Desolation Road (Torpedo Ink 4)

He forced air through his lungs when it felt impossible to make that happen. Movement at the window across from him caught his eye. Scarlet had risen from her chair and moved right up to the glass. She appeared to be peering out, looking out toward the garden, right at him. Night had fallen, streaking the sky with gray and then deeper bluish black, making it impossible to see through the draping trees and thick shrubbery where Lana and Absinthe were hidden, but he still felt as if she could see right through it all straight to him.

He made an effort to breathe, to push his brother behind the doors in his mind, close and lock them. He couldn’t afford to think too much about him or what happened to him. Or why. “Damn it, Lana. Like I said, we’re never going to be all right. The damage they did to us will always be there no matter what we do.”

Lana had turned her head and was looking at Scarlet as well. “Is it possible that she felt you, Absinthe? That she felt you upset? Can you already be that connected?”

He took his time answering. “I don’t honestly know. We definitely have something unexpected. It’s growing stronger every time we’re together. Our minds kind of tune to one another. I’ve never felt anything like it before. There’s a definite connection and I know she feels it as well, but just because I’m upset … that seems a little farfetched.”

Scarlet turned away from the window to take her seat. Dessert and coffee were served to the two women. She smiled up at the waiter and he responded with something that made her laugh.

“I don’t know, gut-wrenching, visceral, not just upset, Absinthe. I would have to say there’s a difference and if you’re connected, she just might feel that. You feel it when any of us are upset even over a distance.”

“I’ve known all of you since childhood.”

“You said she’s much like you.”

Absinthe had to give that some credence. Scarlet was a lot like he was, at least the closest he’d ever met to anyone with the same gifts. They weren’t exactly the same and she wasn’t as adept at using them, but no one else had even come close to having anything like his talents. He had no idea what she could or couldn’t do yet.

“I really like spending time around her,” he admitted again. “She gives off this really low energy I find peaceful. The little teenage girl she was talking to today was very agitated, but the more upset the girl was, the lower Scarlet’s energy was and that helped to calm the girl. I like that a lot about her.”

“That’s what you do with us, isn’t it?” Lana guessed.

“Something like that,” he admitted, flashing a slight grin at her.

She wadded up a napkin and tossed it at him. He caught it out of the air, although he was watching Scarlet and Josefa, making certain he didn’t miss them leaving. He wanted to get out in front of them, just to make certain they could follow the two women home.

Scarlet had told him she lived some distance from town, and she did. The property she rented was out on its own private road. A single back road led to a highway, although he discovered two smaller dirt roads that also branched away from the house, hidden by orchards that could be used as escape routes. The owners had clearly used the property as an illegal grow for years but eventually, when things got hottest just before the marijuana industry was declared legal in some states, they had gotten out of the business.

The house was set back from the road by more than a mile, making it easy for the occupants to see anyone coming up on them. It was ideal for the previous owners, who could either take off or hide as much cash or evidence as possible inside the house before the cops got to the residence. The groves of fruit trees and nut trees made the long rows of enclosed warehouses nearly impossible to see until you were right up on them. Those had been the real cash cows, where the marijuana had been grown and processed.

He hadn’t done more than look around and was careful not to leave any shoe prints. He hadn’t gone into the house. Scarlet was very careful. Too careful. She had no cameras outside, which he found interesting since he thought she was very security conscious. She was bound to have more security inside. In any case, he was hoping to be invited in soon.

“They’re on the move,” Absinthe said abruptly the moment he saw the waiter come over with the check.

Scarlet gave the waiter cash while Lana repacked the picnic basket. She was careful because the basket was Alena’s and they were always careful with Alena’s things. Absinthe took the keys and the basket and went ahead to the Porsche, sliding in and waiting for Lana. She wanted to ensure that the women weren’t meeting with anyone else. Like him, she thought the entire setup was odd, no matter what she’d said playing devil’s advocate.