—
Jack pulled his hood tightly around his face, protecting his ears and neck from the brisk air that hung in the dirty, empty room. His body trembled against the corner next to the misted-over front window. Even though the darkness still lingered, he knew morning quickly approached. He sighed; even in a secluded, empty building, he still hadn’t felt safe enough to get a good night’s sleep, though he needed it desperately if he wanted to get away. The past few days had been so hectic and frightful that he should have slept easily after finding the empty storefront linked to a chain of other abandoned rooms. But no, he had to leave.
His heart sank. He had no idea how to even start getting out of his situation. Where would he go? How would he get there? Where was he going to get the money to just start all over again? The cycle of questions that had kept him up for hours began again, throwing him into that familiar restlessness.
He felt the tears from his exhaustion rising. I just need someone to understand.
Headlights illuminated the room through the foggy window, throwing a dim, warped shadow of the window’s frame across the wall opposite it.
Jack pressed himself tightly into the corner and glanced up over his shoulder toward the window where he could hear the faint squeaking of brakes.
His heart raced. Did they find me? Fearful, he crawled over to the window on his hands and knees, rubbed clean the corner, and peered out.
A smooth, black car sat parked against the curb in front of the empty building. Another vehicle rolled in behind it.
Jack stumbled back into the corner, his heart pounding as car doors slammed shut. But as he heard two chipper voices stop in front of the main building’s door, he caught the sound of keys clanking around in a lock. The sound made him pause and he watched the side door to the shop.
The two strangers made their way into the main building, past the little window in the shop door, went up the stairs just beyond, and stopped in the room above Jack, where they spoke in pleasant tones.
Jack’s brows knitted together as his befuddlement grew. These aren’t cops, are they? Curious, he focused on one of the voices, hoping to catch something. Hopefully, he could prove to himself once and for all that he wasn’t crazy. Listening, he recognized it as female—calm and level, though it held a tone of giddiness. But Jack still didn’t catch anything said. Closing his eyes, he focused on the woman’s voice, imagining a body to go along with it—and with that body, a mind. The tendrils of that mind seemed to reach out to Jack, almost like an electrical current. He grasped at it.
I hope she likes her new name, the woman thought. Seems a bit too old-fashioned for the young girl. But that’s what happens when an elderly woman is left to pick.
Jack’s eyes burst open. He stared up at the ceiling.
I’m sure she’ll appreciate it either way. Suzette’s a good girl like that. I hope this helps her take down that horrid Dr. Jekyll.
Jack nearly leapt to his feet at the name. His own mind raced, cutting off any connection he had had to the woman. He paced and rubbed the back of his head as he tried to control his breathing. What could he do? Could he trust this woman above him? Could she help him get more answers? Maybe help him get to this person who planned on taking Jekyll down? For the first time in a week, Jack felt hope again. It brought tears to his eyes.
An engine roared and pulled away.
Jack snapped out of his daze and glanced from the quiet ceiling to the lit-up window. A second engine cranked to life. No! he thought. Desperate, he charged at the glass, forcing himself to calm down for a moment and detach his mind from his body. In a flash, he was through the building and stumbled toward the remaining car.
A blonde, middle-aged woman sat inside, looking through a pile of paperwork under the overhead light.
Jack battered the window on the passenger side. “Hey!”
With a start, she dropped the papers into her lap and locked eyes with Jack. Before she could think, her finger flipped the lock button.
“No—no! I need your help! Please!”
She grabbed at the gear stick.
Jack pushed himself against the metal, but his stuttering heart kept him still. He groaned and closed his eyes as the car started to move from under his hands. As his mind emptied, he fell through and landed in the backseat.
The woman screamed and slammed the brakes, sending Jack colliding into the passenger seat.
When he recovered, he quickly sat himself up and showed her his hands. “Ma’am, stay calm! I just need you to help me!”
She reeled back, a small container of pepper-spray in her hand, her finger prepped and ready. But she stared between him and the backdoor with wide eyes. “How did you do that?”
Jack paused, surprised by the curiosity in her voice. But he was afraid to explain. Slowly, he pulled back his hood.
Her blue eyes studied his face with an almost ancient wisdom. “You’re Jack Blevins.” She didn’t seem scared in the least, like she was already piecing together the last pieces of a puzzle. “You just…” She stared at the door. “You just materialized into my car.”
Unsure of how to answer, he simply nodded in agreement. “Please, ma’am. I know you were talking about Dr. Jekyll and some girl who was going to take him on. Suzette, I think?”
Her eyebrows furrowed, cautious. “I never mentioned either name.”
“No, you thought them, didn’t you?”
“You…read thoughts.”
Jack stopped again, shocked by her readiness to accept it. “Ma’am, I’m scared,” he whispered through trembling chords. “I don’t know what’s happening to me, but all I know is that Dr. Henry Jekyll did it and he’s trying to silence me. If you can just point me to this Suzette, I would be so grateful. Maybe she can help me.”
The woman studied him for a long moment before she let out a sigh. She turned back to the road and shut off the light above her. “Let’s go meet her then, shall we?”
—
“Suzette.”
A gentle hand nudged her awake. She glanced over at the dark blue peeking through the window and then up at the disturbance.
Callie stooped over her. “Sorry to wake you, miss, but there’s someone here to see you.”
It took Suzette a minute to comprehend anything the maid had said, but the longer she stared at the cautious look she got, the clearer the words became. Yet still confused, she sat herself up. “To see me?”
Callie nodded.
That doesn’t sound good. Hesitant, Suzette threw her blankets off and studied Callie’s face for a sign of danger. When she came up with nothing, she shuffled out of bed and scratched the back of her neck. Looking down at her baggy t-shirt and pants, she pointed to her attire. “I’ll be down in a minute.”
The maid nodded and left, closing the door behind her.
As Suzette dressed herself, her mind jumped from one assumption to the next. Who could be downstairs waiting for her? The cops, maybe? No, that would go against everything Lady Augustine’s said and promised. She cringed at the idea of Dante being downstairs, but her heart swelled with hope at the thought of her parents. Eager, she flung open the door and started out before she came to a halt again.
What if it was the Hunter?
She took a step back and listened, fearful. A tenor voice reached her ears, nowhere near as deep as the Hunter’s rumbly, chesty voice. Relieved, she made her way down the stairs and followed the voices into the den.
Standing in the archway, she saw Lady Augustine glance up from her rocker as she sipped a small cup of tea while Callie poured their guest a glass.
As if sensing her presence, the young man stood up from the couch and turned to her. His wide, scared eyes made quite a contrast against his dark skin. His skinny arms trembled ever so slightly by his sides. “Suzette Valentine?”
Suzette tensed, recognizing his face from TV. “Jack Blevins.”
“Yes.” His head dropped a little. “Miss Callie told me about what happened to you and about…t
he Onyx Fox.”
Her face burned. With great care, she cut a look at the maid. “She did?”
“Well, after he heard me think your name and then materialized into my car, I figured he deserved the story,” Callie insisted, her eyes still calm.
“Yes, she told me that you were in an accident. That Jekyll doesn’t know,” Jack went on, slowly making his way around the couch. “That you have an ability. Something about being able to react?”
“That’s the easy way of putting it, I guess.” Suzette studied his anxious face and recalled everything she had discovered with the Hunter. “If you’re here and you really do have powers, I can only assume you really were framed.”
He gulped and nodded.
“So, you can read minds and phase through things? Am I understanding that correctly?”
He nodded again.
“How does that work?” It was said more to herself than anyone.
But he shrugged. “I’m still trying to figure it out, honestly. I think the phasing is getting easier. The first few times I read someone’s mind, it was an accident. But I had to focus really hard on Miss Callie to read hers.” His shoulders slumped. “I would give it all up if it meant having a normal life again but I know that the only way I can do that is if Jekyll pays for his crimes. So, if you’re going after Jekyll, I want to help you somehow.”
The thought of bringing another life into the mix of it all made her nervous. The old woman and the maids had already made her new mission more difficult, but that’s where Suzette wanted it to stop. She didn’t want to bring Jack any potential harm. “I don’t know.”
His face contorted with pain. “Please, I’m begging you. I don’t have anywhere else to turn. My family didn’t even try to make contact with me when I got arrested.”
“Jekyll may be dangerous,” she pressed. “I would hate to see you get hurt.”
“Please.” He rushed up to her. “I would have just stayed in my cell and gone to prison, forever angry that Jekyll got away with it, but there’s something more to all of this. They had papers with my signature forged. They made a fake evidence tape of me cooperating with the experiment and even starting the fire—and it looked just like me!” His voice shook. “They had me on charges that would have put me away for life. My lawyer had no hope that I would win, but he knew that someone very powerful wanted to keep me quiet. He said he could get my sentenced reduced, but then he warned me that afterward I would need to get out of here and away from whoever it was. But I got scared that maybe I wouldn’t even last my time in prison—that they may send someone to silence me for good before I could get out and make a run for it.”
Suzette’s heart ached as she watched Jack fight back tears.
“It’s not fair,” he said, his voice wavering. “I want to see justice. I want to clear my name.”
Suzette wanted to believe everything about his story. But she hesitated, not understanding the full picture herself. How did she know he wasn’t telling just half of the truth? Maybe Jekyll and Jack were both bad. The Hunter’s silly Order of the Dragon came to mind. Or maybe Jack really was a little crazy. She looked over at Lady Augustine, but the old woman seemed completely engrossed with his story. Jack already had the old woman in his pocket. Suzette turned back to him. “And how did you escape from jail? You phased through the wall?”
He nodded.
She frowned. It didn’t make sense. “At the county jail?”
He nodded again.
Ruminating over her dad’s old cop days, she moved away from him and took a few steps into the den. “That’s a really small jail—only a few cells with enough cameras to get a perfect view of the place. If you really did escape through the wall, then why haven’t any of the cops looked at the tapes and found them reason enough to at least question your claims?”
His eyes relaxed a little. “See? Someone is trying to frame me! Whoever’s behind this must have gotten the tapes somehow, otherwise this thing would have busted wide open! You have to let me help you now!”
Suzette stared for a quiet moment, her instincts allowing her to trust him. The trust made way for empathy. The poor man in front of her had it worse off than she did in terms of life-altering catastrophes. Thrown to the wolves for no other reason than to save another wolf’s hide. She wanted to help him, but she knew the only way she could do that was to figure out the whole Jekyll situation. Her new life wouldn’t revolve around just Jekyll, but whatever other troubles that would come up. Although, Jack could help with what he wanted before slipping away to start his own new life. But where could he start helping? “What all do you know about the experiment and the fire?”
He sighed. “Not much. I woke up strapped to a table in some small warehouse. Jekyll was trying to unhook me, but I got free without him. The room was already on fire.”
“Did you see any other people?”
His face looked sick. “The cops kept saying something about Hester Prynne, but I didn’t see her. I just saw…” He looked down.
“Saw what?”
He took a few deep breaths and met her gaze. “There was someone on fire—head to toe, completely doused in flames. It was something you would picture in Hell. I thought I knew who it was, but I’m not so sure anymore. They ran around for a while, setting everything on fire. Somehow, they didn’t die, but then…” He looked queasy.
Suzette stayed gentle. “But then, what?”
“They blew up.” He shivered at the memory. “I got thrown out of the building, but I didn’t even bother to look around and check for others. I got up and ran to the police.”
Suzette sighed and nibbled her lip. “Well, that’s a dead end,” she said to herself. “And it doesn’t help much if they didn’t find any body parts.”
“So, what else can I do to help? Considering my present state with the law, I don’t think I’d be much help to the Onyx Fox—nor could I ever be physically, really; I’m more of a bookworm. But if there’s just one thing that can get you closer to Jekyll, I’ll do it.”
“Bookworm? You happen to be tech-savvy?” Suzette said quickly, eager to stick him in a helpful position.
He grinned a little. “Yeah, I’m pretty tech-savvy.”
“Why don’t you just be my research guy? You can be the guy on the other end of the earpiece, feeding me information. If you wanted to help past this reconnaissance I’m about to do, I assure you: you’re more than welcome. It would probably make my life a lot easier. But if you don’t want to, you’re still welcome to stick around until it all blows over, I’m sure.” She glanced at the old woman for agreement.
Lady Augustine smiled. “Of course.”
Jack hesitated, his fingers twitching by his sides. “Yeah, okay. I can…start files on people and gather up all your research. So, what’s this first reconnaissance mission you mentioned?”
“That can wait.” Lady Augustine slowly pushed herself out of her chair and beckoned Jack closer. “First, before you stay another moment in this house, you need to meet someone.”
Jack followed the old woman out of the room. “Who am I meeting?”
“His name is Frank. I want you to keep an open mind, alright?”
They disappeared through the doorway.
Callie grabbed a folder off the coffee table and walked it over to Suzette. “Your new identity, Ms. Beatrice Portinari.”
Suzette took the folder and fought down a laugh at the old-fashioned name. “Thank you. I’m very grateful for everything you guys have done for me.”
Callie sighed. “Yes, well, now I have to do this all over again for Mr. Blevins. I only hope this time no experiments jump into my car in seek of refuge. I don’t think my heart could handle it.”
Suzette wanted to laugh, but the thought of more experiments made her uneasy. “Yeah, I don’t know if I want to welcome anyone else into this crazy world we’re about to enter. If I’m going to be at this for a while, we have to keep the flow of newbies to a minimum.”
“What, and kee
p as many people out as you can?”
Suzette shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. To keep them safe.”
“But no one can do anything themselves. They need help.”
“I have you guys.”
Callie nodded. “I agree. However, considering your new life and its nature, I’m not quite sure a few silly maids, an old woman, a depressed zombie, and a scared young man will give you the stability you need. Help? Of course. But not stability.”
Suzette’s shoulders drooped but she couldn’t stifle a sarcastic chuckle. “I know you mean someone who can keep up with me physically, emotionally, and spiritually, but all I can hear you say is that I need a sidekick.”
Callie huffed a laugh. “Or a real partner. A true friend.”
The idea seemed too good to be true. Suzette stared, unable to find an adequate response.
Callie set a hand on Suzette’s shoulder. “On this path, there will be people around you who won’t see things the way you do. They’ll be next to you for a while, but their trail will branch off eventually. The right path isn’t always the popular one.”
Suzette felt a small pang in her heart, but she kept still.
The maid smiled gently. “But I bet you’ll find along the way that there are people who are more than willing to put their life on the line for this kind of life. The life that protects others so willingly. The right path. For your sake and your sanity’s sake, I hope you meet someone like that to walk alongside you. Otherwise, this will be a lonely journey, indeed.”
The thought confused Suzette. “Do you think Jack could be that person one day? Why else would he be here?”
With her wise eyes, Callie stared at the doorway where Jack had disappeared. “I’m not sure. Perhaps, but perhaps not. Maybe he is simply here so that we may help him. Regardless, I’m confident you’ll find someone whose path you’ll share.” She glanced out toward the sunroom door, revealing the soft-blue, early-morning sky. “Now, if I may, I’m famished. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.”
Blind World (The Onyx Fox Saga Book 1) Page 29