Free Power Trip: Double Helix, Book 1 by Miranda Baker Page B

Welfare—”
    “That’s not what this is about!”
    “Yes it is, and if you can the attitude for five seconds I’ll tell you why.”
    She closed her eyes. It took effort to master the urge to hit him again. When she opened her eyes, his expression had softened. “I whammied Charlotte,” he said.
    Audrey gasped. Their foster mother was going to freak.
    “Only a little. She didn’t know I was doing it.”
    “Why?”
    “I wanted to know more about our father.”
    She did too. “What did you find out?”
    He shook his head. “Nothing. So I went to see Mom this morning.”
    Audrey felt sick. “Oh, Jake, you know how upset she gets when she sees us.”
    “She didn’t recognize me, Aud.” The sorrow in his eyes punched a hole in her heart. “And she doesn’t remember anything about our father.” Of course not—Alzheimer’s had stripped her brain, year by year, starting when Audrey was two and Jake was five. Even then she had been unwilling to talk about the man who had fathered her children, then disappeared into thin air. “Here, I stole her chart for you.”
    “Jake!”
    He shrugged. “It’s a copy.”
    She opened to the first page, shaking her head, not wanting to know how many hospital employees he’d had to whammy to waltz into the nurses’ station and copy a chart that spanned twenty-five years. But she knew Jake wouldn’t have swiped it without a reason. “Aluminum?” she asked, with dawning horror.
    “And lots of it,” Jake said.
    “I’ve been researching the effects of dietary aluminum on mice.”
    “I know. It’s connected, Audrey. Our father, your research, the attack last night. You need to back off at work, forget about finding our father and stay out of the way until I figure out what’s going on.”
    Her laugh was harsh. “Fuck that. Why should I listen to you? You’ve been lying to me for—” Rage boiled through her again, but she kept her voice calm, reasonable, friendly even, as she asked, “Exactly how long have you known about my talent, Jake?”
    A muscle jumped in his jaw. “Since you saw me and Abby Jones making out in my room. I tried to hypnotize you, but you told Charlotte anyway.”
    His betrayal knocked the breath out of her again. Almost twenty years? “Why didn’t you tell me?”
    “Because I love you, and I wanted to keep you safe. I know things, Aud, things that would make you sick, things that could get you killed. You have to trust me. Neutral is a tricky kind of power. The less you know, the better it works. Isn’t it enough to know you’re talented?”
    “No,” she retorted. “It’s not enough.” Not enough to make up for Jake lying to her for all these years. Not enough to erase the sense of inadequacy she had suffered since she was old enough to realize that he was special and she was not. Not even close.
    “I’m sorry, Audrey.” Even though she knew him better than anyone, she couldn’t interpret the emotion on his face. It couldn’t be fear. Her badass brother didn’t have the sense to be afraid of anything, especially things he should be afraid of.
    Jake crossed his arms. “Anything else strange happen lately?”
    Other than incandescent electric-blue sex? “I lost my lab ID and my laptop is missing,” she said slowly, filtering her thoughts. Even if it wasn’t any of his damn business, her logical mind wouldn’t allow her to ignore his question when the last twenty-four hours had been so bizarre. “My research animals croaked, the security guard wanted a blood sample, and I think my boss was hitting on me. All in all, it was a weird fucking day.” After a weird fucking night.
    “It’s about to get weirder if our father actually does walk in the door.” He glanced at his cell phone, so she looked at hers. It was almost one. “Look, we don’t have much time. I really am sorry, Audrey. I just want to keep you safe. You’re all I’ve got.” He removed his glasses, showing dark eyes full of guilt.
    She stared at him,