“No, never. They are a part of us as much as Addison is. We will work to find them until all hope is lost or until we get proof, and I mean real tangible proof, of their deaths.”

  “Good.” Max let out a sigh of relief. “I’m glad of that.” There was a pause where the conversation seemed finished. Max picked it up once again. “Did you know that the food in the fridge was drugged?”

  “It was drugged? No, no I did not know this.” Rob popped his lips as he thought. “Drugged with what?”

  “No idea, but everything liquid had it in there. Cops are saying it was planned.”

  “Well, it was planned for sure. This is fantastic news. It should help the others figure out who was behind this. They would have to have tech, equipment, means, and they would have to have a lot going for them to be able to pull that sort of a stunt. They would need to be watching the house to know when the drugs were consumed, so that they could come rushing in. They probably tried a traditional kidnapping first, to distract. This really helps a lot, Max. Give me an hour and we should know who it was. This is wonderful! Well, not wonderful, but it’s very good to know.”

  Max found himself smiling again. “I know what you mean.”

  “Right, so I’m going to go tell them. If you need to contact me this is the number. Only use this phone. It’s all pre-paid, untraceable, the works, so you should be good. But I got to run. Ta ta for now!”

  And just like that the call ended. Max swiveled in his chair to face the window, his stomach a bit more at ease and his heart slightly uplifted.

  Chapter Eleven

  Addison felt the effects of the pain medication that thankfully took hold on her system. Unfortunately, she was also feeling the effects of what she deduced was some sort of truth serum. Taking slow and deep breaths, she sought to control the emotions and sensations rolling through her body. A tingling sensation of the pain medication followed the bleariness and confusion of whatever other drug she had been given.

  Her heart started pumping like she was running a race with no end and with no break in sight, but if she stopped, she feared that she would die. Lily would die. She couldn’t stop running. The bam, bam, bam in her chest, neck, and head was so loud and fast that she was losing track of what was going on in the reality of the tiny room.

  The tapping on the side of her cheek brought her eyes into focus on the guard that had been planted in the room with her. When he moved her head, she felt like she was swimming at the bottom of the ocean with no sense of which way would lead her to the surface.

  “She’s ready,” the doctor’s voice echoed.

  She heard it. She focused on it. She lost it.

  “Who do you work for?” the guard asked.

  Addison grasped onto his question as well as she could, her mind twisting in ways she didn’t think was possible. She swallowed hard and blinked her eyes open, staring at the blank and faceless man that was pressing his nose entirely too close to hers for comfort.

  “Wh-what?” She spoke slowly and her words were slurred.

  “Who do you work for?”

  Her head tilted to the side and she drank down her saliva, trying to wet her throat. “The city.”

  Her speech was garbled. She could hear it. Or maybe it was her hearing that was slurring her speech. She couldn’t be sure, but either way she did not like the feeling of being out of control of her body. Her mind turned to James and the little girl that she had with her. She felt an overwhelming comforting presence enter her body and calm her nerves and heart. Breathing deeply, Addison put all her energy into only feeling that. A warm and tight blanket wrapped around her body, dissolving all the pain and fear that was plaguing her.

  The voice she heard was soft and soothing. “Who do you work for, Addison?”

  “I work for the city. I’m the Battalion Chief of Station Seven.”

  She was swallowing again and let out a long sigh. She was okay; everything was going to be fine. A sweet tune filled her ears and she knew that it was James singing.

  “I used to work at The Gifted School with Norma-Jean.”

  “Did you like Norma-Jean?”

  Again, the voice was so pleasant. She had to answer him. “Only met her a few times.”

  Her mind swirled. She didn’t want to give him any more information than he already had, so why was she talking to him? His voice was coaxing, gentle, and so loving—no. She had to stop thinking like that. Focus on the song, that’s what she had to do. Focus on the song and weave lies that were truths. She listened again for the voice, but it was gone. The singing was gone. There was no echo of it, no strain of a tune as it was hummed out. Addison almost broke down in tears. Her heart sank, and she felt as though the world she’d built up was falling down around her. There it was, she was running again. She had to get free. Free from what?

  “When did you meet her?”

  “When I was hired.”

  She licked her lips and drew in a sharp breath. Her legs were hurting from all the running, from working so hard. Norma-Jean didn’t exist, Addison knew that. The man didn’t.

  “She wanted to meet me.” Her chest felt like it was filling up with air. “Wanted to make sure I was right for the job.” Addison wanted to bite her tongue.

  She tried to clamp her teeth down on the muscle, but it was too big. She bit too hard. Whimpering in pain, she realized that the next time she swallowed there was blood mixed in with her spit.

  “Did you ever work for her in another capacity?”

  Addison’s head shake turned into a nod before she knew what was happening. The taste of iron was stuck in the back of her throat and she couldn’t get it out. She wanted to go home. She wanted to cry, and she wanted to be taken away from this place. At one point she was made for this, had lived for it, she had loved this type of work. That was no longer her life. Now she wanted to go home, with her lover and the child they were taking care of. She wanted to snuggle on the couch and never think about that part of her life again.

  “I was her assistant.”

  She felt as though she wanted to vomit. Couldn’t she ever just shut up? Obviously it was good that she had been released from her duties and had no plan of ever going back to them; she was never meant to work for the woman. The song was back. Her ears perked up, and she could hear the soft tune as it slowly grew louder and slipped over her body like a glove.

  “What did you do as her assistant?”

  Violently, she twisted her head from side to side. She wasn’t going to answer. As long as the song was there, she wasn’t going to answer any questions that he had for her. Sighing in her resolve, she stopped the movement. The dizzy spell hit her full force and her body felt like she was a ship in the middle of a hurricane. She shouldn’t do that next time. She shouldn’t even consider moving or answering him in any capacity. She should ignore him.

  Her face was turned abruptly to the side and she could smell his breath. It made her stomach churn.

  “What were your responsibilities?”

  Addison didn’t answer. She pretended he wasn’t there and the song in her ears was the only thing in her life in that moment. He was becoming agitated. His hand connected with her cheek, and she tasted blood again. Her face stung, but she ignored it. He was not going to bully her into answering. The next hit to her face was unexpected and hard. Her head snapped against the back of the hard chair. He hit her again and again, and she took each blast as though she wasn’t feeling any of the previous ones. The pain drugs worked wonders, and the fists helped to clear her head even more.

  Voices shouted. As she focused in on them and what they were saying, she heard shuffling and only one name being called out. The pounding on her body stopped, and when she opened her eyes the man in front of her was being pulled back. She latched onto his name and sent it as best she could to James who was still humming the tender lullaby in her ear.

  “Steven Maki. Remember, Steven Maki.”

  #

  Steven Maki drifted to her like it was a dream and it gave her pause. She didn’t stop her humming because she was scared that Lily would wake again like the last time. Lily had screamed so loud in her dream that she woke herself up from whatever nightmare she was having. James had lulled her back to sleep with a song that her mother used to sing her as a child. She wasn’t paying attention to anything that was happening outside of that tiny room, but after an hour of humming the same notes she was becoming bored with it and herself.

  Expanding her mental capabilities was what had seemed to start all this, and Addison had obviously wanted her to continue learning. Mentally leaving the four dark walls that were barring her in, James listened for anyone else. There were people in with Addison, but it seemed the woman wasn’t doing anything except thinking of her. It brought a small smile to James’ lips. There were four men in the room with Addison. Three restrained the one. She listened to each. Mostly they were in a panic, frantically trying to calm the one they kept calling Steven or Maki depending on who was speaking. One of the men was angry; the other two were mostly worried.

  When she focused in further on Steven, she was brought quickly into the anger. He was thoroughly frustrated with Addison, and for some reason that brought a quick grin of satisfaction to James’ face. They’d been there much too long for her to care about what was happening to the people holding them hostage. All individuals left the room, so that Addison was by herself for the first time since she’d been brought to whatever location they were at.

  Addison sighed and kept her eyes closed in the darkness and let sleep overtake her weary and broken form. James nudged in her that direction telepathically as best she could and moved out, following the rambunctious man and his cronies into the hall and down to a larger room. It was like she was a wisp of air that had the ability to move where she wanted without confinement.

  They set Steven in a chair and stared at him. Arms were crossed over their chests and their eyes glared. It was an odd feeling that James had. Her heart broke for him, for this Steven. As soon as his anger dissipated, he was filled with nothing but trembling fear.

  “Boss isn’t going to like this,” the voice echoed. It was the man who had best kept his wits during the entire situation. “This is probably going to be the last time; you do understand that, don’t you?”

  Steven nodded.

  The man moved forward and sent the other two that were with him away with the nod of his head. He ripped off Steven’s mask revealing blonde hair and baby blue eyes. He was young. James took in a deep breath at the terror she saw in him. His pupils dilated, but he kept his jaw shut.

  “You went beyond the line. You can’t beat her like that and expect her to answer. Now the drug will be useless in her system and all because you got pissed that she wasn’t answering your questions? Stupidity is what that was.”

  The man backhanded Steven and left a red welt across his cheek.

  “Utter, reckless stupidity.”

  Again, another backhand.

  “I’m sorry,” Steven whimpered.

  The words were quiet as they were issued, like he meant them and didn’t mean them at the same time. Steven winced when the fist collided with his abdomen and he doubled over from the pain.

  “I bet you’re sorry. Boss really isn’t going to like this.” The man rubbed his hands together and cracked his knuckles; his mask and gloves were still firmly in place. “You—don’t move.”

  Steven obeyed the command, and James left with the man as he walked out of the room and to yet another one just down the hall. He opened the door via an electronic lock and combination that James memorized instantly. The other side of the door led him to stairs that weaved back and forth without an exit on each end. They were metal and rickety; his boots clanged loudly with each step he took. He took them two at a time up to the third flight and entered into a well-lit office.

  A scream startled her, and she looked down to see Lily’s dark eyes staring up.

  Shushing the girl, James started to rock back and forth, humming again. She wouldn’t be able to follow her captors any longer. Two nightmares in a row was not a good sign.

  “You need to help Addy.” Lily had spoken softly, as if it was a crime for her to speak.

  “What are you talking about, bumble bee?”

  The words were ringing in her head, she’d heard them before. Taking a long, deep breath, she closed her eyes and focused in on the woman who was still slumbering in the quiet room.

  “Addy’s okay, darling. She’s okay right now.”

  Lily nodded her tiny head and nuzzled her body back into James.

  Instead of returning to the room with Steven or even to the room the other man had gone into, James closed her eyes and pictured the hallway just outside their door. Before she knew it that’s where her essence was standing. Her physical form was still locked in the tiny cell. This was unlike before, when she was following the men. This time she could see her own body; she could feel her hands and feet as they touched the cold cement floor.

  Looking from side to side, she determined that there was no one in the corridor with her. Turning to the door, James took her pointer finger and entered in the five digit code that the man had used getting into the other door. She held her breath and the light turned green, unlocking the door. Letting the air out of her lungs, she slipped it open and stepped inside, closing it again behind her.

  Her gaze flickered up, and she saw herself leaning against the wall with her eyes closed, cradling Lily to her body and rocking back and forth.

  Cocking her head to the side, James let the unease at the sight before her flow through her body. It was such a strange feeling, like watching an old film. Impossible, and yet daringly made possible. It was like catching a glimpse of something out of the corner of an eye and turning to take a full glance and being staggered by the sight. Not only was it odd to see herself sitting there in front of her, but the image with the child in her lap gave her stomach butterflies. It seemed so natural. James took a deep breath and stepped in closer to look at the way Lily clung to her. It was beautiful.

  Releasing a pent up breath, she moved back into her body and kissed Lily on the forehead. “I’m going to need to focus for a bit, okay bumble bee? That means you need to be quiet.”

  Lily nodded her head.

  “But if it’s a real emergency I want you to wake me up, okay?”

  After receiving confirmation from the girl, James closed her eyes against the impending headache and focused on finding Steven again.

  When she found him, the blond man was sitting in the room and there was a hand gun pointed at his forehead.

  Tears were in his eyes. “I told you the boss wouldn’t like it.”

  The trigger was pulled; the sound reverberated throughout the room and into James’ bones. Swallowing hard, she moved away from the room and back to Addison.

  James was screaming the woman’s name in her mind, but Addison wouldn’t wake up. She was still alive, but she was unconscious and still strapped to the chair. The doctor was tending to the injuries that he could, splinting her arm and fingers and pressing damp cloth to her face, cleaning the blood. Had he not been in the room and the cameras not aimed precisely at Addison, James would have appeared there in person and tried to shake her awake.

  James felt resigned. She had an out, at least the start of one, but she wasn’t going to leave without Addison. Going back into the tiny room when she felt the tug on her hair, she looked down to see Lily crying and screaming. James was suddenly on high alert: her body tensed and her mind whirled as she tried to figure out what was going on. There were three guards, dressed in the same garb as all the others she had seen, and they were trying to pull the child from her grasp. Quickly gripping Lily’s tiny body, she jerked back into the wall and glared at anyone who came near her.

  The guards took no offense to what she had done and moved forward and wrenched the girl from her. Tears ran down Lily’s face, and her body was flailing out as she tried to make them let go. The burliest of the men held onto her tightly and left the room. James jumped up, a sudden wave of dizziness hitting her full force as she attempted in vain to get closer to the child.

  “Lily! Don’t take her, please don’t take her!”

  She cried out and tugged on the last guard’s arm before he flung it out, hitting her in the jaw and crashing her against the wall. James’ limp body slid to the cement below and they left the room.

  #

  Lily was taken to a small room where she was set down with a tiny table and an assortment of coloring instruments. She moved to the corner and slid down so that she could wrap her arms around her knees and watch the door. Her heart pounded, her eyes were dark and wide as she waited for whatever was going to happen next. She’d been in these rooms before. She’d been in the police station, in the hospital; she knew what these rooms were for. Tears started to flow down her cheeks and onto the thin patient gown that was all she was wearing, and she stared blankly at the door. She’d thought Jamsey was different. She thought that Jamsey wouldn’t ever make her go to one of these rooms.

  The door opened slowly and she looked up to see a woman standing there. She had gray hair and looked old. Lily turned her head slightly, trying to get a better view of her, but realized she was moving and stopped. The woman was talking to someone outside before she shut the door and slipped inside, sitting at the tiny table and picking up a few crayons to draw on some paper. She didn’t say a word to Lily, and the girl found it odd.

  For hours the woman sat there, and Lily watched from her corner. Finally, the old lady turned to her and smiled.

  “Want to color with me?”

  Lily nodded her head and waited a few seconds before standing and walking barefoot to the tiny table. She picked up a crayon and started to draw on the piece of paper that was slipped in front of her. Silence fell in the room once again as they both drew, making the blank white paper colorful. Lily finished and showed the woman what she had created.

  “Who is it?” Lily gave a small smile, but didn’t answer her. She pointed to each person and to the last little person and then at herself. “This is you and James and… is this Addison?”