Brute Justice (Justice Series) Read online

  Neither parent said anything, their fear keeping coherent words from forming. They just nodded, a signal for Sam to keep going.

  “This is what we know,” he started. “Leesha and Clint were both born at Sartori Hospital on the same day as Lex and me. There was a doctor on rotation in the OB at the time – Dr. Carl Blevins – who experimented with us, and possibly other babies.”

  “What?!” Marcy’s eyes bulged, and she jumped to the edge of her seat waiting for an answer.

  “What do you mean experimented?” Dan growled, looking only slightly less ruffled at the news.

  “He injected us with a combination of drugs – each of us got a different mixture – which was designed to change the way our brains and bodies function.”

  Both parents’ eyes opened wide.

  “How could he get to you? How do you know all of this? Dr. Blevins wasn’t even my OB, Dr. Hart was!” Marcy rocked forward, questions forming in her mind.

  “We’ve been researching this for quite a while, and we finally located one of Dr. Blevins’ resident assistants,” Lexi answered. “Charlie – that’s his name – gave us our charts, so at this point, we know what meds we were injected with and what has resulted from the experiment.” She patted her mother’s hand to try and comfort her. “It’s okay, Mom. We’re fine.”

  “How could someone do this to you?” She was panicked, the byproduct of being an overly protective mother.

  “What do you mean by results? What has happened to you because of this?” Dan added, also agitated.

  Leesha took over the conversation. “It happened to me first. The drugs were designed to stay dormant in our system until our bodies reached physical maturity. Once mine did – I was fourteen – I started experiencing headaches. Just flashes of headaches, very quick ones that went away as abruptly as they started. I think I went through ten or twelve total, and as they progressed, each one was a little longer in length, but less painful. The process took about four months from start to finish.”

  “Nicely done, Leesh. Thanks for the gentle touch on that delivery,” Sam projected to her, then turned to his parents to speak out loud. “Mine happened next. They started in October, and the big difference between mine and Leesha’s was the ache reached my whole body, instead of just my head. I had a total of nine, and I’m done now too.”

  Ache? Seriously, is that what you’re gonna call it?

  Sam’s eyes darted over to Clint when he heard his thoughts. “Shut it, they don’t need to know how painful the flashes are,” he said silently.

  “I’m still going through mine,” Lexi added. “My symptoms are much like Sam’s – they reach the entire body. I’ve had eight so far. In fact, I’m having one right now.”

  “You are?” Clint’s attention snapped to her. He was clearly concerned for Lexi, his own painful flash from earlier still fresh in his mind.

  “Yep! It’s just a dull buzz at this point. This one started on Tuesday, so I’m hoping it’s the last one, as long as it’s hung around.”

  Marcy looked at her daughter’s smile and relaxed a bit, seemingly reassured by the casual way she described the symptoms. “So the ache… It goes away? There is an end?”

  “Yes, Mom. There is an end.” Lexi patted her hand again. “And Clint… His started a couple of months ago, when we were in Arizona.”

  “Arizona?!” both parents reacted at the same time.

  “What do you mean when you were in Arizona? When did you go to Arizona?!” Marcy’s face was no longer relaxed.

  “How did you get to Arizona? Why?!” Dan exploded.

  “Nice slip, genius…” Sam said silently to Lexi, and she grimaced. “I was kinda hoping they’d forget that part.”

  “Charlie was in Arizona – that’s where we were able to finally make contact with him and get some concrete information on Dr. Blevins’ experiments. Clint flew us down there the weekend we told you we were at a church retreat,” she said, bowing her head slightly with a guilty look plastered all over her face. “Sorry we lied to you, but it was really important to track Charlie down. We needed to get some answers from him, and he was really great about helping us understand and fill in some of the gaps.”

  “You have an airplane?” this was too much for Dan to comprehend.

  “You two flew with a child behind the wheel?”

  This is only getting uglier…

  “Yes, sir. My dad and I own an airplane. He’s an excellent pilot instructor and the general manager of Gold Club Private Aero,” Clint addressed them both, trying not to be offended by the “child” comment. “He’s been training me since I was thirteen, and I’ve had my pilot’s license for more than a year now.”

  “He’s a great pilot, Mom,” Lexi gushed. “Really, the best…”

  Awww…

  Sam gritted his teeth, then forced a fake smile, attempting to get the group back on track. “Let’s try and update them on all of the facts we have, and what we were able to find out from Charlie. You know, bring them up to speed on the research so far.”

  The group proceeded to update the Dixon parents with the details of their work, each one taking turns telling their part of the story. Little by little, the information was doled out in manageable chunks for Dan and Marcy to digest – the medical, military and prison background of Dr. Blevins, the lists of other newborns and hospital staff members, the medical research conducted by various schools and laboratories, and the information gleaned from their visit in Arizona with Charlie.

  “So, this Dr. Blevins,” Dan raised his eyebrow in thought, “he hasn’t contacted you?”

  “No.” All four of them shook their heads.

  “Why not?”

  “We’re not entirely sure,” Sam replied. “Though we don’t think he has honorable intentions for us…”

  “What is it he wants from you?”

  Sam looked his dad square in the eyes and leveled with him. “Our powers.”

  “Your what?” and with that, Marcy Dixon was on her feet.

  “Mom, sit down.” Lexi coaxed.

  “I will not sit down! What did you mean by that? What powers?”

  “Mom, seriously,” Sam insisted. “You need to sit down for this part. Really.”

  She didn’t want to, but Marcy sat back down next to her husband, who instinctively put his arm around her in an effortless gesture of comfort. He then turned to Sam. “Okay, explain.”

  “Remember how I told you these drugs were designed to change our mind and body?”

  They both nodded, unsure of how else to react to this newest development of shocking information.

  “The burning in my head,” Leesha explained, “was changing my brain’s makeup. It left behind an additional ability – mine is telekinesis. I can move things with the power of my mind.”

  Dan sat forward and tilted his head. His expression was visibly torn between curiosity and disbelief. “You can? I didn’t think such things were possible…”

  “I didn’t either, until it happened to me.” She continued cautiously. “Would you like to see?”

  Marcy and Dan looked at each other, then back to Leesha. Dan nodded his head.

  “Wait,” Marcy interrupted. “Will it hurt you?”

  “No, Mrs. Dixon. Nothing hurts anymore. Honest, the pain is gone. And Charlie said it won’t come back – once the transformation is complete, the flashes are over.”

  “Okay, then…” she agreed.

  Leesha glanced down at the coffee table in front of her and lifted the television remote, gliding it slowly through the air towards the Dixon parents. Dan lifted his hand as if to catch it, and she placed it in his upturned palm.

  “I can’t believe it. I mean, if I hadn’t just seen it with my own eyes…”

  The room was silent for a moment, allowing Marcy and Dan to wrap their heads around what they just saw. Dan just kept shaking his head, looking down at the remote he still held in his grasp. Marcy’s mouth was frozen, half open, and a single tear ran down her c
heek.

  “Someone did this to you?” Marcy finally broke the silence. “Why?”

  “We don’t know, Mom,” Sam said simply. “We won’t know until we can ask him. Dr. Blevins is the only one with the answers, and we may never know… I don’t think he’ll even tell us the truth.”

  “You said you each had different drugs administered to you,” Marcy continued. “Does that mean you have different…”

  “Abilities?” Sam finished his mother’s question. When she nodded, he answered her question. “Yes. My senses are heightened. My sight, hearing, smell, taste and sense of touch are all amplified. And I’ve got a sixth sense. I can hear thoughts, and project my thoughts into someone else’s mind.”

  “Lexi?”

  “My ability is the power to make my body matter transparent. Invisibility.”

  “Clint?”

  “Um… I’m not sure it has a fancy scientific term. It changed my muscles. I’m stronger. We haven’t completely figured out all of the parts to my abilities yet. Mine only just started.”

  The room was silent again for a long time as the Dixon parents processed all of this. Finally, Dan looked up at the group. “Okay, so what do you need from us? What can we do to help you find the answers?”

  Sam stood up and started pacing the room as he thought. “Well, first thing… We need to make sure our homes are safe. We all need to be more aware, band together to protect each other.”

  Clint looked up at Sam. “I want to put security alarms on our houses. Are you okay with that?”

  “I think it’s a great idea. Do you know what you need? We can go out and get the kits and start installing them today if you want.”

  Dan agreed. “I’ll go with you, pay for everything.”

  Marcy nodded her agreement, then turned to Leesha and Clint. “Do either of your parents know about any of this?”

  “No,” Clint shook his head. “I want to tell my dad, but was hoping to see your reaction first. My pop’s been through a lot, I don’t want to cause him any more grief.”

  “That’s very noble of you, but he’ll want to know what’s going on. He needs to know. I sense the four of you have left out a lot of information – probably trying to protect us – but if you’re putting in security alarms, then we all need to be aware of the danger we may be in. It may take all of us to protect one another.”

  She’s right. I hate that she’s so perceptive, but she’s right. I gotta tell Dad.

  As the ladies headed to the kitchen to start dinner for the group, the guys took off in Dan’s SUV to shop for security alarms. Once they were in the car and out of earshot from his wife, Dan turned to Sam with more questions. “Okay, son, tell me the truth. How serious is this? Guys with guns? Security alarms? How much danger are we in?”

  “Dad…” he started, but fell silent. He couldn’t find the words.

  “Clint? Level with me.”

  “Mr. Dixon, I’ll give it to you straight. This guy is dangerous, and I think we need to have all the precautions we can get to keep our families safe. He’s been tracking our cars by GPS, so he knows where we are at all times. He’s been following Leesha for close to two years now.”

  “Clint!”

  Clint turned to Sam. “Look, I know your mom is upset, and I get that. But your dad’s got a right to know. And think about it… If the four of us are off chasing down this bastard, we need your dad to know enough about the situation to keep your mom safe. Maybe even Leesha’s mom and my dad…”

  C’mon man. You know we need to tell him.

  “Okay. Okay…” Sam sighed. As they drove to the nearest security system specialist, Sam filled his dad in on the rest of the story, including the kidnapping and murder in Arizona. He was surprised, when he was done, that his father was as calm as he was.

  “So you can see through walls?”

  “Yep.”

  “And Lexi can walk through walls?”

  “Yep.”

  “And you saw this guy shoot the kidnappers? Why didn’t you stop him?”

  “Well, it happened too fast. I didn’t hear him think about it. I just saw him do it.”

  “Besides,” Clint interjected. “We were there to try and place some tracking devices on him. We didn’t want him to know we were watching him.”

  “So you know where he is at all times?”

  “Most of the time,” Clint answered. “As long as he’s got either his briefcase or his laptop with him. Hey Sam – we need to try and get over and place a device on his car.”

  “Right. He ditched the rental, didn’t he?”

  “Yep. Left it in Vegas when he figured it was a dead end.”

  “Boys, this is an awful lot to comprehend in one sitting. I’m really proud of you guys for rallying around Charlie and his family, saving them. That’s really something.” Dan still shook his head in wonder.

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  “But I’m also glad you finally leveled with me, and I agree with Clint on the security system theory,” he said as they pulled up into the parking lot. “I want to do everything I can to keep us all safe from this guy.”

  “You don’t have to worry about us, Dad. We can protect ourselves.”

  “I’m not entirely sure about that.”

  “Dad! Listen, Clint’s monitoring his movement at all times. Plus, I can hear him if he approaches-”

  “You didn’t hear them today, Sam.”

  “I know,” Sam bowed his head. “I let my guard down. It won’t happen again.”

  “Sam, we didn’t expect the goons,” Clint piped up from the back seat. “We need to figure out how to follow his phone conversations, so we know what he’s planning. I’ll work on that.”

  “Good idea. Anyway, Dad, if it comes to it - Lexi can disappear and run away. Leesha can totally immobilize him. And Clint, well, what can you do?”

  “I can pretty much squash him like a bug, if I needed to,” he grinned, then sobered. “At least when I’ve got my powers. They’re still coming and going for now.”

  Dan looked at Clint as they climbed out of the car. “How strong are you?”

  “Wanna see?”

  “Yeah…”

  Clint bent down and picked up a rock out of the front landscaping and closed it in his fist. When he opened his hand, the only thing left was sand falling through his fingers.

  Chapter Three

  The guys spent about forty-five minutes in the store, speaking with one of the salesmen about different types of alarms. After much discussion, they opted for a security package with sensors for all of the windows and doors, a central control panel with a key pad and emergency distress button which instantly dialed 911, external motion-detection flood lights, plus surveillance cameras for the outside perimeter of the house. They bought three packages – one for each of their houses, and got ready to load up the SUV with their haul.

  “Would you like to have a team of technicians come over and install the equipment for you?” the salesman said helpfully, most likely looking for added commission. “I’d be glad to set it up for you.”

  Sam, no. I want to install this myself. The fewer people who know about this, the better.

  Dan started to answer, but Sam interrupted him. “No thank you, sir. My friend here is good with electronics – I think we can tackle this ourselves. We’ll call if we run into any trouble.”

  “Okay then. There’s a 24-hour help line, should you need it.”

  “Thanks!” The three men headed out the door, bags in hand.

  They loaded up the back of the SUV, and as they were climbing back in, Dan turned to the kids. “Are you sure we can handle installing all of this ourselves? The sales guy said he could send someone over to take care of it…”

  “Yeah,” Clint said. “It’s an easy install. Plus, I don’t want anyone knowing we bought the equipment and where we live. If Blevins comes in to ask, they won’t have any information to give him.”

  “Good point,” Sam agreed.

  Dan t
urned onto the freeway to head back towards their side of town, and after about seven minutes, they found the three lanes of traffic were slowing to a crawl. Sam narrowed his eyes to try and see what was going on. The winter nights meant dark fell earlier, so neither Dan nor Clint could see much more than a line of red taillights ahead of them, the bottleneck clearly up ahead a couple hundred yards.

  “What is it?” Clint asked, more in Sam’s direction than the Dan’s.

  Sam was quiet for a minute. “I can smell gas, and hear something metal swinging… Hang on, let me get a closer look.”

  He strained his eyes beyond the glare of taillights as they led uphill to an overpass. “It’s a semi that jackknifed on the overpass. The trailer part is blocking the traffic, and the driver is dangling in the cab over the left side of the bridge!”

  “Is there anyone there to help him?” Clint asked, already reaching for the door handle.

  Sam strained to listen for sirens. “I hear police cars, but they are a few miles away. Dad? Can you get us up there?”

  “I can’t imagine how… Traffic is backed up and stopped. I can’t drive on the shoulder – it’s too narrow, and there are concrete dividers up ahead.”

  “Come on, Sam. Let’s go. We can help.” Clint was already out the door, Sam just a few paces behind him, both in a dead sprint up the shoulder of the freeway.

  “Wait! Guys…” Stunned, Dan could do nothing but throw the SUV in park and follow the boys. When they arrived, there was a mass of people standing in a semi-circle around the truck, a buzz of chatter and alarm filling the night’s air.

  Sam looked down at the truck, turned on its side, skid marks and shreds of metal covering the road. The concrete barrier was broken where the cab pushed through, the front end of the truck perilously dangling on its hinge connecting it to the freight trailer. “Clint, are you still…?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. We don’t have much time. I can hear the hinge on this thing starting to pull apart. The cab will separate at any moment. I’ll need you to move it back.” He motioned to Clint to pull and twist the rig’s bed as far as he could, lifting the cab high enough so Sam could reach the driver and get him to safety. “Dad, get the crowd back as far as you can.”