Free Winters Family Psi Chronicles 2: Project Onyx by John O'Riley Page B

genes,” Driscol said.
    “Do you think she’s been studying my family for awhile?” Brian asked.
    “That’s extremely unlikely,” Hurst said smoothly but unconsciously betrayed himself as a spike in energy indicated a falsehood.
    Rather than confront him on the lie, Brian carefully pulsed subtle energy to encourage the two agents to make conversation and to drop their guards.
    “You’ve been searching for these researchers for quite awhile. I think you’re close to finding them,” Brian said.
    “Yes, I believe we are.” Hurst’s chest puffed out and a look of arrogance took hold. “They are very meticulous but it’s mainly because of their leader, Samantha. I believe she’s OCD which means she’s not very adaptable.”
    “She’ll probably make a mistake pretty soon then since this is the closest you’ve ever come to catching her. She had to abandon her laboratory,” Brian said.
    “Yes, she did.” Hurst smiled smugly.
    Hurst looked as though he was about to say something else but the doorbell ringing distracted him. Jason immediately breezed out of the room. The FBI agent’s gaze followed him as he exited then swung back to center on Brian.
    “We’re going to have someone keep an eye on your house to make sure they don’t try to kidnap you again. Here’s my number. Call me immediately if you see anything suspicious.” Hurst handed over a small, white business card.
    Paul, Teresa, and Amy burst into the room. They had a disheveled and exhausted air about them but their eyes lit with relief when they saw Brian was safe.
    “Thank God!” Paul exclaimed.
    He and Amy gave Brian an effusive hug and Teresa patted him on the shoulder affectionately before fixing her intense blue eyes on Hurst.
    “Why did you wait so long to tell us about our son?” Teresa asked in a chilly tone.
    “We needed to debrief him,” Hurst said.
    “There was no reason we couldn’t be here, too,” Teresa said coolly.
    “There will be an agent watching your house to make sure they don’t try to kidnap him again,” Driscol interjected. “Brian has our business card so he can call for help if he needs it. I doubt the researchers will take such a great risk though.”
    “You never know. This is the first time anyone has ever escaped from them before,” Brian said.
    Hurst and Driscol carefully hid their surprise but their energy pulsed with it.
    “We’d better be going.” Hurst threw a smarmy smile at them. “I’m glad Brian’s okay.”
    Jason followed them out of the house and locked the door before returning to the guestroom. Brian told the two of them what had occurred over the past four days.
    “I’m sorry you had to suffer through that,” Paul said.
    “What happened to Russell?” Brian asked.
    “The police gave him a ride home,” Jason said.
    “Jason told me what happened on the drive over here,” Teresa said slowly.
    Teresa and Jason both possessed level ten telepathic ability so they could communicate over vast distances. Soon, Brian would be able to do the same thing.
    “How does your connection to the Global Net feel?” Teresa asked with concern.
    Brian hadn’t stopped to consider that. He’d never been able to assess the strength of his connection to the network. It was just there. He’d always taken it for granted. Brian closed his eyes and tried to feel it out with the same lack of result he’d always achieved throughout his life.
    “I can’t get any sense of it. It’s just there,” he said.
    “We need to get you scheduled to see a medical doctor or psychiatrist with connectivity psi. They’ll be able to get a more accurate reading,” Teresa said.
    “You and Jason can get a sense of it, too,” Brian pointed out.
    “Yes,” Teresa said grudgingly.
    “You’ve already tried. What did you see?” Brian asked.
    Teresa’s expression became guarded as did Jason’s.
    “What’s going on?” Amy demanded heatedly. “Tell him what you see!”
    Jason flinched at his granddaughter’s