In fact, he was glad that he didn’t have to sit around his room stewing over his newfound double personality. Or figuring out how to deal with Olivia. Probably she caught that thought, but there was nothing he could do about anything personal between them at the moment.
CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR
The rest of the group came back for a planning session. First, they called up Google Maps on a laptop that was Bluetoothed to the room’s TV. Using Travis’s memory of Olivia and Gabe being carried from the house, they found a river view of the property. From there, they moved the map to the street side. No surprise that the estate was on River Road, along with a slew of other mansions. All were on large lots, which meant less chance of disturbing the neighbors. Before they got down to a tactical discussion, Jake said, “We should tell Olivia and Gabe our skills, and find out what they can do.”
Gabe was about to say he couldn’t do any mental tricks, when he felt an odd sensation like electricity buzzing through his body. His gaze shot to Olivia.
I’m feeding you energy,she silently told him.
He gave a small nod of acknowledgement, wondering if what she was doing could have any practical effect on him.
Yes,Travis answered.
Before he had time to dwell on the strangeness of the interchange, he somehow felt Olivia directing his focus toward a plastic cup on the bathroom counter.
To his shock, the vessel went skittering off the sink counter onto the floor.
While he was marveling at that new talent, Olivia reminded him of what happened during his stealthy approach to her estate.
“We can also hurl what we’re calling thunderbolts,” she said, giving him a pointed look. Well, she and Travis had. Not him. Travis had thought the man sneaking up on them was an attacker and had zapped him unconscious.
You think...I can do that?he challenged.
Yes. But we’d better not do it in here.When she walked to the door, he followed slowly, wondering if she could possibly be right.
When he looked around for witnesses, Jake said, “I rented the whole motel. There are no other guests. And Gabe and Elizabeth sent the guy in the office a strong suggestion to turn on the No Vacancy sign and go home. He’s cleared out.”
“You can do that?
“Yes. Some of us are better at it than others,” Craig put in. “I did a lot of it when I rescued Stephanie from the scumbag who thought he was going to marry her.”
Actually, I think I got Smith focused on drowning you—rather than getting rid of you in a fiery car crash,Travis added.
Gabe winced, then tensed when Olivia came up behind him and clasped him around the waist—making him flash on her and Travis practicing their defenses back at her estate.
After looking around to make sure no cars were coming up the road, she fed him energy, and they sent a jolt into a metal trash container near the Coke machine, making the container jump.
“I’ll be damned,” Gabe muttered.
Too bad we don’t have time—or a good place—for more practice,she answered.
He grinned, pleased to have exhibited some of the power that the others now took for granted. Would he ever feel entirely comfortable with them? For that matter, would he ever feel entirely comfortable in his own skin? He couldn’t answer that yet. First, they had to deal with the man who had tried to kill them.
“Good job,” Jake said. “Now we should share our talents with you.”
Back inside, the couples filled in the newcomers on what they’d been able to accomplish. They all had mastered thunderbolts. Craig, Elizabeth, and Matt were particularly good at mind control.
And as a group, they were much more powerful—like when they’d hidden their vessel while approaching Smith’s murder boat.
As Gabe had suspected, Rachel was the most talented of the group. He learned that she’d saved her own life, plus Jake’s and the two members of the group that he hadn’t met yet, Gabriella and Luke. She’d slowed down time when Dr. Solomon had blown up his own laboratory after Rachel and Jake had come to rescue the other two telepaths.
When everyone had catalogued their abilities, they got down to serious planning, with Gabe and Craig, the two detectives, providing the major input.
“We can’t be sure how this will go down,” Craig cautioned everyone. “You have to be prepared to change plans in the middle of the action if your assumptions blow up in your face. When I rescued Stephanie from her fiancé’s wedding farce, I was going to wait until the guests were all seated before trying to get out of there. But one of his men found the guard I’d tied up and left in the bushes, and I had to seriously move up the timetable.”
Gabe wanted to hear more ofthatstory. But he knew it would have to wait until there were no more threats hanging over their heads.
Switching gears, he said, “Besides your hidden talents, we’ve got an interesting advantage.”
