Touch (Denazen #1)(60)

“I have a list of specific questions here, as requested by your father.”

I tried not to look concerned, but obviously I failed.

“Does that worry you?”

“Should it?”

“Possibly.”

I leaned back, trying to relax, and gave her my best go-for-it smile. “Let’s find out.”

“This morning you were at your cousin’s funeral,” she said without emotion. “When did you last see him?”

They knew. “A few days ago.”

“And where did you see him?”

Crapcrapcrap. “The Graveyard.”

“Graveyard? What were you doing in the cemetery?”

“Not the cemetery, the Graveyard. It’s a place we all go to party.”

Mercy nodded and jotted something down on a piece of paper. “And what did you talk about?”

I swallowed. “Not much.”

Mercy set her pen down and sighed. She stood from her chair and stepped around to the front of the desk. “Let’s take a break from the questions for a minute, shall we? Let me explain a little about how my gift works.” She leaned forward and placed a clipboard in my hands. She set the paper she had been writing on onto the clipboard and tilted it up a hair.

I looked down at the clipboard and bit back a gasp.

Keep this tilted up. The camera cannot see it that way. We’re going to end this session early. Meet me in the B section of the parking lot. I’m one of Ginger’s people. When I ask you to read, say the following: My name is Dez and I’m a seventeen-year-old honor student.

God forbid Ginger tell me she had people on the inside. Cause, ya know, I couldn’t have used the help or anything.

“I can tell if you’re lying about something,” she continued. “I’ve written a sentence for you, please read it out loud.”

I hesitated for a moment before complying. “My name is Dez, and I’m a seventeen-year-old honor student.”

She smiled. “See? A lie. Your aura spiked black—it does that when you lie. I can see it.” She watched me for a moment, all smiles. “I can also tell when you’re hiding something.”

§

I stood in lot B where Mercy told me to meet her. She told the clerk on level four when she escorted me to the elevator that she’d called and arranged my transportation to arrive early. I still didn’t know what to think, or if I should really trust her. This could easily be a trick or some kind of test, but since I was running out of time, I decided to give it a shot.

Mercy didn’t keep me waiting long.

“I have clearance for level nine where they’re keeping your friend. He’s scheduled for one last questioning this afternoon. This will be your only chance to get him before he’s destroyed.”

“Whoa there, lady. Slow down.” I eyed her, feeling nothing but suspicion. Just ’cause she’d said she was with Ginger didn’t make it true. I could name drop, too. “How do I know this isn’t some huge setup? Not like you guys here at Denazen are known for playing it straight. I go along with this and, boom, next thing I know my new address is one of those nifty glass boxes.”

“You’re going to have to trust me. There’s not a lot of time. Your father knows why you’re really here. He knows about you and 98.”

“Kale,” I snapped. “His name is Kale, not 98.” It was stupid, and in the face of this revelation, ridiculous to harp on a name, but it annoyed me. “And how the hell does he know anything?”

Mercy laughed. A dark, grating sound that came from deep in the pit of her stomach. “Your father has spies everywhere.”

“Someone told him? Who?” The only ones who knew what I was doing were Ginger and her people, and Kale. Could Ginger have a double agent in her ranks?

She shook her head. “I don’t know. But it doesn’t matter. He’s on to you, so we have to move fast.”

I folded my arms, eyes narrowing. “If you’re one of Ginger’s people, why can’t you get her the list?”

“She didn’t ask me.”

Seriously? I wanted to scream. These people were enough to make my head implode.

She held out her hand. “There’s no more time. Hurry!”

“Hurry and what? Hold your hand? Sorry, didn’t we go over this the other day? You’re not my type.”

“Mimic, you idiot!”

Oh. “OH!” I could be a bit slow at times. “Wait. That’s not gonna work. Don’t you have a car coming to bring me home? If Dad knows what’s going on, he’s gonna be keeping a close eye on what I’m doing and where I’m supposed to be.”

“I’ll go in your place.”

I stared at her. “Um, no offense or anything, but other than the fact I’d never be caught dead wearing that, you’re a little too tall, and a lot too old.”

“I mean, we switch places,” she rolled her eyes and looked over her shoulder. “You be me, go in and get 9—I mean, Kale. And I’ll be you and take the ride.”

“You mean mimic us both?” My brain screamed No way, and I shook my head. Rick. Ripping insides. Blood. No. Not again. “There’s no way… It’ll kill me.”

She grabbed me by the shoulders and shook. “This is your one chance. If you don’t go in there and get him, he’s dead.”