by Cate Noble
Erin sat up. “Why are we stopping here? Did you remember where you’re supposed to meet Taz?”
“No. We need a different vehicle.”
“So you’re just going to steal another one?” The contempt in her voice was undeniable. She probably thought he was a weasel.
“Yes. I’m stealing another car.” At least he was an honest weasel.
He attempted to reach for her thoughts, but it backfired with a spike of pain. He winced.
She unbuckled her seat belt and scooted close. “Max, we need to get you to a hospital.”
“That’s not going to happen. Voluntarily at least. Look, you asked to come along. If you’d like to part ways now, you can stay here.” He didn’t want her to leave, not until they’d found Taz. Maybe not even then.
“I do want to help you.” She sounded sincere. “I just don’t want to cause anyone else harm or end up in jail.”
“You won’t. Gather our things. I’ll be right back.” Climbing out of the truck, he grabbed a few tools from the back of the camper.
The building didn’t have an alarm, and in less than a minute, Max jimmied the lock and slipped inside. Greasy gears and spare parts were scattered all over the floor. The desk was covered with tools and oil cans, but beside it was a small file cabinet marked KEYS/TITLE.
Max pried the handle lock off and tugged the drawer open. Several sets of keys were tagged TAURUS. He grabbed all of them, then lifted a pair of bolt cutters from the desk.
Erin sat on the truck’s bumper, their bags at her feet.
“Hang tight,” he said.
The bolt cutters worked magic on the locked fence chain. He pulled the truck inside the lot and closed the gate. The first two cars he tried had dead batteries. The third fired right up.
They didn’t speak again until Max was headed back to the interstate driving a dusty blue Taurus.
“Is that what they teach on The Farm?” she asked.
She was, of course, referring to the CIA’s covert training facility, nicknamed The Farm.
“Do you mean breaking and entering, or how to use bolt cutters?”
“Either.”
“I don’t remember.”
“Amnesia or selective memory?”
“A little of both.”
“So what next?” she asked.
“When we were being held, Taz and I agreed that if we escaped and were separated, we’d go to a special meeting place.”
“You remembered!” Her voice was animated as if she was pleased he was opening up to her. “That’s great. Where?”
“I don’t know. I’m getting everything in half measure. That’s one of the halves still missing.” Max glanced at the rearview to assure no one followed. “You mentioned hypnosis earlier. Could it help me retrieve the missing parts of my memory?”
“Possibly. Have you ever been hypnotized before?”
“No. What do you need to do it?”
She sat up straight. “Mainly, we need a quiet place. Somewhere you feel comfortable enough to relax. The process itself is fairly simple. I’ll guide you, verbally, through a series of mind and body relaxation techniques with the intent of getting you into a trancelike state. Then I’ll make suggestions that you recall previous exchanges with Taz.”
“And what if I’m not gullible enough to hypnotize?”
She gave him a look. “You need to be open to the idea, or it won’t work. It’s also not unusual for it to take more than one session. Ideally, it should be done in a clinical setting and—”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“Nonetheless, as a doctor, I’m obligated to point that out.”
“I’d say our situation is beyond the scope of legal disclaimers, but you bring up a good point.” He glanced sideways at her. “You may be a doctor, but I’m not your patient, Erin. I never hired you. And if anyone assigned you by proxy, I hereby revoke it. Now here’s what I suggest: Let’s get a few more miles down the road, and then we’ll find a motel. It’s the middle of the afternoon, so most places off the interstate ought to be quiet. Worst case, we can clean up and grab a little sleep. We only got about four hours last night.”
“Is there any way I can call and get more news about Dr. Winchette? Maybe at a pay phone?”
He detected the slight catch in her voice. “We’ll come up with something. Tell me more about Dr. Winchette. You said he was an associate of your late father’s. Did you lose your father recently?”
She nodded, but didn’t elaborate. He caught a fleeting image of hostility. Had Erin and her father not gotten along well?
Max suddenly had a spontaneous memory of his own parents. “My father was an alcoholic. He died when I was twelve.”
“And your mother?”
He tried to recall her. “She…left when I was born and died a short time afterward. I’ve only seen photographs of her.”
“What about siblings? Extended family?”
A memory glimmered close, then disappeared, leaving him frustrated. “No brothers or sisters. My uncle, Stony, raised me. Stony was…a good man.” Max slowed, changing lanes. His head had started to ache again. Big surprise. “It’s strange, feeling like I have to dig for my own past.”
“Don’t push it,” Erin said. “Just let it come naturally.”
“That’s part of the problem. Nothing feels natural. Right now I feel like I have to weigh each memory to be sure it’s legit.”
“Do you feel some memories are not legitimate?”
He recalled the dream he’s woken to that morning. The dead man lying at his feet. The image returned now, but instead of a broken neck, it seemed that the man’s throat was slit.
“I’m not certain.” What he was certain of was that his headache had suddenly flared dramatically. Don’t think and it goes away.
He directed his focus to the passing scenery. “How does that one sound?” He pointed out the window to a faded billboard. “Sunset Inn. Clean, quiet rooms. Next exit.”
“Sounds great.”
Max stopped and filled the car’s fuel tank first. Erin wasn’t hungry, but he picked up snacks and bottled water before heading for the motel.
There were two cars at the Sunset Inn. Max paid cash for the room and filled in the registration card as Mr. and Mrs. John Smith. The older gentleman behind the counter didn’t bat an eye.
They were assigned a corner room on the far end. Max brought their bags inside the musty-smelling room before fiddling with the ancient air conditioner.
“Will that be too noisy?” he asked after Erin came out of the bathroom.
“You tell me. Actually, it might help filter out road noise. White sound.”
“So how are we doing this?” He sat on the bed and watched as she pulled the heavy drapes shut. Since she’d left the bathroom light on, the room wasn’t completely dark.
She had dragged the straight-back chair in the corner closer to the bed.
“Basically, you close your eyes and follow my voice. I’ll begin with some relaxation exercises, getting you to tense then release certain muscles. Don’t try to anticipate what I’m going to say next. Just relax into the moment. It usually helps if I utilize imagery that’s relaxing and secure to you. Most people use something like floating on a cloud, or swinging in a hammock.”
“A cloud couldn’t support my weight.”
That made her smile, which in turn made him feel good. “Okay, scratch clouds,” she said. “Give me a tangible description of tranquility.”
“The ocean. A quiet beach. Not an island, though. Lots of sun.”
“Waves? Seagulls?”
“Yes on the waves. But ditch the gulls.” Max tugged off his shoes. “Can you do this without a swinging pocket watch?”
“That only happens in old movies.”
“You promise I’m not going to start barking like a dog when someone says the number three?”
“That only happens in Vegas.” She tilted her head to one side as if sensing his misgivings. “Worrie
d?”
“Nah. Do I need to take off my clothes?”
“Max!”
“Kidding. Yeah, I am a little apprehensive.” Little? “Just take it easy with me, okay? This being my first time and all.”
“You’ll do fine.”
“Let me use the bathroom then.” When he came out, he noticed that Erin had grabbed the small note pad from beside the phone.
“For notes,” she said.
Max stretched out diagonally on the bed. “What kind of questions are you going to ask?”
“You want to know where you and Taz agreed to meet, right? I’ll focus on that, ask you to remember talking with him and what you discussed. I suggest we keep it simple this first time. We can do another session later.”
Max nodded. The throbbing pain was centered behind his eyes now, but he wasn’t about to mention it, for fear Erin would refuse to go further. And now that he’d made up his mind, he wanted to get on with it.
“Let’s do it.”
Pushing aside her misgivings was easier than Erin would have believed. Max agreeing to try hypnosis was major. If she stuck to her guns, insisting that it only be done in a conventional clinical setting, Max would refuse.
She hoped that if they had even a partially successful session, Max would agree to return to San Diego. She briefly considered formulating a mild suggestion that they surrender, but ultimately rejected the idea as too manipulative.
One of the basic tenets of hypnosis was transparency, honesty. They were after the truth—Max’s unadulterated memories. Neutrality on her part was crucial; that he trust her was equally crucial.
She had few expectations about the outcome, but she hid her pessimism from Max to avoid influencing his own attitude toward the process. His belief that he could go under and magically retrieve his lost memories would hopefully make it easier for him to relax.
Like a lot of people, Max misunderstood and re-sisted the notion of hypnosis. To some it smacked of silly stage acts; to others it flirted with mind control.
And if anyone had the right to fear mind control, he did.
Once he settled down, she took her time guiding him through a series of rote relaxation exercises. She was careful to keep the guided imagery of the ocean and beach quiet but not isolated.
It took almost twenty minutes before she noticed his facial muscles relaxing. The line of apprehension that had marred his brow seemed to ease right before her eyes.
“You’re safe and in full control, Max,” she repeated, before beginning another relaxation sequence to take him deeper.
When she’d finished that, his breathing was shallow and his mouth gaped open slightly.
“I want you to think of your friend, Taz. The two of you were close,” Erin began. “You trusted one another. You depended on each other. You had a bond.”
Max nodded almost imperceptibly.
“And that bond grew stronger with each day you were together. You discussed plans about helping each other. You can recall the sound of his voice as he spoke. You agreed to meet someplace if you were separated. Nod if you recall talking about that meeting place.”
Again Max nodded. Erin glanced at the clock. Nearly thirty minutes had passed. That was enough for now.
“You will recall everything you’ve remembered upon awakening, Max. Now it’s time to return.” She began a reverse counting sequence to bring him back to normal alertness while assuring him that the process could be readily repeated in the future.
“And, one. Open your eyes, feeling refreshed and alert and able to recall everything easily.”
Max blinked and drew in a deep breath, but he didn’t move.
“Pretty relaxed?” she prompted.
He closed his eyes and nodded.
“What do you remember, Max?” she asked. It wasn’t unusual for a patient to want to drift off to sleep. But discussing the session first was important. Talking also reengaged their attention.
“The beach.” Max turned toward her and looked directly into her eyes. Then he patted the edge of the mattress. “Sit here. And I’ll tell you.”
Erin moved without thought. Max looked so tranquil, so at ease. Don’t break the spell.
His gaze held hers as she eased onto the bed. In the dim light his eyes took on that silver glint again.
“Tell me what you remember,” she said again.
Max rolled onto his side, drawing closer as he faced toward her. His thighs pressed against her buttocks, but when she went to scoot forward, his hand touched her waist.
“Don’t. Stay. Please.”
Once again, with the “please” she didn’t move. Couldn’t move.
His hand stroked her side lightly as he began to talk, speaking so low she had to lean in to catch his words.
“The ocean. The beach. There were no foot-prints in the sand but ours. We had the entire cove to ourselves. You took off your shirt…”
She felt his fingers skim lightly across the bare skin at her lower back. He rose slightly, shifting his hands as he moved back to the middle of the bed, drawing Erin with him.
She went willingly. In her mind, she’d watched herself take off her shirt, then his. They were on the beach and he’d grown hard, his erection tenting the front of his swim trunks. Her hands closed over his hard length, groping him through the fabric as he stripped away her bikini top.
She drew a sharp breath, feeling his hands cup her bare breasts. His fingers teased and molded her before circling in and capturing the tips between finger and thumb. Her nipples responded to his touch, tightening. She moaned when he squeezed and tugged, and she realized he mimicked the motion of her hand as she rubbed and squeezed his cock.
“I want you,” she whispered. And was rewarded with a kiss. His tongue swept inside her mouth. Bold. Precise and totally irresistible.
“Say my name,” he commanded.
His hands swept down her sides. Not where she wanted them.
“Max.”
As soon as she spoke, he bolted straight up and pushed her away.
Caught off balance, Erin tumbled to the floor and was jolted back to…what? Reality? She shook her head, feeling dizzy.
What had just happened?
“Hades,” Max snapped. “I am Hades!” Then he started making a strangled sound.
Instantly, Erin pushed away the web of confusion and scrambled back to her feet. The strangled noise meant seizure!
“Max!”
He didn’t respond, his eyes half shut and rolled back. His jaw clenched and his body shook violently as the seizure overtook him fully.
Erin turned and grabbed the phone off the night table, but there was no dial tone.
“D-d-don’t,” Max hissed.
She glanced over her shoulder. “I’m calling nine-one-one. This is serious.”
He lunged forward, knocking the phone from her hand before grasping her wrists and tugging her down on the bed. His strength shocked her—superhuman yet controlled.
“It’s me. Max. That other—”
“Hades? Who’s that?”
“He’ll never hurt you.” Max panted now. “Sorry. I’ll never hurt you.”
His explanation cemented what Erin had begun to suspect: multiple personality disorder. His background would surely support it.
But one aspect didn’t fit. What about when she’d felt driven to seduce him? When she’d imagined them together at the beach. It was like they’d shared a dream.
“It’s complicated…” he said.
She drew a sharp breath. “You’re reading my mind!”
“Not…not now. Give me a minute.” He was shaking now, clearly in pain.
“Shhh. Don’t talk. Just relax.” She grasped for his wrist, found his pulse elevated. Almost immediately it started to drop.
He released a sigh. “Don’t let go. Your touch grounds me.”
She tried for a softer approach. “Max, please. Let me call for an ambulance.”
“I’ll be fine. And—” He took a deep breath
and shook his head, as if to clear it. “It worked, Erin. I made contact with Taz.”
Chapter 18
The session with Erin had gone better—and worse—than Max had expected.
His skepticism that hypnosis wouldn’t work on him had begun to erode while listening to her voice. Before starting, he’d seen enough of her thoughts to judge her honest, and that initial thread of trust had allowed him to relax.
It felt like he’d gone under immediately. The headache that had been present all day had even seemed to lighten, morphing into a sexual high when he subsequently projected her into the beach scenes alongside him.
Yours for the taking, mate.
The command had come out of nowhere. He heard Taz’s voice and it confused him. Rejecting Taz’s command, however, had plucked Max away from Erin, plunging him instead into darkness, pinning him to the ground with a crushing force.
But in the depths of that hell, Max had found memories. Not all were good. When he tried to explore the dark caverns further, the pain spiked to an excruciating level. Taz, where the hell are you?
Erin had been his lifeline out of the darkness. She had touched him and he’d wanted to live, to survive. To know more of her touch.
Max had literally fought his way back to consciousness, fought to bring back a few precious recollections. But at what cost?
“Did he hurt you?” Max demanded.
“He?” Erin repeated.
“Hades.”
Her eyes grew guarded. He had no strength left to probe her thoughts, forcing him to communicate the regular way. With words.
“I’m sorry for whatever he did.”
Erin shook her head. “Nothing really happened. Nothing bad anyway.”
“We were on the beach together, right?” he asked.
She nodded. “This is embarrassing…but do you remember kissing me?”
He’d done more than kiss her. He’d removed her shirt.
“Yeah. We did it in the sand.” At her blush, Max apologized again. “I mean, I had this image of us, together. We were alone and things got…romantic.”
“I wore a red bikini under my shirt. You had on black trunks. I think we both remember what occurred next. In our imaginations,” she hastened to add. “Max, I’d say you’re doing something more than mind reading. You projected images and—”