Without warning the little lightning strikes were back, pulses of energy beating at the edges of his mind. Fiery flicks, faint jabs, that same precise sequence, over and over and then gone again. Rubin knew it was Jonquille. It wasn’t one of the others trying to trip him up. It was definitely her and she was trying to convey something to him.
Did you get that, Diego? That’s Jonquille. She’s afraid they’ll catch her communicating with us.
Yeah, I’m getting that. She’s letting us know to keep it light and very short. No more than that precise time or under. Not words. So, code of some sort.
Rubin took a deep breath, let it out. He was merged with Diego. The two of them held a strong bond. They always had. He was a fairly capable telepath and Diego was immensely strong. He’d been known to build bridges for the entire team, even members who weren’t strong telepaths.
We have to follow her trail now, while it’s fresh, or we’ll lose it, Rubin said.
You’re lying out in the open, Rubin. If I … Diego broke off.
Rubin wasn’t about to argue with him. He was going to at least let Jonquille know they heard her and they would be waiting to take her back. More, they’d figure out that she was sending a code, and once they had a key, they would be able to talk to her. Diego didn’t want to stretch his mind that far when he was trying to cover his brother. Rubin got it, but Jonquille mattered too much to him.
She needed reassurance that she wasn’t going to be left to another madman to be experimented on. He’d made a commitment to her. He meant that commitment. He wasn’t a man who went back on his word. He knew she would have walked through the fires of hell to come after him. He wouldn’t do less for her.
They kept a strong merge and followed that faint trace to Jonquille’s mind. It wasn’t a way to find her location on the mountain; rather, the pathway would direct them to reach straight into only her mind. She hadn’t wanted to take a chance that one of the other squirrel men implanted with some strand of her DNA might overhear them communicate with her. His woman was so brilliant.
I think we’re as close as we’re going to get without giving ourselves away, Rubin. Do whatever you’re planning to do.
Rubin replayed the sequence in his mind. Very, very softly, he repeated the first half of the strikes as gently as possible, sending them directly into Jonquille’s mind, letting her know he heard her. They were there, and they would be waiting for her. He paused after the first half and counted out the rest of the beats deliberately, then repeated the first half a second time. He wanted her to know it was on purpose. He might not have decoded the message yet, but he understood it came from her and he was there.
There was silence for what seemed an eternity. He didn’t realize he was holding his breath. He needed to know she was alive. That she was unhurt. That those men hadn’t touched her. Violated her. She’d been so confident in her ability to protect herself and yet they’d brought her down with a dart, knocking her out and taking her right out from under him and Diego in spite of their enhanced abilities.
There were so many of the elite soldiers. Of the ground crew. What could they possibly want with Jonquille? He was supposed to be so smart and yet he wasn’t even close to that answer. He wanted to call out to her that he was right there, that he wasn’t leaving her alone. She had to feel so alone, just as she’d been for so many years. In isolation. Abandoned.
The fiery flicks touched the outer edges of his mind gently, and this time there was a hint of a feminine touch. Just the barest hint. Relief swept through him. Triumph. He took a terrible chance and pressed his fingers to the corners of his eyes tight to relieve the pressure that had built up. Communication was possible in ways the squirrel men might never suspect.
Abruptly, Diego pulled back, breaking the bridge. You’re lying out there totally exposed, Rubin. If the enemy has eyes on that slope, you just moved.
Yeah. I get that. She’s alive. Rubin didn’t care that Diego was royally angry with him—and his brother was. As a rule—as in never—Rubin didn’t make mistakes when he was out in the field surrounded by enemies. He hadn’t realized just how much he needed to have affirmation that Jonquille was on the other end of those little lightning strikes in his mind.
I get that too, but you dying isn’t going to get her back.