Page 30 of Kane's Bounty
“Sit down,” Joshua ordered.
She ignored him.
“It’s okay, Lena,” Kane said, taking a seat next to her on the couch. “Ease up, Josh.”
Joshua sat down in the chair and faced them. “You’re going to have to tell me something if you want my help.”
Kane watched her. He didn’t say anything. This was her decision. She looked at him and he felt her fear. He couldn’t tell if she was afraid of Joshua putting her grandmother in danger or losing the stones, but she was definitely afraid. “I’m not going to end up in some government lab predicting war moves of the enemy. I’ll kill myself first and the stones are useless without me.”
Kane’s stomach clenched and he remembered the vision of her being zipped into a body bag. Had she killed herself in the vision to protect the stones?
“That’s a bit melodramatic, isn’t it?” Joshua said.
“Maybe, but I mean it.”
“The government doesn’t want you or the stones. We just want to make certain that Oscar Thorn doesn’t get them.”
“So you sent Shamus Wade. Isn’t he a ridiculous choice?” Kane said.
“I didn’t send anyone. I didn’t even know about this until you went missing and my superiors told me to find my brother.”
“And now that you’ve found me, Josh?”
“You tell me.”
He could sense from his brother that he would stand behind him. He knew it, but it was nice to feel the bond they had, as if there was an invisible thread binding them. Kane turned to Lena. “It’s up to you, but if you ask me, I say we have to trust Josh. We need his help.”
She sighed. “Give them to me, then.”
Kane dug into his duffle, pulled out his swim trunks and dug the five little stones from the pocket before handing them to her. She held them tightly in her fist and closed her eyes. When she opened her palm, the beam of light appeared as if there was a floodlight pointing up. In the beam, they saw the vision of Lena’s dead body followed by the happy family vision in the future.
The beam flashed away and Lena closed her hand around the stones.
“That’s incredible. What does it mean?” Joshua asked.
Kane felt awe from his brother and nothing awed Josh. He was above surprise. He knew more than most people. His senses allowed him to understand more about the past and future. The fact that he was impressed said a lot about Lena’s gift.
“The stones never mislead or give a false vision.”
“Clearly one of those two futures is not true.”
“That’s why we need to see my grandmother. She’s the only person who may know what it means. I sent her away so Oscar wouldn’t find her and use her as leverage. If we go see her, she’ll be in danger.”
Joshua turned to him. “You want me to babysit an old woman?”
Kane smiled.
He turned back to Lena. “What does my brother have to do with any of this? You just met. Though it’s obvious something is going on. He never gets involved with a fugitive. How do I know you didn’t show him some made-up vision so you could manipulate him into helping you?”
Anger flared in Kane’s gut. “I triggered the vision the first time.”
Utter shock not only resonated against Kane’s senses, but it also registered on his brother’s face. “You did? The file said only a woman with the mark of Adeline can trigger the stones.”
“That’s true,” Lena said. “Another question for Gran.”
He was silent for a long time. “You could be a very good liar.”
“I’m not lying.”
