Deadly Intentions Page 14

  “It’s paranormal essence. I’ve devised a method of extracting paranormal abilities and distilling them into a liquid that can enhance the powers in others. Even the lowliest skilled para can increase their powers ten-fold with this drink. If only I could figure out how to make it synthetically …” His voice drifted off as he gazed at the beaker. Then he whirled around to face Jolene. “But I can’t. I need to extract if from a human … and that’s where you come in.”

  Jolene shrank back, her eyes darting wildly to the tubes. “You can’t!”

  Bly’s evil chuckle caused Jolene’s blood to freeze in her veins. She struggled with the restraints as she watched him flip a series of switches. A low buzz filled the room.

  “Oh, but I can. And I have. In fact, you wouldn’t believe who I’ve done this to. It’s quite successful, though I do need more testing to make the serum last longer for those who ingest it.”

  “My sisters will be coming for me. You’ll regret this.” She twisted and bucked in the chair.

  “Oh, I hope they do. I could use their essence, as well.” Bly stood before her and leaned in so that his face was very close to hers. The repugnant smell of stale coffee and garlic made her nose wrinkle. He cupped her chin with his hand, his blank, black eyes drilling into hers. “But yours is the best, you’re the most powerful. When you’re all used up, then I’ll tap into them.”

  Bly straightened and walked over to a big red switch.

  Jolene’s heart beat against her ribcage. “You can’t—”

  “Wait!” Mateo yelled, but it was too late.

  Bly flipped the switch.

  Jolene felt a nerve-shattering jolt of electricity run through her. The air was sucked out of her lungs and her whole body stiffened, almost lifting her out of the chair. Her mouth opened in a silent scream.

  As Bly stared at the beaker next to the chair, his leering smile collapsed into a frown. He glanced up at Mateo. “Nothing is coming out.”

  “Of course not.” Mateo strode over to the switch and flipped it off. Jolene collapsed back into the chair, panting. Beads of perspiration dripped from her forehead.

  “She’s too weak.” Mateo thrust his chin out at Thick Neck. “This idiot used the geode on her before we came and they drained her good when they captured her. She needs rest before her powers will be back to full levels.”

  Bly rubbed his chin, his disappointed eyes darting from Mateo to Jolene to the beaker. “Very well then, take her back to her cell. Give her two hours!”

  Bly spun on his heel and turned his attention to the red beaker on the table in the back of the room.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Fury Rock jutted out from the ocean at an impossible height, which, even in the black night, seemed to cast a shadow of foreboding on the small rubber raft that Morgan sat in with Luke, Fiona and Jake.

  She steered the raft from the back, glancing behind her to make sure the second raft with Cal, Celeste, Eliza and Luke’s main man, Buzz, was following. Satisfied that they were, she turned forward again. It was rough going now that they were so close to the island where the frantic bobbing of the ocean waves made it challenging to navigate between the sharp, jagged rocks that stuck up everywhere.

  In the front of the boat, Luke gave the signal to move inland and she expertly maneuvered the boat to a cave-like opening up ahead. She didn’t need Luke to guide her, her gifts were on high alert and she knew exactly where to put in.

  Securing the rafts was no easy task. There was no beach here, just the steep incline of the cliff and the sharp rocks leading from the cliff into the ocean. Somehow, Morgan managed to find a rock where she could wedge the metal trident into a crevice to hold the boat in place. They’d need it later to get away.

  Buzz found a place to tie up the second boat and the eight of them carefully picked their way over the slippery rocks and into the cave. Morgan glanced back at the boats—she hoped Jolene would be able to make her way out to them for their escape … if the rafts were even still there.

  The inside of the cave smelled like rotting seaweed. Morgan had to breathe through her mouth until she got used to the smell. Luke had supplied them with night vision goggles and Morgan noticed that even though the walls were weathered with age, the manmade chisel marks were still evident. Someone had carved out this series of tunnels centuries ago.

  A rustling sound pulled her attention back to the group, where Luke was unfolding the map they’d drawn from the hologram. They’d brought the meteorite locket with them, too, but looking at the map on paper was easier than trying to navigate with the hologram.

  “It looks like we should take this tunnel to the right, then follow that until it branches to the left.” Luke said.

  “Sounds like a plan.” Jake started off to the right.

  Morgan clutched the obsidian amulet hanging around her neck for good luck and followed the rest of them into the dark tunnel.

  ***

  The hard, unemotional look on Mateo’s face twisted Jolene’s gut as he undid the leather straps that held her to the chair. When he was done, he jerked her up by her elbow and Thick Neck came in to help with the other side. She was too weak to get up on her own.

  Jolene remained silent as they dragged her out of the room and into the elevator—she was trying to store up her strength for her next attack. She’d need to have her full powers about her the next time she tried to escape. It might be her last chance.

  Once the elevator doors opened, she could walk on her own. The two thugs kept their hands on her arms to discourage any attempts at escape.

  Halfway down the hall, she spotted the other door. She’d forgotten about it while she was strapped to the chair, but now felt overwhelmingly curious as to who was inside. Probably some poor sap like her who was getting her energy drained by Bly.

  If there were some way to communicate with them, she might be able to form an alliance that could help her escape.

  As they passed the door, she pretended to falter. She fell against the door, using the opportunity to peek in through the window.

  Her heart skidded. An old woman sat bent over in a wheelchair, her head hanging almost down to her chest. Her long white hair covered her face. Her withered hands clutched at the armrests.

  She’d only looked in for a split second before rough hands pulled her away, but Jolene couldn’t help but wonder if that was what would happen to her after a few of Bly’s sessions in the chair.

  They pushed her into her cell and she stumbled over to the stone bench. She was still weak, but could feel her power coming back minute by minute.

  “Let’s get her locked in here before she regains her strength.” Thick Neck stood at the door.

  “I’ll just make sure she gets what’s coming to her after all the trouble she’s caused.” Mateo advanced on her. Jolene felt a ripple of fear run through her, but looked him steadily in the eye. She wasn’t about to let him know how terrified she was.

  She opened her mouth to tell him just what she thought of him, but the strange look in his eye made her hesitate.

  He pushed her onto the bench, and she cried out, too surprised to speak. In her weakened state, she was no match for him.

  She fought not to shrink back when he reached out toward her. Let him do what he wanted—she would not show fear.

  His fist curled around the locket and she felt the sting of the chain biting into her skin as he ripped it from her neck.

  “That will teach you to resist.” He kicked out at her, missing and kicking the bench instead. Then, in two long strides, he was through the door and slamming it shut without even a backward glance.

  Jolene rubbed the back of her neck to ease the burn where the chain had bit her flesh. Slumping back onto the bench, she tried to calm her thoughts.

  What exactly was going on in here?

  Apparently, Bly was hooking people up to his fancy chair and draining their paranormal abilities, then making some kind of serum to give to his minions. Jolene wondered how many peo
ple he had, and if the condition of the lady in the wheelchair was what happened once they were used up … and how long it took for that to happen.

  A shudder wracked her slim body. Her sisters would be coming for her soon and they’d fall right into Bly’s trap. She had to stop that from happening.

  But how?

  With a sigh, she settled back onto the bench to come up with a plan of escape.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Morgan’s intuitive powers had kicked into high gear so she took the lead. They’d been walking for what seemed like an hour, through dozens of twists and turns. The uphill trajectory and slippery surface made it slow going. The night vision goggles gave everything a green tint and Morgan could see a clingy fluorescent moss glowing on the sides of the tunnels. The heavy damp air taxed her already labored breathing and made her want to go slower and slower.

  But it wasn’t just the air. Her stomach was starting to get an odd feeling, like something was wrong … and it was growing stronger the further they went.

  Morgan slowed her step.

  “What’s wrong?” Luke stopped directly behind her, putting his hand gently on her shoulder.

  “I don’t know. I feel kind of funny.” Morgan shrugged and took a step forward.

  Zap!

  A jolt of white-hot pain knocked Morgan backward into Luke who managed to catch her before she hit the ground.

  “What the heck?” Morgan squinted at the tunnel in front of her. The view was distorted—like old wavy glass. It shimmered for a second, then went back to normal.

  Morgan blinked. “Did you see that?”

  “I’m not sure.” Luke’s concerned gray eyes looked her over. “Are you okay? What happened?”

  “It felt like I got electrocuted.” Morgan took a tentative step forward.

  “Wait!” Eliza pulled her back. “I think I know what it is.”

  She picked up a pebble and tossed it into the tunnel, but instead of falling a few feet in front of them, it stopped in mid-air. It made a sound like a mosquito hitting a bug zapper. Sparks arced out from the sides of the pebble and then it fell to the ground.

  “I was afraid of that.” Eliza’s tone was grim.

  “What?” Cal asked.

  “It’s an energy shield.”

  Jake stepped next to the shield and eyed it suspiciously. “That doesn’t sound good.”

  “It’s not,” Eliza said. “I’m sure this was put in place to prevent people from getting any further into the tunnels. That must mean we’re on the right track. The bad news is it also means we are up against someone very powerful.”

  “Maybe we can get around it,” Celeste suggested.

  The map rustled as Luke took it out of his pocket and unfolded it. “Maybe there’s an alternate route.”

  “No,” Morgan said. “This is the way we should go. It’s the way Jolene came.”

  “How do you know that?” Jake narrowed his eyes at her.

  “I just feel it. My instincts are getting stronger and we have to trust them.” Morgan grabbed the chain around her neck and pulled out the meteorite locket. “I guess this thing really does amplify paranormal gifts.”

  “So what do we do?” Cal asked.

  Eliza had moved next to the shimmering wall of air. She stood there silently, studying it. “I think I can break it. It’s like a cypher. At least I can try.”

  “Okay.” Morgan looked back at the others who all nodded their agreement.

  “Let me see the meteorite locket. I can use it to boost my power.”

  Morgan removed the chain from her neck and handed the locket to Eliza, who wrapped her hand around it and closed her eyes. Everyone was silent, letting Eliza concentrate without being interrupted.

  After a few minutes, Eliza reached her hand out toward the shimmering wall of energy. Turning her hand sideways, she sliced into the energy shield. Purple sparks flew out on either side of her hand.

  Morgan could see her aunt’s mouth tighten with pain, but she kept slicing into the energy shield, parting it like a curtain. Her hand slid to the bottom then she stepped through, holding her blistering hand in the middle to keep the opening from closing up.

  “Hurry, come through.” Eliza gestured for them to step through after her.

  Morgan went first. Eliza’s hand slipped a notch and Morgan could see she was struggling to keep her hold on the energy. She gestured for Fiona to hurry.

  Fiona glanced at Jake who nodded, and Fiona stepped carefully through to the other side.

  “Women first,” Luke said. “Celeste, you go next.”

  “Hurry!” Eliza’s hand was slipping lower, the opening getting smaller. Celeste gave Cal a peck on the lips and shimmied sideways through the narrowing opening.

  Eliza cried out and then collapsed to the floor. The energy shield snapped shut with a loud crack leaving Luke, Jake, Cal and Buzz on the other side.

  ***

  Jolene could feel the energy being restored to her body as she sat on the stone bench, wracking her brain for a plan of escape. She’d already tried to use energy to open the lock, but it didn’t work. Even if she’d had her lock-picking kit, it wouldn’t have helped because the lock was electronic.

  She sat up on the bench, leaning forward with her forearms on her thighs. Shaking her head, she tried to get rid of the fuzzy feeling in her brain.

  It must be this stone, she thought running her hand over the cold, smooth surface. Some kind of marble or quartz. Somehow it must affect her powers.

  It didn’t much matter because there was no way out of the room. The little hole in the corner wasn’t big enough.

  Crossing the room, she looked down at the hole, then glancing out the window in her door to make sure no one was watching, she crouched down and peered in.

  The smell of seaweed tickled her nose. This must be a passage—but to where? She could smell the ocean and remembered from her arrival they were on some kind of island.

  Was there a tunnel behind the wall that would lead her to freedom?

  Maybe she could smash the stone and get out through the tunnel?

  She’d memorized the route on her way in, but there was no guarantee the tunnel behind this wall was one of the tunnels that she came in through. Still, it was better than sitting here and waiting for Mateo and Thick Neck to come back for her.

  She stood back from the wall, closed her eyes and focused with all her might. Using all the force she could muster, she pushed out with her palms. Red energy sped toward the wall, bounced off then smacked into the wall behind her, bounced off that and hit the side wall.

  Jolene ducked to avoid being hit by the stream on its way back around. To her dismay, the energy continued to reverberate around the room, getting weaker and weaker until it finally dissipated into nothing.

  Jolene’s heart sank. It looked like breaking out wasn’t going to work.

  Movement over by the hole caught her eye. She stared, open-mouthed as a pair of whiskers poked their way through the hole followed by a pink nose, black furry face and large, ice-blue eyes.

  “Meow.” The cat trotted over and rubbed the side of her face on Jolene’s ankles.

  “Well, hi there,” Jolene said, happy to have friendly company. She bent down to pet the soft jet-black fur, the anxiety that had been clutching her heart easing just a little as she was rewarded with loud purring. The cat jumped up on the bench next to her and that’s when Jolene noticed it had something in its mouth.

  “Meow.” The cat dropped the object into Jolene’s lap and she stared down at it in surprise. It was the locket Mateo had ripped off her neck not even an hour before.

  “Where did you get that?” She didn’t really expect the cat to answer, but she voiced the question anyway.

  The cat simply blinked one ice-blue eye at her, then jumped down from the stone bench and disappeared back through the hole.

  Jolene picked the locket up, noticing a clinking sound as she turned it over in her palm.

  Something was inside
, which was strange, because the locket had been empty when Mateo took it.

  She glanced out through the window to make sure the hall was still empty, then opened the locket.

  Her heartbeat quickened when she saw what was inside—a tiny glass vile containing two drops of red glowing liquid.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “Eliza!” Morgan rushed to her aunt’s side. “Are you okay?”

  Eliza sat up, groggy but aware. “I’m okay. I just feel very weak.”

  On the other side of the energy shield Luke, Jake, Cal and Buzz shuffled around nervously. “Can you open this thing back up and let us through?”

  Eliza looked at them warily. The air shimmered in between them like someone had stretched plastic wrap from floor to ceiling. “I’ll try.”

  She stood on wobbly legs, reaching her hand toward the shield. Morgan’s heart twisted when she noticed how burned Eliza’s hand was and realized how much pain her aunt must be in.

  Eliza’s hand hit the shield and bounced off in a flurry of sparks, causing her to crumple backward in a groaning heap. Celeste caught her, lowering her gently to the ground.

  “I’m sorry. I’m too drained to break the cypher. It might take an hour for me to work back the energy I need.” Eliza’s voice was thick with regret.

  Luke paced back and forth on the other side. “Can anyone else break it?”

  “I could try.” Celeste stood to approach the energy shield, but Eliza pulled her back.

  “No. You need skills and practice. It could kill you otherwise.”

  Luke whipped out his map. “We can’t be separated. You guys will have to stay put until we find a way around.”

  Morgan felt conflicted, restless. She chewed her bottom lip, trying to decide what to do as she watched Fiona bend down and gently take Eliza’s burned hand.

  “Give me the meteorite.” Fiona indicated Eliza’s other hand, which still clutched the locket.