Mindsiege (Mindspeak #2)(35)

“So, obviously not Kyle, since he’s the only other guy on campus besides me who you should be able to hear.” Jack sat and crossed his arms. “She can sense where anyone is, but she can only hear clones’ thoughts.”

“Uh-huh,” she agreed matter-of-factly.

“So, you have the equivalent of a Marauder’s Map in your head?” I asked.

“Marauder’s Map. From Harry Potter?” She giggled. “I guess I do.”

“It comes in handy,” Jack said. “Like when Addison wants to sneak out of the house for one reason or another.”

“So, Lexi,” Addison said, uninterested in Jack’s memory. “When are you going to tell Jack about Jonas?”

The muscles along the back of my neck tightened one by one. I stared at Addison while I searched my mind for any sign of Jonas. My hands shook.

“He’s not there. I’ve looked,” she reassured. “And he won’t kill Jack.”

“How did you…”

“Know?” she asked. “I can hear and see every one of the clones, if they’re close. And I can sense where regular people are, too. I’ve been monitoring your conversations with Jonas since you came back to Wellington.”

I swallowed that nice and slowly.

“What is she talking about, Lex? Tell me what?” He looked at Addison. “I already know Jonas, or somebody, is inside her head.”

I stood and walked away from their probing eyes. Addison remained quiet while I wrung my sweaty hands.

“You can tell him. I’ll block Jonas from hearing.”

Despite Addison’s words, I could feel the weight of that carving knife against the palms of my hands, and how the slick surface fit inside my tight grip. I would not let someone hurt Jack. Could Addison really block Jonas?

Yes, I can. Jonas can’t get into your head while I’m with you.

“From hearing what?” Jack said behind me. “Someone, please tell me what you two are talking about.”

I turned. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I wanted to.” I walked close to him. He slid his hand into mine. “Jonas plans to force me to heal Sandra.” Only it might not really be Jonas.

“How can he do that?”

“The same way he practically forced me to drown myself. The way he made Kyle burn his arm.” I met Jack’s concerned gaze. “The same way he compelled me to hold a knife pointed at your chest while you slept last week.” A tremor moved through me at that memory. I tried to pull my hand away from Jack, but he gripped it tighter. I fought hard against the emotion building inside my chest as I gasped for a breath.

Standing, he pulled me to him, circling his arms around me in a tight hug. “You wouldn’t have hurt me.”

“I didn’t have a choice,” I mumbled into his chest, my body shaking. “I almost drove a kitchen knife into your heart.” I shook my head, trying to free the memory. “I tried to wake you.”

“You did.” Jack pushed me back. He cupped my cheeks into his hands. “You did wake me. I woke that morning because I heard you screaming my name. I thought it was part of my dream, but I was hearing you. You wouldn’t have hurt me.”

Tears slid down both sides of my face. Jack wiped them away with his thumbs. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.

“You two are cute,” Addison said behind us. “But we’ve got to move on.”

“You know, Addison talks like a thirty-year-old.” A hysterical chuckle escaped my throat.

Jack smiled. He leaned in and touched his lips to mine. “I know. She’s also very bossy. And has an IQ beyond something you or I can comprehend.”

“And I have ears,” Addison said. “I can hear you, you know.”

Jack led me back to the chair. Once I was sitting, he rubbed my shoulders. “We have to figure out why Jonas wants Sandra healed so badly.”

“And why he keeps threatening to make me hurt you,” I added.

“That part’s easy,” Addison said. “Jack is the most important person in your life.”

Jack’s fingers slid a little farther toward the base of my neck and hairline. I was thankful he couldn’t see how red my face was. But he knew how much he meant to me, didn’t he?

Addison continued. “Jonas knows that, and he’s using it against you.”

“It doesn’t make sense, though,” Jack said. “He helped me rescue Lexi when we wrecked. He was so upset when Lexi ran the other day, saying she shouldn’t be roaming alone. And he was mostly concerned because Lexi still hadn’t admitted to wanting to know the extent of her powers.”

Something didn’t add up. Jonas claimed I would see everything more clearly once he had gotten into my head. He thought everything would make sense to me, not confuse me the way it had. Then he had led me to the facility near…

Addison cocked her head, her eyes probing mine. “There’s something you’re not telling us.”

I rose from the chair and walked out of Jack’s reach. Immediately, I constructed barriers around my mind. Something prevented me from revealing more.

Jack stretched his fingers wide at his sides, then closed them into fists. “She can’t.” He turned to me. “Can you? Jonas is there.”