Free TangleRoot (Star Sojourner Book 6) by Jean Kilczer

tanks. Here, the men would wait for me to announce that my tel abilities had returned and I was ready to fly them to the trade lanes.
    Fat chance.
    But there was no chance, I knew, of influencing four minds at once with an intrusive probe that would force them all to do my bidding, especially Al, who was a sensitive. I had trained myself to influence one person, sometimes two, but never four. I had stretched my powers to the point of achieving distant probes, seeing visuals of surroundings through the minds of others, and the death blow that burned through the brainstem.
    I sat on one of the two cots, closed my eyes, and leaned back against the hypalon-inflated wall. How much time did my team have before their stingler batteries gave out?
    The room was stuffy and crowded with six of us. Vito was onboard the hovair, preparing supper in the sous chef. Al said something to Zack and nodded toward me.
    Zack dug into his coat as he approached me. I heard a chain rattle. Oh no! If he handcuffed me to the cot, we'd never get away.
    I stood up quickly. “It's too hot in here,” I mumbled, and moved lethargically toward the door, acting as though I couldn't zippered my jacket. “I need some fresh air.”
    Zack moved faster than I thought he could, and gripped my arm. “You gotta go to the bathroom?”
    “What? No, I'm too hot. That's all.” I tried to pull away. He clamped down harder. “Al,” I said, as Zack pulled me to the cot and forced me to sit, “he's scaring me!”
    “Just do what he says,” Paulie said from the small table where he was playing solitaire on his comlink. Gabby and Dave sat close together on the other cot.
    Son of a crotefucking bottom slimesucking piece of shit!
I thought and bit my lip as Zack pulled out his handcuffs. “Right-handed, right?” He clamped the handcuff around my left wrist, brought the chain through the cot's bottom stand, and clamped on the footcuff without waiting for an answer. “See?” He pointed to his head. “I remember.”
    “Why are you doing this?” I asked him. “Where would I go?”
    He shrugged and flipped Al the key. “Talk to the
capo
.”
    Al just stared at me with those black eyes and slipped the key inside his vest pocket.
    Vito came in with a large bag slung over his shoulder and brushed snow from his hair. “Man, it's getting cold out there. Snowing again. Brrrr.” He stamped his feet and dumped food packets onto the table. “Brown is yer meat.” He pointed to a packet. “Green is yer vegies. Tan is yer carbs, and red is yer dessert.” He placed four packets in front of Al, who sat down. “Here ya go, boss.”
    The men gathered at the table, but Gabby and Dave remained on the cot. I knew how they felt. My stomach was too upset to eat. I was afraid to project a visual to the cave with Al so close to me. He might pick up the send, realize my tel powers were intact, and I'd be talking with some very high notes.
    After they ate, Al motioned for Gabby and Dave to get off the cot. They got up quickly and sat on the floor in a corner. Al stretched out on the cot. Zack approached me, yawned and scratched his crotch. He grinned when I got off the cot and sat on the floor. “Have a nice dreams,” he said and shook the chain. He laid down with part of his bulk hanging off the sagging edge.
    The room was lit only by dim glowballs along the ceiling. I leaned back against the wall and slept for a while. I jumped and suddenly awoke from a nightmare. The window was black. Snowflakes slithered down the glass and piled up in miniature hills at the bottom. Gabby, who was no sensitive, was projecting a thought.
Jules. I think I can get the key. Do you hear me?
    Al couldn't catch just a normal thought.
    I turned my head in her direction and nodded.
    If we can sneak out
, she continued,
and get to the hovair…
    I nodded again.
    Al and Vito wore the two stinglers they'd taken from Gabby and Dave tucked inside shoulder holsters. I stayed very still, not wanting to rattle