Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 133531 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 668(@200wpm)___ 534(@250wpm)___ 445(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133531 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 668(@200wpm)___ 534(@250wpm)___ 445(@300wpm)
“Is it possible she’s putting on an act?” Marc Lands, one of his teammates, asked. He had lived on the streets as a child along with Gideon and Javier.
Gideon shook his head. “She’d have to be the greatest actress of all time. Javier vetted her up close several times before I met her personally. I took her out and talked with her. We were alone together, and she showed me the tattoo on her ankle. That led to the revelation that she didn’t remember getting the tattoo or who the artist was, even though it was her favorite piece of artwork. I could see it really bothered her, so I pushed a little. At that point, she was rubbing her left temple. It wasn’t the first time she’d done that. There was no way she could fake that. I just don’t see how, Marc. And why bring it up? Why give herself away?”
“I was in the bar with her a few times,” Ethan Meyers said. “Sat at the bar and talked with her. I didn’t get the GhostWalker vibe from her, but I think she could repeat verbatim what any customer said to her.”
“So, let’s say she’s telling the truth,” Kane said.
He was Mack’s right-hand man. Married to Rose and father to Sebastian. Admittedly, he had the most to lose. Still, just the way he put it set Gideon’s teeth on edge.
“She’s telling the truth.” He kept his tone low, but the challenge was there.
Mack’s gaze hit him hard. Gideon felt those burning eyes strike at him, but he didn’t answer the summons. He kept his predator’s stare on Kane.
Kane straightened slowly, his shoulders stiffening. “I meant no offense. This is a complicated issue, and it’s put you in a bad position.”
“I’m selling her out. That’s more than a bad position. I’m doing it for Rose, Jaimie, Rhianna and Sebastian. The rest of us can take care of ourselves.”
“Uh, Gideon. I’m quite capable of taking care of myself,” Rhianna Bonds protested. “But I love you for including me.”
Rhianna had also grown up on the streets with them. She was every bit as lethal as any of them. Gideon didn’t care. None of them did. As far as they were concerned, she was their little sister and under their protection.
He pushed his hands through his hair and then forced himself to be still. Even with his family, he rarely allowed his agitation to show. “I don’t want to lose her. She doesn’t have anyone and hasn’t had anyone. She’s letting me in and I’m going behind her back. If she did that to me, I wouldn’t be very forgiving. I doubt if any of you would be.”
There was a small silence because, damn it all, he was right. They wouldn’t be forgiving. They were a tight-knit group, and they were very careful of who they were around.
“What were you going to say, Kane?” Mack asked.
“Is it possible Whitney removed her memories? If he did, what would have been his purpose?”
“Her past is real enough,” Javier said. “Meaning the various places she’s worked. I’ve verified all of them. I can’t imagine he took her memories and sent her out on the off chance he could use her to kidnap a baby. I think there must be another reason.”
“You said she has bad lungs,” Rhianna mused aloud. “Could it be as simple as she didn’t measure up to Whitney’s idea of what a GhostWalker should be, so he kicked her out?”
“He tends to end things permanently with anyone not measuring up,” Mack pointed out, “especially girls or women.” He turned to his wife. “Babe, would you see what you can find on her? When she disappeared. Who remembers her as a child. Who grew up with her. Anything at all. Don’t say why, just make inquiries. If they ask, say you’re working on something.”
Jaimie nodded. “I believe she was one of the original twelve Whitney took at the same time he acquired Rose, so she would have known her. I don’t know for how long. He often moved the girls around so they wouldn’t bond with one another. He didn’t do it at first. He didn’t have any understanding of what happened when he enhanced their psychic abilities and they didn’t have any filters. He had no idea of the pain he caused. Once he did understand, he didn’t really care. Those first girls were all throwaways to him.”
Gideon could feel the tension in the room rise. No one liked the idea that Rose and Rory had known one another as children. Was that simply another coincidence? The world was a big place. How was it that Rory had ended up not just in San Francisco but on the harbor where they had established their compound? Whitney certainly knew they lived there. It felt to Gideon as if things were getting worse by the minute.