KanesBounty (12 page)

His mind calmed. It was too sudden a switch for Kane’s
comfort level. In his experience, that kind of shift did not happen in the
minds of sane people.

Thorn straightened, turned to Banta and nodded. “Find out if
she’s telling the truth.”

Shit.
“Don’t do this, Banta. You want me for your
little army? Fine, I’m in,” Kane said.

Banta looked at him and his expression was almost
sympathetic. “Too late for that, Kane.”

Kane was on his feet in an instant. Four soldiers grabbed
him and pushed him back into the chair. They held him down while he continued
to fight. Even without the use of his hands, they had a hard time keeping him
down.

Banta took hold of Lena’s head and lifted her to her feet.
She resisted, but another soldier held her arms behind her back. She screamed
and Kane felt the first thread of Banta’s assault on her mind. Her walls were
holding.

“Lena, let him in,” Kane screamed.

She either wouldn’t because of her grandmother or couldn’t
because she had such a strong will, but she continued to fight against the
onslaught of pressure from Troth Banta.

Kane had to make an effort to block the pleasure coming from
Thorn. He enjoyed every moment of her pain. If Kane had to guess, he’d say the
pig probably had a hard-on watching his ex being mind-raped.

Her cry pierced the air. Even Banta cringed, but Thorn loved
every moment.

Kane’s senses opened to her.
He will kill you if you
don’t let him in.

He knew the drill. Banta was one of the most skilled
telepaths in the world. He would tear down her protections layer by layer until
she had nothing left. For the weak-minded, the process was horribly painful.
For the strong, it could be deadly. Some victims were left lobotomized. Kane’s
entire body trembled. He couldn’t stand it. Lena’s rich, creamy skin was sickly
pale. Her eyes bulged from their sockets. The screams had stopped, but her
mouth remained open in silent agony.

Sweetheart, I love you. Trust me. Let him in.
He said
it psychically.

She slumped in the arms of the soldier holding her as Banta
released her head. Lena’s eyes closed.

“The grandmother has them,” Banta said.

The soldier dumped her into the chair, where she curled into
a ball. Her walls were back up, but Kane has sensed she was still whole inside
before she’d cut him off again.

Rage burned white hot in Kane’s chest. He wanted these
people dead. Every cell of his body yearned for their throats crushed under his
fingers, the man who approached him now most of all. He vowed he would see
Oscar Thorn dead or wishing he was.

Thorn smiled down at him. “Save your anger, Mr. Lakeland.
You should start your prayers now. I’m sure you have quite a few sins to repent
for.”

“I’ll have more before this is done.” Kane’s voice was just
above a whisper, but the intensity trilled in the air.

Thorn backed away a step. “Kill him, but don’t make a mess.
Take her to her room. Troth, get me the old woman and my stones.”

“Yes, Mr. Thorn.” Banta didn’t glance at Kane. He gave his
men orders and left with two of them.

One lifted Lena and carried her limp body out of the study.
Thorn left through another door behind his desk. Three soldiers grabbed Kane
and dragged him from the room, down a flight of steps and into a concrete
basement.

He stopped struggling. There was no point. He hadn’t seen a
silencer on any of their weapons. They were not likely to shoot him in such a
residential area. People would hear the guns and they might call the cops. That
was the last thing Thorn would want when he was so close to getting his way.

Two of them dragged him to the center of the dimly lit,
musty room. They held him while the third unlocked the handcuffs and
re-shackled him in the front. Then they lifted his arms and looped the chain of
the handcuffs over a large utility hook that was screwed into a crossbeam. The
tips of Kane’s toes still touched the floor, but his ribs and shoulders ached
in this position.

The third soldier had light skin and blue eyes. He watched
the other two string Kane up. He pulled a long knife from the sheath strapped
to his leg and tapped it against his palm. None of them had any real Psi
talent. They were just hacks who could sense strong emotional outbursts perhaps
a second before they manifested externally. It made them better soldiers, but
they were no match for a talented telepath.

“You Psi-Alignment guys all think you’re something special,”
the blue-eyed soldier said as he approached. “Look at you now. Like a lamb to
the slaughter.”

One of the other two, a dark-skinned young man said, “Just
do him, Dink. Don’t make an ass of yourself.”

The third was smiling and looking from Kane to Dink with
wide, excited eyes.

“I’m going to make an ass of this joker. He’s going to beg
me for death by the time I’m done with him, Luke.”

Luke shrugged. “Then you’re going to clean up the mess you
make. I’m not.”

The third one giggled madly.

Dink came closer, lifted his knife and cut a small slit
under Kane’s ribs on the left. “Beg me. Bitch.”

Kane felt the sting, but ignored it. He kept his mind quiet
and his eyes focused on Dink. “I don’t have to beg. How’d you get that name,
Dink? Got a tiny weeny, do you?”

Fury filled the weak-minded soldier. He lifted his right arm
to strike. Kane pulled his legs up, wrapped them around Dink’s neck and
squeezed until he felt the pop.

The other two rushed him as Dink’s lifeless body crumpled to
the floor. Kane used the crazy, giggling one’s shoulders to push himself up and
over the edge of the hook keeping him off the ground. As he fell, the crazed
soldier fell too. Kane pulled the chain at his wrists around the boy’s neck
from behind and crushed his throat. Then he turned to the African American soldier.

Kane circled the young man, looking for an opportunity to
strike. “If you run now, I’ll let you live, Luke. No need to die for the
asshole upstairs.”

Luke’s eyes widened and then narrowed. “I can’t do that,” he
said.

“Too bad.” Kane ran forward and slammed his forehead into
Luke’s head. The kid went down in a heap. He was still breathing, but would
likely be unconscious for a while.

He found the key to the cuffs in the pouch on Dink’s belt
and released himself. The knife wound was only a scratch. He had a knot on the
front of his head. He touched it briefly and looked down at the only living
soldier on the floor and shook his head.

After taking Dink’s knife, he moved upstairs to find Lena.

Lena didn’t want to open her eyes. She hoped she never had
to open them again. The bed where she had slept for the two years of her
marriage was the source of many of her nightmares. Now she had a more horrific
dream to replace Oscar’s penchant for inflicting pain on others. Her eyes were
tightly shut, but nothing would ever wipe away the pain of Troth Banta pushing
into her mind. His horrifying thoughts plundering her memories would always
haunt her. The bedding under her cheek was damp from the tears that continued
to roll down her face. She tried to dash them away, but they wouldn’t stop.
Maybe they would never stop. Her body trembled, though it wasn’t cold in the
room.

She had no need to see her prison. A queen-size bed, one
dresser and a chair. On one wall a mirror hung and on the other a painting of a
mountain range. It was a pleasant enough space, but even a well-appointed jail
cell was still just that.

A creak in the steps of the old home alerted her, someone
was coming up to her room. She didn’t even bother to open her eyes. Nothing
Oscar could do to her now would matter. She had failed to protect her
grandmother. She didn’t care what he did to her. Death would be a welcome
escape from the idea that Banta would hurt her grandmother the way he had hurt
her.

Could it be Banta on the steps? Maybe he hadn’t really left
the house. It could have been a trick. The broad planes of his face and those
dead brown eyes burned in her memory. Her entire body shook. She wanted to be
strong, but the terror of his filthy mind invading hers was too fresh.

She pulled her knees in tight to her chest and clung to
them.

A soft thud sounded outside the door.

Lena heard a whimper and realized it was her own.

The door opened and a moment later his hands were on her.
She tried to scream, but his hand covered her mouth. It was too much.
Oh
God, just let me die.

“Lena.”

Her name being softly called penetrated her terror. She
could not get away from Banta’s invading mind. The people he’d killed or how
much joy he’d gotten from those acts. Hands gripped her shoulders more tightly.

“Lena, it’s me.”

Again she heard her name.

“Come on, baby. Open your eyes. It’s me, Kane.”

She recognized the voice. “Kane?”

“That’s right.”

The hands holding her shoulders were not hurting her. She
forced her eyes open. Kane’s beautiful face filled her vision. “Kane?”

“Yes, Lena, it’s me.”

She collapsed against his chest. More tears poured from her
eyes and she shook as his gentle hands caressed her back.

“Lena, we can’t stay here. I know you’re tired. I know you
need time to heal, but we don’t have any. I need for you to pull it together
for a while longer. Can you do that?”

She pushed against his chest and looked up into his stunning
blue eyes. “Where are the soldiers?”

“I’ve taken care of them.” He restrained the anger in his
voice. His eyes narrowed slightly.

“Banta?”

His jaw ticked at her mention of the name. “He left the
house. I’ll deal with him later. We have to go, Lena.”

She nodded and uncurled from the bed. She swayed on her
feet, but he steadied her. “He went to find Gran.”

“Joshua will protect your grandmother.”

“How can you be sure?”

He smiled, but his eyes remained hard and angry. “Trust me.
Joshua won’t let anything happen to her or her friends. They are safe.”

He took her hand and tugged gently until she followed behind
him into the hallway. She looked down at the body of the soldier who’d carried
her to the room. His eyes were closed. He could have been asleep. “Is he dead?”

Kane shook his head. “Just unconscious.”

She took one more look and then followed him down the steps
to the main floor. She expected him to go to the front door. He turned toward
the study door.

“What are you doing?”

He released her hand and pushed open the double doors.

Oscar’s head came up from the papers he was engrossed in.
His wide eyes stared from Lena in the doorway and back to Kane as he approached
the desk. “Guard!”

“They can’t hear you, Thorn,” Kane said.

“You killed them all?”

Kane shrugged. “Not all.”

Oscar’s eyes darted toward her. “You see what kind of a
monster you’ve gotten involved with, Lena. He’s a killer. Doesn’t it bother you
that the man you’re fucking thinks nothing of taking a human life?”

She leaned against the doorjamb and thought about it. “I
believe he thinks very much about it, and the answer is, no. I’m not bothered
at all by anything Kane does. He’s ten times the man you are. Besides, you and
I both know you’re not averse to taking a life or two when it suits you.”

Kane rounded the desk and Oscar rolled his chair back as far
as it would go. The wall stopped his backward motion. “So you’re just going to
stand there and let him kill me?”

“I doubt I could stop him, if that’s his plan,” she said
mildly.

Kane stood over her ex-husband. An unpleasant smile tugged
at his lips and his eyes narrowed. “I’m not going to kill you, Thorn. That is
too good a fate for you. I’m going to make you suffer in a way that will linger
for the rest of your life. I’m going to destroy you for what you did to her.”

“You don’t have the juice to hurt me.” His arrogance knew no
bounds.

Kane smiled brightly. He took a step forward, and in the
blink of an eye, his fist swung around and bashed Oscar on the side of the
head. He slumped awkwardly in the large leather desk chair. His eyes rolled
back in his head for a second and then closed.

Kane said, “I may not have the juice, but I know a few
people who do.”

He turned to her and strode across the carpet.

“Why didn’t you kill him?”

He stopped in front of her, where she still leaned against
the wood. His face was a mask of emotion. She could see tenderness in his eyes
along with fury. “I would love to wrap my fingers around his scrawny neck and
squeeze the life out of that asshole.”

“So?” It surprised her how much she wanted him to do it. She
had been raised to find the good in people. It was her destiny to serve
humanity, not to destroy. Still, the idea of Oscar’s body being buried in the
ground gave her hope for her future.

“I might have enough cause and enough friends to get away
with it, but we’d have to live with the outcome. If I use my resources, we can
destroy him in a much more meaningful way. Death is too good for him.”

She tried to suppress her hatred for her former husband. “I
don’t know, Kane. He deserves to die.”

His hand came up and caressed her cheek. He wrapped his hand
around the back of her head, tipped it up and kissed her forehead. “He deserves
worse than death, baby. I promise, I won’t rest until he pays for what he did
to you.”

Another tear slid down her face. Kane wiped it away.

“We have to get out of here,” he said. “Are you okay to
walk?”

She pushed away from the wall. “I’m okay.”

They turned toward the front door. Monty, perfectly
unaffected by what he’d witnessed, stood with his hand on the doorknob, waiting
for them to exit. “I assume you will be leaving us again, madam.”

“Yes, Monty.”

“Then I will wish you well.” He opened the door, letting in
the midday sunlight.

“Thank you,” she said.

The butler said, “I will have been resting when you left the
house. It will likely take me an hour or so to notice anything is amiss and
call the authorities, Mr. Lakeland.”

Kane stopped and looked the butler up and down. He smiled.
“Thanks, Monty. You’re a good man.” Kane offered the butler his hand.

Monty took it and nodded. “Best of luck to you both.”

Once on the street, they walked quickly down several blocks.
Kane walked into a small convenience store and she followed. He asked to use
the phone. The shopkeeper looked them up and down. Kane was sweaty and rumpled
looking and she could only imagine how terrible she looked. They must have
seemed desperate, because the man didn’t even hesitate when he nodded and
pulled a cell phone from his pocket, handing it to Kane.

He dialed, and a second later said, “I need a safe house for
the night… You can do it in the morning… I give you my word.”

Kane punched a few buttons more, then just ending the call
and handed the phone back to the shopkeeper. “Thanks.”

Ten minutes later, a black sedan pulled up outside the
store. Kane thanked the man in the store again and took her hand. They both got
in the backseat of the sedan.

Lena’s mouth gaped when she saw Shamus Wade behind the
wheel. “He’s who you called?”

Kane smiled and squeezed her hand. “Do you have a safe house
for us?”

Wade nodded. “The neighborhood’s not as ritzy as this one,
but you’ll be safe there.”

“Southside?” Kane asked.

Wade nodded.

“Wait a minute,” Lena interrupted. “This is the guy who
tried to grab me twice. Not to mention the last time we saw him, you got him
drunk and knocked him unconscious. Why the hell would we trust him?”

“I do owe you for the punch, Lakeland.”

Kane shrugged. “I promised he could bring us in tomorrow. He
has the guarantee of claiming his cash and we get a night to sort out a few
things. Everyone wins.”

“How is my going back to prison a win?” She wanted to know.

Wade chuckled, but kept his eyes on the road. She didn’t
know if he was pleased because she gave Kane a hard time over her going to
prison or just happy he would collect the bounty on her. She glared at the back
of his head.

Kane sat back against the leather seat and pulled her with
him. He tucked her in against his side and rested his head on top of hers. He
was warm and comfortable even in his slightly grimy state. She sighed and
relaxed slightly. “You have to go back and then we have to get you out of this.
All Shamus cares about is his money. If he double-crosses me, he knows I’ll
beat him to a pulp and probably escape with you anyway. He’ll keep his word.
Just trust me.”

“You keep saying that.”

He put his finger under her chin and tipped her face up. “I
will not let anything else happen to you, Lena.”

She turned her head away before he could press his lips to
hers. “You can’t control everything. You couldn’t stop what happened with Banta
and you can’t control what Oscar will do to get what he wants.”

He grabbed her arms and turned her almost violently, so she
was nose to nose with him. In his eyes, she could see the pain her words caused
him. “I’m sorry. I misjudged how sick Thorn really is. I never thought he would
have Banta probe you that way. If I had known, I would have…”

He trailed off, never finishing the sentence. His pain was
raw in his expression and the tension in his body told her he had suffered with
her. She wanted to feel sympathy for him, but her own agony was too fresh.

She said nothing, but when his grip relaxed, she settled back
against him and let him hold her.

The safe house was a three-story walk-up on the south side
of Boston. It was small and sparse, with a living room, dining room and kitchen
all comprising the twelve by fifteen living area. A couch, TV, card table and
four folding chairs were the only furniture. A doorway led to a tiny bedroom
with a twin mattress on the floor and a milk crate serving as the nightstand.

Wade came up with them. He handed a cell phone and handgun
to Kane. “I didn’t have time to stock the fridge. I’ll go get some food and
bring it up. I’ll be nearby if you…” He shrugged and walked back out the door.

“I know it’s a dump, but it’s safe.”

She ran her fingers across the dusty card table. “It’s
fine.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.” She made her way to the couch and sat down.

A moment later, he was next to her. “You’d feel better if
you did.”

The sudden rage that boiled up from her gut surprised her as
much as it seemed to surprise him when her protective wall slipped and he felt
the thrust of her fury. His eyes widened.

She couldn’t control her anger. “Fuck you! You don’t know
what will make me feel better. You have no idea what the bastard did to me. How
can you know what it’s like to lose your mind to another?” She hated the tears,
but she couldn’t stop. She was angry, but she was so filled with sorrow and
fear it was hard to breathe.

Kane watched her for a moment. His eyes were filled with
regret. She didn’t know if he was sad about what had happened to her or
something else until he started to speak. “I’ll admit, I have never been
violated the way you were. Believe me, Lena, if I could have traded places with
you this morning, I would have. I would have done anything to keep you from
that monster.”

“You said they trained you to do what Banta did to me.”

He looked away from her. “I was trained.”

She thought there was more to the sentence, but he didn’t
continue. “Did you ever use your training?”

He nodded. “It’s the thing I am most ashamed of in my life.”

“Is that why you don’t work for the government like your
brother?”

“They require you to agree to use any means to gain
information. I won’t do that. In order to invade the mind of another person,
you have to open the darkest parts of your mind to the victim. The harder they
fight, the more of their attacker’s darkness is shared. Even if you had let
Banta in, it would have been terrible, but fighting him forced him to push more
negativity at you to wear you down.” He was silent for a long while. “I know
you have seen things in Banta’s mind that were terrible.” He took a deep
breath. “I can help you when you’re ready, Lena. I can take some of the pain
away.”

He twisted his hands together and stared at the worn rug on
the floor.

“How would you do that?”