Duality: Vol 2, Euphoria (A New Adult Paranormal Romance) (28 page)

I half-smiled.  “I think your life pretty much sucks ass right now.”

“Yeah.  You can say that again.”  She put her forehead back down on the table.  “I’m going to sit here and think about all the regrets I’ve built up over seventeen years so I can go to my grave really miserable.  Then maybe I’ll have enough juice in the spirit world to haunt some of these bastards later.”

“Is that how it works?” I asked, putting my chin on my crossed arms on top of the table.  “The last thing we do is what we carry with us?”

She brought her arms up to the table and propped her chin on her arms like me.  “I don’t know.  I hope so.”

“So what do you regret most?” I asked softly, wondering if she’d tell me.  She was so tough, I knew she rarely let anyone into her head like that.

She pursed her lips for a few seconds before answering.  “I regret not sleeping with Kootch.”

My jaw came a little unhinged and fell off to the side.  “Uhhh … what?”

She put her elbows on the table and leaned her chin on her hands.  “Yeah, I just said that out loud.”  She shook her head and closed her eyes.  “I must be losing my mind.”  Opening her eyes again, she looked at me, the saddest expression on her face.  “I’ve spent most of my life giving him shit and mocking his ass hard.  But the last year or so … I don’t know.  Things changed.  His mom left and his dad started beating him up … he got different.  Went softer or something.  Showed me a part of himself he never let out before.  A guy who can do that is okay in my book.  Plus, he’s got all those damn muscles now too.  Those don’t hurt.”  She smiled.

“Wow.  I don’t know what to say to all that.”  I had totally not expected her to unload all that girl stuff on me.  I was lost.

“You don’t have to say anything about it.  I just needed to hear myself say it out loud.”

“What’s he going to do, do you think?” I asked, sitting up straight and leaning back in the chair a little.

“What can he do?  He doesn’t have a phone, no wheels, no phone numbers.  He’s out there in the weeds.  At least he’s not going to die.  I can leave this dimension knowing that.”

“He’s got numbers,” I said, unable to hold back my sneaky grin.

“Where?  In his head?  Don’t count on it.  His memory’s not the greatest.”

“No, in his phone.  His didn’t get smashed.  He had it in his back pocket.”

Jasmine sat up straighter.  “Are you serious?  What was all that shit about losing his chick numbers?”

“Smoke screen, I guess.  Isn’t that what you would’ve done?”

“Yeah, but I have training.  Kootch is just … Kootch.”

“Kootch is a guy who’s got your back, that’s who Kootch is.”  I stood, feeling just a little bit better about our situation.  “He’ll find a way to get your dad and get some people out here to find us.”

“There’s no tracker on the car.  I made sure of it.  I didn’t want any mole following us to your final destination.”  She dropped her head again.  “Why oh why did this have to happen like this?  You’re apart from Rae … I’m apart from Kootch.  None of this was supposed to happen.”

“Yeah.  We’re apart,” I said, something niggling the back of my mind.

Jasmine lifted her head.  “You don’t sound all that upset about it.”

“I’m not.  I mean, I am, but right now, I’m kind of not.”  I grinned at her.

“What’s so funny?  Are you losing your last bit of sanity right now?  Am I watching you actually go insane in front of me?”  She stood up slowly.

“No.  Think about it, Jasmine.  Jazzy Butts.  Rae and I are apart.”  I walked around the table and stood next to her, waiting for her to figure out what I was telling her.  The idea was blooming like a great big firework flower in my head.

She turned to face me.  “You’re apart.”

“Yeah.  We’re apart.  I’m in here, and she’s way over somewhere else.”  I reached out and took one of her hands in mine, covering it with my other hand until it was totally enclosed.  “Do you feel me, dog?”

She frowned, looking down at my hand.  “If you put my hand on your dick right now, I’m going to punch you in the head.”

I laughed.  “No, dummy.  That’s not what I meant.  Can you feel me?”

She stared at our hands for a few seconds and then looked up at me.  I could tell the moment she got my drift when the smile moved across her lips.

“Ooohhhhh, can I feeeeel you.  I get it.  No, as a matter of fact, I can’t feel you.”

I cocked my head to the side.  “And why’s that, I wonder…?”

“Because I’m a Neutral, that’s why.”  Her grin went from ear to ear.  “But I’ll bet none of those other fuckers are.”

I pulled her into a hug.  “Time to get all touchy feely with the natives,” I said.

She pulled away and started doing a bad imitation of an eighties dance all over the room, singing her new and improved lyrics to the tune of Olivia Newton John’s
Let’s Get Physical.  

“Let’s get miserable, miserable … I wanna get miserable … let’s get into miserable … lemme see your body shock, your body shock … lemme see your body shock …”

Chapter Forty-One: Rae

“WHERE ARE YOU TAKING ME?” I asked, following behind Helen and keeping pace with her bodyguard or whatever he was. 
Sexy suit guy
.  I was scared and worried for my friends, but that didn’t make me blind.  I don’t know why I’d thought he was bland earlier.  Or fat?  Boring?  Able to disappear?  Hell-to-the no way. 
Crap.
This man could have been on the cover of a magazine. 
Helen must like the idea of having pool boys as assistants. 
I found it hard not to steal glances at him or even stare openly, he was that attractive. 
Wowza
.

“We were just in the middle of a meeting with our benefactors.  It’s a perfect opportunity for them to meet you and see what their money is accomplishing for the cause.”  She lowered her voice to a condescending tone.  “They do so love to talk about their ROI.”

We went down several hallways and through two doors before arriving at our destination.  Helen turned to face me and her expression went mean, all the fake niceness melting away.  “Do what you’re told when you’re told to do it, and your friends will live.  Deny me or give me any problems and they won’t, it’s that simple.  Do you understand?”

I nodded, my blood frozen in my veins.  She was serious.

“Don’t mistake my calm demeanor for lack of dedication.  I care nothing for those outside my sphere, and that’s where your friends live.  They’re not even on the same planet as far as I’m concerned.”  She smiled so sweetly, I almost believed she was happy.  “And just in case you were curious about how they’d die … let’s just say … it won’t be pleasant or quick.  Do you get what I mean, dear?”

I nodded again, this time having to work very hard at not throwing up on her pink silk blouse and perfectly tailored lady-suit.  I completely believed what she was saying.  She had the glint of insanity staring out at me from her eyes, and it was only getting worse the longer she was near me.  She was definitely not a Neutral.

She pushed open the double wood doors and beamed at me over her shoulder before facing the men around the table.  “Good evening, gentleman.  Please allow me to interrupt for just a brief moment while I introduce our honored guest.”  She turned and held out her hand towards me.  “This is Rae Livingston, the Influencer you’ve heard so much about.  She’s just recently been released by her handler to join us here at the compound.”

An old man with a big stomach looked me up and down, his second and third chins resting on his chest, his neck nowhere in sight.  “This is the Livingston project?  Why is she here?  She’s not ready yet, is she?”  He sounded worried.

“We decided it was time to put some of our plans in motion, and yes, she’s ready.”  She looked back at me, her expression warning me not to correct her version of events.

“Are you sure?  She looks too young,” said another man, this one about a decade younger and not as big in the middle.

“We’ll do some fine tuning after we’ve done some testing with her, but I’m confident everything will go very smoothly.  She’s highly motivated to help us, aren’t you, Rae?”

She lifted an eyebrow at me, waiting for my answer.  Her threat was clear.

“Yes,” I said, my voice catching in my throat, cutting the word off halfway.  Nobody seemed to care.  They all shifted their attention to Helen.

“Everything is ready for the green light,” Helen continued, her gaze sweeping the room.  “You just need to make your final investments and we’ll be ready to execute.”  She walked around the table, gesturing for me to follow her.  “As you can see, her influence is quite powerful.  I can already feel the effects.  Can’t you?”  She looked around the table, staring at all twelve men one at a time, nodding her head slightly.

I looked at them too.  The tell-tale Rainbow magic was doing its thing.  Wrinkled foreheads were going smooth, lips were turning up at the corners, and folded arms were dropping down onto chair arms.

“I can feel it,” said another younger man.  He looked like a banker.  His suit seemed painted on, it fit so perfectly.  “Is it a good idea for her to be in here with us?”

Helen waved his concerns away with a flick of her hand.  “Of course it is.  She’s perfectly harmless …” She paused for effect, “…unless we don’t want her to be.”  She grinned triumphantly.  “Get out your checkbooks, gentleman.  We have a mission to fund.”

Several of the men looked at one another, whispering amongst themselves.  Helen turned to face me, her expression going serious as she moved closer and closer.  When she was so near that I started to feel like I should back up, she spoke.  Only I could hear her, her voice was so low.

“Do you see the man with the blue handkerchief in his suit pocket?”

I looked around the table until my gaze landed on the fat man.  I nodded at her.  “Yes.”

“Send him a jolt of your energy.”

I frowned at her.  “What?”

“If you want your friends to walk out of here alive, you’ll send a bolt of energy into that man over there, and you’ll do it
now.”

“That’s not how it works,” I said, desperate that she believe me.  “I can’t shoot it out like a laser beam!”

“Then get close to him.  Do what you do, but get him happy.”  She pushed me a little, pinching my skin in the process.  It was definitely on purpose.

I walked slowly around the table, staring at the old man as I went.  I needed to get him smiling or Malcolm and Jasmine would be gone forever.  I was pretty sure I could trust Helen to kill when she said she’d kill; she was that kind of person. 
Please, God, please let this work
.  Stopping when I was behind him, I slowly snaked my hand around his chair and rested it on his shoulder.

Chapter Forty-Two: Malcolm

JASMINE BANGED ON THE DOOR and started yelling.  I was lying on the floor, pretending to be passed out.  Both of the chairs were on their sides, one on the table and one on the floor, props in our fake attempted-escape scene.

“Hey!  Somebody out there!  We have a problem!  My friend is passed out in here.  He hit his head!  Hey!  Can someone come in here and make sure he’s okay?!  I think he needs a doctor!”

The door jiggled as someone unlocked it and she backed up.  I quickly shut my eyes and schooled my features to appear slack and unconscious.

“What?”  The guy sounded annoyed.

“My friend was trying to escape into that hole in the ceiling up there and he fell and hit his head.  Can you see if he’s okay?”

The door squeaked as it swung inward.  “Get back in the corner of the room,” he growled.  His footsteps stopped right by my head.  “I’m not going to look at him until you’re all the way over there, so hurry up.”

Lighter footsteps retreated.  I heard the material of his pants swish as he bent towards me.  The air quality changed as soon as his breath was close enough to invade my space.

Just a little closer, man.  A liiiittle closer.

“What the hell was he doing trying to get out of that vent?  It’s way too small for that.”

My eyes flew open as soon as I was reasonably sure he was close enough to grab.  He was looking over his shoulder at Jasmine, waiting for her explanation, completely oblivious to his mistake.

I snagged his wrist and clamped down on it as hard as I could, while simultaneously sending every Miserable vibe I could muster into his body.  I thought about Rae and her being trapped and abused at the hands of these monsters … of her crying out for help and no one hearing … of being without her for the rest of my life and the heartache that instantly weighed me down and made me feel like jumping off a cliff in despair.

I sent it all to him and watched him crumble at my side, writhing in agony on the floor.

Chapter Forty-Three: Rae

I THOUGHT OF EVERY BIT of happiness I could bring up in my mind and sent it into the fat man’s arm through my hand.  Visions of Malcolm kissing me and holding me in his arms danced before my mind’s eye, both of us bending down to pick up something dropped and bumping heads, collapsing in giggles.  I brought back memories of the party and the bedroom and every other intimate moment spent with him, reveling in the warm feelings and the happiness that bloomed inside me.  We were meant to be together.  None of this could stop that from happening; I wasn’t going to let it.

The fat man stopped talking as soon as I touched him.  I glanced down and saw a smile come over his face.  His hand that was in the middle of a gesture flopped down and landed on the arm of the man next to him.  That second man’s face lit up at the contact and he smiled hugely, looking around the room in a daze.

Helen was nodding, smiling and looking disturbingly like a serpent with her angular face and slanted eyes.  I almost expected a forked tongue to come out and test the air for my Rainbow vibe, she was so convincingly slithery.