The Golden Couple (The Samantha Project Series, # 2) Read online

  I looked up to see Erik staring at me. Had he been listening in on my thoughts? From his expression, I knew that he’d heard everything.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Decryption

  The bathroom door opened and Colin came out. “Whoever wants to go next, go ahead. I’m done in there.”

  Erik quickly got up. “I’ll go, unless you wanna go, Sam.”

  “Um, no. Go ahead.” I was completed mortified. I couldn’t believe Erik had listened in on my thoughts! And I hadn’t stopped him! I wasn’t very good at blocking him from hearing me. Actually, I was terrible at it. And because of that, now Erik knew that I still had feelings for him. Feelings that were keeping me from moving forward with Colin.

  Once Erik left, Colin came into the living room and sat down next to me.

  “Hey. Can we end this? I don’t like not talking to you.”

  I wrapped my arms around him, giving him a hug. “I don’t like it either. And I don’t know what I was thinking telling you to stay home. I don’t want you to stay behind, Colin. I need you.”

  Colin pulled away and smiled at me. “Of course you do. You always have. You just need to be reminded every now and then.”

  I hugged him again. “Then the decision’s made. You’re coming with us.”

  “So what’s on the agenda for today?”

  “Like Jack said, I need to practice my abilities more. Erik didn’t have much time to teach me stuff back in Texas.”

  Colin sat back and looked at me. “I know that you and Erik just met, but you guys seem really close.”

  I didn’t respond. I wasn’t sure what he meant. I felt like he was testing me but I was not at all prepared.

  “Erik really cares about you, Sam. You know that, right?” He waited for my reaction.

  “Um, no. I don’t think that’s true. I mean, he just met me.” I tried to act natural but I could feel my heart beating faster. I didn’t know where this was coming from. It’s not like I’d been flirting with Erik in front of Colin.

  “Yeah, well, I know guys and I can tell that Erik has feelings for you.” Colin paused. “So I confronted him on it.”

  “You did what? When was this?”

  “Last night. I told Erik to back off. Leave you alone.”

  “And what did he say?”

  “Well, it wasn’t what I was expecting. He told me that he doesn’t think of you that way. He said you’re like a little sister to him.”

  I wondered if Erik really did see me that way. After all, he’d been paying more attention to Brittany the past few days. And he’d been giving me advice about Colin. Maybe he’d moved on and thought of me differently now, in which case, his hearing my thoughts was even more embarrassing.

  “He said I was like his little sister?”

  “Yeah, which is good, right? Because when I’m not around, you’ll have him watching out for you. We actually talked a lot last night. He seems like a good guy.”

  “Sure. He’s great,” I said half-heartedly. “Like the brother I never had.”

  After about 10 minutes, Erik appeared in the hallway. “Sam, you’re next.” I quickly tried to make my mind blank in case Erik was listening in again.

  After I got ready, I met everyone outside on the back porch. Erik was already giving directions to Colin and Brittany.

  “I need to work with Sam on her abilities. Maybe you two can work on those scenario plans my dad talked about.”

  “That is so dumb,” Brittany whined. “Plans never work. You have to react in the moment. That’s always worked for me.”

  “Come on, Brittany,” Colin said, “let’s try to come up with some ideas. At least it’s something to do.” Colin had always been good at persuading people. Maybe it was his good looks or his easygoing nature. Whatever it was, he was a natural-born leader.

  Brittany got up. “All right. But let’s go inside. There’s too many bugs out here.”

  “What do you want to start with?” Erik asked once Colin and Brittany were gone.

  “Telepathy. I need to know how to block someone from reading my thoughts.” I figured Erik would know why I was asking to practice this skill, but I didn’t care. “You showed me once, but I can’t do it. I need to practice.”

  “Sam, that’s not a survival skill. I’m the only one who can read your thoughts. And I’m not a threat. Why don’t we focus on something more useful, like being able to use your abilities when you’re distracted or stressed?”

  “Later. I really need to learn this mind-blocking thing.”

  “But, Sam, it’s a waste of—”

  “Erik, just teach me.”

  “Fine. But we’re not spending more than an hour on it.”

  Erik went over thought-blocking again, just as we’d done back in Texas. I practiced it over and over. But no matter how much I tried, he could still hear my thoughts.

  I sighed, frustrated. “Maybe it’s you. You’re listening too hard.”

  Erik laughed. “There’s no such thing as listening too hard. I wasn’t even trying to listen and I could still hear your thoughts. I have to consciously tune them out to keep from hearing them.”

  “Well, that’s just great. I’ll never have another private thought around you.”

  “That’s not true. I always make an effort to block out your thoughts.”

  “And then you selectively choose when to listen in.”

  “I do not. Why are you saying that?”

  “No reason. Never mind.” His comment had me questioning my earlier assumption. Maybe he hadn’t heard my thoughts about him.

  We continued training the rest of the morning, then spent the afternoon with Brittany and Colin discussing the scenario planning. By six, Jack and Paul were back with sacks full of groceries.

  “Well, Erik, the test showed that Luke was indeed your twin.” Jack took the groceries to the kitchen and set them on the counter. “I took a closer look at his DNA and he didn’t appear to have any enhanced genes, just like Brittany.”

  “You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Brittany said, peeking into the grocery sacks.

  “I guess I should go through his stuff,” Erik said.

  “Yes. See if you can learn any more about him.” Jack glanced back at the living room. “Hey, I need to talk to Paul about some things, so I’d like all of you to help with dinner. Paul shouldn’t be expected to make our meals. I got burgers for tonight. There’s a grill out back. Can one of you get it going?”

  “I will.” Colin hopped up from his chair and headed outside.

  Brittany started to leave. “Sorry, but I don’t know how to cook.”

  “Then pretend you do,” I whispered to her as I yanked her back into the kitchen.

  As we got dinner ready, Jack and Paul talked in the other room. I used my enhanced hearing to listen in on part of their conversation.

  “When you work on it, you should only use this computer,” Paul said. “It’s never been connected to the Internet. It’s no frills but it will get the job done. I had this built special.”

  “You have to. These days, you can’t find a basic computer. All of them have webcams and microphones. They can see and hear everything. Not to mention the built-in location trackers. Heck, just using the keyboard sends them the fingerprints of whoever’s using the thing.”

  “And as soon as you plug in a computer these days, it automatically connects to the Internet. That’s why I made this one, Jack. There’s no way to connect it to the Web.”

  Listening to Jack and Paul was like listening to a couple of kids talking about their toys. They had such excitement for technology, especially for their homemade tech toys such as Paul’s specially designed computer. But at the same time they didn’t trust technology. And that distrust led them to avoid the very technology that they found so interesting.

  “So what do you think is on this?” I glanced into the other room to see Jack holding up a CD.

  “I used to have all kinds of theories, but now I don’t know. I’m
guessing it’s some old research files Dan stole from GlobalLife. I really should’ve talked to Dan more before he was killed.”

  “Come on, Paul. It was an accident. He shouldn’t have been out on the boat that day in those rough waters.”

  “Dan had been boating his whole life, Jack. He was safer in the water than on dry land.”

  Jack changed the subject and I tuned them out.

  At dinner that night, Jack explained what he and Paul were talking about. “This morning, Paul showed me a package he got from Dan Barnes, a mutual friend of ours. The guy worked in IT security back at GlobalLife. Paul kept in touch with him over the years. Unfortunately, a few months ago, Dan had a boating accident and drowned.” Jack looked over at Paul, who was shaking his head, showing his disagreement with the word “accident.”

  “I got the package after Dan died,” Paul explained. “His wife called and said that Dan left me something in his safety deposit box at the bank. She didn’t even know what it was. I drove all the way down to LA to get it. I couldn’t risk having it get lost in the mail. I figured it had to be important if he’d been keeping it in a safety deposit box.”

  “What was it?” Erik asked.

  “It was an envelope with some type of code handwritten on the front,” Paul replied. “And inside was a CD.”

  “I can’t decipher that handwritten code, but you might be able to, Erik,” Jack said.

  Paul turned to Erik. “Jack tells me that you’re a math genius. He said he used to give you complex codes to crack simply for fun.”

  “He’s exaggerating about the genius part but yeah, I love figuring out codes.”

  I knew Erik was smart but not code-cracking smart. Knowing that made me even more attracted to him. I tried not to think about it.

  “It’s over there on the desk,” Paul said. “Feel free to work on it tomorrow, or tonight if you want.”

  “What was on the CD?” I asked.

  “I don’t know,” Paul answered. “It’s encrypted so I couldn’t get it open. The package has been sitting in my closet ever since I got it.”

  “I’m going to spend some time working on it and see if I can get the file open,” Jack said.

  “Why are you so interested in this file, Dad?” Erik asked. “Do you think it has something to do with Sam and me?”

  “Probably not. But we’re almost certain it has to do with GlobalLife and something they don’t want anyone to know. And that information could be very valuable.”

  “Then I should get going on that code. Maybe it will tell us what’s on the file.” Erik got up to clear the plates. “Code-cracking. Man, I haven’t done that for years.”

  That night, while the rest of us were in bed, Erik stayed up to work on the code. From my bedroom, I could see a glimmer of light from the back porch, where he was sitting.

  “Hey, Sam. Are you up?” Brittany whispered from the cot next to me.

  “Yeah, why?”

  “I wanted to tell you that I talked to Colin today while you were out doing your crazy magic tricks.”

  “They’re not magic tricks, Brittany. They’re genetically enhanced abilities,” I corrected.

  “Yeah, whatever. Anyway, did you know he got a football scholarship?”

  “Yeah, he told me.”

  “You know, my old boyfriend back home got a football scholarship. I was gonna go with him when he went to college. It was gonna be my way out of that town.”

  “Your old boyfriend was a total jerk, Brittany. Why would you wanna go anywhere with that guy?”

  “Because I didn’t have any other options. And he wasn’t so bad when his friends weren’t around. He just liked showing off around people.”

  “By screaming at you? Hitting you? Humiliating you? That’s showing off?”

  “So he has a temper. Most guys do.”

  “No, not like that, Brittany. Your boyfriend’s temper was out of control. He was abusive. That wasn’t normal.”

  “Every guy I’ve ever dated acts like that, so it is normal.”

  “Then you’ve been dating the wrong guys.”

  I flipped on my side to go to sleep, but Brittany wouldn’t let me.

  “How does someone like me get a guy like Erik or Colin?”

  I turned back to face her. “You don’t use short skirts and cleavage, Brittany. You show them that you’re more than a body. That you have a brain, and a personality, and a sense of humor. Guys like Colin and Erik are attracted to that.”

  “But I don’t have those things.”

  “Of course you do.”

  “No. My mom always said I was nothing more than a pretty face and that I had to use that to get what I needed out of life.”

  “No offense to your mom, but that wasn’t good advice. She was wrong. You’re way more than a pretty face. You just need to let people see that.”

  “By doing what?”

  “Well, for one, by showing interest in things. Reading. Learning about stuff. What are you interested in besides clothes and celebrities?”

  “I don’t know. Travel, I guess. Learning about different countries.”

  The answer surprised me. “That’s good. So start learning about different countries. Learn a language.”

  “I tried that. I flunked Spanish. I’m not smart like you.”

  “You probably flunked Spanish because you didn’t even try. Did you sleep through the class?”

  “No. I texted Blake during that class. Sometimes naughty texts.” She giggled. “He loved those!”

  “That’s why you flunked, Brittany. You didn’t put any effort in.”

  “But guys are annoyed by smart girls.”

  “Guys like Blake are. Because when you act like you’re stupid, it makes jerks like Blake feel smart. And it makes him feel like he can control you. That’s why he treated you like he did.”

  Brittany got quiet for a moment. “Do you think I could ever get Erik to like me the way he likes you?”

  “Erik and I are just friends. I’ve told you that.”

  “But he looks at you differently than he looks at me. He treats you differently.”

  “I don’t know why you’re saying that. He treats us both the same.” It was little white lie but it seemed warranted, given Brittany’s fragile self-esteem.

  “Then how do I get him to see me as more than a friend?”

  “I don’t know. I’m the last person you should ask for dating advice. I’m just lucky I found Colin. And I already told you what to do. Stop trying so hard. Stop using your body as your only tool for attraction. And don’t pretend to be dumb. Because I know you’re not. Now can we go to sleep?”

  “I guess. But one more thing.”

  “What?”

  “I think Colin wants to marry you.”

  I sat up, resting back on my elbows. “What? When did he say that?”

  “He didn’t actually say those exact words, but I know he wants to.”

  I lay back down. “He doesn’t wanna marry me, Brittany.”

  “I asked him if he loves you and he said that he does and always has.”

  “Yeah, well, that doesn’t mean he wants to get married. And why are you asking him stuff like that?”

  “Because I’m your sister. I’m trying to figure out what the guy’s intentions are.” Brittany laughed, which made me laugh.

  “So what exactly are his intentions?”

  “I didn’t ask him that specifically. But you’re all he talks about. And it’s obvious that he doesn’t want anyone else but you. It’s kind of weird, really. I mean, he’s kind of young to be deciding that, right? You’d think he’d wanna date other people.”

  “Sometimes the right person comes along at the wrong time.”

  “Hey, is that a country song?”

  I laughed. “I don’t know. Probably.”

  “So if he asked you, would you say yes?”

  “If who asked what?”

  “Sam, just answer the question.”

  “Would I marry
Colin? Like, right now? No. I’m too young.”

  “Hmmm, okay. Good to know.”

  “What does that mean? Are you not telling me something?”

  “I’m tired. I’m going to sleep.”

  “Brittany? What did you mean by that? Did Colin say—”

  “Goodnight, Sam.” Brittany rolled on her side and covered her head with the blanket.

  He’s not thinking of proposing, I thought. Brittany’s just trying to stir up trouble. Make me think things that aren’t true. But then again, it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. Knowing that I could be dead in two years could prompt Colin to act. The idea of it made me anxious. I wasn’t ready to be a bride.

  The next morning, Erik was back on the porch working on his code. Jack was sitting at the dining room table typing on the laptop and talking to himself. Brittany slept in, not seeing a need to get up. Colin was in the kitchen making breakfast.

  “Hey, Sam. I’m making eggs. You want some?”

  “Yeah, sounds good. Did everyone else eat?”

  “No. Jack and Erik are too busy to eat. They’ve been working since dawn. Erik probably slept for three hours. He’s obsessed with cracking that code. Where’s Brittany?”

  “She’s sleeping in. Hey, what did you talk about with Brittany yesterday?”

  Colin stopped scrambling the eggs. “Not much. Why? Did she say something?”

  “Um, a few things, but she tends to exaggerate. Never mind.”

  Colin divided the eggs onto two plates and we went to sit at the table with Jack. Suddenly the porch door swung open and Erik raced inside.

  “I’ve got it! I know what the code says!”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Origin

  “So what does it say?” Jack moved his computer aside.

  Erik put a sheet of paper on the table so everyone could see. It read, “Superior Genetics Project: Origin of Foreign Nucleobases.”

  Jack grabbed the piece of paper. “Origin of foreign nucleobases? Erik, are you sure you decoded this correctly?”