Free Double-Cross by Sophie McKenzie Page A

to mind-read so we could find out where he was holding Ketty’s brother hostage?
    Yes. I remembered it well. Ed had actually vomited after that mind-reading session, claiming that Foster had ‘held’ his mind in a way Ed had never experienced before.
    Well, I got the sense that Avery could do what Foster did to me back then. He just chose not to. Ed hesitated. It’s hard to explain, but he has a very ordered mind. It’s not chaotic like most people’s and . . . I can’t be sure because he’s so controlled, but I think there might be stuff he’s hiding . . . er, like . . . er . . . behind mental walls.
    Okay, thanks for the warning.
    Ed broke the connection and I looked up – to find Avery staring at me. He looked away immediately, a strange expression on his face. He fixed his gaze on the lemonade glass I’d been drinking from, seemingly lost in thought.
    A shiver snaked down my back. Whatever anyone said, I wasn’t going to trust Avery Jones without a lot more proof that he truly had our best interests at heart.
    Avery shook himself and looked up.
    ‘I hope, now that Ed has used his amazing gift to see inside my mind, that you will begin to trust me. I only want to help you. I’m offering you the chance to stay here – where Geri Paterson will never find you – while you work out what to do next. I have plenty of money and there’s plenty of space. I ask only that you let me talk to you about your gifts. As a psychologist, I was always convinced that the Medusa gene would work differently in different people. The four of you, with your varying abilities, seem to prove me right.’
    ‘Can we call our parents?’ Ketty asked. ‘I mean, without the phone calls being traced?’
    ‘Of course,’ Avery said. ‘I’ll sort out some safe phones to be secretly delivered to your parents. You can use the secure line here to call them.’
    ‘Wait a minute,’ Dylan said. ‘If Geri didn’t sell you the Medusa gene, how d’you explain Cal? Why is he here? How come he’s able to fly, for Pete’s sake?’
    ‘Ah, yes . . . Cal . . .’ Avery hesitated. ‘I wanted to give you some background first, but . . . well . . . yes, I have a child with the Medusa gene.’
    ‘Cal is your son ?’ Ketty said. She was open-mouthed, clearly completely fascinated.
    ‘I thought so,’ I said, trying to sound knowing. The others looked at me.
    ‘Yeah, we forgot.’ Dylan rolled her eyes. ‘You know everything, Nico.’
    ‘Yes, Cal is my son,’ Avery said lightly. ‘And, before you ask, he’s the only one with the Medusa gene. I’ll tell you the full story later . . . For now I hope you will let me show you to your rooms. Everyone has their own en suite and—’
    ‘Excuse me for butting into the invite to the freakin’ spa weekend,’ Dylan said, looking around at everybody. ‘But we can’t stay. We came here to get evidence against Geri, remember? So we can clear our names of Bookman’s murder and get her sent to jail for what she did to my parents.’ She turned on Avery. ‘You don’t have any proof that she killed my dad, do you?’
    ‘No,’ Avery said. ‘I don’t.’
    There was a short pause.
    ‘We can stay for a bit,’ Ketty said, her tone calm and reasonable. ‘Don’t you think, Ed?’
    Why was she asking him? It struck me that she hadn’t so much as looked in my direction since our earlier argument.
    Ed glanced nervously at Dylan. ‘It makes sense to stay for a day or two,’ he said. ‘I mean, I’m certain Professor Jones doesn’t want to hurt us. And we’re going to need some time to work out what to do next so that we can prove Geri’s a murderer and get back home, so . . .’
    ‘You’re all missing the point,’ I said, standing up. Ed’s words about Avery’s powerful, hidden thoughts suddenly made sense. ‘Avery might not want to hurt us, but he’s definitely planning on using us.’
    Avery gazed up at me, eyebrows raised. There was a steely quality in his expression, but when he