Ryland was released from the professor’s hold. He tumbled to the floor and grabbed one of his daggers. I watched him from the corner of my eye as he silently crept behind Turner and drove his dagger deep into Turner’s thigh.
Turner screamed and his power broke off. He clamped his hands around his leg, trying to slow the bleeding. I kept my psychic hold on him until he passed out from shock.
My hands fell limp at my sides. The room was deathly silent. “Is he dead?”
Ryland checked the professor’s pulse. “No, he’s alive. But he’ll need to see a doctor.” He looked up at me from the floor. “Remember what I said, psychics were teleportation powers are nearly impossible to catch. It was the only way.” He wiped the blood off his blade. “Not that he would have hesitated to kill us.”
My mouth tasted like bile. Deep down, I knew this would happen eventually, but I wasn’t ready to see it.
Luke tied a tourniquet around Turner’s leg and shook his head. “I suppose I should teleport him to the hospital and alert the authorities.”
“What about Daniel?” I protested.
“We’ll get to that. I’ll only be gone for a few minutes.” Luke rubbed his eyes; he could not hide his exhaustion. “It’s better that we take care of him now than risk him waking up and getting away.”
I looked at Turner. He was pale and cold, but breathing. If we left him here, he’d either die or escape. Neither was an outcome I wanted on my conscious. “Fine.”
Without another word, Luke grabbed Turner by his collar and disappeared in a ripple of energy, leaving Ryland and I to tend to each other’s wounds.
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
“I’m sorry I dragged you into this.” I winced as Ryland applied a medicated ointment to the rope burn on my wrists and arms. It cooled my skin instantly.
“Don’t mention it.” Ryland didn’t look at me while he worked. “Thanks for saving my life,” He added.
I blushed. “It was nothing,” I said, trying to be modest.
Ryland’s icy blue eyes met mine. “Why do you do that? Stop belittling yourself. What you did was epic. You stopped a knife mid-throw and crumpled it like paper. That shit was pretty cool.” He grinned.
The sound of his laugh made my heart feel lighter. I smiled. “Ok, fine. You’re right. It was cool.”
“Took Turner by surprise too,” Ryland said. “When this is over, I expect to see you sparring more often.”
I looked at the broken handcuffs dangling on my wrists. “Yeah, when this is over.” I tried to pry my hands out of the metal, but failed. I wished that we would have found the key before popping Turner out. I summoned my energy to twist off the metal.
“No, don’t do that.” Ryland said, resting his hand on my shoulder. “We’ll get them off the old-fashioned way back at the academy. We don’t need you using any more energy.” He grabbed some protein bars from his bag and tossed one to me.
I took a bite of the chalky chocolate-flavored brick and grimaced. “Ugh.”
Ryland laughed and squatted down beside me. “Yeah, nasty, huh? But you need to eat or else you might pass out when we need you.” He opened his bar and finished it in a few bites.
I forced down the rest of the bar and drank deeply from my water bottle. “Thanks.”
Ryland sat down and nudged my foot with his playfully. “Anything for the girl who saved my life.”
“You’re not going to let that go, are you?” I asked.
“I dunno, do you think it’ll get me a date when this is over?” Ryland’s voice was low. He leaned in and kissed me.
I moaned against his lips, happy to lose myself in the pleasure and forget about the surrounding violence, even if it was just for a second. He pulled me into his arms and I put a hand on his chest. Being with him felt so right, no matter how much I tried to deny it.
The pressure spiked in the room and Luke reappeared.
I pulled away quickly, but by the look on his face, he had seen enough.
“Alright, let’s get moving.” Luke said, not meeting my eyes.
“Wait, are you sure you don’t need to rest?” Ryland said. “You’ve been popping in and out like crazy. You must be exhausted.”
“I am,” Luke said flatly. “But now is not the time to worry about it. We need to save Bianca’s friend before something bad happens to him.” He shouldered his bag. “I left Turner at the hospital. The authorities have been notified. If want to to help Daniel, we need to find him and manage the Rogues until the FBI shows up.” He finally looked at me, but his expression was cold and business-like. “I noticed a cell phone in your bag. You can use it to call for back up as soon as we’ve found him.”
“Why not call now?” Ryland asked.
“I was advised to scout the area first. If a bunch of agents start poking around, chances are good that whoever has Daniel will teleport out of there at the first sign of trouble. We need to be discrete.”
Ryland nodded. “Ok, let’s do this.” He unceremoniously grabbed Luke’s hand; neither of them seemed comfortable with the physical contact.
I pulled Daniel’s hoodie out of my bag and held it to my chest. We’d need it to teleport to him. The scent of the fabric brought memories flooding back.
Luke held out his hand to me. “I need you to think really, really, hard. Focus on Daniel and nothing else. Transporting three people is going to suck.”
I let out a shaking breath and took his hand in mine. “Ok. Let’s go save Daniel.”
#
We reappeared somewhere outside again. I could hear dogs barking and an ambulance’s siren in the distance. More empty warehouses, sprawling asphalt and over-grown weeds surrounded us. What was it with Rogues and living in squalor?
Luke stumbled and fell to his knees. His entire body was trembling after teleporting Ryland and I. I knelt down beside him and put my hand on the center of his back; he was sweating and burning hot.
“Let Luke rest for a minute,” Ryland shot me a glance and ignored Luke’s half-hearted protest. “I’ll scout around. There’s a lot of psychic energy nearby. I can feel it.” He set down his bag and crept off into the darkness.
If I closed my eyes and focused, I could feel the low rumble in the air. The power permeated the ground. “What do you think will happen when we show up without their partner to trade?” I wondered out loud.
“Don’t worry about it.” Luke shook his head. “I highly doubt they were looking for a fair trade, anyway. Rogues don’t care about each other; they only care about themselves.”
“So they don’t want him back?”
“If I had to guess, they want you alone a lot more than their little friend,” Luke said. He grabbed a protein bar and forced down a mouthful. He raised his eyebrows and offered me a bite.
I shuddered. “No thanks. I’ll wait for real food.”
Luke chuckled. “Fine, have it your way.”
Ryland returned a minute later. “The psychic energy is coming from that warehouse.” He pointed across the parking lot. “I didn’t see any scouts or guards, so we might just be able to catch them by surprise.”
“They have a teleporter, though,” Luke said. “She’ll be hard to catch.”
“As long as we get Daniel back, I don’t care.” I said.
Luke and Ryland both looked at me and then at each other.
“What?” I said after a beat.
Luke shrugged and Ryland shook his head. “Nothing.” They spoke in unison.
“It’s not nothing,” I argued and jumped to my feet. “Why did you guys just look like that? What aren’t you telling me?”
Ryland shook his head. “Honestly, nothing. But maybe you should reconsider keeping normal people as friends after this. Obviously, it’s dangerous for them. Why do you think the government keeps us a secret?”
I balled my fists and stomped my feet. Yeah, I know it was immature, but I was frustrated beyond words. “I refuse to let go of my old life!”
Luke put his hand on my shoulder.
“Let’s just get this over with. It’s not the place to be fighting.” He gestured around us to emphasize how out in the open we were. Thankfully, there was no one around the industrial area at this time of night.
“Fine.” I double checked my boots to make sure I laced them tight and put my backpack on. “Let’s go find Daniel, call for backup and then we can all go home.” I grimaced when I realized I was referring to the academy at home; I had no time to dwell on it. We had to rescue Daniel. That was the only priority right now.
Follow Ryland’s lead, we crept off into the darkness towards the warehouse. It was so quiet now. There were no lights on. Not even a raccoon rummaging in the garbage. We stopped at the back door. The lock was twisted and pried off and the door hung off the hinges at an awkward angle.
I gulped, remembering the psychic who had stopped the car with nothing but a flick of his wrists. He must have done this too. I gritted my teeth and tried to focus my thoughts. He was powerful, but so was I. I could twist metal and stop a knife in midair. I had been trained well by Ms. Blackwell and that traitor Professor Turner. I could take whatever was on the other side of that door.
Ryland whispered. “Ok, they wanted you. I suggest that you make yourself known. Be a distraction. Luke and I will take them by surprise.”
I nodded.
“Do you still have that phone?” Luke asked.
“Yeah, it’s in my bag,” I said.
“Good. When we start the attack, I need you to dial 999.”
I raised my eyebrows.
“It’s the 911 for psychics,” Luke said. “A line only for emergencies. I’ll explain later. But they’re expecting our call soon. They have a dozen agents on standby ready to teleport in here at a moment’s notice.”
A wave of relief washed over me. So we wouldn’t be going up against these guys alone. “Ok. Will do.” I fished the phone from my back and slipped it into the zipper pocket of my leggings. I patted it just to be extra sure that it was secure.
“Be careful.” Ryland’s eyes locked onto mine for a fraction longer than they should have.
I wanted to kiss him, but I didn’t. “Let’s do this.”
Before I could lose my nerve, I pushed open the door and walked in with my chin held high. I was not going to let them see how scared I actually was. I clenched my fists to keep them from trembling. The boys had my back; I reassured myself.
The warehouse was crowded and stuffy and dark. Shelves lined up in perfect formation, all of them cluttered with boxes and what looked to be small car parts. The dim lights barely illuminated the path before me. I had to rely on my senses more than anything. Now would have been a good time to have those night-vision goggles.
The lines of shelving stopped abruptly. My heart fell to the pit of my stomach when I saw what was at the center of the small warehouse: Daniel.
Daniel was tied to a chair with chains twisted tight around his body. I could see bruises where the metal had dug into his flesh. He was unconscious, with his head slumped awkwardly to one side.
I reeled in my instincts to make a more precise plan of action. I couldn’t see anyone else, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t see me. They had been waiting for me. They knew I would come for Daniel; it was just a matter of when.
The handcuffs on my wrists began to tremble. I ducked down behind a shelf and watched the broken metal spinning around randomly like a broken compass. Before I could force them off of me, I was tugged forward by my arms into the clearing. He wrenched my arms up above my head.
“Ah ha, it seems the girl came to play after all.” The man who had kidnapped Daniel walked into the light.
The woman with the wide-brimmed hat followed him. “Finally. Don’t you know it’s rude to keep people waiting?”
I couldn’t move my arms. The energy hummed through my body as the man’s magnetic powers kept my wrists above my head. I kicked out my feet, but my efforts were in vain. “Fine, you got me. But let Daniel go! You have me, why else would you keep him?” I shouted as loud as I could to alert the boys.
The woman looked up as the man’s power lifted me into the air. With the shadow of her hat gone, I could see her face. It took only a second for me to recognize her as the woman who snubbed me at the gas station that night with Daniel. Had she been watching me? Did she know who or what I was before even me?
The metal bit into my flesh. I let out a scream.
Suddenly, Luke appeared midair and grabbed me. His powers wrenched me free, and he teleported us back into the shadows. “Call 999. Stay safe. We got this.”
My eyes met his as sounds of fighting filled the warehouse. Ryland was doing what he did best. With a pop, Luke vanished to reappear at his sparring partner’s side.
“Where’s the girl?” The man shouted. “Madam will be angry if she escapes again!”
I slunk back in the shadows and pulled Daniel’s iPhone from my pocket. “Come on, come on,” I urged as the load screen appeared. The screen flickered, and the battery fell to 5%. Damn psychic interference.
I prayed that the battery would last long enough for me to send our distress signal. I punched 999 and just as I went to tap the CALL button, the broken handcuffs began to spin again. That asshole was tracking me using his energy.
I tapped the CALL button and backed away from the fighting until I was sure that I was completely submerged in the shadows. “Hello, 999 emergency line. What’s the situation?”
“I’m calling on behalf of Luke Herrington. We’ve located the Rouges.” The sound of static made it hard to even hear myself.
“What’s your location?” The man asked.
“I’m not sure,” I admitted, glancing around the dark warehouse as if it would give me some answers.
“Hold on, we are trying to track you now. Stay on the line.” The man’s voice crackled before the phone went dead.
I threw down the iPhone in frustration; the screen cracked in a spiderweb pattern.
Our only hope was that they could track the signal or else we’d be done for. From the sounds of fighting, Luke and Ryland were not having an easy time. I had to step in, no matter what Luke told me to do. I wasn’t about to let them get hurt.
I used my powers to wrench the broken handcuffs from my wrists. Snapping the metal too more energy than I expected. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and kicked them away. The skin on my wrists was raw and red, but at least that man couldn’t use them against me anymore.
Luke and Ryland we locked in hand-to-hand combat. Ryland was using his telepathy to anticipate their enemies’ moves and attack in perfect harmony. Even though I had seen in so many times, watching them fight was like appreciating a work of art.
I shook myself mentally to focus. My first objective was to get Daniel out of harm's way. They were fighting only paces away from his unconscious body. I glanced at the Rogue man and woman to make sure they were preoccupied before dashing to my friend’s side.
I hid behind the chair and summoned my energy to break the chains. They weren’t secured with a padlock, someone had fused the metal with psychic energy. Even though whoever did it would have been a crappy welder, it was enough to keep me busy.
I quickly found a weak point and put my hands on either side of the chain. I focused with all of my might, directing my energy as it flowed from the base of my skull, down my spine and through my muscles towards the chain. With a ping, the chain broke and loosened.
Thankfully, the Rogues were busy with Luke and Ryland. Both sides were looking exhausted, and neither looked like they would give up anytime soon.
Daniel moaned as I dragged him away from danger. He was heavier than he looked; it must have been all that muscle mass he had put on lately. I made a mental note to compliment him on all those hours at the gym once we were out of this mess. Panting, I dragged his body outside the warehouse, leaving him propped up against the fence outside.
Daniel groaned and his eyes fluttered. “Bianca?”
“Hey Daniel,” I whispered. “It’s
me. Are you ok?”
Daniel winced. “I guess.”
“Don’t move, you’re hurt,” I said. I put my hand on his cheek. “I need you to stay here where it’s safe.”
Daniel grabbed my hand. “Don’t go. Please.”
“I need to help my partners. Don’t worry. I’ll be back.” I didn’t hesitate, kissing his cheek and then dashing off back into danger.
If only past Bianca could see me now. I don’t think she would have even recognized the woman I had become in only a few short weeks. I was no longer weak and wandering through life without purpose. I had found what I was meant to do, and right now, that meant kicking some Rogue ass.
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
Ryland dodged the man’s strikes, brandishing his daggers and shouting wildly. His opponent wielded a metal pipe like a sword. They dodged and clashed repeatedly. Luke was fighting with the woman; they appeared and disappeared at dizzying speed. Her hat had fallen off at some point, revealing beautiful auburn-red hair.
Deciding that the telekinetic guy was a better target, I summoned my energy, letting it flow through my body. I reached out and send my powers looking for small metallic objects. I gathered lost nails and screws in an invisible fist and then flung them at our enemy.
“Ryland!”
Ryland dodged just in time and turned to my voice. “Bianca, I told you to stay safe!”
The metal pieced pelted the man. He lost concentration and nearly dropped the pipe he held in his hand.
“When will you learn that I don’t listen to instructions?” I laughed and used my power to pull the pipe from the Rogue’s hands. With a flick of my wrist I bent it into a boomerang shape and sent it spinning towards him.
The man brought up his hands and stopped my weapon at the last possible second. “Nice trick, girly,” He snickered. “But you’ll need more than tricks to stop me.”
Ryland was at my side with his daggers held high. “Alright, seeing how I’m not going to talk you out of this, let’s get him.”
I nodded, catching a glimpse of him out of the corner of my eye that made my body burn with desire. His face was like a marble statue; his eyes laser focused on his enemy.
Psychic Secret: An Urban Fantasy Academy Romance (Psychic Academy Book 1) Page 17