Page 31 of Finish Line

“Hello, I’m Nick, my sister Hannah, and this is my girlfriend, Cin. This is Luke, and the blonde is Cam.” Nick points to each of us as he introduces everyone.

“The other two are inside,” Frank says.

“Before I arrived, Frank filled me in on most of what happened. I’ve been able to go over the music and some words, but do any of you have more to add?” Louis asks us all.

Luke and Hannah wince at the mention of it. They both step a little away, so it’s harder for them to hear, but they still stay close enough to talk and listen if need be.

“Yes, I made a list of the words I heard on each person’s iPod.” Nick pulls a stack of papers out of his backpack. “The top paper shows the words said at the Black and White Ball. Each person’s iPod has a separate list.”

Mr. Scott takes the items from Nick. “You’re one organized person, aren’t you?”

“You have no idea.” Cin rolls her eyes, chuckling, causing Nick to blush.

“So, Luke, Dom, and Mav are the ones that need to be deprogrammed?” Louis asks.

“I think he also hypnotized my sister, but I’m not sure how, since she doesn’t have an iPod,” Nick pipes up.

“All right, I can work with this.” Louis looks over the papers.

“Let me show you to the boys’ living room. Then I’ll fetch them. Unlike Luke and Hannah, they don’t believe they’re hypnotized. But they were under the influence of the hypnosis trigger for a longer, more constant period. We only recently figured out how it was happening to them.” Frank leads us to the living room.

Cin and Nick sit on the stools at the counter. Hannah and Luke take seats on opposite ends of one couch. I stand near the living room entrance.

Frank disappears into Mav’s room first.

A low conversation can be heard before Mav slinks out.

Frank crosses the living room, going into Dom’s room next.

Mav’s eyes scan who is in the room, and when he comes to me, his whole face lights up, and he jogs toward me. “Cam!”

I can’t help but smile at the goofball. When he gets closer, I open my arms, and he crashes into them.

I must have let out a groan, because he backs away quickly. “What’s wrong?” His eyes are scanning my face to see if I show any pain. “Did you wreck your bike riding with your dad again?”

I cup his face in my palm. “No, I’ll tell you in a minute. But for now, give me a kiss.”

His head dips toward mine, and I close my eyes. I’ve missed him so damn much. Our lips touch, and I almost feel complete again. He pulls me closer, the tightness of his embrace showing just how much he missed me.

We both get lost in the kiss until someone clears their throat, and we reluctantly separate.

“Have a seat, Mr. Knight.” Louis gestures to the couch where Luke and Hannah sit.

Mav sits down on the cushion closest to Hannah. “Sure, what’s going on?”

The conversation in Dom’s room isn’t as quiet as what happened in Mav’s. Frank comes out, followed by Dom, who scowls.

Frank points to the couch cushion between Mav and Luke. “Sit down.”

Louis steps in front of the couch where his four subjects sit. “My name is Louis Scott. Frank told me what has been going on with you, and I’ll help.”

“How do we know you won’t screw us up more?” Luke asks hesitantly.

“I understand you would have difficulty trusting people who can do what I can,” he acknowledges. “I can tell you I don’t get my jollies by hurting people.”

“I’ve been researching this since I found out what happened to you. When I heard about Mr. Scott, I did a deep dive, and he’s legit,” Frank adds.

“I’m not hypnotized,” Dom states with conviction.

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