Succubus Ascendant: An Urban Fantasy (The Telepathic Clans Saga Book 4) by BR Kingsolver Page B

located. You may not be able to see where you’re going, but you’ll be able to tell if the van turns right or left. Just tell me that, and I’ll be able to track you.*
    Rebecca looked at the GPS map on the tablet in her lap, and marked Irina’s location with a stylus. She told her driver, “Head for this location, and I’ll give you directions from there. We’ll have to play it by ear and hope we stay close.”
    ~~~
    They drove for twenty minutes, making a lot of turns, and the leader held his pistol to Irina’s head the whole time. When they stopped, another man tied a blindfold over her eyes and she was hustled out of the van. She could tell when they took her inside a building.
    * We’ve stopped,* she sent to Rebecca.
    *We’re still in range,* Rebecca sent. * We’re going to drive around and try to triangulate your exact position. Let me know if I start to fade out.*
    “Take off your shirt,” a man’s voice said.
    “Pervert,” Irina told him. “Men are all alike. You want to see my boobs? Fine.” She unbuttoned her shirt and took it off.
    The barrel of a pistol pressed against her temple.
    “Be very still,” the voice said, “and raise your hands straight up.”
    She did as she was told, and a cold, round rod was pressed against her spine. Someone wrapped wide tape several times around her torso and the rod. Then the blindfold was taken off.
    “You can put your shirt back on,” the rebel leader said. He still held the pistol.
    Another man stepped into her line of vision. He held up a small plastic box.

“Do you see the button I’m holding with my thumb?” he asked her.
    Irina nodded.
    “This is a dead-man’s switch. It’s wired to set off the detonator on the stick of dynamite we just taped to you. Anything happens to me, and you’ll die a very messy death. Do you understand me, lass?”
    Numbly, Irina nodded.
    “I’m truly sorry to have to do this,” the leader said, “but you have to understand I can’t have a Druid here without some means to control her. I don’t want to hurt you, and if you’re a good girl, we’ll eventually set you free. The detonator has a range of about 75 feet. If you get farther than that from Walter, it will be the same as if he took his thumb off the switch.”
    “So, I don’t have to go to the loo with him?” she asked.
    “No, and he doesn’t have to go with you,” the leader chuckled. “Would you like something to eat or drink?”
    “Yes, that would be nice. Thank you.”
    To her surprise, they led her out of the room and through a large, rambling house to the kitchen.
    She was finishing her sandwich when Rebecca contacted her again.
    * I’m pretty sure I know where you are. We drove by a large house with all the curtains drawn and saw a white van parked in the driveway. What can you tell us about the inside?*
    Irina told her about the dynamite and went on to describe what she had seen inside the house. * I’ve seen a couple of dozen men, and I can hear people moving around upstairs. I’ve also seen several laptop computers, and everyone seems to have a cell phone. As far as I can tell, they’re communicating with people outside.*
    *You mean using the cell phones?* Rebecca asked.
    *The phones, but I also saw someone talking to a computer screen. And they’re also getting and sending emails.*
    *You said they’re using laptops? What are they hooked to?*
    *A wireless network, I guess. None of the ones I’ve seen has a cable.*
    *Hold on,* Rebecca sent and went quiet.
    The rebel leader came into the dining room and sat down across from Irina.
    “I need to ask you some questions, lass.”
    “My name’s Irina. And yours?”
    “Brian. What were you doing out there? You can’t tell me that Lady O’Donnell is sending wee lassies such as you out on patrol.”
    “I’m an electrokinetic,” she started out.
    He barked out a laugh. “You’re a damned bit more than that. Batting your eyes at me with the face of an angel and the body ...,” he