Lethal Influence Read online

  Kai sighed as he rose from his seat a half a second after Gerald and Lincoln got to their feet. He looked at them. He was glad they were part of the mission. Although not that much older than he was, they were both Elites. They would know what to do if they ran into difficulties. Still, it seemed a near impossible task. Kai’s hair fell into his eyes, and he flipped it back. Jessip clapped each of them on the back as they walked past him. “Good luck,” he said with feeling.

  “We’ll do everything we can,” promised Lincoln.

  The three men left the room and strode down a wide corridor. Gerald paused in front of a closed door and glanced at his two companions. “I have some business to do here, but I’ll meet both of you in front of Headquarters at seven tonight.” He gave Kai a sharp look. “Don’t be late.”

  Kai waited until he and Lincoln were outside before he turned to Lincoln, resting a hand lightly on the other man’s arm. Lincoln stopped. “Why didn’t Jessip reprimand me for attacking Derek?” asked Kai. “It’s been more than a week and he still hasn’t said anything.”

  “Because,” Lincoln drawled, “I didn’t tell him.”

  “You didn’t tell him? How do you report the mission and not say that the main target died?”

  “Oh, he knows the target died, but none of us know why. Gerald slipped over to the hospital where they took Derek’s body and checked the examiner’s results. Apparently the man had a heart murmur.”

  “A heart murmur? You mean he died of heart failure?”

  Lincoln shrugged. “I mean he could have died of heart failure.” Lincoln grimaced. “Why are you upset? Humans are an incredibly fragile species at the best of times.”

  “I’m upset because a target died while I was trying to Influence him! Doesn’t that scare you? Don’t you wonder what happened?”

  “The guy had a heart murmur. He was angry that his dog lost. He was taking his revenge and you jumped him. Those guys are crazy in their obsession already and his anger must have hit a new high. Apparently, it was enough to push his poor, sick little heart into cardiac arrest.

  “Look,” Lincoln added, meeting Kai’s eyes again. “Gerald and I talked about this. We decided that maybe you have been under a little too much pressure lately. Trying to live up to the legend that fathered you isn’t easy and you are young. You’re only twenty-four, Kai. Give yourself a little slack. You made a mistake and used physical force to stop a man from torturing his dog. It really isn’t a crime. You didn’t hurt him when you jumped him. You just made him a little angry.”

  Lincoln reached out and rested a hand on Kai’s shoulder. “Look. I actually find what you did commendable. You did what I wanted to do.”

  Kai considered Lincoln for a moment, mixed feelings swirling through him. Gerald and Lincoln, two Elites, had chosen not to disclose Kai’s mistake. Who was he to argue? Maybe Trebladores felt a tad more anger than most of them were willing to admit. Kai promised himself that he would not let them down again. Making that mistake once might be forgivable, but twice would be something the Elites couldn’t condone.

  Chapter Five

  When Lincoln turned down a back alley, Kai wondered if he knew where he was going. “I thought you were leading us to Billie’s hideout? It’s not really down here, is it?”

  Lincoln glanced back at Kai. There was no malice in his look, not even impatience. “We’re not going to his hideout. We won’t have time to infiltrate the group the way Andrew did. Things are moving too quickly for that. We do know that something is going down tonight, and Jessip is afraid it might involve another fresh young runaway. We have to hurry … and remember: we’ll need silence. We’ll sneak in and try to Influence Billie’s mind from a distance.”

  Kai and the others crept along the back alley until they came to a doorway leading into a warehouse. Inside, the warehouse seemed empty, and they looked around expectantly. Then Kai heard a sound. It came from what looked like an office built into the corner of the warehouse and set back from the front of the building. He heard the sound again, and could see that the others heard it as well. Glancing at each other, they moved toward the office, spreading out a bit as they went.

  When he peered around the corner of the office, Kai’s breath caught in his throat. A girl hung by her arms from a rope tied to a hook in the ceiling. She was crying. Her feet barely touched the ground, and ugly red welts covered her face and arms. She wore faded jeans and a white t-shirt with Hello Kitty on the front. Three men surrounded her, laughing and smirking at her fear. The one Kai recognized as Billie reached out and grasped the girl by the hair, jerking her head back savagely. He laughed when she squirmed as they put duct tape over her mouth.

  Billie brought a knife to the girl’s face. She tried to scream, the sound muffled by the tape. Rage clutched Kai’s chest. He knew he had to tamp it down. He should have told Jessip about his intense anger. Maybe he could help Kai find a solution. But it didn’t matter now. He was here. And so was the rage.

  “Well, Sarah,” said Billie, his face inches from the young girl’s, “are you going to cooperate now? Think you might want to kick old Sam in the balls again?”

  Billie glanced at one of the other men and laughed. The man stepped up to the girl and punched her solidly in the ribs. She swayed back from him, unable to steady herself on her feet and slumped against the ropes as her legs buckled. Billie laughed and pushed the other man back away from her.

  “Now, now, Sam. Don’t be killing the chit just yet. We need her warm and alive for the filming, remember? You get to watch her die later. Just hang on a bit.”

  Kai glanced over at Lincoln, caught the other man’s nod, and then glanced at Gerald. He thought he saw tears in Gerald’s eyes. Kai sent out gentle tendrils, trying to find the one spark in Billie’s mind that would let the three of them Influence his thinking. He could feel the others searching for it too. It had to be there somewhere. Billie had not been born evil and had not come into this world set on destroying other people’s lives. He had to have some small shred of kindness or love or something that would give the Trebladores a thread with which to work.

  Billie ran his blade down the girl’s cheek, drawing a thin line of blood as she squirmed away. Unable to help himself, Kai stepped forward, his eyes glued to the tableau before him. His foot banged against a piece of metal lying on the floor and the resulting clang sent a shiver up his spine.

  He froze. Billie turned, and his gaze met Kai’s. Kai felt the tight band of anger gather around his chest and he thrust harder, trying more desperately to influence him. The scene changed before him, slicing slightly sideways and then returning to normal. Kai felt a stabbing pain race up his back, and then Billie twisted to the side and fell silently to the floor, like a puppet cut loose from its strings.

  And then Kai saw the ground rise up to meet him.

  ——<>——

  This time when Kai regained consciousness he wasn’t lying in his backyard listening to the birds sing. He was sprawled across a gurney, lying in the back of an ambulance. He saw flashing lights outside and guessed that the police had been called to the scene. Turning his head, he saw Lincoln and Gerald sitting in the open doorway of the ambulance. His head hurt and he groaned when he moved it. He reached up and touched the side of his head, just above his right ear. His hand came away wet and warm. It was blood.

  Lincoln turned to look at him and for a split second Kai thought he saw satisfaction on the other man’s face. Then it was gone and a hard light shone from his eyes.

  “What happened,” Kai whispered, trying to sit up without much success. “Is the girl alright?”

  “You know what, Kai? That is what I like about you. You set off a series of deadly events by tripping over some metal, alerting three crazed and violent men that they have unwelcome visitors, and then fall over and hit your head on the cement floor, and the first thing you worry about when you come to is the girl.” Lincoln look
ed at Gerald and patted the other man on the back. “He’s one of a kind, Gerald, isn’t he?”

  Gerald remained silent, giving Kai a short, sharp glance over his shoulder. Then he grinned. “She’s going to be just fine,” he said. Kai saw the way that news brightened Gerald’s face and he remembered the tears he had glimpsed earlier. He knew better than to mention them, though. Gerald put on a hard persona but he obviously had a much softer side.

  “While you were unconscious, the other two jerks ran off and we let her down from the rope,” Lincoln said. “Found her a blanket and got her settled to wait for the police to come.”

  “What about Billie?” Kai asked. “I saw him go down. I couldn’t find anything to anchor to. He was as dark-hearted as Derek was.”

  “We don’t know. He was still lying on the cement when the police arrived and hustled us out of the building. By the way,” Lincoln added. “We were walking along the alley in search of a lost friend and thought we heard sounds coming from the warehouse here. We investigated and found those three men torturing that girl and we called the police before trying to divert their attention.”

  Kai let his head settle back on the gurney. Yes. They had to get their story straight if they were going to get past the police and this was as good as any.

  Chapter Six

  The following Thursday night, Kai stepped through the front door of the Starbucks, surprised at the anxiety he felt. He hoped Beth would be here because that would signal that she recovered from her ordeal. He was worried about her. He had been on many missions, and sometimes humans were injured which always upset him. This was the first time he had felt such a strong connection with a human, though. It rattled him and he didn’t like it. He would just make a quick stop to see that she was okay and then he would get back home.

  He saw her as soon as he stepped past the first set of tables. She was sitting in one of the comfy chairs by the fire, her gaze on the flames that danced in the hearth. She was alone, the chair facing her empty. Kai swallowed and crossed the room, pausing when she glanced up and saw him, her dark brown eyes suddenly shining. There was that smile again. Kai felt a rush of blood to his face and ducked his head.

  “Kai,” she whispered. Her voice paused. “Hello.”

  “Hi,” he said. “I’m glad to see you are out of the hospital.”

  “I am. Back at my classes and healing nicely, thank you.”

  Kai glanced around and then sat gingerly on the edge of the chair across from Beth. “What classes do you take? If you don’t mind me asking,” he said, lowering his eyes.

  “I’m just finishing my Masters in DNA research at the university.”

  Kai straightened, sure that the surprise was clear on his face. “Really? That’s incredible.”

  “Why so surprised?” she asked. “Don’t I look smart enough to be a scientist?”

  “Smart enough?” he muttered. His eyes met hers and he saw her pupils widen. She would have noticed the gold fleck in his right eye by now. She looked angry. “No!” he laughed, both hands held in front of him as if to ward off an attack. “You don’t look old enough!”

  “Old enough! How old do you think I am?”

  “Well, I thought you might be twenty or so…” He saw her face flush red and wasn’t sure if it was anger or embarrassment. “I don’t mean it as an insult,” he stammered.

  Beth laughed out loud at that, throwing her head back and slapping her knees. Then she froze and slowly settled back in the chair. “I have to be careful,” she said. “Things like laughing or quick motions really remind me just how recently I was in the hospital being stitched up”

  Kai was silent, allowing himself to slide back into his chair with a careful look around the café. Beth was watching him now and he could see the questions in her face. “I’m twenty-three, actually,” she said. “I was a bit of a nerd in school and jumped ahead a year in grade three. School and academia are my thing, you might say.”

  “DNA?” he asked. “That’s pretty heavy academia.”

  She shrugged her shoulders; then she gasped and lay a hand lightly on her side “What can I say? DNA is fascinating.” She was silent for a moment. “Don’t get me wrong. I like to do other things. Drink coffee in Starbucks. Go to the occasional movie. Read a good book.”

  “Ah,” Kai said, “Good thing you like all that. I bet you aren’t allowed to do anything too strenuous with that hole in your side.”

  Gesturing to her side Beth crinkled up her nose. “I have been put on hiatus, that’s for sure, but normally I like to get on the treadmill at the university, work out a bit, and then go for a swim–things like that. When I’m feeling particularly stressed I go for hikes in the hills and parks around here. There is some beautiful scenery and I really enjoy getting out in it. Besides, DNA research doesn’t make for much movement. A girl has to watch her figure, you know.”

  “Your figure looks good to me,” Kai said. He realized belatedly what he was implying and swallowed as he felt the blood rush to his face again. Would he never stop putting his foot in his mouth?

  “How old are you, then?” Beth asked. “And what do you do with your time? I haven’t seen you at the university so I’m guessing you’re not a student.”

  Kai felt the rise of panic at the questions. He was used to lying about his occupation but this time he had to push through a lump in his throat to talk. “I’m a computer engineer for Treblake Engineering,” he said. Her eyebrows rose at that and he knew what she was thinking. Treblake Engineering was the largest engineering firm in the country and he was young enough for his occupation to be a surprise. Treblake Engineering was also a subsidiary of Core Enterprises, the front for the Trebladore Society.

  Although Kai did have a basic knowledge of engineering he did not work in the field. He was an Influencer and most of his time was spent on missions like the one that had introduced him to Beth. His thoughts shifted swiftly to the mission with Derek and the dog-fighting ring. Lincoln had spoken to him about it again, assuring him that there was nothing Kai could have done to change things. The same guilt that plagued him about Beth’s shooting drove him to wonder about Derek. If Kai’s Influencing had been quicker and more talented would things have turned out better? Was he ever going to be as good as his father?

  “Kai.” Beth’s voice broke into his thoughts. “Hello. Are you still with me?” she asked.

  “I just can’t help thinking that there was something I could have done last week to save you from getting shot. I really am sorry,” he said.

  Beth leaned forward in her chair and placed a hand on his knee. He stirred at the rush of electricity that snapped through him at her touch and she immediately removed her hand. He regretted his movement and the fact that it had caused her to pull back, even though what he was doing was dangerous. It was against Society rules for a Trebladore to enter into a romantic relationship with a human. Associations that kept a distance were allowed, mainly as ways for the Trebladores to integrate and work with and around the humans, but romantic liaisons were forbidden, and for good reason.

  “Kai, there was nothing you could have done!” Beth whispered. “No one knew he even had a gun until it went off. You are a hero here, you know. You stopped him from hurting anyone else and that is very important.” Beth’s gaze was insistent and bright. “He would have killed someone if he wasn’t stopped. You stood up to him and he could have shot you! You were very, very brave.”

  Kai watched Beth, his eyes glued to hers. He felt like he could drown in them. They were so dark and so deep. He thought he could see the intelligence there; understand how she could be just wrapping up a Masters degree in DNA research. He didn’t just see intelligence though; he also saw kindness and a passion for life that intrigued him.

  He shook himself, realizing where his thoughts were going. He had to leave Beth here and get back to his life. He knew she was fine physically. She would be all
right mentally, as well. He could see it in her eyes and hear it in her voice.

  With a huge sigh, he rose and smiled at Beth. “I need to get going now,” he said. “Got an early day tomorrow.”

  Beth watched him with narrowed eyes as she held her breath. He could see her hesitating about something. Then she reached into her purse and pulled out a pen and tiny notepad. Opening the notepad she wrote something down on the first page and ripped it from the pad. She looked up at him and held out the paper. “Here is my cell number, Kai. If you ever need to talk, feel free to call. Okay?”

  Kai nodded as he took the paper from her hand, his fingers brushing hers as he did so. Without another word he turned and left.

  Chapter Seven

  The roar of the television pulled his attention away from his thoughts. Kai’s Trebladore roommates cheered. A couple of them jumped from the couches and pumped their fists in the air. They were totally into the soccer game and Kai was trying his best to care. His mind was filled with horrifying images from the last mission and he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was Beth he wanted to talk with about it. It wasn’t like the guys wouldn’t understand. They knew what happened; they had had rough Influencing missions as well. He touched the outside of his pocket and the paper inside crinkled under his hand. It was still there. He didn’t need the paper; he had the number memorized.

  Before Beth and before the second failed mission, he would have been yelling and high-fiving his friends because a black and white checked ball had sailed over the goalie’s hands and into the net. Now it didn’t seem important at all.

  Beth was funny and absolutely fascinating. He liked her. They could be casual friends. Or more. Why not more? No, of course not more … but, friends. Friends were fine. He’d been arguing with himself over it since he tucked the phone number into his pocket.