Hunting the Shadows Page 23

  “She doesn’t believe Stefan is guilty.”

  “True,” he conceded, glancing through the glass enclosure of Medical. “Where is she?”

  “The Council took her off duty. She should be in her room.”

  He would have liked to think that there was a way around having to include her but there wasn’t. Not if she aided a killer. The woman didn’t know the full extent of what she’d done and he didn’t know how to get that through to her. “Anyone talk to her?”

  “Ariadne and I went to see her earlier this evening. She claims she was asleep and didn’t know he was out. If you ask me, there’s something going on. She’s on something. Her eyes…you could see it. I’d never seen her so out of it.”

  “We need video up. If Stefan’s still on the property, it’s the best chance at catching something.”

  Cameron frowned. “Perhaps. Last I heard video feed was destroyed. The techs are trying to save some of footage but chances are slim. Either way, I think Mac is our best bet.”

  And what would they do if they did find proof that she was guilty of letting Stefan out? This entire situation was one fucked up problem after another. He didn’t bother to knock as they stepped up to her quarters. Nodding to the guards, he opened the door.

  The first thing he noticed was the cold. She’d jacked the AC on high. He frowned and slowly, as his eyes adjusted to the dark, searched around her living quarters. Following a trail of discarded clothing he found her in her bedroom wearing nothing but a tank top and shorts.

  The woman who sat in the middle of her bed was unrecognizable. It was Mackenzie but at the same time, something shifted in those dark eyes as her pupils dilated. If she was on drugs, he would have known. She’d had a problem with illegal substances in the past, but Stefan had helped her through it. Had she relapsed?

  “He’s not here.” Seemingly unsurprised to find them standing there, Mackenzie shoved off the bed and stumbled from the darkened room, turning away from the two of them. “Leave, J.C. I’ve already answered your questions.”

  “You answered Cameron’s questions but not mine.”

  “You’re not going to find anything here.” Her voice was low and hollow.

  “How did you get him out?” He stepped around her to lean back against her desk, tapping his fingers along the cool surface. “You cut the feed and put the entire base at risk. It’s up now. We’re waiting for the video. Once we get it, what are we going to see? Do you really want to pretend that no one will notice you sneaking down to the cell block and freeing him?”

  Her gaze leaped to his, and a small humorless smile curved her near white lips. “If you know what you’ll see, then why would I bother to tell you? That would be kind of redundant, now wouldn’t it?”

  He frowned and shot a look toward Cameron. The other man shrugged, lifting his hands in the air.

  “I’m giving you a chance here, Mac. Damn it, the Council knows you’re involved.” J.C. shoved away from the desk to grip her shoulders and give her a shake, as though that would knock some sense into her, and found her skin burning up. Her faith in Stefan was unwavering and in the end, would be the death of her if she refused to acknowledge her actions. “Why would you do this to yourself?”

  “I did nothing to myself, but I don’t expect you to understand any of that. No one is going to stand up for him. Now that he’s being branded as the killer, everyone will hate him. It’s not like his father cares. Broderick locked Stefan down there and had him tortured. Stefan doesn’t know anything.” She smothered a sob and jerked her arms away. “Unlike everyone else, I won’t turn my back on him. If you’d let go of your grudge, you’d see that he’s innocent.”

  “All evidence points at him, Mac. He was the children’s teacher. The knife was found in his room,” Cameron said suddenly from the door. “He was MIA during the murders. There are literally no records and trust me when I say I looked them up. He can’t be accounted for.”

  “Doesn’t mean he’s the killer.” She glared.

  J.C. grunted at that. “How do you explain the knife?”

  She shook her head. “Evidence is easily planted. We know that all too well, don’t we?”

  Something brushed through his head. Amy. Her warmth settled in his mind, a small comfort despite everything that was going on.

  “Amy, are you picking anything up? Can you get Stefan’s location?”

  “I’m trying but I can’t find a crack in his shield.”She sighed. “If I do it wrong, I risk total immersion. He would be in control”

  “What about Mackenzie’s mind? Can you get the info from her?”

  “I can get in but there’s something weird going on with her. I don’t have an explanation for it.” Amy paused. “She did break him out though. I read that much. But she’s telling you the truth right now. She doesn’t know where he is.”

  “Okay. I’m coming back in a bit.” J.C. shifted his attention away from Amy, back to Mackenzie. “You know this is making it worse for him, right? If he’s as innocent as you claim, then you’ve sealed his guilt by helping him escape.”

  Mackenzie’s eyes went hard. “I’m not afraid to die. Take your double standards, J.C., and shove them.”

  J.C. frowned. He never said anything about her. “You’re not doing Stefan any favors.”

  Her chin inched up a notch. “I’m giving us the best chance we have.”

  Us. Not him. She wasn’t going to give Stefan up. Not now. Maybe she would after the Council got involved but by that point, it would be too late.

  * * *

  “No!” Amy gave a frustrated cry, fisting her hands at her temples.

  Her outrage gave J.C. pause. He lowered the coffee mug that had been on its way to his mouth and rose from his seat, going to her side. “You need to calm down, Amy. You’re pushing yourself too hard.”

  Angry eyes the color of blue flame jerked to his. He felt a nervous need to chuckle, but repressed the urge.

  “I should know,” she bit out. “I should be able to find her.”

  “You’re stressed. You need to take a deep breath.” Forcing her wasn’t the answer. He could see the strain in the tension of her body. As much as he wanted to, if he pushed her harder she was going to snap. That wasn’t an option.

  “Don’t tell me to breathe, Jaegar-Caleb. I can’t shut it off. He’s out there and I can’t do a damn thing about it. Don’t tell me I’m stressed.”

  J.C. caught her wrists to find the pressure point along the inside of her arms and rubbed in an attempt to relieve some of her tension. “Sweetheart, you can’t let this tear you apart.”

  When she moved to sit on the bed, J.C. followed, careful to monitor her for signs that she was overtaxing herself. She was barely resting, continuously trying to feel out Stefan and Ajay’s whereabouts.

  “I had her,” she whispered, so low he could barely hear. Her body rocked forward, face lifted toward his. Her eyes darkened, fixating on his and he felt oddly unnerved. “She was there for a moment but the thread unraveled. I need to get it back.”

  “Amy, what’s this going to do to you?”

  “I’m well aware of the risks.” Her breathing hitched.

  He lifted his hand to trace small blue veins at her temples that had appeared within the last few hours. “I know you are.”

  “I think I can get her back. After that, I’ll stop for a bit. Okay?”

  “Yeah, once more.”

  She nodded and stared down at her hands. He reached out, covering them with his own and her hands turned palm up, her fingers linking with his. He knew the moment she grabbed hold of Ajay’s mind, watching as her brow creased as she concentrated on maintaining the link.

  “J.C.?” Her voice sounded far off.

  “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.” He tightened his fingers around hers.<
br />
  “I want to try bringing you into Ajay’s mind. Okay?”

  He eased out a breath, releasing it. If she succeeded, they would have a better chance at finding Ajay. “Sure. Let’s try this again.”

  At first, nothing happened. But then a whisper of a voice and the feel of cold air brushed along the hairs on his arms. The room spun, throwing his equilibrium off balance. He closed his eyes, dizziness stealing his breath. He wasn’t sure what Amy did but when he opened his eyes, his vision was distorted as though he were seeing through two different screens. The first was his room. The second was set in a small, dark space.

  “Are you okay? Do you need a breather?”

  J.C. barely heard her questions. He was still trying to get his bearings. Nausea churned restlessly in his gut. His hands fell from her wrists to curl into tight fists. She pulled out of his mind.

  “Show me what you see, Amy. We’re going to figure this out together.”

  Together. He’d never had to depend on another before, not in this way. He depended on his team to watch his back, but not like this. There was no name for whatever this was. This thing, this partnership between Amy and him was growing at a rate that scattered common sense.

  “I want you to be sure. This isn’t like watching television. It’s intense but I’ll try and shield you as much as possible.”

  When she tightened her fingers around his, he felt a pull within him, a heat that curled around the edges of his heart. She shifted her body closer between his thighs so that her legs were around his waist.

  “It’s time you show me more of your world. Maybe then I’ll be able to help you better,” he murmured and lowered his forehead to hers, preparing himself for the disorienting state he was about to be thrown into once again.

  “Close your eyes. It’ll help.”

  Because she knew what she was talking about, J.C. followed her instructions. Closing his eyes didn’t take the symptoms away but it took the edge off, allowing him to remember to breathe.

  He was acutely aware of his surroundings—the bed under him, Amy’s fingers intertwined with his, the ticking of a clock. They all registered in the back of his mind, his brain processing the information.

  It was so cold in the shadows. A woman whimpered, rope binding tight around her wrists and ankles.

  Images layered over images, making it difficult to focus, to filter the layers until he was looking out of Ajay’s eyes.

  He came back. She shivered at his touch, at the feel of his hands on her skin. She couldn’t talk, the gag in her mouth preventing her from making noise but she cried out nevertheless, trying to shift away from his body.

  Why couldn’t she see?

  He slapped her, an open palm hit that turned her head viciously to the side against something hard and rough. Cement? Where had he taken her?

  “I’m going to give you something to drink, but if you scream, I swear I’ll knock your teeth out. Understood?”

  J.C. wasn’t sure if he pulled free or if Amy had ended the dream-like world. Either way, he came back gasping for breath, his heart pounding so fast he wondered if the experience was going to push him into a heart attack.

  “You’re fine. Deep breaths, J.C.”

  He opened his eyes to find her watching him intently. She didn’t pull away, simply stayed there.

  “We need to go back in.” He shuddered as though ice speared down his spine.

  “This was a mistake. I won’t have you getting so entrenched that you become lost in his mind.” He glanced down as she began to rub his palm and fingers. “It’s not a party. Take that from someone who knows first-hand. I’ll go back alone.”

  “Amy, I know you’re taking precautions with me, but don’t. We can’t afford to.”

  Ajay was still alive. Barely. They needed to go back. Now.

  “And we can’t afford for you to lose your life or worse, your mind,” she countered. “Don’t be a hypocrite. If the positions were reversed, you’d do the same. I’ll go in by myself.”

  He took perverse pleasure from the fact that she refused to take shit from him, even when she should know better. If she followed his orders blindly, she wouldn’t survive long in the world created by the Council. But that didn’t mean her defiance wasn’t going to get her into trouble one of these days.

  “Take me back,” he ordered.

  She nodded, a short jerk of her head, although it was clear she was far from happy about it. This time when he went under, he was prepared. Or as prepared as he could be given the circumstances. He closed his eyes and gave in.

  Warm, stale water slid down her throat.

  She didn’t scream. She was tempted to bite down on his fingers as he’d first removed the rag or whatever it was he’d used, but she’d resisted. If she did, it would only make matters worse.

  “No one’s looking for you. Did you know that? They couldn’t care that you’re missing.”

  Fingers brushed her cheek and she shivered, turning her face away from the touch, only to have him grip her chin and jerk her face toward him. “You’re lying,” she whispered. He had to be. Someone had to be out there, looking for her.

  A sob threatened to break from her throat and she swallowed it back.

  “Keep telling yourself that.”

  She backed away as he leaned close, but she had no where to go. He settled his hand against her chest and she felt the burn, a sharp sting that caused her body to jerk. She gasped and the curtain in her head fell again, fogging her mind over.

  The connection snapped and the moment J.C. found himself free, he jerked away from Amy and stumbled to get off the bed before he was sick. He had to get away. It was instinctual. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t see, the entire room blurring as he forced himself into the washroom and purged the lingering sensation of having been deep in another’s mind. Hanging onto the perilous edge of sanity as emotions slammed him hard, he gripped the sink, pulling himself up onto his feet.

  Reaching for the toothbrush, he brushed his teeth. Mint chased away the taste of the material used as a gag on Ajay. The thought of how scared she was made him sick.

  His reflection stared back at him in the mirror—skin pale, eyes so dark. His hands shook as he reached for the taps, turning the cold water on and filling his palms to splash his face.

  He didn’t have to look to know that Amy had stepped behind him. He glanced up, gaze locking on hers in the mirror. Her forehead creased with concern as she bit at her bottom lip. He didn’t want or need it. “Go for it. Say that you told me so.”

  “And what would the point be in that? Sit down.”

  He did, more because his legs felt like rubber than because she told him to. What he needed, more than anything, was a stiff drink. “In the desk drawer there’s a bottle of whiskey. Get it for me?”

  She returned seconds later with the bottle, frowning at the label. “Alcohol isn’t going to help. Your system has gone through a shock.” She set the whiskey on the sink, then kneeled in front of him, her hands on his knees.

  “Is it always like that?”

  “For the most part. With some people, like you, it’s stronger, clearer. Ajay’s mind is so frayed that it’s hard to grab on to anything.”

  But she was alive. And the bastard was making her believe that no one cared for her.

  “I have to—” J.C. swallowed hard as bile rose from his stomach. He chased it back with a shot of the whiskey and made a face as the mint from the toothpaste combined with the alcohol in a gross combination. He shoved the bottle back with a curse.

  “Breathe for a bit.”

  They didn’t have the time for that. The bastard was feeding on Ajay. She was inside and she was somewhere dark and cold. It fit the description of way too many places at the Centre.

  Taking her face between his hands, J.C. leaned
close and tugged her mouth hard onto his. He focused on her and the feel of her lips. Her hands were smooth as they settled on his shoulders. He needed this, the taste of her hitting his system hard as he rubbed his lips against hers.

  When he drew back, her mouth was red and swollen. “Thank you for sharing that,” he whispered then went back for another quick kiss. “Please try to get some sleep. I need to go find her. I don’t think she’ll be alive for much longer if we don’t do something.”

  “Be careful?”

  He nodded and rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip. “Always. I’m going to leave two guards posted outside the door. If you have any concerns, let them know. I’ll be a mind link away. Call if you need me.”

  One last kiss and he left, his system now settled. Never had he thought he’d go into the mind of another. Somehow, with Amy, she’d accomplished that and if that wasn’t a scary show of ability, he wasn’t sure what was. One thing was for certain, it was an ability no one else could know about. Definitely not Broderick.

  Ever.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Rain spilled from dark clouds, pelting the earth and loosening the dirt at his feet as he ran. Thunder clapped over his head, lightening shooting through the dark sky, but he didn’t slow down.

  Killer. Murderer.

  The words should have struck some kind of an emotion within him but they didn’t. He knew what the others thought of him. Knew what Amy thought of him. The bitch. She’d die. He would make a point of it. Fucking traitors didn’t deserve to live.

  He pushed himself harder, breaking into a faster run through the empty land all around him. His foot caught on a root but he pushed on, forcing his way through tangled brush, the arch of heavy branches blocking out most of the moon’s light.

  His body shook, more from the hunger than the strain of the run. Having Ajay so close was too tempting. He couldn’t wait much longer.

  It was time.

  He slowed as he approached the Centre, slipping in through a cellar door and moving down the halls into the basement. He moved with tense anticipation, her cell the only lit room on the entire dark floor.