Mindspeak (20 page)

Jonas and Fred arrived with waters
for everyone.

“Man, did you see the cleavage on
that chick right in front of you?” Fred asked Jack. He laughed. “Her eyes didn’t
leave you, dude.”

“Lexi, you like the sound?” Jonas
asked, a cigarette tucked behind his ear.

I jerked my head to attention and
nodded, speechless.

Jack smiled, embarrassed, but said
nothing. He glanced my way.

I didn’t know what to say. Did I
tell him that I loved the music? That his voice was beautiful? That this was
the best date anyone had ever taken me on? “I have to pee,” I said, pushing
against him.

He stood and gave me a hand up.
When I tried to turn, he grasped my hand tighter. “You okay?”

No, I most certainly am not
okay. Something is terribly wrong. I think it has everything to do with falling
for you.
I couldn’t breathe. “I’m fine. I’ll be right back.”

His grin grew. He knew he was
getting to me. I was so unbelievably transparent. Or maybe he read my mind. I
didn’t know what was happening any more.

I tried to pull my hand away from
him, but he held tighter and leaned in to my ear. “Don’t take long. I have
another set coming up.” His arrogance was back.

I wriggled my fingers from his
grasp. I couldn’t get to the bathroom fast enough. When I got there, I went
immediately to the mirror and stared at myself. My dark brunette hair hung
half-way down my chest, framing my face—a face that was suddenly pale. “What
the hell was that?” I asked my reflection. My green eyes stared back with utter
confusion. I’d never acted like such an idiot in front of a guy before.

A young girl leaned into the mirror
beside me. She lined her lips and spread lip-gloss. Her eyes focused on me through
the mirror. “Aren’t they incredible?”

I swallowed. What the hell was
wrong with me? “Uh-huh.” I turned away and went to a stall, closing the door.

I had to go back out there and face
him. And say what?
Sorry, I’m an idiot
. Or how about,
you’re hot and
your beautiful voice really captured my heart, but…
Shit. Shit. Shit.

I could go with the truth.
If I
had been born in another life, under normal circumstances, it would be easy to
fall head over heels for you. Maybe in that life, you and I wouldn’t have secrets.
My father would be alive, and nobody would care about some set of journals or
the fact that we were part of some science experiment.

I stepped out of the bathroom and
immediately locked eyes with Jack. He leaned against the bar, smiling and
waiting. His confidence suffocated me. I made my way over to him, only being
shoved once by the crowd.

Just talk to him
, I told
myself
. He’s human. Just because he was perfect at everything didn’t make
him an alien. Just because he was smooth and articulate didn’t suddenly make
you an unintelligent being.
“Hey,” I said. So far, so good.

“I’m sorry. I should have told you.”

By my reaction, you’d think he had
just confided his darkest secrets. What was happening to me? It wasn’t like he
owed me any sort of explanation, but what I was feeling was a shock. He had
told me he could play lots of instruments. This was just a single date. A silly
bar band. I took a deep, cleansing breath. Not sure what to say, I decided on, “You
sounded really good.”

“Thanks.” He looked past me and
held up a palm, saying
five minutes
. “We’re scheduled for one more set,
but if you want to go, we can.”

I searched his face. He would just
leave his band hanging if I wanted to leave right now? “No, of course not. I
have nowhere to be.” At least, nowhere I’d rather be at this particular moment.

“You can hang out here, or you can
sit with Georgia.” A playful grin crept onto his face. “Or you can come down
front and protect me from Miss Cleavage.”

“I think you can handle her. I’ll
hang out here.”

I climbed onto a bar stool, and
Jack leaned in and kissed me on my forehead, lingering a bit, before disappearing
through the crowd.

The girl who had reglossed her lips
in the bathroom winked at me.
Strange
. She flirted with a couple of guys
several bar stools over.

I redirected my attention to the
stage where Jack plugged a cord into his guitar. He hadn’t played during the
first set, only sung. Something about the way he slid his hand along the
strings made me blush remembering the way his hands touched me while we lay on
the blanket at the arboretum.

“Excuse me.” The girl with the lips
from the bathroom touched my arm. “My friend over here would like to buy you a
drink.”

The guy she pointed to lifted a cup
as if to say, “Hello.” Good-looking, clean-cut, not completely out-of-place in
this bar.

“Tell him thank you, but no thanks.
I’m here with someone.” Okay that sounded weird. But I was here
with
Jack, and if it kept strangers from picking me up, well, a girl had to do what
a girl had to do.

Lips turned and walked away.

I watched the second set, gaining a
new level of admiration for Jack. I wrestled with one thought, though. What
could he possibly tell me about Sandra Whitmeyer that would make me walk away?

I also struggled with how on earth Jack
kept up with a band all the way over here near the university while attempting
to secure a spot with a top-notch college?
Over-achiever
, I decided.

“Can I get you something?” a voice
behind me asked.

“A water, please,” I told the
bartender.

Jack held his guitar in front of
him and leaned into the mic. “This last one is one of our originals, but still
my favorite. It’s called ‘Choices.’”

He swung his guitar behind his back
and bowed his head away from the microphone. When he lifted his head again, he
leaned in close to the mic stand and sang a cappella before the rest of the
band joined in with instruments.

As he sang, he scanned the audience
until his eyes landed on me. I couldn’t suppress a smile. I was paralyzed by
the intense look that passed between us. His deep blue eyes reached all the way
into the depths of my soul as if the crowd between us had suddenly disappeared
and we were alone in this bar.

I was a goner.

“Hey,” a voice to my left startled
me out of my daydream. “You’ll break my heart if you don’t let me buy you one
drink.” Friend of Lips’ sidled up beside me with the cheesiest of all cheesy
lines. “Hi, I’m Rick.”

“Like I told your friend, I’m with
someone. But thanks anyway.” I forced a smile, willing this guy to move along
with my mind and praying I could suppress the nosebleed.

I tried to grab my bottle of water,
but this loser blocked my path. “If you were with me, I wouldn’t have left you
alone this long.”

Did he not realize the person I was
with sang in the band? Idiot. “That’s sweet. And flattering, however—”

“Hey, asshole, leave her alone.” A
boy playfully slapped Rick on the back of the head. Lips snuggled into his
side. They were laughing, and I was sure they meant no harm. But crap… I missed
the end of Jack’s song.

Rick shrugged his friends off. “I
can’t talk you into one drink?”

“I have one already.” I reached
around him, and he helped me out by grabbing the water I was reaching for and
removed the lid for me. “Thanks.” I tipped back the drink.

“If you’re here with someone, where
is he? I would never leave someone as pretty as you all alone.” He leaned in. “You
know, my friends and I are on our way to another bar. You want to join us?”

I nervously downed more of the
water. Then I squared my shoulders and faced the jerk. “No. I do not want to go
anywhere with you or your friends. Thanks, anyway.”

I felt the warmth of another body
behind me. The muscles in my back tightened. Slowly, I turned my head, and Jack
was there, his hand planted firmly on the small of my back. I relaxed a little.
“Everything okay?” He reached for my bottle of water, taking it from my hand
and studying the contents.

I looked at Rick, hoping he got the
hint. I truly didn’t want a bloody nose because of this loser who refused to
take “No” for an answer.

“Let’s go,” Jack said as he took my
hand.

He held up the water bottle in
front of his eyes again. We passed through a crowd of people. Several called
out things like, “You rocked it, dude,” and “Awesome set, Jack.”

“It was a nice sound,” I said, my
words slurred. I squeezed Jack’s hand and pulled him to a stop. He turned and studied
me. His face went in and out of focus. “I feel funny.”

“Shit. I knew something was off.
They put something in your drink.”

“What? Noooo. Why woulthd thomeone
do that?” I stumbled toward Jack. He caught me against his chest. “You’re stho
beauteeful,” I said. “You know that?”

“Can you walk?” he asked close to
my ear. Was that fear in his voice?

I wanted him to kiss me. The smell
of his shower gel, and his firm hold on me invited me in. He slid an arm around
my back and supported me while urging me forward. We passed the stage and
entered a hallway. When I stumbled again, he scooped me up into his arms and
cradled me into his chest. “This was not at all how I wanted this evening to
go,” he grumbled.

What? Me in your arms?
My
head dangled backwards. A giggle escaped.

Jack kicked open a back door and
exited the bar. We passed a dumpster and the stench of the garbage had me turning
my head into his chest, breathing hard through my mouth. “Ugh. That’s awwwful.”
My syllables continued to slur. I lifted my head just as we rounded a corner.

When we reached Jack’s car, he
said, “I’m going to set you on your feet. Can you stand?”

“Mmm-hmm.” I stood for a second
before I threw my arms around his neck. “I don’t feel so good, Jack.”

I heard the sound of voices and the
shuffle of feet on gravel behind me. I tried to turn. Jack struggled with his
keys, but was able to get the passenger door open. He helped me in the seat. “You’re
going to be okay. Sit. Stay.” He held out a hand in front of him.

“I’m not a dog,” I slurred and
rolled my eyes.

Behind Jack, a couple of figures
came in and out of view. One of them looked like Seth Whitmeyer. “Seth?” I
asked.

Jack turned. “Why did you have to
come after her like this? I’m working on finding the stupid journals. You
overstepped this time.”

He knew Seth?

“I didn’t do that to her.” Seth
sounded surprised. “I have no intention of hurting Sarah. We’re not the only
ones looking for those journals, and you know it, Jack. You were an idiot to
think you wouldn’t lead danger to her.”

“Leave her alone, Seth. I need more
time.”

I closed my eyes. I wanted to
sleep. My head felt detached from my body.

“Be reasonable,” Seth pleaded with
Jack. I was so confused, and their voices were so loud. “You can’t protect her.
We can. You need to bring her in.”

When I opened my eyes, I tried to
focus on Jack and the outline of the design on the back of his concert T-shirt,
which was difficult because it was swirling and pulsing.

He ran a hand through his hair, and
I imagined doing the same.

“She’s not ready,” he said. He shut
my door and darted toward Seth. I rubbed my eyes. Tried to focus. What had they
drugged me with? Did Seth do this to me? Did Jack put me in danger?

What did he mean by “she’s not
ready”?

No. I shook my head. Jack wouldn’t
put me in danger. My head felt fuzzy.

Bright lights bounced off the
windshield and lit up Seth and Jack. Both men turned toward headlights from a
large SUV. The vehicle sped toward them. Seth and Jack separated.

Jack slid across the hood of the
car and climbed behind the wheel, slamming the door. “Lexi, put your seatbelt
on.” His voice was panicked.

Everything was happening in slow
motion. I fought the urge to vomit. I fumbled for my seatbelt as Jack whipped
toward the parking lot exit. He turned onto one road, and then another.

Then he floored it.

~~~~

Something slammed into the car. I lurched
toward the front dashboard. “What the…” I was sure I would throw up. The sound
of metal on metal and the impact made my heart skip several beats.

“Hold on,” Jack said. Like I had a
choice. He struggled to keep the steering wheel steady.

“Who is that? Whatta they want?” I
sounded like I was speaking through a tube.

Jack didn’t answer.

I wrapped my hand around the handle
above my head. The vehicle slammed into us again. My entire body stiffened,
bracing for further impact.

Jack sped up, taking corners
quickly.

As he took the next turn, I looked
out the window at the black suburban following us. “It’s the same car.”

“What?” Jack said.

“Saw it earlier. At the restaurant.
And again at the pretty flower place.”

“And you said nothing?”

Uh-oh. He was mad. “Lotsa black
SUVs around here.”

The truck slammed into us again. My
head pitched forward. Jack’s knuckles whitened as his grip tightened around the
steering wheel.

He sped up, slowing down only for
sharp curves. Then we were on a long stretch. We picked up speed. I could see
what looked like a curve up ahead. The road looked like it would end, but Jack
continued to increase our momentum.

“Hang on,” he said.

At the last second possible, he
applied pressure to the brakes and took a hard right. I sucked in a deep breath
and held it. The tires skidded. We straightened.

My world continued to spin, my
vision fuzzy.

“Shit!” Jack watched with horror in
his rearview mirror.

I managed to turn in my seat just
in time to see two lights getting closer. Brighter. Fuzzier.

The truck hit us. My body lurched
forward. The seatbelt tightened across my chest.