No Peace for the Damned

can’t hear him at all!”
    What if I’d been gone too long and couldn’t read my family’s minds anymore? I’d never have forewarning if they came after me. Never be safe. Or what if Uncle Max had gotten stronger? Oh God, what if I had gotten
weaker
? I bolted from the car.
    “Magnolia! Stop!”
    Thirteen’s words came from a distance.
    The street moved beneath me in a blur. I was already outside the garage. Lady in blue worried about her children. Man in gray pined for his mistress. The mind of every person I passed came through crystal clear.
    I rounded a corner and masked myself, plowing into the capitol invisible. I recalled the layout from Chang’s blueprints and raced to the stairs. In a second-floor hallway it hit me, slamming me to a halt.
Uncle Max
.
    A wall of power surrounded his thoughts. I couldn’t feel it from the garage, but now that I was closer, the power was there like a fortress.
    Why would he do that? It wasn’t like his enemies could read his thoughts. Only family could do that. And I was dead—or so they thought. Markus and Malcolm weren’t strong enough telepaths. Only Uncle Mallroy and my father could really get in his head. But why would he need to protect himself from his own brothers?
    I inched forward. The power grew hotter as I approached his office. I could see his assistant’s desk from the hallway now.I took a deep breath, steadied myself against the wall, and tried his mind again. He was irritated. Something from an e-mail. I pushed harder at his mind. Finally his barrier wavered. Another push and I would break through.
    I pulled away. My shoulders sagged in a sigh of relief.
Thank God! I was still strong enough
. The air around me thickened. My vision slowly darkened. A light red hue began tinting everything I saw.
What in the hell…?
    Uncle Max shot up from his desk. His heavy footsteps pounded across the floor in my direction.
Holy shit!
    I was back on the street before I had time to think.
    So stupid!
What the hell was I thinking? Going up to Uncle Max’s office—he could have sensed me, realized I was still alive.
    My heart pounded in my chest. I wanted to beat myself for taking such a risk. On the stairs of the parking garage I released my invisible mask. My body shook, I struggled to catch my breath. I climbed the steps to the fourth floor. Thirteen saw me immediately.
    He stood next to the van, his cell phone to his ear. There was no warmth as he stared down at me. He spat some words into his phone, threw it into the van, and waited, hands on hips.
    …
    Thirteen’s anger was expected. He had yelled and I had taken it, all the while understanding the fear behind his words.
    Now that we were back at the farmhouse, however, the others seriously needed to chill out. My stomach already festered at the idea of going back and getting closer to Uncle Max—something I knew I would have to do—and Jon’s shouting only made it worse.
    “You were reckless, Magnolia! You risked exposure—not only for the Network but for yourself!”
    I took a long drink and met Jon’s eyes across the kitchen table. “I need proximity to get past Uncle Max’s barrier and into his mind. I didn’t know that. Now I do.”
    “You were showboating! We work as a team here. You want to change the plan, fine. But you don’t go half-cocked into the middle of the fucking capitol with no backup! Jesus Christ, girl, show some fucking control!”
    Instantly, the room pulsed red. Jon’s body slammed against the wall behind him. The kitchen’s wood-paneled wall buckled in a perfect imprint of his outline. His fingers clawed at his neck. A strangled gurgle escaped his throat.
    Thirteen jumped between us with his arms spread wide, trying to decide who to go to first. Theo didn’t hesitate. His gun was leveled on me before Jon’s chair hit the floor. Shane was quick to race in from the great room but he had to scramble to pull his gun. Heather gasped and her eyes filled with tears.
    My eyes were on Jon. Rage simmered inside me. It took everything I had not to rip his head right off. I took another drink. The room slowly dripped back to its normal color. Thirteen stepped forward, but I held up my hand to stop him. Jon remained pinned in place.
    “Don’t you
dare
talk to me about control,” I hissed through clenched teeth. My voice was so low I almost didn’t recognize it. Jon squirmed against the wall. Everyone stood frozen.
    Then Theo let out his breath. A loud exhale, nothing more. But