The Escape (9 page)

Ritter spoke for the first time. “I think I may have a plan, but I need another day or so to work out the details. You know me, Tenika, and I assure you that freeing them is my first concern. Your people are our people. We work together. It has always been that way.”

Tenika inclined her head. “Thank you. Yuan-Xin did tell me you were considering a new option, and perhaps these developments tonight will help us find a solution. Maybe even give us some leverage against the Emporium.”

“What about long term?” Ava said. “We’re moving far too slowly getting our own people into place. When we eventually do announce our presence to the world, we’ll need a face, someone people can trust. At my last count we have fewer than a dozen Renegade sympathizers in prominent political positions. That’s not enough. And none are Unbounded so they couldn’t be the face for our cause.”

Sorrow crossed Tenika’s features. “We’d have three Unbounded in place if not for the massacre. I really don’t know what we can do about that right now, but there’s a limit to the shootouts and murders we can continue attributing to the drug world or gang activity. Between the Hunters and our battles with the Emporium, we’ve already drawn too much suspicion. Especially after the slaughter of our people. Throwing down a couple packets of drugs and known gang paraphernalia didn’t begin to cover it up. Nearly all of us were questioned and it was only my hypnosuggestion that prevented police from making a more thorough investigation. We should lie low for at least another three months, but I don’t see how that’s possible as long as the Emporium have our people.”

Ava put one elbow on the table and tapped her finger on her lips. For the space of several long seconds no one spoke. “Okay,” she said finally, “this is what I propose. Dimitri and I will visit the medical facility in . . .” She looked at Stella.

“Worcester, Massachusetts,” Stella supplied.

Ava nodded. “It’ll take some doing, but we’ll come up with some reason to hold a medical consult with personnel who were there at the time of Patrick Mann’s birth. We’ll probably have to track those who’ve left or retired to wherever they are now. Once we get close enough, I should be able to learn something from their minds, even if they don’t tell us willingly. Stella, you may have to break into their records as well.”

“I’ve already tried,” she said. “I think I’ll have to do it from the inside. Even for a hospital, they’re paranoid.”

“That works in our favor most of the time.” Dimitri took out his phone and began touching the screen. “I bet I can find someone who can get us an introduction.” He shook his head. “Or at least get us an introduction to someone who can get us an introduction.”

Having worked in many hospitals all over the country under several different identities, I was sure he could do better than that.

“Good,” Ava said. “Ritter, you will continue to work with Yuan-Xin to plan the rescue of our people. You’ll have everyone except—”

“Wait,” Jace interrupted, gesturing toward the big screen. “Turn it up, Stella. This is the interview they’ve been promising. Better record it.” We all turned our attention to the screen, Ritter pivoting his entire body.

“Hey, that’s Patrick Mann,” I said. Someone at the news station had pull if they could get an interview with the son of the vice president on such short notice. Or maybe he was trying to further his political career and had gone looking for the publicity.

On screen, he appeared like any other confident, attractive man. Nothing told me he was Unbounded. For my ability to work, the subject had to be in view, and it was odd seeing him as others did, looking like an ordinary mortal.

“So we understand there was a commotion at your father’s fundraising event tonight,” the blonde reporter said, smiling at Patrick as though she considered him the most important person at the event. “What can you tell us?”

Patrick shook his head. “Unfortunately, not much. There was an altercation in a hallway at the hotel, and some people were taken to the hospital.”

“We understand there were weapons involved. How did those get past the tight security?”

“I’m sorry. I can’t speak to that.” His pursed lips radiated disapproval.

“Any clue as to the identity of the people involved?”

“None.” Patrick shook his head solemnly. “Apparently there was some interference in the camera feed for that hallway in the hotel. I understand that’s under investigation now.”

I grinned. The Emporium was certainly quick at covering up their messes.

The reporter hesitated a dramatic moment before saying, “Was the vice president in any danger at all during the course of the evening?”

“That’s uncertain. Everyone in town knew my father would be present tonight, so my feeling is that he may have been the target.” Patrick flashed a tight smile. “But whatever these people wanted, they didn’t succeed. My father is safe and ready to continue his job, as always.”

“That’s good to hear.” The reporter nodded as if any other vice president would have tendered his resignation. “How does it feel to know your father could have been in danger?”

Patrick looked directly into the camera. “Well, we knew when he took office that the American people came first. This won’t change anything. His family is behind him one hundred percent.”

“Thank you for your very valuable time,” the reporter said. “Please give our best to Vice President Mann.”

The scene switched back to the news anchors, and Stella lowered the sound.

“Smart,” Tenika said. “Creating sympathy and a feeling of outrage for the vice president, even though he was nowhere near the attack.”

“If President Stevens really is sick,” I put in, “this will smooth the way for the vice president to step in for him until he’s able.”

“If he’s ever able,” Jace muttered.

Something shifted inside me. “Do you think that’s part of the plan? To get the vice president in control even before the next election?”

“I don’t see how that would help the Emporium,” Ava said with a frown. “The vice president doesn’t appear to be connected with them. And with all the protection President Stevens has, how could they have made him sick?”

“There are ways,” Dimitri said. “Poisons that can’t be detected. Or an Unbounded healer who damages instead of heals.” His dark expression told all of us what he thought about that idea. “Maybe the vice president isn’t connected with the Emporium but has his own agenda.”

I shook my head. “I saw nothing like that in his mind. Or in anyone around him.”

“Not even Patrick Mann?” asked Ritter, his black eyes meeting mine.

“No. But I did learn something odd about Patrick.” I recounted finding the shiny, black cord in the sand stream of his thoughts. “It reminded me of a snake, and it was definitely put there by Delia Vesey.”

“Show me what it looked like,” Ava said.

Opening my shield to her, I pictured it. After a moment, she nodded. “I’ve heard of this. It’s called a binding. With bindings, a sensing Unbounded can place important information in someone’s mind, either to pass it on to another sensing Unbounded or to hide important secrets from anyone who might break through a mental shield.” Her gray eyes, so like my own, became troubled. “It worries me to see this now. There haven’t been Unbounded who can break through shields for many years, so what’s the point?”

She hesitated, her eyes meeting mine. She knew I could break through some shields, but there wasn’t any way the Emporium could know it, so this could only mean they’d discovered for themselves it was possible.

“I can create something like that in myself,” Ava continued, “but I wouldn’t know how to go about doing it in someone else. Not without damaging them.”

“Maybe that’s the point,” I said. “I can’t see Delia worrying too much about damage to someone else.”

Ava inclined her head in agreement. “The Emporium has never concerned itself too much with the individual. You were wise not to attempt penetrating it. There’s no telling what might have happened. Although, maybe it’s a new application of an old concept. Something different altogether.” Silently she added for me alone,
We know Delia recognized your potential when you were captured by the Emporium. This might be connected. She’ll not stay away from you long. She won’t let you grow too powerful.

Normally, I would have tried to show Ava my confidence, but it was a little shaky where Delia Vesey was concerned. The woman was frighteningly powerful.

Ritter’s knee touched mine under the table, freeing me from the thought. “We need to find out more about Patrick Mann. The sooner the better.”

“Stella, can you play that piece with Patrick Mann again?” Tenika asked. “Maybe there’s something we missed.”

The playback was halfway through when a black-clad person burst into appearance near the conference room door, wearing a knit face mask. Ritter was up in a blur, his gun ready. But it was only our shifter, Mari Jorgenson, emotions pinging from her in every direction. It had only been a few weeks since her Change, and sometimes she forgot to use her mental shield.

Mari pulled off her mask, revealing a heart-shaped face and black hair winding down her back in a thick braid. She looked more American than Japanese, but she still shared a family resemblance with Stella, her fifth great-aunt. “The Emporium’s got another prisoner!” she said. “Another Unbounded. They just brought him to the compound. Yuan-Xin sent me to tell you.”

There was more she wasn’t saying, particularly that she’d been glad to leave because Oliver Parkin, our other newly Changed Unbounded and also Stella’s descendent, was being his usual obnoxious, egotistical self. I liked to console myself that if he didn’t have such a valuable ability, we’d have tossed him out weeks ago. It wasn’t true because Stella had waited too long for someone in her family line to Change, but imagining it sometimes helped. I was glad Stella had Mari, whose childlike enthusiasm made her everyone’s favorite.

“Did Yuan-Xin recognize the Unbounded?” Ava asked, coming to her feet.

Mari shook her head and stray hair that had escaped from her braid fell into her dark eyes. “No, but he’s Unbounded all right. We heard the guards talking, and they gave him curequick.” Tonic, she meant, the Emporium version of our curequick.

Stella replaced her eyepiece. “I’d better contact all the Renegade groups to see if anyone’s missing.”

Mari glanced up at the television as Stella turned down the sound. “Maybe he’s new.”

Ritter shook his head. “They’d be trying to turn him not imprison him. What did he look like?”

Mari’s gaze went back to the television interview of Patrick Mann in a belated double-take. “Actually, he looked kind of like
him.
”

“When did they bring the prisoner in?” I asked. Could the Emporium have decided that Patrick Mann was a problem? They often turned on their own when it served the greater good.

Mari didn’t hesitate, her gift with numbers coming to her as naturally as breathing. “Eleven minutes and forty-two seconds ago. He struggled with them at the gate and that’s where they gave him the curequick. They, uh, broke his leg.”

I saw it in her mind, the vicious strike and the guard glancing around to see if his comrades objected to what he’d done. The tonic would help the prisoner heal quickly in case anyone at Emporium headquarters was told about the break. It created deniability.

“Then it couldn’t be him,” I said. “This interview was live and it would have been going on then.”

Mari went around the table to take a better look at the screen, where Stella had frozen an image of Patrick Mann. “The mouth is different,” Mari said, “and maybe the hair wasn’t quite so dark. It was hard to tell with just the street lights. But he did kind of have those features.”

“So a white, American-looking guy with blue eyes and brown hair?” Jace said. “That could be anyone.”

“Sorry.” Mari glanced back up at the screen. “Yuan-Xin or Oliver might be able to tell you more. I was so mad that I wasn’t really paying attention to details. I wanted to shift over there and shift out with him, but Yuan-Xin wouldn’t let me.”

“I wouldn’t have either,” Ritter said. “You’ve only been able to shift a few yards with another person and that situation would be far too dangerous. We can’t risk you that way.”

The Emporium had one aged male shifter, and we all knew they were anxious to breed the ability back into their family lines. Worse, if Delia could use others’ abilities the way I could, Mari would be the Emporium’s ticket to all kinds of mischief. Few documents or computer files would be safe, no lineage records secure. Assassinations that much easier. Normally shifters could only shift to places they knew, but sometimes they could also shift to people they were close to or had a mental connection with. Mari had so far been able to shift to places unknown only if Dimitri or I was there. Or if I showed her the place in her mind. But I believed it was only a matter of time before she was able to “find” the rest of our group.

Mari blew out a sigh. “I know. I know.”

Ava resettled in her chair. “This brings up another issue we need to address. We’re all aware of how the Hunters kept genealogical records since before their abandonment by the Emporium. These include connections with Renegade descendants. Lately, they’ve been researching and finding these extended connections and are watching them to see if they Change. Then they attack to kill. So far we’ve been lucky to have no casualties, though Keene reported that the Emporium hasn’t been so fortunate. While that might be good news for us, we can’t allow this to continue, especially as we have several more descendants approaching the age of Change.”

As Ava spoke, I was watching Mari, who stood behind Jace, her fists now clenched. Her husband had been a Hunter, sent to watch her for the Change, and he’d betrayed her before being brutally murdered by the Emporium. While she’d rebounded more quickly than anyone imagined possible, there were still nights when she came into my room tortured by nightmares.

I reached out to her mentally, pushing soothing emotions her way without delving into her thoughts.
It’s okay. You made it.

Her eyes flew to mine and her hands relaxed. I refocused on Ava’s words.