…just forget it.” Having had enough, I
started toward the door again, only to pause, realizing she might actually know
more than me. “Is…is he okay?”

“Who?”

I turned toward her. Was she
intentionally being obtuse? “Maddox, the man downstairs. Is he okay?” I felt
like I was in freaking
Alice in
Wonderland
and having a chat with the Mad Hatter.

She shrugged and dumped her tea
into the sink. “Wanna check?”

Trepidation fought with
excitement, a tingling thrill that coursed through my body. “What? How?”

“Uh, you go into the room.”
Sarcasm dripped from her tone and I could just imagine the look she was giving
me. She was such an obnoxious brat, unfortunately if I wanted to sleep, I
didn’t have a choice but to go along with her. That didn’t mean I trusted her.
Was she setting me up for a fall? I’d deal with the consequences later; I had
to know if Maddox was alive.
 

“You have the code?” I tried not
to sound eager.

She shrugged, making her way
toward me. “Sure.” I read the arrogance in her voice, as if she was saying,
don’t you
? She paused near the window,
the moonlight highlighting her round face. “Well? Do you want to go see him or
not?”

She was daring me. In most
instances I would have walked out the door and ignored her taunt. The problem
was, I needed to know how Maddox was doing. “Will we get in trouble?”

“If we get caught.”

I had to trust her if I wanted
to see Maddox. But trusting Olivia was impossible. Hell, trusting anyone in
this house was becoming rather like jumping off a twenty story building in
hopes that you’d suddenly grow wings; not a good idea. Still, my curiosity got
the better of me. I could peek, just look in the door, make sure I hadn’t
killed the agent and then maybe I’d be able to sleep tonight.

“Okay, let’s go,” I rushed the
words, worried I’d change my mind.
 

She didn’t hesitate, the bad ass
that she was, and started down the hall. I followed more cautiously, my wide
gaze darting from shadow to shadow, waiting for the moment we’d be caught. And
let’s face it, this was like a horror movie, so we would be caught. When she
pulled open that basement door, I was finally able to breathe with some
normalcy.
 

At the keypad, I watched as she
typed the numbers. “Ten,” she glanced over my shoulder. “Twenty-five and
thirty-six.”

Olivia was being helpful, way
too helpful. Still, I committed the numbers to memory. I wasn’t about to ask
her for help if I decided to come down here again. Not that I would come down
here again…

“Better block your thoughts,
just in case. We never know what they’re truly capable of.”

Shoot, I hadn’t been blocking my
thoughts? Heat shot to my face as I frantically tried to remember what she’d
overhead, and at the same time I tried to put up that wall. The door popped
open. The dim light bulb glowed harshly from the ceiling, providing the agent
with no darkness to sleep. Maddox lay on his cot, facing the door. He looked
huge on that tiny bed. So large, that for a moment I froze in fear.