Chapter 7

I blinked. Just like that I was standing in front of the metal doors. The cubes were on the other side. I let go of Chase’s arm.

“Did the cuff make porting easier on your system?” Chase gave me an inquisitive look.

I shook my head slowly. “My head didn’t fill with white noise, but I still want to spew.”

“Ah,” he glanced at Troy, “we’ve been trying to come up with a way to help those new to porting not want to throw up.”

Holding my hand over my churning stomach and shook my head briefly. “Considering what that really means, I don’t think you’re going to succeed.”

“You may be right.”

Arius opened the door and walked in without comment.

I blew out a breath, trying to keep my apprehension under control. I was going to do this. Intentionally try to hear what someone was thinking. I could count on one hand, the number of times I’d done that. I was only listening to the doctors and attendants to try and figure out how to get out of there. I thought about that as I quietly followed the brothers through the aisles of cubes.

“How are we going to do this?” Troy looked over my head to Chase. “Allow her to hear, but not be seen?”

Chase gave me a brief look, “we could open the tray slot and have her stand near it.”

Troy nodded. “It could work.”

I was too busy trying to stay calm to add anything. I looked down each narrow hall as we passed them. “There are no windows,” I said half to myself. “Do your prisoners get to see any daylight?”

Arius paused beside a corner to another row and pointed up. “We have ultraviolet light bulbs that are on a few hours each day.” He did something on a pad beside the wall. “We can’t have windows as too many people with abilities are here, outside the cells, and no windows mean no need to worry about someone breaking them out.”

I couldn’t find anything to argue with there. Having my own ability, I knew something like that could be possible.

“Go stand over there.” Chase pointed a few feet down the hall. “You’ll be able to see and hear, but he won’t be able to see nor hear you unless or until you speak.”

I nodded and moved to where he pointed. My stomach was in knots, pulse thrumming quickly. Pulling the scanner out of my pocket, I held it over the rubber bracelet on my wrist. I was really going to do this. I did as Paisley had shown me and the rubber fell off. Picking it up, I hugged it to my chest with the little scanner.

Chase stepped closer. “Whenever you’re ready, we’ll open the slot.”

I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “I’ve never done this.” I looked at him, then away quickly, “on purpose.”

He touched my shoulder gently. “If you can help us end what they’re doing, you may feel entirely different about it.”

I nodded. “I don’t know about that, but let’s do it.”

“He’s an emotion feeder, it’s probably how he knows what not to say to alarm women.” Arius glanced to Troy.

Emotion feeder? Did I want to know? I was almost ninety percent sure I didn’t. Was that a skill? The more this day went on, the more I felt like I’d had a complete and utter psychological meltdown.

…Kara…

I blinked and looked at Chase. “Sorry?”

“Are you ready?”

I looked back to the man on the other side of the see-through wall. He wasn’t as large as the brothers, but he’d wasn’t small either. If I’d been asked to describe him, I wouldn’t have been able to pick anything unusual, he was plain looking. If you didn’t count his eyes, which expressed nothing but loathsomeness. His thoughts had been vulgar earlier— “No, but I’m not going to back down now.”

Chase walked past me and pointed to a button on a small panel. “If it becomes overwhelming, push this and the slot will close.”

I looked at the button and then back to him. “Okay.” The fact that he was giving me a quick out, was not lost on me. Why he was showing me kindness escaped me though.

…Cupid…

I gave him a startled look. “I keep getting lost inside my head.”

“It’s not a problem.” He gave me a patient look.

I realized he was confirming I was ready, again. “Oh, yes. I’m ready.” I turned and looked at the man and heard a noise that told me the small hole was now open.

At the same time Arius and Troy walked into the cell with the man. Arius’ posture screamed ‘don’t mess with me.’

“Do you know who I am?” He asked the man.

Slowly he nodded and looked away quickly.

…the freak with the hypnotic eyes…

My eyes went wide. Hypnotic eyes? That I would have to ask about.

“Good. You’ll answer any questions, or you’ll deal with me.”

…as if…

I looked at Chase, he raised an eyebrow, I nodded to let him know I could hear what the slag was thinking.

Arius crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at the man. As intimidating stances went, that was a good one, I thought.

“We know you’ve been collecting up women…”

…and now I won’t get my pick because I’m here…

It dawned on me in that moment that this was real. What they’d been saying about abducted women was true. I’d thought it had been my paranoia.

Chase touched my shoulder, bringing me out of my head. Later, I’d ask how he recognized it was happening.

“…where do they go after you take them down to the tunnels?” Troy asked in a calm voice.

…like I care. I’m not one of the sewer crew—they’re like a bunch of rats down there…

I cringed. I would definitely not be helping them look into that. I focused to listen and not think about rats in a tunnel.

“How many are still at the apartment?” Arius asked him.

“What apartment?” The prisoner said quietly.

…they followed me? How do they know this? Nelson will have my balls for this…

Troy glanced at Arius and shook his head.

Arius smirked. “Don’t go anywhere. We’ll be back.”

They went out and closed the door.

The man blew out a breath and put his hand to his forehead.

…I hope they’ve moved the last ones to the track. This is Wednesday. Shit. They’ll still be there…

He paced to the other side of his cube, then his thoughts blurred with the panic he was feeling.

I looked at Chase and gave him a quick look telling him I wasn’t going to get any more from this panicking slag.

With a slight bow, he closed the small slot on the wall.

I turned to see Arius and Troy standing behind me. “I didn’t hear much.” I pointed to Arius, “he thinks you’re the freak with the hypnotic eyes.” I paused when he didn’t look concerned or offended. “Okay, I don’t want to know.” I blew out a quiet breath. “He’s upset he doesn’t get his,” I made quotes in the air, “pick of the women now that he’s locked up here.” I glanced from Troy to Chase. “This-this is really happening isn’t it? It’s not some episode my paranoia has created to protect me from reality—is it?”

Chase motioned to the pacing man behind glass. “This is the reality we’re dealing with.”

My heart skipped a few beats. I hugged the red cuff against my chest. “Yeah, I was afraid of that.” I shook my head to get back on topic. “He-uh, doesn’t know where the girls go that are taken to the tunnels. Calls the crew a bunch of sewer rats.” I closed my eyes for a second, to remember what else. “Um, he’s worried you followed him to the apartments and Nelson will have his-uh, balls for it.”

All three men looked at each other.

“Of course it’s Nelson.” Troy said quietly.

“We could probably end this if we got our hands on him.” Chase mused.

I didn’t know who that was and decided it wasn’t my business. I looked back at the man. “He’s worried the women at the apartment won’t be moved to the track before you guys get there.”

“Track?” Chase looked at Troy.

Troy shook his head. “I couldn’t see anything clearly.” He gave me a patient look, “was there anymore?”

“No. His thoughts were garbled after that.” I shrugged. “That happens when strong emotions are riding someone.” I moved my hand in a circle beside my head. “It becomes alphabet soup up there with emotion.”

Arius pulled out his phone. “I’m calling Ellis and Abe, see if they know of any abandoned tracks or remote ones.”

Troy nodded, “ask the girls as well.” He looked to Chase. “We need to get to that apartment.”

Chase nodded and motioned for me to go back in the direction we’d come. “We’ll need Kara to show us where.”

I started walking.

“We’ll do that at the time. I don’t want to tip them off we’re coming.” Troy said walking on the other side of me.

I looked from one to the other, then realized I hadn’t put the cuff back on and still wasn’t picking up anything.

“Hopefully their recruiter back there isn’t on a regular schedule and being missed.” Chase added quietly.

I paused. “So-you’re going to that apartment building? How will you know which apartment?”

They turned and looked at me.

“We’ll find a way.” Troy stated.

“Even if it involves knocking down each door.” Chase said with a grin.

“Oh.” I frowned and started following them again. That was good. The kings were going to such lengths to find abducted women. I’d never really thought of what royalty did. For some reason I thought they were just fancy representatives of a nation. I rolled my eyes at my own corny thoughts. There was nothing regal now in the modern days. Too much reading of old books, that’s what was my problem…

…cupid…

I jolted and looked at Chase.

He gave me an apologetic look. “I did try speaking to you first.”

I shrugged. “I’m really not used to conversations with people.” I looked at the floor. That made me sound like a complete loser.

Chase chuckled. “I was asking if you’d like to finish eating and hang out at the palace while we attend to some arrangements.”

He had my complete attention at eating. “Eating any time is good.” And that was the lame answer I gave him.

We went through the metal doors again. Chase stopped and motioned to the bracelet I still held. “You may want to put that back on. I don’t know how many of us will still be in there.”