The Thought Pushers (Mind Dimensions #2)(16)

“Please answer quickly,” Eugene says, bringing me out of my thoughts. His expression is darkening, and I realize I already started my test on the wrong foot.

“I’m sorry,” I say. “I’m a little nervous. I really want you guys to believe me.”

“Fine. Take a deep breath,” he says, looking at the monitor.

I do as he says, taking a couple of relaxing breaths.

“Good. Now, just answer what I ask you, when I ask you,” Eugene says. “What’s two plus six?”

“Eight,” I answer quickly, letting him get a clean baseline.

“And what’s your name?” Eugene keeps his eyes on his laptop.

“Darren,” I say simply.

“Did you know that either I or Mira existed before you met her in Atlantic City the other day?”

“No.”

“Did you save Mira yesterday?”

“Yes.”

“Are you a Reader?”

“I’m not sure. I hope so.”

“Are you a Pusher?”

“I’m not sure. I hope not.”

“Did you know you might be a Pusher before yesterday?”

“No.”

“Are you running a con game with us as targets?”

“No.”

“Do you have a crush on my sister?”

“What?” I say, caught completely off-guard with this one. Then, realizing I’m messing up, I reluctantly admit, “Maybe. Well, yes. Not a crush, but—”

“Thank you,” Eugene says with a smirk, his eyes leaving the screen for the first time during this barrage of questions. Then he turns toward his sister. “He’s telling the truth.”

I glance at Mira and catch a strange look on her face. Was she just blushing? That seems unlikely. I must be imagining things due to my embarrassment over being put on the spot like that. But I know why Eugene did it. He wanted to ask something that I would react to, so he can be sure his device detects lies when they happen. That last question was perfect for that. He’s even more clever than I thought. Asshole.

“Okay, that’s great. He’s not lying.” Mira turns away from me to look at her brother. “That still doesn’t tell us what the f*ck he is.”

“You know he’s not someone who means you any harm,” Eugene says, his voice unexpectedly stern. “Shouldn’t that be enough?”

This is the first time I hear that kind of tone in his voice. Mira looks taken aback too, so it must be a rare occurrence.

I decide to jump in. “Mira, I want to know what I am even more than you do. Eugene is right—I don’t mean you any harm. The opposite, actually.”

“Oh, shut up,” she says dismissively. “The opposite. Right. You are so selfless. Please. I know your type. All you care about is yourself.”

I look at Eugene for help. Eugene doesn’t meet my eyes. I’m on my own.

Her lip curls. “You know I’m right. Quick, while you still have to tell the truth, why don’t you tell us why you came? Was it to help us? Or was it to save your own skin?”

“Well,” I say uncomfortably, “I guess under the circumstances I won’t deny it. I came to ask you not to tell other Readers about what you saw me do.”

“Exactly,” she says, her voice dripping with disdain.

“You don’t know what I know. You don’t know how brutally Readers kill Pushers,” I say, losing my patience. “It’s not being selfish if I don’t want to be murdered by Caleb or someone like him.”

“And how would you know anything about Readers killing Pushers?” She gives me a suspicious look, making me realize I just goofed.

“I saw it in Caleb’s mind, okay? He made me do that Joint Reading thing with him earlier today, and I saw through his eyes how he killed one of them.” I realize I’m going back on my word to Caleb about not sharing what we saw in each other’s minds, but I can’t help it. I’m desperate to prove my case to Mira.

She doesn’t have a comeback. She just looks at Eugene in shock.

“That was the truth,” he says. “Now can we stop this foolishness? Darren is clearly not against us, so I’m going to unhook him. Meanwhile, Darren, I want to hear every little detail about the Joining.”

As he gets me out of the cables, I tell them about my Joining with Caleb, omitting things that Caleb and I would consider too personal. I also swear both Mira and Eugene to secrecy, and hope that Caleb never finds out I divulged even the few details I shared.

“Unbelievable,” Eugene says when I finish. “I would give my left pinkie to try that. I only did it one time, with Julia, but it was nothing like what you describe. Dad was right. This experience changes based on how powerful the participants are . . .”

As he speaks, Mira begins to glower at him. “No way,” she interrupts. “I see where you’re going with this, and the answer is no. I’ll shoot him before I let you Join minds with him.”

“What? Why?” Eugene says, clearly disappointed.

“Because even if he didn’t know he was a Pusher before, he knows it now. Once he’s inside your mind, he’ll have you in his power.” She turns to glare at me.

“Is that true?” Eugene asks me. He doesn’t look scared; if anything, he looks excited. I guess the scientist in him is relishing all this.