Page 45 of Deep Within Me

Jacob turned to Zeke and whispered, “What the hell are you talking about?”

Ignoring his brother, Zeke coaxed more images from his vision. “He’s wearing a T-shirt, denim jacket, and jeans…possibly hiking boots. He’s—”

Zeke stopped. The prisoners, Paul, Kele, and Jacob faded away. In the place of this room, he saw the desert landscape outside. A bone-dry breeze whipped around him, stirring up sand and dirt, the sound nearly as loud as the static from his vision. He smelled the earth baking beneath the oppressive sun.

Overhead, a bird squawked.

The young man from his previous vision held up his arm to shield his face. He mouthed something Zeke couldn’t hear. His expression made it seem like a plea or a—

Zeke’s breath caught as a bullet tore through the young man’s belly. Another ripped through his heart. He stumbled back and fell to the ground, dust puffing up around him.

No.

Liz leaned over the young man, wanting to bring him back. As she did, her lids grew heavy, her shoulders slumped. Zeke screamed for her to stop. She didn’t hear. He ran toward her, but no matter how much distance he traveled, she was still too far away, the life force draining from her, leaving her—

“Zeke.”

He blinked and stared at Jacob, who’d gone as white as their prisoners had a moment earlier.

“What did you see?” Jacob asked.

Zeke wasn’t certain what any of it meant. As always, his fucking visions showed just enough to confuse him, taunting him with clues he couldn’t yet read.

“Jacob!” Ike’s voice called from the hall. “Are you down here?”

He stuck his head out the doorway. “Yeah. What’s wrong?”

“Is Zeke with you?”

He went into the hall. Ike and several of the other men were there, each armed with an assault rifle.

Bile rose to Zeke’s throat. He forced it down. “What happened?”

Ike spoke before the others could. “There’s a man not too far from the tunnel’s entrance. Our cameras just picked him up. Looks like a hiker. Could be a trick. Maybe Carreon told him to dress that way. Our guys are already headed out there to see—”

“What’s he wearing?” Zeke asked.

“Jeans, a white tee, denim—hey,” Ike interrupted himself as Zeke bolted down the hall, followed by Jacob. “Where are you going?”

Outside. To keep his men from shooting the man, and Liz from having to revive him. To find out who the fuck he was. Why he’d been in Zeke’s visions.

Chapter Eight

Trinidad’s suggestion was so simple and delightfully insightful, Carreon smiled. “You’re very cunning, aren’t you?”

She pulled on her newest cigarette then released the smoke through her nose. “Yes, I am.”

Carreon grinned at her continued arrogance. In time, he’d make her more docile than Maria, with Trinidad watching him carefully to see what he’d do, never quite knowing what to expect. For now, though, he encouraged her bluster, wanting to see where it would go.

He offered his hand.

She enjoyed a bit more of her smoke before accepting it.

Once she was on her feet, Carreon pulled her against him. Luckily, for her, she kept her cigarette to the side, not burning him as she had Ernez. If she had…well, no woman would live through that with him.

Trinidad parted her lips, her focus on his mouth as though she expected a kiss. Carreon knew she could feel his erection, given how she’d pressed her cunt against it.

With his attention on her mouth, he hid his distaste for the stench of cigarette smoke and spoke to Ernez. “Who do we use for our computer systems?”