The Thought Readers (Mind Dimensions #1)(46)

Julia walks over to him and puts her hand on his shoulder. Her mother frowns, and Sam looks furious. I wonder if he has the hots for Julia, or just hates Eugene because he’s a ‘half-blood.’

“Was there any proof of his words in the minds of those men you killed outside?” Julia’s mother asks.

“Kind of,” says Caleb. “Sam and I checked them thoroughly. There were signs of Pusher activity in the mind of the driver. He drove their boss someplace, and the Pusher made him forget what he heard when the boss spoke to the Pusher on the phone. We couldn’t get a visual on the Pusher, of course.”

“The fact that there’s a Pusher involved is good enough reason to help them as far as I’m concerned,” Julia says.

“Right. The fact that his sister slutted around the Russian mob has nothing to do with her capture,” Sam says, sneering again. I really don’t like this guy. If he wasn’t so big and scary-looking, I’d strongly consider punching him in the face.

“Mira was trying to find the people who killed our mother and father,” Eugene says defensively. “I told her not to, but she wouldn’t listen to me.”

“Mira isn’t someone who’d be easy to control,” Caleb says, chuckling. Is that admiration I see on his face?

“Well, if you ask me, the simpler explanation for the kidnapping would be his sister’s gambling debt,” Sam says. “As to the original explosion, it’s more likely that his father’s ‘friends’ from Mother Russia had something to do with it. Isn’t that more plausible than some crazy theory about Pushers?”

“I think the Pusher used the Russian mob for that very reason—so that the police would think the explosion had something to do with what my dad did in Russia,” Eugene says, his face turning red with anger. “Only that’s bullshit; Dad was the most honest and peaceful man I’ve ever met.”

“Okay,” Julia says. “We can debate this until the cows come home, and it won’t solve anything. The only way to figure out what’s really going on is to rescue Mira—which is what I think we should do.”

“Julia, you need to consult your father on this,” Julia’s mom says, and Julia frowns at her.

“She’s right,” Sam says. “Jacob would never want to get involved in these exiles’ business.”

“Well, let’s find out, why don’t we?” Julia suggests, and walks over to a desk to get a laptop.





Chapter 20


“What are you going to do?” Julia’s mother asks.

“Skype with Dad, if that’s what it takes,” Julia responds, turning on the laptop.

As her video call is connecting, Julia motions for Eugene and me to come closer. We gather around the computer, and I see a middle-aged man with tired, beady eyes appear on the screen.

An expression of distaste crosses his stern face as he sees Eugene.

“Hello, Jacob, sir,” Eugene says respectfully.

“Hi Dad,” Julia says.

“Hello,” I say politely.

“Who are you?” Jacob asks, staring at me.

“This is Darren, Dad,” Julia says, “a new Reader we discovered.”

“A new Reader?” he says, watching me intently. “You look familiar to me, kid. Who are your parents?”

“He doesn’t know who they are,” Eugene jumps in, and Jacob’s face reddens at the sound of his voice. I’m glad Eugene volunteered this information because, as embarrassing as it is, I don’t know the last names of my parents. Just their first names: Mark and Margret. I need to find out their last names when we’re out of this mess. For all I know, I could have extended family in this very room.

“Everyone knows who their parents are,” Jacob retorts, but he’s not looking at Eugene. He’s still boring into me with his beady eyes. “But we’ll continue this conversation another time. For now, I’d like to know what this call is about,” he says, turning his attention to Julia, “as well as what he—” he gestures at Eugene, “—is doing in our compound.”

“Eugene needs our help, Dad,” Julia explains. She then proceeds to tell her father a much smoother, more plausible version of the theory about Eugene’s parents. She’s good. She downplays the research Eugene and his dad worked on, which appears to be controversial in this community. She highlights the Pusher involvement every chance she gets. “So I want to help them and learn more about this matter,” she says in conclusion.

“Hell, no,” her father says, catching me completely by surprise. “I thought I forbade you from ever consorting with that half-blood.”

“This has nothing to do with my personal life; it’s about standing up to the Pushers,” Julia says, glaring at her father. Her face takes on a rebellious look, making me remember my own interactions with Uncle Kyle.

“My decision is final,” Jacob says. “I want him out of the community. He should be grateful our security saved his life. If I had been at the compound, that would not—”

Before Jacob gets a chance to finish his last sentence, Julia closes the laptop with an angry bang.

This seems like as good a time as any for me to phase into the Quiet, and I do.

When everything is still again, I look around. Julia is clearly pissed. Her mother’s expression is neutral. Though Sam is standing a bit to the side, he clearly heard the conversation because he looks grimly satisfied.