concern.
“What’s
happening?”
The voice sounded
about as worried as I felt, and I turned to face the boy. “Your brother is very
stubborn.”
My comment brought
a slight smile to Sam’s face. “He always has been. What’s he doing now? You
actually seem… I don’t know… anxious or something.” His brow was furrowed in
concentration.
“Not a normal
emotion from me, correct?” I asked, my lips twitching in amusement.
He shook his head
slowly. “Not normal,” he agreed. “But not as abnormal as you want people to
believe. You’ve been concerned about my brother this whole time, or you
wouldn’t have bothered pretending to be a cop to stay close to him.”
Taken aback, I
opened my mouth briefly before closing it again. His abilities prevented me
from hiding my motivations as usual. The idea that this… this child could know
my feelings was difficult to accept. But he was not incorrect.
A quick glimpse at
the boy’s face showed an amused smirk, and I knew he had been following the changes
in my emotions. “Keep your mind to yourself,” I snapped irritably.
His smirk only
became more amused, and I resigned myself to the mild aggravation his attitude
caused. There was nothing I would do against him unless he actively attempted
to harm me.
Smirk fading, Sam
approached. “What is my brother doing?” he asked again.
“Ignoring me,
mostly,” I admitted. “But I believe he is attempting to mount an escape. In
theory he could be successful, but without his memories…”
“He wouldn’t have
a place to go,” Sam followed my thoughts clearly. “He’ll get out, but he knows
nobody and nothing.”
The kid’s
amusement was no longer present as overwhelming concern flooded his features.
“We need to go get him,” he urged.
“He’s right,”
Detective Farrow spoke as she approached. “We can’t let Jason wander off on his
own with no knowledge of who he is or where he’ll be safe.”
I sighed and
looked away from the detective for a moment. “Jason no longer trusts me, and I
am the only person other than his captors that he knows. What makes you think
he will trust you when you catch up to him?”
A flash of mental
pain went through my mind at the thought that I’d lost Jason’s trust. He’d only
just begun to trust me as Scott Nickels, and had decided to trust me despite
his memory loss. Now, he pushed me away as he’d done when we’d first met. He
believed me to be a mindless killer, and not someone who could help him.
Sam stepped
forward, interrupting my thoughts. “I can help him to trust us. You told him he
has a brother, right? Once I get to him I think I can help him remember.”
“And if he still
cannot?” I kept my tone soft, wanting to do nothing that would harm the
Tracker’s brother.
He winced
slightly, but nodded. “I can still help. Trust is part of what I can…” he
paused, casting a wary glance at the detective and his friends. “It’s part of
what I can control.”
Sam was clearly
tense at his admission, and the others eyed him with distrust. He wasn’t far
off in thinking his friends were afraid of him.
“We talked about
this, detective,” I snapped. “He is a child, learning a dangerous ability. Your
distrust is not likely to help the situation.”
She shook herself
and put a hand on the kid’s shoulder. “Sorry, Sam; I know you wouldn’t do
anything to us.”
I could tell she
was being honest, and the sincerity brought a smile to Sam’s face.
I clapped my hands
together. “Are we all settled now? Then we should get going. We’ll want to be
there before your brother manages to get free. He may need assistance with his
departure.”
“Paul will be here
shortly, should we wait? Do we have time to wait?” Sam asked.
Casting part of my
mind toward the Tracker, I shook my head. “He is not waiting. I believe
whatever his plan is; he already put it in motion. What do you think?”
I watched as the
boy’s eyes lost their focus, and he
“What’s
happening?”
The voice sounded
about as worried as I felt, and I turned to face the boy. “Your brother is very
stubborn.”
My comment brought
a slight smile to Sam’s face. “He always has been. What’s he doing now? You
actually seem… I don’t know… anxious or something.” His brow was furrowed in
concentration.
“Not a normal
emotion from me, correct?” I asked, my lips twitching in amusement.
He shook his head
slowly. “Not normal,” he agreed. “But not as abnormal as you want people to
believe. You’ve been concerned about my brother this whole time, or you
wouldn’t have bothered pretending to be a cop to stay close to him.”
Taken aback, I
opened my mouth briefly before closing it again. His abilities prevented me
from hiding my motivations as usual. The idea that this… this child could know
my feelings was difficult to accept. But he was not incorrect.
A quick glimpse at
the boy’s face showed an amused smirk, and I knew he had been following the changes
in my emotions. “Keep your mind to yourself,” I snapped irritably.
His smirk only
became more amused, and I resigned myself to the mild aggravation his attitude
caused. There was nothing I would do against him unless he actively attempted
to harm me.
Smirk fading, Sam
approached. “What is my brother doing?” he asked again.
“Ignoring me,
mostly,” I admitted. “But I believe he is attempting to mount an escape. In
theory he could be successful, but without his memories…”
“He wouldn’t have
a place to go,” Sam followed my thoughts clearly. “He’ll get out, but he knows
nobody and nothing.”
The kid’s
amusement was no longer present as overwhelming concern flooded his features.
“We need to go get him,” he urged.
“He’s right,”
Detective Farrow spoke as she approached. “We can’t let Jason wander off on his
own with no knowledge of who he is or where he’ll be safe.”
I sighed and
looked away from the detective for a moment. “Jason no longer trusts me, and I
am the only person other than his captors that he knows. What makes you think
he will trust you when you catch up to him?”
A flash of mental
pain went through my mind at the thought that I’d lost Jason’s trust. He’d only
just begun to trust me as Scott Nickels, and had decided to trust me despite
his memory loss. Now, he pushed me away as he’d done when we’d first met. He
believed me to be a mindless killer, and not someone who could help him.
Sam stepped
forward, interrupting my thoughts. “I can help him to trust us. You told him he
has a brother, right? Once I get to him I think I can help him remember.”
“And if he still
cannot?” I kept my tone soft, wanting to do nothing that would harm the
Tracker’s brother.
He winced
slightly, but nodded. “I can still help. Trust is part of what I can…” he
paused, casting a wary glance at the detective and his friends. “It’s part of
what I can control.”
Sam was clearly
tense at his admission, and the others eyed him with distrust. He wasn’t far
off in thinking his friends were afraid of him.
“We talked about
this, detective,” I snapped. “He is a child, learning a dangerous ability. Your
distrust is not likely to help the situation.”
She shook herself
and put a hand on the kid’s shoulder. “Sorry, Sam; I know you wouldn’t do
anything to us.”
I could tell she
was being honest, and the sincerity brought a smile to Sam’s face.
I clapped my hands
together. “Are we all settled now? Then we should get going. We’ll want to be
there before your brother manages to get free. He may need assistance with his
departure.”
“Paul will be here
shortly, should we wait? Do we have time to wait?” Sam asked.
Casting part of my
mind toward the Tracker, I shook my head. “He is not waiting. I believe
whatever his plan is; he already put it in motion. What do you think?”
I watched as the
boy’s eyes lost their focus, and he
Similar Books
