Closed Hearts Read Online Free PDF Page B

the way out.
    Julian studied me again, stroking the scruff on his cheek with his long fingers. His dark hair was mussed, like he had used his fingers for a comb, and he was either deeply tanned or possibly Latino.
    “Trust is something earned, is it not, keeper?” His voice rumbled smooth, almost hypnotic. Or maybe it was the electrical storm still fuzzing my head.
    “Why do you keep calling me that? And what do you want with us?”
    “I’m calling you what you are, Kira.” His smile glowed in the low light. “I’ve admired you for a while. Your performance with the changelings was very impressive. And letting the world know of our little secret…” He templed his fingers and tapped his lips with them, as if choosing his words carefully, then he leaned forward and dropped his voice. “Well, I can’t thank you enough for that.”
    I moved away from him, pressing my back into the musty fabric of the couch. Why was he grateful for me outing jackers? Most jackers seemed to think I had ruined their lives with that piece of honesty.
    He leaned back, giving me space again. “But what are you, precisely? Mr. Molloy tells me you are a keeper, which I can see for myself is true. Which is very fortunate for us.” He pursed his lips. “Perhaps not so much for you.”
    I didn’t know what this hypnotic jacker wanted with me, but I needed to find Raf and get us out of here. Considering I was barely able to sit up without feeling woozy, that meant going along with whatever his game was… for the moment. Until I figured a way out of this mess.
    “What is a keeper?” I asked. “And why does it matter to you what I am?”
    “You are the one who started everything, and yet you don’t seem to understand.” He eyed my name badge, which still said Elizabeth . “Maybe you’re confused about who you are.”
    I sat up straighter. “I know who I am just fine. Thanks for your concern.”
    He sat back in his chair, amusement playing on his face. “A keeper is a jacker who can keep their thoughts. Their mind barrier is virtually impenetrable, at least to normal jackers. And in your case, even to me. Which is very interesting.” Again he tapped his fingers to his lips. “As much as I’d love to know why that is, we don’t have time for that. But it does make you just what we need.”
    “And what is that?” I hoped to cut to the chase. If this Julian person wanted something from me, maybe I could bargain our way out of this. Or at least get Raf out of the equation and then go from there.
    “I have a job that you might be interested in.”
    “I’m not a jackworker.”
    “No, of course not,” Julian said. “I wouldn’t expect someone like you to be jacking for something as simple as money. I knew you would be interested in much more than that, keeper, which is why I brought you here.”
    “ You brought me here?” I flicked a look to Molloy.
    “Well, I’ll admit that it was Mr. Molloy’s idea,” said Julian. “Although I was entirely for it, once he confirmed the rumor about your keeper abilities. Finding you was a bit of a problem, with you rooking in the suburbs, but there aren’t many father-daughter mindguard teams in Chicago New Metro. Getting our jackworker into Mr. Trullite’s compound to conduct a little surveillance, to make sure it was you, was the easy part.”
    My eyes went wide. The gardener.
    “To bring you here,” Julian continued, “I needed someone who knew how vital you were to our plans. Someone who could ensure you would consider what we had to say.” Julian glanced at Molloy. “I’m sorry Mr. Molloy took my instructions a little too literally.”
    Molloy grinned like he enjoyed the process of bringing me in. “That driver was quite the helpful lad with information on your whereabouts.” A chill ran up my back. Molloy had jacked the driver, and he already had Raf. That meant Molloy knew everything: where my family lived, where my dad worked. I had no doubt that Molloy would kill them