Unhinged (21 page)

“Damn straight I would. And they’re running
out of time so I have to go. I need you to let me go so I can do
this. I’ve appreciated all of your help these past couple of days,
but this is something I have to do alone. The note did say ‘come
alone.’ Besides, I couldn’t live with myself if something happened
to you too.”

I take off running for Brett’s car, the
entire argument settled in my mind. It only took one sentence for
him to stop me dead in my tracks.

“And how exactly do you expect to get them
out of there without help?”

Shit. I hadn’t thought that far ahead.

Sensing my hesitation, Brett pushes on,
“They’re both in comas. If you let me come with you, I’ll keep
hidden and get them to safety while you talk to whomever it is
you’re going to face. Please, Aimee, you may not want my help, but
they’re my friends too. Let me help you save them.”

As much as I hate to admit it, Brett has a
point. As much as I fear for his safety, saving Logan and Dejana is
more important. I have to let him help or I could lose them
both.

“Alright, you can come,” I concede, despite
my better judgment.

Brett visibly relaxes.

“But you have to get them out and not
interfere with me at all. I mean it Brett. Even if you see that
he’s going to kill me, you have to promise me that you will get
them out and leave me. Promise me now!”

Clearly uneasy with the plan, Brett
hesitates, not sure what to say. I’m seconds from withdrawing my
offer when he steps close to me and nods in acquiescence.

“Okay, I promise. But you have to promise me
something back.”

I nod, mentally preparing myself to lie to
whatever he asks just to get him going so I can save them.
“What?”

“Don’t die.”

For the first time in who knows how long, I
laugh. “Now that’s a promise I’ll happily try to fulfill.”

Brett smiles his devilish smile and grabs my
gloved hand, pulling me along to his car. “Good, because I have a
plan. Now, let’s go save our friends.”

* * * *

The sun is high in the sky as we drive to
meet my fate. Brett fills me in on his plan along the way. It’s a
good idea, I have to admit, but one that depends on me being able
to distract David long enough for him to get the others to safety.
Distracting is one thing I’m sure I can do. Getting out of there
alive? Not so much.

My thoughts are dark and desperate as we
drive in silence. All I can think of is how vulnerable Logan and
Dejana are while unconscious. He could be doing all sorts of
horrible things to them and they wouldn’t be able to fight back. I
take deep breaths, trying to calm myself, but it isn’t working. The
ride to the house seems to be taking forever. The GPS in Brett’s
truck indicates that the house lies an hour away on a small island
on a remote part of Lake Lanier in northern Georgia. Brett says he
knows roundabout where it is, but hasn’t ever been there since the
land has been saved for building million dollar homes.

I watch the trees as they pass, trying my
best to keep my mind focused on the task at hand. I wish I hadn’t
spent my whole life running from David. Then, maybe, I’d know more
about the psycho holding my friends hostage. Other than his
incessant interest in me, I don’t know anything else about him. I’m
scared to death to face him, but that doesn’t deter me from saving
Logan and Dejana.

To forget about my fear, I think about Logan.
I see his hazel eyes sparkle as he stares at me. I remember his
devilish smile that intoxicates me. He’s the only one who’s ever
made me feel as if I’m the only girl in the world. I think about
Dejana’s strength. I know she’s fighting the horrible visions right
now. That girl doesn’t know how to bow down or give in to anything
that she doesn’t deem worthy. I try to be strong for both of
them.

“We’re here,” Brett states softly from beside
me.

I was so into my little cocoon, I didn’t even
realize we had turned off the highway and traveled some time on
smaller roads. I look up ahead and am temporarily blinded by the
sun as it reflects off a glass surface. I look down and focus on
the paved driveway as I try to regain my sight. I follow the
pristine driveway all the way up to what looks like a house made of
glass. The sun flares out in all different directions as it hits
the different panes. Spectrums of light from the sun cascade every
which way, making quite a spectacle as it reflects off varying
surfaces. It’s breathtakingly beautiful.

“It’s a light house,” I manage under my
breath.

Beside me, Brett tenses. It seems like now
that we’re here, his resolve has somewhat weakened. His hands grip
the steering wheel as he watches the house on the ridge up ahead of
us. I do my best to calm him, since without him my friends will
never make it out of this alive.

“It’s going to be all right. You can do
this,” I assure him. “Just remember, this is your plan. Get Logan
and Dejana to safety and I’ll do the rest.”

Brett looks over at me, his eyes full of an
emotion I can’t quite place. Quicker than I ever thought possible,
he reaches over, drags me to him, and places his lips on mine. I
brace for the memories I’m sure will come, but I absorb nothing
save the soft warmth of his lips. I don’t have the brainpower to
ponder why I don’t absorb any of his memories. All I can do is
feel. His kiss is gentle and full of longing. Soon, his lips just
touching mine isn’t enough, so he pulls me closer so that my chest
is touching his as he runs his hands through my hair, pulling me
nearer than I ever thought you could be to another human. His lips
are warm against mine, and he tastes like sugar. I long to put my
arms around him; to lose myself within this bliss, but I hold back,
knowing what waits for me on the other side of tomorrow.

Finally, Brett breaks the kiss and pulls back
slowly. “Sorry,” he begins, “I just couldn’t let you leave without
one kiss. Just in case you never come back. Carpe Diem and all that
you know.”

I smile at him, flustered and flattered, not
only by the kiss, but by his words. “I forgive you. But don’t ever
do it again or I’ll be forced to slap you,” I tease, smiling to
ease the blow.

“And I’d deserve it for kissing my best
friend’s girlfriend,” he admits.

We both look up at the house again, as it
spews light like it’s a strobe. “So we wait now, right?” I ask him,
confirming what we talked about on the ride over.

“Yes, just a few minutes more. The closer we
get to dusk, the better chance we have of the plan working.”

“I understand it, but that doesn’t mean I
have to like it,” I say with a bit more of a bite than I
intended.

“And you don’t have to like it for the plan
to work,” Brett points out.

“True. But waiting has never been my strong
suit.”

“Yeah, me neither,” Brett whispers beside
me.

I sit restlessly for a minute, wondering how
in the world I’m going to be able to wait even a few more minutes
to face David. Then it dawns on me, I can’t. I look over at Brett
and our eyes meet. Without words, I beg him to understand my silent
plea. I’m too worried to wait for darkness. I
have
to save
my friends. He seems to know what I’m thinking even before I do,
because he sighs deeply and looks over at me, resigned to his
fate.

“Go then, I’ll do what I can with the cover
of the trees.”

I smile as my heart practically explodes with
gratitude. For a moment, I’m amazed at how well he knows my every
thought, even before I voice it. My hand is on the door handle,
ready to take action, but a look of horrible shock on Brett’s face
stops me. I turn quickly to look out the window; David is standing
just outside of the truck. He has a gun in one hand and a
sledgehammer in the other. He smiles sardonically at me as he
smashes the window and I’m hit with a hundred shards of broken
glass. My world becomes unfocused. My face stings from the glass
cutting my tender skin. The last image I have is the hard end of a
sledgehammer as it slams into my temple. The last thought is of
Logan and Dejana, and of how utterly and completely I’ve failed
them.

Chapter
Twenty-Five

~ Betrayals ~

I awaken in the semi-darkness, though I’m not
sure if that’s because I’m in a dark room or because night has
fallen. My head is throbbing and feels like it’s been hit with…well
exactly what it had been—a sledgehammer. I rub the bloody area on
my forehead for a minute before I realize that I’m not bound. I’m
lying on a couch that looks like it was taken out of a movie from
the 1800’s. Its floral pattern makes me want to puke. Or is that
the pain in my head? Either way, a good puking would only make this
couch more attractive.

I sit up and panic a bit as I feel blood
trickle down my face. I use my shirt to wipe it away, unable to
find anything else. Though the darkness is overwhelming, I’m able
to see by the light of the full moon that’s shining through the
glass walls of the house. Sometime between David smashing the
window, and right now, I was carried inside the house.

I get up and fight the vertigo that has
seemed to plague me since the day I began eradicating memories.
It’s sad what you can get used to. I make my way along the walls
and over random pieces of furniture that fill the room to go look
out the glass wall of the house. I want to yell out, to see if
anyone is there, but I don’t dare for fear that my head would
explode from the noise. I finally make it to the wall and do my
best to take in my surroundings.

The light of the full moon allows for great
vision as I follow the meticulously maintained backyard all the way
up until it hits the lake. I gasp in shock when I see an actual
lighthouse by the water. It’s smaller than a normal lighthouse, and
it sits at the edge of what looks like a small cliff that leads to
the lake. It seems a bit out of place and eccentric. When Brett
said they only built million dollar mansions here, he meant it.

My discoveries are momentarily halted as a
wave of pain hits me. My head throbs, but I breathe, trying to push
through it. I have to clear my head so I can find Logan and Dejana.
And I guess Brett now, since I have no idea what happened to him
after David got me. I place my hands upon the clear glass and lean
my head against it, hoping to borrow some of its coolness to soothe
my aching brain.

From behind me, a loud noise pierces the
silence. Startled, I jump and turn my head involuntarily towards
the sound. I’m immediately sorry that I did when the vertigo once
again plagues me. I have to find out where my friends are and end
this one way or another. I use the light of the moon, shining
brightly through the abundant glass, to guide my way to the door. I
turn the knob and breathe a sigh of relief when it gives way. I
step out into the foyer, doing my best to find my way as quietly as
possible.

Though I know David is somewhere around, I’m
hoping he hasn’t figure out yet that I’m awake. I stumble down the
hall, feeling my way along the wall to check every room for my
friends, but this is a huge house and there’s only one me. I’ve
just finished checking another small room and am about to go
upstairs when I hear a whimper. My heart beats faster as I make my
way down to the room at the end of the long hall. Paintings adorn
the walls but I ignore them; my only mission is to find where that
whimper originated.

I arrive at the colossal double doors and use
all my might to push one open. Entering a large circular room lined
with shelf after shelf of books, I nearly fall to my knees when I
see Dejana and Logan lying on beds in the center of the room.
Another whimper escapes Dejana and I run to her, desperate to
help.

“Dejana, can you hear me?” I ask feverishly.
“It’s Aimee. I’m going to get you out of here, I promise.”

A sinister laugh fills the room,
extinguishing any hope I have of getting us all out of here alive.
“I don’t think so, my dear. You and your friends aren’t going
anywhere.”

I look up at a big mahogany desk littered
with books and papers, but there isn’t enough light for me to see
who spoke. But it doesn’t matter, I don’t need to see him. His
voice tells me exactly who he is. He’s been instructing me on my
powers now for days.

“I wondered how you knew so much about my
curse, Doctor. I guess it makes sense that I’m not the only person
you’ve ever studied who can absorb memories.”

Dr. Evans stands up from his overstuffed
leather chair, the wheels squeaking as he uses his legs to push it
out of the way. He walks around to the front of the desk where the
light of the moon is strongest. “Quite right you are, my dear. I’ve
been with David for years, helping him hone his powers. I’ve
documented what you call the curse and taught him ways to benefit
from seemingly insignificant memories.”

“Well, congratulations then,” I say
sarcastically. “You’ve created the modern day Frankenstein. But
tell me, what did he get out of it? Other than the perfect father
figure, I mean?”

Evans’s lips curl up sardonically. “How do
you think he found you, my dear?”

Rage boils up inside me, but I keep silent,
hoping he will keep talking so I can think of some way to get Logan
and Dejana out of here.
I wish I knew what the hell happened to
Brett.

“Poor boy became too weak from absorbing all
those memories I instructed him to take for profit. The only option
left to make his mind stronger was to ascend. So, I began looking
for the one girl he knew existed in the world like him. Not an easy
task I assure you. You ran entirely too much in your short life, my
dear.”

I have no idea what the hell Evans means by
‘ascend’ but I don’t have time to worry about it. If my friends
have any hope of surviving, I have to find a way out of here. And
my chances diminish with each moment this asshole keeps
talking.