Brute Justice (Justice Series) Read online

  That didn’t seem to calm Lexi any as she watched the two dance closer and closer together on the floor. When the song was over, he leaned in to say thank you and turned back to his crew with a dazed expression on his face. She followed right in tow. The song changed to a faster tune.

  “All right, Sam – your turn to spin me around!” she looked pointedly at Sam.

  “No. I don’t dance,” he announced definitively.

  “Sure you do!” She stuck out her bottom lip. “For me? Please?”

  “Well, okay.” He followed her onto the dance floor to take his turn.

  The girls looked at each other again, stunned.

  “He really doesn’t dance,” Lexi said. “At all. I’ve never seen him dance once in my life.”

  “Is it just me,” Leesha whispered into Lexi’s ear, “or is she trying to steal our men?”

  “You got me.”

  Clint tried to take his place back behind Lexi, but once she realized he was close, she stepped forward and moved to the other side of Leesha. She wasn’t having anything to do with him at the moment.

  What did I do?

  They stood there in silence, watching Jade put the moves on, this time her target was Sam. Lexi and Leesha stewed over what Jade was doing, wondering what her motive was. Clint stayed helplessly quiet, not knowing what to say or do.

  That’s when the music slowed, the lights blurred… The pain hit.

  Aaarrrggghhh! Now, seriously? You’ve got to be kidding me!

  All four – Lexi and Leesha next to him, and Sam and Jade from the dance floor – snapped to attention and directed their eyes to Clint. Suddenly forgiven for his misstep, Clint felt Leesha take his left elbow, and Lexi run to his other side to link her fingers into his right hand.

  “Come on Clint,” Lexi whispered in his ear. “Let’s see if we can find somewhere more private.”

  By that time, both Sam and Jade had joined them. “Are you okay?” Jade asked, a look of concern written all over her face.

  “Is there somewhere we might be able to take him?” Leesha asked. “A place where he could be alone for a minute?”

  “Sure,” she said, sensing there was no time for questions. “Follow me.”

  Gliding through the crowd of partiers seemingly unaffected by the development, Jade took them across the room to a closed door. When she opened it, it appeared to be a study or office of sorts. There was a couch on one side of the room and a desk and computer under the window. Lexi took Clint by the hand and led him to the couch. She sat on one end, and directed him to lay down with his head in her lap.

  I’d love this any other time. If the pain wasn’t so friggin’ bad. Make it stop, please!

  Jade closed the door, the music and party sounds dampened, leaving the five of them alone in the room. “What just happened?”

  “What do you mean?” Sam asked, trying to act innocently.

  “I felt the burn in my head. It pulled my head toward Clint,” she snapped back. “What just happened? I thought my migraines were over!”

  “They are over, Jade,” Leesha tried to sound soothing, but knew she was just adding more questions to Jade’s already reeling mind.

  “This has something to do with what you were asking me about earlier, doesn’t it?”

  “Yes,” Leesha confirmed. “It does. Honestly, now is probably not the right time to get into the details. But after seeing your reaction to Clint’s – migraine, if you will – we need to spend some more time with you to explain.”

  “It’s not a migraine, is it?”

  No it’s not a migraine! Welcome to reality, babe. His body continued to tremble with the fire, Lexi leaning over him, her forehead pressed to his, whispering in his ear.

  “No, Jade, it’s not a migraine.” Sam shook his head, not knowing what more to tell her at the moment. “You really don’t know what’s going on?”

  She shook her head.

  “We will fill you in on the details, but I don’t think tonight’s the best time, with your guests here and all.”

  “You’re connected to this too?”

  “Yes.”

  “You have the same birthday? Does Clint?”

  “Yes. Lexi’s my twin sister,” he confirmed, nodding to the couch. “We were all in the hospital at the same time.”

  “Oh.”

  A still took over the room as the three by the door watched the two on the couch, fighting the fire.

  “His pain goes beyond his head, doesn’t it?” Jade was more intuitive than they gave her credit for.

  “Yes,” Sam confirmed. “His burn reaches every part of his body.”

  “Oh.” Jade’s face twisted in agony, remembering how much she suffered with her headaches. Watching Clint struggle, she recalled her own like it was yesterday.

  The silence continued for an eternity, the only sound to be heard was Clint’s guttural moans and the party beyond the closed door. The beat of the base pumping rhythm through the floor, the happy chatter of the teens filtered in under the crack at the bottom of the door. The faces in this room, however, were stoic.

  After what seemed like days, Clint finally sat up, but didn’t completely release his contact from Lexi. He continued to lean on her, this time leaning over to wrap his arm around her in gratitude. He squeezed her close and kissed the top of her head. “Thank you, Lexi.”

  She closed her eyes and leaned into him. The whole room could hear Sam groan in argument. Neither Clint nor Lexi cared.

  “I guess I probably should get back to my guests…” Jade said reluctantly. She was torn between being the hostess to the crowd on the other side of the wall, and the burning questions she had for those she shared the room with.

  “Jade, we’re meeting at our house tomorrow at lunch,” Lexi offered. “We’re going to talk to Clint’s dad – to explain everything. Would you like to join us?”

  Yeah, I guess it makes more sense, kill two birds with one stone. She’s sharp, that Lexi.

  “Sure, I guess. If your parents don’t mind, that is,” Jade shrugged.

  “They won’t,” Sam assured. “Actually, they’re looking forward to meeting you.”

  “Here’s the address, and our phone number, if you need to call for directions.” Lexi handed her a slip of paper she scribbled on. “We’ll look forward to having you.”

  “Yeah,” Leesha agreed. “We’ve still got some questions for you.”

  “I’ve told you all I know,” Jade insisted.

  “Don’t worry,” Sam said. “We’ll get it all figured out.”

  She turned to Clint, still worried about what she witnessed. “Are you okay now?”

  He looked up at her, still leaning against Lexi. “Yes. I’m much better now.”

  “Is there anything I can do?”

  “No, but thank you.” I’m in good hands here. Never better. Clint smiled and looked down to meet Lexi’s eyes, smiling back at him.

  Chapter Ten

  The Bronco pulled up at the Dixon house promptly at 11:00 a.m. For a couple of guys who were normally short on conversational skills, the father and son combo hadn’t stopped arguing since they got in the car.

  “I still don’t understand why you won’t tell me what’s going on,” Clint’s dad said as he climbed out of the driver’s seat, stretching his long legs. “First the security system, now this mysterious meeting. Are you in trouble, son?”

  “No, Dad. I’m fine,” Clint started toward the front door. “Just trust me. We’ll all explain it together.”

  “Why all the secrecy?”

  Jeez, Dad… Overreact much?

  “You’ll understand everything, I promise. But I need the others to help fill in the story. It’s not just about me.”

  By the time they reached the door, Lexi was standing there to greet them, so the argument stopped.

  “Hi Mr. McKay! Welcome. Come on in, my parents are looking forward to meeting you.”

  “Thanks, Lexi.”

  As he stepped through the do
or she held open for him, Clint followed and caught Lexi’s eyes. “Hey, Lex.”

  “Hi, Clint. Are you okay today?”

  He reached down and brushed his fingertips into the soft of her palm. “I’m good,” he smiled at her.

  Her fingers curled around his. “I’m glad.”

  Okay, I can tell she likes me too. If I could only get some time alone with her.

  “Over my dead body.”

  Clint couldn’t see Sam, but heard his projected message loud and clear.

  We’re just going to have to agree to disagree on this. Tell you what… How ‘bout we arm wrestle for it?

  “Fat chance!” Sam appeared from around the corner, and upon seeing Clint’s dad, began to speak out loud. “Hey, Mr. McKay. It’s good to see you again! Mom and Dad are in the kitchen – come on, I’ll introduce you.”

  Marcy was just closing the oven as the guests entered the kitchen. “Mom, Dad, I want you to meet Clint’s dad – Mr. McKay.”

  He stepped forward to shake hands, suddenly embarrassed by the blackened lines and nails of his mechanic’s hands. “Call me Hank. It’s nice of you to have us over. Pleased to meet you.”

  “I’m Marcy,” she took his hand in both of hers. “We’re glad to have you. This is my husband, Dan.”

  “Hi Hank,” Dan extended his right hand in to shake his hand. “We think a lot of your boy. How much as Clint told you?”

  “Nothing. I have no idea why I’m here.”

  “Well, let’s all go in the living room,” Marcy gestured in the direction. “Leesha and Jade are already there. Let’s get down to business, then we can enjoy lunch afterwards.”

  Clint leaned in towards Lexi’s ear. “Where is Leesha’s mom?”

  “No clue,” she whispered back. “She disappeared again. Don’t ask Leesha about it, she’s pretty upset.”

  They all found seats around the living room. Introductions were made and Hank noticed Jade looked as uncomfortable as he felt.

  “Okay, Dad, here’s the deal,” Clint started. “I meant to level with you about this a couple of months ago, but first – you have enough to worry about. Second – I never found the right time when we were alone for any length of time.”

  “I know,” Hank’s head bowed. “I work too much. I leave you alone far too often.”

  “No, Dad. It’s fine,” Clint reassured him. “But I was afraid too, to tell you. I didn’t want to alarm you. When Mr. and Mrs. Dixon offered to help, I knew I could do it – tell you.”

  “What is it, son?” Now he was clearly concerned.

  “Mr. McKay,” Sam started, trying to take some of the pressure off Clint, “Clint, Leesha, Lexi and I – and Jade too – were all born on the same day, in the same hospital.”

  Thanks, Sam. I didn’t know where to start.

  He caught Clint’s eyes and nodded back at him. “We were all in the OB ward at the same time.”

  “You were? That’s odd. A coincidence?”

  “No,” Leesha said. “It’s not. We’ve found each other. We’re all experiencing some side effects we believe can be traced back to one of the doctors on rotation back then.”

  “Wait,” Jade interrupted. “You think a person is responsible for the pain?”

  “What pain?” Hank asked, startled.

  “Let me start from the beginning…” and Leesha began to tell her story, with Sam, Lexi and Clint all joining in to add their parts.

  “So you think we’re connected by this pain because a doctor injected us with drugs?” Jade asked. “Did he do it on purpose? Why would he do that?”

  “We don’t know all of the reasons yet,” Lexi answered, “but we do know he gave us drugs that were designed to change our bodies. Give us extra abilities.”

  “What do you mean extra abilities?” Hank was not generally one to overreact, but this all sounded a little sci-fi to him.

  Uh-oh. Freak out mode, closing in.

  “Leesha can move things with her mind – telekinesis. Sam’s senses are heightened. Clint’s muscles are stronger and I can make my body transparent,” Lexi said matter-of-factly.

  The quiet in the room was awkward as Hank tried to wrap his brain around all he was just told.

  “But…” Jade finally broke the silence, “I don’t have an ability.”

  “You,” Leesha turned toward her, “are our mystery. We can’t figure it out. Are you sure there’s nothing special you can do? Anything out of the ordinary?”

  “No. I’m not special,” she looked down at the hands in her lap.

  “Yet you felt the pull – the signal in your forehead – when Clint’s flash started last night, yes?” Leesha asked.

  “I did. That was kind of strange. It was a signal?”

  “I think it is. We all feel it when we’re close to another that has a flash. It’s how I found Sam. I’m not sure how close we have to be to each other – I’ve not felt it from across town, when we’re apart. But I believe it connects us, which is why I think you’re affected by this just as much as we are.”

  “So you think I’ve got a power?”

  Leesha sighed and paused. “You have to… We just need to figure out what it is. Once we do, we can work on making it stronger.”

  Chapter Eleven

  He’d thought about it over and over, wondering what he should do about the tracking devices he found. Thanks to Neal’s help, another had been located, embedded into the handle of his laptop case.

  Neal had proven himself very useful in the past few years. Though now he was a private detective, it was his ballistics expertise and investigative training with the police force that were equally as valuable as the technology he packed. After he found the devices, he ran a check for fingerprints on them and found two – one belonging to Clint McKay, the other to Lexi Dixon.

  “So they are working together,” he mused out loud, reading the report. “Yet they’ve made no attempt to contact me. Curious…”

  After weeks of trying to locate Charlie, his former assistant who suddenly disappeared, he figured the kids were helping protect his location. He wondered if Charlie was still feeding them information about his experiments, and if so, how much he had divulged.

  “If I ever get my hands on that no-good piece of shit, I’ll kill him myself. It will be my pleasure.” He had no sympathy for people who betrayed his confidence.

  As for the kids, well they were still a mystery to him. He knew they probably had a good idea of his whereabouts, for now. He could change his residence – it might throw them off his trail – but his office was another story. It wouldn’t be easy to change the location of his already-established family planning clinic. He put a lot of thought and effort into creating this business – one which counseled pregnant teenagers against abortion and paired them with parents who yearned to adopt.

  It was perfect, really. He delivered the babies in his own office, with just a very small staff. They were never around when he injected his experimental mixtures into the babies…

  The novel part of the operation is he was able to gather all the necessary information on the parents who took the babies home. He created a new alias and his own secret laboratory. There was no one in his present who knew about his past – that was all dead and buried – and no one on his staff knew what he was doing now. It couldn’t have been planned any better.

  That is, until he figured out the kids were tracking him. Who knows how long they had been following him. But if they were keeping any diary of his travel, surely they knew his apartment location and his office. Oh, and possibly Sara’s house. Sara… What to do about Sara?

  The more he thought about it, the more he realized how dangerous it was to have them tracking him. They were a connection to his past, and he could not let them catch up to him. He made a mental note to change his address – easy enough to do.

  He picked up the phone to call his realtor. “Hi, Jane? This is Donald. I was thinking about expanding my practice. Can you help me locate a larger office – someth
ing similar to my current set up, but with more delivery rooms? Oh, and while you’re at it, since business is going so well, I’m thinking about buying instead of renting – maybe a condo? Or a small house in the outskirts? Something private.”

  He listened to the excited chatter of his real estate agent on the other end. She would make a hefty commission on this piece of work, so of course she was thrilled.

  “That’s great, Jane. Yes, the sooner the better. If I’m going to be moving, it makes sense to do it all at once. Thank you so much. Looking forward to hearing back from you soon.”

  He hung up the phone, knowing he was doing the right thing. As for Sara, well he wasn’t ready to be done with her just yet. She was quite useful in a number of ways, but he didn’t want to ask her to move in with him. Sometimes a man just needed his own space. He’d think about it some more, figure out what to do with her later.

  For now, he was done being tracked by a bunch of teenagers. He wouldn’t allow these kids to be a step ahead of him any longer. He took the two black devices from their resting places, dropped them to the floor, and with a resounding stomp from the heel of his wing tip, they were rendered useless.

  “Let’s see what they think of that,” he muttered.

  Chapter Twelve

  He’s off the grid. Holy crap.

  “Sam!” Clint yelled louder than necessary, as Sam was in the same room. Not to mention his extremely sensitive ears.

  “What?”

  “He’s found the devices.”

  “How do you know?” Sam’s legs took just three strides to cross the room. Looking over Clint’s shoulder, he could see instantly the “blips” of activity they had tracked for weeks now had vanished from the radar. “Did you expand the search? Could he be traveling in another state?”

  “I tried that already.”

  “Out of the country?”

  “He’s nowhere. He’s found them, most likely destroyed them, which is why they’re not traceable anymore.”

  “So we can’t track him by computer any longer?”

  “Nope.”

  “We need to get the map out and get over to those three locations – now – to see if we can find him, locate his car. Man, I wish we’d have tagged his car before now!”