by Amanda Uhl
“Hi, Claire. How’s everything?”
“I’m fine. It’s you I’m worried about. Any leads on the man who attacked you?”
“Not yet, but I know they’re working on it. I’m not the only one he’s gone after.”
“Oh, yeah. I heard about the cute guy next door that saved your life. Mom was a bit hysterical when I talked to her. Called him a hero or something. What’s he like?”
“Yes, well, she’s not far off. He felt like a hero to me. He’s nice but…I mean…I hardly know him…well…”
“What’s the matter?”
“Oh, nothing’s wrong. It’s…I’ve decided to bring him to your wedding.” This last was said on a rush, as if she were afraid Claire would argue.
“You mean your knight in shining armor? Oh…my…gosh. I’m so excited. Mom said you were dating him and he’s cute.”
“We’re not dating. And I’m not bringing him to your wedding as my date. It’s more of a bodyguard thing.”
“Sure, sure. You’re bringing a bodyguard that is recovering from a serious accident to my wedding—and he’s not your date. Really, Grace, it’s okay if you want to call him your boyfriend. I don’t mind. So are you still flying in on Friday as planned? I can’t tell you how excited Tom is to finally meet you and Mom.”
“We’re excited to meet him, too. Everything’s set. Mom and Glenn are meeting me at the airport. We’re flying United and our plane is due into San Francisco at 4:10 p.m. I didn’t have a chance to find out from David where he plans to stay, but he’s a little paranoid about leaving me alone right now. Are you able to put him up?”
“Of course, and I think it’s a good idea anyway. After all, he did save your life. It’s the least we can do.”
Grace would never admit it out loud, but with a lunatic at large, she did feel a bit safer with David around. Even though the man could read minds. “Does he like cats?” Claire continued. “He’s not allergic is he? Daisy has the roam of the place, you know. Wait until you see her. She’s gotten so big.”
Daisy was Claire’s baby. She had gotten her as a stray kitten after her last breakup. “I don’t know. I’ll have to ask him. As far as I know, he’s fine with cats. But honestly, I don’t know that much about him.”
Except the fact he could read minds. Grace crossed her fingers. No way would she be telling Claire that. It would be a real test of Claire’s charm if she could flirt with a mind reader, and he found her irresistible.
“So are you going back to your condo or will you stay with Mom?”
“Neither. I’m going to be staying in a safe house for a while. Mom, too.”
“Really? Who’s taking care of Harvey? Barbara?”
“Yes. Mom called her when I first got to the hospital, and Barbara has him at her place.”
“I can understand why they might want you to go somewhere safe, but for heaven’s sake, why would they want Mom to go to one? Unless—do they think the creep will go after her, too?”
“Yes, they do. In fact, they think he’s already made an attempt, although she doesn’t know that so don’t say anything.”
“Oh, my God. Of course not. But this is terrible. I’m so glad they’re making her go with you. But that will only be for a few days, and you’ll be visiting. I can’t imagine he would try and track you to California. Do you think?”
“No, I don’t think so.” Grace lied.
“Can you believe in a little more than a week I’ll be a married lady? I cannot believe it.”
Grace couldn’t keep pace with the steady stream of thoughts, so she stopped trying. She was grateful that Claire was still on track to say “I do.” She had gotten within a week of the big day and was still in the running. More and more Grace was convinced Tom must be the right groom for her sister. Now, if they could only make it down the aisle.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Energy Shard
It didn’t take Grace long to pack her bags. By 4:00 p.m., she and David had completed their paperwork and were released into Peter’s care, who informed them her mother and Glenn had already been safely ensconced in a safe house.
“What’s their address?”
“We won’t give it out.” Peter spoke with quiet authority. “We don’t want our rogue hacker to track them.”
“What if something happens and I need to get in touch with them?”
“Roland knows their location. You may call your mother once you arrive at your destination.”
Grace didn’t recognize the man and woman that came to escort her and David to the safe house. She was told it was critical the hacker would not recognize or follow them, so they sent what looked to be a middle aged couple. The woman had a neck brace. It wasn’t until hours later, when they were finally in a remote location, Grace discovered they were young and distant cousins of David. She and David had also been given elaborate disguises. Grace laughed when she saw the gray hairpiece he would wear, making him look like an elderly gentleman.
“You look like my Grandpa Woznisky. All you need is a cane.”
“Like this?” He pulled a black cane from under the pile of garments, and she giggled. He held a pair of ripped jeans and a tattoo kit. “It will be interesting to see what you look like in these.”
She eyed the wigged ponytail. “It looks like I’m meant to be your granddaughter.”
“C’mon, we’d better get these on and get a move-on. Let me know if you need any help.” He winked, causing her to blush, and took off to his bedroom to change.
An hour later, they left with at least a dozen others. Grace was instructed to spend time in her happy place so the enemy, if he were watching, would have a harder time sensing her energy. It must have worked because they made it to the safe house without incident. The cousins didn’t stay long afterward. David told her they were an accountant and teacher in real life and needed to get back to their day jobs.
The house was less of a house and more of an apartment complex set next to rows and rows of what appeared to be other similar apartment complexes. “The walls of this building are insulated with a compound that absorbs energy,” David said. “It will help to prevent a hacker from infiltrating.”
Grace followed him inside, where she discovered plenty of private bedrooms and bathrooms, a big central kitchen and lounge area and even an exercise room. The building itself looked like it had been built in the 1950s, but it was well maintained.
“Make yourself at home. We’ll be here until Friday.”
“What time will we meet my mom and Glenn at the airport?”
“Oh, about that. There’s been a slight change of plans. Peter has arranged for a private flight to San Francisco. A commercial flight is too risky, since it would be easy for our hacker to monitor all the commercial flights out of Cleveland into San Francisco. We cannot chance it.”
“Wait a minute. That ticket was expensive. When was he going to tell me?”
“Don’t worry Grace. You’ll get a full refund. The CMU is generous that way.”
“How about Mom and Glenn? Will they join us on the flight?
“That’s the current plan. Also, and don’t be upset by this, but we can’t have you staying with Claire. That would be too dangerous.”
“Can I at least call her and tell her where we are staying? Come to think of it, I don’t even know.”
“And that’s a good thing. The less you know, the safer you’ll remain.”
David had become quieter and more guarded since they had donned their disguises. Grace found herself missing the earlier David who had teased her and laughed out loud. She didn’t recognize the tightly wound and dangerous man next to her. Watching him, she could understand why he had gained a reputation as a powerful mind reader. No hint of emotion crossed his dark features as he sat across from her, practicing some sort of mental exercise he told her was necessary. Geneva arrived shortly afterward, giving Grace a quick nod and leaving with David, presumably back to his room. Grace pretended to read a magazine until they we
re on their way. If David was her lover, the girl would be the first to go. Something about her calm exterior and the way she constantly had her hands on David set off alarm bells. And who the hell was Meg? Grace hadn’t forgotten how the evil hacker had referred to Meg as belonging to David.
Grace didn’t know whether she resented David’s high-handedness at rearranging the details of their trip or if she were grateful. On the one hand, he had not consulted her on any of the particulars nor bothered to tell her of the arrangements he had made with Peter until they were already on their way. He preferred to keep her in the dark. On the other hand, it was nice to know David was concerned for her safety and was taking steps to protect her. Grace had gotten better at guarding her feelings from him, but her thoughts were a bit harder to control. The “portal,” as he called it, seemed to allow David to know what Grace was thinking whenever he wanted. And he wanted a lot. When she asked for her privacy, David refused, telling her it was his “job” to alert the rest of his crew if their enemy found a way to infiltrate her mind. Although they did not expect the hacker would make an attempt before the ceremony, they needed to be prepared in case he decided to mount a surprise attack. And so Grace had to deal with David as a shadow in the back of her mind. It was downright annoying and a whole lot embarrassing. There were certain thoughts a girl preferred to keep private. As far as Grace was concerned, Friday couldn’t arrive fast enough.
*****
David knew the exact moment Grace shut him out. Geneva was making some adjustments, and he had let his mind wander to the portal. Grace’s energy waves were soft and even. It required more of an effort for him to pull them in. He didn’t protest or give any indication he knew what she was doing. But he had to admit, he had grown used to understanding her emotions, along with her thoughts, and he hated the distance between them. At the same time, he recognized she was gaining mental ground. If she could cloud his view with a portal in place, then it was likely she could reduce the enemy’s power over her and limit the amount of destruction he could carry out.
Since David had been in the hospital, his team had been working to track the hacker. They had thoroughly investigated the hotel staff where they knew for certain the hacker had been hiding out, but the effort did not generate any new leads. The problem seemed to be the enemy was skilled at erasing thoughts without leaving evidence of his presence behind. It was only when implanting thoughts, which was a far more risky procedure, he could not always contain his energy, particularly when he was excited.
The weekend wedding. David could not stop thinking about it. Once again, he was forced to use Grace as bait to draw the enemy out. He hated that. But Peter had convinced him it was the only way. Logically, he knew they couldn’t stay in hiding forever. It was always better to have the enemy attack where and when they were expecting him, rather than wait to be ambushed. The trouble was David could not shake the feeling he was missing something. It had all been too easy—their escape from the hospital and arrival at the safe house. Roland reported Grace’s mother had arrived at her location without any difficulty either.
Unknown to Grace, tonight the team would be going on one more scouting mission before David, her mother, stepdad, Peter, and Geneva flew in to San Francisco Friday afternoon. He mulled over the details even as he readied his mind for the trip. Rolf had been tailing Claire. She had kept him busy for much of the day, visiting a hair salon, a tanning bed, and a major shopping outlet. On the surface, everything appeared normal. But David had paid Claire a nocturnal visit yesterday and caught errant energy waves in her mind, indicating the hacker had been there before him and more than once, too. David wondered when and which of her many thoughts the enemy had implanted. There was only one way to find out for sure. He would pay Claire another visit.
Geneva stepped back from where he lay on the couch with a nod. Since the attack, they had been taking extra precautions to make “the trip in” less taxing for him. One way was to make sure their target was fully asleep before their arrival, which had been verified by Rolf about fifteen minutes earlier. It was important David conserve what power he could in the event of an unexpected confrontation with the enemy.
“Ready?”
David gave Geneva a mental thumbs up. The portal yawned in front of him, and he made the familiar descent. Within seconds, David was through, nodding to Roland and Brian who joined him. Together, they made short work of a limited number of soldiers, allowing him to narrow the landscape, and navigate the energy fields with little effort.
David did not immediately notice anything alarming. Claire’s thought patterns were even, her mind waves indicative of a normal dream state. He searched carefully for any clue that would indicate their enemy had been there earlier. It wasn’t long before he spotted a familiar jagged tail. David examined it carefully. The hacker who had created it had been extremely excited at the time. The energy at the tip was raw and unrefined. David filed it carefully with past samples. There was nothing in it he could use except the knowledge the rogue hacker had trouble controlling his power.
David continued the search. Nothing. Time to quit.
As he was about to exit, David noticed the wave ahead contained a slight warp, indicating a foreign energy deposit. He pulled it in, carefully containing his excitement so he did not contaminate the shard. He could not be sure until he examined it more closely. But he was fairly certain he had it…a clear deposit. One he could trap, analyze and perhaps, tap into without the enemy’s knowledge. The hacker had been careless. That mistake might prove his undoing. Time to leave. David signaled to the others, exiting in a smooth pattern and with little expenditure of energy.
“A shard?” Geneva asked excitedly the minute he opened his eyes.
David nodded.
“Usable?”
“I’m fairly certain but will need to take a closer look.”
He began his review shortly after, carefully deconstructing the energy pattern and reformulating it, until he was confident it could be duplicated. He struggled to contain his excitement. The time had come to go on the offensive.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Messages
“I don’t understand,” Grace asked him for the third time. “Why can’t I contact Claire? You promised I would be able to once we got here. I’m sure she’s worried sick.”
Grace had eaten breakfast alone, thinking she would let David sleep, until she had grown bored and restless and went to search him out in his bedroom. She found an empty room, his bed still neatly made. Her mood darkened.
Grace eventually found him, squirreled away in a room they were using as an office, Geneva and Peter by his side.
“I’ve told you. It’s no longer safe. We can’t risk it. We’ll have Rolf call your sister in the morning.”
“But why’s it no longer safe? If I understood what was happening, maybe—”
“The less you know the better. You have to trust me.”
Grace groaned. She was sick and tired of being treated like a child. She was safe in their hideaway. What had changed since last night? What wasn’t he telling her? Grace stared at David angrily across the room, not caring if Geneva and Peter were silent witnesses.
“But if I knew what was happening, I could help you. Listen, if this battle is going to take place in my mind, I’d like to at least be privy as to what to expect.”
David was dressed in a pair of faded blue jeans and a forest green shirt. Despite frustration, some part of Grace registered and resented how it brought out the green in his eyes. She didn’t want to find him attractive. He smirked, and Grace gritted her teeth, the fragile edges of her temper fraying. She snarled. “Get out of my head.”
David chuckled and strolled across the room until he was staring at her, his expression calm and emotionless. “Make me.”
Grace gasped at his audacity. Behind him, she heard Geneva snicker. She stamped her foot in frustration. A major temper tantrum was about to erupt, and it wouldn’t be pretty. They were laughing at her. G
race didn’t recognize this man, who claimed to be her lover. It couldn’t be true. She would never fall in love with someone so controlling and insensitive, would she? The fact that David, along with his so-called trainer, made fun of her was like a match to a fuse. Grace couldn’t dampen the flames unleashing inside of her.
“Oh, I would if I could, believe me.” She spat the words in his face, uncaring that he towered over her. “Go ahead, have it your way. Don’t tell me what’s going on. Keep your little secrets. I’ll be in my room. That is, if I’m allowed to go to my room?”
She drew out the question, letting it hang between them. Her body shook with the force of her rage. To her horror, in the silence that followed, she let out a garbled sob.
David drew in breath, but Grace didn’t wait for him to speak. Instead, she slammed the door with such force, it bounced open again, and dashed to her room, where she cried her frustrations into her pillow. Grace was pretty sure she hated David right now—all of them. She was like a recalcitrant child who had confronted a stubborn parent. David had another thing coming if he imagined she was ever going to resume their so-called relationship. Grace didn’t care how many minds he hacked, he wasn’t going to convince her otherwise.
*****
“C’mon big boy, don’t let it get to you. She’ll come around again, once the game is done.”
Despite Geneva’s reassurances, David wasn’t convinced. There was only one thing that might restore her faith in him, and he could not risk giving it to her yet. Rationally, David was certain Grace didn’t hate him. Far from it. If she hated him, she would relinquish the portal they had established between them. Even so, it was a struggle not to run after Grace and provide comfort. It would go better for her if she believed she hated him. If David won, he could explain it all later, when she was in his arms again. And if he lost—David forced himself to consider the distinct possibility. If he lost, she’d be lucky to stay alive, let alone have any feelings to spare for him. The enemy would seize control. David shoved the thought aside. He wouldn’t lose. They were all depending on him.