Free Bringing Benjy Home (Security Ops) by Kylie Brant Page A

strong as the one she’d just had. Trey had touched her before, and the current that had run between them had shocked and, yes, frightened her. But it hadn’t begun to match the vivid mental replay she’d just been a party to. She’d wondered several times in the past twenty-four hours whether Trey was capable of human emotion, at least toward anyone other than his family. She wouldn’t wonder anymore. Now she knew there had been a time in his past when he’d been full of panic at the thought of losing . . .
    His only friend.
    The snippet of information flashed into her mind, unbidden. A chill pervaded her limbs, and she rubbed her arms frantically. She didn’t like this at all. By some quirk of cosmic fate Trey seemed to have the power to heighten her uncommon powers, to magnify them. She managed a grim little smile. Fate did indeed, as Granny always said, have a warped sense of humor.
    For a moment, she wished mightily for Granny’s comforting arms and her uncommon wisdom. Maybe she could explain Jaida’s uncustomary reactions to this man in a way that made sense of them, that relegated them to the ordinary.
    But somehow she thought this strange pull that existed between her and Trey might even be beyond Granny’s comprehension.
     
    It seemed like déjà vu as they stood in line to rent a vehicle, a quick little Oldsmobile this time. Jaida waited off to the side, not even offering to help and let Trey retrieve their luggage. She got into the car while he stashed their bags in the trunk of the rental. Then he slid in behind the steering wheel and programmed the in-dash GPS before he began to drive.
    “So what’s your plan once we reach the motel?” Jaida asked after long silent minutes had ticked by.
    Trey took his time answering, as if weighing how much to tell her. “I called the state police and told them I was coming. Hopefully they will have left an officer for me to talk to. There’s been plenty of time for them to have gone through the place pretty thoroughly. If proof exists that Benjy has been there, they will have found it.” He spoke with more confidence than he felt. He hadn’t been completely assured when he’d talked to the police that they were giving his nephew’s disappearance top priority. And when they’d pressed him about the “tip” he’d received, placing his nephew at the Glenview, he’d been noncommittally vague. He didn’t doubt that their questions would be more pointed when he arrived, and he felt a sense of distaste at the upcoming interview. He didn’t believe any more than they did that Benjy had been there, was certain, in fact, that this whole thing was a lame hoax, perpetuated by the woman sitting next to him.
    And yet . . . he couldn’t deny the surge in his stomach as he drove toward the motel. He couldn’t help remembering the complaint to the night clerk about the crying child. Not that he put any stock in psychic nonsense. Yet, in spite of his steady disbelief, there was a tiny seed of hope unfurling deep inside him. A bloom not nurtured by any faith in Jaida’s ability, but born of his abiding love for his young nephew and his fervent desire to hold him safe in his arms again.
    Jaida wanted to ask him more questions, but he was reticent at the best of times, and something told her now didn’t number among those. Though no expression showed on his hard face, he was radiating energy, and maybe a hint of nerves. She slid a little closer to the passenger door. She was still shaken by their earlier encounter, and she desperately wanted to guard against a repeat occurrence.
    Traffic snarled the freeways, even though it wasn’t rush hour. It took well over an hour to drive to the motel. When they finally got to the parking lot, Jaida’s stomach had tightened with nerves. She saw Trey’s observant gaze go to the sign out front; his face registered no emotion when he took in the flickering neon sign with the burned out V . She got out of the car and trailed