Cross Waves, page 6
Despite her misgivings, for the first time since she learned of Julia’s absence, hope that her friend lived stirred in Geneva’s heart. If she was right and Julia had charged the crystal, perhaps whoever held her kept her alive, maybe even nearby.
She scrambled for her clothes. She needed to find Rolf and tell him what she suspected.
Her mind followed the trail of his energy to the parking lot, spying his green glow. Her heartbeat thrummed against her ribcage. Rolf wasn’t alone. The green was joined by two powerful and familiar colors—teal and royal blue—her brothers. They were two hours earlier than expected. Why?
She grabbed the pair of shorts and T-shirt she’d tossed on the chair. Her brothers wouldn’t hurt Rolf. Regardless of what they thought of him, Rolf was still a vital member of the CMU. But her brothers had always been a bit overprotective of Geneva after losing their mother at such a young age. And Rolf had a reputation with the ladies. They wouldn’t be happy Peter paired them for this mission.
She flung on her clothes, slipped into her tennis shoes, and dashed toward the elevators.
10
Brothers
Rolf stepped outside the Toyota and stretched his arms above his head with a yawn. He rolled his neck from side to side, ignoring the cheeky Ericksen brothers leaning against the trunk of the rental like they owned it.
“Any leads on your sister?” Nate strolled toward him, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up. He was the taller and broader of the two brothers, with a mafia boss face. His looks complemented the suspicious glint in his blue eyes. Danny, the younger brother, followed a few steps behind. His blond looks, so much like Geneva’s, hid a sharp intelligence and a talent for sniffing out trouble.
“Not much. A crystal.”
Nate stilled, his hands on his hips. If this were a western, Rolf imagined Nate would reach for his guns. The brothers hadn’t liked Rolf ever since he’d been selected high school quarterback over Nate. Their dislike of him had strengthened when Geneva asked him out, and he’d refused. But that was many years ago, when they were fresh out of high school. What sealed the deal was more recent news—Peter’s announcement Rolf would become lead hacker on the team. The brothers didn’t trust him. He couldn’t say he blamed them.
“What kind of crystal?”
Rolf spread his legs wide and crossed his arms, keeping his thoughts contained. He didn’t care for them, either. But they were Geneva’s siblings, and that made all the difference. He shrugged. “It may have had special properties.”
“You mean it doesn’t now?” Danny asked.
“Right. It contained dream energy last night when Geneva and I encountered it. It doesn’t any longer. We’ll need to have it tested to know for certain.”
“What happened to your head?” Nate asked, pointing to the gash covered by white gauze and the crisscross of Band-Aids, he’d gotten from the hotel’s front desk. “Get in a fight?”
“I hit a rock when we were under the influence of the dream energy.”
“Where’s Geneva?” He peered inside the vehicle like Rolf had her dead body stashed in there.
“In the hotel. There was only one room available. She slept in the bed. I took the car.”
Nate lifted an eyebrow. “Such a gentleman.” Only a slight twinge of sarcasm clung to his words.
“I try.”
“Good, let’s keep it that way,” Danny said.
Rolf stiffened. “I don’t deal well with warnings.”
“Tough,” Nate said, coming up next to Danny and pointing his finger at Rolf. “This is our sister we’re talking about. Not one of your floozies. I get you need her help to find Julia, but that’s all you’ll get from her. We’ll be watching you, Jorgensen.”
Rolf held himself in check. Barely. Pain radiated from the lump on the back of his head to his temples. Lethal energy boiled and bubbled about to spew forth, swallowing everything in its path. Swallowing the brothers. Never had he been so close to the breaking point. The dark in him craved a fight. It would not let the brothers stand between him and his growing attachment to Geneva. It surged against the gates of his mind, threatening to break loose and destroy them.
“I would never harm your sister.” His voice came out as a low rumble. He kept his eyes focused on Nate, repeating over and over in his head, “Control, control, control,” like some kind of hypnotic chant. The dark monster reared its head and snapped its jaw. Heat shimmered in the air around them. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead and the back of his neck. He prayed the brothers would be smart enough to leave.
Nate must have sensed some of his mental state because he frowned. Still, he didn’t move. “Good. You have a sister. You can understand how we feel a little protective of ours.”
“Yes, I do.” Rolf’s hands shook with the effort to control the lethal darkness. He shoved them in his pockets. “And she’s missing.”
…never lay his filthy hands on her.
He stilled. The words floated in the air between them, straight from Nate’s mind to his. He flared his nostrils and took a sharp breath, but it wasn’t enough. Dark energy seethed and twisted inside him, tunneling toward the surface.
He stepped forward. Nate stepped backward. A slight figure stepped between them.
“Rolf, what’s going on?” Geneva gave him a puzzled look. She lay a small, pale hand on his chest, as if she understood on a psychic level only physical contact could tame the raging beast.
For a moment, Rolf stared, not seeing or hearing anything. Then her features came into focus, the dark energy settled, and reason returned. He jerked away from her touch, stepping backward and turning away. “Nothing,” he managed.
Geneva stared at him for a minute before turning to her brothers. “Why are you here so early? I wasn’t expecting you until closer to nine.”
The brothers looked at each other, obviously exchanging thoughts on a path that excluded Geneva.
“They don’t like us paired together,” Rolf said.
She wrinkled her nose, her frown deepening. Irritation appeared in her eyes. Or maybe the image came from her mind? He was never quite certain how he sensed her feelings. He just did.
“It wouldn’t do for you to succumb to my considerable charms.” Rolf tried for a smile, but he was pretty certain he looked like the big bad wolf. He certainly felt that way.
“What?” Her mouth formed a circle of horrified surprise. She rounded on her brothers. “Julia is missing, and that’s all you can think about? Her disappearance is much more important than whether Rolf and I are getting it on or not.”
Rolf coughed to cover the sudden smile that formed on his lips. Her brothers shot daggers at him. Geneva’s eyes met his for a second, embarrassment at her brother’s involvement in her personal life reflected in their blue depths and flushed cheeks. God knows what she read in his gaze.
She turned to her brothers. “I’ve something important to tell you. Rolf and I encountered dream energy last night…or early this morning.”
“Rolf mentioned that and his injury.” Nate’s eyes shifted between Rolf and Geneva. “Where was this?”
“Rolf and I went to Bell Rock, a vortex in Sedona, at midnight, thinking I might be able to trace Julia’s energy there, since she often visits them when she travels to Arizona. As soon as I got started, we encountered a powerful dream energy.”
“What happened?” Danny asked.
“It threw me into a nightmare. Let’s just say I had to work hard not to cause an explosion that almost killed Rolf.” Geneva turned to him. “I didn’t recognize it at the time, but Rolf, I’m certain the dream energy belongs to Julia. She charged the crystal.”
“An old wives’ tale. It’s not possible to charge crystals,” Nate said.
“Yes. Yes, it is, Nate. I don’t know how it’s done, but my former partner, David Jenkins, did it once. I saw the crystal he charged with my own eyes. I watched him use it.”
“Julia is here, then.” Rolf was careful to keep the surge of joy coursing through his system under wraps.
“Not necessarily. The energy could have been stored in the crystal some time ago, I suppose.”
“But why would Julia charge a crystal to make you kill her brother?” Danny asked.
“A million-dollar question,” Rolf said. “Julia wouldn’t. Someone made her do it.”
“Or tricked her,” Nate said. Rolf remembered Nate had a soft spot for Julia.
“Yes, a possibility.”
Geneva’s cell phone pinged, indicating a new text.
“So, what do we do?” Nate asked. “Do we have any other clues?”
“No, but we’ll start with the gem show at the Phoenix convention center,” Rolf said. “It’s a long shot, but if someone is searching for the legendary crystals they may show up there.”
Geneva nodded. “We can ask around to see if anyone has been looking for rare crystals. Perhaps we’ll uncover something.”
Rolf’s cell phone buzzed. He pulled it from his pants pocket. Awfully early to get a phone call from his dad.
Next to him, Geneva tensed, her psychic antenna tuning in to his anxiety.
“Rolf, Nonna’s in the hospital.”
“What happened? Is she okay?” His gaze flicked to Geneva and away. Automatically, he sealed his emotions from her. His heart skipped a beat or two, making up for lost time. Nonna had raised them after their mother divorced their father and left her kids to fend for themselves. She baked their favorite foods, read them stories, and held them whenever they were hurt or missed their mother.
“She passed out in her garden, and apparently was there all night. The neighbor found her this morning and called an ambulance. She’s awake and feeling better today, and the doctors say she’ll recover, but I wanted you to know. Have you found your sister?”
“Not yet. I will, though. I promise. Call me back if anything changes with Nonna. As soon as I find Julia, I’ll be on the next flight.”
“All right, son. Keep me posted. I’ll be worried until I know you’re both okay.”
“I’ll get in touch.” He ended the call.
Rolf, what happened?” Geneva asked as soon as he stuffed his phone in his pocket and turned to look at her.
“It’s Nonna. She’s in the hospital, but my dad says she’ll be okay.”
Geneva gasped. She knew how much Nonna meant to him and Julia. “An accident?”
“She collapsed in her garden and lay there overnight. The neighbor found her this morning and called 911.”
She placed her hand on his arm, warming the numbness in his heart.
“You should leave now, Rolf. Don’t worry about a thing. My brothers and I will go to the gem show and see what we can uncover. Make sure Nonna is well. You’ll never forgive yourself if something happens to her and you’re not there.
“We can’t go with you, Geneva.” Danny stared at his phone. “We’ve got a level one emergency. Peter just sent a text. He’s ordered Nate and I to Cleveland—all hands on deck. It appears North Korea hacked into the brain of Futurcom’s CEO and stole critical information on the company’s newest prototype. We need to get it back. He’s got a helicopter waiting at the airport.”
Geneva waved a hand like a shepherd scattering the flock. “Go. All of you. You can rejoin me as soon as you’re able.
“There’s no way you’re going alone,” Rolf said. “I’m coming with you.”
“Rolf, there’s no need.”
“There’s a need, all right. There’s a need for me to find whoever has Julia and Percy and wring their necks.”
11
Nonna
The car engine roared to life as Rolf stepped on the gas. Geneva flashed him a concerned look from the passenger seat, but he pretended not to notice. The ache where he’d hit the back of his head reached around his skull to pound both temples.
They’d not wasted any time getting showered and dressed and back on the road after the Ericksen brothers departed for the airport. Despite his need for action, he couldn’t help but think they were heading into a trap. Something about the crystal ending up in the vortex didn’t sit right with him. It was too much of a coincidence he and Geneva happened to stumble upon it.
He swerved into the left lane, but the sudden move did little to alleviate the snarling Phoenix traffic, compounding his frustration. Nonna had been healthy when he’d seen her a week ago. How could her health decline so fast?
He jerked the car back into the passing lane. All he wanted was to board the next plane to Cleveland and see Nonna, but first, he needed to find Julia and Percy.
Geneva sighed, and he slid her a glance before looking back at the road. She stared out the window, but he could almost hear her thoughts. She believed his frustration stemmed from having to spend more time with her. She couldn’t be further from the truth. She had no idea the lengths he’d go to protect her.
He found his sunglasses and put them on, narrowing his gaze on the road in front of him. How could he explain the odd tingling in his gut that warned him of danger? That told him the lives of those he cared about the most were threatened? He didn’t understand it himself. He just knew Nonna’s fall was no accident, Julia was missing, and he couldn’t leave Geneva alone right now.
“You’d better slow down, or we’ll wind up in an accident.”
So she was back to lecturing. He didn’t look at her; he didn’t have to. He knew what he would see—forehead creased, lips pursed in distaste, eyes frosted over. When she looked at him like that, he wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and kiss her until the lie he’d maintained and reinforced melted away and there was nothing but smiles and honesty left between them. Then he’d claim her as his.
Mine, mine, mine. Rolf’s heart beat hard against his chest, and dark energy swirled in time to the dangerous rhythm. He gripped the wheel and wrestled the beast. A whole minute passed before the pounding in his ears lessened, his breathing slowed, and his hands loosened their death-grip on the wheel. He’d won the battle this time, but for how much longer?
He wiped a sweaty palm on his jeans then readjusted his grip on the wheel all the while keeping his eyes on the road and away from hers. The timing of the phone call about Nonna was too perfect.
The niggling thought settled in his mind, increasing his anxiety. What were the chances Nonna would be taken to the hospital at the same time the CMU had a level one emergency, calling Geneva’s brothers back to headquarters?
By the time they pulled into the convention center parking lot, fear slashed against the walls of his iron control. He suppressed an involuntary shiver, forcing his body through the motion of putting the car in park. The dark monster stirred and stretched, sensing trouble.
“You’re worried.”
He didn’t bother to deny it. “Yes. Something about our situation doesn’t feel right. Do you sense anything?”
She cocked her head to the side and closed her eyes. A few seconds later, she opened them, shaking her head. “Seems normal. There are still far too many colors, though. We’ll have to go inside.”
He nodded, clutching his cell phone with cold and clammy palms. “Okay.”
They exited the car and headed toward the convention center entrance. He sniffed the air and paused at the double doors. He glanced at Geneva, and their gazes locked. Something shifted inside him, and his hands trembled slightly. In that moment, he didn’t shield his fear. If something were to happen to her, he wouldn’t be able to control the beast, and no one would be safe from his anger. “Stay close.”
She frowned at the order but nodded. Then he opened the doors and followed her inside.
Geneva stepped past Rolf, looking around at the crowds of people that filled the building. They clustered around rows and rows of merchandise for sale from thousands of sellers. She blinked at the tables filled with stones and gems and moved forward, Rolf close on her heels.
He touched her arm. “Wait here. We’ll have to buy tickets to go inside. I’ll be right back.”
He motioned for her to stand in the corner, and then he took off toward a line of people that snaked to a ticket window. The line seemed to be moving, but she shifted from one leg to the other. Why was she on edge? Being around Rolf was getting to her. He was hiding something important. She could feel it.
Automatically, she closed her eyes and scanned the room with her psychic senses, past the red light pouring from Rolf—so unlike him—and into the larger room. Colors assaulted her—green like trees in springtime conveying growth, blue like skies in summer relaying hope, gold like sunflowers in autumn speaking wisdom. Far too many colors to make sense of them. She’d need to get closer.
“See anything unusual?”
She opened her eyes. Rolf towered over her, the red light shifting around him, indicating his increasing anxiety.
She shook her head. “That was fast. You got the tickets already?”
“Yes.”
He must have hacked into the minds of dozens of people to convince them to let him cut in line. She squinted at him. What had Rolf so on edge? He wasn’t the most patient hacker, but even he would normally conserve his energy for more dangerous activity.
She didn’t have time to dwell on his strange behavior further, because Rolf stepped forward and handed the attendant their tickets. She followed him through the turnstile into a large room with hundreds of tables spaced about a foot apart. People were crowded around each one, rifling through stones and bargaining with sellers.
“Try tracing them again.” His face was expressionless; his energy contained. This was the Rolf she was used to.
She nodded, took ten steps forward, and closed her eyes, pushing her mind past color after color, farther, farther, farther, until she hit the remotest corner of the massive room. Amber waves floated in the air. Percy Withers’s energy? Something was off… As she focused, the color grew deeper and harsher than when she’d last encountered Percy’s energy. The waves became shorter, almost as if someone else’s energy mixed with Percy’s, manipulating him. Another talent? What was another talent doing at the gem show?
