Page 106 of Peace Under Fire

Which made no sense. She wasn’t the psychic one. Nor had she had any dreams indicating he was in danger. Heck, she’d had no dreams over the past week at all. None of Jacob. None of Giulia. Nothing.

So, what was she picking up on?

Alaska pushed her chair back and rose to her feet. “Let’s walk down to the barn. That always cheers you up. And Melba would love the visit.”

She was right about that. They’d been spending a lot of time with the animals and Melba always siphoned off some of the edginess. It was hard to stay tense beneath the cow’s brash demand for scratches.

She’d just gained her feet and pushed away from the table when a voice slammed into her mind.

Go. Now. They’re coming for you.

Mandy gasped, her hands flying up to cradle her head. Although female, that harsh, demanding voice had not belonged to Giulia or any of her other sisters. The woman’s voice was not familiar at all.

“I imagined it.” Her voice was small and shaky as it hit the air. “That didn’t really happen. Nope. Didn’t happen.”

A strange woman was not speaking directly into her mind. No way. That was too weird even for her.

“Mandy?” Alaska sounded really worried now. “What’s wrong?”

Run, you imbecile! Do you want to be recaptured? They’re coming for you.

This time the woman’s voice was much more caustic, and a lot louder. More like a shout. Mandy groaned, flinching. And she knew, without a doubt, that she hadn’t imagined it.

“Brick!” Alaska screamed. “Something’s wrong with Mandy”

Mandy straightened.

I’m going.

She thought the words instead of saying them. Would this stranger hear them? Did she have a direct connection to Mandy’s mind?

Good. Hurry. They come with nightfall.

Apparently, this woman could receive as well as transmit. Who the hell were ‘they’? If the person inside her head heard the question, they chose to ignore it.

Mandy spun to glance out the window as Brick came charging into the kitchen. Dusk was already darkening the sky. Nightfall was coming.

“What’s wrong?” Brick asked, stopping in front of her. He planted his hands on her shoulders, steadying her as she stumbled.

Mandy shot a nervous look at Alaska. There wasn’t time to hide this information. Which meant this news was going to be interesting, or painful, depending on how well her new friend reacted to the messed-up shit that swirled around Mandy’s life.

“Someone sent me a warning. To run,” Mandy’s said in a high, tight voice.

“They did?” Alaska frowned. “You don’t even have a phone. And you weren’t on the laptop. How did they warn you?”

Yeah, about that…

Mandy coughed and looked pointedly at Brick.

Brick immediately picked up on what Mandy was hinting at.

“Giulia?” he asked.

“No. This is someone new. I didn’t recognize her voice.”

“What did she say?” Brick’s voice picked up speed, like he’d realized the urgency of the situation.

“That I need to run. And to hurry, because they are coming at nightfall.” She snuck a peek at Alaska, afraid of what she might see on the other woman’s face. Had she figured out yet that the warning had come directly into Mandy’s mind? But Alaska’s thoughtful eyes were locked on Brick’s face.

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