“He doesn’t know!” Her voice was desperate, and she glanced back at Sam quickly. “When it comes to his powers, Jason is very secretive. There are probably a lot of things he can do that he’s never told anyone.”
Glaring at her didn’t change her resolve, but I couldn’t fully believe her. “Sit down. I wasn’t asking you.”
Sam spoke up then, apparently unwilling to let the girl speak for him. “I warned you,” he said with a smirk, leaning back against the wall. He looked like he was feeling very relaxed. “Jason is better than you. You didn’t want to listen, and he got through your defenses. I told you the truth about him. You poked the tiger, and he’s going to fight back with all he has.”
I grabbed him by the front of his shirt and dragged him to his feet. I was pleased to see the boy’s confident smirk fade away. “Tell me everything he can do!”
He stared at me for a moment, as if considering what to say. But as his gaze burned into mine I could feel my anger fading. Not that it was gone, but I started feeling more afraid and less angry. Sam was right. His brother was stronger than I gave him credit for, but I was still determined to prove that I was better. “Fine,” he said, halting before he continued. “Jason can feel echoes and vibrations in the ground that tell him where people are. And he knows people by their footsteps as soon as he feels them.”
The girl looked like she wanted to interrupt, but Sam glared at her and continued. “He can cause earthquakes, make holes appear, and throw massive amounts of dirt around like its child’s play. Beyond that,” he shrugged; a falsely apologetic look on his face. “I have no idea. Because she’s right.” He indicated the girl on the bed with a nod. “Jason’s very secretive about his abilities, and protective of us. To keep us safe, he doesn’t tell us very much about his powers. That way we can’t tell people like you, who would then be warned about everything he can do.”
Hiking him up by his shirt so his feet barely touched the ground, I shook him slightly. “Fine. If that’s all you’re going to share, know this; I will not give up on him. He is my ultimate prey, and, if I choose to sell him, I’ll be set for life!” I shoved Sam back onto the bed, and his head thumped painfully against the wall. He rubbed at the sore spot and glared at me.
I turned to leave, anger abated for the moment. “If he fights me too hard and I can’t take him alive, which is my goal right now,” I said with a glance over my shoulder. “Then I will stop holding back. I will kill him.”
Closing the door firmly behind me, I leaned on it to see if they would think I left and start talking. It took a few minutes of silence before the girl spoke. “You do know more, don’t you?” It wasn’t a question, and I knew it to be truth. Sam hadn’t told me anything about his big brother that I didn’t already know. And he probably knew it.
“Even if I do,” Sam hedged, “I wouldn’t tell him. Jason is the only chance we have, Hannah. If this guy knows everything he can do, he can plan around it, and Jason loses his edge. But,” he continued. “It wasn’t all a lie. I really don’t know everything he’s capable of, because he hardly talks to me about his abilities. Now quiet, I have a headache and…” His voice got very quiet, and I was no longer able to hear him.
Letting out a sigh, I realized I learned nothing from my attempt at eavesdropping. Sam might not have told me everything, but I knew already that he wouldn’t. I had let my anger get the better of me, which wasted time and energy. It was time to clean myself up, and get back to the hunt. Moving away from the door I winced. My head throbbed and my muscles ached. Okay. My plans would need to be slightly changed. Continuing would have to wait until after I took some pain relievers, and iced the bruises on my chest. Being hit with tons of heavy dirt moving at high speeds did not feel pleasant.
My main consolation was that Jason had to be hurting after I threw the same trick back at him when I retreated. After all, until today he had no idea what I could do. Consequently, he had no defense against it.
Now that he knew, I mused uneasily, would he be even harder to beat?
FORTY-THREE
Jason
Leaving the woods was more difficult than entering. Now that I knew the killer was there, I needed to see where his tracks led. Mark wouldn’t let me track him. “You’re beat up right now, Jase. And probably in a little shock.”
Snorting I replied, “I don’t think I’m the only one, but I need to find Sam.” Insisting on it did me little good. In the end I leaned heavily on Mark as we walked, my bruised back seizing up with every motion, sending daggers of pain through my entire body. My chest was also badly bruised. It was likely an identical injury to the one I inflicted on the other man, but that knowledge didn’t make breathing any easier.
“You just found out this guy can do what you do, Jason. It’s time to regroup and figure out how to stop him.” It would also teach him how to stop me.
If we spent time brainstorming ways to get around the killer’s abilities, it would also give Mark more insight on my own powers. He breathed out heavily, supporting much of my weight without complaint. It all came down to trust. Did I trust Mark enough to share everything I knew about how my powers work, in order for him to help me stop this guy?
Trust had always been something I struggled with, and now is no exception. Eventually, I learned to trust Alice. At first I trusted her easily, even going so far as to show her my power so she would accept the information I gave her about a missing girl. But after seeing her partner, and how much he resembled my father, I retreated and didn’t go back to her for several weeks. Even then I was suspicious and wary every time we met. It took several months—in which she never gave up my secret or attempted to use me for selfish goals—for me to open up again.
With Dan it was different. Even knowing he was nothing like my father, the physical resemblance prevented me from separating him from my abusive monster of a father. It took years for me to finally accept him, and even then it was slightly forced. He caught me using my powers. But, like Alice, Dan never told anyone or asked me to use them. Eventually I trusted him with the other children who, until my experience with Trevor Mason, were under my protection. They had been my family, and still would be, if I let them in again. And if they allowed me back. After all we went through in our years on the streets—I left. They might not find my desertion so easy to forgive, since they’d all experienced abandonment before.
“Jason, the flashlight is dying. Do you think you could help lead us out of here?” Mark asked wearily, dragging me back to the present. “You with me, bud?”
Nodding was a bad idea, so I muttered an incoherent response and tried to concentrate on the path we needed to follow. Concentrating on a task allowed me to stay more lucid, and I wondered if I hit my head when the other Tracker threw me into the tree.
“Yeah, we’ll check that when we get out of the woods,” Mark said, which made me realize I voiced my thoughts out loud.
Grunting, I muttered, “I must be more out of it than I thought.” Then I directed him to the trail we needed to follow. “This will lead us out, to my backyard. Then we need to call Nickels.”
Mark’s footsteps faltered for a moment, “Right. The detective will definitely be wondering where we disappeared to. And Hannah… I guess we’ll need to call Alice again.” His voice softened with regret at the end, and I knew he didn’t want to make that call.
She would have made it here anyway in the next day or so in order to find my brother. Now it would be more imperative for her to come and help find her sister. “I can call, if you want. It’s my fault anyway.” I spoke as clearly as possible.
“It’s not, Jason. We had no way of knowing this guy would take another person while he still has Sam. From everything in his previous MO he only takes one victim at a time.”
True. That had been his normal routine, but his set pattern changed when he noticed me. “Everything’s different now.” My voice was quiet. “We knew that when he started targeting me after taking Sam.”
“You’r
e right, bud. But that doesn’t make any of this your fault. I’ll call Alice. You just worry about what we’re going to tell the detective, since he knows nothing about your special talents.”
Great. Yet another thing I needed to explain that I didn’t even want to think about. Expanding my trust to Mark was one thing. He knew about my abilities for years without giving me away to anyone. Nickels was new. “Head hurts,” I grumbled as he chuckled briefly, the sound oddly macabre in the dark woods.
“Not surprised. At the speed you flew into that tree, I was just happy you were still conscious.” He squeezed my shoulder lightly, almost causing me to drop on the spot. My pained groan clued him in. “Sorry.” He rushed to apologize, rubbing the spot gently. “You’re going to need some major pain killers, I think.”
“I’ll be fine.” Insisting on it didn’t make it true, but hope springs eternal. Conversation died then, and I found myself drifting. My world was confined to the pain in my head and back, until we reached my house and Mark began patting at my pockets. “What’cha doin’?” I slurred, slapping at him with uncoordinated motions—further evidence that I had, in fact, hit my head.
“I need your keys.” His voice was such a forced calm that I had to look up at him, squinting through the yard light, to see what was wrong. He muttered to himself in such a low voice I couldn’t understand him as I reached to get the key from my pocket.
“Mark?”
“Keep quiet, Jason. I’ll take care of cleaning you up a bit before we call Detective Nickels.”
He was more upset now than when we were in the woods. And the only thing that changed was… “The light,” I said quietly.
“What?”
“It’s the only change,” I explained while he dragged me through the kitchen into the living room. He dumped me onto the old couch as gently as he could, and turned on the side lamp.
He sighed, looking down at the ground with a slight shake of his head. “I know you have a concussion, Jason, so I’m not sure if I’m supposed to follow what you’re saying or not.”
“What’s wrong?” My voice rose slightly and I winced at the increased volume. “You weren’t worried, then we got into the light and now you are,” I finished in a quieter tone.
Sighing again, he went to the kitchen and grabbed ice packs, and some wet towels. “Here.” He passed me the largest ice pack. “Put this on your back. I’ll clean up your head, and then this one will go there.” He indicated the smaller pack.
The first towel was nearly blackened with dirt when he finished gently cleaning my face. I almost groaned with the relief of having the crusty dirt off. The second towel he rubbed across the back of my neck, and I hissed with the sudden stinging pain at the base of my skull. He easily blocked my hands from moving to the back of my head, but he pulled the towel away in order to do so. The very blood soaked towel.
Wincing in sympathy, he sighed again. “I think you’re going to need stitches for that one, Jason. It’s still bleeding quite a bit.”
Hospitals were not an option. Not when I would run the risk of them wanting to admit me after seeing my injuries. “No. Just put pressure on, and use some of the gauze and tape from my first aid kit.”
I could tell he wanted to argue, but I wasn’t going to lose any more time than necessary to recoup after this disastrous outing. “Do what you can here, Mark.”
Nodding tersely, he went back into the kitchen to get some clean soapy water in a bowl, and followed my directions to the first aid kit. “This is going to hurt. The tree wasn’t exactly sanitary, and I am not closing this up until it’s clean. You don’t have anything I can use to numb the area.”
He was trying to get me to reconsider going to the hospital, but my mind was made up. I removed my dirt-covered shirt, and he helped me get repositioned onto my stomach. My head rested on my folded arms, and a clean towel was under me to keep the blood off the couch.
My eyes closed, and I had to force myself to stay awake. Sleeping after a head wound… not a great plan. Mark knew as well and kept a steady stream of chatter while he gathered the materials.
I kept myself focused on Sam as Mark began the grueling cleaning process, reminding myself this was how it had to be, so I wouldn’t be further delayed in finding my brother. After thoroughly scrubbing the laceration with what felt like sandpaper, he rubbed a large amount of antibiotic cream onto the wound. Using strips of tape to hold the edges together, he covered the area with gauze. It wasn’t until he was done that I realized I took off my shirt in front of him. Until that moment, I hadn’t removed my shirt in front of anyone since my torture at the hands of Trevor Mason.
I exposed all my scars, my weaknesses, to Mark without even thinking about it. And the man hadn’t even flinched. He did what he needed to do without noticeable hesitation.
Leaving me to rest, he arranged the ice packs so they sat on the worst of the bruised areas, and went to call Alice and Detective Nickels. When he finished, he told me they would both be by the house the next morning to figure out our next move. Alice and Mark knew about my powers already, but not the full extent. Detective Nickels knew nothing about them, but that was about to change. He was part of this, and I was going to take a leap of faith and tell him about my powers. Even if he didn’t accept me, Alice and Dan would have my back, and we would still be able to find Sam and Hannah. But Nickels seemed pretty open minded, so I didn’t think he’d turn on me.
Maybe it was time for me to learn to trust again.
FORTY-FOUR
Sam
The night and day after the altercation passed uneventfully. With both Jason and Hunter injured, which I knew despite the fact that Jason’s injuries were invisible to me, neither was overly eager to face the other again. “I’m sure he’s fine.” Hannah tried to reassure me without knowing why I was so worried. Jason was hurting, that much was clear. Quite a bit of it was emotional, but there was a significant portion of physical pain as well. His aggravation at the situation was obvious, and I knew the others wouldn’t be successful much longer in preventing him from continuing the search. “What aren’t you telling me, Sam?”
Barely sparing her a glance, I kept my focus inward to continue keeping track of both of the men I was somehow able to sense. “Probably several things. Can you be more specific?” It was a sarcastic response, but I was not comfortable explaining things to her while still in captivity.
“I… you’ve been so distracted since I got here. With the lack of things to do in this room, I’m kind of curious as to what is holding so much of your attention.”
Giving her a sideways glance, I admired her perception. “Wait a few minutes, I think Hunter is about to leave.” My voice was low, to avoid attracting attention. Maybe I wouldn’t tell her about manipulating the thoughts and emotions of Hunter and Jason, but it couldn’t hurt to tell her I could read their emotions. However, there was no way I was taking the risk of telling her while Hunter was in the house.
Hunter was becoming restless from his forced inactivity. Despite it being only about twenty-four hours since the fight, I was pretty sure he would leave the house soon, even if it was only to spy on my brother. My assumption proved true when a few minutes later we heard the front door slam and the car engine start. After standing, and pulling the length of chain along so she could look out the window, Hannah looked at me. “Okay, he’s gone. What’s going on?”
Taking a deep breath, I committed to telling her the secret my brother didn’t even know. Sensing my hesitation, she sat next to me and put her arm around my shoulders. She used to do the same in order to comfort me while Jason was missing, or when he was drowning in the memories of what was done to him. “Do you think I’ll judge you for anything you tell me?” she asked gently. “After everything we’ve been through, you’re my little brother too.”
For the first time since Hunter kidnapped me, I smiled. A true smile, not my smirk or the mocking smile I used to help fortify the changes made to Hunter’s sense of fear. “Family first,
right?” I asked, my voice sounding younger than it had in ages.
With a nod, she ruffled my hair gently and rested her head on my shoulder. “Always. No matter where you and Jason end up, whether you choose to come home or not, we are always your family.”
Without meeting her eyes I began to explain. “I’ve never told anyone.” I stressed as my first point. “Not even Jason knows what I’m about to tell you, and I need you to promise you’ll let me tell him on my own terms. No dropping hints or trying to force me to tell him. I’ll choose.”
Looking very curious, she nodded her assent, so I continued to tell her about my abilities. When I finished, her eyes were wide with surprise. “You can sense him?” she asked quietly. “Is he okay?” Her eyes filled with tears, which made me realize her feelings for my brother hadn’t changed in the time we’d been gone. Based on Jason’s emotions when he saw her a couple days ago, his feelings hadn’t either.
“He’s…” Terrified, hurting, worried. Did she really need to know that all of his emotions right now were negative? Knowing Jason as we both did, I knew we could assume he was ready to do something stupid and dangerous to get us to safety. She kept looking at me, waiting for me to finish my thought. “He’s determined,” I finally chose. “Hunter was able to take two people Jason cares about, and hurt him. Jase isn’t about to let that stand. But he’s with Mark and Detective Nickels, so hopefully they’ll be able to hold him back a little.”
Snorting, she hugged me tighter. “Have you ever managed to change his mind about anything once he makes a decision?”
I had to admit that I hadn’t. “Not once. I kept trying to get him to call you, and made it pretty obvious I wanted to go back home. There’s no way I would leave him again. He wasn’t ready to contact you, and even I can’t figure out what was holding him back.”
Hunter Page 16