by Sharp, Tracy
Jude nodded at me, the locks of his long shag falling over his forehead in choppy pieces. Either he hadn’t been here long or they allowed him to maintain his hairstyle. “Hey.”
I nodded back. “Hi.”
Morgan led the man to the chair Tim had been sitting in while I’d relieved him of his worst secret.
The man pushed his glasses up his nose again as he sat in front of me.
Jude sat next to me. The heat of his body was surprising. I felt cold, and wanted to sidle up to him and steal some of his heat.
As if sensing this, he moved closer to me. For a quick second, his gaze held mine from under dark strands of hair and he grinned ever so slightly.
I liked him from that moment on. He’d bonded with me in that second, and I no longer felt so alone. We were in this together.
Morgan stood close to the man, and as she looked down at him a mean spirited smile played on her lips before she got hold of herself and acted the professional again. “This is Spence. His reason for being here is two-fold. He would like to be free of a secret, which you, Lorelei, will help him with.”
I nodded, watching Spence fidget in the chair.
“Jude, you’ll then relieve him of the memory of his visit here. This is for his protection as well as for ours.”
Jude nodded. “Gotcha.”
“Excellent,” Morgan said. “Spence, are you ready to begin?”
Spence bobbed his head, his myopic gaze flicking from Jude to me and back again. “Yes.”
“Okay,” Morgan said. “Lorelei, you’re on.”
I sat forward, speaking in a soft, gentle voice. “Spence, all you need to do is think of the secret you want to be free of, and I’ll take it from you. You won’t be bothered by it again and you’ll feel noticeably better afterward. Okay?”
He nodded again. “Now?”
“Whenever you’re ready, yes,” I said.
“Okay.” He looked into my eyes, which was difficult for him, because the sense of shame radiating from him was thick. He didn’t want me to know what he’d done. “You won’t ever tell anyone, will you?”
I shook my head. “No. I give you my promise.” And I meant it.
I felt him reach out to me, as if he were holding the secret in psychic hands. I reached out with my mind and grabbed it.
Spence had been skimming money from the large company he worked for. He was the operations manager, and he had an addiction to high-priced call girls. He believed he could never have a gorgeous, intelligent woman like the ones he paid a thousand dollars a pop for unless he paid for them.
But the addiction was catching up to him, because he needed dates with his favorites at least twice a week, and his wife was close to finding out what was up. Their bank account was shrinking quickly, and the college fund for their teenage daughter, who was already looking at universities, was close to being depleted.
I pulled the secret from him, breathing through my mouth and nose as the black/gray substance swirled through the air and moved into me. His secret smelled and tasted of burnt tar, and had been festering inside him for two years.
Spence fell backward in his chair, momentarily passing out.
Morgan bent over and lightly patted him on his fat cheeks with her delicate hands. “Spence. Wake up.”
His eyes opened and he took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. The stress lines around his mouth and eyes had smoothed and he looked at least a decade younger. “Wow. I feel great. Thank you.”
I nodded, blinking my eyes against an enormous headache forming behind them.
“Now the second part of the process. Jude, your turn,” Morgan said.
Jude leaned forward. “Look at me, Spence.”
I was struck by how soft-spoken Jude was. His voice was deep but low, and had the calming quality of a lullaby.
Spence lifted his face to look at Jude.
“Listen to the sound of my voice, Spence. You’re comfortable in that chair. So comfortable that you feel like you’re melting right into it.”
Spence’s eyes began to droop as he watched Jude. His facial muscles were relaxed and his mouth opened imperceptibly.
“The leather is cradling you. You are safe and warm, and there is no place else on earth you would rather be right now. Isn’t that right, Spence?”
“Right,” Spence said, sounding drugged and sleepy.
“Spence, you’re among friends here. We want only the best for you. We wouldn’t lead you astray or harm you in any way. Do you believe that?”
“Yes,” Spence said, drawing the word out, almost under his breath, like a sleeper would.
“Spence, I am going to ask you something very important and you need to answer me truthfully.”
Spence nodded slightly.
“What is the password for your computer at work? The one that gives you access to all the bank information for the company and your customers?”
I turned to look at Jude, my mouth falling open.
One of his hands lightly tapped the side of my thigh, as if to warn me.
I looked at Morgan, who glared at me through narrowed eyes.
Receiving her threat loud and clear, I looked back at Spence.
Spence frowned slightly.
“Spence, it is imperative that you answer me truthfully. Everything I ask you is for your own good. We are your friends.”
Spence nodded again. “Right.”
“You’d trust us with your life, Spence, because we’d never do anything to hurt you. We’re like family. A close-knit family who love you. You trust us completely.”
“Yeah,” Spence said, using the same tone a child would use to answer in the affirmative about liking ice cream. Of course I do. Who doesn’t?
“So you need to tell me, Spence. What is the password?”
“Virginia Skies.”
Jude looked down, shame and disappointment in himself passing over his face like a dark cloud. “That’s a nice password, Spence.”
“Thank you. It’s the working name of one of my girls.”
I blinked. I had picked up on only one daughter. Then I realized that he was talking about the high-priced call girls he’d spent his daughter’s college fund on.
“Thank you, Spence,” Jude said.
Spence nodded. “You’re my friends.” His eyes fell closed.
“Look at me, Spence.”
Spence opened his eyes with difficulty. “Yes?”
Jude leaned forward, closer to Spence. “You won’t remember any of the conversation you had with me. You will only remember that this was a relaxation exercise that we used to make you feel better after a stressful week at work. Do you understand?”
Spence nodded.
“What do you remember about talking to me, Spence?” Jude said, his voice like a gentle breeze moving through leaves.
“You helped me relax.Work has been stressful.”
“Right. Good, Spence. Now listen, when I clap my hands together once, you’ll feel refreshed, relaxed, and happy that you came here to talk to us today.”
“Okay,” Spence said.
Jude clapped his hands together once, and then opened them, lifting them, palms up. “Okay,” he said, his voice at a normal level, but still soft. “We’re done here. You did great, Spence.”
Spence sat forward, pushing his spectacles up his nose. “Thank you. Thank all of you, so much. Really. It means so much to me.”
We all nodded. A lump rose in my throat. This man had just given Jude the password that his company had entrusted him with, for reasons that could not be anything even resembling honorable.
“Any time, Spence,” Morgan said, stepping back to signal that it was time for Spence to “get his fat ass out of there,” I heard her say in her mind. She was truly a despicable creature. Whatever the hell she was.
“Thanks again. Really,” Spence said, turning back to us when he got to the door.
Jude and I nodded at the same time.
Spence offered a solemn smile and left. Mor
gan closed the door behind them.
“Well,” Jude said, dropping his shaggy head in his hands. “That sucked.”
“Mind control. They use you to steal for them,” I said, awed and disgusted.
“Yeah,” he said, his head still cradled in his hands.
“I’m so sorry, Jude. That is horrible.”
“Yes,” he said, not looking up at me. “You have no idea how bad it can get. But you will.” He turned to me, an expression of gentle pity on his face. “You will.”
Chapter Twelve
Apparently, I’d done well. I’d been cooperative and Lucian was pleased with my abilities. The thought of him, his level voice devoid of emotion, and his icy, controlled demeanor, sent shivers up and down my spine.
Because of my obedience, I was allowed out of my cell to eat dinner in the dining room with the others. Jude led me through the door and down the hall to another door, which opened to a spacious living room/dining area. A large man banged pots and pans on a beautiful chrome oven. Walking past the open concept kitchen, I marveled at the shiny, state of the art appliances. The man cooking clearly knew what he was doing, and had to be a hired chef. Whatever he was cooking smelled amazing and my stomach whimpered with hunger.
Jude led me to a table; steaming bowls of food were being placed on it by other teenagers, who seemed to be at home. It occurred to me that these kids were like Morgan. They were strays and throwaways who Lucian had rescued from bad situations, either living on the streets or in homes that were unbearable for them. What they did in return for his generosity was nothing to them. They were survivors. Streetwise. They knew how bad it could get if they were tossed out into the streets.
Here, they were treated to luxuries they would never have been able to afford or enjoy otherwise. These kids all had haircuts in the styles they wanted. Their clothes were new, not shabby in the least. The ones who wore jewelry wore the real deal. No fake stuff. I could tell the difference. They were obviously either given cash or they were taken shopping to choose what they liked.
“Have a seat,” Jude said to me, placing a hand lightly on my back. “You can help clear when we’re done.”
“Can I ask you a question?” I said to him as he sat next to me.
“Yeah. Just be careful what you ask. You may not want to know the answer.”
“These kids want to be here, right?”
“Yeah. For the most part. Most of them aren’t all that bothered by a conscience.”
“He treats you all very well,” I said. “As long as you play nice.”
“Right.” He sat next to me, pouring himself a glass of milk. “As bad as it can get, there are worse things out there.”
“Jude, there’s a guard here, or something…”
“Yeah. Leo. That’s one of the things that we put up with. The girls do.”
“Lucian is okay with that?”
“He doesn’t know.”
“Why doesn’t somebody tell him?”
“Because Leo is Lucian’s brother. Nobody wants to risk pissing Lucian off.”
“Isn’t it worth the risk? I mean, seriously.”
Jude barked out a laugh. “You don’t want to piss off Lucian. Just do what you’re told.”
Well, that was lame. “What happens to the ones who don’t?”
“They…disappear,” Jude said. “Nobody ever finds them.”
“And because they are throw-aways, nobody goes looking.”
“Right,” Jude said.
***
A kid of about eighteen came in while we were clearing the table. His green hair stood in spikes all around his head, and he glanced at me on his way into the kitchen. He wasn’t particularly tall, but he was built. Judging by how diesel he was, I figured there was a weight room in the place somewhere.
“That’s Strummer,” Jude said. “Don’t bother him and he’ll leave you alone. He’s a bit tweaked. Try not to be alone with him.”
“Why? Is he going to attack me or something?”
Jude shook his head. “Not on purpose. But he can summon some pretty nasty shit, and sometimes it happens without him meaning to do it. We all give him lots of space. The guy’s a walking Ouija board. He’s the reason you’re here.”
I looked at Jude, frowning. “What do you mean?”
“Did you happen to notice anything weird before you were taken?”
I thought about this. “A few things. There was a black mist following me around.”
“Shadow spooks. That is courtesy of Strummer. Lucian has him look for others with special talents. He has some kind of built-in detection system. When he spots you, he pinpoints where you are, and then he summons shadow spooks to go after you and bring you here.”
So they were shadow spooks that were following me.
Which is why Delia never wanted me to use my talent.
“Did they enter someone close to you? Someone you trust?”
I nodded, my throat tightening. “My Aunt Delia. She’s been taking care of me for years.”
He nodded. “Yup. That’s what they do. They enter someone close to you through the nose, mouth, or ears. Sometimes all three. They use the information the person knows about you against you, to lure you away.” Jude shook his head. “They’re pretty nasty.”
I stared at him. “Do they ever…”
“Kill people? Yes. They do. But that wasn’t the purpose of sending them after you.” His eyes flicked over my face. “Lucky for you.”
“What happens to the people they enter?” I asked, hearing the way my words quivered. I had pretty much expected the worst for Delia, and I believed that I would never see her alive again.
He shrugged. “Sometimes they are fine. They either remember what happened to them and what they did when the shadow spook took them over, or they don’t. Sometimes possession by the spooks leaves their brains scrambled, and they are not much other than zombies. Sometimes they…die.”
I stared at him, fear and dread skittering over me like spiders, making me want to scream and scream until I had no voice left. “They die?”
“Do you really want to hear this?”
“No. But I need to.”
He took a deep breath. “Sometimes, the person who used to be in the body is so horrified that they just want to get away from the shadow spook, so they leave the body. They don’t care where they’re going, they just take off.”
I bit my tongue, trying to focus on the physical pain instead of the grief that clawed at my insides. If I let the sorrow over possibly losing Delia take me over, I’d be rendered useless.
“When they’ve delivered the target to the destination, they might hang out for a while, especially if they’re called on to hold up for a bit. But if the host has left the body, the spook can’t stay for long.”
“Why is that?” I asked, my voice barely a murmur.
“If the original person has left the body, the spook eventually dissolves the body they inhabit. The body goes bad.” Jude went on. “When that happens, the body isn’t more than a grease spot when the spook is done with them.”
I watched him, speechless. I remembered the rotting smell of Delia.
“I know. It’s horrible. But chances are that your aunt is fine. She may just have a wicked headache right now and be wondering whether she had a knock on the head that gave her amnesia.”
I nodded, slowly. “I hope so.” But I knew that she was gone.
He stood and laid a hand on my back. “Me, too, Lorelei. Best to think of that scenario, because you won’t know as long as you’re here.”
“Which means what? That I may never know?”
Jude held my gaze for a moment before pushing in a chair and holding his hand out to me. “Come on. I’ll take you back to your room.”
I understood that he was just being polite. I really had no choice in the matter.
***
During the silent walk back to my room—which I thought of as a cell, really—I was overwhelmed by how helpless I felt. I was
bone tired, emotionally drained, and tried to swallow back the gnawing grief and fear I felt. I pressed my quivering lips together and felt my eyes well up. This ticked me off, because I really didn’t want to cry in front of Jude, though for some reason I believed that I could trust him.
I swiped at a tear and blinked back the others ready to make tracks down my cheeks.
“It won’t help you in here.” Jude’s voice was soft next to me. “I’m sorry.”
I looked up at him.
“Crying.” He glanced at me from under black locks.
“I know.” I took a shuddering breath. “I can’t seem to help it.”
We got to my door and he stopped and turned to me. “If it helps you any, your gift helped that Tim guy today. You do have a purpose here. You can do some good.”
“I have a purpose at home. There are missing girls in my town. I was using my ability to find them before I was taken.” I looked into his eyes. “Please. Can you help me get out of here? I need to find those girls, and I need to find out who is abducting them before any more are stolen.”
He shook his head, watching me sadly. “I wish I could, Lorelei. But even if I managed to get you out of here, if I’m caught, they will kill someone I care about. In a really nasty way.” He let out a deep breath. “I’ve heard stories. You don’t want to know what they do.”
I thought of Delia. Of Mick. “How could Lucian do this to people? Doesn’t he have a soul?”
Jude thought for a moment, and then said, “For all we know, he might be the Devil.”
***
Well, he wasn’t getting my soul.
I had to get the hell out of there.
“Has anyone ever made it out alive, without dire consequences?” I kept my head down as I spoke.
We’d been sent outside to rake the dead leaves out of the gardens. The substantial property—enormous, really—was surrounded by woods. I had no idea how many acres of forest there were around us, but I had a feeling that if I went running into them, I’d have a hell of a time finding my way to any kind of civilization. Lucian’s property was set deliberately in the middle of nowhere.