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“Do you really want a lesson in metaphysics right now?”
“Can’t breathe.” Jasper’s teeth were chattering now.“What are you doing to me?”
“Helping you to get some very deep sleep,” Luke said. He injected a little more power into the words.
Jasper stared at him, shocked. “You haven’t had access to the boosters. You should bedead.”
“Evidently there’s a lot to learn about the effects of the serum,” Luke said, putting a little more energy into the words.
Jasper yelped and doubled over, as if in gut-wrenching pain. When he straightened he had a military-grade knife in his hand.
“Old habits and all that,” he grunted.
He lunged forward, sending out yet another chaotic burst of heavy energy, laying down paranormal cover fire until he was close enough to use the blade.
Luke pulled hard on his talent, locked onto the wavelengths that emanated directly from Jasper’s psychic core, and sent one last blast of ice. He knew he had struck home because the shock of the recoil nearly shattered his own senses. The act of psychic destruction came at a price.
Jasper stumbled, lurched forward a couple more steps, and then went down hard on his knees. Stunned, he released the knife to clutch at his chest again. He stared up at Luke.
“You’re the failure,” he said, his voice hoarse.
“I know,” Luke said, “and I’m okay with that.”
“Fucking failure,” Jasper whispered.
He shuddered, closed his eyes, and collapsed.
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
Talia threw herselfagainst the heavy glass door of the elevator lobby and rushed out into the parking garage. Her heart was pounding with a mix of relief and dread. She released her grip on Luke’s pistol, which was tucked out of sight inside her open shoulder bag. He had given her the weapon in the event that things went badly and told her to use it without hesitation if necessary. She had her phone in her other hand. Luke’s phone had been on throughout the confrontation, allowing her to listen in.
“Did it work?” she asked. She stopped a few feet away from the unconscious man. “Were you able to permanently neutralize his talent?”
“I think so,” Luke said. He took out his phone.
“Youthinkso? Aren’t you sure?”
Luke punched in 911 and then glanced at Jasper Draper. “It’s not like I’ve had a lot of experience destroying someone’s psychic senses. But I don’t think he will be able to commit any more murders with his talent. Something... flatlined. I can’t explain it, but I’m pretty sure of it because the recoil almost flatlined me.”
Panic arced through her. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know. I’m not even sure what the definition ofokayis right now. I’ll worry about it later. Right now we’re dealing with a professional killer who just tried to murder me with a knife.” Luke glanced up at the surveillance cameras. “And it’s all on video. The police should be able to work with that.”
•••
The story wasa minor one as far as the Seattle media was concerned. It appeared briefly online and vanished almost immediately, crushed under a pile of more spectacular crime reports.
Suspect Collapses During Attempted Armed Assault in Parking Garage
A man tentatively identified as Jasper Draper is believed to have suffered a seizure while allegedly using a knife to attack an individual in a parking garage. Police took Draper into custody and transported him to a hospital for treatment. At last report Draper was listed in serious condition.
In addition to a statement from the victim and a witness, police collected a knife at the scene and will be reviewing security camera video to obtain more evidence...
CHAPTER SIXTY
Jasper Draper staredhard at the ceiling, trying not to look at the ghosts of the people he had killed during the course of his career. The specters of his victims surrounded the hospital bed, each trying to get his attention. Somehow he knew that to acknowledge any of them would be disastrous.
He had awakened a couple of hours ago to the realization that something was wrong. The first thing he had discovered was that he was in restraints, bound to the hospital bed. When the door opened to admit a nurse he caught a glimpse of the police officer stationed outside the room.
