Gina held up her hand. “But you have a lot more spunk than I thought you would have. I can see it in your eyes. Now I’m hearing that a kid is missing and Daniel is involved. Well, I’ll take any opportunity to screw that son of a bitch.” Gina turned to look at Spencer. “Count me in. Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do.”
He cut to the chase. “I want Marisa to host Minnie and me at the same time. Minnie can distract Priscilla, who’s blocking me from tracking Jeremy. I’ll sneak in, get his location. Laurel can, hopefully, heal the damage to Marisa and the rest of us can go get Jeremy.”
Jack stood up from the couch and walked over to where Spencer stood. “You’re talking about leaving here—about Gina, Tina, Holland and me leaving Safe Dawn and going out there?” He pointed to the window as if it represented the whole outside world.
A vision of the car Addison had let Spencer drive filled his mind. There had been so many experiences in the last few days. He’d carry them for the rest of his life, and they would help to sustain him.
Holland interrupted his thoughts. “How are you going to get us out of here?”
“I’m going to call in every favor any guard here has ever owed me.” He turned to Addison. “Speaking of which, before this is over, I’m going to need to sneak you back out and have you get us some kind of van for transport.”
She agreed. He knew it wouldn’t be a problem for her. She’d just take the sports car down to the nearest car rental spot and—
The door flew open. One of his least favorite people breezed into the room like a ghost on LSD. Jittery and pale, Simpson Moonarie looked right and left before he leaned up against the wall for support. Laurel followed him in. She was often with him, silently helping him.
Jack put his hand on Simpson’s arm. “What are you doing here, man?”
No one ever really knew how to handle the strange fellow. Barely five feet tall, he was broad-shouldered and he always looked like he’d just gotten over the flu, even when he was in the best of health.
He bent over at the waist like he might vomit, and Spencer sincerely hoped he wouldn’t. Simpson pointed at Addison. “He’s calling to you, begging you to come to him.” His eyes huge, he moved toward her like he wanted to grab her. “He’s just a little boy. Why won’t you answer him?”
Spencer vaulted forward to intercept him.
“Who’s calling to me?” Addison stepped forward, her eyes huge.
“He can hear things the rest of us can’t, Addy. Don’t worry about it.” They needed to get their plan into action; he really didn’t have time for this. If Jeremy was psychically calling to Addison, the knowledge would only upset her.
“Jack.” He nodded toward the door. Jack was pissed at him, but he still did what he was asked and dragged Simpson out of the door.
“What was that?” Addison grabbed his shirt. “Was he referring to Jeremy? Is he calling to me?”
“Don’t worry about it.” He brushed her blonde hair off her forehead.
Her gaze fumed. The woman’s eyes were a handbook of her emotions. “Don’t worry about it? That man just said Jeremy is calling to me.”
He nodded. He didn’t want to make her mad, but he wanted to keep her focused. “So let’s go get him.” Everyone spoke, almost at once.
Minnie went first, proclaiming she could do it, while Jack wasn’t certain he wanted to have to kill anyone again. He hadn’t since he’d gotten control of himself as a child. But it was Tara’s statement that stopped everyone in their tracks.
“What’s the difference? We’re all going to Hell anyway.”
Addison jerked at that statement. Whirling around, she stared at Tara. “Someday, one of you is going to have to tell me what religious education they give you people in here.”
No, they weren’t going there. “Let’s not start that again.” He glanced at Minnie. “You ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
He looked at Jack. “Are you in or out?”
Jack shrugged. “I’m in.”
“Then let’s do this thing.”
Without a second thought, he gave in to his natural instinct and traveled to dark space in the room. Addison’s bright yellow light was the first he saw. Quickly, he counted heads to make sure everyone’s light was accounted for before turning to Minnie’s dark purple energy. Marisa was right behind her, a burnt orange like the color of a pumpkin.
He called Jeremy’s energy from where it was buried inside him and pushed it forward.
He attached his senses to Jeremy’s light as he shoved them both onward. “Go find yourself.”
Jeremy’s energy tinkled but didn’t move. Skittish, he reminded himself. This little bit of Jeremy’s essence had been all but wiped out; it wasn’t going to want to expose itself to the world again.
“Go on. Go find yourself. Let’s go find Jeremy.”
The child’s energy bobbed for a second. Marisa and Minnie moved their energies closer to him. He’d almost forgotten he wasn’t alone in dark space this time. Priscilla had been used to his oddball habit of speaking out loud to the energies. Maybe Minnie and Marisa would think he was nuts.
Marisa finally spoke. “It’s moving. Hold on.”
Grabbing with all his psychic ability, he held on to Jeremy’s essence and felt Marisa and Minnie do the same. They flew fast, nearly knocking him on his behind. He’d forgotten how quickly children’s energy could move. Utter darkness surrounded him, with only Jeremy’s light to hold on to as a guide.
With a screech, they came to a stop. He knew they hadn’t reached Jeremy, or he’d see him standing in front of him. No, this was the wall he’d known would be there. Priscilla was good at making them and even better at holding them. Ultimately, with the right conduit and enough time, he could beat it down, but once Priscilla became aware of the attempt she would fortify it, make it even stronger.
“Marisa, are you still holding?” If his conduit was about to fall apart he needed to know about it.
“Barely.” Her voice sounded husky, and he knew she was close to breaking.
“Minnie, start beating on Priscilla.”
“Right.” Minnie took a deep breath as she started to push her energy against Priscilla’s psychic wall. The energy field blocking them from Jeremy shivered and flared with white light. He smiled. Priscilla was pissed. All he needed was for Marisa to make a dent or one small fissure so he could slip his way through.
To her credit, Marisa pounded hard on Priscilla. Priscilla was stronger than Marisa in dark space. Spencer was fairly confident that Marisa knew that, but she didn’t give up. Come on, he silently willed her. He couldn’t help her, couldn’t fortify her strength or make himself visible to Priscilla.
Smash!
The world shimmered and happiness filled his insides as he pulled Minnie and Jeremy with him through the miniscule hole Marisa had made. But just as he’d pushed through, his vision became hazy. He stopped moving. The darkness around him blurred, and Jeremy’s shimmer phased in and out around him.
He knew this feeling too well. It had only happened once before, but it had been when Priscilla had “died” and dropped out of dark space, leaving only a narrow path of light for him to follow back. He whirled around but didn’t find what he was looking for.
Marisa and Minnie were both gone. Damn. He closed his eyes and tried to reorient himself. He’d never chased energy without a conduit. What the hell was he going to do, and how physically and psychically hurt must Minnie be to have completely disappeared? He’d hugely overestimated her abilities, and once again he was struck by just how strong Priscilla must have been.
“Gotcha.”
Priscilla’s voice filled his mind, and he jerked. Where was she?
“Oh, you can’t see me, but I have you now, Spence.”
He grasped Jeremy’s energy and sucked it back inside him. No way was he going to let Priscilla see it. Loretta might come and destroy it again, and then his efforts would be for naught.
When he
was satisfied Jeremy was safe, he decided to answer her. “I see you’re not dead.” Looking around, he tried to see what she was seeing, why she’d said “gotcha.”
“Not even a little bit.”
He scoffed. She’d always said ridiculous things. “It’s not possible to be a little bit dead.”
“All things are possible, Spencer, and the fact that you don’t know that shows just how limited you are. Rhodes has kept you weak.”
Her sarcasm irked him. He looked around again. “What do you want, Priscilla?”
“You. So it looks like I’ve been hugely successful.”
“You don’t have me, Priscilla.”
“Oh, but I do. Take another look.”
Narrowing his eyes, he bit down on his tongue to keep from screaming. The walls that had blocked them from Jeremy surrounded him now. Priscilla had put out a psychic net, and he’d walked right into it. Just as she’d said, she had him, and he didn’t know if he’d ever get back. His thoughts flew to Addison. She would still be standing in the room, looking at his useless body.
His heart ached at the thought of Addison wondering what had happened. Would he ever see her again, and how could he have failed her so completely? He closed his eyes.
Damn, he was screwed.
Eighteen
Addison watched in horror as Minnie and Marisa fell to the floor. Laurel rushed to the two women, placing her hands on their foreheads. She swore quietly.
Jack hurried to join Laurel.
Addison’s gaze flew to Spencer. He hadn’t moved, not even slightly. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears. If Marisa and Minnie were back, then Spencer was in there all by himself. Was he okay?
Trying not to show her internal strife, she walked over to him, putting a hand on his arm as if she could bring him back to her by touch alone, which she knew was impossible. She felt helpless and her hands shook with nerves. What was she supposed to do?
Minnie’s eyes flew open, and she groaned. Laurel hushed her, but Minnie pushed her arm away. “We lost him. Spencer is still in there.” She moaned and closed her eyes. “Priscilla is so damn strong, she all but threw us out of dark space and back into our bodies.” As if saying those few words were all she could manage, Minnie made one more pained sound and lost consciousness.
“Spencer won’t come back now without a guide.” Tara shook her head and glared at Addison as if the whole thing were her fault. “He might as well be dead.”
Addison forced herself to stay calm and think. She had guided Spencer back from dark space when they’d been at her apartment, but that had been all instinct. Her body had simply reached out and grabbed him.
She wanted to scream with frustration, never having hated silence more than she did at that moment. She whirled around and grabbed Tara’s arm. The other woman looked stunned.
“You’re touching me? Are you out of your mind? I could burn you to death.”
Addison nodded. “You could, except you won’t, because Rhodes’ power’s dampening this whole place, right?
Jack stepped toward them. “That’s right. He keeps us all under a certain amount of control. Prevents uncontrolled power surges and gives us a certain amount of personal strength to decide when and where we do things.”
Her gaze met Roman’s across the room. He raised an eyebrow, and she didn’t have to be a mind reader to know what he wanted to ask. Was she going to expose herself in front of these people for Spencer?
She glanced at Tara again. Not sure why, but Addison believed that Tara was the one to speak to about this problem. She’d caught the curtains on fire with just a thought and put them out just as easily. Obviously, the mean, brown-haired fire controller was not being completely put down. “Can you beat it? Can you get around Rhodes’ control?”
“Any time I want to.” Tara’s eyes narrowed and Addison knew it was now or never. She was going to have to come clean; she’d made the other woman too suspicious. It didn’t really matter—for Addison there had never been a choice. She would do anything for Spencer. Even risk her own safety.
Her own life.
“Could you teach me?”
Tara backed away, pointing a finger in Addison’s direction as Gina leaped off the couch. Tara laughed once then started to holler. “I knew it. I knew you were more than you seemed. You’re one of us, you bitch, and your money has kept you hidden from persecution your whole life. Your grandfather abuses us and hides you.”
Addison opened her mouth to speak, surprised to find that Gina had crossed to her and placed a comforting hand on her arm, but Roman beat her to it.
“Her grandfather doesn’t know anything about it, or he’d have had her in here with the rest of you—either that or he’d have had her killed to spare himself the embarrassment. She just asked you for help to bring Spencer back. Do you want to be a self-righteous prick or do you want to help her out?”
Tara’s voice sounded like a scream. “Why am I always wrong? Because I tell the truth? Because I don’t want to kiss her ass just because she’s Addison Wade? Why does she get to live in New York City while I have to reside in this hell-hole?”
“Because your mother gave you up like you were so much garbage. Addison’s father helped her to hide.”
Addison sucked in her breath at Roman’s declaration. She’d have to remember never to piss him off. How did he even know about what her father had done?
Tara looked down at the floor, and Addison wondered if she was about to cry. She didn’t want to see Tara lose it; if the woman was nothing else, she was strong in her anger.
She moved forward and grabbed Tara by the shoulders.
“Look, if you want to hate me, hate me. If you want to force Roman’s hand when this is over and insist that he bring me into Safe Dawn, do it. It’s your choice. However, right now, Spencer needs me. I can bring him back. He’s the only one who can find my nephew, and even more than that, I love him. I need him. I’m asking you for help. Please.”
Tara raised her eyes and stared. Usually Addison had a pretty good idea what people were going to say, but not this time. If the other woman told her to go to hell, she’d have to hope someone else in the room was as strong as Tara and could teach her what to do. Somehow, she doubted it. If anyone else could do it, they probably would have volunteered by now. “It’s not easy. Are you strong?”
She shrugged. “Tara, I have no idea. I’m completely untrained.”
Roman moved forward. “She’s incredibly strong.”
“And you’re a conduit like Minnie and Priscilla?”
“I think she’s a hybrid of powers. She seems to carry a whole slew of abilities, and as far as I can tell, being around Spence makes her stronger.”
Roman really knew a lot about her. “How do you know that?”
“I’m not going to tell you, so you should probably not worry about it.”
Just like that, he was driving her crazy again. But Spencer needed her, which meant there was no time for Roman’s odd behavior.
Tara stepped forward. Addison was a few inches taller, but they still stood almost nose-to-nose. Swallowing, she promised herself she wouldn’t let the fire-starter intimidate her.
“You have to want it—badly. Do you?”
“More than I’ve ever wanted anything.” When she said that out loud, she knew it was true. She wanted Spencer back, and she wanted him to find Jeremy, both of which made her want to use her abilities more than ever before.
“Rhodes puts all his energy into keeping this place under control. There are bits and pieces that crack, places where we can slip in and use our powers. You just have to feel it.” Tara closed her eyes. “It’s like waves of power. Feel the ebb and flow come over you. Marisa, Minnie, and Spencer all had to concentrate on it to enter dark space—even Laurel to heal—but we’re all used to it. It’s like breathing for us. You’re going to need to concentrate.”
Addison closed her eyes and matched Tara’s stance. With her legs slightly separated and her hips l
ined up over her feet, she tried to concentrate on the energy moving through the room.
“Can you feel it? It’s like a wave moving over you.”
Addison searched for the sensation Tara had described. Nothing happened, and she wanted to scream with frustration. Why couldn’t this just work? Why couldn’t anything be easy?
Roman approached her. “I can feel the tension radiating off you. Take a deep breath. Think of Spencer and Jeremy and their need of you.”
If it wouldn’t have defeated her purposes, she would have reached out and smacked Roman. Wow, he was aggravating.
Why couldn’t he leave her alone?
Didn’t he understand this was hard? Couldn’t he… Boom!
Like a freight train moving through her mind, she could feel the energy modulations in the room, but it didn’t feel anything like ebb and flow to her. Maybe she’d just spent too much time on the ocean, but this felt more like turbulence on an airplane.
A thought occurred to her. “You did that on purpose?” She hoped Roman knew she was talking to him.
He snickered. “You exploded on Spencer when he stressed you out. I thought maybe the same would work to get you into dark space.”
As she paid attention to the steady rhythm of shakes and stops the power dampening took, Addison waited another beat until she knew the psychic hold on her abilities had lessened so she could use her powers.
“Can you feel it?”
Tara’s voice called out to her, but she couldn’t answer, too intent on throwing herself into dark space.
“Wait, don’t,” called Marisa, who must have woken up, but she was too far gone to stop.
She realized she was standing in what they called dark space. The first time she’d come, she’d been so consumed with sending light to Spencer, she hadn’t noticed where she’d been. Now, however, she could see how this strange reality had earned its name. Everything was simply duller and, for lack of a better description, darker than it had been on the physical plane. Taking a deep breath, she looked for Spencer but couldn’t find him.
Damn. He’d had to follow Jeremy’s energy to its source. He could be anywhere in the world. What the hell was she supposed to do? She squatted down, leaning her elbows on her knees, head in her hands. It was all too much. How had she thought she was capable of handling any of this? All the years she’d worked at Wade, she’d convinced herself she was strong and capable. Nothing could ever rattle her. Boy, had she been wrong.
Illicit Senses: Illicit Minds #1 Page 19