Mindsiege Page 4

  That’s a taser, Jonas said.

  I slid behind a row of shrubs and ducked down, but the two men walked in my direction. My heart sped up. I was about to make a run for it when Jonas thought to me, Stay where you are. Help is coming.

  Jonas was here. And now I wondered if I should try my chances with the men in black. I started to stand, when a hand clamped down on my arm, stopping me. I turned my head. I was face to face with Jonas. He raised his other hand and placed a finger to his lips. Then he pointed at the men.

  Georgia walked toward them and was telling them something. The gun was magically gone, tucked away. Georgia gestured to the gardens like she was some sort of tour guide.

  Convince them to turn and leave, Lexi.

  Why hadn’t I already thought of that? I had used my mindspeak for my own benefit most of my teen years, but for some reason I froze when I actually needed it.

  I concentrated hard on the suits. Turn around and walk back to your vehicles. There’s nothing you want here. What you’re looking for is long gone.

  Just like that, the suits took one last look around and returned to their truck. I pulled some napkins from my backpack and held them to each nostril. The blood was a little heavier than usual.

  Jonas slipped his hand into mine and tugged. “Let’s go.”

  I pulled my hand away. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  I watched Georgia make her way to us and tried to decide if she was friend or foe. Backing away from Jonas, my eyes darted from Jonas to Georgia. “How did you find me?”

  A slow grin pulled the corners of Jonas’s lips up. “Lexi, Lexi, Lexi. You have so much to learn.”

  “Meaning?” I crossed my arms.

  “Meaning,” Georgia joined in, “Jonas, if he wants to, can find any of us at any time. As long as he recognizes what you’re seeing.” Georgia stood directly next to Jonas, united. “We better go. It won’t take long before they realized they were tricked.” Georgia looked at me expectantly.

  I blotted my nose one last time. “It won’t take who long?”

  “The IIA,” Georgia said, like it was every day we had International Intelligence Agency goons stalking us.

  “I’m not going with you.” I started to turn and walk away, but Georgia’s strange look of urgency toward Jonas stopped me. She lifted her head in my direction as if encouraging Jonas to do something.

  Jonas pulled an object out of his pocket—something so small it fit into the palm of his hand. He stood there a moment longer, simply staring at me, still grinning. This is going to be so much fun.

  Apparently he hesitated a moment too long, because Georgia jerked the item from Jonas’s hand. “Oh, for crying out loud, I’ll do it myself.”

  She was on me before I knew what hit me. I felt a pinch to my neck. My legs buckled beneath me. Jonas caught me and scooped me into his arms. My head dangled back as he carried me away.

  Chapter Six

  I woke to the sound of groaning. Mine.

  I wasn’t in pain, but I knew Georgia had injected something straight into my neck. I wondered how I could have been so stupid. I moaned again.

  When my eyes opened, I saw mostly white. I stared up at large, popcorn ceiling tiles. I was covered loosely in a white sheet. The room smelled like antiseptic. Everything was clean and without color.

  I turned my head to the left and found an empty chair. To the right—Jonas.

  I sat up and analyzed my surroundings. I was in some sort of hospital room or exam room, though there were some things in the room that didn’t make sense. Like the tray of surgical instruments several feet away.

  Jonas leaned against a doorjamb, staring at me, far enough away that I couldn’t gracefully leap off the gurney I was on and rip his eyes out with my fingernails.

  “Hi, Lexi.”

  I was in no mood for small talk. Jonas, I want you to walk closer to me. Jonas pushed off the doorway, and took three steps. He was only about a foot away from the rolling cart of surgical tools. His eyes glazed over. He wasn’t looking at me, but staring straight through me, not focusing on any one item in front of him. I had him in my control.

  I gripped the sheet in my fists, preparing for a nosebleed, and concentrated hard on Jonas. Now, grab the scalpel off the tray. I want you to point the scalpel directly at your heart, but don’t pierce your clothing or skin yet. Then, I want you to look at me and answer my questions. Do you understand?

  He nodded, then reached for and wrapped his fingers around the handle of one of the sharpest knives anywhere. Without hesitation, he pointed the blade at his chest.

  What did Georgia inject me with? I brought the sheet to my nose as blood touched the top of my lip.

  “A mild tranquilizer.”

  Why?

  “You were arguing too much. And we needed to get you off the streets.”

  Why? I narrowed my eyes. I sounded like a kindergartner.

  “To keep the IIA from capturing you,” he said, and his tone sounded a lot like he wanted to say “duh” afterwards.

  Where are we? I looked around again.

  “The Program.”

  At Wellington? My heartbeat doubled in speed.

  “No. At the UK Hospital, where Seth works. This is its original location, before Cathy DeWeese and Seth decided to move it to the boarding school for better security.” He raised his hands and put air quotes around the words “better security.”

  I let out half a breath. I wasn’t sure how safe I was where I was, but I knew I didn’t want to be at Wellington. Georgia entered the room. Her eyes immediately went to Jonas’s hands—gripping a scalpel aimed at his heart. She raised a hand out in front. “Lexi? What are you doing?”

  Don’t set the scalpel down, Jonas. Do not listen to Georgia. You can’t even hear her. “What do you mean?” I asked Georgia.

  “Don’t even try playing stupid with me. I would have left you for the IIA back there, but Jonas insisted we bring you in.”

  I untangled from the sheet and slid to the floor. “Don’t make me laugh. You’re the one who wanted me to leave this morning. And then what? You drugged me? And don’t even get me started on this one.” I pointed at Jonas, who looked bored while following my orders for a change. However, sweat beaded along his hairline. He was conscious enough to know his heartbeat was one slice away from stopping.

  “I made a mistake,” Georgia said. “I shouldn’t have been so harsh with you this morning, but I was scared.”

  “Scared of what?”

  “The IIA. And for good reason. Once you were away from our house, they found you within an hour.”

  I thought about that for a second. I’d assumed the people who found me did so because of the text I sent Marci. “Why does the IIA want me so badly?” I asked, mostly to myself.

  Georgia rolled her eyes. “As if I could figure that out.”

  “What about him?” I pointed to Jonas again. Jonas, bring the point of the scalpel closer to your chest. “What does Jonas want from me?” I asked Georgia.

  Georgia looked away, refusing to answer.

  Jonas, lift the scalpel up and hold it against your neck, but don’t puncture your skin—yet.

  Georgia watched Jonas with wide eyes. His hand shook just slightly.

  One more question for you, Jonas. What do you want from me?

  “We need you to heal Sandra. I will force you to do it.”

  Georgia jerked her head and gaped at Jonas.

  By hurting Jack?

  “No! I would never hurt Jack.”

  Then what was that early this morning? You’ve been inside my head, controlling me.

  “That wasn’t me. Well, not completely.” He smirked.

  Dropping the bloody sheet back on the bed, I cocked my head. What do you mean that wasn’t you? I stepped closer to him. His hand shook just slightly. The blade punctured his skin slightly, and blood ran down his neck.

  Georgia balled her hands into fists. She interrupted Jonas’s and my conversation before he
could answer. “Have him put the knife down, now, and let’s talk about this.” Her voice shook. To Georgia’s credit, she at least feared my threat to force Jonas to hurt himself.

  “Give me one good reason why,” I said. “He’s been getting inside my head for weeks.”

  “Because if you don’t, I’ll be forced to do it myself, and it won’t be pretty.”

  That sounded like a threat, which I didn’t take well to. “Do it. Be my guest.”

  She waved a hand, and the scalpel Jonas held fell to the tiled floor with a clank. She waved another hand at me and sent me flying backward into the wall.

  I fell to the ground with a harsh grunt, the air knocked out of me. What the hell?

  Once I caught my breath, I pushed myself up. Georgia convulsed on the ground. Jonas knelt beside her, holding her head gently. “Hand me that pillow.” Jonas pointed at the gurney.

  I scrambled to my feet and got the pillow. I slowly handed it to Jonas. When he jerked it from me, I flinched.

  “I guess I deserved that,” Jonas said. I assumed he was referring to being mind-controlled and held at bay with a scalpel. His head tilted to look up at me. “The thing is… I’m surprised you had it in you. I certainly wasn’t expecting you to take control of me.” He felt the side of his neck, touching the blood that was already starting to clot and dry. “But you have a lot to learn, Lexi.”

  Ignoring his insult about my apparent weakness, I said, “She’s telekinetic.” He nodded. The warm look of concern he showed Georgia surprised me. “And suffers grand mal seizures when she uses the ability.”

  “Yes.”

  “Why would she ever risk a seizure?”

  “She wouldn’t. Without good reason.” A thick vein pulsed in the side of his neck. His face reddened. “She must have believed you would hurt me. Or maybe she wanted you to see what happens to her.” He sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Like I’ve been telling you, you need to embrace who we all are.” There was a protective edge to his voice. Protective of Georgia, maybe. He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead in a brotherly sort of way.

  I backed up against the wall and slid down until I was sitting. I was pretty certain I would have hurt him had she not stopped me, and was disappointed in myself at the prospect. I drilled my fingers into my temple.

  I wanted to question Jonas further about how and why he gets inside my head and what he meant by it not being completely him, but my head throbbed, and I couldn’t handle another nosebleed right now. I was mostly sure he wasn’t going to tell me the truth… without proper motivation anyway.

  I lowered my gaze as I replayed the actions—my actions—that put Georgia in her now-still state, but the chilling memory of her seizure heated the blood running through my veins. No one forced her to use her telekinetic power.

  Caught off guard, I flinched when Jonas’s presence slithered into my mind. He crossed the room and knelt in front of me, his jaw set. Nice work, getting inside my head. You won this round, but you’ve got a lot to learn. He touched a knuckle to my chin and lifted. His eyes burned into mine. And trust me, you will learn. You can’t run and hide from this, Lexi.

  “Oh, yeah?” I asked. My shaky voice betrayed me. “So tell me, Jonas: if you’re not inside my head, then who is?”

  I’ll show you soon enough.

  What makes you think I’ll hang around long enough to give you the chance? Not that I believed a thing he said. He forced Kyle to stick his arm in the fire pit, then threatened me. He practically admitted that he had been inside my head.

  He smiled. Oh, you will. Like I said, you can’t hide from this. Pinning me with his gaze, he stood, and after an uncomfortable moment, he returned to Georgia.

  A shiver went through me. I hugged my knees to my chest. He was right. I was quickly realizing that I would have to stay, have to learn. I couldn’t live like this—with the constant threat of someone invading my mind, seizing my thoughts, and controlling my actions.

  That’s where we were when Jack and Seth walked in: Jonas tending to Georgia, and me watching, contemplating.

  “What are you doing here?” Jack asked me from the doorway.

  I didn’t even look up. I just sat there, my body in a tight ball, and stared at Georgia and Jonas. Georgia slept, and Jonas watched her.

  “What happened?” Seth asked. He was dressed in his white physician’s lab coat. A neurologist at the University of Kentucky Hospital and head of The Program, he had been the one to convince me I could heal Addison and others of brain injuries and disease. He’d assured me I’d be begging to join The Program when the people who killed my father came after me.

  Well, I wasn’t begging yet.

  Jack kneeled in front of me and traced his finger down my cheek. I’m sorry I left you this morning.

  I flicked my gaze upwards. He should have been sorry he called me a liar. Besides, I had left him first. Did you know that she’s telekinetic? I looked at Georgia, who remained unconscious.

  Jack cocked his head. She told you that?

  No, she showed me.

  “Seth,” Jack said, standing. “We’ve got a problem. Georgia had an episode.”

  Seth looked from Jack to Georgia to Jonas’s worried face. “Was it a bad one?”

  Jonas’s jaw tightened. “Is there any other kind?”

  “Well, at least you guys are finally getting to know each other,” Seth said, as if we had all just gathered for team-building activities.

  Jack narrowed his eyes at Seth. Jonas chuckled under his breath. I wanted to punch something. Or someone.

  “Why are you two here?” I asked. It dawned on me that it was awfully coincidental that they showed up in the same place where Georgia and Jonas had brought me.

  “Seth needed some supplies for Addison.” Jack rubbed his neck.

  “Which I’m going to go gather.” Seth was halfway out the door when he turned. “Jonas, did you give Lexi a tour of the facility?”

  I raised an eyebrow. There was hidden meaning in that question. “Where exactly is this place?”

  An arrogant smirk played at the edge of Jonas’s lips.

  “As in the location? You don’t know where you are?” Jack cocked his head toward me.

  Jonas interrupted. “The Program is located in a building between the UK Hospital complex and the College of Agriculture.”

  That was the third mention of the College of Agriculture in one day. I couldn’t think of a single reason my dad would tour that college.

  Jonas crossed his arms and studied me from his position beside Georgia. Could it be that there was something to establishing The Program next to the Ag College? The hospital… I understood. But the Ag—

  It will all make sense soon, Lexi, Jonas mindspoke to me.

  My eyes darted to meet his, but before I could respond, Jack’s voice brought me out of my own thoughts. “Something’s bothering me. What, exactly, would get Georgia to use her telekinetic power?” He faced away from us. His palms were pressed against the door, his fingers spread wide.

  Jonas and I traded guilty looks. We both glanced at Georgia, who had been moved to the same gurney I woke up on just hours before.

  “Answer me,” Jack demanded, turning and looking at Jonas. Jack was obviously well aware that Georgia didn’t take her special ability or its resulting seizure lightly. He narrowed his gaze and cocked his head, analyzing something. “What happened to your neck?”

  Blood along the two-inch cut just below his ear had dried into two streams running down behind the collar of his shirt.

  Jonas touched the spot Jack was staring at. “It’s nothing.”

  “It’s not nothing. Who did that?” Jack’s face reddened. His eyes darted from Jonas to me. His hands balled into fists. He looked ready to defend Jonas to the death.

  “I did,” I said challengingly. “And Georgia used her power to stop me from hurting him the way I wanted to.”

  Both of them looked at me like I had sprouted devil horns. “Why would you
slice his neck?” Jack asked.

  I opened my mouth to speak, but remembered Jonas’s threat to harm Jack, and his attempt to drown me. A shiver moved through me at the thought of him—or anyone—inside my head making me do things against my will. I wanted him to stay out, but the idea that Jack thought I was lying about Jonas controlling my mind…

  Jack stepped closer. “Why, Lexi?”

  I ground my teeth. I wanted to scream at Jack. I wanted to tell him that Jonas was a jerk and that he was dangerous, but for some impossible-to-understand reason, I said nothing.

  “It was my fault,” Jonas said. “Georgia and I found her at the Arboretum. The IIA was hot on her trail. We had to tranq her.”

  “You tranqed her?” Jack paced.

  “And then we brought her here. I didn’t know what else to do.” Jonas spoke like he was protecting me. I laughed under my breath.

  Since I had known Jack, he’d been thoughtful, but sometimes secretive and standoffish. And overprotective at times. I wasn’t sure which Jack I was seeing today. His eyes burned into mine. “What happened to you staying out of sight?”

  My blood heated at his accusatory tone. “I guess with all the voices inside my head, men in black suits chasing me, and the murder of the one person I had hoped would help me, I got a little sidetracked.”

  His face softened. “I’m sorry about Marci.”

  “Yeah? Me too,” I snapped, then redirected to Georgia. “Will Georgia be okay?” Her body lay motionless.

  “She’ll be fine. But of the seven of us whose powers I’ve seen so far, she has the worst side effect.” Jack smoothed my hair away from my face and behind my ear. My skin tingled beneath his touch. “She’s the reason I didn’t want you to heal Addison. Just the thought of watching you suffer in that way… I couldn’t handle it.”

  “But I don’t suffer in that way,” I said.

  “Addison was the first person you healed. The only person so far… No one knew how your body would respond. We still don’t know enough.”

  About many things. And we were obviously still getting to know each other, as well as the abilities each of us had. It blew my mind that I may have healed a little girl of injuries where doctors had failed. “How is Addison?”