Damaged.
The word formed clearly in my mind, almost as if someone had spoken in my ear. And suddenly I understood how much devastating pain had been inflicted on the animals in that room.
A sudden, searing rage scorched through me. The monkeys responded to the tide of emotion. Screeching howls echoed in the room. They lunged and banged on the cage doors.
The thing about capuchin monkeys is that they are fast learners. Show them how to open the door to their cage a couple of times and they’re good to go. Barry had been careful—he’d blocked the latch from view and made sure it was secured with a clip robust enough to be tough for little fingers to open. But that was not a problem for me.
I rushed to the cages and opened every one.
A loud electric snapping sound came from behind me.
I had just enough time to think uh-oh before the pain of many thousands of volts shot through my body.
The monkeys screamed in alarm. My back arched involuntarily. Rigid with pain and spasming muscles, I hit the ground temple first. Red lightning shattered my vision and everything splintered into blackness.
•••
Getting tased by your own stun gun is an embarrassing, unpleasant experience. Add the face-plant to the equation and when I came to, I was not keen to move or open my eyes.
It turned out to work in my favor because Anya and Barry were in the middle of an argument. Pretending to be unconscious allowed me to listen in.
“. . . reset the system,” Anya was saying.
“If we reboot now, everything will go off for thirty seconds,” Barry answered. “Power, lights, everything. Even this.”
I hadn’t opened my eyes so I didn’t know what “this” was.
“Do you have another solution? Soon, those two will reach the top of the tower. You see that piece of metal he is carrying? I do not think he means to twirl it like a baton.”
“No.” Barry’s voice was a disbelieving whisper.
“Yes,” Anya snapped. “He is going to use that to smash your precious machine. Look at what is happening.”
I knew they had to be watching some sort of camera feed. Which meant I wasn’t in the same room I’d been in when I blacked out. I desperately wanted to open my eyes but kept up the charade. The more freely they talked, the better.
“The monkeys are loose,” Anya continued. “The test subject is going to escape.”
“Damn it! Why did you leave your post to go after her? She’s worthless.”
“It does not matter. What’s done is done. We must focus on a solution. Before those men reach the top of the tower.”
“I have a solution,” Barry said.
“What? You think you can shoot them?” Her tone was mocking.
“No. But I can electrocute them.”
Oh shit.
“Good. I like it,” Anya said. “Get it done and get back here.”
Barry’s footsteps faded. With him gone, there wasn’t a reason to keep playing possum. I opened my eyes to find I was lying on the floor of a large room.
It looked as if it had originally been a pavilion or cafeteria.
Doesn’t matter, I told myself. Barry was on his way to electrocute Kai and Hugh.
I needed to get my bearings and figure out a plan. Judging from the state of my clothing and the scrapes that stung the length of my back, I guessed Anya had grabbed me by the ankles and dragged me into this room. Which meant I wasn’t far from where I’d left Emma, Belinda, and Moss.
Slowly, I turned my head. Anya was seated in a cheap office chair with her back to me in front of a couple of long, folding tables, similar to the ones you’d see at a family reunion.
There were six monitors sitting side by side on the tables. Three on each. Two were dedicated to the front and rear entrances to the park. Nothing going on there. Another showed the room where the monkeys had been kept and explained how Anya had known where to find me. The desk was in disarray and the cage doors hung open. No capuchins in sight. Good. At least they had a chance.
Given my supine position, and the angle, I couldn’t see the monitors on the second table.
I was pretty sure that if she’d wanted to kill me, she’d have done it, so moving wouldn’t put me in danger. Plus, I really wanted to get a look at the second set of monitors. I decided it was best to roll onto my side rather than try to do a sit-up.
I made it into the fetal position and had to take a break.
Concussed. No question.
“I told Barry we wouldn’t have to tie you up.” Anya swiveled in her chair to watch me. She held a small pistol in her right hand, but kept it resting on her thigh. “It seems I was right.”
She was.
If I could get to my feet, I was pretty sure I could walk. I also knew I wouldn’t get far.
I had to think of a way to even the odds.
My scrambled brain kept going back to the reset button Anya had talked about. If I could find it, I could cut the power. No power meant no electrocutions.
Problem number one—even without the concussion, I was no match for Anya. According to Logan, she was a trained killer, with or without the gun.
I groaned as I used my arms to get my body into a mostly upright position.
As I moved, something inside my coat slipped to the floor next to my hip. I looked down at the balled-up piece of paper.
At first, I thought a wad of trash had gotten caught in my coat, then I remembered Marvo.
I was looking at the smoke bomb he’d given me.
I almost laughed in giddy disbelief, but soon realized the bomb would do me no good if I couldn’t find the reset button.
Under normal circumstances, a wall of smoke between Anya and me might give me a chance to get away. But injured?
Blinking my blurry eyes, I tried to assess my surroundings.
The monitors on the second table were visible now. One displayed what I’d loosely call the operating room. There seemed to be two cameras in the room, with the picture flashing back and forth between two different angles. I could clearly see my sister and Belinda. When the screen jumped to the second camera, Moss came into the frame.
He paced back and forth in front of the door.
I knew, even without my ability to reach him, that he wanted desperately to come after me, and I was grateful he didn’t have opposable thumbs. If Emma opened the door and let him out, he’d head straight for me and run into one of Anya’s bullets.
Stay put, Emma, please.
One of the last two monitors displayed a view of the cell tower. The picture jumped between two angles, like the one showing the operating room. Both perspectives showed Kai and Hugh climbing the central column via an affixed ladder.
The other monitor also had two camera feeds. One displayed a long, dark hallway; the second showed a small room with a bunk. On it, a frail form was huddled.
Her face was turned away, but I recognized the silly bunny slippers.
Hattie.
The derelict building and dim lighting combined with the images on the screens were like something out of a horror flick.
Reset—I reminded myself.
I needed to get to my feet. But before I could do that, I’d have to pick up the smoke bomb without Anya noticing. And she was watching me intently with a strange look on her face.
“What?” I asked her. “Never seen a concussed psychic before?”
“Many times.”
“Of course you have.”
I placed my palm on the ground next to the bomb and shuffled onto my hands and knees. My head was pounding, but it was manageable.
For Anya, I made sure to let every bit of pain show. Better for her to underestimate me and think I was weaker than I was. Though in reality, if I’d been any weaker I would’ve been unconscious.
With a groan I
didn’t have to fake, I wobbled onto my knees. As I moved, I grabbed the smoke bomb, keeping it wadded in my hand and my body angled so it was out of Anya’s line of sight. With effort, I slowly got to my feet.
“Why am I here?” I asked once the room stopped spinning. “You could’ve shot me.”
“I recently learned you are important to someone I wish to punish.”
It took me a second to understand what she meant.
“Logan?”
“We have unfinished business.”
I tried to roll my eyes but it hurt too much.
“Lady, you’re turning out to be one big cliché—you know that?”
“You think so?”
“Yep.”
“Here is another cliché. The damsel in distress is used as bait to lure her rescuer to his death.”
“You can’t really believe that’s going to work on Logan.”
“Logan,” she scoffed. “Such a stupid American name.”
“What happened? Did he out-spy you or something?”
“No. He murdered everyone I loved and now I will do the same.”
Not the answer I’d been expecting.
I knew of only one person Logan loved, if someone like Logan was capable of love: a sixteen-year-old girl named Brooke.
Reset button. I shook my head slowly and tried to think. If I were installing a reset button for some giant, advanced, psychic force field in an abandoned building, where would I put it? Not on the table where something could accidentally be set on top of it. Not on the ground for the same reason. On the wall maybe?
“I think you’re overestimating how much Logan likes me,” I said. “He owed me a favor, but that’s it.”
“Yes, you saved that girl, Brooke. She will be next.”
“You’ll never get your hands on Brooke. Don’t you know who her father is?”
“Charles Sartori does not worry me.”
“Then you’re stupid.”
“Accidents happen. These teenagers”—she tsked—“always texting and driving.”
My stomach clinched. Disgust and fear vied for dominance. Man, I really hoped Logan got his hands on this bitch.
Reset!
I needed to find the damn button and . . . then what? Come up with a plan.
“Where is he, then?” I made a show of looking around the room as if trying to find Logan, and searched for the reset button. The movement made my head swim and I had to place my free hand on the corner of one of the tables to stay upright.
“Would you like my seat?” Anya stood and offered it to me.
“No thanks.” As much as I wanted to sit, I had to remain on my feet, because my scan of the room had paid off.
Over my left shoulder, affixed to a metal support beam, was the reset button. I knew what it was because below the button was a piece of paper warning—DO NOT PRESS THE RESET BUTTON.
Okay, now, I needed a plan.
The power would be out for thirty seconds. Barry was headed to electrocute Hugh and Kai, who were still climbing the tower. I assumed he intended to use the metal tower as a conduit. If I cut the power now, would it prompt them to climb back down and away from the tower? Would thirty seconds be enough time for them to get clear?
My head was pounding. I was having a hard time thinking.
Maybe I could hit the button and make it outside in time to warn them.
That wouldn’t work. I’d have to get past Anya, who was between me and the door.
Think, Grace.
I had thirty seconds to work with. If I could contact Moss, I could send him to stop Barry. With the tower off-line, I’d be able to reach Moss—but he was stuck in the room with Emma and Belinda.
I also had to consider that my dog might not blindly do as I asked until he knew I was okay. As soon as he sensed my pain, he’d try to find me. Even if I was able to warn him about Anya, and he was able to avoid being shot, it would be too late to send him to warn Kai.
I glanced at the monitor to watch Kai and Hugh for a moment, and something on the neighboring screen caught my attention.
Ronnie was moving slowly down the hallway near Hattie’s room, looking through the windows set in each door she passed. Out of the darkness, a man appeared. Clamping a hand over her mouth, he grabbed her from behind and pulled her backward out of sight.
Just before the picture switched to Hattie’s room, Barry appeared in the hallway and I understood Cornelius’s prediction.
Logan had saved Ronnie. For a moment I wanted to surrender to the idea he would do the same for me, but let the thought go. Logan might ride to my rescue, but what about Kai and Hugh?
Barry was on the way to kill them. I needed to forget about Logan’s help and act.
Even with my ability restored, it would be useless in this situation.
Just as the thought entered my head, something appeared on one of the monitors. A monkey. Running through the rear entrance.
Cornelius?
How on earth did that little . . . Of course he’d escaped. He’d become an expert.
He was moving fast and was soon out of the frame, but he was headed this way. Coming to help his friends, I was sure.
I couldn’t use Moss to stop Barry, but maybe Cornelius could warn Kai and Hugh.
I’d have to get the timing right. I couldn’t hit the button until Cornelius was close enough to connect with.
Which would probably be in the next few minutes.
I’d wait, throw the bomb to make sure Anya couldn’t see, hit the button, and run. I might not make it very far but at least Anya wouldn’t know where I was.
Once I’d recovered my ability, I’d find Cornelius and get him to warn Kai.
Simple.
What could go wrong?
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Emma and Belinda on the monitor. They’d started toward the door of the operating room.
No.
Moss stood, waiting.
Anya saw what had caught my attention.
“You’re worried about your friends?”
I didn’t answer.
“They won’t get far. Barry will have locked the perimeter doors.”
Emma reached out to clasp the handle.
No, Emma.
She opened the door.
Moss was gone in a flash.
“Oh, it looks like the doggy is coming to rescue you, too. I will kill him, like Logan.”
A few seconds later, Moss appeared on another monitor. This time, in the room with the cages.
“Look,” Anya said. “He is tracking you down.”
I wasn’t sure how far away Moss was, but I tried to reach out and connect to his mind.
I couldn’t. It was like he wasn’t anywhere.
“He will come here, next. Yes?” Anya asked like a kid waiting on a prize.
Anya turned to the darkened doorway.
“Too bad you cannot warn him.”
I heard the faint jingle of his tags. They grew louder as he drew closer.
Moss, no!
There was no answer.
“Moss, stay!” I yelled.
He kept coming.
“Moss, NO!”
Anya raised her gun.
I threw the smoke bomb as hard as I could at her feet.
There was a tiny pop! An instant later, she was enveloped in a solid wall of smoke.
I spun, lunged toward the support beam, and slammed my hand on the reset button.
A heartbeat later, the room went dark.
Disoriented by both the absence of light and my sudden movement, I tried to run around the desks but tripped over a coil of wires and stumbled onto my hands and knees.
I know, with a name like Grace you’d think I’d be graceful, but no.
A sudden surge of p
rotective anger roared to life in my head.
Guard!
Moss!
Grace! His elation at our reconnection soared through me. But I couldn’t be distracted by the unexpected rush of joy. Moss needed to understand he was racing toward danger. I knew there was no way to make him stop, so I warned him instead.
Careful! I tried to project the concept, and showed him the image of where Anya stood, pointing her gun at the door.
He got the message at the last second and changed tactics. Instead of biting her leg and holding on, my dog plowed into Anya’s shins and kept running.
She got off a shot but missed.
Moss, be quiet.
Okay?
I’m fine, buddy. Stay still and quiet. Okay?
Okay.
Without hesitating, I cast my senses out to find Cornelius. I felt the thrumming buzz of his brain a moment later.
Cornelius! Help!
Yes, help.
To more clearly understand where he was and guide him to Kai and Hugh, I solidified our connection and slid into his head.
He’d found the other monkeys. They were shivering, frightened, and confused.
Grace, help.
He was asking me to help him.
Damn. I didn’t have time to explain my predicament. I had to get Cornelius to Kai.
Kai will help you and your friends. Find Kai.
I sent him an image of Kai along with what I’d seen on the monitor, which gave him a location.
Help?
Yes, hurry!
The little monkey took off. Once I was sure he was headed toward the tower, I pulled back from his mind. All the scampering and jumping was making me dizzier than I already was.
Out of the darkness, I heard the most unexpected sound.
Anya had started laughing.
“Something funny?”
“Yes. You just killed your friends.”
I ignored the taunt. She was just trying to psych me out, right?
There was no time to dwell on it. In less than thirty seconds, the power would come back on, which would not only allow Anya to see and, therefore, shoot me and my dog, but would cut off my connection to Moss.
Remembering the emptiness I’d felt when I’d reached out for him brought on a wave of anxiety so powerful, I almost shut down.
Take the Monkey and Run Page 28