Page 63 of Trouble Comes in Threes

“Like killin’ me?” the teen asked. His shaking hands belied his bravado.

“I ain’t gonna kill you, kid,” Dermot said with a snort. He paused, and his tone softened. “You remind me of someone, and I wished I’d helped him. Maybe I consider this a do-over.”

Austin’s eyes widened, and Neely Kate snuck a look of surprise at me. I had no idea who he was talking about, but it was obvious he meant it.

“We can protect your sister from Major Asshole too,” Dermot said. “But only if you cooperate.”

I hoped he was bluffing about only helping his sister if the kid cooperated, but looking at Dermot’s dark expression, I wasn’t sure.

Austin reached for the door handle. “I’m out of here.”

Turning toward me with a grim look, Dermot said, “I wonder what will happen to the kid if we don’t help him.”

I knew what he was asking. He wanted me to have a vision, and I had to admit it wasn’t a bad idea.

Turning in my seat, I placed my hand on the boy’s arm and asked, What will happen to Austin when he leaves this car? I plunged into darkness and heard heavy breathing—my heavy breathing—because in the vision, I was Austin. My eyes adjusted, and I realized I was running through trees while someone chased me.

“Give it up, kid,” a man called out behind me. “You’ve got nowhere to go.”

“I didn’t see nothin’!” I said with a sob in Austin’s voice. “I’ll be quiet! I swear!”

“We know you met with the Lady in Black,” the man shouted at me. “We want to know what you told her.”

“I didn’t tell her nothin’!” I shouted, then stumbled over a rut, falling face down. I put my hands out in front of me to break my fall, and a sharp pain shot through my left palm. Panicked, I started crawling, trying to get up on my feet, but something slammed into my back, sending me face down in the dirt.

“Just tell us what we want to know, and you’ll be free to go,” the man growled, his foot firmly planted on my back.

I tried to get up, but he put his weight on his foot, pushing me down hard enough that rocks and sticks jabbed me in the stomach and cheek.

“What did you tell her?” the man growled.

“Nothin’! I thought she’d be more badass, so I didn’t tell her nothin’. I left.”

“We have ways of making you talk, kid, so save yourself the trouble.”

Terror swamped my head. “I told her you shot someone.”

“Did you tell her who we are?”

“I don’t know who you are!” I shouted through my tears.

“Good.” Then there was a loud bang, a sharp pain in my back, and I was plunged into gray mist.

I burst out of the vision, panting as I said, “You don’t know who they are.”

Neely Kate stared into my face with terror in her eyes, while Austin grumbled, “I already told you I didn’t know.”

I turned to Dermot, and he gave me a slight nod. He and Neely Kate didn’t know what I’d seen, but they’d been around for enough of my visions and their aftermath to understand I’d seen something bad.

“Let me see your phone,” Dermot said, reaching his hand out to the kid.

“I ain’t givin’ you my phone,” he snapped.

“Then get out and face those guys on your own,” Dermot said.

Austin turned to me. “I came to you for help! Not him!”

“I already told you I can’t help you, Austin,” I said quietly. There was no way I was bringing him anywhere near my kids after what I’d just seen. “Dermot will protect you, I swear, but I need to know something before you go with him.”

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