Indigo Incite (The Indigo Trilogy) (14 page)

Each
movement was calculated but seemingly casual. In one sweeping motion, she
returned the coffee pot to its base, turned and swept the top book off the
stack, and pretended to read the summary on the back as she walked the cup of
coffee to Henry’s desk.

“Are you
interested in land navigation?” Henry inquired.

She
glanced at the cover, which revealed a picture of a topography map and a
compass. Perhaps she should have looked at the title before she picked it up.
Did he seem suspicious? She hoped it was only her guilty imagination. “Oh, you
know, actually, I’ve always loved books. Ever since I was a little kid, I would
read anything I could get my hands on.” This at least was true.

“Well,
in that case, my library is open anytime you’d like to borrow a book. I don’t
have any exciting novels, but if you’re into nonfiction, I have quite the
selection."

She
snatched on to the open invitation and returned to the stack on the counter.
Casually, she pretended to glance at each book until she reached her target
four books down. There it was. The face of the author stared up at her. She
prayed it was the face that would provide the needed answers that would lead to
their rescue.

“I’m
afraid I can’t loan you any books from that stack. I’m still going through
them, but anything on the bookshelf you are welcome to.”

Rebecka
glanced up. Henry continued to lean back in his chair. With his cup of coffee
in hand, he regarded her with a bemused grin.

She
replaced the books on the stack and smiled. “Thanks for the offer. I have to
finish making deliveries, but maybe I’ll come back tomorrow if you don’t mind.
I’m always looking for a new book to read.”

“Of
course, my dear. You are always welcome.”

She had
no plans to return anytime soon, but now that she had an open invitation, she
would have an excuse to return if the need arose. For now, she had the name she
had been after.

*****

The
tingling sensation, the usual after-effect of teleporting, subsided as she
opened her eyes. She pressed her back into the corner of the wall, so that she
wouldn’t be detected by the surveillance camera.

She
smiled to herself as she watched him. He had changed clothes since she had seen
him a few hours before and now wore jeans and a t-shirt. It also appeared that
he had showered; his hair was combed, and from the slight profile that was
visible, it appeared that he had shaved. He sat cross-legged on the end of his
bed and tossed a baseball into the air. She watched him catch the ball a few
times before she let her presence be known.

You
look bored. What do you say we get out of here for a little while?
she thought.

He
didn’t turn, but she saw an undeniable grin in his profile.
I would love
nothing more than to get out of here, but there seems to be a little issue of a
locked door and a security camera
, he thought in return. His ball continued
to soar into the air; for the sake of the security camera, he didn’t skip a
beat.

I
thought a locked door wasn’t a problem for you.

It’s
not, but I have zero control over the people who are watching the security
camera. The second I walk out that door, they’ll be all over me.

Well,
then I guess today’s your lucky day, my friend. There’s actually only one
person who is watching the surveillance camera, and…let’s just say that he and
I have come to an arrangement. In five minutes, he’s going to turn off the game
room monitor. So, Cinderella, you are free to go to the ball, until the clock
strikes nine. Are you game?

Toby
hesitated and held on to the ball. She thought he was going to turn toward her,
but he restrained himself and soon resumed the toss of the baseball.
You’re
serious? What kind of an arrangement did you have to make?—Is the security
guard your boyfriend?

The
hesitation in his question told her that he hoped the answer was no.
Good
,
she thought to herself. For a moment, she wondered if she should make him
believe that she had something going with Bobby, the gangly, pimple-faced
security guard. The thought only crossed her mind for a second though; jealously
wasn’t her style. Besides, she had a strong feeling that Toby liked her just as
much as she liked him. There was no need to make him jealous.

Bobby?
No…absolutely not. He wishes, but it’s not going to happen. I’ll admit, I might
have led him astray a little, but I only did it so I could get you out of here.

So
you trust him? You don’t think he’ll say anything?

Nah,
he won’t say anything. He knows that if he does, he won’t have a chance with
me. And he wouldn’t say anything anyways because he doesn’t want to lose his
job.

But
he doesn’t have a chance with you anyway…right?

You
sound nervous
,
Rebecka teased,
or is jealous a more appropriate term?

Hey
now, I’m not nervous or jealous…Is Bobby someone I should be jealous of?

Absolutely
not! You have nothing to worry about. I’m here because I want to take you out…I
mean, get you out of here so we can talk in private…I mean…What is wrong with
me? Why can’t I just say what I’m trying to say?

What
is it that you’re trying to say?

Rebecka
caught a hint of amusement in his thoughts.
What I want to say is, I like
you, and I’d like to get you out of here for a little bit so we can hang out.

I
like the sound of that
, Toby thought.
What do I say if I happen to see someone?

Do
your best not to be seen, okay? But if you do see someone, don’t act guilty.
Just say hi and keep walking with your head held high, like you belong there.

Easy
for you to say, but I’ll try my best.

Good.
I’ll see you soon.

Rebecka?
Toby turned to look at her. He looked directly into her eyes, and she thought
her heart was going to melt.
Thank you.

Rebecka
smiled.
It’s my pleasure
.

*****

When he
entered the game room, his grin was instantaneous. “Hi,” he said almost shyly.

With cue
stick in hand, she sat on the green felt of the pool table, her legs swinging
over the side. “Hey there. You found me.”

“Yeah,
it was a little too easy. I kept expecting guards to come pouring out of every
door I passed, but I didn’t see anyone. Your security guard friend must really
like you.”

Rebecka
chuckled. “Yeah, unfortunately he does, but I guess it was to my benefit this
time.”

“So you
said the surveillance camera is turned off?” He glanced at the camera mounted
near the ceiling.

Rebecka
followed his line of sight. “In theory it is, but I would still watch what you
say. You never know…”

“I
gotcha. Well then, since we don’t have a lot of time, what do ya say we make
the most of the time we’ve got?”

“What do
you have in mind?” Her pulse sped up as he stepped closer. He stopped when he
was about a foot away. For the first time, she was able to look deeply into his
eyes. They were speckled green. He was close enough so that the sharp scent of
institutional soap, which still lingered on his skin, permeated her senses. She
found it to be oddly intoxicating.

“Well…”
Toby began slowly as he continued to look into her eyes, “are you any good with
that cue stick, or is it just for show?”

Rebecka
raised her eyebrows, glanced at the stick, and then narrowed her eyes at Toby.
“Oh, I’m good. Are you game?”

He
stepped back and with his palms face up, summoned her forward with his hands.
“Let’s go, my friend. Show me what you’ve got.”

Rebecka
jumped off the table. “You’re on. You wanna break?”

“You got
it.”

Toby
grabbed the triangle and began to rack the balls. “How long did you say you’ve
been in this place?” He glanced up at her for a second, but continued to set
the balls.

“Six
months. It’s hard to believe that much time has passed. It makes me wonder
about my family. They’ve probably given me up for dead.”

“I’m
sure your parents are still holding out hope that they’ll find you.”

A tear
welled up in the corner of her eye, and she hurriedly wiped it away. “I don’t
know. I hope so. I just can’t help but think that this has got to be so much
harder on them. At least I know that I’m okay, but they don’t have a clue. My
poor mother’s heart must be broken. And my brother…We were so close…I mean…we
are close.”

“I know
what you mean,” Toby said. “My brother and I are like that, too. He’s my best
friend. But at least he knows that I’m okay. I imagine your brother really
misses you. How old is he?”

“He’s
fourteen…three years younger than me, but he’s my best friend.” Rebecka glanced
at the surveillance camera. She was sure that it was turned off, but just in
case, she decided that it would be better if she didn’t express her next
thought out loud.
I can’t wait to see him, again…if we manage to make it out
of here.

Toby
glanced at the camera and then winked at her.
We will make it out of here
,
he thought, in return.
Think positive
. He picked up a cue stick. “Now
then,” he said. “What do ya say we relax and have fun for the next half hour?”

On the
first strike, Toby broke the set and sent two balls flying into the far corner
pockets. In truth, she had only played pool once before and didn’t have a clue how
to properly hold a cue stick, but she grabbed it with confidence anyway and
took a firm stance. She eyed the ball that she wanted to sink into the side
pocket, took a deep breath, and prepared herself to hit the white ball.

“You
don’t want to do that,” Toby interrupted.

Rebecka
straightened and glared at him. “Oh really? And why is that, exactly? You know
what I was planning to do?”

Toby
chuckled. “Well, yeah, actually, I do. You were going to try to sink the yellow
ball, but actually it was going to ricochet off the side and sink my striped
green ball instead.”

Rebecka
tried not to show her surprise. She had in fact been planning to sink the
yellow ball but didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he was
right.

“You are
so making that up! You didn’t foresee that.” She tried to sound irritated but
couldn’t hide her smile.

“You
think I’m making it up? You know very well that I’m not because you can hear my
thoughts. And I can hear yours, too, don’t forget. It’s okay if you don’t know
how to play pool. I’d be happy to teach you.”

“I can
play pool,” she retorted, but even she could tell that her affirmation lacked
confidence.

“Of
course you can,” he said with a smile. “How about I just help you with your
form a bit?”

“Well…”

“It
won’t hurt. I promise.”

“Okay,
but you have to promise not to laugh.”

“What
would I have to laugh about? Come on. Let me at least show you how to hold the
cue stick. You can feel free to aim for whichever ball you like. Okay?”

Rebecka
smiled. “All right. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to learn.” She held the cue stick
out. “What should I do first?”

Toby
circled the table and came to stand in front of her. Once again, he stood close
enough that she could see the speckled twinkle in his eyes.

“All right,
face the table and pretend that you’re getting ready to make a shot.”

She
grabbed the stick, turned to the table, and attempted two practice strokes.

“Here,
let me just make a slight adjustment on your hold. I think you’ll find that
your aim and accuracy will be a lot better.” He reached in from the side and
placed his hands on hers to help position the stick in the proper form. The
warmth of his hands sent a thrill of excitement up her arms, and she closed her
eyes to relish the moment. She hadn’t known Toby for very long, but the unique
connection she felt to him was undeniable.

“I’ve
never tried, but I would imagine it’s kind of hard to hit the ball with your
eyes closed.”

She
grinned and then opened her eyes. His hands still lay on top of hers, and she
twisted her head sideways to look at him. He smiled back and she laughed. “I’m
sorry. I guess I was just daydreaming. I really am paying attention. I think
I’ve got it now. Can I give it a try?”

He
released her hands and took a step back. “Absolutely. Show me what you’ve got.”

With the
cue stick held the way he had shown her, she once again aimed for the yellow
ball, took three practice strokes, and then struck the white ball with finesse.
The balls seemed to move as though in slow motion, and then, much to her
delight, the yellow ball dropped neatly into the side pocket, just as she had
planned.

Toby
applauded. “Not bad. I’m impressed. I guess now it’s game on, huh?”