“Get her into the interrogation room,” he barked.
“What about the detective?” one of the operatives asked.
Smith glanced at the unconscious man. “Secure him in a cell. I’ll decide what to do with him later.”
The tone of his voice told Travis it might be a one-way trip. Or maybe the bastard would decide to see what he could get out of Gabe.
Keep him alive. He might have information about Olivia,Travis silently projected toward Smith. Could he influence a person’s actions? He didn’t know, but what did he have to lose?
* * *
Far away inthe guesthouse on the Bordeaux plantation in Lafayette, Louisiana, Rachel Harper awoke. Her husband was instantly aware that something had jolted her from sleep.
“What?” he asked, alarm making his heart start to pound. “Are we in danger? Under attack?”
“No, not us.”
“Then what?”
“The people in Maryland I told you about.”
He relaxed a fraction. “The...unusual ones?”
“Yes. The couple where he’s dead and she was able to keep him from crossing over.”
When Jake dragged in a breath and let it out in a rush, Rachel knew that he was still reserving judgment on her belief that one of the pair was already deceased.
“She’s been drugged and captured by the guy who tried to get Stephanie and Craig. The same guy who killed...” She paused, trying to bring the name into focus. “Who killed Travis.”
“That’s the ghost? That’s his name?”
“Yes.” She sat up and ran a hand through his hair.
“And you know all this, how...?”
“Travis is beyond desperate. He’s trying to get through to...Olivia, but he can’t do it because Smith put her under.”
“Smith?” Jake had also pushed himself up and was looking questioningly at his wife.
“I’m only getting this because Travis is so agitated. He’s putting out the strongest signal I’ve ever felt.”
Jake whistled through his teeth. “And he’s a ghost?”
Rachel went on with her explanation of the situation. “Obviously, Smith is a false name. But I’m willing to bet he’s the one who went after Stephanie and Craig—and then Elizabeth and Matt.”
They were the most recent couple who had joined the group of telepaths who had established a base of operation at Gabriella Bordeaux’s plantation. Gabriella ran a restaurant in the manor house where she and Luke lived. The others were in the guesthouses Gabriella’s mom had rented out before her death. And the group was having several more cottages constructed in case other children from the Solomon clinic showed up.
“Bet your life?” Jake shot back.
Rachel went on as though her husband hadn’t spoken. “Smith tortured Travis before he killed him. Olivia and a detective were trying to find out Smith’s real identity. But he found them first. It looks like he made sure the pair were unconscious before he scooped them up.”
“Her and the detective, you mean?”
“Yes. Smith doesn’t know Travis is along for the ride. Apparently, he has to stay near Olivia.” She paused for a moment, assessing the situation. “They’ve, uh, bonded in a way that I can’t describe. It’s really quite extraordinary.”
Jake swore under his breath. “And I suppose you want to go charging off to help them.”
“Yes,” she answered in a firm voice.
