The Mind Keepers (The Mind Readers) Read Online Free PDF Page A

She laughed and threw
herself forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. “Oh
my God, I never thought I’d see you again. I thought you were dead!”
    I stepped inside and closed the
door behind us. A quick glance around the foyer said we were alone. I reached
out with my senses and could feel no one. Odd. I could have sworn…
    “Yeah, me neither,” he muttered.
    And then I noticed the way his
gaze shifted, looking everywhere but at us. Yep, definitely something wrong. I moved
slowly into the foyer, my shoes tapping against the wooden floorboards, and glanced
into the living room. Same place but it was empty. No one but Jake. Warning
bells rang.
    Suddenly I knew the flush on
Jake’s face wasn’t embarrassment, but guilt. “Hey, Nora, right?” He lifted his
lips into a forced smile. “I think we met years ago.”
    Two could play this game, and I
was a heck of a lot better at lying than he seemed to be. “Yeah, good to see
you.” I forced myself to stay relaxed. I sure as hell didn’t want him to
suspect anything. “Where is everyone else?”
    “There was a meeting at Sam’s.
You know him? In Pittsburgh.”
    “Oh, wow.” I stuck my hands into
my back jean pockets and strolled toward the living room. A fire had been going
only thirty minutes or so ago if the glowing embers were any indication. It was
warm enough outside not to need one, which meant whoever had lit it had done so
for ambience. In other words, probably not something a teenage boy would do.
    “Yeah.” He rubbed the back of
his neck, watching me warily. “They should be back in a couple days. I stayed
behind to meet you guys.”
    I smiled even though my face
felt brittle. “I smell Helen’s famous beef stew.”
    He nodded. “Yeah, she put it on
the stove before leaving this morning. You guys hungry?”
    “Definitely.” I talked to cover
up Cameron’s suspicious silence. She’d caught on quicker than I’d expected her
to, and the devastation in her gaze was obvious. I prayed she could keep it
together. I loved her, but she’d never be the assassin I’d become. She was too
damn emotional.
    “How’d you escape?” Cameron
asked, her voice surprisingly calm. “I thought for sure you were…”
    She didn’t finish although we
all knew what she was going to say… dead.
    “Wasn’t easy.” He moved back a
few steps, his gaze darting to the hall. It was a quick glance, and most people
wouldn’t have found anything suspicious in it. I wasn’t most people.
    Maybe he was looking toward the
kitchen because we were talking about food, or maybe, just maybe he was
expecting someone. My bet was the latter.
    “But I know you’re probably
tired.” His gaze swung back to us. “You guys want something to eat?” He looked
oddly hopeful. I knew in that moment that he needed to get us in the kitchen
for some reason, and I doubted it was for a home-cooked meal.
    “Yeah.” Cameron glanced at me,
wariness in her hazel gaze. I swore I could actually sense her anxiety, pulsing
and thrumming around me. Could he? “Sure.”
    “The kitchen?” He was shifting
like a kid who had to pee. The jerk really wanted us in the back of the house.
I tentatively reached out with my mind, searching for others. I could feel
nothing or no one. Was it because I was overly suspicious and no one was there,
or was it because they were blocking their thoughts either with their powers or
with an implanted chip? Cameron was staring at Jake so hard, I thought she
might drill a hole into his head with her mere powers.
    Don’t try to read him, I sent the thought to her. She’d insisted on
practicing sending messages to each other only we could hear, honing our sisterly
bond. I’d humored her at the time, but now I was glad she’d insisted. Don’t want him to know we’re suspicious.
    She gave me a quick nod as we
followed him toward the back of the house. Do
you really think the family’s in Pittsburgh?
    No, I think they’re dead, I