It had hurt her to leave her sister, but she knew that to keep both of them safe, it had to be this way.

 You do realize that thinking of me so much is just like talking to me.

 Grace’s amused voice slid through Shea’s mind, bringing a smile to Shea’s lips.

 Are you all right, Shea? I sense that some heavy shit has gone down with you, but you’re working hard to keep me from seeing what you’ve been up to. Why is that? Are you in trouble?

 Grace, I’m fine. You would know if I wasn’t.

 Grace snorted. I do know and I know that everything is not fine. What the hell is going on with you? Why are you talking to other people?

 Let it go. I’m okay. Getting ready to move again.

 You just moved.

 How the hell do you know that?

 While you’re working so hard not to see or hear me, I can read you easily, or at least what you aren’t closely guarding. What happened in Colorado? Why did you leave Kansas?

 Fuck.

 I heard that.

 I had a narrow miss in Kansas and I don’t want to stay in any one place for a while. It made me jumpy.

 Grace swore. Damn it, Shea. Enough of this being apart bullshit. We’re safer together. Why can’t you get it through your head that I don’t need you to protect me? I’m bigger and stronger than you are. Could you even kill someone if you had to?

 Yes.

 Grace went silent as the forceful word slipped from Shea’s mind into Grace’s.

 Hell yeah, she could kill someone. Maybe she’d been known as the sweet younger sister. The baby. The coddled one in the family.

 That was all in the past. Seeing your parents murdered and fearing for your sister’s safety had a way of hardening even the softest heart. She’d changed a lot in the last year. She’d learned to protect herself, and she had no compunction about doing whatever was necessary to make sure nothing happened to her or to Grace.

 I don’t like what this has done to you, Shea.

 The sadness in Grace’s voice left a shadow in Shea’s mind.

 You are all I have left, Grace. I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you’re safe. I’ve learned a lot in this past year. I might surprise you in the butt-kicking department now.

 Grace laughed but it was strained and sad. Just don’t be so intent on saving the world that you fuck up and get yourself caught. Don’t think for even a minute I won’t do everything I can to keep you safe.

 I won’t. Be careful, Grace. I love you.

 I love you too, sis. Be safe. While you’re out trying to save me and whoever else you’re suffering for, I’m doing some investigating into the assholes who killed Mom and Dad.

 Fear bolted through Shea’s chest, squeezing until she was breathless. Don’t. Grace, you have to be careful. We have no idea what they’re capable of. What if it’s some secret government agency?

 You’ve been watching too many over-the-top television thrillers. I suspect this is some private organization, one of those crazy-ass cult-type things. If it was the government, don’t you think we would have been found by now? They’re being way too careful, like they’re as worried about being caught as we are.

 Damn it, Grace, just leave it alone. Stay low.

 Until when? You want to run forever? When are we going to come up with a solution? Your solution is to run and keep me safe by refusing contact, fearing you’ll know where I am and the information can be tortured out of you. Well, fuck that. We aren’t doing anything to solve the problem. We’re running like two sissies and waiting. For what? For Superman to swoop down and save us? How can we solve anything if we don’t know who is after us? When we know who, then we’ll know who we can and can’t trust.

 Shea blew out her breath in frustration. I get it, okay? But here’s what you’re not considering. Say you find out it’s some private off-their-rocker group who know what we are and what we can do and they want us for their own nefarious purposes. So you figure this out and go to the police or the government or whoever.

 What’s to stop them from deciding they want to exploit you? You could very well be trading one enemy for another, and if it is some private half-ass group who’s afraid of discovery, then good. That gives us an advantage. But if we go to the authorities and they decide they want to use us, what the hell do we do then?

 Grace sighed. Damn it, I hate when you start making sense. That’s supposed to be my job as the older sister. Still, it doesn’t hurt to learn as much as we can about these assholes. We have to trust someone at some point, right? Or do we plan to spend the rest of our lives running?

 Shea closed her eyes. I hope not. We’ll figure something out.

 Grace touched Shea’s cheek and then pulled her into a fierce hug. We’ll beat this, Shea.

 For once it was Grace offering comfort and encouragement.

CHAPTER 7

THERE was something to be said for big cities, but they still made her nervous. After ditching her car after the near miss in Kansas City, she’d decided to go with something a little more rugged. Just in case. Four-wheel drive. Something that could handle rough terrain if it came to that.

She’d really wanted to stay in Colorado, lose herself in some remote mountain area, but if she was tracked there, her escape possibilities were slim. And she knew little to nothing about roughing it. Her idea of camping was a nice hotel with room service and a spa.

 Until Nathan was rescued and no longer needed her, she absolutely had to keep to areas that swallowed people up. Afterward, she could hopefully find a place that was quiet, big enough that she wouldn’t garner too many questions but small enough that she would know if her pursuers showed up.

 And yeah, she’d prefer a place with an actual roof, working utilities and a bathroom so she wasn’t forced to do her thing behind a bush.

 She’d start in California. Work her way up the coast, closer to where it all began. Maybe Grace was right in that they needed more information. If she could eventually get back to her parents’ house undetected, she could access the surveillance footage from when her parents were killed. Maybe by then it wouldn’t hurt quite so much. Maybe the distance would enable her to view the act with a critical eye.

 She shuddered and squeezed her eyes shut at the idea of ever being able to be that analytical when it came to the monsters who’d killed her family.

 That would come later. For now she had to concentrate on remaining safe and undetected.

 First she checked into a dive motel, giving a fake name and a story about her purse being stolen with all her ID. The clerk hadn’t cared about anything other than her ability to pay, and when she produced cash, he gave her a key without question.

 The next item on her agenda was to walk into a salon and undergo a radical change in her appearance. The hairdresser had been dubious about her decision to dye her honey blond hair dark brown, but she’d shrugged and done the job.

 It wasn’t the first time Shea had dyed her hair. She’d changed her appearance every few months. Since she’d been back to blond in her last close call, she chose dark and she’d switch to the brown-colored contacts.

 In other circumstances, it would have amused her that over the last year she’d been a redhead, a blonde, several shades of brunette, and her eyes had been a range of green, blue and brown.

 She’d go back to blond the next time she moved. The important part was that whenever she left an area, that same woman didn’t appear somewhere else.

 Back at her hotel, she took the handgun out of her bag and placed it on the nightstand so it would be within easy reach. The rest of her things she left packed in case she needed to make a fast getaway.

 She was starving, but she was more exhausted. She sank onto the bed, grimaced at the hard lumpy mattress and closed her eyes.

 It was automatic to reach for Nathan. She’d checked on him frequently as she made the drive to Southern California. Part of her fatigue was from maintaining such constant contact.

 To her surprise, he was alert, intensely so. Rigid, crouched in his cell, rage so prevalent that it rolled through her like fire.

 This time there wasn’t a hesitation. He’d grown used to sensing her as soon as she brushed against his mind. He no longer questioned her presence.

 They’re working Swanson over, goddamn it.

 Fury hit her like a tornado. Nathan boiled with it. Helpless fury. He clenched and unclenched his hands, and hatred clawed at Shea until she flinched from the negative wash that poured from him.

 She did the only thing she felt capable of doing. She wrapped herself around him and held on, offering him whatever comfort she could.

 You’ll be free soon. Believe that, Nathan. Swanson too.

 Damn right. I swear to God, I’ll get him out.

 She sensed strength in him that hadn’t been there before. Renewed determination. An iron will that was nearly tangible. Thank God. He was ready to fight. He was refusing to give up.

 This time there was no pain for her to take. He’d blocked it out himself with the uncontrollable anger that rocked his body. His focus was on his teammate.

 Part of her wanted to shield him from the sounds of his teammate’s suffering, but she knew that it was what was feeding his rage and determination. So she sat there with him, holding him as he shook with fury.

 The door of his cell burst open. Nathan shot to his feet, startling Shea and sending her sprawling on the bed. Two guns were pointed at him as he was yanked forcibly to his feet.

 This time they didn’t bind him. They dragged him out of the cell, down a dim hallway that must have been a pathway in the cave. A moment later he was thrust into blinding sunlight.

 Shea winced and blinked as Nathan threw his arm over his ravaged eyes. Her sight was distorted because he couldn’t see. All she saw were flashes of light, the ground. The air was cold. The wind bit at Nathan’s naked body as he was shoved to his knees.

 Gradually he blinked and squinted enough that he could see, and she sucked in her breath at the sight before her.

 Swanson was standing a few feet away, bloodied and bruised, his eyes bleak. The left side of his face was a mess. There was a ragged cut that ran from his temple, over his jaw and lower to his neck. The flesh lay open, blood streaming. There was panic and defeat in his eyes.

 “Don’t you do it, Swanny. Don’t you fucking do it,” Nathan said, echoing words from the teammate who’d been killed in front of him.

 Shea gasped when the barrel of a pistol was jammed into the back of Nathan’s head. Oh God, they were going to use him to break Swanson because Nathan had been unbreakable so far.

 They no longer had use for Nathan. Maybe they’d grown tired or bored or frustrated with their efforts.

 Now, Nathan. You have to fight now. You have your hands. They aren’t expecting you to fight. Oh God, you have to try.

 Tears poured down Shea’s cheeks. She couldn’t allow this. She’d never felt more helpless in her life.

 Nathan lifted his gaze so that he stared straight back at Swanson, and Shea caught her breath at the silent exchange. It was do-or-die time for both of them.

 I’m with you, Nathan. I won’t leave you.

 The men holding Swanson began barking a series of questions in broken English. Swanson stood there like a stone, his expression impassive. Then he seemed to crumble.

 “All right, all right, I’ll talk. Just leave him alone.”

 Don’t freak, Shea. He’s acting. Get ready. I need you for this.

 She sat up on the bed, her focus razor sharp.

 And suddenly Nathan whipped around, ramming his fist into the knee of the man holding the gun. The pistol hit the ground, and Nathan had it before she could think to tell him it was there.

 One shot. Then two. Three more in rapid succession. The world tilted crazily, and she struggled to keep everything in perspective as Nathan exploded into action.

 Swanson had managed to disarm one of his captors but the other pointed a gun at Swanson’s head.