Kade opened his senses wide. There, at the edge of his perception, he could feel that familiar mind. Fatigue and pain tried to pull him down. But she was here. She’d saved his life before. And now she’d come for him…

Kade forced himself to concentrate, pulled himself together. And then he reached out his mind to hers.

Sam’s world was horror. Pure horror. She wanted to go to that place she’d known so well on the ranch. The place she’d gone to when they’d hurt her, when she’d learned to stop fighting and just shut it out.

But Shiva wouldn’t let her.

Kill them.

She did her best to kill Feng. She wanted it. He had to die. She didn’t want to want it, but dear God she couldn’t help herself.

She tried to shoot Feng, to hit him, to cut him. Even as she did her mind replayed the horror she’d just been party to. The bullets striking Kevin. Her bullets striking Kevin. His body toppling backwards out into nothing…

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

She screamed inside as Shiva’s compulsion drove her. This was rape. Worse than rape. His mind was inside hers and she had no choice. She wanted Feng dead. She knew it wasn’t true, but she had no choice. Shiva had turned her into a zombie, like her parents had become, worse, far worse, a tool for killing the man who’d saved her life, who she’d loved as a mentor and friend!

Aaaaaaah!

She wanted to stop, to turn a knife against herself, to stab herself in the throat to end this pain.

But she wanted to kill Feng more. And so she fought.

And then his rifle collided with her head, and in a split second, he was gone.

Shiva’s men raced past her, ignored her, leapt up, scrambled for holds, and followed Feng into the building.

She moved to follow. Catch him, Shiva commanded her. And she would.

And then Kade was there, in her mind as well, his thoughts wrestling Shiva’s, tearing her in two, and Sam screamed inside.

Chapter 85: Signal Strength

85

SIGNAL STRENGTH

Saturday November 3rd

Feng took in his surroundings as he hurtled through the window. Glass shattered around him, fell in slow motion as he came down on the carpeted floor. A hallway. Doors.

He surged forward. One foot lashed out at a closed door. Wood splintered as the door buckled inward and crashed open. He moved forward to the next open doorway, rolled into it, rifle in his hands, eyes taking in the scene instantly. An office, empty.

He listened as Shiva’s men scramble up the wall and in through the window. Glass crunched under booted feet. Four men. They moved without speech but their footsteps, their breaths, even their pulse rates gave them away to him. They moved to the door he’d kicked open, paused.