We’ll get in position near the front door.
So far, so good.
As soon as we spot the cameras. I’m going to cut the power to the surveillance system, including the lights,Rachel said.That will probably alert Smith that something’s up. But on balance, it’s better that he can’t see us.
Matt sent her his agreement. They had discussed cloaking themselves psychically, the way they had when they’d mounted the water rescue mission. But in the end, they’d decided that making themselves invisible would drain away too much power with the group, so spread out.
The foursome got out of the vehicle, collected the weapons they’d brought, and started back to the mansion on foot, moving as silently as they could through the darkness, staying off the road, keeping to cover as much as possible.
As they drew near Smith’s property, Jake scanned the roofline of the house and the trees.
I see the cameras,he informed them, directing the others to the locations.
They all stopped, formed into a tight group, and sent energy to Rachel as she shorted out the video system. In the next moment, she cried out as something she had never experienced jolted her. She couldn’t say what it was, but all at once some kind of bolt struck her. Not something physical. It was mental, and it shot straight to her brain. Her hands went to her head as she tried to block out the intense pain that bloomed like a nuclear explosion. The others in the group gasped, and she knew they were experiencing the same sensation.
It was impossible to stay on her feet. Her knees buckled, and she fell to the side, hitting Stephanie on the way down.
Smith must have...she tried to say, but she couldn’t form the words.
It had happened fast, and it had happened to all of them. And there was more than pain. She felt a grogginess invading her mind like mist creeping along the ground swallowing up the landscape.
To her amazement, when she looked up, she saw that Jake was still standing. She tried to reach him with her mind, but for the first time since they’d bonded, that was impossible. She simply couldn’t catch his thoughts.
Fear crackled inside her, and she realized how much she’d come to depend on that mental connection. It was as though she had lost part of herself. Was it the same for him?
She felt his hand find hers and squeeze. “Gotta get out of here,” he croaked.
“I...can’t.”
“You have to,” he said, giving a savage tug on her arm. “Or we’re gonna die.” Somehow the tug and the words prodded her to action.
She might not be able to stand. She might not be able to think clearly. But if she had any say in the matter, she wasn’t going to let Smith wipe her out—along with the rest of her clan. She began to crawl away from the house, back toward the road, praying she could escape from whatever was turning her mind to cottage cheese.
Anxiously, she spared a glance back over her shoulder and thanked God that Craig and Stephanie were following. They looked as bad as she felt, but they were moving. As she fought through air that had turned to thick syrup around her, she remembered something else that froze the blood in her veins. The boat team was headed for the dock. She had to stop them. Desperately she tried to send a message, but she couldn’t get the words out past the invisible wall around her head.
* * *
Gabe guidedthe boat silently toward the pier that jutted out into the water.
It was like his mind was divided into two halves. Travis focused on the navigation and Gabe scanned the estate ahead, where floodlights illuminated the grounds. He could see no guards on duty, but he knew the surroundings were under observation. Probably there was a man in the control room he’d seen sitting at the bank of screens watching for trouble. How many men were there besides Smith?
He’d seen six. There could be more.
When the exterior went dark, he knew that the other team had cut the outside power. Presumably, that meant that not only were the spots out but also the video cameras.
Beside him, Matt sent his thanks to Rachel.
Immediately, he sensed trouble.
“Rachel didn’t answer,” Matt informed him.
At the words, a knot of worry started deep in his chest. There was a time when Travis could have flitted to the front of the house to find out what was going on out there. Those days were over.
As soon as the boat bumped against a piling, Matt snatched up a knapsack, jumped out, and began tying up the vessel. The moment it was secure, he turned and helped Elizabeth out. Olivia stayed by Gabe’s side.
Gabe was halfway to the lawn when he heard Travis shouting inside his head. Not just to him but to the other members of the water team.
Get off the dock. Get off the dock.
