'Mindbender' the compilation will be released on Amazon on February 28th. It comprises all three books, and has a brand new, gorgeous cover. Here it is:
For those who don't know what 'Mindbender' is about, here's a blurb:
They call him MB1. The mindbender. Jason Asbury has the ability to turn people into his puppets with the power of his mind. He is NSA’s most treasured asset, until he escapes a top secret facility at age fourteen. Twelve years later, he has achieved everything a man could want, except for lasting love. But Jason’s past comes to haunt him, as a mystery man employs serial burglar Ally Brown to steal his personal diaries. The theft was an easy job for Ally, or it should have been. She now finds herself caught between the man she stole from and the one who hired her. But which one turns out to be the most dangerous to her?
And an excerpt as well. Enjoy :)
Friday,
October 13th, 2000
NSA,
PR12 facility, somewhere near Clearwater River, Idaho
The
moon was flat and pale, forever scarred by the old, ugly rabbit that kept
gawking down at the earthly lethargy with its dull, eerie stare. He did it
every time the moon’s face was round and at its fullest. And it sure happened
this time.
Brian
Splice peeled his gaze from the sky and cursed bitterly. He should have started
his first day on the job Monday, nice and clean, if it wasn’t for a bunch of
superstitious imbeciles who had called in sick, all because of the full moon.
And because it was Friday the 13th. A total lunar eclipse night too.
He walked out of the booth with lazy steps and rubbed his hands together, at
times blowing in between his fingers to bring some warmth to the hollow of his
palms. It was unusually cold for mid-October.
The
silver curtains of moonlight stretched past the wired fence to the edge of the
woods. Then darkness conquered light, opening an endless, hungry mouth as dark
as the blackest soul. He shivered. God only knew what happened at night beyond
the border of the forest. No, not God. That looked nothing like His territory.
Jesus. What am I thinking? Brian
mused with irritation. All this ‘full moon, Friday the 13th’
business was messing with his head, that’s what it was. There was nothing wrong
with the forest, or with starting a new job today. He had made damn sure he’d
be transferred to the most boring, uneventful place a soldier could go;
guarding a top secret NSA facility where nothing ever happened. The buildings
were nestled right in the middle of an unbreakable stronghold, about a mile
away from the forest, and separated by another three rows of barbed-wired
barricades from the outer fence. Unreachable.
The
moonlight grew fainter and the Earth’s shadow began to bite at the moon’s round
face. A hungry rat nibbling at a stale slice of cheese.
Brian
looked up again. It’s happening.
How
creepy to see the moon’s trail become so narrow and dim. But even so, it stayed
visible and red. As if bleeding inwardly with its own strangely colored blood.
A curse following an erratic pattern of its own. Another few minutes and it
will be gone.
Yes, it will be gone, he
reassured himself.
The
strident howling of the sirens made him flinch. He took a few unsteady steps
toward the wired barricades and tripped on a rock. The lights turned on all at
once and the buildings came to life in the distance, lighting up like a
carousel at a carnival. Definitely not a drill. Cold terror swept through him
from head to toe. He slid the belt of his rifle off his shoulder and turned the
weapon forward hastily, clasping it hard with both hands until his knuckles
turned white.
I’m safe. I’m safe. It’s all happening
in the buildings, he chanted silently as he whirled on his heels, completing
a full circle. Nothing in sight. I’m
safe. I’m safe. It’s all happening in the buildings.
A
scratching noise behind the booth made him jump.
“Who’s
there?” he croaked, his finger shaking on the trigger. Take a deep breath, Brian. Deep breath. You’re a soldier, not a sissy.
Too bad
it had been his father’s idea to send him to the army for the sake of his own
political image. The overly polished senator risked to lose some of his shine
if his son failed his patriotic duty or was demoted for unsatisfactory service.
“Who’s
there?” Brian repeated a little more forcefully.
A
little silhouette slipped out of the dark and inched its way toward him in silence.
Panic
rose to Brian’s temples in pulsing storms. He extended his arms, clenching his
weapon and engaged the trigger.
“Hold
it right there,” he yelled. “Hold it or I will shoot you. Hands up.”
Two
small hands rose in the air unhurriedly and stayed there, not far above a head
covered by a fleece of tousled hair. Very light brown or very dark blond, Brian
couldn’t quite decide.
The
moonlight was slowly coming back. The soldier stretched his neck and squinted,
trying to make out the features of the young boy standing in front of him, only
a couple of yards away, staring with mild curiosity. Definitely not fear.
A child. Jesus Christ. Brian
looked bewildered.
He
grabbed his radio from his belt and pressed a button. “This is Private Splice,
calling from Gate 14. I have a suspect in custody. Awaiting orders. Over.”
The
radio came back to life in an instant. “Splice. This is Captain Huntley. Listen
carefully to me. Do not shoot the suspect. I repeat. Do not shoot the suspect
under any circumstances. And make sure you don’t touch him. Stay away from him.
This is very important. Stay away from the suspect. Do you copy, Splice?”
“Affirmative,
sir,” Brian shouted his compliance.
“We’ll
be there in a couple of minutes. Over and out,” Captain Huntley announced. Then
the radio went dead.
Silence
lingered for a moment, only interrupted every now and then by the soft tapping
of Brian’s nail as it trembled on the side of the trigger. His gaze scrutinized
the boy’s face. It was calm and unreadable.
“What’s
your name?” the boy asked, slowly dropping his hands.
A new
wave of panic shook Brian from head to toe. “Hands up,” he yelled.
“Nah.”
The boy crinkled his nose. “I’m tired. Besides, I’m not gonna wait for them.”
He took a few small steps backward.
“Hands
up or I’m going to…” Brian started shaking his rifle menacingly.
“You’re
going to do what?” The boy raised his palms in the air questioningly. “Hit me
in the head? Bash me? Knock me out? Cuz’ you sure can’t shoot me, I heard the
guy.”
He
began a leisurely walk around Brian, keeping a safe distance, his eyes scanning
the soldier up and down with amused interest.
“Okay,”
he said suddenly. “I’m going. See you later.”
He
turned around and took off with lively steps.
Brian
stared at him open-mouthed. “Hey. Hold it right there. Don’t move,” he
exclaimed once he came back to his senses.
The boy
ignored him and kept going, as if Brian were just a rotten stump.
Rage
and disbelief mixed in Brian’s mind, only to make room for his sense of duty.
Any second now the captain would arrive; he had to stop that child.
“Hey,
kiddo, I told you not to move.”
He
caught up with the boy in a few brisk steps, stuck the tip of his rifle right
behind his ear and engaged the trigger once more.
“Just
stop, for God’s sake,” he huffed.
“Are
you going to shoot me?” the boy asked without turning his head.
Jesus! How long before the team would
arrive?
One mile to drive from the buildings over bare land was not much, but there
were the three wired barricades to go through, each with their own
sophisticated locking systems, even more complicated now at times of red alert.
“I’m
not going to shoot you, but don’t make me hurt you, kid, because I will if I
have to,” Brian warned him through clenched teeth.
The boy
shot a side glance at him and suddenly turned around, starting back toward the
gate.
“What
are you doing?” Brian asked disconcerted.
“Going
out,” the boy said. “I just realized the exit is back there.”
Raw
fury began to throb through Brian’s temples. He wasn’t going to play games with
this kid anymore.
“That’s
it,” he said and landed a heavy hand on the boy’s shoulder. “You stop right now
or…” His gaze met that of the kid’s for a moment. He stared into eyes that
looked like liquid silver in the moonlight. Mercury silver.
“Okay,”
the boy said. “I stopped. What’s your name?”
“Brian…”
The boy
nodded slowly. “Good. I need your help, Brian. Are you going to help me?” He
kept staring in the soldier’s eyes, watching as they glazed over.
“Yes,
sure,” Brian answered. ‘What can I do for you?”
“For
starters, you could open that gate for me.” The boy pointed toward the fence.
“You can also let go of me now, okay?”
“Oh, of
course.” Brian nodded.
He
dropped his hand off the kid’s shoulder and walked back to the booth. A moment
later there was a heavy magnetic click.
“Here we
are.” He poked his head out. “Just pull the handle, and you’re all set to go.”
Two
cars were fast approaching from the nearest barricade. The beams of their
headlights wobbled up and down as their wheels bumped over the bare land.
“Thanks.”
The boy winked at him. “Gotta go.”
He
pushed the gate open just enough to slide his slim body out.
“Do you
need something to warm you up? It’s cold out there,” Brian called after him.
The boy
hesitated for a moment. “Yeah, that would be good, thanks.” He waited in silence
for Brian to bring him his tunic, keeping a wary eye on the approaching cars.
“Take
care of yourself, kiddo.” Brian waved, smiling foolishly.
He was
already talking to the darkness. The forest had claimed its prize. The kid
wasn’t there anymore.
“Splice.”
The captain’s voice boomed from behind, making him flinch. “Where’s the boy?”
The
Private turned around in surprise, taking in the massive man who jumped out of
the first car before it stopped.
“He
just left, sir,” he answered.
Captain
Huntley came to an abrupt halt in front of him and stared open-mouthed.
“What
did you just say?” he almost whispered.
“He
just left, sir,” Brian repeated, looking at his superior a little disconcerted.
“Did
you open the gate for him, Splice?” Captain Huntley asked.
He suddenly
grabbed Brian’s chin and turned his face toward the moonlight to look into his
eyes. Bright and clear.
“Yes,
sir, I did. He asked me to,” Brian squeezed the words out of the captain’s
grip.
“Which
way did he go?” Huntley continued his interrogation, his gaze still drilling
into Brian’s.
The
soldier jerked his head toward the woods. “The forest, sir.”
“God
dammit,” Huntley spat. He let go of the Private’s chin and stormed away.
“Carter. Carrasco. Send all teams to search every inch of the woods with
sniffer dogs. Get helicopters. Reinforcements. This is a code red situation.
Search the river downstream. And don’t come back until you find MB1, do you
hear me?” he rapid-fired the order.
“Yes,
sir,” the men chorused their compliance.
He
turned his back on them and squeezed out a tortured sigh just as his cell phone
rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the number displayed on the
screen.
“Good
evening, sir,” he replied with a resigned tone. “We have a situation here.”
“What’s
the situation, Huntley?” A sour voice sounded at the other end of the line.
He
paused for a moment to swallow hard before answering. “We have an escapee, sir.
Our mindbender.”
“Jesus
Christ. How did that happen?”
Captain
Huntley ran a hand over his day’s worth of stubble. “I don’t know the details
just yet, sir, an investigation is underway as we speak. All I can tell you is
that he touched a guard from the outer fence, and the guard let him out after
that.”
“Are
you telling me it took you that long to find out he had escaped the building,
Huntley?” The voice broke out angrily.
“No,
sir, we arrived at the scene in two minutes tops after the guard told us he had
MB1 in custody,” Huntley replied.
“But
the scientists said the boy needed at least ten minutes to link. Are you now
telling me he linked in less than two minutes?”
“So it
seems, sir.” In fact, it must have taken
a lot less than two minutes, Huntley thought.
“Is
there a chance that the full moon may have heightened his senses?” The voice
pressed.
Huntley
looked up for a moment. There it was, pale, scarred and eerie. “That I wouldn’t
know, sir. I’m a captain, not a scientist. But I can reassure you that we are
doing all we can to get him back. He won’t get very far, he’s only fourteen.”
The
voice exploded in his ear like a firecracker. “He’s only fourteen and he was
able to break out of a high security facility. What sort of guards do you have
if your mindbender can link with them in less than two minutes? Don’t you put
them through a psychological test before you station them?”
Huntley
stuttered. “Y-yes, we do, sir. But maybe you’re right. Maybe his senses are
heightened by the full moon.”
“Can he
read minds too?”
“I
think he can, sir, but I doubt he can do it from a distance, if that’s what you
mean,” Huntley said. “I don’t think he’ll be able to figure out our strategy.
And he’ll most probably try to go downstream. Upstream would be suicide. We’ll
get him, don’t you worry.”
“You
better, Huntley, or I’ll have your skin.”
And
with that he hung up.
“No you
won’t, dammit.” Huntley clenched his cell phone in his hand with rage.
The
darkness of the forest was for once conquered by light. Dozens of flashlights
were sparkling in its blanket like dazzling diamonds. Powerful helicopter beams
shot down from the sky, dancing their way through the untouched wilderness.
Deflowering it.
“Do you
think he’ll be all right, sir?” Brian Splice’s voice made Huntley turn around.
Huntley
stared at him as if he were insane.
“The
boy, I mean,” Brian persisted. “It’s cold out there. But I gave him my tunic.
Not much of a loss for me. I hope it’s warm enough for him.”
Huntley
kept quiet for a moment then nodded slowly. “You know what, Splice? You’re
right; your tunic is not much of a loss. It’s just that you gave away your
insignia with it, you idiot.” And he walked away without another word.
