Everyone seemed to be telling her that these days. But she just didn’t know how to let go of the bitterness.
Someone placed a bowl of stew in front of her, and a board of crusty bread in the middle of the table. She ate, letting the talk wash over her, but not participating.
She’d been in Kane’s head when he was thinking about the past, and she’d found it fascinating. What would it be like to be all alone, a stranger in a strange land? Maybe nice. You wouldn’t have to worry about losing anyone. Caring about someone and worrying that they could be snatched away without a moment’s notice.
An image of Sam flashed up in her mind. He was smiling. The thing was, she’d been alone since he died. Even when she was in company. All these people cared about her, and she cared about them. Still, there was an insurmountable barrier between them.
“Nothing is insurmountable,”Sadie said.
For a moment, she thought about asking them all to keep out of her head—as she had with Kane—but she didn’t really want that. She wasn’t ashamed of her thoughts, her feelings. She just didn’t know how to change them.
She ate slowly. The food was good and the wine even better. She had a second bowl, more bread topped with creamy yellow butter from Martin’s own cows. Finally, she emptied the last of the wine into her glass.
“Why aren’t you fat?” Christa asked from across the table.
She grinned. She was still skinnier than she would have liked, but she found it almost impossible to put on weight. “Good metabolism and lots of red wine.”
Jake and Christa cleared the table—she thought about getting up to help but decided against it. They were going to have to talk soon and then...
She didn’t know what she was expecting to find in the files Ethan had found. Would there be pictures? She didn’t have any pictures of Sam. But if there were pictures of the experiments they had done—could she bear to see them?
“Okay,” Jake said to her. “Talk.”
She blew out her breath. “I was walking home last night. It was around twelve-thirty. I was cutting through this alley when I felt something in my mind.” She closed her eyes for a moment and remembered the sensation. “Like a sharp pain. I put up walls and the pain disappeared, but it was like a pressure, something pushing at me. It was only for a second or two and then it was gone.” She looked at Rose, who nodded.
“Sounds like the same thing I experienced before the attack at the Conclave party where Josie’s husband was killed.”
“Anyway…it went away but shortly afterwards I picked up on two guys following me. Sort of the rent-a-thug types. They were huge, like they’d been living on steroids for the last century. I had a quick scan, and they were there to abduct me.”
“Did you run?” Martin asked. “Tell me you ran.”
She frowned. “Of course, I didn’t run. There were only two of them, and I needed to know who they were working for.” Plus, she’d felt like punching someone. “I got a bit more information and then knocked them out. Unfortunately, they had no clue who had hired them. They’d been paid anonymously and were to call someone once they had me. And yes, I tried the number. It was a dead end.”
“You left them?”
“No. I sent a text to a detective I know. He had them picked up. I didn’t want to wait for them to wake up, but I wanted another look into their minds to see if I could find anything else.”
“You involved the police.” That was Jake—he was catching paranoia from Kane.
“Yeah. I have a very good friend with the Metropolitan Police.” She cast a glance at Kane as she said it, but he just smiled, which pissed her off a little. “But there was nothing else. Waste of time.”
“And you haven’t felt anything since?” Jake asked.
“No. But likely they’ll have the technology to shield themselves—so we only pick them up when they’re trying to read us.”
“Could they have followed you here?”
She shrugged. “They could have, I suppose. But I think we might have noticed someone following a helicopter.”
“All the same, we have to presume that they got something from your mind.”
“Maybe, but I closed down pretty fast.” Though whoever they were, they’d been powerful. At least as powerful as her.
“You need to warn Leila and Brandon,” Jake said.
“Already done,” Kane replied. “They’re on high alert and are checking in hourly. So far—nothing. There are enough safeguards in place to give them plenty of warning, but I think we need to send back-up as soon as possible.”
“Tomorrow. As soon as the meeting is over. Ethan, can you organize transport?”
