The Mind Games

by Lori Brighton

  “Where are we going?” I demanded. “There’s no reason not to tell me.”

  Yeah, I was biding my time, fishing for any information that might help. He was so flustered he just might fall into my trap. If he had the backing of the entire U.S. government, why was he so nervous?

  “The Caribbean,” John said. “We’re headed to the Caribbean.”

  The irony. Hadn’t I wanted to return to the islands so many times in the past month? So close to where I’d lived with my grandmother. But the woman wasn’t really my grandmother, was she? Is that why she’d been so bitter and angry? Having to traipse about the country, give up her life, for a grandchild who wasn’t hers? The thought left me confused and a little ill. Or maybe my upset stomach had to do with the speed of the vessel taking us out to sea. I glanced out the side window. The riverbank was barely visible. Gone, fading into the dark clouds and fog. With it, my hope faded.

  “Sir,” the captain called out.

  “What is it?”

  The captain, a big burly man, stepped to the side. “Visitors. It might be nothing, but I thought I’d mention it.”

  I took some comfort in the worry that flashed across John’s eyes. This anxious man was someone I’d never seen before. He was totally losing it. People who weren’t in control made mistakes.

  He snatched up a pair of binoculars that hung from a hook. “A shrimp boat?”

  “Not sure,” the captain mumbled.

  They both sounded nervous. My hope flourished and I couldn’t help but peer through that window. But all I saw in the lights around the deck were two men in yellow raingear on a shrimp boat that looked like it was about to be tossed upside down by the waves.

  “Mayday, mayday, mayday,” came over the speaker. “This is the Miranda. We are taking on water fast. Permission to abandon ship and come aboard.”

  “Ignore them,” John snapped.

  “Sir,” the captain muttered, looking highly offended. “It’s my duty to help. If the coast guard…”

  John grabbed the captain by the collar and jerked him forward even though the man probably outweighed him by fifty pounds. “Ignore them.”

  John released his hold and stepped back, combing his fingers through his wet hair. Although John didn’t notice, I saw the brief glance the captain slid Owen. The fine hairs on my body stood on end. Something was wrong. Definitely wrong.

  “You are going to ignore them,” John insisted as he paced the small area. “And we are going to meet the yacht on time.”

  “I’m sorry,” Owen stated. “I can’t let that happen.” He lunged at John and threw his fist forward, connecting with John’s gut. I jumped to my feet, scrambling out of the way as John stumbled back, hitting the door.

  “Seriously?” I snapped, flattening myself to the wall. “You have no issues kidnapping harmless girls, but have to stop for a sinking boat?”

  Owen threw me a glance as he reached for a rope hanging on a hook. “We both know you’re far from harmless.”

  Confused, I attempted to rack my brain for a familiar memory, something that would explain this man. “Do I know you?”

  He flashed me a grin. “Aaron’s brother, Owen. We’re actually twins.”

  Twins? Twins! Good God, like the world needed two of them. That’s why he seemed familiar; although not exactly, he looked like Aaron. “You’re my…”

  Uncle, but I didn’t dare say the word out loud in case he didn’t know the truth. What other mystery family members did I have?

  With the rope in hand, he started toward John. Yep, I’m your uncle.

  Okay, so I guess he knew; hopefully John didn’t. John, who was gasping for breath as he huddled on the bench I’d just vacated. The captain pulled the boat up alongside the shrimping vessel; he obviously worked for my uncle.

  Right before Owen reached him, John stumbled to his feet, finding strength. Owen threw his fist forward, connecting with John’s chin. The man’s head snapped back with a popping noise that made me cringe.

  “I’ll take care of Henry,” the captain muttered. “You take care of John.”

  “Well that’s not fair,” Owen muttered as the captain rushed onto the deck to start his own battle with the only guard.

  “And the stunt you pulled,” Owen grunted, as he swung his fist forward once more, connecting with the side of John’s face. “Trying to jump over the railing…stupid.”

  John slumped to the ground, groaning. He obviously had little experience fighting. He liked to do his dirty work through others. Brilliant red blood trailed from his nose and I couldn’t help but think of all the mind readers he’d tortured over the years.

  Owen stepped back, shaking his head. “Very stupid.”

  “I thought I had no choice!”

  Owen spun around to face me, frowning. “If you would have sat tight…”

  John shifted, the slightest movement, but my alarm bells rang in warning.

  “Watch out!” I cried.

  Too late. With his mental energy John sent Owen flying across the small cabin and out the door. The larger man slid across the deck toward his fellow mind readers, leaving me alone with John. So much for sending in the cavalry. A lot of good my supposed uncle was.

  “This ends now.” John reached for me, but I spun around, out of his grasp.

  The door flapped on the storm gales, rain pouring into the tiny cabin. I jerked my head toward the shrimp boat next to us. Waves splashed over the sides, the winds wild and fierce. The two fishermen had tossed aside their raincoats and were connecting their vessel to ours.

  What the hell was going on?

  Men and women poured from the cabin and out onto the deck, jumping over the sides climbing onto our boat. Some I recognized as my mother’s followers, others were new. It was like some pirate attack out of the movies. Instead of swords and cannons they only had their mind reading abilities. The hope inside me grew as I ran toward the door.

  “You think this is over?” John hissed, latching onto my arm and jerking me back. I struggled to break away, swinging my elbows wide in an attempt to connect with anything vulnerable. But his hold was too tight. Through the windows I saw Nora and my mom headed toward us. If I could hold on a moment longer… As a last attempt I threw my energy at John. But the powers just bounced back.

  John shoved me below deck and slammed the door shut, throwing the area into darkness. I hit the stairs, teetered and fell, rolling down the steps and hitting the floor hard. My skull connected to the edge of the last step, sending pain down my spine. For a brief moment I just laid there, too stunned to move. Above me I could hear the hard thump of feet as the others fought. The boat tipped precariously to the left. I rolled over, groaning as my aching body protested the movement. I sure as hell wasn’t going to die in the cargo hold on what was probably a sinking boat.

  Shoving my hands into the floorboards, I managed to stand. The stairs loomed before me, a seemingly impossible climb with the cargo area spinning. I pressed my fingertips to the back of my head and felt the warmth of blood.

  “Damn.” Ignoring the injury, I gripped the railing and hauled myself up the steps, determined to escape. The sound of thumping feet suddenly stopped. It was strangely quiet. Anxious, I gripped the handle of the door. It wouldn’t budge. The jerk had locked me inside.

  “Open it, damn you!” I screamed, pounding my fists against the door.

  Cameron? Lewis’ mental voice pierced my mind.

  “Lewis!” I pressed my palms to the door, my body warming with pure joy. “It’s locked!”

  “It’s okay, just a minute.”

  I stepped back, waiting impatiently. I knew what he was doing; I could hear the soft click of the lock being undone. When the door opened and Lewis stood there looking drenched, but gorgeous, I’d never been so happy. I threw my arms around his neck and pressed my body to his. He hadn’t changed clothing, nor gotten a raincoat and his clothing was soaked, but I didn’t care.

  “Don’t you ever trick me like that again,”
he muttered, kissing my cheek.

  I gave myself one moment to savor the feel of him, then pulled back. “Are they okay?” I glanced toward the windows, but could see little through the rain.

  His hands rubbed my back, adding feeling and warmth to my chilled skin. “They’re fine. It wasn’t much of a fight considering John had only one man truly on his side.”

  “How’d you find me?”

  A wave crashed against the side of the boat and the vessel lurched right. Lewis braced his legs apart, holding me steady. “Your mother was already on her way. She knew John was here.”

  Anger propelled me back a step. “Wait a minute, she knew? How much?”

  Lewis rubbed the top of his head, and sighed. “I’m not sure. She was waiting at the river, the shrimp boat ready when I escaped and came after you.”

  While I was being shoved onto John’s boat, mom had already been at the riverside, knowing my capture would happen. My God, she must have left the tunnels right after we had. Did Nora and Aaron also know I’d be abducted? Had I been the bait all along?

  Another wave crashed against the side of the boat. I would have hit the wall if Lewis hadn’t caught me and pulled me close. We had to get to shore fast. The two boats clanged together and I knew if we didn’t separate them soon, they’d be in pieces and we’d be at the bottom of the river.

  “The questions will have to wait.” Lewis tugged me toward the deck door. “Come on.”

  “And Owen?”

  “He’s always been on our side,” he yelled over the crash of the door as the wind threw it forward and back. “Although obviously John didn’t know.” Lewis latched onto the door, holding it wide so I could squeeze through.

  “Would have been nice if they would have told us that,” I muttered. Mom had sworn to me there were no more secrets. Mom had lied yet again. I started to head onto the deck, only to pause. “The source.”

  Lewis looked at me curiously.

  I leaned closer to him, whispering near his ear. “Owen has the source as well, doesn’t he?”

  Lewis didn’t answer, he didn’t need to, the look in his eyes answered my question. Had Mom, Aaron and Owen set this up all along? Lewis took my hand as the wind hit us full force, a staggering amount of pressure that had my ears popping in protest.

  “She worried the information would come out when you rescued me,” he explained.

  I could barely see through the rain that slashed at my face, stinging my skin. But as I lifted my eyes and dared to search the deck, my anger fled. Mom, Aaron and John were spread out across the boat as if they were participating in some sort of Western showdown. The other mind readers had returned to the shrimp boat, awaiting my mother’s command.

  The wind howled fiercely, tossing the waves so high that water splashed over the sides and onto the polished floor. I stumbled, one hand gripping the railing, the other gripping Lewis. John’s only ally was unconscious on the deck.

  “It’s time to stop, John,” my mom said over the roar of the crashing waves. “She’s not yours and never has been.”

  “You think I don’t know that?” John thumped his chest like some angry ape. “It’s not about blood!”

  I could only stand there staring as I realized with some horror that they were arguing about me. All of this was about me. I met Nora’s gaze. Even in the darkness I could see the fear in her eyes, but also something else. We both knew that this would end here, now.

  Aaron stumbled toward us. “Go!” he demanded. “You need to get to the shrimp boat now.”

  “I’m not leaving!” I snapped.

  With a frustrated growl, Aaron spun around and started back toward John and my mom. Nora came fumbling toward us, her blue rain jacket whipping around her body.

  “Just stay here, no matter what. Don’t get involved.” I’d never seen her so nervous and I realized that her own father made her scared as hell. “It will be okay. Mom said she’d take care of this.”

  I wondered how. Mom was powerful. Surely she could destroy him in some way, but I’d tried to get through with not the slightest bit of success. But Mom had the source. Mom had experience. She would win.

  “It has to end John.” Mom shook her head. “You’ve let them brainwash you. You’re hurting innocent people. It has to end.”

  He reached for her, latching onto her arms and jerking her forward. “I loved you! I loved you and you betrayed me.”

  I wondered why my mom was letting him touch her, letting him abuse her that way. He was crazy. He’d gone off the deep end. Tie him up, toss him in prison. As Mom continued to let him hold her, my impatience grew.

  “We have to help her,” I said.

  John was obviously on his last leg of sanity. It was almost pathetic, watching him crumble before our very eyes. “I loved you, I gave you everything and you cheated. You lied.”

  “I never wanted to hurt you,” Mom said. “I’m sorry.”

  Disgusted, I shouldered my way through Lewis and Nora. I would stop this nonsense once and for all.

  “Cameron, watch out!” Lewis grabbed hold of me just as a huge wave hit the boat sending everyone scattering like bowling pins. I fell into Lewis. Nora hit the cabin door. Aaron slid across the deck. But it was Mom, Mom and John who I watched in horror. They hit the railing hard.

  And as John fell over the edge, he took my mom with him.

  “Kat!” Aaron called out, stumbling and slipping across the deck.

  I jumped to my feet, sliding across the deck after him.

  “Kat, thank God!”

  I froze next to Aaron and peered over the edge. Mom clung to a buoy that was attached by a flimsy rope to the side of the boat, barely visible in the dark waters. Her hair hung in wet clumps around her pale face, the waves crashing into her body and tossing her repeatedly against the ship’s side. In her other hand, she held onto John. A sick part of me prayed he was dead. He coughed, sputtering, gasping for air.

  “Let him go!” Aaron demanded. “Let him go so I can pull you up!”

  Mom glanced at me, then Nora, her eyes wide with an emotion that made me uneasy. For one moment, the entire world paused. In that one moment she opened her mind. At first I wasn’t sure if she did it on purpose, or if her wall had crumbled with stress, but her memories flowed from her and into me, becoming mine.

  My first birthday; the cake in front of me. My round face beamed with an innocent happiness that made my chest feel tight. A small girl who could only be Nora clapped her hands gleefully beside me. The memory shifted and we were in the backyard. My mother reached out, lifting me high. I felt her emotions…her joy, her worry, her pure love. She pulled me tight and our hearts beat against each other. It shifted again, so fast that I could barely keep track. Nora and Mom were at the beach, building sandcastles. Nora going to prom, a smile upon her face as Mom took pictures.

  I love you both.

  The words whispered through the space between us. Through the cold air that whipped at my hair. Through the salty ocean that splashed over the boat. Through the roar of the hungry waves.

  “Give me your hand!” Aaron shouted, reaching desperately over the railing for her.

  A huge wave hit the boat sending it lurching into the air. I fell to the ground beside Lewis. Nora slid across the deck. Aaron clung to the railing, fighting a losing battle to get to my mom. For one stunned moment, I merely lay there staring up at the angry dark sky.

  “No!” I heard Nora cry out from across the deck.

  I knew why she cried. I knew why the sudden roar of energy fled my cells, as if being sucked out to sea, leaving me bitterly cold and shaking. I knew why, for a brief moment, I no longer felt as if I was inside my body.

  Aaron screamed a primitive, gut-wrenching scream as he fell in defeat to his knees. Numb, I watched Nora as she flew across the deck, her blonde hair blowing on the breeze. But I knew she’d never reach Mom, and although she didn’t want to accept the truth, she knew it as well.

  They were gone.

  Chapter
25

  They thought she fell.

  They thought her fingers slipped from the cold, wet railing and she fell into the dark, unforgiving sea, taking John with her.

  I knew better.

  A secret that fell heavily upon me.A heaviness that hung in my mother’s home like the fog on the Savannah River only last night. Nora had collapsed into a chair in the corner of the living room and hadn’t moved in hours. Nora, who had shared this place with our mother. Nora, who now shared the secret with me.

  Mom had let go on purpose.

  As if sensing the way of my thoughts, her gaze shifted toward where I stood, huddled against the door near the kitchen. The despair, the anger, the raw emotions that swam in her eyes made me dizzy with guilt and anguish.

  “Cameron.” Owen paused beside me. He rested his hand on my back and led me toward the sofa. “Rest.”

  Mom’s couch. The couch where she’d made me sleep that night Lewis and I had snuck out.

  “Looks like you’ve got the couch,” her voice echoed through my mind.

  All around me her memory remained. Even her scent hung in the air. How could it still be here when she was gone? It didn’t make sense. Nothing made sense. I sank onto the couch and stared at the cold, empty hearth.

  I was barely aware of the murmured conversation going on between Owen and Sierra. Barely aware when Lewis settled next to me, spreading a blanket over my shoulders. In the small living room we all sat there staring unblinkingly at each other like some forgotten ghosts who’d been left behind. We had no idea how to go on, or what to do because we couldn’t deal with the emotions, the gaping wounds in our chests that refused to stop bleeding.

  “There are things we need to discuss,” Owen started, breaking the silence.

  Whatever he had to say didn’t matter. I looked at Nora, drawn to her. I knew, without reading her mind, she blamed me for our mother’s death. Mom had died for me. Nora blamed me, but that was okay, because I blamed myself as well.