“If they were looking for a psychic? Maybe. But that would be one of the worst mistakes they could ever make.”

  “Maybe,” she muttered, “but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t stupid enough to try it, particularly if they don’t know who they are dealing with.”

  They walked over to Terk’s rig to confirm that he wasn’t in there, waiting for them. Wallace pulled out his phone. “Let me call Jonas, and we’ll see where he’s at.”

  Just as he went to make a phone call, somebody came up behind them. “Hey, you looking for Terk?”

  She turned to look at the new arrival, as alarms went off in her mind. “Have you seen him?”

  He just smiled at her. “Sure have.” With that, he snatched her into his arms and injected a hypodermic needle into her shoulder.

  She didn’t even get a chance to cry out or to warn Wallace. In the dim recesses of her mind, she realized that several other men had quickly joined the first one and that this was a well-planned attack. The truth was, she and Wallace and Terk probably didn’t have a chance right from the beginning. That was her last thought as she slowly sagged to the pavement, still in this man’s arms, as he held her until she succumbed to the drugs.

  Last thing she heard was, “Hurry up. We have to get them out of here fast.”

  Then darkness was all around her, and she heard nothing more.

  *

  Whatever they had sprayed in his face had knocked him out heavily, but Wallace was still struggling to get his mind wrapped around what had happened. They’d been taken so fast that he had no warning, and, for that, he blamed himself.

  Amy had been saying that it didn’t feel right, that something was going on. He struggled to clear the cobwebs out of his brain and yet not move, trying to sort out whether they were alone—or he was alone—and if Terk was taken as well. Wallace was not sure of anything at this point. If Terk had been taken as well, that would be an even worse scenario.

  Although, with Terk’s abilities, maybe they could get out of this that much faster. Wallace had never met anybody quite like Terk, who probably had talents that even he wasn’t sure what to do with at this stage of his life. Didn’t he just say at the beginning of this trip how he was working on a new psychic defense, whatever the hell that meant? Yet what Terk could do seemed endless. Still, surely he could suddenly come up against something he didn’t even know about, and then what would Terk do? Sit there and look puzzled? The bigger question Wallace had was, how long would it take Terk to get them out of this mess?

  Wallace opened his eyes a slit and looked around. He was alone in a room that had a mustiness to it, dark dankness all around, and he realized almost immediately that he was back down in the sewer tunnels. He swore at that.

  It was much harder to get messages in and out down here, which was probably exactly why they were being held here. He’d barely had a chance to orient himself, when a door opened, and somebody walked in.

  A snort filled the air. “If you’re thinking to pass yourself off as still being knocked out, forget it,” the man said in contempt. “I already saw you open your eyes.”

  Wallace opened his eyes and stared at the stranger. “What’s this all about?” he asked, his tone mild, curious even.

  “All kinds of things,” he replied, with a light chuckle, “but, if you’re smart, you’ll pay attention and not do anything stupid.”

  Wallace just nodded at that because, well, that was the smart thing. It’s just that he didn’t tend to be a smart person when it came to being kidnapped and attacked. “You must have some reason for attacking us,” he began. “Is she okay?”

  “She is, for the moment. Beyond that, I don’t have all the details,” he replied, with a one-arm shrug. “The boss will talk to you when he’s ready,” he added. “I came to confirm that you understood that any resistance on your part could get a lot of people in trouble, and she’ll be the one who’ll get hurt.”

  Inside, Wallace felt his heart slam against his chest. Of course. That would make perfect sense. If they didn’t think she had any abilities, then bringing her as leverage against him made a sick kind of sense. “That’s nice,” Wallace muttered. “Nice to know what I’m up against. You guys really have no boundaries, do you?”

  “No, not when it comes to this shit,” he stated. “This isn’t my deal, but, if you guys can do even one-tenth of what they say, I would rather have you on our side than off it.”

  “This is how you get somebody on your side?” Wallace asked in astonishment. “You kidnap my girlfriend and threaten her to keep me obedient?”

  “Until we know where things are at, it seems to be the safest bet,” he said, with a snort. He tossed over a bottle of water. “That’s to help you shake the drugs. Spray is effective, but it’s shit on the face afterward.” And, with that, he turned and left.

  Wallace found that his eyes stung from whatever they had sprayed him with as well. He opened the water bottle, appreciating the fact that it was sealed, so it felt somewhat trustworthy, then took a long drink. He was still trying to process what these guys thought they were doing here, then realized it would be the same damn shit all over again.

  They were looking for psychics and wanted to get somebody who was real, but whether they had Terk or not was something else altogether. Wallace hoped not. He mentally sent out a message to Terk, but, of course, being underground, as he’d found out before, it would be hard to get any messages in or out. Almost immediately though, he heard from Terk.

  You awake? Terk asked.

  I am. You?

  I am.

  So, you’ve been taken too? Wallace asked Terk.

  Apparently, Terk replied, a resigned note in his tone. I walked out to the rig to get my phone, which I’d left behind, and turned around to find somebody spraying shit in my face.

  Yeah, same here, Wallace shared. What about Jonas?

  He’s right here beside me.

  Oh, crap, Wallace muttered.

  Yeah, that just adds to it. And Amy?

  I haven’t seen her, but I believe they have her. They’ve threatened me with her.

  In what way?

  The telepathic connection was a little bit staticky, but at least it was communication, and Wallace would utilize it to his full advantage. They would use her to keep me compliant.

  Right. So, they saw you together and figured out that you two were a couple, Terk noted. Too bad she doesn’t know that.

  I’m sure they’re busy telling her that now, Wallace replied, though she may not take it all that well.

  A note of laughter filled Terk’s tone when he stated, You might be surprised. What we need to do is figure out how many we’ve got and take any advantage to get out of here fast, including some psychic warfare.

  Wallace agreed. Terk was all about a clinical perception.

  Terk added, I really don’t have time for this shit.

  You and me both, Wallace agreed, with laughter in his tone. So, if you’ve got a plan, let me know what I’m supposed to do. I’ve only seen one person up until now.

  Me too, Terk confirmed, but I heard something about the boss coming in a little bit.

  Yeah, not sure I trust any bosses at this point.

  No, I don’t either. I do know that Jonas will have one hell of a headache. He woke up spitting mad, so they knocked him out again.

  Oh, great. Nice to know that violence is their modus operandi.

  We already knew that though, Terk pointed out. Whoever doesn’t cooperate will end up in the tunnels, broken and battered, like Gerry Wallace.

  Right, Wallace muttered. He’s not part of this, is he?

  Terk stopped and assessed that question again. I would think not, he replied. Getting his ass kicked to that degree wouldn’t exactly engender someone to be a part of this.

  That’s what I thought. It just was one of those random mental questions I get, Wallace shared, with a snort.

  Keep them coming. We need to consider all avenues. Another thing to remember. I think Jonas recognized somebody from his office among our kidnappers.

  That makes sense. We knew the kidnappers had to have somebody else on the inside, and Amy asked Jonas many times if he’d cleaned house. But his recognizing somebody is definitely a big problem for us. … The kidnappers won’t keep Jonas alive, will they?

  Terk went quiet for a long time. It’ll be hard to keep Jonas alive, Terk stated. As much as I want to think that these guys will be reasonable, when they find out they have one of the MI6 bosses here, reason will go out the window, and I don’t think they’re above using his presence to their advantage.

  And yet what do they want? Wallace asked. I get it when they grabbed us, but taking on MI6 like that? … It’s a whole different story.

  It is. It elevates things in a completely different way, so I’m operating on the premise that they didn’t know who Jonas was.

  But they do now, since Jonas recognized someone.

  That’ll be the game changer here, Terk noted. And we’ll have to see just what they think of that. It could very well be that they want to dispose of him first.

  I won’t take that kindly, Wallace muttered. I don’t know Jonas very well, but—

  Don’t worry, Terk said. I do know him, very well, and I still won’t let it happen.

  That speaks volumes. Wallace chuckled. Any chance you can contact the rest of your team?

  Already mustered, he confirmed, and they know roughly where we are, and they’re heading toward us now.

  That’s good news, Wallace replied. I’ve also got wind of Riff being out here somewhere.

  Yeah, he’s looking for us as well, Terk agreed, and will likely get here before the others.

  Maybe, but he’s still a bit of a wild card.

  Riff? That’s true in a way, I guess, Terk conceded, but his heart’s in the right place. His operational status is a little bit dodgy at times, but he manages it well.

  Meaning he’s definitely a wild card, and you never quite know where he is.

  Yep, that’s exactly what I mean, Terk declared.

  Just then Wallace’s door opened, and he went quiet. Out loud, he asked the other guy, “Your boss here now?”

  The guy stared at him suspiciously. “Were you talking to someone?”

  “No, of course I wasn’t talking. You see someone here? Who will I talk to? Myself? Although, if you’re out there listening to me, that makes me feel creepy, you know? Sometimes people talk to themselves so they don’t get too scared.”

  The other guy curled a lip. “If you’re scared now, just wait until the boss gets here.” And, with that cryptic comment, he slammed the door.

  Wallace told Terk about it. So, they have somebody, a receiver or whatever, who’s picking up signals. I’m not even sure if it’s a person or a tool.

  Oh, now that I don’t want to hear, Terk grumbled. I’ve been up against too many tools lately to make me happy.

  Right, but you also know that, wherever there is one set of abilities, other people are out there trying to steal them, to use them to their advantage or whatever, Wallace pointed out. So, in this case, I can’t say I would be terribly surprised.

  Maybe not, I just wouldn’t want it to be this case, Terk clarified. So we’ll keep an open mind on it, and thanks for the heads-up. Looks as if I’m about to get company. And, with that, Terk signed off.

  Within minutes, Wallace’s door opened again, and he stared at the same man from before.

  He motioned at him. “Get up. The boss is here.”

  “Oh good,” Wallace replied. “I would really appreciate clearing this up, so I can get the hell out of here.”

  “You ain’t going nowhere,” he muttered. “Neither is that chick of yours.”

  He stiffened and glared at him. “Did you hurt her?”

  “Nope, not yet, but I’m guessing it will go that way pretty fast. She’s quite the mouthpiece.”

  “She’s also been scared, kidnapped, rescued, and now kidnapped again,” Wallace shared. “So I can’t imagine she’s feeling very cooperative right now.”

  “She shouldn’t get into such shit then, should she?” the guard stated, with a sneer. “What the hell does she expect?”

  After such a strange comment, and not having any answer or understanding of what this guy was after, Wallace fell silent. He was led into another room, and there was Terk, Jonas, and Amy. Amy bolted to her feet and raced over to him.

  Knowing that these guys already assumed they were an item, he just held her close and whispered, “Looks as if you were right. Something was wrong.”

  Chapter 8

  Amy looked up at him, teary-eyed, and asked, “They didn’t hurt you?” He shook his head. “Good.” She glared at the men around her. “Remember that I don’t want you hurting him.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” one of the men said sarcastically, with a sneer for good measure. “We’re all very concerned about what you want right now.”

  She shrugged. “I get it. You don’t give a shit about me at all,” she declared. “The fact that I’m even back here in this nasty hellhole just pisses me off. What’s the matter? You didn’t like the fact that I escaped last time?”

  “You wouldn’t have escaped if we hadn’t let you,” stated one of the guards. “So just shut up and sit down while we wait.”

  She sat down beside Wallace, her gaze on Terk, but her gaze was so obvious and so intense that Wallace nudged her. When she turned to face him, he gave her the tiniest headshake. She sat back and waited.

  “You guys still didn’t tell us what you’re after,” Wallace noted.

  “No, and I also told you not to talk, as you’ll find out soon enough. Why can’t you be like this guy here and just be quiet?” asked one of the three men facing them.

  The door opened without warning, and she jolted. One of the men gave her a smirk, as if to say she was in for it now. She stiffened when she saw the same arrogant guy from before. “So, it is you again.” She groaned, staring at him with animosity. “What’s the matter, Dominic? Can’t leave me alone?”

  “I want to,” he declared, with a hard glance her way, “but you keep getting in my way.”

  “Then just let me go,” she said instantly. “I’m not part of this, so just let me go.”

  “We grabbed the wrong guy before, and now we have the right guy. Knowing that you won’t exactly cooperate, we’ve decided to keep you as part of the group.”

  “Lovely,” she muttered.

  He gave her a fat smile. “On the other hand, if you’re nice, you might survive this.”

  She glared at him. “Yet I’m hearing a maybe, as in a very slim chance of that happening,”

  He shrugged. “You told me that you didn’t have anything to do with this guy.”

  “I didn’t tell you any such thing,” she declared in astonishment. “You didn’t even ask.” He glared at her, and she shrugged. “If you can’t ask the right questions, how am I supposed to know what you want?”

  He stared at her for a long moment. “I would be quite happy to just smack that look off your face,” he began, with a stern gaze. “But I happen to know that people want things right now, and they’ll want them from you too. So, we’ll just hold off on that for the time being.”

  “I’ve noticed you’re not quite so cocky or arrogant this time. What happened, Dom? Did you get in trouble for my leaving?”

  “You weren’t supposed to leave. We didn’t release you to go.”

  She stared at him. “Hang on a minute. Are you telling me that I’m not allowed to do anything but what you tell me to do?”

  “Exactly,” he confirmed. “Too bad you didn’t get that message the first time.”

  “Even if I got the message, why on earth would you think that anybody who’s been kidnapped and held against their will would play by those rules?”

  “If you want to stay alive,” Dom stated, glaring at her, “that’s what you should do. Of course, if you don’t give a shit about staying alive, that’s a whole different story. However, I presume you do care about these people and keeping them alive?”

  Her jaw dropped. “So, I’m here to be tortured so you can get information from these guys?” she asked, her voice faint. “That’s how Machiavellian you guys are?”

  He glared at her. “I don’t even know what the hell that means, and I don’t really give a damn. I don’t need to be dealing with whatever you’re spouting,” he hissed. “What I want is answers.”

  “Sure,” she muttered. “Fly at it.”

  Dom nodded. “I figured you would probably be a little more cooperative as long as you were with him.”

  She nodded. “That’s possible,” she muttered. “I probably feel a little calmer around him.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, that’s to be expected, you being female and all.”

  She stiffened, but Wallace gripped her hand.

  Meanwhile, Dom turned his attention to Jonas, who sat quietly off to the side. His lip curled even more. “Now, what to do with you, now that we’ve got you,” he muttered. “That’s a problem.”

  Jonas nodded. “It sure the fuck is,” he stated, his tone low and deadly.

  She stared at him, really quite delighted at Jonas’s response.

  Dom laughed hysterically. “Threats, threats, threats,” he muttered in a mock tone. “I really don’t give a shit. I get it. You’re upset and pissed off. Whatever. Just deal with it. We have the upper hand right now. That’s what counts.”

  “Is that all that counts though?” she asked, staring at Dom. “Surely there’s more to life than that.”

  “There probably is, but, if people like you would just shut up and would just get out of my face about it, I could get on with what I need to do.”

  “When’s the big boss coming?” Amy asked, smiling. Dom glared at her, and she shrugged. “He was here last time. Did you get in trouble?”

  Dom turned his attention to Jonas. “I could shut her up, you know?” Dom began. “She won’t like it, and I really hate women’s tears and the screams. Jesus, they always make it sound as if you just beat the complete crap out of them, when all you did was pop them because they needed it.”