I wasn’t a fool. I snapped my mouth shut and glared.

His calm expression didn’t waver. “What happened?”

“Wolf, back off.” The growl came from behind me.

That got a reaction. Wolf frowned at Kayden. “You know how this goes,

Shaw. Delacourt’s going to want answers. Her gun, her phone.” He held out my

phone in one glove covered hand, the screen shattered. “It doesn’t look good.”

“The last time I saw Ramirez he was alive.” And he was blocks away in a burned-out building. “I think he had a partner.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know.” I bit out as my insides started to quake. I twisted in Kayden’s

arms, searching his face, needing someone to believe me, because with the gaping hole in my memory, even I wasn’t sure of what had happened. “It wasn’t

me.”

As close as I was, I couldn’t miss the flash of doubt before he doused it. It

hurt. Like being swiped with a sharp blade, the initial sting burned, but what would come later would be worse. The whispers in my head swarmed closer, bursts of taunting laughter driving ice picks into my brain. Flinching, I stepped

back, putting distance between myself and the two men watching me.

Spurred by desperation, I reached into the past for answers, only to come up

against the heavy emptiness in my head. Fear and frustration drove me on, and I

pushed harder. Pain exploded, and blood dripped from my nose.

“Stop.” Kayden reached out, but I stumbled back, not wanting him to touch

me. Unfortunately, the room was too small to escape, and he grabbed me,

dragging me close. His hand wound through my hair and tugged my head back.

“I know what you’re doing. Knock it the hell off, dammit.” He lifted his gaze.

“Get me some Kleenex.”

It was sloppy on my part to forget his ability to read my energy, but it didn’t

matter. I continued to circle the abyss, searching for the slightest clue to what

happened. I was distantly aware of Wolf rustling around somewhere behind us, then a wad of white tissues appeared over my shoulder.

Kayden grabbed them, shoving all but one into my hand. Holding one

against my nose, he stared into my eyes. “Stop it right now, Cyn.”

Unable to ignore his command, I backed away from the abyss. The taunting

laughter and whispers faded as I backed off. Slowly, I uncurled my nails from his wrist as I held his glare. I wouldn’t apologize and there was no way I was apologizing. Only one person was going to save my ass now, and it clearly wasn’t him.

“What the hell?” Wolf’s quiet question drew Kayden’s attention.

“What?”

Wolf’s answer was strangely reassuring. “Someone played around in her

head.”

Kayden frowned. “You’re sure.”

“Yeah,” Wolf said, “but Ramirez wasn’t psychic.”

“There was someone else with him,” I mumbled the reminder. Someone who

could’ve been Ellery, but I didn’t think so. To mess with someone’s mind you had to be telepathic. Ellery wasn’t a telepath, was he?

“No, he’s not.”

Terror spiked my pulse when Wolf answered my unspoken question. It was

bad enough having Kayden read my emotions, but Wolf? Wolf was…he was just

like…the yawning blankness rose, a mindless fear taking over in a vicious wave.

I jerked out of Kayden’s hold and bolted for the door, the drive to escape all-encompassing. I couldn’t do this again.

Hands caught me, dragging me backward. Panicked and drowning in an

unnamed terror, I kicked and clawed, desperate to escape. Voices swirled around

me, harsh curses, mocking laughter, and evil whispers all rolled together into a

mind-shredding howl. They seeped inside my skull, leaving me no place to hide.

No way to keep them out.

My spine slammed against unforgiving warmth and steel bands caught my

wrists, yanking my arms against my chest. Something trapped my legs, forcing

me to bend forward. Left with no other option, I drove my head backward.