Into a Dangerous Mind by Tina Gerow Read Free Book Online

her to try again.   “Okay, talk away.   But this is the last time.   Then I need a break.”   She pierced him with a stern stare to ensure he knew she was serious.

    “Take a deep breath, let it out slowly, and close your eyes.”

    Dutifully, she followed his directions.   As her eyes slid closed, she could now see the small sparkles of energy which comprised her psychic power.   That feat alone had taken her the entire first hour.

    “Good.   Now gather your energy and fashion it into shields.”

    Originally she’d tried to picture the children’s blocks like Zach did, but just couldn’t make them work.   So, she’d switched over to the Star Trek-type force field shields which shimmered and sparked opaque.   Those turned out to be worse than the blocks, so she’d moved on to a large castle-type wall.

    Mentally gathering the psychic elements into a large sparkling ball, she pictured a solid blue-gray stone wall built in a giant sphere around her mind.

    “Good.”   Zach’s mind gently brushed hers.   “Now don’t forget the windows, so you can choose to let information in or out as you decide to.”

    As if triggered by his words, small castle windows appeared at regular intervals inside her wall, square on the bottom and coming to a v point on top.   The adrenaline of triumph began to flow through her, but then the walls wavered and floated away, becoming nothing but small sparkles once more.

    “Damn!”   She opened her eyes, and the pain in her head doubled, throbbing in time with her pounding heart.   “This is really pissing me off!”

    The insistent doorbell saved her from the supportive try again message she knew had to be burning on Zach’s lips.   “Are you expecting anyone?”

    Cassidy shook her head, which did nothing to calm her headache.   “Whoever it is, I hope they have cold beer.”

    “I’ll get it,” he said over his shoulder as he strode toward the door.   “My team would’ve alerted me if it was anyone suspicious, but I’d rather be safe.”

    Cassidy heard the unmistakable sound of her best friend’s whiskey voice at the front door.   “Well, well, well.   Please tell me you’re my birthday present from Cassidy this year, and I’ll die a happy woman.”

    Cassidy bolted for the door to intervene before Zach replied.   She could tell by the expression on her friend’s face, Kathy assumed she’d just barged in on a tryst.

    “Kath!”   Cassidy rushed past Zach to give her friend a big hug.   She pulled Kathy into the room and motioned for Zach to close the door.   “God, I’ve missed you.   How was Chicago ?”

    “Boring, endless rehearsals and no one to gossip with on breaks.”   Kathy set her purse and a brown paper sack down on the couch and trained her sea green gaze on Cassidy.   “So, spill. Who’s the Adonis you have answering your door?”   She gestured toward Zach as if he were a new piece of furniture she liked.

    “Kathy Martin, this is Zach Hatcher.   Zach is my new neighbor.”

    Kathy shook Zach’s hand and held on.   “Sooooo, I can see my best friend already snapped you up.   Do you have any twin brothers?   Cousins?   Unmarried friends who aren’t pigs?”

    Zach chuckled.   “I may have a few friends who might do, but that all depends on your definition of pig.   One woman’s swine is another woman’s stud, from what I’ve heard.”

    Kathy’s easy laughter filled the room like warm flowing wine.   “I like you, Zach.”   She tapped his chest with a French manicured fingernail.   “Just take care of my girl, or I’ll kick your ass.”

    She turned her attention back to Cassidy.   “So, do you have time for a girl catch up session and a couple of pints or do you want me to come back later?”   She smiled meaningfully over her shoulder at Zach.

    Zack answered.   “I’ve got to go and get some things done at my place.   You two have fun.”   He leaned over and gave Cassidy a quick kiss