by Jaime Rush
Sam scooped up the last of the papers, shoved them in the folder, and headed down the stairs, afraid his wobbly legs would give out and send him tumbling down.
Did he have enough to give him some security? All he had to do was send Darkwell a copy of a couple papers and tell him that he’d gotten everything. Yes, he had enough. He would get them to his attorney. Then he would make arrangements to disappear.
Zoe leaned against the wall as Eric unplugged the computer and dialed Nicholas. The UPS started beeping. Rand stepped in front of the microphone, shooting Eric a warning look: Shut up. When Nicholas answered, he said, “It’s Rand. Have you had a chance—?”
“Yeah, I’m interested.” He sounded edgy, as though he were worried someone might hear.
Rand said, “You were able to sniff around?”
“Enough to think you’re onto something. And that I don’t want to be part of the program anymore.”
“You need to be very careful about letting on. If Darkwell suspects, you may be taken out. You’ll have to play along until we can get together and talk.”
“When will that be?”
“After you’ve proven that you’re not setting us up.”
After a moment of hesitation, he said, “What do I need to do?”
“You’re the master locator. Give us Sam Robbins’s home address.”
Another pause. “What do you want with him?”
“We just want to talk. He knows a lot about the program, then and now, and I think he’d be willing to part with that information.”
Nicholas’s voice lowered. “If I give it to you…I don’t want him hurt. I won’t be part of your violence.”
Petra gave them a See, told you look. Zoe hoped she was right.
Rand wasn’t completely convinced. “He won’t be touched. Lucas and I were prisoners, he was the only person who was nice to us.” He let out a soft breath. “And I understand your antiviolence stand, but you are going to find yourself in a kill-or-be-killed situation one of these days. You’d better be ready.”
“I’ll work on Robbins’s address. Give me a few minutes. He left a half hour ago, so I’ll try to do a locate on him.”
They disconnected and waited ten minutes. Then they went through the unplugging and dialing procedure again.
Nicholas answered with, “I have an address for you. I’ll give it to you on one condition: you tell me when you’re going to talk to him. I want to remote-view, see what’s going on.”
Rand looked at the others, who, other than Eric, nodded their agreement.
“Deal.”
Nicholas recited it to them.
So he believed. Maybe.
Eric leaned in front of the microphone. “If this is a trap, know that we’re coming for you.”
Nicholas asked, “Who is this?”
“Eric Aruda.”
Rand pushed him aside. “We’ll be in touch. And remember what I said: be careful.”
“And remember what you said about not hurting Robbins.”
“You have my word.”
The phone disconnected. Lucas looked at Petra. “How much do you trust this Cheveyo guy’s judgment?”
“Implicitly.”
“Then we go in.”
Three days later, on a drizzly night, Lucas and Rand crept to Robbins’s car where it was parked in a pub’s lot. Using a tool borrowed from Taze’s brother, Rand unlocked the car door, and Lucas slid into the backseat to wait. The most dangerous part was staying in one place for a period of time.
Zoe waited nearby, focusing her energy on putting the golden shield around the car. Rand glanced over at her silhouette near the line of trees at the back of the parking lot. A voice whispered, There are better things to do with a beautiful woman on a dark, drizzly night.
Rand, just get that thought right out of your head. Both your heads.
He’d kept his distance from her as much as possible considering they were often in the same enclosed space belowground. But he’d caught her looking at him, which meant he was looking at her way too much. Every time their gazes locked, his body reacted. His hardened cock he could understand, since he knew every curve on her body, the smell of her, the taste of her…
He shook his head. Yeah, all of that. He could write off the physical reactions as typical male physiology. What he couldn’t explain, and didn’t want to explore, was the strange tightening in his chest.
He’d been working on his skills as Zoe had—she seemed to like practicing on him—and thought he’d gained a few seconds. He continually shot ahead. This time he saw that Robbins was about to come out. He rang Lucas’s phone once, knowing he would feel the vibration.
Robbins appeared, looked ragged, and got into his car. Rand held his breath and waited for the signal from Lucas. When his phone rang once, Rand called Zoe. “He’s got him.”
The car started, and Robbins pulled around to the darkest edge of the lot as Lucas had instructed him. Zoe and Rand were there to meet them. Amy came from the left, and Lucas told Robbins to get into the backseat.
The man’s face was sheet white as he stumbled out of the car. “Please, don’t hurt me.”
Amy slid into the driver’s seat as Robbins got into the back with Lucas. Rand held the gun to Robbins’s back as he followed, so that he and Lucas flanked their target. Zoe got into the front seat, and Amy drove away.
Lucas faced Robbins. “As I said, we’re going to take a drive, and you’re going to tell us everything you know. If you cooperate, we’ll get out of your car and let you go.”
Staying on the move seemed the best idea. Eric and Petra followed in the ’Cuda at a reasonable distance.
In the passing streetlights, Rand could see the fear on Robbins’s face.
The man’s expression transformed to disbelief. “Wait a minute. You’re Lucas. But you’re supposed to be—”
“Dead?” Lucas said.
“You were shot in the chest. And…”
“Because of whatever you were injecting into me.”
“I never wanted to use that stuff again.”
“What was it?”
“I…I don’t know. I never knew what was in it.”
“It’s the same stuff our parents got, isn’t it?”
“Yes. This time we extracted from the blood of the Offspring in the new program, though they don’t know the real reason for the blood test. Lucas, I’m sorry for what Darkwell has done. I never wanted to be part of this. He is mad, mad with what he calls justice and a cause he considers noble.”
Rand then asked, “What’s the purpose of DARK MATTER?”
“Political assassination. Like what Lucas did.”
Amy turned. “What Lucas did?”
“Killing through his dreams,” Robbins said as though he assumed they knew.
Rand hadn’t heard about that, and, if Amy’s shocked expression was an indication, neither had she.
Lucas pinched the bridge of his nose. “That’s what I had to do to keep you safe, Amy. I killed two terrorists. And that bastard had me kill his brother.”
Robbins worried his trembling hands. “That was the beginning of the end for me. He knows I no longer support the program, that I want out. I’ve got papers about the first program. I can give you copies. Then I have to disappear.”
Rand’s heartbeat stepped up as he heard the words “My father?” come out of his mouth.
“Yes, some of the notes on Paul Brandenburg and Zoe’s father. God, I’m sorry about that. He was a good man before…” Robbins could only shake his head.
Rand felt something shift inside him. All these years it had been easier to believe his father was a cowardly thief so he could forget him, not care. But…maybe he wasn’t. As Zoe so desperately needed to believe, maybe his father, too, was possessed by madness caused by the Booster.
Rand shot ahead, and what he saw stunned him. No, it can’t be.
Though Robbins’s voice still quivered, he didn’t look as much afraid as he was nervous. “I’m o
n your side. I don’t like what Darkwell’s become, what he’s doing. I think he’s onto me, though. I’m pretty sure he’s having me watched.”
“Will you help us?” Zoe asked.
“Take me back to my house, and I’ll make you copies of the papers. What I can tell you is that Darkwell is gunning for you, and he’s getting desperate. He’s working on bringing another Offspring aboard, and he’s the reason I’m finally leaving. The last straw. He’s evil, he’s powerful, and there’s something you need to know about him.”
Rand thought his brain had to be warped. No way would Lucas shoot Robbins. He was the one who’d adamantly ordered that he not be harmed. That’s why Eric was separated from him.
Have you ever been wrong?
Rand held out his hand. “Give me your gun, Lucas.”
“What?”
Zoe’s voice mirrored the fear in his. “What’s going on?”
“Give me your gun, Lucas!” Rand shouted, snatching in the dark for it.
The voice that came from Lucas was low and controlled…different. “No.”
They drove under a streetlight, and in that second of illumination, he saw Lucas’s blank expression as he raised the gun. Rand tried to grab it.
Robbins said, “Sayre,” as Lucas shot him in the chest.
Blood sprayed everywhere. Zoe screamed. A map went flying. Robbins slumped forward. Amy slammed on the brakes, and the car fishtailed to a stop. She twisted around, fighting with the seat belt. “What happened? What the hell happened?”
Rand tore the gun from Lucas’s hand. He went slack, his head falling against the glass with a thump.
“Pull off!” Rand shouted. “Over there, in that empty parking lot.”
Zoe’s voice was empty, shocked, when she answered Amy. “Lucas shot Robbins.”
“What?” Amy said in a squeaky voice. “No! He wouldn’t have done that.”
Rand fought the urge to throw up. He was covered in blood, the car reeked of the coppery scent of it, and his brain still couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.
Lucas’s phone was ringing. Amy threw the car into park. They heard Eric screech to a halt behind them and car doors open. Eric yanked open the door on Rand’s side, lighting up the interior and the grisly scene.
Lucas opened his eyes and looked around as though he were seeing everything for the first time. He blinked in disbelief. “Oh my God, what happened?”
Amy stared from the front seat. “You shot him. Lucas, you shot Robbins.”
He looked down at his hands, covered in blood. “No. No.”
Rand took Robbins’s arm and pressed his finger to his wrist. He looked dead, but he had to check. Rand shook his head. “No pulse.”
Eric said, “He got into your head, didn’t he? That son of a bitch said he was going to get into all of our heads.”
Lucas couldn’t take his shocked gaze from Robbins’s body. “I…I don’t remember doing it.”
“Did you hear his voice?”
“No, only Rand demanding my gun. I felt a cold feeling, like an ice cube on the back of my neck. I don’t remember anything after that.” His face reflected his terror. He looked at Rand. “You must have seen me shoot him before I did it.”
Rand nodded. “But it didn’t make sense. I thought I was losing it.”
“I’m losing it.”
The phone rang again. Lucas was too shocked to even acknowledge it. Amy grabbed it up. “It’s Nicholas.” He had their number because they’d called him just before they’d begun their wait for Robbins. She punched in the speaker button. “Hello.”
“Who is this?” he asked.
“Amy. Nicholas—”
“You weren’t supposed to kill him!” The emotion in his voice stretched his words taut. “I remote-viewed you to see what was going on. You lied—”
“Lucas never meant to kill Robbins! Someone got into his head. He just blanked out. He has no memory of shooting Robbins, and he’s torn up over it. How do we know it wasn’t you?”
“Because I can’t get into someone’s head and because I’m not a murderer.”
She paused, weighing his words, weighing hers. “Somebody did and somebody is. If you had anything to do with this…” She looked at the phone display. “He hung up.” She got out of the car, nudged Eric aside, and put her hands on Lucas’s shoulders. “It had to be Jerryl.”
Eric shook his head. “It doesn’t sound like Jerryl’s MO. I can feel him in my head, hear his voice. But I remember every damned second of the struggle. I’m never out.”
Rand said, “Something changed in your face, Lucas. When I saw you in advance and when it happened, your eyes looked blank. It was like you were possessed, dude.”
Lucas’s face was frozen in fear. “What if it was one of my episodes, only now they’re different.” He looked at Eric. “I’m going crazy.”
Amy’s fear was just as intense. “No, it isn’t that. Robbins was telling us about another Offspring. What did he say right before…?”
“He said ‘scared,’ I think,” Zoe said.
Eric said, “Jerryl might be able to get into your head in a different way than mine. It has to be them, bro. You’re the last person who would kill this guy. Or maybe it was Braden. Maybe this was part of the setup.”
Rand looked at Robbins’s body, slumped between the front seats. “We’ve got to get out of here. About a mile back we crossed a river. Let’s get Robbins into the front seat, wipe the gun, put his fingers on it to leave his prints, and send the car into the river. It might look like suicide. We’ve got to wipe off our prints.” He rubbed his forehead. “She-it, I can’t believe I’m saying this. Come on, let’s move.”
They used Eric’s shirt to wipe every surface they might have touched, along with the gun. Lucas was still in shock, moving robotically.
Eric nodded toward Robbins. “I can’t really feel sorry for him. He was one of them.”
Lucas’s voice sounded empty when he said, “He wanted to help us. Give us papers on the program.”
Petra eyes widened. “Oh, no, I’ve got the feeling. They’re watching.”
“Put up the shield!” Rand said.
She slowed her breathing as she rocked back and forth, her eyes closed. A few seconds later she opened her eyes. “They’re gone.”
Zoe twisted her fingers together. “They know. We’ve got to get back to the tomb.”
Everyone’s voice was shaky, even Rand’s. They worked silently, getting to the bridge, waiting for a break in traffic to transfer Robbins to the driver’s seat, then driving the car through the railing.
Zoe rubbed her face, pulling her hand away and letting out a garbled whimper. “I’ve got…his blood…”
In the moonlight, Rand could see her eyes shiny with tears. He took her hand and led her down the embankment toward the water. “We need to wash this stuff off so we don’t get it in the ’Cuda. Evidence.”
Amy and Lucas followed. They splashed the cool water all over themselves. Rand washed Zoe’s face and dipped her trembling hands into the water. She kept saying island names over and over. Lucas kept whispering, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” as he washed off the blood.
They piled into the ’Cuda and drove back to where Rand had stashed his bike. When he looked at Zoe’s haunted expression, he wanted to take her with him. “It’s going to be a cold drive. Wet body and wind isn’t a good combination, and you’re already chilled.”
But it wasn’t just to comfort Zoe that made him want her holding on to him as he rode back to the tomb. As much as he hated to admit it, the feel of her arms around him would have comforted him, too.
“Rand, that thought has dangerous painted all over it in ocean blue.”
Zoe’s skin was still scorched from the hot shower. She curled up on the couch, hugging a throw pillow. The rest of the group were scattered around the room, their drooping shoulders and long faces reflecting the shock still clinging to them. For a while no one said anything or even looked at each other. Z
oe figured that, like her, they needed time to absorb what had happened. A possible ally killed. Hope of getting information lost. And one of their own acting totally out of character.
Eric finally looked at Lucas. “Why didn’t you tell us about the dream assassinations?”
Lucas pressed his fingers over his eyelids. “I was ashamed.”
Amy put her hand on his back. “But you did it to save me.”
“That wasn’t the first time I’d killed someone in my dreams.” He looked up. “That’s why Darkwell knew what I could do, based on my mother’s dreamweaver ability and the fact that three local scumbags had died mysteriously in their sleep. He used that, and Amy, to get me to cooperate. I wasn’t going to say anything to you guys unless I needed to.”
Zoe could see that Amy was hurt over Lucas’s secret, but her hand remained on his back in comfort. That kind of love touched Zoe so deeply her eyes watered.
Rand sat on the floor where Zoe usually sat. “So the question is, did Nicholas set us up?”
Lucas shook his head. “I don’t think so. Given his background, his concern that we not hurt…Robbins.” He took a ragged breath.
Amy said, “And he was pissed about Robbins’s death. I could hear it in his voice. Guys can’t fake that kind of emotion.”
Zoe hugged the pillow tighter. “They can’t even feel that kind of emotion most of the time.” She gave Rand a quick glance, catching him narrowing his eyes at her.
Eric crossed his bare feet on the coffee table. “But we can’t trust him because we don’t know for sure. Anyone can act, you know. Remember Jerryl’s charade?”
Zoe nodded, remembering too well. “Robbins mentioned another Offspring who is evil, powerful, and there was something he was going to tell us about him, something important. He died before he could tell us.”
Lucas blanched again, even though she’d tried to couch it as neutrally as possible.
Rand rubbed his chin, still in the habit of stroking his goatee, no doubt. “He said he had papers on the first program. He was going to get us copies. We could check his house.”